Demon of Desire
Chapter Five-Welcome to Your New Life

It was Sloan’s eighteenth birthday and, although her uncle had managed to trap her in his house for a whole year, she was ready to flee.

Her plans of going to NYC had not been realized and her friendship with BB had slowly faded away. And, as much as she’d like not to think about him, Levy hadn’t gone back to New York as he had promised and neither had she heard from him since she’d last seen him in Cozumel.

Her relationship with Jake was the one thing left standing true for her.

It was a new year, a new day and a new stage in Sloan’s life. A lot about her had changed, and now that she was of legal age the changes would be cemented.

“Thank God you are finally getting out of here.” Chantal kicked aside Sloan’s duffel bag as she walked through the room.

Sloan eyed her, fighting the urge to smack her. “Believe me when I say no one is more thankful than I am.” Sloan carried her bags out to the hallway and began tossing them over the stairway railing down to the ground floor. “Look out below.”

“Couldn’t you do that quietly?” Diana called out.

“Sorry, I’ll try.” Sloan grabbed her heavy duffel bag and tossed it down, aiming it for Diana.

Her aunt jumped back and watched wide-eyed as the bag fall onto her prior position with a weighty thud. “Sloan!” she screeched in anger.

“Diana.” Sloan laughed. “Isn’t this fun? We can call out each other’s names all day.”

“Sloan, stop it.” Edwin stood beside his wife, his face less amused.

“Grouch,” she said, running down the steps to her aunt. Sloan took her hand, “I know we haven’t seen eye to eye. It might be because I’m difficult…or because you let your ass of a husband control you. Anyway, I have good news for you.”

“What, your departure?” Edwin cut in.

“That is your good news I meant good news for her. My parents gave me full tuition for four years and Mr. Gutierrez already paid my tuition. The school doesn’t give refunds so I asked them to defer me until further notice.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Diana asked puzzled.

“I asked the lawyer to give my college fund to the troublemakers, Al and Cam. Sorry Edwin, you cannot dip your hand in that cookie jar either—it is specifically for Al and Cam’s tuition.” Sloan gave Edwin a wink before planting a kiss on Diana’s cheek.

“What of Chantal?” Edwin asked, a little peeved.

Sloan snorted. “That demonic child? She doesn’t need an education—she needs to be trained, like all the other animals.” She turned back to Diana. “And if you ever want to get away from mister personality, call me. By the way, Uncle Edwin, I got back my diamonds a year and a half ago.”

Edwin chuckled. “You couldn’t have, they were in the safe.”

“Now they are not. I have to go.” Sloan took her bags out to the car. She was moving in with Jake, surprisingly with Archer’s blessings.

“Sloan, I don’t want you to come back to my house,” Edwin warned.

“You don’t have to worry about that. I am starting a new life that isn’t going to include any of you.” Sloan gave a momentary glance at Diana, who stood like a stone statue next to her husband. She was never going to be like that, ever.

Sloan jumped into her BMW sports car. It was a year old but still in good condition. She drove up to the house, wondering how the guys would feel about a girl moving into the place.

Jake came out of the house, a smile on his face. He was more excited about her moving in than she was.

“Hey, babe.” Leaning in, he gave her a kiss before heading to the trunk. “I cleaned my room up and cleared up some space in the wardrobe and drawers.”

“You did?” Sloan stepped out of the car, a feeling of novelty washing over her.

“I did. Our room is ready for you to move into.” He picked up all her three bags and hauled them into the house.

She followed behind, her hands tucked into her pockets. “Are you sure you don’t want any help?”

“No, I’m fine,” Jake moaned as he dragged the bags up the stairs.

Sloan froze before the six-man welcome party. “Hey, guys.” She had seen them thousands of times before but today was different.

“Sloan.” Archer addressed her in his usual somber tone.

“Archer.” She looked at the robust man as he stood among his family, men she would soon call family too. “How are you?”

“Fine. Snoop, Len, help Jake get our guest’s bags up to her room.”

“Sure.”

Sloan looked at Jake’s closest friends—Snoop, because he idolized the rapper and Len, short for Lionel. They had been there the longest, but not as long as the other two. They were more playful and interactive than Ike, Spike, and Eric, and a lot younger too. The others walked away—they always had something to do but it was unknown to her just what.

“Sloan, come with me,” Archer ordered.

