But he’d screwed up. She’d kept on asking him why he’d brought her here, and he could see the beginnings of fear in her eyes. He hated it. His job was to free her from fear, not create more for her. So he ended up blurting out the truth.
He wasn’t surprised that Rainey denied that Dwayne was hurting her. He’d seen the same happen on Ethereum. Most abuse victims wouldn’t admit to themselves that they were abused. He knew that too well. But he’d hoped in time that he could encourage her to see her fiancé for what he was.
And now he’d blown the whole damn thing. Rainey was determined to leave the island, and he needed to come up with a plan fast if he was going to have a shot at helping her.
Alone at last, Rainey took a deep breath and walked into the cabin. The interior complimented the exterior in build and style. There was a living area separated from the kitchen by a wooden counter with stools arranged around it, all different heights and either too low or too high. The kitchen appliances were old, but probably the most normal thing about the place, along with a small comfy-looking sofa on the other side of the room. Opposite the entrance door was another door that led to a small bedroom, with an en suite bathroom. Rainey poked her head into the bathroom. Better than imagined. She’d half expected the toilet to be a bucket in the corner.
She placed her bag in a corner of the room and stepped out onto the veranda. There were two rockers, which were beautifully built, in contrast to everything else she’d seen so far. With a heavy sigh, she lowered herself into one of them. Her phone buzzed again in her back pocket. A quick glance, and a swipe of her thumb over the screen dismissed Dwayne’s second call. She needed time to compose herself before she spoke with him. Right now, her head was fit to burst with the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions hurtling through it.
As she walked to the kitchen to get some water, her phone buzzed again. With a sigh, she yanked the device from her back pocket and answered Dwayne’s call.
“Hi,” she said, trying to keep her voice as normal as possible.
“Why the hell haven’t you answered any of my calls?” he demanded.
So much for niceties. “I’m sor—”
“What’s going on over there?” he interrupted.
“Um, I’m not sure the growing environment here is suitable, to be honest. The soil where they are building isn’t deep enough fo—”
“Do. Not. Fuck. This up. Do you understand? This job is worth a lot of money to me.” Dwayne’s snarl raked her eardrum. It was always about money with him.
She squeezed the phone tight in her fingers. “Dwayne, I’m trying to tell you, the conditions aren’t good here. I doubt anyone—”
“You and your pathetic excuses. What the hell do you know, you damn stupid, lazy cow!?”
Familiar dread rose like bile in her throat. Dwayne’s voice went low and deadly. “I don’t know why I allowed Phil to hire you. You’ll never be even a mediocre weekend gardener. Don’t fuck this up!”
“But—”
The line went dead. She stared at the blank screen, tears prickling behind her eyelids. She blinked hard, hoping to calm her emotions down. Dwayne hated it when she cried, frequently screaming at her that tears made her a weak, sniveling coward. Not long ago, he’d started throwing things at her to toughen her up. For her own good, he’d said. He always doubted everything she did, and whenever she said that something was impossible, he’d blame it on her lack of skills. Once when she told him it was impossible to remove the ink stain from his white shirt, he’d gotten so angry the picked up a 10-pound box of washing powder and hurled it at her. One of the corners hit her square in the cheek, breaking the skin. The resulting bruise had been difficult to hide, and Dwayne had forbidden her to go to her high school friend’s wedding that weekend.
Yes, her relationship was difficult some days. But as Dwayne often said, being in charge of a big company in a high-risk market was also very difficult for him, and it was only fair that she shouldered some of the burden. The company was going through a particularly tough time at the moment, and he’d promised things were going to be much better soon.
She took a deep, trembling breath. He won’t be happy when he finally discovers that it’s impossible to grow anything on this barren island, but that’s just how it is. There was nothing she nor anyone else could do about it. And he’d understand eventually. There was no point her staying here and wasting time, though. She’d go back tomorrow and face the music. Explain that instead of staying here and doing nothing, she could be back in Seven Rivers working on other projects, which would bring in more money. He’d shout and scream at first, but eventually he’d be happy about it. Dwayne Veitch was always happy to make money. She smiled wryly to herself. She was the least materialistic person she knew, yet she’d ended up with a guy who thought about money every waking moment.
She jumped as a sudden burst of the Jingle Bells tune blasted through the cabin. “What the—?”
“Hello?” Boreas’s voice came from the other side of the curtain-door. A doorbell. Of course.
She laughed and walked through the front door to find him standing at the bottom of the stairs, holding a plate of barbecued meat and a baked potato. It smelled delicious, and her mouth watered.
“I thought you might be hungry,” he said with a slightly bashful smile.
“That’s nice of you. Let me get some plates.”
His forehead furrowed. “You can eat off this plate right here. It’s all for you.”
She laughed. “If I was twice the size I am. You’re gonna have to help me out with it.”
He made a mock sigh of resignation. “Okay. Deal.”
She sat down on one of the rockers, and he took the other one.
He stared at the plate for a beat then slapped his forehead. “I forgot silverware. Mind if I get some from your kitchen?”
