Sweetwater: The Kihn (The Sweet Series) (21 page)

“Is that right?” he asks in a silken voice.

When I glance at him, he gives me a dark grin. I take a sip from my bottle and his eyes watch my mouth. This irritates me and makes me uncomfortable. “Do you enjoy staring at me?”

“Am I annoying you?” He sounds amused.

I frown. “Yes, actually, you are.”

He chuckles. “Actually,” he mocks, “I was thinking about asking you to go to a party in Springfield with me on Saturday night.” My heart stutters. “Someone I need to speak with will be at this party, but I need my presence to appear... casual.” He sets his water down. “I know you don’t go out with strangers—” the humor in his voice is unmistakable “—but if I arrive with an enchanting blonde on my arm—”

“We’d just be another couple.” I finish his sentence and I’m annoyed that I feel a little let down. “And it wouldn’t be a date, just a—ruse?”

His eyes align with mine and he hesitates. “That’s right.”

I ponder his invite as he waits for my answer with an expression I can’t place. “Okay.”

“Good,” he replies. He leans back, seemingly relaxed, his eyes moving over me. “Black’s a good look on you.” I glance down at myself. “Do you have a little black dress?”

I make a choked sound. “Are you going to tell me what to say too?”
Who the hell does he think he is?
I cross my arms and his eyes go to my breasts as the action pushes them up. I unfold my arms immediately.

“I hope it won’t come to that,” he says, raising an eyebrow mockingly.

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll pick you up at seven sharp. Be ready.”

If he’s trying to push my buttons, he is doing a good job. “Maybe you would be better off asking someone else,” I say sarcastically.

“Miss Reece! Such sarcasm, and in one so young,” he scoffs. Before I can respond, he stands and looks down at me as if appraising a car. “No, you’ll do.”

I feel extremely irritated and I’m not bothering to hide it. As I hurry past him to go back to my seat in the arena, he speaks again.

“Sofie?” I stop and look back at him with what I hope is a disdainful expression. “Let your hair dry naturally.” At my expression, he laughs.

I can feel the heat of his gaze all the way back to my seat.
He has to be the bossiest, most irritating person I’ve ever met!
Annoyed, I turn my attention to the far wall, determined to force Lucas out of my thoughts and ignore him for the rest of the evening. Rope rigging is attached to the wall at the rock-climbing area. This rigging continues right across part of the ceiling. There’s also an overly large tree trunk with limbs still attached going right up the wall. Ropes hang in and around these limbs. I suppose it’s for getting the feel of moving through the trees. It’s an intriguing setup, and out in the center of the ceiling is the hanging platform that reminds me of a tree house.

I assume Emma Rae’s outside at the archery area since I don’t see her. Diane is getting into a harness to climb the tree. Her facial expressions and body language are hilarious.

Sawyer joins me for a break. He and Sam want to get together with me the next evening. He’s ordered some fun stuff from his gun guy, and it’s in. They’ll give me a ride to training, and we’ll go out to their farm afterward.

Sounds like a bang-up idea to me.

The evening passes and soon it’s time to leave. Emma Rae and I ride home with Diane, and I look toward Lucas’ house as we drive by. I restrained myself from searching for him after his annoying “requests” and didn’t see him during the rest of the training session.

“Sofie, what were you and Lucas doing back in the break room?” Diane asks. “When you walked out, I could tell you were pissed.”

I give a disgruntled sigh. I decide to wait to tell them about my semi-date. “He was just... aggravating me.”

“You two are a love affair waiting to happen,” she says.

I give her a look that clearly says I think she’s nuts. She and Emma Rae share a look.

I feel wiped out as I say goodnight to my best friends. I’ve done nothing but sit all night, but being around Lucas is exhausting! I quickly change and crawl int
o
bed, snuggling under the covers. However, sleep is slow in coming.
I have a semi-date with Lucas Santiago!
Of course, he’s a wannabe dictator, telling me what to wear, how to fix my hair—

Okay, stop this, Reece.
I close my eyes and burrow into my pillow, determined to find sleep.
The arrogance of the man!
I pull the pillow over my head and force myself to think of something else. In all reality, I shouldn’t go out on a semi-or-whatever-anything with him. Maybe it would be best not to go.

Rolling to my side, I work at clearing my mind, and I start to relax. My eyes open suddenly. Did he call me enchanting?

Chapter Fourteen

I
baby my hand the next day, hoping to participate that evening at the arena. It’s in good shape. No swelling and no pain. I’m lucky.

