Demon Dawn Read online

  She shook her head at me, and I sat beside her, already knowing what was making her cry.

  “Losing the bow hurts. But, we need to look at things practically. It’s just a bow. It doesn’t mean I’m losing any more of Dad than I already have.”

  “It does. We’re replacing everything. I can’t do this.” She wiped her hands then her face. “I can’t see Uan.” She wheeled away from the table and went to her room.

  Zach watched me.

  “You okay?”

  “I’m feeling like Mom right now. But I know it’ll pass. You?”

  He sighed.

  “Losing is just part of life. You know?”

  I nodded, understanding exactly what he meant. Life was a series of learning, loving, and letting go. You either got used to the letting go or gave up on living.

  “Keep cooking,” I said. “Tonight, we’ll find out just how serious Uan is about Mom.”

  The stew was simmering by the time Uan knocked on the door. I let him in.

  “Mom’s having a rough day,” I said. “She’s missing my dad. She told us she didn’t want to see you anymore, but I don’t think that’s true. You’ve made her happy.”

  He looked down at me for a long moment.

  “She makes me very happy.”

  “Then go remind her of that.”

  He went back to Mom’s bedroom and let himself in without knocking. Zach and I waited by the table. The low rumble of Uan’s voice came from the room several times before the door opened and Mom emerged. Her face was tear-stained and mottled, but she didn’t give us the Mom glare as she parked at the table.

  “Thank you,” she said simply.

  “Anytime,” I said.

  We served dinner and sat down together. Before I managed more than a few bites, Zach reached into his pocket and withdrew several packets of birth control, which he set on the table without a word. I was surprised he handled it with so much dignity. And in front of Uan, too. But it was only right since he needed to understand what they meant.

  I looked at Mom then Uan. Uan frowned at the packets of pills.

  “Do you know what they are?” Mom asked.

  “Medicine,” Uan said. “Are you sick?”

  “No.”

  Zach started eating in a hurry.

  “Slow down, Zach. Even if you finish, you’re not excused.”

  Zach groaned.

  “I asked Zach and Brenna to go on the supply run today to find birth control. These pills will help prevent pregnancy. At my age, it’s a risk to have more children. Do you understand what that means, Uan? If you choose to be with me, I can’t give you kids. You won’t have children of your own.”

  He looked at us then Mom.

  “I will have children of my own. I will have Brenna and Zach.”

  Chapter Six

  I washed the pot and wondered what would happen next. Mom had her pills and Uan’s definite interest. Hearing that she wouldn’t ever have his baby hadn’t scared him off.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I considered the pair as they sat on the back porch. Mom was bundled up in a blanket on Uan’s lap. Their heads were close as they talked to each other. I was glad she had someone.

  “How soon before she gives him the green light to move in, you think?” Zach said, taking the pot to dry.

  “Probably not very long. A few days at most. She’ll want to give him some time to change his mind.”

  “Do any of them ever say no?”

  I snorted.

  “Not that I’ve ever seen.”

  “What are you going to call him?”

  “Uan for a while. Dad, if he deserves it.”

  “Really?”

  “You heard Mom. We’ll be the only kids he’ll have. I think he’d like being called Dad.”

  Zach was quiet for a minute.

  “If he deserves it,” he agreed.

  After we finished up with the dishes, I went through the cupboards to look at our supplies.

  “Damn. This is amazing.”

  Zach grinned.

  “Two full totes, one for each of us. And, I got to pick what went in them.”

  He’d organized everything by type, putting the canned goods in a lower cupboard and the boxed stuff in the upper cupboards. We even had two bags of flour and other baking ingredients.

  My mouth started to water for the biscuits that I knew Mom would make.

  I paced the back of the truck, moving to keep warm. I’d gotten smarter each trip, not just about how I did things but about how the supply runs were handled in general. On the second trip to Harrisonville, we’d approached from the north. Garrett had explained that the group never came in for supply runs from the same direction twice because of infected traps. The infected were getting too smart. We’d left with more supplies than the day before, thanks to a supercenter, and I had managed to stay on the roof without freezing my ass off. To top my amazing day, Thallirin hadn’t tried to talk to me during our trek home on foot, and Mom had made biscuits.

  Thinking of the flaky treat, I pulled a wrapped biscuit from my pocket and took a bite. Even cold, it was amazing.

  My footsteps were quiet as I turned, scanned the surrounding trees, and walked the length of the truck trailer. While two of the trucks were the canvas-backed military kind, the third was hard-backed. The cargo bay kept the humans warmer and safer, and the solid surface made it possible for me to move around when on guard duty.

  A thick tree to the right caught my attention. I didn’t stop to stare but kept moving, noting it again during my sweeping glance.

  “An infected is watching us from the south,” I said quietly. “It’s standing against the tree.”

  Thallirin, who was on the south side, scanned the trees.

  “I see it. Two others behind it.”

  He jogged over to the other fey and spoke quietly. That fey nodded and took off at a sprint toward the trees. The infected I’d noted didn’t move, not even when the fey reached the tree line. It just stood still for its death. Frowning, I looked around. Nothing else moved.

