Page 30 of Ghosts of the Dead

Autumn crouches beside the fire, bent over a scorched pan balanced on a scrap-metal grate she must’ve scavenged nearby. Something bubbles inside. Whatever it is smells like salvation.

She stirs with a cracked strip of wood like it’s fine silver. Her purple hair is swept into a messy half-bun, with thin strands falling loose and curling near her jaw. There’s a smear of soot across one cheek, and she’s still wearing Mars’s flannel. It’s oversized on her small frame with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and the collar half popped up. What surprises me most is the fact she’s humming. It’s faint and off-key, but it’s the best sound I’ve heard in weeks.

I’m slow to sit up and I wince when the stiffness bites through my back and shoulders. The good kind. The kind means I got some real sleep for once. I wipe sleep from my eyes and marvel at the fact I slept without nightmares. I’ve always wondered what that would be like.

Autumn glances over when she hears me move and gives me a soft smile that makes my chest warm in ways that have nothing to do with the fire. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I rasp back, reaching for the nearest water bottle.

Mars drops down beside me. His face is full of smug amusement. “You snore.”

I choke and sputter water when he pats my back. I look at him in bewilderment. “Excuse me?”

“Loud. I thought a rotter had a sinus infection.”

“I don’t?—”

“Oh, you do,” Jace calls out from behind the car. “Woke me up twice.”

“Lies.”

“Confirmed,” Mars says, grinning as he stretches his arms overhead. “And here I thought you were the strong, silent type.”

I shake my head, but then my gaze drifts toward Autumn, who’s laughing at their antics so hard her shoulders shake. I can’t help but smile, too. She has a beautiful laugh. One that makes the broken parts of me feel a little less shattered.

She pulls the pan off the grate and divides the food. I don’t even know what it is. Some kind of smoked meat, maybe. Could be dried rations rehydrated with herbs she scavenged. Doesn’t matter. It’s hot, smells incredible, and she made it for us. For me.

I get up before I realize I’m moving. I step behind her, slide my arms around her waist, and let my chest settle against her back. She freezes for half a second, long enough for doubt to prick and I second guess myself. But then she exhales and softens against me. She smells like smoke, spice, and something sweet, like dried fruit or cinnamon.

Her warmth sinks into me, and my hands settle on her hips like they belong there.

She tilts her head back to look up at me, and I’m struck again by how beautiful she is, especially with soot on her cheek. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t. If anything, you helped me sleep for the first time in years.” I pause, wishing she would hum again. “What song was that? The one you were humming while you cooked.”

Her expression grows wistful, and a shadow of sadness crosses her features. “It’s from a tiny music box Summer always carried around with her. She found it in the garbage in one of our foster homes and never let it go. She used to wind it up every night before bed.” Her voice catches. “I guess I’ve been humming it without realizing.”

“It’s a nice song,” I say.

Mars watches us from across the fire. His expression is unreadable for once, but he raises a brow.

Behind him, Jace lifts his head from under the hood and looks at us. His gaze finds Autumn first, then shifts to my arms wrapped around her waist with my hands on her hips. Some sort of emotion flickers across his face. It flares behind his eyes for a second, then vanishes, and he drops his gaze before turning back to the engine.

I give Autumn a gentle squeeze. I know I only just met her, but there’s something about the way she feels in my arms that just feels right.

A few minutes later, I catch sight of Jace climbing onto the roof of the car with binoculars in hand. He settles into position and begins scanning the horizon methodically.

“If you need binoculars to see us when we’re already this close, then we need to scavenge some glasses for you. Or kidnap an eye doctor. Maybe one of those machines that fixes your eyes with a laser, that could be cool. I call dibs on pressing the button,” Mars calls out with a grin.

“Looking for signs of movement,” Jace says without lowering the binoculars. “Other survivors. Maybe more snipers lurking in the distance.”

At the mention of snipers, Autumn’s hand squeezes my arm that’s still wrapped around her. Feeling the tension spike through her body, I tighten my hold in response and lower my head so my mouth rests along the shell of her ear. “I’ve got you.”

Her body melts against mine.

“Or perhaps scouting potential search areas that Autumn hasn’t already combed through, or blown up,” Jace continues. “Always the protector, always playing three moves ahead while everyone else makes jokes and gets comfortable.”

Mars chuckles and takes a bite of whatever Autumncooked. “Someone’s got to keep morale up around here. Can’t all be doom and gloom.”

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