Hey guys!

I'm so sorry for my absence, I imagine we're all only just getting a handle on the way things are as of late. Wow, words can't really describe how crazy things have been, huh? I'm healthy, my family is healthy and I hope you all are happy and healthy as well. My life has done quite a few 180's over this past half a year, but I'm so relieved to have finally finished this latest chapter for you guys, it's been severely long over due. I hope you can all take a breather from real life and enjoy this! I'm working non-stop to bring this story to completion, possibly a few more chapters until that happens!

Anyway, I'll shut up and get to answering the long overdue reviews from all of my wonderful supporters. I'll be thanking you all till I'm blue in the face for following me on this journey, but i'll be happy to do so haha.

PinkiePieParty122894: So happy you enjoyed the new chapter, and sorry for another lengthy delay. Hope you are doing well and enjoy the new update!

L. Lileae: Thank you for the warm welcome, I was very busy with work and life on my end as well unfortunately. But I am so beyond pleased to hear that my story was able to brighten your night. Thank you for all of your support and I hope this update is to your liking as well :)

racesa36: Thank you so much, it was busy but exciting until all of this craziness flipped all our worlds upside-down. Hope that this chapter finds you well and can live up to expectations once again!

lovleydragonfly: That makes me so happy to hear that you're still enjoying my story! I hope that this is just as exciting of a read! I love a jealous Ray, it's equally as entertaining as a jealous Zack to me :3 By the end of the last chapter Zack was twenty-three and Ray was sixteen.

Sixes: Thank you for your support! I hope this anticipated update is a good one, I look forward to hearing your thoughts! :)

DramaDragon2: I'm so glad to hear that! Zack takes no prisoners, he just off's them :P It makes me so happy that my writing invokes feelings! Your support is heartwarming and I hope this new chapter finds you well 3

FiveftFury: You don't know how big of a smile came to my face while reading your review, but trust me when I say it was face splitting haha. I am so beyond grateful to hear how much you enjoyed my last chapter and it always makes me happy to see I got a laugh through my portrayal of Zack 3 Ray really should leash him, shouldn't she? Lol I always love playing up each of their possessive tendencies, and I'm glad to hear you enjoy it as well. And if the roles were reversed I can absolutely imagine Ray getting back to her stitching! Haha and never apologize for writing a paragraph, I enjoy reading it immensely :) Your support means the world to me and I hope you enjoy this next chapter just as much!

Elle Totgeliebt: Welcome to my story! I apologize for the late welcome, but I'm so beyond grateful to see that you enjoy my writing and the way I have portrayed both Zack and Ray! I'm so pleased to hear I've inspired you to write as well, I feel this community is the perfect place for new writers to start out and receive feedback from readers :) I hope all is well and that you enjoy this update as well! Wishing you luck in your endeavors! 3

And without any further ramblings, I present my newest chapter…

Chapter 19

one week later

The birds and the bees…

What does that even fucking mean anyway? I never understood that damn expression, like how in the hell is that related to screwing? We don't even have the same fucking parts… do we? Regardless, the expression has been floating around my brain lately. Uninvited, as most other thoughts are when related to Ray.

Does Ray know anything about sex?

I think it's obvious I've never been one to notice women, to me gender might as well have been inconsequential. I'm in it for the kill, whether there's a pussy or a dick between their legs is hardly something to that didn't mean I'm clueless about sex either.

Hard to be ignorant of something that's scarred my delicate mind more than once. The amount of times I'd interrupted a back alley fuck session is more than I care to recall. And isn't that in itself fucking disturbing? Hell, that fucker from before was well on his way to screwing that bitch before I severed her spine. Ugh, the damn chills creep up my back just thinking about it. I wasn't one to be choosey about my kills, but stepping into the middle of a dirty fuck had always been something I found disgusting.

The entire sweaty act, it doesn't do a damn thing for me. Everything about it, the smell, the sounds, the sight… is revolting.

It gave me the urge to gag, not a damn boner.

But with Ray…

I mean, I hacked the last sorry son of a bitch that touched her to pieces, I think my stance is pretty clear. Ray is mine. Everything about her incites a burning in my gut, a heat I can't even begin to comprehend. The urge to grab her and devour every last inch intensifies the longer we are together. I won't lay a finger on that porcelain skin, but damn if she doesn't make it fucking hard to resist. My willpower may be shaken, but I'll be damned before it breaks.

