Darkest Passion

I was fifteen when my parents and my brother died in a plane crash. Fifteen when the abuse stopped, and fifteen when I found my freedom. I was also fifteen when I was told by my father's lawyer that since I was the only surviving member of my family I now had millions of dollars and three hundred acres of unused land at my disposal.

I should have been distressed at the news, sad atleast for the passing of my family. That would be lying though, and truth be told I could not contain my feelings of elation.

When I was sixteen I used the money I had inherited to build a grand ranch house in the midle of my new found stretch of property. It was large and in the middle of nowhere and I adored it more than anything. I hired staff who became a second family to me and six months later I had houses built to house the ranch hands. After a stable and barn were constructed we began to work on pens for the other animals and a corall for the horses. I was seventeen by the time I invested in large amounts of animals and I still had millions left at my disposal.

Now I was nineteen and the twenty or so ranch hands that helped me run my farm and care for my houses were my only family. We took in strangers who added to our largly growing numbers. Eventually we had to build another house.

I couldn't help but to notice at odd times that some of the men would act funny, on edge. Like they were hiding a secret as big as my own. I never questioned them though, I figured if they felt the need to tell me they would, it was their secret. I had no right to pry just because they worked for me.

I stared over across the land as I watched the men work. It was easy to see a lot of them from atop my horse. There were maybe six women in total on the property excluding myself. Five of them were attached to some of the mens hip and then there was Margarete, the woman who helped run the land and became the mother of my heart. She was an older spanish woman who treated me as if I were her child. The other women help Margie around the house, especially when those of us who worked out on the ranch all day were hungry.

A smile crossed my face as I thought about all of them.

"Kenya! As much as I love seeing your stone cold face alight with that beautiful smile of yours there are reports of wolves on the property. Since you know where they roam I figured you would want to go check the wing herd of mustangs that often run the south side." Cyrus stated walking up and handing me a shotgun, some bullets and a walkie talkie.

"Thanks for the heads up Cyrus, and more remarks about my cold hearted persona and I will shoot you instead of the wolves," I stated sending the older man a wink. He had been the first hand I had hired and helped me pick the rest. We became fast friends and looked upon each other like family. "Oh! And send someone to watch the gate and radio me if Mr. Souther showes his ugly face." I hollared over my shoulder before riding off.

Eric Souther had been trying to get me to sell my land ever since I had started building on it. He believed that because I was young I couldn't run the ranch I was building up. Over the years I had proved him wrong and his actions and threats had continued to get more and more agressive. At some point I would shoot the old dog and be done with it. However, I couldn't see myself locked in a cell for the rest of my life so more often than not I had him forcefully removed from the land.

I made fast work of the land between me and the mustangs, surprised slightly when I found them closer to the woods then they had ever been before. 

I was always curious of what lay in the woods that no one ever went into. I was rarely ever down here as it is, only when some of the animals broke free and made their way down this far. Even then I never came this close to the tree line.

A heavy sigh escaped my dry lips as I relaxed in my saddle and took in my surroundings. It was beautifully breath taking out here. Rolling hills and vast plains of grass covered most of the area. To the far west of the property was a valley like canyon. It was wide open space as far as the eye could see, my own personal paradise and I wasn't about to let it go.