Rivals (Book 2 of The Warden series) Read online

  Copyright © 2013 by Felicia Jedlicka

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Felicia Jedlicka

  Book design by Felicia Jedlicka

  Editing by Silver Jay Media

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Felicia Jedlicka

  Find me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/feljedauthor

  Visit my website feljed.wordpress.com

  THE WARDEN SERIES

  Successors

  Rivals

  Honeymoon Lovers and Liars

  Time and Time, Not Again! Bad Blood

  Let My People Go Tenants and Tyrants

  The Ring Bearer

  If Wishes Were Fishes Gods and Monsters

  Beasts and Burdens

  Magic and Mayhem

  …More to Come…

  Nebraska Apocalypse Novels

  Corn, Cows, and the Apocalypse

  Cow Tipping After the Apocalypse

  Corn Husking After the Apocalypse

  THE

  WARDEN

  Rivals

  Felicia Jedlicka

  Table of Contents

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  38

  39

  40

  41

  42

  43

  44

  45

  46

  47

  48

  Sneak Peek:

  Author Page

  1

  Cori sprinted down the hall of the zoological floor. Her lungs burned, and her side ached, but she was ahead of Ethan so she ignored the pain. She glanced back at him. Despite the three-foot-long harpoon gun he was carrying, he was closing the distance between them. She had opted for a more civilized weapon. A tranquilizer gun wasn’t as effective in these situations, but it was a lot easier to carry.

  At the end of the hall, the elevator doors opened unexpectedly. Seeing an opportunity to extend her lead, Cori lengthened her stride to a hamstring-tearing level.

  “Don’t you dare,” Ethan snarled from behind her, already anticipating her plan.

  Reaching the elevator at full speed, she crashed into the back wall less than gracefully. She leapt back to the panel, nearly toppling against it as she pressed the “door close” button.

  The doors started to shut.

  She heard Ethan roar and he leapt through the gap in the closing doors. He collided with the back wall before dropping to a heap on the floor. Even with the double impact, he kept his gargantuan harpoon gun in his hand. He glowered at her from the floor, panting his exertion through flaring nostrils.

  Cori pinched back her smile and positioned herself in front of the door. He joined her, all but shoving her aside to get equal access to it.

  They silently watched the dial over the door that indicated the car’s slow ascension. The half clock was virtually useless since most of the numbers had fallen off. All the elevators were in sad order, and she was certain that one day someone might plummet to their death in one. She was just hoping not to be that someone.

  While they were waiting, she checked that her tranquilizer gun was still securely attached to her belt. Ethan put down the harpoon to tuck his black shirt into his black cargo pants. She wanted to mock him about his monochromatic military style, but the truth was he looked good in it.

  She still donned her usual jeans and graphic t-shirt. Today’s wardrobe choice depicted a man sitting on a toilet with a big smile and double thumbs-up. It read, “Pooping is Fun!” The shirt had inspired looks of disgust from Danato, which made it her favorite.

  There had technically been no formal discussion on dress code, so she took advantage of it. It was her last vestige of rebellion. That was probably why Danato let her do it. Control of her clothing was the least he could do to appease her need for individuality.

  In the closed space of the elevator, Cori became acutely aware of the smell of cologne. She looked up at Ethan wondering when he had become one of those guys. His jaw clenched as if he were anticipating the verbal attack. Instead of taking the opening to tease him, she grazed her eyes along the taut muscles of his neck and down to the sculpted chest that was panting from his exertion.

  He’s dead.

  The reminder snapped Cori away from her appreciative ogling. She shouldn’t have been gawking at him like that anyway. He was too young—not as young as he had been, but of course neither was she. Perhaps it wasn’t so much about him being too young anymore, as her being too old.

  He’s dead.

  Cori shook her head, clearing away the etch-a-sketch. Ethan noted the oddity of the movement and leaned forward to see her face. When nothing revealed itself to him he went back to staring at the dial. “What are you making for dinner tonight?” he asked.

  “Stroganoff,” she answered.

  “I love stroganoff.”

  “I know,” she answered with a hint of pride for the knowledge.

  He looked down at her, eyes fluttering over her with awe. She smirked at his enthusiasm. It was the simple things that struck Ethan’s heart. She imagined that his on-again-off-again foster care had left him longing for home-cooked meals.

  A slight smile perched on his lips, and his eyes softened. For a moment, she thought he might hug her or kiss her, but he didn’t have a chance to do either.

  The doors opened with a ponk at the seducers’ level.

  Game on.

  Cori lunged forward to take the lead again, but Ethan shoved her to one side before she could even get out of the lift. Her intended momentum redirected her face first into the button console.

  “Damn you!” she griped, but he was long gone.

  Courtesy of her forehead, several floors were selected, and the doors started to close again. She slipped between them, but her foot got caught up. Fearful that the antiquated device would cut off her foot, she yanked herself free, minus her shoe. “Son of a…” she muttered, ripping off her sock.

