Paranormally Yours: A Boxed Set

by Alisha Basso

  Lucian stood, rigid. “No one seems to be here,” his voice was barely above a whisper. “Strange that we have no welcome party.”

  I agreed. It was too quiet.

  “What now?” he asked. “I was planning on shooting someone, or at the very least, punching someone in the face.” He sounded disappointed.

  “You’re pouting? Knock it off! I’m sure you’ll get your chance.” I took a small step forward only to have Lucian’s hand shoot out and stop me.

  “Wait,” he said and I jerked my eyes in his direction, “we’re not alone,” he looked at me. “Do you hear it?” a wild look filled his eyes. Adrenaline surged into my veins. My breathing came faster as I tried to identify the sound.

  Nothing.

  I closed my eyes and listened with my mind. Oh my God, it was Ann! She was crying. Her mind was a mess of confusion and fear. I couldn’t make out her thoughts very clearly. What I did know was that she was chained, gagged and… close.

  “Follow me. I think they’re waiting for us.” I pulled a wooden stake from Lucian’s stash and handed it to him. In my hand, I materialized the crucifix dagger. I hunched over, praying that they hadn’t noticed our arrival. We were whispering and the room was huge, but I had no idea if these beings had super hearing or not.

  Lucian was quick. He ran ahead of me, making no sound. Not too impressive, considering the seven inches of carpet. I ran, trying to even us up. I knew he was trying to be the first one they saw, just in case they were ready to knock my block off and grab the ring.

  I lost sight of him as he turned around a group of throne-like chairs and then I heard her.

  Ann.

  She was just ahead. Her cries were muffled. It pissed me off. But I was glad at the same time. If she could cry, that meant she was alive. I had to count my blessings.

  I stumbled out into an empty area that wasn’t visible when we first entered. The sight I beheld was startling and I froze in my tracks. I was looking at a scene from some badly written porno slash sci-fi movie.

  Lying on the floor, dressed in nothing but a golden bra and panties was my lovely Ann. She had a gold metal collar around her neck connected to a thin chain. Her ankles were shackled with a pair of matching cuffs. The chain was very long, obviously to allow her some mobility. The same cuffs were around her wrists. The chain looked much shorter than the one at her feet. Her mouth was taped shut. Where they found gold duct tape was beyond me. She was sitting on a gold, satin pillow, like a prized pet.

  This was wrong on so many levels. But, as strange as it was, I was too relieved to see that she was whole. Not a scratch. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying, but I could see no visible injuries.

  I spun, where the hell was Lucian? I didn’t see him. Shit! I couldn’t waste time worrying about him, I had to get her out of here.

  “Sorry, honey. This might hurt,” I soothed before I pulled the tape from her mouth. Her eyes were wild.

  As soon as the tape was removed, she yelled, “It’s a trap, Grace. Run!”

  “Not without you.” I reached for the cuffs on her feet when a male voice stopped me.

  “I wouldn’t, if I were you,” the silky voice purred.

  I turned to find a huge, fearsome thing standing behind me. It was at least nine feet tall with a bald, knobby head. Its skin was a grayish-yellow color with several tattoos all over its malformed body. Lucian was struggling in its huge arms, a hypodermic needle was shoved into the side of his neck. The creature’s ugly thumb was paused on the plunger.

  The voice came again, but not from the thing.

  “Miss Allen, how good of you to come. As you can see, we have kept your beautiful friend in excellent health.”

  I spun to find a regally dressed man stepping out from behind a long silken drape. He was divine, dressed in the requisite frock coat and lace. I rolled my eyes at the cliché. His long auburn hair was tied in a black ribbon. His striking green eyes looked cruel as he jiggled the other end of Ann’s chain in his gloved hand.

  “If you try to rescue your friend, we will kill your lover,” he smirked. Then he held up a small remote control. “And if you try to rescue your lover,” he paused and let his eyes bleed to solid black, “we will kill your friend. Believe me, Miss Allen, the speed of their death will be blinding. Do you wish to chance it? Are you that good?” He took a small graceful step toward Ann, eyeing her eagerly. “You see,” I watched him as he moved, “the syringe at Lucian’s neck is filled with acid,” he continued. “It’s the only thing that will work on one such as him. Of course, there is always salt water. But why risk it? He is very powerful you know, but sadly, not immortal.” He smiled. He’d just revealed Lucian’s secret, but I’d already figured it out on my own, so shock never registered on my face.

