Summoned (The Brazil Werewolf Series) (4 page)

             
I pursed my lips as I watched him.  He seemed perfectly relaxed around me, “So, you’re worried about me being in danger?” I asked, frowning “Is there a reason to be worried?”  

             
“Yes,” he said as he searched my face again.  His eyes darkened and I could see the concern there.  I tilted my head trying to understand this man and found it difficult.  Still, his apprehension seemed genuine. “Just please don’t go anywhere alone right now.  Your father wouldn’t hesitate to take you.  He‘s ruthless that way.  I don’t want you to think that because you‘re his daughter you‘re safe.  Actually, because you are his daughter, you‘re more in danger.”

             
I frowned as I took in what he said, “You‘ve met my father?” I asked, suddenly curious.

             
His eyes darkened and his face reddened slightly, “Unfortunately, I have,” he said, coolly, “I am acquainted with everyone in his family…even the one he chose to be your husband.” 

             
My mouth fell open as I stared at him with my eyes widened, “My father has a husband chosen for me too?” I asked, as my stomach twisted.  I could only imagine who he would choose.

             
Marco nodded as his eyes darkened, “Eli,” he said, “The one he chose for you is named Eli.”

             
I swallowed hard as I fought the sudden panic.  My hands began to shake and I clasped them in front of me as I tried to control the fear.  

             
“Is he like my father?” I asked, blinking rapidly, “I mean…will he try to hurt me?”

             
“Not if he wants to live,” Marco said, causing me to shiver with the force of the threat.  He looked into my eyes and sighed calming himself.  His tone was softer when he spoke next, “But if you’re asking if he’s dangerous, the answer is yes.  He’s very dangerous.” 

             
I frowned as I studied him.  My mouth was suddenly dry and I crossed my arms over my stomach, “And you aren’t like my father?”

             
For a moment he looked angry but then, his eyes became gentle, “Lilly, I realize your mother hurt you for most of your life and I also have no doubt that your father would hurt you but I never will.  I swear to you that no one will while you are with me.”

             
I had only met him hours before but somehow, his words calmed me.  I had no doubt that he was telling the truth.  After all, he had protected me from my mother and he was obviously concerned about my father kidnapping me.   

             
“Thank you,” I whispered, relieved and he frowned. 

             
“You shouldn’t thank someone for being kind to you,” he said, disturbed, “It should be expected.”

             
I nodded but I didn’t know what to say.  Ion had been the only person who had shown me kindness before arriving in Timbly Mountain.  Marco narrowed his eyes as he studied my face, “If someone is mean to you, tell me,” he said.

             
I nodded and then, shifted again, “I will,” I whispered as I realized that he was waiting for me agree. 

             
He nodded satisfied and shrugged as he relaxed, “Now, about the engagement,” he said, biting his bottom lip, “We’ve only just met and I realize how hard this is for both of us.  I wanted to make it a bit easier.  I would like to start off our relationship as friends.”

             
My lips parted and I nodded, “I would like that.”

             
He grinned and I couldn’t help but to grin back. 

             
“Now, I have to go and work with my dad and Andre.  Can I please ask you to go inside?” he asked with a raised brow, “Your father worries me and I don‘t feel comfortable ordering you around.  So, I am asking.” 

              I rolled my eyes and nodded as I closed my book.  He stood and reached out his hand to me.  I swallowed.  The action was simple but somehow it was intimate too.  I took a deep breath as I stared at his hand before I looked up at him.  His smile had faded.  The air crackled with intensity as his eyes darkened waiting for me to make a move.   I gazed back at his hand and I slowly reached forward until my hand rested in his.  I gasped as a jolt of awareness slammed through me.  I looked up at him as I noticed him swallow.   

             
He opened his mouth to say something but instead, of speaking he pulled me up to stand in front of him.  His closeness caused my stomach to flip.  I peeked up at him and quickly looked down suddenly afraid of the dark look in his eyes.  My stomach twisted, causing my heart to seize.  Finally, he moved beside me and we walked toward Aurora and Andre’s home in silence. 

             
He didn’t let go of my hand until we reached the door of the motor home.  I could feel his eyes on me as he stepped in front of me.  I tilted my face up to look into his eyes.  He bit his lip again and then, sighed.   

             
“Please don’t go out without someone with you,” he whispered, causing his breath to fan over my face.   

             
I nodded too nervous to speak, “Thank you,” he said and then, he backed away.   He looked at me once more and then, he was gone, leaving me feeling oddly hollow. 

Chapter Four

Bloodlines and Bonfires             

             
Aurora narrowed her eyes at my clothes.  I didn’t own many and the ones I did, came from thrift shops or yard sales.  I knew most were threadbare and the ones that weren‘t were out of fashion.  Finally, she found my one good dress and handed it to me while shaking her head.

             
“I’m taking you shopping,” she said curling her lip, disgusted, “I’m guessing that your mother only spent a small amount of the money Sophia sent on you.”

