“It’s okay, Hannah,” Garrett said, reaching across the seat to take my hand. “The fey won’t let them get near us.”
He’d barely said the words when the majority of the fey positioned themselves around the trucks.
Merdon looked back at me, and I shook my head at him because I already knew what he was thinking about doing.
He tapped his ear and pointed at me. And the truck. He wanted me to remember my promise to do as I was told and stay in the truck.
I put my free hand on the windshield, a plea and a promise. He’d said that he’d live in the world I chose. Well, that went two ways.
“Don’t you dare die,” I whispered before removing my hand from the glass.
He tipped his head at me then faced the infected. Thallirin said something to him, and they both strode forward together.
The infected didn’t surge in their direction as I expected but stayed right where they were.
“Is that weird?” I asked, still holding Garrett’s hand.
“Yep.”
I could tell the infected were watching the fey, but they weren’t moving more than their heads.
“I don’t like this,” Garrett said.
“You’re not helping.”
Thallirin grabbed one of the infected by the head and decapitated it with one forceful jerk. The body fell. None of the surrounding infected moved.
Merdon and Thallirin shared a look then rushed forward, removing heads and throwing bodies. The savage brutality should have upset me, and maybe it would have if it’d been humans dying rather than infected. As it was, I felt nothing but relief that Merdon and Thallirin were killing so many with ease.
A single, mournful bellow echoed outside the windows.
I jumped, and Garrett’s hand tightened on mine as the infected finally surged into motion, swarming the fey.
Panicked, I looked to the right and saw Tor. I slapped on the window to get his attention.
“Don’t let him die,” I called.
Some of the infected heard me. They broke away from the main group and ran at the fey positioned around the trucks. But they had no chance. Two fey quickly beheaded ten.
When I looked toward the barn, very few infected remained upright in the decimated mass of headless bodies. Those who did gave a loud moan then fled just as Garrett had said they would.
Two fey ran after the ones trying to escape.
“Hopefully they won’t get far,” Garrett said.
The truck door opened abruptly, giving me another startle. I looked over at Tor.
“Stay in the truck. We will move the bodies and make sure no heads remain attached. I will tell you when to get out. Merdon says to listen.”
I nodded. The door closed, leaving me inside with Garrett.
“Is it like this every time?” I asked.
“Ryan usually doesn’t hold my hand this long, but pretty much.”
I wrinkled my nose and released my death grip.
“Sorry.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. Just glad no one noticed. The fey are possessive and jealous, if you didn’t already know.”
“I heard about your near miss with Shax.”
“And Thallirin,” he said. “I don’t know why they keep putting you girls with me. I mean, I don’t mind the company at all. I’m just not a fan of the risk.”
“Oh, come on. It’s not that bad.”
He snorted, watching out the front window.
“I have dreams I’m being carried away without a head, and not because I am infected. I pity any guy who gets between a fey and his crush.”
I followed Garrett’s gaze to where the fey were removing the infected corpses. Then, I looked at the dead cows in front of the truck.
“Do you think there are any animals still alive in the barn?” I asked.
“I do. Why else would they have stood there like that?”
“I don’t know. I’ve just never seen them go after animals. It’s always been people.”
“I hope there weren’t people in there.”
I nodded in agreement and watched the fey haul away the dead cows. Ryan gave the carcasses a lengthy look and shook his head as he walked toward the barn with a large group of fey. They disappeared inside for several long minutes before the group reemerged. They had clearly encountered some infected inside, based on the red on their clothing. Not Ryan, though. He still looked clean as he jogged toward our truck.
Garrett rolled down his window.
“Half the cows are dead, but it looks like a few broke free and are roaming the space behind the barn. There’s a pig pen around back, too. I’m going to try to pull closer to that pen so the fey can carry the cows there and drive them into the back of the truck, all at once.” He raked his hand through his hair. “This is going to be a zoo. Keep your eyes open, and watch your truck.”
Garrett nodded then rolled his window back up. Before he could comment on what he thought of the arrangement, Merdon jogged up to us. Shiny dark bits stuck to his hair. I made a face that had him slowing. Not wanting him to stop, I put my hand on the window again. He continued my way.
“You’re extremely dirty,” I said when he stood next to my door.
“I know.”
