He smelt of sweat and his clothes and skin were dirty from crawling around the forest floor. He decided to grab a shower before heading down for supper. He smirked to himself, Iris would beat the shit out of him if came down for dinner stinking up the place. Iris had said the shower in his bathroom needed a new head which she was getting tomorrow, so he had to use the main bathroom across the hall. Great. He made his way across the landing, passing Clara’s room on the way. He wondered if she was still in there; he contemplated knocking to see if she was ok but thought better of it. Once in the bathroom he quickly stripped out of his clothes and turned on the shower, stepping under the welcoming spray. The hot water eased some of the tension which had been building all day and washed away the dried mud which covered his body. He lathered his body with soap and washed the grime out of his hair; he felt almost human again as he stepped out of the bathroom with a large bath towel wrapped around his waist, cursing himself for leaving his sweatpants on his bed. He quickly made his way along the landing praying his sister or Clara wouldn’t make an appearance and catch him in this... f.u.c.k.
Clara’s bedroom door opened... He stopped, turning to greet her, smiling through gritted teeth. His fist tightened on the towel covering his manhood to stop it from slipping. Clara looked as flushed and uncomfortable as he was at his predicament, her perfect cheekbones had turned a rosy pink as she tried to meet his gaze. He almost laughed aloud at the expression on her face. She was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen; her hair was pulled back in to a ponytail making her stunning features stand out. She took his breath away. Her emerald eyes seemed to darken and he thought he saw a flicker of amusement flash in them.
He cleared his throat. “I...” “S -sorry... I was just on my way down,” she interrupted him nervously. He was certain he saw a smile forming on that kissable mouth, it was the sexiest thing he had ever seen. She was laughing at him. His dick twitched and came to life underneath the towel... Shit.
He grinned at her, amused and now a little flushed himself. “Hey, it’s my fault I forgot my clothes, and didn’t check the coast was clear,” he said, tightening his fist on the top of the towel again, praying her effect on him wasn’t visible. Damn, he felt like a right idiot and he was rambling and grinning at her like a goofy teenager. Yeah, great way to assert your masculinity, Colt, he thought.
Clara She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She didn’t know where to look. Colt was standing there in just a towel, his shoulder-length hair still wet from the shower dripped little beads of moisture down his muscled chest. She followed one of the beads all the way down his flat stomach to where it disappeared down the sexy V-shape at his hips and into his towel. She swallowed and felt her cheeks heat, he was beautiful and she was a stuttering mess.
She met his dark eyes and she could swear they darkened for a moment, making them almost black. The air was tense between them. She almost laughed aloud at the hilarity of the situation.
“I -I better go down,” she said, not recognising the huskiness in her own voice. She hurried past him feeling flushed and a little amused, his eyes followed her as she took the first few stairs. She met his gaze. Butterflies danced in her stomach. She needed to say something to avert the situation. “Thank you for everything, if you hadn’t found me I don’t know where I would have been now,” she whispered at him.
He looked taken aback like he wasn’t expecting her to speak again. “Sure,” he replied with a half -smile on his beautiful mouth, which turned quickly into a frown. His eyes seemed to glaze over. “You don’t need to thank me, Clara. You’re safe, that’s all that matters.” He cleared his throat again and the darkness was back in his eyes. “Tell Iris I’ll be down soon,” he said abruptly. With that he turned and disappeared into his bedroom... She wondered what she had said to make his mood darken, but damn, that body was something else, she was in so much trouble.
She was still reeling from their encounter when she entered the kitchen. Iris was standing over the slow cooker stirring the delicioussmelling food. Clara’s stomach growled loudly. Iris whipped her head around, startled.
“Oh, hey, sorry, I was miles away. S ounds like you’re ready for food,” she chuckled. “Here, come and sit, there’s fresh bread rolls on the table, I’ll bring your stew over now.”
