Eeli (The Brotherhood of Ormarr Book 3)

by Bobbie Rayne

  “You should leave this room and come outside more, hang out with everyone and get to know them,” she continued.

  “I’ve been going out, and I eat with everyone,” I said a little defensively. She snorted and didn’t reply. After a few minutes, I noticed her breathing had evened out and she was back asleep.

  And she was wrong. In the last three days, I had eaten all my meals with the guys, not that I’d said a lot, but I enjoyed listening to their banter. It made me sad in a way because it reminded me of what our family dinners were like before my parents died. They asked each other about their day and teased each other. The love they shared was obvious. It made me wonder what it would be like having that many people have my and Kyla’s back instead of it just being me looking out for us.

  I also got out of the room every day as soon as Eeli left for school. Azaran had decided if two of the teachers had seen Eeli and I together it would look suspicious for both of us to call out for the rest of the week, so Eeli had been going to school, and I’d arranged with my teachers for him to bring home my books and anything I couldn’t get off of my online classroom from school. Toby had been the one to go pick up Kyla’s assignments for the week. We’d been a little scared it would cause questions, but the secretary at her school had actually sounded relieved that we had an adult present in our lives who was taking care of things.

  But I left the room and sat on the cliffs each day while Eeli was gone. I watched the water’s ebb and flow, remembering my parents and wondering what was next. The sound of the waves soothed me, and it helped me not feel so out of control of my own life. Snorting quietly to myself, I had to admit that I hadn’t felt like I’d had any control since the minute my parents died. It was as if life kept happening around me, and all I could do was hold on for the bumpy, confusing ride.

  Shuffling around, I peered through the dark room at Eeli lying on the floor in his sleeping bag in front of the door. As pissed as I still was at him for putting us in this situation, I hated that he was sleeping on the floor every night. It had to be killing his back, and even though I wouldn’t go out and watch them, Kyla said he trained hard every day after school. I still had no idea what that meant, and him saying he could take me down still made me laugh, but when he came in with his brothers after they did whatever it was they were doing, they were all drenched in sweat and smelly. I’d heard each of the brothers compliment Eeli on what a fantastic job he was doing at least once, and even if I wouldn’t tell him, it did make me curious to see what he was doing.

  He rolled over so his face was toward me and his arm hung out of the sleeping bag. He looked so innocent when he was sleeping, not like the super-confident guy I thought he was before he started wiggling all over the place like he had ants in his pants all the time; also not like the guy who had freaked me out sic’ing his dragon on me while calling for his brothers to kidnap me. In his sleep, his face was smooth and vulnerable. It made me feel guilty that he wasn’t comfortable in his own home right now, which made no sense. Why should I feel bad? He brought me here against my will. But I hated how he didn’t really participate in conversation at dinner, and his eyes were so sad, defeated almost. I’d caught him smiling or laughing with his brothers or Kyla when I’d enter a room, but the minute he saw me, his happiness would evaporate. I hated when the twinkle left his eyes. When he was smiling, they reminded me of the color of the ocean as the sun reflected off the waves—soothing.

  Ugh! I clutched the front of my stomach as my insides churned, again, just as they did every time I caught myself thinking about how cute I thought Eeli was or how I wanted him to smile and be happy. At first I thought it was because I was making myself nauseous slipping into his delusions, but the longer we were here, the more I had to admit that dragons were real. Which meant, if I wasn’t trapped in some kind of fantasy land of Eeli’s creation, then did that mean this mate business was real, too? Did I get sick to my stomach at the thought of him unhappy because I wanted to fix it for him as bad as I was starting to want to believe that he could fix it for me?

  That was what I really thought about while I stared out into the fathomless depths of the ocean. There was so much out there I couldn’t see, and it stretched so much farther than I could probably imagine, so who was I to not at least investigate what Eeli and his family claimed? My own family had been irrevocably taken from us in a way I couldn’t have ever imagined, so who was I to act like I knew everything?

