by Lisa Olsen
“Because it’s important. Check it out!” Before our eyes, the cut knit together and then faded as if it’d never been there, leaving only a faint smear of blood. “Do you know what this means? I’m like Wolverine!” I squealed with glee.
Rob caught hold of my hand, his voice lowering. “Keep it down. Best not to invite trouble, enough of it will find us.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, it’s best not to advertise the advantage. We still don’t know what we’re dealing with here.”
“But…” I could see the wisdom in his suggestion, but it was hard not to shout it from the rafters. “Don’t you want to see if you can do it too?”
“By cutting myself open? Ta muchly, but I’ll pass,” he snorted.
“How are you going to know if you have special abilities if you don’t try?”
“I’ve other things to worry about for now. Come on, we’d best get on with our search. And Anja… keep that fact to yourself. I mean it.”
“Oh, alright,” I agreed, following him out of the room. “What’s left down here? I think Bishop and Carys are checking out the second floor.”
“I saw another door at the other end of the house before. Let’s check there.” Rob led the way to a small library or study, almost tripping over another unconscious body. She was tall and muscular for a woman, with wheaten blonde hair styled in a blunt, chin-length cut. A slow trickle of blood came from her nose, and dried against her cheek.
“She’s not…” How many dead bodies were in this house?
“She’s breathing, but it don’t look good,” Rob frowned, carefully picking her up to bring her back to the great room. It took him a few moments to try to decide where to put her, before deciding on a loveseat that wouldn’t fit her tall form, but was better than the cold, hard floor.
Aubrey perked up as soon as we came into the room. “What’s this then? You found another one? Is she bleeding?”
“Yes, how can you tell?” I wondered aloud. He’d only gotten a glimpse of her in passing.
“I… smelled it,” Aubrey replied, looking just as disturbed by the idea as I was. Even Rob stared at Aubrey with a frown on his face.
“At least this one’s alive,” I remarked, checking on the other guy who was still passed out. Apart from his temperature feeling cooler, he was just as unresponsive, drooling onto the couch. “Has anyone noticed that we’re all blonde except for Bishop and Rob?”
“What of it?” Aubrey replied, disinterested.
“Don’t you think that’s strange?”
“Not if we’re all related in some way.”
“Related?” I hadn’t particularly thought about it, except for noting a similarity between me and Carys and the dead girl. Was the naked guy on the couch my brother? I was pretty sure I wasn’t related to Aubrey, or we had a lot of explaining to do at the next family reunion after playing seven minutes in heaven. “I’m not so sure about that. Rob, what do you think?” He didn’t acknowledge me, he stood staring down at the girl on the loveseat. “Rob?”
“What?”
“Do you think that’s strange?”
“Yeah, I suppose,” he replied, and I wondered if he even knew what we were talking about. “What’s the matter? Is she worse or something?”
“Nah, I was thinking she needs a bit of something to clean up that blooded nose.”
I still had his handkerchief, but before I could offer it, Bishop came bounding into the room.
“I have mutant super powers!” he declared with the enthusiasm of a five year old on Christmas morning.
*
“I do too!” Anja declared, her face lit up with astonishment and glee that matched his own.
“Anja!” Rob scolded, but she wouldn’t listen.
“What? He said he has powers too. What can you do?”
Bishop wasn’t sure what exactly was going on between them, but he got over his own surprise at her admission to explain. “I’ve got super strength and fast healing.”
“Me too!” Anja cheered, her hand coming up in the air for a high five, and Bishop smacked his palm against hers with a satisfying crack. “Well, the healing part, I don’t know about the strength part. Maybe we should arm wrestle or something?”
It was hard not to grin over her enthusiasm, and truth be told, he got a charge out of sharing it with another person. “Well, that might not be a good idea. I don’t want to risk breaking your arm. You should’ve seen what I did to a chair.”
“You’d better not lay a hand on her, mate,” Rob growled, coming in between them, as if Bishop hadn’t just said it wasn’t the best idea.
