Persuade

by Wendi Wilson

  He looked so remorseful, like he’d just broken a cardinal rule, that I felt guilty for putting that on his face. It’s not that I didn’t like it. Quite the opposite, in fact. It just shocked me because, well, it was the first time anyone had ever done it. The fire he’d lit inside me was still raging and I was still running on the high of the power he’d given me. I was so keyed up, I didn’t even think about what I said next.

  “Do it again.”

  “Are you—”

  I pressed my mouth against his to cut off his words, dipping my tongue inside and rubbing it against his. I pulled back a bare fraction of an inch and said, “Do it.”

  His hands were on my ass before I could blink, kneading and rubbing in turns. His lips captured mine, taking over the kiss once more. The inferno inside me blazed out of control as I started to move. I wasn’t sure what I was doing or what I needed. I just knew I needed more. The friction of my body rubbing against his seemed to help and make the burning worse at the same time.

  A knock at the door extinguished the fire as quickly and effectively as a bucket of ice water. Beckett groaned, but held me in place when I tried to roll off of him. I stared at him, my eyes wide with panic as I waited for him to open his tightly squeezed ones. He looked like he was in pain and I briefly wondered if I was too heavy. I tried to lift my weight, but he held fast.

  “Just give me a sec,” he said, barely a whisper.

  The knock sounded again, this time accompanied by Wyatt’s voice. “Sorry to interrupt, but Uncle Earl just pulled into the driveway.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  I rushed down the stairs, doing my best to stay on my feet and not trip and tumble the rest of the way down. Beckett had pushed me into an upstairs bathroom, told me to freshen up and meet them downstairs when I was ready. I wasn’t sure where, exactly, downstairs I was supposed to go, but when I reached the bottom, I heard voices drifting from the direction of the library I’d seen earlier.

  I slowed my pace, making my footfalls as light and noiseless as possible. When I was close enough to determine that they were, indeed, in the library, I stopped to listen.

  “We were showing her around upstairs and she needed to use the restroom. She’ll be down any minute,” Jett said, his tone cool as a cucumber.

  “Mm-hmm,” an unfamiliar voice said.

  “Here she is, now,” I heard as Wyatt suddenly appeared in the doorway and beckoned me forward.

  “Uncle Earl, this is our friend, Savanna James,” he proclaimed as he pulled me into the room to stand in front of the man.

  He was tall, which made sense because he was the twin brother of their father. He had dark hair and a well-manicured beard to match. He had a twinkle in his eye, which would have been endearing if I didn’t already know who he was and what he’d done. He held out a hand to me, which I stared at like an idiot. Wyatt placed his palm on my back and applied pressure, encouraging me to move. Waking up, I took a step forward and placed my hand in his. Rather than shaking it as I expected, he lifted it to his mouth and kissed the back of it. His whiskers tickled, and I had to force myself not to snatch my hand back before he released it.

  “A pleasure to meet you, my dear,” he said.

  Oh, how I wanted to snap that we’d already met, but we all had a part to play and this was mine. “Thank you,” I said as graciously as I could manage. “Nice to meet you, too.”

  “I would like to thank you for befriending my nephews. Being new to this town isn’t easy, and they spend too much time on their own.”

  “Actually, they befriended me,” I said. “I’m not very good at making friends, so it was quite the feat,” I added, smirking at Jett.

  “Really?” Earl asked, his eyebrows shooting skyward. “Interesting. Well, however it came about, I thank you for making their transition here a little smoother.”

  I forced my face to remain neutral, but I flinched on the inside. I had just offered up information about myself, put it right on a silver platter for him, giving him just what he wanted. I was sure it was one of the reasons he forced the triplets to come here. He wanted information about me, to see what I had become in the years since he last studied me.

  “Well, you kids go on, carry on with whatever you were doing.”

  I could have sworn the twinkle in his eye flared brightly with those words, his eyes flashing from me to Beckett and back again. Or I could have imagined it, my guilty conscious getting the better of me. Either way, I was ready to get away from him. Pronto.

