The fire crackled between the two of us, but it wasn’t enough to cover the heavy silence that hung between us.
Miles picked the meat off a squirrel he had caught and cooked. He had offered me some, but I only shook my head.
Hunger was a faint memory now—a mere privilege.
One that I no longer had.
He sighed deeply. “You really should eat something. We have to have energy for tomorrow. Just one small bite-”
“You left him there,” I cut in. “Jenny died and you left her there and then you left him there.”
“I had to get you out of there. I couldn’t fight and carry you at the same time. He was clearing a path for us. I would’ve waited. I would’ve. You have got to believe me. I didn’t have a choice.” His voice was soft, but it faltered.
“Is he dead now, too?” I asked bluntly.
“No. No, Violet, we can’t think like that. The last we saw, he was escaping as well. He’s out here somewhere. We just have to find him.”
“Before the wolves do, right?” I snapped.
He tilted his head. “Don’t be that way, Violet.”
“Fine.” I huffed, turning and lying in the dirt. “Good night.”
There was no response.
We had been walking all the next day.
Miles claimed he knew of a place to hold up until we had a more solid plan. The journey took many hours, most spent in silence. We talked in small talk, usually to warn each other of low-hanging branches or to point out animals we could catch and kill.
The walk was nice, though, almost taking away the immense anger I had felt toward him for leaving Arlo. I understood he was just trying to protect me. And if he was telling the truth, he spotted Arlo fleeing as well, which meant he was alive.
This brought a sense of comfort.
We arrived in a strange village I had never seen before at dawn. The sign read, Inkdon.
It was a relatively small town, one that reminded me of Emory. The people here, though, were much different. They wore work clothes, not pearls and dresses.
We found ourselves in front of a building Miles described as an “Inn”. I had no idea what he had meant but described it as a place you can pay to sleep at. He claimed he had an old friend working there who could get us a room for free. I was shocked to hear this. Other than the rare exception of Arlo, Miles never struck me as a kind that bared friends.
A man with dark skin and black hair emerged from behind the desk with a wide smile.
“Miles!” he exclaimed pulling him into a quick embrace. “I haven’t seen you for ages, man! I was starting to think you had died on me.”
“No way,” Miles assured. “Look, I need a favor.”
“You need a room?” he asked, looking between us.
“Just for tonight. We’ll be out of your hair before sunrise. Promise.”
“No problem at all,” he said, flipping through his clipboard. He glanced up, his eyes looking between us. “Do you need a one-bed or a two-bed?”
“Two,” we both said quickly in unison.
He slid the key across the desk while attempting and failing to bite back a smirk.
I followed Miles up the stairs and stood behind him as he unlocked the door. I wasted no time falling onto the bed. It was so much softer than anything I had laid on before. I instantly sank under the covers. “God, this is amazing.”
Miles closed the door and stood awkwardly, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. “Listen.”
I sat up.
“We’re basically fugitives now. We can’t afford to make any mistakes. We can’t just go live our lives as if none of it happened.”
“I know,” I said softly.
“I can’t tell you what to do… but, I know where I’m going. You can join me if you’d like, but if not, we have to part ways. We can never mention we know each other or what we did together. We’d be brand new people.”
I crossed my legs, twisting my hands and thinking about this for a moment. It hurt that he didn’t outright ask me to come with him on whatever adventure he had in mind. He simply… offered for me to tag along. Like I was an afterthought—someone he could dump off and not even look back.
“What’s your plan?” I asked. “Where are you going?”
He sat at the edge of my bed. “Have you ever heard of the Scarlet Rebellion?”
I shook my head.
“They were the group that attacked the castle. They are a large group whose goal is to overthrow the Queen. I… I want to go there. Join them. End this final game once and for all.”
“But, they hurt you. They hurt Jenny. They killed all those people,” I reminded him.
“And we killed them as well. We’re even.” He watched me, and when it was obvious I was still not convinced, he continued, “Don’t you want to end this? We can’t do it on our own. We need numbers. We need to do this right. And then… things can be… right again. Proper leadership that is elected by the people. Rules. Laws.”
“I don’t understand,” I said, almost embarrassed.
Miles grabbed both my shoulders and sighed. “Things… aren’t supposed to be this way. They didn’t used the be this way. They have leaders who cared and helped their people… not kill them. We can go back to that. I know we can. It just… starts by killing my mother.”
I stayed silent, my gaze not ever seeming to meet his eye.
“I want you to come with me,” he finally said. “I want you to be there next to me when the Queen falls and a new leader is elected. But, it’s dangerous. And I can’t ask you to do something like this… but I’m hoping you’ll come with me anyway.”
His eyes looked deeply into mine. I seemed to lose myself in his. He leaned into me, his face so close his breath fanned my face.
“Come with me,” he said deeply, his eyes glued to my lips. “Come with me,” he repeated, only a whisper. Our lips were millimeters apart, and it felt as if I could pass out at any moment. “Be with me.”
I couldn’t wait any longer.
Our lips collided.
He let out a huge sigh of relief as he pulled me into him. We kissed—over and over. Each one getting deeper and deeper until we couldn’t possibly be any closer.
One of his hands was in my hair while the other cupped my jaw. My hands found their way into his hair, tugging at it, earning a groan from him.
My body seemed to be on autopilot. My heart seemed to explode, leaving me breathless, and tired, yet needing more.
He suddenly pulled me up from my spot in the bed, carrying me effortlessly with one arm while never breaking our kiss. He placed me gently on top of what seemed to be a dresser. He positioned himself between my legs, running his hands along my body as his tongue slipped into my mouth. I felt myself melting into him, willing to do anything he wanted with me.
He pulled away, only for a moment. His eyes wandered across my face. It was different this time. It was darker. Hungry—as if he was drinking up every inch of me with his eyes. “God, you’re so fucking intoxicating.” He stole a kiss. “And beautiful.” He stole another one.
I blushed deeply at this before pulling him back in. “Shut up.”
Our once passionate kisses turned sloppier, and the way his hands trailed up and down my body told me he needed more.
As did I.
He lifted me once more and laid me gently on the bed before climbing over me. “I want to be with you, Violet.”
I giggled at this. “You are with me.”
He shook his head. “No, Violet. I want to be with you. I… need to be with you.”
“I don’t understand,” I told him.
“Then, let me show you. Let me show you how good I can make you feel.”
My skin was suddenly set ablaze as his hand began lightly passing over my left breast.
“Can I show you?” he whispered, his eyes burning into mine.
“Yes,” I said breathlessly. “Show me.”