Chapter 57: Chapter 57

Sanoske lifts me into his arms, cradling me against his chest. I try to wipe Eric’s blood from my face. In the distance, the wail of sirens and the roar of jet engines signal our impending doom.

“They’re going to bomb this place,” I whisper, scanning the sky for the incoming planes.

“Then we need to get out of here,” Sanoske says.

He starts barking orders at his men, all the while gently settling me into the front seat of the truck. I watch as the Kagegun men scramble around, gathering weapons and tossing them into the truck without a care for order.

Sanoske stays by my side, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword, the other holding my hand. Kazuya approaches us, his body covered in blood and ash. His eyes widen when he sees me.

“Alexandra,” he breathes.

I manage a weak smile. “Kazuya, it’s good to see you.”

He moves closer, reaching out to hug me. With Sanoske’s help, I manage to get out of the seat and into his arms.

Sanoske doesn’t look too pleased, but Kazuya wraps his arms around me, ignoring the blood and holding me tight.

“We thought we wouldn’t make it in time,” he confesses when he finally lets me go.

Sanoske’s arm wraps around my waist, pulling me back against him. I lean into his solid body.

“You made it just in time,” I assure him with a smile.

“Alexandra.” Kazuya hesitates, lowering his gaze. “We’re sorry. We should have been there to protect you.”

“Kazuya, you just saved my life. There’s nothing to forgive.”

I feel Sanoske’s chin rest on top of my head as his arms tighten around me.

“Get the men together, Kazuya. We’re leaving,” Sanoske orders, lifting me back into the truck.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Saito brandishing his heavy swords at a group of Perfect soldiers, teachers, and nurses.

“Captain, what should we do with the prisoners?” he calls out to Sanoske in Japanese.

“We don’t have room for prisoners, Saito,” Sanoske replies.

“No!” I shake my head vehemently. “No more killing, Sanoske.”

I try to get out of the truck again, but Sanoske blocks my way.

“We need to leave, Alex,” he reminds me.

“If you have prisoners, take them with you,” I retort.

“Alex,” he warns.

“They’re innocent, Sanoske!”

“They came here to watch you die!”

“I doubt they had a choice.”

Sanoske scowls at me but lets me get out of the truck. He doesn’t let me walk, though; he scoops me up immediately and strides, grumbling, toward the prisoners cowering under Saito’s swords.

I see the women, trembling and trying to hold their breath, covered in dirt and ash. The soldiers among them are covered in blood. Some are badly wounded and glare up at Saito.

“Alexandra.”

From the group of soldiers, one stands up and steps toward me.

“Jeremy!”

Saito moves to cut him down.

“No!” I try to jump from Sanoske’s arms, but he holds me tight. “Saito, no!” I snap in Japanese.

Saito looks at me, wide-eyed, then up at Sanoske’s scowl.

“Put me down,” I tell Sanoske, and he does, albeit reluctantly.

His hand stays on my hip as Jeremy limps toward me. He has a deep gash on his right thigh that’s bleeding heavily, but he’s smiling at me. I realize I’ve never seen him smile before. It’s a beautiful smile.

“Jeremy.” I reach out, and with a wary glance at Sanoske, Jeremy pulls me into his arms.

Our hug is brief because Sanoske grabs my waist and pulls me away from Jeremy. Jeremy steps back a little, his smile unwavering.

“I didn’t want to see you burn,” he says. “I wanted to take you away. I would have.”

“I know, Jeremy.” I touch his cheek, wiping away a single tear. “Thank you for everything, Jeremy.”

“One of the soldiers you knew from the establishment?” Sanoske asks, not bothering to hide his jealousy.

Jeremy’s eyes widen, and he shakes his head. “Unfortunately for me, no,” he says with a chuckle. Sanoske doesn’t find it funny.

“He was my jailer,” I tell him. Sanoske bristles. “He helped me, Sanoske. He cared.”

Jeremy nods. “I wanted to run away with her,” he admits. “The Master kept taking her away to hurt her, or Master Eric wanted her in his room. I hated seeing…” He trails off when he sees Sanoske’s face.

“We should go now. I can hear the planes,” Saito says softly.

Sanoske grunts and scoops me up. Holding me tightly to his chest, he marches back to the truck. I see Saito organizing the prisoners, herding them into a nearby truck.

Within minutes, the trucks are loaded, and we start to drive off just as the jets appear. I hear the bombs start to drop.

The earth shakes, and Sanoske’s grip on the steering wheel tightens as he navigates the rough terrain and the falling bombs. The first missile whistles through the air and lands on the house, obliterating everything inside.

Sanoske’s hand reaches out, gently grabbing my thigh. I place my hand on his and give it a small squeeze.

***

We drive for hours. The planes focus on destroying the house; they don’t realize that the Perfect trucks are now in the hands of non-Perfects.

Sanoske pulls up to a factory as the early evening sets in. It’s a clothing factory, and the air is thick with the smell of chemicals.

Chinese soldiers and workers spill out from the surrounding houses. They rush to help the wounded from the trucks, guiding them into the houses.

“The soldiers here were chased off two days ago,” Sanoske explains, opening my door and lifting me out.

I watch as Saito and Kazuya guide the prisoners into a hut, locking the door behind them. A woman worker approaches them with food and water.

“Is Beth here?” I ask, my voice soft.

Sanoske shakes his head. “No, I didn’t want her near the fight. She’s heading south with Haruhiko and the worker woman.”

