by I. T. Lucas
Brundar lifted the bundle of five fish strung together with a length of twine. “‘Tis enough,” he said. “I should be getting back before my mam notices I’m gone.”
Lachlann cast him a sidelong glance, a strangely unsettling expression making him look older than his thirteen years. He was smiling, but it was not a friendly smile. “Not yet. A few more.”
The small hairs on the back of Brundar’s neck prickled. Something was not right about Lachlann. His friend was not himself today. He seemed twitchy.
“I cannae. I need to go.” Brundar rose to his feet, balancing on the smooth rock by gripping it with his toes. “You keep the fish.” He dropped the bundle next to Lachlann.
His friend looked up at the sky, his eyes following the sun’s position. “Aye, you are right. ‘Tis time to go.” He grabbed the fish in one hand and his pole in the other, and stuffed the jar of bait into his pocket.
The uneasy feeling didn’t abate as they traipsed through the forest heading toward the safety of Brundar’s home. Instead, it intensified. Lachlann’s eyes kept darting left and right as if he was afraid of a bear or a wild boar coming at them.
Lachlann hadn’t been expecting wild animals. He’d been expecting something much worse.
Several older boys emerged from behind the trees, the evil smiles on their faces portending trouble.
Brundar’s instincts kicked in. “Run, Lachlann!” he shouted at his friend as he broke into a sprint. If he made it back home to Anandur and his two uncles, he would be safe.
“Run, little girl, run as fast as ye can, but we are gonna catch ye!”
Brundar ran faster, ignoring the tree branches slapping at him and tearing into his skin, but the boys were gaining on him. He could hear them getting closer. His only hope was that Lachlann had gone the other way.
Lachlann was a fast runner. Mayhap he would bring help…
But the first hand grabbing at him and shoving him face down onto the ground, the heavy body landing on top of him, and the strong hands pinning his arms behind his back, shattered that hope.
Brundar froze in shock as a familiar voice whispered in his ear, “I know you want it, bonnie lass. Ye’ve been asking for it for a very long time and I’m gonna give it to ye real good.”
“Lachlann? What are ye doing?”
Brundar started thrashing anew, trying to buck off the body on top of him. Lachlann was only a year older. He could take him…
“Grab his hands!” Lachlann called out.
Someone did.
Brundar fought, but there were too many of them.
He was helpless.
At first, Brundar had thought they were going to kill him, or beat him up, but he couldn’t understand why. He hadn’t done anything to any of them.
His first inkling of what was coming had been Lachlann pulling Brundar’s pants down.
“Dinnae do it, Lachlann, I am yer friend, please!” He wasn’t above begging, even though he knew it wouldn’t help.
“My bitch, ye mean. And ‘tis time ye put out.”
Brundar felt something thick press against his rear hole.
“Nae!!!” he screamed as his body got violated, the pain unimaginable. He hadn’t known such pain existed.
And then it had gotten worse.
Chapter 15: Tessa
Every muscle in her body aching, her light exercise shirt soaked through with sweat, Tessa felt amazing.
“Okay, girls!” Karen clapped her hands. “Listen up! Your homework is lifting weights. You are all pitifully weak.”
Several of the women dared to snort and giggle.
“Pitiful, I tell you!” Karen repeated with more oomph. “Here is a printed page with all the exercises I want you to do between classes, and I don’t want to hear any excuses like, ‘I didn’t know how’.” She imitated a valley-girl whiny tone. “It has pictures.” She lifted the flyer and tapped it with a finger, then stared each of them down. “Understood?”
“Yes, Karen,” they all replied in unison.
Tessa rolled her eyes. Karen had told them all about her military background, but it would’ve been obvious even if she hadn’t.
The ‘Yes, Karen’ was a lot like ‘Yes, commander’, and Karen insisted they say it after each instruction. Serving three years in the Israeli army as a fitness trainer of an elite commando unit, she’d developed the attitude of a drill sergeant.
