Resist (The Harvest Saga Book 2) (17 page)

He eased my sweater up, bunching it beneath my breasts and eased the waist of my skirt down. Every muscle in my body tensed up.

“Relax.” His throaty voice was almost too much. It all was.

His fingertips, barely there, glided over my skin. It turned to gooseflesh immediately under his touch. His lips grazed my hair as he leaned into me. “You feel so good.”

“Mmmm.” I could no longer form an intelligent response. I was lost in him, in his touch, his sharp inhalations. The calmness and strength that was Gray surrounded me and I wallowed it in it.

“I have a confession to make, Abigail.”

“Hmm?”

A deep chuckle erupted from his throat. “I
was
jealous of Kyan. I have been since I stepped foot in Orchard and saw him waiting for you, since I saw you run to him. I wanted to be that guy, the one you ran to.”

I looked up at him. “He’s only my friend. I made that very clear to him.”

“I know and I’ve never been so damned happy in my life.”

“You haven’t?”

“No. I haven’t.”

Silence stretched between us. His lips hovered over mine and I wanted to close the distance between them. “Not gonna kiss you.”

I growled in frustration. “Why not?”

“He’s still stuck in here.” Gray tapped my temple lightly. He would never have believed me, but Crew was the last person on my mind.

“He’s not. He’s gone.” I pouted.

He laughed. “Not yet, but he will be soon.”

“Please?”

“Nope.”

“You kissed me on the couch.”

He laughed. “Oops.”

I closed my eyes and felt the mattress shift. At first, I thought he’d gotten up. But then, I felt it. His lips were on my stomach. He was kissing me.

“Oh!” I gasped. The air was cooling the print of his moist lips.

Holy wow. He was talented. He’d warned me of his talents.

I smirked. “I win. You’re kissing me.”

“Not on the lips,” he said, grinning up at me.

I huffed and arched my back, putting my stomach back in his face. “Don’t stop.”

He breathed deeply, sending a ripple of warm breathe over my skin. “Never.”

A knock on the front door interrupted our intimacy and I’m not going to lie. I was madder than a hornet. Stupid hormones. I opened the door and found Laney smiling back at me. She hugged me tight. “It’s so good to be back. I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” I nervously straightened my clothes to cover the bump.

She stepped back outside and grabbed some sort of white case. “Gray! I know you’re in here. Come here and carry all this crap in for me.”

Gray stepped out of my bedroom and ran his hand through his dark hair, smirking. “Okay.”

Laney quirked one of her eyebrows at me as he passed us by, then turned, and watched him bend over and pick up all of her stuff. It looked like bolts of fabric.

“What’s all this?” I laughed, drawing her attention away from Gray. She was totally ogling him! I guess green was in the air.

She winked at me. “Chill out. I’m just looking. Anyway. I’m making you some maternity clothes!” she chirped! She pulled the tape measure out of her pocket.

“Now, strip. I need good measurements.”

“But, won’t I just grow out of them if they fit now?”

“Pssh! I’ll make them adjustable. But you need to get naked. Mostly naked, I mean I don’t want to see everything.”

“I want to see everything.” Gray stepped back in with a huge grin on his face.

Laney laughed. “Oh, no, hot pants. Take a walk, a cold dip in the lake, whatever, but you can’t stay here. This is girl stuff.”

He chuckled and pulled on his boots and coat just before Laney all but shoved him out the door.

I laughed as she bit her tongue intensely studying the fabric in front of her.

“How’d you get all of this?”

“Vesuvius sent it so we could have some new clothes. All of us. This is just a fraction of the fabric they brought!”

Buttering us up with gifts, huh?

She giggled and acted like my old friend for a few hours. And for that time, I did, too. I enjoyed it. I felt seventeen again, and for a little while, like the weight of the world had been lifted off of my shoulders. It was refreshing; a break from reality was good for the soul once in a while.

Before she left, I had a new pair of pants with an elastic band around the waist and two shirts that tied in the back to allow for growing middle. She promised more clothing soon, but had to get home to make dinner.

When she hugged me she whispered, “They’re bringing Crew here.”

I nodded. “I know. They’re gonna kill him.”

“And his father.”

“Yeah.”

She looked me over. “I know how you feel about him, and I try to understand, but I can’t lie and say that I’m upset about it.”

“I know.”

I bit my lip until I tasted blood, then blurted. “I don’t love him. I just don’t think he should die.”

She nodded. She disagreed. I could see it in her eyes. She pulled me close and hugged me again.

“I’ll have the rest of your clothes ready tomorrow, I hope.”

I smiled slightly. “Thanks, Laney. I really appreciate it. I have nothing to wear.”

