Mick (The A'rouk Brothers Book 1) (15 page)

The shower helped, when the water was flowing over her head, there were no such things as tears or mental breakdowns. She came up with a hundred useless plans to rescue him. Eventually, she thought if she kept trying she’d stumble onto one that would work. A sound drifted down the hallway making her turn. Was someone in the house with her? She slowed her pace walking silently toward the sound. She recognized the hallway she was in; the kitchen was just after this bend in the hall. She came around to find Dante sitting on one of Mick’s bar stools.

“I wondered how long it would take you to get here.” He gave her a pleasant smile.

She walked into the kitchen and took the stool next to him. Her eyes were red and puffy, her skin was blotchy. She didn’t look like the perfect clone and she didn’t care.

Instead, she focused on Dante; he reminded her of something more. Maybe he was different from his brothers; she couldn’t put her finger on it. Then she thought of the male Mick became and looked at Dante. If he could change like that, he would own the world. She didn’t doubt it for a minute. No way would fate do that to the galaxies.

“Mick is gone.” She wanted to smack herself for sounding so sad. The truth was that she missed him. It felt like a hole in her heart, and her very soul was bleeding out.

“He left to protect you.”

“I know, but how do you?”

He gave her a half smile, the beauty of his face hidden in the shadows of the kitchen.

“It’s hard to keep most things away from me.”

She simply nodded because he was other.

“Shall we cook something to eat?”

“Breakfast?” she raised sad eyes to look at the stove remembering Mick bent over it.

“How about dinner?”

“I don’t know how to cook.” Her voice was so flat she wondered if Dante could hear her.

She couldn’t feel Mick and the need to fall apart was rising in her again.

“Then it’s time you learned. Come to the fridge. What are you in the mood for?”

“A steak.” Her voice was hesitant. Steaks were a cut of meat so expensive only the rich could afford them and only rarely.

“You’re in luck; Mick keeps a freezer full of them.”

Strange but hearing his brother talk about him like he was just away and would be back made her heart feel better.

“Can we go after him? Get him back?”

Dante showed her how to wash the potatoes and place them in grease. He said they had another ten minutes, and then they would be done. Now they were seasoning the meat she just washed off.

“We have to wait for him.”

“Why?”

“He left because he didn’t feel strong enough to resist The Darkness with you around. Until he comes to the realization that he has what it takes to resist he won’t be back.”

“What if he never comes to that realization?”

He turned and looked at her with compassion she wasn’t aware he was capable of in his eyes. He touched her, not with his hands but with his being; he wrapped his compassion around her letting her know that whatever happened it was going to be okay.

“Then you and I will be having lots of steak dinners.” He showed her how to cook the meat and promised to teach her how to marinate it next time.

Together they made the plates and sat down to eat. As Jaz ate, she finally realized she had a family.

A week passed in which she cried out to Mick through their newly formed mental bond, but he refused to answer her. There were times when his shields failed for a few minutes, and she felt and saw the pain he was experiencing. It was in those minutes that she could feel his heart as it reached for her, simply needing to know she was all right.

The time without Mick hurt her to her soul, but it also bonded her with his brothers in a way she never expected. They made sure that at least one of them was there for her at every meal. Not serving her, instead they taught her to cook. She was catching on and couldn’t wait to show Mick the things she learned.

A sad smile touched her lips every time she thought of him, what he was doing, she knew it was for her. He allowed himself to be tortured so she would live. Her heart ached at the thought.

Now they were all sitting in Mick’s living room, and she understood why it was so big. When you have five brothers who were bigger than space crafts, and friends the same size, you needed a big living room.

“Jaz, are you listening?”

She looked up to see Raphael pouting because she was off in her own world again.

“Sorry, I was thinking.”

“Who knew women thought this much,” Julian said with a sparkle in his eyes.

“Hey,” Brook picked up a pillow and threw it at him. “I resent that.”

Ash snickered and then set his face like stone when his mate looked at him. He gave her that I’m innocent look. Brook shook her head and laughed.

