by Ben Cass
Ellie shrugged, unabashed. “Pretty much.”
“Then you might as well hear it right from me, rather than trying to eavesdrop. So just sit there and be quiet, short stuff.” Doyle focused on Jen, who was looking at him, her eyes wide. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said softly. “Truth is... I did want to kiss you.”
Ellie started to cheer, but Jen’s hand on her leg stopped her.
“Then why did you back away?” she asked.
Doyle flipped his shirt over one shoulder and stuck his hands in his pockets. He looked so guilty Ellie almost felt bad for him. She was amazed somebody normally so confident and sure of himself could appear so at a loss for words. It was a very different look on him.
Ellie didn’t care for it.
He heaved a sigh. “This will sound pathetic, but it’s the truth. I couldn’t help but remember the girl I hurt, all those years ago. Like I told you the other day, I couldn’t bear to do that to somebody again. I’ve spent a long time trying to get over her and you just walked into my life and pretty much forced her out of my mind.” He shrugged ruefully. “I felt guilty about that, I guess, even though I shouldn’t have.”
“Well,” Jen said, reaching out to take his hand, “how about this? You let me kiss you right now, you’ll see it doesn’t hurt me emotionally, mentally, or physically, and then we’ll just take it slowly from there.”
Ellie gaped at this statement; she couldn’t believe her ears. Doyle, however, didn’t seem surprised at all.
“Deal,” he said, just as gently. Jen rose off the bed, looking into his eyes. Ellie leaned forward, her jaw falling even more. Right before Jen’s lips touched Doyle’s, he suddenly lunged forward and wrapped his hands around Ellie’s head, covering her eyes.
“Doyle!” she screamed, grabbing his hands and trying to wrench them off. “What is it with you and your sister? Doyle! I swear by all that’s holy, I’m going to beat you senseless!” She fought to her feet, trying to kick him, but couldn’t find him. Damn those long, gorgeous arms!
She felt his hands shift, moving around her face. Something else moved nearby. Was Jen changing position? Wait...was that the sound of a kiss? She couldn’t tell, and renewed her struggles to pry those thick, powerful, sexy—stop it! Focus!
After a minute or so, she managed to pull both hands off, although she knew he had let her. The two adults stood there watching her, Jen right next to Doyle. Were her fingertips lightly grazing his? “What? No, no, no, not fair! What did I miss?” Ellie stomped her feet on the ground in frustration.
“Nothing,” Jen said. “He chickened out again.” Her face gave no hint as to whether she was joking or not. Doyle stepped back, his face also inscrutable. Even his posture told Ellie nothing.
“I’d better leave now,” he said. “I need to go check on something. I’ll be back in a little while.” He smiled sweetly at Ellie and walked away quickly. She grabbed a pillow and chucked it at him, but it hit the door.
“Oh, I am SO going to kick his ass!” she swore, punching the mattress. Jen was still watching her, face impassive. “And I suppose you’re not going to tell me either, are you?”
Jen’s face split into a grin. “Oh, all right. If you really want to know, let’s just paraphrase an old movie and say he’d make a wonderful tutor.”
“A wonderful tutor?” Ellie replied, confused. Jen’s grin widened.
“Yes. A wonderful French tutor.”
Chapter Eighteen
Ellie had stormed downstairs, muttering unkind words about Doyle as she went, leaving Jen alone upstairs. Jen stayed on the bed for a while, thinking about what had just happened. When her mouth had met Doyle’s, the image of the teenage boy had again popped into her mind, then vanished. She still didn’t recognize him, and it bothered her. These small flashes that jumped into her brain too quickly for her to recognize were getting annoying.
She yawned, putting her hand to her mouth, and then hesitated in lowering it. Jen gently touched her lips with her fingertips. Had she really just kissed Doyle like that?
Somehow, he’d been able to hold Ellie at bay—despite her best attempts to break free—and had still been able to turn his head down to face Jen. The kiss had started off gentle, hesitant even, but had quickly moved past that. She’d pushed his lips apart with her tongue, seeking his, and he had responded in kind, but she’d been zapped back to reality, though, quite literally.
