His hand slowly started to slip away from mine while I stood stiff with my eyes unblinking on him. He tried to smile when he was released to make me feel better about it but I never smiled back, especially not when he started to follow Kole.
“What do we do now?” I asked with my eyes on his back.
“Whatever is necessary. I’ll be working with Zayden and for today, Kole had the right idea. It’d be best for you girls to stay away.”
“What should I do?” Troy asked.
“You get the joy of spending your time with these three lovely ladies. Take them on a trip, show them the world if you wish. Just continue practicing but return for meals and adequate rest for your eyes. You don’t want to overdue it.”
“Okay.”
Madam Carla turned away with Zayden and my eyes found the path Muscles took but he was out of sight. “I know where I want you to take us.”
Troy looked at me then to Adele and Jaylyn. “I suppose I could but it wouldn’t take much work for me.”
“Maybe just for a minute.” Jaylyn said, taking his arm. “It’ll help her to know.”
Troy took her hand with a nod and we walked over to some rocks by the shore.
“How should this work? I don’t have three hands.”
Jaylyn smiled and sat behind him, bringing her legs around his and hugged his body. “I won’t need a hand.”
“All right.”
“Please don’t make this weird.” Adele sighed.
Troy laughed. “I won’t.” He held out a hand to me and the other to Adele, waiting for each of us to take one. We did and moved closer on his sides, ready with our eyes closed and Troy begun.
Chapter 51
Darius
I walked behind Kole and was intensively curious about what was happening. I came up on a clearing ahead and Kole was waiting for me.
“Well?” I asked.
“Well indeed. I suppose I must apologize firstly about this. I know neither of us want this.”
“I suppose we don’t have a choice but why me?”
“Whether any of you would actually establish roles in the group or not, yours is most important. I chose you because I was asked, that simple. Who you are had nothing to do with it but what you are was more the cause because I too hold that role.”
“And that is?”
“The protector.”
I raised my head a little bit and was intrigued to hear more. “What makes you think it’s me?”
“It’s the way you’ve always been with Troy and especially Zayden but now there’s someone else you care about and you’ll do anything to prevent harm from reaching her. Our methods are surely different but the thought process will remain the same. This strength you have can work for you but you have to learn how or the wrong people could get hurt. I’m going to teach you that and know that I’m not misguiding you. Yes, we’re enemies but for now we’re going to put that aside and you’re going to do exactly what I say if you want to get this right.”
“Fine but I’m not calling you Master.”
Kole laughed, bringing back that familiarity I was used to seeing from him. “That’s fair. You don’t even have to acknowledge me as your teacher after this and we can go back to the natural way of hating each other.”
“Deal. Where do we start?”
“I guess we’ll begin with a little warm up. I’d like to get a better idea of your new skill and how you choose to use it so far.” He turned around and large spikes of rock shot up out of the ground, filling the clearing with the towering stones. I didn’t act like I was impressed but I was. “This will be our arena. Find every advantage in it and attack me.”
Was that a real request? I wasn’t too sure. “Attack you?”
“Need a little incentive?”
I remained still and barely nodded. It sounded like a good idea at the time. “Maybe.”
“All right. I didn’t think I would need this so soon but since you’re forcing it. I’m tired. I’ve been—traveling for days. Give me one second to get something I could use to relax.”
I sighed when Kole started to walk by me back through the trees. I didn’t want this to take all day but I stayed where I was for about a minute or so and didn’t plan to turn around until I heard Ruby’s voice with their footsteps. “Then what do you need me for?”
“Just play along. He won’t attack me.”
“Won’t?” Ruby stopped at the tree line with Kole and turned her eyes towards me.
“It’s usually not an on command thing.” I said.
“Apparently.” Kole sighed. “So I’m going to get him to want to by making him mad. That’s why you’re here.”
“I’m not going to make him mad.”
Kole smiled and made quick eye contact with me. What was he up to? “No but this might.” He took Ruby’s hand and pulled her body close to his, wrapping his arm firm around her back and kissed her.
This wasn’t going to stand with me for a second. I tensed to move towards them but I couldn’t when Kole met my eyes. My body was frozen but I was only getting more heated with anger while I watched him kissing her. I wanted more than anything to stop it but just couldn’t.
“You did your part well, Red.” Kole pulled away but kept his eyes on me. “Now go find a safe place away from here. It’s going to get pretty messy.”
I wanted to look at her to let her know that it was okay but I couldn’t look away from Kole’s stare and she hurried back through the trees.
“Think you will now?”
“That wasn’t necessary.”
Kole just laughed and kept a playful tone like it would somehow cancel out my anger. “You want to hear a secret? That wasn’t our first kiss. Red’s—how should I put it? Needy.”
“Stop.”
“Make me.”
Kole looked away, running among the tall stone structures and I was able to move again. I followed while taking my sword off my back and swung at the rock around me, trying to find him to make him pay.
He was quick, not like Zayden could be but he stayed well out of the way and instructed me through my anger to concentrate. “You need to always think about what you’re doing! Don’t let your anger overtake you! Use it to strike but never forget why you fight!”
