Page 51 of Bound in Ashes

Then I looked away.

She could take care of herself.

I knew that.

My jaw tightened anyway.

Every instinct screamed at me to move closer, putting myself between her and anything that might hurt her.

I forced my attention back to my own targets.

She’d have to handle herself.

Because I wouldn’t always be here.

That thought hit like an anvil.

But I let myself sit with that, telling myself it didn’t hurt harder than a punch in my gut every time I heard her grunt with effort.

Even as I dropped one zombie after another, I tracked her every move. But I didn’t go to her.

Couldn’t coddle her, no matter how much I wanted to.

“You handled any of these things?” I called to Levi.

He looked at me, expression stoic. But I saw the tick in his left hand, the way his fingers jerked like he was being electrocuted, the subtle shock of seeing the world falling apart needing a physical outlet.

“No, but I think I got the idea,” he said.

And then he moved. He was agile for a man his age but I saw the little stutter in his step, and his chest rising and falling with deep, heavy breaths.

He let out a grunt when he swung, but his efforts were more than rewarded. The zombie froze, slumped, like someone had turned off the light. Levi paused for a moment, and I moved toward him, but after a moment, he swung again, the sickening thud of metal against bone reverberating obscenely.

Elliot, who had gone deeper into the field, took out another one, and I handled the remaining two.

“You see any others?” Asia asked, her voice low, calm.

Too calm.

“No. I didn’t. Not sure how they got this close.”

“There’s a subdivision about three miles down the road. Could have come from there.” Levi pointed toward the woods, his chest still heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.

Asia moved closer and touched his shoulder, her face twisted with concern. He didn’t look at her, but patted her hand lovingly.

“How many houses?” I asked.

“About twenty, twenty-five. Mostly families,” Levi said. He coughed, but then stood up straight, eyes begging me not to notice.

“We’ll check it out. But for now, we need to keep our eyes open and think about those defenses,” I said.

Asia walked past me, her arm brushing mine.

Even that brief contact was electric.

Felt like branding.

Her steps stuttered for just a second.