  I turned to leave, but his voice stopped me. “It really was nice to meet you Savanna. Please, don’t be a stranger.”

  I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and followed the boys from the room. They led me through the house and out the back door, out onto the lawn I had admired from Beckett’s window. I let out a breath of relief as the pressure of being in the house with their uncle subsided. The boys closed ranks around me, their faces showing varying degrees of concern.

  “Are you okay?” Beckett asked.

  “Yeah,” I breathed, then I eyed each of them in turn. “I thought you guys said there was no way he’d be home.”

  Wyatt held up his palms. “That’s what we thought, I swear. He told us not to expect him home until late.”

  “I asked him what he was doing home so early,” Jett said, his voice low. “He said his appointments cancelled and he was free to leave.”

  Beckett arched a brow. “What are the odds that several hours’ worth of appointments all cancelled on the same day?”

  “Maybe it was one long appointment?” I offered.

  “Doubtful,” Jett said.

  “It’s like he somehow knew you were here,” Wyatt said.

  I looked back at the looming structure, thinking about its tall columns and all the opulence it held within its walls. “Oh, my God, we’re so stupid,” I muttered.

  “Excuse me?” Jett asked. Of course, he took exception to my all-inclusive statement.

  “Security cameras,” I hissed. “A place like this, with all its expensive art and who knows what else has to have security cameras. These days, you can link them up to your phone and get alerts anytime the cameras catch anything.”

  “I haven’t seen any cameras,” Wyatt said.

  “They’re probably hidden so actual burglars won’t know what areas to avoid,” I reasoned.

  “That makes sense,” he replied, frowning for once.

  “Oh, God,” I said, a realization hitting me. “Do you think he has them inside the house, too? Of course, he does. Why wouldn’t he? Oh, God.”

  I knew I was rambling, but I couldn’t help it. I knew Earl was preening over something. Some inside joke only he knew the punchline to. Now I knew it, too.

  “Savanna, calm down,” Jett said.

  “Don’t you get it?” I hissed, my temper flaring to life even though I knew deep down this wasn’t his fault. He was as good a target as any, so I poked my finger into his chest like I’d done that first day. “That man has cameras, I’m sure of it. Inside and out. He was mocking me in there, telling us to go back to whatever we’d been doing. He knew I was in Beckett’s room.” My word vomit got the better of me and I kept going when I should have shut the hell up. “What if there are cameras in there, too? Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit.”

  Foul language doesn’t often pass my lips and the fact that it did shocked me out of my tirade. I was panting heavily, bent over with my hands propped on my knees for several beats before I looked up at their faces. “Sorry,” I said, straightening.

  Jett’s eyes were narrowed, his lips pinched in a straight line. My eyes moved to Wyatt, who was frowning at Beckett, his hands in tight fists. Beckett rubbed a palm down his face, sighing before looking at me with apologetic eyes.

  “What?” I asked no one in particular.

  “What were you doing,” Wyatt asked between clenched teeth, “that would get Savanna so worked up about and afraid Uncle Earl might see?”

  “Nothing,” Beckett said. �
�I just played her a song I wrote her.”

  “Nope,” Jett said. “Wrong answer. We heard your sappy song, then things got quiet for at least ten minutes before Wyatt went upstairs.” He took a step toward his brother, his shoulders thrown back and a snarl on his face.

  “It wasn’t like that,” Beckett gritted out, attempting to defend my honor.

  Wyatt whirled on him. “What was it like, then?” he demanded.

  I’d had enough. They were breaking their promise. Again. Anger flared through me and I harnessed it, pushing it down into my gut. I planted my hands on my waist and threw back my head.

  “Stop!” I yelled, infusing the word with the energy like I had with Wyatt the day before.

