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I tilt my head. It’s not like Naomi to be so insecure. “Serena’s there. You’ll be fine.”

She sucks in a breath, completely unsure of herself. “I… I don’t know, Micah. Am I safe with them?”

I let out a laugh. “You’re safer with them than you are with me.” I pause for a moment, contemplating those words. “Naomi, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for doing that to you. I love her… I really fucking love her.”

She looks away as a flash of emotion flows through her eyes. Pain, jealousy, or perhaps longing for what she has with someone else that she royally fucked up. “I know. You’ve made yourself abundantly clear. Let’s get this over with,” she mutters as we approach the meadow.

I try to breathe out the pent-up tension I’m holding inside, knowing London is here, too.

As we walk up, I notice Thomas, Jade, and Serena before they notice me. They are in the middle of the meadow, where they have set up another more central fire spot. They are huddled around… but there are only three of them. James is missing.

I hang back and watch for a second.

“Serena!” Naomi runs through the thicket and the meadow, all ponytail and pep, capturing their attention.

For fuck’s sake.

This is why I prefer to fly solo. She has absolutely zero clue these people have changed, and her initial instinct to be weary was the right one.

Serena’s eyes flicker up, then she bolts with excitement. “Naomi?”

The next few seconds are full of shrieks and hugs, and it’s like we are in the halls of New Ocean Prep and the two of them just came from a pep rally—the bane of my existence—oblivious to the fact that Jade and Thomas rise, and neither look happy to see her. Jade’s eyes tighten as she peers into the forest, right in my direction. Her knuckles are so tightly clenched that even from here, I can tell they are white.

She has good reasons to hate Naomi since she was the one who pinned her down when Ezra cut Thomas’s hand. And Naomi is, of course, oblivious to the hatred spewing out of Jade. Thomas looks up toward where I’m standing. I step behind a group of fir trees, immersing myself in the comforting scent of pine needles.

“Where’s Micah, Naomi?” Jade asks without pulling her gaze from the trees.

Naomi looks in my direction and frowns. I should leave right now and not have this conversation. I’m tempted…

She shakes her head. “I don’t know. He was right there.”

“Come on out, Micah,” Thomas says, his massive frame intimidating the fuck out of me even from here. And I don’t say that lightly.

I grip my bone weapon, readying it. No point in hiding my weapon. He’s not my friend anymore, and he’s twice my size even after surviving the hell of winter. Plus, James is not in my line of sight, which makes me really fucking nervous.

I’ve come to terms with having no one by my side. I have effectively isolated myself, but eventually, we will all succumb to turning against each other—an inevitable outcome as our resources diminish.

I keep my hood over my head as I step out from the shadows. “Thomas…” I say casually and with as little emotion as possible. I don’t need this to be a recap of how shitty of a friend I am or how tortured they were all winter.

Thomas gets all bristly and puffs his chest but doesn’t come near me. Instead, he steps in the opposite direction. Jade and Thomas both turn toward the shelter and then toward me.

It catches my attention.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, and Jade stays wholly still beside him, observing me. I doubt he knows Jade and I had our little rendezvous after our last meeting. I’ll keep her secret… for now.

“Calm yourself down, dude. I’m not staying. I came to drop Naomi off and give you this.” I drop the contents of my bag—containing all the canned food I could carry and the medical supplies—to the ground. The cans roll around, and the food scatters.

Jade and Thomas exchange a glance, as do Serena and Naomi. None of them know how to handle me… Thomas takes yet another step in the opposite direction, keeping his eyes on the threat.

Me… I’m the threat.

He can’t help it; he’s a defenseman. He’s never been a fighter, but his guttural instinct is to protect. So why does he think London needs protecting?

I cut my gaze to Jade—since clearly, she’s the one in charge—and jerk my chin toward the shelter. “Is she in there?”

Naomi and Serena grow quiet, although still hanging off each other. The air electrifies between us as Jade grabs her spear. “Micah, let’s go talk.”

I shake my head. “Nah. Why don’t you just tell me why Thomas is all jittery? What do you think I did?”