The Three (5 page)

“After my father died, I decided to set out on my own. I knew it was dangerous. Dad told me every day how dangerous traveling could be, but I couldn’t stand hiding out alone.”

“I understand. Being alone…is horrible.”

Elin wrapped an arm around Anna’s waist. “I don’t know what I hoped to find. God knows I never imagined finding someone like Kael. I just walked and started seeing a little of the world. Mostly I tried to stay away from people, and then one day I was walking through the forest and found a campsite. There was a small fire going, and Kael was just sitting there, cooking dinner.”

“Weren’t you scared, coming on a strange man in the woods like that?”

Elin shook her head. “Not really. I was curious. He was staring into the fire, so deep in thought. All I wanted was to know what was going on inside his head.”

“Did you actually approach him?”

Elin giggled. “No. I was hiding behind a tree debating the wisdom of trusting my gut on Kael when I noticed that he was gone. Then suddenly there’s this low voice coming from behind me, whispering in my ear. ‘It’s dangerous for a beautiful girl to be out here all alone.’” Elin affected a dramatic swoon. “Oh my God, my knees almost gave out on me.”

“That would be terrifying.” Anna shivered at the thought of being caught off guard like that.

“A little terrifying, but mostly exciting. I thought Kael was the sexiest person I had ever seen.”

Anna bit her lip, trying to suppress a bashful grin at that. She wanted to ask Elin more, but she was hesitant to move their conversation toward a subject she knew very little about. It didn’t take long before curiosity won out over shyness. “When…um, when did you become lovers?”

“It took us two weeks to get there. Kael invited me to dinner that first night, and we talked for hours. The next morning, he insisted that I travel with him. He didn’t want to let me go off alone, and I didn’t want to leave him, so that worked out. Everything happened so fast. I knew almost immediately that I was meant to be with him.”

“Were you nervous?” She couldn’t help but ask. Elin had experienced things that Anna had only fantasized about, and she hadn’t experienced the things that gave Anna nightmares. “I mean, was he your first?”

“Kael was my first, and yes, I was a little nervous.” Elin’s eyes twinkled. “Not that Kael would hurt me or anything, but I think it must always be a little nerve-wracking, making love with someone for the first time.”

Anna’s stomach flip-flopped at how quickly Elin was creeping into her heart. She’d never felt comfortable talking about sex with anyone, ever, but this almost felt easy. I never thought I’d have a friend again after Garrett. How is it possible to have found something so amazing, so soon?

“Your friend Garrett,” Elin asked, “was he your lover?”

Anna shook her head. “No. I’ve never had a lover before.”

“Never?” Elin sounded surprised. “I can’t believe that. You’re so gorgeous.”

Anna felt her cheeks go hot at the compliment. “No. I’ve never…found anyone who interested me.”

“He wasn’t your type?”

Anna chuckled at the thought and at the bittersweet flash of memory of her blond, curly-haired friend. “No.

Garrett was like my brother. And I was like his sister.” And one of the only things we didn’t have in common was loving men. He did, I didn’t. A familiar wave of melancholy swept through her.

“So what is your type?” Elin stroked her hand. “What interests you?”

By this point, Anna’s face was on fire. She struggled not to look over and meet Elin’s hazel eyes, terrified that her own attraction would be obvious. “I don’t know.” Why did I open this can of worms?

“How about Kael?” Elin asked in a hushed whisper and nudged Anna with her hip.

Anna’s breathing picked up at the question. “Kael, uh…Kael—”

“Don’t worry,” Elin hastened to say. “I’m just curious about what you find attractive. Do you think Kael is sexy? I won’t be jealous or anything if you do.”

“Kael is very good-looking. He…I guess he’s—”

Elin stopped Anna’s rambling speech with another squeeze of her hand. “How about me?” she asked after a quiet moment. “Am I more your type?”

Anna felt her stomach drop at Elin’s query. She could be trying to trick me into saying something, was her first irrational thought. She’s crazy if she thinks I’ll admit to that when it will get me hated or killed by most people. An instant of heart-thumping paranoia, and then Anna remembered how at ease Elin had made her feel at every other moment since they’d met. Elin wouldn’t do that to me. I’m not sure Elin could hate anyone. But what does she want to hear?

