Chapter Two

A faint ray of sunlight woke Tiera, making her stretch like a cat on the bed. It was so warm, and the pillows were so soft. Alarmed, she bolted upright, looking around the room frantically until she remembered the events of the night before. She bit back a scream when she saw the man from last night propped up against the wall, facing her. Tiera relaxed when she saw that he was sleeping and blew out a breath; she didn't need to be afraid of him. He wouldn't hurt her. Tiera looked at him. He promised he wouldn't hurt her. She didn't know what to think of him. The ray of light hit her face again as she lay back on the bed; the window had been broken but heavy wooden planks crossed the frame on the outside to keep the inhabitants from any prying eyes. It blinded her momentarily, so she didn't notice him wake.

"Sleep well, Little Rabbit?" Her eyes snapped back to his figure as he stood and stretched.

"Y-yes," she stuttered and looked away from him.

He smiled over at her. "I'm starving. You hungry?" When she nodded meekly, he turned to the door and beckoned for her to follow him into the hall. Tiera wobbled to her feet, straightening her disheveled clothes.

When Riat turned back, he couldn't help but stare. Her top was a dark green strip of cloth to cover her breasts and one shoulder, leaving her stomach bared, and little to the imagination. Her shirt matches her eyes. He thought vaguely. Three buckle straps encased her torso: one under her shoulders, one at her waist and one at her hips with her skirt. The tight black skirt stopped barely after the round of her butt. Her boots were almost knee high and black, with buckle straps.

He looked over at her and his stomach dropped as he counted large black and blue blotches on her body. Multiple red welts marked her back and thighs, along with the bruises on her sides, stomach, thighs and arms. She even had a bruise around her throat, like a disgusting necklace; though her face was remarkably unblemished.

His eyes lingered on her round nose, soft cheeks and full lips, distracted. Such a strange mixture of girl-child and adult. Her wide green eyes and pale skin made her face seem innocent, but lurking in her eyes was the pain of experience. Her curly dark hair reached mid-back and was tangled from the Nights before.

Oblivious to Riat's gaping; Tiera ran her hands over her skirt, then over her top as she straightened the straps. She looked up to the door to see the man waiting for her to catch up. Riat. She remembered as she scampered to his side.

Tiera followed him obediently down the hall, head down. It was still dark in the building, but more faint lines of sun highlighted their way. She watched the doors along the hallway from the corners of her eyes and jumped when one opened and a tall man with milky skin and tousled blond hair walked out, rubbing sleep from his eyes and blinking fiercely. Startled, Tiera moved to stand slightly behind Riat on the far side of the hall, trembling.

"It's ok, Little Rabbit," Riat said soothingly. "This is Charen." The man blinked blearily and drifted down the hall in the opposite direction. Tiera nodded and took a deep breath, following Riat.

The first thing Tiera noticed upon entering the kitchen was the fire pit in the direct center. It was hollowed out of the linoleum flooring and the concrete was busted through to reveal the dirt below the house. The fire was blazing, and a pot hung over it. Tiera's stomach growled loudly at the prospect of food and Riat smiled at her. "What would you like to eat?"

She had choices? Confused, Tiera looked him. "I don't know," she whispered, dropping her gaze. Riat moved to the cabinets. All the doors were missing and she could see the food stacked inside. "Do you have a favorite food? Carrots, perhaps?" He teased. She was looking at him with serious eyes when he turned around, his eyes twinkling. Her face relaxed and she gave a small smile. "Have a seat, I'll be done soon."

As he began to prepare the food, Tiera sat next to the fire pit, her back against the wall and eyes glued on Riat, as if he would disappear if she blinked. She pulled her knees to her body, legs firmly together, and wrapped her arms around them.

The door abruptly swung open between them and two men and a giant black cat entered. Tiera sucked in a breath and shrunk into herself, hoping to be unnoticed. One man was short, with black hair and tan skin, while the other had bright blond hair and pale skin. The two men were oblivious to her, talking loudly to each other and then to Riat, but the cat slunk over to where she huddled. She looked up to its face staring at her, eyes glowing the unnatural green she remembered from the night before. It opened its mouth and hissed at the girl, yellow fangs menacing. Tiera hid her head in her arms, trying not to be scared, but shaking with the effort. The cat hissed again and Tiera felt it tense.

"Teeka!" Riat's voice whipped through the room and the big cat stilled. "Come here." The cat loped around the fire pit to join the men standing by the cabinets but Tiera stayed frozen. Unexpectedly, she felt arms wrap around her and she jerked her head up. Riat looked down at her. "Little Rabbit, don't be scared. Teeka won't hurt you." She nodded shakily and Riat pulled her to her feet. The blond man let out a small gasp when he saw the bruises. "Little Rabbit, this is Lyd and Rehi. They won't hurt you either." Tiera nodded again, but she wasn't sure she trusted them yet. It was all too new, this trusting. For now she'd trust only Riat.

"Little Rabbit? Is that her name?" The black haired man called Rehi scoffed. "What kind of name is that?"

"Well, it's what I call her. I don't know her real name, and she reminds me of a rabbit." He looked down at her affectionately, but Tiera was staring at the floor.

"My name is Tiera," she whispered. Rehi looked at her, his face unreadable, and turned back to the cabinets. Lyd smiled in greeting, bouncing with excitement.