“Can’t you do this later?” Jake called out from the top of the stairs.

“There is no time like the present. I’m fine. I’ll go with him.” Sloan followed Archer and the other four guys to the gym.

“You want me to work out?” Sloan asked with a confused look on her face.

Archer paced around the well-furnished room. The large space was filled with all the latest gym equipment and a section of it had a couple of martial arts toys. “If you are to live in this house, this is where you are going to spend most of your time.”

“I already do.” Workout and practice sessions were an important part in Jake’s life. He had six hours in the day dedicated to it. Through the year Sloan had trained with him as a way to get closer to each other. She wasn’t an expert, but she knew the basics.

“This time you are not going to play games or ogle your boyfriend’s muscles as he works out. You will join the rest of us, and from now on we will have the same workout time slots and schedules.”

“Excuse me?” Sloan chuckled. She was not used to anyone barking orders at her, and although she had told Archer about this earlier he was doing just that.

“In this house, ninety percent of your life is mine and eighty percent of your day will be spent here.” Archer stomped his foot down for emphasis.

“I don’t know what you and your boys are training for but now I know why, in all the time I have been here, I am the only female I’ve ever seen in the place.” Sloan rolled her eyes and turned to leave, but she was blocked off by three of Archer’s men.

Spike, Eric and Ike were the eldest in the house and looked to be more than just acquaintances. They went everywhere together and they always flanked Archer. Sloan often called them the Hell’s hounds with their devil master.

“Sloan, you do not walk away from me when I speak.” Archer grabbed Sloan’s arms and turned her to face the room. “There is a war out there and you need to be ready for it.”

“It’s not my war and the only thing I need to do now is go up to my boyfriend’s room and chill.” She pulled her arm out of his grip. “Now, if you would excuse me.”

“Sloan, we are not sharing a room.” Jake entered the room. The look on his face had changed. The excitement had washed away, but there was still a hint of happiness in his eyes.

“Why not?” she asked sullenly.

“Archer thinks it would be best if we had separate rooms.” The annoyed tone in his voice showed his true feelings on the room issue.

“Can we still have sex or do you need Archer’s permission for that too?” Sloan stormed angrily out of the gym in search of her new room. She hated it when Jake buckled to Archer’s demands. That was one thing she liked about Levy—he was his own man.

Sloan wandered around the second floor of the house and her mind automatically went to the day she got lost in Levy’s Spanish villa.

“I am not good with directions, especially mansions,” she huffed.

“Which other mansion have you been to?” Jake stood behind her.

A red flag went up and Sloan rerouted the conversation back to Archer. “Did Archer say it’s okay for you to come here…you know, since we can’t breathe in the same room without getting his permission first?” Frustrated, she stood still, waiting for Jake to point her in the right direction.

“Your room is this way.” Jake walked ahead of her. “Archer is only doing what’s best for us. He has been ever since we came here.”

She entered her room and couldn’t help being impressed. It was bigger than the one Jake had and it was en-suite.

“I can see that you like it.”

“Does it have a lock on the door?”

“No, Archer doesn’t believe in solitude.”

“Or privacy or respect or free will.” Sloan pushed her suitcases off her bed. “For eighteen years I have been looking out for myself and I don’t need Archer to do it now.”

“Archer wants to see you in an hour.”

“Let me guess…family time. You know what? I don’t have to stay here,” she said, marching for the door.

Jake stood in her way. “Yes, you do. Just listen to what Archer has to say.” He wrapped his arms around her, locking her arms to her side. “Instead of arguing, you could kiss me.”

“I could kiss you, but I feel like punching you right now.” She bit into her cheek, not wanting Jake to see that he had won her over.

“Are you sure you don’t want to kiss me?”

“I will kiss you only because I want to.” She freed her arms and wrapped them around his neck. “Since you are so good at taking orders, I am going to give you one now. Kiss me.”

“My pleasure.”

Sloan gazed at his sly smile as his lips lowered to hers. She looked into his eyes and felt her knees give in. Her arms dropped from his neck and to her back where Jake’s fingers intertwined. She untangled them and dropped to the bed, her eyes not leaving Jake’s.

She bit down on her lip as she watched him pull his shirt over his head, making his muscles clench and ripple.

“Did I ever tell you that you have a fantastic body?” She smoothed her hand over his cubes when he kneeled over her.

