Dark Solace

by Tara Fox Hall

  “No,” Lash said coldly. “No strangers are allowed inside Hayden’s grounds. What I can’t make or fix with my hands, Titus does with his magic.” He flicked his forked tongue at me. “Devlin doesn’t hire for this type of skill. They’ll learn by trial and error, just like the last bunch did years ago.”

  The operator in the ditch was swearing now as he tried to back the tractor up out of the ditch. But the back tires wouldn’t grip, they were spinning in the mud, covering the tractor and him in sludge.

  This was wasted time and wasted effort, specifically mine if I sat here and did nothing. There was a better way. “Do you want my help?” I said, folding my arms over my chest.

  “You can’t get that tractor out of there,” Lash said, flicking his tongue at me again.

  “The hell I can’t,” I retorted.

  “This will be fun. How much you want to bet?” he hissed with a grin.

  Yes, it would be fun. “What are you offering?”

  “What do you want?”

  Hmm. “I want you to tell me you are glad of my help.”

  “That’s it?” he hissed in confusion, giving me an odd look.

  “Yes,” I said with fake pleasantness. “You?”

  “I want you to come an extra day this week to Hayden, plus an extra day next week.”

  Always, it was about Dev. Oiy. “Deal,” I agreed. “Now send all of them on a break. I need to concentrate without onlookers.”

  Lash nodded. “Guys,” he said loudly. “Go inside and have an early lunch.”

  “But it’s not even ten—” Nick said in confusion.

  “Shut up and go inside,” Lash hissed. “One hour.”

  The bears muttered and dropped their tools, then began walking up to the house. I walked over to the stuck tractor and climbed on, taking a few minutes to familiarize myself with the controls. They were similar enough to my tractor that if I went slow, I should be okay. The problem was what to do. I’d never been stuck before as bad as this. I’d always steered clear of ditches this deep.

  “The clock is ticking, Sar,” Lash called mirthfully. “Fifty-six minutes left.”

  “Shut up!” I called back sweetly.

  First, I needed to get rid of the rock. I extended the loader as far as it would go, and deposited the rock on the far bank of the ditch. It was a foot back, so it shouldn’t roll back in.

  From here on, it was trial and error. Since going backward hadn’t worked for the bear, I’d try to go forward. Putting the tractor in drive, I pressed gently on the accelerator. While the tractor went forward a foot, it wouldn’t climb the far bank, even with the help of the loader. The sides of the ditch were too steep. But down about twenty feet, the ditch sides began to slope more gently. If I could get down there, I could climb out.

  I turned the steering wheel, and began to work the controls. With a lot of going forward and going backward the few feet possible, I managed to turn the tractor about thirty degrees. Suddenly, the bank behind me gave way, the back tires sliding into the ditch.

  Laughter and clapping sounded. Lash was laughing his ass off and giving me a round of applause. “Bravo, Sar! Now the whole tractor’s in the ditch!”

  My face flaming, I ignored him and put the tractor in drive. Carefully, I turned the wheel, and drove the tractor down the ditch to where the walls were sloped. As I moved, the wheels sank down deeper in the mud, the front wheels more than half buried when I stopped.

  Oh, shit. A spring joined the ditch here. Instead of the foot of mud I’d been in, now I was in a foot and a half at least. I was going to be a dirt queen by the time I got out of this hole. Resigned, I began turning the tractor to face the side of the ditch. By the time I had, the place I was maneuvering in was a mud pit, and I was covered in it, my face, hair and body spattered. Angry, I pressed the accelerator too hard, and spun the tires, big chunks of mud scattering and spraying me in the process.

  Lash began laughing again. I restrained my urge to curse him out, and/or find a gun and shoot him. Instead I forced myself to breathe calmly, and take it slow. Reaching out with the front-end loader, I dug the edge of the bucket into the bank in front of me, then pulled back on the lever. The loader shifted, pulling the tractor up as expected. But the front tires were smooth. They couldn’t get any purchase, slipping in the mud sideways. When I reached out with the bucket again, all four tires slid back down into the ditch. Now I was partly sideways again, and the front tires were almost completely buried in mud.

