“Where is she? You keep saying you will bring her to me, yet here you are once again without the girl.” The rage in the man’s voice makes me cower in my hiding spot, wondering what this place is. Shadows surround me and I’m hidden in the corner, hoping no one notices me.

I see a small shadow crouched to the ground. When he looks up, I see Justin’s face. Why is he here?

“I’m sorry, sir. I won’t do it again.”

The man bends down, touching Justin’s cheek. “No, you won’t.”

 

It's been two days since the incident with my mysterious dream stranger. I don't know if I dreamed the whole thing, but if I did it was a really convincing dream.

"Val, what are you doing?" Carter's voice brings me from my memories and I look over to see him smiling at me.

I stayed home from classes yesterday and today. The guys understood I needed some time and when I explained to Cassandra that I was staying home she seemed to know why. That made me feel even more awkward.

Little do they know I have even more pressing concerns. My father refuses to answer my calls, which worries me. If he is dealing with my mother I have a right to know. I want to ask Cassandra, but I have no idea whether she knows or not. If she does know, it hurts me again knowing I can’t trust her to tell me.

I need answers. I want to know exactly what happened and why. 

The hole in my heart where Nat used to be feels like it has grown exponentially in the past few days. The more I think about her death the worse it hurts.

Carter managed to catch me as I was planning to go to the garden. I need to block out some of my pain and find some peace, I just don’t want to go alone.

“Hey. Sorry, just thinking. I want to go to the garden. Do you want to come with me?" I ask, grabbing a jacket as he walks into my bedroom.

They had put my bed back to normal on Sunday. They haven’t said anything, but they kept the spare mattress up against the wall behind the sofa. Clearly they plan to use it again. Oh well. It isn’t bothering me so I am leaving it there.

I pause and watch the way he leans against the door, dressed in sweats and a tank top. His arms bulge out of his shirt and I can't help but admire the strength he projects.

“You see something you like, Val?"

I blush, knowing that he caught me staring. It’s hard not to when I know they want me to be with all of them. Carter is the only one who hasn’t made a move. I don’t know whether he will now or if he’ll leave me alone until I make this decision.

"Come on, Val. I’ll take you," he says, shaking his head with a chuckle. I follow after him, thankful that he didn't linger on my perusal.

We get in a car I haven't seen before, a bright red convertible of some kind, and he speeds down the drive. This must be his car. I know they each have their own cars but his surprises me. It’s quite ostentatious.

As we drive the wind rushes through my hair and I can’t help the smile that crosses my face. I glance over to him and see the small smirk on his lips. “Having fun?” he calls over the sound of the wind in my ears.

I nod, feeling great. “Yeah. It feels amazing to drive like this.” It feels like I’m flying.

We make it to the gym in no time and Carter parks the car, turning to me. He grins and I reach up, feeling the way my hair is askew. I finger brush it back to a semblance of normalcy.

Carter reaches out and grips hold of my hand as I move to step out of the car. I turn back to see him watching me with a serious expression on his face. “I know this must be confusing for you, Val, but please don’t shut me out. If you decide you aren’t interested then we will back off, but first and foremost, I want to be your friend. Even if you need to vent about me, I’ll listen.” He winks at me and I can’t help but grin.

This was the Carter I wanted around me. My friend. How much would things change if I agreed? Would he still be my friend or would everything completely change? That’s what scares me most.

We are all close now and I feel like a relationship could ruin all that.

“I know, Carter. I think I’ve made a decision but I need time to organize my thoughts. I need to decide whether we would have boundaries or rules. I guess it’s just the fine details I’m worrying over. I love you guys as friends and I’m scared to lose that,” I admit, looking down as he rubs his thumb across the back of my hand.

“I understand that.” He smiles and gives my hand a gentle squeeze. “Let’s go inside. Maybe the garden will give you the answers you need.”

I smile as he lets go of my hand and rushes around the car to open the door for me. I hold back the smirk. The chivalrous behavior of these brothers makes me wonder just what Cassandra instilled in them as they grew up. They are respectful and courteous of women which is a good thing. Unusual in this day and age but that could just be my bad experiences influencing me.

He closes the car door when I’m out and places a hand on the small of my back as we walk through the gym doors.

He keeps his hand in place as we walk towards the back of the gym. It’s not too crowded today, just enough people to stop me from feeling self-conscious.

  As we walk, I feel the excitement building inside me. I’m looking forward to just having quiet to let my brain draw. I find drawing helps me make sense of the world around me. It gives me clarity.

Carter stops as we reach the door and removes his hand from the small of my back. "I'm going to be out here with Derek.” He bends down and places a kiss on my cheek and I try not to let the surprise show as he walks away. He turns, walking backwards and calling out. “Oh, and Jax will be here in about an hour so I suggest if you don't want him to bother you, you lock the door."

He turns away and struts over to the boxing ring where I see Derek helping a man get his boxing gloves on.

I reach up, pressing a hand to my cheek where the feel of Carter’s lips lingers and I watch as he greets Derek as if they’ve known each other forever. As they talk Carter gestures over to me and Derek waves. I wave back and hurry into the back room, hoping to avoid questions.  Preparing for the darkness, I reach out and touch the wall before closing the door. I use it to guide me down the declining path. At least this time I know what to expect. As I get closer the light starts to grow and I already feel the beginnings of peace.

I hit the door and stumble a little, smiling at myself. I knew the door was coming but I was still caught unaware.

Swinging the door open, I walk inside and take a deep breath. It's a little cooler than I remember it being last time. The couch looks the same and my eyes immediately go to the notebook Jaxson has left on the table.

