I finish with the final dusting of dirt, chucking the shovel down onto the ground beside Callum as he looks over the freshly disturbed mud in front of us. The new graveyard.

We moved the enemy somewhere else, dragging their bodies into a pile before setting them alight and watching them burn. 

This, the graveyard, this is for our own people. The ones who left the safety of London in the hope to help us all.

They didn't even make it past their own southern people.

Emilia is standing off to the side, leaning up against a tree as Poppy talks to her. Her eyes aren't focused on my sister, instead trained on the mass of graves, unemotional and unaffected.

She looks as though she's watching a football game on the TV, but instead of the team she supports, she's being forced to watch someone else. She doesn't care.

Not a single trace of emotion is visible on her hard face and I grimace at the sight, ignoring Jordan and Callum's bickering about where we should go from here. She needs me more than them right now.

I step closer to my girl, reaching out and placing my hand on her cheek the first moment I can. She's real. She's safe and she's alive and that's something. I just hope she isn't as damaged as she looks.

"Poppy, can you give us a minute?" I ask my sister in a strained voice. She nods, glancing between the two of us before stepping away. "Em?"

"Shouldn't we move?" she replies, her eyes drifting up to my face. They aren't even concentrating on me, almost like she isn't even here with us. With me.

"Move?" I repeat and she shrugs.

"That fire you started. It'll draw more Slayers."

I nod. "Callum and Jordan are already planning a new campground."

"Cool," she replies, looking away from me and back out to the graves.

"Em?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" I ask, truly terrified for the answer.

She scoffs, shaking her head before looking up at me. I finally see a flash of emotion within her eyes, something akin to confusion. "I don't know. I feel numb."

"That's understandable, you've-"

"No!" She cuts me off, reaching out and gripping onto my T-Shirt. I'm surprised by the gesture, reaching out and placing my hands on her hips. I'd be a liar if I said it was purely for her benefit, the feel of her in my arms all I ever need to fucking calm down. And after killing ten plus people, she's my damn sedative.

"You don't get it!" she continues. "I'm numb. I feel nothing. We do this too often."

"I know," I tell her and she buries her head in my chest as I lean down, placing my lips on her hair and pressing down. "It's a motherfucking bitch."

"How many more people will we kill before we die?" Her voice is muffled yet I catch every single word, grimacing at them. If it were up to me, she would never have even killed one. If I could have preserved her as the feisty princess I once knew back in Nottingham, I would.

Back when our only concern was resisting each other and winding each other up to high hell. I never thought I'd say that I miss those bloody days.

"I don't know, Emi," I tell her softly, reaching for her face and forcing her to look up at me. She looks so vulnerable and unsure, and I let my finger trail back down her cheek.

"I just want us to be free," she replies and I haul her into my chest. Her arms wrap tightly around me and I keep my mouth shut.

I want to tell her that she'll be free, that I can make all of this go away and save us. I want to tell her that she'll experience true happiness in her life, I want to be able to give it to her. But I don't fucking know how. And I can't bloody lie.

"Hey." I turn my head to see Jordan looking apologetically from beside us. Emilia doesn't even shift in my arms. "We need to get going," he tells me, gesturing behind him at the rest of the group who are packing up.

I merely nod in response, pulling Emilia away from me slightly and looping my arm over her shoulder. I turn us back towards the campsite, leading her towards all of our shit that's spread out across the ground.

It's time for us to move. Again.

*~*~*

I haven't left Emilia's side all day, worried about her state of mind if I leave her alone. She hasn't fought me, in fact, she seems all too willing to stay attached to me. Her hand keeps drifting down from my stomach to my dick every time no-one's looking.

Any other time I'd be fucking grateful, slamming her into one of these trees and having my way with her, but right now, the damn part of my brain that caught feelings for her wants to prioritise making sure she's okay. And sometimes, you've just gotta roll with that.

"Callum," One of the guys yells as he emerges through the trees. "We found Reece. He gave us more information," he continues, heading straight for the hulking man in the centre of us all.

"Reece?" I repeat, eyebrows furrowed as I look between them. Who the fuck is Reece?

"You know that I sent for help from London," Callum answers me. "Reece obviously drove up here to give it to us." His explanation is blunt and to the point, just like it always is when he speaks with me. Neither of us care for one another, that much is clear from how we talk. I scoff, sitting back and pulling Emilia with me slightly.

"What did he say?" Poppy asks, standing up from beside the campfire and crossing her arms.

"Nothing," the guy replies.

Jordan laughs, smirking as he leans back against the tree. "Perfect."

