4. Aurora

"Wait, what?!" I exclaim over the phone to my good friend, Beatrix. "Like, a mansion mansion? With multiple bathrooms and fifty bedrooms and a library like in Beauty and the Beast?"

My friend laughs over the phone, though her tone is surprisingly sarcastic. "No, it's definitely not a fairytale. The place has been abandoned for years, though apparently my great-great-aunt who lived across the country or something had been paying property taxes on it, so… it's just been sitting here, untouched, for over a decade."

"A great-great-aunt?" I ask. Bea and I went to school together from kindergarten through high school, and during that time, she was in and out of foster care homes. Some better than others.

I narrowly miss hitting a lamp post with my elbow and breathe a sigh of relief when I'm able to steady myself and the three bags of groceries I'm juggling in my hands. My purse strap slides down my shoulder and I try doing a circular motion with my arm to try and get it back into place. No such luck.

"I know. Crazy, right? I had no idea she existed until her attorney tracked me down and told me I inherited a piece of property."

"You could have been living with her the whole time instead of…" I trail off, not wanting to bring up unpleasant memories. Plus, it's not helping to rub it in.

"I try not to think about what might have been, you know? Who knows if my life would have been better or worse if I lived with her? Besides, I probably wouldn't have met you, and that would've been a tragedy, don't you think?"

I smile even though I know she can't see. Beatrix has been through a lot in her life, but she still finds a way to focus on the positive.

"Definitely," I reply, adjusting the strap of my purse once again as I stop at a crosswalk.

I finally give in to the fact that I need to juggle some things around and switch arms for my purse. Securing my phone between my ear and my shoulder, I tilt my head at an angle to make sure I don"t drop it. I shrug off my purse, then swap hands between the grocery bags and my purse. I"m about to swing the strap of my purse over my other shoulder when my phone slips.

"Oh crap!" I squeak out. The only thought in my mind is that my phone is the single connection I have to the outside world. If I lose or break this one, I have no idea when my brother might get me another one, if ever.

I lunge forward, dropping the bags and my purse on the ground. My phone tumbles off the curb and into the street, while my heart lodges itself in my throat, making it hard to breathe. If it falls into a sewage drain or gets run over by a car…

"Gotcha!" I whisper to myself in victory. My fingers wrap around the little device that holds the key to my freedom and I'm able to take a full breath again.

As soon as I grab my phone from its precarious place on the street, someone grabs me from behind, securing an arm around my waist and pulling me back onto the sidewalk a second before a car speeds past, horn blaring.

I gasp, realizing what just happened. Or what almost happened. My heart stutters and then pounds against my chest hard enough that it might crack a damn rib. I try to scream or cry or show some kind of emotion, but no sound comes out.

The immediate danger of the moment has passed, and as things settle in my mind, I realize someone pulled me out of the way. I turn around, though the arm still wrapped around my waist makes it a bit difficult.

I"m met with espresso-brown eyes, staring at me with so much intensity I have no choice but to fall right into his gaze. It"s him. I mean, I don't know him at all, but somehow… I do. I recognize him, though not his looks. I'd certainly remember someone as striking and rugged as him.

With deep brown eyes framed in even darker lashes, black hair, tan skin, and a strong jawline dotted with stubble, I"m positive I"ve never seen this man before. Yet I already feel a pull, some sort of connection I"ve never had before. The longer I stare into those all-consuming eyes, the more I see a pain, a longing, a loneliness that resonates deep within my soul.

He blinks, breaking the trance I was in.

"Ohmygod," I say in a rush once I find my voice. "I… You… And then… zoom! And you… you saved me." I'm still a little out of sorts, which is understandable considering the circumstances. "Thank you. I…"

The man hasn't said a single word, though he still has a tight hold on me. I don't mind. The chiseled muscles of his chest and abs press against the soft curves of my body, sending an unexpected shiver down my spine. For the first time in my life, the presence of a tall, powerful man doesn't terrify me or make me want to run away and hide.

Those brown eyes peer down into mine, though I can't quite place the look swimming in their depths. Right here, in this stranger's arms, I feel safer than I ever have. People scurry around us while cars zip by, but the noise fades to a blur in the background. It's just me and my mysterious rescuer.

The next second, he drops his arm from around my waist and takes several steps back. The man shoves his hands in his pockets and looks down at the ground, muttering something to himself.

"Um, thank you," I say again, putting on my brightest smile. "I tend to be a little clumsy, and then with my purse and groceries and phone… oh! Speaking of…"

I look around for my discarded items, only to have my savior move closer to me and pull me away from the curb with his large hands on my hips. I try not to notice the shock of lightning shooting down my spine or the dull, pulsing ache settling between my thighs, but I have a feeling I'll be obsessing over this interaction for weeks to come. I didn't realize how starved for human contact I was until this moment.

"I'll get it," he grunts. "You stay put."

I frown slightly at his gruff tone, but how can I be anything but grateful at this moment? I send a quick text to Bea letting her know I"m okay and we"ll have to finish our conversation later, then I watch the giant beast of a man pick up my purse and hand it to me. He"s laser-focused on me as I slip it on over my shoulder. He gathers up the groceries that had spilled onto the sidewalk, and I"m thankful to see everything is still there and in order. Nothing broke, so I won"t have to go back to the store.

I hold out my hand for the grocery bags, but the man keeps them secure in his grip.

"Um, so, thank you. Seriously. I've always been accident-prone, but not death-prone," I ramble nervously. He's giving me nothing to work with, so I'm just trying to fill the silence. "I guess practice makes perfect." I wince at my stupid comment while the man crinkles his brow slightly. "Not that I want to die or anything like that. I mean we all have our dark days. But c'mon, death by car has to be a pretty painful way to go. Plus, it can't be a hundred percent success rate, so the results would be hit or miss. HA!" I snort out a laugh. "Get it? Hit or miss?"

The man is studying me like I'm a foreign species, which is fair. I haven't held a conversation with a non-Serpent member in years, and it shows.

"What were we talking about again? Oh, right. You saving my life. Thank you, again. That doesn't seem adequate enough. Hmm…" I trail off, trying to think of some way to repay him. I've got nothing. "My favorite coffee shop is right up the block. Let me get you a latte and a scone."

As soon as I make the offer, I feel like a complete idiot. Knowing nothing about this man, I can confidently say he doesn't sip lattes or nibble on scones. He looks like he drinks coffee strong enough to chew and has a dozen raw eggs for breakfast.

"Latte?" he asks, the word sounding wholly unfamiliar on his lips.

"Yeah. Or coffee. Or a raspberry mocha with extra whip and chocolate drizzle. Whatever you want, my treat."

Another blank stare.

"I'll take your silence as an unequivocal yes." This earns me the slightest spark in those dark brown eyes, and I won't lie; I love it.

I loop my arm in his and begin walking down the sidewalk, heading toward my favorite coffee shop. I hardly ever get to leave the compound except to run errands here and there. Today, we needed groceries, so I was given some cash and a shopping list. I know better than to run away with the cash. My brother would find me in a heartbeat and make me pay back every penny, by any means necessary.

"This will be fun," I tell my hostage. He shuffles his feet behind me, still holding my grocery bags. "I haven't made a new friend in ages."

The mysterious man makes a strange sound in the back of his throat, but I ignore it. I'm just happy to have someone to talk to who isn't a Serpent or associated with any of that world. Maybe today won't be so bad after all.