Happiness sparked through Jeremiah.
Leaves swaying on the tree limbs appeared greener; the sky was painstakingly blue. The moment after Graylyn spoke her assertion carried him away. He leaned in close to her, lips ready for what he'd seen enacted in several archives. A look flickered across Graylyn's face, one he couldn't place.
Nevertheless, she leaned in and their lips met, briefly.
Lips. So soft. My friend. Naked.
These thoughts flashed in Jeremiah's head. Intent as he was on the kiss, he forgot to erect a mental barrier.
Abruptly, Graylyn stepped back, their physical connection severed.
Using mindspeak, she answered his unconscious messages:
We...won't work. I'm bound to another.
"Who?"
Jeremiah's tone carried his annoyance.
The spell that had ensnared him had snapped. The cold which followed left a bitter taste in his mouth. The leaves were mottled, the greenery nothing but a nuisance against a too-blue sky.
If only a scadog ran out now so I might smash its head in.
Jeremiah didn't' care if his thoughts were masked or not. His anger obliterated all else. He felt betrayed because the other Graylyn referred to could only be their mentor and caregiver.
Naltag.
Though Naltag didn't seem the type for carnal interactions, he was the only other logical option for Graylyn.
Tears stung his eyes. Before she could notice, Jeremiah hurried past Graylyn to the rendezvous point.
His other wish was for a scadog to swallow her up. En route to his destination, he amended the cruel thought.
It could lame her, maybe. Or take a limb.
A small limb.
~*~
YOU ARE READING
In the Compound
Science FictionJeremiah wants to choose his path, but in New Andover, gender decides every role until an otherworldly visitor arrives. Survivalist compounds dot the landscape of an Earth ravaged by nuclear winter. New Andover thrives on threats and conditioning, a...
