“Mmm…” Imara moaned as Ben buried his face in her neck and kissed his mark.
“Jesus, I really hope those lucky bastards moving in here love you as much as I do.”
Ben squinted at Thorin as his heart began to race. Could this man know something about his past and how he ended up here? “Remember? What are you talking about? Do you know something about me?”Thorin looked at him then took a breath to say something but stopped. He looked around the ground before him and blew out through twisted lips as he glanced into the street before looking back to Ben. “How far back can you remember Ben?”Ben stood and wiped his hand across his mouth. “How do you know that?”Before Thorin could answer, Aster appeared and said, “Mr. Parker, Jasper Mason on the phone for you.”Thorin looked over Ben’s shoulder and no
As she walked through the door to the ballroom arm in arm with Thorin, Imara looked around the room in search of Ben. Not seeing him, the disappointment began to rise in her stomach.
“I hope you don’t think poorly of me, Ben. This isn’t the kind of thing I do.” Imara slid her dress back down her body as she straightened it and Ben pulled the zipper up then smirked and shook his head.“I don’t Imara. Not at all. I can’t really explain it to you, you’ll think I’m crazy, but I’ve been dreaming of doing that for a long time.”
“Mr. Haldir, so nice to see you again.”
Ben rubbed the back of his neck as he leaned against the stone fountain in the courtyard and watched the sun go down behind the house across from them. “Oh, fuck! How are you going to do this? She’ll be destroyed.”
When Haldir returned later, he walked into the parlor wearing his tuxedo. Thorin looked him over and chuckled to himself. “It’s always entertaining to see a thousand-year-old Viking savage like yourself all cleaned up and looking dapper. You just might be confused with a proper gentleman if you’re not careful.”
As Imara slammed the door shut behind her, Thorin sighed as he rolled his eyes then pushed himself up out of his chair and came to the foyer. “Unless you’re planning on paying for that glass out of your own pocket, young lady, I suggest you treat the door a little kinder.”
“Dammit, why can’t I ever find that blessed bunny!”
When Daniel misted the three men to the Gates at the North Woods, Ben turned to him and said, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.”Daniel crossed his arms an
“So, tell me that all the stories about Daniel Darke aren’t true Haldir. Tell me were not traipsing directly into a slaughterhouse. I mean, he can’t be all that bad, right?” asked Thorin as they walked along the dirt path.
While Selvin’s battered and broken body hung limp from the pole in the dirt floor basement, the storm started to let up outside and in Ben’s heart. Ben wiped his bloody hands on a towel as he panted for breath after the vicious beating he gave Selvin. “Anybody want seconds on this old pathetic asshole?” he asked coldly as he turned to Thorin and Haldir.
Imara stood beside the big picture window nervously playing with her necklace as lightning flashed in the background. “Just relax. It’s just a storm. You’re getting yourself all worked up over nothing.” Summertime in West Virginia brought lots of storms, but this night felt different. Goosebumps rose on her arms and neck as her veins coursed with energy.
“Ben, have you seen Mr. Rabbit?” Imara yelled from the living room floor with a ball of light by her head.
As Ben watched the lightning cross the sky from the window, he wiped his hand across his mouth and shook his head. “Dammit Ben! How could you be so fucking stupid?” He took a ragged breath then wiped the tears from his eyes as he heard Imara yawn and stretch herself awake.
“Welcome to the North Woods, Ben. I’m Lord Nicholas,” said the long black-haired man in a green robe as he stood outside the ancient gates beyond the narrow dirt path.
“Hurry up, baby, the shows going to start soon.” Ben waited in the living room of the guest house while Imara got ready for the afternoon matinee in town. As he looked in the mirror over the fireplace, Ben pushed his shaggy black hair back off his face then shook it back out. He hated his ears and how they stuck out, but no matter how he wore his hair, it never quite covered them. He stepped back and turned to the side as he admired his arm muscles and how they stretched the fabric of