Chapter Four
C hapter Four
Noam
“I seriously can’t believe you strapped a pillow to your butt,” the dark-haired man said to Kyson as I peeked around the corner.
“I broke my butt the last time we did this.” Kyson pointed a finger at the other guy. “Don’t you dare sprain a damn thing on your body. Even though this is your idea, I thought Malachi was going to kill me the last time.”
It was clear by the way they spoke to each other they were good friends. I envied them their relationship. I’d made a few friends in my life, but Martin always scared them off.
What I wouldn’t give to have someone I could hang out with, someone who I could confide in and be myself around. That was something I could never do at home. My father controlled my every move.
The only reason I worked was because he couldn’t stop gambling. Now it was my responsibility to pay the bills and buy food. But my paycheck barely stretched. There were many nights I’d gone to bed hungry.
Richard had no idea how much I appreciated the food he’d given me. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had ice cream, let alone sundaes with the works.
Even with a full stomach, I was craving more of his stew.
“Ready?” the other guy asked.
“Remember not to break anything, Dane.”
“Go!”
I covered my mouth to hide my smile when the two took off, but Kyson kept slipping in his socks while Dane tore down the hallway then slid the rest of the way.
“I give up!” Kyson shouted. “I suck at sock-n-slide!” He took a step forward, only to have his right foot shoot from under him.
Before I could stop myself, I shot forward, as if I could catch him from this distance. He shouted, his arms flailing, then he landed on his pillowed bottom. “Shit!”
I stopped, ready to bolt, but Kyson fell to his back, and I was worried he’d seriously hurt himself.
“My life sucks,” Kyson groaned.
“Loser!” Dane yelled from down the hall with a laugh.
When Kyson rolled to his side, his shirt rode up, revealing so many faded scars I couldn’t hold back my gasp.
He glanced over his shoulder, our gazes locking before he yanked his shirt down. There was so much shame and embarrassment in his eyes.
I knew how he felt. I’d been reaching for something on a high shelf at work and my shirt had lifted. My coworker nearly had a meltdown when they’d seen my lower back, then gossiped about what he’d seen to everyone who worked there.
If I could’ve afforded to quit, I would’ve walked out that very day. It was bad enough at home, but now I had to deal with my coworkers whispering about me. I wasn’t paranoid. I’d heard them more than once when they thought I wasn’t in earshot.
Dane walked toward us, and I had to force myself not to run back to the room I’d been in.
“I keep telling Kyson he has nothing to be ashamed of,” Dane said softly, looking right at him. “What happened to both of us wasn’t our fault.”
“But I wasn’t ready to share it with anyone else.” Jaw clenched, Kyson pushed to his feet. He untied the strap then threw the pillow.
“Both of you?” I curled my lips in. Kyson was already upset, and I didn’t want his anger directed at me. My home life was hell, and I didn’t want to make enemies here.
Dane grabbed the hem of his shirt, but I noticed how badly his fingers trembled.
“Don’t.” I shook my head. I’d only wanted to see what the noise was outside my room, not talk about something so deep and personal.
But Dane didn’t listen. He drew in a breath, twisted sideways, then lifted his shirt. Averting his gaze, he said, “Malachi keeps telling me I’m beautiful. You tell me if he’s full of shit.”
My gaze swept over horrific scars. Some were raised from his body, while others were wide enough that they overlapped.
I wanted to ask how he’d gotten them, but I didn’t have the courage.
“Damn,” Kyson whispered, anger flaring in his eyes. “This is the first time I’ve seen them, Dane.”
Dane lowered his shirt and fully faced us. It had taken tremendous courage to show them.
“Time doesn’t always heal all wounds,” Dane muttered. “No matter how many times Malachi calls me beautiful, I struggle to believe him.”
“Satan is your boyfriend?” Oh god! I couldn’t believe I’d just said that out loud! My impulse control, or lack of, was gonna get me killed one day. “I’m so sorry! I can fix this! Sorry, sorry, sorry.”
