Into The Fire (The Ending Series) (36 page)

“How?”
I asked.

“An electromagnetic pulse. When the lights go out, you’ll
know we’re there. Do what you have to do to stay alive, Red. I mean it.
Anything. Just stay alive…for me, for you, for whoever. I don’t care so long as
you
stay alive
.”

“A pity,” General Herodson murmured. During the entire
exchange, his eyes never left me. “I had hoped CL-one’s information was wrong.
Restrain the telepath and the Re-gen,” he ordered, and his guards took a step
forward.

“No!” Mase bellowed. He stepped in front of me, blocking me
from the guards. Predictably, they paused. With his Ability, nobody sane would
confront him, but the mind-controlled guards were more living zombie slaves
than sane humans. Still, they paused. Mase could be pretty goddamn scary.

“Stop, Mase!” Camille cried out. “You’ll both live if you
just do what he says. He promised. Let them restrain you.”

“Camille? Why?” Mase asked, his voice breaking as his
posture relaxed. No matter what, he would do what she asked.

“I had no choice.”

“Did you hear me?”
Jason asked in my head.

“Yes,”
I said. I was having a hard time following
both conversations.
“Sorry. About to get restrained.”

“It’s fine, Mase,” I told the behemoth—my friend—protecting
me from the General’s lackeys. I rested a hand on his shoulder blade. “We’ll do
as they say. We don’t want anyone to be hurt any further.” In his head, I
added,
“Especially not Camille.”

His muscles tensed beneath my fingers, but he eventually
backed down, following their commands as they bound his wrists behind his back
with handcuffs. I was next.

“Okay, I’m officially restrained now,”
I told Jason.

“How?
” he asked.

“My hands are handcuffed behind my back.”

“How many?”

“Handcuffs?”

“Men,”
Jason said, no hint of condescension accenting
his tone.

Oh, duh. “Two guards, the General, a woman who’s like
Ben, and another man I don’t know. And they have Camille with them. She’s been beaten.
And Mase is restrained like me. Oh, and Gabe was upstairs, but I warned him
already.”

The General turned his attention to Dr. Wesley, who was
still sitting at her desk. “I sincerely hope you had nothing to do with this,
Anna.” With his statement came the realization that Camille had managed to hold
at least a few things back. Maybe more than a few. There was still hope, and
where there was hope, there was still the possibility that things might work
out.

“No,” she said calmly, and when the Truth Guard nodded,
confirming Dr. Wesley’s truthfulness, I knew the doctor was using her nulling
Ability to prevent the other woman from feeling her lie.

“Okay,”
Jason said.
“Sit tight for now. We’ll be
there sometime this evening. If you haven’t found a way out by midnight, I’m
nulling everyone in the whole fucking state and coming in.”

“Jason, don’t! It’s too dangerous!”

“If you’re not out by midnight…”

“Sir,” the other man, the one I’d yet to identify, blurted.
“Someone’s using an Ability, a really powerful one.”

“I’m using my Ability, Gregory, to augment yours as usual,”
Dr. Wesley said.

The man shook his head. “There’s another.”

“Knock the telepath out,” the General said quietly. “We
can’t have her calling for help from God knows where.”

“Jason, I—”

Pain. Blackness. Nothing.

27

ZOE

MARCH
22, 1AE

I stood by the dusty, cobweb-infested window in my room. The
inky sky steadily brightened over the jagged tops of the Rockies as dawn neared,
and from the sound of it, everyone was still asleep downstairs.
Is Jake down
there?
It was strange not waking up beside him.
I’ve succeeded in
pushing him away
.

I peered down at the street of dilapidated buildings
stretching out on either side of the house. It was like I was living in an
alternate dimension where everything was slightly off. I felt like my life had
become a giant pinball machine, and around every corner there was another
obstacle waiting to bounce me around. The world ends—ricochet to the right; get
Dani back—launch upward; Dani’s abducted—recoil to the left; learn how to fight—win
more time; a Crazy jumps out—bounce to the right; find out Mom didn’t die in a
car accident—roll down to the bottom; another Crazy jumps out—careen to the
left; fall in love with Jake—double points; Becca shows up—drain ball.

Becca’s vision—the bottomless pit of dead, discarded
Re-gens—had been replaying in my mind since I’d inadvertently witnessed it a
few days before. I hadn’t told Jake about it; there hadn’t been a decent time.
I wasn’t sure he needed to know, not if we were planning on breaking her out of
the Colony anyway, changing her fate. For Jake’s sake, I hoped Dani had been
somewhat successful in finding her, in somehow convincing Becca to come with
us. But I knew that was a long shot; Becca didn’t
want
to leave the
Colony, and I knew Dani wasn’t willing to risk her own life in order to
convince Becca we could protect her.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, the morning chill biting
at my ears and nose and fingers. I ignored it and lowered my eyes to my hands.
My skin was darker, tanned from spending so much time in the sun, and my nails
were short, uneven, and dirty.

