"How? You're doing the same shit Azarel did. Keeping secrets, making decisions about what you think is best for her. Seems to me that's a pattern she's trying to break free from."
"Says the alpha who put a fucking collar around Raven's neck."
My hand tightens around the gun in my lap. "That's for his protection."
"And that reasoning doesn't sound familiar at all?" Nikolai's tone is acid. "But whatever helps you sleep better."
I lean forward, lowering my voice to a growl. "Listen here, you glass-eyed piece of shit. I don't need life advice from someone who abandoned his own flesh and blood to play warlord in the fucking wasteland."
"See?" Nikolai smirks, gesturing at my face. "Cracks like that are why I tookyourfucking eye."
Before I can retort, a sleepy grumble distracts us both.
"If you two don't stop bitching, I'm going to have Knight eat both of you and feed the leftover scraps to the wasteland dogs."
I glance over to see Cosima, her eyes still closed, nestling closer to Raven, who instinctively tightens his arm around her, still sound asleep.
Nikolai and I exchange glances, a temporary truce settling between us. Watching her, I feel some of the tension leak out of me. Hard to maintain murderous rage with that silver-haired enigma glaring drowsily at us through half-lidded violet eyes.
"Sorry," I mutter, the word feeling strange in my mouth.
She makes a dismissive sound and burrows back against Raven, who murmurs something incoherent and pulls her closer. Knight shifts beside them, one blue eye cracking open briefly before closing again. Not asleep after all. Just waiting.
The minutes tick by in relative quiet, broken only by the steady rhythm of the train and the occasional creak of ancientmetal. Outside, the wasteland becomes a blur of shadows and moonlight, the border mountains looming closer with each passing mile.
My gun is a comforting weight. One of the few constants in a world that keeps shifting under my feet. That, and the dull throb of the scar tissue around my missing eye beneath my eye patch. A permanent reminder of how quickly everything can go to shit.
Thanks to the asshole sitting across from me.
Dawn breaks across the horizon, pale light seeping through the cracks in the curtains. As the train's wheels start to grind, signaling it'll be stopping soon, the others begin to stir. First Raven, then Cosima, rubbing sleep from their eyes. Knight rises immediately, his movements fluid despite his massive size. Only then does Nikolai finally relax his posture, stretching his arms above his head with a series of pops and cracks.
"Morning," Raven says, his voice still rough with sleep. He smiles at Cosima with such naked adoration that I have to look away. "Sleep well, goddess?"
She nods, pushing her messy silver hair away from her face. "Better than I expected." Her gaze drifts to me, taking in my position by the door with the gun still across my lap. "Did you sleep at all, Geo?"
I shrug. "Don't need much."
A lie, but a harmless one. It doesn't stop the look of concern that crosses her face. Not used to anyone giving a damn about me except for Raven.
"We should stretch our legs," Raven suggests, rising gracefully from the nest to look out the window. "The train will be making a brief stop for refueling. Twenty minutes, max."
I check my watch, a gold Columbian piece that survived the war in some rich bastard's bunker. "Sun's barely up. You sure it's safe to be wandering around?"
Raven nods, already pulling on his boots. "The station's abandoned except for the maintenance crew. And they're paid to be blind."
Knight looms behind Cosima as she gets to her feet, his sheer size making the car feel suddenly smaller. I notice how he angles his body, always keeping himself between her and any potential threat.
The door. The windows.Us.
Raven seems to notice it too, his eyes flicking to the massive alpha before addressing him directly. "Knight, it might be better if you stay close to the train. Less chance of someone raising an alarm."
Knight's responding growl is low, but not particularly threatening. More like reluctant agreement.
I haul myself to my feet, ignoring the protest of stiff muscles, and secure my weapon in its holster. "Let's make it quick. I need to take a leak."
The chilly morning air hits like a slap when we step outside, bone dry with the promise of another scorching day even though it hasn't warmed up yet. The station is just as abandoned as Raven promised. It's a crumbling shell of concrete and steel, nature slowly reclaiming what man had briefly stolen. Weedsand thorns push through cracks in the platform, and the remains of the main building have partially collapsed, leaving a skeletal frame against the pale sky.
I head around the side of the building, finding a relatively private spot to piss. Raven had a few choice words to say about my size the last time he caught me with my dick out and I'd rather not hear it again.
