Survive the Monsters and Breed 4 Chapter 3

“Oh, dear God, how many of ‘em are there?” Devonna asked as she got to her feet.

“You don’t feel too bad about killing Jesus now, do you?” Shanice muttered as she took a fighting stance with her spear stuck straight out.

The foxes made their way out of the cave to stand with their pack mate, and suddenly we were head to head with a pack of nearly thirty of the little fuckers. Each looked more vicious than the last, and even though they looked like normal arctic foxes aside from the creepy fucking teeth, I had to wonder if they’d been spliced with something that I just couldn’t see.

Either way, they were pissed off, and we were definitely the target of that anger.

Our opponents were small, but their numbers were intimidating. It was like fighting a pack of fucking Chihuahuas. They may not be the biggest enemy, but they were ferocious as all hell.

The little white foxes snarled and snapped as they slowly stalked out of the cave toward us. Spit flew from between their piranha-like teeth, and their thin lips twitched furiously as their ears went flat against their skulls.

“There’s so many,” Sarah whispered. “Jake, what should we do?”

“We need to take them out,” I said. “But try and keep your distance if you can. They might be small, but we don’t want to get bit.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Devonna growled, and she stepped forward and swung her club at the ground. “Come here, Jesus, you little asshole!”

A couple of the foxes leapt at Devonna’s legs in an attempt to bite her, but the rest of them sprawled out and found other opponents.

Before I could blink, there were ten of them surrounding me. They took turns leaping at my feet and nipping at me with their razor sharp teeth. After a moment,  I realized they probably thought I was a larger predator because of the polar bear hide I was wearing.

I swung my sword out to try and keep the little bastards off of me,  but they were already behind me, and one of them grabbed onto the polar bear fur and threw its head from side to side trying to rip it off. If they weren’t so damn ferocious, I’d think they were kind of cute.

I took a second to get my bearings. I was outnumbered, and I needed to be smart about how I took out my tiny opponents. They were going to keep attacking me, and with how quick they were, I didn’t think I’d be able to keep them away or take out more than one at once. I was going to have to go one by one.

“Fuck it,” I breathed, and I took my sword and stabbed at the one nearest to my leg.

The little fox leapt back just in time to avoid my blade, but I was ready for its dodge, and I stabbed at it again. This time, my sword sunk into the fur on its back and went straight down through its ribcage.

A little yelp sounded as the fox turned around and tried to snap at my blade with his vicious teeth, but once I yanked my sword out, the little creature slowly tumbled to the ground as blood pooled around it.

The death of their comrade seemed to piss off the other foxes even more. They snarled and made a strange sort of howling noise as they leapt at me with newfound tenacity.

Their doubled efforts worked in that they were able to get a grip on my coat a few times, but I was ready with my sword, and I stabbed whatever one I could get to first.

I caught one in the head, but my blade didn’t go all the way in, so I yanked it out and stabbed it in the back instead.

The air was filled with the loud reverberations as the foxes screeched and yelped, and Devonna screamed profanities at them.

A small, extra vicious one with dark brown eyes leapt at me, and I stabbed it straight through the neck. But before I could yank my blade out, another was right next to it snapping at the end of my sword. So I stabbed it through the side, and then I flung my blade down so both of the injured foxes slid down the cool metal to land in the snow.

Red blood pooled around them, but before I could breathe a sigh of relief, another one leapt up and nearly made it to my face before I batted it out of the air with my hand.

“Jesus,” I breathed.

“I already got him!” Devonna yelled.

The little fox snarled and ran at me again, but this time when it leapt into the air, I sliced at it with my blade and cut it damn near in two. It let out a little yelp as I cut through the soft underside of its belly. Then it fell to the ground and landed next to its already dead friends.

I’d lost count of how many I’d killed already, but even more rushed toward my feet while others leapt in the air to try and get at my face. They came at me in a flurry, like a fluffy white tornado of piranha teeth and yaps, and for a moment, I didn’t know which way to look or which one to go after.

