Chapter Eleven: The Master Or The Slave
2973 Words
Drew..
At lunch, he dropped the bucket of strawberries in front of Barbatos.
“Did you tell her to do this?” He asked as Barbatos tiredly rubbed his face.
“Drew.. I am aware I have not drawn a large amount of attention to it, but there were several very draining things that happened while I was gone on my last hunting trip. I am still quite starved for energy, and my mind just cannot keep up with your silly little games. Do what exactly?” Barbatos grumbled. Drew gestured angrily.
“Pick strawberries! What else?” Drew rolled his eyes and raised his hands heaven-ward, knowing the move would irritate Barbatos, and sure enough, Barbatos growled, digging his forefinger and thumb into his eyes.
“We’re fighting.. Over strawberries now?” Barbatos snapped, and Drew froze.
“Nooo.” He answered slowly. “I’m not trying to argue with you about anything.” He sighed and sat down at the table facing Barbatos, who had been stringing beans for lunch. "It’s just.. I went out there this morning to pick them, and she already had-”
“Sounds like you should be grateful.” Barbatos grumbled, cutting him off.
“No! Yes, I mean..” Drew sucked in a breath and grabbed a bean, snapping the end off of it himself and practically ripping the string from it. “I’m uncomfortable with the fact that she was watching us this morning ‘Tos..” Barbatos raised a brow. Drew sighed and tossed the strung bean in the bowl with the others and angrily threw the remnants back in the bowl with the ones awaiting stringing.
“Look, alright, it’s not that I don’t appreciate an audience in the right setting, on my terms..”
“It’s just her.” Barbatos supplied.
“Damn straight!” Drew exploded out of his chair. “I feel like you’re trying to replace me. That you don’t care! Like she’s the next ‘Drew-in-training’! The younger model!” Barbatos snorted and Drew’s tirade came to an end in a confused huff.
“You’re all ‘the younger model’ compared to me.” Barbatos chortled and Drew self-consciously crossed his arms, not at all comforted. Barbatos sighed.
“Trust me Drew, there is no other ‘Drew’.” Barbatos stated, looking at Drew directly and holding his gaze for long enough to let Drew know he was serious, before giving him a once over, then Barbatos’ sullen face cracked a grin. “We should probably all be thankful for that. I couldn’t handle two of you.” Barbatos looked Drew up and down saucily and Drew couldn’t exactly hide the whisper of a smile as it ghosted across his face. He sat back down.
“Alright. I know I’m probably beating a dead horse here, but, I don’t know.. When I went out there, and she had done my job for me, I just sort of panicked, thinking it was one more step closer to her replacing me. Proof that she was edging ever closer to being the new ‘me’.” Drew looked at the table between his hands until Barbatos reached over and clasped one of them tightly.
“Honestly, I would have thought you’d be happy to have a little help around here. Doesn’t it give you a little more free time? Time that you’re always saying you’re wanting? To spend in that craft-room of yours? But if you want her to stop, I’ll tell her to. She can sit in the barn and watch paint dry if you want me to make her do it. I’ll even tie her to a chair.” Barbatos offered, making Drew shake his head with a grin.
“Now that’s just cruel and unusual punishment.” Drew blew out a breath. “No. Don’t make her stop. Maybe next time it’ll be better if I can tell her what I’d like her to do instead? That way it doesn’t feel so much like she’s replacing me, and is more like she’s, I don’t know, helping me?”
“Following your orders, more like, you dictator.” Barbatos commented, returning to his beans. Drew grinned.
“Better believe it. I got you under my control, didn’t I?” Drew teased, and Barbatos raised a brow at him.
“Oh, is that what we’re calling this?” Barbatos asked, gesturing between them, and Drew’s smile widened.
Barbatos..
Barbatos stomped out to the barn with a plate of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and beans. Fresh butter had been applied liberally to the potatoes and beans. It was made from milk from their cows. He really didn’t know what he was going to say to the girl, but thought he’d soften the blow with food. Everything went better with food, in Barbatos’ opinion. Though really, the whole idea was inspired by Drew. Maybe Drew had been a good influence on him after all.
Though Barbatos had seen the conflicted look on Drew’s face as Barbatos had loaded the third plate down and covered it with a lid. That didn’t mean Barbatos missed Drew saving the meat scraps in a separate pile, and he could hear the thoughts loud and clear from Drew as he thought about feeding that blasted dog. How the Hell Drew had gotten on so well with it from the very start, and the beast still seemed to hate him was a mystery to Barbatos, and one that ate away at his good mood.
Barbatos was still muttering about the blasted dog when he rounded the barn doorway, only to discover his little hanger-on wasn’t there.
“Where the f**k are you girl?” He seethed, turning a circle like she might appear. For a brief second, Barbatos was glad Drew wasn’t with him. He still hadn’t told Drew how the human girl blotted out the power of his Virtue whenever she was near.
