The bright light of the afternoon sun momentarily blinded me. It took me a few seconds to recover and by the time I realized who was standing in front of me, it was too late. The Brighton twins from a farm not too far away from Hanna were staring at me, their father's truck parked next to the fuel pump.
"Hey Lizzy," Dirk called, a piece of hay hanging from his mouth. He elbowed his brother and grinned.
"What you up to?" Stephen asked, returning his brother's grin.
They were both dressed in worn jeans and t-shirts with the sleeves cut off. Barbed wire tattoos circled their muscular arms right where the farmer’s tan ended. Almost every part of them, from the dark hair to the freckles on their noses was identical. Everything except for the crooked scar above Dirk's lip. That was the only way to tell them apart.
I groaned and made a sharp turn for the bathroom. This was the last thing I needed today. The Brighton twins had spent years harassing me, taking advantage of every opportunity to stop by whenever their father drove his truck through town.
At twenty-two years old, Dirk and Stephen were learning the family trade and preparing to take over the family farm. They delighted in making me squirm with their naughty little suggestions and flirtations. It was one of the things I looked forward to leaving behind when I was at school.
"Don't you two have something better to do?" I asked as they followed me around the corner of the station and to the bathrooms.
I heard a mock gasp behind me and an exaggerated sigh.
"But Lizzy, I thought we were friends," Stephen said.
I didn't look up at them, but tried to open the men's bathroom. Locked. Great, now I’d have to go inside and find the key.
"In what universe?" I mumbled under my breath.
The best way to fend off the Brighton twins was to ignore them. That's what I tried to do as I moved to check the ladies room, but a hand closed tightly around my wrist. Dirk pressed in close, pushing me against the wall of the gas station and startling me enough that I dropped the toilet paper and it rolled a few feet away.
"What are you doing?" The twins had tried to touch me before, but never this aggressively. I couldn't hide the hint of panic in my voice.
"Come on, Lizzy. We know you want us. Just admit it."
"No, I don't." I pushed back against Dirk's chest but couldn’t move him even an inch.
He grinned at me, his face inches from mine, while Stephen stood back and watched around the corner. Running a finger along my cheek, he leaned in even closer.
"I know you're just playing hard to get. My sister says girls do that to drive boys crazy. I think you've driven us crazy long enough."
I turned my head away as he pressed his chest against mine and worked his fingers into my hair. His breath reeked of onions and cooked meat. Everything inside me told me to move, but my body was too afraid to fight back. He placed his other hand on my waist and began to slide it up my side.
"Don't, Dirk. I mean it. I said no." The words came out like a whisper.
Dirk pulled slightly away and cocked his head, smirking at me. "Come on. You're always flirting with us. Don't act like you're so innocent."
I shook my head. Nowhere in my memory could I remember flirting with the Brighton twins. I'd simply not taken their crap, even when we were kids. They'd pull on my ponytails and I'd yank on their overall straps. It was all I could think of doing as a little girl. Sometimes, after they teased me and left with their dad, I would have to finish crying in the bathroom before I could return to work.
"I've wanted you for a long time, Lizzy Redding. Now, stop teasing me."
His hands were all over my body, in my hair, and groping at my chest. I tried to fight him, but he laughed and pushed against me even harder, forcing the air from my lungs. His rubbery lips nipped painfully at my mouth and down my neck, pausing at my collarbone. I felt his hands move to the zipper on my jeans and my fear intensified. If I didn't get out of here soon, he wasn't going to stop.
I did the only thing I could think of in the situation. With a grunt, I rammed my knee into Dirk's groin. He yelped and flew back, pressing his hands to his crotch. Before I could duck, he swung his right arm out and hit my cheek with the back of his hand, sending me crashing to the ground.
"What the hell, dude?" Stephan ran up to Dirk and grabbed his arm.
From the look in Dirk's eyes, he wanted to hit me a few more times.
"She kneed me," he said, the pain thick in his voice.