She treated the women in her Krav Maga class as if they were warriors and not a bunch of out-of-shape suburbanites. Karen was dead serious about teaching them real self-defense, the kind that might actually work against rapists and other abusers. It wasn’t fancy, it wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t sportsmanlike.
The merciless fighting style went against every feminine and compassionate instinct they had.
It was crude but effective.
A set of skills that could save lives.
“Eva was smart to wiggle out of it.” Sharon wiped her face with a towel. “The pregnancy is just an excuse. Pregnant women can exercise.”
Tessa knew the real reason for Eva’s refusal to join the class was her unnatural strength, but she couldn’t share it with Sharon. The same way she couldn’t share Eva and Bhathian’s romantic love story, or that it was not going to be their first baby, and that their older daughter was already a mother herself. It was hard to be the keeper of secrets. Especially when she had to keep things from people she cared about.
Hopefully, Nick and Sharon would be paired with nice immortal partners soon, and be told about their potential Dormancy.
“How are you doing, girls?” Karen slapped Tessa’s back.
“Great. Everything hurts, but in a good way.”
Karen beamed with satisfaction. “You’ll see. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be able to take down guys twice your size. Krav Maga teaches real fighting skills. It’s not an elegant dance like martial arts, but it gets the job done.”
“That’s why I’m here. I want to kick ass.”
Karen smiled like a proud mother. “Good for you.” She clapped Tessa’s shoulder, then repeated, “Good for you.”
She did it a lot, repeating words and whole phrases in her guttural and harsh accent, often more than twice.
“How about you, Sharon?”
“Oy vey.” Sharon groaned.
Karen laughed, slapping Sharon’s back much harder than she had Tessa’s. “Hang in there. My mission is to turn women into fighters, so they are victims no more. Understand?” She looked into Sharon’s eyes.
“I do, I really do.” Sharon was too smart to get into an argument with Karen.
Their neighbor didn’t hold back punches—the verbal kind. Tessa suspected the woman could knock any of them unconscious with one jab.
Karen nodded. “It’s not easy, and not only because women are not as strong as men. Women are softhearted; they don’t want to hurt anyone. And what do they get for it? They get hurt instead. So be strong, be merciless, and protect yourself. Understand?”
“Yes, Karen.” They both answered as one.
“As you were, ladies.” Karen turned on her heel and walked up to another group.
“Sheesh, bossy woman,” Sharon whispered in Tessa’s ear.
“I like her. Heck, I want to be her. Imagine going through life with that much confidence and attitude. I bet no one ever dreams of messing with Karen.”
Sharon pulled her shoes out of the cubby and slipped them on. “Not me. I don’t want to look like her. She has more muscles than most of the guys I date, which is disturbing. Besides, imagine the endless hours of training that went into that body. Karen is a natural athlete. Neither one of us is.”
“I know. And that’s a shame.” Tessa would not have minded a strong body like Karen’s, even if it made her look more masculine. The confidence and absence of fear would’ve more than compensated for a little loss of femininity.
As she put on her shoes and followed Sharon out of the studio, Tessa filled her lungs with the cool evening air
. It was dark outside, but for once she didn’t feel a tightness in her chest when stepping into a darkened street. “You know what’s weird?”
“What?” Sharon clicked the locks open.
“It’s only my second class, and I already feel different. Not as fearful.” She chuckled. “I’m no longer a shaking Chihuahua. I graduated to a fluffy poodle.”
“Woof, woof. Congrats.” Sharon turned the engine on.
“Thank you.”
“Are you going to Jackson’s tonight?”
“Yeah, why?”
Sharon shrugged. “It’s late, that’s all. Why don’t you invite him over to our place? He can spend the night. You guys can sleep together, as in actual sleep. Should be nice.”
“Yeah, much better than trying to squeeze onto Jackson’s couch. But my room is sandwiched between yours and Nick’s, and the walls are thin.” Tessa felt her cheeks get warm.