“Relax, pal, I’m not laying anything on her,” Bishop bit back, refusing to back down as the shorter man got up in his face.
“Hey, we’re all friends here,” Anja interjected, grabbing hold of Rob’s arm to tug him away. “I can test it out on something else.”
“How about these chains, sweets?” Aubrey called out, and Anja seemed to like that idea.
“Hold on, that might not be the best…” Before Bishop, or anyone else could stop her, she grabbed hold of the chain leading from the cuff to the ring and pulled with all of her might, landing on her ass when the chain snapped in two.
“Fuck me, she did it,” Aubrey gasped, cradling his arm to his body.
“I did it!” Anja’s fists pumped into the air as she whooped for joy. “I am the champion of the world!”
“Well, you’re in the top two,” Bishop grinned, offering her a hand up, but Rob slapped it away.
“She don’t need your help,” he muttered, pulling her up to her feet. “And who’s to say you two are the only ones, eh?”
Bishop was ready to challenge Rob to a wrestling match, the guy seemed to be spoiling for a fight, but Carys distracted them all by smashing a heavy wooden chair against the wall, reducing it to rubble. “See how strong I am, cariad?” she beamed with pride. “I am one of your heroes as well! Cut me now…” She started toward him with her arm outstretched, but Bishop merely gathered her into his arms.
“You don’t have to do that. I think it’s safe to say you’re as special as we are.”
Quick to try it himself, Aubrey grabbed the nearest lamp, easily bending the metal in half, but still couldn’t manage the cuff due to the angle. “Can someone help me get this bloody cuff off then?”
“Fine,” Rob bit out, taking hold of the cuff and snapping it apart. “There, you’re free. Now would you stop whinging and shut up?”
“Did you know you could do that all along?” Anja gasped at Rob’s display of strength.
“No, not all along, but I remembered something when I saw your cut heal.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I told you, I thought it best to keep it under my hat for the right time and place. Which is apparently now,” he muttered.
“I wonder what else we can do?” Bishop speculated aloud, his eyes drifting to the rafters high above, and Carys clutched his arm fearfully. “Don’t you dare try anything reckless.”
“How reckless can it be when I heal instantly?” he shrugged.
“I absolutely forbid it,” Carys insisted, and from the iron grip on his arm, Bishop started to question if she wasn’t even stronger than he was.
“This is so bizarre,” Anja murmured, looking at each of them in turn. “What are the odds we all have powers? Maybe that has something to do with why we’re trapped in here? Maybe we’re all a team of superheroes like the X-men?”
“I think if we’re anything, we’re the Avengers,” Bishop joked, and Anja’s face lit up with laughter, triggering a flash of memory for him.
They lay in bed, fully clothed, but intimately pressed together.
“No more hunks.”
“Hunks?” Anja blinked, a lopsided smile stretching her lips.
“They don’t say that anymore, do they?” he winced.
“No,” she snickered, a full throated laugh soon following. “No more hunks, I promise.�
�� Anja dissolved into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.
“I’ll give you something to laugh about,” Bishop growled, rolling her beneath him, fingers brushing against the tender flesh at her side. Her hands immediately clapped over his, eyes widening as she sputtered to get out the words to make him stop. Bishop easily held Anja’s arms over her head with one hand, pinning her body with his.
“I’m sorry, I’ll be good, I promise,” she squeaked, wriggling beneath him, driving him mad with want from the feel of her body against his.
Unable to resist, Bishop covered her mouth with his in a long, deep kiss. Anja instantly calmed, giving up the struggle to entwine her legs with his as the kiss turned carnal. Her mouth was another world, promising dark delights to be had, and Bishop let go of her hands, desperate to feel them on his skin. This time when his hand dipped to her side, it was not to tease but to tempt as he slipped under her shirt to stroke her petal soft skin.
