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AJ furiously ran until he was out of breath and near the edge of the village, then he collapsed against a tree and hugged his knees close to his chest. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have thought that Emma would ever love him; a man who was practically scared of his own shadow! He thought back to all the instances he’d lacked in bravery on their journey to get to civilisation. There were many, and to Emma he must’ve seemed like such a coward and a weakling. No wonder she preferred Nick.


He stayed there, inconspicuous under the tree, and mentally tried to think of moments he’d let Emma know his feelings. There weren’t any. It had all been wishful thinking on his part. He felt like kicking himself for not taking action sooner. He never usually had a problem picking up the girls, but then again, maybe that was because he didn’t care about any of the girls he’d hooked up with in Endwise.


It wasn’t Nick’s fault, he knew that, but it didn’t stop the jealously from rearing its ugly head. “Fucker” he muttered to himself as he pictured Emma and Nick together, “I’ll show them!”


~*~


“Sir, we’re running short on supplies, are you sure this is a wise decision?” one of the more senior guards asked the Luminary.


“Are you questioning my authority…Peter?” the Luminary glared at him, daring him to say another word against him. Who the hell did he think he was talking to?


“No sir. It’s just that the men are weary…”


“And maybe those men ought to consider themselves lucky to be in such a prestigious position. They are easily expendable!”the Luminary retorted venomously.


“Yes sir. I didn’t mean anything by it and I’m sure I speak for everyone else when I tell you how honored I am to serve you in the guard” Peter grovelled, much to the Luminary’s delight.


“I’m glad to hear that” the Luminary grinned, a smile which didn’t reach his cold blue eyes. “But I suppose you are right, we could dispense with a few more men. Select a few and send them back to Endwise. I’m sure Howie will be grateful for an update on the situation out here”


“I’ll get right onto it sir” Peter replied and went to tell the men the good news.


The Luminary would’ve preferred to go it alone, but he also knew that to go into Kevin’s village alone would be foolish. There may be a blood bond between the two men, but they hated one another intensely.

With just four men to carry out the Luminary’s new mission, they set off along the overgrown road.


~*~


“There you are!” Nick exclaimed when AJ came back the following morning. “We were all wondering where you’d got to”


“I just needed some space, it was getting a little claustrophobic” AJ shrugged, like it was no big deal. What did it matter to anyone where he’d gone? He wasn’t a captive here and could do whatever he pleased.


“You OK?”Emma asked, her voice soft and full of concern. She hoped that Kristen was right and that he would find someone else, there were plenty of young women in the village who were not yet married and who seemed quite taken with AJ.


“Why wouldn’t I be?” he snapped in return and walked away from her. He didn’t want or need her pity. He didn’t need that shit from anyone.


They dug in to breakfast and chatted about the day ahead. Deciding that hunting was not for the newcomers, Kevin and Kristen suggested other occupations which may suit them.


Later on that afternoon, the whole village stopped what they were doing to attend a service for Mary, the woman who’d died during childbirth, who was being laid to rest. Nick, AJ and Emma had never heard of such a thing. Where they came from, you reached the age of thirty and were imprisoned until the time came to put on the Luminary’s monthly ‘entertainment’. No one knew what happened to the bodies afterwards. They were sure that the dead in Endwise were not thought of so well.


“Why are we gathered around a hole in the ground?” AJ whispered to Kevin. Nick and Emma also wondered the same thing but didn’t like to ask.


“This is where Mary will be buried, it’s called a grave” he explained. “When someone dies, we have a gathering for them and the mayor says a few words, and then family and friends might give a small speech before the grave is filled in”


“Weird”the words slipped out of Nick’s mouth before he had a chance to edit his thoughts. “Shit” he muttered under his breath.


“Don’t worry, I was thinking the same thing” AJ whispered.


“There are a lot of things you’ll find weird to begin with” Kevin agreed and then turned his attention back to the service which was about to begin.

The service for Mary was simple, yet very moving, with many of the villagers shedding a tear for the woman who’d been taken too soon.


“Drinks all round” the mayor announced as the crowd of people dispersed. He explained to the newcomers that it was traditional to celebrate the life of the person they’d just buried by having a few drinks. They all found that a little confusing, but didn’t question it. If it was tradition, then who were they to query it!


The drinks were flowing freely and before long, Nick led Emma to a more secluded area where they could talk without having to raise their voices.
“That’s better” Nick said, not letting go of her hand as they stood under a canopy of climbing plants.


“And why did you want to get me all alone? Surely not just to talk…”
But before Emma could say another word, Nick’s mouth was against hers. She didn’t pull away. In fact, she wrapped her arms around him and returned the kiss, which soon built up to the most passionate kiss she’d ever experienced. She’d kissed guys back in Endwise, but none of them had sent this tingling feeling through her body.


“So good”Nick murmured as his lips trailed down her neck and one hand slowly crept under her top.


Emma knew they should stop before they went too far, but she was enjoying it too much.


~*~


AJ spotted Nick and Emma sloping off and couldn’t resist spying on them. As much as he wanted his friend to be happy, he hated him for being the one who Emma wanted. When he saw them kiss, he had to walk away. It was no good, he needed a distraction to stop him walking over and punching his best friend.


Walking back into the throng of people, AJ approached the first girl he saw and turned on the charm which never failed to get him laid in Endwise.