The Forbidden Chapters Part 1: Afterlife Saga

by Stephanie Hudson

  I turned away, feeling like I was intruding on something private which was pretty much the same as anywhere you looked in this place. I was just happy that the doors out of here weren’t that far away and a few more metres and I would be free. Well, that was until I reached the doorman.

  “No one leaves,” he said looking down at me with a snarl.

  “I’m sorry but I came in here by mistake, if you could just…”

  “The King’s orders. No one enters, no one leaves,” he repeated telling me I was screwed!

  “But I really…”

  “NO!” He leaned closer down to me and shouted the one word in my face and with it, sealing my fate. I shivered, walking away rubbing my arms as the room wasn’t exactly the warmest, just like the staff, I thought with annoyance, wondering what I was going to do now? I looked to my right and saw a strange wall of sheer material hanging down from the ceiling and I wondered what was behind it. It could be a door or somewhere I could at least hide until I was allowed to leave. I walked closer but then stopped in my tracks as a line of naked figures started to come closer behind them. A bright light lit them up from behind and they all started their erotic shadow dance as the next line up for tonight’s entertainment.

  Well, I wasn’t going to get far with them in the way. Seriously, was anything on my side at the moment? The only thing I could think to do next was to try and get to Karmun, in some last-ditch attempt at someone helping me. Okay, so it was unlikely but what other choices did I have? Who knows maybe he would fear Draven’s wrath when finding me so would want to help me…yeah right Kazzy. Not exactly a sure thing I thought as I changed directions, taking me into the centre of the room.

  There was a lot more people…well, enjoying themselves should we say, in this part of the room, so it was harder to move around in. Some of the belly dancers started when the music changed to something more sexual and ancient sounding. The lights changed, dimming to a soft warm glow of sunset colours, making me feel like I had just stepped back in time. They looked at me, smirking and holding out their scarves so that they would brush along me.

  I needed to get out of here. Trying to get to the bar had been an obvious mistake as I had done the last thing I had ever intended to do, which was put myself at centre stage. I looked to my side and saw that not only was the bar directly to my right but more worryingly was what was directly to my left. The raised seating area where Draven had been sat was right there and I looked that way in what seemed like slow motion. My hair whipped around showing my face to Vincent who was currently looking at me over the beauty he was sucking blood from.

  I bit my lip and at least could take a breath when I saw Draven was still missing. But Vincent had seen me and his lips slowly left the girl’s neck as though he were some predator with his sights on new prey. But his eyes were no longer looking at me…they were looking behind me. Suddenly the air around me started to shift. Like someone had sent a dominating current through the sound waves and I sucked in a startled breath as the room shifted. All those eyes that had once been centred on me now had a new target and by the looks of all those wide, fearful eyes, I would say it was one that was far more important than I was.

  I swallowed hard as I felt a presence step closer and invade my space from behind. I knew who it was. The whole room knew who it was. And the whole room now knew how much trouble I was in.

  And I knew just how much trouble I was in when a voice belonging to the man in charge spoke in my ear…

  “I found you.”

  Chapter 31

  Am I the Frog?

  Book 1

  NEW

  I couldn’t help my next actions as my fight or flight mode kicked in and my mind chose the obvious choice…I ran. Or at least I tried to. I think I made it about three steps before I was engulfed in a pair of strong arms from behind.

  “No! no…no…let me go,” I told him trying to struggle out of his hold but it was pointless.

  “Stop.” The command was hissed close to my ear and I did as I was told. But then I looked around and hated the way everyone stared at me. I couldn’t stand it and felt my breathing become laboured…I was having a panic attack and I tried to control it like the therapist taught me to but with his arms around me it was getting more and more difficult. I couldn’t focus with everyone looking at me…pitying me…I was that girl again…No, no, no!

  “Calm down, Keira,” Draven said behind me but I was too far gone. I couldn’t calm down. They were all watching me. I couldn’t calm…I needed to…I couldn’t breathe. I was surprised when the only desperate word that made it past my lips, using my last breath to do so was his name…

  “Draven.”

  The next thing I knew the lights all went off again and this time they stayed like that. Silence hit the room like a crashing wave of death. In fact, it was as if the only two people left standing in a sea of darkness was myself and the man at my back, Draven.

  “Ssshh, they are gone now. You can breathe,” Draven cooed in my ear and his hold on me started to ease up so that I could take in a lung full of air.

  “That’s it. Deep breaths for me. Good girl,” he said in a hypnotic voice that was all smooth velvet, one I knew could change to deadly in a second. The room was still as dark as night and I wondered how he did it. Did he make some kind of signal to someone near the power switch? And how had he made the whole room go silent like that?

  “Now are you going to try and run again?” he asked me once I had got past my panic attack. I couldn’t speak, so I shook my head to indicate ‘No’ but then I remembered he couldn’t see me. But he leaned closer to me and whispered,

  “I can see you, Keira.” And I frowned, mentally scolding myself as I must have spoken my thought out loud without realising.