“Colt said he would be down soon... I er, saw him on my way down,” Clara said, feeling her cheeks heat again. Iris didn’t seem to notice, or if she did she didn’t react. Clara took in the beautiful space around her, trying to take her mind off the sexy naked man upstairs.
The kitchen was warm and inviting; the dining table which seated eight was laid out perfectly with a cream table cloth, beige placemats, a small vase containing a lily, and a basket of freshly baked bread rolls. Clara sat and helped herself to a warm roll which she buttered and bit into greedily, she couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten. Iris placed a big bowl of chicken stew in front of her. She nodded her thanks to Iris, her mouth too full of bread to speak. Iris smiled warmly at her. The stew smelt amazing and made her mouth salivate; her starved body welcomed the first spoonful as the delicious goodness filled her. She groaned in pleasure, savouring every morsel.
“Poor love, you were hungry,” Iris stated, taking her empty bowl once she was done. “That was delicious, I can’t remember the last time I ate something... Thank you, Iris, and not just for this, for everything,” Clara said, dabbing at her eyes as tears freely spilled over, the trauma of the day’s events finally taking their toll. She had fought for her life less than twenty-four hours ago, and now she was sitting in a warm kitchen with the nicest person she had ever met, it was all too much to take in. She covered her eyes with her hands, cursing her stupid weakness again as her body shook with her sobs. She felt a warm hand take one of hers and she lifted her eyes to Iris’s, which were full of concern and understanding.
“You’re safe now, Clara, believe it. Colt will protect you with his life, those sadistic bastards can’t hurt you while you’re here... You’re exhausted, poor love. Come, let’s get you comfortable in the lounge. I’ll make us some hot chocolate before bed.” Iris smiled at her. “You like marshmallows and cream?”
Clara nodded through her tears and offered a weak smile to Iris. “I’ll just go freshen up. Hot chocolate would be perfect, thank you Iris. Sorry I am such a cry-baby.”
“You’ve been to hell and back, lovely, don’t you apologise. Please feel free to use the downstairs bathroom to freshen up, it’s just in there through the utility room,” Iris said, pointing at a closed door on the far wall of the kitchen. “Now I am going to find out where that brother of mine has gotten to.” She patted Clara’s hand and pulled herself up, leaving the room in search of Colt.
Clara’s mind drifted back to Colt as she went in search of the bathroom. What had happened to him? Maybe he was avoiding her after the embarrassing encounter before. She had ogled him and then something she said had offended him, no wonder he was keeping his distance.
Finding the bathroom easily, she splashed her face with water to soothe her tear-swollen eyes, patted her face dry, and used some toilet paper to blow her nose. She put the toilet seat down and sat for a bit to try and calm herself. After about five minutes she felt ready; she checked herself in the mirror, satisfied that the puffiness had subsided enough to make her look as presentable as she could with all the scratches and bruising on her skin. She made her way back through the utility room. When she entered the kitchen, Colt was sitting at the table with his back to her, tucking into a massive bowl of Iris’s stew. His hair was tied back into a ponytail at the base of his neck but was still damp from his shower. The dark blue t-shirt he wore hugged his body, showing off his muscular back. “Hey,” she said, walking past him, trying to sound casual when all her insides were twisted at the mere sight of him.
He looked up at her, concern in his dark eyes. “Hey Clara, you ok? Iris said you were upset.” She blew out a shaky breath, willing her emotions to behave. “I’m ok. Think
everything that’s happened lately has just finally hit me like a tonne.” She smiled at him. “I don’t know where I would be now if you hadn’t helped me, so thank you for restoring my faith in humanity. If there’s any way I can repay...”