Even if there is someone lurking in the shadows waiting to snatch her up… I'd sooner burn the world to the ground than let anyone else have her.

The days since that encounter have been tense and grueling to say the least. I feel like I'm constantly watching, looking over my shoulder and waiting for him to pounce. I know what I heard, I couldn't bleach the sound of that fuckers voice out of my head even if I wanted to. No, there is definitely no mistaking it.

That peeper obsessed motherfucker is still alive.

How he could have possibly survived his wounds, let alone the fiery pits of hell after we left his ass to rot in that death trap, honestly beats the hell out of me. The only thing I could imagine is that that bastard priest had something to do with it.

Tch, I should have offed him when I had the chance, always such a fucking pain in my ass.

Ray knows there's something up, but I haven't told her about my hunch. For once, I don't actually want to be right. And if I can help it, I don't want to bring up that psycho and make her remember… or make me remember. It's all I can do to block out those nightmares that came for me when I was alone in my cell. I'd rather gouge my eyes out than think about that…

It's been about a week and I haven't heard a damn thing, but I refuse to let my guard drop the slightest inch. If that fucker has the balls to approach me or Ray, I'll enjoy every second of hacking them off and shoving them down his throat to choke on. It's the points when I'm not next to Ray that have been making me uneasy.

Lately I've been insisting on going everywhere with her, save the bathroom and to wash up, which I'm sure isn't helping her suspicion of me in the slightest. But I can't fucking help it. The amount of anxiety I've been put through since meeting Ray really makes me think I'll die of a heart attack soon.

Worried to death… It sounds…

Pathetic.

Definitely an unacceptable way to go, I'd probably kill myself before letting that happen.

Stability.

Not anything I'd really been looking for at any point in time in my life, and sure as hell not something I'd ever been provided. To be honest, I don't even think I know what the fuck the meaning is behind that damn word. But in some convoluted twist of fate, I think… I may have found it.

Ray and I have been on the run for longer than I could dream to keep track of, probably fucking years by this point. And throughout all of our running we have never had a place of our own. There may have been an old decrepit house here, or a freshly erected apartment complex there, but nothing consistent.

Who would know consistency while on the run from the feds? Yeah, un-fucking-likely.

So while I find myself in this ratty old chair, dust coating every inch of every surface while Ray is sat on a canvas covered couch, it's hard to imagine that this is our picture of stability. We've been in this war torn cabin for longer than any of the others, and I don't think either of us is in a hurry to leave. This place is barely inhabitable, but it's a roof over our heads and a place to sleep that isn't the ground.

It's more than I ever imagined for myself, that's for damn sure.

We've managed to make it livable for the most part. There was a covered mattress erected against the back wall of the place, that was roughly cleaned before I dragged it to rest right in front of the couch on the floor. Ray sleeps there, while I occupy the couch above her. Another anal insistence of mine that raised a brow from my blonde companion. Luckily she didn't verbalize her question, though I'm sure she's banking it for later.

Sleeping on the bed together was out of the question though… for my own sanity.

Our game of god damn cops and robbers, or I guess kidnapping and murder in my case, seems to have cease and desisted. I haven't caught wind of our names or the investigation in over a year, at least. Ray insisted we be certain before any settling went on, and I couldn't find an argument to be had over her logic. I sure as hell looked, but Ray and being right seem to go hand in hand these days.

"Oi Ray, what're you reading over there?" I interrupt my mental ramblings to finally get her attention.

The blonde has been stationary on that couch since the moment we woke up, book in hand and eyes glued to the pages. She sure as shit made herself at home on MY bed… Don't get me wrong, I've seen Ray read before, I may even throw something I found her way every once in a while, or she might pick up one somewhere along the way through our travels. It wasn't like it was something out of the ordinary, but I haven't seen her block out the whole world quite like she is right now.

Especially considering my question just now went unanswered as if it was lost on the wind.

Case in point.

It isn't like it particularly mattered, we don't have anything important to do. We already went into town to scavenge some food just the other day, and we're lucky enough to have a little creak nearby for water. Our concerns for being discovered are nearly nonexistent, as Ray seemed to be the master of disguise. So really, she has every right to get lost in her damn book… I just don't want her to.

I'm bored, and she happens to be my prime source for entertainment.

Several other attempts to get her eyes away from that book have come without a lick of success, so I lift my ass off my chair to investigate personally. That has to be some damn book, and now it has me curious. Not that I could read it, well not completely. I had managed to pick up things here and there with the help of Ray, but the title of the book was far too weathered for a novice reader like me to make out. Fucking figures.