She kissed my cheek and grabbed the sewing machine. It was what had been in the box. She waved and walked out the door toward her cabin.

I wondered if she would ever be the same, if any of us would ever be truly happy and whether we ever had been. Would we even recognize it?

The following morning, thick dark
clouds hung low in the sky threatening rain or snow. It seemed to be the temperature that could allow for either form of precipitation. I looked outside the front door, searching for the source of the noise that had come from this direction. Gray stomped the snow off his boots and ran his hands through his hair. “The train’s here.”

My stomach dropped.

“Can we see them?”

“Yeah. They’re going to have to take them through town, all the way to the prison. We can see them.” His voice was hollow. His eyes seemed to look everywhere but at me.

I pulled on my boots and gloves then my hat and the red scarf Ky had given me. I didn’t know what to say to him. He was angry and uncomfortable. “Are you coming?”

“I’m going with you.”

I nodded. He pushed the wooden door open and I stepped into the frigid evening air. The pathway to the prison didn’t pass our cabin, so we would have to walk toward town. The walk was more difficult than usual. I couldn’t catch my breath.

“Are you okay?” Gray’s eyebrows nearly touched.

“I’m okay. Just winded.”

“You’re sure? That’s all it is?”

“Yeah. It happens sometimes now.”

We crested the hill. The square was filled with villagers intermingled with the red of the Vesuvian guards. I guess they all wanted to see the Olympian royalty paraded to the prison. Gray’s gloved hand touched my elbow and urged me forward. My feet didn’t want to go. We stood on the outside of the crowd. I couldn’t stand to get swallowed by it at this point.

Before long a commotion began. The crowd roared to life; blood-thirsty and emboldened. I couldn’t see them. Straining my neck and standing on the tips of my toes didn’t help. But the crowd began to part like the sea, waves of people peeling away from the center seam. Two enormous and well-armed Vesuvian guards stepped forward. Two more followed them. King Harrison Cole was next, flanked by two more guards. He held his head high and walked as if he hadn’t been dethroned, as if he were still the most important man in the world.

Dirt and ash were smeared over his skin and marred his white suit. His pants were torn at the knees and a sleeve was missing from his jacket. A small scratch over his left eye oozed fresh blood. His eyes met mine. There was no surprise. He knew I’d be here.

“I hope you are happy, Abigail Kelley,” Cole said harshly. His dark eyes sparkled with rage. He’d strangle me with his bare hands if they weren’t restrained. I was sure of it.

One of the guards warned him to stay quiet.

“Crew’s blood, the blood of the innocent people of Olympus is on
your
hands!”

He was trying to get to me, and it was working. Sure, Vesuvius had attacked the city, but would they have been able to if I hadn’t caused the unrest by telling my story?

Cole continued to yell at me as they pushed him along. I didn’t hear any more that he had to say. It was too much. My mind was already overwhelmed. Four more guards passed by before I saw him. Crew was bound at the wrists and ankles by the glowing red restraints. Why did they bind his feet? The King’s weren’t bound. He must have fought back. He must have resisted.

Crew’s eyes flashed as he took everyone in; as he looked into the eyes of the people he had deceived. When they landed on me, I froze. Gray’s hand rubbed my lower back. “Abby?” he barely spoke my name. But the deep timbre of his voice froze me in place.

“Abby!” he screamed. “I am so sorry. I need to speak with you!”

“Keep walking,” said the guard to his left.

“Abigail! I need to tell you...I...oof!” The guard hit him in the abdomen with the butt of his rifle, knocking the air out of his body, silencing him immediately. His clothes were rags, completely soot-covered. His dark hair was longer and ratted, and his face, the face I’d found so beautiful, was bruised and swollen.

He moved past us slowly shuffling along. His eyes moved away from mine to my right, where Gray was standing. Unadulterated rage filled Crew’s eyes. “You! I should have known! I had a feeling about you!” He lunged sideways, trying to get away from the guards, trying to get to Gray. He was wild. Desperation made people insane.

“I have had enough of this one.” The guard hit the back of his neck in a quick but precise motion rendering Crew unconscious. Four guards surrounded him and each took a limp limb in hand. At the count of three, Crew was being carried away to the prison and his fate. And there was nothing anyone could do about it; not his father, not him, and not me.

I stood in the same spot long after they’d disappeared from sight. The crowd was gone now, too. It was just Gray and me. The darkness of night was surrounding us. “Abs?”

“Yeah?”

“We should go home.”

I nodded. “It’s cold.”

“It is. You need to get warm.”

He stepped behind me and rubbed my shoulders, infusing them with warmth. I let him lead me home. My hands and feet weren’t the only parts of me that were numb.