The two just stared at me, making me want to run and hide, then… they burst out laughing.
Kyson laughed so hard he pressed his hands against his knees. Dane held his side, tears springing in his eyes.
“Oh, man,” Kyson said between fits of laughter. “Best description of the big guy.”
“Hey.” Dane frowned. “You two get along now.”
Kyson twisted his lips to the side. “You call an occasional acknowledgment getting along? But I’ll take that over him hugging me.” He shivered.
“I didn’t mean to insult him,” I quickly said. An image of him creeping into my room to drag me away and throw me into a fiery pit popped into my head.
“He’s intense,” Dane admitted. “But he’s not Satan.”
“Can I…”
“Ask what he is?” Dane finished for me. Was everyone a mind reader in this place? And I still had no idea where I was.
I gave a single nod.
The two looked at each other before their gazes turned toward me. “That depends,” Kyson replied. “Do you plan on staying here?”
“How did you even get inside the castle?” Dane asked. “I’m not accusing you of anything, but that shouldn’t have been possible.”
If I told them the truth, they would think I was insane. A lot of people claimed to believe in demons but as an abstract entity. I’d actually met one.
“I, um…”
“Was it through the farmhouse door?” Dane studied me closely, and I started to squirm.
I didn’t like attention. It never led to anything good.
I simply shrugged.
A smile spread across Dane’s handsome face. “My mind was blown wide open when I discovered it.” He waved his hand around. “One minute you’re standing in a gothic fever dream, the next, you’re outside, hearing birds and staring at a tire swing. I thought I was losing my mind.”
“I thought I’d cracked my head and hallucinated all of it,” I said before I could catch myself. The two were too easy to talk to. Maybe because they’d suffered at the hands of someone evil and I felt a tiny spark of kinship with them.
“Exactly!” Dane’s smile widened. “One minute I’m in a gothic hallway, the next, I’m knocking on the outside of the house trying to figure out if it’s real.”
“I’ve never used that door,” Kyson admitted. “I’ve always used the shimmer.” His eyes rounded as he turned to look at me. “Forget I said that.”
I had no clue what he was talking about anyway. Was Kyson referring to some underground entrance?
“This is one strange place,” I murmured, as if the walls had ears.
“There’s a mirror in Malachi’s bedroom that I swear moved the first time I saw it.”
“Dane…” Kyson said in a warning tone.
“What?” Dane asked, eyes wide, brows hiked. “He’s just easy to talk to. I like him.” He glanced at me. “Can I ask you your name?”
He was asking, not demanding. “N-Noam.”
His features softened. “There’s no need to be nervous around us, Noam. Kyson and I are harmless. We’re human, like you.”
“Dane!” Kyson appeared flustered. “Take a sip of that tea you’re spilling, because I’m not mopping up this mess.”
“I-I don’t want to c-cause any trouble.” I backed away. Richard had said I was welcome to stay, and I was seriously considered his offer, but from Kyson’s clear irritation, I was causing problems.
“It’s not you.” Kyson sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. “I’m just very protective of Giovanni. Of everyone here. They’re my family, and I couldn’t survive if anything happened to them.”
“Me either,” Dane said quietly. “Malachi is my life, as is everyone else living here.”
I would give anything for someone to feel that way about me. The only family I had was my father, but he’d been cut from a malicious cloth. I’d never understood why he was so hateful toward me. We were all each other had, but instead of being close, he took every opportunity to hurt me.
Not once in my life had I’d seen him smile. It was as if his scowl had been chiseled into his features at birth. I had no clue about my relatives, past or present, because he never talked about them.
I didn’t even know anything about my own mother—who she was, why she’d left, or if she was even alive.
Seeing unconditional love up close felt foreign to me, my mind struggling to process this unconventional family I would love to be a part of.
“I would never betray someone’s trust,” I said under my breath, “Especially since no one has ever given me theirs.”
