The stranger’s eyes burned into mine. I could feel his expectation beating against my skin. He wanted something from me, needed something but whatever it was, unless he told me I couldn’t help him.
“You were attacked,” he said. “Do you remember what your attacker looked like?”
Fear twisted around my heart, causing goose bumps to break out across my skin. The memories I had, they couldn’t be real, I knew that for certain and yet, there was a part of me that believed what I was remembering.
“He had black hair,” I said, “and his eyes…” I trailed off as a memory of the stranger’s eyes glowing yellow in the half-light popped into my head.
“What about them?” He interrupted my thoughts, his tone impatient as though he believed I was wasting his time.
“What?”
“His eyes, you were going to tell me what colour his eyes were,” he said.
“Yellow,” I said, twisting my fingers around in the bed sheet. It sounded crazy. “He must have been wearing contacts or something.”
“Or something,” the stranger muttered beneath his breath. He obviously thought I couldn’t hear him and despite being on the other side of the room, I’d heard him as though he’d been standing next to me.
“Why bring me here,” I said. “I mean, do you often bring home strange women in distress?”
“It’s not a habit of mine,” he said, moving back down the steps to the bar. He grabbed a crystal decanter from the counter and raised it up. “Brandy?”
I shook my head and he shrugged before he grabbed a crystal tumbler and poured a double measure into the glass.
“You were injured,” he said, raising the glass to his lips as he propped himself against the mahogany bar.
The pain I’d felt was seared into my memory, it was one of the clearest memories I had. The fire that had spread across my back, it had felt like my skin was being slowly flayed from my body.
“But not hurt enough to go to a hospital?”
He shook his head. “I thought you would feel more comfortable here.”
My head was beginning to ache and the stranger was adding to my questions rather than helping me to sift through everything that had happened.
“Look, thanks for helping me out but I’d just like to get my clothes and get out of here…” I trailed off as he shook his head.
“You think you can just leave?” He said finally.
“Actually, yeah I do…”
“Until you remember, Harper, I cannot let you leave the Aery. It’s too dangerous for you out there,” he said, his gaze both ferocious and utterly possessive.
“You’re kidding right, this is some sort of elaborate joke,” I said, the fear I’d felt the night before slowly wrapping its way around my body once more.
“Jokes aren’t really to my taste,” he said, downing the remnants of his brandy in one mouthful. He set the glass back on the bar and turned to face me.
“You can’t keep me here… I’m not your prisoner,” I said. Panic settled in my chest and churned in my stomach. This wasn’t happening to me, this didn’t happen to people like me, it happened to others, but not me. It was something that appeared on the news—woman goes missing—people always spoke of such matters with pity in their voices. But it didn’t happen to me—couldn’t happen to me—or the people I knew… It wasn’t real.
“You’re not a prisoner at all,” he said, his voice suddenly filled with such sorrow that tears actually pooled at the corners of my eyes. “I would never hurt you…”
“Then let me leave,” I said, fear strangling my voice.
“Not until you remember…”
He turned and stalked away, leaving me in the middle of the room to stare after his retreating back.
I watched as he pressed a button on the wall and a set of double doors slid open, revealing the inside of a glass encased elevator. I watched as he stepped inside and my heart squeezed violently.
He was going to leave me here alone.
“Azael, don’t leave me,” I said, his name tripping off my tongue with such ease and familiarity that for a moment I felt as though I knew him.
“Harper…” He said, pausing, his large hands holding the elevator doors open as his silver eyed-gaze searched my face once more.
“You can’t do this,” I said, moving toward the elevator, desperation colouring my voice.
“When you remember, you will understand. I just hope you can forgive me…”
He released his hold on the doors and they began to slide shut. I darted across the room and slammed into them.
Frantically, I searched the wall for the button he had pressed. Finding it, I pressed the button over and over but nothing happened. The doors remained firmly shut, sealing me inside the room.
He’d said I wasn’t a prisoner but as I turned around and stared at the room, I decided then and there that he was a liar.
I was trapped.
His prisoner.
But he’d been right about one thing: I would never forgive him.
5
I wasn’t the type to simply sit around, twiddling my thumbs while I waited for my captor to return. Heading toward the bar, I searched through the shelves of liquor that lay behind it. I needed a weapon, if I had to bash his brains in and then make a run for it, I would do it.
Grabbing a bottle of vodka, I hefted the weighty glass in my hands. It wasn’t perfect but it would do the job all the same.
A shrill ding cut through my thoughts and I glanced back over at the elevator. As the doors slid open, I expected to see Azael standing inside but instead, I was faced with a petite middle-aged woman. Her dark hair was piled on her head and her face was creased with wrinkles.
She peered into the room, searching for something. When her eyes found me, she hesitated before stepping over the threshold. There was a small bundle cradled in her arms.
“I was asked to bring these up to you,” she said, holding the clothes out towards me. Her gaze travelled from my face to the satin sheet I had clutched around my body. Disapproval rolled off her body in waves and I felt my shoulders stiffen.
“You have to help me get out of here.” Clutching the bottle, I moved around the bar toward her.
She took a step back toward the elevator and there was a slight shake in her hands as she continued to hold the clothes out toward me.
“No. I was just to bring the clothes,” she said, sounding utterly unsure of herself.
“Please, he’s keeping me here. I just want to go home.” I moved a little faster, I didn’t want to frighten her but I couldn’t risk her disappearing back into the elevator and leaving me to my fate. My feet caught in the hem of the satin sheet and I stumbled.
“Caro, take no notice of her,” a woman said, stepping out of the still open elevator.
