Dauntless (13 page)

He leaned down and kissed me lightly. “Forgiven?”

“Of course.”

Marks popped back out of the tent and all but glared at us as we held each other loosely.

I could feel Bastian’s muscles tighten as he and Marks glared at one another until I let out a cough. “Marks, this is Sebastian. Sebastian, this is Marks. If you two boys don’t play nice together you’re going to see a very ugly side of me. Got it?”

They turned to stare at me, giving almost identical looks of shock. I lifted one finger and pointed it first at Marks and then my husband. “I mean it.”

Marks gave a sharp nod and Sebastian tightened his arms around me. “I don’t want him calling you pet names,” he said, loud enough for Marks to hear and go bright red.

“Sebastian, Marks looked out for me while I was stuck with Vincent. Perhaps instead of being an ass, you could thank him for looking after your wife while you were incapacitated,” I said, loosened my grip on him and pulled away. That made it easier to give him the dirty look he deserved.

The young man let out a chuckle. “Damn, if you didn’t already have two men at your feet, I’d be down there, too. Always did love me a fiery woman.” Both Marks and Sebastian glared at the young kid till he swallowed hard and backed away.

Sebastian surprised me by holding out his hand to Marks. “She’s right. Again. Thank you, for looking out for Mara. . . When . . . I . . . couldn’t.” He seemed to have some difficulty getting the words out but he managed.

Marks took his hand and gave it a single shake. “I would do it again. Only I wish the outcome were different.”

Nope, that was not okay and this infatuation with me had to end now. I reached out and slapped Marks, stunning the men into stillness.

“Do not ever say that again. You are my friend, and I though you understood that was all there was between us, all there ever would be. If you can’t get that through your thick skull then we can’t even be that,” I snapped, my voice hard and cold even to my own ears.

I linked hands with Sebastian. “We are going to the command centre.”

Marks’ cheek had a brilliant red hand print, but he nodded. “I’ll show you the way.” Setting a sharp pace; he led, and we followed.

Back into the terminal, the “command centre” was what had once been gate 9. It had the best view of the airstrip and the chairs and tables had been set up accordingly.

Annie was already there, waiting quietly in a corner. She saw us and stood, her eyes widening as they lit on Marks.

“I know you,” she said, a soft blush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks. Well this was interesting.

Marks walked over to her. “You were the girl in the window.”

“I’m hardly a girl. I’m almost twenty six,” she said, a small spark of her fire showing itself. Interesting indeed. We left Marks and Annie to speak alone, and we made our way across the room.

“Where do you think they’re going to fly us?” Sebastian asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess it really doesn’t matter as long as there aren’t any Nevermores.”

On the far side of the main hall was a large world map, big black X’s through several of the continents. In fact there was only one continent without an X through it and my breath caught in my throat. They couldn’t be serious, could they? Marks caught up with us, Annie at his side.

A brief explanation from him quickly revealed that, indeed, they were serious. It was the only continent that didn’t dive into the Nevermore revolution, weight wasn’t an issue for the people there. The tribes had killed off the Nevermores who had appeared, and as a whole, the continent was the only one left pretty much intact.

We were going to Africa.

21

The next week while we waited for the test results allowed us some semblance of normality.

Annie and Marks became almost inseparable, their shared grief at losing loved ones tying them together as much as some chance encounter they’d had. For the most part Sebastian and I stayed in our own quarters, making up for lost time, revelling in the facts that not only were we together, but the babies would be fine.

We learned there were small pockets of humans living on each continent, surviving amongst the Nevermores, fighting them off as we had. But while most groups had decided to head to Africa to start again, a few had decided to stay where they were and try to make a go of it. I personally didn’t think that was a good idea, but then, going to Africa had started to freak me out, too. Either way, the world had a major re-set when Nevermore was released on us all, like someone had pushed a button and thrown us all back five hundred years. Now the trick was not who could make the most money, or have the biggest house, but who could survive the best. Those would be the ones who helped to re-make the world. Dan had been right; it was survival of the fittest on the grandest scale possible.

The best news of all was that the vial we’d brought from Donavan’s labs looked good. The initial tests were showing signs in the affirmative and the medical staff was ecstatic. We may have, with Donavan’s mad genius, helped to bring the world back to some semblance of order.

Finally, the three of us were called down to the medical labs to get our results. Just inside the door stood two guards with guns, their faces giving away no emotion. I didn’t like this. No one else had guards in attendance when they got their blood work results.

I reached for Sebastian and he took my hand, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. Again, Annie went first and came out, if not smiling, then not frowning either. She was clean.

Then it was our turn.

We walked in and Dr. Stanwell motioned for us to sit in the ripped leather chairs opposite her.

“I’d really rather stand,” Sebastian said.

“I think you’d better sit for the results,” she said, her tone sombre.

He sat, his face losing colour as fast as he could plant his butt in the chair. This was not good.

She took a deep breath. “Sebastian. You aren’t human anymore.”

I couldn’t bite down on the gulping sob that leaped out of my mouth. I put my fist into the offending orifice and bit down. No, this could not be happening! I stood up fast, tipping my chair over backwards. I wouldn’t let them kill him.

“Give us a little time, we’ll leave, the both of us,” I said, leaning across the desk. “Please, he isn’t like the other Nevermores, I don’t care what the results are!”

Dr. Stanwell’s green eyes widened behind her glasses. “Sit down Mara. I’m not finished.”

Shaking, I did as she asked, my whole being torn apart by this news.

