by Tamsin Baker
Or be tempted.
The raging fire in the fireplace kept the room toasty and I had to wonder how it stayed so high all of the time. I’d never seen any of them feed it, and there was no pile of wood stacked anywhere in the room.
I could only assume it was made from gas and they had the money to keep pouring into feeding it. Internal heating ducts would have worked just as well. I mentally shrugged, I wasn’t going to be here long enough to worry about it. The storm must have blown itself out by now. No storm I knew could keep up that sort of intensity for that length of time.
Today, I would leave.
Don’t think about how much you’ll miss them. You have a life. They have lives. It was a nice diversion.
Nothing more.
I drew in a steeling breath and ripped the heavy crimson velvet curtains apart. The window was white washed. Icy particles stung the glass and eddies were tossed this way and that in a violent wind.
I stood, gaping. The storm was worse than before. But, how could that be? Storms never lasted as long as this. Even in the dead of winter, there were times of reprieve, when the clouds would part and the sun would shine over the newly laid blanket of snow as though Mother Nature saw fit to show off her latest creation.
“Ah, you’re awake. I thought I’d catch you before you woke up, Ella.”
I spun to see Davon standing in the doorway, folded clothing in his hands. I clutched the sheet to my chest, fighting to urge to cross the room and let him enfold his arms about me.
I swallowed heavily. I had it bad.
I couldn’t rely on anyone to provide anything to me. Not even comfort, no matter how fleeting. I couldn’t afford to become side-tracked.
I didn’t want to feel like this. Nonsensically, an unexpected fit of anger tore through me. How dare they treat me this way, break down my heart, show me another level of caring and make me crave more of it knowing full well I could never have it more than a few days.
“When do you think the storm will break? Surely you have news. You know I have to leave.” Rude, I know, but I couldn’t seem to help it.
Davon’s face fell, but he quickly schooled it. I hated seeing that expression on his face, no matter how fleeting, so I turned back to the window, hardening my resolve.
“It’s set in for a while,” he said.
I crossed my arms over my chest, burying my fingers into the fleshy part of my arms. “How long? Surely you’ve heard something, Davon.” The broadcasts were good and always kept people informed. To not do that meant deaths. “Don’t you have a radio of some sort?”
“I’m afraid we don’t have anything like that.” He moved next to me. His body emanated warmth that warded off the chill coming in from the exposed window. Offering comfort in an indescribable way I could seek for the rest of my life. I stepped away from him.
“Then we don’t know how long we’ll be stuck here for?” No one did that. Not in this county. We were remote. You had to take survival into your own hands and negligence was akin to suicide.
“We’ve been here a while now. Don’t worry, Ella. We’ll be safe,” Davon said.
It was my safety of mind that had me worried.
Worried, because they affected me too much, too fast. Worried, because I wasn’t sure how much control I had over myself when it came to them. Worried, because now I didn’t think I could ever go back home unchanged.
Worried, because I was way over my head and when the choice came to leave, I wasn’t sure I could.
“Are those for me?” I raised a brow at the exercise clothing he held. “Where did you get those?” Maybe some other woman they’d brought here. Jealousy, hot and fierce rose and I had to work had to tamp it back down. They’d had a life before me. If they wanted to bring a woman here and do whatever to her, it was their business.
Davon smirked, as though he knew what went through my head. That was entirely too close for me. I snatched them as he held them to me. “We thought we’d teach you some self-defense moves.”
That… was unexpected. “What?”
Davon’s smirk changed into a full-out smile that my heart responded to with a massive thump. “You’ve had a rough time. If you find yourself in a situation, we want you to be able to fight.”
“What about with you guys?” I held my mouth closed. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
Instead of taking offense, Davon just laughed, the action easy and natural to him, “You never need worry about us. We’ll always see to your best interests.”
I stared at him for a moment. I just didn’t understand. “But…why?”
Davon’s laughter faded, the lines fanning from the edges of his eyes smoothing away. “You haven’t known much happiness, have you, Ella?”
“It’s been fine. I’ve been fine. I’m okay.” My mind stuttered to a halt. Apart from Mom, nobody had brought me much other than daily struggle. I just got used to it over the years, finding solace in hard work and the Grimoire. “I don’t expect anything from anyone. It doesn’t pay to rely on anyone. You have to protect yourself.”
Davon placed his palms on my arms and rubbed gently. I stilled a shiver that ran through me at his touch, “No, that’s not the way it should be. You should expect kindness before distrust. You will learn you have nothing to protect when it comes to us. Now, before I lose my nerve and give in to my desire to kiss you again, go into the bathroom and get dressed, or you can get dressed here in front of me. I won’t complain. I’ll take you to breakfast and then we’ll begin our training.”
I clutched the clothes to my chest. Not because I thought I’d drop them, but because when he said he wanted to kiss me, the urge to take him up on his offer was all-consuming. “I’ll take the bathroom.”
I scurried into the bathroom to shower and change as Davon’s sexy chuckle wove through me, demanding I forget the clothes altogether and give in to my own desire to kiss him right back.
