Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,232

my relationships with Kemper, Patrick, and Huxley felt like giving up on Cyler, Maverick, and Jacob.

As I walked out of the water, droplets of the acidic water tingled trails down my bare skin. It left irritated streaks of red. The sun felt more intense here, and I noticed a healthy tan along my arms, legs, and stomach. When I stood on the bank, I stretched my arms high above my head, welcoming the heat of the sun as it dried me, and gave Kemper a generous view of my naked form.

My eyes were closed, but I could feel his appraisal of me. I knew that he was savoring each inch of my skin. “You’re beautiful,” Kemper said in awe. The Galla girl I once was would have squirmed under his heated gaze, but not me. I opened my eyes to stare back at Kemper. No bashful blush donned my cheeks. I accepted his compliment and wore it like armor. I'd lost my timidness in Ethros. I might not have deserved the adoring look in Kemper's gaze, but I craved it. “I thought when I failed you in Ethros that perfection was unattainable. But looking at you now, it sure seems to exist.”

“Why’s that?” I asked, already sensing where this line of thinking was going. Why was Kemper so obsessed with perfection?

“You’re perfect, Ash. Absolutely perfect.”

I lowered my arms and wrapped them around my stomach, suddenly feeling less confident. Before Ethros, I liked the pedestal the guys put me on, but now I wanted equal ground. I didn't want to be worshipped and saved. I wanted respect and love. “I’m not perfect, Kemper. No one is. And you didn’t fail.” Dragging each step, I walked towards him with a frown on my face. “We failed. All of us.”

Kemper reached behind himself, grabbing a thick blanket hanging on a low deadlands branch. Once we were close enough, he wrapped it around my shoulders. His fingers lightly brushed along my breasts, making my heart race as he closed the fabric around me.

"How?" Kemper asked.

I wrapped the blanket tighter around me. "We didn't talk. We failed because we expected the intense love we had for one another to be enough. You self-sacrificing assholes didn't include me, and I blindly trusted that we'd never be apart. We failed each other."

“All my life, my grandfather taught me to fix the things that are broken,” Kemper said while licking his lips. “Now I want to fix you, but I don’t know where to start.”

“Don’t you think that’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself, Kemper? My brokenness isn’t your responsibility. Loving someone means accepting them as they are. I won’t be...grieving...forever. But I’m not just some problem you can fix. The sooner you realize that, the easier this will be.” For all my talk, I couldn't help but feel somewhat insecure that my brokenness was pushing him away. Could the guys handle this sort of unconditional love?

Would they ever get the chance to try?

Kemper nodded his head in agreement, but the uncertain look on his face made me doubt that he’d absorbed my words. I didn’t like feeling like a broken project. I was sad. I was angry. I was experiencing the normal progression of feelings. When you’re trying to survive, there's no time to process your grief. The empire was full of desensitized citizens, but I would rather be motivated by anger than be complacent.

"I know things are about to change," Kemper said before tucking a curly strand of my hair behind my ears. "I'm thankful for our time here, but I'm done hitting pause on our relationship. I'm going to help you get mad. I'm going to bring you back, flaws and all. I can love your brokenness, Ash. I'll cherish each little jagged piece of you."

My heart clenched, and I squeezed my eyes shut. Kemper looked so determined. I didn't have the heart to tell him that three of my jagged pieces were left behind in Ethros.

Chapter Five

“I knew you'd be fine. Maverick never fails,” she said with a flick of her wrist. Kemper and I had made our way back towards camp after I got dressed. The moment I heard Jules mention Maverick, I practically sprinted towards her, eager to hear more. I was like an addict for information.

“Is he okay? When did you see him?” I asked, done with dancing around what she knew. I wanted answers, now.

The cage was made out of carved wood and stood only about six feet