  With my features calm, almost bored, I glanced at Lucian. I shrugged my shoulders as if to say, so what? But my calm was lost on him. He looked furious as he struggled in the hideous creature’s arms. I balled my hands into fists as the monster lurched Lucian’s arms back and pinned them painfully behind his back. Its yellow eyes were raking my body like I had a ham bone tied around my neck. I swallowed and wiped the sweat from my palms onto my pants. Shaking, I closed my eyes. I was going to stay in control. I was not going to get my friends killed.

  The fop spoke again. My reaction to his little revelation was obviously a small disappointment so he marched on to more disturbing matters. “The collar young Ann wears is fitted with a blade.” He giggled like an amused child, “With a touch of a button, it will sever her head.” He stepped deeper into the room. Elegantly unfolding himself onto a large throne, he rattled Ann’s chain with a flourish. She jumped and started crying again.

  “What do you want?” I growled.

  “No, Grace you…” Lucian screamed but his words cut off as the thing pulled his arms up at an odd angle. His pain was obviously horrendous and I felt a tear slid down my cheek.

  The vampire watched me, his smile wide, “What we want is you, my dear.” He slid his tongue over the sharp points of his teeth. “Simple. Clean. It’s the only way to save your friends. Oh, how badly I long to see you take your friend’s place.” He pulled hard on her chain. She was forced to crawl to his feet or risk getting strangled. He sighed dramatically. “But, to my sorrow, my master has other plans for you.”

  This was a huge mess. We hadn’t planned on a sneaky, big ugly grabbing Lucian. I was sure that he would be the one to protect me. I should have left him behind. I could be having drinks with Ann at The Edge by now. That was total bullshit, but I was so confused, not to mention scared beyond the telling.

  The ring was such a powerful thing, but I didn’t know its limits yet. Shit! Could I save them both before the bad guys could react? I knew I couldn’t bring them back if I failed.

  “Time’s up Miss Allen. You choose now!” the Vampire shouted then he nodded to the big thing behind me and held the remote out.

  I watched as the vampire poised his finger above a tiny button. The monster smiled and I knew there was nothing I could do. I was not that confident. “Wait!” I held up my hands. “Okay, you win, but you have let them go first.”

  The vampire’s brows rose, a grin slid onto his face. “No, my dear, you must come to us first. For when you see your friends are safe, what will stop you from destroying us?”

  Not a whole hell of a lot. I looked down. “Fine then,” I hissed as I gritted my teeth.

  He stood, and at the same moment, another man came out from behind the curtain. He was identical to the fop in front of me. Then it hit me. These were the twins I saw at Seth’s house.

  “Ah, Eden,” the man said to his twin, “please remove the ring from Miss Allen’s finger. She has graciously agreed to be our guest.” He strolled toward Ann, swinging her chain. He bent to smell her neck, she cringed away, eyes wide with terror. I had to distract him.

  “Oh, you are so full of shit, and astoundingly, yourself!” I spat. “You go get Seth,” I screamed at them, “that fuckin
g coward! You tell him to come and get the ring himself!”

  Eden stopped, spinning around to face his brother. He opened his mouth and let out a huge bark of laughter. “You see how she respects us, brother?” He shook his head, grinning, “You were right, she will be fun.” He stepped closer to me. I didn’t like the look on his face, but I had to make sure Lucian and Ann were safe. I stepped back.

  “You swear?” I said. “You swear you will release them? They will come to no harm. If you go back on your word, I promise you, with all my soul, you will suffer screaming in the blackest, foulest pit of hell for all time!” I panted. We had so fucked this one up, but if I could get them out of this, I would only have to figure out how to get the ring and me out without destroying the world, or whatever else they wanted from me.

  Eden edged closer, the red of his frock coat only a shade darker than his hair. He licked his lips slowly, and began to circle me.

  “We will have our hands full, how wonderful,” Eden leered at my breasts. I suddenly had a whole new fear. The look wasn’t lost on Lucian either. He began to thrash in the monster’s arms. I looked up to find an ugly, mammoth hand spread over Lucian’s mouth. He was still being held in the same painful way, and it took me a moment to realize, the thing had more than two arms!

