Unleashed

And love. I’ve found that, too.

No longer do I fear. No longer do I let others define me. I know what I am. What I’m capable of. That I’m a girl . . . a woman who will fight to survive. Which makes me not that much different from anyone else.

I’m human, with or without HTS.

The majority of carriers have taken to reservations, feeling safer in large numbers. Some returned to families and homes and tried to pick up the pieces of their old lives. Others float, nomads on the fringes of society. And then some are like us. Existing in remote locations, finding their own definition of normalcy.

Caden must feel my stare. He looks up, and a brilliant smile breaks out across his face. I melt inside, and it does wonders for warming me.

“Hey.” He sets down the ax and comes toward me.

“I brought you some coffee.”

He takes the cup with one hand and wraps his other arm around my waist. “I don’t need that.” He doesn’t even take a sip before giving me a long kiss. Lifting his head, his amber eyes glow at me. “Just you.”

I glance at the pile of wood he’s cut. “How long until you’re finished?”

“I could stop right now.” He smiles that smile that’s only his—that’s made just for me.

Grinning up at him, I wrap both arms around his lean waist and hug him. “I don’t want to be a distraction.”

He chuckles. “Yes, you do.”

Suddenly a distant shout from the front of the cabin rings out.

I tear myself from him. His hand slides down my forearm, fingers lacing with mine as we walk together to the front. Neighbors stop by often. Even though we’re apart by miles, there’s a strong sense of community among the people out here. Some are carriers. Some aren’t, but there’s no judgment. Not like back home. The laws might have changed, but a great deal of persecution lingers back home. The world can’t change overnight. Not even in a year.

But here, where everyone forges their way, for the most part judgment is reserved for actions. Not words. Not what we’re reputed to be or have done, but who we really are. How we live is what matters.

As we clear the cabin, my gaze lands on our visitor. I don’t recognize him at first as he shuts the door of a beat-up truck. Then it clicks. He’s thinner than I’ve ever seen him, his hair long, brushing his shoulders. I break free from Caden and run across the yard, screaming his name. “Mitchell!”

Laughing, my brother hauls me close. “Hey, little sister . . . long time no see.”

My laughter twists into a sob. “Only forever.”

Pulling back, my brother fondly cups my face. His sharp eyes are as bright and shrewd as I remembered, looking into me, seeing me, but then he’s always been able to do that. See me even when my parents couldn’t. “We got a lot of catching up to do.”

I nod jerkily, feeling so ridiculously happy. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t after getting your email? I wanted to surprise you.” His gaze slides to Caden, who has come to stand beside me, waiting patiently through our reunion. Mitchell unwraps one arm from around me and stretches a hand out to shake Caden’s hand. “I had to meet this guy in your life.”

“Mitchell, this is Caden.” I take a breath. “My fiancé.”

Mitchell stares back and forth between us with wide eyes.

“Yeah. You must have missed the email I sent you last week. The good news is that you’ll be here for the wedding.” I watch my brother’s face, suddenly nervous at how he’ll react. “It’s next week.”

He pulls me into a hard hug. “Then I guess I’ll be giving you away.”

I bury my face against his chest, my smile so wide it hurts my cheeks now. My words are muffled against him. “I’d love that.”

I come up for air and look between my brother and Caden, emotion overflowing inside me as I wonder just how I arrived at this moment. Where everything feels right. Still smiling, I lift my face to the wind, to the open sky. I don’t even feel the cold.