The hum of the armored jeep filled the silence. Soldiers sat stiffly in the back, clutching rifles, but all Lexi could feel was Nathan's presence beside her in the passenger seat.
He didn't look at her at first. His eyes stayed on the road, his jaw set, one gloved hand resting on the wheel with absolute control. The kind of control that demanded obedience.
But Lexi wasn't built to obey.
"Why me?" she asked finally, her voice steady, curious but not deferential.
Nathan's lips curved faintly. Not quite a smile. More like a predator showing teeth.
"You're… different," he said. "Too calm. Too calculating. People like you either rise—or burn the camp down."
Lexi tilted her head, studying him with the same analytical sharpness she used on her enemies. "And which do you think I'll do?"
For the first time, he looked directly at her. His eyes lingered, searching, stripping her of any mask she wore. Desire flickered in his stare—raw, dark, but laced with something dangerous: the urge to own her.
"That's what I intend to find out," Nathan murmured.
The jeep jolted over rubble, breaking the tension. Soldiers shifted uncomfortably, pretending not to notice the charged silence between their leader and the new recruit.
Lexi smirked faintly and looked away, hiding her satisfaction. He wanted her close. He wanted to tame her. That was his first mistake.
Inside, Nathan's thoughts burned.
'She's untouchable now. No one lays a hand on her unless I say so. Mine to break. Mine to test. Mine to claim.'
And yet… something unsettled him. He had always been the one in control. But with Lexi, control slipped through his fingers, replaced with something unfamiliar—something almost like an obsession.
—
The air in the abandoned government lab was heavy with rot and chemicals. Every step crunched against scattered glass and broken syringes. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered weakly, buzzing like dying insects.
Nathan lifted his fist, signaling silence. The squad obeyed instantly, guns raised. His eyes, however, slid to Lexi—watching how she moved.
She didn't fidget like the others. Didn't breathe too hard. Didn't betray fear. She walked with lethal calm, her dagger glinting faintly in the dim light.
'She doesn't belong in the lower ranks' Nathan thought. 'She's a weapon.'
A zombie lurched from the shadows. Lexi moved before Nathan could even raise his gun—her blade slicing into its skull in one fluid, practiced motion. She didn't flinch as the corpse collapsed at her feet, just wiped her blade on its clothes and kept moving.
Nathan's lips tightened. He had brought her to see her limits, but so far… she had none.
When they reached the storage section, Nathan spoke low.
"Pair up. Sweep each room. Take only what's useful."
The soldiers scrambled, relief in being paired with anyone but Lexi. She unnerved them. Nathan, however, gestured to her.
"You. With me."
Lexi only nodded.
They pushed into a dark side corridor. The stench was worse here—thick with mildew and something else… metallic, like blood. Nathan's gun swept the corners. Lexi stayed a step behind, dagger poised.
A pair of infected burst from a doorway. Nathan fired clean shots, two bullets, two kills. He turned in time to see another clawing toward Lexi. She didn't hesitate—slashed its throat, pivoted, and drove her blade through its skull.
The silence that followed was thick. Nathan stared at her, gun still raised, but he lowered it slowly.
"You've done this before," he said quietly. Not a question.
Lexi met his gaze, her eyes cold, unreadable. "Does it matter?"
Something in him tightened. She was mocking him—not with words, but with that cool indifference.
He should've been furious. Instead, he felt heat stir beneath his calm exterior. A dangerous pull.
Nathan looked away first, jaw tight, and kicked open the door to the medical room. Shelves of medicine, dusty but intact, lined the walls. He started filling his pack. Lexi did the same, deliberate, methodical.
Yet the air between them stayed charged—unspoken, simmering.