Just as their tongues had touched, something like electricity had coursed through her body. She’d felt like she’d been shocked. Jen still had no idea what that had been about. Static electricity? From a kiss?
Maybe he was just that damn hot.
After an hour or so of thought and attempted relaxation, she finally gave up and headed to the kitchen to help prepare dinner. Kira was there, mixing something in a bowl. Jen sincerely hoped Kira hadn’t mistaken Doyle’s salve for something edible, but realized his sister would probably know about the mixture, and had probably even used it herself in the past. Ellie was cooking up some shrimp and tending to the boiling pasta.
“Anything I can do?” asked Jen.
Ellie snorted. “I don’t think anything in here is microwaveable,” she joked. Jen rolled her eyes, but had to admit Ellie had a point. Jen had little interest or skill in the kitchen.
“Here, you can help me,” Kira invited. “This homemade pudding is much easier to make with four hands.” Jen stepped over to join her. “Did Alistair talk to you?” asked Kira in a quiet voice.
Ellie made a choking sound from across the room, but said nothing. Instead, she looked outside the window, apparently admiring the starry sky. The sun had finally set fully and the forest-surrounded farm was very dark. Ellie removed the shrimp from the burner and sprinkled some sort of spice over them.
“A little more than talked,” admitted Jen. “I think we agreed to start dating each other.”
Kira’s eyebrow rose quickly, but the rest of her face remained impassive. “I cannot tell you how happy that makes me, but I meant about the living situation.”
Color flooded Jen’s cheeks. “Oh. That. Yes, he did. I agreed to his proposal.” Ellie dropped something and spun around.
“Proposal? Don’t tell me that’s what I think it is?” Her hands were gripping the counter behind her back so fiercely her knuckles turned white.
“No,” said Kira and Jen together; they looked at each other and laughed lightly.
Jen stepped forward and squeezed her sister’s shoulders. “No, no. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Doyle just...he wants us to stay with him for a while. That’s all. He wants to take us back to his home country for a trip.”
Ellie grinned widely, excitement in her eyes. “No arguments here. Maybe I can teach Theonus some tricks, like rolling over or fetching a stick.”
“We’ll have to figure out what to do about your school,” Jen said, tapping her fingers on Ellie’s shoulders. “The year is almost over, but what about senior year?”
“There are schools in Kiamada,” Kira pointed out. “Different from here, but I am sure we can figure something out.”
Doyle burst through the back door, his face tense with worry. “Get upstairs,” he said urgently. “Now.”
“Why?” Kira grabbed his arm, the look on his face obviously worrying her as much as it did Jen. “Alistair? What is wrong?”
“I was out walking Theonus when we saw a man on the road.”
Ellie rolled her eyes. “Oh, dear. Maybe Jen should call her news station so we can get a truck out here.” She framed her hands like a camera, moving them across her line of vision. ‘Man walks down road...get the story at eleven tonight.’” Ellie spread her hands wide. “What’s so suspicious about that? Lots of people in Groverton go for evening strolls. Is he always this melodramatic?” She addressed this last question to Kira, who offered no reply.
Doyle threw Ellie an exasperated look. “People don’t go for evening strolls on this street,” he said. “As your sister said, I am the only per
son living out here. The nearest occupied house is...what? Three miles away? Four? Why would he be walking so far?”
“Perhaps he is trying not to attract attention by driving a car,” Kira murmured, tapping her fingernails on the counter thoughtfully.
Ellie threw up her hands. “Sure. Feed the paranoia,” she said to the air.
Doyle ignored her, nodding at his sister. “Precisely. It’s suspicious, given all that’s happened the last several days. I want you three upstairs, right now. I’ll deal with this.”
Jen put her hands on his waist, looking up to his face. “Doyle, if this really is a problem, you’re not in any shape to handle it. Injured ribs, remember?” She tried a light emphasis, since she didn’t want to let on he’d admitted to broken ribs. “I’ll call the sheriff. He can drive by and pretend to be checking up on us.”
