Defect (29 page)

Will stands in front of the room, drawing on the large digital screen to depict our planned advance into the capital. His strategy is simple, yet it’s clear he’s thought of everything because when questions are raised, he’s ready with an answer.

I’m very much enjoying watching him in action.
Everything about Will is in sharp contrast to Kai. Where Kai is soft-spoken, gentle and kind, Will is all hard edges, muscles pulling against his shirt and intense gazes. The physical ache of missing him has started to subside.

It doesn’t escape Will’s notice that Kai is sitting next to me, or that Kai brought me a cup of tea. He continues talking at the front of the room, but I noticed his shoulders stiffen and his fists clench when Kai
sits down. 

Rena
is seated across from me, her eyes moving between the strange triangle I’ve inadvertently created. She looks pointedly at Kai and then at me, her eyebrow raising in question. I shake my head no. Is this why she was mad at me last night? She thought I was with Kai? I will have to explain to her that’s not the case. Because there’s no use denying that my feelings for Will have resurfaced and burn just as intensely as before. But I would be lying if I said there wasn’t something different. Last night Will clung to me like a dying man, holding me tightly against him, his mouth firm and insistent as we kissed. He’d never been that reckless when we were together before. But if I think about last night for too long, my cheeks are certain to turn pink and give me away in the roomful of people.

I lean toward Rena and whisper, “This isn’t what you think.”

Her mouth curves upward in a grin. “It better not be. It destroyed him when you left.”

I had no choice but to leave, she knows that
, but a tiny piece of me revels in the fact that Will was just as broken as I was.

I
try my best to tune back in to Will’s speech. Wilson is growing more agitated, sighing and standing up to pace the back of the room. I know he wants to question Will’s plan, and I’m bracing myself to see how Will is going to handle it.

Wilson
anchors his hands on his hips, letting out a huff. “What’s the hold up? We bring Eve to the capital with us, and they’ll be scrambling to talk to us just to get to her. We could settle this much faster and get back home. We just have to be willing to take a risk.”

Will
pauses mid-sentence and turns to face him. He looks like he wants to tear Wilson apart, but his voice is low and even. “If you’re eager to get home, then go. We will do nothing before we’re ready. And we sure as fuck won’t be sending Eve to her slaughter.”

Whoa.

Even Kane grins at the insult Will’s lobbed over. Rena finds my hand under the table and gives it a squeeze. I don’t notice the roomful of eyes watching me, because all I can feel is Will’s steady gaze, communicating so much. He’s mine and I’m his. The nerves of our mission slide away, because I know if we’ve survived everything else, we can do this too.

Happiness is the art of never holding in your mind the memory of any unpleasant thing that has passed.
- Unknown

The history books are wrong. Because together with my friends, we rewrote the ending. There is no such thing as a mindscan any longer, no corrupt capital, and everyday more sections of the fence are removed and demolished.

It was three months before the entire affair was settled, before the capital conceded
in defeat. In the end, it took many more than just those of us living at the compound. Thousands of people from hundreds of miles away journeyed to the capital to march with us, and together, we took the power back. I can’t believe that was two years ago now.

Things are being rebuilt,
and every day there is visible progress. I’m thankful that Will and I live in a nice section of town, just two doors down from each other. He’s living back with his parents, and me with my mom, but we’re planning for our own place soon. I don’t think I can take sneaking around, plotting for alone time like this for much longer. Will possess more self-control than I do, but he’s had enough too.

“Get over here, we only
have an hour before my mom’s back from shopping.” I pull him towards my bed and Will lets out a low chuckle.

“So impatient.”

At least he doesn’t use another word. Because horny would describe me right now too. Will lies down and pulls me to his chest. He gazes down at me with a mix of love and wonder in his eyes.

Some things have changed so much in the last two years .Will is a commander in the new military, and I am a nurse
, having traded weapons for medicines and tools, something Kai inspired me to do. Kai is now married and his wife is expecting, we see them occasionally and every time, my heart is filled with happiness for him. Other things haven’t really changed at all – like how I break out in chill-bumps when Will touches me, oh and my mother is still a bit crazy, that hasn’t changed either. But neither has my love for her.  Things are far from perfect, but I feel whole, complete and I am thankful.

It’s true, crimes happen and bad things still take place, but free will is better than mind-control and a handful of evil, corrupt men controlling the masses. I choose to see the positive and be part of rebuilding our broken society.

“Will?”

“
Hm?” he asks, working his hand under the edge of my shirt to rest his palm against my belly.

“We’re down to fifty-eight minutes…”

He laughs, a rich deep chuckle that tumbles from his lips and vibrates through me as he buries his face against my neck. I will never tire of hearing his laugh. It was absent for so long. I’ve made a promise to myself to enjoy every day, to live life to its fullest, and that includes embracing each and every minute I get with Will.

“God I love you,” he breathes, still chuckling against my neck.

“Love you too. Now pants…off.”

He complies, his hands joining mine as I struggle to undress us both.

Once we’re undressed, he takes my wrists, securing them above my head. “Slow down, Eve. I still have fifty-seven minutes. Don’t rush me, I want to enjoy every second of this.”

A slow smile spreads across my lips. I’m still smiling as Will begins to kiss me, deep and possessive
and I forget all about rushing and savor every bit of our time together.

Time is the one thing we are not guaranteed. I’d learned that lesson once before. I
turn myself over to the sensations and let go, living in the moment. And this particular moment is definitely worth savoring.

~ The End ~

I would like to thank my readers first and foremost. You guys are why I do this. I appreciate each and every one of you. *hugs*

Thank you also to my husband for all your encouragement and love on this journey.

Ryann Kerekes writes young adult and n
e
w adult romance. She lives in Minnesota with a super cute husband and two puppies, one of which might be part monkey. Visit her at:
www.RyannKerekes.com
to learn more!

Link:
The Cirque

Available Now!

A good girl trying to find herself.

A troubled boy running from his past.

The seductive allure of the cirque.

One summer that will change them both forever …

Eighteen-year-old ballerina Ariel is determined to experience life outside the dance studio. She auditions for the cirque on a whim, and though ballet training didn’t prepare her for dodging knives, she refuses to flinch and wins the spot of target girl alongside Gabriel, the mysterious knife-thrower. There’s something unmistakably dangerous yet tempting about Gabriel’s crystal blue eyes and tattoos. She’s determined to solve the mystery of his past after learning he’s on the run from the law. Especially since the distraction is just what she needs to avoid admitting to her parents she was dismissed from her ballet contract.
The more she learns about Gabriel, the scars on his body, the foster homes he grew up in, and his fascination with knives, she knows she should run the other way, but that boy’s like crack, oh so bad for you, yet addicting as hell. When he’s arrested and forced to deal with his past, she has to choose between putting her own life back together and dealing with her parents, or taking a chance on Gabriel, as no one else has.