Page 53 of New Nebraska Home

She got in and drove off. I stood at the door, watching until her break lights were at least a few blocks away. Then I closed the door gently and screamed. I let it all out, every ounce of rage, terror, and frustration.

My throat burned, my lungs ached, and I didn’t care. It didn’t matter. I screamed again, my fists going into my hair, pulling just enough to hurt.

Cal grabbed my hand and led me outside when I stopped to take another deep breath. He didn’t say a word. Just stood by a thick old oak tree where Brock and Malik were waiting. Brock handed me one of Leif’s baseball bats and pointed at the tree. I didn’t need to be told twice. I swung the aluminum bat with everything I had over and over until my arms burned, and I couldn’t lift the bat again.

Still, the men said nothing. Malik picked me up, letting me curl into his chest. He carried me inside and sat on the couch in his arms. Brock handed me a large glass of tea. It was sweet and cold and precisely what I needed.

They waited patiently for me to finish my tea and set the glass on the coffee table.

“What do we do?” I asked. “What is the right move here? I thought I knew, but now… I don’t know. Do I take Leif and run? Do I move him to another city? This is our home. My family has been here for generations. Do I say fuck New Nebraska all together? Leif is half-Fae. The Fae aren’t controlled like everyone else. I could apply for a permit to leave. But with his pointy ears, there is no way for him to pass as a human. Would he get the same treatment out there? I don’t know.”

Hot tears streamed down my face. Malik wrapped his arms around me and held me, letting me cry. Brock and Cal looked at me, then at each other. Cal moved to the couch beside Malik, pulling my legs into his lap. Brock sat on the floor by my feet, his head in my lap.

“We can’t tell you what to do,” Cal said. “We don’t have the right.”

“Well, that’s helpful,” I sniffed.

“You have to make the choices for you and the kid,” Brock said with a sigh. “But we can help you make the choice.”

“How?” I asked.

“We can tell you how we would respond to each of your choices,” Malik said, resting his chin on my head. “It’s not a crystal ball, but maybe we can help?”

“Well,” I sat up, trying to stop the flow of tears. I hated crying. There was a time and place for tears, but these were tears of frustration, which meant they weren’t cathartic, but they would give me a migraine if I let them win. I didn’t have the time for that. “Here are my options. Move out of Nebraska, hope Leif isn’t treated worse in the human world, and give up the only home we have ever known. Or I move to Omaha, pay way too much for a home, and hope the Temple doesn’t make it to the city, and Leif adjusts well. Or I stay here. In my home that I love, and pray those psychotic zealots don’t decide to burn it to the ground.”

“If you leave, we can’t follow you. We won’t be able to get across the border. Maybe eventually they will open up, but for now, it’s nearly impossible,” Brock said.

“We would follow you to Omaha if you wanted,” Cal said, and the others nodded.

“If you stay here, we will protect you,” Malik added. “You, the child, and your home. We would never let anything happen to it.”

“How can you stop it?” I asked, hating how much his promise had made my heart ache with hope.

“We held back today because we didn’t know what you wanted,” Cal said, running his finger over my cheek. “This is your home. You take the lead in it.”

“What does that even mean?” I asked.

“It means the only reason the fuckers aren’t a smoking pile of ash in your front yard is because you didn’t indicate that’s what you wanted. I thought you were signaling for me to hold back, so I did. We will protect you and everyone under this roof if you decide you want to stay.”

“We will protect you and everyone under your roof if you decide to move,” Cal added.

“As long as we can, like you know, get there,” Brock added.

“I don’t know,” I said. “But I know it isn’t fair for me to ask that of you. What, just because we all slept together once, you suddenly owe me? I don’t think so.” I laughed casually, trying to make light of what had happened before the murder.

Each of them looked at me like they were offended.

“What? I thought all supernaturals were all casual with sex?”

“That’s like saying all humans are prudes,” Brock said. “Though generally, I am pretty casual about sex, but what about what happened said ‘casual’ to you?”

“I—” What the fuck was he saying? I looked at Malik, hoping for some help. His big brown eyes looked sad, and he held on to me a little tighter.

“Liz,” Cal said. “I told you once we got a taste, we weren’t letting go. We want to be yours. In every way. And we want… we want for you to want to be ours.” He cleared his throat. “I feel the mating bond, and so does Brock, and I am betting the dragon does too.”

“Mating bond?”

“Yes,” Malik confirmed. “And I do.” He nodded at Cal. “I felt it the moment I saw her. Angel, we were made for you. Made to love and protect you.”

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