Forget Me When the Sun Goes Down (Forged Bloodlines Book 11) (6 page)

The question was – had Anja remembered anything intimate about him?  No, that shouldn’t be the question, he chastised himself.  He had a perfectly good woman who loved and adored him – even if she was making cow eyes at Aubrey while they bested each other with feats of strength. 

Maybe he should...

“Great googly moogly,” Anja cried out, her jaw dropping, interrupting Bishop’s train of thought.  Following her line of sight, his eyes widened as he was treated to the sight of bare buttocks in the firelight.  Their naked sleeping friend was awake.

The firelight displayed his various attributes to advantage, painting over the bulge of muscle and sinew that made a tantalizing picture.  Michelangelo could’ve made a career out of sculpting him.  It was kind of like a train wreck.  I knew I wasn’t supposed to look at it, but I couldn’t look away either as the golden giant stretched mightily and turned around to face us.

Unconcerned with his nudity, his brows drew together in confusion as his gaze roamed over each one of us, coming up at a loss.  “Where am I?” he asked, his voice deep and strong, with a Nordic accent.  That made sense, with his wild hair and rippling muscles, he looked every bit the Viking.

“That seems to be the question of the hour,” Bishop replied, studying him intently.  “This isn’t your place then?”

The man’s gaze swept over the room, his expression doubtful.  “I hardly know.  I find... I hardly know anything.”

“It’s okay.  If you don’t know us, I mean,” I babbled.  “We’re all dealing with some grade A memory issues ourselves, but they’re starting to slowly come back the longer we’re up.”  There was part of him that was very
up
, and my gaze ricocheted up to the rafters after getting an eyeful.   

“You should probably, um... you know, cover up or something?” I reached for the quilt he’d been lying under, holding it out to wrap around his waist before I decided I didn’t want to get that close to him and held it at arm’s length. 

Instead of taking it, his head canted to one side as he regarded me.  “Why?  I am not cold.”

“I know, you’re hot.  I mean you might have a fever.  You should probably...”

“Don’t none of us want to stare at your jumblies,” Rob stepped in, looking none too pleased with my ogling another man’s bits. 

“Speak for yourself,” Carys murmured under her breath, and I thought I saw Bishop’s jaw tighten.

“I think I found some clothes that might fit you,” Bishop volunteered, disappearing down the hallway. 

“How did I come to be here?” the man asked, holding the quilt in front of him, which shielded the most distracting parts, not that the rest of him wasn’t distracting enough on its own. 

“We don’t know,” Aubrey snapped, eyes rolling. “Haven’t we only just finished saying that?”

“Hey, he’s been out of it for a lot longer than we were, cut him some slack,” I tossed back at Aubrey.  “This is bound to be as confusing for him as it’s been for the rest of us.”

“I’d be happy to fill him in,” Carys volunteered, her small hands sliding over his muscular forearm.  “This must be awfully disconcerting, but no matter.  I’ll protect you from danger.”

“
You
will protect
me
?” He laughed, the sound booming through the big room, even as her brows drew together in annoyance.  “I need no such protection.”

“That all depends on how quickly you let go of my fiancée,” Bishop said in a flat voice, tossing the armload of clothes at him.

“You think to challenge me?” he snorted, catching the clothes, but letting the quilt drop, which sort of defeated the purpose of finding something to cover him up with. 

For one brief moment, I thought about the spectacle of the two of them grappling in the center of the room, but my rational side kicked in as I stepped between them.  “Hey, I’m sure you’re both manly men, but we have more important things to worry about.  Carys, stop antagonizing Bishop and go over there so our friend can get dressed.”

“Let her stay where she wishes,” he declared, chin jutting out in challenge to Bishop.  “I fear no man.”

Bishop didn’t back down, hands clenching in to fists.  “I’m not afraid of you either.”

I tried appealing to Carys, but her eyes were bright with excitement.  A glance at Rob showed him disinterested, checking for a signal on his phone again.  Somehow I knew I couldn’t count on Aubrey to be the voice of reason, so I put my hands up on both of their chests. 

“Hey, I said knock it off.  Nobody has to be afraid of anybody.  We’re on the same side.”

