by Fiona Starr
Daria flings her arm back and bumps the door. It swings inward.
Inside, on a cot against the wall, Mel is strapped down, her arm hanging limp over the side. I can’t tell if she’s breathing.
What the hell? I blink to make sure I am seeing what I am seeing, but she isn’t transparent and she doesn’t go away. I pull in my breath, preparing to call out to her when a hand covers my mouth. I am so scared that I shriek.
Daria and Master Damon stop talking.
The scent of wood and citrus tells me instantly that Van has grabbed me. I push against him and try to turn my head away but he presses against my mouth even harder and pulls me into a nearby room.
“Don’t say a word,” he whispers and then he weaves his hands through the air and says, “Conceal.”
Master Damon and Daria walk by the open door and peer inside.
Van pulls me closer to him, pressing my cheek into his chest. His heart pounds against my ear, a rapid staccato that tells me that he’s as scared as I am. Daria’s eyes move over the place where we’re standing not four feet from the door. Master Damon joins her, peering into the room but they keep on scanning like we aren’t even there.
When they walk away, Van whispers, “I need you to trust me. I’m going to take my hand away and I need you not to scream. They are just outside.”
I nod vigorously, though part of me wants to stay right where I am. I take a deep breath when he finally drops his hand. I push away from him but he holds me tighter. “My concealment won’t cover you if you move away. Just stay with me. Okay?”
“Okay,” I whisper, breathing him in and trying to ignore how good he smells.
Van loosens his grip so I can at least look up at his face. He seems agitated and annoyed.
“They have Mel,” I say. “The missing student. She’s here.”
He shakes his head. “No. They don’t.”
“Yes they do. I saw her. She’s in the next room.”
He holds my gaze, his voice deadly serious. “No, Joely. Listen to me. You didn’t see anything. She isn’t here. You can’t.”
I realize what he’s saying. I don’t understand. “But…”
He shakes his head. “She’s already gone. It isn’t worth it.”
I want to hit him for saying that. “What do you mean, it isn’t worth it? I saw her. She’s a person, in the room right there!”
Van takes my face in his hands and peers into my eyes. He looks desperate and his words are so urgent and terrible it makes my blood run cold. “If they find out you know, nothing can save you. Nothing. Not even me.”
I feel a giddy laugh pushing up from inside me. I feel like I am going insane. Save me from what? Who asked him to be my guardian? I just scoff at him. “Like you care if something happens to me?”
The glowering stare eases and for a moment Van’s eyes are so soft and kind. He looks like a different person. He brushes the back of his hand against my cheek and along my jaw. He’s touching me so softly…
“Gods, if you only knew.” His hand is gone so quickly that I wonder if I imagined it.
His words are so at odds with everything that I don’t know what to think.
Daria and Master Damon pass the door again so Van pulls me back against him. We stand there for a minute or two, his breath in my hair, and his heartbeat in my ear. After a long moment, he lets me go.
“Tell me what the hell is going on,” I say.
“Not now.” His face is serious again. Any hint of the kindness I know I just saw is gone. Like it never happened. “I’ll explain… eventually. I swear it. But for now, you can’t tell anyone anything about what you saw. Not anyone, Joely. It’s best if you just wipe it from your mind. Do you understand?”
“No, I don’t understand. Tell me.”
He steps to the door and peeks out. “They’re gone. You should go back to the party.” The way he ignores my questions is infuriating. “Not a word of this to anyone or you’ll put everyone in grave danger. I can’t stress this enough.”
“Fine.” I spit the word at him through clenched teeth.
Van stays behind as I slip out the door and make my way back downstairs.
Chapter Twenty Two
JOELY
I should be inside enjoying myself right now, but I decide instead to hide out in a garden I found tucked around the back of the pond. It has a koi pond with fish longer them my arm. The party has spilled out onto the patio and into the yard, so I don’t think anyone will miss me.
I toss a pebble into the koi pond and watch the fish chase it down. They bump the stems of the lily pads and send ripples across the surface.
How am I supposed to pretend I didn’t see Mel locked up in that room upstairs? Van said I should just wipe it from my mind? Is he serious?
I have no idea what is going on, but Van clearly does and if nothing else, his warning did get through to me. He said she was already gone… did he mean she was dead? My god. How can I go on pretending, letting everyone believe that she’s just missing without a trace? I wish I knew what to do.
The way he touched my cheek… I still can’t be sure if it actually happened or if I imagined it. But I definitely didn’t imagine the way he looked at me. He seemed so open and real, so tender, a sharp contrast to the hardness he usually shows me that seems to be his default.
I wonder if now that we share a secret he’ll let me in, at least a little bit.
“What are you doing out here?” Angus’ voice is like a lightning rod.
I get to my feet, my back to him. “Oh, so now we’re talking? I wasn’t sure what part of the game we were playing.”
“Game? Joely…no.” He touches my shoulder.
“Don’t.” I pull away, recoiling under his touch. I don’t want to want him, but if I let him back in, I won’t be able to stop. I turn to face him. “I can’t believe I trusted you.” I am not going to cry. I am not going to cry…
He’s wearing a black tuxedo cut to accentuate his wide shoulders and his narrow hips. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around. It’s Van. He’s… It’s complicated.”