Somehow I manage to walk right up to Ray without an ounce of acknowledgment on her part. For fuck's sake, at least pretend to be aware of your surroundings. It would be way too damn easy to pounce on her right now, and she's fucking oblivious to it all. The idea wants to linger and develop in my head, but I wave it away before it can sprout any wings.

Peering at her through my bangs, the way Ray's lip is captured by her teeth feeds the urge to see exactly what it was that has her so absorbed. Yet when I peek my eyes over the rim of her book and am met with fine print and upside-down letters, my annoyance ticks.

"What the hell are you reading, Ray?" My impatience leaks through my tone, but I'm caught off guard when the book is suddenly slammed shut and Ray's wide eyes capture my own. It was so abrupt she nearly snagged my nose in the closed pages. "Jesus, Ray! A little warning before you take—"

"It's nothing," her words cut me off with an even tone that definitely doesn't match the expression on her face. My eyes narrow in at her pink cheeks, her full bottom lip still trapped between teeth as I notice her pupils dilating.

I didn't really give a damn what she was reading, not at first at least, but color me intrigued now…

"Nothing…?" Now I'm curious and suspicious. What could Ray possibly be reading that she doesn't want me to know about? Shit, I can barely even read to begin with, so for her to act so sketchy while knowing that is damn sure peaking my interest. "Sure you don't wanna tell me all about it?" I drawl lazily, smirking at her flustered appearance.

It's quick, but I catch her eyes darting down to my lips and lingering for a breath of a second. Her behavior is definitely strange, but I'm into it.

It makes me wanna play with her.

She instantly pulls the book behind her back, and by this point my adrenaline is pumping at this cat and mouse game. I'm convinced she knows exactly what she's doing to me, I mean if ever there was a man who loved the chase… it would sure as hell be me.

Ray's body is squirming, instinctually trying to find a way out of this situation. But before she has the chance, I trap her between my arms, towering over her small frame on the couch. All she does in defense is tuck her arms further underneath herself as she cradles the book behind her back. My attention is immediately drawn to her completely vulnerable front and that newfound chest that's always grabbing my line of sight nowadays.

My knee finds a home wedged between her thighs, and my mind briefly wanders, imagining what her reaction would be if I slid my leg further north.

"Ray…" I drawl out, lost in the closeness and sudden spike of heat that seems to have enveloped me through our little game.

I attempt to focus on her face, trying not to let myself get swept away by the sensations. "I'm…" Ray begins, swallowing a breath, drawing my attention further to that mesmerizing mouth of hers. I'm so lost to her body calling to me, that I completely miss the next words to escape my current fixation.

"…What?" I absentmindedly question, feeling the magnetic pull to her body too strong to ignore. I'm a breath away from her lips, can almost taste her on my tongue. My instincts scream to close the gap, to take her mouth and never let go.

"I'm not giving you… the book."

The sentence is like a bucket of water over my feverish brain. My eyes snap to hers, and our position finally comes back into focus. Ray's chest brushes mine with every single pant that escapes her mouth, and that's exactly what she's doing beneath me; panting. A bolt of satisfaction strikes me and before I can gain the strength to remove myself from her, an idea strikes.

Bringing my lips next to her ear, I can't help the rasp that coats my voice as I whisper, "Why so nervous, Ray?" The closeness clouds my brain for a second, my nose brushing against the softness of her skin. "You know I can't read, right?"

I find the will to remove myself with great reluctance, swept with immense satisfaction at the redness blooming over Ray's face. Damn she's cute.

I did say she was my top form of entertainment.

My gaze is lost to the swirling texture of the cobweb littered ceiling, trying and failing miserably at keeping my mind away from today's… fun. But if I let that happen, I know my dreams will take the wheel and fabricate a whole other type of game Ray and I could play together. And as enticing as that idea is, I've somehow managed to conceal my inconvenient boners throughout our time together and I'm not that keen on waking up to a curious Ray full of questions.

If that happened I might just try to off myself from embarrassment alone…

A tick sounds somewhere toward the front of the house, interrupting my already disjointed train of thought. Hauling myself upright from my position on the raggedy old couch, elbows support my weight as my ears zero in waiting to hear it again.

Tck.