Chapter Twenty Four
Cassius turned from the stove with a plate filled with mouth-watering bacon and eggs. I placed my hand over my stomach as it growled in appreciation, mortified it was so loud. Cassius chuckled. “I’m happy to know my cooking will be appreciated.”
“That’s because she’s clearly starving,” Davon said.
Cassius slid the plate in front of me as I sat in one of the high chairs at the island counter. The plate was piled high with three times the amount of food I’d normally eat. “She’ll eat because my food is absolutely delicious.”
“She’ll eat because of both.” I couldn’t help just join in with the good-natured banter. I was absurdly pleased when both men laughed at my joke. I was about to tuck into my breakfast when I realized I was the only one eating. “Isn’t anyone going to join me?”
“We ate earlier. This is all for you,” Cassius said.
“Why don’t I ever see you eat?” So far, I’d been the only one eating. “I don’t want you to have a cook a special meal for me every time, Cassius. In fact, I’ll cook you all a meal to thank you for saving my life. That’s if you don’t mind me taking over your kitchen.”
“We like taking care of you and I like to cook. Reminds me of the good old days. Life was a lot simpler then,’ Cassius said.
“When you were an innkeeper, with Betty, the big-boobed barmaid?” I asked. Those terms still seemed so odd. This whole thing seemed odd. I shrugged it off.
“You were listening,” Cassius grinned.
“Bit hard not listen when you blather on about Betty. I’ve heard it for so long I just turn it off," Davon said.
“So how long have you all known each other?” I asked.
“I’ve been putting up with their sorry assess for centuries,” Cassius said.
Davon sent Cassius a pointed stare. “What he means is that it feels like centuries. It has been a few years. Since our youth, you might say.”
“That’s a long time.” Maybe twenty years. They didn’t seem more than thirty, but yet some of their comments and mannerisms seemed f
rom another era altogether, making them seem so much older than that.
“You have no idea,” Davon said.
But I wanted an idea. I wanted to know everything about them, so I pressed. “So, you met at school?”
“School? There was no school where I came from. I traveled with my parents and siblings,” Davon said.
“Were you home schooled? And what did your parents do that you had to travel?” I asked.
Davon shuffled on his chair, staring to look a little uncomfortable, “We lived…remotely. Dad taught me everything he knew. All of the practical things, while Mom taught us stories and her skills.”
It was very unusual for parents not to educate their children. There were schools in every town, no matter how small, and those that lived remotely either boarded their children during the school week or home schooled, although that was uncommon. Everyone knew the value of a good education. “Practical things? What did your father do?” I hated seeing him so uncomfortable, but there was definitely something I was missing and the pieces were not falling into place.
“Dad was a trapper,” Davon said.
“A trapper? That’s not a common career.” Illegal in most places. I had to wonder about the ethics of his parents. “Do you mind me asking, is he a criminal?”
Davon chuckled, the sound merrier than I’d have thought with parents with a dubious income stream, who provided little to no education for their family. “He died a while ago now. And not illegal. When he did it, it was a respectable thing to do. Exciting for me. We traveled the length and breadth of this country, following migrations and selling to frontier towns. I followed in his footsteps for a while.”
“Frontier? You make it sound like the Wild West, Davon.” Although the Berkshires were wild, it wasn’t a frontier. Nothing was. Everything was mapped and documented on Google maps. There wasn’t an inch on Earth, maybe other than the extreme poles, that hadn’t been explored in one way or another.
Davon leaned his elbows on the countertop, “In my youth, it was very exciting.”
“Everything is exciting to a youth, “Cassius said.
“That is true. It was also hard work. Ever skinned a bear carcass? It’s hard work,” Davon said.
I had a hard time imagining a young Davon skinning a bear. We had some licensed, hardened hunters that came to town once every while, but they tended to be big, burly, uncouth men. Nothing like Davon, with his lean musculature and smooth skin. He also just didn’t seem the sort.
“I’ll stick to my pancakes and grits, thank you very much,” Cassius said.
“And what about you, Cassius? Where did you learn to cook?” I turned my attention to Cassius. The more questions I asked, the more information I had.
“I sort of fell into it. Came into town and never left. Both parents died when I was a child. I really had no skills apart from what I could learn quickly. I had a knack for cooking. People came to me for food and so I decided it was as good an occupation as any, so I set up shop,” Cassius said.
“Were you a flipping-burger type of grease cook, or more gourmet?” I asked.
“Oh, grease cook for sure,” Davon laughed. I liked hearing him laugh. It made my soul lighter. I couldn’t help but smile as well.
“There it is. I knew we’d bring her out of her shell sooner or later. It’s good to see you smile, Ella,’ Cassius said.
I thought they’d brought me out of my shell quite nicely last night, but his smile was filled with warmth and humor and let my own smile widen. A warm, fuzzy feeling washed through me. I wished I could have this every day. Wished it with all my soul despite my fears and doubts, but I wouldn’t be a realist if I’d thought whatever spell I was falling under here while a storm raged was going to last.
Chapter Twenty Five
“Are you ready, Ella?”
