"Don't forget the goat," Killian adds in, reminding me that he went to see my family at some point before finding me. "He told me I was a big shite."
"That's a compliment," I reply, holding in a chuckle. It's really not, and damn, Michael is pretty awesome.
"No, it really isn't," Seth remarks. "I won't even remark on what he called me before eating part of my jacket pocket."
"You have a talking goat? One of the ancient creatures?" Storm asks as Coxen places bowls on the table and a tray of bread. I offered to help, but he insisted that on our first night, we do not do chores, but tomorrow he will make a list for us to share.
"Yeah, he talks, but what is an ancient creature?" I ask, never having heard of that before.
"When I was born, there were hundreds of them. Ancient creatures could talk, teleport and sometimes create elements to defend themselves or protect their god, though many of the lines were destroyed, like unicorns or phoenixes. I've heard they are nothing more than myths now," Storm quietly says, though there is a tinge of sadness in his voice that makes me really look at him for a moment. Though he looks no older than thirty, there is something about his voice, his manner and that comment on ancient creatures, suggesting he is a lot older than his looks. The only issue with that idea is that only higher gods are immortal.
"What the hell kinda god are you?" I ask, and it only makes him laugh. "And how are you immortal?"
"When you know me better, I will answer that. Why don't you tell me what you did to get locked up here, little Karma?" he counters. Two can play that game.
"When you know me better, I might tell you," I reply as Coxen brings a big bowl of soup to the table, sliding it into the middle and sitting down in his seat next to Jade. Storm only smirks at me, like I've just issued him the best challenge of his life, and I roll my eyes at him. We serve ourselves soup and bread before tucking into our meal. It's brilliant, and if Coxen always cooks for me, I'm sure I’m never going to miss meat again. Okay, that's a lie...I need a juicy bacon hamburger and a kebab after a night out drinking like everyone else does. Crap, do they even have wine here?
"Thank you, Coxen," Seth is the first to thank the cook, and we all say the same, which makes his cheeks light up in a cute pink colour.
"Why are you idiots in here then?" Storm asks Killian and Seth, dropping the room into silence. I glance at Jade, who looks as awkward as I feel about that question.
"We don't know, but it has something to do with Karma. I'm sure someone will come and get us out soon," Seth responds.
"Yeah, that doesn't happen, so you will be waiting a long time," Storm sourly replies to him and smiles at me. “You are going to be trouble, aren’t you, Karma?”
"That's what you think," Seth replies to Storm’s first comment with a huff before I can say a word, and Storm’s expression quickly returns to annoyance once more.
"It's what I know," Storm retorts, and his purple eyes somewhat start to glow for a second. Despite the fact it's pretty, it's fucking terrifying with the look on his face.
"We don't want to argue, that is going to get us nowhere," Killian awkwardly says, clapping a hand onto Seth's shoulder. "Right, bro?"
"Right," Seth eventually replies, and Storm rests back, crossing his arms.
"A bit of advice, because I'm the fucking nice guy, don't leave the house for a few weeks," he tells them both.
"Why?" Killian asks.
"Your family locked up everyone in this place, and you added a fair chunk. That test I made you do, everyone here has done. That means they are good souls, but even good people can't resist getting revenge on the ones who locked them up," he warns them.
"We got it," Killian tensely replies, pushing up off the table. He looks down at me for a second, and there is so much guilt in his eyes before he leaves the room with Seth following after him.
"Can I help you clean up, Coxen?" Jade asks as Coxen starts picking up the plates. He nods, and I help her pile the plates before she takes them to the sink with Coxen.
"Tomorrow morning, I'm taking you for a tour," Storm informs me.
"Are you now?" I reply.
"What else are you going to do here?" he asks, and he has me there. It takes me a few seconds to come up with an idea.
"Plan a way to escape," I reply, and he only laughs. Why am I starting to like his feckin’ sexy laugh?
"I will be waiting for you in the morning. It's a date," he grins, looking happy that he got his own way.
"It isn't a date!" I shout after him, hearing his laugh for a response before he disappears around the corner. What a feckin’ eegit!
"Seems you have a date," Jade chuckles as she comes to get more of the plates off the table.
"No, I have one feckin’ asshole who thinks he is getting a date when in reality he has another thing coming entirely," I remark, but Jade only grins at me before walking off. Why does it feel like Storm is going to be nothing but trouble?
Chapter Twenty
I brush a hand across my face when I feel something tickling my nose before I roll over and bury my head into my pillow. Suddenly, something pulls my hair hard, and I cry out, sitting up and widening my eyes at the sight of Kit sitting on my pillow, a big clump of my curly red hair in his tiny hand.
"What the feckin’ hell is wrong with you?" I ask him, rubbing my head where it is sore from the missing clump. Kit just points a little finger towards his mouth, and I sigh. I know exactly what is wrong; he is hungry.
"Even if you are hungry, you can't go around pulling my hair out while I'm sleeping. I might accidentally stab you or something," I remark, and Kit makes a sound that suspiciously sounds like a laugh as I climb out of bed, feeling the cold floor under my feet as I go to the box at the end of my bed. I pull my bag out, searching in the side compartments until I find a packet of biscuits that my mum must’ve packed for me. There are also a few tea bags in the pocket to no doubt have with the biscuits. I wish I could give her a thank you hug. I swallow the sadness that builds in my throat when I think about my mum and how worried she must be, never mind the thought I might not see her again. Reminding myself to be strong can only last for a little while.
I remember how determined Seth looked about someone coming to rescue him and Killian, so there is hope there. I need to get close to Seth, at least close enough that he might tell me more about this rescue plan of his.
"Here you go. Make it last as I don't know how long we are going to be here." Kit, the greedy bastard, steals the biscuit I offer him and jumps off the bed, taking it and my hair, like a prize he won, with him. There is no description of crazy that suits Kit enough to call him it. I quickly use the bathroom before coming back into the bedroom and looking at the pile of clothes Storm got for us. After searching through the three long dresses that are handmade—pretty but not me at all—and finally getting to the bottom of the pile, I find a long black top and black shorts. I pull them on, tucking the shirt on one side into the shorts before pulling my shoes on and running a brush through my hair, which does little to control its crazy ass. I pick up my jar of peanut butter and my tea bags before leaving my room and going down the stairs.
I turn into the kitchen, pausing at the sight of a topless Killian cooking breakfast. I nearly drop my precious peanut butter as I mentally drool over his firm, muscular back that swoops down into a tight waist. It only gets worse as he turns around, showing me his large chest that is toned, and he has a tattoo over his heart which is a circle made of knots, yet there is nothing inside it. I gulp as I look down at his crazy perfect six pack and the v-line that disappears into his low hanging joggers.
"Your jaw is on the floor, Karma," Killian says.
"It isn't, you are seeing things. This is nothing," I say, nodding at his chest as I walk to his side, placing the peanut butter on the side and the tea bags next to it.