  Silence. Even the creatures of the forest quieted their chirping and scuffling. I shook my hair out, flexing my fingers at my sides, before stepping forward to stand in the middle of their circle. I looked at each of their faces, making sure each of them knew the extent of my displeasure before I spoke. Their looks of guilt mixed with a little panic mirrored each other. I realized my persuasive order had frozen them like it did that day on the pier with Jett. At that moment, it served my purpose so I let them stay frozen.

  “This is the second time you’ve broken your promise not to fight. If you can’t handle this situation, we need to end it.”

  Six eyes widened and strangled noises came from each of their mouths. I held up a hand to silence them. I was not finished.

  “I am seventeen years old. I’ve never had a real friend, much less a boyfriend, but I’m handling this situation better than the three of you.” I spun in a circle, giving each of them the stink-eye. “You made this deal!” I yelled. “It was your idea!”

  I began to pace back and forth between Beckett and the other two, my hands clasped behind my back and my head waggling back and forth. I knew I needed to get my anger under control before I said something I’d regret, but I just couldn’t seem to get a handle on it.

  “Trust us, Savanna,” I mimicked, still pacing. “We won’t get jealous, Savanna. We promise, Savanna.” I stopped pacing and whirled back to face the three of them at once. “If I want to make out with one of you, or all of you at once,” I said, my voice getting louder with each word, “you will damn well accept it! Do you understand me? I love you all too much…to…”

  Oh shit.

  The anger flowed out of me and I deflated, my eyes glued to the ground. I couldn’t believe I’d just said that. How stupid could I be? I didn’t love them. I couldn’t. I’d only known them for a few days! I had a feeling it didn’t matter, anyway. After that ridiculous proclamation, there was no way they were going to want to be anywhere near me. I’d just ruined the best thing that had ever happened to me. All thanks to my uncontrollable temper.

  I started walking toward the side of the house. I needed to get out of there. I’d walk all the way home if need be. As an afterthought, I turned my head, keeping my eyes averted. “I release you,” I called out. I hoped that worked, but I wasn’t about to stick around to see if it did. I started to run.

  “Savanna!”

  I couldn’t tell which one called out to me, and I didn’t care. It only spurred me to run faster. I had a fleeting thought about my belongings still stowed in their truck, but I pushed it away. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore.

  As I reached the back corner of the house, footsteps sounded behind me. I tried to pick up the pace but before I could, strong arms wrapped around my middle and pulled me to halt. I struggled, swinging my arms and legs like a she-devil, but whoever had me was unrelenting. He swung me around, bringing me face to face with Jett and Wyatt. So, it was Beckett that had me.

  I planted my feet on the ground and attempted to compose myself, but I could feel a hot stream of tears pouring down my face. I hadn’t even realized until that moment that I was crying. I swiped angrily at my face, but the tears didn’t stop.

  “Savanna, we’re sorry,” Wyatt said. “You were right. We did promise we could handle it without jealousy. I guess we were wrong.”

  His words felt like nails in the coffin surrounding my heart. I stiffened my spine, trying to prepare myself for what was to come. Knowing Wyatt, he’d try to let me down easy. Tell me we’d all still be friends, even though they’d probably avoid me at all costs. At least I had a few good memories to cherish.

  “We’ll try harder,” Jett said. “I can’t promise we’ll never get jealous or fight over you. I know that now. But I can promise to try harder.”

  My eyes widened as I stared at him like he had two heads. Or three. What was he saying? I didn’t understand. Beckett’s arms released me and he moved around to stand beside his brothers.

  “You’re not breaking up with me?” I asked.

  Wyatt laughed and just like that, the tension was gone and my semi-catatonic state was broken. I narrowed my eyes at him and he sobered.

  “Don’t laugh at me. It’s a valid question. I…the things I said….” I couldn’t continue, but they got the gist.

  “The things you said were exactly what we needed to hear,” Jett said, moving forward cautiously, like he was afraid I might bolt again.

  Wyatt took a small step forward as well. “We were being idiots,” he said.

  Beckett just smiled. He didn’t need to add anything. It was the other two that had flown off the handle. The corners of my mouth lifted slightly then dropped as I looked back at Jett and Wyatt.