I spun at the sound of Xander’s deep voice. How did he manage to startle me all of the time? The man never made a sound when he moved. It was unnatural.
He leaned against the doorframe and swung one leg in front of the other. He looked deceptively relaxed but his muscles bunched and tensed beneath his smooth skin. A predator waiting to strike. He pinned me with a stare that made me feel he saw deep down into my soul.
Part of me wanted to defy him, to look away. Another part wanted to challenge him, to take him up on whatever he offered. Another part of me, a more seductive part, wanted to sink into his depths and lose myself in that caramel color. Wanting to see them glint with need and desire, for the pupils to dilate and bleed any color away, leaving only single-minded intent.
Another part of me, the stronger, logical part, drew in a deep shaky breath and reached for a glass of water. My hand only slightly shook as I brought it to my lips. “I don’t need any training.”
He’d left last night when I’d reached for him. Rejected me, in the height of my arousal. He’d walked away when he could have had me and I would have let him.
I wasn’t going to reach for him again, and training would certainly have me in close proximity with him. I didn’t think my nerves could handle it. I wasn’t going to put myself in a position to be rejected again. I did have my pride.
“You do.”
I placed my glass on the countertop. The slight clink sounded loud in the room. “I’d like to go back to the library.”
“But the library won’t help you learn self-protection. Not in the way you need to be protected.”
“I’ve looked after myself a long time. I’m capable of looking after myself for a long time more.” I wanted to leave the room, to ease the tension thrumming through the air, but his large frame filled the only exit.
“You are a very capable woman, but if the townspeople are like I remember them, if this Gary,” he said the name with a sneer, “is how I remember some men, I will make sure you have extra protection once you return home. I know something about you, Ella.”
“And what’s that?” I folded my arms over my chest, needing the extra armor while knowing how insubstantial it actually was.
Xander stalked towards me, his lithe body moving with practiced ease. I tightened my grip on my arms, not caring I’d bruise myself. I tilted my chin. I wasn’t going to give in to his intentional intimidation. The man was maddening.
“That you are a survivor. You won’t refuse anything that will give you an edge. You won’t stop looking for answers, even when most would give up. And that you won’t be able to refuse the offer of anything that will help carve a better life out for yourself. And I am offering to help with all of that, so in the end, you won’t be able to resist my offer of assistance because it will give you all that. It will give you an edge and it will make you stronger. So, Ella. Are you ready to begin your training?”
He stood so close, my senses were assaulted with a vision of his straight, square shoulders, trim waist, lean biceps and scent of frigid, fresh air. He must have been outside in the storm to have it clinging to him like that.
But he was right, damn him. I had no idea how he’d gleaned all of that from the relatively short time I’d been here. Certainly nobody else had given me the attention to discern all of that, but that was Xander to a T, wasn’t it? Nothing escaped his attention.
Not the fact my fingers had loosened their death grip on my arms, or the way my shoulders slightly relaxed, or the way my attention was riveted on his sensual mouth. The ends ticked up at the edges. He knew he’d won.
“Come, then. We’ll begin now.”
“I’ll clean up and be there in a minute,” Cassius said.
Xander fixed me with his penetrating stare. “I want her alone.”
My heart sped up and I looked between Davon and Cassius, silently appealing to them, but Xander was Xander, and not even his friends had the balls to disobey his words. Because that was what this was. Obey and disobey. There was a definite dynamic here and I was falling in line as though he’d compelled me somehow to capitulate.
I mentally shook my head, trying to loosen my imagination. I was
n’t being compelled. No human could have the power over another, but he was certainly persuasive and he’d hit the nail on the head.
If Gary came on to me again, or did anything to me again, I wanted to be able to stand up to him. Really stand up, and if Xander could teach me something that might help, then I’d take it.
I’d just have to forget about how he made me feel. How much he really did rattle me. How much the darker side of me craved to know exactly how it would feel if he made me scream. I sucked in a hard breath. Xander smirked as though he knew what had just run through my mind.
“Don’t forget she needs to eat lunch, Xander. Regular meals, remember?” Davon said.
“I will take care of her.”
He left the room. I forced my feet to follow him through the corridors and down two flights of stairs. “Where are we going? The dungeon?” The air was certainly getting progressively cooler the lower we sank.
“Just the cellar. We converted it to a gym. The other rooms weren’t large enough.” Xander opened a door at the base of the steps and I walked into a brightly lit room that would be the envy of many professional gyms.
I walked to the center of the room and spun around, taking in the fitness equipment— weights, mats, thick, knotted ropes strung to the ceiling and in a far corner, a squared off fighting space. “Do you guys take fitness classes here?”
“This is just for us. When you live so remotely, you need something to entertain you.”
I turned to see Xander staring at me. He hadn’t bothered to even hide it. “I hope I’m not your entertainment.” He could crush me like a bug down here, if it amused him.
A hardness, almost a sadness, swept over his face before he managed to cover it as though it had never happened. “Entertainment presumes that it is fleeting and quickly forgotten. You, Ella, would never be mere entertainment.”