I smiled and tapped my hand against the glass.
“You’re also a bossy know-it-all. But I’m glad you’re okay. I heard there’s still some animals alive.”
“Yes. You can come out and see them now. We checked the barn and there are no more infected.”
He stepped back and let Tor open the door for me.
I hopped down and gave them both a grateful smile. Merdon’s gaze swept over me as if checking to make sure I was still in once piece. My stomach dipped at the simple display of how much he cared.
“Stay close, Hannah.”
“I’m sticking to you like glue,” I said before amending, “Well, maybe to Tor like glue. You’re a little gooey for close contact.”
He grunted and looked at Tor.
“Not too close.”
“Told you,” Garrett said from the other side of the truck.
I shook my head at him and hurried after Merdon with Tor close on my heels. Behind us, I heard the other truck doors close and Tasha’s excited whispers.
The gravel, bathed in glistening red, painted the way to the barn’s entrance door. Despite Merdon saying it was safe and having him go first, I still hesitated before advancing into the shadowed underbelly. The scent of manure and silage clogged the air, and I coughed lightly as I entered.
The main area of the barn was far from empty. Dead cattle littered the pen to our left. Based on the pile of infected bodies and the bloody smears on the central aisle, a few of the infected had been inside, waiting for the fey. That or we’d interrupted them killing the cows.
I frowned at the thought.
“Is this where they found the cat?” Tasha whispered.
I glanced back at Uan, who had an arm around the girl’s shoulders in a fatherly, loving gesture that was anything but a casual embrace. His gaze shifted around the space restlessly as he listened to her. He took “protective father” to a whole new level.
“This is where we found the cat,” Merdon said, motioning to a room near the entrance. He ducked under the pipes hanging overhead and entered the space first.
“It’s a milk house,” Tasha said. “My grandpa told me about them.”
She started looking around the room, opening cabinets and the refrigerator in search of cat food.
“Nothing,” she said, disappointed.
“This place is pretty clean, and there’s no litterbox,” I said. “Maybe this isn’t where the cat was kept. Maybe it just wandered in here?”
She nodded.
Shouts and male laughter rose outside.
“Is it smart to make that much noise?” I asked.
Merdon’s typically serious expression turned even more grave.
“The animals are frightened and do not want to be carried. One kicked Hanno in the thigh. He is limping.”
I cringed. “Maybe we should wait in the trucks.”
“Can we keep looking for cat food?” Tasha asked.
Uan and Merdon shared a look before Merdon nodded.
“Yes. Do not lose sight of Hannah. I will return when the animals are in the truck.”
“Not a fan of you ditching me,” I said when he and Tor started for the door.
Merdon looked back at me.
“Uan will keep you safe while we gather more animals for you.”
When he said it like that, I didn’t have much reason to feel abandoned.
“Fine. Just don’t stay away too long.”
He gave me a measuring look then nodded.
After I watched him leave, I focused on Tasha.
“Where should we search next?” I asked.
The three of us checked the milk house again then searched the hallway and the main barn. Through a door at the other end of the building, I saw a fey carrying a pig that squealed and wriggled like crazy. The poor fey was having a hard time keeping a grip on the creature.
“Hey,” Tasha said, tugging at my arm. “I think that’s cat food.”
I looked to where she pointed, a shelf in a little nook off the main building that led to the silo we’d seen from outside. The bag rested on the top shelf, untouched.
“That’s perfect,” I said. “Good eye.”
Uan lifted it down just as shouting broke out somewhere else in the building.
“What’s going on?” Tasha asked.
Uan poked his head out the doorway for a moment before answering.
“A human is calling for help. They are trying to find her.”
“Do you think it’s a trap?” I asked.
He tilted his head at me.
“The stupid ones can’t talk, but they’ve used humans before. We should return to the trucks.”
I didn’t argue with his logic because I’d been thinking the same thing.
He picked up the food and started toward the door at the same time Tasha and I both heard a low whine.
“Wait,” she said.
She turned toward a metal chute and pointed at what looked like a sea of grain inside the opening. Pieces, previously undisturbed, began to move, and a few fell to the floor.
“I think there’s a puppy in there. We need to get it out. What if it can’t breathe?”
Blatant pleading shone in Tasha’s eyes as she looked back at Uan, and I knew he’d cave.