I felt along my tender jaw and tasted blood. If that slap was as bad as it felt, I'd have a nice purple bruise there tomorrow. Granny would definitely interrogate me to find out how I got it. I'd have to come up with a story before then. If I told her the twins did it, she'd tell me I brought it on my cursed self and would sentence me to an hour praying to the goddess in church.
"Come on, man," Stephen said, pulling on his brother's arm. "Dad's probably done gassing up. Let's get out of here."
Dirk gave me one last look over. The pain was beginning to fade from his eyes and the same dangerous lust had begun to replace it. He spat at the ground and then turned to follow his brother, limping slightly.
I waited until they rounded the corner before picking myself off the ground and retrieving the runaway toilet paper. Only a few minutes ago, I'd been itching to check on my demon, but now I wasn't so sure about it. If someone like Dirk could do that to me, there was no telling what that demon could do.
Maybe the best thing to do really was to let him rot.
Chapter Six
By the time I got home and changed, I was feeling guilty about leaving Gabe tied up in the woods. The only water he had was a little bottle of spring water I’d left by the bed. If I didn’t bring him some more soon, he might get dehydrated.
So I put on my hiking boots, grabbed some water and food, and took the usual trek into the western woods. I didn’t turn south until I arrived at a pair of pines that sprouted out of the ground together, forming a large V shape. When I reached the creek, I turned west and followed it a ways before splitting off and finding the shack.
From the outside, I couldn’t even tell there was anyone inside. All was quiet in the woods. The silence made me nervous, so I tiptoed up to the door, listening for any sounds of life. Maybe he was dead. He could’ve passed during the night because of the sword wound. I didn’t relish the idea of burying a dead body, but maybe it was better that way.
There was still no sound, so I pushed open the door as quietly as I could. The demon still lay on the bed, his hands bound by the ropes. His body was deadly still – not even his chest moved.
Disappointment pulled at my heart. I didn’t really want him to die. Something about him made me curious about the demon clans, and maybe if he’d lived, I could’ve gotten some answers to the questions I had about them. But now, I’d never know.
I went inside and dropped the bag of food and water on the cabinet. There wasn’t anything like a shovel in the shack, so I’d have to go back to Granny’s house and sneak one out of the garden shed. Hopefully, she wouldn’t miss it for a couple days. If I was going to make a hole deep enough that bears wouldn’t be able to dig him up, it could take some time.
Gabe’s eyes were sealed shut. I’d never seen a dead person up close before, so I walked up to the bed and watched him. If he wasn’t so still, I would’ve thought he was still alive. His face was still pale, but a pink undertone colored his cheeks. Maybe demons didn’t die like the rest of us.
All of a sudden, he opened his eyes and lunged at me, grabbing me around my waist before I pulled out of his grasp. I stood with my back pressed against the opposite wall as he strained against the rope, growling like a mad dog and tensing every muscle in his sculpted body. I’d nearly fallen for his trick. If he’d gotten ahold of me, he could’ve snapped me like a twig.
“That’s a great way to treat the person who saved your life,” I yelled at him, despite the panic threatening to send me running out the door.
He blinked,
the growling coming to an abrupt stop. “You saved me?”
His voice was less raspy now, but still weak. He looked down at the ropes around his wrists and then back up at me. I could barely catch my breath as his green eyes pierced right through me.
“Why did you save me?”
It was the question I’d been asking myself over and over during the past twenty-four hours.
“I’m not sure…” I still had my palms pressed against the wall, but his calm demeanor had me relaxing the slightest bit. “I saw you in that fight and I didn’t want to leave you for the demons to pick off. It didn’t seem fair.”
“Then why did you tie me down?” he asked.
I swallowed, trying to calm my nerves. “I didn’t want you to hurt me.”
He cocked his head to the side, his eyes still boring into mine. “I won’t hurt you,” he said, his voice steady.
I stood there for a few moments, feeling his gaze move over me. His voice had a seductive pull on me. I wanted to believe anything he said. It must be a demon’s trick. I’d have to work hard to overcome it.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t trust you yet.” I busied myself with grabbing a water bottle from my bag and a can of cold soup.