I tried to get my bearings, but they were howling and snarling and swirling all around me. So I just started swinging.

I swung my blade wildly, and immediately, I hit one of the nasty little fuckers. I damn near cut the snarling creature in half, but another quickly popped up to replace it.

I swung again, and this time I caught two in the air and sent them flying out into the tundra. Then I swung low at the ones at my feet and caught three at once.

The snow continued to flurry in my eyes, but I kept swinging and stabbing until it was just me and one last fluffy little menace. This one was limping on his front paw, so I knew he was already injured, but that wasn’t going to stop him.

He snarled at me with his creepy piranha teeth before lunging at my feet. I was ready for him, and I swung my sword with the flat end and caught him mid-air to send him hurling back to the ground. Then I stabbed him through the head with the tip of my blade.

The crunching feel of his skull made my skin crawl, but what was even more unnerving was that my blade went straight through his head and hit more dead bodies beneath it. The ground was littered with the carcasses of the little creetons, and it was stained red with their blood.

As I looked around me, I realized there had to have been more than thirty of them in the cave. Hell, there were nearly thirty just at my feet, and the women had each taken out at least ten.

Another couple of yelps sounded as Sarah finished with the ones at her feet, and then everything went deathly quiet as I looked around to make sure there were no more waiting to attack.

All the ones around me were dead, and there were more bloody carcasses littered around the women as well.

“I think we’re clear,” I said.

“Thank god,” Devonna groaned. “Let’s get in this damn cave already.”

“You don’t seem too upset about killing Jesus now,” Shanice laughed.

“Are you kiddin’?” Devonna scoffed. “Those were nasty little critters. I can’t believe I ever even thought to name ‘em after our Lord and savior.”

“Gee, if only someone had said as much.” Shanice smirked.

The wind picked up, and a shudder ran through my body as snow flurried around me.

“Come on,” I said through chattering teeth, and I carefully stepped over the dead foxes in front of me and walked toward the cave entrance.

I stepped inside and immediately felt relief from the cold wind that continued to howl outside.

“Oh, that’s so nice already,” Devonna sighed as she came up behind me.

The cave was dark as hell, so I used my sword as a walking stick to see how large it was, but after a moment, I came to what appeared to be the end. We’d only gone about ten feet inside, and for a second, I stood dumbfounded as I reached my hand out to feel the cool rock in front of me.

“What’s wrong?” Shanice asked.

“Nothing.” I shook my head. “It’s just that this is the end.”

“What do you mean this is the end?” Sarah pushed.

“The cave doesn’t go any further,” I clarified.

“In any direction?” Em asked.

“Not that I can tell,” I said. “I used my sword as a sort of cane, and I didn’t feel anything.”

“Well, are we all in?” Shanice asked.

“B-b-barely,” Natasha piped up from where she stood at the cave entrance.

“Come on,” Shanice said, and she reached back and grabbed Natasha’s arm to pull her in the middle of everyone. “Get in here. You look like you’re about to turn blue.”

“Da.” Natasha nodded and continued to shiver as she stood in the middle of everyone.

“Are you alright?” I asked, and I couldn’t help but frown as I watched the Russian woman’s small body shake.

“I will be f-f-fine,” Natasha chattered. “Just give me minute to w-w-warm up.”

“Let’s get a fire going,” Em suggested.

“Where?” Sarah asked. “This cave is tiny.”

“We should put it close to the entrance,” the Asian woman said. “It will help keep the cold out and keep the warmth inside.”

“Where are the supplies?” Shanice asked.

“Shit, they’re right outside,” Em whispered. “I’m sorry, I’ll go get them.”

“No, it’s okay,” I told her. “I’ll go.”

“You don’t have to–”

“Stay,” I told her, and I took my polar bear coat off and placed it around Natasha’s shoulders.

Then I carefully pushed through the rest of the women and out the entrance of the cave. Just outside was littered with the carcasses of the dead foxes, and the bright white snow was stained red, but already the color was muddled by the newly fallen snow that continued to accumulate by the inch.