Doyle, however, shook his head. “It takes too long to get here. The sheriff is at the hospital right now.” Jen started to ask how he could possibly know, when he continued, “This man will be here in a few minutes.” He pointed to the stairs in the next room. “Go. If I have to, I will physically carry each and every one of you up there.” He glared at Kira. “And you know I can and will.” To Jen’s surprise, Kira did not argue. She barely hesitated, and then ushered Ellie to the stairs. Jen hung behind, worried about him.
Doyle’s face softened. “Don’t worry. If I’m just being paranoid, then I’ll be okay. If I’m not being paranoid...I’ll still be okay.”
Not the most reassuring speech she’d ever heard.
Doyle walked to the broom closet. “Trust me, Jen.” He opened the door and, to her amazement, opened a second, concealed one inside. He pulled out a giant wooden bow, which must have been nearly as tall as Ellie, and a quiver of arrows.
Jen looked at the weapons, a little shocked Doyle would have such odd items in the house. They were not what she had expected a former Special Forces man to have. Lots of guns and ammo, maybe some things that go “BOOM”, yes. Bow and arrows, no.
“Please, Jen.” He looked into her green eyes, his own pleading with her. “I will be fine. I promise.” Jen reached up, pulled his head down and gave him a solid kiss. She then pulled away and hurried upstairs without looking back.
“Do you see anything?” Kira called to Jen. Kira was in Doyle’s empty room, trying to peek out the window. They’d left all the lights off, but none of them could resist looking out. Ellie had gone into Kira’s room to see if she could spot anything, while Jen had checked Doyle’s room.
“Nothing,” Jen replied. “Ellie?”
“Nothing here eith...wait! I see somebody!”
Jen bolted from Doyle’s room and ran down the hallway to Kira’s room. Ellie stood by the window, trying to peek through the curtains without being obvious. Kira had a hand on Ellie’s shoulder.
Jen moved past the antique wooden dresser, nearly stubbing her toe on the rocking chair. She threw it a dirty look, and went to join her sister at the window.
“What do you see?” Jen whispered.
“It’s pretty dark out,” Ellie said. “The moon must be behind clouds right now. I can see somebody walking. They’re coming from the other side of the property. Must have entered before the road curves around.” They stood quietly for a few moments before Ellie spoke again. “Moon’s out. Looks like a man. Can’t be sure, though. Some kind of duffel bag, maybe two, over their shoulder.”
“May I look, Elowyn?” Kira asked. Ellie stepped aside, and Kira slid into her spot, barely opening the curtains with her fingers.
“Yes, too far away to be certain,” Kira murmured. She narrowed her eyes. “Is that the glow of a phone?”
Jen slid around her and gently peeled back the curtains, just enough for her to also look out. “I think so,” she said. “Looks like they’re sending a text.”
On the dresser behind them, a vibrating sound made them all jump. Kira’s head whipped around. “Oh, no,” she breathed out. “Please be a coincidence.” She left the window to check the phone.
Jen watched as Doyle’s form suddenly appeared several dozen feet behind the stranger, barely hidden in the shadows. The man must have sensed something, because he stopped walking. The two of them stood there for a second or two, but nothing happened.
Behind them, Kira gasped. “No! Alistair, no!” She bolted out of the bedroom, leaving Jen and Ellie trading glances and wondering what to do.
Then, in one smooth motion, the stranger dropped the bags and spun around, right hand blurring. A flash of light came from their fingertips and a loud CRACK filled the air. A gunshot! Jen screamed and Ellie hit the window with her fist, pressing her face against the glass. The stranger began running across the property, angling away from the house.
Below, they watched Kira emerge from the house and run out onto the property. “Alistair!” they heard her yell. “Stop! There is no danger!”
Ellie and Jen traded confused looks. Jen shrugged, and they took off after Kira.
They burst through the front door seconds later, just in time for something from a monster movie to walk right in front of them, making Jen’s heart fall into her stomach. The...thing...stalked across the property like a hunting lion. Huge fangs gleamed in the moonlight and saliva dripped from its mouth. The fur along the back was clearly standing on end, and the body was slinking lower to the ground. It was clearly preparing to attack.
Kira spun and yelled at the nightmarish form, pointing her index finger at it. “Theonus, stop! You will not stalk my husband!”
