by Lucy Rains
Some of the humor in his face slipped into annoyance and he began to advance again.
“Now, that wasn’t very ni-”
Wayne’s words cut off as he was suddenly pushed with so much force he flew into the hallway corner several feet down the hall. His body connected with drywall in a thundering crunch. His hand held on to my wrist as long as he could, dragging me down to the ground, before finally letting go.
A painful yelp escaped my mouth at the skin Wayne had ripped off my wrist, and the pain that shot up my knees when they smacked into the hardwood floor. Tears pricked at my eyes and my trembling increased. The pain, the fear, and the shame…
Wayne yelled an obscenity and I shrank away from him, wanting to get far away before he could touch me again.
Before I could form another thought, hands wrapped around my waist and lifted me to my feet. My chest vibrations picked up with an intensity I hadn’t felt thus far. So much that it was almost more overwhelming then the fear that shook my body. I turned, ready to fight off another guy. My actions stilled though, when I was met with a pair of deep blue eyes with thick glossy dark hair that fell partly over them. But he wasn’t the only one. Apparently the one that had shoved Wayne off me was...the gas station stranger?
“Don’t ever put your hands on me again, dude.” Wayne yelled. I heard a few guys from the media room start calling to Wayne, asking him what was going on.
He ignored them, his gaze on the stranger. Wayne took a step closer, having to tilt his head up to look at the long haired beast of a man. He was trying to look menacing but I was pretty sure it wasn’t working. “Keep out of my business, dipshit.”
A vein pulsed in the stranger’s neck, his jaw clicked. “Alex,” he growled, “Take Jade outside.”
Wayne looked to the guy that helped me up and gave a snort of disgust, “I don’t think so. How about you back the hell off and leave us alone?”
The comment sent a fresh wave of tremors through me and I turned into the brown haired guy, my head ducking into his shoulder. I was desperate to be shielded from Wayne’s unwanted predatory desires.
His arm wrapped protectively around me and tried to quickly guide me away from the dark hallway where people were starting to gather. He shoved people aside and held me close to him. As we turned the corner to the kitchen I heard a crack and knew that bone had met bone.
When he opened the french doors that led to the back porch my teeth started chattering as tension eased from my body.
“Sit down on the loveseat,” his smooth voice said quickly. I obeyed without thinking. Sitting rigid on the tan cushion, wrapping my hands around my arms. I looked back to see what he was doing when a soft blanket wrapped around my shoulders and arms. I gripped on to the ends and pulled it tighter.
He sat down on the opposite loveseat that faced me, a black iron fire pit separating us. His sapphire eyes looked at me with intense regret, his lips pursed in displeasure. He ran a hand through his flawless hair, pushing it back from his face.While his eyes checked over me, I could feel his concern at the edges of my mind.
I swallowed, and spoke quietly, “Water.” My voice trembled, through my chattering teeth.
I needed him to go away, if only for a moment so that I could force back my energy that pricked in my limbs and clear my mind.
He shot up from his seat, “Of course.”
When I heard the door close behind me I let out a shudder that rocked through me. My head dropped and tears threatened to escape again. I was so foolish to come. I was able to catch a few deep breaths that slowed my teeth before the door banged open with a crash.
“Jade!” Mia exclaimed. “Jade, honey, are you okay?” She ran over and sat down beside me. Her hands flew to my arms and started rubbing. “I’m so so sorry.”
I gave a weak smile and tried to reassure her that it was okay, but the words wouldn’t come.
“Are you okay?” she asked again.
I nodded quickly, knowing that the scrapes on my wrist were already healing. “I’m okay, I promise.”
“Well, the creep is gone, your hottie friend made sure of that. And I don’t think his nose will ever be the same again.”
I blinked hard and nodded at her words, still not ready to talk.
“Do you want to come inside?” she asked.
I began to shake my head when I heard the doors behind us open.