I spotted our sled full of supplies and braved the freezing wind and swirling snow to retrieve it. I’d only been inside the cave for a few moments, and already I’d forgotten just how frigid it was out here. The wind made it ten times colder than it was, and by the time I made it the five steps over to the sled, I was already shivering.

I quickly dug the rope out of the snow and dragged the sled back to the cave entrance.

“Jake,” Shanice tsked as I stepped inside the small cave. “You shouldn’t have gone out there without your coat.”

“I have this smaller one on,” I pointed out. “Besides, Natasha needed it more.”

“I d-do feel b-better already,” the Russian woman agreed. “Thank you, Jake.”

“Of course.” I smiled, but then a shiver ran through my body, and I rubbed my hands together vigorously to warm them up. “Brr. Okay, let’s get this damn fire going.”

“I’ll help,” Em offered.

“Is there anything we can do?” Sarah asked.

“Get settled in,” I told her. “Em and I will have a fire going in no time.”

“Alright,” Sarah agreed.

Em made her way to the cave entrance where I was, and we carefully built a small pyramid out of the sticks we’d brought with us. Then we used some flint to strike a fire onto some dried-out moss before placing the moss at the base of our pyramid.

My hands were still freezing, and it was hard to move them properly, but after a minute or two, the feeling started to come back to them. The familiar prickling sensation of them getting warmer reminded me of being a child and coming inside after a long few hours playing in the snow.

Except then my mother would have tea or hot chocolate and cookies waiting for me. Now it was just dried meat and melted snow to drink.

But my women were safe, and we would be warm soon. That was all that mattered at the moment.

The fire took, and I let it burn for a few minutes before carefully placing another few pieces of wood on top of the others.

Finally, we had a small but roaring fire that cast a nice orange glow inside the cave to show all the women huddled in the back together with my polar bear coat strewn across them. The cave was short enough that there was only about a meter between their feet and the flames, and for the first time since we’d stepped foot in the tundra, they seemed somewhat comfortable.

“Room for two more?” I asked as I walked over to the group.

“Get in here,” Sarah laughed and grabbed my hand to pull me in next to her.

“Hey, Jake said he would keep me warm tonight,” Devonna pouted.

“I can keep you all warm,” I chuckled.

“I don’t know,” Shanice said. “The fire’s doing a damn good job. You might need to look for work elsewhere.”

“I’m fine with that.” I smiled. “I know when I’ve been beat.”

“Here, at least sit between us,” Devonna said, and she scooted over to make room for me.

“Alright,” I agreed, and I squeezed in between Sarah and Devonna while Em curled up between Shanice and Natasha.

Soon enough, we were all huddled at the back of the cave with the polar bear fur on top of us and the fire warming our feet.

Just past the flames, I watched the snow continue to accumulate outside. It seemed to be rising quickly, and at this rate, the fox bodies would be covered in a matter of hours.

“Is strange,” Natasha interrupted the silence.

“What?” I asked.

“The foxes.” She cocked her head to the side. “Arctic fox are not usually pack creatures.”

“They’re not?” Devonna asked.

“No.” The Russian woman shook her head. “Typically they are lone hunters.”

“You mean they don’t usually have packs like that?” Sarah asked. “Are you sure?”

“I am from Russia,” Natasha said with a playful glare at her redheaded friend. “Arctic fox is solitary creature and quite skittish. Except in mating season, of course.”

“That is strange,” Sarah mused. “I wonder why they were in a pack here.”

“Only their teeth seemed mutated,” I pointed out. “At least as far as I could tell.”

“Da,” Natasha agreed. “Other than piranha-like teeth, they appeared as typical arctic fox to me.”

“So, their biology has been altered,” Em said. “But not as much as some of the other animals we’ve seen. Still, their habits changing so much is concerning.”

“What does that mean exactly?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah, why did we have to take on fifteen of those little bastards if there’s usually only one?” Devonna huffed and shook her head.

