In what felt like a heartbeat, her emotions went from a tangled mass to one crystal clear, white-hot, blazing emotion. She was furious.
* * * *
Dawn stared at both men, amazed at how stupid she’d been. She’d been blinded by their charm and their looks and the way they made her feel. It wasn’t entirely her fault because what woman could resist being treated like a queen by two men who adored her and made her feel like a goddess. But there weren’t enough orgasms in the world that could make up for the fact that they were nothing but spoiled elitists who were used to getting anything and anyone they wanted.
She’d seen the girls going in and out of the bathing rooms, most were in the arms of a Midnighter. That didn’t bother her at all. Destiny explained the way it worked. Hope had a serious dislike for the majority of Raxka. Dawn had heard the story about how Hope had attacked one of them and she understood why the Raxka in turn avoided Hope like the plague. These men had women at their beck and call. She was a novelty, despite their flowery words she wanted to believe but didn’t quite trust. What had stuck in Dawn’s memory was the look on the boy’s father at the celebration.
He’d been so proud of his son and looked to the Midnighters for approval as well. The celebration had been because a child had been born with the appropriate markings on his arms. That child would grow up like so many of the trust fund babies she used to hang with. Spoiled rich kids who were used to getting everything they wanted. She’d been one of them until her grandfather took her in hand and forced her to look at the world from a different point of view. It was hard to feel more important than a lowly ranch hand when you were standing in the middle of a pile of horse shit, while mucking out a stall.
She’d told them everything about the ranch the other night. Every detail of her past and why it was so important to her and how she was looking forward to going back and she couldn’t stay much longer. They hadn’t said much but had taken her for a midnight swim and shown her the stars in their sky. They don’t really care about what I want. How long before they got bored with her and she caught them in the baths with the other women or they brought someone new across the portal. Her heart clenched at the thought, while a bitter taste burned the back of her throat. She looked down at the delicate markings on her skin. Will these fade in time, too?
“I don’t understand your reaction, Dawn. I can feel your anger, but what is upsetting you so much?” Storm reached for her hand but she fisted her fingers and clasped her hands behind her back. It was too tempting to give into what they offered and take a chance.
“I want to go home.” The words almost caught in her throat as she said them.
“You are home, Dawn. Here between us is where you were meant to be.”
She looked at Derechos and shook her head. “No, that is where you two think I should be. You don’t understand and I’m not going to waste my time explaining it. Take. Me. Home.”
“Don’t do this, Dawn.” Storm wrapped his arms around her but she forced herself not to hug him back.
She would have to give them up, cold turkey. No dragging this out for weeks. She’d allowed them to fog her focus and distract her. It was pitiful how quickly she’d fallen back into a lifestyle of luxury and no responsibility. Her grandfather would have been so disappointed in her again. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she avoided each of their gazes. Storm let go of her and stepped back away from her. Her skin felt chilled where he’d held her and let go. How am I going to survive without them?
“We’ll take you back to the ranch if that is what you truly want.” Derechos’s tone was even and he sounded like he didn’t care either way.
“No. Have you lost your mind, Derechos?” Unable to resist, she looked up at Storm and her heart skipped at the naked pain she saw etched into his features. “You’re not leaving us, Dawn.”
“I have no choice.”
“But we do.” Derechos held out his arm and Storm clasped it. The black markings on their arms flared up brightly and she resisted the urge to wrap her hands around the symbols.
An icy emptiness stabbed at her chest as she kept her distance from them. She’d touched their symbols once before and felt the most intense heat burn in her soul. It hadn’t hurt but she’d never forget the perfect feeling. Am I doing the right thing?
The glow faded and each man looked less desolate then they had a moment before. “Come on, we’ll take you back to the ranch.”
“I appreciate your understanding.” At least they were acting like mature adults, and she would do the same. She’d wait to cry when she was alone in her small bed on the ranch.
“I’ll notify Rock and Jag of our intentions,” Storm said to Derechos and then looked down at her. “Would you like to say good-bye to Destiny and Hope?”
There was no way the two women would let her leave without a fight and Dawn felt too tired to argue her point. She shook her head, choosing the cowardly way out by leaving without saying anything.
She had expected them to escort her to the portal and then let her cross over on her own. But both men held her tightly as they crossed over the barrier back to Earth, something she was eternally grateful for because the feeling of being stretched and then slammed back into herself was very unnerving.
They hadn’t really said much to each other since the conversation outside the temple. The building was eerily silent when they emerged from the stairwell that led down to the portal.
“I can find my way home from here, guys. I promise I won’t break anything on my way out.”
“I didn’t think for a moment you would,” Derechos replied and placed his hand at her lower back, leading her to the entrance. Four large men sat at a table in the middle of the dance floor and they all nodded a greeting as they passed but neither Derechos nor Storm stopped to talk.
“I don’t understand what’s going on—”
“That makes two of us.” Storm cut her off with his own comment. “You would have been much safer on Lu’um but you’re the one that insisted on coming back here.”