I’m ready and waiting for Sawyer
and Sam to pick me up as I wander through the house, turning on a couple of lights, making sure to lock the back door. When I hear Sawyer honk, I check myself in the mirror. I’ve French braided my hair and I’m wearing a red T-shirt with jeans. I pull on a black hoodie as I head out the door.

I train outside in archery first. Max discovers I have a little experience with a crossbow, mostly how one works. Jake acts the proud papa, but we both know I have a lot to
learn. After coming inside, I proceed to the wall. I scan the arena, seeing Emma Rae and other friends, but no Lucas. Noticing his absence annoys me immensely.

Andy helps me get into the harness. “Okay, now go up slow—Stevie will keep a hold on the line connected to your harness. If you slip, he’ll keep you from falling,” Andy reassures me. I inspect the display above me. The set-up is incredible. “Don’t be afraid.”

I grin at him. “Oh... I’m not afraid.” I glance about. The rock wall, the ropes, and tree combine to create a compelling challenge. From the moment, I saw it, I’ve wanted to climb it.

The guy up above (Stevie, I assume) shouts down, “Come on up, little girl. I won’t let you fall.” I turn to see almost everyone looking our way.

I’m supposed to climb the tree trunk and make my way up to the branches where I can grab on to any of the ropes as needed. I noted the night before that once the climber made it to that point, they were supposed to continue the climb to the rope ladder. However, I want the challenge of the wall and I want to bypass Stevie, sitting on a small platform at the top of the ladder. I’ll climb the rigging strung across the ceiling to the center and make it to the suspended tree house.

I climb, shuffling across the large tree limb nailed to the trunk and anchored with cables to the ceiling. At the rock wall, rock handholds are set in the wall at intervals, and that’s what I’ll need to grab. The first handhold is directly below Stevie. I’ll have to move across the wall and up to reach the rigging at the top.

“Hey, girlie,” Stevie calls down to me, “you need to come on up here, go back, and grab the ladder.”

With my foot, I find the rock jutting out from the wall. I use my right hand to test its strength, to make sure I can do this. Then I reach with my left hand toward the next handhold. I have to pull up to place my right foot on the next rock. I’m for sure not as quick as any of Lucas’ men, but I make it with Stevie encouraging me.

I reach the rigging with Stevie a few feet below and about five feet across from me. He calls to me, appearing a little anxious, “Okay, beautiful, ready to go back down?”

“I was thinking I’d go across to the center.” I’m already holding on to the rigging with my hands, my feet planted on a rock jutting out from the wall.

“Well, I’m not too sure about that.” He glances down. “I’m not in the right place to help you hook a different safety line on. It’s not as easy as it looks, and from the expression on the boss’s face, I think we’d both be in trouble.”

I glance down. Yes, there’s Lucas, and that’s not a happy face. Sawyer, standing behind him, waves his arm in a motion to come down.

“Okay, I’ll go down.”

“Grab that rope—”

“Can I just climb down?” I ask.

He smiles. “Yeah, go for it.”

When I reach the point where I can drop to my feet, a pair of hands encircle my waist and pluck me off the wall. I know it’s Lucas, and when he spins me around, the first thing I notice is the muscle twitching on the side of his jaw. Not a good sign, I’m learning.

“Come with me,” he growls.

Andy quickly helps me out of the harness, and when his eyes meet mine, I see a glimmer of amusement. I hurry to catch up with Lucas, following him with trepidation. Why is he mad? I didn’t do anything wrong. Some of the women give me the thumbs up on the way.

Following Lucas, I get my turn to check him out. He has a nice butt. Really nice. He continues past the break area, and I follow as he briskly walks beside the outer wall. I scurry to keep up with his long strides. I glance behind me, wondering where we’re going, and I see Cal Thomas, who knocked me unconscious my first visit here. He smiles and quickly ducks his head.

When we reach the corner of the building, I notice a door, which Lucas opens. I just stand there, fairly certain I don’t want to go in.

“Sofie,” he says in a deceptively quiet voice, but his expression gives me warning, “would you like for me to help you across the threshold?”

I give a slight shake of my head. I’m pretty sure I don’t. I take a deep breath and step in. The door closes soundly behind us. I’ve entered an office containing a desk with two oversized chairs before it. A comfortable-looking leather couch occupies the opposite wall, and the far wall is made of a large shelving unit and a curtained door which I assume leads outside. A deep, plush carpet covers the floor, and I’m a little surprised at the old-world elegance hidden in this corner of the arena building.

When Lucas doesn’t say anything, I turn to look at him. He stands close, staring down at me. His expression causes me to swallow, drawing his eyes to my throat. He quickly brings his intense gaze back to mine.