“Of course not.”
He disappeared inside then returned with two knives and forks. She took a set from him and eagerly dug into the food. It tasted even better than it smelled, and she was starving.
“What’s with the doorbell tune?” Rainey asked, once the first wave of her hunger had been satisfied.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it,” Boreas said, looking pleased.
“It is...” Rainey hesitated. “What made you choose it?”
“When we started settling on Earth we kept hearing it everywhere. We thought it must be a local anthem or something. We wanted to blend in with humans, so we picked it for our doorbells.”
Rainey suppressed a giggle. “Did you start settling here in November or December by any chance?”
Boreas raised a questioning eyebrow. “Yes, why?”
“Um, just that Jingle Bells is mostly played during the festive season.”
“Oh.” Boreas’s shoulders slumped. “I guess we’d better get some new tunes then.”
“I don’t think you should. It’s one of my favorite songs, any time of the year.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” She nodded encouragingly. She had no idea why, but for some reason she wanted to make him feel better.
“Okay then. We’ll keep them.” He was silent for a moment, then he let out a snort. “Just as well since we bought about a dozen of them.”
Rainey burst out laughing, and he laughed too. It was deep, unrestrained sound, and it made her laugh some more, and then he laughed because she was laughing, and it went on and on. At last she stopped, breathless, her stomach muscles aching. It sure felt good to be laughing, sharing a joke with someone. She couldn’t even remember the last time that’d happened.
When she finished eating and put her silverware down, Boreas looked at her plate longingly. “Go for it,” she told him, passing him the plate.
“Sorry. I don’t mean to eat like a beast,” he said. “But we dragons are hungry most of the time, and all this physical labor just makes it worse.”
“I can imagine.” Her chest warmed with a glow of affection for him. He was so genuine, honest and
straightforward. Most of the people she knew had hidden intentions, secret agendas, envy redressed as good will. But she felt secure around him—like he’d never do anything to hurt her. “I’m sorry I freaked out earlier. I panicked because I couldn’t understand why you’d get me to come here, but I see now you were trying to help me.”
He looked away for a few seconds and then raised his eyes to meet hers. “I’m sorry if I offended you. I didn’t mean to.”
“You didn’t offend me. Embarrassed me, yes.”
“No hard feelings then?” Boreas raised an eyebrow.
“No hard feelings.” Rainey nodded.
“Great! Well then, I was thinking there’s something I want to show you.” Boreas said.
“You do?” Rainey hesitated. “Is it a nice something?”
“I hope so.” Boreas gave her a wink. “We’ll see.” He leapt to his feet and bounded down the stairs. “Let’s go. We need to hurry a bit.”
Rainey followed Boreas down the steps, along a path, then up yet another hill, his stride becoming increasingly energetic. If the surprise was a challenging walk along rocky surfaces, he’d thoroughly succeeded. Although, his enthusiastic updates on how far away they were made her think something more exciting awaited them.
“Just a few more minutes.” He turned to glance at her as he led her around a jagged rock, and the sparkle in his eyes and energy of his voice gave her a sense of anticipation, too.
In another five minutes, they clambered around the side of a massive, red, egg-shaped rock, and they were finally on the top of the mountain. Boreas stretched out his hand. “Come on, we have to hurry so we don’t miss it.”
Somehow, she found herself taking his hand and following his big strides to the cliff edge. His grasp was gentle but firm, and her hand felt very small in his.
He came to a stop, and her breath caught in her lungs at the majestic view in front of her eyes. The sun was huge, bigger than she’d ever seen before, and it was setting into the sea, painting the sky and the land below them in vibrant shades of pink and violet. The water had drawn back from the shore, exposing curious rock formations, and there were quite a few small rock pools along the shore, their surface reflecting the intense hues of the sky in a truly spectacular way.
“This is breathtaking,” Rainey said. “What a fantastic view.”
“I’m glad you like it. I thought you’d enjoy seeing it.” Boreas’s eyes glowed in the warm light. “I come here when I want to be alone. It’s very peaceful.”
Rainey took a deep breath and stared at the panorama in front of her. “I can’t even remember the last time I stopped and watched the sunset. I’d almost forgotten how beautiful it can be. As a child, I was always running around, playing in nature, exploring. But then you grow up and life happens, and you have less and less time for the things you enjoy.” She chuckled. “At least, as a landscape architect, I get to spend quite a lot of time outdoors.”
She exhaled slowly and looked around, taking in the view, and savoring the moment. Boreas was standing next to her, and suddenly she was very aware of his proximity, of the mere inches that separated their bodies. Was she standing too close to him? Was he standing too close to her? Her breath caught in her lungs, as the silence between them felt too loud, and she was suddenly afraid that Boreas would guess at her thoughts. She shuffled her feet to chase the thoughts away and he turned his head toward her, his eyes full of warmth and his face soft in the sunset light. She noticed a small crescent-shaped scar over his left eyebrow, which she hadn’t seen before. It was distinctive and she found herself wondering how he’d got it.
