Page 37 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 2

Chapter eighteen

All too soon, it was time to wake up and head out. Silently we dressed and put on our gear before heading out. The air was cool, but now that spring was heading into summer, I knew it would be hotter and hotter as the days went on. Weather like this made traveling easier as we worked up a sweat with the pace that Sorin had set for us. It wasn’t as fast as Lucian pushed for when we were on the run, but it left no room for talking.

The sun came up a few hours later, casting its warm glow over the forest. We would have one full day in its shade before entering a wide section of prairie land that would make up most of our travels. The closer we got to the North, the more vegetation would fall away before reaching the badlands. I didn’t remember much about that area, except they’d described it as barren land with hills and valleys attached to the mountain range we aimed for. If all went to plan, it would take us two or three days to get to the badlands. Once there, no one was entirely sure since we’d need to find a river crossing. Using the main crossing was out of the question since it was heavily guarded on the Southern side due to it being a weak point. That and it was much farther south than we wanted to be. Our hope was that we’d find a suitable place to cross as the river narrows in the mountains.

We walked until the sun was high in the sky, making the air around us more humid, warning that rain could be a possibility. Finding a place with some cover, we rested for a bit munching the leftovers from last night. Tonight we’d stop early enough for the guys to do some hunting and cook it up in the likelihood it would last us for the next few days. As Lucian suggested, saving the rations would be smart for when we entered the North.

Stretched out on the grass, staring up at the sky, I saw something glint, like metal reflecting the light. “Guys…” I called, pointing upward. “Is that a drone?”

“Fuck,” Toma swore. “Quick, get the thermal blankets out.”

I hadn’t understood why exactly we’d packed these thin silver sheets they’d sworn were blankets. Now it made sense. It was to block the ability of the drone to pick up on our body heat. Victor grabbed me by the waist and yanked me over to him, pulling the material over us. My breath came in short pants as adrenalin roared through my veins. Clutching Victor’s shirt in my hands, I strained to listen, trying to hear if the damn thing was past us or not. Toma had checked the routes planned for the drones two days ago when they’d been changed, but it seems we’d missed one. That or they sent out more we didn’t know about due to the North slipping past their patrols.

“Little Spark, you need to slow your breathing. The harder you make your heart work, the higher your body temperature goes up,” Victor whispered.

Nodding, I closed my eyes and tried to do the breathing exercises Petru had taught me to use during shooting practice. Breathe in for a count of five, then breathe out for the same while visualizing the calm body and mind I wanted. Fortunately, it worked, and I relaxed against him, letting my head rest on his arm. I looked up into his hazel eyes, using them to ground myself at this moment. Reminding myself that he would never let anything happen to me. Loosening my grip on his shirt, I lifted a hand to trace along his beard. It had gotten longer and wilder without him looking after it. Somehow this suited him better than the cleaner look the Military enforced. Twisting his head, he kissed my hand before catching it and pressing it over his heart. This gesture had me once more aware of the fact he was the only one of the pack who hadn’t marked me.

“Vi—”

“All clear,” Sorin shouted.

With the moment gone, it was impossible to ask my question now as Victor cast off the blanket. He got to his feet first then pulled me up, giving me a quick once-over to ensure I was fine.

“Nice use of the breathing exercise, Little Spark,” Victor praised, then pressed a kiss to my forehead as he grabbed his pack. “You have no idea how many other soldiers would have pissed themselves in panic or frozen up entirely. Knowing how to control your response to a situation is one of the most valuable skills you can learn.”

“Yeah, but you had to tell me to do it,” I pointed out. “If you hadn’t been there with me, I’m not sure how I would have reacted.”

Gripping my chin with a hand, Victor leveled me with an intense gaze. “Dani, I’ll always be right there by your side, keeping you safe no matter what. I made you that promise when you first arrived, and my dedication to that has only strengthened since then.”

Dropping his head, he gave me a searing kiss so full of intense emotions. I ached to understand him like I could the others, but that was not something to deal with now.

“Let’s move, double time. We need to get well away from this section if they're sending out extra drone scouts,” Sorin ordered as he snapped the chest buckle and tightened the straps on his pack.

Petru helped me back into mine and also clicked the chest strap. It was amazing how much more secure it felt on my back, and when Sorin started to jog away, I understood why it was needed. Taking a deep breath and getting my head back in the game, I picked up the pace and headed after them. Petru took up the rear, his sniper rifle in hand, ready to shoot a drone if we needed to.

We kept up that pace until the sun had lowered to the point it was casting shadows through the trees, making it harder to see. There wasn’t much in the way of coverage as the rain that had been threatening all day started. We managed to make do using tarps to create a tent of sorts. It was cramped, although it kept us dry for the most part. The plan to hunt went out the window, so we settled for using the power bars as our dinner. I slept fitfully. The sound of the rain beating down on the tarp was deafening. At some point, it stopped, and I was able to get at least an hour or two of good sleep—I think. Only to have Sorin waking us up to move out.

The rain made the ground muddy and slippery, forcing us to slow down and travel at a more moderate pace. Thankfully we broke out of the forest and into the open prairie lands, which weren't as affected by the rain. It was crazy to see rolling hills of grasslands as far as the eye could see. Now I understood why our route must be carefully plotted to avoid towns and military bases. People would see us coming a mile away, and there would go our anonymity. Luckily this day went without incident, and Petru even managed to shoot some rabbits and a few ducks flying overhead. We even found a small grouping of trees to give us a little coverage. Taking the risk, we started a fire and cooked the meat early before the sun was completely gone to hide the light of the fire.

“Where did you learn to do that?” I asked Victor as he skinned the rabbits with ease after he’d plucked the ducks.

Without looking up from his work, his knife paused a second before resuming. “My family owned a farm. Well, I guess I should say they still do since my uncle runs it now. Growing up, I was taught how to live off what we could grow or raise with our own two hands.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk about your family before,” I pointed out.

“Not much to talk about, same sad story as anyone’s in this country,” Victor answered with a shrug.

It took everything in me not to keep pressing, but it was clear that he didn’t want to talk about it. He was right, in any case. I’d learned quickly that people didn’t have many cheerful stories about growing up, myself included. The world we lived in forced us to grow up fast if we wanted to survive and make something of ourselves. People either learned to deal and adjust, or they were dragged along, kicking and screaming.

“It must be nice having been taught those skills. I can see how they’d come in handy with this life,” I mused aloud, tossing another stick into the fire. “Nothing growing up prepared me to be anything but dependent on others. It’s kind of cruel if you ask me. Everyone wants to have a purpose in life.”

“You did have a purpose, just not one you wanted,” Victor corrected.

Tilting my head, I contemplated him. That statement sounded like it was one he learned from personal experience. “Is that what happened to you?”

He stopped and met my gaze, unveiling the rage behind them. “Yes, and that’s all I will say on that subject. Just because you’re born to a certain set of people doesn't make them your family. The people I consider family are right here. You and the others are all the family I need. If you want to ask about life with them, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. Everything before I joined the military is irrelevant and dead to me.”

Reaching out, I took the half-skinned rabbit out of his hand and set it aside on a tarp with the other two. Crawling into his lap, I hugged him tightly, nuzzling my face into his neck. “If they couldn’t see the person you are and how unflinchingly loyal, kind, and loving you are, then fuck them. There is nothing I would change about you… well, I might like to get my own food once in a while, but it’s not a deal breaker. So it looks like I’m keeping you, Vicky.”