After what I just saw upstairs I have to agree that maybe there is more going on with these guys than I thought. But that doesn’t make it okay to just disappear.
“I thought you were different,” I say, and I hate how predictable it sounds. How cliché.
He sighs, his eyes pleading. “Joely, you weren’t wrong to trust me. I am sorry I disappeared. I wish I could explain all of that. I can’t. But you can trust me.”
“Easy words to say. Why is your brother so dead set against us seeing each other? Am I that far below your level? Not good enough for you?”
Angus seems genuinely surprised. “Not good enough? Joely, no. That’s not it. Not at all.”
I cross my arms, waiting for an explanation.
He closes his eyes, resigned. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been with anyone. A long time. My last… relationship ended badly and it took everything for me to get through it. My brother is just trying to protect me.”
“Protect you? From me? How am I a threat?”
He doesn’t look away from me. He holds my gaze and explains. “From the moment we met, I haven’t stopped thinking about you. Both my brothers saw it and they knew.”
“Knew what?”
“They knew that you brought me back to life. They knew that I wouldn’t be able to stay away.” He touches my hand, letting his fingers play along my wrist. “I don’t know how to do this halfway.”
“And what is this, exactly?” I ask, my heart in my throat.
He touches his forehead to mine and grabs my hand, placing it over his heart, holding it there, pressing my fingers into his chest. The beats pulse against my hand as he winds his fingers through mine.
He closes his eyes and exhales like he’s making a wish. “You have my heart.”
Well damn. If that wasn’t the best apology in the history of apologies, I don’t know what it was. Being next to him again fills m
e with his outdoorsy scent and I breathe him in as I tilt my chin and draw his mouth to mine.
He wraps his arms around me and I left myself lean into him, pressing every part of my body against him. My thighs to his thighs, my hips to his hips, my chest to his… Our tongues move like old friends, and it’s really uncanny how well we fit together. Nothing about us is awkward or clumsy—its like we are two halves of a whole in whatever way our bodies touch.
His kisses trail down my neck and over my bare shoulder while his hands caress my bare back and the line of the gown where it drapes at the top of my ass. He pulls me to him and I feel his erection straining against his clothes. “I wish I could take you somewhere right now and show you how sorry I am for making you doubt me.”
I pull away and look into his eyes, searching for confirmation. I believe him. God help me if I’m being a fool, but I believe this man is telling the truth.
I take his hand and lead him through the garden to the other side of the koi pond. When I arrived earlier, I found a small boat house for the larger pond. I unlatch the door and we slip inside, the party may as well be a thousand miles away.
I hold my hair to the side as Angus undoes the back of my dress. He kisses and licks the skin along my spine down to the curve of my bottom. He holds my hand so I can step out of the dress, which he folds carefully on top of his jacket. It’s such a simple thing, but it’s so endearing.
I unbuckle his belt and shove his pants down, not wanting to spend another minute apart.
His cock is so hard, just grabbing hold of it sends a rush of wet heat between my legs. I want him. I want all of him, and I want him now.
I get down on my knees and lick the tip of his penis, enjoying the soft heat of the velvety skin on my mouth. Then I take him inside, slowly, sucking him until he groans.
“Oh fuck. Yes.” He runs his fingers through my hair and holds me as he lets my mouth run along his shaft.
He pulls away and lifts me to my feet. He takes one breast into his mouth, and then the other, sucking hard and flicking my nipples with his teeth. Then he turns me around so I’m facing the wall and slides his hand around, between my legs.
“Oh god, you’re so wet,” he whispers into my hair.
“I want you inside me, Angus.” I can barely breathe the words. “Now.”
His cock presses against my entrance and he holds it there, kissing my shoulders and kneading my breasts from behind.
My breath comes in stutters as I wait, anticipating the feel of him when he finally moves inside.
“Angus… please,” I moan.
“God, Joely.” He thrusts into me, filling me, stretching me. The heat of him lighting an inferno of need in my core.
I exhale a sigh of pleasure and relief as by body takes in every inch of him. I look over my shoulder at him, my tongue on my lips, pleading for his mouth. He plunges his tongue into me as he continues to thrust. I feel so full of him. His cock inside me, his tongue in my mouth, his breath in my lungs…
I grab hold of a beam on the wall as my legs start to tremble. Angus’ hand moves around to my front and he finds my swollen clit, which is slick and vibrating with need.
“Oh god. Oh…” I bite my lip to keep from screaming and his thrusts come faster and harder. We’re racing over the undulations, chasing the wave as it rises higher and higher.
And then we crash together, spent and warm, his body bent over mine.
The raven’s wings brush against my cheek, a gentle flutter as it takes off from my hand. The flutter turns into a hum that fills the night. The sound of a woman’s voice echoes from the distance, a wild and angry scream that weaves itself in with the humming. Fiery red eyes flash before me, then they're gone, replaced by torch flames as the woman keep screaming.
The fangs come out of nowhere. They tear at my throat and make it impossible to cry out for help. But I’m frozen in this world of blood and teeth and death from the shadows. Then the wolf is there, watching me. Don’t go. I’m afraid. I plead with the wolf through my eyes. He responds. You’re not alone. Their blood calls for you.
