Volumes of the Vemreaux Complete Collection: A Dystopian Adventure Trilogy, page 56
Their pattern had fallen to Brody always starting out, Alec second, Sam third with Liam giving each task a try at the end. Brody eyed Baird. “You’re really going to let us beat on your sister?” he asked, making sure it wasn’t too good to be true.
Baird laughed, a product of the ease he was beginning to feel with them. He began to loosen up his judgment of Blue letting her guard down so easily around them. They were hard to resist. “I’ll tell you what, if you can hit her, you don’t have to run at all tonight.” Blue returned her brother’s smile in a devious manner that gave the others pause. “Keep ’em on a full thirty seconds, Blue. Let them get the feel for it. And don’t leave any visible marks. Remember, there are other people in the house that can’t know what we’re doing down here.”
Blue nodded, shoving her hands in her pockets. The relaxed look was so different from her usual demeanor apart from Sam that the guys were made more uneasy by it.
Brody stepped up on the wood that stood twelve centimeters off the mat, raising his fists like a boxer ready to take the first punch. Blue’s amused expression and insistence on keeping her hands in her pockets fueled his locked up frustration toward her. She looked up at him with Julia’s eyes and he knew that if he did manage to land a hit, he’d regret it soon after. That thought did not deter the need to punish the girl for always being right, for being freakishly strong, for making him think of Julia and for stealing his wing man every night and turning him into a lovesick puppy. He’d been waiting for the green light to unleash on her since she’d bashed his nose at the diner the very first night he’d met her.
His first swing would have hit her square in the face had she not moved back the slight bit he did not have to clear the punch. Hands still in her pockets, she moved forward to give him a better chance, only to duck to the side at his next swing. He gritted his teeth in concentration as it dawned on him that she was toying with him. His next jab went so wide that Blue only had to shift to the left to completely miss the sting of the hit.
Thirty seconds was excruciating for the Vemreaux to watch, and they all began wondering how much help they would be to the girl, since she was more capable than they realized. At twenty-eight seconds, Blue’s hands flew out of her pockets so fast that Brody threw his arms up, not to attack, but to block. Hair barely ruffled, Blue used his awkward defensive stance that had him leaning back so unnaturally, and cut her flat hand through the air to lightly hit the side of his forehead. This caused him to pull to the side to escape the touch, but left him wide open for her to merely shove his shoulder. It was just what she needed for him to lose his balance and fall, stumbling on the mat as he tried to right himself.
To add insult to injury, she spoke up in her meek voice. “Are you okay?” He grumbled several ungentlemanly things under his breath while Liam laughed.
Alec was more surreptitious in his attack, his actions not so much controlled by anger. His problem was that he over-thought each attack, sizing her up long enough to give away his next moves two at a time. He struck out with a mixture of fists and flat hands, not being careful of her femininity in the assault. Alec was never one to give the enemy the benefit of the doubt, so he made no assumptions that he could not take his opponent down. He was a decorated soldier for Europe, after all. He’d chosen a job as a bodyguard for the royal family. To say that he was not easily intimidated was an understatement.
Alec pulled out everything in his arsenal before Blue grew tired of dodging his skillfully trained blows. After thirty seconds, Blue leapt into the air and kicked the flat of her foot to his chest with more force than he’d expected. Alec hit the mat, just as stunned as Brody was. He’d had the privilege of being assailed by the girl twice now, but still underestimated her strength and speed. It took a lot to knock the military man down He could not recall it happening before Blue came into their lives.
“Next,” came Baird’s unceremonious command.
Reluctantly, Sam hopped up on the beam and faced Blue, who’d wiped the satisfied smirk off her face. Having enjoyed her last two conquests, she knew there would be no delight in this one. It was hard enough thinking of herself as a girl with a crush on a boy, but to attack the man she desperately wanted to see her as anything other than a killer brought her no pleasure. Her hands hung limply to her sides as she took a small step back from him on the beam.
