I quickly fumbled with the buttons of his dress shirt. “How long do the effects last?” It was obviously the alpha king’s power that had taken them to their knees.
“About twenty minutes.”
“Do you want me to help you to the train?”
“No. I want to finish fighting the golems.”
“What?” I cried. I patted his cheeks again, little pieces of grass falling out of his hair with the jarring. “You can’t even move right now.”
“And I still want to fight.” His attempt at a smile was pitiful, a full-on grimace etching his features. “My blades are new. I like breaking them in.”
I sat back on my haunches. “Really?”
“Oh, yes, my dear. And they slice real good.”
“You’re a sick man.”
This time, he managed to smirk. “Only when I’m really having fun.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Are you all right?” I asked, my tone gentle.
“I…” Poppy sat on the train chair next to me, hugging her knees, utterly drawn into herself. Her delicate features were pinched, and she visibly trembled. “I didn’t faint this time.”
My smile was sympathetic. “You survived.”
Her eyes flicked to where I sat next to her. “But I’m a soldier. I’m stronger than this.”
I tilted my head to the side, examining the dried tears streaked on her face—that she probably didn’t even know were there, showing the evidence of how distraught she had been while trapped inside. “You believe you aren’t strong if you don’t fight?”
Her chuckle was cold. “Yes. I’m good at fighting.”
“Being good at something doesn’t make you strong.”
Poppy slinked down in her chair. “What do you mean?”
“If you are naturally inclined to a certain skillset, it doesn’t mean you’re above others—or better. The strong are made by their struggles, not what comes easily to them. That’s been proven throughout history. The nations that overcame their weaknesses and worked to better themselves are the societies that prospered.”
Her troubled brown eyes narrowed. “So you’re saying I’m not a strong soldier?”
I leaned back on my chair and tapped my fingers on my legs. The battle raged below with the corporate kings and the golems, Finn’s train now hovering high in the air, keeping Poppy and me safe. Though, Theron the Ancient was sitting in the back, his feet kicked up and playing a game on his silver bracelet—watching over us.
I asked plainly, “This is what you should be asking yourself. How can I become a better soldier? You should always want to be better than what you are. Whether it be in your current profession, in your home life, or with how you contribute to society and your friends.”
She stared. “You deflected my question.”
I sighed and shook my head. “I don’t think you’re a weak soldier, Poppy. But I do think you’re too proud right now to see the obvious. Or you know what it is? You’re too afraid to admit it.”
When her words came, she whispered, “I’m afraid.”
“I know. And that’s all right.”
“But I’ve never met an obstacle I couldn’t beat.”
“That’s a different problem and a hard lesson to learn when the truth hits, so I’m going to detour and focus on the issue at hand.” My fingers kept tapping away on the dirt-streaked silk I wore, teaching even on the battlefield—not just in a classroom. “It’s okay to be afraid, Poppy.”
Her nostrils flared and her head shook. “Not for me.”
“Poppy…it’s okay to be afraid.”
“No. It’s not.” She snorted and turned her head.
I gentled my tone. “It’s okay to be afraid.”
She sniffed, lifting her chin higher.
“Say it, Poppy.”
“Go to Hell.”
My head tilted. “I’m a professor at New City University. Do you think I’m weak because I prefer a pencil over a sword?”
Her brows knit together. “No.”
“If a student of mine decided to harass me, came to my home and vandalized my property, snuck inside my house and beat me and raped me, do you believe I would be weak because I’d take time off of teaching to heal physically and mentally?”
Poppy’s attention turned in my direction again. “Not at all.”
“Don’t you think I’d be scared to enter my classroom on that first day back? That I might stare at the doorknob on the classroom door and not want to turn it? Maybe another student would attack me…”
She nodded. “That’s perfectly normal.”
“So if a soldier was traumatized in battle, don’t you think it would be okay for her hand to hesitate on that theoretical doorknob to the battlefield again?”
Her teeth nibbled on her bottom lip.
Poppy whispered, “I guess so.”
“And do you think it would make her a stronger person if she learned how to turn that doorknob without so much hesitation?”
“Yes.” Her shoulders straightened a little.
I kept my gaze directly on hers, not allowing her to look away from the truth. “It is okay to be afraid. And if you want to become a stronger soldier, you need to know your weaknesses—even the mental ones. Work on them. Better yourself. Make yourself stronger.”
Her eyelashes fluttered as her face lowered, no longer so proud. She mumbled, “I understand now. Thank you, Mina.”
“You’re welcome.” I placed my hand on top of hers, squeezing it in reassurance. “I have faith in you.”
“That’s very kind of you. I hope it’s well-placed.”
I patted her hand before clasping my own on my lap, my back straight and proper. “Now, I would like to ask you a favor.”
One of her red brows rose. “I’m not sure what I can help you with. You seem to have everything you’d want.”
“Not everything. In light of recent events, I have come to realize that I have a profound weakness. It’s one I would like to better.”
“What is it?”
