I should hate him; he was the reason I was here. He was the reason I would wake crying in the middle of the night with Bailey’s screams echoing in my head, and he showed no regret over it. Despite those things, I found myself unable to hate him. My life had been torn apart, but he somehow made it all a little better.
There was nothing I could do to change what was done; harboring fury and resentment would only eat away at me. There was no way I was going to be able to escape past the wall. If I somehow could get to a weaker section, there were still too many guards patrolling for me to slip by unnoticed. If I did somehow get free, I would never be able to get to my brothers before the government found me or got to them first, or both.
The only thing I could do was train and get better at fighting. My only hope was that one day this war would come to an end, and I would be able to return home afterward. I didn’t think I was the person they were all searching for, but until they knew for sure, all I could do was play along, and I was okay with playing along if it meant more time with Kobal.
I didn’t understand what it was about him that had me so out of sorts. All I knew was I wantedmoreof him. More time, more touches, more smiles and talking.
Ugh, I shoved those thoughts away as I stood on the sidelines and watched the others going through hand-to-hand combat training. I’d been told I’d be on the sidelines for at least two weeks. I resented being forced to be here in the first place, but I didn’t like standing on the side and watching either. Especially when Kobal worked with other people, sparring with them like he had with me.
Jealousy slid through me every time another woman got to feel those muscles around her and inhale his entirely masculine scent. Born from the fires of Hell, he smelled faintly like fire, and despite the fact I knew I should stay far away from him, I desperately wanted to play with those flames.
I couldn’t help but admire the way he moved and the flow of his muscles beneath his smooth skin as he trained with the others. I watched the tattoos on his arms and the flex and bunch of his biceps as he lifted his shirt to wipe away the sweat beading across his brow from his exertion. My gaze latched onto his tapered waist and chiseled abs as I drank in the sight of his mouthwatering body before he pulled his shirt down again.
His dark hair was slicked with sweat as he pushed it back from his intriguing face and walked away from the man he’d left splayed on the ground behind him. Corson slapped him on the back and stepped forward to take his place in the sparring.
Kobal lifted his head, the black pools of his eyes latching onto me. I should have been embarrassed to have been caught staring at him, but I found I couldn’t look away. What I wouldn’t give to run my fingers over his face, into his hair, down over his arms, and lower across his abdomen. To sink my teeth into his flesh.
I had no idea wherethatinclination had come from, but it caused wetness to spread between my thighs. I had a difficult time catching my breath, but now it had nothing to do with my punctured lung and everything to do with the desire sliding through my belly.
His nostrils flared as his gaze leisurely traveled over me. I knew it wasn’t possible, but it felt as if his hands followed his eyes and caressed every part of me. I could almost feel him touching me, fondling me. My breasts tingled and became heavy in a way they never had before as he lazily perused his way back up my body.
His eyes latched onto mine again as Morax clasped his shoulder, drawing his attention away. Freed from his gaze, my shoulders sagged and I inhaled a ragged breath as I tried to regain control of my body.
“How are you feeling?” Carrie asked as she appeared at my side.
“Good,” I told her with a small smile. “I’m sidelined for a little bit, but I already feel better.”
“That’s great!” She gave me a cheerful smile before squeezing my arm and hurrying forward when she was called.
I glanced back to where Kobal had been standing. Disappointment filled me when I saw he was gone, but I knew it was for the best; I should keep my distance from him. Still, I couldn’t help wishing I was well enough to hop back into the fight, if only so I could touch him again.
The next few days passed in a blur, and I saw little of Kobal outside of the hand-to-hand training. At the end of the week, I was told I could return to firearm training. I stood at the target line with my earmuffs on and repeatedly pulled the trigger. When I’d first come here, I hadn’t been good with a gun, but I was getting increasingly better with steady practice. When I went to retrieve the target, I was pleased to see only two holes outside of the range of the shadow person on the piece of paper.
Folding it up, I tossed it in the trash and pulled the earmuffs off. Glancing down the hill, I watched the training going on in the field below me. I easily picked Kobal out of the crowd as he weaved his way through the people fighting, kicking, and punching each other.
Lifting my head to the sky, I took in the streaks of pink and orange, but they were mostly overpowered by the red spreading toward me. The sun was a vibrant crimson color as it hung on the horizon.
“Red sky at night,” I murmured as I made my way down the hill toward Mac’s house.
I’d never asked why I wasn’t housed with the other volunteers or why I’d never been treated like any of the rest of them, and I doubted I would get an answer if I did. I was almost to the door when a lonely wail echoed over the hills and through the town. The hair on my nape rose, and I turned away from the door as the wail built in volume. I’d heard it the first night I’d arrived, but the following nights had remained blessedly undisturbed since then.
The soldiers patrolling the streets froze with their guns against their shoulders as more cries echoed through the fading daylight. I stepped off the porch and made my way down the street as the noise intensified until it reverberated off the windows and buildings surrounding us.
“What is that?” I asked one of the soldiers.
“It’s some ofthem,” he replied. His mouth flattened into a thin line and his skin turned an ashen hue.
“Them who?” I inquired.
“The beasts,” another voice answered. I jumped when Kobal’s hand slid around my elbow and sent a jolt of something hot and electric through my body. My mouth went dry as I tipped my head back to find his inky eyes upon me. I couldn’t tell if he’d felt the jolt too, or if I was simply imagining this magnetic connection between the two of us, but I welcomed his touch. I’d been starved for it this past week. “Come with me.”
“The beasts?” I inquired as I turned to follow him down the road.
“Not everything from Hell is a demon such as the ones you’ve met so far; some of them are what you might consider an animal. They are volatile creations that evolved to punish souls and were relegated to the lower-levels of Hell. Now they are taking advantage of their freedom.”
My gaze turned toward the darkening horizon as I searched for the creatures he described. “And they come here?”
“Sometimes,” he murmured.