It was beginning to become successful. I was using my head, thinking before acting but it was my anger that kept me going.
The arena was quickly filled with rubble and I was breathing heavily while lowering my sword. Nothing was standing and it was getting hard to maneuver over all the rock.
“Had enough?” Kole asked, popping up far to my left.
“No. I haven’t gotten to get you back.”
He laughed and started climbing over the rubble to get to me. “Okay. If I let you, can we call this match done? You did well. I’m actually quite impressed with your skill. It’s helped a lot to how we have to continue.”
“Fine but it has to be right now while it’s still fresh.” I took a step forward, ready for it.
“Just not in the face!” Kole said with an urgent voice while he took a step back with his hands up. “I can explain after you righteously get back at me if you need me too.”
“Okay. Not in the face? Fine.” I stepped closer to him and punched him hard in the gut with my right fist. It felt good.
He leaned forward as if from pain and held his breath for a few seconds. “Wow.” He slowly stood upright. “That wasn’t so bad. You’re rather going to like this new gift of yours in the future.”
“Why do you say that?”
“It was why I didn’t want you to hit me in the face. The strength you have isn’t just in things you can lift but it’s also found in your body. I barely even felt that, not that I’m saying it was poorly executed because it wasn’t. If I was my normal great self, I’d still be on my back, have a few broken ribs and possibly even serious internal damage that could lead to my death.”
“But even now hitting you in the face would have caused all of that?”
“It’s what they might call your weakness. One of these rocks could land on you and as long as your head remained safe, you’d survive. It’s kind of like Jay. Her head is her downfall. Just learn to protect it and you’ll always be around to protect everyone else.”
“Then I didn’t really get you back.”
“Oh, yeah you did. We’re not going to play that until this is over. You probably won’t admit it but right now, you need me. We’ve only just begun.”
Chapter 52
Jaylyn
The sun had set down over the water, the skies were fading from its light and Darius had finally walked in while we were sitting down for dinner. “Hey.” He took his seat next to Ruby and immediately started eating from the plate in front of him.
We just stared while he did it like he hasn’t eaten all day and everyone was curious.
“So?” Zayden asked. “How did it go?”
Darius looked up and met the questioning eyes around the table. “Fine.”
“That’s it?” Troy asked. “Just fine? You’re not going to tell us how horribly tormenting it was to have to spend all day with him?”
Darius shrugged. “Because it wasn’t. He’s actually not so bad.”
Everyone gasped together on cue, mine being the loudest.
“He kissed me to make you mad enough to fight and now he’s not so bad?” Ruby asked.
“Don’t worry. I got him back for that and that was all the way this morning. I had all day to think about something else.”
“It’s still weird that Madam Carla let him train you when he doesn’t have your gift.” Adele said. “How could he possibly know about it?”
“He knows the basics and he didn’t choose me because of what my gift is but because of what role I play.”
“Role in what?” I asked.
“The group. I’m the protector like he is in his.”
“Wait a minute.” Zayden said. “Let me get this right. He’s training you just based on your role?”
“Ah, yeah. You just repeated what I said.”
“Well, great.” Ruby sighed. “Can we just get to bed please? I’m tired.”
“Can’t.” Darius shoveled the last few bites in his mouth and stood back up. “I still have more to do.”
“What?! He’s still making you work?! No! I’ve missed you all day and you’re sleeping with me tonight whether you like it or not!” I wanted to laugh until I saw Darius look at her in wonderment from her sudden outburst.
“She didn’t mean like that and good thing. You wouldn’t want to kill her.” Kole’s quiet laugh was heard amongst the silence and he stepped through the doorway.
“What are you talking about?” Ruby asked.
“I’ll demonstrate then, shall I?” Kole walked to the table and picked up a knife then swiftly drove it behind him towards Darius without even looking.
We all stood up from the table in a panic but Darius stood normally like nothing was wrong.
“Relax.” Kole said. He showed us the knife and the blade had bent completely to the side instead of piercing Darius’s skin. “He’s stronger than you think.” He tossed the knife on the table and started to turn. “So, just imagine what he could do to you.”
Adele started to smile. “And are you going to teach him to control that?”
Kole paused for a moment and turned back with a smile of his own. “I could. We’d just need a female sacrifice—or a few unless you felt more comfortable to keep it close to the group. There’s one of you that won’t die.”
My eyes slightly widened from what he was suggesting and I gripped Troy’s arm next to me so I couldn’t be pulled away. “No offense, Darius but fuck no.”
He laughed. “It’s okay, Jaylyn. I wouldn’t want to ruin you for Troy unless that was actually my goal.”
Kole laughed to it but Troy’s eyes narrowed and I could tell he was ready to start a fight with him for it.
“No.” Kole surprisingly got in the way before he could and they locked eyes. “You’re not very bright, are you? He could kill you all too easily and not that I wouldn’t enjoy watching that, you should really just back off.”
“Please stop looking at him before you kill him.” I said.
Kole laughed and moved his eyes to mine. “If that were my intention, I would have just let him continue to be stupid. Train him faster.” He snapped his fingers up in the air by his head and pointed to the door.
