Wild One

by Donna Augustine

  “It’s the innkeeper’s.”

  I stepped inside, wondering what this was about as he followed me in.

  He took off his shirt and tossed it onto the pallet. I edged back, watching him. There were different types of hurting. Just because he didn’t hit me didn’t mean he wouldn’t exact his revenge.

  His eyes shot to mine, taking in the way I pressed myself into the corner. “That’s not what this is. If I’m chained to you, no one else is going to get their hands on you. Koz sleeps like the dead.” He dropped onto the pallet, made a pillow of his shirt, and closed his eyes.

  I stood there and watched him for a good five minutes. If this bothered him in any way, it wasn’t obvious. In fact, it was becoming clear I could stand there all night if I wanted. And I really didn’t want to. I was exhausted.

  I slid down the wall, trying to determine the best way to lie down and touch him the least. In my efforts, I only stepped on him a handful of times.

  He sat up. “For fuck’s sake, I’m trying to sleep.”

  He looped an arm around my waist and then tugged me down beside him before closing his eyes again.

  I settled into the spot, my blanket still wrapped around me, and he shifted, having to lie on his side to fit in the space. His body brushed mine from shoulder to toe. I could feel the warmth of his skin seeping into me and the feel of his chest, thick with muscles. His breath fanned my neck. The smell of pine clung to him like he’d been born to run through the forest, rule it.

  Logic dictated that I should be irritated. He’d stormed into the room and carried me off without a word. But logic didn’t seem to have much of a say at the moment, because I wasn’t mad.

  There’d been a reason I’d lain awake long after everyone else had fallen asleep. I’d felt as vulnerable as I had at the village. Word would spread of the pirates dying, and too many people at the Gathering had noticed me. They’d be coming for me.

  With Callon’s body flush against mine, my muscles finally calmed. I didn’t have to listen for every creak of a board in the hall, every breaking twig outside the window. I could finally sleep. The witch had been right. If I wanted to be free, I needed to be tied to him, at least for a while.

  16

  I woke alone. It was better than waking up shoulder to shoulder after the best night’s sleep I’d ever had. That would’ve been plain awkward. For the first time in more than a decade, I hadn’t stirred. I’d slept like Callon had killed me.

  I ran an arm across my mouth, realizing I’d drooled. Who cared if I drooled? Callon was a necessity, and one that hated me. Maybe he’d left before I drooled. I stood, brushing myself off and deciding I probably didn’t drool until he’d left.

  I made my way into the hall, and the noises drifted up from the main floor. I knew they hadn’t left me here because they couldn’t. Even without the spell, Tuesday wouldn’t have let them.

  I peeked downstairs, searching the main floor, where people were breaking their fast. Callon looked up from where everyone was sitting at the table. If he was still raging, I couldn’t tell. If he was happy, that didn’t show either. My legs were stiff as I made them bend to descend the stairs.

  Tuesday followed Callon’s stare and made her way over to me before I hit the last stair.

  “What happened last night? I went to sleep and then you were gone in the morning. Koz said you were safe, but I was still a little nervous, and then Callon wouldn’t tell me what room you were in because he said to let you be.”

  She continued to ramble off each and every little thing that had transpired this morning, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the guys where they were talking. Callon might be stone-faced, but the others weren’t.

  “What’s going on?” I knew when things were wrong. I had a lifetime of experience with it.

  She glanced over her shoulder before she said, “Someone came around looking last night.”

  Looking for me? My first reaction was to barge out the door and run, but logic overruled that quick enough. I couldn’t run unless I had Callon running with me. And with Callon, I didn’t need to run. It was going to take a while to really firm that up in my mind.

  Once I nailed down my flight instinct, I asked, “What happened? Did anyone tell the person anything? Do they know where I am?” She whispered something so low I couldn’t decipher it. “What?”

  She jerked her thumb toward her chest, but she was trying to point at the guys without them seeing.

  “Just tell me what happened.”

