Callie's Captors [Mountain Men of Montana 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (11 page)

“Where are they going?”

“Who?

She pointed in the direction that the children had gone. “The kids. Why are they taking them into the forest?”

Blue took her hand and she couldn’t bring herself to remove it from his. “They’re taking them on a nature walk so they can learn about the medicinal purposes of the plants.”

“So it’s like a community school? Or homeschooling?”

Luke ambled by with two other large men who, judging by their size and their similar features, had to be relatives. He lifted his hand in greeting and she did the same. “Are those Luke’s brothers?”

“Yup.”

She smirked at Blue’s imitation of the way Luke talked. Checking around her, she found several groups of men and women who appeared to be related. “Is that common? The brother thing?”

“For us, yes. We tend to stick with family. But there are others who join together to make new families.” He took the orange a small woman with flowing blonde hair gave him, thanked her, then started pulling it apart.

Callie took the wedge he offered her. “What’s this place called? Have you always lived here? Or is this one of those retreats people pay exorbitant amounts of money to visit? Is it a getting-back-to-nature therapeutic resort?”

“I’ll tell you what you want to know, but you have to promise me that you’ll keep an open mind.”

“You people sure do ask for a lot of promises.” She paused to stare at a man whose nose was very wide. Long teeth jutted out over his bottom lip. He stretched his lips wide, exposing more teeth, and making her aware that she was gaping at him. She looked away, embarrassed by her rudeness. But then it hit her. Many of the people around her were unique in their appearance. Some had large teeth or facial features while others seemed different in their coloring or the way they held themselves.

“I just want to make sure you don’t jump the gun and think I’m crazy.”

Crazy?
Her interest piqued. “This sounds interesting.”

“We call our home The Hidden.”

“Right. Lyra told me that.”

He gave her a short glance. “What else did she tell you?”

“Not much. She said you Deacon boys should be the ones to explain.”

“Then I’d better get on with it. The Hidden is our sanctuary.”

He paused to take a bite of the orange and she took one, too. Juice ran down her hand and the sweet taste erupted in her mouth. “Wow. That’s a really good orange. I think it’s the best one I’ve ever had.”

“The fruit in The Hidden is a lot better than on The Outside.”

“The Outside?” Not caring if it was unladylike, she shoved the rest of her piece into her mouth and sighed as the delicious flavor spread over her tongue and down her throat.

“That’s what we call everything outside of here.” He gestured toward a group of people sharing a meal and laughing. “You may have noticed that some of the people here are a bit different.”

She nodded then opened her hand palm up to ask for another slice of orange. He gave it to her and started walking again, taking long strides that made her hustle to keep up with him. All the while, she tried not to stare at those around her.

“That’s why they’re here. Because of their differences, they can get hassled elsewhere. Plus, this place is special. It’s serene and the weather’s always wonderful.” He drew her in with his intense look. “You’ll see things in The Hidden that you’ll never see anywhere else in the world.”

“You’re making this place sound almost magical.”

A hint of a smile formed on his lips. “‘Magical’ is a good word for The Hidden.”

“So tell me how you and your brothers found this place. I know for a fact that I’ve never heard of it or seen it on any map. I studied maps of the region before I came hiking.”

“That’s why it’s called The Hidden. We want to keep it a secret.” He said hello to a couple of men who passed by. “Raine and I are natives, believe it or not. Our parents came here before we were born. Then they took in Pete and made him our brother.”

He tossed the rind of the orange into the bushes. “But I’m more interested in hearing how you fell into that pit.”

She winced. “I hope I can live that catastrophe down.”

“It’s not that bad. Everyone trips and falls at some point. And you had an extra reason to get careless with the buck chasing you. But did anything else happen?”

“I saw that weird creature, then three wolves. Then that’s when you showed up.” Why did she have the impression that he was fishing for something else?

“But did you see, or maybe feel, anything out of the ordinary?”

She was right. He was searching for answers. “Yeah. I did. When the buck was chasing me—Pete said its name is Jerry—I ran like hell. But then it was like I hit an invisible wall. One second, I was going full steam ahead and then, all of sudden, it felt like I was trying to run through water. I could feel this substance that was heavier than air rippling around me.”

