by Helen Scott
Sleep was a long time coming when I finally lay down, and when it did arrive, it was filled with strange dreams that quickly turned into nightmares. Large deformed black dogs with red eyes chased me, while hands snatched at me as I went past, trying to grab and claim my power. Not that I had any idea what the power was, but it didn't matter, and I didn't have time to think about it, because they wanted it. The dead seemed to come alive around me, crawling out of the very earth I ran over as I sprinted to the largest tree I could see. There was nothing stopping them from getting me except my vague hope that they couldn't climb.
The sound of laughter filled the air as the dog-like beings chasing me a moment ago now attacked the dead—undead?—as they crawled out of the ground. Were they protecting me? The thought moved through me right as I reached the tree.
As soon as my hands touched it, the dreamscape changed and morphed into a dream I'd had many times before. The tree was bigger than a skyscraper. It made redwoods look no taller than ants. All in all, it was massive, and as I moved around it, I got different sensations. There was a freezing cold on my feet, but as I moved, it lessened into a chill, and I could smell smoke.
I looped the tree once more, moving from branch to branch as I climbed, and felt a tingle wash over my skin. Nothing ever stayed the same for long as I circled. Sometimes it was the sensation on my skin; others, it was the sounds or scents in the air.
The next branch brought the sound of smashing rocks, followed closely by hammers striking anvils. The sounds reverberated through me, echoing and drawing me ever higher. Finally, I was high enough that I knew they couldn't get to me, either the beasts or the undead, but when I looked down, they weren't there anymore. The ground was so far away that it almost appeared to be covered in fog. I moved one higher, trying to see where I was through the leaves, and as always, that was when I woke up.
I tugged the pillow over my face and tried to go back to sleep, but it was no use. The sun was streaming in through the window and making my brain wake up even though my body didn't want to move. I stayed still and evaluated the goings on of my belly. The feeling of pressure was still there, but I hoped as the day progressed, it would lessen. It was just this nagging feeling of needing a release of some kind that crawled up my spine and made it hard to keep my mind off anything other than my belly.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand, and when I checked it, I found Rox was already awake and checking in on me. Not only that, but when I looked at the time, I was shocked. I never slept in, and yet it was past noon, way, way past noon. I had slept the day away and would barely have time for dinner, let alone breakfast, before I needed to get to the bar. It was going to be a long night. I could just feel it in my bones.
My shift ended at three in the morning, just before the early risers came in for a pub breakfast. I had never been more relieved to get my purse from under the counter and head home.
The parking lot was empty except for a few cars, most of which I knew belonged to the cook, the bartender, or the manager on duty. My beat-up little red car was tucked around the corner, as though it were hiding. The reality was that the bar, which was twenty-four hours, got surprisingly busy with an after-all-the-bars-close rush, and I didn't like having my car out front for the drunkards to run into. It was dinged and scratched enough as it was.
My keys were in hand as I rounded the corner, but something stopped me in my tracks. I looked up and found two red eyes staring at me. Well, staring was a rather strong word. Glowing might be better. The light seemed to emanate from within as it came closer toward me.
A hulking great black beast appeared from the shadows, looking exactly like one of the ones in my dream. Each vertebra along its spine poked out, along with its ribs, but it wasn't skinny. The lean muscles shone in the dim light that came from a streetlamp about a block away. Each step was graceful to the point that I felt compelled to watch.
A low growl sounded from the creature, rippling over my skin. The noise was enough to startle me into movement. I spun around and flew toward the bar, moving as fast as I could. I glanced over my shoulder to find the thing bounding after me, but its movements were lazy, as though it knew it could catch me whenever it wanted to. When I turned back, I barely caught myself from running into a man who had been sitting at the long counter of the bar only a few minutes ago.
“What's wrong?” the guy asked, clearly concerned that I was looking at him like a wild-eyed lunatic.
“There's something after me . . .” I panted as I tried to push past him to get closer to the door, which I hoped would protect me from whatever that thing was.
“You mean that?” He nodded forward, his eyes fixed on something behind me.
I glanced and saw the two red orbs glowing at me once more, only this time, the thing had stopped. When I turned back to the man, I nodded, my eyes finally taking him in.
When he was in the bar, he’d barely looked at me, which was fine since I wasn't his server. My shift was split with another person to help mitigate the overwhelm of the rush. I’d seen plenty of him, though. The guy was beyond gorgeous. His dark hair had a red tint to it, and his blue-green eyes were enough to make any girl swoon. It didn't hurt that he was dressed in a sweater that looked so soft, I couldn't help but want to touch it. He looked as if he should be in a men's fragrance commercial or something.
“That's just Knox. He doesn't actually mean you any harm.” He smiled as he looked down at me as if what he was saying should make complete sense.
“What?” I asked as I jerked away from him.
He frowned and looked down at me. “Did Emmett not explain everything to you last night?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“By the gods, I knew Em was hiding something.”
“Please, just let me go. I won't tell anyone. You can have whatever you want. I have all my tips from tonight in my wallet. There's probably almost two hundred bucks there, or if you want my car, you can take that. I don't care, whatever, just let me go, please.”