The ‘hottie’ friend and other guy walked over, all four hands full of water bottles. They set the bottles down on the edge of the firepit in front of me, before sitting down on the other loveseat.
“Um,” Mia stuttered, while looking at the guys. “You going to be okay out here?” She looked at me with an eyebrow raised extremely high.
I looked over at the guys sitting across from me. Was I nervous?, I asked myself, searching for the panic that guys always brought out in me. But it wasn’t there. Why wasn’t it there? I was apprehensive, but not scared.
“I’ll be okay, Mia.”
She nodded and apologized again before heading back inside.
Before the door had even closed behind her I grabbed a water bottle and began drinking, chugging it as fast as I could. When that one was finished I quickly grabbed another. I stopped short when that one was finished, momentarily forgetting that I wasn’t alone. The two males stared at me calmly, not seeming bothered at my extreme thirst.
The tall one, the one from the gas station, motioned towards the other bottles. “Keep going till you’re satisfied.”
I grabbed a third and drained it. After the fourth, I wiped away a trickle of water on my cheek that had escaped, and finally felt better. Their eyes were still glued to me. I carefully set the empty bottles on the edge of the pit and began to stand up. “I should probably head home.”
“No,” the tall one said quickly, “Please. Stay for a few minutes.” His eyes looked firm but I could hear the pleading in his voice and feel the anxiety in his mind.
I stilled, eyeing them somewhat suspiciously. My chest was making it almost too hard to focus. The vibrations were intense, powerful. But not unpleasant. If I relaxed enough, they were actually beginning to soothe my mind and body. For the first time, I let out a deep breath and tried to embrace them.
Leaning back into the cushion I tucked my feet up under me. It helped to put space between us. I pulled the blanket tighter, watching both of them closely. Why did I know what they were feeling? I could sense the anxiety radiating from both of them. But there was also a heavy dose of intrigue...and excitement.
“Thank you,” I whispered, breaking the silence.
A hint of anger pulsed through the large blonde haired man. His eyes closed hard for a brief moment before nodding his head in acknowledgment.
“Jade,” he began, “my name is Pierce.” He motioned towards his friend, “This is Alex.” Alex’s face relaxed when Pierce said his name. He gave me a smile that felt full of life, an expression that had me knowing he had a playful disposition. Pierce’s features stayed fierce.
He continued, “I know it-”
“Why are you here?” I asked, my voice becoming stronger. They were not fazed by my question. If anything, Alex’s smile widened.
I pushed on, “Mia doesn’t seem to know you.” I gave Pierce a pointed stare. “And it's quite odd that I saw you only a few hours ago.”
“Jade,” Pierce spoke again, and I couldn’t deny how good my name sounded in his thick strong voice. “We just want to talk to you.” His face was relaxed, his voice calm. I could tell he was trying to help me remain calm with these actions. But something was off.
“How do you know me?” My curiosity was definitely peeked.
“There's a lot of things we know, Jade,” said Alex with a smug smile.
My heart skipped a beat. That one line could mean so many things. I cleared my throat, “That doesn't answer my question.”
“We know that you're special,” answered Pierce.
My breath caught in my throat. Impossible. I stiffened in
my seat, and chills went up my spine. I swallowed, trying to keep my face blank. My chin tilted up in defiance. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That’s a lie,” Alex stated.
I glared at his confident, yet annoyingly handsome face, ready to say something nasty when Pierce interrupted me. “We know Jade.” I turned to refute him again, but didn't know what to say. “We know, because we're like you. And you're like us.”
My eyes widened and I shook my head slowly, “No,” I whispered, “I don't know what you mean.”
“We're strong,” Alex explained, leaning forward on his knees, “and fast. Enhanced with a little extra on the side.”
I shook my head again and dropped the blanket from around my shoulders, “I think I should go.” I uncrossed my legs and leaned forward
Pierce held up a hand, “Jade, please. We only mean to help.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I said again with more intensity. “Other than tonight,” my hand motioned towards the house, “which I thanked you for, I don’t need any help.”
