Thicker Than Blood (Thicker Than Blood #1)(82)

I still hadn’t touched him. Beneath all my desire, I was still afraid of this man. He was overly aggressive, dangerous, and didn’t strike me as the type to take no for an answer. A small part of me wanted to run from him, but the need I felt was greater, even if it meant lowering myself to this level.

Because feeling anything at all was better than feeling nothing.

His hands returned to my breasts, and with even more force than before, he groped and twisted, squeezing them to the point where I nearly cried out in pain.

I miss Jami.

Leisel doesn’t need me anymore.

And Shawn…oh God, my sweet, sweet, Shawn.

Poor, poor, self-pitying me.

Suddenly, I grabbed for E, wrapping my hands around his impossibly thick neck, crushing my mouth to his and kissing him in the same rough and greedy fashion as he’d been kissing me. His hands were everywhere now, exploring, grabbing, taking and taking…

And finally, the noise in my head began to clear, leaving only the here and now, me and E, and—

A siren wailed to life off in the distance, the awful howling so loud, so obnoxious, it ripped me instantly from the quiet place I’d just found. E pulled away from me, looking angry and violent, frustrated sexual aggression radiating from him, making the air around us seem thick and heavy.

“I need to go,” he said gruffly as he bent down to grab his jacket.

“What is it? What’s that noise?” I asked, realizing that I was suddenly cold, chilled to the bone from his touch. Wrapping my arms around my body, I rubbed my bare biceps, trying to warm myself.

“It’s a warning,” he said gruffly. “The camp’s shutting down. You need to get inside.”

Shrugging his jacket up and over his massive shoulders, he turned and began to walk away without even a good-bye. He was quickly enveloped by the crowds of people, nearly lost in the chaos as everyone scrambled to gather their things.

“A warning for what?” I yelled after him.

He abruptly stopped, forcing the surrounding people to find another way around him. “Rotters,” he said, turning to look at me. “A horde of them are headed our way.” He continued to stare at me, his gaze hard and unwavering. “We’ll finish this later, I’ll find you,” he said, his words a hard promise. Then he turned, the crowd engulfing him once more.

I stood there, still trembling from the aftereffects of E’s violent touches, feeling cheap and used despite nothing having actually happened between us. But now I was scared, as well.

A horde of infected were headed this way? I’d heard of hordes before, back in Fredericksville I’d overheard the guards discussing some of the things they’d seen while out scavenging. Large groups of infected roamed the country, growing in numbers as more infected added themselves to their walking collection of horrors.

A wall of death, that was what they’d called it.

“Wildcat, you need to get in here!”

Glancing up toward the voice, I found Dori leaning precariously out of a second-story window, gesturing wildly to me. Realizing that she’d probably seen everything that had transpired between E and me, I felt my cheeks flush with heat.

“My name’s Eve,” I snapped at her, not wanting to be reminded of E at the moment.

“E said you’re Wildcat,” she retorted, “and no one argues with E. Now, get in here!” Disappearing from view, she slammed the window shut behind her.

I stood there a moment, still in a daze, not sure exactly what it was that I was supposed to be doing. The camp had grown silent, an eerie quiet befalling the entire place. Slowly, I crept toward the corner, my steps soundless. Stopping at the edge of the building, I watch the stragglers, the remaining people still moving about and gathering their things. Fires were being silently extinguished, food was being boxed and taken away. All around me and up above me, windows were being shut, doors were being locked, and within minutes the place was empty and lifeless.

I was still standing there staring, wondering why everyone was going to such extremes when a heavy fence, wired with electricity, surrounded this entire place. Yet, even the armed guards who always manned the fence had gone. Everyone was just…gone. Everyone except me. I was still standing here, gaping like a moron, when there was an obvious threat approaching.

“Shit,” I cursed, willing my legs into motion. I had to get back to Leisel, had to make sure she was inside and safe. Not that she needed me anymore. Not that she wanted me anywhere near her. She’d made her disdain for me painfully obvious with her parting words.

I’d just turned the corner when a hand came down hard on my shoulder, gripping my shirt, the sound of tearing fabric echoing in the silence. Before I could let out a scream, a hand covered my mouth and then I was dragged backward, my feet stumbling underneath me as I was pulled through a doorway and into darkness.

I kicked out in fear, expecting at any second to feel the teeth of an infected sink into my skin, then begin tearing my flesh from my bones.

“Calm down, Wildcat!” a familiar voice admonished me.

I went still, blinking through the darkness, waiting for my vision to adjust. Finally it did, and Dori’s face came into sight. Rolling forward in her wheelchair, she flicked her hand in the air, and the hands holding me fell away.

“What the f*ck?” I yelled, and almost instantly a hand was clasped over my mouth. I struggled for a moment before realizing that struggling wasn’t going to get me anywhere. Another second passed, and the hand released me.