“Which she’ll get. We’ll allow her time out of the pen, seeing as how she didn’t go to the lengths you did. Or at least we assume she didn’t. Don’t incriminate yourself,” he warns.
“But I’ll stay confined?” Hunter asks.
“Mostly.” Cole shrugs. “There may come a time when we need your particular skill set.”
Seeing the hesitation in Hunter’s eyes, I say, “Take the deal. You know I’ll never be normal again. Not after what I’ve been through. I need you here, because you’re the only thing in this world that makes me feel…I don’t know…right. I’ll live forever in a cage if it means I get to live with you.”
“She’s right,” Cole says softly. “Take the deal.”
“Can I have a moment alone with Fiona?”
Cole gets up from his seat, pulls a walkie-talkie from his belt, and hands it to Hunter. “Take a minute; take a day. We’re in no rush. Radio in when you’re done.”
After they leave, I throw myself into Hunter’s arms again, sobbing.
He smooths my hair, kissing my forehead.
“Why are you even hesitating?” I demand.
“Because it would be a terrible thing to see you caged.”
“Don’t you get it—I don’t give a fuck! I need you.”
“But what if you get pregnant?”
“I hope I do!”
“We can’t raise a baby like this.”
“Do you think it’s ideal for any woman to raise a baby during an apocalypse?”
“I suppose not…”
“It’ll be fine! They won’t punish a baby for our mistakes. We’ll make it work.”
Hunter doesn’t look convinced.
“You know if you die, they won’t release me. They know I was in the apartment when you tortured Brett. They’re never going to let me go. Not after what I’ve done.”
“I really did a number on you.”
“You set me free.”
His hands cup my cheeks. “If anything, you’re the one who set me free.”
He brings his lips to mine, stealing the breath from my lungs. For so long, I felt broken and damaged. But Hunter makes me whole.
And I think I might make him feel the same way.
He pulls away, and I see a rare smile gracing his lips. “At least you won’t be completely confined. I want you to make friends and have things to look forward to.”
Frowning, I look away. “I wonder what the other Kept will think of me. I’ve already made a bad first impression.”
“Couldn’t be as bad as Amber, who helped kidnap Selina’s daughter.”
“Wow, I guess the bar is pretty low.”
He lifts my chin, forcing me to look at him. “All the Kept have been through some shit, so don’t hang your head in shame.”
