Mira
My shoulder hit the wall with a dull thump before gravity pulled me to the floor. My other shoulder bore the brunt of that impact, although my hip caught a good hit, too. I lay between the bed and the wall, the carpet rough against my cheek, and wondered what had happened.
"I killed her! I killed her!"
"She's tough." Rome's dry voice was getting closer. "I'm sure she survived a little thing like that."
Kerry broke into cursing. I knew I should get up and reassure him, but the floor wasn't moving as much as the rest of the room was, so I stayed where I was.
Then Rome was there. His mouth a thin line, he knelt next to me and ran his hands over my head, neck, back and shoulders. I knew he was checking for breaks, but that didn't stop the shivers that raced up my spine at his gentle touch.
"I am ... confused." I blinked up at him, feeling like an owl.
He snorted.
"Not surprised." He leaned back on his haunches. "Kerry can't stand physical contact. When someone touches him, it triggers his hindbrain to attack. He's working on it, but it's slow going. I assumed Gigi had caught you up to speed. I apologize for the oversight. Are you okay?"
I processed everything he said before I answered.
"Yeah. Let me get up."
He stood with a hiss that made me think he was in pain, then held out his hand.
"Here. I'll help."
"Kerry said you were injured. And I'm fine. I can do it myself, Sir Serious."
I gathered my feet under me and stood, but I staggered and his hand latched onto my elbow, steadying me.
"Thanks." I shook my head, trying to clear it.
"You're going to have a bruise." He touched his fingers to his left cheekbone. "Right here."
"I'll have more than one," I assured him with a snarky smile.
"Better talk to him." He tilted his head in Kerry's direction. "He's panicking."
Confused again, I looked over - and my jaw dropped.
Kerry was lit up with power.
I mean, lots of power.
Like, more power than I knew was possible from one neph. Lightning spat and crackled along his skin, his hair stood straight up, and his eyes—
Normally, I'd say he had the most beautiful eyes in the world. Siberian-husky blue and as smooth as glass. Now, they lit up the room like cold hellfire.
"I'm okay, Kerry." I kept my voice low and even, not wanting to be the match to this gasoline fire. "Settle down."
"I'm sorry!" He locked his hands behind his head. "I'm so sorry! Are you alive?"
"She's standing here talking to you, isn't she?" Rome snapped.
Kerry lapsed into swearing again, and I traded a look with Rome. He shrugged, his face saying it was up to me how I wanted to handle this. I turned back to Kerry.
"Calm down!" I frowned. "I'm fine!"
"Are you sure you're okay? You hit the wall pretty hard."
"So I'll have a few bruises. I've had worse."
"You grabbed me." He dropped his arms. "You can't do that. Please don't do that. Okay? I think I had a heart attack when you hit the wall."
"You and me both. No touching. Got it. Good to know. I'm sor—"
"Don't say you're sorry! It's not your fault, so don't apologize. Look, I'm messed up to begin with, but right now I'm half crazy with worry and afraid of what—" He glanced away and swallowed hard. "Look, if you could help me out by not touching me, I would appreciate it."
"Understood." I moved closer to him, aware of Rome flanking me. "Now, release all this energy so you can try on the masterpiece of armor I've wrought for you."
He didn't dissipate the power like I expected. Instead, he kinda ... swallowed it. Absorbed it or something, I guessed.
I have never seen anything like this guy!
"Sorry, Mira." He shambled toward me with his head down. "I really, really am."
"I know."
"I'll let you punch me if you wanna."
"I'm not going to punch you." I smiled a little. "It was a misunderstanding. They happen between people all the time."
"Yeah, but misunderstandings with me can be fatal." He closed his eyes, misery in every line of his face. "I tried to tell Gigi I can't do this right now. I need to go!"
"What can't you do?" I cocked my head and studied him.
"Be all civilized and crap! I don't wanna hurt any of you!"
Hmm. Go hard or soft? Which would his beloved Gemma use to get her way? I almost smiled. Oh, soft, I'm sure. I can see her giving him the ol' doe eyes, and this boy - this fearsome, fierce boy - caves to her in a heartbeat. I'd bet good money on it.
"Kerry Harker," I layered the words with menace, "are you telling me you're leaving after I put my heart and soul into this cuirass? Why are you being so mean to me today?"
"Huh?" His eyes flew open.
"I put everything into this," I raised my voice just a tad to sound angry, "and now you wanna leave without even trying it on? Don't you appreciate my hard work at all?"
"No, I— Wait. What?"
A knock sounded at the door and Rome reached out to open it.
"Everything okay in here?" Gigi looked at each of our faces.
"Oh, he threw her into the wall, that's all." Rome stood in the center of the room, wearing his mean face. "And now he says he wants to leave."
The muscles in his arms jumped as he crossed them, and my eyes were drawn to his hard biceps, then down to his corded forearms. I had to force myself to look away as Gigi came over to me.