They studied me, causing me to turn my head. I needed to go back to my room since I couldn’t seem to shut up. I’d never shared my life story with anybody before, but god, I desperately wanted a friend to confide in.
Dane nodded toward the floor. “Ever play sock-n-slide?”
The floors gleamed under my shoes, and I could see my own reflection in the shininess. “No.”
At home, our floors were wooden, dull from years of neglect. Even if they were shiny enough to slide across, Martin would call me an idiot for having a little fun.
“Shoes off.” Kyson pointed at my feet. “You’re not clumsy, are you? If you are, I’ll need to grab another pillow.”
“I don’t think so.” Excitement warred with fear at the thought of having some fun. What if I embarrassed myself?
Kyson fell while taking a single step. But they were friends, comfortable laughing at each other. I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle them making fun of me.
But I wanted… no, I was dying to know what it felt like to be a part of such a close friendship.
“Okay. The rules are simple,” Kyson said to me while pointing to the other end of the hall. “Run, then slide when you feel you’re stable enough. You have to touch that wall, but for fuck’s sake, don’t hurt yourself.”
“I did it one time!” Dane argued.
“And sprained your wrist. Then Satan was ready to gut everyone,” Kyson said.
I slapped a hand over my mouth when I snickered at Kyson calling Malachi Satan.
I still had no idea what he was, but Kyson was comical.
He winked at me. “That’s his new nickname, Noam. Thanks.”
Dane rolled his eyes. “Ready to try again, Mr. Always-Falls-Down?”
As I slipped off my shoes, my heart raced like crazy. I couldn’t believe I was actually doing this, while I prayed I wouldn’t wipe out.
“Ready?” Dane asked, bouncing from foot to foot.
I bent my knees slightly, leaning forward. My muscles tensed, ready to spring into action.
“Get set...”
I took a deep breath, wiggling my toes against the smooth floor like this was some Olympic event and I was going for the gold. My heart pounded, but for once, it wasn't from fear. It was excitement bubbling up inside me.
“Go!”
We took off running, our sock-covered feet pattering against the polished floor. As we neared the end of the hallway, I pushed off with my right foot, tucking my left leg behind me. The world blurred as I glided forward, wind whipping through my hair.
I was doing it! For those few glorious seconds, all my worries melted away.
I felt free.
Weightless.
Like I could fly if I just stretched my fingertips a little farther. A laugh burst from my lips, startling me with its unfamiliarity.
The wall at the end was approaching quickly. I reached out, slapping my palm against it just as I came to a stop. My chest heaved as I caught my breath, but I couldn’t stop grinning.
“Not bad for your first try!” Dane called out.
I turned to see him and Kyson sliding toward me, goofy smiles on their faces.
“That was...” I paused, searching for the right word. “Amazing!”
“Want to go again?” Kyson asked, eyes sparkling with mischief.
I nodded eagerly. “Heck yeah.”
We lined up once more, this time with me in the middle. On Kyson’s signal, we took off running. I focused on matching their pace, letting myself get caught up in the moment. At the last second, I tucked my arms in and dropped into a crouch. The extra momentum sent me sailing past Dane, my fingertips grazing the wall a split second before his while Kyson crashed into it. I doubled over laughing, clutching my sides.
It felt so good, so freeing, I couldn’t stop.
Soon Kyson and Dane joined in, our laughter echoing off the walls.
* * * *
I was still stunned at how much fun I’d had as I walked back to my room, but I’d also felt eyes on me. Not the entire time. Maybe the last twenty minutes or so.
What worried me was the farmhouse door. If it had opened for me, would Martin find a way to enter the castle too? Was Silo still inside of him, or had the demon exited my father’s body?
My life was so complicated, and I hated that it was. I’d just been shown the time of my life by guys I didn’t even know, yet my own flesh and blood hadn’t shown me even an ounce of compassion.
