I grabbed my purse and put on some lip balm. Brushing out my hair with my fingers, a couple stray pins fell out. I tied my hair in a ponytail with a spare hair-tie from my purse. With long hair, you always carry a spare.
Kian was still in his office. I could hear his slightly accented voice through the door. The fire he ignited in me was still there, but my brain was starting to work again. Something about him made me unable to think of anything but sex. Frowning, I recalled the dream. Maybe it had been an omen of how I had no willpower to resist him.
The bathroom was done in black stone with white and black tiles on the walls. The fixtures were all brushed nickel and looked contemporary. There was a toilet and a larger-than-normal black tub. A shower with a fancy glass door was separate. Another door was inside the bathroom. It was opposite the sinks and large mirror. I wondered if it was a closet for towels. Or maybe a spare comb? Curious, I peeked inside.
Inside, it was dark. I reached my left hand out and found the light switch. Flipping it, the inside lit up with a bright light. Inside was a walk-in closet. It was mostly full of clothes and accessories for Kian. All neatly organized by season and type. Opposite Kian's clothes was a rack organized with women’s dresses, lingerie, and shoes.
Did he have female company so often he had clothes here?
I got closer and noticed a tag. Wow, the clothes were all designer labels. The kind you ordered from a fashion house. Not the kind normal people bought at a store. The shoes and accessories were the same. Curious I picked up a shoe that was probably over a grand by itself. Odd it was my size, seven A. That was weird. Picking up another sparkling shoe, I thought it couldn’t be. A beautiful set of heels gold with crystals decorating it, and again seven A.
All the shoes were my size. All were dream shoes. The kind even a tomboy like me sighed over. Maybe that was a more common shoe size than I thought. Maybe a lot of people had narrow feet?
Frowning, I held up a dress. It looked like it’d fit. I put it back on the rack. Unable to stop, I picked up a bra and underwear set. Size 32 DD bra and small panties. My sizes.
All my sizes.
My breath stopped. Desire dried up as fear set in.
Was he a stalker? Was he actually Max? No way in hell did his previous girlfriend have all the same exact sizes I did! There was no possibility he ordered from a bunch of designers and had it all delivered in the twenty-some hours since we had met. There was no safe, logical explanation.
Standing in his shirt, smelling him, I felt the fury start raging. It took over the fear as I threw his shirt in a hamper.
I fixed my bra; it was intact but damaged. The lace was ripped on both sides. I took one of Kian’s black tank tops and shoved it on. I tucked it into a pair of his casual capris that were a dark gray color. Using a silk scarf as a belt, I made them fit. Because of my heels, the capris didn't have to be rolled and cuffed too much.
Blinded by lust, I’d trusted him. Thank goodness for the interruption.
The clothes smelled like him, but I needed something to wear home. My hands had a tremor in them. I fought the red. I was furious in ways I never had been before.
How dare he do this! What was he? Did he know about my after-hours activities? He planned on dressing me to suit his tastes; was I like a doll to him?
Breathing in, I straightened my spine.
He would not put his hands on me again.
Kian's voice could barely be heard.
I opened the door slowly. A male voice implored. They were both speaking in German, but I didn’t know enough to make out the conversation.
I peeked out and saw a man in a blue suit of average build holding his hands together in front of Kian's desk. It looked like he was pleading.
"Kian." The man held his hands palm out, a look of desperation on his face.
Kian's voice was soft and dangerous, "Schneider, you have-"
Deciding that I wanted no part of whatever was going on, and nothing to do with Kian, I opened the door.
"Dianna, what are you doing?" Kian sat behind his desk in his chair. His voice was still soft. He looked at what I was wearing, "Hmm. So you are spooked?” His eyes seemed to glow before he shut them. Keeping them closed, he said some words in German and then Schneider practically flew out the door.
I kept walking towards it.
Kian's was suddenly behind me. His arm pushed the door closed. He leaned in, resting his forehead on the back of my shoulder. "Please. Let me explain."
