Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 140965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
“I wouldn’t have chosen a virus like this one. I’m scared to death. I am. But I would much rather be here with you. Have this time with you. Die with you, rather than live a life of what amounted to slavery to Whitney. We talked about it, the three of us: Bellisia, Zara and me. We couldn’t stay there forever. We agreed to escape if the opportunity presented itself, even if that meant death. We were going to live free for a few days, a week or two, for whatever time we had. This is my choice. You are my choice. Don’t take that away from me.”
She turned her head and waited until he looked at her. He felt himself falling into her eyes. Under her spell. The emotion welling up was sharp and terrible. Fierce. Overwhelmingly strong.
“I love everything about you. I told myself that was what it was. All those parts separately, that I loved them. I watch you. I’m inside your mind. I see who you are. I’ve decided it isn’t about loving everything about you. It’s simply about loving you.”
Shylah was the most courageous human being he’d ever met. His blood thundered in his veins, roared in his ears. His heart beat so hard it felt like it would come through his chest. He remained silent until he was positive he could keep his voice under control. Emotion was still choking him. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and hold her close, keep her safe.
Draden waited until he could breathe. Until the lump in his throat dissolved. “Do you think you could have fallen in love with me if the circumstances were different? Not as extreme? Knowing we had all the time in the world?” He waited a heartbeat. “Because I know I would have fallen like a ton of bricks. Just as I have now. I know it with absolute certainty.”
He pressed her palm to his lips again, brushing kisses there before moving her hand back to his heart. He kept his gaze fixed on hers, wanting her not only to hear the truth in his voice, but to see it on his face and in his eyes, because he’d never said anything truer.
“You would have been my choice. I would have taken longer to get there. I would have been suspicious, and I would have fought it, but I would never have walked away from you. I know that’s the reason it’s so important to me to believe Trap can save you. I need you to be safe. Out there, in the forest, I know you’re skilled and you have every chance to be the victor in combat. But this virus, it’s the devil, Shylah. It’s evil and it consumes a human being from the inside out.”
Her eyes shone at him. He could see an answering light there and it shook him more than he cared to admit.
Shylah leaned closer to him. “We’ve got now. Together. We can decide for ourselves what we’re going to do until one or both of us goes down. In the meantime, we can be us, locked in our own little cocoon. We’ll give them our daily reports and our blood, but they shouldn’t expect anything else from us. We’ll do what they ask, but I’m not leaving you. I won’t do that, Draden.”
“I’ve got the headache already, Shylah, a fever and extreme fatigue. My lymph nodes are swollen. This has to be a fast virus, or it wouldn’t have killed all the villagers that quickly. I’m surprised I’m not sicker faster, but I know I’m infected.”
“You have a headache from the blow to your head, Draden. And you’ve been going nonstop. You’ve not had much sleep since I’ve been with you. And I don’t know when you’d slept last before you were ordered to rescue the doctors and soldiers. People get sick when they’re run-down.”
He couldn’t deny that what she’d said was true. He hadn’t had a lot of sleep prior to being sent on the rescue mission. They had been there instructing and also learning from the commanders of the Kopassus, an exchange of information in the hopes of taking down the terrorist cells in Indonesia.
He shrugged. “Let’s go back inside. I’m not getting the vibe that anyone is watching, but we are ringed by soldiers. I don’t like the idea of them spying on us.” He stood up and held out his hand to her. “Come inside, baby. I won’t suggest you leave again and I’ll make it clear to Joe, you’re staying with me.”
She nodded as she stood. “You make sure you do that, because I won’t have any problem forcing them to kill me if they try to take me.”
“They aren’t going to take you.” He meant that. No one would lay a hand on her. “You need to accept my apology and then let it go. That’s the way we’re going to do things when we’re together. I’m going to fuck up and apologize a lot. You’re going to forgive me and let it go.”