The Vow: Dangerous Suggestions Book 1 (17 page)

He didn’t look like he believed me,
but I didn’t care. “Are you sure? Because if you need to talk, you
can trust me,” he said, cautiously.

I forced a smile. “I know I can. I am
just trying to put everything together. I think I will take a
shower, then maybe come downstairs and see what I can get Selena to
tell me.”

He stood, as he continued to watch me.
He almost looked like he was trying to figure me out. Neither of us
spoke. Our eyes remained locked on one another. It was almost as if
he was waiting for me to make a move, and I was waiting for
him.

The door suddenly burst open,
distracting us both. Mason stormed in and looked from his brother
to me. He raised his eyebrows, like he knew we were up to
something. “What are you two doing?” he asked, annoyed.

“
Why can’t you knock?” I
countered. I wasn’t in the mood for Mason at the moment. The fact
that he’d stormed in and ruined whatever Dawson may have said
annoyed the hell out of me.

“
I want to go home,” Mason
growled, as he glared at Dawson. Mason completely brushed me off as
if I hadn’t even spoken.

“
It isn’t safe until we
figure out what the hunters want with Larel,” Dawson said
firmly.

“
Then leave Larel here,
and we can go home. If she isn’t there, then there won’t be a
problem,” Mason said impatiently.

“
I am not leaving her here
with Deek and Selena,” Dawson said, matching his brother’s
tone.

“
Then I will go home on my
own,” Mason snapped. He turned to walk out, but Dawson caught him
by the arm before he could take a step.

“
You aren’t leaving,
either. The only reason the hunters got to Larel is because of
you,” Dawson said, as he glared at Mason.

I could tell things were probably
going to escalate quickly. Mason didn’t look like he wanted to
listen, and Dawson wasn’t going to back down.

“
You can’t tell me what to
do,” Mason snapped as he pulled his arm free of Dawson’s grip. He
suddenly stepped forward and shoved Dawson backwards. Dawson
quickly recovered and lunged at Mason. They became locked in one
another’s grip. Just as I’d thought, things were getting out of
hand quickly.

“
Stop it! Both of you!” I
ordered, starting to lose my temper.

They both released one another and
looked at me. I hesitated when I saw their expressions. Their
expressions had gone blank, like a human’s did when I ordered one
to do something. Part of me couldn’t believe they were actually
waiting for a command, and another part of me started to panic. I’d
thought I couldn’t control them, unless they were drunk, like Mason
was the one time. I didn’t know what to do. I never wanted to be in
this position with Dawson. I didn’t want to tell him what to do. If
I could, then I would never know if he really felt anything for me,
or if it was just my power over him.

“
Please just leave, both
of you,” I said, barely a whisper. My throat felt so dry I could
barely form the words. Using my ability had never affected me this
much. Part of me knew what it meant. It meant I would never have a
normal relationship with anyone. It meant I could control them. If
I could control them, then they had no free will to decide for
themselves what to feel for me. I would never know anyone’s true
feelings, because of my ability. The thought angered and saddened
me. I needed to be alone. I couldn’t think straight
anymore.

Dawson and Mason walked out of the
room without another word. I shut and locked the door. I didn’t
want any more visitors. I leaned against the door and closed my
eyes. I didn’t understand why this revelation was effecting me so
much. I knew what I could do. I knew I couldn’t truly interact with
humans, because they were so easy to control. I originally didn’t
like the fact that I couldn’t control Mason and Dawson, but then
everything changed. I started to care about Dawson, and now it was
all turning into a disaster, like I’d known it would. Dawson could
never truly decide what he felt for me, because I would be able to
influence him. This new revelation made me even more determined to
keep my distance from Dawson. I sighed as I straightened. I needed
answers, and Selena knew something. I needed to go talk to her, and
that was what I was going to do.