Laughing, he sucked in a breath when her fingers played over his jeans button. “Yes, every time you strip my clothes off me.”

“And each time it’s like I’m seeing it for the first time. You take my breath away.”

“And you steal my heart over and over again with each kiss.” Jake lowered his body over hers. “I love how your body feels under mine.”

“And I love how your skin feels against mine. So how about we stop talking and you start kissing me.” Grabbing onto his dog tag, she pulled him lower.

* * * *

“Let’s do this.” Sloan hopped around the mat, waiting for Archer’s instructions.

“I see that sex is good for you.” Snoop snickered. ”You’re much calmer than you were before.”

“Yes, Snoop, you should try it,” Sloan retorted.

“All right, that’s enough. Now that we have all had time in the gym, it’s time for combat.” Archer paced around the cushioned mat.

“Combat?” Sloan chuckled. “What is this, fight club?”

“I know for the past year Jake has been teaching you a few things, but this is not fun and games anymore. Jake and Len, come up to the mat,” Archer ordered.

“That’s not fair, Len is way bigger than—” Sloan’s protest was interrupted when Jake floored Len with just one kick. “I stand corrected. Good job, baby.” Sloan broke out in applause.

Jake did not take his eyes off Len as he came at him again. Sloan watched as he attacked Len with the same passion and intensity he had when he made love to her.

“Everyone is going to take a turn then Jake, Sloan, and I will remain behind.” Archer spoke with an approving nod toward Jake.

“Why?”

“Because I said so, Sloan.”

She sat at the back, watching the guys attack each other like they were enemies instead of family. Each time Jake got a hit she looked away, and when he did well she cheered.

“Why are you guys beating each other up like that?” She used the end of her T-shirt to wipe the blood off Jake’s lip.

“We have to. We all have the same backgrounds so we know that there is someone out there who wants to hurt us,” Jake answered.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,” Sloan teased.

“No, I will protect you. I will lay my life on the line if it’s to keep you safe.” Jake planted a kiss in her palm.

Sloan caught the serious look in his eyes and a chill ran through her. The conviction in his eyes was even more than when he swore his love for her. “I believe you.”

“Jake, you are up,” Archer called.

“Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” Sloan looked at his bruised body.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m used to all this.” After stealing a quick kiss, Jake ran up to the mat against Ike.

“I can’t watch this.” Just as she turned to leave, Archer grabbed her and forced her to watch.

“He would die for you. Don’t you think it’s fair for you to try and do the same for him?”

“I would do anything for him,” she swore.

“Then drop the attitude and work with us.”

“It would help if I knew what we were fighting for.”

“Survival.” Archer released her arm and went up to the mat, replacing Ike and facing off with Jake.

He was a lot stronger, bigger and better skilled than Jake, but Jake held his own. Sloan watched as Archer rained down punches and kicks on Jake until she couldn’t take it anymore.

“How is he going to survive if you kill him?” she screamed. “You want him alive for the great war so stop trying to kill him.”

“He’s not trying to kill me. He only wants to make me stronger.” Jake spoke as he struggled to his feet.

Sloan went to his side and cupped his face in her palms. “I get that you are on some kind of psychotic mission. I don’t question it, but beating each other up is ludicrous.”

“You don’t get it,” Archer said.

“Then explain it to me. Tell me something, because I cannot just stand there and watch you beat my boyfriend black and blue.”

“First of all, when you get on this mat Jake is not your boyfriend, he is just a face. Second of all, I think it’s time you finally found out why your boyfriend is all shades of color right now. Guys, please excuse us.”

“Finally, some answers.” She helped Jake down onto the mat. “Are you sure you are fine? I could take you to a hospital.”

He ran his fingers through her short hair, pulled her head to his lips and kissed her temple. “I’m tougher than I look.”

“I’m not too sure about that, but I’ll take your word for it.”

Archer sat down on the mat, crossing his legs. “We all have the same story and that is why we can all live together like this.”

“What story is this and what does it have to do with me?”

“Everything.” Jake took her hand in his then kissed her palm. “Remember when I told you about my parents’ murder? Well, everyone in this house has lost their family that way.”

“Not just in this house but all over this country and even in other countries.” Archer’s harsh tone switched to a softer one. He seemed to be struggling with words or reality.