He walked out first and Darius slowly started to back towards it with an apologetic smile while he looked at us. “Sorry. I’ll see you later tonight or in the morning. We’ll try not to wake anyone.” He left and the rest of us just stood in dismay.
“We have a serious problem.” I said. “He can’t like Kole. That would just—ruin everything!”
“It’s not really that big of a deal, I guess.” Ruby replied. “It could be a lot worse. Maybe Kole will actually be calm and normal around all of us if they became—not enemies.”
My eyes narrowed. How could she have even said that? “Kole’s never normal. You don’t want Darius to be like him.”
“Darius already is like him.” Adele sighed.
“How so?” Zayden asked.
“The way he’s always been with women. Kole’s had a knack for doing things the same way but he does it for fun.”
Troy’s eyes shifted to Zayden then even briefer to Ruby. “But he’s trying to change that.”
“Doesn’t mean that it’s just going to all go away because he wants it to. I’m sure Kole’s aware of it and he’s probably using it.”
“Let’s just go to sleep.” Ruby sighed, turning away from the conversation. “We still have a few days of it so we better just get used to it.” She walked over to the couch she would be sleeping on and laid down on it alone, turning over so we couldn’t see her face.
“I feel kind of bad leaving her out here by herself.” Zayden said.
“Well, good luck in getting Kole to let Darius stop whatever it is they’re doing so he can be with her.” Adele replied. “Just so you know, I doubt it’ll work.” She started walking into the back room and we followed.
“I know but I can still feel bad.”
“She’ll be okay.” I assured him. “Maybe tomorrow they can spend some time together.”
Troy laughed while quoting Adele. “Only if Kole will let Darius stop whatever it is they’re doing so he can be with her.”
I sighed. “Who cares? He’s going to need a break at some point and it should be with her. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Okay.” Troy smiled while pulling me with him on the couch. “Just get some sleep and we’ll see.”
He kissed my head and I settled it down on his chest, feeling better to just be in his arms but I couldn’t help but think about what Kole was really up to.
Chapter 53
Darius
I sat with Kole under the darkening sky for a tranquil moment with my eyes closed and our breaths were synched with the other. “I’ve already done this enough to be with her. I was last night.”
“Shh!” Kole snatched, quickly tapping my arm. “Never think that enough is enough, especially when it comes to getting close to someone. It’s something you’ll always have to think about.”
“Great. Make things worse.”
“I don’t mean to get involved but it might actually help you. I know Red. She’s going to be ready before you and maybe explaining this worry will give you more time.”
I opened my eyes and looked over at Kole still sitting with his eyes closed. “Why would you care?”
“I don’t but you should know she truly does go to Trever for everything. She won’t hesitate about this and it’s coming. I can see it in the way she looks at you.” No. He was wrong. He had to be wrong. I knew he was when he slowly opened his eyes to see mine and laughed. “I’m just kidding! Loosen up a bit. She doesn’t really see the coming doom when she looks at you. She’s obviously in love.” What? My eyes froze open and focus
ed intensively in front of me. Was that true? “Oh, she hasn’t told you. Sorry, man. I’m sure she will. She just isn’t used to things being this way just as much as you. I think you’ve done enough for today. You can go be with her if you’d like.”
“Then what about you? Are you going to come in? I’m sure we could—”
“No need.” A shelter was built around us and a bed formed under us. “I’m covered.”
It was impressive yet again and I started to get up. “All right. That was unexpected. See you in the morning then.”
Kole nodded and I left him to his privacy to go back inside the shack. I walked in and it was quiet. No one was around but I saw Ruby laying on the couch. I smiled and walked over, kneeling down on the floor beside her.
She was beautiful as she slept and I couldn’t look away. I leaned forward on the couch and stroked the red locks of her hair, thinking about how Kole mentioned she was in love with me.
She started to wake up and was a little startled to see me on the floor next to her. “Oh, it’s you. What are you doing?”
“Just watching you sleep.”
“Are you done for the night now?”
“Yeah. I can stay with you—if you want.”
“Of course I want that. I’ve missed you.”
I smiled and climbed on the couch with her, keeping her close. “I’ve missed you too but maybe tomorrow will be different.”
“I hope so.”
“Go back to sleep. I need to get some too.”
“Okay.”
Ruby snuggled tightly against me and I enjoyed it. I held her in my arms while my eyes started to close and she was the only thing on my mind. Being gentle not to hurt her lingered as I faded into the night and even my dreams focused around her.
I saw us together the night we first made love and how I felt with her in my arms. I wanted that again but when thoughts came to it, there was blood and Ruby’s mangled body in a pool of it on her bed. Her eyes were empty and still and panic shot through me.
I jumped awake with a heavy intake of air and was back on the couch in Madam Carla’s shack. The sun was just coming in the window and I noticed I was alone. I sat up to look around and heard talking coming from the back room. I heard Ruby’s voice and my heart stopped. I just had to see her. I needed to know she was safe. I walked to the doorway and saw the other four awake inside with her.
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