She gave him a suspicious look. “Do you know what I’m talking about?”

His answer seemed sincere enough. “No. I’ve never experienced that.”

“So do you guys do that a lot?”

He blinked, thrown by her switching the subject. “Do what?”

“Name the animals. Like calling that buck Jerry.”

“Yeah, we kind of do.”

“Like pets?”

A flash of irritation swept over his features. “We don’t have pets because we don’t think any living being should own another.”

Touchy subject, huh?
She decided not to push him.

“Tell me about the creature. Lyra knew what I was talking about and you do, too. I can see that you do.”

“They’re called The Cursed because of their ugly appearance. And they’re dangerous. Stay away from them and stay inside the camp area, especially after dark.”

“I’ve never heard of them, much less seen one before.”

“Like I said”—he took her hand again and gripped it harder—“stay in the camp.”

“I’m not planning on staying at all.”

“And here’s where the open mind part comes in.”

“Uh-oh. I don’t like the sound of that.”

He started walking again, pulling her along with him, and led her onto a narrow path leading into the forest. The sunlight dimmed as it struggled to get through the tree limbs. Animals scurried away and into the underbrush. Brilliantly colored flowers lined the path.

If any place is magical, this place is.

“Where are we going?”

“We’re meeting my brothers at the pond.” He picked up his pace even more and she had to jog to keep up.

“Do you remember the white-haired man you saw last night?”

“Sure. He was with the little guy that reminded me of an elf.” She hissed at her mistake. “I’m sorry. That was so un-PC of me. I can’t believe I said that.”

“Don’t worry about it. Titto wouldn’t mind. Anyway, the older man is Charlton and he heads up The Council. They’re the ones who determine the rules around here. What few we have, that is.”

“And?” She tensed up, expecting the worst.

“The Council has determined that you should stay a few days until we can sort things out.”

She froze. “And what if I don’t want to?”

“I’m sorry, Callie. That’s the way it has to be.”

He pulled her along with him until they broke through the tree line and to the edge of a beautiful pool of water. Even from where she was standing, several feet from it, she could see through the clear blue liquid to the bottom. Fish whipped about with one popping to the surface every once in a while.

Raine and Pete stood in the shallow part. Her heart picked up speed, almost forgetting what Blue had told her.

Holy crap. They’re naked.

* * * *

Blue could see the yearning on her face, but he could also see her hesitation. But he couldn’t blame her. Not after Raine told them what had happened last night. He’d almost lost control with his brothers. Both Pete and Raine had already lain with her—which drove him crazy—but not only had Raine done so, he’d done it after they’d agreed to leave her alone.

“Don’t worry, Callie. Nothing’s going to happen.” He couldn’t keep from running his gaze over her and imagining her body skimming through the water, her long hair trailing behind her. “Unless you want it to.”

Her response was swift and filled with anger. “Sorry. You’re shit out of luck. I’m not giving you the green light so you can complete the challenge, or game, or whatever the hell you guys want to call it.”

“That’s not what’s going on here.”

“Then why don’t you tell me what is going on?”

Although she was angry, her words spoken in a challenge, he could sense the longing inside her. She wanted to hear that she was wrong, yearned to believe what he’d tell her was the truth.

“I don’t know how to explain it well. You’re going to have to listen to your gut and recognize that what I’m saying is real.” He stepped closer to her, needing to touch her as though his touch would succeed where his words had failed. But she stayed out of his reach.

“There’s a special something happening between us. Between all four of us.”

Her anger diminished, but her knitted brow told him she wasn’t ready to accept everything he’d said. If she believed him enough to know that they weren’t playing games with her, then that’d be okay. For now.

“Do you trust us?” He stopped her with his palm up and facing her. “No, don’t answer yet. And don’t listen to your head. Listen to your heart. Then answer.” He paused, giving her time to do as he’d asked. “Do you trust us?”

“Yes. I think so.”