"They sent one of their drones up and over the house we found. They found the same as us. Enforcers are everywhere though. At least forty at a time inside the gates," he tells us.

"You have drones?" Jordan exclaims, raising an eyebrow at this new information. Callum simply nods before gesturing for his guy to continue spouting this useless information at us.

"They are unsure what else we want to know. There is nothing they can see on their end as to why they are in the South. We already know that the North dump their unwanted criminals in the South, so clearly they have some form of control... but there's nothing else the drone could show us," the guy finishes talking. Callum nods before wiping his hand across his jaw as though he's thinking.

"So," Emilia's voice is quiet as she pulls away from me and sits up straight, "What you're saying, is that we've been sitting around here waiting for information that doesn't even exist?" she snaps, shooting upright. I follow her, standing up and grabbing hold of her hand. "Everyone that died today," she points back in the direction we came from, "was completely pointless."

Callum doesn't say anything, instead turning and storming off into the trees.

Emilia slouches back onto the ground, tugging me with her. I fall alongside her, feeling relatively underwhelmed by everything that's just been said.

We're no closer to figuring anything out, we've gotten nowhere with understanding the danger we may be in.

The fact that the State is down here in the South is a massive red flag. Sure, they shove the people they don't want down here, but what's their long term goal? Do they know who's in the South? Are they orchestrating what's happening? Is everything tracked?

For all we know, my older sister has known our movements from the very moment we stepped foot in London, hell, in the damn South.

And what does this mean for our game plan? I have no idea what to do, whether we should be running, staying, fighting or surrendering. Are we fighting a losing battle?

There are so many unanswered questions and I look down at Emilia to see that her eyes are closed, her breath evening out. I smile. She finally looks relaxed, a sight I want to see on her face every damn day.

But at this rate, I can't ever see it happening. We still don't know what's happening in the East and the West. We have no idea if Kayla is okay in the North, whether Lyla is a snitch, or what chaos the North is suffering at the moment. We are clueless about what power the State has over the South, or their plans for it?

And there's no sign of any answers coming any time soon.

Unless...

We go right to the source.

I look up through the bare branches of the trees, straight up to the darkening evening sky as a mediocre plan forms in my head.

It's dangerous, it's not well thought out, and it's probably fucking suicide. But it's the best idea I've come up with so far.

"Poppy?"

"Yeah?" She smiles at me, stepping closer.

"Will you watch Emilia?" I ask, looking down at the blonde on my lap. "I need to speak with Callum."

"Of course," she answers, sitting down beside me as I slowly move Emilia off my legs and onto a rolled up blanket to use as a pillow. She shifts slightly, letting out a relaxed sigh and I freeze for a minute before concluding that she is, thankfully, still asleep.

Standing, I turn in the direction of Callum and shrug my arms back through my black leather jacket. I know what I need to do, and it's only me who can be involved.

I can only hope that Emilia will understand.

*~*~*

The first thing I hear is the rustling of leaves beside me and I quickly shoot up, eyes wide as I look around, taking in the darkness that has now enveloped the camp. Zac is nowhere in sight.

"Whoa, Em," Poppy exclaims, sitting in front of me. "It's okay." She smiles.

"Where's Zac?"

"He went to talk to Callum," she answers. I furrow my eyebrows, scanning the relatively empty camp and seeing that Jordan and Bridget are missing as well. What the hell? What would they be discussing with Callum without me?

As if on cue, all four of them suddenly step into the clearing. Zac's eyes find mine and I struggle to my feet as he tears his gaze away.

What the fuck? What kind of shit is making him avoid me?

"Can I have your attention please?" Callum calls everyone to this impromptu fucking meeting. I cross my arms as Poppy stands beside me. "We've come up with a new plan."

"A plan?" Poppy breathes out.

"We've discussed it, and we don't think it's wise to continue straight up to the North as planned, seeing as we have no idea what's happening with the State."

"What?" I exclaim, stepping forward. "We can't leave Kayla—"

"We will send four people North," Callum cuts me off with his loud, powerful voice. "Only four to keep it less conspicuous."

"What if they're all killed?" I retort and he shrugs.

"That's a risk we're going to have to take," he replies and I smirk. Fucking idiot. "The rest of the group will stay here. We'll obtain more supplies from London, look into the mansion and make camp here."

"How will that help?" I counter, unsure why everyone else is staying quiet.

"Because we'll be here trying to figure out how to address the wall when the time comes. And we'll be able to help Zac," Callum answers. I instantly wrinkle my nose up in confusion. What? "Zac has offered to give himself up to the Enforcers at the house. It means we'll get someone on the inside and figure out what his sister—"

"What?" I yell, drowning his pretentious voice out as I head for my stupid fucking husband. "Are you out of your fucking mind?" I snap, reaching out and smacking my hand down on his chest as soon as I can. He shakes his head, grabbing hold of my upper arms to try and stop me.

