Demon Ember (Resurrection Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  “No, I’m fine.” No way would I allow him to touch me after what he’d been reading. “Go ahead and finish getting dressed then we can go. I’m almost done in here.”

  Drav nodded and walked back down the hall.

  I refocused on finding the spare pocket knife and any other supplies we could use. I found my old, sturdy hiking boots. My parents and Ryan had gotten me a new pair for my birthday the year before. I’d left these up here in case I ever forgot to bring my new ones. Given the rain, boots might not be a bad idea. I considered the room left in my bag and decided the shoes I’d worn here would fit.

  I closed the door to the bedroom, changed clothes, and braided my hair. Once I finished and packed my new finds into the bag, I came out to the living room where Drav sat on the couch waiting. He stood when he saw me. He had rebraided his hair to look much like it had the first time we’d crossed paths. Had it only been a week ago?

  Glancing around the cabin sadly, I kept reminding myself that it was only a place as I prepared to leave. My family was what I missed, and because of the storm, we were already days behind them. We had to get to Tinker.

  “Ready?” I asked, hiking the bag up on my shoulder.

  “Yes.”

  He held out the iPod. Now that I knew what he listened to, I hesitated to take it.

  “It’s probably low on battery. We should leave it here.”

  “Is there a charger?”

  Seriously? How did he know that?

  Reluctantly, I nodded and went to grab the iPod charger along with the one for my phone. I’d already tucked my phone into my back pocket, safe and sound. When I had everything, I checked the lock on the front door then led Drav to the back, the way we had come in. It might only be a place but it still held memories, and I didn’t want anyone coming in and destroying anything. My thoughts roamed to the men on the overpass. Though our paths had crossed briefly, I now knew what type of people they were. No doubt there were more like them out there.

  After locking the back door, Drav and I started off through the trees at a brisk pace. He didn’t seem remotely tired from staying up all day. I looked at the late afternoon sky, trying to find just how low the sun might be behind the thick clouds. The consistent grey didn’t give me a clue.

  From the corner of my eye, I caught Drav watching me. I glanced toward him, but he immediately focused on our surroundings. I frowned but said nothing. Twice more I caught him watching me only to have him quickly look away. He was weirding me out. Or maybe, my imagination was weirding me out.

  The cold, damp smell of late fall tickled my nose, and I tried to pay more attention to where we were going than to Drav. The ground, still wet from all the rain, squished under my feet. Although my boots kept my feet dry, they were heavier than my running shoes, and it wasn’t long before my steps started to lag. Drav didn’t say anything about the pace. He stayed beside me no matter how slowly I walked. Night descended as we continued south.

  Twice, he had me stop while he disappeared to take care of a nearby infected. I used each break to lean against a tree or building where I sipped water from my bottle. Each time he returned, I offered it to him as well.

  Despite the breaks, I was getting tired. It was a couple of hours later when my feet went out from under me. I yipped and swung my arm out to grab something as I fell. Drav’s hand gripped my flailing arm, steadying me. Before I could thank him, his steely arms slipped behind my back and under my legs, and he lifted me up. With me cradled in his arms, he continued to walk as if he hadn’t decided to randomly pick me up.

  “Um, Drav? You don’t have to carry me.”

  “I don’t want you to strain your ankle.”

  “My ankle is fine now. Seriously, you don’t need to carry me.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  He might not, but I did.

  “I’d rather walk.”

  “And risk injuring yourself if you slip? Are you no longer in a hurry to find your family?”

  I shut my mouth. Stupid iPod.

  Drav carried me like that a couple hours longer, going about the same speed I had while walking. I couldn’t imagine how tired he must be. A light sprinkling of rain gave me the perfect excuse to ask to be set down.

  I pulled out the ponchos I had grabbed from the cabin and gave Drav his. Like I’d thought, it fit him snugly but did the job. I tugged mine over my head then slung the bag across my body again, determined to walk some more. Drav didn’t argue.

  Where the ground had been squishy before, mud now slicked the surface. He started slipping, too, and our progress slowed to a crawl. The poncho kept me from freezing in the cold rain, although not by much, and Drav caught me each time I slid, preventing me from landing face first or ass deep in the slippery earth.

  The rain eventually let up, but we didn’t stop to remove the ponchos. We kept walking, one foot in front of another. Sleep tugged at me, but with the sky still dark, I refused to quit before the sun rose.

  My arms and legs felt like lead. My blinks became longer until I realized I was taking steps with my eyes closed.

  Drav touched my arm gently, and I knew I was busted.

  “You need to rest. Come, there is a house nearby.”

  “No, I’m fine. We gotta keep going.”

  Drav scooped me into his arms again, putting an end to my resistance.

  “No, Mya. We won’t make it there before sunrise. We need to stop for the night. There’s a house ahead,” he said, steering us toward what I couldn’t see in the dark night.

  Giving into my exhaustion, I relaxed in his arms until he slipped and tightened his hold on me. I clung to him the rest of the way to the old farmhouse.

  No lights were on when Drav set me down on the porch, with a stern “Stay here.” I watched him break the lock and slip inside. Cold wrapped around me, and I tucked my chilled fingers under my arms, trying to warm them.