             
I blushed, “Ion bought my clothes.”

             
Aurora narrowed her eyes.  It didn‘t take a genius to realize that there were dangerous thoughts running through her head, “Maybe she’ll run off the road and I won’t need to hunt her down and kill her,” she hissed, confirming the darkness in her eyes.

             
I blanched, “You wouldn’t do that would you?”

             
She looked straight into my eyes, “Yes, I would,” she said but a grin split her face before she rolled her eyes, “Don’t worry.  Andre wouldn’t let me.  It’s too dangerous.”

             
I laughed nervous, “Well, I guess it will be nice to go shopping,” I said, shifting, “I’ve never really been.”

             
She gave another disgusted look, “I hate it,” Aurora said with a shrug, “But I’ll bring Mirella.  She loves to shop.  Who knows?  You may save me from having to go so much.”

             
“Who’s Mirella?” I asked, confused. 

             
Aurora tilted her head as she studied me, “They didn’t tell you everything but they still told you more than me,” she said with a shrug, “Mirella is Andre and Marco’s sister.  By the way, they have five more brothers.” 

             
My mouth opened in shock, “Five?”

             
“Yeah,” Aurora said, grinning, “You’ve went from having a small family to a large one and you will be meeting them all tonight.”

             
My eyes widened, “All of them?”

             
“Don’t worry,” Aurora said with a laugh, “They don’t bite.  Well…they won’t bite you.”

             
I bit my lip and shifted.  Aurora’s grin faded, “I’m just joking,” she said with a frown, “Lilly, I realize there hasn’t been a lot of fun in your life but you are able to have fun here.  No one is going to get mad at you for it.”

             
I looked into her eyes and slowly, I shook my head.  I took a deep breath.  Finally, a slow grin stretched across my face. 

             
Aurora grinned back, “That’s better,” she said, “You have such a pretty smile.  Now, let’s see what we can do to make Marco‘s jaw drop open in awe.” 

             
I nodded as she led me to her bedroom in the back of the mobile home to get ready for my engagement party.

*********

              Aurora walked beside me as we entered the field where the bonfire pit blazed.  The flames reached upwards as the people from the park talked or danced around the field.  Laughter filled the air.  The scene was jovial and somehow, that made me relax. 

             
The first person we met was a girl of about fifteen who joined us at the entrance to the field.  She hugged Aurora with so much energy that she nearly knocked her over.  When she turned to me, I found that her resemblance to Sophia was remarkable with long black hair which seemed wild and untamed in the wind.  She possessed the same hazel eyes as Sophia but the green in them shined brighter.  There was no question about who she was.  She had to be Sophia’s daughter. 

             
“This is Mirella,” Aurora said, waving her hand toward her and confirming what I already thought, “She’s Andre and Marco’s sister.”

             
I nodded and the girl gave me a wicked grin in response, “I’m so happy to have more females around,” Mirella said, laughing, “As a matter of fact, I am looking forward to being your favorite sister-in-law.”

             
“Hey!” Aurora said, slapping her on the shoulder playfully.

             
Mirella made a face, “You don’t count because you’re her sister,” she said, grinning and then, surprised me by hugging me.  I inhaled sharply.  I was not used to this type of affection but it seemed that everyone in this family was comfortable with embracing each other.  She pulled away quickly, still grinning.  Her name was called and she sighed, “Well, I better get back to my adoring public,” she said, rolling her eyes before laughing, “By the way; Marco was looking for you, Lilly.”

             
My eyes widened as I looked at Aurora feeling a bit of panic.  She gave a short laugh, “He’s probably with Andre,” she said, softly, “I’ll go with you.”

             
I smiled, relieved.  Aurora gave me a knowing grin, “Just remember that everything you are going through, I’ve been through it too.  That includes Mirella‘s enthusiasm.”

             
“Was it this uncomfortable for you?” I asked, frowning at my sister. 

             
She shrugged and then blushed, “Probably worse.”

             
“Why would you think that?” I asked, curious. 

             
“No one told me,” she said, smiling. 

             
“What did they not tell you?” I asked, even more confused. 

             
Her grin widened, “They didn’t tell me
anything
,” she said, “My mother didn’t tell me that I was betrothed until the day I arrived here.  I had no clue that I was a werewolf.  I didn’t even know my father was alive until the night before when he tried to kidnap me.”

             
My mouth dropped open.  I couldn’t imagine how that must have been.  I was beginning to see how much Ion really had helped me by keeping me informed because my mother could have allowed me to be just like Aurora…clueless until my arrival. 

             
“How did you react to everything?” I asked, still in awe. 

             
“Well, I probably would have had a bit better time if Andre didn’t seem to hate me at first,” she said, shrugging.
              I blinked in shock. I remembered the look in Andre’s eyes while he gazed upon my sister when I first met him.  He was clearly in love.  I couldn’t imagine him ever disliking her. 

