There was a sound, a soft, soothing sound somewhere in the darkness. I tried to ignore it. The dark was warm, safe, a place to hide in, away from pain. Reality hurt, it screamed, it burned. I didn’t want to be there anymore. I wanted to be in the darkness.

A new sound, sharper, a sound that grated, made me stop the fight to remain unconscious and open my eyes. I saw to my right a bowl with a spoon on the side table and a man’s legs. My eyes screwed shut of their own will and I felt my breath catch in my throat. Oh no, he’s here.

I gasped out as fingers reached out to soothe the way my forehead wrinkled, and peace flooded into me. I cracked one eye and saw a stranger there. A rather wooly but very handsome stranger. “Who are you?”

I couldn’t believe how raspy my voice sounded, but he seemed to have expected it. He handed me a mug full of what smelled like chamomile tea. “I’m Fell Sigurdson. You’re safe here.”

“Oh.” I took the mug, but he helped me to hold it to my mouth as I sipped at it. I swallowed, a task that was painful with my throat as raw as it was. How long had I screamed?

I shied away from that thought and looked at him again. Tall, well over six foot tall, he was a giant, with a shock of hair so dark it was almost back with a hint of gray at his temples and a beard unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Full and soft, his beard looked silky where most looked coarse and rough. It looked...sensual.

I looked away, fear a sudden, but familiar sensation that constricted my chest. “Where’s Jim?”

“Who’s Jim?” He pulled the cup away suddenly and tensed, as if on alert.

I wanted to move, but pain filled me every time I breathed too deeply, I knew movement would be next to impossible. “Jim’s, um.”

“Who is he?” His tone was stern, tense. I knew he wouldn’t let up until I answered.

“He’s my brother.” I felt deflated after that and closed my eyes. Jim, a nightmare even when I was awake.

“Ah.” He seemed to deflate. Good, he didn’t realize sometimes brothers could be your worst enemy. “And may I ask your name, since you’re in my bed?”

That part came with a chuckle. I felt a tug at my own lips, perhaps a smile? It had been so long since I’d smiled, I thought I’d forgot how to do it. How long had it been exactly?

Don’t think about it, I reminded myself, you aren’t there now. Somehow.

“Uh, oh, right, what’s my name? That’s what you asked.” I used my less painful arm, the right one, to push hair out of my face. Strands of it had slid down as I spoke and fell into my mouth. I looked at the white bandage around my arm in horror. What had Jim done to me?

“It’s okay, sweetie. Take your time. That will heal, just like your other arm. Now, what’s your name?”

“Sorry, my head is swimming.” I breathed softly in through my nose, and out again.

“It’s okay, you’ve obviously been through the wringer. Take your time.”

“My name is Sasha Earls. I’m from a little town called Tazewell, up in Virginia, and I currently have no idea where I am.” I paused as tears stung my eyes. “I was kidnapped.”

His fingers found mine once again, gentle, warm, yet hard and strong. I looked over at him and up as he sat in the chair beside me. His eyes were crystal gray, and I’d thought they were cold, but now I saw warmth in them. Compassion.

“I kind of figured that might be the case. You’re on Ursa Major land now, in a small county in Georgia. You’re safe here.”

“What’s Ursa Major land?” I didn’t understand what that meant at all.

“It’s a, uh, motorcycle club, so to speak. We’ve built a community here.” He stopped, as if to think about how to put it all exactly. “Kind of like a commune.”

“Oh, cool. Thank you. How did I get here?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

“A woman named Sabina found you and brought you to me. I’m the medic around here.” Words that sounded like he’d said them before, they came out so smoothly, without thought.

“I see.” I didn’t really. Mainly because I didn’t want to. I’d have to think about the rest of it all if I did. “Why didn’t you call the police?”

I didn’t know the question was about to come out; it just did.

“That’s not our way. We handle our problems ourselves.” He looked at me, a fire burned in his eyes that should have given me chills but only made me feel safer.

