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She walked out of the bathroom, determined to leave. After years of not being free, she wouldn’t bring that same fate to others. Rada was sitting at the table waiting for her.
“I didn’t know what you liked to eat. Rose suggested eggs and bacon along with toast and apple sauce. She said most humans like bacon, although she prefers sausage.”
“Rose is human?” She felt a bit of jealousy that made no sense. It was like when you met the hottest male around, and you thought you had a chance, then it turned out he had a girlfriend. That sense of falling to earth woke her, reminding her that she didn’t belong here.
“Yes, she is Lael’s mate.”
Oh, she was already spoken for? Who was Lael? She looked at him, waiting for an answer when she realized she hadn’t said it out loud. She grinned, taking a deep breath; he wasn’t a mind reader. That was good to know.
“Who is Lael, and what’s a mate?”
“Lael is my brother, the youngest. The male you almost met when you first arrived is my other brother, Asa.” His mouth tugged like it might smile, but he wrestled it back into compliance.
“There are three of you.” She watched him move restlessly for the first time. When his hand threaded through his hair with the white tips she wanted to reach out to him to say she was sorry, even though she didn’t know why.
“Asa is the second brother. Our older one is deceased.”
That took all the wind out of her sails. She could see her father like he was called from the fog that hid him in the back of her mind. The pain that could still come from nowhere to attack her was there. Her mind tried to reach for another darker place, like a tongue that wouldn’t stay away from a loose tooth. She shied away, afraid to open a portal of pain that would consume her.
She reached out, placing her hand over his, understanding what it felt like to lose a loved one.
The room went silent. All the ambient background noise was gone. It felt like the air got thinner as her hand settled over his. Green eyes met her brown eyes, and she gasped for air.
“No one has ever touched me without a reason.” Their eyes dropped to their hands which hadn’t moved.
It was hard, but she made her throat work to swallow the saliva collected in her mouth. The only person she ever touched of her own accord was her dad until now. Touching Rada was something she couldn’t have stopped from doing even if the action had been conscious.
“I lost my dad not too long ago. I understand pain.” She squeezed his hand, committing the sensation to memory before she carefully moved away.
“Thank you for bringing me breakfast. We should eat before it gets cold.” She gave him a smile, then stopped when she realized her lips were trembling. Lowering her eyes, she picked up a slice of bacon, sending up a quick prayer of thanks for her food before taking a bite.
“That was good. I hate crispy bacon. This is perfect. Did you cook it?”
His kissable lips turned up into a disbelieving smirk. “According to my brother, I am helpless in the kitchen.”
She had to stop chewing for a few minutes to watch him. In her past, most siblings went out of their way to establish their identities. When he spoke about his brothers, it had an elusive quality that made them seem connected on something more than a parental level. Where brothers, because of parents, came together as one.
“I never had a sibling. It must be nice.”
He looked at her turning his head just a little. It was a quirk she noticed earlier. It was like if he changed the angle he saw something at, it would come into better focus.
“All I know are my brothers.” His eyes got brighter then they took on the icy quality she had seen on the statue.
No, no. no, she was imagining things. Beasts with icy green eyes and masters who pretended to be employers who weren’t human. This was the real world, America, where things like this didn’t happen. She was living in a third-world country where they didn’t know any better; or did they know more than her?
“Moxie?”
“I...” She took another bite of food and stayed silent until her plate was empty. Then she watched as Rada ate. Watching him chew and swallow was a more sensuous enjoyment than she expected. Deciding to take her pleasure where she found it since she was leaving soon, she focused on him until he was done.
Her tongue darted out to lick her dry lips when his eyes met hers again.
“I can’t stay.” It came out low, and she yelled internally at herself for being a coward. The question was what made her the coward? Was it her desire to stay or the desire to leave?
He stared at her, his green eyes glazing over with ice again, but he didn’t say anything. He just waited.
She didn’t owe him an explanation, but he was going to get it. He opened his home to her even if he was rude about it. He fed her when he didn’t have to. In some way, he had taken care of her. He just needed to learn to be a bit more friendly.
“My father was born to be an assassin. Honestly, I think he could have been anything he wanted, but being an assassin brought quick money and kept others off his back. I think it was the only way he saw out when he was younger.” She stuck her hand up, shaking her head. “I’m not making excuses for him. I’m not qualified for all that.”