My body reacted to his touch, and I almost gave in. Red wrath pushed at the edges of my vision. "I wanted answers before. I don't want them now. Move away."
Kian pressed his bare chest to my back, lifting his head. His breath hit my neck. "If you stay, I'll tell you everything." His lips were almost touching my neck.
Reacting with muscle memory, I turned around.
His eyes were closed, as he moved his hands to my waist.
I slipped my right arm under his left, putting it over my head to the other side. In the same motion, my left arm held his waist. I moved around and shot out my right leg, putting my foot behind his. I kept my leg straight, and grabbed my hands together and put my butt to the floor, rolling him down and away from me. My speed was at full blast. It all took less than a second. I didn’t care. If he was supernatural or a stalker, he knew what I did and most likely my abilities.
With his back to me, I saw the tattoo clearly on his right shoulder blade. It was quite large and done in a pale golden color that blended in with his skin. A half man, half snakes. Plural. The bottom half of his body were snakes instead of legs.
"Fuck off," I said.
Kian stood up, completely unaffected. Turning to face me, he held up an arm as I swung at him.
My fist ached from the impact. "You’re sick," I roared.
He grabbed the wrist of my outstretched arm and slammed me against his body. The heat from his body made the red start to fade as need filled me. His lips brushed my cheek, and my body leaned into his.
Rubbing against me, I let my muscles relax. Kian’s lips came in for a kiss as I smashed my forehead into his neck. He sighed and swept my feet. As I fell, I rolled to the side, but Kian caught up landing on top of me. He held my hands above my body.
He frowned, "This is disappointing, Dianna."
"Go fuck yourself." I spit in his face.
He flinched. His brows lowered, deepening the frown. "This is pointless." His touch permeated through the layers of cloth. It almost made me forget why I was so angry.
His breath was hot as he kissed the spot on my neck. Thoughts disappeared. I moaned, pressing against him.
"This is truth," he whispered. "We belong together."
What was happening? Kian had done something. Something bad. What was it?
"Not like this, though." He moved off me.
Without skin contact wrath pressed onto me, with a new companion, horror. "What are you?"
He sat on the ground looking at me, shirtless and perfect. "Touching you is cheating. Come to me," he said in a low voice.
My body started to shake from all the adrenaline bursting inside. I stood up, backing away.
Kian started to laugh as I moved away. He whispered, "Choose me, Dianna." His eyes glowed, bathing his face with gold and turquoise light.
I ran as fast as I could to the door and out of the club.
Kian's laughter rang out behind me once again.
Chapter Fifteen
I returned Dominick's call on the way back to my car. He didn't pick up. I plugged the phone into my car and then listened to his voicemail while I drove.
"Dianna. It's Dominick. You have to come here. It is an emergency." No goodbye, just hanging up.
At least he texted me his number, as well as the call so I could call his private number. Angry, I took the exit to their house. Dominick was a lot of things, but he was honest.
My taste in men sucked! First Max, then Roth, now Dominick and Kian. Or maybe Kian was what had become of Max?
My hands shook while I turned my car back to the radio. Listening to some classical music normally helped to calm me, but Kian's actions had me discombobulated. I was at a loss. My eyes were dry because I was far too terrified to cry.
Kian could enter my dreams. When I was near him, my ability to control myself disappeared.
Kian had glowing eyes like Dominick's. Not like mine. The light didn't make their whole eyes glow, just the irises.
The musky smell that was Kian's unique scent drifted from his tank top. I turned the radio off and switched to a playlist from my phone. Angry music via the early 2000s belted out.
Singing with the songs, screaming out the words of rage didn't help. Everything in me wanted to confront Kian, scream at him, and hurt him. But going over to talk to him hadn't gone the way I had planned.
Remembering trying to push him away and how it hadn't even made him budge was worrying. If that were the case, he'd let me throw him, and then laughed at me. Kian was a sadistic jerk.
