With both of us lost in our own thoughts, the silence during Noah’s and my trip off the mountain was acute.  With my mind tortured by what had happened to me, I paid little attention to the drive or the time that it took.When he pulled down a long, narrow drive that was lined by ancient and massive looking oak trees that mingled with balsom fir and white pine trees, I forced myself back to reality.Positioned in the middle of a clearing that was circled by a thick mass of the same species of trees that lined the drive, his cedar sided house looked lonely, but majestic. The lawn was well manicured, but void of any shrubs or flowers. Since he was a busy man, it didn’t surprise me that he’d kept the landscaping simple to care for.Having met him at his rustic cabin and noticing the weathered cedar siding on the house, I was surprised to see how technically advanced his furnishings were.  Being a fan of antiques and old homes, the d&eacu

It was dark when I felt someone’s weight lowering onto the mattress beside me.  Still groggy, I was only vaguely aware of the fact that Noah was now sharing the king sized bed with me. “You’re in my bed,” I drowsily slurred.“Actually,” he said with a low, soft tone, “you’re in mine.”Forced into a slightly more coherent state from the surprise of discovering that I’d been sleeping in his bed for the better part of the day, I said with dismay, “This is your bed?  I’m in your bed?”“There’s no need to panic,” he assured me.  “I want to keep you close. It makes sense to put you next to me during the night.  This is the most vulnerable time.”Hearing his words, I moved a little closer to him.  My body was still trembling.  I wasn’t sure if it was still the remnants from the attack or from the reality of

When I awoke the following morning, there was no sign of Noah.  Since he’d risen before me the day before, I didn’t think much of it.  Instead, I settled back into the pillows while I waited for him to arrive with coffee and a bagel, as he’d done the morning before.  To my surprise, he didn’t come.I waited for half an hour before I climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom to relieve myself. I was surprised at how comfortable I was wandering about in the bra and panties that I’d slept in. I couldn’t explain it even to myself, but Noah’s house felt like home to me.After taking the time to brush my teeth, wash the sleep from my face, and eliminate my bedhead hairdo, I pulled on my shorts and a tee shirt and headed out of the bedroom in search of him.Although I felt more alert from the hours of sleep that I’d had, I was still feeling the effects of the sedative.  The world had a touch of surre

We spent the next few hours drinking wine and playing cards.  I’d never played rummy, but I found myself to be quite good at it.  I enjoyed Kenzie’s frustration over what she called ‘beginner’s luck’ so much that I actually forgot where I was or that the moon was full and I was technically in danger.  It wasn’t until Snow stood at attention and snarled that it all came rushing back to me.I froze in dumb terror as I watched Kenzie slam her cards on the kitchen table where we’d been playing and push herself off of the chair.  Moving with rapid stealth, she went to the window and peered out from behind the closed curtains.“I don’t see anyone,” she said in a hushed tone.Finally regaining my wits, I raced to Noah’s bedroom to get a view of the back part of the house.  The bright moonlight made visibility easy as I scoped the landscape through the bedroom window.  I was

True to their claim, the brothers’ wounds were barely visible by mid-morning.  Oscar explained that, had he not tended to them with a special cleaning liquid that their grandfather concocted, their wounds would not have healed so readily and would have left scars.  As it was, their bodies were fairly devoid of marks that would mar their beauty.I kept it to myself that, had Noah been scarred, I would have loved him just the same because my brief moment of intimacy with him was just that.  Brief. Just as he’d held me close in his bed while sleeping, only to keep a good distance from me in my waking hours, his intimate demeanor disappeared as soon as we returned to the main floor of the house and he was reminded of the danger that I was in.His shifting of behavior around me made me question his true reasoning for caring for me.  Was it the same love that I felt? Or, was it guilt over the fact that he’d inadvertently exposed me to th