Free Stolen Melody (Snow and Ash #2) by Heather Knight

you some!”
    “All right, Axel!”
    These are just some of the things I hear, and my face feels like a nuclear reactor on meltdown. Axel, though, he looks pleased. No, that’s not it. His head is high, his chin is out, and there’s this look in his eye. I’m not sure what he’s thinking.
    “You can put me down anytime.” I feel so stupid.
    Axel sets me on my feet. He rubs his hands up and down my arms, brushes the hair out of my face, and takes my hand again.
    I feel, well, I don’t know how I feel. Odd.
    Now that I’m on my feet, I take in my surroundings. The wall we just passed through is at least three feet thick. Inside it’s a lot bigger than I thought it’d be, and it’s a combination of man-inspired starkness and efficiently laid out paths.
    “It looks like a military base.”
    Axel coughs into his fist. I wonder if he was expecting me to say homey .
    I feel bad, so I add, “Definitely safe from the barbarians.”
    His eyes sparkle, and he proceeds to point out various sites, like the men’s barracks, the armory, the leader’s quarters, as he guides me toward a three-story structure. “You’ll be needing some stuff, I guess,” he says as he pushes open the door. “Get some new boots. Pick out whatever you need and tell them it’s on me.”
    I’d told him how I peed all over myself when that guy yanked me off the toilet.
    He nods, indicating an approaching figure. “Stay with Mia until I get back. I gotta go do some stuff.”
    I turn to get a look, and if my jaw wasn’t practically swollen shut, it’d hit the floor.
    “Imogen Barrow!” Mia Lavely practically drops her clipboard. “What are you doing here?”
    “What am I doing here? What are you doing here?”
    She scowls. “Buncha fellas were watching the town while your friend was inside, checking the place out. They harassed me for a bit, but after a while I think they felt sorry for me. You know, middle-aged lady kicked out into the snowy woods.”
    “Really?” I’m so relieved.
    She nods. “Thanks for the scraps, by the way.”
    I blink.
    “Did you really think a basket of bread was going to make it all better?”
    “I had nothing to do with you getting kicked out, Mia.”
    “You didn’t stand up for me, either, did you?”
    I bite my lip. She’s right.
    She sighs. “Anyway, I got a room here, and they set me up with a job.” She waves her hand, indicating our surroundings. To me it looks like a combination old country store and military surplus outlet. “I’m not gonna lie to you. These are rough men, but they didn’t throw me out into the snow, unlike some civilized people I know.”
    “Oh, Mia. I’m so sorry!”
    She grimaces. “Sorry’s for losers. What happened to your face?”
    I look away. “I went off to pee, and some guy attacked me.”
    She grunts. “You all right?”
    “Yeah. I mean it’s just a bruise. Axel…” I look at the door like he’s standing there, which, of course, he isn’t.
    She frowns. “You’d better be careful with that one.”
    I really, really don’t want to talk about this. “I’m fine. Really.”
    Mia snickers, making her look a whole lot younger.
    By the time Axel returns, I have three fitting pairs of jeans, seven pairs of not-so-granny panties, and enough tops to last me a week without washing. A new pair of boots too, which I fervently hope are pee-free. I am never wearing the old ones again.
    “You get what you need?” he asks. He nods at Mia and takes my packages without me even asking.
    “I guess.” I can’t help staring at him. Where the heck did my criminal lover go?
    We exit the exchange and hang a right toward a section that looks like it’s reserved for housing. All the buildings are small, much smaller than the house I grew up in, but all of them have chimneys with smoke pouring out and carports filled with firewood. It’s snowing again, and I spot a team of men out shoveling the streets.
    “How many members do you guys have?”
    He looks at the men.