He lowers his brows, looking skeptical. “It looks like it spans the whole fucking camp, Nova! How can we keep people from falling in?”
“Marcus.” I move to stand in front of him, putting a palm on his chest. “You have to stay calm.”
He nods, sighing heavily. “Okay. You’re right.”
“Go straight to your room and stay there until I come get you,” Nova says to him before looking at me. “And you go with him.”
“Me?”
“You. Neither one of you is coming out until you’ve worked out your shit. Until then, I’m the acting camp leader.”
For a couple of seconds, neither of us responds. Then I nod numbly.
“You’re right.”
Marcus looks pained, his fingers threaded together on top of his head. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
“You didn’t mean to do it,” Nova says. “Now go, both of you.”
I make my feet move, Marcus beside me. I can’t look at him. Not yet.
This isn’t just between me and him anymore. Through his endolithic connection, he could destroy the entire island with a single bad mood.
Strong emotions seem to set off his power, so we have to talk things out calmly.
Unfortunately, the combination of me and Marcus has always been anything but calm.
14
“All borders in the northwest quadrant are closed until further notice. Only Level One Command may cross borders until I lift this order. We’re moving in to choke out the rebellion.” - Excerpt from a message from New America President Soren Whitman to all military officers
Marcus
I close the door behind Briar, slide my pack from my back to the floor, and sit down in a chair at the table in my small front room. Leaning forward, I put my elbows on my knees and my face in my hands. She’s always been the weak spot in the armor of my self-control, but I can’t believe I’m destroying camp over it.
“Don’t spiral over what just happened,” she says softly. “It wasn’t your fault.”
I huff and sit up straight, shaking my head. “It was, though. I know that’s in me and I lost control.”
“Can you handle talking about us?”
Before I met her, I was an emotional vault. Robo Marcus. Grouchy at times? Yes. But I didn’t mess around with any of the women in my camp, ever, and I was fine with it.
Now I’m a live wire, firing sparks in her presence that could burn down everyone and everything in the vicinity. My powerful feelings for her make me a dangerous liability instead of a steady leader.
“Yeah,” I grumble. “We can talk, but it’ll help if I can’t see you while we do it.”
Just looking at her sets me on fire; it fills all my hollow parts I didn’t even know were empty.
She takes my idea in stride. “We’ll sit back to back.”
I get up as she grabs the back of a chair.
“I’ve got it,” I say.
She puts her palms in the air, not meeting my gaze.
I set the two chairs back to back, then dig through my pack for my canteen and take a long swig.
