Daniel literally flinched at the vehemence in my voice. He didn’t see it coming. He flinched and withdrew his hand from my arm as if the entirety of my hand was hot fire.
“I’m sorry. I just got over excited.” He said after a beat of silence had gone by, surprising me for the second time today. “I will help you arrange the boxes. We can talk as we do that, right?”
I said nothing, instead I watched, stupefied, as he opened one of the cartons-he didn’t wait for a reply from me-and brought out a product.
“Where should this go?”
A good question that will retrieve an answer from me, because there was no way I would allow him to give me double work by not shelving properly.
“Put it under that area. Others like it go on the same row. You know what I mean?”
Daniel released a nervous laugh. “I might not be like Raul who serves the commoner, but I’m not dumb.”
Thank the gods for that.
I retraced my footsteps back to the carton I had been working on, choosing to be civil for the sake of my job. I couldn’t keep running helter-skelter anytime the triplets were in view, or in my space. There was no way I would be able to enact my revenge if I continued like that.
I needed to cohabit with them. I needed them to trust me whilst still maintaining some distance and boundaries. I needed to control my emotions that usually flared at their sight. I needed to stay in control. I could do that right? Yes. I surely can.
“Don’t bother, Dora. Just take a seat on one of the cartons. I will do the unboxing and shelving. I don’t think it will take much of my time-you might get in my way if you joined me.” Daniel said, with a barely furtive glance at me. “I seem to have unmatched strength today.”
Good for the both of us.
I didn’t argue or negate his statement. Why would I? He was taking a huge workload from the shoulders of me and my friends. Instead I took a seat on one of the cartons, crossed my legs and watched him shelve the goods.
How long would it take him? I wondered, noticing that his speed increased with every second. Everyone knew that werewolves could be fast if they chose to, but Lycans were on another level.
I consciously kept my mouth closed, despite being in awe, as I watched the cartons on the floor disappear in their numbers. In less than twenty minutes Daniel was done shelving the goods, and I was dizzy from watching him.
“Hey, are you okay?” He asked when I rubbed my forehead tiredly, as I tried to reorient myself.
“Not really. I was watching you.” I muttered, cursing myself mentally. Why watch?
“Oh…”
Yes. Oh.
‘It wasn’t his fault that you were watching him…’
I held back a snort, not ready for another query from Daniel. I could feel a headache coming.
‘Remind me never to watch a Lycan move like this.’
‘Not a problem, as long as you listen.’
I shifted my body away from Daniel when he raised his hand suddenly. Didn’t he hear my last command?
He chuckled and sank the hand in his luscious hair. “I didn’t want to touch you, Dora. I heard you the last time. You don’t like being touched. Point taken. Is the commandment only for my brothers and me?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “That’s for you to find out. Thanks by the way for helping me with the cartons.”
Levina would be grateful for the reduction of the workload, but she would have a fit first.
Raul was another story. The dude was hell bent on making me, his, by all means. I never would have believed that I would have guys fight for me, not after Adam and his brothers had killed the last thread of confidence as they mocked and then killed me that night.
Adam mentioned he had touched me for revenge? For reporting his cruel acts to his father? Why don’t I do the same?
‘No, that’s a dangerous game. Don’t dare play it. You are not ready for it yet.’
‘What do you mean by ‘I am not ready’?’ I asked, mentally folding my arms across my chest.
‘You are not just ready. You will venture into another ocean of trouble if you play that game. Listen this time around.’
‘What do you mean by listening this time around?’
There was silence.
‘Hey! You promised no silence!’
‘I promised to keep talking when necessary. I want to stay silent now.’
I huffed, then sighed when I remembered that Daniel was still in front of me. He must have noticed the far-away look in my eyes, for he was staring at me suspiciously.
“Where did you go? For a moment there, I thought you were communicating with your wolf. You had that peculiar dazed look in your eyes, but then I remembered you were a witch, that you can’t have a wolf. Or is there something you are hiding?”
I schooled my face into a board of confusion, a confusion that made Daniel look like a fool for making a dumb assumption.
Daniel raised his two hands then as if in surrender. “You can’t blame me. Maybe I didn’t see right…”
You did. You are just not the right person to see it.
The only people that knew of my significant other was my family, and I would love for it to remain that way.
“It’s okay. Is there something else you want to say? I want to take my leave now.”
I stood up and rubbed my ass to get rid of the slow pain there. The carton was hard as rock.
Daniel gave me no response, rather he did a swift curve with his right hand, which went behind me to lift the heavy carton I just sat on.
I didn’t look at him as he shelved the last of its kind. No more dizzying spells.
When he was done, he gestured to the door with his hand like a gentleman would. “Would you join me for a walk, please.”
I sighed resignedly, before walking out of the door first. This was harder than I thought-cohabiting with an enemy you want to claw out the eyes.
***
“Your community is really nice…” Daniel spoke, as we made another bend.
We have been walking for more than ten minutes now, and I was getting hungry and tired.
After we left the storeroom, we hadmet Raul, Levina and Gabriella at the counters. They had been busy with customers, especially Raul who had been struggling to keep a woman’s hand off his chest. So, they hadn’t said a word, or done anything as I and Daniel strolled out of the store.
I had my tag, and I had texted the manager for a fifteen minute break. Five more minutes to go. I can do it.
“You haven’t really said anything since we started this walk? Are you really aversive to speaking with me?”
Maybe.
“Not sure. I just can’t help but wonder why you, a strong Lycan with responsibilities, would bully a subordinates of yours because she was wolfless.” I started, deciding to get Daniel’s version of what had happened that night.
Daniel’s walking pace slowed. “What are you talking about?”
He was gunning for denial?
“Adam told me of a girl…was it Mia…”
“Maya…” Daniel interrupted me, his voice attaining a cold quality. “What did Adam say about her?”
“That you bullied her.”
Daniel halted in his movement, and turned to me, incredulity shining as torches in his eyes.
Dramatic much?
“Me alone? He was the chief of them all!”
I chuckled at the washed truth.
“Why would he even tell you that?”
Daniel gritted his teeth, annoyance contorting his face, and fisted his hands.
Wow, I never knew that Daniel was a hot tempered person. He was always the one, among his siblings, ready to laugh at every opportunity.
For a second, I wanted to fan the fire by adding some other lies, but the futuristic sight of the underhanded victory didn’t taste sweet.
“Not you alone. You three, and your other subordinates. Why did you do that? Did it boost your ego?”
Daniel’s anger deflated at my question, his face relaxing into neutrality. He looked spent now. “I don’t know. I guess I was just bored. It doesn’t justify what I did, but that was the reason.”
Thwack! Thwack!
I turned swiftly and landed the slaps on his cheeks before I could stop myself, before I could realize what I was doing. When I did realize, my hands were shaking, and Daniel was staring at me, stupefied.
He raised his hand to his cheek as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened. His mouth opened and closed when he touched the hot area of his cheek.
I bit my lips in anger.
I was angry with myself, with my emotions, with my lack of control.
Fortunately for us, nobody was walking in the path I had chosen for a walk. It would have made the day of my community’s members.
My significant other was right.
I wasn’t ready to play a game of tango and hearts with the triplets.
If I was unable to control my feelings in front of them when provoked by their past actions, how could I play into their hearts, and game with the unreliable organ?