Page 74 of Worshiping Faith

I’ll give it to Jinx later.

“Who’s on my other side?” I ask, still gripping the blanket.

“Dax,” he says.

Of course.

I exhale, relief curling in my chest. If I leave my door cracked, I’ll still hear Jinx if he calls. Not that I’ll need the room. I always sleep with Dax.

Oh.

Shit.

Oh yeah. Us.

My face burns.

Wilkes notices.

His mouth twitches, like he’s amused but not enough to show it. “Trip’s on the other side of Dax,” he adds, watching me. “Me and Zachs are on Jinx’s side.”

Boxing us in.

Like when we had to walk through zombies to get to the med wing.

Because damn it, they know it’s not safe.

A ship full of killers, and we’re just supposed to sleep soundly in our beds?

“Faith.” Wilkes says my name like it’s an order. Like he’s expecting me to listen.

I look up. “Wilkes,” I echo, just as firm.

His jaw ticks. Hungry. “You can’t run off in here.”

It’s not a suggestion.

His gaze sweeps over me, dark, steady. I feel the weight of it, the quiet authority behind his words.

Too many blind spots. Too many unknowns. The corridors are tight. The air feels thick. I could get trapped in seconds.

He steps closer. Just enough. “Too many places to disappear.”

I know what he’s saying.

I also know what he isn’t saying.

I want to lean into him. See how it feels.

But I don’t.

Not yet.

Instead, I nod. A slow, I hear you nod.

And for the first time since stepping on this ship, I feel anchored.

I hear Zachs before I see him.

---