"You tried to touch him, didn't you?" She gave me a sympathetic smile. "My boyfriend Jax is a toucher. I can't tell you how many times Kerry has knocked him down or punched him. Are you okay?"
"Don't worry about it. I'm good."
"And are you okay, Kerry?" She arched an eyebrow and looked him up and down. "Never mind. I can see you're not. Do the breathing thing."
Then I watched as she very deliberately turned her back on him. Frowning, I tried to figure out what message she was trying to send.
And is it to us - or to Kerry?
"Are you getting hungry?" she asked. "I want to call over to the diner with a lunch order."
"Sure." I liked the diner's food. It was way better than what I was used to. "Chicken tenders with honey mustard for me, please."
As Rome rattled off his order, I kept my eyes on Kerry. He'd settled down some, but Gigi was right. He was a double-barrel shotgun on a hair-trigger.
There's a brutality in him that he never completely curbs. Ah! That's what he means when he says he can't be civilized. No matter how much his friends may think they've tamed him, he's a predatory beast first and foremost.
And a part of him likes it that way.
Gigi gave Kerry the stink-eye before she left.
"All right, you two, back to armor. Off with your shirt, Kerry."
I waved a hand, and the dull metal cuirass flew across the room to hover in front of me.
"Um." He shifted his feet and crossed his arms.
"Armor is worn next to your skin, buddy." Rome examined my work with an experienced eye.
"I know it looks like hard metal now, but it'll flow like water once I fit it to you." I made a hurry-up gesture.
"I don't wanna take my shirt off." Kerry cut his eyes away.
"I know not to touch you now. You have any other disclaimers?" He looked puzzled, so I clarified. "Why are you nervous? It won't hurt."
"Pain don't bother me."
"Then what does bother you? Don't tell me you're so modest, it bothers you for a girl to see your chest. You're rocking a great build. What's to be embarrassed about?"
I wasn't lying. He was lean with muscles carved out in all the right places. How many hours a day did this guy spend in the gym?
No wonder he's hungry all the time!
"My skin's messed up." Red stole across his cheeks. "I have a lotta scars."
"Oh. Well, I do, too."
I pushed up one sleeve, then the other, just as I had for Rome, and showed him the deep marks left from the silver knife. He growled and grabbed one of my elbows, angling my arm toward the light and examining it closely.
I froze as I wondered if he was going to go all Hercules on me again. Then a hard chest brushed against my shoulder.
"Stand still," Rome murmured near my ear. "He's okay if he's doing the touching. Regardless, I won't let him hurt you again."
Kerry raised his head and his eyes flicked to Rome, then back at me. His hand was gentle on my arm and no sparks of power bled from him, but fury flared in his eyes.
"Who did this to you?" He looked as if he honestly intended to find - and end - the one who'd hurt me.
"I did it to myself. And I know you saw my back. I'm not overjoyed to have them, but my scars show I survived what shoulda killed me."
He took a deep breath and released me.
"Rome and I are the only ones here." I raised my eyebrows. "So unless you're worried about him—"
"He's already seen it."
"So strip down."
"It's okay, Kerry." Rome took a step back. "It's just your shirt and only friends are in the room. Think of it as a safe time to test yourself."
I wondered what that was about, but shrugged it off. A guy possessed for ten years probably had more issues than I did. And, lordy, I had plenty.
"Trust me, you want this armor." Rome nodded. "It's top quality. Mira, you could show the Sanctuary smiths a thing or two, and some of them have been around for centuries."
"Thank you," I purred. "Just for that, I'll add a little something extra to yours."
While we were bantering, Kerry fingered the hem of his shirt, so I figured keeping the attention off of him might help.
And it was fun to tease Rome.
"Oh, goodie," he deadpanned. "I wonder what?"
"It'll be a special surprise." I looked up at him from under my lashes.
"A nice special surprise?"
"I'll make sure it's something that gets your complete attention."
He laughed, a rich and warm sound that made my heart pound a little faster. To save myself, I glanced at Kerry and saw he'd slid out of his t-shirt. Now, he stood there with a look in his eyes that shocked me, and not because I feared he was about to become violent again.
He looked like he was prepared for pain - or humiliation - and it broke my heart.
Yeah, he was fierce and brave and tough, but he was also fragile. In a very dangerous way. I was wrong earlier. He wasn't a shotgun on a hair-trigger. He was a landmine rigged to explode under the weight of a feather.
Rome moved to stand fully in front of me, and I cut my eyes back to his.
"I can't believe you finished something of such high quality so quickly."
He obviously wants me to look away from Kerry, so, okay. Can do, especially when the scenery is so amazing over here.
"I can be fast or I can be good, and every once in a while, I can be fast and good."
"Ha ha ha, but I'm serious. This really is great work."
