Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Cora
I’m pacing Orion’s kitchen as he prepares lunch. He won’t let me help. In fact, he says I will never cook for him. It’s impossible for me to wrap my head around that. I’ve been cooking for a long time. Even before my mother died, I had taken over many of the household chores.
I’m nervous. That’s an understatement.
One of Orion’s brothers, Sylas, has gone to my home to retrieve the things I listed.
Orion helped me by making suggestions. I’m grateful.
Sylas will be in and out before Vincent arrives.
I don’t care that he’s going to break into the house to do so.
Apparently he has a lock pick. Vincent might not even realize it happened.
He’s retrieving special things from my childhood, from when it was just me and my mom before she married Vincent. Pictures, a few pieces of my mother’s jewelry, her journals from when she was pregnant with me.
I was beyond shocked when Orion asked me if I had any toys I wanted. I hesitated and felt ridiculous asking for the china doll my mother bought me on my fifth birthday. I also added the stuffed puppy she got me as a baby and the other dolls I’ve been keeping in a box in the closet.
Orion didn’t even flinch. In fact, he seemed pleased. We made this list at the kitchen table, and I sat on his lap the entire time.
It’s not as if it’s been hours. I’ve been here less than one hour. Navin has been stalling Vincent because Orion texted him and asked him to do so, but they will be here soon.
I laughed when Orion told me he had no intention of preparing anything for Vincent at all. That had been a ruse to get me away from my stepfather.
When I hear a vehicle arriving outside, I spin around to face Orion. “This is a bad idea. He’s going to be livid.”
Orion pulls me into his arms. “I want you to go into the bedroom and lock it behind you. Stay in there until you hear me through the door. Okay?”
I nod, but I’m scared out of my head.
“Trust me, Little doll.” He kisses me on the lips. This is my second kiss, and I wish it weren’t at such a dire moment. I’d rather he keep kissing me. It feels so nice.
“Okay.”
He gives me a silly smirk. “Okay, Daddy.”
I draw in a deep breath. What a strange custom. But oddly, it feels right. “Okay, Daddy.” I like the sound of that endearment coming from my lips. It makes me feel special, like I matter to him. He’s right. It’s fitting, based on how he has treated me so far.
By all appearances and his words, he intends to take care of me, and I’m so damn tired that I’d like to let him. The word Daddy makes me want to climb onto his lap and take a nap, and I think he’d like that.
He guides me to the bedroom, kisses me again, and holds my face. “Do not come out until I say so, understood?”
I nod, biting my lip. He’s bossy. That should make me panic. But it’s nothing like the bossy asshole I’ve been living with. Orion isn’t shouting orders at me. He never raises his voice at all.
He’s telling me to stay in his room in order to keep me safe and prevent me from having to face my stepfather. He hasn’t demanded that I clean his floors or cook him a meal. Those are very different types of bossy.
He also hasn’t slapped me or yanked on my arm.
I cross my arms and rub my biceps as I pace Orion’s bedroom. Daddy’s bedroom. It’s very masculine. Rustic. Now that I have a chance to really look at it, I believe it’s custom made. The headboard, nightstands, and dresser are all solid wood.
The bed is kind of high off the floor, which isn’t surprising considering how tall Orion…Daddy is. He’s one of the tallest men I’ve ever seen. Navin is, too. I suspect all of the lion shifters are tall and broad.
I can’t believe how much better my arm feels. It’s not perfect, but it’s not throbbing like it was earlier.
I shudder. He bit me. The man sank his sharp incisors into my arm and injected me with his essence or something.
Holy shit. Does this mean I’m going to become a lion shifter now? How the hell did I not think to ask that?
I wander around, not touching anything. I don’t want to be nosy. I’m a guest here.
Wait. I’m not a guest at all. I live here now.
I can’t wrap my head around that. It’s surreal.
How will I be of any use to Orion or anyone else?
I didn’t even finish high school. Vincent forced me to drop out and take over the household chores before my mother’s body was cold.
He said I was lucky he was going to let me stay in my house.
He told me he could send me to foster care where I would be treated far worse than if I stayed and earned my keep with Vincent.
I’m not at all sure I made the right decision. I probably would be better off if I’d called his bluff. Even if I had gone to a group home or a crowded foster family, at least I would have finished high school.
