Page 20 of Desecrated Saints
“I remembered. It’s inside.”
“Wait, you did?”
“How could I forget? Jesus, Brooke.”
We fall into uncomfortable silence, passing the bottle back and forth while watching the fire grow. I fucking hate that I don’t know what to say to her anymore. Hudson eventually returns with armfuls of biscuits, chocolate bars and marshmallows, chucking the bags at Brooklyn.
“What are these for?”
“S’mores, obviously,” he deadpans.
“What the hell is a s’more?”
We both gape at her. “You don’t know?”
Hudson seizes a bag of marshmallows and loads up three skewers with giant bites of yumminess. He hands them out before sticking his in the fire, carefully turning to avoid burning it. Brooklyn copies, watching with open-mouthed fascination.
It’s fucking adorable. When we’re done, we sandwich the marshmallows with chocolate and biscuits. Hudson watches Brooklyn with a cheesy grin, counting down from five before we all stuff them in our mouths.
“Holy shit,” she groans.
“See? S’mores!”
Hudson is already loading another one up, looking calmer than I’ve seen him in a long time. While Eli hid himself away and I battled with Kade for any drugs, Hudson spent the past four months beating on anything and anyone. He’s got the new scars to prove it.
“So, what’s the plan?” Brooklyn pipes up.
My good mood evaporates in an instant.
“There isn’t really one.”
“Surviving,” Hudson supplies.
“And when Incendia comes looking for us?”
I stare into the fire, turning another marshmallow over while deep in thought. Those six institutes have left us in hot water. We all thought we were running off into the sunset, when realistically, we’ve just pissed off our captors by wiping out one of their prime locations.
“They won’t,” I answer, but it doesn’t ring true.
Brooklyn scoffs. “Denial isn’t going to help us, Nix.”
“Neither is worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet.”
“Burying your head in the sand as usual, huh? Real smart.”
“Enough,” Hudson chastises. “I have spent months doing nothing but worrying about Blackwood. Scrap that, the past two years. We are going to eat s’mores, drink rum, and get pissed. Tomorrow, we figure all this shit out. Got it?”
I spread my hands in surrender. “Loud and clear, sarge.”
Hudson pins Brooklyn with a look. “You going to cheer the hell up?”
She smirks. “Come over here and make me, daddy.”
I’m gonna finish in my goddamn pants if she says that again. Hudson tosses her a heated look, full of dark promise. Hell, I’d pay to watch that shit. Even if he’s the one fucking her before finishing all over her gorgeous face for the world to see.
“Truth or dare?” I suggest with a wink.
I half expect Hudson to punch me in the face. We all know he struggles the most with our unconventional relationship, despite the show he put on with Kade all that time ago. Instead, he passes me the bottle and silently lights a cigarette.