AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Each thrust wrenches a small cry from him, but we’re still kissing, so he’s whimpering into my mouth. I’ve never heard a man make sounds like this before, like he’s in as much agony as he is ecstasy.
“Christ,chér,” he cries, breaking free of my mouth. “Jesus-effing-Christ!”
His next thrust has a feeling of finality, of completion. He becomes a full-body manacle around me, and he moans so loud I know the others would have heard it if they were upstairs. Against me, his stomach trembles. Inside me, he shivers and jerks.
He’s filling me. And filling me.
“I fucking love you, Cora,” he says in a hoarse whisper.
“I love you, too, Doc.” I cup his flushed cheek in my hand, and we’re still for long moments. We’re catching our breath.
Doc lowers his forehead to mine. “Love you,” he says again. And he says it again. And again.
I stroke the damp skin of his back and let him rest on top of me. I feel secure. Cherished. Ha!Chér-ished. Is that whatchérmeans? Someone cherished?
Doc is still for so long I assume he fell asleep. I begin to slide out from under him to go clean up, but his hold on me tightens.
“I’m scared,” he confesses.
I go still and squeeze him back. “Me too. I’m worried about Jud.”
He rolls off me, and his semen drips from my pussy to soak the quilt. The sensation makes me feel thoroughly claimed.
“So am I.” Doc positions himself on his side facing me.
I appreciate that he doesn’t sugar coat things for my sake. In this new world, there’s no room for sugar coating.
“Raptor wants me,” I say. “He’ll use Jud to try to get me. They’ll hurt him and keep hurting him until you hand me over.”
“Which will never happen,” Doc growls. His arms tighten around me.
“I know.” My voice is flat. No matter what Raptor does to Jud, my other six guys will never give me up. Which raises a major question. “Won’t they know that?” I lift up to look into Doc’s eyes in the darkness.
He’s watching me with a possessive gaze. I’m chilled to the bone, because I know he would kill to protect me. I’m also, somehow, warmed through by the knowledge. It’s a strange dichotomy, knowing someone would kill for you.
Jud killed for you.
All my men would kill for me. In fact, they might have the opportunity very soon.
“They have to know you won’t give me up,” I say. “Since Week Zero, the world is different. The rules have changed. Not all lives are equal, anymore. Two sexes are needed to ensure the survival of our species, and me being the only female around kind of makes me worth more than a man, even though it feels all kinds of wrong to say so.”
Doc sighs. It’s a heavy, sober sound. “I agree. They’ll know for damn sure we won’t give you up, no matter what they threaten to do to Jud.” He strokes my back while he talks, comforting me with touch while his words confirm my worst fears. “That’s why I don’t think they’re holding him for a trade. It’s not bargaining they’re after. I think Raptor’s game is to divide us. Weaken us, so he can get to you.” He nudges me to rest my head on his outstretched arm.
“Do you think he wants to…kill all of you to get to me? Could he be that evil?”
“I hope not, but we have to be prepared for anything.”
My heart sits like a chunk of lead in my chest. “If Raptor doesn’t need Jud as a bargaining chip, he might have already…” My throat closes up. I can’t finish the thought.
“Shhh.”Doc strokes my back. “Don’t go there,chér. It won’t do no good to think that way. We’ve got to believe he’s alive.”
I nod, determined to stay positive. “Right. So, what do you think Raptor’s new plan is?” When we packed up to drive south, we didn’t see any new bird spies watching us, and Bernard didn’t spot any suspicious avian life that might be under Raptor’s control. It seems that when Raptor and his crew left our area, so did his Gift. My guess is he needs to regroup after losing four of his men in that chopper crash and not getting what he was after when he stormed our home: me. “As far as he knows, I’m still at Eagle Peak with the rest of you, right? Do you think they’ll come at us again, only to find we’re not there? Do you think that means there won’t be very many of them in New Orleans when we show up?”
Doc smiles in the darkness. “You’re thinking like a warrior. That’s mychér.” His smile falls. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and so has Rev. Here’s what we think. Raptor came onto our turf to take you from us. But what he got instead was a chopper full of dead guys and Jud as a consolation prize. He learned what we’re capable of…that we have Gifts, too, and we’re a formidable enemy despite being fewer in number than they are. And by now, he’ll know Jud’s our leader.
“Rev and I think Raptor’s counting on two things: One, without our leader, we’re going to fall apart, become disorganized, maybe even fight among ourselves. He’ll be hoping to swoop in while we’re in chaos and snatch you out from under us. Two, he has to know we’ll come after Jud. After that battle, he’ll know we won’t let his trespass stand. He’ll expect us to come to New Orleans to try and take Jud back. And I think that’s why he’ll keep Jud alive. Raptorwantsus to come.
“He’s probably thinking we’ll only send a few men, keeping the others up north to guard you. He’ll assume we’ll try to sneak in and look for Jud quietly. Maybe he’ll even let us get in far enough to find Jud, then try to capture us too. Maybe he’ll lay traps for us. Who knows. The point is he’s expecting a small, stealthy team, not for us to come in hot, all seven of us—including you—plus a team of fucking Marines, pardon my French.”