  She leaned in close. “I think. Zink. Killed. Him.”

  “How? What else did you hear?” I kept my eyes trained on Tuesday’s face, forcing them to stay there, so I didn’t stare at the guys instead.

  Her eyes shot sideways, making sure we still had a buffer around us. “He was there when the guy arrived. He heard this person asking some guy who was lingering outside about a blond. Luckily, the guy hadn’t seen you. I’m not sure what exactly happened after that, but they know Turrock sold you. The guys said something about the blond’s new owner was looking for her.”

  “What about the guy that was asking?”

  “He’s gone. Koz said he. Wouldn’t. Be. An. Issue.” Her big almond eyes went round, and she nodded slowly, as if to add, Can you believe that shit?

  No one spoke as we walked. I avoided looking at Callon, and he did me the favor of pretending I didn’t exist. We’d gone about an hour before all the guys stopped, as if the spot had been predetermined.

  Koz handed over some dried meat. He was always good about having some snacks on hand. I chewed in silence, tricking myself into thinking I wouldn’t have to speak at all. Callon and I would ignore each other for the next year and then one day I’d leave, end of story.

  Of course, that wasn’t going to happen. He confirmed it by walking over and standing in front of me.

  “Is there anything else? Who else might be following you? Tell me now or I really might beat you.”

  He tilted his head toward me as he waited. Even from here, I could feel the heat he threw off, like he had last night.

  I swallowed the last chunk of meat quickly. After this, he might take the meat back.

  “Speak,” he said, as I was still forcing the too-large bite down.

  “They were selling me. If they think I’m still alive, they’ll probably want to make sure they get me back. You know, so they can get their money.”

  Callon didn’t budge, waiting for me to add anything more I might know. I was slightly relieved not to know anything else.

  “That doesn’t sound so bad,” Koz said.

  I’d known everyone was paying attention but couldn’t focus on them. I had to concentrate my efforts on holding Callon’s stare. See? Give it your best. Nothing left to hide here.

  “Don’t worry. I’m sure it’ll get worse,” Callon said to Koz, but he didn’t bother breaking eye contact with me. “Do you know who they sold you to?”

  “No. That’s all I have.” Even his questions were aggressive. If you really thought about it, he was overreacting. This arrangement was much more detrimental to my life.

  “They must’ve said something else.” He rolled his head, a perfect punctuation to the doubt in his words.

  “No. That was it.” That was all I’d heard, anyway, and Tuesday was not getting dragged into this conversation. I knew she’d held back on me, and I needed to know the full story before she spilled. After the way he’d flipped out on me, I was done offering up information. He was cut off.

  Tuesday stepped forward. She ignored the rapid shakes of my head that pretty much blew the story open anyway.

  She didn’t stop until she was nearly in between us. “I heard them.”

  “What else did they say?” Callon asked, and it didn’t go unnoticed that his tone softened.

  Okay, fine, she didn’t screw him over the way I had, but still. I crossed my arms, looking off at the trees, letting my foot tap all it wanted.

  “I didn’t hear a name. I only heard tal
k that buyers were coming and Turrock and Baryn were getting a nice chunk of gold.” Tuesday shrugged.

  It was all in the shrug, or the stiffness of it. She always shrugged when she was holding out. I didn’t need to see her face to know her mouth was twitching with untold information.

  “You’re a lousy liar. What else did you hear? I want all of it,” Callon said, his voice having a hint of the sharp edge it held when he spoke to me.

  Callon was right. Tuesday was the worst liar ever. It was like her whole body stiffened in rebellion. When she’d told me initially, I knew she was holding back and I should’ve pressed her. I shook my head a few more times as my tapping picked up its tempo.

  “There was nothing else important,” she said, taking a few steps back, trying to extricate herself now.

  Had she not been traveling with us these last days? Had she been so busy staring at Koz that she had no idea who this man was? There would be no retreat. You either stood your ground or triggered his predatory nature by running.

