Back in his arms

*Amber*

 The voice cuts through the air like a blade, authoritative and laced with a threatening edge. Zombie slowly turns us to face the newly arrived figure. I don’t recognize him at first, but the three stars tattooed on his neck mark him as one of The Stars. 

 “Kress,” Zombie says the name with a weird fondness, as if he’s just encountered an old friend after a long separation, and he is not standing here ready to snap my neck. But the tension in the air tells a different story; Kress stands there, poised and ready, radiating danger.

 Kress looks icy cold and composed. I’ve heard much about him… Adis’s mentor and friend for many years. I had imagined him older, but aside from being around forty, my mental image was pretty accurate. His dark blonde hair appears to have been cut haphazardly, his mouth framed by a thick beard that accentuates his strong jawline. He doesn’t carry weapons, but I know better than to underestimate him. He might be a friend of Adis, but that doesn’t necessarily make him my ally.

 “You understand why she can’t be allowed to live, don’t you?” Zombie asks, his tone casual, like he’s inquiring about Kress’s favorite sandwich.

 “I understand why you don’t want her to live,” Kress corrects him coolly, the weight of his authority palpable. “But we can’t go around killing people just because they complicate our lives, Zombie.” His voice is that of a father lecturing a wayward son. “Your grief won’t diminish simply because she’s gone.”

 “She is going to change everything.” Zombie’s self-control is slipping, the amusement and indifference fading from his voice. “Her very existence will ruin everything we’ve fought to set right over the last two years.”

 “I agree.” Kress sounds almost indifferent, as if he’s weighing the consequences with a detached curiosity. Doesn’t he notice how Zombie’s grip around my neck is tightening, how he’s squeezing the breath from my lungs? My vision is starting to blur, white spots dancing in front of my eyes, and I feel my heart race as panic settles in.

 “Then let me do it. We don’t have to let anyone know you were here. Just look the other way.” Zombie’s voice is tempting, filled with dark promises. “Don’t you want to spare Adis any more grief?”

 “Yes, Zombie.” Kress smiles half-heartedly, but his eyes betray his resolve. “I would do anything to spare Adis from more grief… which is precisely why I can’t let you kill her.” He nods to someone behind us, prompting Zombie to snap around, dragging me along with him.

 Adis stands there, a gun aimed directly at Zombie’s forehead. “Let her go, dearest brother.” Hearing his voice is almost enough to make me smile, but the pressure on my throat is suffocating. I can’t focus on his face, can’t find those beautiful, fierce eyes I long to see.

 “Oh, Adis, so they did let you go again.” Zombie’s tone is overly cheerful, as if he’s welcoming back a long-lost sibling. “I’m just getting to know the princess here.”

 “I can see that… LET HER GO,” Adis hisses through clenched teeth, a warning laced with rage.

 “Really, Adis?” Zombie loosens his grip just enough for me to gasp for air. “Is she what makes you forget? How can you forget?” He must see something in Adis’s eyes that I cannot.

 “I will never forget,” Adis answers, his voice steady and cold as ice. “But don’t let someone innocent pay for what happened.”

 “Oh, this is going to be so much fun. You’ve just shown me how thrilling it will be to let the princess live… for now.” In an instant, Zombie spins me around, pressing me against him, and kisses me hard. I can’t push him away; I can’t resist. Even his lips feel stronger than mine, and a knife-like pain pierces my cheek as salty tears flow into the wound.

I can’t breathe.  

I can’t think.  

I can’t escape.

 I despise Zombie. Not only do I hate him, but I wish him a world of pain. I wish him dead.

 “So I got the first kiss… again. Seems you’ll always get stuck with my sloppy seconds.” Zombie shoves me away, sending me tumbling into Adis’s waiting arms. I break down completely. My body shakes as sobs wrack my frame, and I bury my face against Adis’s chest, his strong arms enveloping me protectively. Everything hurts… my throat, my cheek, my heart; it all aches.

 “Adis, I…” Kattie’s voice reaches us, breaking through the haze of my despair. I hadn’t even realized she had woken up.

 “Later…” Adis cuts her off, his focus solely on me.

 I feel others leaving, but I lack the strength to pull myself from Adis’s embrace. It’s the one thing keeping me tethered to reality amidst the chaos. I feel like I’m falling apart inside. Zombie had tried to kill me. Who knows how much longer he could have toyed with my life?

 In one fluid motion, Adis lifts me, cradling me against him with one arm beneath my back and the other under my knees. I rest my head against his shoulder, wrapping my arms around his neck, feeling the warmth of his body against the chill of the evening.

 “I need to learn how to defend myself,” I whisper hoarsely, my throat raw from the effort.

 “Yes,” Adis replies simply, his voice resolute.

 He doesn’t promise to keep Zombie away or that no harm will ever come to me. He won’t make promises he can’t keep. But in his embrace, I feel a silent vow… that he will always fight for me, that he will be there when I need him most. And that, in a world filled with danger and betrayal, is enough to give me hope.