  “That was weird.”

  “Why?”

  I looked down at Thallirin.

  “The ones smart enough to watch us are also smart enough to run. Why was it watching, and why didn’t it run when it knew it was spotted?”

  He grunted and continued to patrol the area.

  I put away my biscuit, more alert now, and glanced at the position of the sun. It’d been at least two hours since the main group had left for town. My gaze shifted to the houses in the distance. It had been a long wait on the first two runs, too. But we hadn’t seen any infected before. At least, not out by the trucks. Did seeing them mean it was worse in there?

  My stomach twisted with worry, and I wished I was with Zach. We knew how to look for supplies. How to watch out for each other. I knew Ryan wasn’t his sister, but I couldn’t help but feel a little mistrust toward him at that moment. Would he place as much value on Zach’s safety as I would? Probably not.

  I stopped pacing and rolled my shoulders.

  “Are you cold?” Thallirin asked.

  “No. Worried. I wish I was with Zach.”

  “He will be safe.”

  I looked down at Thallirin.

  “If you’re so sure of that, then why am I up here and not out there?”

  He didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. We both knew Zach’s safety was no more a guarantee than mine.

  Moving again, I paced with greater purpose, as if my effort would hurry the clock. When the first runner appeared, coated with steaming gore, my throat tightened.

  “We cleared four blocks,” he said, scooping up snow to rub over his face. “There were more infected. Ryan wants us to bring two trucks closer to hurry the loading.”

  Two of the fey jumped into the driver’s seats of the supply trucks and rumbled away before I could scramble off the trailer roof. I watched them turn, then back up toward the start of the neighborhood. Did they think we would need to leave
fast?

  I hurried toward the roof of the cab, sliding down the windshield to the hood. Thallirin hovered, ready to catch me if I fell. I ignored him and monkeyed my way down the grille and bumper.

  “I don’t drive stick,” I said, “But I think we need to turn this one around, too.”

  Thallirin walked over and opened the passenger door, waiting for me to get in.

  I could waste time and say I’d keep watch from the outside, or I could get inside so he moved it faster. Looking at the flurry of activity around the two distant trucks, I hustled toward the door. His hand rested on my back, helping me as I stepped up into the cab. I didn’t complain. The step was slick with cold and snow, and I’d almost slipped.

  “Do you think those infected were lookouts? Are more coming?” I asked as soon as Thallirin got in.

  “You’re safe.”

  I rolled my eyes at his placating non-answer, like I was some child needing reassurance, and watched as he started the truck and began the process of a Y-turn. How could a creature with no prior knowledge of vehicles already know how to drive a stick after a few months when I’d been on this planet for almost eighteen years and still couldn’t drive one? The fey made me feel like such an underachiever at times.

  As soon as the truck was facing the other direction, Thallirin got out, leaving it to idle. I swiveled in my seat to watch what was happening. As far as I could tell, the trucks were being loaded as fast as hell. Several fey were running our way with people in their arms.

  I reached for the handle and opened the door an inch before it was closed on me. I looked down at the fey preventing me from leaving, unsure if I should feel relieved that it wasn’t Thallirin or annoyed that the rest were starting to act like him.

  “Stay inside,” the fey said. “The humans are coming.”

  Shifting my gaze to the runners, I counted humans. They were all there. Ryan’s dad, Richard, was the first to arrive and climbed into the driver’s seat of my truck. This was the first time he’d gone on a supply run with us.

  “Looks like you’ll be my co-pilot for this,” he said calmly.

  “What’s going on?”

  “A herd of infected were spotted six blocks away. Smart ones trying to sneak up on us. Not the first time they’ve tried that, though. We typically pull two trucks back, using them as decoys as we hightail it out of there. The fey will bring the supplies and thin the herd.” Someone banged on his door twice, and he shifted into gear.

  “We’ll meet up with the rest of the fey and the trucks a few miles out. Your job is to keep an eye on your side of the road. Let me know if you see anything.”

  “Got it.”

  Adrenaline pumped through me as I watched the roadside for any sign of infected or traps. A number of fey ran ahead of us as a front guard. Tense minutes passed in the cab before Richard let off the gas and came to a gentle stop near a farm.

  “We haven’t checked this one. Might as well have a look around while we wait.”

  I turned to look at him.

  “That’s it? We’re in the clear?”

  He chuckled.

  “We’re as clear as it’s going to get. Come on. I love checking farm basements. Never know what we’ll find.”

  Following his lead, I jumped out of the truck. A few of the humans from the back of the truck were getting out, too.

  “Brenna and I are going to check the house,” Richard said.

  Ryan glanced at me and grinned. “Don’t let him talk you into trying anything out of a jar.”

  Richard waved a hand at his son and looked at me.

  “Don’t listen to him. It was a bad seal. The rest were fine.”

  I smiled at their easy banter and followed Richard across the snow toward the house. It wasn’t until we were almost there that I realized Thallirin hadn’t tried to stop me. I looked back and found him a step behind me, his expression grim.

  “What’s something you’re craving?” Richard asked.

  “At the moment, nothing really. Mom made biscuits last night with the supplies from our first haul.”

