stopped and turned to us. Looked at the others before settling that glare on me. Asked me what the fuck I was doing.” Jimmy moved past him and into the house, leaving Stephen no choice but to follow or stand there looking stupid…or in this case, stupider.
Kasen was asking Jimmy what he wanted to eat, and Leith was sitting next to a tiny plate that had several flowers on it. She was nibbling on one when he sat down. The urge to flick her away was great, but Stephen had a feeling that she’d hurt him in ways that he would feel for years, if not his entire life. She seemed to know what he was thinking and laughed at him.
“ You have never taken her message. Would you like it now?” Stephen nodded. “She said to tell you to leave her alone. That she has enough overbearing dickheaded men in her life, and she does not need another one that thinks he can control her. Also, she said that if you come to find her, she will…I believe she meant this in a way that is not good. She said that if you come to find her that she will ‘fuck you up.’”
“ I’m sure you’re right.” He watched as Kasen sat a large platter of food in front of Jimmy and wondered briefly how he’d made it so quickly. Then he remembered the girl and looked at Leith. “Can you tell me who is chasing her and why?”
“ It is as you think. Her stepfather. I’m not sure what that term is, but that is what she calls him. His name is Edward Barron.” Stephen felt his world pinpoint on the name. Christ, he knew him. “I see that his name has sparked a memory?”
“ He’s a man that I deal with sometimes. His firm does advertising, and when I have some new product that I want to sell, he’s the firm I go to. You say that he’s her stepfather? And that would be a term used to call someone who has married your blood mother but is not your real father.” Leith nodded as she finished the second flower. “I don’t know how old Clar is, but I’m betting she’s older than twenty-one. What does he want with her?”
“ I am not sure. But she mentioned that he will rot in his own juices before she lets him hit her again. Why would he hit someone as lovely as her?” Stephen didn’t know but he was willing to find out and show the man what hitting his mate could get him. “My lord, she is not well enough to defend herself against the elements and someone who may want to harm her. No matter that we’ve heated the cave up for her, she is still out where she can be hurt. Also, she is older than that, my lord. I believe her to be twenty and ten.”
“ I’m hoping that when Jimmy here finishes eating me out of house and home, he’ll take me to her.” He looked at Leith as he finished. “Unless you know where she is.”
“ The same place as before.” Stephen stood up and willed himself to her…to hell with all this waiting around. If she got hurt, it would be his fault. He really didn’t know how it would be his fault, but it just felt as if it would be.
Clar was standing near the fire when he walked into the cave.
“ Are you that stupid?” He looked at her, then behind him when she spoke. “Yes you, you moron. I told you that I was fine. And you told me that you didn’t want me around. Why on earth would you be here now when I’ve done just as you asked?”
“ I told you to wait until you were well.” She sat down, and he decided that enough was enough. “Gather what you are going to need and I’ll take you back to my house. This is just stupid for you to be living in a cave when there is no earthly reason for you to be here.”
“ There’s plenty of reasons, none of which I care to share with you. And as for the stuff I took from your home, it was just food. That guy, Kasen, said it would go bad if I didn’t take it, as neither of you eat food.” She cocked her head at him. “Do you drink from that nice man? If so, I would think you’d be a little nicer, what with his blood in your body and all.”
“ I do not drink
Kasen was asking Jimmy what he wanted to eat, and Leith was sitting next to a tiny plate that had several flowers on it. She was nibbling on one when he sat down. The urge to flick her away was great, but Stephen had a feeling that she’d hurt him in ways that he would feel for years, if not his entire life. She seemed to know what he was thinking and laughed at him.
“ You have never taken her message. Would you like it now?” Stephen nodded. “She said to tell you to leave her alone. That she has enough overbearing dickheaded men in her life, and she does not need another one that thinks he can control her. Also, she said that if you come to find her, she will…I believe she meant this in a way that is not good. She said that if you come to find her that she will ‘fuck you up.’”
“ I’m sure you’re right.” He watched as Kasen sat a large platter of food in front of Jimmy and wondered briefly how he’d made it so quickly. Then he remembered the girl and looked at Leith. “Can you tell me who is chasing her and why?”
“ It is as you think. Her stepfather. I’m not sure what that term is, but that is what she calls him. His name is Edward Barron.” Stephen felt his world pinpoint on the name. Christ, he knew him. “I see that his name has sparked a memory?”
“ He’s a man that I deal with sometimes. His firm does advertising, and when I have some new product that I want to sell, he’s the firm I go to. You say that he’s her stepfather? And that would be a term used to call someone who has married your blood mother but is not your real father.” Leith nodded as she finished the second flower. “I don’t know how old Clar is, but I’m betting she’s older than twenty-one. What does he want with her?”
“ I am not sure. But she mentioned that he will rot in his own juices before she lets him hit her again. Why would he hit someone as lovely as her?” Stephen didn’t know but he was willing to find out and show the man what hitting his mate could get him. “My lord, she is not well enough to defend herself against the elements and someone who may want to harm her. No matter that we’ve heated the cave up for her, she is still out where she can be hurt. Also, she is older than that, my lord. I believe her to be twenty and ten.”
“ I’m hoping that when Jimmy here finishes eating me out of house and home, he’ll take me to her.” He looked at Leith as he finished. “Unless you know where she is.”
“ The same place as before.” Stephen stood up and willed himself to her…to hell with all this waiting around. If she got hurt, it would be his fault. He really didn’t know how it would be his fault, but it just felt as if it would be.
Clar was standing near the fire when he walked into the cave.
“ Are you that stupid?” He looked at her, then behind him when she spoke. “Yes you, you moron. I told you that I was fine. And you told me that you didn’t want me around. Why on earth would you be here now when I’ve done just as you asked?”
“ I told you to wait until you were well.” She sat down, and he decided that enough was enough. “Gather what you are going to need and I’ll take you back to my house. This is just stupid for you to be living in a cave when there is no earthly reason for you to be here.”
“ There’s plenty of reasons, none of which I care to share with you. And as for the stuff I took from your home, it was just food. That guy, Kasen, said it would go bad if I didn’t take it, as neither of you eat food.” She cocked her head at him. “Do you drink from that nice man? If so, I would think you’d be a little nicer, what with his blood in your body and all.”
“ I do not drink
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