by A. C. Heller
Taking a deep breath to try and calm myself, I watch as the giant I sort of met earlier walks up behind the auburn haired stranger. He places one of his enormous hands on the smaller man’s shoulder, and even though he's still wearing his mask, I can tell his eyes are on me as he speaks.
“And here I thought you killed him 'cause he tried to kill me. No love. No love at all.”
His tone is teasing and I can tell that the two of them are close. The smaller man looks over his shoulder at him and I swear he rolls his eyes. Brave man. That guy looks like the type of man who wouldn't take too kindly to that sort of thing. Looking back at me the shorter man speaks.
“We need to get you out of here. And I'm afraid we're going to have to touch you to do that.”
My entire body tenses and I find myself raising a suspicious eyebrow at him. And against my better judgment I hear myself speak for the first time.
“Touch me?”
The sound that comes out of me is tight and hoarse. Clenching my jaw at how weak I sound, I glance up at the smaller man and I'm surprised to see that he's smirking at me. Jerk.
“Not like that. I meant we are going to have to carry you.”
Oh...well... This is awkward. Inwardly dying of embarrassment, I nod at him and quickly change the subject.
“I understand, but I can't climb the ladder.”
Placing my hand over my ribs on my left side, I shrug one shoulder, as if silently apologizing. The pain isn't as bad as it was when I first woke up but it's still pretty awful when I'm upright and breathing. And considering breathing is rather important... This blows.
“It actually hurts to stand.”
The man frowns at me and turns his eyes toward the corpse for a moment. The look in his eyes tells me that if my kidnapper wasn't already dead, he would correct that for him. He turns to the larger man and rests a hand on his shoulder. And I'm beginning to understand that this must be a display of affection between the two.
“You're going to have to do it, man. I might hurt her.”
The larger man doesn’t say a word as he steps towards me. Once he reaches me he bends down so his lips are near my ear and he softly speaks to me.
“Wrap your arms around my neck, your legs around my waist, and hold tight.”
Hesitantly, I do as he said. I wrap my arms around his neck and press my front to his. My ribs protest the movement and with my face pressed against his chest, I let out a muffled whimper. A large hand wraps around the underside of my thigh and in one swift motion I now find myself face to face with him. Blushing at the intimacy of our position I turn my eyes away while I wrap my legs around his waist. He rests his hand on my upper back under my hair and moves towards the ladder.
“Hold on tight, little one. You only have to be strong for a little while longer.”
Closing my eyes, I shove my face into his neck and do just that. The man’s muscles bulge as I feel him, rather than see him, reach up and pull both his and my weight up the hanging ladder. Once at the top brightness assaults my vision and I blink several times to adjust to the light. I try to loosen my grip so I can slide down his body to my feet. But, as I do I feel the pressure from his palm on my upper back increase, keeping me in place.
“Uh-uh. You’re hurt. You are not walking.”
Well, I guess that's, that then.
“Rip!”
His voice booms next to my ear. I try not to tense up but fail horribly.
“Yeah, man?”
“Torch it and let's roll. She's had enough.”
The corner of the smaller man’s mouth curls into a sinister smile as he turns toward the house. Still clinging to the large man, I watch as Rip strikes a single wooden match and tosses it through the front door. Within minutes the house is an inferno and judging by how quickly the fire escalated, I can only assume they used some sort of accelerant.
I'm now being laid on the back seat of some large SUV. The big man folds himself into the driver’s seat and shortly after the smaller man, or Rip as I now know him, slides smoothly into the passenger seat. Rip pulls a blanket out of what looks like a black duffel bag and lays it over me. After he settles back into his seat the two of them exchange a nod and the car starts moving. Rolling away from them, I press my forehead into the cushioned back seat I'm lying on. Part of me feels like I should feel safe, but how safe can you really feel with two strangers?
My first waking thought is, why is it so damn hot in here? But when my senses take over I quickly realize, I'm not in the car anymore. I'm in a bed. Sitting up against the headboard I take a good look at myself. I'm in a man’s T-shirt... Just a man’s t-shirt. A gi-normous man’s t-shirt. Okay, so that's a tad creepy. Taking a peek under the shirt I see that my ribs are wrapped in a bandage. That was nice of them. So needless to say, I'm slightly less disturbed by the whole undressing me thing.
Squirming out from under the blankets, yes, blankets, because there are three of them, I'm immediately assaulted by the bitter cold of the room, causing me to yank said blankets right back up to my neck. Why in gods name, is it so cold in here? At that thought the door to the room opens and an older woman enters. And much to my surprise, she's smiling.
“Ah, you're awake! How splendid. I trust you slept well?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Delightful. Now! I'm Lizabeth McIntyre. But you can call me Liza. The boys do.”
