MasukJAMES' POV,“Hey.” Freya took my face in her hands. “Look at me. Can you hear me?”“Loud and clear, ma'am.” I winced because of the movement and tried to smile through the blood. “Warning shot. How dramatic.”“Please, don't talk.” She pleaded before asking someone to help her carry me to the medbay. “Stay still. You're bleeding too much.”“I have to say, it looked like you were going to kill them.” I tried to lighten the mood. “Remind me never to wrong you.”“Shut up, James.” Her voice cracked. She pressed her hands against my forehead. “You're an idiot. They could have killed you.”“They didn't.” I coughed, which hurt, so I laughed to hide it. “You didn't let them.”I got on my feet mostly on my own, with some help from Freya and the young engineer who helped me upgrade the security system. Over her shoulder, the ceiling was a wall of familiar faces. Some were frightened while others were relieved. A few looked at her like she was a threat and weren't sure if they liked her anymore.
FREYA'S POV,Four days after my fight with Selena, the shelter headcount increased to forty-three.Janet posted a video on the community Facebook group that same day. It was a one-minute-long clip about the shelter, with a caption mentioning a safe place outside Spring Falls and the location. Many survivors doubted it, thinking it was a trap, but some came looking for protection from the zombies.I found out only when the first stranger drove to the gate, holding her phone out like a map. I wasn't angry with Janet. I was angry at myself, because in my first life, nobody had posted anything online. The factory had stayed hidden for weeks, known only to the people who'd ended up there by chance.Now the shelter was full of strangers who thanked Janet and me for saving them. We took everyone who came.James and Eva, the shopkeeper, built a tent by the gate in two days to hold them. They checked every arrival for bites and scratches, then gave them a bed, a meal, and a copy of the rules I
FREYA'S POV,James moved our combat training to the evening because he fought Selena that morning. We used the armoury in the basement, where the only light came from buzzing fluorescent tubes, and the cold air smelled of gun oil and steel. Four walls of rifles, machine guns, short guns, launchers and crossbows stared down at us from their racks.Only two people were authorised to get inside, and both of them were standing in the room. Nobody was going to walk in on us.I tried to focus on his instructions. I really did, but all I could see was what happened during lunch that afternoon. Selena was sitting beside him, her head tilted against his shoulder, and one hand curled around his forearm. He tried to push her away, but she kept pulling Alice's attention towards herself to make sure James wasn't rude to her.Alice was sitting across the table from them, quiet and watchful. And every time Selena smiled at him, I watched the child's shoulders loosen a little. I understood what James
FREYA'S POV,“I can't, Freya.”“James.” I didn't know what else to say. He was right about Alice, but I didn't want to be his secret.“I'll tell her the truth when she's doing better. I swear I will. But until then I have to pretend that things between Selena and me are fine.” His hand tightened around mine. “I hate it. I want to walk beside you in front of everyone. But I can't be the reason she breaks. So, I have to get back to Selena every morning.”‘So I'm the secret sex partner.’ The thought struck me, sharp and bitter. I stared at the ceiling.I had spent years as Griffin's pretend wife—smiling at him, sleeping with him, holding his hand—not knowing he hated me. I had sworn to never be anyone's pretend anything again. But I thought of Alice at the gate with her tiny fists pressed over her ears. I thought of her diving under the table.I told myself that James is not Griffin and he would never use me the way Griffin did.“Freya?” He sounded afraid. “Say something, please. Be trut
FREYA'S POV,“Can I show you my love for you the way I want?”“Please,” I said before he completed his sentence, and he noticed the urgency in my voice. But he didn't make me feel small and lifted me.I wrapped my legs around his waist, and we continued to kiss till he threw me on the mattress and I felt his weight crashing on top of me. I tightened my grip on his shoulders while I mentally prepared myself for what was about to come. I was nervous, more nervous than I was when facing the zombies, and I had the feeling that he knew that already.“You don't have to be nervous about it,” he said, smiling down at me. “I won't do anything you don't want me to.”My lips parted slightly, and I gasped for air when his hands went between my legs. My heart was hammering against my chest, and I could feel my face burning with heat. His touch was doing things to me I had never experienced before, not even with Griffin. I closed my eyes to calm myself, but it got even worse when he started rubbing
FREYA'S POV,Nothing happened for one long second.Then James made a sound low in his throat. It was half groan and half surrender. I started to pull away from him when he kissed me back. He wasn't as gentle as I expected. The hands that had been pushing me away minutes ago slid into my hair and held on. He kissed me with a passion that made me dizzy.I felt the rough edge of his stubble when he pulled me closer, pressing our bodies together. I tasted salt on his lip and the sweetness of blueberry jam in his mouth as his tongue found its way into my mouth. A tremor ran through my arms as I held onto his shoulders when he pushed me back. My back hit the cold metal door, but I didn't care.‘Don't think,’ I told myself when he picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. ‘For once in your life, just don't think and enjoy this moment.’“Freya.” He said as we pulled back to breathe. “If we keep going, I won't be able to stop. You have no idea how badly I want you right now.”“Then







