TouchNode | Complete

22 | Wooden Shoes

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown. Jill came tumbling after.

“I still don’t understand what makes you so fucking special.” My eyes rolled heavenward at the sound of his grave voice. “Tits and pussy on a pair of toned legs. You’re run of the mill at best, sweetheart. These idiots at main headquarters have you basically spitting that you're better than everyone else. I'm here to tell you, sweet, you ain't.”

“Thanks.” My answer was clipped, impatient and heavily laden with sarcasm. “I appreciate the high praise.”

“Every other rutting bitch on these acres answer to me. That fucker certainly has some nerve.” His steps crunched down on the leaf covered earth. The bennie on his head was crooked, exposing the long jagged scar that carved a ridged path from his left temple to his square jaw. “That forest is dangerous, girl. There are some that have gone into it and didn’t return. You’ve heard the stories.”

“The rumors you mean?”

A dark chuckle came from his chest, mirroring the thick plum of smoke that wafted towards me as he puffed deeply at his pipe. “You’ll wish they were rumors, girly, if a madman catches you. He’ll take what all your holes offer and then gut you alive.”

“How are you so sure it’s a male?”

Sylus McGriffin tripped over his next words. He righted his stalking frame, turning to hawk over me like a bear. With dark hair, dark eyes and thin pink lips, Sylus was a forbidding sight.

Shortly after my arrival, Sylus had taken it upon himself to inform me of the regular disappearances of staff members at the Fidelis estate. Information, I'm sure, Carter and Ballarina somehow managed to forget to tell me about. His tales of death and violence climbed as high as the slopes of Mount Everest. Though, in the back of my mind, I had to admit that his stories sent frigid chills down the column of my spine.

I knew the real reason for his upset, restless speech this morning. Carter had done something rather... unsettling. He’d loosened the holds that bound me to House Fidelis. Olivia and Dominic sat across from myself and Carter in the main study, listening intently to his speech regarding the importance of my freedom and his command that I am allowed to explore as I desired.

Olivia passed me a venomous look as Carter finished his newly adopted laws, but made no other gestures. Dominic raised one of his eyebrows and dragged his hazel eyes down my frame in a blatant invitation. Their roles had not changed a bit. Olivia hated me and Dominic.... well... he seemed to be bordering between lust and suspicion.

The latter of Dominic’s feelings squarely rested on the center of my chest every time I found Carter’s gaze on my frame. His steps seemed to lighten and his mood brightened, all of which sent massive alarm bells jangling in my mind. That word I feared before, permanency, fisted tightly around my stampeding heart.

My mind kept replaying his attentiveness after witnessing the exchange between Euphrates and me. There was palpable chemistry that flared alive whenever we were near one another. An embarrassed hue stamped my cheeks when I thought of our first meeting and my wild fears.

A change in routine only solidified my fear of Carter’s perception. Every morning, since I had become a TouchNode, was the same. Wake up, vigorously work out, breakfast, staff meeting, costume change, travel and finally, party. Security mimicked almost every waking moment of my day. They tracked our movements and reported any suspicious behavior to Carter and Ballarina. I learned early on, follow the rules and you'll have nothing to worry about.