“If you had continued across that rigging—” His voice holds suppressed anger, his eyes—
Oh my!
I swallow convulsively, knowing he’s going to kiss me. He abruptly turns and moves with angry strides to the shelf unit. Opening a door to a small mini bar, he pours an amber liquid out of a decanter into a glass. He knocks it back and sets the glass down, not hard, but not easy. “You would have been out,” he snaps.

“What?” I sa
y to his back. “Why?”

He faces me. “This isn’t a game, Sofie. There are rules, and they are in place for a good reason. Most of the men in the community are not comfortable with their women learning how to fight monsters, and if I can’t keep you safe while you train...”

He’s right.

“If you had fallen, not one of the women here tonight would be available to help us by this time tomorrow.” His voice is raspy with his anger.

All at once, I feel the need to make him not so mad at me. “Point well taken,” I say. “But I wasn’t being careless. I wouldn’t have continued across that rigging without a safety line. I’m a good climber, but... I’ve never crawled across a rope ladder hanging upside down before,” I admit.

He tilts his head, and his silent scrutiny makes me nervous. His eyes narrow as if assessing me. I notice that when he’s angry, his eyes are more silver than green. However, I don’t think I should point that out at this moment.

“That brings me to the main reason I brought you in here.” Something in his voice gives me warning for the second time in a matter of minutes.

“What?” I ask softly.

He steps toward me—then circles me as if I’m his prey.
Is this what he likes, making me feel as if I’m in danger?
As he moves behind me, I feel a tingling along my spine. I bite my bottom lip in nervousness.

“Do you know how angry I was when you came onto my property?” he asks his voice dangerously quiet. I tense, now wanting to be anywhere but here. “You do remember the night you left your shoe behind?” He stops in front of me.

I let out a ragged breath. This I did not expect. He continues to stare at me.
Does he want me to answer him?

“We checked the fence—the whole eighty acres—and then checked it again, looking for a hole, a weak spot—anything.” He circles slowly as I worry my bottom lip. “I suspected you came over the top—but I couldn’t see how or even where. Most of the trees had been trimmed or cut down near the fence.

“But now that I know you’re a dryad who can climb like a monkey,” he taunts in a low, hoarse voice, “I know that’s exactly how you got in here.” My chest is so tight I can barely breathe. “So now you are going to tell me where,” he demands softly. He stops circling me and steps closer, his eyes locked on mine.

I step back. He takes another step, as do I.

He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “You
are
going t
o tell me where the tree is that you climbed to get in here.” I shake my head slightly. He moves another step forward, and I take one back.
Geez, he can be intimidating.

“I adore your spirit, Sofie,” he murmurs. He reaches a hand toward me. I almost step back, proud when I hold my ground. He fingers the end of my braid hanging over my shoulder, over my breast. I gasp softly, and my nipple tingles at the brush of his fingers. “However, I want you to tell me—now.”

I glance at the door I hope leads to the outside.

“Don’t,” he warns.

I bite my lip, drawing his eyes to my mouth. I tell him in a soft voice, “I can’t.”

“Yes.” His gaze returns to mine. “You can.”

No, I can’t. He’ll cut it down, and Gramps used to climb that tree as a boy. I was the only one he shared those stories with.

“Sofie,” his voice is at once gentle, causing me to relax, “I
need
you
to tell me.”

What? He’s making this some kind of trust thing. Well, that goes both ways! I raise my guard back up. “Okay.” I see the whisper of a smile cross his lips. “But I
need
you
to promise me something first.” My voice is not as steady as I wish.

“What?” Suddenly he’s the leery one.

“Promise first.”

I stare at his unreadable expression. He says slowly, “I cannot give you a blind promise.”

“Why?”

“Because I keep my promises,” he states.

“Well then.” He gives a thorough sigh. “You want me to trust you,” I whisper. “Well, I need you to trust me in return.”

He is quiet while he searches my face, making me nervous. “All right,” he agrees at last.

“Promise.”

I see a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. “Against my better judgment—I promise.”

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You can’t… cut the tree down.” He exhales sharply. “Y-You promised.”

“Sofie!” His voice is mildly reprimanding. “I can’t leave my defenses vulnerable—because of a tree.” I bite my lip. “It’s just a tree!” His reply stings and I know he thinks I’m being irrational and silly. He’s right though. The safety of Lucas and his men is what’s important. He gives me a long look before stepping to the desk, picking up the phone, and punching in a number.

