Chapter 21
TWENTY-ON E
FLORA
My thighs sting, my ass is bruised, and my pussy is swollen as I lie in bed. I hear the door open, the sound making me flinch. I glance over and see Dax standing in the doorway.
“When I get out of here…I’m sending you my therapy bill.”
Dax walks over to the bed, scoffing. I can feel his stare, but I refuse to look at him.
“You better get me Plan B again,” I demand.
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Lyka seems to like the idea of you pregnant,” Dax states with a sinister tone.
I feel a surge of panic wash over me. I pray to God they have weak sperm.
“You wanna try painting today?” Dax offers. “That cheers you up.”
“Fuck off.”
I want to be left alone and disappear into my mind's black hole. Doing anything joyous right now seems impossible.
Dax leaves the bedroom without saying a word. I let out a deep breath and pull the covers tighter around me.
I abruptly wake up, feeling Dax shaking my shoulder. “Dinner’s ready,” he states while uncuffing me from the bed. I follow him to the kitchen; my body throbs and aches with each step. I look around and can’t see Lyka.
“Where is Lyka?”
“He’s in the barn working on something. He said he’ll eat later.”
“It better not be any more wooden toys.”
I feel too weak to act defiant. I sit on the stool and let out a noise of discomfort as my ass makes contact with the surface.
Dax pushes a bowl towards me. I look down and see a type of stew.
“It’s venison stew,” he says.
“Did you kill the deer yourself?”
Dax nods, his eyes flicking to mine for a second before he looks away. I take the spoon and start eating. The stew tastes excellent. It is probably the best meal I’ve eaten in days.
“Don't suppose you have any wine?” I query.
“I’ll check the pantry. Stay here.”
Dax gets up, walks to the panty, returns with a bottle of red wine, then pours me a glass.
I take a sip, tasting the smooth, rich wine on my tongue. We eat and drink in silence. I begin to feel my muscles relax as the alcohol takes effect.
“So what is Lyka working on then?” I ask, breaking the silence.
“I don’t really know. Lyka likes to keep busy.”
We continue to chat, a strange normality settli ng over us. I keep taking sips of my wine. As we finish our meals, Dax seems visibly more relaxed. I’m halfway through the bottle of wine and my head starts feeling a little light.
Dax and I make our way to the living room where he drops down onto the couch with a beer. I settle next to him, clutching my glass of wine.
I set my wine glass on the floor beside my feet, careful not to spill it. As I look around, my eyes land on a stereo with music CDs. I walk over and inspect the music.
Dax takes a sip from his beer. “Ah, that's all my mother’s music,” he states.
My eyes skim and I recognize many of the artists my own mother loved. A pang of bittersweet memory hits me, but I push it down. I select a CD that stands out to me and insert it into the stereo. As the music starts to play, the familiar melody fills the room. I let myself get lost in the music as my hips sway. I feel a sliver of happiness, something I haven't felt in a while.
Dax watches me with a mixture of curiosity and something deeper, almost tender.
As I dance, it feels almost like a normal evening for just a moment, as if two people are sharing a simple pleasure.
LYKA
I hear music as I start walking toward the cabin. The beat and words of the music are muffled through the walls, but I pop my head in to see Flora dancing around the living room. Dax is on the couch, his beer in hand, watching her with a sort of bemused expression. I enter the cabin, locking the door behind me. Dax looks over to me, shaking his head with a laugh, and walks over.
Dax holds up a beer for me to take. “Yeah…she’s drunk,” he says .
“Fuck’s sake,” I mutter, shaking my head.
I see a CD case on the side table and pick it up. The song Left Outside Alone by Anastacia blares from the speakers. I show Dax the CD case and ask, “Wasn't this Mom’s?”
Nodding, Dax can’t help but chuckle and sit back on the couch, his eyes following Flora around the room. Flora holds her glass of wine, swaying to the music with a surprising grace. She starts singing, her powerful and emotional voice filling the room with the poignant words of the song.