No, that wasn’t entirely accurate.
She filled his visions of the future, so that she was all he could see, to the exclusion of all else. He’d tried twice more to use his Virtue around her, and that was all he got. Visions of her. Some of which left a deep ache and longing in the pit of his stomach. Particularly the ones where she was round with their child, or where the three of them chased blond and brunette children across the farm.
The thought made his hand tighten on the plate until he was certain it cracked. He stormed out of the barn, and heard, somewhere, the sound of nearly constant chatter.
Why was that girl’s mouth always running?
He listened carefully, turning his head this way and that, and finally decided it was out by the cucumbers. Stomping in that direction, sure enough, he found her, munching away at a cucumber as she gathered more into a tidy pile beside her.
“Just don’t sting me, and I won’t bother you.” She was telling the bees buzzing hurriedly between plants. They did love the cucumbers, that was for sure, and it provided quite a bit of honey for them in return. “Oh, ‘scuse me, I see another one there, I’m just gonna-hey don’t buzz at me, there are plenty of other flowers!”
“So now you’re even harassing my bees.” Barbatos scowled, and the girl jumped, nearly dropping the freshly gathered cucumber. She turned to face him with a scowl of her own.
“Your bees. What, does everything on this farm belong to you? I’ll have you know, Ginger’s mine!” Bethany stomped her foot. Barbatos snorted.
“Yes, everything.” Barbatos moved closer to the girl. “Including you.” He purred. “But I also have several hives for honey. However, you can keep the beast.” He raised a brow, waiting for her retort, which he could feel coming like a storm, building behind her expression with his every word.
“I belong to no man!” She crossed her arms over her chest, cucumber tucked between them and her chest. “And of course you have bee-hives.” She rolled her eyes, then snapped a bite off the cucumber angrily. Barbatos resisted the urge to chuckle. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but maybe she was growing on him. He eyed the pile of cucumbers she’d gathered, still piled on the ground. She had to have nearly picked the vines clean of the largest of them.
“It’s a good thing I’m not a man, then, but a Demon, isn’t it?” Barbatos retorted, watching her jaw work angrily, then motioned with his chin at the pile of cucumbers. “Drew says he’ll tell you what he needs done next. Here. Lunch.” He thrust the plate at her, barely waiting for her to grab it before turning to leave. She stared after him with her mouth open, but Barbatos didn’t wait around to hear her reply, of which, he was sure, she had many.
Bethany..
Drew would tell her what he wanted done next?! Bethany could feel her anger building, and all she wanted to do was scream in frustration. What was she supposed to do then, become their slave? Nuh-uh, that’s not how this worked!
Leaving the cucumbers piled by the vine, she marched her way back towards the barn. The thought hit her once again of rejecting their food, but once again, she reminded herself that she’d gone hungry too many times to refuse food when it was offered. She angrily ate every bite, ripping pieces of her stolen cucumber with her teeth to go with the probably-murdered-for-no-good-reason-chicken and I’m-in-charge-Drew-gathered potatoes and beans. Then, after it was all over, she discovered the men hadn’t even had the goodness of heart to offer her a decent plate. The one she was using had a crack straight down the middle that forked, dividing the plate into three pieces that were still somehow clinging together. The next time it was dropped or hit hot water, it would probably shatter. Bethany snorted and set it aside, trying to ignore the slights as they hit her one after the other.
But she was finding it hard to do, ignore those slights, and the more she thought on them, the more she thought she might need words with her two unfortunate jailors.
Unfortunate, at least, was how she intended to make them feel.
Barbatos..
Barbatos knew trouble was coming the minute he saw her approaching the farmhouse. Just like the unexpected storm clouds which he had not let in. Those were currently darkening the sky and causing a rise in the wind, which troubled Barbatos. How were things getting so out of his control?
“‘Tos, what’s with the wind, love? I didn’t think we needed rain that badly!” Drew came in from somewhere in the fields himself, hand shading his eyes as Barbatos stood on the porch staring out at the gathering storm.
“I didn’t bring them.” He grunted, and then jerked his chin toward Bethany to let Drew know they had company. Drew skittered to a halt with a scowl, which was returned in force by Bethany.
“Good. I’m glad the two of you are together. I want to talk to you both. Well don’t just stand there like idiots, let’s get inside before it pours!” Bethany scolded. Abruptly, the wolf-dog trotted past Drew and made a bee-line for the house. Barbatos and Bethany glowered after him while Bethany shouted “There you are, you traitor!” The wolf dropped his head, ears and tail, but still bared his fangs at Barbatos as he loped by.
“Hey! I said no beasts in the house!” Barked Barbatos. Bethany and Drew erupted in protests.
