by Nova Blake
The grass was wet, dewy beneath my feet as I padded across it. An owl swooped overhead, passing me once before it swung back and dipped lower, clipping my shoulder. I gasped, surprised at the pain, my hand going to the wound and coming away bloody.
I came to with a start. I was outside, and this was our grass, our backyard, and I was at the gate, my other hand on the latch. The coolness of the metal burned my fingers and I snatched my hand away, crossed my arms over my bare chest and ran for the door. My fingers fumbled with the handle, the chill of the night blending with my terror at being outside, alone, with no idea how I'd gotten there.
That song...
I finally got the door open and locked it behind me, my breath coming in harsh pants. I dashed up the stairs and into my room, locking that door too before rushing to the window and closing it. The remembered thrum of that song still stirred in my blood, but I closed the curtains and jumped into bed, pulling the covers over my head and pressing my hands to my ears, the last vestiges of the melody fading.
I was wide awake and horrified about what had just happened.
I'd gone outside.
I was about to leave the property.
Naked. With no freaking clue about what I was doing. And this after I'd promised myself I wasn't going to pull any stunts. I was going to play by the rules and not make things hard for the guys.
This was my fault. It had to be. Last night I'd broken the rules and snuck out, and now things were turning to shit. Someone had seen me. Something had happened. That old lady... My hand went to my hair and I felt the comb there. I couldn't recall picking it up or putting it in my hair. I had no recollection of anything after I fell asleep.
Oh my god. What had I done?
I ripped it from my head and pushed it between the mattress and the base of the bed. Tomorrow I'd destroy it and whatever strangeness it had brought into my life. It was farfetched to believe it was the cause of my dream, but I had no other reason for my behavior.
I couldn't let them know. I had to find a way to stay inside.
And tonight that meant staying awake. Pulling my portable DVD player from the drawer I turned it on, the glow of the screen brighter than even the moon, and picked a movie at random, hoping it would keep my mind distracted.
CHAPTER SIX
I dragged myself through the shower before six that morning, making it bitterly cold to try and shock some alertness into my brain. It didn't work. I dressed in comfortable clothes - hell, everything I owned was comfortable, I had no one to dress up for - and headed downstairs, scraping my still damp hair into a pony tail.
I put the coffee on, which took me longer than it should have. Someone else was always up by the time I normally rose, so this was new. The early morning light seeped through the cracks in the blinds but I wasn't ready to open them yet, not ready to see the outside world.
Sipping my coffee, I headed into the lounge and sank into the couch, switching on the TV and skipping to the part of the movie I'd fallen asleep at.
"You're up early," Colton grumbled as he came into the room and plonked down beside me. "And you look like hell. Rough night?"
He had no idea and I wasn't going to tell him the truth of it. "Yeah, weird dreams, had a hard time sleeping." I shuffled around on the couch so that I was facing him. "You look pretty tired yourself."
"Thought I heard something last night, but couldn't put my finger on what it was. The moon is almost full too, that always makes it harder for me to sleep." He yawned, crooking a finger at my mug. I passed it over and he took a sip, cringing as he handed it back. "Dang, that's sweet."
I shrugged. "Figured I need the sugar hit, kick start the morning."
"How about pancakes?"
"I already said I wasn't making breakfast. I think I'm banned from the kitchen."
He laughed, shaking his head as he stood. He reached down and drew me to my feet, still smiling. I wasn't sure I'd seen him smile like that before, and certainly not at me. "I'll be the cook, and you can help. Everyone should know how to make a pancake."
"Okay..."
"Come on."
I followed him into the kitchen, trying to kill the guilt that was building in my stomach. He was feeling kinder towards me for towing the line, and yet last night I'd been about to leave. Again. Naked, this time. He would give me such a dressing down if he found out. I'd never live it down, never see him smile like that again. I didn't think it would matter that I’d had no control over it.
