Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
It sits rectangular and compact. Built from stacked logs, their surfaces darkened and uneven with age.
A steep pitched roof sits low over the structure but slopes sharply to shed snow.
It’s shingled in weathered wood, a tiny pipe peeking above.
The front porch is shallow but clearly sturdy, supported by thick posts and a twining wooden railing mimicking vines.
“What made you bring us here?” I ask slowly.
He turns his head, smiling knowingly. “This is where you were headed, wasn’t it?”
I don’t answer, focusing on my gut beneath the swallowing hoodie.
“Don’t forget to breathe back there.” He chuckles, tapping my thigh with his thumb.
I pinch his shoulder, laughing quietly against his back. He takes a large step over the stream, thin water running along the pebbles and roots, cool and bright in the low light.
Nyx steps onto the porch, bending as he lowers me down.
“Wow,” I gawk at the view before us. A wash of pale golden grass presses flat beneath the sinking sun across the meadow, while the Jeep sits brightly shining at the bottom of the valley.
Mountains climb to the heavens around us, shielding this sanctuary from the outside world.
Nyx plops down on the step, patting an empty space next to him. “I don’t bite,” he promises.
I push out a sharp laugh. “Yeah, I’ve heard that one before.”
His eyes grow soft as his lips dip slightly into a frown. I quickly interject. “Besides, it’s me you have to worry about.”
I step cautiously to the edge of the porch, lowering myself to his side. He offers a polite smile as he leans over, reaching for my ankles, and tenderly pulls my legs into his lap.
“Just trust me,” he smiles warmly.
I snort. “I’ll make this a one-time exception.”
The first aid kit pops open beside him, and he hums, picking through the box for the right equipment.
“I don’t need this, you know.”
He ignores me, ripping off the package of an antibacterial wipe. “Do you only paint your nails black?” he asks, gesturing to the chipped paint.
“Yes.” I peer over at them, suddenly painfully aware of their condition.
“Why?” He lifts the ripped fabric, examining my wounds.
I snort. “Because I like it.” The torn skin burns. My lip curls, I pull back as he wipes at the debris.
“Sorry.” Nyx readjusts my legs back into his lap. “Are you always so defensive when someone asks you questions about yourself?”
I cross my arms, retreating from his directness. “Are you always so nosey?”
He smirks, peering up at me beneath his dark brows. “Just making conversation.”
“Ha. Well, you’re lousy at it.” I look off into the distance, tracing the edges of the mountain tops.
“Am I? Or are you lousy at dodging simple questions about yourself?” Nyx grabs a dry cloth, dotting carefully around the scrapes. “Would you rather talk about you not being lead anymore? Or your panic attack in the middle of the road?”
My legs stiffen beneath his grasp, and my eyes blur against the view.
“I didn’t think so,” he murmurs, peeling the paper from a band aid. Nyx applies one to each knee, lifting my legs up to place them back on the porch step.
I wrap my arms around my shins, propping my chin onto the bandages.
A hawk screeches above, circling over the cabin.
The ground seems to thrum as a line of off-road trucks pull off the trail without warning, tall frames and reinforced front filling the space.
Roof lights cut through the dusk as they idle to a stop just past Nyx’s Jeep.
The T.A.L.O.N logo is displayed across each one, as all twelve back into a horizontal line.
Large men in navy-blue suits appear at the tailgates, the slamming doors echoing across the valley.
I stand, holding tightly to the wooden railing as my knees threaten to buckle.
“They’re bringing your Torin home,” Nyx whispers.
Each man positions themselves above the cages, tugging at the straps and bungee cords holding them in place. Nyx rises beside me, dialing a number quickly on his cell. I look frantically from him to the cages, a familiar bark thundering against the rock of the mountains.
“Let ‘em’ run,” Nyx directs.
Shutes fly open, flashes of gray sprint instantly into the opening, the wolves barking and snapping at each other’s haunches as they turn in circles for their alpha.
As another chute is raised, the white wolf barrels out, turning sharply on his heels as he hits the ground, snarling at the men above him.
The pack yips, rushing to the white wolf, jumping and colliding against his body.
The final chute is barely open before a large burst of charcoal glides across the golden grass.
The entire pack erupts with joy, barks and howls bounce around us.
My hand flies to my mouth, covering the sob that chokes in my throat.
Nyx mindfully places a hand on the small of my back, offering his silent support.
Torin races up the hill, stopping short of the stream.
He lifts his muzzle into the brisk air and howls his thundering song in triumph for their final release.
I cup my bandaged hands around my mouth and let loose my own strangled howl in victory.
The alpha whirls his golden eyes in our direction.
Nyx pulls slightly at the back of my hoodie in warning.
But Torin tilts his head, locking his glowing gaze onto mine.
This time I let the tears flow as free as the stream between us.
The wolves sprint off into the pines, barking and yipping for their alpha to follow. Torin raises his scarred muzzle, offering me one last glorious howl.
I turn to Nyx, searching for his eyes in the darkness surrounding us.
“I’ve spent a very long time finding myself.
Finding my ‘power’ again after… I—” He holds still as if I’m going to run away if he doesn’t.
“I spent eight years in a relationship, with Ellie and Todd’s dad… he wasn’t, um. He wasn’t kind.”
Nyx stiffens. Even in the dark I can see the muscles along his jaw twitching, but he waits patiently for me to continue.
I release a heavy breath. “I just have spent a very long time healing Nyx. I have fought very hard to heal and get to where I am today. And it felt like it was all washed down the drain in that office. Okay?”
I stuff my hands inside the pocket of his hoodie, picking roughly at my nails.
He exhales slowly, his breath pooling into the crisp air.
Nyx leans down on one knee, motioning for me to hop on.
This time I don’t hesitate. What if I said too much?
What if his reaction is like everyone else’s?
It was always: what did you do? What did you say?
Fear constricts in my chest as my mind races with the judgment. Nyx shrugs me into him tightly, stepping off into the night.
He’s silent the entire walk but holds me steady.
As we round his Jeep, he quietly slips me into my seat, again fastening my seat belt.
I drop my head, embarrassed at my confession to him.
If only I could run off into the pines as the wolves did.
Nyx’s door clicks shut, but the engine doesn’t start.
I peer up at him from my lashes, tears threatening beneath them.
Nyx reaches over, gently lifting my chin.
“You don’t need a title to be a leader, Florence.
You raised your children all on your own and look at who they are today.
All because of you. You don’t need this job to show you have power.
You carry it all on your own, inside here.
” He carefully taps my heart. Nyx sits silently for a moment before clearing his throat, his dark eyes locked onto mine.
“You don’t have to keep walking around with a bullet-proof vest for the rest of your life because of your past, Angry Bones. ”
I close my eyes, absorbing his words. “And Florence?” He pauses, collecting himself. “If another man ever tries to lay a hand on you?” He attempts to collect himself. “I’ll blow it off.” Nyx strokes his thumb over the trail of tears flowing down my cheek, the warmth of his fingers calming me.
Well, that’s an alarming thing to say… yet it sparks something in me. The words settle somewhere deep in my heart. Any normal woman should probably be concerned by that level of commitment to violence.
Unfortunately, I find it oddly reassuring, comforting even.
He faces the steering wheel without another word, turns the ignition and drives us home.