The whine came again, more urgent, and additional bits fell. Though the surface churned, there was still no sign of fur or anything.
“That’s a lot of movement for a puppy,” I said, retreating a step. “Why would it be in the grain?”
“It was probably hiding from all the infected. Please,” Tasha begged.
The big fey sighed at her pleading gaze, set the bag down, and went toward the chute. The sea of grain continued to stir in an agitated fashion.
Fear crawled up my spine, a feeling too reminiscent of the days before I’d joined the RV group. I snagged the back of Tasha’s jacket and pulled her toward me. She glanced at me with confusion, saw my face, and took my hand.
“It’ll be o—”
The grain exploded outward as a hellhound launched from the opening.
Time slowed.
Tasha made a sound, her fingers twitching in mine. My heart froze at the sight of the beast’s glowing eyes locking on us. Grain rained down on Uan as he twisted and grabbed the hound around the middle in midair.
Uan’s biceps strained as he locked his arms around the beast. The creature thrashed, mad with its need to get to us.
I stumbled back toward the doorway, pulling Tasha with me even as, within the chute, a decomposing arm rose from the grain. Then, an infected’s head.
Uan grunted as the hound twisted and went for his face.
I didn’t think. I gave in to instinct, turned, and ran, pulling Tasha with me.
We needed light. We needed more fey.
My wild gaze swept the empty barn then locked on the exit.
“Hellhound,” Uan roared as our feet pounded on the cement. “Save the girls.”
His warning was too late. A moaning call echoed, and I glanced over my shoulder. Three infected ran agilely behind us.
Tasha’s wide, terror-filled gaze locked on mine, and the old memory rose over the current moment. I felt the slickness of Katie’s fingers against mine and the way she struggled to keep up, struggled to breathe.
I ran farther while keeping a tight hold on Tasha’s hand. Behind us, the sound of the infected drew closer.
My own breath grew shallower as I focused on reaching the exit. Panic consumed me along with a single thought.
Not again.
We burst through the barn door and into the light. However, the truck was still too far away for us to make it.
But, I saw Brenna standing on the top, her bow ready.
I refused to relive the past a single moment more.
“Save her!” I yelled.
Then, I pulled hard, dragging Tasha in front of me. The girl’s eyes locked with mine as I pushed her toward her sister.
“Run!”
Without waiting to see if she’d listen, I turned and faced the oncoming infected. The first one crashed into me. I brought my arm up, wedging it against the infected’s throat as we fell backward. The impact knocked the air from my lungs. I struggled against the stars dancing in my vision and the infected’s weight but kept my elbow locked and my hand braced against its shoulder.
A rancid smell clogged my nose as the thing pulled back what was left of its lips to snap its teeth at me. My arm quivered. I hadn’t thought this through. By the time Merdon got me to this position on the ground, if I had my arm up, I’d won. If not, he flipped me and either spanked or bit me. There’d never been a next step to get out of this position.
The decaying woman moaned loudly again and grabbed for my hand on her shoulder. Her inhuman strength pried my fingers from her tattered shirt. My forearm started to slip despite my effort. Her teeth snapped again.
Closer.
My pulse stuttered, and a rage-filled scream erupted from me.
I didn’t want to die, not like this.
A bolt suddenly appeared in the middle of the woman’s forehead, and she went slack. Her weight left me abruptly, and an extremely pissed Merdon stared down at me.
“Get up.”
I scrambled to my feet and looked around, ready to run again. I didn’t need to, though. The other infected all had arrows protruding from their heads as well. I looked back at the truck where Brenna stood, ready with another bolt, and my tears started to fall.
Thallirin had already tossed Tasha up by her sister. They were both safe.
A tight grip on my upper arms pulled my attention back to Merdon.
I’d never seen him so angry or so bloody before.
“Why did you leave?” he demanded.
“Are you kidding me? A hellhound came out of the grain, followed by all these infected. They chased us while Uan—”
The hellhound burst out of the barn door’s entrance and into the daylight. Snarling and slavering, it stopped, two broken spears protruding from its middle, not that it seemed to notice them. Or the sunlight. Smoke rose in slow spirals from its holey, blackened hide.
The hell beast didn’t run away. It growled, its red eyes locked on me.