I nod, slowly. “Thank you for keeping her safe, Sanoske,” I say, struggling to keep my tears at bay.

Sanoske looks down at me, a small frown on his sharp face. “Of course, Alexandra,” he replies. “She’s mine now too.”

My heart flutters at his words, and a blush creeps up my cheeks. I can’t hold back the tears that well up. I quickly wipe them away as Sanoske leads me through the camp.

“They’ve given us a hut to ourselves for tonight,” he says, gently pushing a door open. “We need to leave early tomorrow morning.”

I nod, slowly. The thought of sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags with the other Kagegun men is comforting, but I’m grateful for the privacy.

The hut is small, identical to the others, with a bed in one corner, a tiny kitchen in another, and a trunk full of clothes.

Sanoske gently sets me on the bed and quickly fetches a glass of water. There’s a knock on the door, and he opens it immediately.

A worker stands there with a bucket of water. She gasps and nearly drops it when she sees Sanoske. He takes the bucket, thanks her curtly, and shuts the door.

I watch as he removes his armor, leans his weapons against the wall, and takes off his shirt. The blood of his enemies has soaked through his clothes and trickled down his chest.

I can’t help but stare at the lines of dried blood that have traced their way down his chiseled abs.

“Alex.” His voice pulls my gaze back to his face. “Do you mind? We need to get you cleaned up.” He gestures to the dried blood on me.

“Of course.” I nod, moving to the edge of the bed.

He stands and comes over, taking my hands and helping me to my feet. I wince a little. He pauses, then reaches around me and unties my dress.

He lifts it off me gently. The cool air hits my skin and I shiver.

I see Sanoske grimace as he looks at me, and I suddenly feel very self-conscious. Does he no longer find me attractive, covered in cuts and bruises? My left hand is practically useless. Does he find me repulsive?

He moves behind me. I feel his fingers unhook my bra, and it falls away. Then he slowly pushes my underwear down and helps me step out of it. I tremble under his touch.

When he comes back in front of me, he’s glaring at me. He stoops to the bucket, and with a cup, he pours the cool water down my back. I feel his hands moving gently over my skin.

“Sanoske,” I say as he goes to fill the cup again. He just grunts as he continues to clean my back.

“Sanoske!”

“What is it, Alex?” he asks from behind me.

I turn to face him. His head is bowed, and his hand holding the cup is shaking. I reach out to take the cup.

“I can do it,” I say.

His grip on the cup tightens, and he shakes his head. “No.”

I let him pour the water down my arms and gently caress my skin. Then he moves to my front, gently pouring the water down my neck. I watch the dirty, bloody water pool at my feet.

His hand brushes against my stomach, moving up my body to the dark bruise from my broken rib. He places his hand gently against my skin.

“I can’t expect you to forgive me, Alex,” he whispers.

His hand continues moving upward, lightly brushing past my breast. He drops the cup into the bucket and wraps his arms around me, pulling me to his chest.

I can feel his heart pounding, and his chest rises and falls with each breath.

“There’s nothing to forgive, Sanoske,” I assure him.

His hand cups my face and lifts it to his. I look into his eyes.

“I should have protected you. Look at what they did to you. Look at how much they hurt you. If I had been just a few minutes later…” His voice trails off.

“But you weren’t, Sanoske. I’m hurt, but I’m whole. I’m stronger than this.” I give him a small smile. “Don’t count me out so quickly.”

His chuckle vibrates through both of us.

“I can’t understand how they could hurt something so precious,” he murmurs, gently stroking my cheek.

“I will heal, Sanoske.”

“This hand won’t.” He kisses my broken hand.

“Most of me will heal. Sanoske, I knew the risk when I ran toward them. I knew they would hurt me. But getting Beth away was more important to me.”

“You ran into battle. Haruhiko told me. I’m pretty sure I made you promise not to do that.” His voice hardens into the tone he uses with his men.

I nod. “I disobeyed your order, I know.”

“And you almost died.”

“You saved me.”

“I almost didn’t.”

“But you did.”

“I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” he promises.

“I never want to be apart from you,” I reply.

Suddenly, his hands are on my thighs, lifting me up. I wrap my legs tightly around his waist. With one hand around my back and the other cupping my face, his lips meet mine.

Sanoske pulls me close, his fingers digging into my skin, drawing me into him. His kiss intensifies, becomes more demanding. His chest rises and falls rapidly against mine. Heat spreads through my body, and I can feel my cheeks burning.

We tumble onto the bed. Sanoske freezes above me when he sees me trying to hide a wince from the fall.

“I’m okay,” I assure him, tugging him back down to me.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he murmurs, holding himself back.

“Then let me lead,” I whisper back.

His hands frame my face as he hovers over me. I see the tension in his body. I lift myself slightly, wrap my legs around him, and pull him down to me.

He lets out a soft grunt before I capture his lips with mine, my arms winding around his neck to keep him close. I shift a bit, and he grabs my thigh, rolling us over so I’m straddling him.

His eyes are wide, his hands gliding up my body, stroking and caressing, igniting a fire deep within me.

He props himself up to bring my lips back to his. His other hand grips my hip, and a low groan escapes him.

“I love you, Alex,” he murmurs against my collarbone, his cool lips contrasting with my heated skin.

“I love you, Sanoske,” I whisper back before his lips find mine again, and he pulls me tightly against his chest.