Chapter 58: Chapter 58

A small fire crackles in the fireplace of one of the larger huts, where most of the Kagegun men are gathered. A few workers are there too, serving up a warm meal with welcoming smiles.

Sanoske is right behind me, his arm wrapped snugly around my waist. I lean back into him, tuning into the rhythm of his steady breaths and the comforting beat of his heart.

Every now and then, he dips his head to plant a soft kiss on my neck. It’s a simple gesture, but it never fails to make me smile.

I take a sip of the soup that an elderly worker handed me. She returns my gratitude with a small, knowing smile.

“You killed him,” Sanoske murmurs into my neck. I tilt my head back to meet his gaze.

“I did.”

“And how does that make you feel?” he asks.

“Surprisingly... calm,” I confess.

A hint of a smile plays on his lips. “I’m glad.”

I snuggle closer to him. His hold on me tightens, and I feel his lips press against my freshly washed hair.

I look up to see Takeshi, Saito, and Kazuya settling back down with their second helpings of soup. Sanoske teases them for taking the last of it, but they just laugh it off.

Sanoske chuckles and buries his face back into my neck, playfully nibbling at my shoulder. I gasp, and the boys snicker at our exchange. Blushing, I finish my soup.

“What happened with the Chinese?” I ask.

“The Perfects were ambushed,” Sanoske replies, peppering kisses down my neck.

“After that, Sanoske,” I press.

He groans a little and pulls back to rest his chin on top of my head.

“We knew an ambush was likely. The Chinese weren’t exactly subtle in their movements,” he explains.

“We didn’t expect so many of them, though,” Kazuya adds. I feel Sanoske nod in agreement.

“When they reached the tent you were in, the Master inside immediately ratted you out,” Saito says.

“He’s dead now,” Sanoske grunts.

“Good riddance,” Kazuya agrees.

“They kept saying you were destroyed,” I say softly.

Sanoske tightens his hold on me.

“They did manage to inflict some damage on the Chinese army. But the Chinese quickly started negotiating for the Master. The Perfects were more interested in getting you back. Trucks were sent after Haruhiko and you.

“Haruhiko did a good job of leading them away. The fighting didn’t last long. The Perfects were outnumbered, and once they had their Master in exchange for the Chinese prisoner, they scattered.

“We started moving south with them. According to the agreement, Haruhiko was supposed to bring you back to us as soon as you got Beth,” Kazuya says.

Sanoske growls. “He failed that mission.”

“Not really. I didn’t give him a choice,” I reply. “He saved my daughter and Juliet, the other little girl. How is she?”

“Very talkative,” Saito says, nodding. I can’t help but grin.

“Haruhiko told us he signaled for you to come to him with the babies. But you just sent the babies to him and threw yourself into the fight,” Takeshi says.

“The soldiers were there for me, and they’d already seen me by then. We would never have gotten away. I made a decision.”

“One that almost cost you your life,” Sanoske growls.

“Haruhiko said he saw you get beat up pretty bad,” Kazuya says. He raises his eyebrows at Sanoske. I feel my cheeks heat up. “You better train her properly if she’s going to be running into any more battles.”

“She’s not,” Sanoske growls.

I purse my lips. “How did you find me?” I ask.

“The moment Haruhiko showed up without you, the Captain was off. He sent Haruhiko and the few workers who had left with him further south. We knew there was a Master house near here. But it took us so long to find it…”

Kazuya shakes his head slowly.

“I’m sorry. I must have worried you all very much,” I say.

Sanoske holds me tighter.

“We were more than worried, Alex,” Kazuya tells me. “We were terrified.”

Kazuya glances at Sanoske and purses his lips. I feel Sanoske kiss the top of my head.

There’s a knock on the door of the hut, and Jun’s head pops in. He’s on lookout duty tonight.

“Movement on the horizon, Captain,” he says softly in Japanese. I feel Sanoske tense.

“I’m coming,” he says.

He kisses the top of my head one more time before pulling away. He hesitates, his hand lingering on my shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Captain. We can take care of her,” Kazuya says.