Merdon stepped between us and tensed.
An infected moan echoed in the yard.
The hellhound twitched then looked away from us toward the trees beyond the house. With a last snarl in our direction, it bolted. More than a dozen infected poured from the trees to follow it. One infected, wearing the remains of a tattered blue jacket, stood watching us for a moment before running after the hellhound.
“Tell me that’s not normal,” I said.
“It’s not,” Merdon said as he straightened and looked back at me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not bitten if that’s what you’re asking. But I’ll be having new nightmares for a while, I think. Where’s Uan?”
Several fey ran inside, and I looked up at Merdon as I realized what had just happened. I’d saved Tasha. She’d been struggling to keep up, and I’d done what I’d wished I’d done every waking moment since I released my sister’s hand. I’d held on. I’d pushed her in front of me and stayed to face the infected.
“I didn’t leave her behind,” I said hoarsely. “Not this time. I couldn’t do it again.”
I’d been willing to sacrifice myself. My elation that I hadn’t repeated my past mistakes slowly faded as other thoughts crept in. I’d been willing to die for her. No hesitation. Was I not better? Did I still want to die? My arms and legs started to shake, and tears flooded my eyes.
Merdon looked at me hard, then strode to the side of the milk shed. The crazy man turned on the hose and proceeded to spray himself while I stood there doubting my sanity.
Before Merdon finished cleaning himself off, a group of fey emerged from around the barn. One carried an unconscious man. The others carried supplies.
A woman trailed in their midst, walking beside Ryan. Black, straight hair cascaded down her back from under her bright red hat. The fey were completely captivated by her and couldn’t stop casting glances her way.
“Did someone yell hellhound?” Ryan asked.
“Yes. And not enough fey came running,” I said. “If not for Brenna, I’d be dead.”
I looked at all the fey.
“You guys are shit for protection. I understand finding new people is amazing, but don’t sacrifice the ones you already have.”
There were a bunch of apologies, including one from Ryan.
“We were under a lot of concrete and couldn’t hear.”
“The fey by the trucks heard. Am I that useless? That much of a bitch that I’m not worth saving?” I didn’t ask it out of anger at them. I was still struggling to understand everything that had just happened. Tasha and I should have been safe in the midst of all these men, but we hadn’t been.
“They were told not to leave the trucks under any circumstances,” Ryan said. “We’ve been tricked before. Infected bait them away from the trucks then try to disable our only means of escape. I’m truly sorry, Hannah. It was my order. Usually, there are two fey assigned to each human. We weren’t prepared for how hard it would be to load the animals or to hear a yell for help.”
The woman paled.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. Her sun-kissed complexion paled as I met her deep brown eyes.
“It’s not your fault. It’s theirs. If they want to keep us alive, they need to plan better.”
There was a grunt from behind me before I was turned and pulled against a sopping wet, freezing chest.
“Forgive me,” Merdon said against my hair. “Because I will never forgive myself for what almost happened.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist and burrowed closer, not caring that he was soaking my clothes.
“I forgive you.”
He exhaled heavily and continued to hold me. Behind us, Ryan started talking.
“As you can see, we get along with the fey. They have the speed and strength necessary to quickly kill the infected.”
“And the dog things? Can they kill those?” the woman asked.
“Yes. It’s not as easy, but the fey are the only things that can kill the hellhounds.”
“Fine. We’ll go with you.”
I pulled back from Merdon.
“You know that Emily is going to be pissed at you when I tell her what almost happened.”
He actually winced before grunting.
“I know you said you won’t be manipulated, but how do you feel about groveling? I think a lot of that’s going to be necessary over the next few days.”
He sighed and released me. Hand in hand, we walked back to the trucks.
“Emily is not the only one who will receive my groveling,” he said as we stopped by the door. He lifted my hand to his mouth. “I will convince you that I will keep you safe, always. I will protect your body and your heart, Hannah. Believe in me.” He kissed my knuckles then jerked back to stare at my hand.
“Why do you smell like Garrett?”
“Ah, shit.” There was a flurry of movement on the other side of the truck. Merdon tried to lift his eyes, but I captured his attention by tugging on his sensitive ear.
“Because I want you to take me home and make me smell like you.”
A slow, wicked grin spread his lips.
“I know.”