“Listen, my little sugar plum, this isn't a kidnapping, and I don't want your cash or that wretched excuse of a car you have over there. All we want is to talk. Right, Knox?” he said, looking over my shoulder at the animal.
When I glanced over, I saw the animal's eyes weren't nearly as red, and it was sitting. The thing was still almost as tall as I was, but instead of looking like the vicious beast it had a few moments ago, it now looked calm and almost like a real dog, or wolf.
“Is there somewhere we can talk?”
“If we talk, you'll let me go after?”
“I swear on my honor,” the guy said, and dipped his head slightly.
Honestly, I didn't feel as if I had much of a choice, so I waved them over to where my car was. “No one really comes over here except the kitchen staff, so it's as good a spot as any. I'll give you five minutes, and then I'm getting in this car and driving off, whether I have to go through you or not.”
“Fair enough,” the guy said before turning to the beast. “Knox, would you mind?”
A red glow spread through the beast’s eyes and down his chest before covering the rest of his body. After a few seconds, it grew brighter, so much so that I had to cover my eyes. The smell of smoke tickled my nostrils, and I couldn't help but wonder what the hell was going on. When the light faded and I risked uncovering my eyes, I found a man standing there.
A very naked man.
A very sexy naked man.
A blush flew over my cheeks, and I quickly turned away.
“Really? You didn't leave your clothes nearby?” the other man huffed.
Part of my brain was screaming at me to get out of there, screw the five minutes I had promised them, but the other part, the part that was winning, demanded I stay and find out not only what that thing was but how it had turned into a naked dude. I needed answers and fast; otherwise, I was going to convince myself that I was losing my mind.
“My clothes are back in the car. I didn't w
ant to leave them around this dump and have them get stolen or something. I'd rather be naked.” The man's voice rolled over my skin as if it were the most luxurious sensation I could ever experience. My mind's eye desperately tried to piece together what it had seen before my prudish side had made me turn away.
Just that voice and the thought of him naked had my body reacting in a painfully needy way. It might have been a while since I'd had sex, but that didn't mean I should be reacting to strangers in a dark alley like that.
“Does she have the necklace?” this Knox character asked.
The man from the diner placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face the naked guy. I tried to keep my eyes on his face and ignore the washboard abs and clearly cut V-lines around his hips, but it was next to impossible.
A cool hand slid across my chest, lifting the necklace from my skin. The depth of the cold I felt when it was removed scared me slightly. I shouldn't feel like that with just a necklace. And the world definitely shouldn't be turning black around the edges.
Chapter Three
Poppy
I was sleeping on something uncomfortable. It was the first thing I knew when I woke up, since my arm was numb and there was a TV remote or something digging into my back. The second thing I knew was that wherever I was, it wasn't my apartment.
My eyes snapped open. Part of me wanted to curse. I should probably be hiding the fact that I was awake as they did in the spy movies. I'd never make a good secret agent, that was for sure, especially not with my tendency to start to giggle at the most inopportune moments. Like right now.
A snicker escaped my lips as I thought I remembered a dog-like creature turning into a man, or something like that. The glowing red eyes seemed to haunt me in my dreams and when I was awake. Part of me told me it was time to go back to my therapist, that whatever was going on clearly wasn't healthy, but I hated admitting I needed help like that. I knew rationally that wasn't what I was doing, but the feeling was still there, stewing inside me.
That wasn't the only thing, either. A clawing need rushed through my body, and I sat up, clutching my chest and my stomach with a grunt.
“She's awake!” a voice across the room yelled. I turned and found the guy from the bar fight, the one who had hit the little prick, watching me.
A moment later, Knox and the auburn-haired guy from the bar appeared in the room.
“You kidnapped me?” I questioned haughtily, as though no one ever betrayed their word.
“No, you passed out,” Knox said with that deep sexy voice from last night. It was enough to send a shiver down my spine. His long, wavy hair was tied up in a bun, but it didn't take away from the raw sensuality he exuded. The urge to strip naked and let him take me right then and there was much stronger than it should have been. The black tank top and gray sweatpants made my mouth water with how they stretched over his skin.
“We weren't planning on bringing you here, but I couldn't very well leave you unconscious in a parking lot, could I?” Mr. Auburn Hair asked.
“I don't understand.” I finally pulled my gaze away from Knox and ran my hand through my hair. The thick brown locks were tangled, and I knew I probably looked like death warmed over. I sighed as I turned to bar-guy and asked, “Is there a bathroom I can use?”
“Down this hall, last door on the left.”
I got up and followed his directions to the letter to find a nice, cozy bathroom. Definitely decorated by a woman. No group of guys would have a bathroom with coordinating towels and bathmats in their home, let alone the warm cinnamon and brown sugar–scented hand soap.
Nothing felt right. My skin felt too tight and itchy, my stomach felt as if it were eating itself or something were clawing at me from the inside, and my head pounded as if I had the worst hangover in the world, even though I hadn't had a drop to drink since I had that cocktail Rox had bought at the club.