“Could be monsters in room,” Natasha said.

“What do they have to do with it?” Sarah asked.

“Monsters would be new predators to environment,” Natasha explained. “Perhaps their presence has driven smaller animals that are not usually pack creatures to seek refuge in numbers.”

“Could that really happen?” the redhead asked, and she turned to look at me with wide, horrified eyes.

“Is not impossible.” Natasha shrugged. “Nature is good at adapting to new conditions.”

“So, all the animals in the rooms are being affected by the monsters,” Shanice sighed. “Not just the humans.”

“That would make sense,” I said. “I mean, they’ve got to eat something when we’re not around.”

“Unless someone’s feedin’ em,” Devonna said.

“Maybe.” I frowned. “But I doubt it. Whoever put us in here created these enclosed spaces. I’m sure they want each room to function outside of their direct control.”

“Da.” Natasha nodded. “Them having to come in and feed creatures would affect data they collect. If they want to see how we deal with monsters, it would not make sense for them to interject.”

“Do you think that’s why they have other animals in here at all?” Devonna asked. “I did always wonder why there were other critters in the rooms.”

“Well, that might be partially to blame,” Em said, and she looked up as she thought. “But I think it’s more likely that the other animals are necessary to the ecosystem. Like Jake said, if this place is supposed to run on its own, then they need certain kinds of animals to keep everything in balance.”

“What do you mean ‘certain kinds of animals?’” Devonna pushed.

“Well, some animals are seed carriers,” the Asian woman explained. “The ecosystem would need them to keep the vegetation thriving. And those animals are probably prey to larger animals, and so on and so forth. Without prey animals, the predators wouldn’t survive, and without predators, the prey animals would quickly overpopulate and probably run out of food.”

“Exactly.” I nodded. “Em’s right. Ecosystems require balance. The monsters are probably throwing it off and making some animals behave in ways that they wouldn’t usually behave in the wild.”

“Hm.” Devonna pursed her lips. “The predator and prey thing makes sense, but what’s a seed carrier?”

“Uh, it’s an animal that eats fruits and other things that have seeds,” Em explained, and her face flushed a bright pink in the firelight.

“What’s eatin’ ‘em got to do with carrying them?” the Southern woman asked. “Or wait, is it like squirrels? How they hide all them nuts? Do the seeds grow from their hidey holes?”

“Um, not exactly.” Em bit her lip and looked around nervously as she tried to think of the right words.

“They poop out the seeds,” Shanice said with an eye roll.

“Oooohhh.” Devonna nodded slowly. “That makes sense. Em, why didn’t you just say that?”

“I… I don’t know,” Em chuckled and shook her head. Then she looked down at the floor and tried not to look embarrassed.

“So, them little things aren’t supposed to be in a pack,” Devonna said. “But with how many of ‘em there are, couldn’t we skin ‘em and make a coat or somethin’? ‘Cause I think I could use another layer out there. And Natasha, too.”

“Another layer would be nice,” I sighed. “But I don’t think that’s possible.”

“But they’d be so warm,” the Southern woman pouted.

“Damn, you turned on Jesus real quick,” Sarah snickered.

“He turned on me first,” Devonna huffed. “And only the fox Jesus, not the real one.”

“I like the idea,” Shanice said. “But it would take way too long to turn their hides into something wearable. We’re talking weeks, if not months.”

“Really?” Devonna asked.

“Remember the jaguar hide we tried to tan,” I reminded her. “That didn’t work out well at all.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true.” She pursed her lips and pushed them to the side. “We didn’t really know what we were doin’, either.”

“I know how to tan,” Shanice said. “But I’m telling you, it would take way too long. We don’t have that kind of time.”

“Let’s hope not,” Sarah agreed. “I don’t want to be in here any longer than we have to.”

“I wonder how long it took Randy to tan the polar bear hide,” Devonna said, and she reached down and gently brushed the fur with her hand.