“That’s how you wanted it.”
“I know. But things are different now. I’m not as scared anymore. Especially with Bhathian in the house.”
Sharon chuckled. “How much of a badass you think he really is? All those incredible muscles could be just for show.”
“Trust me, they are not for show.”
“Well, he does work for some law enforcement agency, right?”
“Yes.”
Sharon huffed out a breath. “Fine. I know you’re all keeping secrets from me, and I’m kind of sick of it. But whatever.”
Guilt churning in her gut, Tessa didn’t respond.
“Can you at least tell me what the deal with you and Jackson is? Do you love him? Does he love you back?”
A week ago she would have been afraid to admit it, but after two of Karen’s classes in which woman power was infused in every move and every sentence, Tessa felt a little bit like a badass herself.
“Yes and yes.”
“How about, you know…” Sharon waggled her brows.
Tessa blushed and shook her head.
Sharon cast her a sidelong glance. “What are you waiting for?”
What indeed?
Sharon didn’t know the whole story. She might have suspected what Tessa had been through but not the extent of it. Nevertheless, she was right.
Tessa forced a smile and fibbed a little. “I’m waiting for the perfect moment.”
“If you ask me, the Nike commercial got it right: just do it.” She winked at Tessa. “Just do it, girl. Just do it,” she repeated, parroting Karen’s harsh accent.
Good advice.
Tessa pulled out her phone and texted Jackson. How about you come over to my place and we spend the night together in my comfortable BIG BED.
A moment later he texted back. No words, just three emoticons; a thumbs up, a heart, and a smiling face.
Chapter 16: Jackson
Jackson put down the phone, wondering what had prompted Tessa’s invitation. They had talked about him coming over to her place before but had decided against it.
His place offered more privacy. But on the other hand, Tessa had a larger room and what was more important a larger bed. Up until now, the only night she’d stayed over at his place had been that one time she’d fallen asleep on his couch. He’d ended up sleeping on the floor because there was no way they could both squeeze in there. Tessa was tiny and didn’t take up much space, but he did.
Jackson had thought about buying a mattress to replace the couch, but that was before the option of having a brand new house at the new development had come up. There was no point in buying new furniture when the houses came furnished with much better things than he could afford.
Besides, he didn’t want to put pressure on Tessa, and a new bed might have done just that.
Should he bring a change of clothes and a toothbrush?
It wasn’t as if he was moving in.
In the end, he packed a bag, deciding that he was going to leave it in the car. In the morning, while everyone was still asleep, he would retrieve the bag, take a shower, put on a fresh change of clothes, and put it back in his trunk before anyone woke up. Or, he would just drive back to his place and shower there. But then he would miss a chance to have breakfast with Tessa.
As he turned into her street, Jackson saw Tessa sitting outside on the steps. He parked and got out.
“What are you doing out here?” Sitting next to her, he wrapped his arm around her. “Did you change your mind?”
“Not at all. But I didn’t want you to knock or ring the bell. Sharon and Nick are out, and Eva and Bhathian are in their room. You can sneak in with no one any the wiser.”
Jackson frowned. “Why do I need to sneak in? Are you embarrassed about me staying over?”
She shook her head. “No. But I don’t want to answer questions or endure the smirking looks. I’m sure you don’t either.”
Jackson shrugged. “I don’t mind. They are going to know eventually. Unless you want me to sneak out in the early hours of the morning.” He cocked a brow.
“I don’t. When they see you at breakfast, it’s going to be like stating a fact. You slept over. End of story. Somehow it’s different.”
“I’ll probably be gone by the time anyone wakes up. I need to be at the coffee shop before seven.”
“I’ll just tell them that you stayed the night after the fact.”
“Eva and Bhathian would know. Did you forget? Immortal hearing.”
“It’s not as if I want to hide it. I just want to avoid the looks.”
“In that case, I’ll go get my overnight bag from the car. I was planning on sneaking out in the morning for it.”