As if on cue, my eyes narrow on the invisible source. There's something's hitting the window… Being that there's only two in this tiny shithole, it didn't take much investigating to pinpoint which one. The sound is familiar, It's almost like tapping. Before I can contemplate it too much further I hear it again, but this time I actually see the culprit.

A fucking rock causes my whole body to freeze. Any other day I could easily pass it off as 'the sounds of nature' or some other bullshit like that, but my paranoid ass can't overlook a rock. Rocks don't just up and throw themselves at a god damn window pane in the middle of the fucking night, that much I'm damn sure of. Another rock collides with the glass, and any doubt left in my mind about what could be the cause dissipates, allowing the chill of dread to flow in. There's a person out there, and I know damn well who it is.

He's fucking with me.

My mind scrambles to form a plan, at war with my instincts that scream at me to grab Ray and haul ass out of this decrepit house. Fleeing to the trees would be futile though, not only does that fucker have the advantage, but we'd be running in the thick of the woods in complete darkness. So instead, I ease my body off the cushions and onto the mattress where Ray sleeps below. She doesn't stir with my careful movements, trying to be as silent as possible.

The last thing I need is for Ray to wake up and signal to our unwanted company that we know he's there. That's the only advantage I have at the moment and I'm not willing to give it up while I'm still grasping at fucking straws here.

I straddle her sleeping figure on the mattress, hovering my body over hers in an attempt to stay low and out of sight from the window. The position isn't ideal by any means, my elbows protesting the awkward angle, but I suffer through in an attempt to keep any of my weight from disturbing Ray. But of course, my luck has run its course and the one thing I wanted to avoid comes to fruition. A twinge in my back forces my arm up, disrupting my balance, and to my horror my hips dip and bump in the blonde beneath me.

Ray wakes with a start, a surprised gasp escaping her mouth only inches from my own. I drop my body onto her gently, careful not to crush her. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Keep your damn mouth shut for the love of god, Ray. Please. But I see it, that question swirling around in those deep blue eyes of hers and pure panic seizes my chest. My mind races for a solution, but I'm unable to grasp a single option as time seems to slow and I see her lips begin to move.

For fuck's sake! I can't even get my goddamn hand free to cover the words she's bound to let spill.

Milliseconds feel like eons and yet my useless brain ceases cognitive function all together, and before I know what's happening my body is moving independent from my head. I don't remember willing my muscles to move, or even the action happening itself, but the next thing I feel is a soft plushness pressed firmly to my mouth.

Fuck, what am I doing…

I can't register what the softness against me is, but a small squeak I know belongs to Ray breaks through the tangled gears of my mind, forcing everything into focus. That's skin, or more specifically… those are lips touching my lips…

Holy shit, I'm kissing Ray.

Wait…It feels good. Her mouth is warm and pliable, and against my better judgement I move against those forbidden lips of hers. It feels really fucking good… fuck. That better judgement goes completely out the damn window as I slant my mouth against Ray's, the urge to taste her quickly overwhelming me. Of its own accord, my tongue darts out to lick across the seam of her lips. I'm so lost in the sensations that I barely register the groan rumbling from my chest as she opens for me, instead losing myself to the sweet taste of my girl's tongue. Her intoxicating flavor steals the air from my lungs, forcing me to pull away and take a breath.

Ray's laid out beneath me, shallow pants escaping that succulent mouth of hers, swollen and pink from its dance with mine. Her eyes are heavily lidded, unfocused as they stare into my own clouded gaze, and all I can think about is diving back in for another taste.

Something tickles the back of my mind, urging me to overcome my baser instincts and remember… But the picturesque scene before me is more than my wildest fantasies have ever managed to conjure up, much too tempting to resist.

Just as I'm about to indulge in that delectable mouth once more, glass gives way in front of us, shards raining down and effectively shattering my lust filled haze. I tuck Ray's head into my neck, shielding her face from the shower of glass around us. Tiny fists curl into the sides of my shirt and as the last piece collides with the floor I grab my scythe, kneeling over Ray and poised to strike.

Fuck! I'm a fucking moron, how could I forget about that bastard!

Wind trickles in through the shattered window, what's left of the tattered curtains rustling in the breeze while my ears strain to pick up any other sounds outside. After a few tense minutes, my heart slows its pounding rhythm behind my ribs when no other noises seep in from the woods. Sagging a bit in relief, my arm brings my scythe down to rest on my shoulder as my head falls to my chest. The breath I'd been holding inside, forces its way from lungs in a loud exhale.

