When the first one began to shrink, Harlow staggered back a step. The transformation of beast to man was fast, yet she could only stare at the striking man, her mind refusing to process what she saw. Shoulder-length golden waves replaced the fur of his beast form, and there stood Jacob, her ex-neighbor back in California. Now that she had a basis for comparison, she noted that his eyes were green like Arian’s, only duller, and their jaw was the same strong, cutting shape. She found every inch of him chiseled perfection as her eyes trailed down his bare torso.
Jacob who had watched her as though his life depended on it for the past ten years.
When her gaze trailed lower, her face flamed at the realization that he was completely naked. But if he noticed her embarrassment, he didn’t let on.
“Ms. Marks, we must insist you accompany us back to the house.” His hand extended for her and she glanced to her left and right, noticing the two grey beasts were now stunning—and very naked—males as well. Both had dark hair, one similar in length to Arian’s, while the other’s was long and wild.
And behind her stood the fourth man, with hair paler than Jacob’s. His eyes were also a pale grey. They narrowed at Harlow.
Mistrusting.
Distaste.
She spun back to Jacob. “I don’t understand. You were in California—what, to watch over me? Why?”
He inclined his head. “To keep you safe.”
“Safe from what?” she demanded.
The two dark-haired men snickered, and Jacob shot them each a look of impatience. “Best let Arian explain all that,” he said.
“Your name is Jacob, right?” Harlow asked. She turned to address the other three. “I don’t know any of your names. Seems a little unfair since you know mine.”
Jacob’s lip twisted to the side. “No, my name is Elentis.” He gestured to the shorter dark-haired man. “This is Kaimon.” Kaimon dipped his head in a small, gentlemanly bow. “This is Prodepheus, but he mostly goes by Prody.” The long-haired man flashed a smirk that Harlow had no doubt dropped panties everywhere he went.
“And this is Josirus.” The pale-haired man made no move of acknowledgement. He simply glared at Jacob—or rather, Elentis.
“What the hell kind of names are those? Your parents must have hated you,” Harlow said, earning a chorus of laughter from Kaimon, Prodepheus, and Elentis. Josirus’s scowl only deepened.
“Kaimon and Prody are my brothers. Josirus here, we picked up somewhere in the fourteenth century,” Elentis explained. “And Arian is our eldest brother.”
Harlow blinked rapidly. Fourteenth century?
“Uh…what?”
Prodepheus chuckled a low throaty sound that didn’t help Harlow’s predicament on where to look even the slightest. “We’ll tell you what we can if you walk back to the house with us. Or one of us can give you a ride.” He waggled his brows suggestively.
Harlow’s face heated, but she needed to find a way to cause a diversion.
“Just toss the wench over your shoulder and be done with it.” Josirus folded his arms over his chest, and the sun danced off his pale skin, making it look as though it sparkled and glittered.
Despite his ugly attitude, Harlow had to admit he was beautiful. They all were.
“Go do a perimeter sweep, Joe,” Elentis ordered. Out of the four men standing around her, Elentis appeared to be the youngest. She’d seen him around plenty while she lived in California, and for a time, her sister Maribelle had even had a crush on him. Never had he looked as though he’d aged a single day. If she had to guess, she’d place his age somewhere around hers.
Joe’s lip curled, yet he turned and dashed away, leaping into beast form in an instant. A roar shook the birds from nearby trees.
“Don’t take it personally,” Kaimon said softly, staring after the pale creature. “He lost someone very close to him many years ago. He has not been the same since.”
Harlow didn’t respond. She knew what that felt like. Everyone she’d ever cared for either died or moved away.
Elentis offered her a small, understanding smile. “Shall I carry you back to the house or would you prefer to walk?”
The three brothers stared at her expectantly.
“I wouldn’t mind being carried, actually. I think I may have twisted my ankle.”
Elentis nodded, shaking his shaggy honey-blond hair over his shoulder as he hunched over.
And transformed.