Bishop stared at Anja’s good natured smile, shocked to find his body reacting to the memory of her beneath him. They’d been in bed together, clothed, but not for much longer if he’d read her reactions correctly. When had that happened? And did Carys know about it? His eyes darted to his fiancée guiltily, relieved to find her bending the lamp Aubrey had mangled back into shape. But Rob, the expression on his face was anything but friendly, and Bishop looked away, suddenly guilty as hell for no reason.
The question was – had Anja remembered anything intimate about him? No, that shouldn’t be the question, he chastised himself. He had a perfectly good woman who loved and adored him – even if she was making cow eyes at Aubrey while they bested each other with feats of strength.
Maybe he should…
“Great googly moogly,” Anja cried out, her jaw dropping, interrupting Bishop’s train of thought. Following her line of sight, his eyes widened as he was treated to the sight of bare buttocks in the firelight. Their naked sleeping friend was awake.
Chapter Nine
The firelight displayed his various attributes to advantage, painting over the bulge of muscle and sinew that made a tantalizing picture. Michelangelo could’ve made a career out of sculpting him. It was kind of like a train wreck. I knew I wasn’t supposed to look at it, but I couldn’t look away either as the golden giant stretched mightily and turned around to face us.
Unconcerned with his nudity, his brows drew together in confusion as his gaze roamed over each one of us, coming up at a loss. “Where am I?” he asked, his voice deep and strong, with a Nordic accent. That made sense, with his wild hair and rippling muscles, he looked every bit the Viking.
“That seems to be the question of the hour,” Bishop replied, studying him intently. “This isn’t your place then?”
The man’s gaze swept over the room, his expression doubtful. “I hardly know. I find… I hardly know anything.”
“It’s okay. If you don’t know us, I mean,” I babbled. “We’re all dealing with some grade A memory issues ourselves, but they’re starting to slowly come back the longer we’re up.” There was part of him that was very up, and my gaze ricocheted up to the rafters after getting an eyeful.
“You should probably, um… you know, cover up or something?” I reached for the quilt he’d been lying under, holding it out to wrap around his waist before I decided I didn’t want to get that close to him and held it at arm’s length.
Instead of taking it, his head canted to one side as he regarded me. “Why? I am not cold.”
“I know, you’re hot. I mean you might have a fever. You should probably…”
“Don’t none of us want to stare at your jumblies,” Rob stepped in, looking none too pleased with my ogling another man’s bits.
“Speak for yourself,” Carys murmured under her breath, and I thought I saw Bishop’s jaw tighten.
“I think I found some clothes that might fit you,” Bishop volunteered, disappearing down the hallway.
“How did I come to be here?” the man asked, holding the quilt in front of him, which shielded the most distracting parts, not that the rest of him wasn’t distracting enough on its own.
“We don’t know,” Aubrey snapped, eyes rolling. “Haven’t we only just finished saying that?”
“Hey, he’s been out of it for a lot longer than we were, cut him some slack,” I tossed back at Aubrey. “This is bound to be as confusing for him as it’s been for the rest of us.”
“I’d be happy to fill him in,” Carys volunteered, her small hands sliding over his muscular forearm. “This must be awfully disconcerting, but no matter. I’ll protect you from danger.”
“You will protect me?” He laughed, the sound booming through the big room, even as her brows drew together in annoyance. “I need no such protection.”
“That all depends on how quickly you let go of my fiancée,” Bishop said in a flat voice, tossing the armload of clothes at him.
“You think to challenge me?” he snorted, catching the clothes, but letting the quilt drop, which sort of defeated the purpose of finding something to cover him up with.
For one brief moment, I thought about the spectacle of the two of them grappling in the center of the room, but my rational side kicked in as I stepped between them. “Hey, I’m sure you’re both manly men, but we have more important things to worry about. Carys, stop antagonizing Bishop and go over there so our friend can get dressed.”
“Let her stay where she wishes,” he declared, chin jutting out in challenge to Bishop. “I fear no man.”
Bishop didn’t back down, hands clenching in to fists. “I’m not afraid of you either.”
