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“No.” Rada stood with his legs slightly apart, his feet rooted to the living room floor.
Moxie moved back. She had spent the last several weeks getting to know Rada and his brothers. This was not going to end with Rada and Lael coming to a reasonable agreement.
“You need to go to town to restock our supplies.”
“Take Rose and go to town or send Silas and his mate. There is no reason for me to try and leave the borders of our town.”
Lael jumped, and Rada met him in the air. They reminded Moxie of two sexy superheroes fighting it out. Rada was the star of the movie, of course. They collided, falling to the carpeted floor before they began to hit and hiss at each other. They rolled around looking like cubs that were fighting over who got the biggest steak.
Rada kicked Lael off. Lael stood then jumped back on Rada. They were rolling around the floor again. The hissing was louder as well as what she thought might be curses in a language she’d never heard.
Asa walked into the room, taking in the whole scene with one sweep of his eyes.
“Enough!”
The brothers jumped apart like chastised puppies. Moxie watched Rada intently. This was like a small cosmic window into who he was as a child. She didn’t believe he was born full-grown. Everything had a start, and if it was warm and breathing, it started out small.
For one minute, there was the look of guilt outlined on his face along with the devastation of disappointing that one special person. She knew with certainty that Rada loved his brother Lael, but he loved and respected his older brother. She saw it in every line of his body as well as Lael’s.
The brothers stood. Rada had a shiner underneath one eye and a split lip. Lael had a black eye and seemed to be holding his arm. She knew from previous tussles that the injuries wouldn’t last long. They healed at an abnormally fast rate, but also, as much as they fought, the damage they did to the other was always superficial. Another reason that she knew in an hour tops, you wouldn’t know they fought.
“Asa...”
“Silence.” Lael got quiet as Asa turned his gaze to Rada. “You can’t protect her by staying here. The longer you do, the more vulnerable she gets.”
Wait, what? Rada wasn’t trying to protect her; he didn’t even like her. Okay, maybe he liked her. She wasn’t totally sure. They hadn’t kissed since that first time; that meant he didn’t like her, right? They had spent every day together getting to know each other. They were friends, well she hoped they were friends. Turns out that hell beasts who have lived for thousands of years don’t really talk about emotions. They fight, but Rada never touched her in anger. He did sometimes place his hand on hers or even draw her into a hug. Those were her favorite days. Why would he try to protect her?
“I’m not trying to protect Moxie,” he denied with a vengeance.
Why didn’t she believe him? It was the way he held his face like he was scared to give anything away. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. My God, he was protecting her. There was a shift inside of her. No one besides her parents ever tried to protect her. It was a bad way to grow up, but she figured others had it worse.
“She can’t pass through the border.”
She grinned; he was grasping at straws now.
“She can’t drive through the border on her own. I see no reason that should hold true with you in the car since we both know she can walk through the border.”
“Would she be allowed back in if she walked through?”
She had wondered the same question. The longer she spent time here, the more she wanted to stay and become a part of this small community.
“That shouldn’t be an issue with you. If it is, it’s better we learn now than in the middle of a fight.”
That’s why Asa was the oldest. He seemed to have knowledge to spare, which was good since Rada was obviously the better-looking one. She gave a chuckle then looked around the room to see if the brothers noticed. With a grateful sigh that no one watched her, she slipped into a fantasy of Rada kissing her.
“Moxie.” Rada startled her out of her thought.
“Sorry, did you say something?”
“We’re arguing about a plan that hinges on you. Do you want to go to town?”
No, she didn’t want to. She wanted to stay where she was and bury her head in the sand. But common sense and time spent around the demons told her that life was never that simple. If she avoided them, they would force her hand, and when that happened, people got hurt. Those people usually started with her and spread to others who were innocent.
“I’d love to stay here where I feel safe, but that feeling of safety is an illusion.” She held up a hand, stopping Rada from commenting. “I know you would protect me, thank you. I have to face whatever is waiting for me beyond the borders. It may be nothing, but we’ll never know if I hole up here.”
“Get ready; we leave in thirty minutes.”