His form expanded, towering over her. The other two broke into runs, their bodies shifting simultaneously.
Perfect.
Elentis lowered himself to the ground for Harlow to climb on. His golden fur was shiny and felt silky beneath her fingertips. His horns were shorter than any of the others’, twisted directly up to the sky. One of the grey beasts that charged up ahead had deer-like antlers instead of horns. Though she didn’t know for certain, she guessed that the antlers belonged to Kaimon, the more subdued of the pair.
As Harlow tossed herself up onto Elentis’s back, she gripped handfuls of fur, then seated herself, twisting so she straddled him like a horse. When the beast rose and began to trot away from the forest, Harlow realized she was a good fifteen feet above the ground.
Shit.
Elentis picked up speed and Harlow’s panic skyrocketed as she prepared herself for what she was about to do.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she offered up a quick prayer to whatever god might be listening then released her grip.
And let her body roll off the creature’s back.
She hit the ground, and the air exploded from her lungs. For several seconds, she lay stunned on the cool grass.
Angry snarls cut through her hammering heart.
She took stock of all her limbs, searching her body for injury. When she concluded there were no broken bones, she scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could.
Already Elentis was charging toward her, silver eyes ablaze with fury. Harlow made a beeline for the forest.
A thrill shot through her when she realized she might make it. Heat spread through her and her fingertips tingled.
Perhaps she was injured after all?
But she couldn’t stop.
A ferocious snap sounded from behind her as Harlow dove through the narrow opening between trunks.
The thick scent of moss and dirt filled her nostrils as she fell to her hands and knees. Pine needles bit into her palms, but Harlow forced herself back to her feet.
Just as the golden-haired beast swiped at the tall tree trunks with a massive paw. His claws cut through bark and wood, the sound deafening.
Harlow kept running, even when she heard Elentis shift back into a man and run after her on foot.
“It’s not safe,” he called. “You must return.”
Yeah, I don’t think so.
She zig-zagged all around the trees, ducking under branches and leaping over thorny bushes.
Yet still she heard the soft footfalls of a man who was far too graceful to be human. Who ran with a speed that belonged to comic book heroes.
Arian and his brothers were not heroes, whatever they were. Maybe not wholly bad, but something told her they were far from good.
It was what pushed her harder, faster, wending through impossibly small gaps and carrying herself as quietly as the animals that lived within the forest. A gurgling stream blocked her path, and she followed it until it became narrow enough to leap across.
Soon, she no longer heard the sounds of pursuit. All was silent. She slowed, her breathing coming in short, jagged bursts. An ache in her side made her groan. The layers of socks on her feet were soaked through and coated with mud. Her feet, up to her ankles, hurt.
After what felt like hours, Harlow saw light where the forest ended. Sounds of highway traffic reached her, and she nearly sobbed in relief.
When she emerged from the dark, dank forest, she blinked, her eyes burning from the bright sunlight. Beyond the busy road ahe
ad of her lay a small town, possibly another thirty minutes’ walk away.
Harlow started toward the road, her feet cold and sore. Each step drew a wince from her, but she couldn’t stop. Every minute she spent moving was another minute closer to safety.
Traffic rushed by, the drone of engines filling the silence she’d grown used to in the past couple of hours. As she hobbled along, following the flow, she noticed a small white Honda braking just ahead of her. A woman with elegant auburn curls—somewhere in her mid-to-late thirties—climbed out of the driver’s seat. She wore a suit jacket and matching skirt with heels that boosted her petite frame. But as she approached, Harlow realized she was still shorter than her by a few inches.
“Need a ride somewhere, honey?” the woman called.
“Where are we?” Harlow asked.
The woman looked her over sympathetically. She pointed to the city on the other side of the highway. “Just outside of Binghamton.”
Harlow’s heart leapt—she hadn’t been that far after all.
“Do you have a phone I could use?” There was only one person she could get a hold of that could help her. She didn’t have any other choice.