“Well, I can teach a classroom full of students with amazing precision, but if anyone ever tried to hit me, I wouldn’t know what to do.”
She blinked. “You’d duck and hit them back.”
I nodded curtly. “See? That’s what I’m talking about.”
“You want me to train you to fight?” Her eyes traveled up and down my frame. “I’m not sure if that’s possible.”
“Perhaps not. But if I don’t try, then that’ll be my failure.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Just the basics. Enough to get out of a chokehold like my kidnapper used to take Megan out or where to punch an attacker to slow them down.”
Poppy’s eyes softened, her head slowly nodding. “Yeah, okay. I can help you with those things.”
“Thank you so much,” I rushed to say, my shoulders heaving in relief. I turned my attention from her and stared out the window. “I have my own demons to work on. You aren’t the only one who is afraid, Poppy.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
No one was going to work today. All the corporate kings were converging on Finn’s home with Mr. King’s home in disrepair. Their trains arrived one after another, the emblems of their businesses flashing in the afternoon sun through the tall glass windows of Finn’s living room.
Finn sat on a black, leather chair, reclined and perfectly at ease. A challenging white brow lifted on his forehead. He stated, “I’m not changing my mind.”
I crossed my arms in defiance and glared. “This is ridiculous. You can’t just keep me here.”
“I can. And I will.”
“This is kidnapping!”
“This is for your own good.”
“I’m being kept against my will,” I argued. “How is that for my own good?”
After the battle with the golems had finally ended on Mr. King’s property, Finn turned a new leaf. He stated with—too much—patience, “I didn’t have a problem with you going back to your parents this morning. Bu
t that’s changed. The shifter behind the attacks isn’t as weak as we’d thought. He’s still awake and working his magic. If anything, he’s growing more powerful.”
That much had been obvious today.
“I want to go home!” I threw my hands up into the air and paced in front of him. “I haven’t showered in days. I’m still wearing this fucking dress. I’ll be safe there. We have a wonderful security system.”
Finn grunted and peeked at me under his lush eyelashes. “Do you really think you’ll be protected there? Tell me the truth. Not what your anger is making you say.”
My jaw clenched. I kept pacing.
I didn’t speak.
“And what about your parents?” Finn questioned softly. “Do you want to put them in danger?”
“No,” I grumbled, irritated by his sound reasoning. “But the golems attacked Mr. King’s house. They wanted Poppy, not me.”
“If the man behind all of this found you once, he can find you again.” He repeated, “You are safer here.”
“But why does he want me?”
None of this made sense.
Finn’s eyes roamed up and down my body in a sensual caress. “After your account of the kidnapping, I believe he’s looking for shifter mates. He wants their souls—for whatever reason.”
My head jerked back in surprise. “But I’m not a shifter’s mate.”
Finn’s pink tongue licked across his bottom lip. His voice was a purr, pulled from deep within his chest. “That’s yet to be seen.”
I blinked. “What?”
“We haven’t had sex yet.” He winked.
My eyes shot wide. “Oh.”
“You are so sweet.”
“The sun to your moon?” I drawled, lifting a sardonic brow. “I mean, what are the chances I’m your mate? How many times have you had sex? Those women weren’t your ‘one perfect person.’”
“Mating will happen when it happens.” His attention didn’t leave my disbelieving eyes. “And I would be extremely pleased if you were my mate. You have all of the qualities I adore and ones I didn’t even know I would enjoy.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, his sweet words flipping my stomach and making my heart pound too fast. No man had ever said that about me. I’d never even heard Father say that to Mother.
Perhaps this is how a love match starts.
It wasn’t a hardship to imagine myself with him.
I swallowed on a dry throat and stated softly, “I’m not sure what to say, Finn. I’ve never been in a situation like this before.”
“Just say you’ll stay here. That’ll do for now.”
“Do you really believe the shifter would come after me again?”
“He’s gone after Poppy twice now. It’s not a leap to think his man will try to kidnap you again. That much I do believe.”
“Do you think he’ll go after Megan again? Is she in danger?”
“Possibly. But Wolfe already tried to find her to ask more questions. He couldn’t track her down. And if he can’t do it, then it will be nearly impossible for anyone to do it.”
“You don’t think she’s been kidnapped again, do you?”
He snorted. “She ran so fast from my train, I knew she was going into the wind. She’s fine.”
I nodded, relieved for her.
Finn’s head of white hair shimmered in the sunlight streaming through his windows, an angel with blue eyes. “Are you done stalling?”
My lips pinched. “If I stay here, my parents will…”
What would they do?
Father was probably already rubbing his hands together in glee. But Mother would be frightened and would possibly do something rash.
“May we contact my parents together?” I tipped my head in the direction of the front of his house. “Before your friends come in and demand your time?”
“Of course,” he stated gently and rose to his feet.
The banging of his front door alerted us that the kings were coming inside. They had probably waited until we were done talking, eavesdropping outside the front door.
He pressed his hand to the small of my back and led me into his bedroom. “Do you want to put something else on before we call them?”