“Okay.” Sloan knew it was something serious because the two men who were beating each other up without wincing in pain now looked like broken little boys stranded in a place they didn’t know.

Archer cleared his throat and went on. “My parents started two of these houses and they left this one to me. My father brought every single child who experienced the same thing to this place. He was a police officer, so it was easier for him to tell which child was a victim.”

“A victim of what?”

“Children whose parents died violent deaths, and who didn’t have anywhere else to go. He gave them hope and restored their faith in humanity, but he always told us to learn how to defend ourselves.”

“Is that why you put yourselves through this? Where is your father now, because I’m sure he didn’t mean for you to go to this extent?” Sloan touched her finger lightly on one of Jake’s bruises.

“We just don’t know what to expect in the future.” Archer said.

“But you guys look like you are preparing for a war. Fine. I understand, you know, but I don’t think I will be joining you.” Sloan got up to leave but Jake called her back.

“We are preparing to fight demons, Sloan,” he blurted out, to Archer’s obvious disapproval.

“Exactly how hard did you get hit in the head?” She put the back of her hand on his forehead as if checking his temperature.

“He is telling the truth. Our parents were hunters, and that’s why they are all dead. My parents are also dead, Sloan, and I know that your parents were also killed by demons.” Sloan was trying to process this. However, each time her mind came to grips with it a loud voice shouted They are crazy.

Sloan looked at both men and saw how serious they looked, and she broke out in laughter. “You guys actually believe what you are saying. I’m sorry, did I miss a sign that said ‘mad house’ when I walked in here today?”

“Babe, I’m not lying to you. I never got to see what killed my parents, but the rest of the guys did and so did you.” Jake took both her hands in his.

“Yes. I saw a group of guys killing my parents and they even tried to kill me. But they were people, not demons. Your overactive imagination is what got you guys so crazy.”

“My father told me all about them,” Archer urged.

“Then your father must be crazy.” Sloan giggled.

Enraged, Archer swept Sloan’s feet from beneath her. Once she was on the ground he flipped her over and pinned her down.. “My father was not crazy,” he whispered deathly quiet into her ear. He yanked up her T-shirt to expose her scar. “Do you think a human gave you this scar?”

Struggling, Sloan fought him off with Jake’s help. She pulled her T-shirt down and turned her glare to Jake. “Did you tell him about this? Did you?”

“Yes, and it’s only because I didn’t want to ask you. I was worried.”

“Idiots! I’m out of here. My family was attacked by a group of humans, not demons.”

“Are you sure? Who else has seen your scar?” Archer asked, but something in his eyes told her he knew very well that Levy had seen it before.

“Let’s talk about your scar, shall we?” she shouted back.

“I got mine the same way you got yours, now answer the question, Sloan.”

“Just a friend of mine and sure, he was shocked, but he also took it as it is a scar from a terrible attack.” She avoided meeting Jake’s gaze because the guilt of betraying him had never left her. But her anger for him fogged the guilt.

“Who is this guy?”

“It doesn’t matter. Sloan, I have been watching you ever since I was told you came back to the States. I know that you can help us destroy him.”

“Help you destroy who, and what do you mean by you have been watching me?” Her eyes shifted from Archer to Jake. “Jake, what is he talking about?”

“I’ll let you talk, but please know this—I let you come into this house not just to protect you from your greedy uncle but from the evil in this world. Stay here, train with us, then one day I promise you, you will be able to kill the man who robbed you of your family.” Archer gave Jake a little tap on the back before leaving the gym.

“Is there something you would like to share with the rest of the class?” Sloan could feel her anger boiling over, although she was not sure why.

“I want you to keep in mind that what we have is true, although it didn’t start that way.”

“You don’t say,” she exclaimed sarcastically.

“Archer had me follow you around and it was easy for me to come to your high school without seeming out of place.”

“So you never went to Hudson High?” Sloan tugged her hair in a huff. “I can’t believe BB was right.”

“Archer was worried that the demon would make contact with you, so I was supposed to keep you safe. I needed to watch your back, and in the process I ended up falling in love with you.” He tried stroking her cheek but she struck his hand away.

“Don’t touch me. That rubbish might have worked in The Bodyguard, but this isn’t a movie, I’m not Whitney and you are definitely not Kevin,” she hollered angrily.

“I know that, but we love each other. I was supposed to gain your trust and your confidence for the sake of the mission, but it’s not like that anymore.”