It was clear from the woman’s hesitation that she thought Harlow was either some kind of criminal or strung out on some drug. Still, she nodded. “Sure. Is there anywhere I can drive you? Get you off the highway?”
Harlow nodded gratefully.
“Come on.” The woman waved her to her car and she followed. Before she could duck inside the vehicle, the woman said, “I’m Lily. What’s your name?”
“Harlow.”
Lily smiled, then climbed into the driver seat. Harlow ducked in beside her with an audible groan. Lily’s smile faded. “What happened to your shoes, doll?”
“They were stolen.” That was only half true, but the truth was too bizarre to comprehend.
Lily sucked in a breath and held out a phone for Harlow to use. “Do you know who you need to call?”
Harlow bit her bottom lip, considering. “I don’t know his number off the top of my head, but I can try his work. It’s Rex’s Pub in New York City.”
Lily nodded. “I’ll google it for you.” After a few seconds of tapping the screen, she held out the phone and Harlow heard it ring.
She held it to her ear, suddenly nervous. She’d only just met Rex; already she had asked him to help her move and was now going to have him help her escape magical creatures.
“Hello?” a woman answered.
“Hi, is Rex there?”
A pause. “No, he’s not in until tomorrow.”
Harlow’s heart sank. “I’m sorry, but is there any way to get a hold of him? It’s an emergency.”
“May I ask who this is?” The woman’s tone became hard. Brittle.
“Um, Harlow Marks, I was there just a few days ago. I had his number but my phone was stolen and I just…” Harlow despised the desperation in her voice. She knew how it sounded—like she was some rejected chick that couldn’t let go.
Yet the woman on the other line sighed heavily. “He’s probably going to kill me for doing this, but I can give you his cell number. I’ve never seen Rex so into any one so quickly.”
Harlow exhaled sharply. “Thank you,” she breathed.
“Yeah,” the woman said.
After Harlow committed the number to memory, she thanked the woman again and hung up. She then punched in the number and hit the call button. It rang twice before she heard his voice.
“Hello?”
“Rex? Hey, it’s Harlow. Look, I know I don’t have the right to ask this but—”
“I’m sorry, who is this?” Rex asked, sounding just as confused as Harlow felt.
“Harlow,” she said. “Harlow Marks.”
The pause was so long, her heart stumbled. Did she have the wrong number? But no, it was obviously him. It was his voice.
So why was he acting like he didn’t remember her?
“I’m…sorry. I…I don’t know any Harlow.”
Another pause.
Harlow swallowed hard as she hung up, her eyes filling with tears.
Something had happened to Rex. It didn’t sound spiteful, or like some kind of trick.
He didn’t remember her.
Rex
Her voice echoed around in his brain for several seconds, knocking free a memory of red hair and sapphire blue eyes.
Her laugh.
He held his phone, staring down at the screen for several moments until it all rushed back. Helping her move. Seeing her paintings, driving away, then hearing the sound of a bear.
The man that had put Harlow in the back of his car. Yet he couldn’t exactly remember what the man looked like.
He’d done something to Rex.
He returned the call, a tremble starting through him. “Hello?” a strange woman’s voice answered.
Rex frowned. “Is…is Harlow there?”
“Just a sec.”
A moment later, her voice filled the speaker. “Rex?” Just her voice was enough to make everything snap back into focus. It awoke his body too, which he tried to ignore.
“Harlow, I’m sorry, I, um…are you okay? Where are you?”
She gave a nervous laugh. “Well, that’s actually the thing. I’m just outside of Binghamton, but I need a ride back to the city. I know it’s really unfair to ask after all you’ve done for me, but—”
“I’ll do it,” he answered automatically. “Where are you?”
After getting her location, he hung up and ran out to his car. He drove faster than was probably necessary, but he was unsettled. It was unexplainable, but he could sense she was in danger.
And he needed to get to her.
