Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,208

I tossed it to Cyler.

"What do you expect me to do with this?" he asked us. It was his first full sentence in the three hours since we found out that Jules was sick. Jules perked up at the sound of his voice .

“How about you paint my nails instead of sitting there like a sad sack of shit,” Jules whispered.

Jacob, who was sitting at her feet, burst out laughing. “Any other colors? I want to paint her toes lime green,” he forced out. Jacob seemed to step into the role of caregiver while Cyler battled his grief and Maverick battled the complex mutation of the vaccine. He took on Kemper’s selflessness and Patrick’s desire to smooth out tension, all while being physically there for Jules.

Before, I understood why Jules fell in love with Jacob. It was nearly impossible not to fall in love with his charm, kindness and good looks. However, now that I saw their dynamic more clearly, I understood that her feelings for him were inevitable. Jacob instinctually cared for her, and it made me love him all the more.

“We don’t have green, but I think I saw black in here somewhere?” Once more, I dug through the bag until I found the second polish and handed it to him. Our fingers brushed against one another, and we lingered for a moment, each providing the other solidarity and support, before I made my way back to the leather couch.

Cyler didn’t say a word, but followed Jacob’s lead as he began clumsily painting Jules’ nails. It was an adorable sight. She fell asleep before they were finished, but I was glad that she saw them care for her. I forced myself to remain calm and disconnected from my worry and grief, but seeing Cyler so...empty, was distressing. I knew that, should Maverick not finalize the cure, they would be broken by the guilt of losing Jules. Especially now that they were on the cusp of rebuilding their relationship.

Allaire cursed while typing away on the main computer just as Kemper came jogging through the door. He had spent the last hour trying to find the soldier schedule for the signal station. The dim look on his face didn't ease my anxiety.

“I have news,” he began with a whisper while watching Cyler and Jacob finish up painting Jules’ nails. “Because the signal station is essentially the information hub of Ethros, it's heavily guarded. Tonight, they will be short-staffed thanks to Cavil’s narcissistic homecoming party. But…”

Kemper looked at Jules who was lying on the table. Sweat had begun to gather on her forehead, but occasionally she shivered. Before I could respond, Patrick and Huxley entered the lab. They had spent the last hour or so walking the streets, trying to find clues as to what Cavil had planned for the evening.

Patrick looked to Jules with a sympathetic frown before speaking. “There will definitely be an execution tonight. No confirmation that it's Josiah, but I spoke with a Walker, and he mentioned that there was a bulk order sent to Cavil’s estate for alcohol.”

So not only would the soldiers be short-staffed, but they would be distracted and under the influence, too. It would have been perfect for escaping, but again, we all looked to Jules and realized none of this information mattered.

“Well. I think we all agree that we shouldn't go anywhere until Maverick can administer the cure to Jules,” I said. I refused to even vocalize the alternative, which was that Maverick could fail.

The guys looked to one another, and Maverick ignored our conversation. He was too absorbed in his work to pay attention.

“We could always split up?” Huxley suggested, and an immediate scowl hit my face. I felt it like an anvil of frustration, weighing down my expression.

“Absolutely not,” I responded. I watched as they exchanged glances full of meaning. Jules let out a loud cough, distracting us from the conversation at hand. We all stood there for a moment in silence before Maverick spoke up.

“You should probably go get ready, Ash. The party starts in an hour, and Cavil is expected to arrive in three. The only thing we do know for sure is that you need to be there. I’m putting together what we’ve got. It’ll be ready to administer within the hour, but...” Maverick trailed off before resuming his furious typing.

“We need to keep Cavil from the lab. If he knows that we’re testing out our findings, it’ll just put us one step closer to outliving our