Sam looked just as hesitant. He made the effort of raising his hands up to ready himself for the fight, but his heart wasn’t in it. They both stared at each other uncomfortably for several elongated seconds, each unwilling to make the first move of aggression.
Brody huffed, waiting for the girl to exhibit a moment of weakness that Sam could exploit. Alec remained on spot he’d fallen to on the floor. He stuck there to wallow in the feeling of being bested so quickly by a girl, and ponder what he would do differently next time.
“Come on, guys,” Liam jeered playfully, ready for the in-home version of the next cage match.
Sam’s hard features softened as he looked at the nervous girl who was fighting her blush, but who also could not raise a fist to fight the man who brought it to her cheeks. “It’s alright, dolcezza. Let’s just get it over with.”
Baird intervened. “Sorry. That was a bad idea. I, uh, I don’t think I want my sister’s boyfriend beating on her after all. My fault.”
Blue’s mouth popped open at her brother admitting any wrongdoing. It was a rare occasion, indeed. The rest of his words begged to be addressed, but she would not allow her lips to do so.
Sam moved down to the mat, relieved that he would not have to hit the woman he’d been trying to convince of his safety, but Baird stopped him. “Not so fast, Vemreaux. She won’t hit ya, but I sure will.” Baird strode forward and stepped up on the beam, sending Blue to the wall with Liam.
“Are you sure, Baird? I mean, you’re not Vemreaux.” What Sam meant to say was, “I’d really love to punch you in the face, but I’m afraid my strong bones will crush your nose into your brain, and your sister will be mad at me.”
“Don’t worry.” Baird grinned wickedly, thinking a few choice threats of his own. “I’ll go easy on you.”
Blue pressed her hands to her cheeks as she fretted, her voice coming out pinched. “Baird threw the fight you two got into in the hut, Sam! He uses the first fight to gauge a person’s weakness, so he can take them down faster the next time!”
Liam smiled down at Blue and reached out to hold her hand. “Wow. You look all kinds of girly when you freak out like that. Don’t worry, Blue. It’s just practice. No one’s really fighting, here.”
Sam breathed diffidently as he took his place on the beam once again. The fighting stance came more natural this time. There was much he wanted to say to the A-blood, from the way he ordered Blue around to the hostility Baird had tried over and over again to separate them with.
Baird’s devilish ease made Blue’s heart bang in her chest. Before anyone threw the first punch, she tugged on Liam’s sleeve. “Can I get you some water?” She begged him with her blue eyes for a chance to escape.
Looking down at her with empathy, the prince ruffled her hair. “Sure, kitten. That’d be great.” Before he could make a comment complimenting her on being his favorite personal servant (though she was his only one), she ran like wildfire out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her to muffle the sound of fists hitting their mark.
15
A Glimpse of Sanity
The eldest prince had not moved in several hours. The sound of Isaac dying slowly replayed again and again in his mind. It was not until the cell door opened and light, bare feet tiptoed in that he even realized his fear had left him completely. His new companion was isolation, and he wore it about his muscular frame with much welcome.
He recognized the dainty footsteps of those belonging to the older woman he’d seen a few times during his incarceration. “Prince Killian,” she spoke cautiously. “I brought you some broth.” Her low voice had a bit of gravel to it, making her sound more masculine than he remembered her looking. She was not changed, either. He recalled her brown eyes and face that looked well into her sixties.
In his current state of barely holding onto sanity, Killian wondered if he was hallucinating this woman. Perhaps he’d wanted comfort so badly that his mind made up a kindness to help him cope. What was left of his logic reasoned that if anyone, his fiancée or his father should have been among the first for his imagination to conjure up, not this woman who was a party to his torture.
“Open up,” she commanded firmly, yet with a feminine gentility that did not belong in the likes of a prison. Killian obeyed, but only because Isaac would have wanted him to. His genetic stubbornness was wounded, but not altogether snuffed out. Had Isaac not pled with him and expressed this as his last wish, Killian still had it in him to resist the only sustenance he’d been offered in days.