“Nice. Really nice,” I said to myself as I looked in the mirror at my bird's nest of hair and smeared eyeliner. If I saw me walking down the street, I'd think I’d had either the best or the worst one-night stand of my life. I splashed some cold water on my face and ran my fingers through my hair, pulling it back into a messy bun. It was the best I could do given the circumstances. Last, I straightened my uniform of a tiny skirt and the vest that showed way too much cleavage, wishing I had something to change into so that whatever I had to do to get home wasn't done in this outfit. I didn't want them thinking badly of me, for some reason, and that concerned me just as much as getting out of there in general.
I strutted back out to the area with the couch where I had been sleeping. All three of them were still there, looking like freaking models. Knox and the auburn-haired guy were sitting on the couch, while the guy from the club was still in the same armchair he’d been in when I’d walked out. I knew I'd interrupted something because of how quiet they were, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I posed in the doorway with my hands on my hips, like a schoolteacher or something. “Who is going to tell me what your names are? 'Cause I can't keep referring to you as Auburn-Hair Guy and Club Guy. Oh, and someone needs to tell me why I'm here before I completely lose my cool. Okay? I know Knox already, obviously. I mean, you tend to remember someone's name when they change from a creepy-ass red-eyed dog-wolf thing to a naked dude.”
They all just stared at me as if I'd lost my mind. I wanted to laugh and really scare them, make them think I was nuts so I could get out of there, but I knew if I did that, then the night before would remain a mystery, and that would drive me crazy.
“Come on, guys.”
“I'm Emmett,” the guy in the chair said as he got up and walked over to me. He had dark messy hair that was long enough for me to potentially run my fingers through and grab on to, without needing to tie it back like Knox. Dark-brown eyes the color of rich soil met my own and held my gaze while he took my hand and kissed my knuckles. “It's a pleasure to meet you.” There was something familiar about him, more than just seeing him throwing punches in a club, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
“Why'd you start a fight with that guy in the bar?” I asked before I thought better of it. I braced myself, unsure of what was going to happen next.
The other two men scowled at him before he said, “He attacked you and needed to be punished.”
“I wouldn't call throwing beer over me attacking me. I mean, sure, it was a dick move, but he wouldn't have hurt me.”
“You couldn’t know that. Besides, he disrespected you. That's reason enough.”
I wanted to argue with him, but the remaining man whose name I still didn't know chose that moment to butt in. “I'm Hunter.”
“Hunter, huh? I would say it's a pleasure, but that's still up for debate.”
“You are sassy in the morning, aren't you? I like it.” Hunter smiled at me as he spoke, a challenge clearly being issued in his tone and the gleam in his eyes, but it was not one I was willing to play along with.
“And as for the last question . . .” I breathed, trying to lead them into whatever it was they were avoiding, while remaining patient and not getting frustrated with them.
“That is a lot more involved than just our names, especially when you haven't told us yours.” Hunter crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke and looked more than a little defiant. The man definitely didn't like it when I gave orders.
“Poppy.”
“Like the flower?” Emmett asked, his brow furrowed as though he couldn't understand why someone would name their child after a flower.
“Yeah. It was my mom's favorite. Is that a problem?” I asked, my eyebrows practically raised to my hairline.
“No, just a surprise.”
“Okay,” I said, glancing at Emmett one last time before refocusing on Hunter and Knox. “So, on to the next part?”
“You may want to sit down for this.”
I hated that phrase. It just made me want to stay standing even more. “Sit for what?”
“The necklace you'
re wearing is a magical object that used to belong to the goddess Persephone. It was a gift from Hades, and every few thousand years or so, it finds the next queen of the Underworld.”
Okay, so, I needed a new tactic. I couldn't out crazy them, clearly, since they had that on lock, so how the hell was I going to get away from them? I could stay and listen to their crazy story in hopes that they would start to relax, and then make my move, or I could just make a break for it before they realized I was planning an escape and take my chances. Neither of those options sounded especially good. I didn't want to stick around anymore than I absolutely had to, though, not that I felt threatened by these guys; in fact, it was quite the opposite. I had never felt more at ease than I did around them. It was why my snark was coming out to play, but that didn't mean I should stick around.
“Do you guys have any food or a kitchen so I can make myself some breakfast? I'm starving,” I said as I basically ignored the crazy they had just spouted.
They all looked at one another as if they weren't sure what was happening.
“Come on, this way,” Knox said as he led the way from the sitting area I had been sleeping in to the kitchen.
“Knox—” one of the others said with a warning tone.
“She's fine. Aren't you, doll?”
“I'm not a doll, but yes, I'm fine.”
“You should be freaking out,” another male voice said. This time, I looked behind me and found Emmett's lips moving.
“Well, I'm not, so deal with it.” I turned back around and felt my hair swing with me. Very dramatic, Poppy. Good work. They'll definitely take you seriously when you demand to leave now. When we stepped into the kitchen, I froze.
Emmett and Hunter bumped into me, and there were mumbles of, “What the hell?” among other things.