| |
Eight Years Ago
day 41 since capture
Cleaning the stables was a tough, back-breaking task meant to humiliate as much as to teach a lesson, but it was eons better than the alternative. Shiloh would much rather stink of horse manure for a week than to find out for herself what a real punishment was like.
Servants like Shauna, who had carried out such a sentence at least once, refused to even talk about their time in the dungeons. But the one thing that seemed common knowledge among staff members was how terrible the conditions were: no food, no water, not even a proper toilet, and nothing to rest on but the cold, hard floor.
Shiloh would gladly muck out the horse stalls for a whole month.
It was tedious and disgusting, and it left her whole body aching after less than a day, but in a way, she enjoyed it. It gave her time to herself, away from the supernaturals at the estate. She also found that she loved being around horses. Their presence had a strangely calming effect on her anxiety.
But the best part was the loophole Drake found on their very first day on probation; their schedules matched up perfectly. He always got off work at the same time that she reached the stables. He visited her as often as he could without raising questions.
He never stayed very long, since he was expected to have breakfast with the other servants before going to bed. But it was enough for Shiloh to confirm to herself that she was indeed crushing on him.
Hard.
He made her laugh, frequently and effortlessly, which was something she had forgotten how to do for the past few weeks. His presence made it seem as though she was living a normal life, instead of being stuck in servitude for an evil vamphyr lord. Around him, she forgot all her worries about the supernatural world and her fear for her safety. Instead, she was pleased to feel normal, human concerns.
Like whether Drake thought she was pretty and why he came to visit her so often. Was it guilt over getting her in trouble, or did he feel a similar attraction to her?
Shiloh hoped it was the latter.
“So there I was,” Drake gesticulated as he spoke, “ankle deep in the freezing river, barely managing to walk with Dev’s weight on my back. Mind you, he was small for his age, but I wasn’t the strongest pre-teen either. Anyway, I was trying to stay upright, but the odds were stacked against us, so of course I slipped and fell on all fours into the river. Devon barely touched the water, just up to his knees, but the way he was screaming, you’d think I was forcibly baptizing him or something.”
Shiloh laughed at the absurdity. “Why didn’t you just walk back along the banks? Did you have to go through the water?”
“That would’ve taken hours, the sun was starting to set. Anyway, we got home a while later, soaking wet. Dad wouldn’t let us in till we stripped everything off.”
Still giggling to herself, Shiloh pictured the two brothers making their way through the river on piggyback as the sky changed colors around them. She imagined the look of disappointment on their father’s face when he saw the state in which they showed up at his door.
“Why would you guys go there in the first place? Isn’t it dangerous to go out into the woods by yourself?”
At that, Drake looked away with a sad but secretive smile on his face. “Devon really wanted to see a cave Dad told us about. Apparently, it was a special place for him and Mom.”
These kinds of stories made Shiloh curious about Drake’s family. His parents were a rare topic, but she could tell he greatly respected his father and deeply loved his mother. That was one of the many things they had in common.
Devon, however, was the main character in most of his stories. Drake always talked about his little brother with the utmost fondness and protectiveness. It reminded her too much of her own brother, and how he would always look out for her. The memory made her achingly sad, but she didn’t dwell on it and instead focused on the moment with Drake, letting his joy and fondness for his family positively infect her mood.
Hearing the brothers’ stories also made her eager. Shiloh had yet to meet Devon, but when she did, she hoped they would get along.
***
day 43 since capture
AN ACCIDENTAL MEETING occurred one morning while Shiloh was carrying out her probation.
Near the end of her punishment, she was told to report to the stables at the crack of dawn. Lord Henry’s visit was still ongoing, and a few of his vampires had spent all night playing some sport on horseback. Because of that, the horses were covered in mud, and their hooves were in desperate need of cleaning.
Shiloh was a little nervous. She’d only been tending to the horses’ manes all week because she knew nothing about proper equine care. Luckily, Adam had sent for her before the sun had even risen and briefly showed her what to do. It wasn’t too complicated, but it was a very delicate task, so she had to be extra careful not to hurt the animals.
One particular horse was restless for some reason. Shiloh was balancing the bottom of its hoof between her knees, trying very hard not to fall over, when she found something stuck under the horseshoe. She tried to pull it out with the hoof pick first, but her hand slipped, and the movement sliced a small cut into the sensitive part of the horse’s foot.
The injured animal let out a startled sound and jerked, preparing to stand back on its hind legs. Shiloh barely had time to act, ducking out of the way and covering her head with both arms.
All of a sudden, her body was flung sideways as someone pushed her out of the way. She and her rescuer both fell to the ground, away from the horse’s path. She waited until the animal had calmed down before peeking through her arms, relieved to see Drake’s face.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She turned her head and groaned when she saw the horse kicking at the ground with its wounded leg.
“This is going to land me in the dungeons for sure,” she grumbled, guilt and fear coursing through her.
“That’s not going to happen,” Drake assured her.
She turned her incredulous gaze to him. “I’m supposed to take care of them, not hurt them!”
“I’ll explain what happened.”
As noble as that offer was, Shiloh knew it wouldn’t go over as well as he hoped. “You heard what he said; he let us off with a warning last time, but he won’t do that again.”