“Let me ask you this,” he pressed on, “are you happy? At home? At school?”
I nodded my head, but couldn’t bring myself to open my mouth. My eyes dropped to my hands, and a feeling of shame welled up in me. Something inside me balked at my lying, but I had never admitted my miserable life to anyone. Especially to handsome strangers.
Alex huffed, “Lie.”
“Would you stop that!” I barked.
Pierce held a hand up to silence Alex. “My apologies Jade, we did not come here to annoy you.”
“Then why did you come here?”
“I told you, we want to help you.”
“And I told you, I don’t need any help!”
“We can help you get away from here. We can take you somewhere where you'll be safe. Safe to be yourself, and safe from others.”
I scoffed, almost laughed. “You want me to leave? With you? You, who are complete strangers to me? That doesn't sound smart or safe on my account. And why wouldn't I be safe here?” His words were jumbling my thoughts, making questions spew from my mouth. This whole conversation was becoming absurd. I couldn’t begin to fathom what would possess these guys to think I would run away with them, regardless of my home life.
Pierce’s eyes bore into mine, filling with intense emotion. “There's so many things that you do not know or understand. But we can't help you here. You'd have to come with us.”
I shook my head again, dragging a hand over my thick hair. “I don’t know what you think you know about me. I appreciate your desire to help, but I’m fine. My life is just fine.”
Alex coughed into his hand and it sounded suspiciously mixed with the word ‘lie’ again. I shot him a look.
“We know you won't be ready to make a decision tonight. Take some time to think about it. But in a few days, we'll find you.”
I shook my head, “You're wasting your time.”
Pierce leaned forward, trying to catch my attention again. “You can trust us, Jade.” He looked quickly at Alex and back to me. “Alex has the ability to know when someone lies to him.” Alex shot me an unapologetic grin, with a sly wink. And damn if my heart didn't give a flutter.
Pierce motioned to himself. “I have a danger intuition. I know when someone or something nearby is threat to me.”
I held firm to my faux innocence. “I don't see what this has to do with me.”
Pierce leaned forward and reached for one my hands. His large hand dwarfed mine, my eyes traced the veins that lead up his wrist and arm. I sucked in a sharp breath, the humming in my chest becoming stronger, forcing me to close my eyes for a moment.
“We know you have power within you that you can’t explain.”
I swallowed hard, letting myself enjoy the feel of his warm hand on mine.
“Do you want to know what we can offer you?” he asked.
I turned my head away from him slightly and opened my eyes. I noticed that Alex was also leaning forward on his elbows, waiting for my answer. I could feel a subtle hint of desire emanating from both of them. I pulled it in towards me, enjoying it for a small moment. I pulled my hand away from Pierce’s. “I don't know,” I answered softly.
Pierce let out a slow breath but nodded, “Fair enough.”
Alex spoke up, “You don't have to hide who you are with us. We can provide you with answers, support. Protection.”
“Why would I need protection?”
Alex bit his bottom lip, thinking before responding, “We can't answer that. Not here, not now.”
“Why not?”
“Honestly?” Pierce cut in, “Because you're not ready to hear it.”
This is absurd.
I stood up from my chair and sighed heavily, “How do I know I can even trust you? A lie detector isn't the best example.”
Alex face fell into a scowl, “Hey-”
“We understand,” interrupted Pierce. They both stood up at that point, their built bodies intimidating and intriguing all at once. Alex was a few inches shorter then Pierce, but that did not diminish the masculinity he radiated. Not at all. I fought the urge to lean forward into them, letting their senses envelope me.
Instead, I took a few steps back.
“I need to go.” I avoided their eyes, desperate to leave but saddened knowing I might never see them again.
“Be sure to listen to your body, Jade.” Pierce suggested in a low voice. “It's trying to tell you something.”
My hand went up to my chest, the warm hum still present. I looked between their faces, hoping for more information, but they remained still.