"Grab the eggs and milk, and I'll get the dry ingredients." He hummed to himself as he worked, and I had to admit that I liked this slightly more chilled out version of Colton. He gave me a few little jobs to do, but nothing that would ruin breakfast.
When it came time to cook them I sat on the bench, swinging my feet as I watched him work. His pancakes were perfect circles, light and fluffy and the perfect color. There was no way in hell they'd look like that if I tried to make them. He slathered some butter on the first one out of the pan and passed it to me.
And then I saw him watching me. "Mmmmm," I groaned. "That's the best pancake I've ever had." It was soft and the vanilla flavor mingled with the butter on top. Perfect breakfast. Butter slipped off the still warm pancake and down my chin. I caught it with my hand, licking it off my fingers to clean up.
Suddenly self-conscious, I wiped the rest off on my pants and gave him a cheesy thumbs up. "Delicious." I slipped off the bench, planning to move away, but all it did was bring me closer to him.
"I'm glad you liked it," he said. His green eyes dipped, traveling my body before coming back to my face.
Oh no. Not more of this. I was too tired and I needed to keep my mind clear, focused on the day, and maybe on wearing myself out so completely that I didn't dream, didn't sleep-walk. And I wasn't going to wear myself out by thinking about the men in this house.
"Who knew you could cook?" I raised an eyebrow, hoping to annoy him, but he just laughed and went back to flipping pancakes.
Freedom! I slipped past him and put some distance between us. A whole room, to be precise. No one entered the laundry so I was safe there, at least for the time it took me to empty the machine and put a new load in. I pulled on my boots and went outside, letting the early morning birdsong wash over me, transport me to another place.
The same raven as always hopped onto the end of the washing line.
"Good morning," I said. "Looks like a lovely day for catching bugs and whatever else you have planned." It peered at me, silent, cocking its head the way birds tended to. "Fine then. I'll just go about my business."
There were thick clouds on the horizon, though in the early light I couldn't tell whether they were actually black or just in shadow. Hopefully the sun would burn through them and mean the washing got dried. I was going to work my ass off today, both inside and out. Clean the whole house, weed the garden, pick the little bits of moss from between the cracks in the path - anything to keep me occupied and wear my body out.
I did not want a repeat of last night.
My fingers were chilly from handling the damp laundry, so I rushed through the task, pleased that the boots were sturdy and kept the cold and damp out.
What had I worn back in my old life? Comfortable clothing, or something a little more interesting? I was leaning towards the latter. I'd kill for a pretty dress, but that wasn't likely to happen any time soon. Low on the list of priorities. Along with so many other things.
Laundry done, I went back inside and got busy around the house until the day wasn't so chilly. I might need to tire myself out, but I wasn't going to freeze my fingers off to do it.
THE HOUSE WAS SPOTLESS. The garden weeded to within an inch of its life. And I was flat on my back, stretching out the aches in my body from all the hard work.
"Up you get."
I opened my eyes to find Arien staring down at me. He looked like a giant from down here. A long, lean, strong giant.
"No. I'm shattered. Have you seen the house? It's immaculate." I
closed my eyes again, until he nudged me with his toes. "What?" I glared at him. "I deserve a break."
"You promised you'd do some training and I've got time now."
I groaned. "I'm busy."
He nudged me with his toes. "No, you're resting, and while I can see you've done a wonderful job you still need to train. Come on."
I rolled over so that I was facing away but he bent down, gripped me around the waist and hauled me up from the floor.
"What are you doing?" I squealed and kicked my legs as he hefted me over his shoulder, struggling against his firm grip the whole time, but it didn't seem to make a difference.
"Training, clearly you need it. Your random flailing isn't going to save you in a difficult situation." He chuckled, amused at my ineffectiveness.
I grimaced and dug my knee into his chest, smirking at the oomph he made. Didn't make him release me though. I gave up, going limp, thinking rock like thoughts. I'd heard that made you heavier, but who knew if it was the truth.
