Page 76 of Conquered
Hang on, our girl? They really are happy to share me?My thoughts are still whirring as Loki's lips descend on mine, kissing me soundly and leaving me breathless.
“Laters, babe,” he says teasingly, giving me his usual grin and a wink.
“Uh...bye,” I manage to stumble out, looking round and catching Ash's serious grey gaze.Does he ever lighten up?He just nods then turns away, dismissing us.Wankstain.
Kai opens the front door on a beautiful, sunny autumn day. The trees, now that I can see in the daylight, are a riot of colour. From a deep amber to a brilliant red, and every autumn colour in between. The sky is a gorgeous cloudless blue, and the sun is warm, but not too hot. I take a deep breath of sweet air, marvelling at how I ended up here. After everything that happened, I never dreamt I would feel happy again. Or so at peace. But that's what I feel here, with the guys, surrounded by all this beauty.
Kai hands me a foil wrapped package that's still warm. “I made you some breakfast to go,” he tells me, and I open it to find an egg and bacon roll.
“Thanks,” I say, tucking in straight away and moaning my appreciation.
I'm starving! Or Hank Marvin, as Mum used to say, which is cockney rhyming slang for starving. A familiar pang hits me at yet another thing about her that will live in my memory. But it doesn’t overwhelm me as it would have done a few weeks ago.
Kai leads me into the trees, taking a path that is small, but well worn.
“Do you walk here often?” I ask, loving the crunch of leaves under our boots.
“Every chance I get,” he replies. “I love the outdoors. I feel so...free here. Like there is nothing I can't do, and no weight dragging me down.”
His solemnly cryptic answer makes me pause, looking at him. He's so reserved, and I know next to nothing about him. About any of them, really. The thought makes me frown. Given how intimate we've been, I ought to know more about them. And they me.
“I find the same sense of peace here,” I reply, filing away the urge to find out more about him. “I didn't think I would ever feel that way again. But I do here.”
“Is that because of what happened with your mom?” Kai asks me softly. We're side by side, but I come to a halt, feeling suddenly cold, like I've been dunked in ice cold water.
He stops and turns back, a pain so stark in his honey eyes I gasp. It's the same pain as mine, the one I see in the mirror when I can't sleep. When the nightmares and the images of drowning in blood keep me awake.
“My parents died in a car crash when I was young,” he begins, still holding my gaze. “I, like you, went to live with my uncle. I thought I'd never smile again, never laugh or dream. But I had the guys, and soon I was able to do all those things and not feel guilty doing them.”
He reaches for my hand with such understanding in his gaze that I feel a tear slip down my cheek. His hand changes course, fingertips brushing the tear away.
“It'll get easier. Promise,” he says with a sad smile. “And I'm always here if you need to talk,” he adds as his hand captures mine. He gives a gentle squeeze, then we start walking again, hand in hand.
We walk all morning and stop by a beautiful lake for a break at about midday.
Kai takes off his backpack, dropping it by his feet, and proceeds to empty it. He pulls out a picnic blanket and an array of foil or paper wrapped packages. There's even a couple of plastic Tupperware dishes.
“I did a bit of everything,” he says as he begins to unwrap them. There's a whole load of food, from golden fried chicken legs to a selection of deli meats and creamy coleslaw. There's even what looks like yellow cornbread, and the fudgiest brownies I've ever seen.
“Kai, this looks amazing!” I say, my mouth is already salivating just looking at all the delicious food. We sit down and tuck in, me moaning out loud much to Kai’s amusement.
By the time we've finished, I'm absolutely stuffed, and definitely need a little rest before we start to head back. I lie down on my back, groaning.
“That was fucking awesome, Kai,” I say, closing my eyes and feeling the warm sun on my face. “Thank you.”
“Anytime, Lilly,” he says softly. “It's nice to have some company for a change.”
I crack one eye to see him leaning on one elbow, smiling down at me, his brown hair sticking up all over the place, as usual. He's haloed by the sunlight, and his beauty takes my breath away. These guys, they're all so beautiful, yet so unique. Kai with his hot nerdy vibes, Loki with his fallen angel looks, Jax with his gruff Viking feel, and even Ash and his cold, yet stunning beauty. No wonder they are the rulers, the Knights of Highgate Prep.
“Tell me more about you and the guys. What were you like as kids?” I ask him, suddenly desperate to know more.
“Well, our parents all grew up together, and now own a joint business, so we've basically been friends forever,” he starts with a grin. “We used to get up to all sorts of mischief, especially Loki, he used to lead us into so much trouble.” He laughs outright then, and it's a beautiful, joyous sound. “One time, he got us to rig up all the toys in his sisters’ room so that when they opened the door, they all flew off the shelves and landed on them. Only, it wasn't his sisters that opened the door, but theirnanny Martha! I've never run so fast in my life as I did that day, running away from her screaming at us, threatening all kinds of punishment.” He chuckles, eyes alight with remembered mirth.
I giggle with him, imagining them all tormenting poor Martha, unsurprised that Loki was the mischievous one.
“Ash managed to sweet talk her out of it, as usual, he was always the peacemaker,” he muses. “Still is, I guess.” I frown a little,Ash the fucktrumpet a sweet talker?
He tells me other stories, like the time when they were all thirteen, and Loki convinced them to drink a bottle of vodka he'd stolen from his parents, who were never there so wouldn't have noticed. According to Kai, they were so sick that none of them have been able to touch the drink since.
