Page 37 of Bound in Ashes

He waved me away, the low light from his flashlight casting him in an eerie shadow.

“Don’t worry about me and get some rest yourself,” he said.

“See you in the morning, Uncle Levi. And thank you for this,” I whispered.

“Go on, girl,” he said, and then he closed the door.

The house was dark, barely illuminated by the weak LED flashlight I kept on the lowest setting.

I caught Miles as he entered the house.

“I thought you were keeping watch,” I said.

“I was, but Jack sent me and Elliot back in. Said he was spending more time trying to keep us awake than keep watch, so he got a couple of the others to help,” he said.

“You need your rest. It’s been a hard trip for all of us,” I said.

“I know, but I told your uncle we would pull our weight, and we will,” he said.

“Say good night to your sister and then go to bed, Miles,” I said.

He smiled, then went up the stairs, Elliot beside him.

I went outside and found Jack.

He turned toward me when I approached, his posture almost relaxed, with something dark and hungry lighting his eyes.

“You should be asleep, too,” he said, his voice gravely in a way that made my nipples stiffen with anticipation.

“Shouldn’t I say the same about you?”

“I might be soon enough. There’s nothing out here, and I’m too fucking tired for idle chatter unless you’re planning to distract me,” he said.

I grabbed his hand. “Come with me.”

It was so dark, the night sky starless, that I knew he couldn’t see me.

But he followed.

“What is this?”

I took him into one of the outbuildings.

“A secret place,” I said mysteriously.

“Asia…” he said, his voice rich with warning.

“Jackson,” I responded, feeling suddenly playful.

“I’m supposed to be keeping watch.”

“Who said you wouldn’t be?” I said as I handed him the flashlight. “Hold this while I climb up.”

I tested the ladder, finding it surprisingly sturdy after all these years, then climbed.

“Then get up here,” I called down when I was midway up the ladder.

“Shut up, Asia,” he responded.