I’ve Got You

CHAPTER 16

“Whatever you do, keep them out here and away from Dorian”. Eris whispered, not daring to move or speak too loud. “You got it, boss”. Grimm whispered back. Giving her hand one last squeeze before stooping down slowly to reach for his discarded rifle. That’s when the first host broke free from the bush line. Hands set in to claws as it charged Grimm. This seemed to set the remaining four off as they ran, screaming and foaming at the mouth towards them. Eris met one of them head on. A teenage boy, who’s left arm was hanging by a few worn threads of sinew. Eris grabbed at the loose arm and sent her boot crashing in to the boys chest, tearing his arm the rest of the way off. She blanched, gagging as she dropped the detached arm at her feet. The teenage boy seemed not to notice the recent loss of his appendage and charged at her again. This time, Eris was more prepared. Unsheathing the buck 119 hunting blade she drove it through the boys skull. It made a sick squelching sound as it penetrated his brain. He was dead before he hit the floor. Before Eris even had the time to be surprised that she beat one, a second host came crashing into her from behind, knocking the blade from her hands. Her eyes sought out Grimm when she hit the ground, he was struggling with a crazed woman, who didn’t look as rough as the others, perhaps she had only recently turned?. The host that had knocked Eris down, made an attempt to snack on her forearm, but Eris -pushing through the intense pain of her previous injuries- bucked her hips wildly, throwing the host off of her. She frantically swept at the dirt, trying to find the buck 119, but the host came at her again, yanking her by the hair and snapping its jaws at her. Eris panicked, grabbing both sides of its head and repeatedly driving her forehead up and forward until its head gave way and caved in under the repeated, savage headbutts. When it’s head gave out and Eris dropped it to the floor she stumbled, suddenly dizzy. She shook her head to clear the fog and looked back to Grimm, who had taken out two of the five that charged them. The last remaining host, however, had taken him by surprise and was clinging to his back like it’s life depended on it. Clawing and scratching and biting, trying to sink its teeth into anything other than Grimm’s thick army greens. Eris ran towards them without thinking. Ignoring the pain in her bones, and the screaming protests of her muscles. If that thing bit him, she would lose him. And she wasn’t ready for that. She slammed into the host on his back, and all three of them went tumbling in the dirt. Grimm broke free and stood. Picking up his rifle and slamming the butt of it repeatedly into the hosts head as it struggled and snarled in Eris’s arms. He hit it until it fell limp and Eris pushed it off her, crying out in pain. Cradling her midsection as she curled up in the fetal position. Grimm tossed the rifle to the side, dropping to the ground and crawling over to her. He looked her over, frantically pawing at her clothes. “You get bit?”

“No” she breathed “You?”

“No”. He looked at her as she pressed her hand to the side of his face “I’ve got you too, you know?” she said in reference to his mouthed words to her on the Jeep. He kissed her groaning into her mouth. Then, pressing his forehead against hers he whispered “I was so worried”. Eris opened her mouth to reply when an enraged shout from behind them, interrupted her and suddenly Grimm was being dragged off of her. Eris bolted upright, seeing James with his arm around Grimm’s throat. Despite Grimm’s imposing size and brute strength, he had been caught completely off guard, and James’s hold on him was strong. “She’s my f*****g wife. Touch her again, and you’ll lose those hands!”. Eris ran at James, grabbing his dark blonde curls in an attempt to pull him off of Grimm, but this only enraged him further. He jerked his elbow towards her, catching her in the neck. She fell, clutching her throat and gasping for air. “Hey!” Sasha screamed, running towards them with her gun drawn. “Off or I shoot!” she ordered. James glared up at her for a moment, un-moving. “I wouldn’t try it mate” Jared called from Sasha’s side. “She doesn’t miss a shot.”

“The kid is inside” Sasha continued. “Riley has his ears covered, Can’t promise he wont hear my gun go off if you make me pull the trigger. You’ve put that boy through enough already, don’t you think?”.

James let go of Grimm, who gasped gratefully as fresh air filled his lungs. And James stood slowly, swaying on his injured leg, hands up in surrender as he glared at Grimm. “Enjoy your w***e” he spat. And Grimm hit him square in the face, shaking his hand to ease the sting as James cradled his nose. Sasha looked down at James as she holstered her weapon. “Enjoy your new nose”. She said with a smirk. “You earned it”.