“ Left broken, empty, and in despair ,” she sings, dramatically pointing a finger at Dax.
He raises an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. Flora’s performance is raw, anger mixed with sadness. Her body moves with the music as her voice cracks with emotion.
She whisks her hair and takes a long sip of her wine. My eyes flicker to the wine bottle on the floor. It’s nearly empty.
Dax leans back in his chair and takes another swig of his beer. “Damn, she's really feeling it.”
I watch Flora as she becomes more extreme and expressive. When the song’s chorus comes around, she yells out the words, her voice echoing through the cabin. Flora sings, directing her words at me and Dax.
I gently pace over to Flora, catching her on the arm as she spins around. She looks at me, her eyes all wide and glassy.
“Flora…Maybe you should sit down?” I suggest.
Her eyes blink several times and her expression changes from defiance to vulnerability.
“No! I want to forget. I want to dance,” she slurs and nudges me off her.
Part of me feels a twinge of guilt for just a moment and then I come to my senses. She is singing this song and directing it at us. I can feel the bitterness in her tone. She stumbles toward Dax and straddles his lap as the song ends .
“I hate you so much. Just let me go,” she slurs.
She leans forward, her lips brushing his in a sloppy, drunken kiss. Dax doesn't kiss back. His hands hold the tops of her arms, steadying her.
“Flower, you’re drunk. Let's get you to bed.”
She leans backward, her eyes unfocused as she sways dizzily. I see her falling back and quickly catch her before she tumbles off Dax’s lap. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her upright. “Whoa, easy there.”
I support her weight as I help her stand. Her legs wobble as she leans heavily on me for support.
“Yup…I’m taking you to bed,” I say.
Dax shakes his head and agrees. Together, we guide her towards the bedroom. She drags her feet on the floor and stumbles a couple of times. We reach the bedroom and I lay her down on the bed. She murmurs something and her eyes flutter closed as soon as her head hits the pillow. I pull the covers over her, tucking them around her.
Dax walks over to the door. “You coming, dude?” he asks.
My eyes glance at Flora and then back to him. “I’m gonna stay up and watch her. I don’t want her to choke on her own vomit.”
I move a strand of hair away from her face and tuck it behind her ear.
Dax nods and heads out, closing the door behind me. I lie on the blanket and position myself to study her closely. She makes an incoherent murmur. Worrying she will be sick, I reach out and gently turning her head to the side. My thoughts are a tangled mess; I feel guilt, concern, and protectiveness. She stirs once more, her brows furrowing as if discomforted.
“You’re safe,” I whisper.
The night goes on and I lose track of time. I doze off but jerk awake many times, checking that Flora is still breathing .
DAX
I sit in the living room deep in thought, the crackling fire casting a warm glow around the room. It had never been part of the plan to keep her here like this. We'd wanted it to keep her long enough so that, just maybe, over the course of these three weeks, she might come to see things our way on her own. Realize that going back to London wasn't truly what she wanted. Flora is very strong, but yet so fragile. So defiant, but so easily tamed and controlled. We can’t help ourselves. She became our obsession. Her laughs, her artistic talents, her pussy, how she fits perfectly between Lyka and me, just everything about her made me want to keep her here forever. Me and Lyka ain’t ever letting her go. We gave her a second chance in life. She owes us her life now. She needs us. We give her stability and security even if it is in a fucked way. She was adrift in the world and we gave her a place to belong. Isn't that worth something? When I first saw her lying in the forest, I thought she was a figment of my imagination. She looked so lost yet angelic. As I cradled her in my arms, she opened her eyes briefly, looking so astray and hurt. In that moment I wanted to make her mine, forever. Deep inside, I know the truth. We crossed a boundary and there's no going back. She's ours now, bound to us by so much more than mere physical ties. I want to fuck her up in so many ways. I want her to depend on us like the air she breathes, needing to survive.