What had been the deal with the German man? Kian had scared the crap out of that guy, Schneider, and had spoken in German. I couldn't place Kian's accent, but it wasn't German. However, he spoke German.
Were the Big Three real? Was Kian mixed up with the mob? Or was the mob mixed up with Kian? It was just more questions.
Questions that could be answered if I possessed more courage and a stronger will. However, I had no willpower to resist Kian.
My gut had saved me before. The times I ignored my instincts that something-was-off were the times I got hurt. My instincts said to stay away from Kian. Far away.
I pushed thoughts of Kian down and wondered why Dominick would call me about an emergency. He was a police officer. He'd dial his buddies not me for aid. It had to be something to do with monsters.
I took the highway exit to the old two-way traffic FM road. The road still didn’t get enough traffic to split it into a larger thoroughfare. Trees of all types lined the road, and it had enough curves to make it slow going during bad weather. I screamed with the rage-filled lyrics.
Suddenly something large blocked the middle of the road. For a second I thought a huge elk was on the road or a fallen tree. I hit the brakes but didn't slam them. A large shadow dominated the center of the road. Its grin reflecting the beam of the headlights.
Jerking the wheel to the side to avoid crashing, I hit the brakes gently. The road hadn't been salted recently and was slick enough to cause my sedan to hydroplane. It spun in circles until it slammed into a tree. The airbags went off, smashing my face, as the impact tore me from my seatbelt and launched me to the side and forward.
Everything went black.
Blinking, I tried to remember where I was. Something was in my eyes. I tried to lift my right hand to wipe away the blood, but it hurt too much. I used my left hand and wiped at my eyes. Blood was in front of me on a pale balloon. What was this? Where was I? All sorts of pain stabbed my torso and limbs.
Adrenaline hit me. A tall shadow smiled. On the road. My body struggled to disengage from the wreck wrapped around a tree. My door was bent and unable open. I broke off the door handle and cursed.
The tool for smashing windows had gotten lost in the wreck, so I used the broken handle to punch through the window. My hand and arm got shards of glass in them. I struggled to get my right leg free. It was trapped by the remains of the steering wheel and the dash. I used my strength and pushed at the dash. Then pulling my leg free scrapped off layers of skin. Hurriedly wiping away some of the glass, my eyes darted around. Searching the shadows.
Using my left elbow and arm, I levered myself through the window. Bits of remaining glass lacerated my torso and legs as I fell through the opening.
Free.
My body hit the ground. It was earth hardened from the bitter freeze of this winter and lightly dusted with the last snow, but it felt great. Pushing myself up to a sitting position with my left arm, I looked around as best I could. Nothing.
Blood echoed in my ears, boom, boom, boom. It was here. The hairs on my bloodied and bruised body stood up. I tried to get to my feet, but my ankles weren't cooperating. No. I pushed up and tried again. If I used my lower left side more, I could move at a painful hop. I fell again.
Something inside my hip was broken. Pushing up to use my arms to pull my body away from the road. The pain in my right arm was agony, but fear motivated me to move.
"Dianna! Run!" Brad screamed at me from across the highway. "This way!”
Tendrils of shadow covered in snow picked me up and held me gently in their cradle. The voice of the monster came out in its metallic sound, "Dead Red Girl, you try so hard."
The foghorn sound exploded. Screams echoed in the night as it lifted me its face. One of the velvet shadows cut my stomach with its clawed tip, while it pet me. No guts spilled out, but it added a new level of anguish.
Brad pulled at the tendrils holding me. "Let her go!"
The Shadowed Man flicked him aside like swatting a fly.
The head with no eyes, no ears, no nose, only a mouth filled with rows of yellowed jagged teeth smiled at me, "You were chosen, created of the unfather."
It shook me hard enough to make my teeth rattle and cause whatever had broken to get worse.
Screaming, I writhed to get free.
A laugh that sounded like broken cymbals crashed through the air. "You can choose. Choose us."
It brought me up to its maw. The stench of rotting flesh filled my lungs. Gagging, I began to vomit as its deformed hands stroked my hair.