Jen’s brain felt woozy. Theonus? That’s what Doyle had called his dog. Jen felt like laughing hysterically, and instinctively knew she was on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
Sure, a dog, the size of a damn elephant, with saber-tooth fangs. And Kira just scolded it like you would a toddler. Why not?
Theonus—whatever the hell it was—stopped moving, holding his crouch. “Put your fur down and sit!” Kira demanded. The ridge of fur settled back down against the dark body as it lowered itself to sit, and to Jen’s further shock, Doyle suddenly appeared out of thin air, the giant bow held at his side.
In one smooth motion, Doyle drew and nocked an arrow, raised the bow, sighted, and let the arrow fly. The entire act took perhaps a second. The arrow sped straight and true to its target. The sounds of cursing carried through the night air. “Alistair, stop!” Kira cried out. “You are shooting at Jerry!”
Doyle’s eyes widened. “What?” he asked in disbelief.
Jen felt weak in her knees, and finally collapsed to the ground, staring at the giant black animal only a few feet away. Was she still in the hospital, having a feverish dream? She tried to rationalize the scene, but nothing made sense to her. What in the hell was going on?
HAD Ellie heard correctly? The stranger on the property was Kira’s husband?
“Alistair, if my husband is injured, I swear to you I will shove one of your arrows so far into your rectum you will be able to shave your face with it!” Yep. She’d heard correctly. Kira sounded pissed.
“I didn’t aim at him, Kira,” Doyle said calmly. “I’m sure he’s fine. Theonus, would you and Elowyn mind going to get him?”
Ellie looked at Theonus and the Wiler nodded, crouching as low as he could. Ellie pulled herself up onto the left front elbow and scrambled onto his back, using the fur as handholds.
“Not without me!” Kira announced, her glare shooting daggers at Doyle. Kira hurried over to Theonus and climbed up easily, making Ellie wonder how often Kira had ridden on the Wiler. Ellie offered her a hand climbing up the last few feet.
Ellie waved at Doyle, getting his attention, and pointed at Jen, who was sitting on the ground, shaking. Doyle glanced over and finally saw Jen. His expression shifted instantly to a worried one, and he dropped the bow and quiver. He hurried to her, dropping down beside Jen and putting his arm around her shoulders.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“What...thing....that...teeth...” Jen couldn’t put two coher
ent words together. Ellie knew how she felt.
He grimaced, his mouth turning down at the corners. “Ah...that would be Theonus, my dog. He’s a Wiler.”
Jen stared at him, her eyes as wide as Ellie knew hers had been. “A what?”
Doyle sighed. “Here, come with me.” He picked her up and carried her over to the porch, talking to her quietly but quickly.
Ellie sighed. Poor Jen. She hoped her sister took the news as well as she had. “Let’s go, Theonus,” she said, patting his back.
Chapter Nineteen
It only took Theonus a minute or so to reach the man, who sat on the ground surrounded by a bunch of fallen logs. Kira started to slide off the furry back, and Theonus lowered himself just in time to prevent her falling over a dozen feet. She dropped to the ground and hurried over to Jerry.
Kira knelt beside her husband. “My love, are you all right?” A groan of exasperation greeted Ellie’s ears.
“One of these days, Kira, I’m going to convince your brother to stop trying to kill me.” Jerry’s voice, though annoyed, was a very pleasant one, Ellie noticed. She thought he’d make a great radio announcer. It was a deep, smooth baritone, and it hugged her ears, caressing them, making them feel cozy and relaxed.
“Did you know it was him the whole time?” she asked Theonus, as Kira helped her husband stand and brush himself off. The great musical laugh sounded again in her mind.
Not until after he shot at Doyle. I decided to stalk him so I could terrorize him. It was delightful.
Ellie shuddered at the enjoyment in the Wiler’s tone and instead looked at the small logs. She recalled passing them while riding Theonus through the fields and was sure they had been stacked up. That pile had looked pretty tightly tied with netting, and she wondered how they could have possibly fallen. She shifted her eyes, looking at the few still-stacked ones. The net was there, but had been sliced cleanly in two. Doyle’s arrow stuck out of a post only a few feet past; it had clearly cut through the rope, freeing the logs.