  “Are you ready?” he asked and I didn’t know what he meant but he must have taken my silence for a yes because the lights, music and sound all came back on as though someone had flipped a switch on the whole room…people and all. I was just about to feel the insecurities flow back into me when Draven spun me around to face him.

  “Eyes on me, sweetheart,” he demanded and I bit my lip when I did as I was told, looking up at him and finding myself stunned by his masculine beauty. And of course, there was trying to make sense of the way he called me ‘sweetheart’ making me question my sanity. I don’t know how I was looking at him, probably like some lost, big eyed Disney princess, looking into the eyes of her saviour because the next thing he said confirmed it,

  “You keep looking at me like that and we are going to have problems,” he told me and I felt like an idiot, looking away quickly and feeling the rejection and humiliation of it cut me deep. But as if my face had my fears graffitied across it, he turned my face back to him.

  “Not what you’re thinking,” he said giving me no hint to what he had meant.

  “Come with me,” he ordered, taking my gloved hand in his and pulling me along with him towards his fallen seat. Vincent saw him coming and shifted, moving the beauty he had been amusing himself with. He whispered something down to her and she got up, looking sullen. He slapped her bare ass as a way of goodbye before she was out of reach and then he reached down and picked up his brother’s chair ready for him.

  “I see you found our missing waitress,” Vincent said light-heartedly nodding his greeting towards me. I gave him a small nervous smile back wondering why it felt like I was being led into a trap.

  “Did you doubt I would?” Draven replied with a confidence that said he didn’t even need to try.

  “Not for a second, brother,” Vincent replied granting me a wink. I felt like holding up my hands and saying, ‘okay so what’s going on?’ Only minutes ago, I felt like I was being hunted and now what, I was being invited to the party? Draven didn’t offer any answers, he simply let go of my hand and turned around to swiftly sit down on his throne like chair. Now, being up this close, I could see the details of it and it was the perfect combination of solid carved craftsmanship and luxur
ious expense. It was a massive chair that looked like one made for both comfort and importance, one that suited the body that was now sat upon it. In fact, it was the only item in the room that was black and it complimented the darkness in Draven’s features…including right now, his eyes.

  I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was just stood opposite him waiting for my next issued command and hoping it was to sit down as I was starting to feel myself getting tired from all the running about this hidden gothic palace of his.

  “Sit down, Keira,” Draven said as if he too couldn’t understand what I was still doing on my feet. I looked around for another chair or an available cushion, when I shrieked as Draven’s hands grabbed my waist.

  “Ah!” I shouted in surprise, making Vincent laugh next to us. Draven had seemingly plucked me out of my standing position and turned me round, before placing me gently on his lap.

  “Oh no…no, I can’t sit here…I can just go…” I started trying to excuse myself from where he had placed me, feeling my shame hit new heights.

  “By the Gods woman, you are freezing!” he said sounding angry. And I jumped in his lap at the sound, flinching along with it. It was at this point that Vincent leant closer and decided to inform him,

  “She gave her jacket to her friend.” I heard Draven growl behind me and again I tensed at the sound. But if he noticed my discomfort at being here sat on him like this he didn’t make it known. No, instead he just added to my embarrassment and started rubbing his hands up and down my arms as if trying to get me warm.

  “I…I am fine,” I told him after first having to clear my voice to do so.

  “You gave away your jacket in this weather?” he asked as if needing to hear it confirmed by me and once again ignoring any issues I might have with him being this close. Okay, so the only issue I had with it was that everyone was watching us and my cheeks felt like they were melting because other than that, having Draven’s hands on me was like living out one of my dreams.

  “Ignore them and answer me.” Draven told me as I shifted uncomfortably under so many scrutinising eyes looking at me. Then when I didn’t comply straight away he caught my chin in his hold and turned me to face him.

  “She was wearing less than me and I was worried about her when we were waiting for our taxi.” I told him quickly and he frowned.

  “Taxi. You have a truck Keira, is there something wrong with it?” he asked me sternly as if hating the idea.

  “Oh no. It’s great!” I said getting a little high pitched with my nervousness and wishing I could take it back.

  “Go on,” he prompted and I took a breath and told him,

  “I am really sorry. We didn’t mean to come back in to the club…well break in but technically not, as I knew the code to get in the side door… but then I couldn’t find my phone and RJ had too much to drink so got it in her head to sneak up into the VIP…I tried to stop her I really did but…”

  “Ssshh, calm yourself,” Draven said trying not to grin and Vincent looked as though he could barely keep a straight face.

  “Let’s start from the beginning shall we…why were you waiting for a taxi?”

  “I don’t drink and drive,” I told him as if this would explain it all and some of it did.

  “Ah, I see. So, you decided to get a taxi home with your friend. Then what happened?”

  “Well, someone stole it!” I told him flinging an arm out in my exuberant outrage, one that nearly hit him but he caught just in time. He gently brought it down and kept it in his grasp for now, no doubt worried I would do it again.

  “Someone stole your taxi?” he questioned as if for some reason, he could picture it.

  “Well someone got in the one we booked and it drove off, so it’s not really stealing but it wasn’t very nice.” I added feeling that if I didn’t shut up soon I would say something even more stupid than how that sounded. However, Draven just gave a me a small grin and nodded for me to carry on.