  Tears pricked my eyes remembering that terrible night, so I focused on Eeli’s face, shaking the memory off. Kyla and I agreed we’d never speak of that night again. Then I felt a nudge, and before I knew it, Bo was scooting in next to me, wrapping her wing around my shoulder as she nuzzled under my chin. “Did you feel me get sad, girl?” She leaned up and kissed my cheek as she made a chuffing noise. “They say you can understand me. I haven’t wanted to believe it, but… you keep showing up when I need you.”

  “She’ll always come to you when you get sad, Slash. She loves you so much already.” I moved my head so I could see around Bo and found Eeli’s eyes on me.

  “How long have you been awake?” I asked, hoping he hadn’t heard me and Kyla talking.

  “I woke up as soon as Bodhi jumped up to come to you.” He sat up so he was leaning against his bedroom door. “She’s been snuggling up to keep me warm at night. I missed her weight immediately.”

  I chuckled a little. She really was a solid little thing. With Bo pressed against me I was ready to push some of the covers off already. “If you didn’t have to guard the door to make sure we didn’t escape, I’d switch you spots for the night. I do feel bad you have to go to school in the morning after sleeping on the ground all night.”

  Eeli was silent for so long I didn’t think he was going to answer. Then he said, “I was kind of thinking since spring break is next week, anyway, maybe I’d stay home from school tomorrow. Missing the last day before break isn’t really that big a deal. A lot of kids today were saying they’re leaving on vacation and stuff already, but… well, you don’t leave the room really when I’m home, and Toby said you at least go outside while I’m at school so…” he trailed off.

  Taking my time to sift through my thoughts, I finally said, “No, I think it would be cool if you stay home. I mean, we have to figure this all out sooner or later, right? I can’t just stay locked in your house forever, so maybe it would be good if we were both home all day.”

  “Yeah?”

  I could hear the excitement in his voice. It was the first time he’d sounded hopeful when talking to me. Actually, it was the first time he’d sounded anything but depressed when he was speaking with me. Making my mind up, I decided it was time to be proactive with my life instead of treading water like I’d been doing with my uncle or sulking like a toddler as I’d been doing since I got here. “Yeah. I mean, I’m still mad at you and really confused, but… Kyla likes it here and your family has been good to us so… maybe… maybe we could start talking or hanging out or something tomorrow.”

  “I’d really… like that.” His voice was thick with tears, and I knew I’d made the right decision. I’d never know if he was right about this mate thing if I kept avoiding him, and… and if I was honest with myself, I wanted to get to know Eeli better. The real Eeli. The one his family knew; the one Kyla was starting to get to know. And maybe… maybe I wanted him to know the real me, too.

  “Goodnight, Eeli,” I whispered as I watched him slip back down into his sleeping bag.

  “Goodnight, Slash. I’ll see you in the morning.” And with that promise, I let Bo hug me closer, and I finally fell asleep.

  13

  Eeli

  I was nervous. He’d said he was up for hanging out, but what if he’d changed his mind? I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t shake the nerves off, so I shook out my hands instead before pushing open my bedroom door and blowing out a breath. Slash was sitting on my bed, leaning against the headboard, reading a book. He was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt t
hat showed off those arm muscles I’d come to admire.

  He looked up, and when our eyes met, the corners of his lips twitched. He was gorgeous and sexy without even trying—even when he was upset with me—and all my nerves got tangled up inside me and my mouth went dry. I couldn’t move or speak as he held me in his gaze.

  He finally broke the tension by whispering, “What’s up, Eeli?”

  Finally finding my voice, I asked, “Do you want to go for a ride with me?”

  “I didn’t think I was allowed to leave the house yet?” He looked annoyed, and I felt guilty, but I couldn’t fix that right now.

  “Not in the car, but… do you want to ride Bodhi with me?”

  He blinked a few times before his eyes widened. “You mean fly on her?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. It’s my favorite thing to do, and I know you’re mad at me, but… I thought… I thought you might like it.”

