Page 38 of Revenant (Spirit Realm #2)
RUE
W hen Gunner stomps after Jameson, the leaner man chuckles and dances out of range, shooting a wink in my direction before dashing from the room. The discomfort of having everyone focused on us when we first entered the kitchen fades, and I silently thank Jameson for the distraction.
While I can heal myself, I don’t want to completely take away the aches and pains of my time spent with Gunner. Every sore muscle is a reminder of what we did upstairs, and I cherish each one.
Dating one person isn’t easy, dating multiple people is going to take time and patience. Despite knowing what we were doing upstairs, none of the other men cast me knowing smirks or lude comments, and the tension in my spine slowly dissipates.
Thumps and cursing erupt from the other room, wood splinters with a loud crack, and Hicks pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing in exasperation. “Enough. We have to live here for the foreseeable future. We can’t do that if you two destroy the cabin.”
Grumbling comes from the other room, then the two hooligans return, though neither looks suitably repentant. Gunner wears his customary scowl, a flush darkening his cheeks as he claims a seat at the table with one muttered word. “Sorry.”
Jameson swaggers into the room after him, straightening his rumpled clothing, and a bright smile breaks across his face when he spots me. “Morning, pookie! I cooked breakfast for you and kept these heathens from stealing any of it.”
He glares daggers at the others, a death threat in his pale blue eyes warning them to behave, and I repress a smirk at how the roles have been reversed. Used to dealing with Jameson’s antics after years of practice, the men good-naturedly take a seat around the table, which seems to satisfy his ire.
He turns on his heel, heads to the oven, and hauls out large, heaping piles of food. After placing the trays on the table, he swings a big wooden spoon at the guys in warning. When no one moves, he grunts, almost in disappointment at being denied smacking them, then grabs a stack of plates.
Instead of handing one to me, he takes time to pile the food high until it’s loaded an inch deep and starts sliding off the edges. He sets the platter—because it is a platter, since the damn thing is nearly twice the size of all the other plates—right in front of me, then fusses with the silverware until it’s perfectly aligned. I’m charmed he would go to such effort for me, and I glance around the cabin when I realize he’s the one who arranged everything. The cabin. The food. The clothing in my closet. Everything was for me.
I glance down at the familiar fluffy pink sweater and skinny jeans I’m wearing and realize that they aren’t just similar to mine—they are mine. He stole them right out of my closet. Maybe I should be pissed at the invasion of privacy, but I can’t even be mad.
It’s like he thought of every last detail, wanting it to be perfect for me.
Silly man.
Nothing else matters as long as I have them.
Everything else is just a bonus.
Jameson places a cup of juice, a glass of water, and a mug of steaming tea in front of me, and a smile creeps across my face at the way he’s spoiling me. When he mutters milk under his breath, his face tight in concentration, I capture his hand and tug him toward me. “Jameson?—”
“Let me get you some milk.” He pats my hand and tries to pull away, but I refuse to release him.
I push to my feet and slip my arms around his waist, resting my head against his chest. “Everything is perfect. Thank you. Come eat with us.”
Jameson leans back, searching my eyes, as if checking my sincerity, maybe checking to ensure I’m happy. I stretch up onto my toes and brush my lips against his cheek. “What you did is amazing! I would have been happy living in a car, as long as we were all together. The home you created is beyond my wildest dreams, and I love it.”
The man clears his throat, fussing distractedly with the edges of my pink hair, fidgeting in my arms as his expression switches between uncertain and shyness. “Yeah?”
“No one could do it better,” I assure him, pleased when he stills and gazes down at me with pale blue eyes full of adoration. Then my stomach growls in a demand to be fed, and he scowls at me.
“Why aren’t you eating?” He pulls back my chair, and I land with an oomph when he virtually shoves me into it and pushes the chair close to the table.
The guys waits as I pick up my fork and take a bite. Only then does everyone else join me, most of them shoveling food into their mouths as fast as they can scoop it. Only Ellis and Hicks have any semblance of table manners, and even that is pushing it. The men are leaner than I remember, sharper and more savage, like they were honed to a dangerous edge and every bit of civilization was stripped away.