She took off her glasses and laid them on the desk. “You aren’t human, but neither are you a Nevermore. We tested your blood several times, but they all came out the same. You are not a Nevermore. You will be free to go with Mara to the colony in Africa.”

Stunned silence held sway, but before either Bastian or I could say anything she went on.

“Mara, your results were abnormal as well.”

“What?” Sebastian asked. “She didn’t take the shot! How is that possible?”

I put my hands to my belly, to the twins growing inside of me. “The babies,” I whispered.

Dr. Stanwell nodded. “Exactly. I believe they have helped you with your allergy to the components. Not unlike an allergy sufferer that becomes immune to their local allergens. The children, I believe they will have many of the beneficial qualities of the Nevermore drug, not unlike Sebastian here. Those qualities and their being inside of you have spread some of those traits to you.”

I thought about the last night in the cabin, as the Nevermores attacked, how easy it had been for me to see. How quickly I was healing from every nick and cut I received in the last four months, how my hunger seemed to have lessened, and yet I was no less able to go on.

I lifted my eyes. “What will happen to us when the colony finds out about this?”

She shook her head. “They won’t. These papers will be shredded.”

“Won’t that get you in trouble?” I asked.

She laughed. “With who? The government, what is left of it, has far more pressing matters than the two of you. If there are things that people don’t need to know, this is the time to put them aside. Sebastian is not a monster any more than you or I. I believe he deserves to be left in peace for what remains of your lives together. Though I am not impressed you tried to slip through, I understand why you did not say anything. I would have done the same for my husband, rest his soul.”

My eyes welled. “Thank you, thank you so much.”

She clapped her hands together.

“Now, you two have a flight to catch.”

We left, hand in hand, all but floating our way back to the small office that had been our home for the last week.

“What does this mean for us?” Sebastian asked, as we packed our meagre belongings. I lay down on the bed and rested a moment, the roller coaster ride of emotions having drained me.

“All I know is that I can finally breathe and not be afraid of taking the next breath, I don’t have to wonder if there will be a next breath. For you or me,” I said. I reached a hand out for Sebastian and he lay down beside me; I rested my head on his chest. The beat of his heart was a steady drum in my ear. It was hard to fathom, after all we’d been through, that we’d both made it out alive and whole. Together. I held him tight while we waited for the announcement that the flight was ready.

“I love you, Sebastian.”

He ran his fingers through my hair. “I love you too, more than anything, more than all the stars in the sky, more than the countless drops of water in the ocean . . .”

I slapped his arm. “Stop being such a drama queen.”

“I’ll show you drama queen!” He growled as he wrestled me around, our laughter filling the room.

He finally pinned me below him, his gaze darkening with desire. Leaning in, he kissed me, his lips working their way from my mouth along my jaw to the lobe of my ear.

That was about when the announcement came on that our flight was boarding.

Grabbing our small packs, we put a leash on Nero and were loaded onto the plane along with twenty five other people. Annie was already there and she gave us a smile.

The last person on board truly surprised me, but it made sense when he went and took a seat close to Annie. I gave Marks a wink and a thumbs up. It seemed to be a good match. I was happy for them.

The engines started up and we started to taxi down the runway. I thought about the people we were leaving behind, alive and dead. But, mostly those that had lost the battle to live. Burns and his earnest nature, Seraphima and her innocence, Scout and his loyalty, Jessica and all the world should have offered her. Dan and his pragmatic, gruff nature, Annie’s little brother Dustin. Tears started in the corner of my eyes and quickly slid down my face as I was finally able to grieve for those who would travel with us no more. The safety had settled on me over the last week, but I hadn’t truly trusted it until now.

“They’re still with us, love,” Sebastian said into my ear, again showing me how we were bound, not only by marriage, but deep inside our souls. I tipped my head and pressed it into his shoulder.

“They gave their lives, and because of them, we made it through,” I said, my voice catching on the words. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me tight. “We won’t forget them, babe.”

I nodded and the plane started to speed up, the force pushing us into our seats. I wiped away my tears. “Thank you, all of you,” I whispered. For a moment, so brief I wasn’t sure I hadn’t imagined it, there was pressure on my leg and I looked down, expecting to see that Scout had somehow survived, and had hidden away on the plane.

Sebastian was right, they would always be with us, and we would carry their memories until we met them on the other side, hopefully years from now. But, for this moment, we were safe; I had Sebastian, a few friends and a new life ahead of us filled even with that elusive dream of children.

As we took to the air, the plane erupted with cheers and whistles, all of us headed to our new home.

One could only hope it wouldn’t be quite as dangerous as our last move, to Fanny Bay.

Then again, it was Africa.

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Dark Waters, Celtic Legacy Book I

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.

-Mark Twain

1

The cool, wet sand slid through my toes as I scrunched them up, wishing I hadn’t promised my little sister we could do anything she wanted for her graduation. A rolling wave splashed up around my ankles; the wetsuit I was wearing only came to mid-calf and was hardly a protection against the cold water. Chesterman Beach was beautiful, everything the package had promoted it to be and then some, and I hoped that Ashling appreciated what it took for me to be here; to face my fears for her.

I fingered the small sheath on my upper thigh, the knife that Grandpa had given me right before he went into the institution. It was a pitifully small thing, but I took comfort in it, and never went swimming without it. It had saved me once already. I grit my teeth as memories rushed through my mind and threatened to suck me into a panic attack. Using slow even breaths I managed to get my heart rate to a normal level. Okay, almost normal. Those memories needed to stay in the past, where they belonged. If only it was that easy.