  “You want me to ride your dragon… with you?”

  “Yes. Since you’ve never done it before, I have to go with you, but once you learn, you might be able to fly without me.” I didn’t like the sound of that, but I tried not to let it show. It seemed like now that I knew who he was to me, my body, mind, and soul wanted to be near him. And honestly, I wanted to get to know him. We weren’t off to a very good start, but maybe I could show him that we weren’t bad people.

  He considered it for a moment, then took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay, sure. But…”

  “My brothers and their dragons will protect Kyla with their lives,” I said fiercely.

  “You really mean that, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  He huffed. “Okay.”

  He followed me through the house, and we paused in the living room to tell everyone where we were going. Kyla waved and didn’t even look up from where she was playing Monopoly with Malachite, Davis, and Azaran. It looked like she was winning, too. Slash hesitated for a moment, watching his sister, but then his shoulders sagged a little and he followed me out to the LZ.

  Bodhi flew out of nowhere, smack into Slash’s chest, making him stumble back a couple of steps. She climbed up him until she could wrap her wings around his shoulders and nuzzle into his neck. He patted her awkwardly, looking a little uncomfortable, and it made me smile. Bo already loved the guy, and it was clear that she was going to smother him with love until he loved her back.

  “She’s happy you’re coming with us,” I told him as I walked over and ran my hand down Bo’s back. Ready? I asked her through our link.

  Yes! She sounded so excited, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

  Bo hopped off Slash, walked to the edge of the cliff, and grew to her warrior size so she was as big as a house. Since Slash looked a little terrified, I grabbed his hand with the intention of pulling him toward her, but the moment our skin touched, it was like electricity ran between us. I jerked my head in his direction, and from the small gasp that escaped his lips, I was pretty sure he felt it, too.

  Before I could stop myself, I stepped closer to him. Since he was in the same trance I was, he didn’t back away like I thought he would; he simply stared into my eyes in shock. I so badly wanted to reach out and pull him to me, but he still didn’t trust me or fully understand what was going on between us since all of this was so new to him.

  So I took a deep breath, and since my feet wouldn’t move away, I squeezed his hand and whispered, “You ready to fly?”

  He nodded.

  It took way more effort than it should have, but I managed to step back and walk to Bodhi. I didn’t let go of his hand, though.

  “Are you sure this is safe?” he asked when Bo laid down so we could easily climb on her back.

  “Bo would never let anything happen to you, and… neither would I.”

  His brow was furrowed, but he nodded once before letting go of my hand—which sucked—and climbing onto Bodhi’s back. Then I stood there and couldn’t decide whether to get in front of him or behind him.

  Eventually, I scooted in front of him and said, “You’re going to have to hold onto me.”

  A huff of his breath I felt on the back of my neck made a shiver go down my spine as Slash gently put his arms around my waist. He was holding on so lightly, he’d likely fall off as soon as Bo jumped over the edge.

  “Uh, you’re going to need to hold on tighter than that.”

  He huffed again, and it was impossible for me to hide my shiver. His arms were only a tad tighter when he asked, “This good?”

  Stand up, Bo.

  She stood and Slash immediately tightened his grip, so I smiled and said, “That’s better. Just hold on tight, okay?”

  Before he could answer, Bo leapt from the edge into the air, and Slash gripped me so tight, he was probably cutting off my circulation, but I didn’t mind at all. He tucked his head down against my shoulder and the back of my neck, so I knew he was scared. But I liked having him close like that and counting on me to keep him from falling.

  Once we were out over the ocean and Bo was gliding along, I yelled back to Slash, “Why don’t you open your eyes? It’s beautiful out here.”

  He shook his head against me and held me even tighter.

  Since he was so scared, I let go of Bo’s spike with one hand and put my arm over Slash’s arms and rubbed the skin on his wrist, avoiding his leather bracelets. He loosened his hold a tiny bit, so I continued rubbing my fingertips over the back of his hand and his knuckles until I slid my fingers between his. My hand was over top of his and his fingers were holding onto his other arm in a death grip, but he latched onto my fingers easily, too. It gave me hope that maybe he’d forgive me for the whole kidnapping thing eventually, and a smile formed on my lips.

