Nova and Kol’s Story
NOVA AND KOL’S STORY
Nova
I trailed behind Kol, stepping into the darkness because he made me brave. But he didn’t go to the front door. Instead, he strode to the garage, which was connected to the house by a short, windowed walkway. Pulling out a set of keys, he unlocked a door.
I frowned. I wasn’t exactly a car or tool girl, so I wasn’t sure why Kol was leading us into a place that housed that sort of thing. But still, I followed.
Slipping inside, Kol led me around his Forest Service truck and toward a set of stairs at the back of the space. He took them one at a time, making sure I was with him every step. Then, he opened another door at the top of the stairs and stepped inside.
The scent of sawdust filled the air, and I took in the surrounding attic area. The walls were still exposed drywall, but a living space of sorts was beginning to take shape. A kitchen in one corner, a bathroom in another, and so many windows, the space would be full of light during the day.
“An apartment?” I asked, moving toward the massive window at the back. The moon illuminated the land just enough for me to see glimpses of the pastures and forest, with Mount Lupine in the distance. It was breathtaking.
“An apartment,” he echoed.
I stilled, taking a second before I turned to face Kol. A buzz lit beneath my skin. “Oh.” It was all I could manage to say at first.
Kol simply stood there, waiting for…something.
“And you’re showing it to me because?”
“You should live here.”
He said it simply. Like it was an undeniable truth.
“I should live here,” I parroted. I knew the Archer brothers were protective of Twisted Oak Ranch.
It only took a couple of visits to realize that.
Outsiders weren’t exactly welcome, and I got the impression the few dinners I’d been invited to were exceptions and not the rule.
The fact that their middle brother, Orion, hadn’t graced a single one was proof of that.
“It’ll be ready in about two weeks. Maybe less if I can get my brothers to help,” Kol went on.
“Are you serious right now?”
Kol stared at me, those eyes stormy with flecks of light in their depths. “Phoenix. Sometimes, we have to walk before we run. Here, you’ll know you’re safe but will have your space. No one breathing down your neck.”
“Kol,” I croaked.
“I’ve got you.”
My eyes burned. Because I knew those words were the truth. He did have me. I didn’t know why the universe had brought him into my path, but I knew I’d be grateful for the rest of my days.
“You don’t even know me,” I rasped.
Kol didn’t look away. “I know enough.”
The words burned with the most beautiful, scarring heat. “Okay.”
His mouth curved into one of those rare smiles. “Okay.”
Get Into the Fading Twilight Here