“It’s been a week. Do you think he’s ever coming back?” She didn’t mean to say it aloud; the frustration she was feeling, and the fear simply came out in a moment of weakness.

“He’ll be back.” His brothers all said at the same time.

She nodded because she believed he would be back, but would she still be sane by then? She felt her grip on reality loosening every day. She needed to touch him, and he needed to touch her.

She looked over at Dante, and he mouthed the words ‘I’ll see you later.’

One minute Jaz was sitting on the floor in Mick’s house surrounded by his brothers, the next she was standing at the entrance of a city. There was a big flashing sign overhead that read Sin City. Where was she? It couldn’t be on Earth; she never heard of this place before. She looked over to see Mick standing there with a confused look on his face, mouth open as if he were as surprised as she was.

She flew into his arms holding on tightly, afraid if she let him go he would disappear on her again. A careful sneak peek at him told her he was the Mick she was use to seeing and not the impossibly handsome male she saw last time.

He held her tight, rocking her back and forth, as a small growl of satisfaction came from him. Finally, he loosened the grip he had on her and took a small step back so he could answer some of her questions before she asked.

“I’m not sure how I got here. I was being tortured and taunted by Elandra and then I was here. I got here right before you did.” He shook his head; being here with Jaz filled his heart with both joy and dread. He needed to see her, his sanity was being stretched thin, but he was still concerned he would hurt her.

The time with The Darkness had withered a part of him away. His belief that he would make it was damaged, but he felt stronger and could resist The Darkness at least for a while.

She stepped closer to him and ran her hands over him to make sure he wasn’t a dream before she wrapped her arms around him again and just breathed in his scent. Finally, she backed up.

“Where are we?” Such a simple question when all she wanted to do was leap into his arms and hold on for eternity.

“We’re in Sin City. It’s outside the dome; that’s why you never heard of it before. As you can see, it has its own protective dome, mainly to keep all the do-gooders out.”

Her eyes grew big as she shook her head thinking she heard him wrong. “You’re serious?”

“I am. You can find every vice here and to be honest, this place has been the start of several new vices.”

“Why do you think we are here?”

He gave her a strange look before he pondered the question.

“Because The Darkness is lurking here. So I’m bringing the fight to them hopefully keeping my brothers and you safe. I wish you could have stayed in the air, but The Darkness would come for you. I’m your best and worst protection.”

One look in his eyes told her he believed what he was saying. He wanted to keep her safe, but some part of him thought he might fail in the end.

“Mick, did you bring me here?”

His head shook; he was still unsure how he got there. “One of my brothers must have sent you here.”

She smiled this had to be Dante’s handiwork.

Reaching over, she took his hand. “What do we do next?”

“We need to find a place to lay low. The male in charge of this place is Eli; we need to find him.”

Mick led her down a series of winding streets. There were very few people out because the city didn’t come alive until after the sun went down.

“Where is everyone?”

“Those who partied all night long are in bed. The others, the ones Eli likes to refer to as the normal citizens, are up working, taking care of houses or children. They live on the outskirts of the city. Most people don’t see them. They are simply the necessary infrastructure that allows the partying and debauchery to happen night after night.”

Mick drew her to the sidewalk as a street sweeper came down cleaning up the leftovers from the night’s activities. He hummed and gave them a smile as he kept going.

“He’s rather happy.”

“Eli pays well. He knows what the city needs and tries to make sure it’s well taken care of.”

“Is Eli Created?”

“Darkness forbid.” A male stepped out of the shadows.

They were in front of a large high rise building. It reminded her of the ones that housed the grandest hotels. The feeling of wealth and power flowed from the very materials contained within its walls.

Jaz realized the street changed when she wasn’t paying attention. They were no longer winding their way down back allies. They were on the main street from the look of it.

“Mick, I wasn’t expecting you back so soon and with someone so lovely.” Eli reached out his hand to allow Jaz’s red hair to tumble across his fingers. The growl coming from Mick made him take a step back. “Pity it doesn’t seem like you brought her as payment for Lacara.”