He sounds annoyed. “I’m sending Sofie to you. She’ll show you where the tree is that she climbed to get in.” I look down, feeling his eyes on me as he speaks. “That’s right,” he snaps into the phone. “Oh no, we’re not cutting it down.”
What!
I look up, right into his eyes. “That would be too logical.” He gives me a sardonic smile. “We’re going to move the fence.”

I look down again, embarrassed and feeling childish. I’m tired of being in this room with him, tired of the overwhelming effect he has on me. I head for the door, desperate to get out. As I turn the doorknob, he’s there, pushing against the door so I can’t open it.

“No,” he says in his deep voice, “I’
m not done with you yet.” He turns me to face him, but I won’t meet his gaze. Something in my demeanor alerts him to my distress. He doesn’t say anything else, but I feel his stare.

“Max is expecting you,” he says at last, his voice quiet. He reaches around me for the doorknob and leans close, inhaling deeply. I keep my head down, grateful he’s let me escape.

The training session is all but over as I go out back to where Max waits. He’s already sent everyone inside. We drive through the woods in a utility vehicle to the spot where the stately old oak sits on the other side of the fence.

I can tell that the tree’s proximity to the house surprises him. He has a spotlight which I use to light up the limb, high up near the crown of the tree, that intertwines with the large oak inside the fence. He turns startled eyes on me, but he doesn’t say anything.

I don’t see Lucas again before I leave; he is either at his house or still inside the arena. Either way, I feel immensely relieved.

Sawyer, jacked up with the excitement of showing me his new toys, sets the mood as we drive to the large pond on the back boundary of their property. After we park, Sawyer pulls a gun out of a canvas bag. “This is a Mossberg 500 Tactical.” He hands it to me. I
t’s surprisingly light.

Sawyer takes it back and loads it. When he finishes, he heads down to the pond. Pointing the gun across the water, he pulls the trigger and a blast of flame shoots out about thirty feet.

“What the hell, Sawyer!” I shout excitedly. “A flamethrower?”

“Dragon’s Breath,” Sawyer says as he hands me the shotgun again.

This is an awesome shotgun. It has a shoulder sling and a folding front grip, which I like. I aim over the water and a flame shoots out and sparks light up the night.

“Whoeeee!” Sawyer shouts.

“Oh my gosh!” I exclaim, amazed at Sawyer’s new toy. “What is this?”

“They’re pyrotechnic shotgun rounds called Dragon’s Breath,” Sawyer explains. “Shoots a flame for about three to five seconds and can catch the woods on fire.”

“Or your house,” Sam makes clear.

“That too,” Sawyer confirms. “That’s why you’ll only use these shells under extreme conditions.”

“Me?” My voice comes out high-pitched and girly.

“Yeah, we kept a few, but we got them for you. The gun is yours too.”

“Sawyer—”

“Don’t, Sofe,” Sam says firmly. “We want you safe. Jake pitched in too.”

“Why do y’all think I need this?”

“Chances are you won’t. As I said, we’ll all have some. It’s better being on the safe side,” Sawyer assures me.

“But this shotgun?” I’m at a loss for words.

“Bad
-ass, I know, and it fits you, cuz.” In a more serious tone, he says, “It’s time you had your own shotgun, and the shorter stock on this one will be easier for you. And—” he pauses, looking over at Sam “—these rounds can catch a Kihn on fire.”

“What?” I glance from one to the other.

“You can set one on fire, and it burns as if it were paper—quickly to ash,” Sam explains. “That’s what Lucas told us.”

Lucas knew about this.

“They told us wood was the only sure way to kill them,” I remark.

“Fire too. Lucas says fire is one of their greatest fears. So, the intimidation factor is a plus,” Sam adds.

Sawyer lays the gun in the back of the Jeep. “Once the boys see your new gun, you’ll be the most popular girl on the playground.”

I laugh. “Just what I hoped for, Sawyer.”

“Jake’ll be the main one wanting to play with your new toy,” Sam jokes.

“Seriously, guys, thanks.” I look from one to the other. I don’t know what else to say. Sawyer smiles and slings his arm across my shoulders. I get a little misty eyed.
These men of mine
—

Jake isn’t home when Sawyer and Sam drop me off, but Wolf is sitting on my front porch. As I unlock the door, Andy calls out to let me know he and Jerry are there.

I take my new shotgun and shells back to my bedroom, loaded and ready to fire. I’m combing my hair after my shower when Emma Rae calls. I’d hoped she’d let me wait until tomorrow to tell her what went on in Lucas’ office. No such luck. No one is as mulish as Emma Rae when she wants to know something.

I explain the tree situation, and she assures me I’ve done the right thing. “It’s too bad the tree has to come down,” she says, “but it’s not as bad as all of them being murdered in their sleep.”