Against the all-white contrast of the space I was in, his all-black clothing and aura didn’t belong in a room like this.
“Don’t stop.” His deep raspy voice made goosebumps rise all over my arms.
My mind stopped thinking about Darius and randomly went to the moment his rough strong hand creeped up my leg to my inner thigh swiping up the pee that escaped me when he lifted me off my feet in front of everyone.
Fuck, Mira! What is wrong with you! The devil was once a perfect attractive angel!
“I…I was done.” I lied, my voice sounded smaller than I wanted, my throat tightened while my heart overworked itself overtime.
He stepped inside, slowly like each step was carefully thought out.
“Hmm, I should have come earlier.” His voice was calm, too calm and smooth like silk.
His eyes stayed on me, never blinking. Those dark orbs of his had the power to hypnotize anyone. It stripped me down to nothing and made me shiver with each step that he made towards me. I looked at the owl and felt even more creeped out. It slowly looked at him then back at me each time he spoke.
Does the owl understand everything that’s being said?
“I don’t think you were done,” he said still walking. He paused after taking two steps every couple of seconds.
“Josie thinks you were just getting started.” He smirked still walking towards me.
“Is that his name?” I asked timidly looking at the owl as he moved his head from side to side.
“Josie is a girl. Yes, that’s her name.” He smiled just as Josie spread her wings but didn’t attempt to fly.
Josie acknowledged her name, then settled her wings and continued her stare down.
“Why so many owls as pets?” I asked as the scent of him hit me next.
His cologne was spicy laced with smoke and teakwood. The sound of his boots against the hardwood floor sounded louderthan the music moments ago. I pressed my back a little further into the pillows as he closed the gap between us. The white walls seemed to shrink the closer he got to me. Each step he took dimmed the brightness of the room until it felt like I was trapped in the darkness that he carried around with him.
I drew my legs close to my chest then brought the blanket up to my chin. I felt self-conscious with the two-piece white linen pajama pants set I had on. My hair was detangled but all over my head in wild waves. Grand stood over me, tall and dark. His shadow stretched over the bed as he just stared down at me with a blank look covering his handsome face.
For the long seconds of silence that stretched between us, I thought he might not answer until the corner of his mouth twitched.
“They’re not just pets,” he said lowly.
“They’re my family.” He gritted the words out like he was offended by my question.
“O—kay.”
I blinked at him nervously, seconds later his eyes softened in a way I hadn’t seen since I saw him. He shifted his weight and looked at Josie.
“They came to me when I was thirteen…the year my parents died.” His jaws clenched tightly.
So, he’s opening up…a little…I thought, and then it dawned on me the age he just said his parent’s died. I was thirteen when I lost mom.
“It was a time when I was forced to be alone, rebuild and reestablish myself and my purpose. I was cold, and angry at the world. I slept outside the first year, I was too smart and mature to ever let the system take me. Pops had too many trap houses as well. I just hated the smell of them…” He stopped talking to finally blink his eyes. Emotions appeared on his handsome face for a fleeting moment then vanished.
“I would have gone to our home in Orange County but…moms overdose there, and I couldn’t bear smelling her scent after the night I left when I found her. Sleeping outside with fiends only made me stronger, it gave me time to get things in order. People thought they were going to take the board away from me. Take over and continue to poison the streets with what Pops pushed out.” He gritted.
He took his eyes off of Josie and stared at me with cold soulless eyes.
Although what he said had nothing to do with the owls being his family, it stole my breath away and emotions slammed into me.
“The day Pops was killed, I saw an owl. It was a great horned owl. He just sat high above me like he was waiting to see how everything would play out. After their deaths, the owls kept coming to me. They’d wait, listen, and protect me. They can be beautiful and terrifying in the same breath.” He took a step closer until his legs bumped against the bed.
I had to tip my chin up to meet his eyes.