Sanoske looks at me, then at the three burly warriors sitting across from me. He seems to doubt their ability to protect me. But eventually, he nods and follows Jun out the door.

Kazuya slides closer to me and wraps an arm around my shoulders.

“He didn’t stop for days, scouting ahead when we couldn’t keep up. I’ve never seen him so scared,” he says.

Saito and Takeshi nod in agreement.

“I didn’t think he’d come,” I admit. “I thought he was already down south, with Beth.”

I glance toward the door Sanoske disappeared through.

“He moved mountains to get to you in time, Alex,” Kazuya tells me. He gives my arm a reassuring squeeze.

“There was no way he was going to let you get executed if he could help it. Especially after Haruhiko said he saw you refuse to bow to a Master and try to kill him, well, the Captain knew who he must have been.”

“I can tell he’s still upset,” I whisper. “He was so mad earlier when he was helping me clean up.”

“He’s mad at himself.”

“I don’t want him to be mad at himself. I’m safe now. I’m with you.”

“He won’t think you’re safe until you’re on a boat and far away from this continent,” Kazuya retorts.

I press my lips together and perk up when the door swings open again. Sanoske slips back into the hut.

“They were heading in a different direction. We’re safe,” he assures us. “Alex, should we go to bed now? You must be tired.”

I nod and take the hand he extends to me. The boys send us off with a few crude noises that make me blush and Sanoske chuckle.

He scoops me up in his arms, despite the salve and bandages he applied to my feet earlier, and carries me back to our hut.

The night air is cool and sweet. I snuggle against his firm chest. He kisses my forehead.

“Sanoske, where are we going tomorrow? Back down south?” I ask him as he pushes the door open.

He strides across the room and gently places me on the bed again.

“Yes. Back to the Chinese ship. I’ve arranged for our transportation to the European mainland. There are Japanese camps there. From one of them we can catch a plane back to Japan.”

“Won’t they send you on another mission?” I ask.

Sanoske shakes his head as he slips off his shirt.

“No, they won’t.”

“How can you be so sure? You and most of your men are still so young.” I press my lips together.

Sanoske cracks a smile as he slides down his pants. He places his sword delicately against the wall and steps toward me.

My breath is almost stolen from my lungs as he leans over me, his arms slipping behind me. I’m forced to lean back, to maintain eye contact.

He hums gently, his fingers tracing across my collarbone. Where he touches, a line of goosebumps appears. My heart pounds in my chest.

“Because I’ll quit, Alex,” he murmurs. “I’m taking you home to spend the rest of my life with you. Not to leave you for another mission.”

I gasp as he grabs the bottom of my shirt and pulls it off my body. The cool air brushes my skin, and I feel Sanoske’s gaze on me.

His hand slides around my waist, careful not to touch my bandaged rib. He leans down further, peppering small kisses up my throat. I feel his fingers tugging at the waistband of my skirt before he pulls it off me.

The bed creaks under our weight as he slips under the covers and pulls me next to him.

Then he wraps himself around me completely, and his hands slide around my waist, up to my chest. He presses me to his body, burying his face in the crook of my neck.

***

It’s still dark when I feel Sanoske rise. I hide under the covers of the bed as I watch him dress. I feel like I could watch him for hours. He tightens his trousers and slides his sword into its scabbard hanging by his hips.

Then, still shirtless, he slips out of the hut. He’s back seconds later with water, which he uses to wash his face.

“Did you sleep well?” he asks me. His voice is still raspy from the morning. I peek at him over the top of the sheets.

“I don’t think I’ve ever slept so well,” I confess.

He can’t help smirking. I can’t help giggling. He scoots back to the bed quickly and dives his cold hands under the covers, tickling my sides.

I gasp and screech, trying to evade his cold touch. He grabs me by the hips and drags me back to him. I can feel him, hard, pressed up against my back, his hot breath in my ear. My whole body heats up immediately.

“If I could, I would spend all day in bed with you,” he growls.

It’s at that moment that there’s a knock on the door. Sanoske glares at the door, then rolls back to the edge of the bed.