She strode out of the living room, taking the stairs two at a time. As much as she wanted to take her rifle, there wasn’t going to be time to put it together if they ran into trouble. Taking out a case from under her bed, she looked between her Sig and the Glock to decide which to place on her ankle. Deciding it was a silly question, she took out both of her ankle holsters and placed one on each leg. She wanted to take both guns with her. The holsters and the guns had been modified to fit her ankles like a second skin and her hand. They were lightweight and carried a few extra rounds.
Then she grabbed the trusty pistol that she kept at her back. She came close to wearing her arm holster, but five guns were overkill, right? That didn’t stop her from itching to pick up the chest holster. That way, it would only be four guns. Since she wasn’t wearing a jacket with it being warm outside, she put the rest of her arsenal back. She changed clothes wearing a pair of flared jeans that hid her ankle guns nicely and a black cami a size too big that covered her rear and had enough material in the back not to bunch up around her gun. Then she hung a sweet little purse over her arm and ran down the stairs.
Rada was waiting for her by the front door. He was dressed in dark jeans with a black tee and a pair of sunglasses to hide his eyes. She would do a double-take if she saw him walk past her on the street.
“I’m ready.”
He led her outside to his vehicle.
“Do you think I should have said no?” she asked him when they were on their way.
“I think you're brave.”
Brave? She had looked into the eyes of women who were being kept down and used as someone else’s punching bag. She had seen ones who were being abused day after day with no choice but to endure. She wasn’t brave, simply doing what needed to be done.
“Thank you, but the definition of brave is a little different.”
“Don’t put yourself down; bravery can be found in every situation.” She thought about it before deciding he was right. They stayed quiet until they reached town.
She hadn’t seen it when she arrived, having found the one path that traveled around it. The city was on the smaller side from what she could see, but it was quaint. They were in the business district, having gone into a meatpacking plant where they ordered more cuts of beef than she knew existed.
They moved on to simple household items stacking some of them into the back of the SUV but having others delivered.
“Take a look at this.” They were walking through a target. It seemed like such a normal thing to do that she couldn’t pass up the chance. They were in the back, not too far away from the electronic section, where they seemed to have a collage of different brightly colored pieces. There were some books, a few paintings, along with other knickknacks that went on your walls. She was staring at a painting that looked like it should have been in an exclusive art gallery. It was a picture of the trees with a lake and waterfall in the background. What most people probably didn’t see was the bullet. It moved through the trees heading towards the waterfall, and whatever was hiding at its edge. It was the way the bullet was formed and rotated from spot to spot that fascinated her. She’d seen this before, but it didn’t make sense to her.
“Do you want the picture?”
Rada placed his hand on her arm when he asked.
Want, it was such a radical word to her. She wanted freedom, to not be hunted, but she didn’t want material things. Those things came and went. Yet, as she looked at the picture, she wanted it. What was more interesting was that she could have it. No one was going to come bursting into her room, taking away the things they deemed unhealthy for her, simple things like books, or puzzles, or anything that would make her feel safe. They would have taken her guns if they thought they could get away with it.
“I do, I want it.”
“Then let’s buy it.” He picked it up and put it in the back of their cart. It hung out at an odd angle, but she didn’t care. She smiled as she walked through the store, eyeing things but not stopping to look.
When they got to the register, she was surprised to only find one cashier. Where had the others gone? Where were all the customers she had seen while browsing the aisles? Her palms started to itch, making her want to reach for a gun.
One look at Rada told her he was as concerned as she was. Anyone else looking at him would see a peaceful male without a care in the world. She spent enough time with him to look past the façade he was wearing. There was a slight tenseness in his shoulders. His smile wasn’t as bright, and his fingers looked like they had gotten bigger. Hands that wanted to turn to paws with deadly claws.
He paid for their purchases, and they chose to take the escalator down even with the bulky picture he held. When they made it to the lower level with the parking lot, there wasn’t a soul around.
“Is this normal?” The look he flashed her made her bite her tongue.
How would he know? This was his first time leaving that house. If he ever left it before, it was in a different world.
“This isn’t normal,” she whispered to him as she fast-walked to the car. She opened the hatch to put their items in and hopefully get away before the blackness she felt found them.
He slammed the hatch, and she jumped. It sounded like a bomb going off. He moved out into the open, his eyes scanning the area. She was hovering around the open passenger door, but she knew he was right. Regretfully she closed the door and went to stand by him. If she met the threat in the car, she’d be an easy target.
“I know you’re there. Come out, come out wherever you are.”