* * *

After I’d quickly showered and
dressed, I stepped out of the room into the hall. No one was in the
hall, as far as I could tell. I wasn’t quite sure where I was in
the house. I’d only seen one room the first time I visited, and it
was right off the foyer. I followed the hall down to the end. There
was a large staircase that went downstairs. I descended the stairs,
deciding I would start with the main living room I had been in last
time. I reached the bottom of the stairs just as Deek walked in the
front door.

He smiled when he saw me. “It is good
to see you awake, Larel.”

“
It is good to be awake. I
suppose I owe you a thank you,” I said. careful to keep my tone
emotionless. I wasn’t quite sure if I trusted him or Selena yet. I
figured it would be best to be cautious. He watched me curiously,
like he was trying to figure something out. I didn’t want to give
him too much time to think about it. “Where is Selena? I was hoping
to speak with her,” I said, as I continued forward.

“
She is in there with
Mason and Dawson,” he said, nodding toward the living room. He
still had a look that suggested he was trying to read me. Maybe he
sensed I was upset even though I was trying to hide it. I’d thought
I was doing a good job, but apparently I wasn’t.

“
Thank you,” I murmured,
then I hurried toward the living room. I didn’t want to spend any
more time under his scrutiny then I had to.

I stepped into the living room, and
Dawson stood. He was seated on the couch next to Mason, and Selena
was in the same chair she’d sat in the last time I was
here.

“
We were waiting for you,”
Dawson said, smiling. He seemed like he didn’t remember that I’d
just ordered him around. That was a good thing; I was sure if he
found out what I could do, he wouldn’t trust me. Hell, I wouldn’t
trust someone that I knew could control my actions. The thought
made me angrier, so I pushed it away before Dawson sensed something
wrong.

“
You look a little
flustered. Are you ok, darling?” Selena asked, smiling. She almost
looked like she knew something, but she wasn’t saying
it.

“
I’m fine,” I said curtly
as I walked toward Dawson. I sat down on the couch, and he took his
seat next to me. “I was hoping you could tell me what is going on,”
I said, as I turned my attention to Selena.

She shrugged and looked away. “The
hunters just got a little antsy and came after you for no reason.
They do that, at times.” She looked back at me, and I immediately
didn’t believe her. She was lying for some reason. The hunters did
not seem like the type to go after someone for no reason at
all.

“
I don’t believe you,” I
said softly. I kept my tone even, and my gaze locked with hers. I
had no intention of betraying my feelings to her. I knew she was
lying to me; I just didn’t know why. She could very well be a
threat to me even though Dawson trusted her.

She looked a little surprised by my
accusation. “I was simply trying to help. I have nothing to tell,”
she said lightly, as if her plan was to brush me off.

“
Selena is right.
Sometimes the hunters do things that don’t make sense,” Dawson said
softly, as if he was trying to ease the tension.

“
It isn’t what the hunters
did that concerns me the most. It is the fact that Selena and Deek
intervened. You obviously didn’t want the hunters to get ahold of
me. Why are you protecting me?” I said defiantly. I wasn’t going to
let them try to brush me off. I wanted answers, and as far as I
could tell, they were the only ones that had them.

“
Just tell her, Selena,
and stop your game. Can’t you see she doesn’t believe a word you
are saying?” Deek said gruffly.

I hadn’t realized he was in the room.
He was leaning against the doorjamb with a drink in his hand. I
looked from Deek back to Selena. “He is right. I don’t believe you,
and if I don’t believe you, I have no reason to trust you,” I said,
watching her intently.

She scowled slightly as she stood.
“There is nothing much to tell. I barely know anything. The rumor
that you were a siren got out, and that is why the hunters came
after you. I do not know what their exact plans were, but I do know
that in the wrong hands you would be a threat to us,” she said
firmly.

“
Larel has never even
attempted to hurt us,” Mason cut in. He looked like he didn’t
appreciate the accusation.

“
I agree with Mason, as
much as I hate to admit it,” Dawson said dryly.

