Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,244

my tears of relief and sadness wash over us. Patrick had said that Jacob was with him when he went to the transport in Ethros, but they had gotten separated. I’d always just assumed that Jacob went back to Maverick and Cyler.

I had tried not to let my dark thoughts trick me into worrying that he was hurt. But as much as I avoided them, my worst fears were confirmed. Jacob was hurt, and it was all my fault.

“Ash,” he whispered over my lips. My need for him was sharp, like a knife twisting in my gut and demanding to be felt. “Ash, so-so-sorry.” He stuttered like his words struggled to escape his lips.

“I love you. I love you. I love you,” I whispered over and over. I couldn’t say it enough. I wanted to bathe in my love for him.

“I-I. I love. Love you.” He struggled to force his words out, and I sobbed while peppering more kisses along his jaw.

“What happened?” I choked out. Jacob’s shoulders slumped, and he looked over my head at Jules.

I felt a hand on my back, and I turned to see her sympathetic frown. I knew it was bad if she was showing empathy or emotions. “Jacob was attacked by guards while trying to escape. He suffered some extensive damage. He’s still the same Jacob though. He just struggles to articulate his words. He’s gotten a lot better. I'm just happy the idiot is awake. He was in a coma for a while."

More tears fell down my cheeks. “I didn’t want to tell you until you saw for yourself. He asked me to wait so you wouldn’t worry,” Jules explained while looking tenderly at her friend.

I placed a hand on Jacob’s chest before wrapping my arms around him and hugging him tightly. “Tallis was the one that found him. He was coming to rescue me and stopped the guards trying to kill him. It’s been a long road to recovery.”

I didn’t care. I’d take Jacob in whatever form I got him. I’d love him until my last breath. I’d support him. Help him navigate this difficult prognosis with love and respect.

“I love you, Jacob. I love you,” I whispered once more. It was like I couldn’t say it enough. I needed him to know that my love for him could overshadow the time that separated us and the pain he experienced. I loved him more than words could ever say. I pulled away as Huxley, Patrick, and Kemper came up to greet their friend. Jacob’s eyes lit up, but he still struggled to speak.

“You scared the fuck out of me,” Patrick said while patting him on the back. “It wasn’t enough that you were the most handsome out of all of us, now you had to add a badass scar to the persona?” he joked, making Jacob let lose a hearty but choked laugh that sounded like pure music to my ears.

"Jacob might steal your role as the broody silent one," Patrick then added while nudging his brother in the side. Huxley simply rolled his eyes in response.

Naturally, Kemper began asking Jules a series of questions about Jacob. He was in fix-it mode, and for once, his need for perfection and peace didn’t bother me. I wanted to help in whatever way I could too.

Another lost piece of my heart clicked into place, but also, my need for revenge intensified. Reuniting with Jacob brought the anger that had been bubbling below the surface to a raging inferno. I had Jacob back but had lost another part of myself to the numbing need to kill Cavil for what he’s done.

After our reunions were done, we made our way inside the warehouse. Tallis told us that we had to keep moving. He was eager to get us to the safety of the Zone, and I wondered what that said about Cavil’s reign if it was safer there than it was in downtown Galla. Tallis had changed too. The wise way he carried himself had become more direct, more sharpened. Although I’d known him to be fierce and observant, he had also grown to move with a sharpness that I hadn’t recognized before. His cool confidence was now quick and intentional.

Kemper sent the transport further out away from us so that if someone stumbled upon it, they wouldn’t decide to snoop around the warehouse. Inside, the building wasn’t particularly spectacular. To an outsider, it would simply look like one of the many manufacturing plants that have