Amber
All of the humans under the influence of the worm were saved, and each of them agreed to join us and help. We’d been on numerous scouting missions and found twenty more people. These were mostly wilderness people, who were accustomed to hunting and living with the elements. They didn’t want to join us, but they were willing to fight for their land and lives, if necessary. And they were glad to know they didn’t have to hide anymore.
We printed and posted hundreds of flyers around Anchorage and surrounding towns, letting people in hiding know that Elmendorf base was no longer under DRI control, and that they could come to us for help. And to prove ourselves we left boxes of nonperishables and bottled water. After a few days, we went back to find everything gone, but nobody had come to us. I didn’t blame them for not trusting, and it thrilled me to know there were people out there, hiding, waiting. I talked Top into letting us make weekly runs to certain drop points with food.
We were lucky we hadn’t run into any rebel groups of thieves like we had in Utah and Nevada. All in all, everyone on base was feeling settled, which was unsettling. We knew the danger of getting comfortable, but Alaska was a beautiful, peaceful place. The scenery itself was enough to put us at ease. But every day Top told us, “Don’t let your guards down. Don’t be fooled by the peace of downtime.”
We all knew what was coming in two weeks’ time. War. We just didn’t know the details.
As soon as we finished breakfast, Rylen turned to me. “Top says you can have the day off to scout with me. You interested?”
“Just the two of us?”
“Yep.” He grinned, and I smiled back.
“Then of course I’m interested.”
We hopped up and I followed him to get strapped with weapons, then outside to one of the vehicles. To my confusion, he drove us farther into base instead of the entrance.
“Where are we going?”
Again, he grinned, but this one was mischievous. “We’re doing an aerial scout.”
I gaped at him. “We’re flying?”
“You scared?” He challenged me with a bounce of his eyebrows.
“No.” I crossed my arms. The last time we were both in planes, he was being shot at, and I thought for sure he was dead. He reached across the seat and pried my arms apart to take my hand.
“Don’t worry, Pepper. Nobody else will be in the sky.”
I exhaled, feeling stupid for worrying.
And then we got to the hanger and I saw the plane. Could it even be called a plane? More like a two person go-cart with propellers. Rylen had the nerve to laugh at the look on my face.
“Come on.” He held out a hand and I took it, climbing up into the back seat and putting on the helmet that was there. Rylen jumped into the front with total grace and had his helmet on in half a second while I still fiddled with mine, then the seatbelt straps. My heart was galloping, and all I could think was, Well, at least if we crash, we die together. How sad that that consoled me.
The engine was a loud buzz, and my stomach swooped wildly as he gained speed and left the ground. This was nothing like riding in a passenger plane. The whole contraption shook and bounced, and I couldn’t hear anything but the whir of propellers and growl of the motor. When Rylen turned around to check on me, I nearly panicked, pointing for him to watch where he was going.
He threw his head back in laughter, shouting, “There’s nothing up here!”
All right, fine. I eased back and held the side straps, letting myself relax a little and look out. What I saw was breathtaking.
So. Many. Trees. And from up here they looked like rich, green fluffiness. I wanted to run my hand over them. And the mountains looked fuller and wider than they did from the ground. Bodies of water glistened in the sunshine. It was perfect. This time when I sensed Rylen glancing back to check on me, I let him. And I smiled.
The place he decided to make a landing was not anywhere I’d expected. We were literally on a gravel road that led into a gorgeous valley. Mountains surrounded it on all sides, and a lake sat in the middle, so still that it mirrored the clouds and landscape like a painting. I was silent as I got out, taking his hand, and letting him lead me to the edge of the water. What could I say? I felt . . . small. At one with nature. And then it hit me.
This is our Earth. Ours. We hadn’t always appreciated it, and we definitely hadn’t treated it right. But I couldn’t stand the thought of those Baelese bastards having her. Rylen took my hand and turned me toward him. Both of our hands twined now as I looked up into his cloudy eyes, made brighter as they reflected the sky.
“In two weeks, we go back to Nevada,” he said.
I nodded, sad and scared, but then I lifted my chin against those useless feelings.
“They’ve tried to break us.” Rylen released my hands and brought his fingers to my neck, weaving them through and down my hair. “They wanted to break us apart.”
“And they failed,” I said.
Rylen lowered his face, touching his nose to mine as he closed his eyes, whispering against my lips.
“Will you marry me, Pepper?”
I sucked in a surprised breath, and his eyes crept open. He kept his mouth close to mine, cupping my face now. I brought my hands up to his, holding on to keep from swaying.
“Today?” I asked. “Because I think it should happen today.”
He let out a deep laugh that felt like a shiver rippling under my skin.
“I’m betting we can make that happen,” he said. “But first . . .”
His lips met mine, warm and soft, then hot and firm as we pulled each other closer. Outside, with nobody to witness but Mother Earth herself, Rylen stripped me down and lay me on the cool, smooth pebbles by the shore of the lake. Then we made love, kissing every time our faces neared. Every inch of my skin was bathed in his love and the crisp, fresh air surrounding us. I turned him so he’d have a turn with the pebbles, while I rode him, making a memory that nobody could take from us.
