The Claiming

Chapter Thirty

Gus's vicious barks wake us up. Alec and I sit up in a rush and glance around, but we can't see anything except for the faint outline of the dog facing the window. It's probably the middle of the night.

"What do you think it is?" I ask worriedly.

Alec finds my hand and squeezes it. "I don't know, but I'd rather not stick around to find out. We should keep moving."

I let out a slow breath, wondering if we'll ever get a good night's sleep ever again. "Right."

Alec slips his jacket back on. "I think we need to head back down the mountain to where the cities are. We need supplies desperately."

"You're right, but we need to go down the other side, away from where Vain and Winslow Wood are."

We head out the door and down the stairs, Gus on our heels. I glance out the window and see a dim light shining through the trees. I start hitting Alec in the chest with the back of my hand. "Someone's coming."

I see Alec turn his head, and then he immediately pulls on my arm towards the back of the house. "There has to be a door in the back," he says, mostly to himself, it seems.

I hear Gus's untrimmed claws clatter on the hardwood floor behind us. It gives me a little bit of hope that the mutt is coming with us. We find ourselves walking blindly into what seems to be a kitchen. The outline of counters and another window against the back wall make their way into my vision.

"I think there's a door over here," Alec says.

Hopefully his sight is much better than mine.

I let him lead me by the hand across the floor, and eventually I hear him feeling around for a doorknob. Gus starts getting even antsier as he paces behind us. As soon as Alec finds the knob, he tugs on it, but it's locked.

"Crap," he says under his breath. He fiddles with it a little more before it finally opens and a rush of piercing cold air bursts in. I hear Gus give a small yelp.

Who knew a beaten up cabin could hold so much warmth?

Alec quickly takes off his jacket and wraps it around me. I slide my arms through it quickly and find Alec's hand again. "Run," he says under his breath.

We take off into the snow-sprinkled woods, climbing the side of the mountain and sliding down ditches. Gus never leaves our trail, staying close behind. The moon and stars light up our path, and I send a silent thanks to God for not clouding the sky tonight.

I turn my head behind us and don't see the light anymore. I think we made a successful getaway, but we can't stop now.

"We need to get over this mountains," Alec says, pulling me to a slow stop as we duck behind an old tree. We sit on the roots that jut out above the earth at the base. Gus sits loyally in front of us, almost as if he is waiting for an order. I reach out and touch his matted fur around his cheek, running my thumb along it up and down. "Good boy," I whisper to him.

I feel Alec's eyes on me, and I look up, surprised to see a smile on his lips. "I love you," he says suddenly.

I straighten my back, frozen.

In the wake of all that we've been through—escaping Bayfell, being exiled out of Winslow Wood, escaping Vain—here we are in the middle of the night, not sure if we'll even make it through the winter, and the only thing I hear him say is that he loves me.

I reach up and find his face, cupping his cheek. I pull him down to my level and kiss him. He snakes his arms around my waist and pulls me closer to him. We stay like that for a few solid heartbeats—my right hand holding his cheek, his arms holding me steady in front of him.

I know we have to start moving again soon, but for now, I dwell in the moment and remind myself that we won't be running forever. Eventually we will be able to stop. And be still.

***

After a couple more hours of running, jogging, and then walking, we find ourselves starting to head downhill more than uphill. That means we're heading towards shelter and food and warmth.

In theory.

We find ourselves following a dark gravelly road winding down the mountainside. We find a couple places that must have been small parking lots for people to enjoy the mountain view. We stop at a few of them because some have rest stops. I watch humorously as Alec raids the vending machines only to find that everything is expired or completely degraded from time.

While Alec is desperately sorting through his finds, Gus trots up to us through the empty doorway and across the chipped linoleum floor. He drops a dead rabbit right in front of us.

"Ew!" I screech.

"Nice!" Alec says.

Gus sits and wags his shaggy tail back and forth on the floor, sweeping up dust into the frigid air. Alec pokes the rabbit with his right index finger and grins. "I love this dog!" Then he ruffles up Gus's folded ears.

I offer a little smile. "I sure hope that rabbit tastes good..."

While Alec finds some old matches, I search the rest of the rest stop for anything else remotely useful.

The building is rectangular, with the middle being the information and entry area. On the right are the bathrooms, and on the left is a small lounge for the staff and a closet branching off of that room.

In the lounge I find a sofa with a baby blue blanket folded neatly over the back of it. I immediately pick it up and hold it to my nose. It smells musty and—quite disgusting. It has a few holes in it from bugs over the years, but it's a blanket nonetheless.

I shake it out rigorously and watch as dust and bugs go flying into the rest of the tiny room. Then I fold the blanket back up and tuck it under my arm.

In the closet off to the side, I find a few winter jackets still hanging up—to our luck. And fortunately the material has held up relatively well. I grab the two that look the nicest and sturdiest and quickly scan the rest of the closet. I find gloves and a hat in a basket on the floor.

Who were these people? And can I shake their hands in heaven for saving our lives?

When I find Alec again, he's just outside the doorway with a small fire going and Gus at his side. Both have their backs to the building, and I watch as Gus's tail picks up dirt from wagging happily. Alec gives the dog an affectionate pat on the head before catching sight of me from the corner of his eye. "What'd you find?" he asks with a forced smile.

I can tell he's reflecting on our past days. His eyes seem to scream all our horrifying memories.

Instead of replying, I hold up the blanket and then the jackets, hat, and gloves. I pass through the empty threshold and out under the awning of the rest stop. I sit on the other side of Alec and pull the blanket over our legs. Then I place the bigger jacket over his shoulders.

I've never seen Alec shut down so coldly. I don't know if it was the realization that we won't be lucky all the time, or hardly ever. Danger follows us everywhere, and life sucks, but when I had a meltdown before the Claiming, Alec was there for me.

It's my turn to be here for him.

I went through hell and back when I was attacked by the prince. I'm starting to realize now what it means to be strong. To be brave.

I slip the other jacket on, and then I reach across Alec and place the winter hat on top of Gus's head to cover his emaciated ears, chewed up from mites and disease.

And then I take Alec's hand and stare down at the fire.

We'll be okay.