  She looked down corridor. Ethan had already made it into the next section. She screamed in frustration and ran after him.

  When Cori reached the first airlock, she discovered the glass in the door was broken. The end result of an escapee with a hard head and no opposable thumbs—or hands.

  She tiptoed through the sharp mine field to the door. She considered simply stepping through the vacancy, but the jagged remnants lining the doorframe left it too narrow to pass through without getting cut. Despite the obvious section breach, the system still insisted she close the previous door before opening the next.

  When she finally
caught up with Ethan and their escape artist, he was already hauling the screeching creature down from the ceiling. Despite the harpoon pierced through the wing of the small pterodactyl-like creature, it was still trying to fly away. It took everything Ethan had to draw the creature down from the ceiling.

  Though it wasn’t inherently violent, it was extremely dangerous. Its knobby head and jet speed designed it to be an airborne battering ram. If it turned on Ethan, he would the recipient of a skull-crushing head butt.

  When it finally flopped to the floor, Ethan used the remainder of his rope to hogtie the beast. It squawked and flailed in objection, but Ethan quickly wove it into a tight bundle, not much larger than a bulldog. Once it was calm, it turned to look at Cori. She wasn’t sure the elongated beak could project a pout, but it was definitely unhappy to be denied the expanse of the prison as a playground.

  Ethan panted over his prey with his arms on his hips. When he noticed her he frowned. “Where the bloody hell have you been?” he barked.

  Her mouth fell open and she pointed back to the endless sea of glass that had threatened to shred her naked foot. Before she could articulate her explanation, she noticed the amusement trickling into his smile.

  She glowered at his teasing and he outright grinned at her. She growled through clenched teeth and stalked past him.

  “What happened to your shoe?” he scoffed behind her.

  “Shut up!” she yelled back at him as she left the section. She heard the beginnings of his hearty guffaws before she shut the door to the airlock.

  2

  Cori stormed into the house and slammed the door behind her. She ripped off her coat and slapped it over the back of the couch. Danato eyeballed the misplaced coat over the rim of his glasses from his usual reading chair. “I can’t believe you,” she bristled as Ethan came in behind her. He closed the door gently and rubbed the frame as if he was concerned that she had damaged it with her pubescent spectacle.

  “Did you get the buzzard?” Danato asked.

  Ethan nodded and hung his coat up. “Yes, we did,” he said with a restrained smile.

  “He got it!” Cori tattled to Danato. “Even after he specifically said I could take it down.” She stormed passed Ethan, clipping his shoulder with hers on the way by. He grunted from the abuse, but she assumed it was just to mock her further.

  “Do you not remember saying that?” she asked as she started to search the cupboards for food. Stroganoff was off the menu for the evening. Since it was his favorite, she considered it his punishment for not upholding his deal.

  “I do remember that.” Ethan picked up her coat from the couch and hung it up by the door. “Imagine how disappointed I was to find out it wasn’t true.”

  Cori paused with a soda and chips in hand to grasp his meaning. “So clever,” she hissed and headed upstairs.

  “Don’t take all the chips. That’s the last bag until next week,” Ethan demanded with a fatherly scold.

  She turned around and stuck her tongue out at him with childish sass. She expected him to threaten her verbally, but she hadn’t anticipated him launching into a dead sprint to get to her. She yelped and ran up the stairs, no longer concerned for chips or soda, but for the safety of her body.

  He tackled her midway up and ripped the bag from her grip. Uninterested in retaliation beyond taking another prize from her, he continued up the stairs. She grabbed for his feet but he hopped away from her grasp and disappeared into his room.

  “Ethan. Give them back!” Unwilling to relinquish any more to him, she got to her feet—soda forgotten—and ran to his door. She pounded on the thick wood. “Open this door or I’ll beat it down! You know I will.”

  She backed up; giving herself the running start she needed for a truly dramatic entrance. She ran at the door and leapt into it with her shoulder. With prolonged airtime, and a far greater impact than she’d expected, she reached her ultimate destination: the floor inside the room.

  Ethan closed the unharmed door behind her, shaking his head. “Don’t wreck the house; she’s already miffed at you.”

  Cori took in a few whistling inhalations, forcing air back into her vacant lungs. She rolled over and found the chips. She grabbed the foil bag, but it was a short-lived triumph.

  Empty. Wrong bag. Damn.

  “Looking for this one?” Ethan flaunted the full bag of chips over her before ensconcing himself on his black leather couch. His monochromatic style had officially reached the point of excess.

  While he devoured the contents of the bag, Cori examined her surroundings. She was in a bachelor’s living room. The black leather couch was surrounded by modern white plastic end tables. The bookshelves lining the walls were filled with books and a few trinkets. The room even smelled musky like his cologne.

