Rae couldn't relax, not for a second. Keegan was in a complicated position and she could tell that he was anguished and worried, perhaps more than her. He kept the door constantly locked even when he was inside with her and the first night he was back, he didn't sleep a wink. She rolled to her side and saw him staring at the roof of the caravan in the dark. His breathing was normal but aggression emanated from him. She didn't say anything, she just watched him until her eyes felt droopy and she slept. She woke up to him banging a cabinet in the kitchen area. She sat up quickly and he apologized. “Sorry about that.”Rae rubbed her eyes. “Good morning.”“Morning,” he said. The circles around his eyes were dark and pronounced which indicated that he hadn’t slept a wink. She felt bad because she knew that she was the reason why he was so worried about Fred having the key. She couldn’t say that she wasn’t disturbed. It was clear that he was a freak and had the worst of intentions. What

The morning was slow and unremarkable. Now that Fred had the key to the caravan, allegedly, Keegan couldn’t bare the thought of leaving it empty for a long period of time. When she had to use the woods, he would stay behind. She would stay behind most of the time but he wasn’t concerned that she was alone because he doubted that Fred would try to do something reckless in front of everyone. He was planning something big, Keegan was sure of it. She was tired of the entire situation and hoped that it would get resolved soon. She was bored most of the time and without training, her days were even longer than usual. She slept a bit after breakfast and immediately started reading her book after the nap. Keegan had gone somewhere so she was alone. As the book progressed, she unconsciously compared herself more and more to the main character. With a sinking heart, she concluded that she would never be such a female. She didn’t know any female who defied the laws and was successful about it

Keegan shook her lightly. Rae heard his voice from a distance. He was far away, so far that his voice echoed. He was telling her to wake up, pleading almost. Her sleep was too peaceful. She didn’t want to wake up. She didn’t know where she was but it was a comfortable place. She was totally relaxed and she couldn’t remember feeling this way in a long time. If it weren’t for Keegan’s voice in her ear, she would go on sleeping forever. She opened her mouth to tell him to go away. She didn’t want to be disturbed. She had forgotten about what had happened earlier with Fred and how she almost died. All she focused on was falling back asleep because it was the kind of sleepiness that she would never experience again. It was similar to napping on the couch and then being woken up. It ruined everything. “Rae, please,” he said gently. He sounded desperate. “Don’t do this to me. You can’t do this to me. Wake up. Rae. Rae!”She finally groaned. She was upset that he was insisting on waking her

Things between them had changed.The change happened practically overnight. They woke up and turned to look at each other simultaneously and it was something that had never happened before. The intensity of his gaze stunned her. It made her shiver involuntarily and she was forced to hide in the bathroom while he prepared breakfast for the two of them. She wished she had a mirror so she could see the look on her face. She didn't doubt that she was blushing heavily. Her cheeks were warm to the touch. What was happening? She couldn't tell.Rae had to get a grip on herself. She didn't want Keegan getting the wrong idea. She was not in love with him. She was confusing her gratitude and her appreciation for him for...something else. She didn't plan on falling in love with anyone, much less Negan's brother because yes, that was what it all boiled down to. He was Negan's brother and she already established that the idea of mating with him to get back at his brother for rejecting her was temp

The kiss was still on Rae’s mind. As much as she tried, she couldn’t forget it. She couldn’t push the thought of him out of her mind. She could say that he was a distraction from the pain she felt upon hearing the news of her father’s demise and the thought that she might be (was) responsible. She was by no means alright, though. As much as she was thrilled by how she felt when he kissed her, she couldn’t ignore that her family had been turned upside down because of her. Yes, she had the right to leave and for that she would never be sorry, but although she was tremendously upset with her parents for concealing the truth, she didn’t want them to get hurt. She tried not to think too much about them when she left and she could say that she succeeded. She thought mostly about the past and not necessarily the future, like how they were doing without her. That was a thought that actually never crossed her mind. But if she did, she’d never think that her father had died as soon as she le