Every Dawn Forever (7 page)

He closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.  Several hours later, he woke up when the bed shifted and Sydney slipped off the end, locating her dress.  He closed his eyes, thinking that she might like some privacy, but kept his ears attuned to her.  She dressed and crept across the wooden floor.  She was very quiet, and he wondered if it was just part of her nature or if she’d learned to be so quiet because making noise got her in trouble.

The front door opened and he looked through slit eyes to see her glance back into the room for a moment before stepping out onto the porch.  He opened his eyes fully and sat up, watching her step down from the porch and out into the early morning sun.  Dawn had come, a little too fast in his opinion, and the rain had stopped, but the sky remained partly cloudy.  He wondered if Sydney enjoyed the quiet of the early morning.  He wanted to ask her, but he didn’t want to interrupt whatever had drawn her to creep outside alone.  And he was afraid, too, that if he opened his mouth he’d say something inappropriate, like asking her be their mate, to share their bed every night and watch the sun rise every morning.  But he didn’t, keeping his mouth shut.  He watched her enjoy the dawn, realizing that if she left them to go to Alaska, he might never get another chance to wake up with her like this.  He didn’t want just one morning with her, just one dawn breaking across the horizon.  He wanted every dawn forever, every night, and the hours in between.  Snorting inwardly, he thought,
That’s not asking for much from an abused woman so soon after she’s freed.

Her actions drew his mind back to her when she tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and spread her arms wide.  A light breeze ruffled the hem of her worn dress.  The sun broke through the clouds and a beam of light cascaded over her, making her look like an angel.  A small smile played at the corner of her mouth and Sterling knew what he was looking at:  freedom.

He’d never given it much thought because he hadn’t been oppressed.  But he could see freedom so clearly when he looked at Sydney.  Freedom was the sun on your skin and the wind in your hair.  Freedom was the ability to walk out the door whenever you wanted.  Freedom was simply being free.

He wanted her to know freedom, and that strengthened his resolve to keep himself and his brothers at a respectful distance while Sydney grew accustomed to her new life.  They had time, and although it warred with him to give her space, he knew it was the best thing he could do for her.  She deserved it.

* * * * *

Orion watched Sydney from the shadows of the woods while she soaked up the early morning sun as it intermittently broke through the clouds.  The storm had passed on and they could get back on the road, but he didn’t want to interrupt her.

She dropped her arms with a sigh, lowering her head and turning towards the house.  He followed a few minutes later, shifting into his human form on the porch and walking inside to find his clothes.

When she came out of the bathroom, all of them were dressed and ready to get back on the road.

“Are you hungry?”  Orion asked.

“Starving,” she said, a tentative smile forming on her lush mouth.  She bit her lip and then said, “I wanted to say thank you, for coming for me.”

“We’re glad we could help,” he said.

He held open the door of the SUV for her and she settled into the passenger seat.  It didn’t take long to get on the road, and Crux found the closest restaurant, which was at a trucker’s plaza an hour away.  Sydney was quiet, and Orion didn’t push her to talk.  He really didn’t know what to say, anyway.

They stopped at the restaurant and ate.  He didn’t think that she’d had a decent meal in a long time.  He was just glad that she would be taken care of now.  Or at least until she went to live with her cousin.  His beast snarled in his mind, but he mentally leashed himself.  He didn’t really know how much time they might have, but he knew that he didn’t want her to go to Alaska to live with her cousin.  He had to figure out how to convince a woman who had been abused that entering into another mating would be better for her this time around.  He just didn’t have a clue how to do that.

* * * * *

Crux walked into the house ahead of Sydney, holding the door open for her.  “Let me give you the grand tour,” he smiled.  She returned it, tentatively.  She hadn’t been very talkative on the ride home, although she had answered them when they spoke to her.  He showed her around the first floor of the house and then took her down into the basement.

“We come down here in the winter.  Our beasts prefer to den during the colder months,” he said.

She turned in a slow circle, taking in the main room, which consisted of a kitchen, couches and television, and large corner bed.  When her eyes landed on the bed, she blushed, averting her eyes quickly.

“Come on, let’s get you settled in your room and then I’ll make dinner for us.”

“You cook?” she asked, following him up the stairs.  Orion and Sterling were sitting in the kitchen.

“He’s our Holly Homemaker,” Orion grinned, teasing Crux.  But Crux didn’t mind the ribbing.  In hyena clans, each male excelled at different things.  Orion was their clan leader, the one that made the decisions.  Sterling was the protective one, even though he was youngest.  And Crux was the caretaker.  He’d always enjoyed taking care of his brothers, even as a youngster.

“Be nice, or I’ll make something with green peppers,” he shot back, leading Sydney out of the spacious kitchen and down the hall towards the bedrooms.

“Damn it, not peppers!”  Orion huffed.  “I was just teasing.”

Crux chuckled.  Sydney was looking at him curiously, and he shrugged and said, “They think I care about the teasing, but I don’t really.  I love to take care of my family.  They’re important to me.  Orion’s the oldest, so he’s the clan leader, and Sterling is the biggest and strongest of us, so he worries about all of our safety.  And that leaves me to deal with laundry and cooking.  Truthfully, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He stopped at the last door on the right and opened it, walking inside.  The thick wood blinds were open, letting in the afternoon sunshine.  The room had had almost no décor when he made plans to let Sydney stay in it, so he’d done what he could in a short amount of time, including buying a soft powder-blue and cream-colored quilt for the bed.  He walked to the closet and opened it.  “Some of these are from Alyssa; she’s mated to one of the hyena clans and lives nearby.  I had no idea what your size was, so please don’t be insulted if these things are too big.  In a few days, I’d be happy to take you out shopping so you can pick out your own things.”