“The ranch is my home. It’s part of me,” she snapped back at him. He’d done nothing but scowl at her since she insisted on them bringing her home.
“It’s nothing but a piece of land with a few buildings that reminds you of a man you have great respect for. Those emotions are part of you, not the wood and nails it’s made of.”
“You two didn’t have to come.”
Derechos ceased walking so quickly she almost ran into the back of him. He turned and looked down at her as if she was crazy. “Yes, we did. You are our Atan, and I’m trying to be patient with your lack of understanding on what that means.”
“Oh, that’s rich. You expect me to understand that I’m some mystical woman made for you but you’ll get mad at me because I don’t need to have people worshiping my every step.” She pulled her hand from Storm’s grip and stepped away from them. “Why don’t the two of you dive back through your looking glass where you’ll be happy?”
She tried to stomp past them but the soft slippers on her feet prevented her from making any really sort of dramatic parting. She’d love to have her cowboy boots right now and stomp hard enough that the sound echoed around the room. She pushed open the tinted glass doors and walked into a thick wave of heat. For a moment the air felt so oppressive it stole her breath. A few days away and she’d forgotten how nasty the late summer heat could be.
“This heat is going to take some getting used to.”
Dawn turned and looked up at Derechos. “What are you talking about? Go back to Lu’um. I’ll be fine.”
“I see I’m not the only one who doesn’t understand.” Storm stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. “We aren’t leaving you, Dawn. Where you go, we go. But not without sunscreen.”
Dawn stared at both of them, feeling completely dumbfounded. Feelings of concern and elation warred inside of her. She wanted to believe what she thought they were saying but was afraid she was misunderstanding.
“Are you asking if you can come to the ranch with me?”
“No.” Derechos shook his head. “We’re telling you we’re moving to the ranch with you. We’ll never give you up, Dawn, and there isn’t anything you can do about it. Where you go, we go.” He echoed Storm’s words and the most exquisite happiness burst over Dawn.
“Why are you crying?” Derechos looked horrified. “Storm, why is she crying?”
“Atan, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Storm ran his hands over her body, and then scooped her up into his arms. “Tell me, please.”
“I’m fine. I promise.” Dawn wiped her hands over her cheeks and tried to stop the tears but the relief she felt was so acute it was almost painful. She’d been hiding the true pain at the prospect of leaving them but now that she realized they were willing to come to the ranch with her she wanted to jump up and down. “Ignore the tears. I’m just relieved that you’re willing to come with me.”
* * * *
Storm adjusted the quiver on his back and scoured the horizon looking for any threats. He didn’t know if the Kimil would be as attracted to Dawn now that she was claimed by both of them or if she would be a stronger draw now. They’d never considered the Atans coming to this side of the portal for any extended length of time. Derechos drove the four-wheel ATV with Dawn safely sitting in front of him, following the one Storm drove. He still felt a little unsettled by Dawn’s crying earlier. He couldn’t describe why it affected him so deeply but he ached from the center of his soul thinking she was in pain. It wasn’t until she assured him she was fine that he listened to what his instincts were telling him. She really was happy to be back on Earth and going to the ranch.
Aside from her safety, he and Derechos had another concern. The energy levels on Earth were so much lower than on Lu’um, low enough that many of the warriors had suffered with a sickness that started coming over them. They decided it must be the same malady that had come over the Kimil and their ancestors who’d been trapped in this world. He’d read up on the ancient Mayans in the southern continent. He’d recognized the writing on the pillars as an ancient dialect of their own language but the violent lifestyle they’d lived was much different from the traditions of his people.
They obviously adapted over time as the Mayans were still living in some parts of the southern continents. But the Kimil had grown twisted and primal over the centuries, devolving into the vicious animals they were today. That was what concerned him the most. They hadn’t seen many occurrences of the creatures attacking all at once. Both times he knew of there had been an unclaimed Atan involved. Hope had been hunted and her home attacked by the Kimil. Dawn’s cattle had been singled out to draw her out into the open. It would have worked if he and Derechos hadn’t decided to come after her that night.
Still the planning involved in retaliating against her sounded like a creature more intelligent than simply following primal urges. Once Dawn was gone they should have retreated back to their underground lairs and not continued to focus solely on her land and animals.
“What the hell is going on here?”
Derechos muttered a curse as Dawn jumped from the machine before he had it fully stopped. The man she snapped at held up his hands. “I’m here to look over the cattle before they go to auction. This is a private showing.”
“The fuck it is! Get off my property, all of you.”
“Excuse me! What do you think you are doing?” A thin man in dark clothes elbowed his way through the crowd of people. “This is a private business matter and not a state fair. Please leave the property immediately before I have the authorities called.”
Both he and Derechos moved behind Dawn. They towered over the thin man who was trying to look like he was in charge but held their comments. This was Dawn’s ranch and they would support her as much as they could but didn’t completely understand what was going on at the moment.
