Chapter 1
Three years ago, in the broken down subway tunnels
Corey Nash smiled as he looked over at his friend Maggie. She was a few years younger than him, and pale like all the people who lived in the tribes in the subway tunnels. They were also all becoming increasingly thin, thanks to the ever-scarcer resources. Maggie was definitely thinner than when he had first met her, but no less beautiful. Her body, despite the lack of provisions, had become quite shapely over the last several years, and he hadn’t been the only one to notice.
It wasn’t just her looks, of course, not really; Maggie had something sweet and innocent that drew people to her. She could laugh and brighten up the atmosphere. While his interest in her had started out as simply that of a protective friend, it had grown into something… more. There had been many nights where he’d dreamed about holding her in his arms. Maggie was still his best friend, but now he’d begun wishing for a romantic relationship with her as well. He was just waiting for the right time, though it never seemed to come. “Pineapple. Why pineapple?” she asked, holding up the dented can.
Corey shrugged. “It’s a popular fruit for canning.”
“Why not strawberries? I love strawberries.”
He laughed at Maggie’s longing look. He would do just about anything to make her happy. If it had been possible, he would have given her her own field of strawberries and picked her a fresh basket every day. Of course, fresh anything was impossible to come by now.
Almost two years before, there had been a worldwide nuclear disaster that had almost annihilated the entire globe. The world governments had saved some of the populace, the select few. The rest of the population was turned away to fend for themselves. He had managed to get down to the subway stations and the tunnels below the city along with others. It had been their salvation and only home for these past few years.
It was a long while before any of them could venture back above ground because of the radiation. The city had stockpiled canned food, bottled water, and vitamins in secure areas in the tunnels in case of disasters, and this was what they survived off of. Each stockpile area seemed to have slightly different types of food, and on rare occasions they found dried meat as well. Otherwise, the only real meat they managed were any rats they ran across.
He moved closer to her and leaned against the wall. “I have a can of cherries I’ve been holding on to for a special occasion.”
She bit her lip curiously. “What kind of special occasion were you holding out for? Canned cherries aren’t as hard to come by, but still...they’re a real treat. I can’t believe you would hold out.”
He’d failed her once a few years ago, when she’d been attacked brutally. He hadn’t been there and guilt ate at him constantly. He felt like he’d do anything to make up for it. No one as kind and gentle as her should ever suffer what she had. She was delicate, but strong; beautiful, but seemingly unaware of her appeal; and, of course, completely ignorant of the fact Corey was in love with her. He had been for these past several years, holed up together in the subway tunnels with their tribe. He’d been waiting for years after her attack, being there for her as best he could, holding off until she she seemed ready for something more between them. Was she ready now?
“I thought that maybe we could enjoy them after dinner one night. Um, together.”
“Sure, Lily and I can grab some of our food to make a real family dinner.”
Corey looked at her and spoke carefully, trying to guage her reaction, “I was thinking that maybe it could be just the two of us for dinner...at my subcar.”
Her first expression was confusion, then shock as the meaning registered. She blushed next and glanced away from him. “Corey…”
He desperately backpedaled, suddenly terrified of what might happen if she felt like she had to turn him down. “Just think about it! But know no matter what decision you make, we’ll always be friends. I can’t help but hope for more, though.” He turned and walked away, not ready to hear her refusal yet. Maggie needed time to take in the fact that he had feelings for her. He would wait for her.
He hoped time would be on his side, but it wasn’t. As it turned out, time slapped him down—hard.
*****
Current day
Corey grunted as he circled the sparring mat in the training room of the Drastan command ship. The Drastans had come to Earth to offer aid to the humans in recovering from the nuclear disaster. Their presence was both a miracle and a source of conflict.
The human government was anxious to get their hands on the Drastan technology and weapons. That wasn’t what the Drastans offered. Other humans feared that the Drastans would take over Earth completely. Small spurts of resistance had risen up, causing problems for all.
Corey had been training with the Drastan warriors for over a year now. His body was no longer thin and pale, weakened by radiation poisoning. Now, sweat gleamed across his bare, muscular chest. His eyes were sharper and his reflexes spot on. The changes in him were incredible. He felt stronger than he ever had in his life… but something was still missing in the region of his heart. Too bad the Drastan medikos didn’t seem to have a cure for loneliness.
The Drastan’s treatment for the radiation had been truly miraculous for him and his people. The humans, especially those in the tribes, were now all as thriving as he was. They were growing stronger every day, and the future looked brighter and brighter. The tribes in the tunnels were planning on building underground cities, and the tunnels now even had a few subway cars actually running from tribe to tribe and between several government-sanctioned domes. With the ability to travel safely underground, they could trade between tribes and the dome people. This would allow for real commerce for his people, finally an opportunity to build and grow instead of just existing in survival mode.
“Pay attention, Nash!” a woman’s voice called out.
Distracted, he failed to look up in time, and the warrior he was training with caught him in the jaw. He fell backward. Trying to regain his balance, he glared over at the woman that had yelled at him. The bane of his existence and the woman that haunted his dreams—Lieutenant Nix Saber.
Nix was the most beautiful woman, besides Maggie, he had ever met. At five feet eight inches, she was just a few inches shorter than Corey’s six foot two. He had always thought he preferred shorter women, like Maggie, but since meeting Nix, long-legged women suddenly had much more appeal. At least, this one did.
The beauty before him had long black hair that she always kept rolled up in a tight bun, silky-looking naturally golden skin he longed to run his hands up and down, long slim legs, a small waist, and curves her drab grey uniform couldn’t quite disguise. It wasn’t just her physical and exotic appearance that fascinated him, though. She was smart, strong, and opinionated, which often resulted in verbal sparring matches between them that left him feeling both confused and turned on. He had also witnessed her compassion as she visited injured warriors, and her patience in training him, someone who wasn’t even of her own species. At times he didn’t know whether he wanted to arm wrestle her or kiss her. And then kissing would lead to other things he spent too much time fantasizing about.
It was strange how since meeting Nix, he hadn’t thought of Maggie in a romantic way at all. Just the thought of Nix had him hard and ready to go, a reaction he unfortunately had sometimes at the worst possible moments. His solution was to try to act like he had no reaction to her at all. But who was he fooling, really?
“I warned you to watch out.” Nix shook her head in irritation.