Drake frowned at that, knowing she was right. “Then we don’t let him find out.”
“We can’t lie to him.”
“We don’t need to. Maybe no one has to know.”
“Vampires scan our memories when they feed on us.”
“That’s just for the first feeding test. After that, all they care about is getting blood, and they only look for specific memories or thoughts if they suspect you of something.”
She paused, considering. “So what are you suggesting?”
“The guests are leaving tomorrow night. The remaining vamps around here don’t need as many horses, so... I’ll just make sure no one rides this horse until it heals.”
Shiloh was deeply touched by his determination to protect her. But before she could say a word of thanks, she suddenly became aware of the position they’d landed in.
Drake was lying on top of her, shielding her with his body. His arms were positioned in a way that left one of his hands near her cheek.
He seemed to realize the same thing a second later and quickly froze. His pupils dilated, and he slowly moved his hand to cup her face.
Butterflies erupted in Shiloh’s stomach, and she let out a small gasp. His eyes were curious and admiring as the two of them stared at each other with equal fascination. Before she knew it, he was leaning down toward her. Her eyes fluttered closed with nervous anticipation.
Their lips barely brushed before they both registered the sound of footsteps approaching from the other side of the stable walls. They looked at each other with wide, deer-caught-in-headlights eyes and then scrambled to get back on their feet, standing a dramatically far distance from one another.
Shiloh’s face was flushed red, her heart beating so rapidly in her chest that it made her breath come out in short bursts. She smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothes and passed a hand through her hair to make sure it didn’t look like she’d just rolled around in the hay. Drake also adjusted his clothes and went to pacify the still-affronted horse by gently rubbing its forehead.
It was at this moment that the newcomer arrived at the stable doors, freezing when he saw the both of them.
“Drake?” Devon said in a voice laced with confusion.
He looked like a younger version of his brother, except that Devon’s eyes were a darker brown color, and his hair wasn’t as long. His build was also smaller, but that was likely because he was about two years younger than Shiloh.
“Hey Dev,” Drake replied with an easy smile. “Shouldn’t you be at breakfast?”
“You were late. Adam said it was okay to come looking for you.”
At that, Devon glanced suspiciously at Shiloh. There was a hint of an accusation in his gaze, which made her squirm and cough to try to ease the tension. Drake must have mentioned his visits to the stables.
What a great first impression!
Holding her arm out, she took a step toward the younger boy and tried again. “Hi, you must be Devon. I’m Shiloh. Drake told me so much about you.”
Devon stared at her outstretched hand with renewed disdain. Then, he looked back up at his brother, refusing to acknowledge either the limb or the person that it belonged to.
“I’m going for breakfast. You can explain everything when you come back.” And then he turned his back on them and left.
Shiloh awkwardly closed her fist and brought her arm back to her side. “I might be wrong, but I don’t think he likes me very much.”
Drake chuckled at her unexpected joke and stepped toward her. “He just doesn’t know you. Don’t worry, he’ll change his mind,”—at this point, he gently grabbed her hand—“once he realizes how much I like you.”
The confession took Shiloh by surprise, making her beam from ear to ear. “You do?”
Instead of answering, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, slowly shortening the distance between their lips. He guided her a few steps back without once breaking away. And when her back hit the wall with a soft thud, she was delighted to find herself caged in his embrace.
That was when he finally kissed her.
Gasping, Shiloh wrapped her arms around his neck, lacing her fingers through his hair as she lost herself to the blissful feeling. Her mouth voluntarily opened for him, and she nearly melted at the way he kissed her.
Slow. Deliberate. All-consuming.
It was the most passionate kiss she’d ever had, igniting a fire within her body that left her breathless after he pulled away.
“I want to see you later,” he murmured gruffly and inclined his head once more to give her another searing kiss. “Before all the vamps wake up.” His mouth never once left hers. The corners of his lips pulled up into a smirk the next time he pecked her now swollen lips. “Preferably while his lordship is down for his afternoon nap.”
The weird title made her giggle, and his eagerness to be close to her, practically melding their two bodies together, caused her heart to joyously flip in her chest.
“But that’s right before curfew,” she whispered in a half-complaint. Truthfully, in that moment, she couldn’t care less about the rules. She just wanted Drake to keep kissing her in that tantalizing way.
The next time their lips met in an open-mouthed kiss, the tip of his tongue grazed the roof of her mouth, sending shivers down her spine and causing an involuntary gasp to escape her.
“I don’t care,” he murmured hoarsely. “I want to see you.”
Shiloh went weak in the knees when he directed his kisses toward her neck. Unable to do anything else—not that she wanted to—she closed her eyes in pure bliss, letting out a little sound of pleasure.
What were they talking about again?
Right, he wanted to meet up later.
“Where?” she breathed out.
“I’ll let you know.” He reached a spot below her ear that felt ticklish, causing her to clench up her shoulders and giggle once more.
“How are you gonna do that?” she whispered with a smile.
Drake pulled away and kissed her nose, eliciting more laughter out of her. The sound made him grin, but he didn’t try to kiss her again.
“I don’t know yet, but I’ll find a way,” he cryptically replied, waggling his eyebrows like he had a delicious secret he couldn’t wait to share. “I’ll send you a secret message.”