It saddens me that their lives were destroyed because of me, and I nearly choke on the small mouthful of scrambled eggs when my throat tightens. “What happened to college and the house you owned?”
The twins and Gunner keep eating, completely unconcerned. Ellis slows and takes a sip of coffee, while Hicks sets down his fork and wipes his mouth with a napkin before speaking. “We deferred a semester and decided to switch to online classes. We are subletting the house to a group of students.”
I underestimated how far they were willing to go for me, and I’m beginning to suspect that I’m the only one who is surprised. If they asked it of me, I wouldn’t have hesitated to do the same, and a strange warmth fills my chest at knowing, no matter what happens, we are in this together.
“What else is bothering you, little vixen?” Ellis asks, watching me over the rim of his cup. Steam slightly fogs his glasses, but that does little to dull the sharpness of his warm brown eyes.
“What if they come after us?” I shove food around the plate, then glance around the room, tears stinging my eyes at the thought of being forced to leave our home.
“I’ve taken measures to keep that from happening,” Ellis says, and my attention snaps back to him, slightly reassured by his calm expression. “I’ve reviewed some of the files, and they are very incriminating. A lot of influential men are listed as backers. If they don’t leave us the fuck alone, I threatened to release the information to the public.”
“Blackmail?” My fork clatters to the plate, and I can only gape at him in shock. I lower my hands, twisting them together in my lap, my stomach churning at the thought of anyone retaliating against the guys. “What if that pisses them off more? What is to stop them from killing us and starting over from scratch?”
My breathing is so rough that my chest tightens, and I fear I’m seconds away from hyperventilating. Ellis roughly pushes back his chair, the scrape of wood screeching against the floor echoing in the room, and he hurries to my side. He drags my chair away from the table, then kneels in front of me.
“I’m not sure if you noticed or not, but I am something of a genius. I would never do anything that would put you or the others in more danger.” He squeezes my hands reassuringly, and I grip him back, clutching him close.
The others gather around us, touching me, as if lending me their strength, and I feel better at their nearness. “Explain it to me?”
“We can’t guarantee they won’t start the experiment over, but I set up code to monitor their systems. If they trigger my program, it will download a worm that will basically nuke their databases and alert us of any infraction.” His eyes glow faintly, static filling the air, and I know he’s fully capable of pulling that off with his genius. He brushes his thumb back and forth over my hands almost hypnotically, and I relax back in my chair.
“If you haven’t deduced it yet, our families are kind of high profile.” Jaceson leans forward and kisses the crown of my head. “We aren’t people who can go missing without questions being asked. Our families might be shit, but they would raise a stink if anything happened to us.”
“Not to mention, we aren’t without allies,” Gunner says in a gruff voice. He places a hand on my thigh, a tiny blush reddening his cheeks at the contact, and he squeezes my leg comfortingly. “No one would dare come after us, not without risking the truth coming out.”
“And if it’s not obvious, we are scary motherfuckers, especially with our new enhancements. You just don’t realize it because we are well-behaved pussy cats around you.” Jameson winks and blows me a kiss before a fierce expression takes over his face. He slips a possessive hand around the back of my neck and squeezes. “No one will take you from us again. We won’t allow it.”
Though reassured, not even the guys can account for every eventuality.
“We also have a backup plan.” As if sensing my doubt, Hicks tightens his grip on my shoulder, and I lean into his touch. “Gunner and I planned to teach you how to fight before all of this started. It’s even more imperative now. We thought we would offer the same to the other inmates.” A tiny smirk quirks his lips. “We will become the very thing they tried to create—our very own unstoppable army.”
My eyes widen in surprise, and a responding smile blooms across my face. “If there are similar research labs, we can hunt them down and rescue others like us. We can keep ourselves safe.”
“Exactly.” Hicks reluctantly draws back, his fingers trailing down my arm in a caress that leaves me shivering. He glances toward the door, then back at me, looking uncertain for the first time. “Would you like to join me when we talk to the others?”
“Yes, please.” I shove to my feet, eager to check on them. If I’m worried about our future, I’m sure they are as well.
“You can leave in ten minutes,” Gunner says, standing to his full height and crossing his arms over his chest with a forbidding stance. “Eat first.”
