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I belonged somewhere in the woods, amongst nature and all the things I already understood about this horrendous world. And, let’s be clear, it was indeed a horrendous world that we lived in. I had no misgivings about that notion. I had been treated to poorly by my own people my entire life to think any differently. I damn well knew better and I might have been naive in most things but I was far from stupid.
“They’re not going to bite you, ya know?” a deep voice spoke from behind me, scaring the crap right out of me. I whirled around to find the gentle giant who’d made lunch the day before standing in the open doorway behind me. “They are all for you. Wear whatever you want. Scout ordered all of this for you while you were sleeping the first few days after you got here. He guessed at the size so if anything doesn’t fit you correctly just let him know and he’ll get you the proper sizes. He enjoys making sure we all have the things we need, even every day things such as socks. He’s an odd man like that but he means well and you gotta love him.”
Something told me they were all odd men in their own ways and this man was hiding his own oddities from me for the moment. Or, at least, he was trying very hard to. Now that I knew what I was looking for it, it would be easier to spot his tells when he was trying so hard to hide anything from me.
He arched an eyebrow and I realized I was just standing there staring at him and he was likely waiting for a response from me. Well, he’d be waiting awhile. When in doubt my silence always won out.
Silence never steered me wrong and I had learned from a very young age that if I ever was unsure of what to say it was always best to just keep my damn mouth shut. That was a lesson, like most of them, that I had learned the hard way.
“Anyway,” he said as he scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck and I felt bad because I knew I was to blame for his awkwardness when he’d only been trying to be friendly towards me.
Gosh, I was such a fuckup of epic proportions. They weren’t going to keep me around here for very long, that was for sure, if I kept acting like this.
“I thought to warn you that we have company arriving soon. Rain’s family and his coven. That’s two different covens, just so you’re aware. He was originally here because he sent us in to investigate where you came from. That’s not something we normally do, but we’re on friendly terms with the man through his daughter and we’re the closest to where you’re from. So he asked a favor and we obliged.
“We obviously found you in your… condition and then got you the hell out of that place. But Rain still has a job to do. So we’re going back in there tonight. You needn’t worry though because someone will stay here with you and you won’t be asked to come with us. Raven has decided that you’re going to be allowed to keep your secrets until you’re ready to share them. And you’ll learn that here Raven’s word is law.”
I blinked at him like a fool.
And then I blinked some more.
They weren’t going to even ask me to go back there again? I said no once, or had kept my mouth shut on the subject, and that was it? They weren’t going to force me?
“You’ll be safe here with whoever stays behind with you, you have my word. And you don’t have to stay up here in your room. You’re welcome to roam the house at your leisure. I just ask that you please mind people’s personal spaces and not go digging through our bedrooms or our personal belongings. And we will always give you that same curtesy in return. You’re not a prisoner here, Autumn. This is your home for as long as you wish it to be.”
I didn’t have any personal belongings to speak of and I must admit that as much as I wanted to go exploring the house I was in the thought of snooping through their personal belongings had never actually crossed my mind. I wanted to snoop around a bit, I had a curious mind after all, but I was no sneak and even I had to draw the line somewhere. Once that line was drawn for me I would never, ever cross it.
I hated that he thought he had to tell me not to go sniffing through their things. Did they think so little of me? That thought didn’t make me feel very good but I had to be realistic about things here. I was a complete stranger to these men and they took me in without knowing me and opened up their home to me. My feelings were stupid and I needed to get such notions back under control.
“I won’t snoop through your things,” I promised him in a quiet but deadly serious voice while maintaining eye contact with him. The eye contact was hard for me but I managed. I had been taught to look away quickly so as not to offend people by the markings on my face.
It was very important to me that he believed me. For whatever reason I did not want these men to see me in an unkind light. I had never really cared what anyone thought of me before. It was a very strange sensation to be caring about another’s feelings now. Strange and uncomfortable.
I wasn’t sure what to do with it now but I was sure I didn’t want to feel it again.
Very conflicting emotions.
“Will Raven be staying here with me while the rest of you go back to the forest?”
I clamped my mouth shut but it was too late. Why would I ever think it was okay to inquire about any of their whereabouts was beyond me. It wasn’t my place and as a guest here I had no business whatsoever asking anyone to stay with me, least of all their coven leader.
The man did not seem offended in the slightest. In fact, if anything, he seemed slightly uncomfortable with my question. Which didn’t make me feel any better and only served to make me feel worse.
He rubbed at the back of his thick neck again and looked down at the floor while responding. “I’m sorry, Autumn. I’m sure Raven would prefer to stay here with you if that’s what would make you more comfortable but he can’t. Not this time. He has duties to fulfill as the head of our coven and his place will be out there with the rest of us. We’d all gladly stay with you if it’d make you feel better, but for this mission we simply aren’t able to.
“Raven gave his word to Rain so we have to go. It’s likely Rain’s female or his daughter, if she comes, will be the ones to stay with you. Assuming you’d be more comfortable with female companionship than you would be with males. And you are under no obligations to speak with them or entertain them in any way if you do not wish to do so. They will not bother you. I promise.”
This I did not understand. Why they all went out of their way to make sure I was so comfortable with everything all the time. Their kindness made no sense to me.
However, I wasn’t so sure I was all fired up to meet any female from either Rain’s family or his coven. The man did not seem normal and thus far it was my understanding that women were far crazier than men were.
“Thank you for letting me know,” I murmured while dodging eye contact with the man. I wasn’t normal and didn’t know how to behave or pretend like I was.
“Of course,” he said as he turned toward the door that would take him out of my new space.
This whole situation didn’t sit right with me and made me feel quite like a coward. They wanted me to return with them and they wanted me to give them information that might aid them. And I had kept my mouth shut and given nothing away.
Was this how one was supposed to return kindness?
