Page 14 of Little Red and Her Creatures of Chaos
“This has always been our land, but when we were no longer welcome in town, we settled here permanently.”
“I’m sorry that some humans suck.”
Mason chuckles, and the hair on my arms stands up. “We understand the fear. We’ve been able to come out more lately because the ones who remember have already passed away.”
“Is that why I’ve never seen you before?”
“Mostly. Dad was scared that someone would come after us, so we were homeschooled, and we have everything else we need here.” There are several gardens, fruit trees, chickens, pigs, cattle, and horses. Everything they could ever need is here.
“Still, it’s not fair that you guys had to hide.”
“We got by fine,” he answers, pulling in front of a smaller cabin.
“Is this yours?” It’s gorgeous and sits right on the edge of the property, with a lake running behind it.
“It is,” he says proudly. “But I thought we could walk for a little bit. We’d like to show you around.”
As if on cue, Bryce comes bounding out of the cabin with a huge smile on his face. Nash makes his way out slower but with a smile of his own. Bryce pulls my door open and sticks his hand in to help me down. When my palm slides into his, I gasp at the electricity-type feel that runs up my arm.
Bryce sucks in a breath, but his smile doesn’t falter. He helps me down from the truck and takes a slight step back. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Welcome, Radley,” Nash says, walking to stand behind Bryce. He’s so tall that I have to look up at him.
“Hi.” I give them a dorky wave and want to kick myself in the ass. “It’s so peaceful out here.”
“It is,” Mason agrees. “Let’s go for a walk.”
We all walk in silence back up the road, but it’s not uncomfortable. I take a second to look around and appreciate all the nature around me. A deep forest surrounds all the cabins, and it feels like I stepped into a totally different world. Which I guess I kind of did.
I’m so busy admiring the lands that it takes me a second to realize Mason walked us to his dad’s cabin. I grab his arm to stop him, and that same feeling I got when Bryce touched me rushes over my arm but much more amplified. “Why are we here?”
Mason smiles, and it sucks my breath from my lungs. He’s so beautiful. “There’s someone here that I’d like you to meet.”
“But it’s your dad’s place,” I hiss like he didn’t know that.
“It is.” Mason gently pulls his arm from my grasp and puts his hand on the small of my back. That feeling rushes through me again, and I feel a slight shiver in his body. “I think it will help you understand some things.” He leads me around the side of the cabin where a gorgeous blonde woman is weeding a flower bed. She looks up when we approach and jumps to her feet.
“Hey, boys!” She jerks them all into hugs and gives me a smile. “Who do we have here?”
“Margie, this is Radley,” Mason introduces, and her eyes widen slightly.
“It’s so nice to meet you finally,” she says, and I hold my hand out for her to shake. With a laugh, she pulls me into a hug. “We like to hug around here.”
I laugh with her. “I don’t mind.”
Margie pushes me back to arm’s length. “You’re just as beautiful as the boys said.”
My face flames, and I try to duck my head, but I feel Mason’s hand settle on my back again. “Yes, she is.”Oh. My. God.
“Your dad is inside. You want me to grab him?” Margie asks.
“No. I was kind of hoping we could talk to you,” Mason answers.
Margie nods and hooks her arm through mine. She waves her hand over her shoulder. “There is no we to this conversation.”
“Oh, come on, Margie,” Bryce whines. “We just got her here.”
“You can have her back in a little while. Go see if Luther needs anything.”
