“Don’t be nervous,” he said softly. He reached up and gently brushed a thumb along my cheek. My heart skipped a beat—the traitorous thing—and his look of longing stole my breath. He didn’t move toward my neck, just continued to touch me.
“I will work every day of my life to deserve the gift you’ve given me.”
My heart beat faster, and my stomach twisted happily.
He leaned forward, not toward my neck, but toward my mouth. His lips brushed mine, surprising me. His touch was light and soft. A whisper of his skin, and a promise of more to come. My lids fluttered shut as I lost myself in the sensation. He kissed the corner of my mouth, my cheek, my jaw, then my neck. The light scrape of his teeth pulled me from my trance.
I stiffened, and his hands curled around my upper arms. Whether in comfort or to keep me still, I couldn’t be sure.
“Everything will be fine,” he whispered against my skin.
He kissed me several more times. I would be a liar if I said it didn’t affect me. It did. But, my fear of what he meant to do next kept me from drifting into blissful ignorance like he probably wanted.
His tongue stroked my skin, startling me from my thoughts. Tingles spread over my arms as embarrassment crashed over me. We were standing in front of a crowd of people. A light kiss, I could take, but not that.
Before I could protest, his mouth opened. I inhaled through my nose as his teeth pierced me. He went deeper than Anton but not by much. I grunted and pushed against his chest when he lingered there. He didn’t budge. He slowly withdrew his teeth and kissed the skin. As if that would make it better. He’d just bitten me slowly. At least the others had the decency to get it over with. Angry, I shoved at him again.
He pulled back and studied me while I glared at him. I could feel a trickle of blood run down my neck.
“Well?” I said.
His expression changed to one of complete devastation, and I knew it hadn’t worked.
“At least, now you don’t have to worry about forgetting your responsibilities to chase me,” I said, still bitter about the bite. I faced the crowd. “Will you let me stay here in peace or should I move on?”
“Stay,” Thomas said through clenched teeth. No one else said anything. He appeared to be their spokesperson.
“To be clear, this means no more fighting to meet me. No more looking for ways to win my favor in hopes for a little nip. None of it. Because that was the last bite.”
“We heard you before. We understand,” he said.
“Then, thank you for letting me stay.” With a minute nod, I turned and went back inside. Mary was by the table, ready with the alcohol and gauze. I sat and let her clean my neck, grinding my teeth against the sting.
I’d done it. Won my freedom without trying to fight them all. Though it didn’t make the prior bites worthwhile, it gave them meaning. They weren’t for nothing. I could stay here safely now.
“There’s blood on your shirt,” Mary said. “I’ll go get the clothes from the line.”
I stood and moved to the double doors as she walked outside. Though the men had given their word that they wouldn’t pursue me, I didn’t want to linger in the room. The building was quiet as I climbed the stairs and closed myself into our bedroom. I dropped my bag beside the dresser and started to unpack.
In the hall, I heard the creak of another door and froze. Mary wouldn’t need to go into any of the other rooms. I strained to hear more and almost screamed when someone knocked on my door.
“Who is it?”
“Thomas.” His familiar voice held a note of impatience.
I crossed the room and opened the door. With crossed arms, he stood in the hall.
“I wanted to let you know that Gregory and I will be staying in the room next to yours. Henry and Paul will be in the room to your right. Several other men will be staying in the rooms downstairs. We wanted to know what we should work on next.”
My mouth fell open. They were moving into the building?
“Why?”
“I thought telling you would be considerate. And we have no idea what your plans are.”
“No. I mean, why are you staying here? I thought...”
“You thought we’d leave?” He gave a dry laugh. “Not after your pretty little speech about being different.”
“I didn’t give a speech. I said that to Gregory in the—”
“Main room where we could still hear. You said no more biting, and we agreed. That doesn’t mean we’ve given up. It means we need to figure out how to Claim you without using our teeth.”
I stared at him, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure how I felt about their intent. Knowing the biting would actually stop was a relief, yet I didn’t like that I had no say in their decision to continue pursuing me. However, their presence could be an advantage.
“How many are willing to help?”
“Seven, so far,” he said.
I glanced at the window. We had several hours of daylight left.
“Let’s meet in the main room after I change my shirt.”
He nodded and walked down the hall to his room. I closed the door, still slightly shocked by this new turn.
* * * *
When Mary and I entered the common room, there were three rabbits roasting on the fire. My mouth watered at the smell. But, I ignored my need for food to address the men who waited.
I knew Gregory and Thomas, and Henry and Paul, but not the other three. One I recognized as the man who’d arrived with Thomas. The other two I was certain I’d never seen.
“I’m Charlene,” I said, extending my hand to Thomas’ friend first.
He looked down at my hand, grinned, then wrapped his fingers around mine. It was less of a handshake and more of a handholding.
“I’m Grey, Thomas’ brother.” He released me. “These two are Bine and Zerek.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said politely. “Thomas said you wanted to know what I planned to do next.” They all watched me, even Mary. “Honestly, I don’t know what to do next. For me to live here through the winter...well, it’s a long list. And I don’t know what your plans are. Will all of you be staying too? It could change what we should do first.”
“What do you mean?” Thomas asked.
“If it’s the eight of us, we need to consider how we’ll feed ourselves. I’m guessing as hunters, you follow the food. If you’re staying in one place and the game leaves, then what? Also, if you’re living indoors without your fur, how will you stay warm? You’re going to need shirts, shoes, socks, and other things. We’ll need more bedding, a large supply of wood, and jackets, mittens, hats. And we can’t steal what we need. If we mean to stay here permanently, robbing the surrounding homes and communities would put us at risk. We need to find a way to earn money. Money will buy us the food and clothes we need.”
“Bine, head out to find an ax,” Thomas said. “Zerek, pull any deadfall from the woods into the clearing. Enlist whoever is willing to help.” The two nodded and left, shutting the outside door.
That took care of the wood.
“Do you have suggestions how we can earn money?” Thomas asked, turning to look at me. My neck ached as our gazes met. I tried to ignore the sensation and promised myself I’d take a pain pill before bed.
“There’s always the route Winifred took. Go out and get jobs.” He didn’t appear to consider that option so I moved on. “There were some useful things at the junk yard. Perhaps more could be found there and sold in town. If we can spare any wood, we could also sell that.”
Thomas glanced at Gregory and Grey. As if Thomas had spoken an order, they both nodded. Gregory held out his hand to Mary, and she went to him with a grin.
“We’ll find something good,” she said to me, and Gregory led her out the door.