He was outside the Denny’s in less than twenty minutes. Something instinctive had him scanning the area as he stalked inside. He found her in a booth with a smaller, yet slightly older woman sitting across from her.
A stack of pancakes sat in front of her, which Harlow stabbed at. If there was one thing he’d learned in the short time he’d known her, it was that she loved food. When she spotted Rex, she perked up. Palpable relief crossed her face and even relaxed her hiked-up shoulders just a bit. Such a reaction stirred a rare emotion in his chest.
Satisfaction.
She responded to him similar to the way he did with her.
“Hey,” he said when he reached the table.
She smiled weakly. “Hi.”
The woman turned to face him and extended a hand. “Hi, I’m Lily.”
Rex shook it. “Hi, Lily. Thanks for helping Harlow, I really appreciate it. Let me buy you breakfast.”
She shook her head, cheeks stained pink and lips curved up as she got to her feet. “I’m late for work. I just wanted to be sure Harlow had someone to help her get where she needs to go.”
Rex nodded. “Thank you.”
“Thank you so much, Lily. I really appreciate it,” Harlow said, standing to hug the shorter woman.
“It was my pleasure.” Lily’s eyes misted for a moment. “There was once a time where I was in need of just an ounce of kindness, and an old lady showed me that. I wanted to repay that to someone if I ever had the chance.” With another smile, she left the restaurant.
Rex sank into the booth across from Harlow, but she didn’t follow suit. Her eyes were fixed out the window. Searching.
“We need to go,” she whispered.
“First, tell me what happened. All I remember is leaving your place, then hearing a bear or something, but by the time I got back some guy was carrying you and put you in his car.”
She nodded, slowly lowering herself onto the booth, not meeting his eyes. “I was attacked by a beast—not a bear, it was so much bigger and had horns. I don’t know what it was, but when I woke up I was in this guy’s house and I tried to escape. But then there was a bunch of them and—”
“Wait, what?” Rex could barely keep the growl from his voic
e.
“Listen, we need to leave. Can you just give me a ride back to the city? The airport specifically. Well, my house first, I need to find my purse so I can actually buy a ticket—”
Rex grasped her hand, startling her from her rambling. Her sapphire blue eyes glittered with unshed tears. “I’ll take you wherever you need to go. You’re safe with me. This guy though, do you know him?”
Harlow shook her head. “Well, I mean, I know of him. His name is Arian Kalvar.”
Rex’s spine straightened. So that’s why the guy had looked so familiar, even in the dark. But what was the governor of New York doing abducting Harlow when she’d only just moved here? It also didn’t seem like a coincidence now that Arian Kalvar had purchased his apartment building and made an offer on his pub.
There was something that wasn’t adding up.
“And you’re sure you don’t know him?”
“I’d never met him until this morning.”
Rex’s jaw clenched as he rose to his feet. “How far away did he take you?”
Harlow stabbed the soggy pancakes with her fork. “I don’t know, not that far I guess.” She looked up suddenly, eyes wide. “You’re not going to try to find him, are you?”
He had considered it. “No, I’m going to get you away from here for starters. Now let’s go.”
Rex tossed two twenties onto the table before ushering Harlow out to his car. His throat tightened when he finally noticed that she was wearing another man’s clothing. Her feet were bare and scraped.
“Where are your clothes?” he asked when they were safely in his black ’69 Ford Mustang. His voice had managed to keep even despite the growing tingle in his veins. He gripped the steering wheel tight as he raced out of the parking lot and toward the highway.
Harlow bit her lip, staring down at her dirty palms. “My dress was ruined beyond repair, I guess. I stole what I could find.” Then she looked up, noting the exit he took. “Wait, where are you going? I need to go to my house, I need to get my wallet! I have to leave, I—”
“Harlow, don’t worry, you’ll be safe with me. What if we go to your house and he’s waiting for you there? And you can’t leave New York, that isn’t going to keep you safe. People like him are incredibly powerful.”
Marked for Darkness Page 10