She May Not Belong to One of Us, but She Belongs to All of Us

Chapter 6

Rev and I walked down a long hallway splattered with ancient looking paintings. However, one stopped me dead in my tracks. It was a painting of all five men as gods. They each displayed their powers in a unique way. Dead center of the painting is Shadows and in his hand was a bright blue lightning bolt. His face was painted looking mysterious in a menacing type of way. To his left Christ's lower half was surrounded by a storm so thick and deep it could be felt through the painting. On the other side of the painting stood Vengeance with a miniature tornado swirling in his palm. Stretching across the bottom was Syn with a dark, murky puddle hoovering underneath him reflecting a decaying version of the man. Sandwiched between Shadows and Vengeance, Rev sat high in a throne of clouds with his already ridiculously blue eyes, pure power lighting them through the paint.

I was reminded that I was not alone when the palm of a hand planted itself on my shoulder. Fear shot through my body as I prepared for the hit I anticipated was well on its way. Though as the seconds began to drift, I was sufficiently shocked when no pain was inflicted. However I refused to turn around to open myself up for a beating.

"Hey we can check the paintings out later but if you want to get on the road before dark we should leave now."

And just like that the hand had disappeared from my shoulder and the sound of footsteps filled my ears. Yet again today had placed me in a position I was so unfamiliar with. It may seem like an odd thing to be discomforted by but as I walk behind the towering blue eyed man it becomes abundantly clear how complacent I was being abused. The worst part of it all is, I don't even know how I can change. Sure nobody wants to be hurt all day but when you've become accustomed to that your whole life, this sudden change comes as a bigger shock than anything else. I once overheard a song lyric that said praying for the best but prepared for the worst. I spent my entire life only living by the second half of that phrase because I knew there was never going to be a better. And despite my many efforts of tearing myself down, I wanted to be hopeful, I just wasn't ready to risk it all just yet.

"Damn, did you get lost?"

The booming voice and laugh that followed alerted me from my train of thought.

"Well, I know you probably don't know much about the area, especially when it comes to Bat Country, but I thought I could show you this little area I always run to when too much shit is floating in my head."

His words drift in my ears as we enter the garage. When the blinding overhead lights flick on, I was able to see the lines and lines of vehicles. Everything from cars to speeding sports cars to motorcycles. Before I could get lost staring again, I followed Rev to his choice which was a beautiful bright blue Chevy Impala. We slide in and immediately I hear the purr of the engine as he presses down on the gas pedal sending the vehicle flying. He was partly true. There was a swarm of things running through my mind. However I knew a pretty view and scenic drive wouldn't be the thing that cleared it for me. Finding my new position in the house and getting adjusted to my new status would be the only things that would bring me some sense of stability. My eyes drifted over to him from the corner, glancing at him in motion. The action of driving didn't quite suit him. His arms and legs were so long and outstretched, he looked better fitted to be an athlete than...whatever he was.

"I know you're probably going to get tired of hearing me tell you to be comfortable, especially with all the shit that just hit you but I want you to know that at the very least you can talk to me. Or ask me a question if you want to know something. I may not be on Heaven's VIP list but I'd like to think I'm not on Hell's either."

There were so many things I wanted to ask, to know. But I didn't know any of these men. The last thing I wanted to do was piss him off and turn his niceness into anger. Instead of rushing to spit out everything in my head, I waited a few minutes trying to know what was equally safe and important to ask.

"What did you mean by placing a claim on me?"

His eyes shot wide and I could practically see the surprise oozing from his pores. I had only seen a look like that once before on my father's face. It was exactly 12 seconds before I got the second worst beating I had ever experienced, the one that almost broke me. Seeing the look on his face, sent my body coiling in fear and my panic levels to spike to the highest of levels. He could kill me. My father, the man who is supposed to be biologically programmed to love me, nearly killed me last time I talked out of turn. This Rev man being a complete stranger, who knows if I'll survive what he'll do to me. Before I could control it, my body was rocking back and forth while I started clenching my legs to my chest.

"Hey, hey. It's okay.. I was just shocked. You spoke to me AND asked a question. But uh... technically it means you're my property. The guys and I kinda came up with that whole thing when we noticed certain guys preferred some of the women and did not want to share."

All I could do was nod my head. It felt so odd but also understandable. Men never have been fond of sharing their toys.

"But I don't plan on doing anything like that to you. It was just with Syn acting like a total dipshit and Shadows actually allowing him to do that shit. I had had enough. Like I said we have our sins to atone for but being the guy who takes advantage of a girl who was raped by her dad is one I'd like to not add to my list."