Reawakening

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Tris

We huddle in an empty room off the hallway where Uriah and Eric fought. Jeanine, Caleb, and Eric are all conscious now, zip tied to chairs; we can't have them escaping. Uriah lays unconscious, but still breathing, on the floor.

"He needs to get to the hospital," Marlene says firmly. She's right, he definitely does. We've managed to slow the bleeding considerably, but he can't wait all day to receive medical attention, and he can't walk. It appears that Uriah also was hit in the head several times, and he hasn't come to yet.

But I don't trust the Erudite. I shake my head. "No. He can't go to the hospital here. We can't trust the Erudite until this mess gets sorted out. We need to get him back to Dauntless. But we also need to get those three" --I point at Jeanine, Eric and Caleb-- "to Candor as soon as possible, and arrest warrants for Max and the other leaders. They need to start truth serum trials as soon as possible to bring down everyone involved in this."

Edward nods. "Candor is close, easy walk, but these assholes might not be so easy. Especially Eric. I say we take the prisoners to Candor, and the girls drive Uriah back to Dauntless." I'm about to protest that there is a gaping hole in his plan-- we don't have a car. But just as I open my mouth, Edward feels around Jeanine's jacket pocket and pulls out a shiny set of keys as she makes muffled noises in protest and glares. He tosses them to me. "Here you go. Take Jeanine's car, she won't be using it any more."

Edward describes the car and where I should expect to find it-- it's handy having an Erudite with us-- then goes to check that everything is clear. It will be harder to run with an unconscious Uriah and three prisoners, should someone find us.

While we wait, I wrap my arms around Tobias, and his automatically encircle my waist. He rests his forehead against mine, as he has so many times before. It's kind of our thing, and I love it. We have been through this too many times-- separating, saying goodbye, knowing that it could be for the last time. Any number of things could go wrong for either party. But this is almost over, I remind myself. We just have to make it through a little more, and we can finally have some peace.

Tobias pulls away from me and takes my hand in his. I can feel Caleb's eyes burning into my back, but I don't turn to acknowledge his stare. I follow Tobias to a door near the back of the room and he tries the handle. It opens. "Zeke," he calls out, "knock on this door when Edward gets back." Zeke smirks and salutes with two fingers as Tobias pulls me along into the large storage room.

"Doesn't the small space bother you?" I ask once the door has closed.

He lifts one shoulder. "It's not that small, and I have you here to distract me." As he speaks, he moves closer to me, backing me against the wall. His lips capture mine in a passionate kiss and my hands go to his neck, my fingers twisting and tugging at the short curls at the nape of his neck. Tobias lifts me, his hands gripping under my thighs, and presses me against the wall. As the kiss deepens, my legs wrap tightly around his waist.

Tobias shifts one hand to hold me under my butt and the other roams up and back down my side. His lips leave a trail of heat down my neck and I moan in pleasure.

Then a knock comes at the door and we both groan in frustration. He rests his head against my neck. "I love you, Tris," he says, and I'm surprised to hear his voice tight with emotion. He looks up and we stare into each other's eyes.

"I love you," I whisper back.

"Be safe. Come back to me. Promise me, one more time." I feel his heart racing under my hand that rests on his chest.

"I will," I say. "I won't leave you this time. I promise. But you'd better promise to make it back to me, too."

He nods. "We'll always find each other," he whispers.