“What?” he snaps, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

The door swings open, and Kazuya’s head appears. I hold the blanket up to my chest.

“We’re packed, Captain,” Kazuya says.

Sanoske mutters to himself and nods. “We’ll be right out.”

“Cap, the workers want to come with us,” Kazuya says.

Sanoske presses his lips together and lets out a heavy sigh. “We can’t bring them along, Kazuya. We don’t have enough food, and we’ll be too conspicuous.”

“No.” I shake my head. Still holding the sheet up to my chest, I swing my legs over the side of the bed.

Sanoske turns to scowl at me and pulls the sheet down over my legs. “We can’t bring them with us, Alex,” he tells me.

“We have to bring them. We need more people. Strength in numbers. That’s a key Albion strategy.”

“Strength for what, Alex? Defense?” Kazuya raises his eyebrows.

I meet his gaze and then turn back to Sanoske. “I’m sorry, Sanoske.”

“Sorry?” His expression hardens.

“I can’t go to Japan and live freely. I can’t have you quit yet. I’m sorry, but there’s something I need to do here.” I turn quickly to Kazuya.

“What are you talking about, Alex?” Sanoske asks, though his expression tells me he already knows what I’m thinking. I can’t help but give him a small smile.

“I’m talking about a revolution, Sanoske. I’m talking about the end of Albion as we know it. I’m saying we free all the workers, the girls in the brothels and the nurseries. The boys in the training camps.

“We free Albion from the Masters.”

Sanoske is quiet for a few seconds, then he runs his hand through his dark hair. “Alex,” he begins.

I halt him, seizing his hands, locking my gaze with his.

“I can’t be swayed. This is something I need to do.”

“No, you don’t,” he counters.

“Yes. Just as you have a duty to your country, I have a duty to mine to liberate her. Albion is on her last breath, Sanoske. The war is winding down elsewhere. Albion’s time is running out.

“But I’ll need your help, Sanoske. I’ll need a lot of help. The Resistants.”

Sanoske lets out a heavy sigh. “I was hoping you wouldn’t say that,” he confesses. “The Resistants tried to kill you.”

“They were blinded by fury and revenge. Things have cooled down since then. I’m officially a Traitor to Albion. Albion tried to kill me. That should work in my favor, right?”

“We could start with the Resistance groups in the north,” Kazuya suggests.

“But we’d be putting everyone at great risk,” Sanoske retorts. “We may have taken down their Council and several Masters, but there are hundreds more out there and thousands of soldiers ready to squash any rebellion.

“Perfects aren’t built for revolutions, the workers are too weak, the women too brainwashed. The Resistance is barely holding together. The Perfect soldiers, well, they won’t fight for us.”

“They will if they knew the truth. Like Jeremy.”

“Jeremy is an outlier,” Sanoske murmurs. “And his actions were mostly driven by his feelings for you.”

“I’ve met many Perfect soldiers, Sanoske. I know they’re not monsters. They’re not mindless. They’re not dumb, either. They just haven’t heard the other side of the story.”

“How many?” Kazuya questions me, but Sanoske hurls a pillow at his face.

“It’ll be harder. Many people will die. Revolutions are bloody and violent.”

“This is my mission now, Sanoske. And I believe we can do it. I can feel it. The time is right.”

“What about Beth?” he questions me, and I know it’s his final argument.

I lift my chin. “Beth will be taken to safety. We have to free Albion for Beth, for all the little girls and boys. For every girl I grew up with.”

Sanoske gently places his hand on my knee and gives me a small nod.

“If I agree to commit my army to your revolution, you follow my orders from here on out. You’re not allowed to throw yourself into any more self-sacrificing battles. This revolution will not cost you your life, promise me.”

“I promise, Sanoske. I won’t be reckless. I need this to work too.”

He nods again and then plants a gentle kiss on my forehead. “I would risk everything for you,” he whispers. “I will catch you every time you fall.”

I hold onto him. “Thank you, Sanoske.”

“Get the workers packed,” he orders Kazuya.