Bishop took a half step back, but the guy didn’t even acknowledge that I was there.  “I will teach you to fear me,” he growled, pushing forward, and I shoved him back, harder than I’d intended to.  He went flying across the room, landing on his behind. 

“I’m sorry!  I didn’t mean to.  I guess I thought you’d be stronger.”  I started forward to help him up, but Rob held me in place. 

“Leave him be,” he said softly.

The man’s eyes widened in surprise, staring at me with a combination of horror and apprehension.  “Take that back!  I’m stronger than any slip of a girl could ever be.”  His fist smashed against a nearby table for emphasis, but he immediately cried out in pain, cradling it to his chest with dismay.

“I guess he doesn’t get to carry the hammer,” Bishop smirked, and I shot him a look to let him know he wasn’t helping.  The last thing I’d been trying to do was antagonize the guy.

I tried again with a soothing tone.  “Maybe you’re stronger than any normal slip of a girl, but I’m not an ordinary girl.”

“I don’t understand any of this.”  He stared up at us with dismay.  “Who are you people?”

“I’m Anja and this is Rob.  Aubrey is the one with the smart mouth, and you already met Bishop and Carys.  We don’t know what the girl passed out on the loveseat’s name is.  If we could all just take a step back and realize that none of us are enemies.”

“For all we know,” Bishop shrugged.  “We
could
be mortal enemies.”

“Okay, but right now we’re not,” I insisted.  “Even if we are working opposite sides, for the moment we’re united in a common goal – to get out of here in one piece.  Do you all agree with that?”  I got an assortment of nods from supportive to begrudging.  “Good.  Now why don’t you put some clothes on, and we can sit down and discuss this like adults.”

“I can’t use my hand, it might be broken,” the guy admitted, wincing as he slowly flexed it.

I wasn’t about to offer a helping hand.  “Try.”

He slipped the button up shirt on easily enough, and got the faded jeans on, but had trouble fastening them closed.  “Could you not assist me, lovely one?”  Apparently he’d gotten over his fear of me. 

I started toward him to help until I realized he’d decided to go commando, the thick thatch of golden hair spilling from his open jeans.  “I, um...”

“I’ll do it,” Rob grumbled, stepping forward to assist.

“I’d rather have her assistance,” he grumbled, but Rob wasn’t having any of it.

“I’ll bet you do, but it ain’t happenin’, mate.  Only pants she’s going near are mine.”

“You are her man?”  He measured up Rob with his eyes.  “I thought her unattached from her fiery manner.” 

“Well she ain’t.  Like I said, she’s mine.”

I wasn’t sure I liked being claimed like a possession, but I held my tongue on that score.  “Fellas?  More buttoning, less testosterone.”  When it was done, I felt more comfortable approaching him.  “I honestly am sorry about shoving you like that.”

“It is no matter, petal.”

“It’s Anja.”

“But your loveliness is as delicate as a flower.”

“Which part of mine was you having trouble with?” Rob scowled. 

Criminitely, what was it about this fella that made the other guys lose their cool around him?  “What should we call you?” I asked before I ended up having to shove someone again.

“I hardly know,” he admitted, his lips pursing as he thought it over.  “You choose a name for me, petal.  It’s bound to be satisfactory.”

“Okay, we’ll call you Hank.”

“Hank?”  He wrinkled his nose with distaste.

“Steve?”

“Steve...”

Ugh
, why didn’t he pick his own name then?  “Joseph?” I suggested, ready to start calling him Thor if he didn’t accept one soon.

“Joseph is acceptable for the moment,” he said with a lofty nod.  He sure acted high and mighty for the weakest guy in the room.

“Alrighty then.  Is your hand okay, Joe?  We might be able to find some ice in the freezer if it hasn’t all melted.” 

“Can we not simply get some snow from outside?”  We all looked to the windows high above to see fat snowflakes drifting past the panes. 

“Nope, we’re trapped in here by magic,” Bishop reminded him.  “I don’t suppose you’re a wizard or anything?” 

“Witch.  A male witch is still called a witch,” Carys interrupted. 

“I’m no witch.” 

“How do you know?  You don’t even know your name,” Aubrey pointed out, and Joe sat down, disturbed by that point. 

