Chapter Three

“You’re right I won the game, so I get to do whatever I want to you right? And right now, I want to lay on top of you.” Austin says smugly, making me roll my eyes.

“Ugghhh.” I let out a frustrated sigh. This is ridiculous. I can’t even make him move an inch. “Just get off me.”

“You are so damn cute when you are mad.” Austin says as he casually brushes a strand of hair from my face.

I’m cute when I’m mad? What in the literal hell does that mean? I feel tears forming in my eyes and I have to look away. I refuse to cry in front of him. “I-“ before I can think of a response. Tyler, Spencer, Jace, and Zarakai come running over one after the other. I freeze. I’m sure our current situation looks much worse than what it is. “Austin, get off me.” I whisper so only he can hear me.

Austin’s eyes narrow at me. “Why does it look like you are about to cry?” Austin asks frowning at me.

“Oh damn! I guess you won Austin.” Tyler says with a chuckle.

“I heard her scream. I’m glad it was you and not some wild animal that got her.” Zarakai says laughing.

I can feel Jace staring at me. Glaring daggers into Austin’s back. “Are you just going to lay there? Or are you going to get off her?” Jace asks with clear irritation in his voice.

Austin sighs loudly, looking directly into my eyes before slowing getting off me. Dragging his body across mine as he stands up. I can feel him everywhere. My nipples harden and a rush of heat floods to my lower extremities.

Austin extends his hand to help me up, but I push it away. “I can get up on my own.” I say stubbornly.

“You guys ready to go back? It’s freezing out here.” Spencer says, rubbing his arms through his sweatshirt.

I had honestly forgot how cold it was out here. I guess my adrenaline and dirty thoughts were keeping me warm. A strong wind gust blows through making me shiver, uncontrollably. The short shorts and tank top I went to bed in are doing absolutely nothing to keep me warm.

The rules of the game only allow you to grab a pair of shoes and get out the door in two minutes, otherwise you automatically lose. I don’t remember exactly when those became the rules, but I do know I don’t like them.

The game started after my mom died. When I was ten years old my mom and I were headed home from the store, it was storming bad. Lots of lightning and thunder. It was raining so hard you could barely see the road in front of us. My mom was driving way under the speed limit, but bad things still happened.

We were stopped at a red light only a couple more miles until we made it home. Our light turned green, my mom took off and a semi-truck blew through the red light and smashed into our car. My mom died on impact. By some miracle I managed to survive with only a couple broken ribs, a few cuts, and some bruises.

After that night I started having horrible recurring nightmares especially on stormy nights. I would wake up screaming, reliving the moment over and over in my dreams. It got so bad I was afraid to go to sleep. My brother, and his friends decided to come up with games and activities to wear me out so I could sleep.

Our favorite one was what they called midnight moon tag. We would play tag in the backyard sometimes for hours, until I was so exhausted, I couldn’t keep my eyes open. We played almost every night for the first few years. Around my thirteenth birthday our simple game of tag became something wilder. We also started playing less and less. It became a game we only played on nights with a full moon.

I think it was Austin that suggested we start racing to the old play cabin in the woods on our property. It really became a race for my life, if any of them could catch me before I reached the cabin, they got to choose one thing for me to do. It could be anything they wanted.

Because my legs are so short compared to their long legs, I have literally never won the game. They would always choose something simple like making me rub their smelly feet or cleaning their nasty rooms. So, what does Austin want me to do now?

“Here baby.” Jace says pulling his hoody over his head and handing it to me.

“Thank you.” I whisper as I put the hoody on over my sleep clothes. “I’m ready now.” I say as I start heading back towards the house.

The walk back to the house is silent aside from the guys bickering with each other, and it feels like the longest walk of my life. Even though the cabin is only about a mile away from the house. We finally make it back to the house, and an overwhelming sense of dread fills me as I wait to hear Austin’s game winning request.

“Alright Austin you won, so what is the one thing you want Adalina to do for you?” Zarakai asks, as we all gather around the kitchen island.

I bite my bottom lip nervously as I wait to hear what form of torture he has come up with this time. Austin rubs his chin as in deep in thought for a minute, before his eyes light up and a mischievous smile forms on his perfect lips.

“I know what I want.” Austin says excitedly. “I want Adalina to share her room with me, until Zarakai leaves in a couple weeks.”

My heart drops to my stomach and I feel a knot forming in my throat. This can not be the thing he wants from me. Why can’t I just do his laundry for a week, or rub his nasty feet, or clean his car, or literally anything else? Why this?

“Sounds good to me.” Zarakai says not knowing me and Austin haven’t talked in three years.

“Is that okay with you?” Jace asks concern obvious in his voice.

Austin stares at me for a long time studying my face. “I guess I have to be okay with it. He won right?” I say trying to hold in the tears forming in the back of my eyes.

I glance at Austin; his eyes are narrowed at me. “Everyone ready for bed? It’s around one thirty in the morning now.”

Everyone nods their head and says their goodnights. Austin wraps his arms around my shoulders and whispers “let’s go to our bedroom and get some sleep.”

Shrugging my shoulders to shake him off me I walk upstairs with Jace. I don’t want to sleep in the same bed with Austin, I don’t want to even be in the same room with him. Now I have to deal with him for the next two weeks. That is to long.

Once we reach the top of the stairs Jace pulls me into a tight hug and whispers “once Zarakai goes to sleep you can come sleep with me.” He kisses my check, and we go to our bedrooms.

“What’s up with you and Jace?” Austin asks boldly, as I climb into the bed.

“None of your damn business. Go to sleep.” I snap.

“Goodnight beautiful.” Austin says sweetly as he climbs into the bed and turns off the lamp on the nightstand.

Rolling my eyes, I lay there wishing I could just fall asleep. It’s been a very long emotionally draining day. I just want to wake up tomorrow and realize it was all just a very bad dream. Austin slides a little closer to me under the covers and my body stiffens. Throwing the covers away from me, I stand up and head for the door.

“Where are you going?” Austin asks with a soft chuckle.

“To sleep on the damn couch.”