I tried appealing to Carys, but her eyes were bright with excitement. A glance at Rob showed him disinterested, checking for a signal on his phone again. Somehow I knew I couldn’t count on Aubrey to be the voice of reason, so I put my hands up on both of their chests.
“Hey, I said knock it off. Nobody has to be afraid of anybody. We’re on the same side.”
Bishop took a half step back, but the guy didn’t even acknowledge that I was there. “I will teach you to fear me,” he growled, pushing forward, and I shoved him back, harder than I’d intended to. He went flying across the room, landing on his behind.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to. I guess I thought you’d be stronger.” I started forward to help him up, but Rob held me in place.
“Leave him be,” he said softly.
The man’s eyes widened in surprise, staring at me with a combination of horror and apprehension. “Take that back! I’m stronger than any slip of a girl could ever be.” His fist smashed against a nearby table for emphasis, but he immediately cried out in pain, cradling it to his chest with dismay.
“I guess he doesn’t get to carry the hammer,” Bishop smirked, and I shot him a look to let him know he wasn’t helping. The last thing I’d been trying to do was antagonize the guy.
I tried again with a soothing tone. “Maybe you’re stronger than any normal slip of a girl, but I’m not an ordinary girl.”
“I don’t understand any of this.” He stared up at us with dismay. “Who are you people?”
“I’m Anja and this is Rob. Aubrey is the one with the smart mouth, and you already met Bishop and Carys. We don’t know what the girl passed out on the loveseat’s name is. If we could all just take a step back and realize that none of us are enemies.”
“For all we know,” Bishop shrugged. “We could be mortal enemies.”
“Okay, but right now we’re not,” I insisted. “Even if we are working opposite sides, for the moment we’re united in a common goal – to get out of here in one piece. Do you all agree with that?” I got an assortment of nods from supportive to begrudging. “Good. Now why don’t you put some clothes on, and we can sit down and discuss this like adults.”
“I can’t use my hand, it might be broken,” the guy admitted, wincing as he slowly flexed it.
I wasn’t about to offer a helping hand. “Try.”
He slipped the button up shirt o
n easily enough, and got the faded jeans on, but had trouble fastening them closed. “Could you not assist me, lovely one?” Apparently he’d gotten over his fear of me.
I started toward him to help until I realized he’d decided to go commando, the thick thatch of golden hair spilling from his open jeans. “I, um…”
“I’ll do it,” Rob grumbled, stepping forward to assist.
“I’d rather have her assistance,” he grumbled, but Rob wasn’t having any of it.
“I’ll bet you do, but it ain’t happenin’, mate. Only pants she’s going near are mine.”
“You are her man?” He measured up Rob with his eyes. “I thought her unattached from her fiery manner.”
“Well she ain’t. Like I said, she’s mine.”
I wasn’t sure I liked being claimed like a possession, but I held my tongue on that score. “Fellas? More buttoning, less testosterone.” When it was done, I felt more comfortable approaching him. “I honestly am sorry about shoving you like that.”
“It is no matter, petal.”
“It’s Anja.”
“But your loveliness is as delicate as a flower.”
“Which part of mine was you having trouble with?” Rob scowled.
Criminitely, what was it about this fella that made the other guys lose their cool around him? “What should we call you?” I asked before I ended up having to shove someone again.
“I hardly know,” he admitted, his lips pursing as he thought it over. “You choose a name for me, petal. It’s bound to be satisfactory.”
“Okay, we’ll call you Hank.”
“Hank?” He wrinkled his nose with distaste.
“Steve?”
“Steve…”
Ugh, why didn’t he pick his own name then? “Joseph?” I suggested, ready to start calling him Thor if he didn’t accept one soon.
“Joseph is acceptable for the moment,” he said with a lofty nod. He sure acted high and mighty for the weakest guy in the room.
“Alrighty then. Is your hand okay, Joe? We might be able to find some ice in the freezer if it hasn’t all melted.”
“Can we not simply get some snow from outside?” We all looked to the windows high above to see fat snowflakes drifting past the panes.