He had been fed before by them, but usually the man who accompanied her had to open his mouth so she could tip the mug’s contents down his throat. The man would close Killian’s mouth for him with rough hands that felt as if they’d been dipped in acid, and plug his nose so the prince had to swallow unless he wanted to drown in his own soup.
“That’s a good boy,” the woman cooed in her tenor voice.
The moment the broth sloshed down his parched throat and into his stomach, Killian’s mind came back to him somewhat. He could feel her rough and wrinkled hand on his cheek as it stroked his unbathed skin with unexpected kindness. He could not remember the last time his own mother touched him so tenderly. Claudia’s perfectly polished nails and smooth fingers rarely did maternal or unselfish things for the benefit of her children. She’d given up parenting the moment she dipped in the eternal waters, leaving the responsibility of love and care to the emperor. Killian loved his father without question, but the touch of a mother was something the man could not, for all his power recreate. Josephine was an adequate replacement, but her stern demeanor and reserved body language did not often suggest affection.
The woman kneeling in front of him lifted the mug to feed him more of the warm nourishment that he knew would only serve to prolong the days he would endure pain. The thought of spitting the broth out at her occurred to him more than once as the fog began to lift from his brain, but he held firm to Isaac’s parting words, as if they were the one bit of truth left to cling to.
16
One of the Guys
Though no one talked about the fight between Sam and Baird, the tension died down between the two. That afternoon, after enjoying a large brunch, the six sat in one of the many gold and cream living rooms to indulge in a bit of relaxation. Though Baird insisted he did not need his own room, Sam and Liam pulled rank. It was difficult to tell whose protest was more adamant that he not bunk up with Blue during his visits. Baird talked to Josephine concerning Blue’s diet after they’d left the basement, and though the woman’s severe mouth tightened yet inconceivably further, she took the instruction with the grace of professionalism.
Liam’s feet were kicked up on the unblemished peach ottoman while he laid his head back on the couch and rested his eyes. Baird, Alec and Brody were reading various books from the royal library about old world Australia to better study the terrain. Baird held the belief that the internet was not safe, and insisted upon researching using the written word.
Sam had the television on mute so he could watch the stock reports flash by while the network correspondent prattled on about different dips and plummets in various companies’ worth. He sat on the comfortable plush couch, writing down any items he wanted to adjust for his and the family’s investments. Blue was sandwiched between Sam and Liam, and when he was not jotting down stock names, his hand drifted to her hair, stroking the soft tendrils made even more luscious by the expensive shampoo and conditioner she’d been using since she’d moved in with them. Though he did not think it a good idea to kiss her cheek in the presence of her brother, given their very recent truce of silent understanding, Sam could not help but caress her in some way.
Blue stared intently at the screen, eyes moving rapidly to the left, then peeling right until the pupils reached the center, then they’d flick back to the left again.
“You don’t want to do that,” Baird warned, though the anger was not dominating his speech as it usually did when he addressed Sam.
Sam sighed. “This isn’t the basement, Baird. You can’t boss us around up here, remember?”
Baird turned his attention back to the book and continued as if Sam had not interrupted. “She’s scanning the television, but she can’t get a good read on whatever she’s trying to figure out with you distracting her.” Then he turned his lecture to his sister. “Blue, you have to tell him if you’re trying to focus like that. He doesn’t know what you need.”
“But I like it,” she mumbled.
Though Sam retracted his hand, the corner of his mouth turned up in a crooked smile that declared how satisfied he was with himself.
“Look at me,” Baird demanded without raising his voice.
Blue tore her vision from the screen and found her brother’s face.
“You have to tell him. He doesn’t want to make your brain work that hard.”
“Okay,” she consented. Alec and Sam exchanged a glance to convey how clueless they both were concerning the siblings’ weird connection.