"Your unfather loves his children, but he bores of them quickly." His long grey tongue reached out to lick at the vomit. "Choose us, unchild."
"No," sounded like a whisper, when I tried to yell it. I'd never do anything with this hideous creature. It released me. I fell to the ground with crunching and snapping sounds.
Its head bent upside down at an impossible angle. "To feast endless, side with the fallen's father." Tendrils of shadow pet me, carving flesh where they touched.
Distant sounds of sirens lit the night. The Shadowed Man crawled over me until all I could see was the repulsive form blotting out the night's sky. The feeling of its shadows touching me was like feeling maggots on your skin.
"Choose us and feast, Dead Red Girl." It began to fold smaller, fading into the pool or ichor at its feet. "Choose us or die."
Between the milliseconds it took me to close my eyes and open them in a blink, the nightmare was over. It was gone, and the night’s sky was beautiful. I had lived.
Brad half ran half limped towards me. Part of his leg looked shredded like torn cloth, revealing ghostly bones underneath. He collapsed next to me.
"I’m sorry I couldn't help more." Whatever made Brad Brad now, he looked more solid outdoors at night. Putting his hand over mine, he said, "You'll be okay. It'll be okay."
Tears fell from my eyes. I couldn't feel my right arm or my legs. With time, I'd heal. Something felt wrong inside my stomach. It felt like a digging inside my body. I tried to get it with my left hand, but it wouldn't move. I could taste the blood in my mouth and feel it inside my nose.
"I'll try to get help." Brad ran off until his image disappeared.
Crying in fear and joy, I lay on the ground. A small spark of hope lit within me. Hope that Dominick and Alec would come. The cavalry. As pale lights filled the tops of the trees, I saw the image of a winged creature above them. Once more, the world faded to black.
Chapter Sixteen
Male voices were talking in low tones. The jostling pain of being lifted woke me. The sky was still a deep violet. My lids closed for what felt like a second. When I opened my eyes, Dominick was standing next to me holding my hand. The bright headlights refracted in the cloudy night sky, framing his face. His usual expression was gone, replaced with concern.
He had blood on his face. I tried to reach out and touch it, but the pain stopped my arm from moving.
It was hard to keep my eyes open, so I closed them.
I could Alec as they talked about the glass embedded in my skin, possible fractures, and took my pulse. My bag.
"Dominick," my voice rasped. I pushed out his name with great effort. "My bag."
Dominick nodded, "Don't worry, I'll grab it."
The two got me into their minivan. The jarring didn't hurt, because I couldn't feel much anymore. Blood came out of my ears, and the bitter coppery flavor coated my mouth. Relief swept through me, I was alive.
Alec held me as gently as he could, but it hurt so much I almost passed out again.
I could see Dominick's head over the headrest of the drivers sear. The edges of my vision became like a vignette that quickly became smaller.
As the darkness spread, I looked into Alec's eyes, "Sa-"
"Just rest. Tell me later." He nodded again, his face tight. He was sitting next to me, holding my hand. I could see it, even though I couldn't feel it.
Alec moved the remains of the tank top up. Pressing a towel on a wound there; I could see blood fill the towel.
"Sashi-" I croaked.
Dominick returned, and put his hand on my face, "It'll be okay." He looked worried. Alec shook his head.
"No." My chest hurt. Something inside felt wrong. It squeezed my chest in a band tightly.
Dominick continued to cup my cheek, while Alec pressed another cloth to my stomach.
"It'll be okay, Dianna," said Alec.
A muscle in Dominick's jaw was spasming.
"Sashimi," I growled. "Idiot."
Agony seared through my chest. Once again the world faded, but not before I saw Dominick's surprised expression.
I opened my eyes. It smelled like antiseptic. I shifted my head somewhat and saw a woman in green scrubs taking the glass out of my abdomen with silver scissor looking things. She put the glass on a tray full of blood and shards. Ripping pain in my stomach made me yelp.
"She's awake," said Alec.
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