             
“How did that change?” I asked and she laughed. 

             
“During our engagement party,” she said and I frowned, “He apologized and we became friends.  We fell in love pretty quickly.  Now we’re bonded every way we can be.”

             
“You blood bonded?” I asked as a tremble traveled through me.  The thought of blood bonding had always terrified me. 

             
“He saved my life by doing it,” she said and sighed, “I was already in love with him when it happened.”

             
I smiled sadly.  I didn’t have faith that type of love would happen for me.  However, I had one thing to be thankful for. Marco was not mean to me when we first met.  As a matter of fact, he had tried to save me from my mother.  He even wanted to be friends.  I supposed that everything could be worse.       

             
“There they are,” Aurora said, pointing toward the bonfire. 

             
I looked up, gazing at where she was pointing.  I saw Andre first.  His hazel eyes were on Aurora.  A secretive grin was on his face.  He was dressed in blue jeans and a blue sweater with a thick black jacket over it.  Boots covered his feet. 

             
My eyes moved from him finding Marco walking behind him.   He was also dressed in blue jeans but instead of a sweater, he wore a grey shirt which hung open to display a white tee-shirt beneath it.  He wore a blue jacket but it too was unbuttoned.  Slowly, my eyes rose to his face, finding him studying me as he often seemed to do.  I bit my bottom lip as he grinned, causing warmth to spread through me.

             
“Hello, Lilly,” he said with a raised brow.  I swallowed, wondering how my name from his lips could cause my heart to pound so hard in my chest.

             
“Hello, Marco,” I replied proud that my voice remained steady and was louder than a whisper.  Still, a shiver slid down my spine, causing my whole body to shake. 

             
Marco frowned, “Are you cold?” He asked, looking down at my bare arms, concerned, “Where is your coat?”

             
“She doesn’t have one,” Aurora answered for me, “Her mother didn’t spend much of the money Sophia sent on Lilly.”

             
He pursed his lips and then, shrugged out of his jacket, handing it to me, “Put this on.”

             
I frowned as I looked down at the jacket and shook my head.  I swallowed hard as I met his eyes, “You’ll get cold.”

             
He narrowed his eyes as he pushed the jacket toward me again, “I won’t get cold,” he said, and he must have seen the protest on my lips because he exhaled, frustrated, “Lilly, put it on now,” he said, sternly. 

             
I couldn’t help but to grin, “What’s so funny?” He asked, frowning. 

             
“I thought that you didn’t feel comfortable ordering me around,” I said suppressing a laugh.

             
He raised a dark brow as a grin spread across his face and he laughed for a moment,  “So, you do have a sense of humor,” he said, taking the jacket and opening it, “You don’t know how relieving that is,” he said, pursing his lips and then, nodded.  I looked at the jacket and he rolled his eyes, “I have another one.  I‘ll go get it right now.”

             
I stared at him and then, nodded, finally giving in, “Okay.” 

             
“Thank you,” he said as I turned and allowed him to slip the jacket over my shoulders.  The tips of his fingers grazed my neck and I shivered again.  He stepped back and I turned to face him. 

             
“Looks good,” he said, grinning. 

             
I blushed, “Thank you.” 

             
“Do you want us to walk with you to get your jacket, Marco?” Aurora asked, grinning as she watched us.  My face heated even more.  I had forgotten that Aurora and Andre were there. 

             
Marco took my hand in his and I stiffened, “Yes,” he said as I looked down at our hands which were once again intertwined.  When I looked back up into his face, his grin widened, “You might want to get used to holding my hand.  We will be married soon.”

             
“She will have a lot to get used to,” Aurora said and laughed, “Chances are she hasn’t even held a boy’s hand until you and I‘m sure that she hasn‘t been kissed either.”

             
I blanched because Aurora was right.  I bit my lip as I sensed Marco’s eyes on me, “Is that true?”

             
I shifted unable to meet his eyes.  I suddenly wished that the earth would open and swallow me.  I peeked at Aurora who was laughing softly to herself.  I narrowed my eyes at her.  I was pretty sure that I had just found one of the problems with having a sister.  They were constantly spewing out your secrets at the most embarrassing times. 

             
“Lilly,” he said, softly and I shifted as he repeated the question, “Is that true?”

             
I realized that he wouldn‘t give up until he knew the answer.  I sighed as I whispered, “Yes.”

             
“You’ve never held anyone’s hand?” He asked.  I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was in shock. 

             
“Ion’s when I was little,” I said, as my face burned brighter and brighter. 

             
“You’ve never been kissed either?’ He asked and I lowered my head further. 

             
“No,” I said, squirming beneath his gaze. 

             
“Wow,” he said, “That’s actually pretty amazing.”

             
I frowned taking in his words as I finally got enough courage to look at him.  When I did, he was studying me but this time his eyes were thoughtful.  At that moment, I would have given anything to know what he was thinking.