She stood and walked to the window. The feel of sitting, the stagnation of doing nothing when she told this story bothered her.
“At some point after my mother passed, he drew the attention of the wrong person. This person wanted my dad to work for him. If you had a chance to meet my dad, you would have thought he was charming. He had this great southern accent that I don’t have. Anyway, he told the man no with all his southern charm. Some people don’t like southern charm or the word no.”
She turned around to find him close. He moved silently; she found herself envious of his ability not to make a sound.
“Before I understood what was happening, my dad was working for him, and I was a hostage. As I grew older, certain things were expected of me. It could have been worse, but I was better than my dad when it came to killing, and he was damn good.”
She moved around the room to get away from the heat of his body sinking into her skin, making her feel comfortable when she needed to be agitated.
“He taught me everything I know. Then he said I had the touch. The extra something my mother had. I don’t know what he was talking about because she passed away when I was young. Whatever he thought I had, it appealed to the ones holding us. They wanted it and were willing to kill for it. I know they are the reason my dad is dead. They will come for me. To them I am a nobody except for my ability, my precision with a weapon. It won’t matter to them that this town is filled with helpless individuals. They will kill you, then walk over your corpse to get their hands on me.”
“If the town weren’t helpless?”
What was he talking about? She had seen the town such that it was. The people were too scared to walk the streets. The little kids acted like adults, and he thought he had a cat that wasn’t a cat. This place was sweet and innocent. She refused to be the reason they were wiped from the face of the earth.
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing I say will convince you to stay, will it?”
No. She wasn’t going to be the death of these people. There was enough blood on her hands to last a lifetime.
He gathered up the dishes piling them on the tray before picking them up and walking to the door.
“You still haven’t learned your lesson. When you're ready to stop running and make a stand, I will be... We will be here.” He walked out, the door closing behind him.
She didn’t stop to ask herself how the door closed without him touching it. She took the time to take apart her rifle and clean it before checking her pistol. When she was done, she gathered her bags, leaving the room without looking back. Being in that room had felt too much like she had a future if only she was strong enough and wise enough to grab hold.
She got into her car and floored the gas, needing to get away. In her rearview mirror, she watched as the statue of the beast stood shaking its black fur. It stretched, never taking its eyes off her.
It’s a trick, she told herself as she took off toward the border that allowed her in. After a good night’s sleep and food, she knew exactly where she was going this time. There would be no getting turned around. When she reached the border, and she could see the welcoming sign, she stopped, or rather her car did. It wouldn’t go any further. There was nothing wrong with the engine. She still had gas. The car simply stopped. Not that it mattered. She could cross the border all she needed to do was get out and walk.
Instead, she turned the car off and got out to sit on the hood of the car.
“The choices aren’t always easy, are they?”
She turned her head to see a tall, lanky-built male with brown hair and eyes. There was something about his eyes and glimmer that said, don’t underestimate me. The look on his face was cold and hard. He wasn’t ugly, in her opinion, but she wouldn’t stop to look twice.
“Do you guys get off on startling people?” Much to her surprise, he threw his head back and laughed.
“We used to.” He came and took a seat on the hood beside her. “My name is Silas; I’m the local mage and live in the same house as the brothers. I hope you found your accommodations were pleasing.”
She cranked her head to the side, looking at him. She knew a BS statement when she heard one.
“I don’t really care but a... friend, let's call him that, wants me to work on my empathy.”
It was her turn to laugh, and she did. Silas was about as empathic as a bug.
“I need to meet your friend.”
“Everyone should meet him.” The cold hard man disappeared, and the forgettable man became a work of art, gorgeous. Whoever his friend was, he did wonders to this man.
She sighed another time; this new look on Silas might have captivated her, but that was before she’d seen icy green eyes with hair so dark that night was jealous and ends so icy that winter needed to take notes. He didn’t hold a candle to Rada.
“I don’t know what’s happening here.”
“You are being given the one thing you always said you wanted... A choice. You can walk away from here, breach the border, and your car will work. You can drive away and never look back. It’s called running... I don’t think it will take you where you want to go.”
“That’s not much of a choice.”
“Or you can stay here and fight for your future and maybe the one thing you’ve always wanted, but thought was impossible.”
She went to blast him with a disbelieving look and a harsh word, but he disappeared like he had never been there.