Not gonna lie, when he said all that, I came to the conclusion that Marcus would be following me around for the rest of my damned life, and I didn’t like that idea very much. But, after making me walk ages to show me around the huge farming part of the camp before leading me to the smaller one where the guards trained and people studied whatever they wanted to, it turned out he meant something even worse.
“What do you mean,everyday?” I asked, feeling my whole body go numb and tense at the same time.
He, on the other hand, looked like he was having a blast. “Well, not everyday, I’m not a monster. I’ll let you have one free morning a week.”
I glowered at him, but his amusement only grew. I wasnotgoing to do that. I enjoyed sleeping in, plus, I didn’t need it.
“I’m perfectly—”
“You rely on your powers too much,” he interrupted me with a crossed-arms shrug as guards walking nearby gave us curious glances. “You need to learn to defend yourself without transforming anything.”
Unbelievable. “How do you even know about that? Also, know that, unlikeyou, I’ve been living outside the walls after the war. I know how to look after myself.”
His chuckle reverberated around us, catching the attention of more people. Great, just what I needed.
“Arc told me exactly what happened in that alley the night you were attacked. And I’ve heard from Kai about how you tend to fight Carter off. Yes, your transformation powers are a great asset, but that’s all they should be: a way to get the upper hand. You need to learn how to properly fight and defend yourself without using them.”
“For the record, I know how to fight,” I snapped. “It’s just hard to do without a weapon.”
“Or without energy.” I frowned at his jab as he got in my face. “Look, I’m not the one to tell you how to deal with your…sex energy level, or whatever, but you need to have another way to defend yourself or attack an opponent. So I don’t care how late you like to sleep in the morning. With the stone gone from your room, I’ll pull you out of bed myself if you refuse to comply. Training starts tomorrow, and Carrie already prepared everything that you’ll need. ”
Why was it that I haven’t had an actual friend in ages and the first one that I made was even more stubborn than me?
We resumed our walk, silent at first, before his tone softened. “How is it out there?”
I turned to look at him, but his gaze was fixed on the floor ahead of his steps, face pulled taut with an emotion he rarely showed—anxiety.
I shrugged. “Well, you know. It hasn’t changed much since the war ended.”
Some entire states had been abandoned by humans—like here, in Arizona, where it seemed like only the military remained. They mostly lived near coasts now, leaving the damage they did on the rest of the country behind. Killing Immortals wasn’t easy and they had quickly turned to nuclear and chemical weapons in hope it would be enough.
It hadn’t.
The poisoned river had turned against them here, but scattered around the country, the wholeworld, some cities were nothing more than wastelands.
They had done this to their world. Destroyed it out of fear and hatred, not even realizing that the Princes of Hell were probably rubbing their hands with glee at the turn of events
Sure, the Princes had been mad enough at the Incubus for exposing us to the whole world on live television that they had removed most of the Succubi population to send them who knows where—maybe past Lucifer’s office and straight to the dreaded scorching level. I wouldn’t know, I’d never been invited past the very human looking room where Lucifer held his meetings. But by acting like this, they fueled the Prince’s powers. Prince Wrath—orSatanfor the ones who were foolish enough to call him by name—was probably stronger than Lucifer now. Although, humans’ pride never waivered…
“You never go outside the camp?” I asked him, confused.
“I did. I was a scout leader before I—well, before I moved to camp security,” he said, shaking himself like the memory stung. “But even scouts mostly stay in the perimeter. Sometimes we organize expeditions outside to get stuff we can’t do ourselves, but I—I don’t go.”
Expeditions? The closest town that still had enough life—both mortal and Immortal—to still sell things was Vegas. The last town I was stationed in, actually…
“I know they stay for a few days everytime,” he continued. “They take the trucks, travel to Vegas, and meet Kai’s contacts. That’s how we get a lot of necessities like soap and medical supplies, but also how we can get stuff like coffee, chocolate, chips—”
“Dino nuggets…” I added with a smile, bumping my shoulder against his.
He smiled, a little breathy laugh escaping him. “Looks like both of us couldn’t live without those runs, then.”
True.If we ran out of coffee, I might die. Well, not ‘die’ die, but on the inside.
“I just—I always wondered how society hasn’t crumbled after all this.”
“Humans are resilient,” I said. “They may be weak, but they’ll keep living and trying to maintain the comfort they need, even if the world is falling apart around them.”
“Like roaches,” Marcus grumbled.
