by Mary Martel
I argued with myself in my head about the merits of turning back as I pushed forward. I was trying to talk myself out of being brave.
Fifteen minutes later and I was about to call it quits and head back when I spotted a clearing through the trees.
The sound of masculine voices drifted to me, carried on the wind. I had been right. Tyson and Abel and Addison. What were they doing out here?
I moved off the trail I had been following and crept closer, mindful of where I stepped.
I huddled behind a tree and peeked cautiously around it. The moonlight lit the clearing in a soft glow. A fire blazed brightly in a metal barrel.
I held my breath as I watched the three cloaked figures moved around the fire. Their voices may have reached me but their words did not.
They moved around the fire, the three of them, with their arms spread wide and aimed up at the sky. They stood in a triangle and started to circle the fire. They were chanting something, low, their words mingling together.
I leaned my body against the tree and stared at them in fascination.
A wind swept through the clearing causing my hair to blow out around my face. The hooded robes billowed out, dancing on the wind and I caught the sight of naked flesh. A smooth expanse of stomach with a line of dark hair trailing down. The figure moved before my brain caught up with what my eyes had seen.
My face burned as I blushed hotly. They weren’t wearing any clothes under those robes.
They continued to circle the fire as the wind picked up. The fabric swished and swirled through thick, muscular, naked legs.
I clung to the rough bark of the tree, not caring that it scratched against my smooth cheek as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. I already expected a bruise on the one cheek, what was a few scratches on the other?
They stopped moving as one and when they did the wind suddenly stopped as well. All was calm in the clearing save for the rhythm of my beating heart. A heart trying to leap out of my chest so it could run far, far away from me and the things we were seeing.
I had no business being out here spying on them. Especially if they were all as naked under their robes as the one twin I’d gotten a glimpse of. I felt like a Pepping Tom and the worst kind of pervert. They deserved better than that from me. Well, Tyson did. The Salt and Pepper twins had had no problem checking me out when they’d seen me naked after my mother’s death. Tyson was different and I wasn’t going to ogle his naked body unless he was aware of me doing it.
As I stood up straight and stepped away from the tree, they pulled back their hoods. It had been Addison whose naked body I had seen. I’d now seen his dick. I wondered if Abel’s would look exactly the same as his twins. Probably. Everything else about their physical shape was the same, why not that part too?
I shook my head to shake out all thoughts of naked twins and all three of the guys dropped their robes to the grass covered ground. I got an eye full of Tyson’s firm, tight, very naked backside before averting my eyes.
Yes, sticking around for this show wouldn’t be right. Not at all.
I turned, to flee, when I was grabbed roughly from behind. One hand covered my mouth, silencing my scream. An arm wrapped around my chest. My back met with an extremely warm, solid, male body. I was going to struggle, to fight, when I looked down and caught sight of flames slithering up the arm wrapped around my chest. I relaxed against him immediately.
It’s like Quinton was stalking me or something. Thankfully, I could feel that he at least had clothes on.
Soft lips brushed against my ear. “If I move my hand, you better not scream.”
I nodded as best as I could with his hand clamped over my mouth. Now that I knew who it was, I had no intention of screaming. The last thing I needed was to draw attention to myself with three of my friends standing not twenty feet away from me, naked, with their dicks hanging in the breeze for all to see.
Quinton removed his hand from my mouth and wrapped his now free hand around my waist. He pulled me in tightly against his front.
“The others are coming and I don’t think you want to be here when they arrive,” he whispered against my ear.
I shivered and nodded, he was correct. I had seen more than enough penises for one night, thank you very much.
“Do you know what they’re doing?” he continued to whisper and this time I shook my head, no. “You can draw energy, power if you will, off of a full moon if you offer something in return. Remember, Ariel, everything comes with a price and absolutely nothing is free. Magic takes energy to use. If you burn enough energy, you’ll crash. It’s why Julian brought you food that one time at the house.”
He was using my first name when he usually didn’t. I wondered why. Maybe he wanted me to take what he was saying seriously? I did. I took everything Quinton told me seriously.
I remembered what he was talking about. It had been the first time I had ever used magic, I hadn’t even known for sure that I had magic before that, but I’d been doubtful. Good things had never happened to me before and I was nothing special, or so I had thought. In a fit of rage and extreme emotions (some would have called it a slight temper tantrum, only a slight one, though.) my magic had just sort of pushed its way out of me. It had been the single most exhilarating experience I had had up until that point in my life and probably still was. But the magic had burned bright and fast. I had been left feeling giddy, happy even. For a short amount of time. When the giddiness faded I’d been left feeling empty, entirely drained and oh so very tired. I had learned since then that what Quinton had just told me was very true. Magic came at a price and when that much energy was used, it needed to be replenished. Usually food worked wonders, especially with loads of sugar in it.
“We try to come out here every month, unless it’s summer and we’re camping or traveling. But this is our place when we’re home and we’ve been coming out here for years. Usually, we offer up something small, sometimes our own blood. Just a little prick, a few small droplets, nothing big.”