“You deceived me. I thought I could rely on you but you tricked me. So how am I to know what is true or not?”

“Our love is true.” He tried to hold her but instead she landed her left fist on his jaw.

“I hate it when people lie and betray me.” She was hurt and she felt taken advantage of. Jake was the guy she trusted most not to hurt her, to always be true to her, and now she found out she was just a pawn for some stupid, ludicrous mission?

She was truly hurt, so she was going to hurt him even worse. “You know what? I think we are even now. And to think I carried all that guilt around for a relationship that never existed. A pretentious love that was really a way of you getting what you want.” She chuckled. “Thank you for lifting this weight I’ve been carrying around for a year. Thank you!”

“What are you talking about?”

“You are not the only one who cheated.” Her eyes filled with tears. She knew if he really did love her it would hurt and if he didn’t she wanted to stick it to him. She wanted revenge and she had the best weapon for it. “When I went to Cozumel, a lot more than what I told you happened and it didn’t involve having any clothes on.” She saw his face crease as he clenched his jaw. “I only left the bedroom for breakfast and I wasn’t alone. It killed me to keep this from you, but replaceing out our relationship was just a lie I’m glad it happened.”

Jake went silent for a while and they stood staring at each other. “It was a year ago and we have been through enough for me to forgive you.” He spoke hoarsely, the anger evident in his voice.

Sloan stared at him, shocked. His words felt like he was ridiculing her. Was his mission really all he cared about? “I don’t want to be forgiven.”

“We are going to work our way through this. Archer wants you to join us and, with time, we can forget about this and get back to where we were.” Jake was trying to convince her and, it seemed, himself.

“You aren’t listening to me. We are done.”

Sloan ran to her room. She wanted to get changed and to grab her car keys. She wanted to leave this place as fast as she possibly could, but when she got to the front door Jake and Archer were standing there.

“Get out of my way,” Sloan barked.

“We can’t let you leave,” Jake mumbled.

“You can’t let me leave? You want to bet?” she warned.

Archer stepped aside and opened the door for her. “I know you need time to think about all of this, Sloan, but I want you to keep one thing in mind—killing the man who murdered your parents.”

“Are you serious? You just can’t let her leave,” Jake protested.

Sloan watched Archer with suspicion. He never let anything happen unless he was getting something from it—case in point, her relationship with Jake. “What are you playing at?”

“Nothing I don’t want to force you to be here. I want you to stay here because we have the same goal. You need to think about this, and I am sincerely sorry for being the cause of the problems in your relationship with Jake.” Archer shifted his gaze between Jake and Sloan. “There shouldn’t have been a relationship in the first place.”

“You won’t get any arguments from me.” Sloan walked out of the house and got into the car. As she reversed out of the driveway, the corner of her eye caught the image of Archer holding Jake back from following her.

She drove off, not knowing what her next step was. Sloan drove back to Edwin’s house, screeching to a halt inches away from Edwin’s black Mercedes.

Checking under the welcome mat she found the spare key. She knew for a fact her uncle wouldn’t open the door if she had knocked. Walking straight to the dining room, she found her extended family gathered for dinner.

“You.” She pointed at her uncle “Kitchen.”

She didn’t think her parents’ murder was the best dinner conversation and besides, Al and Cam were too young to be privy to it.

“I thought you weren’t coming back to my house.”

“Trust me, it wasn’t by choice. How were my parents murdered and who did it?”

Edwin stared at her for a moment before he spoke. “They were ripped apart and they never caught the man who killed them.”

“Are you telling me the truth?” She searched for the truth in his face and she found it.

“William was my brother. We had our differences but he was my blood.” Edwin sounded offended.

“I met a man called Archer and he tells me that a demon killed my parents.”

“Your father and your aunt Max were the only ones interested in that kind of stuff. I was more interested in a normal life. I wanted a family and I desired to see my children grow up better than I did, not chasing shadows.”

“How come I never heard of my aunt?”

“You did, but you were too young to remember. She died a few years before your parents did.” Edwin leaned against the counter as grief overcame him.

“If you are the only family I have, then why are you so mean to me?”

“You remind me of the two of them. You are strong and brave, and you know exactly what you want and who you are. They were everything I wasn’t.”

“Fine, I’m leaving now.”

