Chapter 16
The walk to their base was long and treacherous. At first I attempted to walk it on my own but I was slow and sore from running from Grayson. The pain now hurt just as much as the first day, resetting all the healing I had done.
The giant offered to carry me but my nervous looks told them I didn’t trust him. After asking permission, Julien swept me into his arms, a boyish excitement plastered on his adorable face.
I shouldn’t trust him either, all these men were a threat but if I had to choose one, Julien felt the safest next to Dominic who didn’t offer his help.
There was something about the way Dominic looked at me that felt...warm. Like a hug from a friend after a tragedy, it was the only thing you craved in dark times. He offered a strength, not only in the muscles that rippled across bone but in his demeanor as well.
"Marek, he means you no harm." Julien interrupted my thoughts.
"He’s a giant teddy bear if you ask me. The birds and the bees whisper of the man made of clouds." He told me as I hugged onto his shoulder. I looked to the giant whose shoulders were slumped as he followed behind the younger one who walked with weapons ready at Grayson who was in the lead.
"How did you all get here?" I asked, looking into Julien’s soft features but it was Dominic who answered.
He walked at the back, keeping a careful eye on every person before him. "We were banished here."
The harshness of his statement sent a wave of unease through the group and Julien tightened his grip around my thighs sending a flutter up my spine.
I could feel each of them as their memories drifted into whatever caused them to be banished here.
"How long have you been here?"
"Too damn long," said the younger one from ahead, his back strong and erect.
"Not to worry," said Julien. "I think we’ll all be a lot happier with you here."
I smiled at his happiness, the curve of his lips betraying his sensitivity. "Oh, I can’t stay here. I have to get home to my mother."
Julien shared a look with Dominic and I could see the uncertainty in him. They didn’t think I was going home and I wondered how long too long really was.
The rest of the walk was quiet as we walked through the forest. Grayson stumbled in his bindings while the younger one pushed him farther. Marek acted as a buffer between Grayson and I, jabbing his spear at him whenever Grayson tried to look back.
I sat comfortably in Juliens arms who seemed completely unphased by my weight. I looked over his shoulder to watch Dominic who’s eyes blanketed protection over the group as he scanned for unknown dangers.
I could just barely see a faint scar on his chin, hidden in the beard that matched Grayson’s. He had a rugged handsomeness. His skin was slightly rougher, like a man who’s been outside more than that of a royal who spends most of his time in a castle being waited on hand-and-foot by his maids and servants.
Dominic’s dark eyes, deep and all knowing, caught my admiring stare and his lips curved but I didn’t look away. He was mesmerizing like a painting of a warrior.
When we reached their camp, I was surprised by how advanced it looked. Years, I thought, they must’ve been here for years to build the small village.
Where i had sticks and leaves the last few days as my hut, they had real homes, built out of clay with hatched windows and doors on wooden hinges.
The houses were scattered around the opening where the ground was wore down to the dirt.
In the middle was a fire pit. Stones surrounded charred wood and a contraption built around it, undoubtedly for cooking food.
Benches were placed around the pit and Julien set me down on one while the others secured Grayson to a nearby tree.
I sat and watched as they went about their regular duties. There were more homes than there were men and they came and went as they prepared the fire before me. The hike here had taken hours and sunset was approaching.
They didn’t have the same need to leave me at camp to go out and hunt, their food was nearby and at the ready. A pot was prepared and hung over the fire after it was lit, the warm glow touching the edges of my cheeks.
They worked together without word, a team that has done this day after day. I looked where Grayson sat, who was also watching the men but in a different way.
His snarl stretched through the gag around his mouth and a rage bit into his eyes that would scare any man who dared to catch his glare. Guilt clicked itself inside my chest. If I had the power to save his life then I probably could have him set free.
I wouldn’t though, couldn’t. The looks he gave these men were murderous and even though I should be wary of them, I felt protected in their presence in a way that Grayson had failed to do.
As though he could feel me staring, his eyes met mine. They almost looked to falter, rage turning into a saddened pain. I must’ve been mistaken, however, as they snapped up to one of them who approached me.
Marek offered me a wooden cup of water. I accepted with a small smile and he sat beside me, close enough to chat but far enough to not feel uncomfortable.
"I’m sorry if I scared you earlier, someone my size tends to do that."
The deepness of his voice didn’t match the softness of his personality. He looked animalistic and I wondered what his werewolf form would look like. He held out a hand to me, "My name is Marek, former alpha of pack Diorwood."
I took his hand, the petiteness of my fingers relaxing into the palm three times the size of mine. "Rebel," I said.
His eyes were a brown honey that melted me to my very core.
"Well, Rebel, I hope you can come to trust me and enjoy our home."
They were all such gracious hosts so far, but I couldn’t help the way they acted like this was permanent. I wanted to ask what methods they’ve tried for escape or if they sent out sos signals but my thoughts, and Marek’s conversation, were interrupted by Dominic handing out bowls filled with soup from the pot.
Marek handed me mine and I looked at the smoothed edges of the hand-carved wooden bowl. A spoon was handed to me next and I wondered if they had time to make forks and butter knives as well.
"I made them myself," the younger one said as he sat on my other side and gestured to the bowl and utensil. "I have a way with my hands," he said dubiously and winked at me.
"The name’s Jax."
I wasn’t sure how to feel about him, he felt unsophisticated compared to the rest. A wild card with a bouncy and energetic aura. His features screamed that he was a heartbreaker. A cunning smile that took the hearts of every woman, a pointed nose and ruthless green eyes that held secrets even I wished he’d share.
"Jax is our newest member," Dominic told me as he took his seat on the bench across from us.
Taken by surprise, I asked, "You didn’t come here together?"
Julien sat with Dominic, taking a sip of soup before answering. "No, Dominic was first. Marek and I came from the same boat but we hadn’t known each other until Dom found us. Jax only came last year, thrown from a plane that looked just like yours."
So it had been years. "Thrown?" I asked, waiting for one to answer through gulps from their spoons.
I looked down at my own stew that I had yet to touch. The smell was intoxicating, savory and warm. I lifted a spoonful to my lips and blew the steam away before placing the wood against my lips.
The taste was so flavorful, it was like an orgasm as the liquid heated its way into my belly. Surprisingly salty, bits of meat and seaweed mixed together with other plants I couldn’t name but tasted delicious. I let out a moan of delight and the men around me smiled.
I looked at Grayson, whose eyes were lowered now. He must be hungry, I thought, and again felt that annoying guilt creep through me. I wished to know what thoughts were racing through his mind, unpleasant ones surely.
"He was exiled here, we all were." Julien continued. I looked at him with confusion, the why set into my lips.
"They call us rogues. Former alphas. Didn’t your pack leader teach you any of this?"
I didn’t need to answer for them to know he had not. "I’m new to your world," was all I told them and they collectively chuckled.
"Well, that’s obvious but if you’re not a werewolf, what are you?" Asked Jax.
I shook my head, "I wish I knew."
They all shared glances, the mystery of my purple eyes alarming them as much as it always had to me.
I finally asked the question that had been itching at me, "If you all have been trapped here for so long, what are you doing to try and escape?"
Pity crossed their eyes before Dominic answered, "Rebel, we can’t leave. You can’t leave. We’re not just trapped here, we’re bound by the Lunar Laws."
I gasped at this, realization hitting me as much as confusion. It wasn’t the deserted island keeping them here, it was magic.