"Then thank you more seriously this time, Sir S—"
He put his hand over my mouth, but it didn't stop me from laughing.
"Um, so, what do I gotta do, Boots?"
As I'd hoped, the banter had diverted Kerry's attention from baring his scars. And he was right. He had a lot. I couldn't help but notice them as I told him how to slide into the body armor.
If a scar is proof you survived something that shoulda killed you, this guy should be dead several times over. If he had nine lives like a cat, he'd be on the last one.
When he had the cuirass on, I explained I needed to put a finger on the metal to mold it to him. He nodded and became a statue.
Overdramatic much?
As I poured power into my creation, the metal suctioned to his torso in smooth lines, slick as gel, and perfectly outlined all those cut muscles I'd refrained from commenting on earlier.
"Done! The shoulders are hinged. Open these latches on the sides by pressing your thumb— Yep, just like that. Now, pull it right over your head. Voila! It is done!"
"It didn't feel like water." He held it up and frowned.
"It didn't?" I reached for it to see what was wrong, but Rome waved a hand at me.
"He's very literal, Mira. Not wet like water, buddy. She said it would flow like water. Move over your skin as smoothly as a fluid."
"Oh." Kerry nodded, reached for his shirt, and tugged it on. "Yeah, it did. Moved great. And it wasn't cold, like I thought it might be."
"It'll match your body temperature as soon as you put it on," I explained.
"I'm telling you, it's those little extras that are going to make you rich." Rome gave me a half smile.
"Huh?"
"You could go to work for the armory if you wanted to, or you could open your own shop and put them out of business." He reached over and picked up the cuirass, looking it over again. "Do you know how much a warrior would pay for this? The body temperature feature alone is worth a couple of grand. It hurts to put on cold armor in the middle of winter."
"Oh. So, you don't need me to make you any?" I was shockingly crestfallen.
I don't get to see that chest in all its naked glory? Well, that sucks.
"Yes, I do. I can't afford armor half this good. If I need it, I have to borrow it from the armory. Just filling out the paperwork there is a pain in the backside. And how do I know if the mission is going to require armor until I'm actually on site and hip-deep in goblins?"
Yay, me! Then, my brain overrode my hormones. Mira, my girl, you are fixating on the man. Stop now before it's too late or you'll get hurt. He doesn't belong with you and never could.
"Then I'll work on yours while Kerry's in Norway."
"Thanks, Mira," Kerry said. "I really appreciate you doing this for us."
"You two saved my life." I blinked against the surprising sting in my eyes and turned my head away. "Some people might not think it's worth much, but it's the only one I have."
As I knelt to clean up my work area, Gigi returned.
"The packing is done," she said. "We're ready to load up after we eat. I'm going over to the diner to pick up our order. We're going to eat in my room, so come on over. I left the door propped open."
"Need help?" Kerry went over to the door with her.
"Yes, please."
Left alone with Rome, I fidgeted more than necessary with my tools.
"Thank you for handling that so well with Kerry." He crossed his arms over that wide chest and leaned one shoulder against the wall. "I don't tell other people's secrets, but you helped him out more than you know by not making him feel awkward when he took his shirt off. And for forgiving him for hurting you. I know none of that was easy."
"No worries. It's all good."
Latching the lid of the toolbox, I hefted it up from the floor and set it on the closest bed. A flash of blue near the wall caught my eye and I pulled away the duvet to see what it was.
"Oh, we missed a backpack. I'll take it over to Gigi."
I reached for it - and a hard arm curled around my waist from behind, lifted me off my feet, and swung me around.
Knowing what was coming, my throat tightened and my eyes filled, but I'd vowed long ago that the devil would never again hear me beg or see me cry. I had to be strong so I didn't make a sound when the claws dug in—
I don't know how much time passed before the darkness faded. When it did, I found myself sitting with my back in a corner and my arms curled around my drawn-up legs. Someone was talking, and I heard my name.
"I won't hurt you, Mira. You're in a safe place."
I blinked and tried to remember where I was. Cutting my eyes over my shoulder, I saw a giant of a man on his knees about five feet away with his hands lying palm-up on his thighs. A powerful emotion, one I couldn't name, contorted his features before he noticed I was looking at him. Then his face went blank faster than a hiccup. Otherwise, he stayed frozen in place.
"Mira, it's okay. You're safe. I won't hurt you, and I'll kill anyone who tries to."
His name is Rome, my brain insisted, but I didn't take my eyes off him. You know him. He saved you.
It hadn't been a dream, then. I really was free, and the devil banished. So why was my skin glazed in a fine spray of sweat and my heart thudding like a running horse's hooves?
"I swear you're safe, Mira." One of his hands flexed, as if he wanted to reach out to me, but he stilled it. "Take some deep breaths. I'm sorry I did that."
