Sneak Peek of Book Seven! The Price We Pay

Kendle glared at the large woman in front of her, arms crossed over her chest. “I’m not a cook. You do it.”Hilda glared back, holding out the basket of freshly harvested green peppers. “We work for everyone here, not just ourselves. You wanna eat, you do it.”Kendle snatched the basket away and stomped to the bench where a small group of women and men were cutting and cleaning the harvest. She didn’t really mind helping out, normally, but the people here were treating her like she had tried to come between Marc and his all-perfect Angela.“Wasn’t even that good a kiss,” she muttered. The memory of it immediately flashed in her mind and she stiffened. It was easy enough to shake it off as the talking and laughter floated around her, but at night, that was a harder act to keep. She’d gotten used to sleeping near Marc, seeing him, smelling him, hearing him. No one else was like that to her, no matter how much she tried to develop an interest. If she could just find someone to tolerate, then these people would see she wasn’t going to come between their leaders and then she could be accepted and settle in. Until that happened, her days would be filled with careful steps.Kendle listened to the wind blow and caught a chill that surprised her. She hadn’t felt the bite to the wind in a long time to her mind. All those months on the island had conditioned her to warm breezes and loving sunlight. Here, it was bitter wind with a sharp edge and only a few hours of true sun. The layer of grit was ugly, a haze that never left and Kendle found herself wishing for Luke. He’d know what to say to make her feel better right now.“Hey, Kendle. You doing okay?”Kendle gave a grunt and nod to Missy as she walked by. Missy, almost as old and respected as Hilda, was her adjustment partner. They were sharing a tent, eating together, and doing chores on the same shift. Kendle hated it. Having a babysitter sucked. The only thing worse would be to have no one to talk to at all.Angela stopped behind Kendle, hating the woman despite her promise to try being friends first. Marc didn’t want Kendle or that’s where he would have spent last night. With that thought in mind, Angela slid onto the bench across from the castaway with a polite smile.“How’s the harvesting work going?”Kendle glared. “Fine. What do you need?”Quick study, Angela thought. Long winded requests and small talk weren’t big right now with the Eagles. “I have some jobs. No food.”Kendle stared. “Like what? Test for landmines?”Angela snickered. “We haven’t put those down yet.”Kendle didn’t laugh. She’d felt how dangerous Angela could be if provoked, but she could also feel how loved her rival was. She had to be careful.“Not really,” Angela informed her calmly. “I hate liars. So does Marc. So do the Eagles. If you want a life here, the truth is always the way to go.”Kendle had heard it already but she wasn’t about to argue with the leader of such a massive operation. When she’d heard a woman ran things she’d been sure that the woman was just cover for a group of men, but here, Angela was in charge. Resisting, among this tension, wasn’t wise.“Kendle Roberts!” Angela snapped the brunette out of her thoughts. “If I want you pissed off or happy or out of here, I’ll make it happen. When I tell you I need the truth, no matter what it is, I expect that too.”Kendle withered under the tone. She had no challenge, only a heartache and a fierce need to…Angela sighed, understanding. “One of the jobs I have will fill that a bit but you have to do the others, in order, first.”Kendle shook her head, voice low. “I’ve got no control right now. It’s why he said I had to stay here.”“If you do these things for me, I promise to find a cure or kill you when it’s all over.”Kendle’s eyes blazed. “Swear it! He wouldn’t! I wanted to die but he wouldn’t give me that either!”Realizing she was yelling, Kendle dropped her head and tone. “Swear it!”Angela placed a hand on Kendle’s wrist. “My word as leader of this camp and as a woman. I’ll help you or kill you.”Kendle nodded, sliding her arm free. “Okay, but don’t touch me and act like we’re friends or that you care. You be honest. You’d like me dead and gone.”Right at that moment, it wasn’t true and Angela allowed her sympathy to come forward. “No, I pity you for the pain and respect you for surviving whatever you’ve gone through. I also envy you a bit, for being free to pick and choose.”Angela stood up, glancing around. “There are a lot of good men gathered in one place here. If I were single, I’d be sniffin’ through, see who happens to be here that’s my match. In case you haven’t been watching, there’s a lot of that going on.”Kendle rolled her eyes. She was tired of hearing fate brought us together or it was love at first bullet wound. “I don’t believe in two soul mates. Mine is gone and he isn’t coming back, so get off me!”Kendle shoved away from the table and disappeared into the crowd.Angela, content her words had done the trick, was watching those around them. Most of the men were not interested yet. Kendle hadn’t proven herself here, though the stories of the base battles were almost all favorable. The men here were also waiting to see if Marc did have any interest in her and that was the part Angela needed them to get over. Kendle was fair game.“Marc put her with Adrian,” the Witch reminded Angela.Angela didn’t answer.