With the removal of Sam’s hand, Blue’s pupils shifted fully from left to right without any roadblocks. The information fascinated her, and she began to ask Sam question after question about his job and how the stock market worked. Sam explained to her things that even Brody had not understood, putting his military-bought education to work.
Eventually, Liam’s mouth fell open and he began snoring softly, much to Blue’s amusement. After Blue exhausted Sam’s extensive knowledge of the stock market, her eyes broke away from the screen to look up at him. “Is there a way to see what the stocks did earlier this week?”
While he would have given her whatever she wanted anyways, he was powerless when faced with her blinking doe eyes. “Sure, caro. I’m guessing your brother would prefer I get you a physical copy instead of just showing you on the internet, yeah?”
“You guess right,” Baird answered for his sister.
“They list them in the newspaper. Trash doesn’t get incinerated until tomorrow. Which day do you want?” Instead of tucking his pen back in his pocket, Sam balanced it in Liam’s opened mouth with a grin, enjoying Blue’s quiet giggle.
Brody snorted at the fact that his friend was already standing in anticipation of serving the girl.
The jostling of the couch woke Liam, who spat out the pen confusedly. “What the…Blue? You starting up with me?” Liam sat up with heavy lids, yawning with one fist stretching into the air. He leaned over and loudly smooched her cheek.
“I didn’t do it!” Blue protested, wiping his kiss off with a scowl. “Quit being gross.”
“Gross? I’ll have you know many a Fem would fight to be sitting where you are right now.”
“That so? Well, must be the unchanged ones, because I can’t imagine someone with a heightened sense of smell wanting to be close to you when you’re in such need of a shower.”
“Oh, yeah?” Liam lifted his elbow, grabbed the back of her head and shoved her face into his armpit, clamping her cranium there as he laughed. “Bet my kisses aren’t so gross now, are they, kitten?”
Blue shrugged out of his grip and melted onto the floor, repulsed. “You’re a disgusting boy!” she howled over his and Brody’s laughter. “That scent’s gonna haunt me for days, and that’s coming from someone who worked in scratch her whole life. Ah! It’s on my face now!”
Since he had the advantage of not being the one on the floor, Brody decided it would be a great idea to grab her ankle. He tugged her hard, yanking her to the middle of the floor so they could wrestle without endangering the giant TV.
Blue kicked at Brody with her free foot, grinning at the game she loved. It was one of the few times she was able to get along with Brody.
She twisted free of Brody’s grip and scrambled to her feet, not bothering to gauge his next plan of attack. She lunged at her prey, knocking him backward. She took care not to let his head crash too hard on the carpet, but otherwise did not waste time in taking him down. She yanked his arm down and tucked it under his knee, bringing his hand back up to insure he could not escape. Forearm to his windpipe, she smiled at his attempts to break free. “Aw, that was a good try. Really good.” She looked to Alec for approval, who nodded kindly.
Brody’s eyes narrowed at her patronizing tone. “Yeah, alright. Let me up, you monkey.”
Sam pulled her to her feet and shoved Brody just when he’d managed to sit up. “Good job, baby. Didn’t waste any time with that one.” Then he turned and playfully socked the prince’s shoulder. “Keep your lips and pits off my girl, idiot. How far back do you want, tesoro?”
“Could I have the last three days?” She sat back on the couch, but stubbornly put a pillow between her and the prince.
“Yeah, no problem.” Sam shuffled out of the room, ignoring the snarky comments Brody made under his breath and imaginary whip he cracked in the air that caused Alec to chuckle.
“’Bout time you stopped your snoring.” Brody lifted his voice to carry over to the couch. “It was hard to read with that racket.”
Liam frowned. “I don’t snore.”
“Didn’t,” Alec remarked without looking up from his book. “You didn’t snore. Then you put on all that extra padding. Now you breathe like a buzz saw every night. Bloody annoying.”
Folding his arms over his chest, Liam moped at the accusation. “I look good,” he argued, though he could feel his soft stomach beneath his arms. “Right, Blue?”