  Callon followed Tuesday. “Tell me anyway.”

  She shook her head, lips sealed shut.

  If she started sweating, I was going to have to get involved. I was studying her forehead when Koz stepped closer.

  Resting a hand on her shoulder, he said, “Tuesday, if it’s going to help us—”

  “It won’t.” Her face was flaming red. Her eyes darted toward me.

  Ah, shit. It was bad, but not in a way that was going to divulge my secrets. It was going to open me up for humiliation.

  “It might help,” Koz said.

  “I need to know every detail,” Callon said, refusing to stand down.

  Koz glanced at Callon, then back to Tuesday, torn by his budding feelings. It didn’t help that Tuesday was looking at Koz expectantly. I knew how Tuesday’s brain worked. She was looking for a white knight. If he picked Callon’s side, I didn’t want to think of how bad it would be. It wouldn’t matter that Koz had only known her for a short time. He’d called Callon a brother. Reasoning didn’t always factor in when Tuesday got on a roll.

  Callon looked at Tuesday.

  Tuesday grabbed Koz’s arm.

  This chain of events was about to go bad.

  I stepped forward. “Tuesday, just tell him. It’s not that important, whatever it was.”

  Koz’s shoulders slumped as Callon’s eyes narrowed on me. Seriously? I was telling her to say it all and he was still suspicious?

  “Can we talk in private?” Tuesday asked.

  I lost my chance to dissect it any more, because Callon tipped his head toward the trees. She walked a few paces away with him and I dropped back a few, to the other side of the clearing. It was cowardly for sure, but I didn’t want to hear what was said. If I didn’t hear it, I wouldn’t be embarrassed by whatever it was.

  Still, it was hard not to watch them.

  The more she talked, the more animated she became. And soon it looked as if she wanted to talk, as if telling everything to Callon was unleashing a dam.

  Her voice grew louder as she was half talking, and now half sobbing.

  Her voice grew so loud that it carried to me. “Then they laughed because Turrock said the only one who could possibly get off on a face like that was Baryn. And what was he going to do now that she was gone? He’d have to start from scratch.” Her hands were fluttering around. “And he’s the one that did that to her, and it wasn’t right. But that wasn’t even the worst. They were laughing about what this person was going to do to her, and, and…”

  I dropped back a couple more steps, afraid to hear what might come out next. As far as revelations, I guess it could’ve been worse. But damn if I could think of one right now. All I could do was try not to choke on the humiliation of it all. I’d thought no one knew about what Baryn used to do after he beat me. I’d never told a soul, but I guessed he had liked to talk.

  “So, Teddy, ever been out by these parts?” Koz asked, loud enough to drown out Tuesday’s voice.

  It took a second before I answered. “No. Never had the chance.”

  I appreciated the effort. I really did. But I was having a hard time speaking at that moment.

  Callon glanced over at me. I couldn’t guess at what else was being said or what he was thinking of it. I turned away too quickly to guess. Tuesday’s voice dropped lower a second later.

  Callon walked back over and went straight to Hess. “Go to the nearest pigeon place and see if you can get this settled. From what I know of Turrock, he’s a greedy fuck. Tell him you’ll pay twice what the current buyer paid and wait for a response.”

  Tuesday was following behind him, dragging her sleeve across her face as she made her way to me.

  “Tuesday, it’s fine.”

  She latched on to my neck anyway. She was talking, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. She was mumbling and blinding me with her hair.

  I was trying to make out her last words when I watched Koz walk up to Callon.

  “Do you need to…” Koz nodded in the direction of the trees.

  “I’ll be back soon.”

  Callon turned, his face clear even through Tuesday’s locks. His eyes looked downright feral, near glowing as he looked in my direction.

  Then he was gone.

  17

  The temperature must’ve dropped thirty degrees from that afternoon, and it felt more like forty every time the wind blew. My jaw smacked together so violently that I was expecting to spit teeth out soon. The palm I smashed up against it did little to stop the chattering because my hand was shaking even worse.