“You’re a very attractive woman,” Anna said. Her palm felt sweaty in Elin’s hand, and her voice shook. “I’m sure Kael is just as happy that he found you as you are that you found him.”

“Am I making you uncomfortable?”

Anna avoided her eyes. “I’m just not used to talking about this stuff.”

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I want you to know that you can talk to me about everything. I promise to never judge you or make you feel bad about anything you want to tell me, okay?”

Anna gave her an embarrassed nod. “I do want to talk about it. I just don’t know how.”

Elin laughed and brought Anna’s hand to her lips to plant a soft kiss on her knuckles. “Stick with me, babe.

If there’s one thing I do, it’s talk. Sex and love are two of my favorite subjects.”

“Great.” Anna’s fingers tingled where silky lips had pressed against them, bringing a grin to her face. “Two I don’t know much about.”

Elin stopped and faced Anna, looking into her eyes. “There’s a lot I can teach you,” she said, and pressed a gentle kiss to Anna’s lips. “Like I said, stick with me.”

They started walking again, Elin still holding on to Anna’s hand.

I can die happy now, Anna thought in wonderment. She resisted the urge to touch her lips with her free hand, amazed at the sensation from the simple gesture. I guess that was lesson number one.

Kael rejoined them as they strode up a gravel path that led to the main road into Sullivan. Still reeling from girl talk, Anna blushed a little as he stalked toward them. Elin greeted him with a wide grin.

“Looks quiet,” he said. “I haven’t seen a soul.”

“Where are we?” Anna asked. God, I have no fucking idea even what state I’m in anymore.

Kael gave her an odd look. “Indiana.”

“And where are we going?”

“We’re going south for the winter.” Elin took Kael’s hand. “Got to keep moving, or Kael gets antsy.

Kentucky or Tennessee,

I think. How does that sound to you?”

“Fine.” Anna tried not to stare at their clasped hands. Already she missed Elin’s attention and wished she could grab her other hand.

“Anna.” Kael’s dark, expressionless eyes moved over her. “When we go into a city, you stick close to me.

We don’t separate. There are too many places for people to hide, too much chance I won’t hear someone coming.”

Anna frowned, feeling a twinge of annoyance at Kael’s commanding tone. Before yesterday, she’d been master of her own destiny. Nobody told her what to do. Even Garrett had never tried; she would’ve slugged him, and he’d known it. Though Kael was the best fighter she’d ever seen, and he’d already saved her life once, she was long past being told what she was allowed to do as if she were a child.

Kael must have seen her internal struggle. “Please don’t argue with me,” he insisted. “There’s a reason Elin and I do things the way we do, and it’s kept us safe for two years now. Okay?”

Anna bit her lip. “Fine. But do you think we could start sparring together in the next couple days, so you can see that I’m not quite as helpless as I may have appeared by the lake?”

“Deal,” he said with a brief nod. “But this isn’t about thinking you’re helpless. This is about safety in numbers. In cities, that’s what matters. And that’s final.”

Elin shot Anna a soothing smile. “Besides, shopping isn’t nearly as much fun alone.”

“Thank God.” Kael released a quiet snort. “At last we’ve found you a good shopping partner.”

Elin turned to Anna with a long-suffering sigh. “Kael thinks shopping is boring. Well, some shopping.” She raised herself up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I didn’t hear you complaining when we found that Victoria’s Secret store in Dayton, Ohio.”

Kael’s blush rivaled Anna’s. “Yeah, well—” He cleared his throat, gave Elin a scolding look, then dropped her hand and walked to the trees that lined the main road. “Who in their right mind would complain about that?”

Not me. Anna had heard of Victoria’s Secret. Uncle Roberto had kept a stack of catalogues from the lingerie store under his sleeping pallet. As a teenager, Anna found and fell in love with his collection.

Having scouted ahead, Kael knew right where to lead them. There was a sporting goods store near the edge of the city, requiring them to walk only three blocks on deserted sidewalks.

The glass front door had been smashed in some time ago, and the interior was dark. Kael led them to the entrance, then lifted his arm to stop their progress.

“You two wait out here. I want to take a walk through before we go inside.” He gave them a stern look.

“Stay out of sight.”

“No problem,” Elin said. “We’ll just wait for your signal.”