  “Biscuits are good.” He groaned. “Biscuits and gravy would be better. I hope we find some sausage.”

  He stopped outside the house and looked back at the fey following us. Without a word, they went inside while Richard and I waited with Thallirin.

  “Julie wants me to find some fresh food. Not an easy task,” Richard said. “If the stores have heat, the produce inside is rotten by now. If there’s no heat, then the slow freeze turned most of it to mush. We’ve had some luck with these farmhouses, though. See over there?” he asked, pointing to a row of gnarled, old trees. “Apple trees. I’m betting we’ll find a bushel or two of apples worth saving.”

  The door opened, and the fey carried out two bodies to lay on the snow. Their legs were covered in human bite marks.

  “It’s clear,” one of the fey said.

  Richard held the door open for me. I stepped inside and leaned my bow against the wall, drawing the knife I carried from the sheath.

  “You’re not new to this,” Richard said as my gaze swept the room, lingering on the couch and chair.

  “No. Did you check under the couch?” I asked. “The smaller infected like hiding there.” I couldn’t say kids because they weren’t kids anymore.

  “Yes,” one of the fey said. “A small one was there. We took him out the back.”

  I nodded and stepped farther into the room, sticking close to Richard.

  We searched through the kitchen, placing what food there was on the table, then went down to the basement. Richard’s prediction proved correct, and we found some apples in a cool, back corner that I wouldn’t go near. Neither did he. We both had too much experience with infected to do something that risky when there was no need.

  “Would any of you mind getting those apples?” he asked the fey. “And all the jars from those shelves? We’ll eventually need to start preserving our own food.”

  The whole excursion didn’t take long, and I was outside with my mom’s bow over my shoulder in no time.

  Richard clapped me on the back in acknowledgment of a job well done and returned to the truck.

  I looked at Thallirin, who hadn’t been more than a yard from me the whole time.

  “Why didn’t you stop me this time?” I asked.

  “Why didn’t you get mad at Richard for telling you what to do?”

  “Because I knew I had a choice the whole time. I could have said no, and he would have been okay with that. Your turn.”

  “He said it would help you.”

  “In what way?”

  “To be less angry.” He studied me for a moment. “You still look at me with anger.”

  “You still look at me like you own me.”

  He shared a look with one of the fey carrying something from the house. The fey grunted in their caveman communication way and kept walking.

  “I know I do not own you, Brenna,” Thallirin said.

  “Right.” I let a heavy and obvious amount of doubt lace that single word.

  Rather than trying to point out where his actions failed to support his statement, I went back to the vehicles, glad the rest of the group had joined us and we could leave.

  However, arriving at Tenacity only served to remind me that my day was far from over. The majority of the fey were once again covered in infected goo, and the clean ones were avoiding eye contact.

  “Tor,” Richard called. “Get Brenna home, will you? She can start sorting the supplies as they come in.” And just like that, Richard was my hero because one of the fey came jogging over.

  I hurriedly removed my bow so I didn’t break another one, but the precaution proved unnecessary. The new-to-me fey smiled good-naturedly and asked if he could carry me before he bent to pick me up and settled me against his bare chest. That he didn’t act like I was an infected two seconds from biting him or cast continuous longing glances my way was a nice change. Not nice enough to strike up a conversation, but s
till nice.

  Safely in his arms, I made the journey home in minutes and was at the storage shed as the supplies started trickling in. I wasn’t alone, though. Julie was there, teaching me the ropes and chatting away.

  She was easy to like and kept me distracted from Thallirin’s quiet presence just inside the doorway.

  “That’s the last of it,” she said with her hands on her hips. We looked at the shelves. Over half of them held items again.

  “Go ahead and fill up two totes with whatever your family needs.”

  I shook my head.

  “We’re good for now. But, I really like knowing I can come in here at any time and grab something if we need it.”

  She smiled at me.

  “The door’s never locked. Thank you for going out today and for everything you do. You and your family help make Tolerance a better place.”

  With those words, everything about today clicked.

  “Mya told you.”

  Julie’s smile softened.

  “Of course she did, sweetie. She’s my daughter and is worried that you hate her. But that’s her problem, not yours. You were right to speak up for yourself. Don’t ever stop.”

  She gave my arm a comforting squeeze then turned me toward the door, which was now empty.

  “Go on. I’m sure your mom’s waiting.”

  I left the supply shed with a positive attitude, sure that my day couldn’t possibly get any better. Well, getting through to Thallirin would make it better, but I was content with the wins so far.

  That changed the minute I walked into my house and the scent of pepperoni pizza punched me in the face.

  “No fucking way,” I yelled.

  Mom laughed from the kitchen.

  “Yes, fucking way,” she said. “And watch your mouth. The last pepperoni pizza on the face of the planet is no reason to swear.”

  I tore out of my clothes and bolted for the kitchen. Not one, but three pizzas waited on the table. Both mom and Zach were grinning at my expression.

  I looked at Zach.

  “Was this you?”

  “Who else? If I'm going into those houses, I'm taking what I want out.”

  I sat down with a smile and glanced at Uan, who remained quiet.