“Clara,” Colt interrupted. His abrupt tone made her jump a little. “You don’t need to thank me, listen.” He pushed the bowl away, wiped at his mouth with the napkin and gestured for her to sit. She pulled the opposite chair out and sat nervously, hands balled in her lap. “You don’t need to be afraid of me, Clara, I won’t hurt you. I’ll die protecting you if I have to,” he said. The look in his eyes was primal, she knew in her gut he meant every word. The admission shocked her but strangely his words eased her, she felt the tension she had been holding on to slip a little. She moved her hands onto the table in front of her and met his dark eyes which had softened. He covered both of her hands with his, taking her by surprise. It made her flinch but she didn’t pull away, the heat from his big hands covering her small ones travelled down to her abdomen and pooled at her nether regions. Shit, not now.
“Listen,” he repeated and inhaled deeply as if trying to find the words. “The men that had you, they were bad, evil people but they work for someone who is much worse, someone who I believe you’re important to, that’s why you’re still alive. It’s complicated, and I can’t tell you any more until I do some digging myself.” Something flashed in his eyes; she wished at that moment she could read his thoughts. “I won’t allow him to take you back there, Clara, I promise. That’s why we need to stay hidden for now, he will be searching for you. He probably won’t stop until he finds you.” He took a shaky breath. “Thankfully nobody knows where you are... Did they say why they abducted you in the first place?”
Knowing she would have to answer his questions had seemed scary before but she felt like she could tell him anything at this moment. She took a deep breath and tried to remember everything.
“I had just dropped my little niece o ff at school, all I remember is walking along the road on my way home and a black van pulled up. Three men jumped out and a sack was thrown on my head and I was dragged into the van. All they said is the Master was claiming back his whore. At first I thought they had mistaken me for someone else but they spoke my name and knew where I lived. I never met the Master they often spoke about when they hurt me, and I certainly have never been anybody’s whore,” she stated, her voice filled with conviction.
She shuddered, remembering the day that started her nightmare. Colt’s grip tightened on her hands as if he sensed she needed reassurance. She met his dark eyes; his gaze relaxed her again, calming the anxiety in her stomach, helping her to carry on talking.
“In the beginning, they blindfolded and stripped me to my underwear, they made me kneel on the floor for hours in the darkness alone. They took blood and urine samples from me and asked me about my family... The whipping started about a week after they took me, it was only a few lashes at first but it got gradually worse after I started trying to fight back. The last time was really bad, that’s when I knew I needed to find a way out...”
Colt stared at her frowning, emotion pooled in his dark eyes. “Did they hurt you in any other way, you know, sexually? Sorry I just...”
“No, they didn’t. I thought they might in the beginning but one of the men said something about keeping me pure for the Master.” She swallowed hard, trying to think of anything else that might be useful, when Colt caught her off guard.
“Are you a virgin, Clara?” he asked. She felt the heat rise her face as she met his stormy gaze she nodded sheepishly.
His eyes seemed to darken with something else before he spoke again. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Clara.” He cleared his throat again and she could swear she saw a little blush appear on his handsome face. “Thank you for telling me, I know that can’t have been easy for you... From what you’ve just told me you were lucky to escape.” He paused gathering his thoughts. “A friend will be joining us in about week, I am hoping she will have more answers for you... Until then you can’t contact anyone outside The Sanctuary, we don’t know who we can trust yet. Who do you have on the outside?” he asked.
“Just my older sister Emmie and my little niece Hope, our parents died in a car accident four years ago... Oh, and Will.”
He tightened his grip on her hands again.
“Who’s Will?” he said. That darkness was in his eyes again. She swallowed hard. “He’s my sister’s husband.” Colt’s grip seemed to loosen slightly and she felt some of the tension leave him.
“You can’t contact them yet, Clara. I know I am asking a lot of you but we don’t know who we can trust or if they have someone watching your family to see if you go back.” His grip tightened again. “Please, Clara, I will take you to your family when I know none of you are in any danger. Promise me you won’t make contact until I know it’s safe?” His eyes pleaded with her.
She nodded; her eyes glistened with more tears and she blinked them away. “I promise. I trust you, Colt.” She watched his whole body relax.