I shook my head at the implausible direction my life had
gone—that all of our lives had gone—and I glanced over at the picture on the
vanity. It was the one Dani had brought from my childhood bedroom, a photo of
us sitting on the edge of the deck, her telling me a secret. I’d been arguing
with Jason, and she’d come over to console me. To distract me, she’d admitted
to having a crush on the new boy in school—Mark, or Mike, or something like
that. As always, I’d felt better having her there. Only she could make me laugh
and feel like a normal kid.

A few days later, Dad had developed a roll of film—all
pictures of his woodwork to add to his portfolio. Like me, he’d been surprised
to find the photo of Dani and me mixed in the stack, and as I’d stood there, my
teenage self in complete shock, I’d put two and two together: Jason had taken
the picture. Even though he’d said I was a burden and that he wished I would
just go away, he’d cared enough to snap the photo of us.

I’d snatched the glossy picture out of the stack in my dad’s
hands and run up to my room to frame it. I’d been happy my brother had made the
effort to do something nice for me.

I smiled at the memory.

Cooper stirred from sleeping on the floor on my side of the
bed, yawning as he stretched before curling back up into an oversized ball of
fluffy fur to resume his slumber. I figured Jake had sent him into the room at
some point during the night. My chest tightened and my eyes burned at the thoughtful
gesture.

I tried unsuccessfully to reduce our relationship to
physical attraction.
We don’t
really
know each other
. I told
myself we were just shells of who we’d once been, and therefore, there could be
no depth or true connection between us. But in my heart, I knew I was wrong.
Our old selves didn’t matter—we weren’t them anymore and never would be again.
What mattered was that Jake had saved my life, that he’d been making it his
mission to protect me ever since. He clearly cared about me. The hurt in his
eyes every time I pushed him away
mattered
to me. How despondent I would
be if he left me…
mattered
. My chest ached when I tried to diminish our
relationship to something less than it was.

Then why’d
I put so much effort into distancing myself?
I could have been savoring our time together.
Why’d I work so
hard to make everything harder than it already was?

As if she was sitting on the edge of the bed beside me, her
head resting on my shoulder and her wild hair tickling the side of my face
while she patiently waited for me to gather my always-churning thoughts, I
could almost hear what Dani would say to me, her words honest and her voice
kind. “
You’re scared, Zo. You’ve always been afraid you’ll lose me, and you
did…and now you’re afraid you’ll lose Jake. I know you think you’re protecting
yourself, but you’re not. You’re only hurting yourself. You can’t keep pushing
people away.”

A despondent, hysterical laugh escaped from my throat, and I
threw myself back on the bed.
I’m losing my mind.

Taking a deep breath to steady my trembling chin, I rubbed
my hands over my face in an attempt to scrub away the mounting pressure behind
my eyes. Jake was right, too; I wasn’t like Jason. I couldn’t keep pushing
everything beneath the surface and expect to remain in control.

I couldn’t be who I once was, the guarded, almost friendless
starving artist. Too much had transpired between Jake and me to simply push it
all away and hope for the best, and realizing that made my heart swell with a
sense of urgency. I
needed
him. I
wanted
him. Now.

Not bothering to take the time to change, I pulled combat boots
on over my sweatpants, leaving the laces untied, and hurried out the door. I
left Cooper to resume his morning slumber and hoped I didn’t trip on my
shoelaces as I rushed down the stairs.

I half expected to see Jake lounging in a chair beside the
fireplace, but nobody was sitting by the dying fire. Tavis and Sam were
sleeping on their pallets on the floor, and Sanchez and Harper were asleep in
the opposite corner of the parlor. I didn’t see Jake anywhere.

I tiptoed to the front door, careful not to let it creak too
loudly as I opened it, and stepped out into the pale light of the early morning.
Easing the door to a close, I strode toward the weathered stable across the dirt
road. Shadow and Wings were among the horses out in the attached pasture,
grazing on dewy grass. They raised their heads, only partially acknowledging me
before refocusing their attention on their morning meal.

I’d had my hair in a ponytail, but it suddenly felt too
tight. Anxiously, I pulled the rubber band out, and my scalp sang in relief as
my hair fell from its snare.

Jake wasn’t outside by the horses, or in the wagon area
attached to the paddocks, but I heard a dull thud inside the stable, and then
another. Assuming it was him, I meandered inside. A violet hue saturated the
stable’s interior, and I inhaled the comforting scents of leather and alfalfa.
I heard another thud. The noise was coming from the tack room a few doors down
from the stable entrance, so I headed toward it.

Leaning through the doorway, I peered inside. Jake was sitting
with his back to me on the edge of an old, wooden bench that ran through the
center of the room. His long sleeves were pushed up, his elbows were resting on
his knees, and his face was lowered into his hands.

I opened my mind to his, trying to gauge his mood. When I
felt his overwhelming frustration and sadness, my eyes pricked with tears.

“Hey,” I squeaked and cleared my throat.

Surprised, Jake lifted his head, confusion and concern
warring on his rugged features.

“I’ve been looking for you,” I said as my eyes took in every
inch of him. His scruff was thicker than usual, and his hair was disheveled,
like he’d been running his fingers through it over and over again. He looked
exhausted, and I wondered if he hadn’t slept all night.

An invisible band tightened around my heart.
I did this
to him.