Liza walks over to the bedside table and places a pile of clothes on it. She's very chipper, but not annoyingly so. It's hard to say, but out of everyone I've met today she might be my favorite.
“These are for you. I do believe they will fit. The clothes you were wearing were in ruins! And that just won't do. So, my dear, I come bearing gifts!”
Her demeanor and friendliness have me grinning back at her as I sit up and take the clothes into my arms. Liza is rather frail looking. I'm taken aback by the fact that she works in a place that houses seemingly badass individuals. Her hair is blonde like mine, but she must be at least three inches taller than me.
“Thank you, Liza. Really. I appreciate it.”
“Oh, my dear. Trust me, the pleasure is all mine. Those boys keep me running. It's nice to have someone around who will actually allow me to care for them.”
She's mentioned them twice now... Oh, screw it, I've earned the right to ask.
“Liza? The boys? Rip and um?”
“Aiden Ripley and Takeo Collins.”
Rip..Ripley. That makes sense. Takeo? That's different. I knew he wasn't all black and his name makes me wonder if he's of Asian descent too.
“Liza, I don't know if you can answer this, but why am I here?”
“The boys brought you here to protect you. You're perfectly safe. Now, let's get you dressed and I'll make you some tea.”
Not about to argue with my new favorite person, I stand and quickly change from my massive man’s t-shirt and into what appears to be a brand new sapphire colored bra and panties. They are even lacy. These two pieces had to cost more than my entire panty drawer at home. I'm quickly reminded by the sub-arctic temperature of the room that I need to finish getting dressed. So I pull the soft beige sweater over my head and quickly slide into the jeans. Everything fits perfectly. The jeans even cup my ass the way I like. It's like she knew my sizes and my sense of style. Shrugging to myself I step into the black flats and pull my long blonde hair from where it had been trapped against my back beneath the sweater.
“Ready when you are, Liza.”
While following Liza through the compound I notice that the pain in my ribs has been reduced to a slight ache. It isn't nearly as bad as it was. So I'm not about to call attention to it. A moment later, I follow Liza through a door into an amazing kitchen. This kitchen is the size of my entire apartment. Liza heads over and puts the kettle on the stove as I stand there gawking, making it painfully obvious I'm not used to such luxury. Which is why I don't notice what happens next. A hand lightly brushes my jaw, successfully closing my mouth. Turning wide ey
es on Rip or Aiden as I now know him, I see him grinning at me.
“That's better. Take a seat.”
He gestures to the booth style table and seats that are across the room. I'm hesitant to take a seat, mainly because I'm not sure I'm prepared for this conversation. The whole 'You got kidnapped because' thing still has me kind of freaked out. Even so, I need to put on my big girl panties and deal with this, so I take a seat. Still grinning he slides into the seat across from me and places both hands on top of the table where I can see them. Oddly enough I know deep down he did it so I wouldn't feel threatened.
“So Miss. Leon, How are you feeling?”
“Please, Call me Chasca. Or Chas.”
“Alright, Chas it is then.”
Aiden smiles after he says it, and I may not know him, well, at all, but he seems really pleased with himself. He takes a silent but deep breath and his facial expression becomes serious.
“Chas, do you know why you are here?”
“Honestly, I have no fucking clue.”
Usually I'm much more composed but seriously... I was just kidnapped and saved, and I have no idea why. Aiden nods his head and I can tell by his altered facial expression that he understands my rudeness.
“Let me enlighten you then. There are some very bad men, well, people really, who would like nothing better then to get their hands on you.”
“Right. Uh. Okay...but why?”
“Now that is a long story. Let me see if I can sum it up.”
He sits back and folds his arms over his chest, his eyes focused on nothing. His face is like an open book, so I can see the wheels spinning. It's actually a little cute.
“I'm sure over the course of your life you have noticed that you are not quite...normal? You rarely get sick and when you do it only lasts a day or two. Whenever you get a fever it has to run its course, because medicine does little to nothing for you. When you were sixteen you spent a few days in the hospital because someone supposedly broke into your home and the police reported all of the windows being blown out. All of this, Chas, is because of you.”
Well then... I think he might be exaggerating some of that but what he was saying was mostly true. As I'm sure you can imagine, I usually dismissed it. Though, I've always wondered about the windows. Why would someone break in just to knock me out and break the windows? They didn’t even take anything.
“I'm not denying anything you just said, but I still don't understand.”
Aiden's back straightens and he leans over the table towards me, leaving both of his hands in clear view.
“Place your hand on the table, Chasca.”
Not knowing where this is headed I do as he asks, placing my hand palm down on the table top.
“Now, do exactly as I tell you, alright? Can you do that for me?”