Vincent wasn’t as mean in the beginning. He’s gotten crueler over time. I’ve been mostly isolated from society for so long that I wouldn’t even know what to do if I ran away. Where would I go? I have no skills. No education. I’d be living on the streets. He’s orchestrated that.
Again, that might have been better. I’ve been growing bolder lately. I suspect that’s why he brought me with him today. He feared I would run away while he was gone. I hadn’t had any plans to that effect, but I’ve certainly thought about it a few times.
At the sound of a roar coming from outside, my heart starts racing. The noise is so loud and scary. I run toward what I assume is a closet door and open it. It’s not large. Not a walk-in closet. It’s just a small room with a bar across to hold clothes.
When another roar fills the silence, I drop down and crawl into the small space, pulling the door closed behind me. My wrist protests, but I ignore it as I turn around, sit on my butt, and press myself against the wall.
It’s dark. I’m scared. What if Vincent hurts someone? What if he hurts Orion?
Drawing my knees up to my chest, I wrap my arms around my shins and hold myself in a little ball. It takes me a minute to realize every inhale draws more of Daddy into me. It’s his closet. His clothes. His shoes. Everything smells like him. Masculine. Woodsy. Dominant.
Is that a scent? The man sure is bossy, but that’s not something a person can smell. Is it?
I want him to come back. I want Vincent to leave so my Daddy will come inside and tell me again that everything is going to be okay. Squeezing my eyes closed, I focus on breathing. In. Out. In. Out.
Daddy’s scent is potent. Is it increasing? That makes no sense. But maybe I’m becoming more in tune with it. When I tip my head back, I see several flannel shirts hanging above me. On instinct, I reach up and tug one down. I bring it to my nose, hold it against my face, and inhale.
Damn. So powerful. My own clothes smell like cheap laundry detergent and cigarettes. Gross.
Suddenly, I can’t stand to be touching the blouse and sweater I’m wearing. They were my mother’s. I’ve been wearing clothes out of her closet for a few years. Vincent said there was no reason to waste money on clothes for me when I could just wear my mother’s old things.
The cardigan I have on was one she wore all the time in the end before she died. She was always cold. I wouldn’t want to part with it, but I would like to wash it before I touch it again.
I quickly remove my cardigan and blouse, replacing them with Daddy’s shirt. It’s far too huge on me. I have to roll the sleeves up several times. I button it up almost to the top. If I stand, it will reach my knees.
But it smells like heaven. Like Daddy. Like this house. Like home.
After opening the door a few inches, I shove my old clothes out and pull the closet closed again.
And then, I fold my arms over my knees and rest my face on my forearms, inhaling over and over, drawing Daddy into me.
Reminding myself that he’s going to take care of Vincent somehow and get rid of him.
Several minutes tick by, and I startle when the closet door suddenly opens. Panicked, I pull my knees in tighter as if I could possibly hide from whoever is out there.
But there’s no need to freak out. The man who squats in front of me is Orion. He reaches in and touches my cheek. “Are you okay, Little doll? I was worried when you didn’t answer the door.”
My breath hitches. Shit. “Oh. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I just wanted to…hide.”
“From me, Little doll?”
I shake my head. “No. I was afraid Vincent would find me. But also, there was roaring.”
He chuckles. “That was my pride brother, Quinn. He was in lion form and strutting his fierce side. It helped. Vincent is gone.”
I stare up at Orion. “But he’ll come back. He has a gun. He’ll shoot you.”
“He won’t shoot me, Little doll. I promise.”
I want to believe Daddy, but he doesn’t know Vincent or how determined the man is.
Daddy fingers the flannel I’m wearing at my shoulder. “You changed. I like this.”
My face heats. I hadn’t considered the fact that he might not like me touching his things, let alone wearing them. I should have asked first. I’d been so preoccupied by Daddy’s scent that I’d simply acted without thinking through my decision.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have touched your things.”
“Cora, you may touch or wear anything of mine you’d like. I don’t have any secrets.”
“My clothes smell like cigarettes.”
“I noticed. I guess you don’t care for that scent?” he teases.
I scrunch up my nose. “It’s gross, and it’s what Vincent smells like.”
Daddy holds out a hand. “Why don’t you come out of the closet, Little doll. You must be starving. It’s way past lunch now.”
“I’m fine,” I tell him. “I don’t eat much.”
“That explains why you’re so skinny. We should get some meat on you.” His eyes twinkle.
I find myself smiling at him.
“Come, Little doll.” He takes one of my hands in his.