“I would say at least two weeks,” Shanice said. “Minimum. This is a big hide, and it’s thick as hell.”

Suddenly, the light shifted outside, and I looked out the cave to see that it was getting darker.

“Wait a second,” Devonna said, and she pointed to the entrance. “Did it just get dark out or are my eyes messin’ with me?”

“It’s definitely getting darker out there,” I confirmed.

“It’s only midday.” Sarah frowned. “That can’t be right.”

“Well, usually the days are way shorter in winter,” Em pointed out. “Maybe that’s the case here, too.”

“You mean it gets dark at like two o’clock?” Devonna gasped.

“Doesn’t it get dark earlier in the south, too?” I asked.

“Yeah, but at like six o’clock,” Devonna said.

“Right, it’s not that bad,” Sarah agreed. “Mid afternoon, though? That sounds awful.”

“It’s not great,” I chuckled. “The sun used to be setting by the time I’d get home from school.”

“Me, too,” Em laughed.

“Y’all are kiddin’, right?” Devonna scoffed.

“Nope.” I grinned. “Winter is brutal in the north.”

“Da.” Natasha nodded. “Brutal.”

“I guess I never really thought about it that much,” Devonna said, and she shook her head sadly. “You poor northerners. Were you ever warm?”

“We’re not orphans from the eighteenth century,” Em laughed.

“Well, I don’t know,” Devonna giggled. “It kinda sounds like it with the way y’all talk about winter. Like damn, you must have some good heaters in your houses.”

“It’s kind of a must,” I pointed out. “If you don’t have good heat you could literally die.”

“Your power bills must have been huge.” Sarah shook her head and let out a deep sigh.

“It wasn’t that bad,” I said, and I stifled a laugh at her overreaction. “You all are acting like winter beat us up and took our lunch money as kids or something.”

“I mean, didn’t it?” Sarah asked.

“No,” Em chuckled loudly. “I liked winter as a kid. It was fun.”

“You poor child,” Devonna cooed. “I’m sure you thought you liked it.”

“Okay, okay.” I held my hands up to silence everyone, but I couldn’t help but laugh. “I get that it sounds bad, but you all never got to see the good side of winter.”

“Like what?” Sarah asked.

“Like snowball fights,” Em said. “And sledding.”

“Skiing or snowboarding,” I added. “My dad used to take me to the mountain at least a dozen times every winter to snowboard.”

“Da,” Natasha chimed in. “Neighborhood kids and I used to make snow forts and have wars. One of my friends’ fathers even made us snow catapult to annihilate the other team.”

“I know y’all are tryin’ to say this is fun and all, and now that I’m thinkin’ about it, I do remember seein’ it in movies and stuff,” Devonna said, “but I’m just havin’ a hard time wrappin’ my mind around the fact that y’all used to throw frozen water at each other for fun. I mean, you see how that seems a little… sad?”

“It’s not sad,” I chuckled. “Once this is all over, we’ll have a snowball fight and you’ll see how fun it can be.”

“No, thank you,” Devonna said in a calm, collected tone.

“Oh, come on,” I urged.

“I’ll pass, thanks,” she said.

“Suit yourself,” Em chuckled. “Me and Jake will have fun with everyone else.”

“Actually, I don’t want to snowball fight, either,” Natasha said.

“Yeah, count me out,” Sarah added.

“Shanice?” I asked hopefully.

“Not a chance in hell,” the dark-skinned woman said seriously.

“Maybe our childhoods were sad,” Em whispered to me, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Nah, they’re just jealous,” I said.

“Mhmm, yup.” Devonna nodded. “Whatever you gotta tell yourself.”

“She’s so mean,” Em chuckled.

“Isn’t she, though?” I teased, and I flashed Devonna a quick wink.

“Oh, hush.” Devonna grinned. “You know you love it.”

“Not sure about that,” I laughed. “But I love you, so I guess I’ll deal with it.”

“Damn right you will,” she said, and she leaned over and put her head on my chest.