When I looked back at him, he was staring at the food in my hand, hunger written across his face. I felt a pang of guilt. It’d been hours since I tied him up. I should’ve left my snacks out for him, but I’d forgotten to do that with all the excitement of cleaning his wounds.
“Here, eat up,” I said, edging forward.
He sat inhumanely still, as if determined to prove his promise not to hurt me. I opened the water bottle for him and held it out. His eyes didn’t leave my face while he wrapped his fingers around it and lifted it to his shapely mouth. In only a few seconds, he drained the bottle and gave it back to me.
“Thank you,” he said, relaxing back into the bed. “By the way, my name’s Gabe.”
“I know. You told me yesterday when I was helping you get here.” I held out the can of soup and a plastic spoon.
He looked at it curiously, but didn’t take it.
“What, don’t you have canned soup where you’re from?” I asked.
He smirked and tilted his head to one side. “I guess not. But it smells good. You’re not trying to poison me, are you?”
I laughed. “Would I really go to all this effort to help you if I was going to poison you?”
“Maybe not…” He licked his bottom lip and stared again at the soup. “But I guess I have no choice. I’m starved.”
He took the soup and began to shovel it in his mouth, pausing only long enough for me to take the empty can and hand him another. By the time he’d finished all three cans of chicken noodle soup, I was starting to feel a bit more comfortable around him. I perched myself on the edge of his bed, far enough from his arms that he still couldn’t reach me.
I felt his eyes searching my face again. It was like he could read all of my secrets just by looking at me. With one glance, he made me feel like I was standing naked in the middle of a crowded room.
“Did I do that?” Gabe looked at me questioningly.
I frowned. “Do what?”
He nodded his head, gesturing at my cheek. It was then that I remembered Dirk’s parting gift and the throbbing pain that had died down after I took a dose of aspirin.
“Oh, no. That was some jerk in town. He attacked me.”
I turned away, clearing my throat at the unexpected amount of emotion that had entered my voice. If I thought about it too long, I would begin to imagine Dirk’s hands roaming my body again, uninvited. It made me feel cheap and dirty. I wish I could’ve done more than crush his family jewels.
“You’re not a demon?” Gabe asked, breaking my line of thought. He watched me with a careful expression.
“Uh…no,” I sputtered, offended by the very suggestion of his question. Did evil things usually save people?
“Well, you don’t have the dark demon eyes, but I couldn’t be sure,” he said with a shrug. “Demons have a thing for possessing beautiful men and women, so I thought you were one of them.”
I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. It was a strange thing, being called beautiful by a deadly creature. I didn’t know how to feel about it.
“You thought I was possessed by one because of my looks?”
“Yeah, but if you were possessed, you would’ve killed me by now. So I’m pretty sure you’re just a human.”
I’d never considered being called just a human a bad thing, but the way he said it so causally made it feel like an insult. The fire in my cheeks burned hotter, dispelling the comfortable feeling that had settled over us.
“What’s so wrong with being human? Remember, this lowly human saved you.” The bitterness in my voice came across stronger than I intended.
“There’s nothing wrong with being human…” Gabe stumbled over his words. He opened his mouth and then snapped it shut, his cheeks turning red.
So far, not off to a great start. I’d yelled at and chewed out my demon hostage. If he didn’t want to kill me before, he might now.
“How are your wounds?” I turned my attention to the claw marks across his abs and shoulder.
Most of them had begun to heal at an inhuman rate. The three marks on his belly were faded to a faint red line, and the shoulder wound had mostly closed up. If he continued healing at that rate, he’d be ready to leave by tomorrow.
“Perfect,” he said, flexing his arms to test his shoulder. He grimaced with the effort, but it looked promising.
“I suppose I’ll leave you here another night to get better, then we’ll figure out what to do with you.” I packed the empty water bottles and soup cans in my bag.