“He’s family and it’s raining!” Bellowed Bethany, waving her hands above her head, though no rain had yet begun to fall.
Drew, who had already reached the porch, placed a hand on Barbatos’ shoulder. “Come on ‘Tos, we can’t just leave him outside. He’ll get soaked..” Drew said it gently, but it was a rather loud objection nonetheless. Barbatos snarled, but the dog wagged his tail, knowing he’d won, and continued on the way inside with Drew opening the front door for him gallantly.
“Thank you.” Bethany sniffed as she marched past and Barbatos glared at her as well, but it had no impact, so he merely sighed and stomped in after his two Marked and the ridiculous beast they both seemed to have an unintelligible liking for. Grumpily, he slammed the door behind him.
Bethany..
She paced in front of the hand-made sofa. The two men, and her traitorous dog, sat watching her as she did so.
“You should make him get down.” Barbatos grumbled for the fifth time. Ginger slung a paw over Drew’s leg, who was absently rubbing the dog between his ears.
“For the.. What third? Time? No. You’re just jealous because an animal liked me first.” Drew teased. Barbatos bristled.
“All animals like me.” Barbatos muttered. “Something must be wrong with that one.”
“No, you just finally met one who doesn’t like you. Isn’t that right, Gingy-wingy?” Drew smooshed Ginger’s face between his hands and Ginger wagged his tail happily, tongue lolling, much to Bethany’s surprise, and irritation.
“All dogs like me!” Barbatos argued.
“Not this one.” Drew choked out, through his laughter. Another paw flopped onto Drew’s lap, making him wince. “Watch the goods, my fine fella.” Drew said, which made Barbatos release a deep, rolling laugh that filled the room and stunned Bethany. For a moment, she stared, but then her anger caught back up to her and she’d finally had enough and sliced a hand through the air.
“Ok. That’s enough. Look, here’s the thing. If you’re not going to let me leave-”
“No.” Barbatos growled, his laughter ceasing abruptly as he cut her off. Drew’s jaw tightened.
“-then I refuse to be treated like a slave!” Bethany finished angrily. It was possible she was even more annoyed than when she had started, and both Barbatos and Drew were now staring at her in confusion, which was just making things worse. She could feel the heat rising under her skin as she held back an explosion of angry words. She sighed, then sucked in a large deep breath.
“I won’t be told what to do-” She pointed at Barbatos and Drew, “what produce to pick, when to eat, sleep, s**t. Whatever. I won’t be ordered around like I’m not a person. If I wanted that, I would have let those slavers catch me. Nuh-uh, been there, done that. No thank you.” She crossed her arms. A muscle jumped in Barbatos’ jaw.
“Fine.” He snarled. “But if you intend to eat here, you’re going to work for it.” Bethany could feel her face twisting into an ugly expression. As if she had a choice!
“Then let me go! This wasn’t my choice!” She yelled.
“Oh? Then why did you continue to follow me?” Barbatos was on his feet, crowding her in a second.
“I thought, I didn’t know..” Bethany stammered. She didn’t want to give ground, but found herself backing up. Barbatos’ eyes had turned red, and his teeth had sharpened. Frankly, he scared her, not because he was showing his Demon side, but because he was threatening her by getting so close, in her space. Then Drew had a hand on Barbatos’ arm trying to steady him, and she met his eyes over Barbatos’ shoulder. There was a look there, a shared understanding, and Bethany wanted to shut it down, that pity.
“‘Tos,” Drew murmured gently.
“No.” Barbatos barked, wrenching his arm free. “Let her answer.” Bethany felt her expression harden.
“This is not how we do things.” Drew insisted as she tried to look away, but Barbatos was crowding her against the wall, and Bethany felt trapped.
“Well, what is it, girl? Why did you insist upon following me if you didn’t want me to keep you?” Barbatos snapped.
“I just..” She put her hands on his chest, trying to shove him off, but he was too strong, too close, too inhuman. Drew met her eyes again over Barbatos’ shoulder. “I just..” Her mind had stalled and the truth threatened to break her teeth on the way out. Drew’s eyes looked just as panicked as her own.
“What? You just what?” Barbatos bellowed.
“I just.. Wanted someone to stay with me! I didn’t know you already had someone.. That you already..” Bethany bit her tongue so hard she thought she tasted blood. No. She wouldn’t admit that. She wouldn’t admit how much she wanted to be loved, how much it hurt to know she was being rejected again.
For some reason, when she shoved this time, Barbatos yielded, and she saw through her tears that Drew had pulled him away too. That Drew had a stricken look on his face. Had she said so much that she gave herself away? Had he somehow found her out? How had the rain gotten inside?
She pushed away from the two men and raced for the door. The one thing all the people in her life had taught her best, was how to run away. And that’s what she did now, even as Drew called out her name as she yanked the door open and burst through it.
- Writer
