Free Sundered by Shannon Mayer

sight in front of me. Three deer stood in my garden neatly pruning every last shoot of a vegetable that had come up in the last week, their ability to jump the fence giving them the edge over the Nevermores who also wanted in. I wanted to cry, I wanted to yell and scream and throw things. I put Nero down, and as I did I scooped up a rock, hurling it at the four-legged interlopers. I missed by an easy mile and had to settle for running at them full speed down a slight slope, Nero woofing and running full tilt which wasn’t any faster than me, following them well into the open field. As they scattered, I slipped, tumbling the last of the way down, coming to rest on what had been my pea patch.
     
    “ Mara, are you okay?” Sebastian asked as he lifted me gently to a sitting position. I nodded tucked my face into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent, trying hard not to think about what was coming.
     
    “ I’ll help you get ready, babe, I won’t leave you here without the things you’re going to need.”
     
    “ That gives me little solace when I know that you won’t love me anymore,” I whispered.
     
    He was silent for so long that I wasn’t sure he heard me. It was the shuddering that started deep in his body that made me sit back. Tears streamed down his face, washing lines of dirt and grime away leaving streaks of almost-clean skin.
     
    “ I will always love you, no matter how far my mind goes, no matter what I become; my love for you will never change. I couldn’t imagine my life with anyone else, Mara, and these last four years have been the best part of my whole life. I wouldn’t change a thing.” At my raised eyebrow he conceded, “Well, maybe one thing.”
     
    He stroked my face with his hands and he whispered against my lips, “I didn’t tell you enough how much I love you, didn’t always cherish you the way I should have, but I will always, always love you, no matter what comes.” He kissed me softly and I leaned into it. If this was all I had left with him, I would take every minute of it; my anger washed away in a wave of love so strong I thought my heart might burst. We clung to each other until the tide of emotion that swelled around us receded and we could both breathe a little easier. I leaned back from him to stare into the face that I would love no matter what it looked like.
     
    “ What are we waiting for then?” I asked, pulling him to his feet.
     
    He cocked his head and stared at me. I winked and started to slide my shirt over my head. It took him a brief moment, then he was there helping me undress - as I helped him - and we made love in the garden. It wasn’t like we were going to be damaging the crops or anything, and we took our time, savouring each touch, each kiss, as if they were our last, breaking up only when Nero came romping back, woofing and leaping at us as we held each other tight.
     
     
     
     
     

11
     
     
     
    “ I’m going, Mara. I have less than a week, a few days maybe, and it’s a window of opportunity we can’t let pass,” Sebastian said as he dressed. It was early, pre-dawn, and we’d been arguing about this subject most of the night.
     
    “ Bastian, the Alpha male, if he catches you outside the gate he’ll attack you. Maybe he’ll even be able to turn the whole pack against you,” I said shadowing my husband as he searched our closet for the extra knapsack.
     
    “ That’s why I’m going so early, you know that Scout’s never been here before the sun is up. I’ll raid as many of the houses as I can. You need the food, and you can’t go. It’s like with Jessica, they won’t touch me, I’m one of them.”
     
    I snorted, “Nobody wants to get laid by you. That’s what they wanted from her, and you know that.”
     
    “ Hey. That’s not nice, or true. I can think of at least one person who wants to get laid by me.” He bent and kissed me on the lips the tingle not all due to our chemistry. Mostly now it was due to the