Quinton’s hand slid up my chest where he lightly trailed fingers across my shoulder then along my collarbone. Over some of my burn scars.
I wanted to cry.
Of course he would notice my scars. I was fond of wearing tank tops, which did nothing to hide my scars. He had probably noticed the scars the first time I had worn a tank top in front of him, or maybe it had been the time I had been naked in front of him. Either way, I didn’t think Quinton missed much when it came to me.
“Stop,” I whispered harshly, thickly.
Stop what, exactly?
Stop caressing my scars so softly, so sweetly? Stop reminding me of something I fought so very hard to forget? Stop touching me altogether?
I wasn’t entirely sure what I was telling him to stop doing. Trouble was, his touch on my bare skin did not bother me. It was where he touched that caused me discomfort.
“What caused these?” he whispered so quietly I barely heard him.
I shook my head in answer as my eyes drifted towards the fire, unseeing. I would not tell Quinton those stories, not ever. He was by far the most vindictive and ruthless person I had yet to meet. And that was saying something because my mother had held those titles before I met Quinton. At least he had good reasons for most of the shit he did, if not fucked up ones. He did messed up things to protect the ones he cared about or to teach the person who hurt his loved ones a lesson. Neither were concepts I fully understood, but I knew enough to be semi-grateful towards him. Quinton and Tyson both wanted to take care of me. I had thought their care would come in separate forms. With Quinton’s arms wrapped tightly around me, I wasn’t so sure anymore if his idea of taking care of me would be so different from Tyson’s.
My mother’s way of showing me she cared always ended with me being covered in bruises or taking a trip to the emergency room. It had all depended on her mood.
Which is why it was so hard for me to trust the guys. But she was dead, she couldn’t hurt me anymore. I needed
to remember that. It was hard. That part remained where the damage was still done and I wondered if I would ever be able to trust another human being. If my own flesh and blood could do such horrid things to me… what else was everyone else capable of?
I didn’t know and that scared me.
I turned my head to the side, ready to tell Quinton that he scared me, when three more hooded figures entered the clearing. I’d momentarily forgotten what was going on around us.
Julian, Damien and Dash had arrived. I did not want to see if they were naked under those robes. No, thanks. I had seen enough male bodies for a good long while.
“Time to go,” Quinton whispered urgently.
Maybe he didn’t want to see anymore dicks tonight either?
I didn’t think that was it but I could have been wrong. I didn’t really know him well enough to guess.
Chapter Five
The arm Quinton had ahold of screamed in protest as he dragged me along behind him through the dense forest. He seemed to be in a hurry so I didn’t complain. I didn’t think he knew he was hurting me.
“They wanted to see if you would be interested in going tonight but I told them I didn’t think you were ready for that yet,” he said. “If I had known I would find you out there, I would have told them to at least have some damn underwear on.”
That was interesting. What did it matter if I saw them naked now when he figured it was an inevitability? Sometimes I did not understand him at all.
“So, why are you wearing clothes when no one else is?” I blurted before I could really think better of it.
Holy shit! Why in the world would I ask him that? Stupid, stupid girl.
He shot me a dirty look over his shoulder and growled, “I was out here because someone’s got to watch your crazy ass. I saw you walk out of your house in the middle of the night in your goddamn pajamas. And I followed you into the woods. You’re not even wearing any goddamn shoes and you don’t even have a fucking flashlight. Who does that? What’s the matter with you?”
Uh oh. Seemed he was mad at me. Normally, this would freak me out, but if he was willing to let my naked comment slide then I could over look his anger issues. Right? Yeah, I didn’t think so either. Dare I try to explain myself so that maybe he will calm down? Nah, I would let him get it out of his system.
He kept on ranting, which made me think he didn’t really want to hear an explanation from me. Oh well.
“Seriously, what in the hell were you thinking? You could have gotten hurt out here in the dark, all by yourself.” He shook his head furiously. “Not smart, babe, that’s what this bullshit was. First, that shit with that idiot guy who is in love with you and is showing up at your house out of the blue because he missed you so much he couldn’t help himself. Now, you’re wandering the woods barefoot. Jesus, I’m going to have to find you a babysitter, someone to watch your crazy ass all the time. Just for your own safety.”
He stomped through the trees and into Mr. Cole’s front lawn, dragging me along behind him.
I yanked angrily on my arm, forcefully, and he let me go.
I spotted a decent size rock on the ground at the edge of the lawn by my feet. I bent at the waist, picked it up and curled my fingers around it. With it sitting in the center of my palms and my fingers curled around it, you couldn’t see it. Not too big, not too small. The perfect size for what I had in store for it.
“What the hell are you doing?” Quinton barked at me.
I stood up straight and faced him. He was wearing a black, short-sleeved t-shirt tonight. I had never seen him in anything but a long-sleeved button up shirt. The dark, blue jeans were tucked into the same cowboy boots I had seen him in earlier. His hands rested on his hips and he glared daggers at me.
Whatever.
Like he had any right to look at me in such a way. I looked at the ground and shook my head while I struggled to reign in my anger.