  When Drav reappeared, his gaze dipped briefly to my poncho-covered chest before he met my gaze.

  “Is it safe?” I asked.

  “It is. Come.” He held out his hand for me to take.

  I easily slipped my much smaller one into his grasp and let him lead me into the house. The heat was on, and I shivered at the warmth. Drav closed the door behind us, and we both struggled out of our wet ponchos. He took mine from me and hung it on one of the many hooks near the door. I moved further into the house, turning on lights downstairs as I looked around. Another nice place. This one thankfully empty.

  Tiredly, I followed Drav upstairs, where he led me to a room with a queen-sized bed.

  “Go ahead and change your clothes. I will go downstairs to find some food.”

  I nodded absently, tugged my bag off, and rotated my shoulders to relieve some of the stiffness. Taking out the sleep clothes I had used at the cabin, I quickly changed.

  I didn’t go downstairs for food but crawled under the covers and fell fast asleep.

  Nineteen

  I snuggled closer to the heat behind me and tucked my hand under my cheek. The bed was so comfortable and warm. I never wanted to leave it.

  Then reality pressed ever so slightly against my backside, and my eyes popped open. That wasn’t…it couldn’t be his…

  Drav’s fingers smoothed over my hair, moving the few strands that had escaped from my braid off my face. His warm breath caressed my neck.

  I bolted. One minute I lay in bed, the next I was all flying elbows and legs as I fought my way out from under the covers. I didn’t stop until a solid bathroom door separated me and the horny demon who’d been snuggling my backside. A soft growl answered the sound of the lock snapping into place.

  “Don’t you dare break that door,” I said, taking a cautious step backward.

  “Then unlock it.”

  “No way in hell.”

  A moment of silence passed as I stared at the door with wide eyes, waiting for it to explode inward. But it didn’t. Instead, he spoke again.

  “Why did you run?”


  I frantically looked around the space for a reason that did not involve the raging boner he just had pressed against my butt.

  “I needed to pee, Drav. Why else?”

  “Then why aren’t you peeing?”

  “Because you’re listening. Go away.”

  Something thumped on the other side of the door.

  “I think you’re hiding from me,” he said softly. “And I don’t like it.”

  I watched the door nervously, but nothing happened. This new, more communicative Drav confused me in a whole different way, now.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Wait for you to come out.”

  I closed my eyes and mentally groaned. There was no way I would walk out of the bathroom just so he could nudge me back to the bedroom for more snuggle time. I wasn’t stupid. Demon or human, if it had a penis, there was a purpose for it. I’d been safe because Drav hadn’t known or understood, it seemed. However, those damn romance novels had spelled out the reason for him.

  “Fine. You want the truth? You scared me just now, almost as much as you’d scared me the first time we met.” Not really, but I didn’t want to admit that, not even to myself.

  “How?”

  “Remember how grabby you were? Remember all the times I told you to stop because it made me uncomfortable? You were doing it again this morning.”

  “My hands weren’t on your breasts. They were on your hair.”

  I covered my face.

  “I can’t talk about this with you.”

  “Then we won’t talk. Just open the door.”

  “No.” What if he was standing out there, naked, waiting to pounce? “Now that you can understand, we need some rules.”

  “Rules?”

  “Yeah. You understand that word, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Rule one. No more touching me whenever you want.” I paused, trying to think of another rule that the first one wouldn’t already cover.

  “And the next rule?” Drav asked when I remained silent.

  “No more iPod.”

  “Fine. Now, open the door.”

  I stood there for a moment, hesitating. I couldn’t stay in the bathroom forever. My family was in Tinker, and I needed his help to get there. So what if he’d sprung some wood while snuggling. Like he’d pointed out, he hadn’t been groping me. Just snuggle-business as usual. Taking a fortifying breath, I reached for the knob and opened the door.

  Drav slowly looked up from where he’d had his forehead pressed against the door—the thump I’d heard. His tormented green eyes pinned me with guilt. I looked away from the emotion there and wished I hadn’t when I saw the bare expanse of his smooth, darkly-chiseled chest. He’d slept with no shirt again.

  Don’t look lower. Don’t look lower.

  I did and to my relief, he wore pants and was no longer in pounce mode.

  “You are the only thing I like about this world,” he said.

  My gaze flew to his as my stomach gave an odd flip at his words.

  “Please don’t ever run from me.”

  He held out his hand, not touching me, but silently asking to be touched. It surprised me how much I wanted to take it.

  “What’s going to happen when we reach the city again?” I asked, not taking his peace offering. “When we find my family, are you going to let me go?”

  He slowly lowered his hand.

  “I will.”

  “Honestly, I’m not sure I believe you.”

  He studied me for a long moment.

  “I will let you go because I know you won’t go far. We both know you won’t be safe for long without me.”

  He said what I’d been trying not to think since before we’d reached the cabin. Once I did find my family, I had no idea how we’d survive this new world. Our only hope lay in whatever location the military had secured for the survivors. A location that wouldn’t welcome Drav.

  “And if I am safe without you? Will you let me go?”

  “Yes. I will let you go.”

