Sparrow's Flight (Savage World 1)

He shrugged again, and his smile grew. “I came from Ohio originally, had myself a girlfriend, but she turned sick shortly after she got the immunization.”

“So, you had a girlfriend?” She hadn’t meant to sound surprised, but the sexual sounds she heard from them had led her to believe that the same sex had been their cup of tea. She also flicked her eyes toward Mason. He had a scowl on his face and refused to meet her stare.

“Yeah, I did. I actually only had girlfriends up until shit hit the fan.”

Her cheeks heated. “I meant no offense.”

He waved off her apology. “I take it we weren’t as quiet as we were trying to be? You know as well as the next person that things change.” Now, it was her turn to break eye contact and look anywhere but at them. “Listen, no shame, all right? The road changes people. Fuck, the world ending tends to put a bunch of shit into perspective.”

“Yeah.”

“I certainly didn’t go out looking for a guy, but Mace and I just kind of found each other one day. Both of us were traveling alone, and for the last three months, we watched out for each other. The world nowadays is unforgiving. We aren’t looking to hurt or degrade you. Besides, power is in numbers, and even though for a long time after this happened I wanted to be alone, that kind of silence doesn’t bode very well for the mind.” She lifted her head, and he tapped a finger to his temple. “I’m sure you know what I’m saying.” Yeah, she did. “Besides, we aren’t bastards. We couldn’t just leave you to fend for yourself. But we gave you the choice to join us or be on your way.” Asher’s voice was deep, but soft.

Yeah, they had, and even if it’d only been three days, and even if this was the first time she really sat down and talked to them during that time, Sparrow couldn’t say traveling with them was a mistake.

“Thank you for that. I don’t think I really said that to you guys.”

Asher shrugged and then grinned, and Mason grunted but didn’t respond. Asher cut another scathing glance his way but then looked back at her when Mason didn’t react. “You’re welcome, but it wasn’t anything a decent human being wouldn’t do, and isn’t that what we are? We only have each other in this fucked world.”

Chapter Four

“Mace, you didn’t have to act like that,” Asher whispered in the darkness. He was on his back, and the only thing between him and the hard, cold ground was a ratty sleeping bag. He had his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. The moon was full, and slivers of its light speared through one of the small windows and cut across the room.

“I didn’t feel like divulging a bunch of personal shit to a chick we just met,” Mason spoke just as softly, and even though they just fucked a few hours ago, Asher grew hard at the rough timbre of his voice. It was a pleasure and a curse, because right now, they were talking about serious shit, yet this man always had an effect on him.

“You’re the one who started asking her about her personal shit, and I don’t think it was much trouble to tell her about us. We’re going to be traveling together.” Asher gritted his teeth when Mason didn’t respond. “Besides, you told me about your shit after we met.” There was a small sound of shuffling, and then he sensed Mason looking at him, even though it was dark in the garage.

“I told you after I trusted you. We have only had her with us for a few days, and tonight is the only night in that timeframe that she actually opened up and said anything. For all I know, she is plotting a way to kill us.”

Asher snorted but held his breath when he heard Sparrow move. The sound of her deep, even breathing told him she was still sleeping.

“Keep quiet or you’ll wake her.” They were silent for a minute, and he heard Mason exhale. “She isn’t plotting anything, Mace.” He breathed out deeply again. “And I know you know that.”

“Yeah, I know, but you are way too trusting. How do you think she’d react if I told her about myself, about the things I’ve seen and done, and about how fucked up I really am? She’ll freak.”

Maybe she would, and maybe Asher was too trusting, but Mace was reserved, even with him. It had taken him weeks to give Asher more information than just his name and where he was from. Granted, Mason had a fucked-up life, but a lot of people did, and especially now that everything happened.

They’d been traveling together for the last three months but had only been intimate for the last two. When they ran into each other back in Whitewash, there had been tension between them.