That was wrong on so many levels.
Worse, I was scheduled to work at six in the morning and I wasn’t sure what time it was. I hadn’t seen a clock in this place, so I had no idea if only a few hours had passed or if morning was already in full swing.
As intriguing as this castle was, sooner or later, I would have to return to the real world, and I would prefer not to find myself homeless because I no longer had a job.
Deep in thought, still riding my adrenaline wave, I didn’t notice him until I was nearly on top of him.
Then I backpedaled, my heart hammering.
Giovanni just stood there, his arms crossed, studying me as if he couldn’t figure out whether to toss me from the castle or gut me. Just like Malachi, his gaze was so intense I was choking on it. I wanted to run, but my legs felt like they belonged to someone else, rubbery and completely useless.
“Your entrance into our home is still a mystery.” His gaze swept over me, and I felt like I’d just been sized up for a coffin. I had always thought no one could look as evil as Martin, until I met Giovanni and Malachi.
They made Martin’s glare look like a simpering smile in comparison.
I tried to talk, to tell him the door had simply popped open, but I couldn’t force the words past my throat. He was so tall, lean with honed muscles, and could snap my neck with little effort.
My breath hitched, caught on the edge of raw panic.
When Giovanni lifted his arm, I immediately dropped into a crouch, covering my head. This time I didn’t have Kyson or Dane here to save me. I was alone, trapped in the hallway with someone who looked like a natural-born killer.
“I can fix this. I can fix this. I can fix this.” Tears welled up as I waited for the inevitable blow.
But… Giovanni hunkered down, tilting his head to look me in the eye. “Tell me you’re not here to hurt my family and I give you my word you have nothing to fear from me.”
I swallowed hard, but it felt like my throat had sealed shut.
Tremors racked me as he set his phone on the floor where I could see it then said, “Concentrate on the intricate designs. Fully focus on them as you slow your breathing. Deep breath in, slow breath out.”
“What in the fuck are you doing?” Richard erupted as the sound of his footsteps drew closer. “Why is Noam cowering in front of you?”
“I wasn’t hurting or threatening the male.” Each word rolled out like thunder trapped in a storm. “I owe you a debt I can never repay, but do not assume that gives you privileges over me.”
The back of Richard’s legs appeared in front of me, and I had a wild urge to grip his calves for safety.
“You owe me nothing, Giovanni, but you also don’t know me.” Every word was steeped in the kind of authority that dripped with power. “Noam is under my protection, and I take my duties very seriously.”
They fell silent, but I could feel the air rippling with tension. Finally, Giovanni said, “I was merely trying to calm his breathing.”
He walked away, but I still couldn’t breathe any easier. My entire body was tight, like a bowstring pulled to its breaking point. He didn’t seem like the type to back down when challenged, but I was grateful he had.
Richard lowered, just like Giovanni had, his gaze piercing. “Do exactly as I do.” He used the same breathing exercise, only his voice brushed over me like velvet-wrapped steel, as if daring me to follow his lead, to lean into the safety he was offering.
I had to forcibly pull back when my body began to drift toward him, wondering why I was so drawn to him as I fought past my panic.
After a few moments, my racing heart began to slow, my breaths calming as I gradually lowered my arms.
“Are you steady enough to stand?” His warm smile made my heart begin to race again but for a different reason.
“I-I think so.” He held his hand out, but I hesitated, afraid to feel the warmth of his touch.
He eased his hand toward mine, his movements slow enough for me to pull away if I wanted to. But the moment his fingers brushed against my skin my hand latched onto his. The touch anchored me.
The moment grounded me.
Then our bodies slowly rose together, as if that single touch was enough to pull me from the depths of my fear.
I’d never calmed down from sheer terror so quickly before.
Richard led me to my room by my hand, and just as I feared, his touch was warm but also comforting in a way that shocked me.
And a hidden part of me, the one I kept buried to protect, never wanted to let his hand go.