“I’m not your problem, though.” That made him close his eyes for some reason, but I couldn’t figure out what I’d said wrong.

“You’re on our land; you are our concern. Not a problem at all.” He sat up, and reached for the bowl. “You need to eat, instead of all of this talking. I didn’t know if you were a vegetarian or something, so I made you some vegetarian soup.”

He started to spoon it into my mouth before I could tell him I wasn’t, or before I could even say I wasn’t hungry. As soon as the broth hit my tongue I was ravenous, so I let him feed me. Jim hadn’t fed me for days before our final contact, and the only liquid I’d had was a small bottle was from one of the small bottles of water that looked as if he’d stolen them off an airplane catering service they were so tiny. Nope, not going there, I said to myself and I looked up at Fell again.

“Does your name have some significance? I don’t understand it.” I managed to get the words out before a spoon full of hot soup was put in my mouth again.

“It means mountain. My parents were descendants of Norwegians and had learned the language of their ancestors. They decided to give me a strong name and thought there was little that could move a mountain, and so I was named.” He smiled, a self-conscious but lovely smile.

I looked away, my heart had started to race when he smiled. Now was not the time for that nonsense! I felt my entire body twinge as I jerked my head away from him. The burns on my back! Had he seen those? Had he seen just how psychotic my brother was?

“Why don’t you rest now, Sasha. I don’t have a television or anything, but I can bring you in a book or something if you want?”

“Actually, no, I’m not tired. I think I hurt too much to sleep. Could you stay in here with me?” I didn’t know him at all, but something about his calm manner and quiet ways made me trust him. Made me feel safe, even in a tiny room with no windows.

“Oh. Uh, you sure? I bet when that food hits your belly good you’ll get sleepy. I can stay with you, though.”

“If you have something you need to do...”I let the words trail off and waited. I didn’t want him to go. I had a feeling I’d never want to be alone ever again. Not after Jim turned my world into a living nightmare.

“No, nothing important.” He looked uncomfortable, and I had no idea what to say to him. I didn’t want to talk about what had happened, not yet. When I could sit up without pain maybe I’d be able to think about it all, but right now, I focused my strength on the present. I’d fall into sobs if I let myself remember too much and I needed to heal. So I could make sure my brother got what he deserved.

“What is this place exactly?” I only asked to break the silence.

“It’s a refuge; I suppose. It’s been here a long time.” He paused, and I looked over at him. I knew he thought it was odd that I hadn’t demanded he call an ambulance or the police, but at the same time, he lived in a commune. Maybe he didn’t find it odd at all.

“Right. A place to escape the big bad world?” I hadn’t meant to sound so flippant and rushed to clarify. “The kind of place I needed, I mean.”

“Yeah, something like that.” He stood up. “Let me check your vitals while you’re awake.”

He walked quietly for such a big man, a man made of muscle if the hard feel of his shoulders was any indication. He had to turn me to check my bandages on my back and I’d gripped his shoulders as pain tore through every nerve in my body. He’d barely even made a sound as my nails dug into his plaid shirt, he’d just taken the tight grip and then rolled me gently back to my back. He’d seen my back then.

I guess he’d seen all of me. I didn’t have pants on either. I’d noticed that when he’d rolled me over. I’d felt the heat of his palm against the back of one thigh as he placed his hand there, to push my body a little farther over to inspect my back. I felt heat bring the bruises on my cheeks to life and knew I must look like a battered wife. I wasn’t that at all, I was a sister that stood in the way of her brother’s plans for our parents fortune. I was the sister of a very sick man bent on murder.

He wrote notes on a form, and I closed my eyes against the tears that fell from my clamped eyelids. “Tell me when you’re ready, Sasha. I’ll be here to help, in whatever way you need.”

I let his words wash over me, and tried not to sob.

We both fell quiet again, and before I knew it, the darkness closed in to take me to a place where the pain disappeared altogether.