The things he’d said about Chucky… he was not to be believed. I was in the whole ridiculous situation with Chucky to begin with because of Quinton. Now, he made the whole thing sound like not only was it my fault but he talked like the whole thing with Chucky had been entirely my idea to begin with. Like I would do anything that would saddle me with Chucky for possibly the rest of my life. Get real.
Needless to say, I failed at getting a handle on my anger.
“Hello,” he said sarcastically, “anyone in there?”
That did it. He was simply too much for words and he pushed me too far.
I cocked my arm back and chucked my rock at him. I aimed for his head. His eyes widened in either shock or surprise before the rock smashed into his nose.
I stared at him in open mouthed horror as he bent forward at the waist, clutching at his nose.
“Jesus, fuck,” he yelled.
I took a step back and away from him. I so totally should not have thrown that rock at his head. Not only had it been completely uncalled for but it was just a wee bit on the insane side.
“Fuck,” he snarled as he pulled his hands away from his nose.
I was ashamed and horrified to see blood on his hands. A quick glance at his face showed blood streaming out of his nose.
Oh shit.
Why did I have to lose my temper and throw a rock at him? How stupid was I?
“Nice aim,” a deep, rough voice spoke from behind me.
I whirled around to find Tyson standing not two feet away from me. I blinked at him, slowly, as if I were waking from a dream.
“Wha… what…” I stammered stupidly. Where in the hell had he come from? I hadn’t heard anyone come up behind me.
He smiled at me and it was a good one, a show stopper, if you will. It was a smile I had come to love because it was bright and transformed his face from handsome to incredibly beautiful. Most men couldn’t be described as beautiful but it was the perfect word for Ty when he flashed that smile. It was a smile that showed off his straight, even, white teeth. Teeth that looked like he got them professionally bleached and they practically glowed in the dark.
The hood on his cloak was pulled up over his head, covering his hair and leaving half his face hidden in the dark shadows of the night. The night had made his dark brown eyes look like black orbs sunk into his face. His long, shoulder length dark brown hair spilled out from his hood, curling around his face. It was slightly longer than it had been when I’d seen him last.
Tyson was tall like his Uncle, with broad shoulders and narrow hips. They were both lean, but muscular, built like swimmers. And so very attractive, even Tyson with half his face hidden in shadow was extremely attractive.
“You nailed him a good one,” Tyson muttered proudly around his grin.
I was glad one of us found the fact I’d injured Quinton to be amusing.
“Tell me, sweetheart,” he said, “what did he do to deserve such treatment from you? You’re normally a whole lot nicer than this, and I never dreamed I would see you throwing rocks, of all things, at someone’s head.” At the end, his voice vibrated with laughter.
I frowned at him. “It was only the one rock,” I bit out. “And, he had it coming.” My voice came out angry and slightly sullen instead of angry and mildly confused. Good. I preferred it that way.
Tyson threw back his head and burst out laughing. His hood fell away and his thick brown hair was suddenly on display. He had lovely hair far prettier than my own. Any girl would be jealous. Or hope to one day be privileged enough to be able to run their fingers through those glorious, thick locks whenever the mood to do so struck them. I bet if I asked, he would allow me to do so whenever I felt the urge to do it.
His robe gaped open and I noticed he now wore a pair of black boxer briefs. Where had those come from? Not that I wasn’t thankful for their appearance or anything because I absolutely was.
A warm hand brushed against my hip and I jumped at the sudden contact. I tore my eyes off of Tyson and looked to the side to see Quinton had come up beside me. Thankfully, he’d transferred h
is angry glare to Tyson.
“It’s really not that funny,” Quinton snarled at Tyson.
I was glad to see the blood flow had slowed down to a small trickle. I hoped that meant nothing had been broken by my rash actions.
Tyson stopped laughing and glared back at his Uncle. I wanted to move away from Quinton, away from the both of them and the anger they were radiating.
“Why aren’t you with the others?” Quinton demanded to know.
“Why aren’t you?” Tyson shot back.
“Guys-” I was going to try and be the reasonable one but was very rudely cut off before I could get more than one word out.
“Don’t fuck with me, Ty.” Quinton said. “Why aren’t you with the others in the clearing?”
Instead of answering his Uncle, Tyson looked at me and said, “I get it, why you threw that rock at him. Right now, I’m wishing you had thrown it a little harder. And maybe aimed for his eye. A black eye would look good on him, don’t you think?”
I cringed at the reminder of my stupidity and Tyson turned back to his Uncle. “I saw her there,” he said. I was glad to hear the anger had left his voice entirely. “I also saw you drag her away and I wanted to make sure she was okay.”
“She’s with me,” Quinton said, “of course she’s okay. You know she’s perfectly safe with me.”
“No,” Tyson bit out, “I don’t.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Quinton asked and he sounded confused.
I was with him on this one because I believed him when he said I was perfectly safe when I was with him. It was everybody else that needed to worry.
“I’m not talking about her safety,” Tyson said with a straight face. “I’m talking about her virtue.”
My eyes about bugged out of my head as I stared at Tyson like I had never seen him before.
