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Chapter 2
Ann
The shadow beasts light a fire.I watch them beneath my lashes, sitting near enough to the flames that I hope they think I’m behaving, but I’m secretly trying to figure them out. As they move around, gathering wood, talking in their strange language, gesturing, and glancing at me, I try hard not to look like a threat, or like prey. They definitely look wild, like men raised by wolves rather than humans, but they’re not quite as mysterious as I thought they were in the beginning.
I also decided to name them. The one who seems to be in charge is Daddy. He has the longest, darkest hair of the three, and green eyes. Not a pale green either. A green so deep that it’s eerie, the gems peering out beneath the strands of his hair like a painting, or a wild animal, rather than a human. Fluffy is the smallest of the three, both in height and width. His hair is long, and perhaps just a touch paler than Daddy’s, but his eyes are an ice blue rather than green. Tiny is the one with long, blonde hair. He is the largest of the three, both in height and general size. While Daddy is built like a warrior, Tiny is built like a warrior’s protector. So thickly corded that it actually seems impossible that he’s real.
But even though Fluffy is the smallest, they’re all big. I feel like a fairy near giants. It’s no wonder Daddy wasn’t affected by my fist against his back. I probably couldn’t have bothered him with a hammer.
Yeah, I’m in trouble.
“So, can you guys speak English?”
They look toward me, then focus back on their tasks. Okay, no English. But also no anger directed at me. Not the worst-case scenario.
“And are you guys going to tell me what you want from me?”
This time they just seem to completely ignore me.
“Okay, that’s fine. I don’t need to be understood. I don’t need to be talked to. But I do want you to know that I think you’re a bunch of assholes to steal a woman. No matter what you plan to do with me, that’s a dick move. Right from the start. I don’t know how you’ll come back from that without just being forever the dick trio.”
None of them react. For some reason, a little of the tension I’ve been carrying eases. If they don’t react to being called assholes and dicks, they probably won’t react to much. And if they don’t care about me talking to myself, then hopefully that means they aren’t just looking for a reason to hurt me.
All good signs.
“Also, I named all of you. What do you think of that? You, Mr. Green Eyes, are now officially Daddy, since you seem to be in charge of this bunch. The smallest of you giant weirdos is now officially Fluffy. And you, the biggest dude of them all, are Tiny.” I laugh to myself, and Daddy looks over at me through his hair, his expression unreadable.
Oh boy, maybe it’s time to shut up. If I find my own voice annoying, chances are I shouldn’t push it with these three.
I sigh, then lean back a little, even though it doesn’t make the ground any more comfortable. I’d been given no indication of how long this abduction of mine would last, so my best bet is probably to just learn as much as I can about these guys and where I am, so if the opportunity to run came, I might actually have a chance at getting back home.
So, I narrow my eyes and focus.
At first, I’m staring at them because I want information from them, even nonverbal information. But eventually, things change, and then I’m watching them because Ican’tseem to stop watching, because even in their bulkiness, there’s a finesse that mesmerizes me, a grace that’s equally spine-chilling and elegant. Whatever they are, I could watch them move all day if not for the strange fear watching them brings. It’s like one part of my brain admires them, and the other part can’t stop thinking about what men this large and this graceful could do to me if I piss them off. I can’t even tell myself that I’m smaller and faster, because I’m pretty sure they’re as agile as they are powerful.
At last, the one I’ve named Daddy kneels down in front of me. He gestures to the river and then to me.
“Uh. No, thanks. Hard pass.” There’s no way I’m going into that river. Not a chance.
His brows draw together, and again he gestures between me and the water.
I shake my head, then mouth the word. “No!”
He looks back at the others.
I swear the biggest of the three rolls his eyes. He stomps across the clearing, and a scream catches in my throat before he picks me up, tossing me over his shoulder. Now, I do scream. And to my shock, he gives my ass a hard smack that silences me.
Then, I’m dumped into the cold river. I gasp in a breath that’s just water, then surface, spitting out water and coughing. It’s cold. Not just a little cold, butshockinglycold.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I scream at the huge man.
It looks like the other two are mad at him. But after a minute, they all reach for the small clothes covering their cocks and untie the sides.
My cheeks burn.Oh my god, are they really going to get naked and jump in this river with me?
I don’t have time to wonder further, because they sink into the water with me, and I wrap my arms around myself, chattering. At first, I just stare at the moon, but then I can’t help myself, I glance over at them. They’ve washed their loincloths, and now they’re bathing themselves.
My jaw drops open, and I know damn well that I’m staring. But I can’t help it. The thick layers of filth on their bodies are coming off in the water, and hard muscles glisten beneath the moon and the stars. It feels like I’m caught in some strange world that’s somewhere between a nightmare and a really hot porn video.