“Why don’t you go and do that.” Their Atan was furious and he for one was thankful her anger wasn’t pointed at them. “And you can explain why you think you can sell things that don’t belong to you.”
“Excuse me, Miss. Why don’t you let me explain to the gentlemen what is going on. You can sit on that thing you rode in on.”
“Why you arrogant, sexist dumbass.” Dawn’s hands were in fists, her fury and anxiety pounding against his senses. “This is my land and my property you are trying to sell. Now you have three seconds to get every person off the premises or I’m going to let my men tear you all apart.”
“You can’t do this. I’ve been hired by the executor of the estate.” The thin man looked back and forth between him and Derechos. Storm was grateful that he and Derechos had decided to dress like the locals before venturing across the portal. Other than their size, they would look the same as any other ranch hand from the wide-brimmed hats that protected their eyes from the sun to the heavy boots they wore to protect their legs from damage by some of the wildlife.
“Listen to the words coming out of your mouth. I am the owner of this estate and there is no executor. Whoever hired you is a fraud and if there is one single kernel of corn missing from my inventory I am going to sue the shirt right off your back right before you’re taken to jail.”
The man didn’t have much color on his skin and Storm was certain he watched him pale further before he spun on his heel and waved his arms. “I apologize, everyone, but there has been some sort of misunderstanding. There will not be any preview of the stock today but I will keep you updated if any changes occur.” He elbowed his way through the crowd and straight to a shiny black car parked nearby. He didn’t say anything more, just got into the vehicle and sped down the driveway.
The crowd dispersed quickly. A few of the men approached Dawn with an apology but neither he nor Derechos let them touch her. She was still seething with anger and he didn’t want her upset any further. As everyone left, Dawn stormed straight for the house. “If that bitch sister of mine is behind this I’m going to kick her and her bitchy friends’ asses.”
Derechos looked over at him and grinned. Storm understood completely what Derechos found humorous. Their Atan was incredibly beautiful when she was angry, not that either of them were stupid enough to bring that up at the moment. Instead, Derechos grabbed one of the bags from the vehicle and tossed it to him. He caught it and his brother carried the second one. If they were going to stay here for an indeterminate amount of time there were some comforts from home neither of them wanted to live without.
A terrified shriek ripped through the air sending both him and Derechos into a run for the house. Before they made it to the front porch a skinny woman with white-blonde hair stumbled out, a strange object flying out of the doorway at her head. She was wearing a small dress that hardly covered her flat bottom and a shirt that was so low in the front her small breasts were on full view as she bent over to put on a shoe that looked like something from the ancient methods of punishment.
“But Dawny, I thought you were dead or you ran off with a couple of strippers. I was doing you a favor getting rid of this place. Haven’t you noticed the smell here? It’s disgusting.” Another shoe flew out of the house and the skinny woman shrieked and grabbed for it. “Stop it! These are Christian Louboutin! Do you know how much they cost?”
“What part of get the hell out of my home and off my land don’t you understand?” Dawn appeared in the doorway and threw a glittery bag on the ground past the porch steps.
“Really, Dawn, you are totally overreacting here.” The woman stood there with her hands on her hips. She hadn’t bothered to look around, keeping her focus on their Atan. “I was trying to do you a favor. Look at yourself. God only knows what you are wearing, it does nothing for you and you got yourself tattooed? Really? You take off like a slut with a couple of gold-digging male dancers and leave me to take care of everything. Your workers are rude and don’t do what they are told. You need to take a long look at your choices and come to your senses. Sell this shit hole and come back to civilizatio
n.”
“I came to my senses a long time ago, Sam. Now take your materialistic attitude and leave. Don’t show up here again without calling first.”
“Like I’d ever step foot back in this armpit of a state ever again. It’s disgusting and smelly. I’m going to go and get married and you aren’t invited anymore.” With one shoe on and the other in her hand, Sam hobbled over to the sparkly bag and swiped at it. “I don’t want any lowlifes there. Pull your head out of your ass and maybe I’ll consider letting you come.”
Storm could feel the pain the skinny woman’s comments made his Atan feel. He and Derechos stepped past her and flanked their woman. Storm wanted to scoop her up and hide her from the vicious spite the other woman was spewing but he knew Dawn well enough now to know she wouldn’t welcome his interference. Derechos on the other hand hadn’t caught on. He grabbed their Atan and flipped her over his shoulder and stomped into the house.
Sam looked at Storm like he was nothing better than a Kimil’s ass.
“I suggest you do as she says and leave.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?” she snapped, her red lips curled as she looked up at him. Her gaze slid down his chest to where the denim of his jeans covered his cock. She licked her lips and he felt a shiver of revulsion snake down his spine.
“Dawn’s,” he replied simply and entered the house, closing the door in her face.
He turned and found Derechos sitting on a large sofa with their Atan curled up in his lap. Storm had expected to find her fighting his brother for forcing her into the house. Instead, she was staring off into space. Her emotions were such a jumble he had a hard time keeping up to them.
Corralling Dawn [Midnighter Seductions 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 12