The woman’s scream comes again, and this time it morphs from her keening wail into the howl of a wolf as it fades away. I’m flying with the raven now. I feel free at last when it turns and begins pecking at me, tearing at my hands. I fall from the sky, plummeting to the earth as the wind whips through my hair and bites at my skin.
I startle awake, breathing hard and fighting to catch my breath.
Angus reaches for me. “Hey. Are you all right?”
I look around the boat house and remember where I am, and I settle back into Angus’ arms. “Just a bad dream.”
“What was is about?”
I shake my head. “It’s stupid.”
“No. I want to know.” He weaves his fingers through mine. “I promise not to laugh.”
“Well, it’s always a jumble of the same things. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“That’s all right. Dreams never do.”
“Okay. Well, it always starts with a raven.”
I go through all the iterations of the dream, trying to piece together all the snippets to make them into something that makes sense, but I can’t seem to make it all fit.
“The wolf is the cool part though. It’s a white wolf, like the one on your arm, only it’s huge. With bright amber-colored eyes.” I trace my finger over his tattoo.
“Sometimes it feels like it’s the woman whose dying. And sometimes I think I’m the woman, and it’s my screams, my blood. But then other times I think it’s the wolf that dies. Because I always tell him to stay. I say, ‘Don’t go. I’m afraid. But I don’t actually say it out loud it’s kind of like I think it. And then the wolf turns back and says. You’re not alone. Go to them. Their blood calls for you.”
Every muscle in Angus’ body tenses. “What did you say?”
“What?”
“What does the wolf tell you?”
I didn’t expect him to take this so seriously. “He says, ‘You’re not alone. Go to them. Their blood calls for you.’”
He sits up and blinks a few times, staring at me. “Holy shit.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
JOELY
Angus threw on his clothes and then helped me back into my gown. He took a little extra time fixing his bow tie so it didn’t look too bad, though there was no way for him to put his coat back on after we slept on it so he just folds it over his arm.
We’re walking away from campus, down the neighborhood streets, Angus pulling me by my hand. “If you’re not going to explain what we’re doing, can you at least slow down? These shoes were not made for walking.”
He slows down. “Sorry. I… We’re almost there.”
“Almost where?”
He doesn’t say, but after we pass a few more houses, we turn onto the path of an old gingerbread Victorian with a tall pointed turret and a huge wraparound porch.
“What is this place?” I ask.
“This is where I live.”
Angus opens the door and we step inside to find Van pacing in the front room. “Jesus Christ, Gus. Where have you…” Van takes one look at me and his worry turns to furious surprise. “Fuck!”
Marco leans against the doorway to the living room. “Hey, Joely.”
I smile at Marco, unsure what I should do and feeling very overdressed.
Angus drops my hand. “Van. Wait. Before you say another word. You have to hear this.”
Van shouts and turns away. “What can you possibly have to tell me that I haven’t already heard?”
“Not me. Joely. She has something to say that you both need to hear.”
“Can you please tell me what this is about?”
Angus waves at me, giving me the floor. “Tell them what you told me.”
I gape at him, not understanding. “What did I tell you?”
“Your dream…”
“Are you kidding? No. Why would they want to hear about that?”
“Trust
me, please? Just tell them everything you told me.” While he’s trying to smile, the strain shows in Angus’ face.
I look from Marco to Van and then back to Angus. I feel ridiculous. “Okay. Well, it always starts with a raven.”
I go through it all again, trying to remember how I told it to Angus. But the dream always changes even though the pieces are all the same, so I do my best.
“Tell them about the wolf.” Angus interrupts. He’s tense and serious and seems much older than the Angus I’ve come to know.
“I’m sorry, did you want to tell them?” I say, annoyed at the interruption.
“Sorry. Continue. Please.” Angus sits down again.
I finish sharing about the wolf. “I never know if it’s the woman who’s dying, or if it’s me and I’m the woman, or if it’s the wolf who dies. I’m the one who gets attacked every time, and when it ends, I always tell the wolf that I’m afraid and I want him to stay.
Angus stops me again. “Don’t go.” That’s what you said, right?” He taps his leg, clearly excited. “Tell them that part exactly.”
I pretend to ignore him and take a deep breath. “I say, ‘Don’t go. I’m afraid.’ But I don’t say it as much as I think it. The wolf is usually walking away at this point and he turns back and says, ‘You’re never alone. Go to them. Their blood calls for you.’”
Marco drops into a chair, his legs sprawled out. “No way. Isn’t that what Salma…”
Van’s face is completely blank. He just stares at me for a moment before he storms out of the room and runs up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
I turn to Angus and Marco. “What did I say? Can one of you please tell me what the fuck is going on?”
Marco clamps his mouth shut.
Van rushes back down the stairs and slips on the last few, catching himself as he hurries back, a worn leather-bound notebook in his hand. He swallows and leafs through the pages frantically. His hands are shaking. When he looks up, it’s like he has to get up the courage to speak. “Joely, would you please tell me again exactly what you just said. The last part, where you talk to the wolf?”