  I glanced over my shoulder at where Tuesday had curled up beside Koz. If he was anything like Callon, he threw heat off like a bonfire.

  Koz stared back. “You don’t look so good,” he said quietly, to keep from waking a sleeping Tuesday.

  “I’m fine.” I tried to speak without chattering. I turned back around and used my arm to sweep some more leaves over me.

  “Someone needs to sleep with Teddy. She sounds like she’s about to get hypothermia,” Koz said a second later.

  “She’s fine,” Callon said, the words sounding like they ran over a grate as he spoke.

  Footsteps neared and then Zink said, “Humans aren’t that useful, but I’m not sure I can watch her freeze to death.”

  I squinted an eye open and looked at where Zink stood staring at me, completely comfortable, as if it were a balmy spring day.

  “I said I’m fine.” I closed my eyes, intent on ignoring him.

  I heard a few more steps and then another person walking over. “What are you doing?” Callon asked.

  “Keeping her from freezing to death?” Zink offered. “Unless you want to?”

  “No,” Callon barked, as if having to sleep next to me last night had been so terrible.

  I’d slept like a babe, but I guess I snored or something. What if I’d drooled on him? I almost hoped I’d freeze to death in the night and wouldn’t have to think of that again.

  “Didn’t you sleep near her last night?” Zink asked, wondering the same as I.

  Well, he wasn’t wondering if I’d drooled. Who knew you could die of embarrassment at the same time you froze to death?

  “I don’t need any of you. You can all fuck off,” I said. Or that was what I tried to say, but my words came out a mess of stuttering and huffs. I was fairly certain the only clear words were “need” and “fuck,” because that was the kind of night I was having.

  Zink tilted his chin up and raised an eyebrow my way.

  “She told us to fuck off. Not what you’re thinking,” Callon said.

  “Shame. I was just about to revise my opinion that maybe humans were good for something.” Zink shrugged and then took a step forward, but Callon cut him off.

  “What are you doing?” Callon asked.

  “I told you. She’s freezing, and you, well…”

  “You. Can’t,” Callon said, his voice at a near growl. “That’s not a smart option.”

 
; Figured he’d let me freeze because he had ice in his veins. Not that I’d die. Didn’t need him. I didn’t need anyone. I’d make it through tonight with the hate burning in my chest, fueled by every mean thing he did.

  “Oh shit. Really?” Koz said, awe in his voice. “What are you going to do?”

  “Nothing. It’ll pass,” Callon said.

  I lost track of what they were talking about, and I didn’t care anymore. I tried to scoop up more nearby leaves and pile them on top of myself, closing my eyes and trying to burrow under my pile of compost.

  There was shuffling near me, but I ignored that too. I knew it was Callon. It was disturbing how I recognized his scent so easily. Made me want to take a hot poker to the insides of my nose.

  I squeaked when an arm wrapped around my waist and dragged me onto a fur beside him. We weren’t in a good place. I should be rolling right off this fur and telling him to shove it. But damn, I was cold.

  “Wouldn’t it be better if the fur was on top of us?”

  He didn’t answer, probably because my question was mauled by teeth chattering.

  He reached over me, grabbed the edge of the pelt on my side, and then pulled it until I was rolled into the fur. He turned, taking the edge of the fur with him as he gave me his back, the fur pulling me closer to him.

  “Don’t complain. I don’t particularly care to sleep like this either. Unfortunately, if you get sick, I’m afraid of what you’ll do if I bring you near another witch.”

  Helping me sounded like it was near killing him, and sent a renewed urge to tell him to go screw. The idea of complaining lasted all of one second before the warmth eased into the arms I had crossed in front of me. His body nearly boiled.

  “You need to get closer,” he informed me a minute later.

  “This is good.” Good was an understatement. It was the difference between the North Pole and the heat of summer.

  “You can’t make anything easy, can you?”