Kyan and Julia were waiting inside the cabin when we got there. Ky looked up at me, “You okay?”

I nodded. No words would come.

Julia glanced at him and squeezed the hand she held tight to. Ky squeezed back. Gray pulled me over to the chairs and we settled across from them. Julia cleared her throat before saying, “We brought dinner.”

My stomach growled on cue. “Looks like someone’s hungry,” she said, giggling.

I was hungry, and angry and sad and confused. I was also thankful for my friends and for Gray.

“Thank you. I am.”

We ate delicious breaded chicken and canned green beans. Some boiled potatoes rounded out the dinner. Kyan and Julia glanced at one another throughout the meal. It was really sweet. I hoped it was more than a passing attraction between them. We all knew how those ended.
Not pretty.

My mind flashed to Crew. His eyes had been so wild. I’d never seen him like that. It was as if being bound made him crazy. But more likely, it was the upheaval in his reality that had made him snap. I needed to talk to him one more time. But how would I get access to the prison. Only one person could get me in and I didn’t want to ask her.

“Abigail!” Kyan yelled.

“What?” I jumped.

“Sorry. We said your name five times and you wouldn’t respond. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

“It’s okay. I’m sorry. I zoned out for a minute.” Gray shook his head slightly and looked away. He knew. I don’t know how he knew, but he knew I was thinking about Crew.

I stood up abruptly and took my plate to the washtub. The others followed suit, but I told them all I’d wash the dishes from dinner. Julia and Kyan said they would take care of the leftover food and wash the pans later.

Gray left with a bucket to get more water from the stream. The dirty water wouldn’t get anything clean. Julia sat on the couch watching me as Kyan approached. Fear was in her eyes, but I didn’t understand why.

“You can’t do it, Abby Blue,” he said softly.

“Can’t do what?”

He pursed his lips together and said, “Get in the prison.”

“I have to talk to him.”

“No, you don’t. You don’t owe him anything!” Kyan stood and started pacing.

“I know! I know. I don’t owe him anything. This isn’t for him. It’s for me. It’s closure for me.”

Ky began pacing the floor and was still pacing when Gray returned. He sat the bucket down and then turned to leave. “Gray?”

He stomped into the night. He’d left me. I watched his broad shoulders disappeared as the trail bent into the woods.

“Where’s he going?” Ky thumbed in the direction of Gray’s retreating form.

“He’s leaving.” I squared my shoulders, or tried to anyway.

“Leaving?”

“Yeah.” I wouldn’t cry. I needed to be strong. Enough of this hormonal, emotional, girly crap. The further he stepped, the taller the wall I was erecting around my heart soared. Soon, I wouldn’t be able to see the sky.

Julia walked over to stand beside Kyan. “Will you be okay here by yourself?” she asked.

“Yeah. I’m fine. I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow.”

“Don’t do anything stupid. Think about this, Abby Blue.” He poked me in stomach gently.

“Okay.”

With coats on and pans gathered, they set off into the night, too.

I was alone.

The flurrying snow stuck to
my black wool coat. I could feel the damp seeping into my hair and scalp. It was black outside. Candlelight winked from cabin windows. I hurried along the pathway trying to keep the blood pumping through my legs. I passed the Main Hall, the square, and several homes on my way to the new cabin on the outskirts of the Village.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I knocked on the door. My mother answered a moment later, wrapping a plush red robe around herself.

“Abigail?”

“Can I come in?”

She blinked and smiled, “Of course. It is absolutely freezing out there. Come in.”

I stepped into the room. It was plain and undecorated. Only the bare necessities were present at all. She didn’t appear to plan to stay for long.

“Kaia, I need a favor.” There was no point beating around the bush.

She clasped her hands in front of her. “I see. Is it the boy? Because I cannot set him free. While, I have certain privileges, I do not have that authority.” She paused, “But, even if I did, I would not do it. Just so you know.”

I nodded. “I’m not asking for that. I just need to speak with him for a few minutes.”

“You want me to get you in? To let you see him.”

I sighed. “Yes. I need to talk to him one last time. Please.” My throat tightened with each word spoken.

She turned her back and walked into one of the back rooms. A few moments later, she was clad in red. Red pants, shirt and poufy coat. Pulling on a pair of red gloves from her coat pocket, she sighed. “Let us go. I assume you know the way.”

“Yes.”

“Very well. But you cannot breathe a word of this to anyone, Abigail. I mean it,” she warned.

“I won’t. I promise.” I looked at her. She was my twin in every way, with the exception of the age lines that had begun to creep onto her skin. “And thank you...for doing this.”