  “Shit!” I screamed.

  Lash began laughing again.

  Prick. I collected myself and tried again, with the same result. This time, I overloaded the engine, and it shut off. Tears welled in my eyes from frustration. Putting my head in my hands, I let myself cry a little. Until I did, I was going to be frantic and useless. I needed to get past this failure if I was going to have any chance of finding success.

  “Sar, get off the tractor,” Lash said gently from the bank. “Losing isn’t worth crying over.”

  I raised my head and glared at him proudly. “I haven’t lost!” I said angrily, wiping away my tears. “Stand back.” Determined, I cranked the key, and started the tractor again. Letting it run, I dismounted and began grabbing some rocks from the far side of the bank. I inserted two rough ones under the front edge of the front wheels, then put two more in front of those. After a few minutes of searching for more, I located two final large rocks. After setting them in front of the back wheels, I got back on the tractor.

  Again, I dug into the bank and levered up. This time, all four tires moved out of the muck and onto the rocks. Carefully releasing the loader from the bank, I extended the loader as far as possible, then dug in again. Slowly, I pushed the accelerator. With a roar, the tractor eased up and over the bank. Suddenly one front tire slipped off the rock. I dug in and accelerated slowly. The back tires found the front tire rocks then and held. With another throaty roar, the tractor and I were clear of the ditch.

  Ecstatic, I let out a cry of pure delight. Proudly, I drove the tractor a good ten feet from the ditch and parked it, shutting off the engine. The sound of clapping filled the sudden silence.

  Lash came toward me, giving applause. I went to take a bow in my triumph and smugness, and slipped in the mud. I went down hard on my side, hitting my kneecap on a rock. I cursed again, blinking back tears from the pain.

  Lash took my hand, and hauled me to my feet. “You okay?” he hissed, grinning widely.

  I gave him a rueful smile back, rubbing my smarting knee. “God was teaching me some humility, after helping me,” I said, laughing. “I should have thanked Him for His help straight off. I’m okay.”

  “Good,” Lash hissed gently. “Because I want you to stay. I would be glad of your help, Sar.”

  The respect in his tone moved me. While Lash had never treated me with disrespect—except the time he’d kissed me out of turn—this was different. There is the respect a man shows a woman because she’s a woman, and he thinks she needs his protection, guidance, or help lifting something heavy. And then there is the respect a man shows a friend or a coworker when he actually values their capabilities, reasoning, or skills. It was the second kind of respect I’d heard in Lash’s tone.

  He believed I had something to contribute. That mattered to me a lot, maybe because it felt like years since I’d last heard that kind of respect from any man in my life.

  “You sure you’re okay?” Lash hissed.

  I smiled quickly. “I’m fine. And I’d be glad to help—”

  “Shit! She got it unstuck!” one of the bears called incredulously as the lot of them walked up.

  “She did,” Lash said, looking at me intently. “Just as she said she would.”

  And thank God it hadn’t taken longer. I’d have been mortified to be crying in front of that crowd of hardened men. “So what do you want to focus on?” I asked him.

  “My saw is still bound,” one of the bears said grumpily. “Why don’t you fix that?”

&nb
sp; I nodded, then went over and examined the bound saw. “You’re in a depression,” I said. “First, is there a log roller here? It would be about four feet long. It should have a spike on one end, and a hinged hook.”

  “There’s one in the garage,” Lash hissed. “Nick, go get it now.”

  Nick took off at a run.

  I took out my saw, and made sure that the gas and oil caps were tight. I got it started after only a few tries, then motioned the bears out of the way. I cut into the log at an angle about three inches away from the bound saw, then made another cut down, breaking out a large slice of wood.

  “How is that going to help—?” one bear began sarcastically.

  “Shut up, Keith,” Lash hissed dangerously. “She knows what she’s doing.”

  Trying not to feel drunk with his praise, I made another cut in the open slice spot, cutting towards the saw and the center of the log. When I was within an inch of it, the bound blade loosened.

  I pulled out my saw, letting it idle. “You’re free.”