I nodded numbly, then turned and walked inside.
“We’ll be in touch,” Pierce called out as I walked away. I didn’t turn back.
I quickly located Mia on a couch with two guys, and said goodbye. She could tell she wasn't going to be able to keep me there any longer. I kissed her cheek and then exited through the front door, making my way quickly to my car.
Once inside, the warm humming in my chest tapered off. I drove away carefully, with my hand on my chest, rubbing as cold emptiness took the place of the warmth.
CHAPTER 4
I set my crimping pliers down on the carpet for a second while I rubbed at my heavy eyes. My palms dug into my sockets and I felt some satisfaction at the pressure. Taking a deep breath, I picked up my tool and continued working on the necklace I was making. I focused on securing the closures around the sapphire colored beads I had attached to the Y-Shaped silver necklace. My eyes were weary with lack of sleep. I wanted to crawl back into bed and take a late morning nap, but I had to get these last pieces done before mother arrived home the following morning. Vicki would be ready for them Monday and wanting to upload them onto my Etsy site.
Vicki had been helping me sell jewelry for the past 18 months. While I made the items, she helped me by posting the pics and details onto my account, and then shipping them off when they sold. I gave her 30% of my profits. I insisted on more, but she refused. I wouldn’t be able to do this without her. Mother would never approve of me making my own money.
I worked steadily on various pieces, creating modern necklaces, bracelets and earrings that, thankfully, sold faster than I could keep up with. The income was nice, slowly building up a bit of cash for me to have tucked away. I couldn’t keep my jewelry making a complete secret from my mother though. I had to be able to purchase supplies every now and then. My explanation was that I was making jewelry and giving it away at school for just a few dollars an item. It was small enough to not raise any concern on her part, and she thought I was using the money I made to just buy more supplies.
I threaded wire through tiny turquoise gems that would be tied into petite earrings. My heightened vision and coordination making the task easier then it would be for a person of average talents. I could accomplish more in a shorter amount of time.
Glancing over the dozens of pieces I had already made, I suddenly realized that
they were all in various shades of blues and greens. 2 sets of eyes flashed in my head, and I was unable to shake them from my mind’s eye. Once again, I closed my eyes and brought my hands to my face.
Those eyes.
The reason for my current state of exhaustion. The reason I hadn’t been able to sleep more than a couple hours last night. Those eyes, and who they belonged to, was what kept me up all night. I couldn’t stop thinking about them. Couldn’t stop playing their words over in my head.
For many hours I hadn’t known what to think or feel. I had been a complete jumble of emotions. Shock at their proposition, resentful at their presumptuous comments, uneasy about what they already knew about me, and under all of that there was a slice of bewilderment. These striking, powerful strangers wanted me to go somewhere with them. Me?
It didn’t make sense. No one knew me. And most of all, no one knew about my abilities. So how could they? I tried to understand how this could be possible but couldn’t come up with any ideas.
But they were like me, so they said. What if they were lying? They hadn’t shown me anything extraordinary. They could just be saying that to get me to trust them and go with them.
Men were dangerous, and not to be trusted. The incident from 3 years ago had ingrained this into my mind, and I had never been able to get over it. But maybe I could? Sitting with Pierce and Alex, it was the most comfortable I had been around a guy since the incident happened. I thought of the warm hum in my chest that vibrated as I spoke with them. It had created a sense of calm in my mind that I had missed for the rest of the night as I lay in bed. But why? What was causing it? Did it really have something to do with these guys?
I shook my head and narrowed my eyes, resolving to finish my work without another pause. I was going around in circles with the same thoughts. I needed to focus. I had to finish before tomorrow morning. Before mother got home.
Mother.
My insides tensed. Could these guys really take me away from here, from her? To be free of her overbearing control was enough to make me consider their far-fetched proposition, despite how insane it sounded. I didn’t think I was at a point of desperation to quite make that leap. It felt exciting to wonder about though.