“What?” Jaz allowed her eyes to settle on Eli’s cloaked frame. She couldn’t get a read on him because she couldn’t see him. That was making her nervous.

“Lacara was a citizen of Sin City who no longer resides here. I encouraged her to move on with her life,” Mick explained.

Eli gave a bark of laughter. “Yes, he encouraged her. How long are you staying Mick and what do you need?”

“I’m hunting. I need a place to lie low until the threat is gone.”

“Well let’s hope it goes better than the last time you were here hunting. Take 22 Cherry Way.”

Mick stared at Eli until his back disappeared into the high rise building.

“Is there a problem with 22 Cherry Way?”

“No,” he shook his head. “Eli only gives that place out to his friends. I just never thought he would admit we were friends.” They walked down the street at a slower pace. The streets felt strangely empty, and they were pristine, the street cleaner having down his job well. They were obviously in a residential area, but it seemed to be for those who spent their lives in the city going from one hot spot to another. They walked until the city life began to give away to a more rural feel. The houses were further apart. There were farms and small plots of land; she could tell they were being used as gardens to produce food. The atmosphere became relaxed, not like the city where she constantly felt on guard.

The houses were modern, some of the best she ever laid eyes on.

“How do they afford to live here?”

“It’s a perk of living in Sin City. The normal residents are taken care of like they are the elite because the city doesn’t work without them. You can sin as much as you want until you need a doctor. When that happens, when your body is falling apart, hitting the hottest orgy is no longer fun. So Eli makes sure he provides everything the sinners need.”

They turned down a road, and Jaz stopped pulling Mick to a stop right beside her.

“What’s wrong?”

“That’s a cherry tree. A real live one with cherries all over it.”

Mick smiled like he was a child before dropping her hand and climbing the tree.

“Mick,” she whispered loudly trying not to draw attention to her. “What are you doing?”

“Collecting cherries for my mate.”

“You can’t do that. Cherries are protected, only the elite get to taste real cherries.”

“Here everyone gets them if they want them.” Mick held the container he took off a cart that held several and filled it before jumping out of the tree. “We can take these to the house and wash them, or we can eat them right now. That’s one of the things about this place; the fruit is edible from the branch.”

Cherry trees lined the road overflowing with their precious burden.

“How did he get them to grow out here? They hardly ever grow in the hydroponics garden. This number of fruit bearing trees is unheard of.”

“Amazing what aliens and their tech can do.” Mick gave her a smile before reaching for her hand. Together they walked until a beautiful house came into view.

He ushered her inside and she knew someone designed this place with her in mind.

“Does it always look like this or is it different at times?”

“I don’t know. Do you like it?”

“I love it.” She was standing on a heated marble floor that changed designs at a thought. The tech was outdated now, but she had always been fascinated by it. Inside the foyer were pictures of the ocean on one side and a full-length vid screen on the other with nothing but ocean waves rolling onto a pristine beach.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Let’s go see the rest of the house.”

They walked into a living room. It was quaint, big enough for maybe five people and that was all they needed since his brothers wouldn’t be popping in. The kitchen was old fashioned, reminding her of the one in Mick’s house. Since he couldn’t eat synthetic food, he would need a kitchen like this.

There was a moving walkway that took them upstairs because why walk the steps when you could stand still and let the tech do it for you. Her colleagues always said that things like floors that moved were a sign that an individual had arrived.

As she allowed her body to be carted off, she realized all she needed was Mick. All of this was just cream, and too much cream could make you sick. There were two big bedrooms upstairs each equipped with its own walk-in closet and bathroom. The walls in their bedroom were a soft gold. The floor was covered in soft panels the color of bronze keeping the walls from being overwhelming. There was a king size bed with a comforter to match the floor with a sofa and two love seats that were gold with bronze accents. Then there were the paintings of gorgeous beaches. She could love this house, but she already ached for Mick’s house. That’s where she wanted to spend her life.