Chapter 112: Skye

My head snaps to the side at Wolfe's gruff command. My eyes clash with his and we wage a silent war, one that we've been committed to from the moment we were introduced seven years ago.
"Don't act like you know what I'm thinking." My words are venomous barbs. Everything I say to this man is rude, but I can't seem to help myself. It's always been this way. And now, in this new situation, our footing is more like quicksand than ever. Instead of growing closer we've grown more distant. We're in some sort of weird dance, trapped with each other, constantly near each other, but with a gulf of anger and distrust between us.
"Always know what you're thinking." He turns back to his plate, hunching over it and shovelling food into his mouth. When he stops and finishes chewing the bite he took, he adds, "You think about him constantly."
Though his words are cool, I sense the edge in them. My jaw drops. I'm caught between fury at his assumption and curiosity about why he cares what and who I'm thinking about.
"Even if I do think about Silas that's my business, not yours."
He turns slowly to face me until his broad shoulders fill my vision and block out the sunlight behind him. I have to check the urge not to cringe in my seat. Wolfe is the biggest, most intimidating man I know. I tilt my chin defiantly.
"It's my business now." His words are so matter of fact and inarguable that I have to remind myself that my business is, in fact, none of his. Yet, when Wolfe says something, it always seems to be final, even when I want to fight him on a point. "You aren't dwelling on the old Warlord because you loved him, you feel guilty."
I gasp out loud and then quickly glance around to make sure no one has overheard us. I don't need anyone else getting in my personal business. I turn back to Wolfe and whisper in a low hiss, "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about. I have nothing to feel guilty about. You forced me to leave him behind."
His dark eyes follow my angry movements. "Not guilty for leaving him behind, guilty because you're alive and he and Hannah are dead."
Tears prick my eyes once more and I look down at the now unappetizing bits of food left on my plate. I hate that Wolfe can read me so well when I can't read him any better than a stone wall. He's right, I don't just feel agony over Silas' death. Silas had been dying for a while before the Primitive attacks. I'm upset that he died the way he did. That I couldn't protect him from a horrible death. That Hannah stayed behind and did my job. She had sacrificed what I could not.
"I don't feel guilty," I snap, glaring at him. "I'm angry that you stopped me from doing what I was meant to do, protect Silas with my dying breath."
"Noble," Wolfe grunts. "And stupid."
"Why would my sacrifice have been stupid?" I demand.
"Would've been an unnecessary waste." He doesn't bother to explain what he means. Maybe he doesn't need to. I'm young, strong, healthy. The world needs women like me to stay alive.
"What about Hannah?" I demand. "She wasn't much older than me. She could've been the one to live. You could've grabbed her instead."
"It was her choice to stay."
"And what about my choices, don't they matter?"
He doesn't answer, doesn't apologize or try to explain himself. Just continues to eat, falling silent. Dismissing our conversation. I let it go. It really doesn't matter anyway, what's done is done. We all made choices. Silas could've killed himself instead of standing stoic in the face of the invasion. Maybe that's why I'm angry. He had a harem full of women who would have sacrificed themselves, but would he have sacrificed himself for us?
I stand and leave the table, leaving half my plate of food behind. Despite knowing how much my body depends on the nourishment, I can't swallow another bite. Especially with an unfeeling beast sitting right next to me.
He doesn't immediately follow me as I walk away, though I know he'll be close behind. He doesn't really let me out of his sight except for short distances. The fresh air slaps me in the face and I'm grateful the usual desert heat isn't so bad today. I shouldn't be so angry with Wolfe. He's keeping me safe in this nightmare we've landed ourselves in. I don't understand his motives, but his actions are clear.
I sweep the area with my eyes, and frown. The usual scattering of people are gone and there's some kind of commotion coming from the barracks. I glance over my shoulder. Wolfe is standing a few feet behind me, his gaze on the sleeping quarters.
We walk silently together toward the buzzing noise. Before we can enter the building, a man steps out, his broad frame filling the doorway. My breath catches as I recognize him. Diogo Fuentes, husband to my sister.
He glances around, his eyes narrowed, before his dark gaze settles on me. Wolfe takes a step closer, protecting my back as the big Warlord makes his way over to us. Hope and trepidation war within my breast, each clambering for a spot. I know better than to show emotion to a Warlord though. I watch him with cool disinterest.
"Skye," he acknowledges, stopping several feet from my position. He glances at Wolfe and nods his greeting.
"My sister?" I demand.
He studies me, his gaze taking in my tattered clothes, borrowed from some of the refugees here. My own flimsy gown hadn't made it far and was no good for spending time on the front lines defending the city.
"She's anxious to see you. If you'll collect your things, I can take you to her."
I breathe easier knowing she's alive. The urge to run and grab my few belongings is strong. The desire to follow Diogo into the safety of Sanctuary and reunite with my sister, possibly permanently, is nearly overwhelming. Then I look behind him, to the people who are watching us curiously. These people need us. They need leadership. They need Wolfe. And Wolfe goes where I go.
"No," I say to him, my heart pounding in fear that I'm making the wrong decision. "I won't leave unless you offer these people Sanctuary as well."
"How many?" he demands.
"10,000." Wolfe speaks from behind me. "Give or take. More trickle in every day, but we lose some to the attacks."
Diogo shakes his head. "The city can't accommodate that number. We've had our own problems. We can't take more than a few at a time or the city will be overwhelmed."
My heart sinks. I gaze around the immediate area. Curious faces watch us, wanting to edge closer, wanting to beg the Warlord for Sanctuary. They don't dare approach the fierce man and his bodyguards. And they'd learned the hard way never to speak to Wolfe unless he starts the conversation. Their faces are all the same shade of dirty, shoulders slumped in exhaustion and defeat. The same way I must look.
"I can't leave them."
Diogo studies me, then says, "You'll be sacrificing yourself out of some false sense of nobility. These are not your people, not your concern."
I shake my head. He doesn't understand. "I've fought with them, eaten and slept with them. These are my people. Besides that, some are from my Sanctuary. What kind of leader would I be if I abandoned them for my own safety?"
"You are not their leader. Self-appointed or otherwise. A woman can't be a Warlord, and if another Warlord rose to the fore out here, it would be my duty to eliminate him as a possible threat to my Sanctuary." Diogo's voice is harsh and uncompromising, his dark soulless eyes on Wolfe though he speaks to me. "If you stay, you'll die with them."
There has to be another way. I can't believe that Diogo would just allow 10,000 people to die. I can't believe his wife, my sister, would allow this to happen. From the brief moments I spent with them all those months ago I'd seen a deep love. She must have some influence over him. This can't be it.
I lift my chin and look him in the eye. "I'd rather die with them than hide behind a wall and not lift a finger to help."
Diogo's gaze falls back to Wolfe. "And you?"
I'm not sure if he's inviting Wolfe to take the Sanctuary he offered me or if he's asking Wolfe what he thinks of my decision. Either way, he doesn't know Wolfe the way I do. There will be only one answer from my fierce protector.
"I go where she goes."