“This is absolutely stunning,” she said, needing to break the silence. “Thank you for bringing me here. I really appreciate it.”
“I’m happy you enjoyed it,” Boreas said and something flashed in his eyes. His gaze was still fixed on hers. It was intimate somehow and made her even more self-aware.
“Let’s go back before the evening breeze chills you,” he said.
The walk back to the cabins was much faster, partly because they were going downhill and partly because Rainey felt light and energized. She smiled to herself. She wouldn’t have the two-week island retreat she had expected, but she had the feeling that even a day here would do her a lot of good.
“Well, well, well,” a harsh voice barked as they entered the communal area. “Who on earth is this now? And what is she doing here?” A bulky red-headed man with a massive scowl on this face stood in front of them, hands on hips, his biceps bulging. He was wearing dark jeans, a white t-shirt and a black leather biker jacket. He looked like a lot of trouble. And her presence seemed to be making him furious, but she had no idea why. Maybe her one-night island retreat wasn’t going to be that peaceful after all.
Chapter 4
Boreas
“Caden, back off,” Boreas snapped. He didn’t have time for Caden’s perpetual arguments right now.
“Back off?” Caden shouted, his red hair glinting in the last rays of daylight, hazel eyes blazing with anger. “What’s this human doing here?”
“Rainey, Caden. Caden, Rainey,” Boreas said, then took Rainey’s hand and started to lead her toward the group of dragons who were sitting around the fire. The brief introduction would have to do for now.
“Where are you going?” Caden grabbed Boreas’s right shoulder and pulled him back. His amber eyes were smoldering with anger beneath his red eyebrows. “I’m speaking to you.”
“Rainey is a landscape architect, and I’ve hired her to help us with the building project.”
“Landscape architect?” Caden scowled and spread his arms wide, indicating the land. “The only thing that can be landscaped on this barren island is someone’s bald patch. Are you losing your hair?”
Boreas grunted. “You’ll be losing your hair and ginger stubble if that mouth of yours continues flapping. I don’t have time for your childish belligerence. Why don’t you put your energy into getting some Firesource for me and Rainey instead?”
Caden let out a contemptuous snort before turning around and walking toward the store where they kept their provisions. He was a rebellious dragon but he knew better than to defy a command from his superior. “What are we turning into? A sniveling bunch of human collectors?” he shouted over his shoulder.
“Don’t mind him, please. He’s got an attitude problem,” Boreas said to Rainey as they walked toward the other dragons who were sitting around the fire. “Everyone, this is Rainey,” he announced when they were within earshot. “Rainey, this is Notus, Ciro, Zane, and Quinton.” Boreas pointed to each of them, and they greeted Rainey in return.
“And Eurus.” His friend’s voice came from behind. “It’s nice to meet you.” Eurus nodded at Rainey. But when he turned to Boreas, his smile disappeared. His brown almond eyes were anxious under his thick brows and his oval face looked longer than ever. “We’ve got a problem. The roof of the communal sleeping cabin collapsed. The wind took it down.”
“Damn. Is everyone okay?” Boreas asked.
“Yes, we’re all fine,” Eurus replied, running a hand through his messy hair, making it stand on end. He was trying to put on a brave face, but Boreas could see the tension in his jaw and broad shoulders. The hard work and pressure of the last days seemed to be getting to his friend, too. “Jett and Tharos were there, but they aren’t hurt. They’re clearing up the mess now.”
“Good. There isn’t much we can do for now, so let’s hope it doesn’t rain tonight. The lumber will be here tomorrow, so we can fix it all then,” Boreas said. “Have a drink with us now, and relax.”
“Which contractors are you using?” Rainey asked.
Boreas looked at her. “Contractors?”
“For the construction of the cabins. Which building company did you hire?”
“Here you go,” Caden’s bark interrupted. He thrust two glasses of Firesource into Boreas’ hands. “Welcome to Fire Island,” he snarled at Rainey. “The roof falling may not be a coincidence,�
� he mumbled as he turned to leave. “Humans bring nothing but bad luck.”
Eurus rolled his eyes at Boreas and Rainey and smiled. “Megan Garner spilt some white paint on his jeans today, so he had to spend the whole day with a white stain on his crotch. You can imagine the jokes... He’s been all horns and rattles since this morning.”
The three of them laughed and sat around the fire.
“Anyways”—Boreas looked toward Rainey—“about the cabins. We aren’t using any contractors. We’re building them ourselves.”
“Uhm, Boreas...I don’t think you should be building the cabins yourselves.”
He looked at her, baffled. “Why not? I’m a carpenter. I know everything about building.”
“You’re a carpenter?” Rainey looked surprised. “Well, then, how do I put this?” She laid one finger across her lips and gazed skywards. “Maybe the skill of carpentry where you come from is different than the skill of carpentry here. Because here, that cabin I’m staying in...uhm, it’s more of a work of art than a building.”
Boreas Reborn Page 4
