Page 65 of Ember Rising

He nods and sighs deeply. “You’re not gonna be able to bullshit me, because I’ll be able to feel when it’s getting worse.”

I arch my brows. “It should go without saying, but no one’s deciding what happens to my body but me. Tell me clearly that we agree on that.”

He drops his brows, aggravated. “You know we do. But if you lose consciousness, don’t expect me to just throw you over my shoulder and keep going. These wildfires are widespread. It’s not like the volcano, where the plants and vegetation all ate it in a matter of a few hours.”

I consider. “If I’ve been unconscious for more than a day, and you truly think my life is in danger, remove it.”

He nods, and I start walking again. He joins me, and we walk side by side in silence for a minute.

“That smoke haze is fucking depressing,” he says.

“And we still have so much farther to go. I wonder what Carson City is like. You think they’ll evacuate it?”

“If they have to. That would be a great opportunity to shove our metaphorical dicks up New America’s ass.”

“You have such a way with words, my love. Has anyone ever told you you should run for office?”

He grins. “Fuck that shit. I’d rather do anything else.”

“You’re a good leader.”

“Just good? Not great?”

I laugh. “You’re a solid eight point seven out of ten.”

“Damn.” He threads his fingers into mine, using his other hand to prop the machine gun against his shoulder. “I better get higher marks than that in bed.”

I groan with longing. “A bed. I remember how it felt to get railed on a soft mattress instead of the ground, with rocks and sticks poking into my back.”

He shoots a glare at me. “Why don’t you ever say anything? You know you can be on top.”

My cheeks warm as I think about it. “If people have binoculars, I don’t want them seeing my bouncing boobs and unkempt bush.”

He cracks up. “Your unkempt bush is sexy as fuck, but you’re right. I’d hate to have to kill someone just for owning binoculars and getting an eyeful of you.”

“I just miss beds, that’s all. We’ve done plenty of jungle fucking, so you know I’m good with anywhere.”

“Did you want a quick fuck break right now?”

I smile. “We need to keep moving. If Carson City gets evacuated, I want to be there when it happens.”

He squeezes my hand, turning serious. “I think I know why I can feel what you’re feeling.”

“The stabilizer.”

“You came up with it quicker than I did.”

“I’ve been thinking about it since Ellison told us she’d made the stabilizer from my blood. Wondering if it would pass on anything else, besides just my resistance to the emotional volatility of aromium.”

“So then Pax, Amira, and Olin might feel it, too. And everyone back on the island who got the stabilizer.”

I don’t say anything, because I know he’s thinking the same thing I am: I can’t selfishly leave my implant in if it’s causing debilitating pain to others. Some people on the island chose to have their implants removed, but for others, it was too late because it had bonded. And some people just wanted to keep them, even if they could be removed.

“Hey,” Marcus says.

I look up and over at him. “Hm?”

“I’m a good test subject. If I’m fine, all of them likely are, too. We’ll take it one day at a time.”