As a little girl, I was convinced nothing could touch me. My father was my hero, big and scary, and I believed he would save me from the darkness. But now, as I walk through the halls, I’m certain he would allow me to be stolen if he could save himself.
I’ve learned the man I always thought a hero is nothing more than a selfish bastard.
That’s what my mother called him, anyway.
The fighting started more the older I got. I’m not sure why. Every night, Dad would be out with friends, he’d come home drunk, and he and Mom would be at each other’s throats. Now, at sixteen, I’ve learned to focus on me, not them.
The fear that trickled through me the first night I heard them is now gone. I’ve since learned adults aren’t perfect, even though they expect children to be. My father is nothing short of a bully, but my mother isn’t any better.
She wants to be seen as perfect.
But she hides a series of secrets that I’m certain would hurt our whole family.
It’s no secret she’s not faithful to Dad. I overheard her on her cellphone a few times, talking to someone. A stranger. But I never can tell who it is. Perhaps one day I should steal her phone and try to figure out who she’s talking to. Maybe then I can fix our family.
When I open the porch door, I feel it, warmth cascading over my body. The nightdress I’m wearing is tiny, hitting me under the butt, and barely covering my chest. The sleeveless material offers no comfort, but it’s too hot to wear anything else.
I look out over the garden, trying to adjust my vision to the black that greets me. For a moment, I’m sure I see a figure moving in the trees, but as soon as it appeared, it’s gone in the next second, and a cold shiver grips me as it slowly travels from the back of my neck to the base of my spine.
“The wolf and the hunter will always find you, little red,” a voice comes from the darkness, causing me to yelp in surprise. And that’s when the thick fingers wrap around my neck and hold me in place.
“No! No!” My eyes snap open and I find luminous green staring back at me. Darius smirks as he hovers over my thrashing body.
“Boo,” he murmurs along my mouth, the warmth of his breath fanning over my face, and I attempt to lift my knee to kick him in the crotch, but he’s fast, grabbing my leg before I can make any contact.
“Get off me!”
He obeys without taunting. “What were you dreaming about?” he asks as he moves a tray from the desk to the bed. He sets it down, and I take in the mug of coffee, and a plate of toast with cheese melting into the bread.
The dream, or rather, the memory, messed with my mind, and I can’t focus on when that was. It feels like the past, a long time ago, but it also feels eerily like the present. I recall my childhood with clarity, but there are moments that seem almost… missing.
Since the first night I heard my folks fighting, till the day Lycan took me, I had strange dreams in the Bardot house. As if I was always meant to be stolen by the hunter and taken by the wolf.
But I can’t tell Darius that. I can’t confess anything to this man. So, instead of explaining what happened, I answer, “Nothing.”
“Didn’t seem like nothing,” he says, a dark brow arching as he regards me. When I don’t respond, he doesn’t push further, so I grab the coffee and gulp it down quickly. The heat scorching my tongue, but the caffeine offering me a sense of calm.
“Thank you,” I say instead. “This is good.” I hold up the mug which is almost empty.
He smiles then, and my heart lurches in my chest. Each time I look at him, he reminds me of my husband. The man who’s wounded because of Darius. “I make a mean coffee.”
“What are you going to do now that you know my grandmother isn’t your mother?”
5
Darius
What am I going to do?
I’ve been so hellbent on revenge; I haven’t thought about the after.
The way she looks at me makes me feel almost human. That’s what Lycan saw, that’s what made my brother fall for this girl. And that’s what she is, too young for me and him, but she’s here, trying to burrow herself in my mind.
“I have to head out for a bit,” I tell her. “You’ll stay right here while I’m gone. Howler will be right outside if you try any funny shit. And trust me…” I pin her with a stare. “They are under order to do whatever it takes to subdue you.” Even though the thought of my men touching her sends rage through me, I can’t help but smile when the fire sparks in her pretty eyes.