Jake sat on the bench, appraising my face. The corners of
his eyes wrinkled as he squinted, but he didn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry,” I rasped. Unable to watch the increasing
uncertainty in his eyes, the uncertainty I’d caused, I looked at the saddles on
the racks and at the blankets hanging on the walls. I looked anywhere but at
him. “I know I’ve been—”

A tennis ball dropped to the ground as Jake shot to his
feet, surprising me, and he took a step toward me. “Do you love me?”

My eyes widened and my skin heated. “Um—”

“Do you love me?” he repeated. The fierceness in his eyes
and tense set of his jaw startled me.

Do I love Jake?
I took a hesitant step inside the
room. “I…yes.” The moment I said it, any remaining doubt in my mind cleared. I
was certain that things between us could—no,
would
—work out. I took
another step closer to him.

Jake seemed taken aback by my admission, but only for a
split second. He strode toward me, confident and determined, and I could feel
the flurry of his unusually impulsive emotions swirling around me: need—anticipation—excitement.
They were like smoke invading my senses, making me feel feverish with desire.

His eyes were keen and wild with growing impatience as he
moved closer, his gaze shifting from my mouth to my eyes and back. Without
ceremony, his rock-hard body forced me backward and pinned me against a saddle
blanket hanging on the wall.

“Don’t ever do that to me again,” he growled.

Before I could respond, he was tugging off my sweatshirt
with one hand and gripping my waist with the other. His mouth covered mine with
a frenzied yearning. My boots and sweats were gone within seconds, and I was
left to stand in my black boy shorts and tank top, and Jake in his jeans and
untied boots.

I jumped into his arms, my legs coiling around his hips,
tightening to bring him closer. His mouth was rough and urgent against mine,
pulling my bottom lip between his teeth. His hands caught in my hair, and my
body arched against his. I gasped for air and licked my lips as he nipped and
kissed the sensitive flesh beneath my jaw.

Moaning, I tilted my head to the side, providing ample skin
for him to ravage with his mouth. Everything about him was lust and desire, and
the acuteness of what he was feeling devastated my composure, making me feel
nothing but need—his need and mine. I needed his hands and lips on every inch
of my body. I needed him to take me until I had nothing left to give. I could
barely breathe…I didn’t
want
to breathe…I just wanted
him
.

Craving more than Jake’s mouth, I wrapped my arms around his
neck and leaned into him to steady myself as I lowered my legs to the ground.
My nails raked over his shoulders and down his back as they skimmed toward his
pants. I unzipped his jeans, letting them fall to his ankles, and grabbed on to
his butt. The muscles flexed against my hand. He fumbled with his boots and kicked
off his pants, while I shed my tank top and underwear. When I looked at him, he
was completely naked.

Jake’s hands were on me again, all over my body. I quaked
under the power of his fingertips as they moved up my arms and over my
shoulders to my back. He pressed harder into me, making my breasts ache and my
body burn with an invisible fire. I could feel his arousal against my abdomen, and
I gasped.

He tightened his greedy hands around my waist, but took a
step back, his possessive eyes raking down the pale peaks and valleys of my
trembling body. An unruly hunger possessed him as he examined every visible inch
of me.

Unable to tolerate any distance between us, I pulled him
closer. My arms wound around his neck, and I stole another taste of his
deliciously curious tongue. I shuddered.

He gripped my loose tresses once more, pulling my head back
against the wall with an arousing jerk. His urgency only spurred my own desire,
and my insides warmed and clenched in excitement as I thought of really being
with him.
Finally.
Pure bliss escaped from my lips in the form of
another breathy moan, and my fingernails dug into his back.

Jake growled as his teeth grazed the top of my shoulder. One
of his hands dropped to my lower back and continued downward, tracing the curve
of my butt…my thigh…and finally the crook of my leg. He lifted my knee and was
inside me with a single, possessive surge. He was raw, unrestrained power. I
craved more of it…more of him. My heart raced with the thrill and astonishment
that we were finally together—no thoughts, no words, just his flesh against
mine.

As he pulled back to look at me, his body gleaming and
straining in the dim sunlight leaking through the wall, his overwhelming desire
for me became my complete undoing. I gripped his shoulders harder to steady
myself and cried out. The tension in my body melted into a warm, tingling
pleasure that filled every part of me. My senses winked in and out of focus,
confused between his feelings and my own. Comfort—passion—relief—love—they all
washed over me in a chaotic rush. I’d never felt so uninhibited or intoxicated;
every kiss, every needy touch was more abandoned than the last, and I never
wanted it to end.

But it
had
to end.

When it did, Jake’s unwavering hold was the only thing
preventing me from collapsing to the floor. “Promise me,” he whispered into my
ear through heaving breaths, his chest slick against mine.

I nodded, unable to form coherent words, and reached for his
face. I pulled his mouth to mine, stealing one more deep kiss. “I’m so sorry,”
I breathed against his lips, trying not to sob. “I’m so sorry.”

His eyes held mine, their savagery softening. Gentleness
replaced his urgency as he brought his hand up to cup my cheek. He placed his
lips against my forehead and moved down to the tip of my nose before he settled
a tender kiss against my mouth. “I’m sorry too.”