“You should do what he asks of you. He knows what he’s talking about.” Edwin placed his arm on her shoulder, “I know you don’t trust me and you have cause not to, but please, listen to me now. You were born into that world and you can’t just leave it like I did. Archer will protect you, but please do not come back here for the safety of my family.”

Sloan saw the urgency in his face and she knew that would be the last time she’d see her family. “I promise I won’t come back, and I promise I won’t put you or your family in danger.”

She walked out of the house, even more confused than when she walked in. She sat in her car, staring at herself in the rear view mirror. “Now what, Christy Sloan?”

She pulled into the road and set the car on drive, then followed the twists and turns of the road until she ended up at the cemetery.

Sloan sat between her parents’ graves and stared at their headstones. “Mr. and Mrs. Sloan, don’t you think you should have given me an idea or a map of my life?” She lay down between them, staring up at the starry sky and counting the barely visible stars. As her eyes grew heavy her worries flitted out of her mind.

* * * *

Kellan had returned a while back but he hadn’t got to close to her. He was keeping a safe distance from the new company she kept. He sat on her BMW, waiting for her to exit the cemetery, but when she took too long he went to her. Walking in among the graves he could see each tortured soul buried there. He walked with his head held high, blocking all the cries that rang in his ears.

He stood over a sleeping Sloan. Her body was cuddled in the middle of Chemtai and William’s graves. He couldn’t hear them—they were righteous and demons were kept away from the virtuous.

He stared down at Sloan, blameless and only caught in between the raging war of good versus evil. Kellan was evil but he was drawn to the raw good in her, plus he had marked her and their lives were bound to intertwine.

Kellan lifted Sloan’s tiny body into his arms and held her close to his chest. He loved the booming sound of her beating heart…it mirrored who she was. Kellan looked down at the two graves and felt nostalgic. The Sloan family was the only one who kept him on his toes and now there were barely any Sloans left.

He carried her to her car and settled her in the back seat. Kellan laughed as he combed his fingers though her frizzy hair. “Short suits you, but I loved your hair long.”

Taking off his coat, he covered her with it before getting into the driver’s seat.

Kellan knew where he was going and he knew perfectly well how he would be received. Driving slowly up to the dark, old mansion, he parked a few meters from the main house. Knowing that knocking on the front door wasn’t an option, he pressed a button that folded out the roof of the car, got out and left Sloan snuggled in the back.

Kellan watched from a distance, waiting for someone to come out of the house and take her in. He stood there until morning when Ike found Sloan asleep in the car.

Ike carried Sloan carefully into the house. Kellan could hear him calling out for Jake and his curiosity piqued, but there was no way he could explore it without risking ending up a pile of ash. When he was sure she was safe, he went back to his own habitat of darkness.

* * * *

Sloan could feel hot breath on her neck and it made her uncomfortable. She tossed and turned but it followed her, then finally she gave up on her sleep. Angry, she sat up but she didn’t expect to be looking Jake in the eye.

Sloan moved away from him. “What are you doing here?” She looked around the room. This was definitely not where she fell asleep. “Where am I and how did I get here?”

“You are at the house and this is your room, don’t you remember?” A worried frown pulled at Jake’s lips.

“Oh right, that. But how did I get here?” She recalled the prickling grass at her parents’ grave. “The last thing I remember is being at the cemetery. I know I fell asleep there.”

“No, Ike found you asleep in your car this morning.” He shrugged. “I figured you didn’t want to see me.”

“You figured right, but I wouldn’t sleep in my car.” She got out of bed and saw the long coat on the chair across the room.

“We really need to talk about us, Sloan.” Jake walked up behind her.

“I’m not in the mood.” She picked up the coat and looked at it.

“I just need to know where we are and what’s next after that.” He stood in front of her to get her attention but the coat was still her main focus.

“How did this get here?” She held up the black coat for him to see.

“You were covered in it,” He answered impatiently. “Now can you spare three seconds to talk about us?”

“Three? Sure. In fact, I’ll give you four.” Holding up four fingers she spoke as each went down. “There is no us.” She went to the door and held it open for him. “Get out and please tell Archer I will be down to speak to him.”

Jake stared at her in bewilderment. This was a side of her that he had seen before but he had obviously never thought that the hostility would one day be directed at him.