“Then believe me when I say this is not a game to us. Can you do that?”

She narrowed her eyes and he could almost see her mind warring with her heart. “Yes. I think I can.”

“Good. Then let’s have a little fun, okay?”

He paced to a large tree, reached out behind it, and brought out her backpack. “Pete brought this along.”

“Does that mean I can leave?” She took the bag from him and opened it to examine the contents.

Did she think they’d stolen her stuff? That and the way she’d glared at him cut him to the bone. He had a lot to make up to her, but, if he had his way, he’d have a lifetime to do it.

“No.”

She pulled herself taller. “And what if I take off right now?”

“I’ll have to stop you any way I can.”

“So I’m still a prisoner. Are you planning on tying me up again?”

“Only if you want me to.” If she said yes, he’d grab the first thing he could to tie her up, then strip her clothes off. His wolf howled with delight as he pictured her, bound, lying on the green grass at his feet.

Her eyes flashed before she took a step back. “Don’t even think about it. Can I at least take some photos? Or is that not allowed, too?”

“Sure. Go ahead.” Whatever pictures she took would never leave The Hidden. He would make certain of that.

“And I’ll be your first subject.”

He pivoted along with her to face a very wet and very aroused Raine. The sweet scent of lust flowed off her, cocooning him until he thought he’d lose his mind. His wolf roared again, howling at her nearness and demanding that he answer the call of the wild.

She opened to her mouth to speak, closed it, then tried again. “Okay. Yeah. Why not? At least that way I can keep my eye on you.”

“How about me? I’m better looking than this fugly dude.” Pete shoved Raine out of the way and struck a pose.

Blue was relieved to see her smile, but it was gone all too soon. Maybe, just maybe he could get that smile back. He tugged off his shirt as he toed off his boots. “How about a threesome?”

Shit!

“Sorry. I didn’t mean that kind of threesome. Just three men to shoot.” He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t resist. “Unless you want a foursome instead.”

Was it just wishful thinking, or did she almost accept his offer? But her mouth slammed shut as she regrouped. “Foursome, no? About shooting you? Don’t I wish. But I’m sorry to say I don’t have a gun.”

Pete covered his junk with both hands. “Ow. And here I was going to ask you to make sure you got my best feature in the photo.”

Again, her face softened a little more. They were making inroads to lighten her anger. She pulled the camera from the backpack and checked it, making sure things were ready. “You three are something else.”

“Which makes us perfect for you.”

Blue bumped his shoulder against Raine’s. “You got the wrong impression from him last night, but he’s dead-on right now.”

“Will everyone stop talking about shooting something? Little Pete’s having a hard time staying up.”

Blue jumped at the opening and struck a pose right out of a clothing catalogue. “Take my picture first, Callie.”

She lifted the camera and aimed. He heard the click, but she didn’t act happy when she lowered the camera and looked to Raine then Pete. “I still have to know. Why did you do that? Why did you sleep with me? Was it to have fun with a girl you knew wasn’t going to hang around for long? Or did you think I owed you for helping me? I know you don’t know me—”

“We know enough.” Blue hoped she could see the truth on his face.

“I know I shouldn’t have hopped into the sack with you guys, but…I thought it was…real.”

Raine moved forward, but Blue held him back. She needed her space. “I thought you said you believed me. They—we—were never playing a game.”

“What I said and did was straight from the heart,” added Pete. “As I’m sure it was for Raine.”

Raine chimed in. “It’s true, Callie. You’ve got us all wrong.”

“So you’re saying it was more than just sex?”

She was vulnerable and he could smell it drifting off her. “I haven’t gotten the honor of lying with you yet, but I know it was a lot more than that for them.”

He wanted to hold her, to reassure her with his touch as well as his words, but she wasn’t ready. Instead, he’d have to make his words count like never before. If he had to say it a thousand times to reassure her, he would.

“This is hard to believe even for us, and I know it’s got to be even harder for you to accept. But, Callie, you’re the woman we’ve waited for.”

She shook her head, denying his words. But her open expression told him she wanted to trust him. “We only met yesterday.”