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Chapter Ten
We managedto find several houses with ramps and a house with an “oxygen in use” warning sign taped to the door. I didn’t think Uan needed oxygen, but the tanks were too useful to pass up. Tor made me wait outside with him and the rest of the group while two fey went inside to collect everything. He said it smelled too bad to let me in.
Between all of our stops, we had morphine, which I figured Cassie might use on Uan; several prescription painkillers, which Adam could use; and two shotguns, which I could use if Adam’s apology wasn’t good enough.
“We should head back,” I said softly.
Tor immediately picked me up and started jogging. We’d avoided two infected herds while scavenging and killed plenty more inside the houses. The fey were on edge.
When we arrived at the bridge, I saw they had a reason to be. Bodies littered the area around the overpass, and gore coated the sides of the trucks. Tor reluctantly let me stand on my own, but I could feel the heat of him radiating against my back. Given the number of times he’d had to jump on a roof with me, I didn’t mind his hovering proximity.
“Trouble?” I asked Ryan as the fey stowed what we’d collected.
“You could say that. A herd of infected spotted us and started calling out. Every infected within hearing came running. It was a mess. Thankfully, the others were already back and in the trucks. We were about to send a party out for you.”
“Sorry we took longer, but I think it was worthwhile. I found morphine.”
“What? No way. A clinic?”
“No. Someone on hospice, I think. Tor didn’t let me inside.”
“It smelled too bad,” Tor said, setting his hands on my shoulders.
“Death usually does,” Ryan said solemnly. “But I’m glad everyone’s okay and twice as glad you found some morphine. Uan needs it bad. Let’s load up so we can get home. I’m hungry.”
I glanced at all the nasty around us.
“You have a strong constitution if you’re surrounded by this and still hungry.”
He shrugged and smiled as he started walking backward to his own truck.
“It’s the curse of my age. I’m always hungry.”
Shaking my head, I jogged to the truck that Richard had driven here. Tor opened the passenger door and helped me up.
“Ready to go home?” Richard asked.
“More than ready. Did the Tenacity people get a lot of supplies?”
“Most of them came back after the first house. Honestly, it’s a good thing too. Who knows how many we would have lost if they’d still been out there when the infected swarmed.”
I wasn’t exactly sure if I’d call it a good thing but was smart enough to know that was my bitterness influencing my opinions and kept that thought to myself.
The ride back to Tenacity was relatively quiet, and I used that time to think about how I felt regarding what Adam had done. Definitely still angry. Betrayed. Hurt.
Confused.
I didn’t understand how Adam could think what he’d done was okay. And I couldn’t imagine how upset Tor would be if he ever found out Adam had tricked him. After all, Tor politely asked each and every time he wanted to pick me up, barring life-threatening emergencies. I had no doubt that, eventually, someone would set him straight about pussy licking not being an acceptable way to wake up someone else’s girlfriend. And then what? We’d lose our place in Tolerance because Adam had some dumb idea in his head that I was into a reverse harem lifestyle?
By the time we reached Tenacity, I still had no idea how I wanted to handle the conversation I knew Adam and I needed to have. My emotions were high, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to face him yet.
Thankfully, there were supplies to unload and medicine to deliver. Ryan and Richard willingly handed over all the medicine to me while they worked to unload everything else. With the rattling shoe box in my arms, Tor ran me back to Tolerance with our group of fey. Although he didn’t say anything on the way, I felt his repetitive questioning glance.
As soon as we were inside the wall and I was on my own two feet, I faced him.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. You’re quiet and angry.”