“
She isn’t a threat
because she hasn’t had the proper influence. If the hunters gained
control of her abilities, imagine what they could have her do!”
Selena countered. “They could have her expose all of us, and then
there would be chaos.”

“
I would never do that. I
would never hurt anyone,” I said defensively. I didn’t like that
she was assuming I would just turn to whatever side had me. No one
controlled me. I made my own decisions. I had lived independently
for my entire life. I didn’t need anyone telling me what I could
and could not do.

“
I haven’t lived this long
by taking the word of others. There are plenty of people who do not
think they will do something, but then turn around and do that
exact thing when faced with danger. It is called self-preservation,
and everyone is guilty of it at some point,” Selena snapped, as she
sat back down. She smoothed her dress, as if she was trying to calm
herself.

“
I am a siren, then?” I
asked, deciding to postpone the argument about whether I was
trustworthy or not. I had a feeling I would not convince her, so I
didn’t even try.

She looked up at me as if she was
trying to decide what to say. “I don’t know, but it is a
possibility, which is why you are dangerous,” she said
firmly.

“
Selena, she is not
dangerous,” Dawson said, starting to get annoyed himself. “She has
done nothing to make me even begin to think that she is
dangerous.”

Selena glared at him. “You are
obviously under her influence. You would not be an appropriate
judge of her character.”

I stood abruptly before Dawson could
argue. I didn’t want to hear anymore. It was obvious she was set in
her beliefs. I didn’t care what she thought. I knew what kind of
person I was. I had no intention on hurting anyone. “I am leaving.
You are accusing me of being untrustworthy, but as far as I can
tell, you are the only one lying,” I snapped, then turned and
stormed out of the room.

“
Larel, wait,” Dawson
called, as he hurried into the foyer after me.

I turned and looked at him. I was
trying not to be angry at him, but I was angry at everything and
everyone.

“
It is obvious I do not
belong in this world. Everyone wants to use me. I cannot just be
myself. I need to go back to my old life. I was safer there, and if
Selena is right, than everyone else is safer with me there,” I said
firmly.

“
No,” he said, stepping
forward and taking my hands in his.

The worry in his eyes made my heart
wrench. He cared about me, and I hated it. What if I’d made him
feel this way? The thought was almost too much for me to handle. I
pulled my hands out of his. “Dawson, what if I am making you like
me?” I said, carefully. I didn’t want to upset him, but I also
didn’t want to lie to him.

He looked a little confused, like he
didn’t even consider it a possibility. “I don’t believe that for a
second. I trust you, and I care about you, and there is nothing you
can say to convince me otherwise.”

I watched him, trying to decide what
to say. I debated telling him about what had happened in the room.
How would he feel if he knew I could tell him what to do? How would
he feel if he knew I already had? The possibility of his reaction
was almost too much to handle.

He moved forward before I could speak.
I looked up at him, a little caught off-guard by his sudden
closeness. His fingers gently caressed my cheek, then trailed to my
hair. “I trust you, Larel. Please come with me. I want to show you
something,” he said softly.

I didn’t know what to say. I felt like
I was prolonging the inevitable. It would be easier if we just went
our separate ways now, but something was keeping me there. There
was a force that wouldn’t let me say the words to reject him and
put an end to this whole fantasy. I was beginning to think that was
what it was, a fantasy. I couldn’t be normal. I couldn’t love a
man, and a man couldn’t truly love me. There would always be that
lingering question as to whether I’d influenced his
feelings.

“
Please,” Dawson
whispered, pressing his body to mine. He was so close to me it was
hard for me to focus. I could barely think straight, let alone
speak. I just nodded, and he took my hand.

He led me out the front door of
Selena’s house. I thought we would be going to his truck, but
instead he turned toward the woods. I remained silent as he led me
deeper into the woods. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to show me, but
I was nervous. After a few more minutes of walking he stopped in
the middle of a small clearing.