Her mouth fell open and her eyes brimmed with tears.

“Oh, baby, what’s wrong?”

He clenched his hands so he wouldn’t rush to her and hug her.  He didn’t want to overwhelm her.

“You did this for me?”  Her voice wavered and she wiped at a tear that slid down her cheek.

He opened his mouth, about to tell her that it was just the beginning of what they would do for her, to show her that she was meant to be their mate, that they would take care of her, love her, cherish her forever.  But he knew he couldn’t say that.  Not now, when she hadn’t even been free of her former life an entire day.

“We want you to be happy, Sydney,” he said.  Clearing his throat from the lump that formed there, he gestured to the open door.  “You have a private bathroom.  Feel free to take a bath and get cleaned up.  I’m going to get dinner started.  Do you like chicken?”

She nodded, staring at the open bathroom.

He moved towards the door to the hall and she grabbed his hand with her ice-cold one.  Clutching it tightly for one brief moment, she met his eyes when he looked down at her.  “Thank you, Crux.”

He squeezed her hand back.  “You’re welcome.”

He closed the door to the bedroom and paused outside, resting his head on the cool wood.  He hadn’t known how right it would feel to have her in the house.  She was home with them, and somehow they’d figure out a way to make her understand that they were the right males for her.  However long it took, it would be worth it.  Because she was worth everything.

Chapter 7

Sydney looked around the bedroom in awe.  She’d never had a room to herself.  Even as a kid, her room had also been the laundry room, where she shared the tiny space with a beat-up washer and dryer.

The big bed was made with a pretty quilt that felt soft under her fingertips as she traced the outline of one of the circles.  Flowers sat in a crystal vase on a nightstand and she bent and smelled them; the delicate scent of roses and lilies filled her nose.

The oak dresser contained unopened packages of underwear, socks, and sport bras in different sizes.  She wasn’t even sure what size clothes she wore.  She’d only ever been given hand-me-downs from females in the pack.  Her former mate had thought her having more than one or two changes of clothes for each season was extravagant, and he never wanted to spend money on her.  If the clothes were too tight or too loose, she’d had to wear them regardless.  She took out several packages of undergarments and gathered them in her arms before she walked to the closet and slid the door open.  A dozen hangers held shorts, skirts, tops, and one dress.  On the floor, a shoe rack held sandals and tennis shoes.

She picked a navy blue short-sleeved top and a pair of denim shorts and went to the bathroom.  A bath sounded heavenly, and she shut the door, put her things down on the counter, and turned on the hot water.  Fluffy yellow towels sat on a rack above the toilet.  The tub/shower combo was tiled with white, with a pale yellow curtain hanging from a rod.  The counter was white marble streaked with gold, and the two sinks were gleaming with silver fixtures.  On the counter were hair products and accessories, and the edge of the tub held body wash, shampoo, bar soap, and a small plastic container of something called
bath bombs
.  After reading the directions, she realized that they were for the bath, so she dropped one in that smelled like lilies.  As it fizzed and dissolved into the water, she stripped, freezing as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Her hair was limp and dirty-looking.  Even though she washed it frequently, the cheap shampoo she’d been forced to use had been hell on her once-lustrous hair.  Bruises marred her body, the evidence of the brutal life she’d had for the last six years.  Shame pinked her cheeks as she remembered them seeing her so clearly in the cabin the night before, naked and crazed with lust.  They’d told her she was beautiful, but she didn’t believe them.

She turned away from the mirror, not wanting to see herself, and stepped into the hot water.  She soaked for a long time, her mind drifting.  The men were so nice to her.  She’d never felt so safe and taken care of before, and she coveted the feeling.  She could pretend that they were hers for a little while, anyway.  Reality would soon intrude on her bliss.

Shoving the depressing thoughts aside, she shaved her legs and washed her hair several times, rinsing under the shower until her hair was squeaky clean.  Her skin was soft and sweet-smelling, and she felt clean for the first time in ages.  Drying off with one of the big towels, she plugged in a hair dryer and dried her hair, avoiding looking at her reflection in the mirror.  After dressing, she cleaned up her mess in the bathroom and tucked her old dress in the trash, never wanting to see it again.

Opening the bedroom door, she walked quietly down the hallway, following the scent of food.  Her stomach rumbled angrily as she entered the spacious kitchen.  The three men sat at a kitchen table set for four, smiling when she walked in.  They stood, and Orion pulled out the empty chair next to him and gestured for her to sit down.

Crux moved to the oven and used pot holders to pull out several dishes, setting them on trivets on the table.

“You waited for me?” she asked.  She didn’t know how long she’d been in the bathroom, but it had been a fairly long time.  An hour, perhaps more.  Guilt plucked at her.  If she’d known that they were waiting for her, she would have hurried.  Fear rose up inside her.  Fear of angering them, disappointing them, earning their hate.

Sterling’s very large hand grasped hers and she looked into his blue eyes.  “We waited for you, Little One, because you are the most important person in this house.  We would have gladly sat here all night waiting for you.”

She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.  “Thank you,” she said, smiling at him.

He held her hand a moment longer and then released it.  Crux lifted the lids from the dishes and told her what each thing was as he put large portions of everything on her plate.  The plate was soon overflowing with grilled chicken and vegetables, macaroni and cheese, and a thick wedge of cornbread.  Her mouth watered at the bounty in front of her.  She hadn’t eaten so well in…ever.

She lifted her fork and knife and looked at them.  They had filled their plates, but seemed to be waiting for her.  Cutting a piece from the chicken, she speared a piece of zucchini before lifting the fork to her mouth.  She chewed the tender chicken and seasoned vegetable slowly, savoring the taste.  She had always considered herself a decent cook, but she’d never had the means to make something this good.