Page 14 of Malachi
“Dammit!” I roared, kicking the outside wall of the barn, my hands fisted in my hair. I felt on the verge of losing my damned mind. I had done the thing. I had gone along with the fucking plan, even though I had tried to tell them all it was bullshit. I had told each and every one of them that we should just high tail it out of here, change our names, and never look back. But did any of them listen to me? Nope. Not at all. But I did the thing. I went through with the sham of a marriage and was playing my part, and now none of them would give me the time of day!
I wanted to rip my hair out, scream at the sky, and get the hell out of here. But I couldn’t. No, now I was in it, deep as shit in a horse stall.
“Do I put it in a pile or in this wheelbarrow?” Eden hollered loudly from inside the barn.
“In the wheelbarrow,” I groaned loudly. I shook my head, making my way back into the barn to get back to work.
We worked quietly for a while, me up in the loft, working on a few odds and ends projects that I had put off for too long, her down below, mucking out the stall. The quiet should have served me well. It was what I wanted all day long, but instead I found my mind tumbling through one thought after another. Try as I might, I couldn’t help that my thoughts strayed to the events of yesterday, and more importantly, last night.
The wedding had been a shit show and a half, but after? After, when she had run through the woods, it had sparked something inside of me I thought I would not feel again for a long while, and least of all with a girl such as Eden. I had chased my fair share of women through the woods before, but Eden was a different creature. Her carefree nature, mixed with the way she laughed as she ran, lit a fire within me that brought out my Beast. Well, it threatened to bring out my Beast.
Unlike the girls I had met at Abditory, there was nothing about Eden that could be described as simpering or ditzy. She was young and innocent, to be sure, but there was nothing dumb about the girl. That innocent nature creature essence she exuded called to me so deeply it was nearly impossible not to respond in a series of growls and a chase to end all chases. No, I did not want to chase the girl. I wanted to hunt her. Hunt her down and capture her, then claim her as my own.
But it was impossible. She was barely eighteen, and I was an old man by comparison. Taking her in any fashion, let alone in the way I desired to, was a fool’s errand and would be the thing that cast me into the depths of hell more than any other crime I had or ever could commit. Still, the desire was there and I could not seem to steer my thoughts away from it.
Regardless of how well I knew my own desires, it felt impossible to find. That’s how it seemed to work when one was a Primal Dom, as I was. I either attracted women who were simpering idiots, cowering in a fit of fake frightened giggles at the first sound of a growl from me, or I legitimately freaked them out to the point they would avoid me like the plague anytime I entered the doors of Abditory. It was annoying; it was near infuriating.
“I think I’m done,” Eden’s voice called from below. Even from up here in the loft, I could hear the way her breaths came in pants of exertion. It only served to further my vivid imagination. Thoughts of her panting as I pushed her against the ground, dirt covering us both, filled my mind. My voice rumbled in my chest as I fought to push away the unwanted thoughts.
“I’ll be done in a sec,” I responded, looking around at the amount of work that was still left to do. None of it was pertinent, but I had hoped to accomplish more. Oh well, there was plenty more work to be done, and I could leave this for another day.
I made my way down the ladder back to the main floor of the barn.
“Oh!” I heard her exclaim behind me. Just as I began to turn, I saw that one of the horses had walked into his stall. With a smile, I walked over to the closed door, next to where Eden stood.
“Well, hello there, Latobius,” I greeted as the tall black horse neared. He nuzzled up against the side of my face.
“He’s beautiful,” Eden whispered, awestruck.
“He’s incredible,” I agreed quietly as Latobius nuzzled down my shoulder and onto my arm.
“What’s he doing?” she asked, cautiously moving closer to the great animal.
“Searching for food,” I chuckled, running the opposite hand over his jowl and up towards his ears. He huffed out when he discovered no food in my hand. Turning away from me completely, showing his annoyance at my lack of treats. “And now he’s telling me that I’m an asshole for not bringing an offering of food. He’s quite fickle when it comes to his treats,” I chuckled.
Reaching over to the bucket that sat on the ground beside his stall, I pulled out a large carrot. His ear twitched back towards me, making a sniffing sound as he heard the sound of the food moving around the bucket.
“You know you want it, so stop your pouting and get over here, you big baby,” I teased the large beast. Latobius waited another long moment before he turned back around, slowly walking towards us again.
“Can I?” Eden asked, trepidation laced in her tiny voice.
“Sure,” I replied. I handed her the carrot, but she only stood there, carrot in hand, looking at me in confusion.
“What do I do?” she asked, a faint blush tinging her cheeks. With a roll of my eyes, I moved her small frame before my own.
“Here,” I helped her, urging her arm out, the carrot held in her open palm. Latobius sniffed towards Eden, cautious of the unfamiliar guest in the barn before he decided that, ultimately, the carrot was more important than his normal show of dominance in such a situation.
Eden jerked, a giggle erupting from her lips as the horse nuzzled against her hand, the carrot already eaten, and searched for more treats in her outstretched hands.
“Can I give him another?” she asked excitedly. I swore I could hear her energy buzzing about the room as she looked at me expectantly. Latobius, the great greedy beast, looked just as excited and expectant as she did. That is, if you could read a horse’s expression, which I felt I could.
“One more,” I foolishly agreed with a huff of annoyance. “Only one, do you hear, you big lug? Otherwise you’ll end up fat and lazy,” I teased the black horse. He chuffed in response, obviously annoyed with my chastising. I gave a great bellow of laughter at his reaction.
I had always felt closer to animals than humans, though I’m sure any psychologist worth his salt could likely wax poetic about what that meant underneath it all. I didn’t care. I didn’t care one bit. Animals made sense. They did what they needed to in order to survive and didn’t let themselves be swayed by things like society or religion. Eat, sleep, fuck, die. It was that simple. That’s how I preferred things, and one day, someday, that’s how I would have it.
I watched as Eden grew comfortable with Latobius. I was honestly surprised. He was a bit of an uppity bitch, truth be told. He didn’t like strangers and he most definitely did not let most people touch him. Yet, here was Eden, nuzzling up against his snout like they had been lifelong friends. He even nuzzled back, bumping his nose into her shoulder and nearly knocking her back into me.
No, not nearly. Hedidknock her back into me. Her small frame pressed into my large one. I fought the desire to pull her a little closer, just for a moment. It was the most juxtaposing thing I had ever experienced. On the one hand, she was my wife and the last person on Earth I wanted to touch or be sexual with. On the other hand, she was mywife, and therefore sheshouldbe the person I pulled closer and found comfort in the arms of.