Jaw tense, Anna said nothing. She walked over to the brick wall at the side of the store and folded her arms over her stomach. Elin came to lean against the wall beside her.

“Is this what you mean by ‘a little edgy’?” Staring toward the abandoned parking lot, Anna resisted the urge to glower.

“He doesn’t mean anything by it.” Elin’s kind voice drew Anna’s attention to her face and her tender hazel eyes. “He’s…been through a lot. He’s cautious. Please believe that Kael just doesn’t want to see any of us hurt.”

“I’m sorry.” Anna exhaled steadily. “I don’t mean to be difficult. I just have a hard time with being ordered around like that.”

“I understand—believe me, I do. I used to get frustrated sometimes, too, but now…I know Kael. I know where he’s coming from. He just wants to protect us from the bad things in this world.”

“Well, it’s a bit late for me. I know all about the bad things the world has to offer.”

Elin’s eyes flashed with pain. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that nobody was there to help protect you when you needed it, but please…let us help protect you now.” She placed her hand on Anna’s arm. “And you can help protect us.”

Elin’s warm gaze melted away the last of her anger, and Anna said, “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m oversensitive.” I just hate having a man telling me what to do all the time. It feels a little too much like home.

Kael poked his head out the front door and gestured to them. “Ladies, are you ready to shop?”

“You said the magic words.” Elin jumped away from the wall and went to him, rising up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek as she walked through the smashed door.

Anna followed, hissing sharply when she took her first step. Her limp was still pronounced, though Elin had carefully wrapped her ankle the night before. The kick she’d received at the lake left her gritting her teeth in pain after only half a day of walking.

“How’s the ankle?” Kael asked.

“Fine. No sweat.”

Kael held her stare for a moment before turning to walk back into the store. “We’ll set up camp once we get far enough outside of town.”

“I said it’s fine. Look, I don’t want to be the dead weight who slows you two down. I can keep up. I promise.”

“Anna.” Kael paused and rubbed his palm over his shaven head. “I know that you and I are still…adjusting to this situation. I don’t want you to feel like I have a problem with you or like I’m questioning your abilities. I just have a certain way that I like to do things, and being careful is very important to me. For all of us. If you don’t let your ankle heal properly, you’ll be at a disadvantage if something unexpected happens.”

Anna released a frustrated breath. “I know, but—”

“But nothing. I only walked us as far as I did today so that we could get some supplies. If we hadn’t needed them, I’d have insisted you rest for at least a day.” Before Anna could respond, he continued, “Listen, you’re with us now. That means you’re going to have to put up with me and my moods. It means I care about you and how you’re doing. I know that Elin is better at this stuff than I am. Please don’t take anything I say or do personally. I’m not the bad guy, I swear.”

Anna couldn’t suppress a smile at that. Once again, Kael had reached out and smoothed over her hurt and anger, and despite his brusque manner, she heard the truth of his words. He’s not the bad guy. Elin wouldn’t be with a bad guy.

“I’m sorry. You’re right,” she said. “I guess you’re going to have to put up with my moods, and me, too. I just have an aversion to feeling like someone is telling me what to do.” She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

“Bad memories.”

Kael gave her a humorless smile. “I understand.”

“Hey, Anna!” Elin’s excited voice came from somewhere inside the store. “This place still has a few sleeping bags. Come check it out.”

Anna ducked her head in a quick nod to Kael, then followed the sound of Elin’s voice. Gazing around, she noted that the shelves were still relatively full of random sporting goods items, everything covered with a thick layer of dust. This was one of the more untouched stores she’d seen. It wasn’t unusual for a place like this to be well picked through.

“What do you think?” Elin held up two rolled sleeping bags. “Red or green?”

“Green.” Anna shot her a half-grin. “I don’t want to be too easy to spot when I’m unconscious.”

“Good call. You know, I saw some clothing up near the counter. I don’t know what they have, but maybe you could find something. I’ll look for a backpack for your stuff.”

“Thanks.” Anna limped to the racks of clothing at the other side of the store. As she walked past a center aisle, she caught sight of something that immediately captured her interest: a row of baseball bats, both wooden and aluminum. She disappeared between the tall shelves for a closer look and emerged a moment later with a sturdy wooden baseball bat gripped in her hand. I have a weapon again. Relieved, she set out in search of something to wear.