***

James was from that moment on, under strict surveillance, yet Eris felt no safer from him than she had felt when she was sharing a room with him. She hadn’t been able to look Grimm in the eye since they’d been caught. “w***e” James had called her. Was she?

Her marriage was a sham, and she had left James, let them lock him up, refused to speak to or be near him. Her marriage was over. But legally, on paper, she was still his wife. And she had been kissing another man. She had fallen for another man. And she wanted to be with that other man. “Am I a w***e?” The question plagued her mind and nagged at her. She knew that she probably wasn’t, in her rational mind, she knew that her and James were over with no hope of reconciliation. So why did she feel so guilty about being caught with Grimm?.

Grimm had sensed her discomfort, and decided to give her some space. He had resolved to sharing his shower cubicle with Jared while Dorian and James shared another and Eris and Mark shared the third while Riley and Sasha took their turn on watch. Morning could not come soon enough for Eris, she wanted to get out of there. She needed something to occupy her thoughts so they didn’t keep drifting to the way Grimm’s body felt as he Ground himself against her. The way his hands squeezed her. The way he moaned when she kissed him.

There was that ache between her legs again, practically throbbing with need. She tossed and turned on the hard, dirty floor. How would she face him the next day? Obviously everyone knew there was something between them now, so no use acting like there wasn’t. But on that note, acting like there was something there was bound to cause trouble. Eris rolled to her hands and knees and crawled silently to where she set down her bag earlier, digging through it, she took out the small moth set in the snow globe that Grimm had given her. She shook it and held it up to her face. Wishing that she’d met Grimm in an easier life. One where they may have actually stood a chance.

***

“I’m hungry” Dorian mumbled dejectedly as they set off “We’ll sack the next servo we come across for non perishables, I promise” Riley answered. “We’re all gonna need to keep our strength up. Couple hours drive to the safe zone but on foot we might not reach it till tomorrow.” Eris rubbed Dorian’s shoulders

“You’re a trooper, baby boy, you know that?” Dorian forced a smile “I wish I didn’t have to be”.

“Me too.”

Grimm, who was trailing the group as he had been the day before called up to her. “How’s the pain, Eris?”

“I’ll live” she gave a short reply, risking only the briefest of glances in his direction as she noticed James glaring at them both. After some hours of what seemed like walking without an end in sight, they approached a service station. The sliding doors were jammed open by a body laying face down on the ground. An old man, by the looks of it.

Dorian cringed, looking away from the somber sight. Eris squeezed his shoulder in reassurance and took the buck 119 in her hand, heading towards the service station with the rest of the group when Grimm grasped her by the forearm. “Don’t you think it would be safer to wait out here?” Eris shrugged him off.

“Honestly? I’m slow, and unsteady, and in pain. But I feel like its worse when I don’t keep moving. Like after resting my limbs just get stiff and heavy. After all the excitement yesterday, the pain is the very least of my worries.” She smiled at him, still unable to meet his icy blue eyes as the words “enjoy your w***e” echoed on the tail end of her thoughts. “Why wont you look at me?” He asked. Eris looked back at James, trudging behind the rest of the group as they peered in through the windows of the service station, checking for hosts before entering. Grimm followed her gaze. “Having second thoughts about leaving your husband?” Eris snorted.

“ I wish that’s all it was”.

“Then what is it? Second thoughts about liking me?”. Eris frowned.

“Actually I think it’s the opposite. But I just feel like maybe if we met in another life, things would be easier.” Grimm pinched a loose strand of Eris’s hair and sighed. “I’ll be honest, it’s not an ideal situation... But I wouldn’t trade a second of it. Not for anything-”.

Dorian gagged playfully shoving lightly at his mother.

“Gross”.

“Super gross.” Eris said, nodding in agreement. Grimm chuckled. Leaning in, his voice came out as nothing more than a low whisper that tickled Eris’s ear.

“I am warning you, though. The second we are in that safe zone and James is dealt with I am dragging you to the nearest broom closet and finishing what we started last night.” Eris shivered and went to turn away from him when he tugged her back. “I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours... But don’t shut me out, okay? Not now”. Eris nodded.

“I’m sorry”. Grimm raised her hand to his lips. Kissing her open palm. Her eyes found his at last, and the unmistakable lust burning in his gaze was a silent promise of what she was in for when he had her alone.

And it thrilled her.