The Last She (Books 1-3, the Last She Series)

Ch. 4, Kaden

ARA

We traveled the rest of the day through endless mazes of subdivisions. I tried to remember the way and use the sun for direction, but the sky was overcast, and soon I was lost. My leg throbbed and it was nearly dark when we came to a huge domed building. It took a moment for me to recognize it – the mall. An abandoned army tank stood out front. When I paused to look at it, Kaden laughed and shook his head.

"We can't get them to run anymore. It's a good place to spend the night though, if you're trapped out in the open. You can lock yourself in."

I refused to acknowledge him but stored the information away. I wasn't one to trust others, but a small part of me respected these men.

They were survivors too.

Kaden lead us into what I guessed what was once a storeroom, with concrete floors and high ceilings. Issac lit a small fire, and Kaden tied me to a pole as they set up camp and then sat around the fire. Soon the conversation turned to me.

"I think we should call a vote," Kaden said. "The rules state we bring all captured persons to the clan. But..." He cast a look in my direction, "This is different."

I didn't let myself hope.

"She's a prisoner," Jeb said, his voice nasally. "She was in our territory. This shouldn't even be up for a vote, especially because she's female! We will be heroes when we bring her to the clan. I vote we follow protocol and take her back." On the walk here, Jeb had asked Kaden if he could check I was female 'all the way'. Even though Kaden wouldn't let him touch me, I wished I would have kicked him harder.

Kaden stared into the fire, half his face cast in darkness. "Sam?"

Sam wrung his hands. He'd been kind to me the whole day, even sharing his food and water. "She'll be safest at the clan. Gabriel won't treat her like a prisoner. That's my vote." He glanced at me, and I stared away, disappointed. Yet I couldn't hate him for it. Wouldn't I have chosen the same for my little sister?

"Issac?" Kaden said.

Issac hadn't said a word all day, and he let the silence stretch out so long I didn't think he would answer. Then his voice cut through the darkness.

"I vote we let her go."

There was a stunned silence, broken only by the crackle of flames. He gave no further explanation.

Finally, Kaden cleared his throat, and my stomach dropped. No matter what the others said, he was the leader.

"Then it's decided. We take her to the clan."

I leaned back and closed my eyes, neither surprised nor angry. Somehow their decision felt right to me. Nothing in this world was given freely. If I wanted my freedom, I would have to take it myself.

A shadow grew on the wall ahead of me, and I tensed. But it was only Sam. In the firelight, his tousled hair was a light copper, and freckles dotted his face and down his gangly arms. I had been surprised to find that it was he who carried the bow, and therefore he who had taken down the elk. I almost asked him about it, until I realized it was better for them to think me naïve.

"Are you hungry?" He crouched before me and smiled.

Despite the growing numbness in my fingers, I smiled. He was so young. Maybe fourteen. I realized with a pang that he was the age Emma would have been.

"I'm very hungry."

He grinned now, showing two front teeth he hadn't quite grown into. Then he opened a bundle of burlap and pulled out a loaf of bread, lumpy with some sort of fruit. How long since I had seen bread? Despite my groaning stomach, the sight of it sent my mind reeling. Bread wasn't something you could just scrounge up from deserted houses, it was something that took organization. How many men lived at the clan?

"Here," he said, holding a chunk to my mouth. I ignored the humiliation of being fed like a dog and took a bite. The bread was thick and rich with honey, nuts, and dried cherries. I could have easily eaten the whole thing, but I stopped halfway.

"Sam, will you untie my hands for a minute? Just so I can get the feeling back?"

"No."

Sam started at the deep voice as Kaden stepped into view.

Damn.

"Sam, why don't you go back to the fire?" Kaden ruffled Sam's hair, and Sam gave me a final smile before leaving. Kaden's jeans and jacket were black against the night. Only his worn leather boots stood out with their tan color. I wondered briefly if the heavy shoes would make him slow. In the firelight, I caught a full profile of his body. He was long and lean, every bit of him hard muscle. He crouched in front of me and cupped my chin.

"Care for a bath, Princess?"

When he leaned in I tried to shrink away, but the cold metal pole they had tied me to pressed against my back. His fingers tugged at the knot securing me to the pole, while leaving my hands bound behind me. He worked until I felt the rope slacken, then he clasped my ankles.

"Kick me and I will leave you tied to this pole all night. Understand?"

I imagined kicking him as hard as I could, but my leg was stiff and swollen. Better to wait. He worked at the rope, his hands sure. I pulled away as soon as it fell. I waited for him to untie my hands, but instead he grabbed beneath my shoulders and hauled me to my feet, dragging me towards the fire.

Kaden pulled me roughly by the fire, past Sam and the other men.

My breathing picked up. Why was he taking me from the others? Dark thoughts rose, and I trembled, dragging my feet as we went.

Would he hurt me?

Was I strong enough to fight him?

The way he pulled me forward was an answer in itself.