The women all settled in and seemed to relax, so I figured it was time to let them get some rest. We’d only been in the tundra for half a day so far, but it had been one hell of a time. With the amount of walking we’d done in the snow, I knew they were just as tired as I was. Besides, there was something about being cold that just took a lot out of the body. It took a lot of energy to try and stay warm, so even after a few hours in the cold, I was exhausted.

But I wasn’t willing to let anyone else take watch in here, at least not yet. If those huge people showed up, or a monster arrived at our door, I’d rather be the first to deal with it. I trusted all of the women to be able to keep watch, but I was also incredibly protective over them, and I wanted to do whatever I could to make sure they were all safe in this new room.

“Alright,” I said, and I got to my feet. “I think it’s time you all get some rest.”

“Noooo,” Devonna pouted and pulled on my hand. “Come back. You’re so cozy.”

“I should really sit by the entrance,” I told her with a small smile. “But you all have a nice blanket, and I’ll keep the fire going. It might not be the most comfortable place we’ve stayed, but try and get some sleep, yeah?”

“Okay.” The Southern woman nodded and yawned. Then she snuggled closer to Natasha and pulled the blanket up to her shoulder.

“Wake me up when you get tired,” Shanice offered. “I’ll take over.”

“Thanks,” I said, and I walked over to sit next to the fire and look out the cave entrance.

I carefully tossed a couple more pieces of wood on the flames, and then I settled against the cave wall as I watched the snow come down outside.

The women were quiet as they all got comfortable in their makeshift bed, and after a few minutes, the sound of their heavy breathing filled the cave.

I glanced over to see them all curled up together, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Shanice was on one end of the group, with Em right next to her, and the two women had their foreheads pressed together in the most adorable way. Next in line was Natasha, and the short blonde woman had her arms and legs wrapped around Sarah with her face snuggled up against her side. The redhead didn’t seem to mind, though, and she had her hand laid over Natasha’s.

Devonna was on the other end of the group, and she had her back pressed up against Sarah and her knees pulled to her chest in the fetal position. Her long, black hair blended in with the rock around us, and her chest rose and fell slowly with her even, heavy breaths.

All of them looked more perfect than any women I’d known before, and they were so incredible that I wanted to picture them snuggled up anywhere but in a fucking frozen cave.

My smile quickly faded as I thought about what the hell I was doing here. We woke up in the jungle room just under a month ago, and from that point on, our world had been utterly crazy. These rooms were a test of strength and will, and while I was glad we’d made it this far, I wasn’t going to stop until we found the way out of here.

No matter what was on the other side of these walls, I wanted to see it for myself.

While the women slept, I grabbed one of the pots Eileen had given us and ventured out into the snow with it. I quickly filled it with freshly fallen snow as the wind swirled around me, and by the time I made it back into the cave, I was already shivering.

I shook myself off and set the pot next to the fire so the snow could melt and we would have fresh water to drink in the morning. We’d all been so preoccupied with getting warm, that we’d completely forgotten to eat or get a drink of water. But it didn’t matter now, I’d make sure it was ready for them when they woke up. Besides, it was going to take a while for the snow to fully melt. And once the first pot melted, I’d need to put more in until the liquid reached the top. There were six of us, and we needed to keep our energy up, which meant we needed to drink as much water as possible, even if it was a painfully slow process to get it.

As I watched the snow melt, I heard a small whimper coming from the women.

My eyebrows pulled together as I turned to look at the group. Nobody was moving at first, but after a few seconds, the whimpering started again, and it was followed by Sarah turning her head from side to side.

The redhead’s body jerked as her whimpers became louder, and her face contorted with fear and anger.

She was having a bad dream. And I needed to wake her up before she woke up everyone else.

I made my way over to the redhead and carefully pried Natasha’s arms and legs off of her. The whimpering intensified to moans, and I gently grabbed her shoulder and gave it a little shake.

“Sarah,” I whispered as she continued to turn her head from side to side. “Sarah, wake up.”