“Thank you,” Colt said, releasing her hands, not breaking eye contact. She missed the closeness straight away, and felt her cheeks heat again at the way her body craved his touch.
She pushed her chair back, needing to create distance from the stirrings this man was creating inside her. He had saved her life for God’s sake. Ok, it wasn’t the most chivalrous of rescues, but he had risked himself to save her and she owed him everything, instead she was lusting after him. She needed to shake these feelings, and become the feisty girl she was before, the girl who took no shit from anyone and certainly didn’t fawn all over good-looking guys, in fact she stayed well clear. If history had shown her anything, it was that most guys were just driven with their dick. Colt seemed different though, he seemed genuine but she knew nothing about him.
They had to spend a week under the same roof together and then she was sure after she spoke to this woman that was coming, she would be going home and probably wouldn’t see him again. She couldn’t allow herself to become attached, things always mess up when you get too close to people. In her case they did, anyway.
“Iris is probably wondering where I am, are you coming for some hot chocolate?” she asked, standing. “Nah, I’ve got a few calls to make, then I am going to call it a night,” he said, yawning.
“Alright,” she nodded. “Goodnight, Colt,” she said, heading out the door.
“Goodnight, Clara,” she heard him say as she left the kitchen in search of hot chocolate. Iris was sitting on the big couch when she entered the lounge, her feet tucked under her as she sat sipping her delicious-smelling drink. Iris looked lost in her own thoughts. “Hey,” Clara said, walking over to sit next to her.
“Hey, are you feeling any better, lovely?” Iris asked. “Yeah, much, thank you. I was just talking to Colt, he said I need to stay a week or until this Heather woman gets here, is that going to be ok?” Clara said.
“Of course, it is, it’ll be nice to have a little female company around the place, you can stay as long as you need to, honey. Don’t you stress about anything. And besides, you’re prettier to look at than all these smelly men that come stomping through here,” Iris said, laughter in her voice. “Do you want marshmallows in your hot chocolate?”
“Yes please,” Clara whispered. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, she could see herself becoming good friends with this amazingly kind and beautiful woman sitting beside her.
She took in Iris’s features; she couldn’t be much older than forty but she looked much younger. Her hair was as dark as her brother’s and they had the same dark eyes. Her tanned skin was free of any makeup but flawless, she reminded Clara of the Amazon goddesses she had watched in old films as a child.
Clara sat for a while sipping her drink, trying to engage herself in a movie that was on, but her mind drifted to home.
She missed her older sister Emmie and little Hope; she could only imagine what her siste
r must be going through not being able to find her. Their adoptive parents had died in a car accident four years ago, when Clara was sixteen and Emmie was twenty-one. They found out two weeks after their death that Emmie was pregnant to her boyfriend Will, who soon after became Emmie’s husband. It had been one of the hardest times in her life, watching their coffins lowered into the ground, knowing things would never be the same. They were all she had known since she was a small child; her heart broke when she thought of them. Shirley and Peter Wentworth had adopted her with Emmie when she was two. She didn’t remember anything about her biological parents, only that their father had died when she was a tiny baby and her mother had abandoned them in a church yard, promising Emmie she would return for them, but she never did. She never reappeared and the police were unsuccessful in finding her or any trace of where she may have gone. She and Emmie had always assumed she had died. They had spent a year in and out of foster homes; luckily, they were never apart for long. Emmie had said it was because she refused to go anywhere without her little sister and would kick up a fuss until they reunited them, they were still inseparable now and saw each other most days.
Emmie and Hope hadn’t left her thoughts the last few months and it killed her inside, being away from them. She knew that Emmie wouldn’t have stopped searching and would be distraught. If what Colt had said was true, contacting them would put them in danger too and she couldn’t risk them for anything. It was better that she stayed missing for now, but as soon as it was safe she needed to go to them.
Unfamiliar (The Vandran Legacy Book 1) Page 5
