Chapter Twenty~Eight

Swamp Fever: Wet

Dakota P.O.V.


I felt kind of bad as we made our way through the swamp. My Hunters and I were jumping from tree to tree, keeping ourselves high and dry, while the others had to wade through the mucky swamp water. The smell in some spots was awful. It was so bad that we had to cover our noses with the scraps of my old tanktop again.

I wasn't feeling too good, either. The crash had jostled my hip and even though it didn't feel like the fracture was worse, it was certainly bruised enough around it to make me favor the leg.

When we came to a fork in the plank walkways, I jumped to the roof of a small building and stretched out my leg and tried to relax. I leaned against Gamma as I grit my teeth against the pain. Beta had dropped down to check on everyone for me and I could hear him telling Cas and the rest about my condition.

I went to stand up, but snarled loudly as my leg started to spasm and Gamma had to sit me back down as I rode it out. I was officially a burden to the group, slowing us down and using up supplies they needed. I felt a few tears of frustration fall down my face before Gamma started making soft keening noises and wiping my bloody tears away.

I heard Beta hop up onto the tin roof and nuzzle my shoulder. He would tell Cas about my leg, I knew he would. Bless his heart for caring, but damn him for telling. I didn't need them worrying about me.

I stood up and bit back a whimper as the pain radiated from my hip. I motioned for the boys to scout ahead on the walk way. We needed to get through this and to the next safe room. If I had enough rest I would be fine, at least that's what I told myself.


The safe room was in a drainage pipe - a drainage pipe that could hold a few tanks in it, no problem. Thank the gods there weren't any on the way there. There was nothing but swamp on the other side of the safe room, and I heard Beta and Gamma start whining about it; Beta even going so far as to face plant on the floor and start making noises that sounded like a whining child.

I smirked at the yelp I heard when Cas sat on his back.

That's my girl...

I frowned slightly as I opened one of the crates inside our safe room. It turned into a huge smile as I realized what I had found.

"We have beds!" Gamma quickly skittered to my side to investigate the air mattresses I had found, still in their boxes.

Everyone was getting excited as we pulled out a few queen sized mattresses. We had enough power to fill them up and the electric air pumps were quiet so we didn't have to worry about a hoard.


"On, my god! I'm in heaven!"

Cas starting rolling around on her and Beta's bed, looking for all the world as a weirdo. Beta looked at me with an odd look and I just shrugged. I had rubbed myself all over mine and Ellis' bed earlier so I couldn't say anything. It just felt so good to lay down on a soft bed for once. Gamma had done the same to his and Nick's, and Coach was currently trying to get a small part of the queen mattress from Rochelle. Apparently she was a bed hog; who knew?

Ellis was passing out the large comforters we had found in another one of the crates and Nick was passing out some of the canned fruit and jerky to everyone. Ellis gave me an odd look as I dipped some of the dehydrated meat into the peaches I had been given. I just shrugged and took a bite and almost purred in contentment.

After we were full, the Hunters and I took our hoodies off to make our pillows and settle down. As I was laying down, I saw Beta and Gamma look over and they each had that perverted smirk on their faces, but they weren't looking at me. I rolled over slightly and froze as I looked at Ellis.

He had copied us and was using his shirt as a pillow, but he had nothing on his upper half and had that Georgia tan everywhere, save for the thin line of pale skin above his coveralls.

My face turned red and I covered my head with my hoodie, which prompted Beta and Gamma to start making their booty call noises. That got Cas and Nick to look over and then waggle their eyebrows at me.

"Play safe, Red," Nick said as he tossed a small box at me. I blanched when I saw that it was the military's standard issue unlubricated condoms. The military made them standard issue because they could hold up to a liter of water and therefore act as a canteen, but Nick saw them for their original purpose.

"Whatcha thowin' at us, Gamblin man?" I felt Ellis' chest press against my back as I squealed and fumbled with the box to hid it under my own body, face redder than the hoodie I gave Beta.

"NOTHING!" I nearly shouted the word and face palmed when I realized that I had. Ellis gave me a look before picking me up and simply taking the box from under me.

"Uh... Nick why were you hangin' on ta these?" he asked with a small blush.

"Thought you and miss Alpha over there would need 'em. After all, still gotta play it safe."

Oh, my Lord! Nick, why did you have to wink!?

This was gonna be a long night...