  “So, anyway we were stranded there outside and it was cold so…”

  “You were alone?” he cut in sounding once again pissed off.

  “Well…yeah but…” Again, he never let me finish.

  “Didn’t I tell you never, ever to wait outside my club alone at night,” he said reprimanding me with a tone I didn’t want to mess with but I had to defend myself, so I bravely placed a hand on his chest to get him to listen.

  “Yes, but wait. The first taxi went without knowing we were stranded outside and we let it without knowing it too. We thought we could just wait inside the club until another one turned up but when we turned back the place was shut up tight,” I told him, unknowingly patting his chest gently and we both looked to what my hand was doing. I made a ‘sorry’ face at him and started to pull it back when he stopped me by grabbing my hand in his.

  “I see. Which is why you re-entered the club…you did…”

  “Yes, I know it was wrong and I really wished we hadn’t. I am so sorry but we couldn’t just wait outside and wait for another taxi because RJ’s phone had run out of battery by taking pictures of some drummer guy and I seemed to have lost mine or forgotten it in the club, or so I hoped but couldn’t find it…but anyway… so we had no way of calling for one.” I said shaking my head and trying to explain all at once so he couldn’t get angry, which only made my loose hair fly around the place and land on his shoulder.

  I bit my lip and slowly picked it up and mouthing the word ‘Sorry’ placed it down again. Damn those tequila shots I thought, feeling more drunk now than when I had running about the place. He gave me a gentle look and pushed some of the loose hair behind my ear before giving Vincent a look I didn’t understand. Vincent then motioned to one of the waitresses to come forward and he said something to her in another language I didn’t understand,

  “Su.” (means ‘Water’ in Turkish.)

  “You did right by coming back into the club, Keira,” Draven told me, shifting my focus from his brother back to him.

  “You’re not angry?” I asked surprised by his reaction.

  “No. I would have been if I’d heard you had waited any longer in the cold, especially after so selflessly giving another your jacket,” he told me and I exhaled a deep breath feeling like a weight had been lifted.

  “I am, however, angry that you chose to run and hide from my men, men who would have listened to your reasons and brought you straight to me, where I could have decided what was best for you.” Draven said firmly and I gulped.

  “Well I…I…” I tried to tell him why and when I couldn’t get it out quick enough he raised an eyebrow in question at me.

  “They scared me,” I told him in a small voice, looking down at my lap, ashamed to admit it. He lifted my chin up and made me look at him again. This time his gaze was soft and gentle, as if he understood.

  “They would never hurt you, Keira…no one, will ever hurt you.” The first part of this sentence was said tenderly, the last part was said in a murderous promise that said he would kill anyone who tried. Little did he know that someone already had and I had barely survived it, I thought in one of those rare moments I couldn’t help. I closed my eyes a moment and pushed the cruel memory deep down in the vault I kept it locked in but Draven looked at me as if he could read my mind, plucking it back from that dark place I was trying to cram it into.

  “What did you say?” he asked determinedly and I shook my head and said,

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “Your water, my Lord” the waitress said to Vincent who took it, nodded his thanks, and handed it to Draven. But Draven wasn’t looking at him. No, he was fixated on me and I shifted uncomfortably at being the focus of such an intense gaze.

  “Dom.” Vincent said his name in one of those, ‘Snap out of it’ kind of ways. Draven wasn’t in a hurry to tear his eyes from me, so instead held out his hand to retrieve it without looking. Then he twisted the cap and handed it to me.

  “Drink. It will help rehydrate you after all the alcohol
,” he told me and I did as I was told, drinking back the cool water like it was a magic elixir for how good it tasted. But then a thought entered my head and I hated myself for how long it had taken me to think of her. So, I whipped the bottle from my mouth and shouted,

  “RJ!” feeling a drop of water rolling down my chin. Draven saw it and caught it with his thumb, tenderly wiping it away.

  “She is fine.”

  “I’d better go to her,” I said making a move to get off his lap, which must have been aching for how long I had been sat in it. His arms quickly enveloped me, holding me right where I was and he growled a low rumble, startling me enough to flinch in his hold.

  “Easy, Dom,” Vincent warned as if he knew as an outsider looking in that his brother needed to rein in his obvious heightened emotions. I didn’t think that Draven would ever hurt me but scare me, well then yeah, that could easily happen and often did thanks to his dark moods. Draven obviously listened to his brother, probably more than any other person in his life, so I wasn’t surprised when he took a deep breath, closing his eyes as if this would help in getting control of his temper.

  “I apologise if I frighten you. I just need you to trust me when I tell you that your friend is fine and simply resting in my guest quarters.” As he said this he once again took it as an opportunity to touch me, like it was his right and I couldn’t say I hated the feeling. Quite the opposite in fact, so much so that I relaxed back slightly allowing him to pull me closer. Then he continued to gather my wild hair in one hand and drape it over my shoulder out of my way. Or more like his way as swiftly after doing this he started running the back of his fingers down my blushing cheek.