I peered down at my dress, and with dirty fingers, I pulled my skirt away from my legs to evaluate the material. The black silk was stained with varying colors and crusted bits that I wasn’t positive I wanted to know what had put them there. I peered up into his eyes, humor lighting my gaze, and murmured, “That would probably be wise. Father would be horrified, and Mother would blame you.”
He chuckled and walked into his closet, asking over his shoulder, “Anything in particular you’d like?”
“Honestly? Something comfortable.”
A plain black shirt and a pair of gray, cotton pajama pants were tossed through the air. “Those should fit you well enough. There’s a tie at the waist on the pants, and you’re not much shorter than I am.”
I lifted a blonde brow. “Where is your bathroom?”
I wasn’t going to change in front of him.
He pointed out of his room. “First door on your right. That’s the one I use. The other three are for guests.”
I stared. “And what am I?”
He answered simply, “Not quite a guest.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I sat on a chair in the dining room, having rejected Finn’s idea to make the call more private in his bedroom. I wanted a face-to-face with my parents so they could see I was fine. A background of a bed wasn’t ideal. I drummed my fingers on the obsidian dining table, and stated, “It’s good that it’s Friday. We can catch them together. They only work half-days then to use the afternoon for time together.”
Finn blinked. “Theirs is a love match?”
I could understand his surprise and assumption.
Both of my parents acted more like business partners in public than husband and wife.
I shook my head. “No, but they do believe in keeping their bond as partners strong—in and out of the workplace. They take the afternoon to unwind and do whatever they please that isn’t work related. They have affection for one another but not love.”
He stared over my head, lost in his thoughts. “That’s hard to imagine. Do they act differently at home?”
I choked on a laugh, and quickly covered my mouth with my right hand, training my features into politeness. “Yes, they do.”
Blue eyes ran over my features, a quirk of his mouth appearing. He murmured, “I never would have thought that about them.”
“Most don’t.” I cleared my throat and pointed at his bracelet. “My parents personal…time…is not anything I want to linger on. Shall we call them, so you can start your meeting with your friends?”
He snorted as a wry brow lifted. “Are you sure we won’t be interrupting anything?”
I answered curtly, “Let’s hope not.”
Finn snickered but tapped on his bracelet. “I’ll contact your father through hologram mode for visual. He’s more likely to answer than your mother would.”
I hardly kept from laughing in agreement.
But I did mention, “Remember, he probably sent you a proposal this morning. He may be thinking the call’s about that—a marriage deal. Don’t lead him on.”
Finn nodded, then tapped once more.
A screen appeared before us. Blank and white.
Words flashed.
Connecting… Connecting… Connecting…
Father’s face filled the screen, a mere pleasant smile on his visage, sitting peacefully on our couch at home. But his eyes appeared hopeful as he glanced back and forth between Finn and me sitting next to each other.
Father stated, “Mr. Baker, Mina. This is a surprise.”
“Mina’s on there?” Mother shrilled.
Father turned his head far to the side, patting his hand in the air. “Yes, Odette. She’s fine.”
I pinched my lips to keep from snorting.
Mother’s hea
d popped into view, coming in at an angle that showed she had been hiding behind the couch, only her head peeking over the back of it. Her large eyes scanned my face, and a relieved sigh flew past her lips.
With cautious words, she asked, “Are you all right, Mina? Why haven’t you come home?” Her eyes flicked to Finn, held a moment, and then turned back to me. “Mr. Baker said there was an electric power surge on the train you took home from the party, and that you were stuck on the train all night and it ruined your bracelet.”
My mind blanked. I hadn’t known he had lied to them. Though, I guess it was better than stating I was kidnapped by a man who butchered women and left their parts lying around for decoration.
I nodded quickly, smoothly covering my surprise. “Yes, there was. And I’m fine. I will need a new bracelet, though.”
With an annoyed sigh, Father stated, “Your mother insisted we pick one up for you today. It’s programmed with all of your previous data.”
Mother cleared her throat and stood to her feet, recovering her sense of decorum as she brushed her suit pants off. “You didn’t answer me. Why haven’t you come home?”
“Odette…” Father hissed, glancing over his shoulder. “Hush. She’s a grown woman. She can do as she pleases.”
Finn sat forward and placed his forearms on the dining table, clasping his hands together. “I’m glad you and I agree on that fact, Mr. Baker. Because Mina has decided to stay with me for a time.”
Mother didn’t blink, her features frozen.
Father turned back to the screen, that same simple, pleasant smile on his face. “That’s lovely. I’m sure you two are enjoying each other’s company.”
I sat forward too, my side brushing against Finn’s, our arms touching—which my father didn’t miss. I stated with reassurance, “Mother, I am fine. I’m not lying. I want to be here. It’s all right.”
“Of course, it is.” Father waved a dismissing hand.
Except I kept my attention on my mother.
My father couldn’t see her expression from where he sat with her standing behind him at his shoulder.
Fear was flickering in her eyes like a flashing light warning all near her to back away slowly because she was about to explode.
Transcend (Origin Book 2) Page 9