Chapter 2

The next morning, I didn't wait for Hudson to rouse me. I dressed quickly and quietly.

Besides Hudson and me, our group had Jax, a guy with lightning powers.

When Jax saw me up this early, helping him inventory supplies, his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. I didn't have to guess what he was thinking.

I never touched the dirty work. I was the delicate princess everyone expected Hudson to protect.

But I didn't want to die. To survive in this wasteland, I couldn't just stop being a burden; I had to learn how to defend myself.

As long as I stop clinging to Hudson, he will probably feel a massive wave of relief, I told myself.

I didn't complain about the heat once all day. During our lunch break, I even volunteered to take the wheel, though Hudson shot the idea down immediately.

By evening, we set up camp at an abandoned motel.

I hopped out to help Jax carry the supply crates, keeping my head down and pretending I couldn't feel Hudson's intense gaze burning into me as he leaned against the truck door.

After dropping the last crate of water in the room, I grabbed Jax's arm. "Jax, can you teach me some self-defense?"

Before the apocalypse, Jax was an MMA trainer. He looked surprised, but seeing how deadly serious I was, he nodded.

For three hours in the sweltering backyard of the motel, I practiced basic side-kicks and reverse dagger grips over and over again. By the time it was pitch black, my arms were so weak I couldn't even unscrew a water bottle.

"That's enough for today. You pick things up fast," Jax smiled, wiping sweat from his forehead.

I smiled back, genuinely happy. "Thanks, Jax."

Dragging my exhausted body back through the motel hallway, a towering shadow suddenly fell over me as I rounded the corner.

Before I could even gasp, I was backed into the narrow corner of the wall.

It was Hudson.

He had changed into a black tank top and smelled like cold water from a fresh shower, but the aura radiating off him was more suffocating than the midday sun.

"What exactly is going on today?" he asked, staring down at me, his voice dangerously quiet.

I kept my eyes glued to the dust on his boots. "What do you mean? I just wanted to help out more."

"Is that so?"

Hudson let out a dark chuckle. His fingers hooked under my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

"You haven't said a single unnecessary word to me all day. And..."

And you didn't...

I bit my lip, knowing exactly how that sentence ended. He meant I hadn't kissed him today.

Usually, no matter how dangerous things got, I would always sneak a kiss when the others weren't looking. I knew he was under a lot of pressure as our leader, and I used to think it helped him relax.

But today, we hadn't even made eye contact, let alone kissed.

His thumb slowly brushed across my lower lip, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine.

"Eliza, you're avoiding me."

"I'm not!" I lied, averting my gaze, trying to make my voice sound considerate. "You work so hard leading us every day. I was just too immature before. I can't... I can't keep being your burden."

"Burden?"

The word seemed to trigger something dangerous inside him. His brows snapped together, and a dark, incomprehensible emotion surged in his deep eyes.

"Who the hell told you you're a burden?"

"I just... mmph!"

I didn't get to finish.

In the next second, he pinned both my wrists above my head and pressed his body flush against mine, crushing me against the wall.

His mouth crashed down on mine, fierce and relentless. This wasn't his usual indulgent, loving kiss. This was a punishment. A claiming.

He didn't let up until I couldn't breathe, forcing me to pound my fists against his chest in protest. Even when he finally pulled back, he kept me caged between his arms.

He stared at my swollen lips and teary eyes, his chest heaving.

"Don't ever have such stupid thoughts again." He paused, his jaw clenching. "And don't ever smile at Jax like that again."

He gave me two softer, pacifying pecks on the lips before spinning on his heel to take the first watch, leaving me pinned to the wall, my heart hammering like it was trying to crack my ribs open.