“Where did you go?”
Ben asked him if they had encountered any trouble. Mark was surprised to know that Ben already knew about the attack. He hadn’t known really, but he had known that Teri thought so. Something had told him that he should listen to her, and the look on his second’s face told him that she had been right.
“Yes, we were attacked. We lost a few.”
Ben wanted names, and he was saddened that some of his people were attacked. They didn’t know who it was, an attack in the darkness, but Mark was sure that it was going to be okay.
“Did you kill them?” Ben wanted to know. It wasn’t okay until whoever tried to hurt Teri was dead.
That was the only way that anything was going to work. “Yeah, we killed them, but we didn’t get anything out of them. I don’t know who they were, but they didn’t seem to be from around here.”
Ben waved him off and Mark was surprised. “How did you know about the attack and to leave?”
He smiled. “What, are you afraid that I have a better second now?”
It took Mark a moment to understand that Ben was talking about Teri. He looked like he had been shot, surprise and shock on his face and in his eyes. Ben felt the same way. How had Mark not known? How had he let someone get so close and how could he trust him with what happened with Teri? Ben was looking at his best friend a bit differently, and he didn’t like it. Not one bit. He wanted to trust him, but not when it came to Teri. Ben doubted that he was ever going to trust anyone with her. She was too delicate, and he was afraid of losing her.
Chapter 18
Teri
Teri didn’t know what to think about everything that was going on. When she first woke up though, she wasn’t thinking about much of anything else. They were not alone when her eyes came open. Ben was talking to Mark and the conversation wasn’t one that she wanted to hear about. It was about her.
“You can’t stay here with her, Ben. The attackers are coming. I don’t know why they know we are out here or what we are doing, but don’t you think that we should turn it around? They would never suspect if you left her and went ahead. I would take her, Ben, and you could fight.”
Teri got up from where she was laying. “You aren’t going anywhere, Ben. Don’t leave me.” Her voice rose at the end, and it was clear that she didn’t want to be left, not with Mark. She didn’t trust Mark; he had tried to draw her in before when it wasn’t her choice. She would never understand why he would do that. He wasn’t honest and though Ben trusted him, it didn’t mean that Teri did. She wanted to make sure that Mark wasn’t left with her.
Ben assured her that he wasn’t going to leave her with anyone. Teri didn’t look at Mark, sure that he would see how she really felt about him. Sure, Ben trusted him, but that didn’t mean that she did. There was something about him, something about how he acted and how he looked that she didn’t like at all. She wasn’t sure what it meant, just that he wasn’t trustable.
He held her in her arms, until Teri was feeling better about it all and Ben was telling her that everything was going to be okay. He said it several times, like she had to listen to him. Teri was alright with the idea of it, as long as he kept his promise and didn’t leave her with him. Mark shot her a dirty look, he didn’t like her, but Teri didn’t care. She knew where she stood with Ben.
They kissed after a moment and Teri was immediately transported to the place they were last night. Her body was already yearning for him and there was nothing that she could do about it. The two of them were getting overwhelmed and Mark cleared his throat. His eyes were on her, and it looked like he was ready to attack. He certainly wasn’t happy with her and how Ben was treating her. Teri didn’t know what was going on with Mark, but she knew that she was going to have to watch her back when it came to him. It wasn’t easy either. Mark and Ben were close. That much was clear, so where did that leave her?
Mark took off not long after she got up and the two of them made love slowly. After they were done, Teri wanted to know what he wanted.
“Just that you were right, people are coming, and we have to hurry up.”
Teri’s eyes got big, and Ben just chuckled. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
He shrugged. “Us being together is worth more to me.”
She started to get dressed and he just laughed, pulling her back down and Teri didn’t know what to do. Her heart was almost to bursting and it wasn’t at all what Teri needed. She was pulled back for a kiss, and Teri almost got lost in it again.
“Come on, let’s get out of here.”
Ben agreed finally and asked her once what was up with her and Mark. “You know that it wasn’t all his fault, you know?”
Teri didn’t want to hear it. It was his fault. “Did he not have a choice like me?” Teri wanted to know. When she was told that it wasn’t the same, Teri said that she didn’t trust him.
“I have known him all my life. Is there a reason that I shouldn’t trust him? I mean, more than what has already happened?”
Teri said that there wasn’t, but she had a feeling. Teri liked to follow her gut, it did her right usually.
“I just want to stay with you, that’s all,” Teri said with less conviction than she felt. Her body was rubber, she felt amazing, maybe Ben was right, and everything was okay. With him she could pretend that could be true, even if it didn’t feel possible. Teri felt a lot of new things with Ben. He made everything feel possible.
***
Teri was literally freezing as they made their way to the southernmost tip of his land and even though she did feel a surge of power underneath her, Teri was convinced that she would freeze to death. It was hard for her to focus on much of anything else. He went to her, told her that it was fine, and gave her a jacket.