"Fine. Put me down. I can walk."
"Good, you're heavier than you look."
I smacked him on the arm, or tried, because he dodged out of the way, swinging the door wide and ushering me through it and into the garage.
Fine. I was slow, and he was fast. He was strong, and I was... Well, not. I'd been avoiding this for a good week or so after the last time left me sore and well aware of just how unprepared I was. It was a wonder I'd managed to avoid being killed when she'd come for me. Maybe one day they'd explain that too. Maybe.
"Do you remember the warm up routine?"
"Stretching first, some light cardio..." I stifled a groan. There was no point whining about it, I knew this was important. I followed him through a series of exercises, feeling the kinks in my body from all the housework that morning. Arien kept me on task, focused on my body and the feel of it - and thankfully in a totally non-sexual way, though how the hell I was going to avoid getting up close and personal at some point, I had no idea.
He had me puffing before we were done warming up, and I promised myself I'd come here and at least jog on the treadmill every day, throw a few punches at the bag. I had to.
"Grab some water, and then we're going to get into some self-defense," Arien said. He hadn't so much as broken a sweat, breathing easy in a way that I envied. I did as he'd instructed, grabbing a bottle from the spare fridge we kept in the garage and taking a big swig.
"You were right," I said between sips. "I do need this. I forgot how serious things are. It's so easy to forget about the bigger picture when your whole world shrinks to four walls." He opened his mouth and I shook my head, held my hand up so he'd stop. "I'm not complaining. I'm just saying it’s easy to lose perspective. I lost mine. It won't happen again."
Arien nodded, a smile lighting his face, white teeth flashing starkly against his dark skin. It was a gorgeous combo. He was gorgeous.
Dammit.
"Come on, what's next," I said, before I could travel too far down the path of wrong thoughts.
He was moving some of the equipment off the main part of the floor, making a clear space. I had to look away, couldn’t let my gaze linger on the sight.
"Self-defense. You need to be able to protect yourself, and as we saw earlier, you're not there yet."
"Yeah, but I don't want to attack you." I put the bottle down on one of the benches and retied my hair.
He put his hands on his hips, his face serious. "Pretend I'm a guy who wants you dead."
"Your whole job is to look after me! How can I pretend?" I threw my hands in the air. It was preposterous.
"What if the whole time we're trying to find a way to get the person who killed you, she's working on one of us, trying to turn us to her cause and kill you?"
My mouth dropped open, the thought literally stunning me into silence. I stood there like a statue, unable to say anything. "But..."
Arien stalked towards me, balling his hands into fists and then flicking his fingers out like an angry tiger unsheathing his claws. "But nothing, Ebony. We're all sworn to keep you safe, but what if she has something over us? What if she threatens our families with death? What if she promises us all the wealth in the world if we cut out your heart out and deliver it to her on a silver platter?"
He was almost on me now. My heart thudded in my chest, almost breaking with each of his questions. What if? Had I been naive to trust them all so implicitly?
I took a step backwards, and then another as he swung his fist at me. I managed to duck under it, but I lost my balance and tumbled to the ground, forcing myself to roll as fast as I could. His foot came down where I'd just been and I panted for breath, scrambling to my feet and putting more space between us.
"Why are you doing this?" The question hurt as it came out, tearing at my throat.
"You need to be more afraid, Ebony, you need to see that you can't rely on everyone else all the time because some day we won't be there. You'll be alone. Isolated. At risk." He lunged again, throwing his full weight in my direction.
I turned, taking his weight on my shoulder, surprised when he glanced off me instead of knocking me over. He winced as he turned, but that didn't slow him down, two steps and he was on me, his hand pressing against my throat. "Are you ready to take this seriously?"
I opened my mouth, then kicked him in the shin, which hurt much more than I thought it would. His lips quirked into a grin and I sagged in relief. "You really had me fooled, Arien. Oh my god. You looked like a vengeful warrior, not like..."