Eventually, I was calm enough to be embarrassed and dropped my eyes.
"Don't." His voice was harsh. "What can I do to help? What do you need?"
"I'm good." Crap. That came out too shaky to be realistic. I cleared my throat and tried again. "I'm good."
"I didn't think— I should have known— You present yourself so well that I—"
"Stop." My lips curled up at the corners. He was the kind of guy who'd torture himself over it. "Distract me."
Distract us both from what just happened.
"Again, I apologize for manhandling you, but you were going to touch Gemma's backpack and that would have been bad."
"Bad how?"
"It's Gemma's backpack."
"And I can't move it because?"
"Even without using power, a warrior's senses are sharp, most especially scent. It's an innate ability." He stopped holding his shoulders so rigid, which I took as a good sign. "I can smell her all over that bag. If you touched it, I'd smell you on it, too. And since yours is the fresher scent, the most recent, it would drown out some of hers."
"Oh. And that would be bad, you said?"
"Like he told you himself, Kerry's messed up to begin with." His eyes glittered. "Gigi said his warden told them to think of him as a tiger - and that was before Gemma was taken. Now, he can't stop thinking about what might be happening to her and it terrifies him. I think that bag is what's holding him together. If you profaned it, I'm not sure what he'd do, but I know it wouldn't be nice."
"A tiger. Yeah. That fits." I raised my chin defiantly. "Thanks for saving me from that, and for watching out for me earlier, although I can take care of myself."
"I know you can, but that kid is stronger than anyone I've ever met. I could slow him down, but I'd never be able to stop him. Not unless I found a way to suppress his power."
And he'd fight dirty and you wouldn't.
"Every time I open my toolbox, I smell Uncle Putty's garage and remember his kindness to a runaway brat with a smart mouth." I glanced at the blue bag. "Scents are such powerful memory triggers, it's no wonder Kerry takes comfort from having it nearby."
"He sleeps with it. Wrapped around it like a kid with a teddy bear."
"But isn't he rubbing his own smell all over it that way?"
"Warriors don't leave a scent. Another of our innate abilities. Of course, over time, hers will fade naturally."
"Then let's pray we find her before it does," I said with feeling.
"Amen to that. You okay now?"
I nodded.
"You ready to stand up?" He raised an eyebrow, and I realized neither of us had moved.
"Yeah. Sorry."
"You have nothing to apologize for." He stayed where he was as I got to my feet. "Can you do me a favor and ask Kerry to come in here, please? They're probably wondering where we are by now, anyway."
"Oh. So he can get her bag himself." I nodded. "Smart. I'll send him over."
"Thank you."
I went out the door wondering why he still hadn't gotten up off the floor.
#
Rome
I'm an idiot.
Kerry had warned me that she'd be fragile for a long time, and it was only logical that someone coming out of coercion would need time to process through the trauma. Plus, she didn't know me, not really.
Hard to remember that when I feel like I've known her for years.
Kerry pushed the door open, talking before he was in the room.
"Hey, Mira said you needed me to come over. What's up? I was eating—" His tilted his head when he saw me on my knees. "What are you doing?"
"Being an idiot," I sighed. "Can you help me up?"
"Huh?" His face showed confusion at first, but it quickly changed to annoyance. "Why me? Ask John. No, I guess not. He's too injured, and Travis is too puny to budge your huge carcass. Gah! Why did you get down there to begin with? You knew your ribs were too busted up—"
"The food's getting cold while you're standing there whining," I reminded him.
The words were magic to get him to cooperate.
He moved behind me, slid his hands into my arm pits, and heaved all 300 pounds of my sad self straight up. Half blinded by pain, I had a vague concern that his effort would be wasted because I was going to pass out, but - with more kindness than I would have expected from him - he held onto my shoulders and braced me until I stopped swaying.
"I think we're gonna have to trust someone and call in a healer," he said with a sigh. "You're not gonna make it much longer. You're draining your power to hold off the pain."
"I can do it. I've had worse. You have, too."
"What about going to a human hospital? They could at least give you something better for pain than what I can buy over the counter."
"They'd ask about insurance and how it happened and stuff. I'll be fine."
"Sure you will. What were you doing down there, anyway? Proposing?"
"I told you, being an idiot. It's your fault, to be honest. You left Gemma's backpack. Mira saw it and was going to take it out to the car."
He was over at the blue bag before I finished the sentence.
"Did she touch it?" The power in his voice rattled the pictures on the walls.
"No. I stopped her. That's how I ended up on the floor."
"She put you there? Wish I'd seen that." He gathered Gemma's backpack to his chest like it was a baby and headed for the door. "You solid?"
Too bad if I wasn't. He was already outside.
"I'm solid."
"Good," he called over his shoulder. "Let's eat."
Asking myself for the tenth time how I'd ended up here and in this condition, I shook my head and followed him.