Corn, Cows, and the Apocalypse

...and You're to Blame

Garrett was not just behind me, but practically on top of me. He had crept up on me and I hadn't even noticed. More to the point, August hadn't even hinted at it. I couldn't help but step back into August. She rested her hand on my shoulder. She probably intended it to be consoling, but I took it wrong and pulled away from both of them.

Garrett was impassive, as usual. He appeared to be a little uncomfortable with our meeting, which was understandable since he left me the morning after I slept with him. I wasn't expecting to see him again, let alone this soon. Part of me was overjoyed—probably the part that wanted to sleep with him again—and another part of me was on guard prepared for his attack—probably the part of me that still bore the scars of his training.

"Garrett," I managed to say. My gaze jumped between him and August. I didn't want to reveal anything, but I was concerned that I was revealing everything. The strange thing was, I didn't even know anymore what I was hiding. Did August already know? Had she seen the scars? Did she suspect that I had slept with her brother? Was she okay with that?

"I see you've let all my progress go to shit," Garrett scolded August, while managing to offer me a healthy share of his glare.

"I had her preoccupied. Besides, no one ever hears you coming, you serpentine bastard."

Garrett leaned in and gave his sister a kiss on the cheek. He glanced at me and I gave him a small smile. Not so big that he thought me desperate and not so small that he thought I was still mad at him. I should have been mad, but I was just so happy to see him again.

"Are you competing?" Garrett asked. He turned back to his sister without giving our intimate connection the slightest acknowledgment. I felt like a third wheel in the conversation. Maybe even a spare tire.

"No, Haden is."

Garrett scoffed. "You could win this easily," he said. I looked to August to see if this were true. She averted her eyes. "You and your damned sword."

"I like my sword," she defended. "It doesn't run out of ammunition."

"But it can run out of power," he said, squeezing her ample biceps.

"Same old argument." She shook her head. "I take it you're competing."

He scratched his head. "Yeah, I think I might have a shot, no pun intended."

I chuffed at the obscure yet lame joke. No one joined me and Garrett all but rolled his eyes at me. I furrowed my brow at him, baffled that he could be this offish to me after seeing me naked. Wasn't that supposed to make men like you?

"How is she doing?" he asked, looking me over as if I was a car he had recently sold her. The ache in my chest was more than pain; it was outrage. I couldn't bear this.

"Lenore," August pronounced carefully in case her brother had forgotten my name, which seemed entirely possible at that point, "is doing fine." Garrett tipped his head. "She can run now, and her archery skills—"

"Did you even test her?" His voice pitched with condescension.

"Yes, but... She has not responded to my tests well." August looked sympathetically at me, as if she didn't want to be a tattle-tale, but had no choice. "She won't defend herself against me."

Garrett shook his head. "You're telling me she let you hit her?" His reproachful look told me I was in trouble if this were true.

"Well, I didn't actually hit her, I just..."

"August! I spent three months training her so you didn't have to do the hard labor. Of course she won't defend herself. She knows you'll never actually hit her!"

"I'm not going to bludgeon her just to see if she learned anything."

"How do you think I trained her?" August's eyes widened as she tried to rationalize what he was saying. She opened her mouth to speak on the point, but she couldn't address the issue while she was still comprehending it. "I'll show you what she can do." Garrett stalked to me and raised his fist to punch me.