  “Can we just forget it and start over?” I asked.

  “Done,” Jett said, wrapping me in his arms and kissing my neck before releasing me.

  Wyatt took his place, hugging me around the waist. “There is one thing I want to talk about again.” Before I could panic that he’d bring up the L-word, he continued, “What was that about making out with all of us at once?”

  I felt relieved and mortified at the same time. Had I really said that? I struggled to pull away from him, but he just chuckled and squeezed me tight against his chest. I heard Beckett grumble his name and looked up in time to see him swat Wyatt across the back of his head.

  “Just kidding, Savanna from Savannah,” he said, releasing me to rub the spot where Beckett hit him.

  Beckett opened his arms and I leaned into them. He rubbed his hands up and down my spine, whispering comforting words against my hair. I felt the other two press against my back, circling me in a tight group hug.

  I felt so sheltered and safe. Like nothing could touch me. That’s when it hit me. What I’d said before came out in a fit of anger, but that didn’t make it any less true. It didn’t matter how many days I’d known them, the fact remained that I did know them.

  And I loved them all.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Where do you get it?”

  Jett looked at me with his signature arrogantly arched brow, but it didn’t bother me anymore. I just smiled and winked any time he tried to intimidate me with it, and he could never resist smiling back. It was quite the powerful feeling, knowing he, in particular, was subject to my previously nonexistent charms.

  Several days had passed since our “Showdown at Patton Manor,” as Wyatt liked to call it. We’d settled into a routine, hanging as friends during school hours and meeting to discuss the mystery that was Uncle Earl after school. My interactions with the boys had remained pretty platonic, for the most part.

  But it was Friday night, and I was on a date with Jett. We were at the edge of town on an old dirt road in the middle of nowhere. He’d spread a thick layer of blankets in the back of the truck, as well as some pillows. We were propped up against the back of the cab, looking up at the night sky and its twinkling array of a million tiny stars while a playlist of classic love songs played softly in the background.

  Jett had pulled out his trusty flask, which prompted my question.

  “From a harem of dark-haired virgins we keep in the basement.”

  “What? You don’t like blondes?” I asked.

  I refused to fall into his trap. He’
d been trying to spur me into a temper tantrum all night, claiming he wanted to see the fire in my eyes, the passion…blah, blah, blah. I didn’t buy it for a minute. Wyatt already ruined that for him by telling me Jett wanted me to get pissed to see what other secrets I might spill. He didn’t specifically mention the L-word, none of them had, but I knew that’s what he meant. If I could say something like that when I was angry, what else might I say?

  “Oh,” he said, pulling me from my thoughts, “you know I like blondes.”

  He leaned over and nibbled my neck, growling like a wolf attacking its prey. I giggled and shoved him away, then absent-mindedly rubbed the spot where his teeth had grazed me. He offered me the flask, and I took it without hesitation. After my use of persuasion on all three of them at once, I lost all resistance to drinking blood. I’d been ravenous and there was no getting around it. I had to drink.

  After taking a swig and passing it back to him, I said, “Seriously, though. Where does it come from?”

  “Blood banks, mostly. Parents of Alt children are required by law to pay a blood tax to the local government. That money pays donors so we freaks don’t take donated blood from the norms who need it.”

  I could hear the anger in his bitter words and regretted asking. I didn’t want to ruin our night, so I tried to make him laugh.

  “I’m not a freak,” I said, turning up my nose at him. “You, on the other hand…”

  “Oh, yeah?” he said, reaching over and tickling my side. “You think I’m a freak?”

  “Yes!” I said, laughing while trying to block his fingers.

  In my struggle to fight off his attack, I scooted down so that I was flat on my back with my head on the pillow. I realized my mistake too late, and he was on top of me before I could correct it. His knees straddled my hips and both hands were tickling my sides as I squealed with laughter.

  “I take it back!” I surrendered when I couldn’t take the tickle torture anymore. “You’re not a freak!”