  I nodded, trying to ignore the tightness in my chest, and reached for the door.

  “Now I really do have to pee. Please don’t stand out in the hallway. It’s weird.”

  “All right. I’ll be in the kitchen.”

  I closed the door and took my time washing up. When I reemerged, the hall was empty. I crept back to the room, changed clothes, then reclaimed the bathroom to brush my teeth and rebraid my hair.

  With nothing else to delay me, I went to the kitchen. Drav sat at the table, a can of peaches before him and another can near the chair beside him.

  “Will you eat with me?”

  I nodded and sat beside him. My mouth was already full of peach when he spoke.

  “My life was lonely before I came here, but I didn’t know loneliness then because all I knew was my day to day life. I understand now, and I don’t want to go back to it. When we find your family and it comes time for me to let you go, I will. Until then, I ask for your company.”

  I choked on my guilt as I swallowed down the peach.

  “If my being near you upsets you, I am sorry. I never stopped to think that while your presence was giving me comfort, mine caused you distress. I never intended for that to happen. I will be more considerate in the future.”

  Aw, hell.

  “Drav, you have been considerate. You’ve kept me safe. And I am forever grateful for that. I didn’t mean for it to sound like I don’t enjoy being near you. You’re different and, sometimes, a little frightening to me.”

  The vertical slit of his eyes narrowed slightly, and I realized my fear of him as a shadow man or demon, or whatever his species, had faded. My only fear remained of him as a man.

  “You’re not scary to me anymore.” I reached out across the table and set my hand on his, where it rested beside his untouched fork.

  He turned his hand and wrapped his fingers around mine.

  “Thank you, Mya.”

  I gave his hand a light squeeze then let go and quickly ate my breakfast. After I finished eating, Drav went to the bathroom. I waited for him at the table until he was ready to leave.

  Dusk muted the clear sky as we stepped outside. Near the garage, an infected heard the backdoor click and ran toward the house.

  Drav growled and stepped in front of me protectively. I smiled slightly and stayed in place as he charged the man and tore off his head. The fact that I no longer flinched at that level of violence worried me. My world seemed so scarily different now. Hellhounds. Infected. Corrupt survivors. And, hopefully, decent survivors, too.

  I thought of the men at the bridge and how they clung to their light and weapons for safety. Not me. I walked around at night unarmed and without fear because of Drav.

  He turned back to me as the body fell to the ground.

  “It’s safe now, Mya.”

  I nodded and stepped forward.

  The ground felt less muddy and slippery than the night before, and I walked on my own two feet without trouble. As the moon rose, we made good progress, but not good enough. Miles passed and I still didn’t see the major highway we would need to cross. The one that signaled we were halfway home.

  Stopping, I looked at Drav, whose questioning gaze met mine. His talk in the kitchen hadn’t been a ploy to win his way back into my good graces. He really did care about me.

  “We’ll get there faster if you carry me, won’t we?” I asked.

  “Yes. But I would need to touch you.”

  Obviously. I was moved that he remembered my earlier concerns.

  “That’s okay.”

  I’d barely gotten the words out before he had me in his arms. He held me firmly against his chest and looked down at me. The slit of his pupils widened the longer he stared.

  “Am I too heavy?” I asked, just to motivate him to start walking.

  “No, Mya. You are perfect in my arms.”

  The way he said it reminded me how perfect he’d found me in his arms when I’d wo
ken up.

  “Maybe this isn’t a good idea. Maybe we should find a car, instead.”

  “A car is too loud.”

  Then he ran. Without much choice, I tucked my face into his shirt to avoid the brisk wind.

  After a little less than an hour, he slowed to a jog. I lifted my head and saw a dome of light shining in the distance.

  “The same bridge?” I asked in a whisper.

  “It is.”

  “Can we see if they are still there without going too close?”

  “We could, but why risk you like that again?”

  His concern warmed me.

  “There aren’t many of us uninfected left. Even though they are douchecanoes, I want to know they are still uninfected.”

  He grunted and continued walking. When we were close enough to see the bridge, he hesitated for a minute then continued moving, creating more distance. I didn’t speak, just looked over his shoulder and watched the bridge growing smaller.

  “There are twelve now,” he said when the light disappeared behind some trees. “Three men are in the trees where we’d stood the first time.”

  I felt torn by the news. I didn’t like that more had joined the untrustworthy group, but I was glad I wasn’t the last uncontaminated human on earth.

  “If it’s safe, can you put me down so I can walk a bit and stretch my legs?”

  “Of course.”

  His touch lingered a bit as he put me down, but I pretended not to notice.

  We walked in silence, and I watched the horizon for the soft glow of city lights.

  “You know what really bugs me?” I asked.

  “Touching.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “No. I want to know why we lost communications but not power. If I could use my phone, it would be easy to know where my family is right now. To know they are still alive.”

  “Phone?”

  I dug in my bag and produced the phone I’d turned off after recharging it at the cabin to conserve the battery.

  “My brother and I used to text a lot. His last message said to watch out for the dogs and to stay safe. If this were working, I could send him a message asking where he is.” I tossed the phone back in my bag. “Instead, we have to run all over trying to find them.”