2Seth slammed his kit into the truck and punched the door when it refused to close. He hadn’t gotten to see Becky this morning and now she was already gone.  The babies and younger children had been moved overnight and he’d been in charge of escorting them into the mountain bunker Angela had chosen. He’d returned an hour ago, gotten his packet from the boss lady, and had then discovered Becky gone. How the hell would he get to her when they lost if he didn’t know where she’d be?“Faith matters now, Seth,” Angela stated from behind him. “We can do this.”“I’ll follow orders,” Seth spat, slinging the next kit into the backseat.“Seth.”He didn’t want to look at her. He loved Angela as much as any of her men, and he was still as loyal to Adrian as he could tolerate, but he’d give it all up for Becky and the baby. The feel of being about to lose it all over the edge was too clear to ignore.“There’s only one thing that can ruin my plan, Seth. And you know what that is. Please don’t be the one to get us all killed.”Seth spun around but Angela had already vanished, leaving Seth to wonder if she’d been behind him at all. Her gifts were stronger than anyone else here and Seth knew Becky could reach that level of power in time. If she lived.Seth slammed two more kits into the back and turned around as gunfire rang out.“I told you!”Eagles flooded the area, but Seth stayed by the vehicle. He wasn’t only in charge of loading the gear. He was protecting it. Angela wasn’t taking any chances that their gear, their food, would be poisoned.  She also had guards on the mess, the supply trucks, the water, and then guards on those guards. Cameras were in place, with a constant crew viewing them, and the mood was one of oppression. Seth missed the freedom, the love they’d shared under Adrian’s reign and so did the rest of the camp.“After we win,” he muttered resignedly, repeating what everyone was telling themselves. “We’ll have it back. The fences will go away and the bubble will return.”That magical sight hadn’t come into view in a while. None of the laughter and hope that had filled it before existed now and Angela refused to have a black shroud hanging over them all the time.Seth scanned the truck, the area around it, and the guards on it before hitting his radio. “We’re set. Five minutes.”Seth’s hard tone was answered quickly. Their entire team was tired, but none as much as Seth and they all knew to tiptoe right now. Many of them had returned to find their family members or loved ones already gone and it was a feeling they understood. They were ready to rip someone’s head off and it almost didn’t matter who it belonged to.

3“You’re stirring the pot kinda’ hard aren’t you?”Angela nodded, not turning to look at Cynthia. The reporter had refused to leave her side and Angela had switch her out with Morgan, who she’d originally chosen to be her personal assistant for the day. Morgan was one of the click sisters who’d recently signed up to be on the next rookie female team. Kyle would handle that now. He’d been pretty pissed upon learning that Morgan was a traitor. Her ride was bound to be long and unpleasant. Angela had gotten a glimpse of her face as Kyle left and the sister didn’t seem to know anything was wrong. She’d been laughing, happy to leave the somber camp for a while.“Ready for your stir, Cynthia?”The reporter swallowed nervously, then nodded. “Yes. Get it over with.”Angela chuckled without amusement. “What’s the rush? Kevin already left.”Cynthia froze, furious. “You told me he would be here when we got finished with rounds!”Angela moved toward the next parking area. “We’re not finished, are we? You wanted me to talk to Hilda and then Zack had a favor to ask about his sons, and then the vet needed…”“I get your point,” Cynthia snapped.Angela stopped by the main gate and took a minute to view the area around them. She was monitoring a number of people’s thoughts in their camps, but it wasn’t enough. That old feeling of cold dread swarmed over her and she drew her gun as she hit the button on her radio.“Full alert. Lock us down!”