Beyond The Walls (NOW ON AMAZON!!!)

Humility

"Hadley, stop!" Jamila finally said, stopping them in one of the tunnels on the way back to her room.

Hadley stopped, but she was still freaking out. She wanted to leave the tunnels as soon as possible. Get behind closed doors. Pack hers and Jamila's things and leave!

Were they even safe in their room?

"Hadley, I have work to do. And you do too. I thought we talked about this. We need to pull our own weight to earn our place with the Wildlings." she said. Then she pointed at the empty tunnels. "What are we doing here? What's wrong?"

Hadley didn't know where to start but looking at Jamila now, with them alone in the soft-yellow glow of the tunnels, it reminded her why she had gone to find her in the first place.

"It's you, Jamila. What's wrong, is you," Hadley almost yelled the words. A weight lifted off her at the admission. She calmed herself down and reached out to take Jamila's hand.

"What?" Jamila asked, backing away from Hadley.

"That." Hadley raised her brows and motioned to what had just happened.

"I don't get it..."

"You barely want to touch me anymore," Hadley said.

"What?"

"Ever since I showed up... after that first night together...?" Hadley tried to explain. "You and I... everything's off kilter. We live in the same space, sleep in the same bed, we're having our daughters together, but we don't fit like we used to."

"I lost you, Hadley! I have been grieving your death ever since you were taken," Jamila pointed out. "The last three weeks have been... I just need time..."

"After everything we've been through together, it could be three years, three decades or three centuries and we'd still fit, Jay," Hadley said, walking closer to her. "We would. And I know you agree. That's not it. Something's wrong. I can feel it. What is it? Please. Just tell me."

Jamila was suddenly falling apart as she stood only fingertips away. Hadley wanted so badly to reach out and touch her, hold her, but she realised she couldn't face any more rejection from Jamila. She held back her need to, her fingers aching from the effort and her heart beating hard against her chest. Instead, she slipped her hands into her pockets.

The cold sting of the Damascus steel rings in her right pocket made her breath catch.

"Hadley," Jamila breathed the name, heavy with emotion as she finally stepped forward, reached out and carefully cupped Hadley's cheek.

Jamila's hand on her cheek melted everything inside Hadley in a wave of love and affection that she had been missing for weeks. Hadley pulled her left hand from her pocket, placed it on Jamila's against her cheek and closed her eyes, soaking up the feeling.

"Tell me what's wrong, Jay," Hadley whispered, desperate to always have this. "Please?"

Hadley opened her eyes, her vision blurry from balancing tears, and for a second there, it looked like Jamila was about to say something. About to pour her heart out. About to open up. Then her face walled over and she took her hand away.

Hadley's stomach dropped.

Jamila smiled.

It was fake.

"Everything's fine, Hadley. I promise. Now, let's get back to work." she said, her voice plastic. She turned and began to walk away.

She'd lied.

Right to Hadley's face.

And Hadley had thought being mauled to death by a vampire hurt.

"No," Hadley replied, following Jamila down the hallway. Her voice had a touch of desperation in it, but Hadley didn't care. "No, Jamila. Everything's not fine. Please, just talk to me."