"Like a guy who'd do anything to keep you alive?" His grip softened, then he moved his hand to smooth loose strands of hair back from my face. "Ebony, I really would. Anything. I'd die for you, but I hope it doesn't come to that." He removed his hand, swiping it across his lip and taking a step back to give me some space. "The best thing you can do for you, for all of us, is be as prepared as you can. That's how you help. Be ready. Know how to cause some damage, stall and buy yourself some time so that if there is a chance, we can help."
"And what if you can't?"
His smile was bright. "You're almost never alone. Unless they climb through your bathroom window and steal you away while you're having a shower, then I think we'll catch up pretty fast."
I stepped towards him, putting a hand on his arm. His skin was cooling from our little wrestle, but my insides weren't. "You scared me, you know that? I'd hate to be up against you. I hope you never have to look at me like that again."
"I don't want you to be scared of me." He shook his head, his smile turning sad. "But if that's what it takes to convince you-"
"I'm convinced." I stood on my tip toes and kissed his cheek, wishing I had the guts to kiss him on the lips. But I had to stay focused. He was right about that too, and while I was beginning to think I was giving myself too many rigid boundaries, at least I was the one choosing them now. Not just the person they were being placed on. "Thank you." I went to move away, but he gently grabbed my wrist and pulled me back, a playful frown gracing his brow.
"Hey, who said we were done here?"
I raised my eyebrows, questioning what he meant. He spun me so that my back was locked against his chest, his arm resting against my throat, not so hard that I was afraid, but firmly enough to know what I was up against.
"How are you going to get away?"
I almost asked why he thought I wanted to. I could feel the muscles of his body against my back, feel his breath entering and leaving his body, long and slow, calming me. I had to focus. "Kick you in the shins?"
"That hurt you before, but if you're using your heel it’s not as bad as your toes. Make sure you're wearing shoes when they come for you, okay?"
The air from his soft laughed tickled my neck and I squirmed against him, finding it very hard to concentrate on the question. Dammit. Why could I not just focus?
"You could use a free hand to grab me by the balls and squeeze the hell of out of them, but I'd really appreciate it if you don't." A strangled noise exited
my throat and Arien released his hold and spun me around. "Was I holding you too tight? I didn't mean to."
"No. No your fine. I just..." I looked at the ground, avoiding his gaze.
He laughed again. "Oh, not so sure about touching my junk huh? I wasn't asking you to, I was just saying, if you got caught like that it's an option."
"It's not- Jeepers, why do you have to go and make it awkward?" I threw my hands in the air.
"What?" Arien frowned again, this time genuinely confused. "I wasn't trying to make it awkward. Ebony, are you okay?"
"No, no I'm not. I'm stuck in a house with seven hot ass guys and I'm horny as hell and you are not helping this situation!"
Arien covered his mouth with a hand, his face doing strange things, and it took me a bit to realize he was trying really hard not to laugh.
"Oh my god, I answer you openly and honestly and you laugh at me? I'm done!" I turned and marched towards the door, but he caught up to me in no time, spinning me around, catching me in his arms, our faces inches from each other.
"Ebony, you could solve your problem so easily if you really wanted to. Any one of us would be honored to... help you with that."
Before I had a chance to respond he dipped his head, kissing me deeply, confidently, his tongue slipping into my mouth as though we were lovers, not first time kissers. He certainly knew his way around a woman's mouth. I kissed back, moving our bodies closer and scraping my hand up the back of his neck into his short, curly black hair, opening my mouth to him further, my hunger making me bold.
One of his hands slipped down, cupping my butt and pressing me against him. I could feel the bulge in his pants, my core tightening at the thought of what it might feel like to pull it free, to see the length, the girth of it.
Grinding against him, wanting to feel more, the pressure built up and I wanted his hands under my shirt, on my skin. I wanted his mouth there too. My groan must have cued him to that because he moved on from my lips, ducking his head further so he could kiss along my jawline, down my neck.