  “Where’s your bed?” she asked, searching the walls for a hide-away bed.

  “In the bedroom,” he mumbled over his chips. He motioned to the door behind her on the left.

  “What?” She backed up and peeked into the fully furnished bedroom. The black embellishments continued, making the room seem dark. “You expanded into the spare bedroom,” she said, probing deeper into his personal space. She found a rather impressive bathroom and a walk-in closet. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice this. When did you guys redo the house?” she yelled from the closet.

  “The house redid herself,” Ethan hollered from the living room. “She decides how much room you need.”

  “Your closet is bigger than my bathroom.” She emerged from the bedroom and glared at him with pouty lips.

  “The house likes me. She doesn’t like you.”

  “What the hell did I ever do to her?” she shrilled.

  “Besides that little stunt you almost just pulled.” He nodded to the door.

  “What?” She shrugged and moved to the couch. “I didn’t hurt anything.” Cori crouched on the cushion next to him.

  “Hey, shoes off or sit right,” he said pointing to her scruffy tennis shoes on his fine leather. Cori rolled her eyes. She was amazed at how quickly he had adapted to and adopted Danato’s OCD cleanliness. “You are disorganized and messy. You punched a hole in her wall.”

  “I never did that,” Cori objected as she slipped her tennis shoes off and tossed them to the floor.

  “The first night you were here, you punched a hole in the office wall. It made an impression on her.”

  “Oh!” She thought about that a moment while she repositioned herself to sit Indian style on the couch. “I didn’t know the house could… Did that hurt her?” she asked, suddenly concerned about every supposedly harmless act of violence against inanimate objects in the house.

  “I’m not sure it was physically painful,” Ethan said. “But she is a very emotional being. I think you hurt her feelings.”

  “Oh.” She thought about that. “Can she hear us?” Cori whispered.

  Ethan laughed. “No, she’s just a presence. If the house is clean and in good order, she is happy. If not, the degree of sloppiness will determine if she’s sad or mad.”

  “So, to get my room expanded, I have to clean it.”

  “Yup.” Ethan nodded.

  With a quick movement, Cori grabbed the chips and ran to the door. Ever prepared for her tactical maneuvers, Ethan tackled her midway to the door. The bag of chips landed beneath them both with a devastating crunch. “You smashed them!” she yelled.

  “I did? You’re on top of them,” Ethan protested.

  “And you’re on top of me. Ergo, get off me!”

  Ethan rolled off her. Cori rolled off the bag of chips. They examined the downed comrade between them with disappointment.

  Cori got up and dusted herself off. “You can have them.”

  “Not hungry anymore?” Ethan asked.

  “Yeah, but without the crunch, what’s the point?” Cori shrugged and left.

  She went to her bedroom to prepare for bed. She grabbed her pajamas and slipped out of her t-shirt and jeans. As usual, she tossed t
hem on the floor nowhere near the hamper. She slipped on her pajamas.

  She looked down at the discarded clothes. Determined to turn over a new leaf of order and cleanliness, she picked them up to place them in the bathroom hamper. As she did, she noticed a red stain on the back of her shirt. It looked like blood.

  “Shit.” She ran to her bathroom mirror to check her back for cuts, but there wasn’t a scratch on her. She quickly retraced her steps, and realized that she wasn’t the source of the blood. “Idiot!” she hissed.

  She reached below the sink and found her handy-dandy first aid kit. After several trips to the infirmary, it was clear that more paperwork was involved in getting hurt than dying. Therefore, unless you are dying, you don’t go to the infirmary. To save a few trees, and her sanity, she kept a few basic supplies at home. In case she had any incidents.

  Cori stepped back across the hall and found her shoes just outside Ethan’s door. She knocked. “Look down,” he voiced from inside.

  “Open up,” she said quietly, so she didn’t disturb Danato any further than they already had. She was surprised he hadn’t come upstairs to break up their scuffle. He didn’t like it when they got into physical fights. Danato knew better than anyone how strong Ethan was, and if he didn’t restrain himself in their playful banters, he could really hurt her. So far, he hadn’t. Since this was only one of a series of fights they had been having the last few weeks, Danato was probably sick of intervening.

  “You can’t have the chips,” he said, muffled by the door and the handful of chips he most likely just put in his mouth.

  “Open up or I’ll tell Danato you need to go to the infirmary.” A moment later the door unlatched and opened a crack. Ethan peeked out with one glaring eye. The other eye was likely glaring too, but she could only see the one. “I know you’re hurt,” she said, using her best maternal voice: the best combination of sweetness and don’t make me come in there.

  “I’m fine.”

  “As soon as I determine that for myself, then we can both go on with our lives.” After a long pause with no response, Cori opened her mouth to holler downstairs to Danato. Ethan opened the door wide and yanked her inside.