There was something familiar about the coat she now held so closely to her chest. She raised it to her face and buried her nose in it, taking in a deep breath. As the scent filled her nostrils, the memories of its owner flooded her mind.

“It can’t be.” She tossed the coat on her bed as if it burned her. “You can’t be back.”

In a heartbeat the disillusionment was replaced by exhilaration. She went through the coat, looking for a single speck of evidence of its owner’s existence.

Sloan heard a knock on the door. Startled, she chucked the coat under her bed. “Come in.”

“How are you?” Archer came into the room, his hands behind his back.

“Never better.”

“I can see that. Did you and Jake sort out your problem?” He leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his chest.

“Jake and I are done. I think it’s for the best.” Sloan went silent for a while, making up her mind. “I spoke to my uncle yesterday. How come you never told me you knew him?”

“Like you, I had no choice in the matter. What did he tell you?” he asked.

“That I should trust you and you are family. What did he mean by that?”

“He meant that we are cousins.” Archer took a seat in the chair as a chuckle escaped his lips.

“What…you are kidding me. You are Edwin’s son? No wonder he disowned you. So that story about your father being a cop was a fake?” She found this part amusing.

“No, God forbid. I’m Max’s son, and my father was a cop but he was killed. Can you imagine Edwin doing anything that would require him to be brave?”

They both laughed. “Now that I think about it, he is petrified of his own shadow. Do you know what he asked me?” She cracked a smile. “He said that I’m never to go back to his house.”

“He gave me my marching orders years ago. But I’m fine with it.” Archer stood up and went to sit next to her on the bed. “Please understand, what I did was to protect you, and Jake was just following my orders.”

“I get it, but it would be better if my relationship with Jake ended. There are bigger things at play here, I don’t trust him anymore and for me that is the most important thing.”

“Aren’t you going to ask me?” Archer whispered.

“Ask you about what?”

“How my parents died.”

Sloan could see the pain in his eyes. It was the same pain she felt whenever she thought about her parents. “I don’t poke my nose in other people’s business.”

He smiled, shaking his head. “My mother died first, then my dad. She just disappeared from the face of the earth, and when my father went looking for her, he also died.”

“When did they get this house?”

“The Sloans have money, so it was easy for my mother to buy this house. My father would just recruit kids into the brotherhood and bring them here. And this has been our home for years.”

“Exactly how old are you?”

“I’m twenty-five. Why, how old do I look?”

“Fifty, but that might be because you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

Archer laughed. “Well, this fifty-year-old is here to take you for training. That is, after you shower.”

She slit her eyes at him. “Exactly what are you trying to say?”

Pinching his nose, he turned away. “I’m not trying to, I am saying it.”

Sloan tossed her pillow at him, which he easily dodged. “Hey, Archie, I’m glad you found me.”

“Same here, but the name is Archer.”

“Sure, Archie.”

As soon as he left the room Sloan reclaimed her prize from under the bed. “I may be out of a boyfriend, but I have Archie and I have you.”

She took off her clothes and wore only the coat. Once she had admired herself in the mirror she jumped into the shower, leaving the coat lying on her bed.

* * * *

“Let’s do this.” Sloan hopped about the mat. She was excited, and the discoveries of that morning had her energized. “What are we doing first, Arch?”

“Well, Christy, I know Jake has shown you the basics, but now we are going to get a little technical.” He picked a bamboo staff from the wall and tossed it to her.

Fumbling, Sloan caught it before it hit her head. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

Sloan’s thought was abandoned as Archer came at her with his own bamboo staff. She held up her staff to block but the force with which Archer drove his staff into hers bruised her palms and she dropped it immediately.

“Pick it up,” Archer bellowed.

“Are you crazy?” She rubbed her palms together as she blew into them.

“I said pick it up.”

No sooner had she picked up the staff than Archer knocked it out of her hands again. This time she threw the staff to the floor and got off the mat. The gym started filling up as it was time for the others to work out. Sloan was relieved, thinking that Archer would have to attend to the others, but she was wrong.

He came at her waving his staff around like a skilled madman. “Pick it up or I will hit you with my staff.”

“I dare you.” Sloan stood her ground, but when she saw him charging for her she picked up the bamboo. “I take that back. I don’t dare you.”

She watched as Archer handled the bamboo with great ease and skill, and as he was just about to bring it down on her once more it was blocked, but this time not by her.

