No Mercy / Book Three

Chapter Five: Paint Strokes

Juniper resisted the urge to kick her shoes off and dig her toes into the lush green grass of Damion's yard. She honestly didn't know what she pictured in her head when she thought about where he lived, but this definitely wasn't it. The small cottage Logan had parked in front of was nestled in the tree line with bright rose bushes on either side of the front porch. She could see a small pond beyond the trees and almost sighed at how whimsical it looked. It was a far cry from the sprawling grounds she had grown up on, cozy and warm in a way that spoke to her soul.

"It's like something out of a fairytale," Juniper sighed, eyes flicking to the front porch when the door opened and Damion stumbled out of the cottage. She offered him a tentative smile when he finally made his way down to Logan's car, creases still pressed into his check from what she assumed was his pillow case.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Logan teased, popping open the trunk of her car and allowing Juniper to take the two bags that were stowed away. Damion grunted and took the bags from her hands, slinging them onto his shoulder before making his way back to the cottage; leaving the door open behind him.

Juniper shared a look with Logan, the two of them shaking their heads before walking up behind him and stepping through the front door. It was just as magical on the inside as it had been on the out, vintage furniture packed tightly into the small living room and gorgeous watercolor paintings hanging precariously on the walls.It didn't match at all with the picture she had in her head for the man Logan had told her about, the one who willingly went toe to toe with the worst kinds of monsters, but it still somehow fit.

"It's not much, but it'll do for a place to sleep," Damion muttered, dropping Juniper's duffle bags unceremoniously onto the couch and startling the tiny black cat that had been curled up on one of the decorative pillows. He waved towards the fluffed out creature, fur standing up in all directions while it's green eyes darted around the room, effectively melting Juniper's heart. "That's JoJo. You'll have to keep the door to your room closed or she'll sleep on your head and put her tail in your mouth if you don't wake up fast enough for her liking."

She made a mental note to keep the door cracked instead of fully shut, not wanting to keep the precious kitten away from her for even a second if JoJo decided she was worthy of attention. She hadn't had many pets as a child, her mother having too many allergies to allow for anything other than a handful of fish and one small lizard that had showed up in her bathtub, and she would accept whatever the kitten gave her with a giddy smile on her face.

"Thank you again for doing this," Juniper said softly, playing with the string on her hoodie. "I know this probably isn't what you wanted to do with your time but it means a lot to me that you even listened to Logan in the first place."

Damion scrubbed a hand over his face before accepting the mug of coffee Logan brought out from the kitchen, the dazed look in his eyes slowly fading with every sip that he took. She could sympathize, she normally needed at least three cups in the morning to even function like a normal human.

"Like I said at the rec center, I don't break promises. You'll have a safe place for however long it takes to catch whoever is terrorizing you," Damion grumbled, wrapping his arm around Logan's shoulder when she pressed into his side before waving over her shoulder at Juniper on her way out of the door. She had an ultrasound appointment to get to but had promised that she and Stanford would come over for dinner later that night so Juniper didn't feel so awkward about invading the life of the man who had agreed to help her.

The silence lulled between them, not heavy but by no means comfortable, and Juniper found herself staring at the closest watercolor painting to avoid the eyes of the man in front of her. Delight filled her bloodstream when she realized that it was a painting of the cottage she was standing in, right down to the vibrant rosebush by the front steps and the tire swing that was barely hanging onto the tree by the edge of the property.

"My sister painted it. All of them, actually," Damion offered, following her line of sight and reaching out to brush his fingertips against the frame it was in. Juniper moved closer to the painting beside it and scooted to the side so Damion could stand beside her, drinking in the sight of him painted in swashes of blue and purple. "The one in pink and orange is of Jackson Square in the old French Quarter."

Juniper turned her attention to the painting Damion was pointing at, completely blown away by the beauty of New Orleans all over again. Sometimes it was hard to see all of the wonder around her in their small town since she had always been there, but the paintings were like a breath of fresh air. "They're wonderful. What are the others?"

Damion led her to the other side of the living room and stopped in front of a series of eight paintings, colors flowing together to create the faces of people that she assumed were important to him. Jaxon's arrogant face was harsh greens and yellows, knew without a doubt that it was Logan and Stanford with Rori perched between them in pinks and reds. The rest she wasn't sure about, but given the nature of their agreement she assumed she would get to meet them at some point in the next few days.

"Landon called last night. He wants to meet in a few hours and go over your reports, see if anything got left out. Jaxon will be there, but you need to do it," Damion warned, and Juniper fought the urge to roll her eyes at the thought of having to see Jaxon again. She'd put up with him as long as Damion and Landon were there, she knew that they were on her side despite Jaxon trying everything in his power to get them to not believe her. She just hoped that he didn't diminish the good mood Damion's cottage had put her in.