  “Stop, Lucian. Please. You’ll only get hurt more,” I pleaded. Angry tears fell from my eyes and I closed them and bit the inside of my cheek. I had to stop this! I grabbed the ring and slid it off my finger and then slammed it into Eden’s hand. “Now release them!” I screamed frantically, as the room began to spin. Weakness enveloped me and I swayed. Oh, man. The ring was gone and it felt like a part of me went with it. We were somehow bonded. It was like an invisible string stretched from the ring to my soul. I felt ill. I stumbled and dropped like a stone to my knees. “You promised,” I said miserably as I sat on the floor. I was utterly exhausted. It seemed like forever, but the big, ugly monster finally released Lucian and Eden was taking the lethal collar from Ann’s neck. From the corner of my eye, I saw Lucian advance toward me. I turned my head with effort in order to see all of him. He looked more pissed than I could have ever imagined.

  “Halt!” the vampire whose name I didn’t know shouted toward Lucian, and then he was suddenly behind me. He grabbed a chunk of my hair in a tight fist and jerked my head back. I winced and tried to swing at him but my arm lay limp at my side. “Don’t be a hero,” he warned. “I would hate to have to hurt her, but I will,” he threatened.

  Lucian slowed to a stop. “Keep your hands off her,” he growled.

  The vamp’s grip tightened. Any tighter and I wouldn’t have to worry about haircuts.

  “Ah Lucian, my old friend, I think you must be the biggest fool. She is ours. You have had your chance with her and from the looks of things,” he pulled my head back, “you have wasted it. Perhaps I was too generous when I declared you her lover?” He released my hair and I flopped forward.

  My body was no longer in my control or I swear I would have disjointed his nose by now. I managed to turn my head. His pale hand reached behind my neck. He was teasing Lucian. I knew he wanted to kill him. He was just looking for a reason.

  A small growl vibrated from deep within Lucian’s chest. He sounded like an animal. The vamp kneeled close to my ear. He began whispering, his breath hot on my skin, “Soon, my dear, I will have you alone.”

  The promise was made just for me. I made a mental note to never be alone with this being.

  I tried to pull away with more force but it did nothing. I glanced at Lucian, noticing for the first time that his weapons were gone, and a thin trickle of blood seeped from the tiny puncture wound at his neck. My anger rekindled as the disgusting mess of a being grabbed him by the arm again.

  They were smart to remove the ring, because I felt another tantrum building.

  I turned to see Ann. Eden was unlocking the cuffs around her legs. He had apparently stopped undoing her when Lucian ran to rescue me. I felt so bad. Ann was going to need years of therapy to get over this. That is, if we could find a shrink that wouldn’t lock her up first. Finally free, she pushed Eden out of her way and ran to me; flinging her arms so tightly around me, I had trouble breathing.

  “Oh God, Grace! What did you do? You gave yourself up to save us, why? The ring is too important to fall into their hands. You should have run.”

  She was crying.

  I was stunned.

  “How did you know?” was all I could spit out. My tongue felt like an inflated balloon and my brain was ready for a nap.

  “They talk a lot,” she whispered, bracing me by my shoulders. They were letting her linger. I guess together we weren’t much of a threat. The unknown vamp had moved, he was speaking to his brother.

  “God the things they said,” she continued, shivering. “Horrible things. They tried to shock me. Talking about sex and blood. Mostly they tried to scare me with all the things they wanted to do to you. They’re sick. They never touched me, though. I think they knew if you came around that corner and saw me hurt, you wouldn’t have paused. You would have killed them instantly. They wanted to distract you. To show you what they could do. They were so happy when they discovered that you weren’t alone. It was easy for Thorak to capture him. My God, Grace, he’s a troll, a real freaking troll! He just grabbed your poor friend with his huge arms and held him still with the needle.”

  I watched her speak, happy that she was whole and alive. I blinked slow as she kept on. “They said that blonde man’s your lover. Is that true? He seemed so flirty with me when I spoke to him. Are you two together? Honestly, I would have kept him for myself, only that other man.” She stopped and looked at her hands and then suddenly her eyes welled with tears.