Two more weeks.
That night, in an impromptu ceremony at the mess hall, I married Rylen in front of our friends and allies. We officially declared everything in our hearts. J.D. cried, and Sean took his hand. Even Tex’s eyes got misty. Then Devon fell to his knee and said to Shavontae, “Marry me, baby. Right now!” And she dragged him forward to the Chaplain with a smile, as everyone laughed and cheered, rejoicing for all we held dear. We clung to all of the ideals our enemy would see torn away. And we vowed to love fiercely for as long as we had left.
Rylen drove us to a lodge-style mansion on the side of a local mountain. We sat in the vehicle staring up at its beauty as he turned off the ignition.
“The boys found it on a scouting run,” he said quietly. “It’s ours tonight.”
Morbid sadness consumed me. “This was someone’s home.”
Rylen took my hand. “I think the owners would be happy that two newlyweds are going to respect their home and think it’s beautiful enough for a honeymoon. Especially when those two newlyweds have sworn to kill the fuckers who murdered them.”
Well, when he put it that way. I squeezed his hand, nodding. “Okay.”
Still holding my hand, he led me through the breathtaking foyer and down a corridor with pictures. I came to a halt in front of a framed family photo, emotions welling in my chest. It was one of those cheesy professional pictures taken on a beach, where everyone was in matching white shirts. A mom with her hair blowing in the beach breeze, and a smiling dad. Three kids ranging from about eight years old to teen. And a golden retriever. It was the dog that finally made the burning turn to tears. I imagined the animal running down these halls, barking, with the kids chasing it. Less than a year ago, this home had been full of life.
Rylen touched the corner of the picture with reverence and squeezed my hand again. When he gently tugged me, I went.
We came to a set of French doors. Before he opened them, he kissed the side of my head and made me look at him.
“You okay, Pep?”
“Yeah,” I whispered. I was as okay as I possibly could be. He opened the doors, and I sucked in a breath at the sight of the indoor pool and Jacuzzi. The room was glass, and warm inside, like a greenhouse.
“They tested the waters,” Rylen told me. “No poison. And then all of their dumb asses went swimming.” He crouched down and broke the crystal clear surface with his fingers, sending ripples. “It’s saltwater.”
Rylen stood and I stared at him. My husband. Holy shit. That was crazy.
“Ever been skinny dipping?” I asked.
“Uh . . .” He looked down sheepishly, and jealousy stabbed me at the thought of him swimming naked with some other girl.
“Never mind,” I said. “Don’t answer that.”
The jealousy passed as quickly as it came, with the sickening realization that whoever he swam with was probably dead now.
But we were still here, and I intended to live.
I pulled off my shirt, tossing it on a nearby lounger. Rylen crossed his arms, his eyes becoming hooded as he watched me remove my jeans, then my bra and underwear. My nakedness in the huge, open room felt exhilarating and naughty.
“Damn,” he murmured under his breath. His voice and heated gaze made my skin tighten all over.
“Race you to the other side,” I said. He shouted something with laughter as I dove in, relishing the burn in my arms as I swam as fast as I could to the other side. A few seconds later his splash sounded, and he moved like a rocket under the water. I screamed, laughing, when he got to me and tickled my thighs before bursting through the surface.
His smile. His white teeth. His cloudy, gray eyes. My Rylen.
He walked me backwards until my heels hit the steps of the shallow end, and then he gently pushed me back until I was sitting, holding the handrail. Rylen took a breath and went under, his face finding my core underwater. The feel of his tongue made me cry out, tightening my thighs around his head. He pulled my thighs apart and came up for air. Rylen picked me up and moved me to the next highest step, where he could kiss a trail up my wet belly, taking the tip of each salty breast into his mouth as I scratched my fingernails through his hair.
“Mrs. Fite,” he said against my skin. “My wife.”
“My husband.”
He kissed me, pulling me into his arms in the water, where I was so buoyant that my legs went around him without any effort. My back hit the side of the pool wall as he kissed me, rubbing his lower abs against my core to drive me insane, knowing the hard length of him was right there, ready, pressing up against my ass.
I took matters into my own hands, lifting up onto my elbows on his shoulders to align us, and then lowering myself with aching slowness. Rylen cursed against my neck, biting lightly until I’d taken the whole length of him. The water made fast movements difficult, so each thrust was pronounced, his strong hips pressing hard. It didn’t take long for my whole body to tense, and then detonate. My cries of pleasure echoed through the room, and Rylen grinned as he pressed again, making me shiver and whimper with sensitivity.
“Can you even hear how sexy you are, Pepper?”
I held him and took his wet earlobe into my mouth. “I think it’s my turn to go underwater.”
He kissed me, his lips lingering. “If you insist.”
I did. In fact, I’d insist on quite a few things that evening, and my wonderful hubby would deliver without complaint.