  Keith lifted his saw out slowly. “I don’t believe it,” he said incredulously.

  I grinned. “That is why you fail,” I said in my lowest tones, then began laughing.

  Lash laughed, but most of the bears looked confused, glancing at one another.

  “Star Wars?” I said finally, rolling my eyes. “Know Yoda? The scene with the X-Wing and the Force?”

  “They’re too young,” Lash hissed with a smile. “Start instructing, Jedi Master.”

  “Start with the branches first, then the tops,” I said. “Work your way down the trees. If you cut in the middle again, the saw will bind just like it did before. We’re in an uneven patch of ground.”

  Several of the bears began powering up chainsaws. Keith and I started in, quickly severing branches, then cutting pieces to length as the majority of the bears began stacking and mulching. When we reached the trunk, I showed Keith how to work down it using the logroller for support and leverage.

  “I’m not cutting straight!” Keith said with irritation.

  “Neither am I,” I replied. “And I’ve been doing this for years. Just do the best you can.”

  By six p.m., all the trees had been taken care of, plus a load of wood had been stacked in my truck for me to take home.

  “I appreciate this,” I said to Lash. “It’ll save Theo and me a lot of work. It’s all ash and maple, good hardwood. We were behind on wood cutting anyway with me being pregnant.”

  Lash nodded. “Dev has no use for it anyway, other than for bonfires. He’s only got the one fireplace.” He turned to the bears around us. “We’re done for the day, unless you’re on duty.”

  The group of us began slowly walking towards the house. All of us were tired, and covered with sweat, including Lash. He’d pitched in with the rest; he’d been the one to load my truck with wood.

  I wiped at the layer of dried mud on my face, tired and satisfied. I was a disaster to look at, but I felt absolutely wonderful. I’d done something today that mattered. My helping had made a real difference, not only in saving time and effort, but in getting to know the men guarding me. I’d learned their names today. That already made me feel more like someone who belonged here and less like a visitor.

  The group of bears was now ahead of Lash and me. I’d thought we were just slow until I caught on that Lash was making sure they kept moving ahead of us, keeping eye contact with any who lagged behind until they sped up.

  “Titus will teleport the rest of the wood for you tomorrow,” Lash hissed. “And I thank you again, for your help. I didn’t expect us to finish today.”

  “Why did you want me to come to Hayden an extra day?” I asked. “Dev’s been swamped all this week with more Canadian loose ends. Something’s always coming up he has to handle.”

  Lash didn’t reply.

  “I’m just saying that he’s been busy,” I added. “An extra day doesn’t seem—”

  Lash suddenly stopped walking and turned to me. “He likes you here. And it wasn’t just for him.” He looked away and began walking again. “I like to get sushi with you, Sar, and to talk about the movies we both like. There is a rock near the pond where it’s good to lie and be warm in the afternoons. Summer is ending. Soon it will be fall. I’m not looking forward to winter.”

  Lash sounded depressed. I felt his pain. I was not looking forward to winter myself. “I’ll come on Sunday,” I responded. “It’s supposed to be nice that day.”

  “You won the bet,” Lash said coolly. “Why would you come anyway?”

  “Because you asked me to,” I said simply. “You’re right, winter is coming. Lying in the sun sounds good. I need to soak up all the rays I can get.”

  Lash looked at me out of the corner of his eye. “I don’t suppose you’d bring a swimsuit?” he asked, grinning.

  “Don’t press your luck,” I said, making the both of us laugh.

  * * * *

  I did bring my swimsuit the following Sunday, but I needn’t have bothered. Lash led me to the rock he’d spoken of, and then laid down in his T-shirt and jeans. The only thing he took off were his weapons, which he put within reach.

  Glad to relax, I applied sunscreen to my face and hands, then laid down a few feet from him. I ended up falling asleep from the heat. It was too beautiful out here not to relax utterly, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face as it radiated through my clothes. We didn’t talk at all, the only sounds from the crickets in the tall grass and the bullfrogs in the pond.

  Late in the afternoon, Lash woke me with a nudge. Then he clipped his weapons back on his belt, and uttering a groan, he got to his feet.