The redhead let out another little groan, so I shook her shoulder a bit harder.

Suddenly, she shot upright and tore in ragged breaths as she looked around with wild, dark brown eyes.

“It’s okay, you’re alright,” I assured her as I crouched down next to her and turned her chin so she had to look at me. “Deep breaths.”

“Wh-what happened?” she asked, and a confused look came over her face as she took in her surroundings.

“You were having a bad dream,” I explained. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah.” She nodded and took a deep breath. “I’m glad it was just a dream. Whew, it felt so real.”

“What were you dreaming about?” I whispered.

“Those damn foxes,” she said with a small smile and a shake of her head. “I dreamt that there were hundreds of them. They just kept barreling through the cave door at us.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, but I had to stifle a laugh at the contents of her dream.

Suddenly, Shanice stirred and rolled over, and Sarah pressed her lips together.

“Oops,” she said in a low voice. “I don’t want to wake anyone up.”

“Do you think you can go back to sleep?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she sighed. “I think I need a minute.”

“Come over by the fire,” I suggested. “I have water.”

“Oh, thank god,” she breathed. “Water sounds amazing right now.”

I helped Sarah carefully pry herself out from under the covers and step around the other women.

Devonna immediately huffed and scooted next to Natasha. The Russian woman eagerly wrapped her arms around Devonna, smacked her lips, and let out an adorable little snore.

I shook my head at Natasha’s ability to cuddle with literally anything, and then I led Sarah over to the fire, and we sat down together next to the flames.

“After everyone went to sleep, I realized we didn’t get anything to eat or drink,” I explained as I handed her the now half-melted snow.  “Are you hungry?”

“No.” She shook her head, took a drink from the wooden bowl, and closed her eyes with a contented sigh. “Mmm, that’s good, though. Thank you.”

“Of course.” I smiled. “I’m sorry you had a bad dream.”

“It’s alright.” She shrugged. “It happens. Besides, I get to keep you company for a little while.”

“That is a plus,” I admitted.

“Were you getting lonely over here by yourself?” she teased.

“Always,” I said. “But you ladies deserve all the rest you can get.”

“So do you,” the redhead said with a frown. “You do more than any of us. If anyone deserves to rest, it’s you.”

“We’re a team,” I insisted. “I wouldn’t be here today without all of you.”

“I think that’s the other way around,” Sarah mused with a shy smile. “But I appreciate the compliment.”

“Not a compliment,” I said. “Just a fact.”

“You’re a real charmer, you know that?” she joked, and her dark brown eyes sparkled with the firelight.

“I try.” I grinned.

“You succeed,” she chuckled softly, and she turned back to the women who were still sleeping. “You don’t think they’ll wake up, do you?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, if I wanted to… keep you company for a little longer.” Sarah bit her lip. “I don’t want to wake anyone up.”

“Oh,” I said, and my stomach instantly filled with nervous flutters. “No, I don’t think so. We can always be quiet if you’re worried, but everyone seemed pretty tired.”

“Well, if anything, I know we don’t have to worry about Natasha,” she chuckled.

“Yeah, she sleeps like the dead,” I laughed.

“Dead and buried,” Sarah snorted, but then she turned to smile at me. “Does that mean you’re okay with me staying up a little longer?”

“If it means I get to spend some time with you, then absolutely,” I said, and my pants grew tighter with my growing anticipation.

“Good,” Sarah breathed, and she set the bowl down and scooted closer to me.

Then she slowly ran her fingers up my chest until she reached my neck before looking up at me through dark, heavy lashes.

Sarah’s plump pink lips parted ever so slightly, and her fingers trembled against my skin. The anticipation of her lips on mine was enough to drive me wild, and after a moment, I couldn’t hold myself back.

She let out a soft sigh as I leaned down and captured her lips with my own. Then I wrapped one arm around her back and hooked the other under her knees so I could pull her to sit on my lip.

“Ohhh, Jake,” she gasped as she felt my erection through my pants. “I need you…”