Tessa snuggled closer. “You see? We were both thinking along the same lines. Way to make me feel guilty for nothing.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry. I’m looking forward to spending the night with you. Even if it’s just to hold you close.”
Tessa lifted her head with the sexiest come hither smile he’d ever seen on her. “I have plans for much more than cuddling.”
Jackson was hard in an instant. “Oh, yeah? What plans?”
She humphed. “I’m not going to tell you. What’s the fun in that?”
Was she talking about going all the way?
Damn, curiosity was eating at him. “Let me get my bag.”
Tessa waited as he retrieved it from his car, holding the door open while he climbed the three steps.
“Let’s keep it down,” she whispered, taking his hand and pulling him behind her up the stairs.
With a slight hitch in her breath, she opened the door to her room and motioned for him to go ahead.
Oh, wow. Tessa had been busy.
Soft music was playing, and several lit candles cast their gentle glow on the room. On one nightstand, a bottle of wine and two glasses sat on a tray, and on the other a platter of cut fruit.
She’d gone all out preparing for tonight.
“Come here.” He dropped his bag on the floor and pulled her into his arms, lifting her up for a kiss. He did it a lot. With their height difference and how little Tessa weighed, it was more comfortable for both of them. Besides, he liked to kiss her while holding her up.
Especially since it seemed to turn her on. But this was the first time she lifted her legs and wrapped them around his torso, returning his kiss with abandon.
Sexy as hell.
Carrying her to the bed, he sat down with her still wrapped around him. Except, now that he didn’t need to hold her up, his hands were free to explore. Reaching under her loose T-shirt, Jackson cupped her perky little breasts over her flimsy bra and kissed her again.
Tessa moaned into his mouth, her hips moving restlessly and rubbing against his groin. A moment later she grabbed the bottom of her T-shirt, pulled it over her head, and tossed it to the floor.
Jackson buried his nose in the valley between her breasts, inhaling her sweet feminine aroma mingled with the strong scent of her arousal.
Her small hands cupping his cheeks, Tessa lifted his head and
kissed him again, her tongue sliding inside his mouth.
Jackson’s eyes felt like rolling back in his head. Never before had Tessa been so assertive, so demanding, and it was hot as hell. But was she pushing too hard? Going too fast?
“Slow down, kitten. There is no rush,” he murmured into her mouth.
“Says who?”
With her lips red and swollen from their kisses, and her eyes glazed with desire, she’d never looked more ready. And yet, Jackson hesitated. He’d read her wrong before.
It was so easy to get swept away in her desire and enthusiasm, but he knew better now. Tessa’s limits were in flux, and if they weren't careful, she’d overreach only to get snapped back to the starting point.
“Says I.” He took her shoulders and steadied her. “I love your passion, and I would like nothing more than to get you naked and under me, but I’d rather take it slow and steady, so you can have all the time you need to process every little step and decide if you’re ready for the next one.”
With a sigh, she leaned her forehead on his. “You’re right. But I feel stronger now, and I want to get a little further. I want you to see all of me. Touch all of me. And I want to do the same to you. Can we do that?”
“Of course, baby, but slowly.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want slow.”
“What if I show you how amazing slow can be?”
Lifting her head, she nodded. “Show me.”
The yearning and hope in her eyes as she said that made Jackson anxious. He wanted to give her every pleasure imaginable, but he’d just set the bar up high. What if she expected more than he could deliver? What if he disappointed her?
Closing his eyes, he shook the momentary insecurity off. He wasn’t an inexperienced virgin. He knew what he was doing and had a well-earned reputation as an extraordinary lover. Quite an achievement for a guy his age. But then it always felt as if he was born to provide pleasure. The knowledge was almost instinctive.
With deft fingers, Jackson unclasped Tessa’s bra and slid the straps down her arms, removing the last barrier between him and her bare breasts. His fangs elongated at the sight of her sweet little nipples, pebbled with need and aching for his touch.