“Don’t you think you should take it easy with her, Archer?” It was Jake who had intercepted. He held his own, but the clenched muscles in his arm told a different story. He was strong but not as strong as Archer.

“Butt out, Jake, this is between me and Archie.” She took Jake’s bamboo and held it against Archer’s.

“Christy, look at how you are holding your staff and how I’m holding mine.” Archer spoke softly to her as he showed her his hands.

Jake looked confused.

Sloan adjusted her hold to mirror Archer’s. She then looked down at his legs and aped them too. “I feel steadier now.”

“Good, Sloan, now push up against my staff.”

“Actually I have been doing that, and it’s like going against a brick wall.”

“Use both your upper body and lower body strength.”

Sloan was able to push him back just a bit. She focused her whole being on just that one task.

“You see what happens when you concentrate?” Archer looked pleased.

“What next?”

“Next is that you let Jake teach you more techniques while the rest of us continue with our training.” He knew that she didn’t want to, but he obviously thought some time alone would help them work through their problem.

“Are you trying to get rid of me?”

“Is it that obvious?” Archer gave her a quick hug before nudging her toward Jake.

The rest of her training was done in silence, but the tension between her and Jake kept thickening as the seconds ticked away.

“I see that you and Archer are getting along now.” Jake decided to initiate a conversation.

“It’s kind of hard not to. He’s a great guy.” She looked over at Archer as she spoke and watched him take on the evil twins at the same time.

“He is also strong, beautiful, and a born leader,” he said quietly.

“Are you in love with him?” Sloan teased.

“The question is, are you?” he half-yelled with accusation. “I can see how the two of you are with each other—do you have feelings for him?”

Jake’s questions went unanswered when she left him standing alone. Sloan went to Archer and whispered something in his ear before turning around and winking at Jake. She left the guys in the gym and headed to her room.

“Were you with him last night?” Jake went into the bathroom as Sloan took a shower.

“Do you mind?” She could see the outline of his body through the shower curtain but she didn’t dare draw the curtain back. “We broke up, so there are some rules and boundaries you need to keep to.”

“Just answer me. I need to know if he is the reason you left me.”

“I left you because you lied to me. In fact, our whole relationship was a lie.” Her voice was being drowned out by the sound of little beads of water hitting the titled floor.

“I just need to know if we are ever going to work this out.” Taking a towel from the rack, he handed it to her.

Sloan turned off the water and wrapped the towel around her body. She waited until they were in the bedroom before she could respond. “No.”

A rap on the door interrupted Jake but for Sloan it was the bell that she was waiting for to save her. Quickly she opened the door to replace Archer standing there with a bar of chocolate.

“You seduce her with chocolate?” Jake spat out in disgust.

“What is he talking about?” Archer directed his question at Sloan.

“He thinks we are having a secret love affair.”

None of them said a word for the next couple of seconds. Archer’s look of horror slowly turned into one of amusement, and he and Sloan burst out laughing.

“This is funny to you?” Jake felt insulted.

“Yes it is. Sloan and I having an affair—one, that is morally wrong and two, I think the bible is against such relationships.” Archer tossed the bar to Sloan. “I only brought her the candy because I know chocolate is her favorite and I only know that because she couldn’t get enough of them when she was a baby.”

“Archer is not my lover, he is my cousin. Now please get out of my room.”

Jake’s face turned ten different shades of pink as he slowly left the room with his head hanging low.

“I don’t think I can stay here,” Sloan said once Jake was out of the room. “I don’t think he can handle it.”

“Can you handle it?”

“I’m a Sloan. We repel happy endings. Besides, I’m used to walking this road called life on my own.”

“If you say so, but you don’t have to leave. Somehow the two of you will come to an understanding.”

Sloan pushed him out of the room. “Get out. I need to put some clothes on and take a nap.”

“Fine then, dinner is in a couple of hours. Please grace us with your presence,” he teased. Archer was finally thawing out.

“I shall try.”

Once she had the door shut she leaned against it and her eyes immediately started scoping the room for the black coat. She spotted it safely tucked under her pillow. Letting the towel fall to her ankles, she wrapped the coat around her and cuddled with it in bed. She knew that Levy was close and it would only be a matter of time before he came for her.

“I know you will help me replace the man who murdered my family.” She took a long whiff, then let the scent carry her into her dreams.