"Are you ok? It looks like you got into a fight, with all those bruises. You just need a few more and people might think it's your natural skin color." Tiera flinched and her eyes widened with fear as he made his way across the kitchen to her. Lyd grabbed her shoulder and shook her slightly.

"Please, p-please don't hurt me," she whispered, fear in her eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong? What's the matter?" He shook her harder and Tiera looked up at him, tears beginning to run down her face.

"P-P-Please, pleas-s-se, don't hurt m-m-me -" she whimpered. Riat pulled on her wrist to bring her to his chest, out of Lyd's grasp. He hunched over to rest his chin on the top of her head and crossed his arms on her back.

"It's ok, Little Rabbit, he won't hurt you. He didn't mean to scare you. Don't cry. Lyd, don't grab her anymore, please?" Rehi made a noise in his throat, half pity, half disgust.

"Well now we know why you call her 'Little Rabbit'." Lyd nodded in agreement, his face serious. When the girl's tears had stopped, Riat relaxed his hold and she stepped away slightly, wiping her face.

"Here, have some stew." Solemnly, Lyd offered Tiera a bowl. Shaking slightly, she held the steaming bowl in her hands and sat next to where Riat had chosen to eat near the fire.

"T-T-Thank you," she said timidly. "I'm s-sorry, I-" Lyd shook his head and sat across from them, waving off her apology.

"It's ok, I understand. I just get carried away sometimes. Riat's right, I should control myself better." He looked up at Riat, guiltily, then back to Tiera. "I want to be your friend, Tiera." She looked across the fire pit to the blond man, startled and confused. When he caught her gaze, she dropped her eyes and focused on her meal. The cat stretched out on Riat's other side, sighing loudly.

Rehi watched the three eat silently for a moment. He turned away, his face unreadable and he abruptly began dropping dishes on the counter, causing Tiera to flinch each time something dropped. Riat put his arm around her shoulders and she moved closer to him. By the time Riat had finished his bowl; Tiera had set hers down and stared at the fire pit, her mind whirling. Friend? Why would he want to be friends with her? This was all happening too fast. Riat had rescued her, shared his room, promised not to hurt her, and now his companion was being kind to her. Tiera was scared. The only thing that kept her from running was the debt she felt to Riat. For rescuing her the night before, she knew that she owed him much more than her body and her debt was increasing as every moment went by. She was afraid that he would collect on her debt, like others had. That thought made her too scared to eat.

"What do you think Leeay will say when she sees you with her?" Riat stiffened as the words rang out. Rehi turned from the counter to face Riat, his face a tight mask of anger.

"She will probably yell and be angry. But Rehi, what can I do about that? I've told Leeay where we stand." Rehi made a rude noise and Tiera tensed. Riat tightened his arm around her.

"Are you going to tell her that some weak girl-child sleeps in your bed when you won't let her? Will you tell her how you jump to this girl's side to protect her when you made Leeay fight her own way?" Rehi didn't yell, but his words lashed through the room. Riat shook his head.

"It isn't the same. Leeay is different from Tiera." Rehi smacked his hand on the counter and Tiera jerked.

"I can't understand why you brought her here. She is weak and doesn't belong! She doesn't belong here at all!"

Riat became still. "Rehi, do you remember your first cycles here? Can you remember the fear pounding in your blood? How can you look at her and not remember?"

"I remember the first few cycles Leeay was here, do you? How you pushed her away and forced her to become independent of you, of everyone. She loved you from the first time she saw you and you cruelly pushed her away!" His voice grew louder until he all but screamed the last word.

Riat's face softened. "Rehi," he said quietly. "You, Lyd, Leeay and all the rest were strong and whole when you came here. You could stand alone and fight for yourselves. Can't you see that this girl is broken?" He looked down to point out Tiera now crying in her knees, small body shaking forcefully.

Rehi gaped at the wounded girl and the silence made her sobs echo.

She looked up to the men, her green eyes wet and fearful. "Please don't fight. D-Don't b-be angry. I-I'll leave, I p-p-promise," She gasped between sobs. "S-S-She won't h-have t-t-to ever-r-r see me."

Riat pulled her closer. "Don't worry, you don't have to leave. I'm not angry. Hey, hey, come on now, Little Rabbit, don't cry."

Rehi looked away. "I'm not angry either," he muttered. "You don't have to cry."

Riat gently pulled her to her feet, putting his arm around her waist to help her stand. "Little Rabbit, don't worry about it. It isn't your fault that Rehi and I didn't agree. You didn't eat your stew. Did you like it?" She nodded, tired.

As she leaned against him, he was struck by the fact that she hardly weighed anything; it was if her body was made up of her large green eyes and air. "You should eat more; you need to build up your strength."

As he looked down at her, Tiera bent to pick up the bowl. "O-Ok, s-s-sure." Her hands trembled as she brought the spoon to her mouth. Riat's hand caught hers and she met his concerned eyes.

"You don't have to. Only eat if you're hungry." She dropped her gaze and cradled the bowl in her hands. "Are you hungry?"

"I don't know." She whimpered, eyes misting.

"Little Rabbit," He caught her chin and stared into her eyes. "Think about it. Do you feel hungry?"

After a few moments, Tiera drew in a breath and nodded. Riat smiled and it pierced her heart as he placed his hand under hers on the bowl. "Then eat," he said simply.

Tiera's heart curiously missed a beat as her head warned her of men who were too good to be true.