  I sighed, “No, honey, we’re not together.” I felt a little pang of regret at my words. Where did that come from?

  “Oh, good, I mean,” she looked up her eyes wide, “I know now that Seth was only playing with me.” She looked over her shoulder. “He’s the leader of these monsters. My God, Gracie when you see him you have to be strong! He’s a vampire like them but he’s the strongest one of them all. Don’t fall for him.” I watched her as she struggled with her obvious attraction to Seth. I’d been right, he did approach her. I’ll bet she ditched Jared in a hot minute and now she was pissed that he only wanted her as bait. I felt like crap. He was a bastard and Ann had fallen for his game. “I tried to get him to keep me with him.” She continued, “But he wouldn’t. He just tossed me to these monsters like I was a nothing but a dog bone.” She sniffed and I stared at her from under my hooded eyes.

  “Seriously, Ann?” I mumbled sluggishly, I was fading fast. But not so fast that I couldn’t be a little irritated at her obvious Stockholm syndrome. “It isn’t because you aren’t pretty that Seth didn’t keep you, Annie. You are a prisoner whose only purpose was take to get a hold of that stupid ring. It has nothing to do with either of us personally.” I tried to sooth her even though it was ridiculous. I was confused. Just a second ago she was bawling and cringing like a frightened child, and now she was visibly pining away for her captor. Maybe she had gone mad?

  A shadow fell on her face and a cool feeling touched my side, “You leave, now!” Eden yanked Ann up by her hair. She cried out in pain and started crying again.

  I heard the distinct sound of a fist hitting skin. I twisted my head slightly toward the sound. Lucian was sprawled on the floor. Thorak grabbed him by the shirt, then, hoisted the big man onto its abnormally-shaped shoulder. I stifled a cry, as Lucian lay limp like a big, blond mop. Then it turned and grabbed Ann. She screamed and tried to get away. “Grace, we’ll come back for you,” she screamed frantically, wriggling in the thing’s arms. “We’ll get you back. Don’t worry,” she was yelling as Thorak the Vulgar carried them away in two odd-looking bear hugs.

  All of a sudden, I found myself alone with the satanic Wonder Twins.

  I shivered as the room cooled. I was sitting on the floor trying to regain some stre
ngth. The ring was more connected to me than I had ever realized. If I had put the ridiculous thing on when I first found it, I would never have been stupid enough to sell it. I was so tired but I knew losing consciousness around these two was not a good idea. I flopped back on the thick carpet; my head was just too heavy.

  My eyes were open and I was staring at the ceiling. It was a very tall ceiling. The fabric was draped there too. It resembled a circus tent, or a giant genie bottle. Then my view was blocked by two cruelly gorgeous faces.

  “Hey, assholes, where did Yuck-Mouth take my friends?” I tried not to slur my words and I felt dangerously close to drooling on myself. I was pissed, but my brain was way too cloudy. I knew I sounded drunk.

  “Ael, she seems to be getting worse. Should we keep her here a little longer? Seth is not aware she is with us yet.” A look of anticipation crossed Eden’s face. My stomach lurched.

  “I am very tempted, but she is losing her battle with sleep. When I take her, I want some struggle. Fear makes bed play so much sweeter.”

  Bed play?

  I thought they were talking about snacking, not sex. Well, they were wrong about one thing; I would not lose my battle with sleep.

  “Well, I am not so picky,” I heard Eden say from somewhere to my right.

  I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn’t cooperate and then my head fell back as two strong arms lift me from the floor. My arms lay like useless spaghetti at my side. A bolt of fear laced through my core, as Eden began to carry me. I was bracing myself, ready to fight with all I had left, when a great big blur shot out from nowhere, knocking Eden to the ground. Unfortunately, I went along for the ride.

  I was an inch from the floor when I realized I wasn’t falling anymore. I opened my eyes to find I was now in the arms of my one true enemy.

  Seth.

  “You dare to touch what is mine?” he snarled, “I should destroy you where you lie!” Seth’s body was trembling with rage. He was holding me close, almost protectively.

  “Forgive my brother, Seth,” Ael said, “He has yet to learn his place. We would never have injured her. He just wanted a sample.”