Chapter 10

 

They straightened up and stood there. Troy looked from one to the other. “Raf, were you looking for me?” The one with the short blonde hair shook his head and stepped back out of the way. Troy turned to the other man. “Leone?”

Looking at the floor while he spoke, his eyes glancing quickly to me the one with the short spiked red hair shrugged. “I was out tracking, I just got back and…”

“Found out our Huntress has arrived.” Troy supplied for him.

He nodded briskly. “So it’s true?”

Glancing over his shoulder at me, Troy raised his eyebrows and then turned back to the men. “It is.” When he sent me a questioning glance, I gave a small nod. “Would you care to meet her?”

Quinton stepped past him and came over to me before the other two could make it through the door. “Is this alright with you? I can tell them to get stuffed and wait till breakfast.” Sighing loudly, he ran a hand back over his long brown waves. “You’re probably wishing I left you in the wasteland.”

I smiled up at him and touched his arm. “No. I was completely freaked right out when I found myself sitting on dirt in the middle of nowhere.” The two came over with Troy, both of them were staring at my hand on Quinton’s arm. I wasn’t sure if I was breaking some sort of rule or protocol, so I started to move it when Quinton placed his hand over top and held it there.

He winked at me and then motioned to the men with his head. “Daxx, these are my two youngest brothers.” Quinton motioned to the one with the spiked-out hair. “Leone, our enforcer.”

I started to extend my hand when the man covered in orange dust dropped to one knee. He bowed his head and I had to bite my lip to not laugh out loud.

“Huntress Queen, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

When he continued to kneel there with his head down, I looked up at Quinton who sighed. “Leone, she doesn’t know…” shaking his head he leaned down to me and whispered in my ear. “Place your hand on his head so the fool will get up.”

Feeling more than just a little out of my comfort zone, I reached over and gently touched the top of his head. He looked up at me and smiled before getting to his feet. My only thought was, were all these brothers good looking with killer smiles? The women in this realm were very lucky.

When the tallest one with the short blonde hair stepped forward, he was smiling at me like I was his biggest secret. “Daxx, this is our youngest and he will be your other guard, Rafael.” Quinton said quietly.

Rafael dropped to one knee. “Little Queen, it’s awesome that you’re here.”

With eyebrows raised, I quickly touched his head so he would get up. In less than a day I’d gone from a bounty hunter that people spit on to someone large men knelt in front of, life was definitely full of surprises.

When he stood, Troy started to say something that I didn’t get a chance to hear when the giant Rafael grabbed me around the waist and lifted me up off the floor and hugged me so tightly I thought he might snap me in two. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

Sending Quinton a panicked look, he shook his head and sighed loudly. Without a word, he pulled me out of Rafael’s hold and set me on the floor. I was feeling a bit like a favorite rag doll at the moment.

Leone groaned. “Raf, I can’t believe you just did that.”

Troy was laughing and shaking his head. “So much for her personal space.”

“What?” Rafael looked from one to the other. “Come on, you can’t tell me you guys aren’t screaming inside with joy because she’s real and here.”

“Daxx will be the one screaming soon if you baboons don’t back off and stop crowding her.” Chase stood leaning in the doorway. He sent Quinton a dark look. “I thought I’d stop over and see if she was getting some rest and here I find half my siblings towering over her like eager puppies with a new toy.”

Quinton waved his hands around in exasperation. “No one said I had to protect her from my own family trying to squeeze the life out of her.”

Strolling into the room, Chase gave Rafael a questioning glance.

Rafael threw his hands up. “What? I have been seeing her for years and the lot of you thought I was completely whacked and now that she’s here you’re all standing back saying ‘oh we knew she’d come’.”

I looked up at Quinton. “Seeing me?”

Quinton nodded, and reached down to straighten my robe that was falling off my shoulder. “Raf has the gift of sight, and he has seen you many times over the years.”

“Well just the last five for sure,” Rafael stated.

I looked up at the giant teddy bear that had just hugged the breath out of me. “My tattoo appeared five years ago, just after I turned twenty.”

“My god, she’s a child,” Leone muttered.

I scowled over at him, my patience for everything that had happened today snapped. “Hey—I’m twenty-six, thank you very much and I’ve been living on my own since I was fifteen. In life experience, I’m a fucking ancient one!” I spat at him.

Troy reached over and cuffed Leone in the back of the head. “I apologize for my brother’s insult.”

Chase chuckled. “I was hoping that cute little knife was going to come out.”

Leone, rubbed the back of his head. “What cute little knife?”

I wanted to go home, I decided. Now would be good. First I was a child and now they were calling my raptor a cute little knife. I couldn’t deal with this, I was sure there was no way I could get used to stuff like this. Reaching into the pocket I pulled my raptor out and flicked the case to the floor. “This one.” I spun the knife around my thumb and shifted it quickly from a defensive hold to offensive. I ended the little show with it clasped in my hand pointed at Leone.

He looked down at the curved jagged blade and stepped back.

“And she knows how to use it boys,” Chase drawled with a chuckle.

Rafael came over and looked down at the blade in my hand, he smirked at me. “I still would have hugged you if I’d known you had it.”

I wanted to growl, but it was hard to with those blue eyes smiling down at me.

“Everyone needs to get out and leave Daxx to rest.” Quinton growled and went over to the door and held it open.

I sent him a look of thanks and then watched as the men moved slowly towards the door, all except Chase. He stood beside me with his hands tucked in his pockets and looking down at the floor. Troy stopped in the door and glanced back at his brother and then to me before he went out it.

Quinton sent me a look and then cleared his throat.

Chase looked over at his brother and nodded. “I got it.” He looked down at me, his hazel eyes glowing with energy. “It’s good to know you have claws you aren’t afraid to use. I like them.” He gave me a cheeky grin and inclined his head before sauntering toward the door.

Maybe it was the reference to a cat, or just maybe I’d had enough for one freakin weird day, but I spun the raptor, tossing it so I caught the tip of the blade and flicked my arm towards the door. It hit the frame, level with the height of his head just as he reached the doorway.

Pausing, Chase looked at the knife now sticking out of the wood. With a grin, he turned and looked me over from the floor up. “Keep them sharp, kitten, you’re going to need them.” With that he disappeared out the door.

Quinton moved over and pulled the knife from the frame and came to me, holding it out. “That was something.” He said with a grin.

I took the knife back and heaved a loud sigh. “I want to go home.”

The light in his eyes dimmed and he gave me a serious look. “I won’t let anyone else bug you, I promise.”

I sighed again hearing the sadness in his voice. “Thanks, I’m going to try to sleep.” I shrugged. “Who knows maybe I’ll wake up in my own bed.” Turning, I went over and picked up the case for my blade and headed to the giant bed.

“It will get better, Daxx.”

I nodded but didn’t turn to look at him. I just wanted my life back, it may not have been much but it was what I knew. As I sat on the soft cover on the bed, I ran my hand over the smooth material. Problem was, would my life be the same knowing there were other dimensions and realities?

Somehow, I didn’t think it would be.