"Zack?"

Immediately all the tension comes back tenfold.

Her timid voice cuts through the silence, my eyes slowly crawl to meet her gaze, dreading the thousands of questions I'm sure to find swirling within them. "You okay, Ray?" I question, trying to buy myself time, still not quite meeting her inquisitive stare head on.

Yeah, I'm a pussy, fucking sue me.

Now that the immediate threat seems to have fucked off, my head finally has a chance to catch up to my body. And the reality of the situation is slowly crumbling down on me. I kissed Ray… I liked it… a lot. What the hell am I supposed to do now? Say, 'Oh sorry Ray, there was that psychotic motherfucker outside, you know that peeper freak? The one that I haven't mentioned is still alive by the way? Anyway, he was serenading me with pebbles on the window. I was tryna keep a low profile but I thought you might blow my cover so I just… you know, kissed the shit outta you.' Right… makes perfect sense, no? Yeah, that might make sense to some delusional hornball…tch.

"I'm fine, but…" My eyes squeeze shut, bracing for the inevitable question. Here we go…

I'm fucked.

"What's that?" …Wait, what?

Her hand comes to rest gently on my chest, forcing me to open my eyes and see what it is she's referring to. I gaze at our point of contact, realizing for the first time through all of this that I'm still straddling Ray's hips. Fuck me. But before I can say anything, her other hand gesturing to the floor redirects my line of sight. My eyes focus on the massive rock laying idly amongst the debris.

The fuck?

A piece of paper peaks out from underneath the weight of the stone, and the messy scrawl written on it immediately grabs my attention. Discarding my weapon on the creaking floorboards, I stretch my body over to snatch the note clearly intended for me.

"That son of a bitch…" I curse lowly under my breath. Untangling myself from Ray, I park my ass on the mattress next to her instead. Ignoring the subtle pricks to my skin as I kneel over glass, my gaze attempts to burn a whole through this goddamn note. This much I can understand loud and fucking clear.

Hello, Issac :)

Blonde hair invades my vision, before deep pools of blue steal all of my attention away from the flimsy piece of paper. I like this view much better…

"Zack, what's going on?" Her stern gaze is demanding answers, ones I don't even know how to begin to give.

A sigh escapes my lips, my energy suddenly feeling like it's been zapped away, "Fuck, Ray…" My hand scrapes down the front of my face, attempting to wipe some of the exhaustion away. "Danny… that fuckhead is still alive somehow."

She blinks at me, her blank stare not giving anything away as she processes the new information.

"And the note?"

Flipping the paper around so she can read it, she examines the writing carefully before her eyes come back to meet mine. That gaze roams over my face with intensity, like she's trying to pull the answers directly from my expression. She knows I knew. My body starts to get restless the longer she reads me, before Ray finally speaks again.

"Teach me to fight."

Her words are blunt and matter-of-fact, and sure as hell not what I was expecting. Hell, I thought she would doubt my conclusion that it was that peepers fuck before anything. "How the hell is that related to this?" I question incredulously.

She rolls her eyes at me, as if her course of action is the obvious answer to our current predicament. And yet I'm the idiot… All of a sudden her body begins to fall back into the mattress, my arms are thrust out and wrapped around her waist before it can even bounce into the cushion. "Are you fucking crazy, Ray?" I shout in alarm, "There's broken glass everywhere!"

Those irises, so bright and clear, bore into me as she relaxes her weight in my arms. Her hair fanned out like a platinum halo as I hold her. "I trust you, Zack." The words strike a chord in my chest, one I've never really felt before. "I believe you and I know we're in danger. But I also know that I don't want to run any more."

Breaking away from her sturdy gaze, I uncurl my legs from underneath me, hauling Ray's body up with mine as if she weighs nothing. As I stand, hands tucking into her armpits while she dangles in my hold, I can't help but smirk at the pout she's sporting. "Look Ray, if I can wield you easier than my goddamn scythe, what makes you think you would stand a chance with anyone else?"

Making my way to a part of the room not littered with glass, her arms come to cross over her chest as soon as her feet touch the floor, hitting me with a petulant glare. "I let you," she states simply.

"What do you—"

"I let you do all that to me, it's not like I would let anyone else." Her tone is so matter-of-fact and my mind can't help but wander to earlier when my tongue was nestled in that sweet mouth of hers.

She let me? And no one else?

I certainly like the sound of that.