“You’ll only be a nuisance?—”
I exhale sharply, cutting him off. “Why can’t you just let me be? I’m trying to be useful. I can’t sleep out here, and I probably won’t be able to until tonight, so can you just fuck off?” The heavy glance I throw him over my shoulders gives him pause. I’m stunned to find that he’s removed his mask; his white hair is ruffled. He tugs down on his collar to get more comfortable, revealing his neck tattoos.
I force my eyes away and stand firm.
When he doesn’t leave and just continues to awkwardly stand there, I tighten my grip on my rifle and start walking toward the deeper brush.
“Where are you going?” he asks almost instantly, his steps just behind me.
Don’t hit him again,I scold myself.
“I’m going to patrol the area. Get some rest oryou’ll be a nuisance,” I mock, then hear his hand fly to his mouth. I turn, brow raised, not in the mood for his shit, but I have to stifle a snort at his twisted expression trying to hold in his laugh.
“That was bloody ridiculous.” His eyes are narrowed in amusement, but I’m still pissed.
He stops once our chests are merely a foot apart. He has to angle his head down to look at me while I have to tilt my chin up.
“What do you want, Mori?” I ask, short and to the point.
His mouth flattens, and the amusement flees from his face. “I don’t like when you call me that.” His voice is smooth and deep.
“What? Your code name?” I take a step back, but he follows seamlessly.
“You call me Cameron,” he murmurs.
I hate that he does this. He’s so hot and cold. “I’m not an object you can fuck around with. You don’t get to always have things your way just because you think you’re special,Mori,” I snap at him, a muscle feathering in his jaw as he lowers his brows.
“You want me to leave you alone?” he says callously, and I sharply nod. His sage eyes study me for a moment before he concedes and turns to head back to camp.
This is for the best. After all, he’s going to be my demise sooner or later anyway. We might as well be indifferent toward one another rather than friends or whatever was happening between us. I grit my teeth, knowing that it was so much more than an acquaintanceship.
The better part of an hour has passed as I make it back to camp. I walked what I would consider is a reasonable perimeter before returning. The woods are eerily quiet, especially for this time of day. A nagging feeling keeps rearing its way up into my mind that there are squads watching me this very moment. Each step feels heavier than the next.
“There you are,” Bree chirps. Everyone is awake and eating their MREs. My eyes shift to Cameron. He isn’t eating, he’s just staring out into the valley below. “Here, you should eat.” She hands me one, and I offer her a gracious smile.
“Thanks, Bree.” She returns the grin and starts doing some stretches for the day ahead of us.
I wonder if we’re heading out soon. I’m just hoping that tonight I can get more rest than I did this morning.
“Anyone want to dip their knives in poison before we get going?” Bryce waggles his vial around like it’s a hotcake. God, he looks crazy when his mask isn’t on. His fawn hair has big curls that go in every direction. They add to his harmless appearance.
“I do,” I say, shoving a cracker into my mouth before unsheathing the white combat knife. Bryce dips his finger into the vial and smears one smooth line of the red liquid down the blade. He smiles, clearly pleased with himself. My brow quirks. “That’s all?”
“That’s all,” he says proudly and looks to the others. They all shake their heads. He shrugs. “Suit yourselves.”
I grin and wait for the concoction to dry before resheathing the blade. “What does it do anyway?” I ask, curiosity getting the best of me.
Bryce’s smile is wide. “It’s a powerful paralyzing agent mixed with a strong coagulant.”
My eyes widen. “Oh shit.”
Cameron glances back at us. “Sounds lethal.”
“That’s sort of the point, Mori,” Bryce says sinisterly. Chills spread up my spine at his tone. He opens his mouth to say more when I watch as Cameron’s eyes zone in on something behind us. His eyes dilate in a fraction of a second, and I know something terrible is about to happen.
“W-wait!” Damian shouts at our backs, his voice rings through the air like gunfire.
24