* * *

When I woke up from a dreamless sleep, I found a woman in the place Fell had been in before. She was lovely, with long dark hair, blue eyes, and a smile made of magic. That might have been the drugs Fell gave me, but she was beautiful.

“Hi, Sasha, I’m Sabina. I found you in the parking lot of the club just down the mountain here. My brothers and I own it. Uh. Is there someone you want me to call?”

“No! Don’t call anyone!” I didn’t mean to react I just did. I felt pain twinge again, in all of the places I hadn’t realized were excruciatingly painful but were.

“I won’t. I promise.” They liked to make promises around here, then. I let my head fall back on the pillows.

“Sorry, I just don’t want to involve anybody until I can walk on my own two feet.” I could see from the slight nod of her head that she got that.

I needed to be able to face all of this myself before I moved forward. I couldn’t move forward until I could actually move, so for now, I’d let sleeping dogs lie. Then, I’d figure out what to do about my brother.

“Could I ask a favor?” I didn’t want to, but it would be worse to ask Fell.

“That’s why I’m here, sweet cheeks! You need the bathroom right?” She stood up, grabbed a black silk robe, and helped me to sit up. I didn’t scream, but it was a close thing. She helped to slide the wide sleeves over the cast on my left arm and then helped me slide my legs over the edge of the bed.

A low wail creaked out of my throat when I tried to stand, but she didn’t flinch and I didn’t stop. The saline, tea, and soup had made it impossible to lie there any longer without a bathroom break.

“At least the bed isn’t so high you have to jump down and jump back up.” Sabina offered as she put her arm around my waist. She was really strong for such a delicate looking woman.

We were fairly matched in height, but she was much more slim than me, and her warm black sweater hid just how strong she was. She led me to the bathroom and waited for me. I did what I needed to do and then cleaned myself up awkwardly. I might have been beaten down and broken, but I was not totally defeated. I was not going to force someone else to wipe me off when I’d peed. My right arm wasn’t too bad just sore and the area covered by a bandage twinged a lot, but I managed it.

How was I going to clean myself up like this though? I had a feeling the bandages meant no bath, or shower, and I wasn’t one to go without bathing.

“Thanks, Sabina.” I said once she’d squirted some hand sanitizer in my hands and helped me up.

“No problem, girl. How do you feel?” She chuckled a little then spoke again. “Like a truck hit you I assume, but is the pain manageable? Fell might have something stronger if you’re in too much pain.”

“It’s not...oh!” I had to stop, a pain lanced through my ribs that stole my breath away, but it passed after a moment. “Jesus, it hurts, but it’s not so bad now.”

“I think you need something stronger.” She said, more to herself than to me.

“No, I don’t want to sleep the next few days away, though I’m tempted to. I need to be awake. In case…,” but I stopped myself, I didn’t want to say that out loud.

“In case what? In case whoever did this comes back? Don’t you worry about that baby girl, we have guards all around the house. Nobody is getting to you, not as long as your on Ursa Major land.” She helped me to pull my legs into the bed and pulled the covers up over me. I still had the robe on and felt as if I was clothed now, anyway. I didn’t feel so exposed.

“Thanks. I don’t know what I did to deserve this kindness, but I will pay back it back, somehow.”

“Eh, it’s what we do, baby. Now, I have to go check on my husband, but if you need me again, send Fell down okay? I’ll be up for hours yet.”

I had no idea what time it was, but knew what she meant. “Thanks.”

I tried to smile, but the pain was almost unbearable again. “You’re welcome. Let me get Fell to bring you something stronger.”

She disappeared and I couldn’t protest. The walk to the bathroom and back had flared every nick, cut, and burn in my flesh into life and it hurt more than I could take. I had my right hand gripped into the sheet when Fell came in, another hypodermic in hand. He inserted it into a section of my IV, some part that looked like it was made for that purpose, and tsked under his breath.

“No this will never do. Somebody has to pay for this angel’s pain.”

I wanted to say something; thank you, I’ll help you kill him, anything, but the medicine quickly ran through my veins and the world went purple and then black. Oblivion.