  We flew like that for a while, and Bo made sure to only flap her wings when absolutely necessary so it was an easy and calm ride for Slash, and he ended up opening his eyes and leaning his cheek on the back of my head so he could remain plastered to me—I tried not to make it too obvious how much I really loved having him so close. Luckily, I was in front of him because there was no way to hide just how much I—and my body—was enjoying this.

  “Do you get to do this every day?” he asked me, the sound of his voice startling me a little since he hadn’t spoken since we’d left.

  “I do. Since we’ve only been allowed out by ourselves since I turned eighteen, we make sure to go every day. My brothers go out every day, too, but they don’t seem to care if something else comes up and they can’t make it. Bo and I even went out when it was pouring down rain last week.”

  “You flew in that huge lightning storm? Do you have a death wish?”

  I chuckled. “No, lightning stays away from dragons.” I shrugged because it was one of those weird magical things that I couldn’t explain.

  He was quiet for a few minutes before he said, “It’s nice out here.”

  That made me incredibly happy. “I’m glad you think so. You can come flying with us anytime you want.”

  “You wouldn’t mind?”

  I squeezed his hand. “No, I like it.” When I noticed what beach we were hovering close to, I told Bodhi, Let’s show him our spot.

  Okay. She was loving having Slash with us just as much as I was. She turned in the air a little, and the movement made Slash tighten his hold on me, so I rubbed my thumb over his to let him know we were okay. When Bo started aiming for the ground, Slash tucked his head back against my neck and held on tight.

  I yelled back to him, “We’re okay, Slash. She’s going to land so we can show you our favorite spot.”

  He nodded against my neck but didn’t loosen his grip or move his head back. He stayed that way even after Bo had set her feet on the sandy ground. I patted his hand and said, “We're here. Well, on the ground. We have to walk a little to get there.” When he still didn’t move, I rubbed his arms with both my hands to get his attention. “We landed, Slash.” I managed to peel his arms apart enough that I slipped down Bo’s side, then I grabbed his hips and helped him do
wn.

  Once his feet were on the ground, his eyebrows shot up. “You’re stronger than you look.”

  “Um… thanks? ...Although I’m a little offended you still didn’t think I was strong.”

  “You’re tiny, even compared to me and I’m short as hell.”

  “You’re not that short,” I muttered, moving past him and his three extra inches on me. “This way.”

  I led him through the break in the trees, and Bo shrunk down to her smaller size to follow behind us. It was only a five minute walk to the little pond Bo and I had found on one of our first flying trips alone. It wasn’t very big, but it was large enough that we could play in the water a bit. And the best part was this large rock that protruded out over the far edge of the water, far enough to escape the shade of the surrounding trees. We could jump into the water from it, but we usually laid there in the sunshine to dry off after swimming. We’d never run into anyone else on the path or in the pond, either, so it was nice and secluded.

  “Welcome to our secret spot,” I said like a dork, presenting it with a wave of my arm.

  Slash grinned at me, then looked around. Nerves clenched my stomach, I guess because his opinion meant something to me now. Bo rubbed against my leg and said, He’ll like it.

  How do you know?

  “This is really cool, Eeli. Do you guys swim here, too?”

  “Sometimes.”

  He nodded and started walking around the pond. “Maybe next time we can bring bathing suits.”

  I couldn’t believe he was talking about a next time. Excitement filled me at the thought. Maybe I hadn’t completely ruined this thing between us after all. I had to bite my tongue to keep from blurting out that we didn’t need bathing suits—or any clothes at all—to go swimming. It was probably good he didn’t just strip in front of me because I’d probably burst into flames if I saw him naked right now. No doubt I’d completely embarrass myself in front of him. Even thinking about seeing what he looked like underneath his clothes was making my pants uncomfortably tight.