Chapter 30

Iwas out of breath by the time I climbed back up to where my mad devil was hard at work.

I fell onto my face and laid there, arms splayed out to either side, now inhaling more air than dirt.

It was times like these that reminded me I wasn’t the strong woman I should have been at my age, but the meek little mouse Mama and Papa tried to render me into.

“I’m almost done, Maisie Girl. Don’t peek yet,” Elijah called out to me distractedly.

If he had only been looking at me, he would have known how impossible that would have been.

With a huff, I pushed myself onto my side, then rolled onto my back and settled onto the dirt.

I could hear his grunts of exertion coupled with giddy chuckles as he did … I arched my back so I would be able to tilt my head enough to see what the hell it was exactly that had him so amused and frustrated at the same time.

I shook my head when I saw him sitting on Clarabelle’s chest, then allowed myself to lie flat again.

My trust in Elijah was more than enough to know that any deviance he was doing to her was not in pleasure, but out of necessity.

Sometimes, even when they slept, his demons were too loud for him to ignore.

That’s when we would find strangers we were sure no one would miss, and take them back with us if we had a roof over our heads. Other times, I’d stand watch as he slayed his monsters in a dark alleyway.

One more loud grunt of effort and Elijah let out a triumphant laugh.

“All done, Maisie Girl!” he called out happily.

I closed my eyes for a moment, savoring the sweet serenity of ignorance before I forced myself up to my elbows, then a moment later, my feet.

“With what?” I asked him quietly. I crossed my arms over my chest as I waited for him to show me. I could have made this easy and just walked over to him, but I was still tired—even standing was making me feel light-headed.

Elijah grinned at me over his shoulder as he got up, then put the bottom half of his shirt between his teeth, gave it a tug, and ripped some of the fabric away.

He started to make his way toward me, carefully bundling his package, then presented it to me with proud and hopeful eyes.

I took a deep breath as I gingerly leaned forward, then peeled away a corner of the fabric. A tear rolled down my cheek as I looked up at him and tried to smile.

He always thought of me.

Everything that Elijah had done since we were reunited had always been for me and never for him.

He loved me without thought for himself or any consequences that our tragedy could possibly lead him to.

“I’ll put them together once we get back to the camper,” he said shyly as I took the bundle from him. Elijah slid his hands deep into his pockets and scuffed the tip of his shoe against the dirt, before he became brave enough to steal a glance at me.

“Thank you.”

I couldn’t say anything else.

Words would never ever be able to express how much he meant to me or how much doing things like this would always mean. My heart shattered the day he was forced to run off, and he’d done everything he could to slowly piece it back together since we reunited.

I quickly wiped the tears from my face, before I cleared my throat and glanced down the path that led us up to this summit.

“We can’t leave her here,” I said.

“I know,” Elijah replied, his tone a little dejected. “Where did you put Graham?”

Reaching forward, I gave his torn shirt a tug to hopefully get him out of his melancholy mood, then nodded toward the edge of the drop when he finally smiled again.

“He’s in the cave.”

“Alright, well,” he began as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “If you want to push her over the side, I can go around and put her in there too.”

“No,” I objected quietly as I shook my head. “There’s not enough time.”

“So you want to just leave her here?” he pressed curiously.

Giving Elijah a dirty look, I handed the bundle back to him, then walked over to Clarabelle and reached down for her legs.

I paused briefly before standing up again to take in the mess he’d made of her face. Elijah had broken her jaw to allow him to extract her teeth, and I could see the ragged cuts just above her gums.

He had been as precise as he could be with the tools that nature provided him, and I had never felt more proud.

“I can do it, Maisie,” he said. His tone bristled, and his words were harried.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t, Elijah,” I grunted as I turned her and began to pull her toward the brush of trees off the path. “But you’ve done enough and it’s not like I haven’t done this already today.”

“So what am I supposed to do? Stand around and let my girl do all of the heavy lifting?” he snapped. I glanced up at him with an arched eyebrow. This had been the first time he addressed me as his girl, and while it made me happy, I almost balked at it being said in anger.

“No,” I said softly as I paused for a moment. “What I need you to do is the important part.”

His brow furrowed angrily, and I smiled.

He looked like the little boy who would get angry when Mama and Papa would tell us that it was time for bed and that he couldn’t play with me anymore.

“And what’s that?” he asked in frustration.

“Keep an eye out. A boy as handsome as you will always be able to persuade anyone to be on their way. It’s why we haven’t been caught yet, you know,” I said simply as I began dragging Clarabelle again. “Because you’re charming, handsome, and all of the wonderful things people in this world wish they could be.”

“Nah,” he replied with a laugh, “it’s because you’re a fucking stunner, Mais. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that. People will always stop for a pretty girl. In their tracks if need be,” he finishes with a grin.

I shook my head and nodded toward the path. Elijah made a face at me, the grin never leaving his lips as I went back to the task of trying to drag his latest consequence into a place where hopefully the feral beasts would find her before anyone else does.