Dutifully chastised, we all sit back down and eat. It’s not long before we are all suiting up, none of us wanting to be out of sight of the others just yet, maybe not for a long while after what happened. Instead of driving, we decide to walk. Gunner forges a path through the snow. Ellis and the twins follow him, while I remain beside Hicks and the delicious warmth that radiates from him.
The air in the mountains is bitingly cold, the trees only offering moderate protection from the wind. I’m wearing so many layers that I’m practically waddling.
Talk about not sexy.
I should be cold, but I’m too much in awe of being outside and surrounded by a winter wonderland. Two feet of snow fell last night, covering our tracks, and I find comfort in that. The world around us is silent, the sea of snow sparkling under the bright sunlight.
It’s magical.
Until Jameson screams at the top of his lungs. “Snowball fight!”
A missile flies straight toward us. His aim is true, and my eyes widen in shock when a small white ball smacks Hicks right in the face. It explodes on impact, and I swear steam rises as it melts. Water and slush slide down his face, and he very slowly reaches up to wipe it away.
Everyone is frozen for a second…then outright war breaks out when Hicks scoops up a handful of snow to retaliate. Jameson does a full body dive behind a tree, landing in the snow with a puff of powder flying in the air, and I squeak in alarm and follow his lead, quickly darting behind a tree.
Just in time to have a snowball explode against the bark and dust me with tiny particles of ice. We laugh and scream, doing our best to annihilate each other. Gunner uses himself as a shield to protect me, dutifully showing me how to create a snowball and fight back.
Jameson army crawls to new locations, popping in and out of the snow like a fucking whack-a-mole. After twenty minutes, I’m dying from laughter, chilled to the bone, and my cheeks ache from smiling so much.
Every time I shift, snow seems to creep under my clothes and slide down my back. I’m panting, and every puff of breath fogs the air. When we reach the other cabin, I’m shivering in my boots. Literally. Gunner pounds on the door, nearly cracking in the poor wood, then winces, clearly having forgotten about his new strength.
Dallas yanks open the door with his customary scowl, his eyebrows climbing up his forehead when he is forced to tip back his head to look up at Gunner. Since he’s well over six-foot-five inches, I suppose that doesn’t happen to him often. “Fuck, you’re a big one, aren’t you?”
Jaceson snorts while Jameson grins like a lunatic and slaps Gunner proudly on the back. Ellis clears his throat, and though Hicks doesn’t react outwardly, I see a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. Gunner narrows his eyes, then crosses his arms as if self-conscious, oblivious to the fact that the move has his muscles bulging even more and he appears larger than ever.
I push my way forward with a bright smile and an awkward wave. “Hey, Dallas.”
“Dollface!” Without hesitation, he reaches for me. When the guys all stiffen, he refrains from hugging me and hauls me inside the cabin instead. “You’re frozen through. Don’t these brutes know how to take care of you?”
I’m forced in front of a roaring fire to thaw, my guys sneaking between me and Dallas so I’m surrounded by them. Thank fuck no one can die from glares, or Dallas would be toast. The man in question watches in amusement, his lips twitching. “I’ll grab you some hot chocolate.”
“I’ll help.” Jameson bounces up from his spot next to the flames, stalking into the kitchen after Dallas, clearly not trusting anyone else to be in charge of my food. I watch in bemusement as the two fuss over the proper way to prepare the best cup of cocoa.
Sue and Mabel wander in from down the hall, and I squash my smile at their rumpled appearance. They grudgingly take a seat across from us. Sue looks like she’s plotting murder for being awakened so early, while Mabel peers longingly at the kitchen with puppy dog eyes.
I don’t miss her silent shadow, the ghost from the asylum. He places a finger to his lips, silently pleading with me to keep his presence quiet. When he glances at Mabel, his expression softens, love shining in his eyes, and I don’t have the heart to banish him.
I don’t get the impression that he wants to harm her, more like he wants to reassure himself that she will be safe before he passes on to the afterlife. Since I would do the same with the guys, I can’t really blame him. At my subtle nod, he grins before fading into the background to watch from the shadows.
While I won’t admit it out loud, I’m slightly reassured to have another set of eyes watching over the group of misfits. Movement in the kitchen steals my attention, and it’s not long before we’re all supplied with mugs.
