To Smoke by Elise Faber

Author:Elise Faber [Faber, Elise]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Elise Faber

Chapter Thirteen

Darcy

She got as far as the door to the armory before she slowed, took a deep breath, and clamped a hand over her heart.

Her eyes burned.

Tears were a heartbeat away.

But…

Fuck it.

She was tired of running away, tired of feeling hurt, tired of…feeling like an outsider.

So, she didn’t think or consider or do any of the things she’d trained herself to do from the moment she’d decided to stop fucking around and to truly devote herself to being a soldier. She spun on her heel, pushed back into the armory, and began marching back down the hallway toward the stalls where she’d overheard the men talking about her and her prickly nature.

And the chip on her shoulder.

And the barbed wire.

And the open graves.

God, that one hurt. Because she’d been trying so hard to be seen as valuable, as a productive part of the Colony, as someone who could be respected…and still, they thought she was…well, a total bitch.

That hurt.

It was unsurprising.

But it still hurt.

But she was tired of taking that hurt, tired of running away and hiding that hurt from the people who’d inflicted it.

The men—two who’d said things that sliced, one who hadn’t spoken and because of that sliced even deeper.

Morgan was supposed to be her bondmate, supposed to protect her, and what had he done? Brought her a sandwich and bought some trinkets from Target.

Yes, they were new.

But no, he hadn’t stuck up for her.

And because he was inside her, because they were connected in a way that she hadn’t wanted but was there anyway…that stung worse than what Cody and Mason had said. Because she’d spent her day convincing herself it was a good idea to keep moving forward with her plan to accept the bond despite the likelihood of getting hurt—and seriously, who would have thought that hurt would come so quickly? Because despite the knowledge of that impending hurt, she’d had a little slice of hope.

Just a sliver that was brewing.

Because he’d come after her the night before. Because he’d known her favorite breakfast, and he’d brought it to her without strings.

Because…she wanted it.

The happy ending. The adoring mate. The…one person in the world who would love her for her.

They were deep in conversation when she approached, Mason’s hand clamped down onto Morgan’s shoulder, Cody standing close.

“Give her some space,” Mason was saying.

“Fuck that,” Morgan said. “I have to go after—”

She stopped, straightened her shoulders. “I know I spent a lot of time being difficult,” she said, forcing the words to be calm but firm, even when the three of them spun to face her. “I know that I pushed back when I should have been a good soldier who just followed orders. But I’ve learned and have gotten better, and I’m not that same girl who showed up here a few decades ago. I’ve worked my ass off to be a valuable addition. I’ve put my life on the line, and I’ve done good work.” She swallowed hard, words coming faster and louder when Cody opened his mouth to speak.

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