Page 16 of Caelum

This soul had often been disappointed by the selection at the compound, however, and having seen five men at the Academy, I could understand why.

“It’s kind of you to offer to guide her around,” Merry murmured, a hint of amusement in her voice. “I wonder what prompted such gentlemanly behavior?”

Though Nicholas snorted, Stefan just grinned. “The kindness of my heart?” he said, making my own flutter at the sight of those perfect white teeth, the sharp smile that had my eyes flaring wide in surprise.

Were they all this beautiful?

Damon had been handsome, as was Nicholas though he had a sterner countenance. But Stefan? He was beyond that. He stole my breath away. And the others didn’t have me faring much better.

Nestor’s eyes were so warm when they looked at me that I felt like I was about to set on fire. His smile was ready and engaging, daring me to smile with him, to take part in the silent joke. He was shorter than Stefan, but still towered over me by a good foot. His body was a little leaner, rangier, but it was a darker, richer gold.

I hadn’t realized there were any other colors of skin until I’d climbed onto the plane with Merry. The pilot had been black. Truth was I’d been almost as stunned by that as I had been about Merry’s promises to help me.

Such an intrinsic and basic lack of knowledge irked me to no end. Ihated that I was so ignorant, loathed it with a passion I couldn’t begin to describe.

It wasn’t aided by the fact I was coming face to face with such diverse people. The third boy, Eren, wasn’t black like the pilot, but was a deeper, duskier brown than the others. His hair was like black silk, and my fingers wanted to touch it. Wanted to know what it felt like against my fingertips. His eyes were beautiful as well. They sparkled and glinted in the faint light as though the amber striations around his pupil were lightning bolts. He was the smallest of the three, but he was lean, and his body was as firm and toned as the others even if he wasn’t as thick, and he shared that same energy. Like the three of them were barely contained within their bodies.

Rather than put me on edge, their leashed power calmed me. They were like me. They were trying to contain themselves too, but there was a stark contrast between my heavy curves and their carved frames.

In comparison to them, with their tight shorts that revealed parts of a man’s body I hadn’t even known about, I wore a dress that covered me from neck to toe. Underneath, my body wasn’t lean like Merinda’s. She was like one of the lemons in the orchards at the compound in the early spring. Small and pert, no give to the firm flesh.

I, on the other hand, was ripe.

Soft.

I wasn’t unusual. All the other Sisters had been like me, but seeing how strong and lean these people were made me realize I was going to stand out. But, then again, most of the people I’d seen so far were men. I could only hope not every woman here was as slender as Merry, because if they were, I’d have to do whatever they did to stay so slim.

Had the men at the compound overfed us?

I wasn’t certain. But among these taut giants, I felt large and not in a good way either. Still, Stefan’s eyes were on fire for a reason and I felt that fire deep in my core. It was an unusual feeling. There was heat and need. It was like I was hungry, just not for food.

When I shot Eren and Nestor shy smiles, they returned them. Neither overzealous nor eager, just ones as gentle as my own. It tempered any discomfort I may have had.

In my world, a single woman wasn’t allowed into the custody of three men. Not unless they were related. Goodness, even then that wasn’t always permitted. But with my hand in Stefan’s, I knew I was safe, even though the feelings he was inspiring in me were anything but.

I licked my lips as he pulled gently on my fingers and guided me out of Nicholas’s room after the boys mumbled their farewells. When the doorclosed behind me, I released a shaky breath that was loaded with relief. Why? I wasn’t sure. Nicholas and Merinda had saved me, but I knew danger lay in that office too.

I wasn’t what they perceived me to be. I wasn’t, and no matter how many times I wished otherwise, that wasn’t about to change. After containing these souls inside me for so long, I knew there weren’t seven but eight, and though I couldn’t easily distinguish between them without interacting with others, when I did and eventually recognized which soul was in charge, it was like another person was living inside me.

Some days, I wondered how I managed to fit them all in. I was only one person, but I had eight different entities inside me, all battling for freedom. No wonder I needed to nap so much. No wonder I needed time outs and to rest.

Fingers squeezed my own, and I jerked in surprise when Stefan drew his attention to me.

“Eve?”

I licked my lips like I was savoring his rough tenor. “Yes?”

“Do you understand what you are?”

“We should leave that for Nicholas,” the boy called Eren murmured uneasily. “You heard him. He wants her to go back to visit him tomorrow.”

“Yeah, he does, but if we can explain things, she won’t be scared.” Stefan’s thumb rubbed over mine. “You have nothing to be afraid of.”

I appreciated his attempt to calm me, but goodness, who was I kidding? There was no calming me down. I’d gone from one prison to a potential second one. They’d kill me here just like they would back home when they learned the truth that I fit in here as little as I did at the compound.

I’d hopped from the frying pan and into the fire.

His thumb rubbed over my wrist, and I knew he could discern the quickening of my racing heart. Inwardly, I felt like I did when I’d been cooking all day, so I was flustered and overheated as well as tired and drawn. Especially when he looked at me. While it set me on edge, the soul appreciated when his attention was on me. It craved his heated looks and the presence of his muscled form beside me, and I didn’t know what to do with that craving.

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