At first I sit there staring at him, unmoving. I'm not sure if I can really trust him, but then again if he wanted to hurt me he has had more than one opportunity. As soon as I nod my head he flips what looks like a throwing dagger out of a harness like thing on his chest. Aiden places his hand palm up on the table top and with his other hand he takes the dagger and quickly swipes it across his palm. As soon as I see it I move to raise one of my hands to my mouth to stifle the scream that wants to tear free from my throat. But before I can even fully lift my hand from the table his wounded hand takes mine in his. Crimson blood seeps from between our joined palms and I want to rip my hand from his grasp. But when I look directly into his eyes, silently questioning what the hell is happening, he smiles at me. This guy has issues!
“Concentrate. Will it. Will it to heal.”
“I.... What? I can't... Are you delusional or something?”
“You have to try. I need you to. I have a rare blood disorder that causes my blood to not clot correctly. If you don't help me, I could bleed out.”
That scares me. This man is potentially psychotic but if me pretending to heal his hand makes him feel better, what the fuck ever. So I grip his hand tighter and close my eyes. Hoping, praying, and concentrating on healing his hand. And that he's not the 'chop you up and store you for later' kind of psycho.
“You can let go now, love.”
My face is scrunched tight, but still I peek with one eye to see him smiling at me. When I let his hand go, he lifts his palm to show me that the wound is in fact gone. There's just a red line where it once was. If this was a cartoon my jaw would have hit the floor. The fuck?
“I...how...I...That's not possible. Are you okay?”
He raises an eyebrow at me and chuckles. Reaching into his pocket he pulls out several alcohol wipes. Tearing one open he takes my hand into his and cleans his blood from my palm. Once my hand is spotless he moves on to the task of cleaning his own.
“You just healed me, of course I'm okay.”
“How is that possible?!”
“It's simple really. You're special, divine even. And I know when most people hear that, they think angels. Honestly, they're not too far off. However, no my dear, you are not an angel. It's a bloodline. A bloodline that ends with you.”
Okay. Now I'm starting to freak out. Divine? Angels? Blood line? What the hell!?
“That can't be true.”
“But it is. You see, I work for a group that has protected your bloodline for centuries. Your parents, however, went off the grid. They did not want our protection. They wanted to raise you in peace. And don't get me wrong, I completely understand that. But this is also why they are not here today, and why it took us twenty-five years to find you.”
This is the most I have ever learned about my parents. All I was told was that they left me at the shelter, uncaring as to what actually became of me. Hearing that they died, and possibly while protecting me, brings tears to my eyes. Which of course, he notices.
“Please don't cry, sweetie. I don't think I could handle it.”
After taking a few soothing breaths I nod my head. I need to keep it together. There's no sense in getting all emotional in front of a man I barely know.
“Alright... So lets say that I am part of a divine bloodline, and that you're protecting me from bad people. But why do these bad people want to get me?”
He smiles at that. This being the first time I've really given myself time to look over Aiden, the first thing I notice is that he has a great smile. His whole face lights up with it. His facial features are well-defined but soft. Sandy auburn hair, short but not too short. He's obviously Caucasian but his lips are fuller than the average white guy. He'd be pretty if he wasn't so handsome. And the chest harness and black cargo pants scream 'I might face stab you but I'll look awesome doing it'.
“You're a smart girl. Let's hear what you think. Why would bad people want to get their hands on a lovely creature such as yourself, one who can heal wounds, as well as other things?”
“To...um… So I can help them do their evil deeds?”
Aiden's honey brown eyes light up and he bursts out laughing.
“Evil deeds? Nice touch. But essentially, yes. You're right. You really have no idea what you are capable of. Once you become more familiar with your abilities, you will fully understand. But for now know that we will not let anyone get to you. You are safe here.”
Liza comes over at that moment and sets a cup of tea down in front of me. I smile up at her and mouth a silent thank you. She nods, knowing we're in a deep conversation and walks out of the kitchen. Lifting the cup to my lips I take a sip and it’s perfect. So perfect my eyes even roll back.
“She does make a great cup of tea, doesn't she?”
“God yes. And she's such a sweet woman.”
“That she is.”
We sit in comfortable silence for awhile, me sipping my tea and him, well, he was pretty much staring at me. Which is really starting to freak me out.
“So... I'm going to be living here?”
“Yes.”
“In the room I woke up in?”
“No. That room is taken. It was just the best place for
you until your room was made up.”
“Oh... Good, because that room was freezing!”
Aiden chuckles and shakes his head. Shrugging his shoulders, he explains.
“That's Takeo. He can't sleep unless it's subzero temperatures.”
“That's... weird... Okay, so can I go where I want, or are there, like, restricted areas and stuff? I wouldn't want to go into the wrong place and have you go all covert ops on me.”
He tilts his head back and full out belly laughs. Which of course makes me grin like an idiot. Once he's done laughing he shakes his head as if I’m being ridiculous.