I have to bite my lip when my cup has so many marshmallows that they try to flee over the rim, leaving a trail from the kitchen. Jameson is so proud of himself that I accept the huge mug with a smile. Warmth radiates from the ceramic, and I cradle the cup close, inhaling the chocolaty steam, and my mouth waters. I take a sip and groan when delicious chocolate goodness explodes across my tongue…then my eyes widen at the extra heat of liquor burning down my throat when I swallow.
When I meet Jameson’s gaze, he just winks and guzzles the hot liquid, leaving a chocolate mustache smeared across his face. Love for the silly fool fills my chest, and I wouldn’t want him any other way.
It’s only when Sue finishes her mug that she looks up at us, some sort of sanity back in her eyes. “What are you doing here?”
“I have a business proposition for you,” I say, deciding to be blunt and lay everything out for them.
Hicks and Ellis explain our plans, offering different options, and the others overwhelmingly vote to remain with us. We stay for lunch with them, a small group from the other cabins joining us, and the mood is lighter now that they have a place to stay. Only one girl declines our offer, wanting to check on her family first. She is aware of the risks and promises to return.
Jameson and I heal the few who were burned while escaping, then help a few more still having trouble catching their breath with all the smoke they inhaled. Hicks and Gunner talk to each person individually, setting up future meetings and training sessions. Ellis and Jaceson quietly speak with the others one-on-one, gathering a list of supplies they need. Contentment fills my chest as I watch the others plan our future together, the guys so efficient that I let them take the lead, only offering a suggestion here or there.
The sun hovers along the horizon by the time we leave, and I’m hopeful about the future. I’m so lost in my thoughts that I nearly trip over Hicks when he pauses on the steps in front of me. He waves off the others to head home, not speaking until they’re out of earshot. “You okay?”
I immediately nod, but he captures my chin to stop me. “Don’t lie to me. It’s fine not to be okay, especially after everything you’ve been through.”
“I’m…not sure yet.” I shrug and turn away from him to study the beautiful scenery around us. “I’m hopeful, but it doesn’t feel over yet.”
“Your father.” A frown deepens the lines of his face.
Without thought, I reach out to smooth away the lines on his forehead. He lashes out at the same time, capturing my wrist, and I freeze. “Sorry.”
Never once looking away, he presses my hand against his cheek and leans into my touch. “I have a few ideas about your father, but I’m still working out the details. We can discuss things with the others in the morning.”
My pulse skidders at the thought of him facing off against my father. To distract me, Hicks leans forward and nips at the palm of my hand hard enough to sting, and my eyes flare wide at the un-Hicks-like action. He kisses the spot, then turns and presents me with his back. Glancing at me over his shoulder, he slowly lowers himself to his knee. “Would you like a ride?”
I can’t help the smile that breaks across my face, vividly remembering the last time we were in the same situation. Only this time, the smolder in his eyes is strong enough that it lights my body on fire.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he’s asking for more.
He’s asking for everything.
And I don’t hesitate to step forward and wrap my arms around his neck. He reaches back, looping his hands around my thighs. When he stands, he carries my weight easily. We don’t speak as we head back to the cabin, his warmth better than any heating stone. By the time we reach the cabin, I’m so relaxed that I’m nearly asleep.
The rest of the guys have made themselves scarce, giving us time alone. After Hicks kicks off his shoes, he heads straight for my room, never once flagging as he climbs the stairs. He eases me onto the bed, then slips my boots off one at a time before setting them next to each other on the floor in slow, deliberate movements.
He tugs off my hat, strips me of my gloves, and slowly lowers the zipper of my jacket. He watches me under heavy lids, as if waiting for me to object, but I’m done pretending that I don’t want him. When he finally wrestles me from my jacket, he hesitates, and I lift a challenging brow. “Giving up so soon?”
His green eyes darken at my challenge, and I gulp when I swear flames flicker to life within them. Maybe I should be worried, but Hicks would never hurt me. Instead, my body comes alive under his scorching gaze, my skin aching for his touch. He normally keeps his emotions so bottled up that I wonder if he even finds me attractive, but any doubts vanish when it looks like he is seconds away from devouring me whole.