Read Online Badlands: The Lion's Den by Georgette St. Clair - Free Book Online
Authors: Georgette St. Clair
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with back in California had made the dangers in the Badlands seem trivial. Even death would be preferable to what she’d faced on the other side of that border.
Finn shrugged. “Life’s not fair, Flora. And when you try to make it fair…” His eyes turned dark and his expression went stormy. After a long moment, he picked up his burger and began devouring it with big, savage bites.
“Why doesn’t everyone move to Cottonwood?” Flora wondered. “It sounds much safer there.”
“It is, but not everyone is looking for safety. Living in Cottonwood’s almost like living outside the Badlands. Rules and regulations, law and order. A lot of us came to the Badlands to escape that kind of life.”
Madison had probably come to Darwin first, as an act of rebellion, and now she was trapped, Flora mused. Flora knew what it was like to feel trapped. To find out that those who were supposed to love and protect you were the ones who had put you in danger.
“Come on,” Finn said. “Let’s go back to the club.”
“I want to stop by the grocery store first,” Flora said. “I need some greens to make a salad.”
Chapter Nine
Flora was back where she’d met Madison a couple days earlier, in the alleyway behind the abandoned warehouse. She was still in Hudson territory, but perilously close to the border.
There were no signs of bears. No boy bears, anyway. That was a good thing.
Still, Flora stood there warily, ready to duck back inside the building if she needed to hide. She scented the air, ready for trouble. Finn would be furious if he knew she was here. He had headed out early that morning to go on patrol, and she had pretended to be asleep in his bed so he wouldn’t ask her what her plans were for the day. She preferred creative avoidance to actual lying.
Madison, Sam and Sarah hurried down the alleyway, and Flora quickly handed Madison the bag of Starweed she’d bought at the grocery store the day before.
“Oh, wow, you really came back!” Madison said eagerly. She glanced at Sam. “Told you she’d come.”
“This time,” Sam said skeptically. “She probably won’t come next time.”
“Of course I will. Some people actually do what they say,” Flora said.
Sarah glanced at her and gave a hollow laugh. “Not in my experience.”
Sam nodded glumly.
Far off in the distance, they heard the clashing howls and snarls of wolves. Flora tensed up, ready to run. Madison sniffed at the air, then shook her head. “We’re fine. They’re a good thirty blocks from here.”
“I should get going anyway. I have to get to work,” Flora said. “But before I go, I just wanted to ask – have you guys heard of Cottonwood? One of the lions was telling me about it yesterday.”
“Yeah, what about it?” Madison said, trying to sound casual.
“It just sounds like a much better place for all of you. At least from the way Finn was describing it. You wouldn’t have to worry about being forced into anything you didn’t want.”
Madison glanced around quickly, then spoke with a lowered voice. “We’ve been planning to go there for ages. I just need to get enough Starweed together to last us for the trip. It’s on the other side of the state – there’s all kinds of territory we’d have to steer around, so it would take us anywhere from a week to three weeks, depending on what we ran into, and Sam needs this stuff every day. Ruben doesn’t like it when people leave his territory, though. So don’t tell anyone.”
Flora rolled her eyes. “Right, Madison, first thing I’m going to do is call Ruben and snitch on you. Because he and I are pals like that. Listen, if it were up to me, everybody would be able to leave this territory. But at least I can help you guys. I can bring you more Starweed if you want.”
“Can you? Let’s say three days from now. Just in case Ruben’s patrol saw us head in this direction, that’ll throw them off. I wish I could pay you back for all this,” Madison said,
Finn shrugged. “Life’s not fair, Flora. And when you try to make it fair…” His eyes turned dark and his expression went stormy. After a long moment, he picked up his burger and began devouring it with big, savage bites.
“Why doesn’t everyone move to Cottonwood?” Flora wondered. “It sounds much safer there.”
“It is, but not everyone is looking for safety. Living in Cottonwood’s almost like living outside the Badlands. Rules and regulations, law and order. A lot of us came to the Badlands to escape that kind of life.”
Madison had probably come to Darwin first, as an act of rebellion, and now she was trapped, Flora mused. Flora knew what it was like to feel trapped. To find out that those who were supposed to love and protect you were the ones who had put you in danger.
“Come on,” Finn said. “Let’s go back to the club.”
“I want to stop by the grocery store first,” Flora said. “I need some greens to make a salad.”
Chapter Nine
Flora was back where she’d met Madison a couple days earlier, in the alleyway behind the abandoned warehouse. She was still in Hudson territory, but perilously close to the border.
There were no signs of bears. No boy bears, anyway. That was a good thing.
Still, Flora stood there warily, ready to duck back inside the building if she needed to hide. She scented the air, ready for trouble. Finn would be furious if he knew she was here. He had headed out early that morning to go on patrol, and she had pretended to be asleep in his bed so he wouldn’t ask her what her plans were for the day. She preferred creative avoidance to actual lying.
Madison, Sam and Sarah hurried down the alleyway, and Flora quickly handed Madison the bag of Starweed she’d bought at the grocery store the day before.
“Oh, wow, you really came back!” Madison said eagerly. She glanced at Sam. “Told you she’d come.”
“This time,” Sam said skeptically. “She probably won’t come next time.”
“Of course I will. Some people actually do what they say,” Flora said.
Sarah glanced at her and gave a hollow laugh. “Not in my experience.”
Sam nodded glumly.
Far off in the distance, they heard the clashing howls and snarls of wolves. Flora tensed up, ready to run. Madison sniffed at the air, then shook her head. “We’re fine. They’re a good thirty blocks from here.”
“I should get going anyway. I have to get to work,” Flora said. “But before I go, I just wanted to ask – have you guys heard of Cottonwood? One of the lions was telling me about it yesterday.”
“Yeah, what about it?” Madison said, trying to sound casual.
“It just sounds like a much better place for all of you. At least from the way Finn was describing it. You wouldn’t have to worry about being forced into anything you didn’t want.”
Madison glanced around quickly, then spoke with a lowered voice. “We’ve been planning to go there for ages. I just need to get enough Starweed together to last us for the trip. It’s on the other side of the state – there’s all kinds of territory we’d have to steer around, so it would take us anywhere from a week to three weeks, depending on what we ran into, and Sam needs this stuff every day. Ruben doesn’t like it when people leave his territory, though. So don’t tell anyone.”
Flora rolled her eyes. “Right, Madison, first thing I’m going to do is call Ruben and snitch on you. Because he and I are pals like that. Listen, if it were up to me, everybody would be able to leave this territory. But at least I can help you guys. I can bring you more Starweed if you want.”
“Can you? Let’s say three days from now. Just in case Ruben’s patrol saw us head in this direction, that’ll throw them off. I wish I could pay you back for all this,” Madison said,
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