  “Are you sore?” I asked, as he helped me up.

  “Just old,” he said with a grin, wiping some dust off himself. “Come on. Sushi awaits. I picked some up for us yesterday.”

  After we walked back to the house, we ate some sushi in the kitchen. We were discussing the important properties of the devil from the movie The Ninth Gate when Devlin came downstairs in his robe.

  “Hello, Sweetheart,” he said, giving me a kiss.

  “Hello yourself,” I said, kissing him back. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Yes. Is this dinner?” he said, going to the refrigerator to prepare Venus’s bottle.

  “Yes,” Lash said, grinning. “We’re talking about horror movies.”

  “Ah,” Devlin said. “We should go to a movie tonight, the three of us.”

  “You two go,” Lash said quickly, getting to his feet. He put his plate into the sink. “I’ll stay and watch over things here.”

  Devlin turned to him curiously. “I thought you wanted to see—?”

  “I don’t think it’s safe leaving Venus here alone with just the bears as guards,” Lash interrupted, folding his arms across his chest. “Titus is at Leri’s house in town, and he’s not going to want to leave their bed to come up here on his day off.”

  “TMI,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Why don’t we just stay in and rent a pay-per-view movie?”

  “Good idea,” Devlin agreed. “While I’ll feed Venus, you can go shower, Sar.”

  I shot him a curious look. Not only had I’d showered this morning, I’d done nothing but lie in the sun all day. “I’m good.”

  “You have leaves in your hair from lying on Lash’s rock,” Devlin said, pulling a few out. “There is dirt all down the back of your T-shirt, and your jeans.”

  “Oh,” I said with embarrassment, getting to my feet. “Thanks for telling me, I didn’t realize. I’ll go shower.”

  When I was done showering and dressing, I peeked into the nursery. Devlin was feeding Venus, her bright golden eyes wide as he sang to her softly. She was going to be just as breathtaking as he was, when she got older. Giving Devlin an affectionate look, I went downstairs. Lash was waiting on the couch, his hair still wet.

  I didn’t think he had been dirty, either, but whatever. “What should we rent?”

  Lash turned the TV up, and then turned to m
e. “Devlin didn’t think you were dirty,” he hissed softly. “Don’t be offended.”

  “Then what—?” I whispered.

  “Because I lay on that rock a lot,” he hissed more softly. “It smells like me. You smelled like me, and it made Devlin remember us together. He doesn’t like to think of that now.”

  I flushed. “Thanks for telling me. I didn’t know.”

  “Forget it,” Lash hissed, working the remote to channel surf. “I think we should watch Bloodrayne—”

  “That sucked,” I said, making a face. “How about Legend?”

  “That’s old,” Devlin said, coming down with Venus. “How about that comic book hero—?”

  “I thought you didn’t like action movies?” I interrupted.

  “I could maybe sit through it,” Devlin said bravely.

  “Your demon barber movie is on, Dev,” Lash said, clicking on it. “I vote for that.”

  “How about it?” Devlin said to me. “I could watch that again.”

  “Sure,” I said, settling back. “I’ll take one for the team. Hit play.

  Chapter Four

  The next week passed slowly. By now, it was mid-September, and the days were getting cooler. As the seasons changed, the workload from Solutions Inc. was decreasing. I was glad of the break. Since Danial had launched the website, we’d been hammered with queries, and the backlog of cases was as long as I’d ever seen it. Also, in keeping with Theo’s request for us to spend more time with Devon, Danial had cut back on accepting any new cases for the rest of the year. All this meant that I had more free time now in the afternoons to spend with Elle, Devon, and Theoron. Theo also took most afternoons off, and spent them with us, even if it was just walking, going for a picnic, or sharing a DVD and popcorn with some of the werefoxes.

  Cia and I were back on speaking terms. It was all business, though: we were still sharing the cleaning duties at Danial’s. She could no longer avoid me, as we needed to help each other sometimes. She still hadn’t really forgiven me for being friendly with Serena, and I hadn’t asked her to. In my mind, I hadn’t done anything wrong that needed forgiving. For now it was enough we were working together.