NADINE'S P.O.V
His lips were soft against mine, his palms rough and callused against my skin.
For a brief second, there was confusion because there was no logical world where Caine was kissing me and yet, it was happening.
After the initial confusion wore off, everything else seemed to fade away. The kiss was short, far shorter than I needed it to be and by the time he pulled back, I was left completely stunned. My heart was pounding in my chest but right now, it wasn't out of fear.
I opened my mouth to speak but no words would come out. Caine acted like it was nothing, merely turned away from me. I didn't know what to say and even if I did, I wasn't sure I could say it. Our lives were literally in danger and all I could think about was the fact that he had kissed me.
"It's gone," he whispered, his voice barely over a whisper. I turned to look but he stopped me. "You don't want to see what they do to their prey."
I swallowed deeply, remembering how it had attacked the bird and ripped it apart. A shiver ran down my spine.
"What now?"
"We wait to be sure it's gone and then we keep moving. There is a town not far from here. We should get there by morning."
"We're going to walk the entire night?"
"There's nowhere to sleep, princess, so unless you want to sit here aimlessly, we're walking."
I said nothing, merely nodded and waited until he gave the go ahead to get out of the tree.
We waited for like half an hour and then he got out first, he looked around, making sure that we were alone before gesturing for me to join him. My movements were slow and shaky, mainly because I tried to ignore the smell of blood and the obvious carcass a few feet away.
I tripped on a branch and would have fallen on my ass but Caine was right there, his hand reaching out for my waist to steady me.
"If you want to die, at least have the decency to let one of the monsters kill you," he mumbled but I could tell his voice held no bite.
"I'm fine now, you can let me go."
"So you'll fall and split your head open? No thanks," he lifted me easily, like I weighed a feather and placed me gently on the ground. "Try not to make any loud noises. We don't want to become anything's dinner."
He didn't wait for me to acknowledge his words, he just kept moving.
We walked in silence, our soft breathing, the only sounds that occupied the tense space between us. I couldn't help but think about the kiss but I didn't want to be the one to bring it up, not when I was exhausted and trying my best to not make a sound. One encounter with those monsters was more than enough for me.
My legs hurt, my stomach rumbled but I kept moving until the trees got less thick and we got to what seemed like a road.
I could have sobbed, could have fallen to the ground in tears. It was the first sign of civilization that I had seen in a while- or at least what was left of it.
"How far is the town?" I asked.
"Another hour on foot," Caine turned to me. "We can rest if you-"
"No," I cut him off. We were so close, if I allowed myself to stop now, I wasn't sure I would be able to get back up.
"Nadine-"
"I want to keep going," I snapped. "Aren't you the one always asking me to toughen up? Let's go."
"Okay."
Each step felt like torture and at some point, I thought I was going to hurl. I had no idea how Caine managed to do this without feeling sick, or maybe he was just better at it than I was.
By the time we started to see houses in the distance, the sun was already beginning to rise. Tears gathered at the back of my eyes but I forced them back. I couldn't cry, not until we were safe.
I hadn't seen a proper house in what felt like forever and even though they were all abandoned and empty, it still felt like a victory.
"Do we just pick any one?" I asked and Caine shook his head. "How does this work?"
"It has to be one with a functioning door and more than one exit. The last thing you want is to be stuck in a house with the monsters and no way out. Just come with me, we'll find one."
"Is there a specific one you usually stay in?"
"We never stayed in a house."
That had my brows furrowing. "Why not? How do you even know this town if you never stayed here?"
"We came here for supplies. There are a few pharmacies and stores that were left unattended after the attack. It was dangerous to stay behind."
It took another ten minutes before we found one that fit Caine's standards.
It was small and although it didn't look like much, I knew that a few years ago, it would have been a beautiful place to live. The flowers in the front lawn were dead and ivy had grown all over the walls. The door was slightly ajar but there was a key under the mat that worked.
"How did you know the key would be there?" I asked but he didn't respond. "Caine-"
"Most people keep their keys under the mat."
I knew he was lying so I stopped him. "Tell me the truth, now."
"Because I saw them do it every night before I went to bed."
"You knew this family?"
"They were my foster family. I lived here until I turned eighteen."
My eyes widened in shock. "Why didn't you-"
"I don't want to talk about it," he cut me off. "Find something else to do but leave me the fuck alone."
His dismissal hurt but I was too hungry to focus on it.
The first place I headed to was the kitchen and I nearly sobbed when I found a can of baked beans. It wasn't my favorite thing in the world but beggars couldn't be choosers. I ripped one open and grabbed a fork in the pantry before digging in.
I took two bites when I noticed something. Common sense told me not to go looking but I found myself moving towards it. I realized too late that I should have waited for Caine when I felt bile rushing up my throat.
The can fell to the ground, slicing my hand in the process but I didn't care as I rushed over to the sink and emptied the contents of my stomach.
Caine must have heard me retching because he was at my side in an instant, one hand on my waist and the other on my back. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," I tried to wave him off but once again that was the wrong move because I used my injured hand.
He grabbed it, his eyes assessing the wound. "What the fuck happened?"
"The owners of the house, they're here," I told him and his spine straightened.
"Where are they?"
I pointed towards the hallway door where my baked beans lay spilled on the ground. "They're dead."