I suddenly feel like we’re back in the comforts of the Under. It’s certainly just as daunting in here as it was down there.
Cameron stops when we find a relatively flat area near the back. We let our guard down now that it’s been cleared and settle for a few hours of rest. Last night, sleep seemed impossible, but tonight I’m exhausted. I know I won’t have any trouble falling asleep, and I’m eager for it.
Cameron won’t let us go without one person standing watch even though Bryce littered the entrance with his nail traps. It’sprobably protocol on the Dark Forces squads to always have someone standing watch.
Bree takes the first shift, sitting on a rock a bit away from where we’ll be sleeping. Damian passes out before he can even eat his MRE. The bag remains closed in his hand and soft snores drift up from him.
I nibble on the contents of mine. Focusing mainly on the cornbread and then the applesauce. The protein powder in this one is chocolate. I mix it with water and quickly drink it, savoring the familiar taste for as long as I can.
Cameron plops down next to me, eyeing Bryce sitting across the small cave carefully before biting into his bread.
“Don’t trust the poisoner?” I ask wryly.
He scoffs and takes another bite. “Rule number infinity: don’t trust anyone.”
“Sounds about right.” I grin at the way that’s exactly how Reed would say it.
We finish our meals quietly. It sucks not having a pillow, but I’m grateful we can lie down to sleep tonight rather than leaning against trees. The moment my head hits the ground I start to drift off.
Cameron settles in behind me. I jolt back to consciousness and glance over my shoulder at him with awhat the fucklook, because last I recall, he hated my touch.
“Go to sleep,” he orders softly.
I frown and whisper, “I thought you hated me and the thought of even touching me repulsed you and?—”
“Hush,” he murmurs teasingly and presses his hand softly against my helmet until my head is against the ground again. “I’m keeping you safe.”
I stare into the dark, barely seeing Bree’s figure as she watches the entrance of the cave. “Safe from what? You need to sleep too.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t sleep on missions.”
Either he’s the strongest soldier on the planet, or he’s literally dedicated to dying a miserably slow death. It could actually be both, I decide.
“Ever?”
“Ever.”
I purse my lips and whisper, “What has you so on edge about Bryce?”
Cameron is quiet for a moment before pressing his chest completely against my back and bringing his lips to my ear. “He’s casing us. He observes every little habit each of us has, and during the raid earlier, he didn’t so much as lift a finger to help. I don’t think he was the last cadet chosen. He’s too witty and confident. His true alliance is not to us.” He sounds so sure.
If I trust anyone, it’s Cameron. And he’s far more intuitive in the Dark Forces world than I am. Now that he mentions it, I have noticed that Bryce has been eyeing my knife since the fight. Has he been trying to see if I had used it or not? Or if poison still taints the tip?
A small gasp escapes my lips as a revelation hits me. “Why did he rub poison onhisblade if he wasn’t going to help us in the fight?” I whisper. Didn’t Bryce even tell us that he wasn’t good in up close combat?A slip in his fabricated demeanor.
Cameron hums low, and the vibration crawls along my spine, sending a shiver through me. “Exactly. Now get some rest.”
I scowl, not that he can see it. “Stop ordering me around. You’ve been relentless today.”
He chuckles softly and twirls my braid around his finger. The motion makes me smile as I shut my eyes.
26
EMERY
It’s still darkout when we resume our trek toward the beacon. The pine trees don’t make it any easier to see it, but the distant green glow is somewhat visible when we reach breaks in the boughs above. The starlit sky is vast tonight.
I stop to take it in. It reminds me so much of the view in Montana that for a moment I feel back at home. Though after the fallout in the last family operation, I suppose I don’t really have a home anymore. I’m curious what Nolan wrote in my death certificate and if anyone believes it. I hope my mom still wonders if I’m actually dead or not. Has Reed searched for me? If anyone cares about me, it’s him.
