Uprising by Shelly Crane Page A

Cain starts to stir and just as he gets up, he halts, cocks his head like he’s listening to something and then lunge forward, snatching me with all his might into his arms, almost throwing us to the ground with his momentum.
    Then a bright light that hurts to look at flashes and a quick blaze of fire and smoke and a rush of cold wind which is so strange combined with the flash of lightning that shoots up into the sky from the spot where a club went through the Lighter’s body. I know Phillip is gone.
    I see in Phillip’s place now is Merrick, headless iron golf club in hand.
    I can barely breath as I try to leap to him but my leg fails, I scream and tumble. Cain catches me up just in time to pass me to Merrick as he steps forward to accept me into his arms.
    His arm immediately wraps around my waist to support me while the other hand goes to the nape of my neck, tilting my head back with his thumb. He kisses me with such force, roughness and desperation like he’s never shown before in all the time I’ve known him.
    I cry and cry, not able to stop the hot tears of pain and happiness and relief on my cold skin. Some sobs escape in between breaths but most, Merrick’s takes into his mouth as he continues to hold my lips with his. Tasting the tears as we move I try to clear my mind and not think of the pain or what’s going on behind us. I can hear the slight tings of metal hitting. The sand blowing furiously around us. But right now, Merrick is here and I’m safe.
    The brutal kiss turns softer. All the love he has for me in so evident in this kiss. Then barely a kiss at all, just him moving his lips over mine, back and forth in a desperate motion. All I can think about is how warm and safe he is and I don’t want him to let go. Ever.
    He breaks away suddenly, gasping and glares at me, his face bright in the orange light of the dawning morning.
    “Why don’t you listen? I told you to run. You never listen! Don’t ever do that to me again. I thought I lost you...for real this time,” he whispers the last part against my lips, then pulls back to look me over, head to toe, then grunts angrily. “Sherry! What happened to your leg? And your neck?”
    I say that Phillip did it and leave it at that, that’s why I couldn’t run. He can see my leg’s broken and that’s all that matters right now. I wasn’t about to tell him I was attacked by three Lighters, so far.
    He looks at me with a broken expression. One of hurt and pain on my behalf. He hates the fact that I’m hurt and he wasn’t here to stop it. He touches my cheek softly with his hand and pulls back like he hadn’t noticed me being cold before when he was kissing me.
    “Gah, baby, you’re freezing. Here.”
    He removes the jacket he’s wearing and helps me shrug it on. It’s so warm from him wearing it that I actually sigh out loud. Merrick doesn’t feel the hot or cold like we do, and I’m so grateful that even with all the chaos, he still managed to remember my needs and bring a coat for me.
    He lifts and cradles me in his arms and turns to walk back to the store and the waiting crowd. I don’t speak and neither does he for a few minutes. I bury my face in his warm neck and continue to cry and breath heavy in pain. He is careful not to jostle my leg but it still hurts and throbs and my hiccup crying isn’t helping anything.
    He kisses my hair and rubs his scruffy chin over it murmuring to me.
    “I’ve got you. You’re safe with me.”
    Our peace doesn’t last for long. Merrick quickly picks up the pace and I refuse to lift my eyes and look. My mind and stress level with lack of food and warmth can’t possibly handle another assault.
    He whispers to me.
    “Hang on. I’m sorry, this’ll hurt.”
    I know he’s about to do the inhuman blur run, which won’t feel great on my broken leg so I grit my teeth as I feel the wind pick up around us, cold sand blasting my face and bare broken leg.
    Murmurs, shouts, clanging and grunts I can hear