“Can you remember anything at all?” 

“I remember...”  His gaze grew distant as he searched his memory.  “I remember holding you as you cried.”

“Me?” I blinked in surprise, but it was Carys he turned to. 

“It was you,
älskling
.  I held you as you wept over this one,” he jerked a thumb in Bishop’s direction.

“You did?” she gasped, eyes blinking fast. 

Bishop bristled at that.  “Hold on now, what makes you think she was crying because of me?”

Joe merely shrugged.  “I simply know it.”

“I don’t suppose it’s interesting to anyone at all, but I have a similar memory,” Aubrey chimed in.  “Only I held far more than her arms to soothe the sting of your indifference to her, Bishop,” he added with a smirk. 

Instead of challenging him, Bishop fell silent at that, deep in thought. 

“Perhaps we were estranged for a time,” Carys offered, winding her arm around Bishop’s, but it didn’t make the furrow on his brow disappear.  “Surely it doesn’t change what we have now.”

Bishop’s head came up, his gaze holding hers for long seconds before he spoke.  “I don’t know what we have now.”

“Don’t say that,
cariad
.”  Her face crumpled, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, and I felt sorry for her. 

“Look, we can go round and round about this, the point is, we only know bits and pieces of what happened and why.  Just like we don’t know why we’re strong and heal super fast, and Joe can’t.”

“Perhaps my strength will grow after I eat something?” Joe suggested.  “I admit, I am famished.” 

“I’ll go see what I can find in the kitchen,” I offered, and Aubrey rose to his feet. 

“I’ll come with.  I’m feeling a mite peckish myself,” he offered. 

There wasn’t much in the refrigerator, which was good, because the walls were warm, making me think it’d been out of power for quite some time.  But there were canned goods in the pantry, and after a few tries with the gas stove, I had a pot of chili warming up for Joe in no time. 

Aubrey poked around in the kitchen, picking up and discarding several options before he leaned against the counter, watching me stir the chili.  “You know, she’s not the only one I recall sharing a bit of comfort with.”

“Oh?” I replied, a nervous butterfly winging its way through my belly.  Had he remembered the kiss too?  Or something more?

“Yeah, I’ve had a flicker or two of you in my arms.  It seemed a rather passionate clinch to me.”

“Like I said, we don’t know the circumstances surrounding it,” I reminded him.  “I had the feeling it was a while ago.”

“Then you
do
remember,” he grinned, stalking closer.  “I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind.  The taste of you...”

“Maybe try some chili then?” I countered, shoving the wooden spoon in his face.  “That should kill any lingering cravings.”

“Oh come now, sweets.  We both know those cravings can only be satisfied in one way,” he grinned, snatching the spoon out of my hand faster than my eye could track, tossing it in the sink.  While I goggled over that feat, he pressed closer, trapping me  against the counter.  “Come on then, give us a taste.”

“How did you...?  Look, whatever might’ve happened between us before, I’m with Rob now,” I said, shoving at his chest, pleased to see I had the strength to hold him back. 

“Didn’t seem to bother you much before.  He doesn’t have to know about it now, does he?”

“I was with him at the time?” I gasped. 

“Getting him back for finding him in bed with another bird, is how I seem to recall it.”

“Rob cheated on me?” I cried out.

Just as Rob stepped in and demanded, “You slept with that tosser?”

My eyes were wide as saucers, not sure which idea was worse.  “I... don’t know for sure.  I only remember a kiss but...  Aubrey, what do you remember?” I turned to him, and he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Rob surged forward, but I caught him, surprised to find I not only had the strength to hold him back, but knew how to lock him into a hold he couldn’t break out of.  “Get your hands off of me,” he growled.

“No, not until you calm down.  We don’t completely know what’s going on here.”

“I know that kiss felt real enough,” Aubrey taunted.  “Did you ever find your brassiere?” 

“Right, that’s enough out of you.”  Rob did some kind of ninja twist that broke free of my hold over him.  He lunged for Aubrey, who used his lightning fast moves to dodge out of the way, leaving Rob to crash painfully into the corner of the kitchen island.  Recovering quickly, Rob stalked his prey, who darted behind me, using me like a human shield.