Chapter 74: I'll Take That as a Yes.

Alright, Tallis and Theo might be two different people, but they both could be jerks!

Since the conversation with Tallis didn't go anywhere, I decided to call it a night.

But what I didn't expect was a group of thick, muscular thugs that appeared from nowhere, blocking my way back to my parents' house. They snickered and closed in around me.

"What do you want?" I asked harshly.

"They don't want anything. However, we have an unfinished score to settle," Hawke's angry, frustrated voice barked out from behind the thugs.

"I didn't do anything to you," I insisted, crossing my arms and trying to act more like a guy.

"Well, the last time we spoke, I ended up knocked out and face down in the dirt. You're telling me that you had nothing to do with that?" Hawke shouted viciously.

Apparently, he remembered more than I hoped. He wasn't drunk tonight, either.

"Grab this little twit!" Hawke ordered.

His thugs jumped at me. I jumped back, but they'd already closed in around me and one caught me from behind. All four of them grabbed my arms and legs and pinned me down to the ground.

I struggled against them, hissing and trying to bite whatever got close to my mouth. Hawke's thugs were too well trained and they were too strong!

"Hold that little swine down. I'm going to teach him a lesson for messing with me," Hawke chuckled, shoving the toe of his boot into the ground.

Now that I was eye level with his boots, I could see they were steel toed. If he kicked me with those, he'd break every bone in my body. I had to stall him.

"That's funny, seeing as the last time we met, you seemed to be interested in me, regardless of me being a boy," I hissed, still struggling against his cronies holding me down.

One of them nearly let me go as his head whipped around to Hawke.

Hawke sneered and shook his head. "Don't listen to this piece of crap. He's just trying to mess with you. Hold him steady."

Nothing I said now would turn their heads. Whether they were all loyal to Hawke or to Hawke's cunning dad, it wouldn't save me a good beating.

Hawke pulled his foot back, knee bent, ready to deliver a horrible kick to my side. I closed my eyes and held my breath, waiting for the heavy blow.

It never came.

"What the..."

I opened my eyes just as a pack of wild animals burst from the forest and attacked Hawke.

"Get them off, get them off!" Hawke screeched, flapping his partially broken arms around like he was fending off a swarm of bees.

ran at him, trying to

ones, the squirrels and rabbits, jumped on them and bit them.

rubbed my sore arms. Hawke looked so pathetic, trying to fight off a gaggle of wild animals with his near useless arms. His guys hardly seemed to know what to do, either.

and his group further

someone. I glanced around the forest and saw a glimpse of

enough, Tallis was standing in the trees. He could also organize an animal attack

believe in such a coincidence!

minimum, there must be some sort

ignored Hawke's continued cries for help and I went after Tallis. As soon as

like he was trying to evade me, which made me think he didn't want me to see him and made

I called, reaching out to grab his arm before he could

growled and pulled

think I am. How many times do I have to ask you

some other way

you just wait a minute, please?" I asked, my voice a

me

closer to him. "It is different this time because I need

he turned to me, one eyebrow arched.

up to show I wasn't joking. "Hawke has come after me three times now and I don't think he will stop. I've been lucky, but if I stay

asked

Can I stay with

he was more intolerable than the Dark Prince. Yet, here I was, doing everything I could to

wrong

a valid reason to stay with the man in front of me. It was for my

to stay. So, can I stay with you?" | asked again,

I could stay with him but he hadn't flat out denied me, either. I decided to take that

like most of the performers had

Tallis just waved

couldn't even spare his friendly, charismatic brother a friendly

is with you, Tallis?" Nelson asked. "Ah, young sir,

to stay with me," Tallis grumbled

him a look. "Would it kill

a tear from his eye. "Yes, m'boy, it would probably kill Tallis to be happy."

shook his head. I gave him a

Nelson asked, motioning for us to follow him.

I went into Nelson's curtain office. He had a hot plate going with a big pot of

this up," he said, dipping a ladle into the steaming broth and lifting

I admitted, my stomach growling slightly.

bowls," Nelson said, bustling around the small place.

toward it. I sat down and he stood right behind me. I'd half expected him to

ladeled up three bowls of soup and handed one to me and Tallis. He

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