His chin snapped up. “Do with me? Aren’t you going to let me go?”
I winced. If it had been anyone else from my town who’d found him, they would’ve killed him in the woods yesterday. We all knew how dangerous demons were to humans. They raped and murdered our kind without thought. Fifty years ago, demons slaughtered forty Hanna residents who’d ventured into the southern woods for a festival. It was then that the law was put into place. No one could go into demon territory. It only brought death.
“I’m not sure yet,” I said, swinging the bag over my shoulder. “You’re dangerous. What if you hurt someone?”
He frowned like he didn’t understand what I was saying. “Dangerous? I think you’ve got the wrong idea…”
“We’ll just give it one more night,” I interrupted. Maybe by tomorrow I’d have a plan. “Just to be sure that you’re feeling better. I’d hate to come up against any of those demons in the woods without you in full strength.”
I moved to the door and paused before pulling it open. An embarrassed flush worked its way up my neck.
“I put that bucket next to your bed in case you need it…”
He nodded solemnly, saving me from having to explain myself.
“And I’ll bring you a shirt tomorrow. We’ll talk about you leaving then.”
I was almost through the door when he called out. “Lizzy!”
Stepping back inside, I looked at him lying on the bed. Somehow, through all the haze of yesterday, he’d remembered my name. It sort of scared and thrilled me at the same time.
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry about that jerk in town,” he said, his gaze intensifying. “I hope he got what he deserved.”
I couldn’t help but smile at him. “Maybe not. But with any luck, I made it so he can’t have children in the future.”
Gabe’s laughter followed me out of the shack and into the darkening forest.
Chapter Seven
It was a challenge to hide my nerves from Granny the whole next day at the Pump N’ Go. All I wanted to do was finish my shift so I could run and check on Gabe. Then, I’d have to decide how to release him without getting myself killed. I hadn’t quite figured that part out yet.
After an uneventful afternoon, Queenie finally came to release
me from my shift. I ran home and changed, stuffed some more food and clothes in my bag, and left for the shack. Gabe’s knife was tucked safely in my pocket. If I released him, he’d need something to defend himself with. I’d hate for him to get eaten alive so soon after healing.
The shack was quiet once again as I slowly approached it. Although yesterday had left me feeling more secure about the ropes that bound him to the bed, I still wasn’t taking any chances. These woods were full of dangers and not just the demon kind.
The idea that I had a gorgeous half-naked creature tied to a bed suddenly struck me as hilarious. Kate would’ve died laughing, if she wasn’t so afraid of demons. All we needed now was a whip and a blindfold, and this would practically be Fifty Shades of Grey territory. I stifled a giggle at the ridiculous idea.
Pushing through the door, I glanced at Gabe lying on the bed.
“How are we feeling today?”
He was still asleep, so I quieted my footsteps and went about emptying my bag of food and a shirt for him. It was one of the t-shirts we used to sell at the gas station – Black Hills National Forest was stamped on the front over a picture of a bunch of ponderosa pine and a majestic elk lifting its head to scent the wind. We’d sold a few, but now they were faded and old, so Granny stuffed them in the back storage room.
“Gabe? I brought some food for you.” I snuck up beside him, waving a strawberry pop-tart under his nose.
He still wasn’t moving. It was then that I realized he looked paler than ever. I placed my hand on his forehead to feel his temperature and immediately pulled my hand away. His skin was burning up. A layer of cold sweat covered his face and his chest moved in shallow breaths.
“Wake up,” I said, giving him a little shove.
He moaned, but didn’t open his eyes.
“Come on, you have to wake up.” Panic was starting to leak into my voice. I took a couple of breaths to calm myself and began scanning his wounds.
All the claw marks on his chest had healed to thin red lines. They probably wouldn’t even scar. They weren't the problem. It was the wound on his shoulder that bothered me. The opening had grown red and swollen. The redness was spreading in pink lines across his shoulder and down his chest. It had to be an infection.
Heart of a Demon: A New Adult Paranormal Romance Page 4