Curiosity begs me to read it but I fight the urge, opening the drawer and finding my sketch pad and pencils waiting for me. It would be a violation of his privacy to even think about reading his personal thoughts. Maybe if I asked him to read it to me then it would be okay? Besides, I don’t know how personal his stories are. I know some people write about their personal life, others write complete fantasy.

I sink into the couch, pulling the jacket Jaxson must have left behind around my now bare feet to keep them warm and settle in, letting my heart draw what it needs.

Hours later I flick though the pages, surprised by what I’ve drawn. The first few pages seem to be me with each of the guys doing mundane things.

Carter and I are sitting back on the edge of the pool laughing, my hair flowing in a non-existent breeze as he watches me, a look of longing in his eyes. He watches me while I seem to be oblivious to his feelings.

The picture of Zane has him sitting at the bar in the kitchen of the main house while I cook something on the stove. He watches me with desire in his eyes. I turn the page and see us in the kitchen, but he’s behind me as I cook, wrapping his arms around my waist. My head leans back into his chest while his head is buried in my neck.

The following page is me and Cooper cradled together in bed, his hand cupping my cheek as I sleep. The pain in his eyes makes tears well. Why does he look so traumatized?

Following that are two of Jax and I sitting in this very room, the glow from the various plants casting us in a magical light. In the first drawing, Jax is writing in his notebook, tears running down his face while I have my back turned to him, refusing to meet his eyes. The second picture we’re looking into each other’s eyes as he reads to me from his book, tears streaming down my face. I see pain in my eyes but I see something else. Something I never dreamed I would. The beginning of love.

Turning the page, I expect to have a blank canvas to keep drawing but I see something that has a gasp slipping from my lips.

The stranger who saved me. He stands tall and proud, his shirtless body giving me pause. On each arm the tattoos are even more pronounced. On the right arm he has script running the length of his arm. Some kind of poem maybe? It’s hard to know since its not in a language I recognize.

The other arm has an image of a man holding a trident. His chest is tattooed with a massive three-headed dog and I can’t help the giggle that slips free. Trust me to draw a person who calls himself Hades with a three-headed dog on his chest.

The door to the room opens and I look up from the picture to see Jaxson. His amber eyes meet mine and a smile breaks free. “Hey, do you mind if I join you?” he asks, gesturing to the empty seat beside me.

I smile up at him. “Of course not, Jax.”

He grins and sits beside me, wrapping an arm over my shoulders, providing me with a bit of extra warmth. The room is still cool, despite the fact I’m wearing my own jacket and have his keeping my feet warm.

He looks down at the picture I was drawing and frowns. “Who’s this?” he asks, and I hesitate. It feels like he shouldn’t know about my mystery stranger but I don’t want us keeping secrets.

“Uh, this is the guy who saved me from being hit by a car Sunday afternoon. He said his name was Hades, but I think he was just messing with me. Do you know him?”

Jax stays quiet, perusing the picture, running his finger over it gently as if afraid the picture may bite. “No, I don’t think so.”

He leans back and looks up at the roof for a moment. I put my sketch pad off to the side and watch him, wondering why he’s so deep in thought. “What’s wrong, Jax?”

He sighs meeting my eyes. “What happened on Sunday afternoon that would lead to you needing to be saved from being hit by a car? Did you purposely try to kill yourself after we left you?”

The pain in his voice has me reaching out to grip his hand. “Shit. No, it’s nothing like that. My friends told me something. They think my mom had something to do with Natalie’s death, or disappearance, whatever you want to call it. I walked out into the storm in need of peace and before I knew it I found myself on the road with a car veering straight at me. I just froze. I thought I was going to die when I was tackled and fell into the ditch on the side of the road.”

I leave out the bit about me being miraculously healed and transported back to the pool house in the blink of an eye. I’m still not sure if that really happened or if I imagined it. Maybe I didn’t hurt myself at all? Maybe I just blacked out on the walk up the road? I don’t know for certain, but I do know I’m not going around telling people I think I saw magic. That would get me locked up in asylum faster than you could say crazy.

He sighs and rests his head against mine. “Fuck, Valerie. You should have told us. I would have never left you alone if I knew you were upset. I never wanted you to get hurt.”

“I’m fine. Not even a scratch on me,” I sooth. “Come on, I’m done for the day. You want to go grab something to eat? Carter is probably still out there. I’m sure he must be getting hungry by now.”

“Sure thing, Val.” He gets to his feet and pulls the jacket off my feet with a smirk. He shrugs it on while I get to my feet and slip my shoes back on with a smile.

I like that he is acting as if there isn’t this big thing hanging over us. We walk back through the tunnel-like corridor hand-in-hand.

Jaxson leaves me just outside the door to go grab Carter, who is now boxing. Derek chooses that moment to walk up beside me. “So, Valerie? You get some of that yet?” he asks with a smirk in his voice.

I fight the blush that rises to my cheeks. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I say, avoiding his gaze as Jax and Carter make their way to me. I move to meet them, only giving Derek a quick glance when we get to the exit. The knowing smile on his face leaves me wondering if he knows exactly what the brothers are into.

Carter and I climb into the convertible, Jax having brought his own car. As we take off I remember to ask what I was thinking earlier. “Hey, are the others coming to get some food?’

Carter glances over at me with a smile. “Nah. Jax and I wanted some time with you. Figured it would be easier for you too.”

I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding and sink into the chair as we drive. I didn’t want to say anything but I think, until I’m ready to tell them that I accept their proposition, I need avoid being overwhelmed by their combined presence.