Page 30 of Anywhere

“Aye, that it has,” Mari answered.

“Are ya okay?” I asked Rook, then kicked the Hunter’s blade away from his hand, just in case. “Was dis your first dust up?”

“Dust up? I fucking killed a guy,” Rook said, looking at his blood-smattered hand. His eyes fixed on the decapitated head that had rolled not far away. “Is this a normal Saturday night for you all? You seem completely normal, killing a group of people.”

“Aye, ya did. And aye, it be normal from time ta time. But if ya hadn’t killed ‘em, ya woulda been on da floor instead.” I looked around at the blood and damage. It was going to be a few days before the pub could reopen. “Come on. Let’s get ya back to Injebreck. Hunters tend to travel in large groups. Dis won’t be all in da area.”

Reaching out, I lifted Rook’s hand and had to suck in a deep breath to battle back the instant desire. “Give me da knife.”

Rook’s hand slowly opened, allowing me to take the blade.

“Mari, is anyone else comin’?”

“Yeah, twenty on clean up. If you need to go, we got it covered til they arrive.”

Nodding, I wrapped my arm around Rook’s shoulders and guided him past the dead men sprawled on the floor. I paused long enough to pull my sword from the back of the man lying in the doorway, give it a quick wipe, and put it back in its sheath.

Rook was quiet until I got in the car beside him. Then he looked over at me, his eyes unreadable. “Is it really like this all the time?”

“Ya mean wit da Hunters and burnt villages and everythin’ else?” Rook nodded. “Aye. Sometimes better, sometimes worse. Ya really had no idea?” Rook slowly shook his head no and leaned his head back on the seat. “Whateva ya father has been payin’ to keep dis from ya, it was a lot. The world is no’ a fun place all da time, Rook. Ya’ve kinda been livin’ like a Flitter wit all da glitz and glamour. Ya know it all be fake, right? No’ da fans, but da rest? As heads of da Faction, we are always at war, and assassins can be around da corner. Ya probably never knew it, but yer pa woulda had guards followin’ ya ta keep ya alive.” I turned the car on and put it in first. “It’s da same all over. Welcome to da real world. Dis is what our family deals wit daily.”

“And Mari and Belle?”

“What about ‘em?”

“They were dressed like….”

“Warriors?” Rook shook his head no. “Oh, you be meanin’ assassins. Well, Mari be one, but Belle no. She jus no how ta fight, we all learn from da time we can hold a blade.”

Rook’s head slowly turned toward me. “I call them the Butterflies,” Rook said and looked at me. “I’ve never seen anyone fight like that before.”

“Ya, dat is exactly wat dey be. Dey look like butterflies, but dinnie kid yerself Mari be lethal and would lay her life down fir ya. When ya bury yer head in da sand, ya put us all in danger, Rook.” The car revved as I pulled onto the road and flew towards the castle. “Fightin’ will be da first thing ya need ta learn if ya plan on stayin’.”

I felt like I was being too harsh, but he was like a newborn babe dropped in a lion’s den. He had to have a severe reality check quick, or he would get someone killed, and I refused to let that happen. Glancing at Rook’s reflection in the glass, I tried to picture him no longer breathing, and my heart spasmed in my chest. No, he couldn’t leave the property again until he learned more and how to fight. I wasn’t going to let him die.

Mari

It felt good to use my skills tonight. Not that it had been a big fight, and not that I wished for Hunters to attack. It simply felt good to be useful and needed. Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around my body and twirled my hair up in a second one before heading out into the bedroom.

“Sweet spirits,” I yelped as Rhys looked up from where he was lying on the bed. “You better not be getting blood on my bed,” I scolded, even though I knew he was in different clothes and the faint smell of his soap lingered in my room.

He looked scrumptious, laying on his back and staring up at the ceiling like he was star gazing. This felt way too natural. It was something he used to do every night before I left for school. He would get scolded and kicked out by my ma or pa. I started to wonder if he secretly liked it.

“What are you doing in here, Rhys?” I whispered like we were committing a sin.

Even though nothing had ever happened, the desire had been there for so long it felt like we were now sneaking around and doing something wrong. Maybe for me, it was. I’d dreamed of him in my bed and not just as my best friend as we hung out and talked. I was too emotionally connected to him to have him in here like this. It was far too tempting to push lines that we couldn’t cross.

“Do ya remember when I used ta sneak in ‘ere all da time?” he asked as I veered to the walk-in closet to find more to wear than a towel.

“Aye I do. How could I forget? Did you know my pa lectured me good more than once for finding you in here?” I said.

He chuckled. His laugh was the same warm, heart-fluttering sound. I quickly pulled on sleep pants and a warm hoodie before wandering back out to the bedroom. I stopped as soon as I left the closet and took a moment to appreciate this and pretend that things hadn’t changed.

“I don’t think he ever found out how you were doing it, though.”

Rhys laughed hard at that. “Aye, there be too many forgotten passages. Wonder what he’d be sayin’ tonight.”

“Probably the same thing he always said. That it’s inappropriate for you to be alone in my room late at night.”