supposed to be your Walker Companion until then?"
"You are not just a Walker Companion, Ash," he growled out. I pulled back at the fierceness of his words. The Kemper I knew was kind. He was my calm in the storm. But now he was on edge.
"That's just what you insinuated, Kemper!" I yelled, before covering my mouth. We both listened for footsteps, worried that someone would barge in. After we were sure no one was coming, I began again. "Walkers have no rights in Ethros. It feels like I'm back in Stonewell Manor, pining after what I can't have." Kemper's expression fell as he took in my words .
This wasn't what I wanted for our first kiss, and I hated that I was pouring out my insecurities all over our still new and fragile relationship, but this was always going to be an obstacle.
"Just wait. We’ll figure this out and be back in Dormas in no time. Just..." he began before looking at the door then back at me. Footsteps could be heard coming towards the room. "Don't give up on us just yet, okay? We aren't Josiah. The end goal is for all of us to be together...that is, of course, if you'll have us?"
Chapter Five
Jules didn't have to tell me how foolish Kemper and I were. Her annoyed expression said it all. I spent a few hours mindlessly hemming dresses in her room while she paced the floor. Dominique checked on us occasionally, but no one else stopped by to visit us. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. Everything went to hell just as my relationship with the guys went into unknown territory. It felt like I was standing in limbo, unsure of where they stood or where I fit in their lives. This scenario was all too familiar. Pining after what I couldn't have wasn't new to me. The only difference was that now I had a taste of freedom, and there's no way I was going back.
By noon, Jules was pulling at her hair.
"You don't think..." she began before trailing off and looking at me with exasperation. She closed her eyes, huffed, then spoke again. "...You don't think Tallis and Mia left us here, do you? He had to run to find help, right?"
I looked at her frantic expression. She was falling apart at the seams, regardless of what she wanted others to think. In what little time we spent together, I saw that her too cool demeanor was all for show. She felt like the rest of us.
"Tallis doesn't seem like someone who would leave those he loved behind." I bit my lip, nervous that I had overstepped. Speaking with Jules was always a gamble. She was temperamental and lashed out if she felt unheard or ignored.
"He does love me, doesn't he," she said in a soft voice while touching the tips of her fingers to her lips, seemingly placated.
I looked down at the floor but felt her eyes on me. I wish I felt the certainty she did. Why couldn't I just shake this doubt? Be strong and claim our truth?
"You look like shit," she said in a high pitched voice.
"I feel like it, too. Any other insults you want to throw my way?" I asked while rolling my eyes.
"I love it when you show that backbone of yours, makes you almost human." Jules resumed pacing but looked at me with squinted eyes.
I huffed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means, you act so fucking perfect all the time. You bake and bat your eyes, and the whole empire bows down at your feet. I bet if you said the word, Cy would say 'fuck the consequences' and stab Cavil over breakfast tea."
"I don't know about that," I mumbled.
"See? That! That's what I'm talking about," Jules said while sniffing the air. "I can practically smell the self-loathing and insecurities coming off of you."
"I know they care for me—"
Jules interrupted. "Care for you? Those men love you. It's annoying, really."
"—but I've been here before."
"With Josiah? That man is almost more pathetic than you. This isn't Galla, sweetheart. This isn't the posh Stonewell Manor or even the dirt streets of Dormas. This is Ethros. Pretty beaches, decent food, shitty policies. The second you're off this island, I bet those assholes propose to you."
I wanted to fight the hope building up in me, I didn't want to give Jules the pleasure of knowing that I found comfort in her harsh but reassuring words.
"You should probably