"It's the only option we have," he hisses and I shake my head,  pounding my fists into his torso. 

"No! I won't let you! You can't do this to me," I shout. He grips onto me tighter, hauling both of us away from the group and into the trees.

It's half a minute before he stops, turning to face me with fire in his eyes. I shove his hands away from me and he steps back, giving me space as I rake my hands down my face.

"We have to know what's happening—"

"I don't care," I cut him off, shooting him a glare. "You don't fucking make these shitty ass decisions without me."

"Em-"

"Don't Em me! How did you think I was going to react?"

"Like this," he admits and I grit my teeth, sinking onto my haunches as I try to breathe in the fresh oxygen. I'm struggling, barely any of it making its way to my lungs as I think over what Zac wants to do. Absolutely fucking not.

"No." I shake my head. "I won't let you."

"I have to. Not just for them. For us too."

"For us?" I choke on the words, scoffing at him. Liar.

Zac shrugs. "We're never going to be happy at this rate, Emilia."

"I'm happy now," I counter, lifting my hands to his face and grabbing on, desperate for him to realise that he doesn't have to do this.

He merely smiles down at me, no words leaving his mouth before he lowers his lips to mine and presses a hard kiss on them. I return it with just as much fervor, pushing him back and moving with him until his back is against the tree.

His hands are on my body, trailing up and down. Within seconds, he's underneath my T-Shirt, touching every part of my bare skin and having me bend to his will.

"Try to understand..." he murmurs against my lips, fingers caressing my breasts and igniting the skin.

I growl back, pushing my lips into his to shut him up. Reaching down, I slide my hand beneath his jeans and lightly squeeze.

"No. It's time for you to fucking understand," I say under my breath. Zac hisses, his head flying back slightly, slamming into the trunk of the tree. "You're not going."

"Emi," he moans and I grin before lowering my lips to his neck and pecking the bare skin there.

"We're a team, Zac. Haven't you fucking learned that by now?" I continue palming him, getting slightly rougher with every stroke.

"Of course I know that," he answers, hands gripping tightly to my hips. "Don't ever doubt that."

"Teams don't split up," I spit out, removing my hand from his trousers and stepping backwards, trying to ignore the way my body is screaming for me to move closer.

Zac eyes me, watching me intently as I attempt to shrug like I don't care. Turning away, I make a move to walk back to the camp.

"Oh, no you fucking don't," he exclaims, reaching out and tugging me back towards him. We're an instant clash of tongues, our arms flying every which way, clawing at one another. He's unbuckling my jeans and I'm in his pants once more, moaning each other's names.

Within half a minute, he's pinned me to the tree, his dick sliding inside me with ease as I clutch to the hair at the back of his neck. My head flies back as she roughly thrusts in and out, dominating me, filling me, showing me his emotions. I yank down on his hair, desperate to get my own emotions across. He growls before biting down on my lip and pressing his thumbs tighter into my hips.

The action has my climax rising higher and faster than usual, no doubt due to the tensions swirling around the air between us. I move my hands to instead clutch at his shoulders, nails digging into his skin as I feel him rub against every part of my core, nerves awakening from within.

With a cry, I explode around him, waves of pleasure crashing through me and distracting my anger filled brain. My head drops against him as he slowly pulls out, gently placing me on the ground before he reaches his own climax, spilling onto the ground like the responsible man he is.

Well... so I thought until he decided to surrender himself to his crazy fucking sister.

Zac reaches out, tugging me towards him and placing a gentle kiss on my lips. I say nothing, pulling my trousers back up and doing them up as he does the same with his own. Grabbing my hand, he leads us back through the long grass towards the camp.

As soon as we reach our rucksacks, he pulls me to the ground, ripping our blanket from his bag and covering me with it. He slides underneath as well, turning me away from him and hauling me against his body.

Everyone else is silent, all laying in their own respective positions, sleeping whilst the dark dominates the forest. Jordan stands at the edge of the clearing, on guard.

"Zac—"

"We'll discuss it tomorrow," he promises and I nod, gripping tighter to his arm and ensuring that it's curled around my body as I shut my eyes for the night.

We'll discuss it tomorrow. But there's absolutely no way that Zac is going anywhere if I can help it.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

HAPPY CHRISTMAS ALL!!! What a year it's been... I PUBLISHED my first ever book! Absolutely surreal, and I want to thank you all for still being here to support me!

So... what do we think of Zac's plan?

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