Shock rooted me to the spot as I stared at the tall, willowy woman who had seemingly appeared out of thin air. There had been no one else in the elevator just a moment before, I was almost certain of it and yet…
The willowy woman sashayed into the room, her svelte figure clad in a pair of billowy black trousers that were cinched in tight to her narrow waist. A cream blouse lay open down the front exposing an expanse of bronze skin. Only the pussy-bow tied delicately around her swan-like neck prevented the blouse from billowing open and her modesty intact.
Her dark hair was swept up and to the side, secured in a complicated knot at the base of her neck. Her almond eyes were so dark they were practically black and they studied me with interest.
“So, you’re the newest contender,” she said, her accent was almost impossible to read as she reached out to wrap a strand of my blonde hair around her slender finger.
Shrugging away from her, I gripped the satin sheet a little tighter.
“And who are you?”
She smiled at me and it instantly softened her features, making her appear almost friendly.
“I’m Lux,” she said, holding out one hand in my direction. I contempl
ated shaking it and then decided against it. I wasn’t here to make friends and wasting time with pleasantries wasn’t going to get me anywhere.
“I need to get out of here,” I said. “The guy, Azael, or whatever his name is, is holding me here.”
“He’s not holding you here,” she said, letting her hand drop back to her side. She strode over to the large windows that overlooked the city and I realised the sky had lightened considerably since I’d woke up.
“If he’s not holding me here, then show me how to get out,” I said.
“You’ll have to forgive my brother, he gets a little overzealous about most things,” she said, and I couldn’t help but stare at her in surprise.
“He’s your brother?”
“Of a sort, yes,” she said. “But that is neither here nor there. Azael, gets things stuck in his head and when he does, absolutely nobody can dissuade him of it.”
“Does that mean you’ll help me, or you can’t,” I said, my mind reeling. She was talking me around in circles and I could feel my temper rising to the occasion. I was done with being made to feel like a pawn. I’d been attacked, almost murdered by some psycho wielding a dagger. And just when I’d thought I was safe, I’d ended up in the clutches of another complete and utter psychopath and his alleged family.
“I can’t let you go, if that’s what you’re asking,” she said, turning away from the window.
I groaned in frustration.
“But, I can help you remember enough, so that you’ll be free to walk out of here,” she said.
“What am I supposed to remember then?”
“Who you truly are,” she said cryptically.
“I know who I am. My name is Harper Sanderson.”
Lux shook her head. “You are so much more.”
“Then why don’t you just tell me who it is I’m supposed to be, so I can leave?”
She sighed and folded her arms across her chest. “Stop being so difficult.” She waited a moment and when I didn’t argue with her further she smiled and gestured to the pile of clothes the woman she’d called Caro was holding. “If you’d put your clothes on, we can begin.”
Biting down my frustration, I grabbed at the clothes the other woman held and slipped in behind the bar, using it as a means to shield myself from their eyes. It wasn’t that I was a prude but I already felt vulnerable enough as it was, I didn’t need to feel anymore exposed.
I tugged on the jeans and slipped the bra and t-shirt on as quickly as I could. The moment I dragged the fabric down across my back, I sucked a breath in through my teeth in a low hiss. It still hurt like hell but until I could get a good look at what had actually happened to me, I couldn’t tell how it was healing.
Once I was dressed, I stepped out from behind the bar and Lux smiled at me.
“Perfect,” she said. “Now follow me.” She started toward the elevator without a backward glance leaving me with no choice but to either follow her or find myself left behind.
I chose to follow. At least if I went with her, I was a step closer to freedom.
We made the elevator ride in silence, even though I had a million questions swirling in my head. I wasn’t entirely convinced by her declaration that she was a sister to Azael. It wasn’t that I knew him particularly well but she was nothing like him and I wasn’t just talking about the difference in their eye colours.
Where she was arrogant and somewhat cocky, he had been confident and earnest in ways she never could be.
The elevator doors slid open silently and she stepped out into the long corridor beyond, her heels clicking against the marble floor with every step she took. Without needing or wanting to be prompted I quickly followed.
The doors slid shut behind us and I felt the chill of the air press against my skin, causing goose bumps to rise across my arms. The walls were made of a pale sandy coloured stone. I reached out and traced the rough surface of the rock, closing my eyes as I trailed my fingers along them.
“Feel familiar?” Lux said, her sudden question made me jump.
“I don’t know, maybe…” There was something familiar about the stone but it was like a memory that was buried in the back of my mind. I could feel it tickling in there but the harder I tried to latch onto it, the further away it slipped.
She shook her head and took off down the corridor at a pace that I struggled to keep up with. If I tried to move like her in a pair of those heels, I’d have found myself flat on my face before I’d even managed to take the first step.
The corridor wound its way down, the floor sloping away beneath us making me think we were descending further and further into the earth. The air was warmer here but it was also damp almost cloying, making every breath harder to draw in. The overhead lights disappeared and were replaced by large sconces embedded at regular intervals in the stone walls.
Even the floor was different down here. Gone was the white and gold marble, replaced by tons of compacted dirt. The hall was too small to fit large machinery inside it and I knew there was only one way a floor like this could exist; formed by thousands of feet passing back and forth pounding it into submission.
My stomach churned nervously and my steps slowed.
“Where are we going?” I asked finally, pausing in the middle of the corridor.
Lux turned to face me, framed by the golden light of the sconces on either side of her. The flickering flame seemed to dance across her skin and for a split second I had a vision of her, covered in gold and little else. I blinked and the image was gone, and she stood before me in her black trousers and cream blouse.
“I told you, I’m going to help you remember,” she said. When I didn’t answer her she sighed impatiently. “So you can get out of here. I mean, that is what you want, right?”
I couldn’t argue with her, it was what I wanted but the unease I felt wasn’t something I could ignore.
“Look, maybe I’ll just go back up and wait. Azael will see that he’s mistaken and…” I cut off with a yelp of pain as she grabbed my arm roughly and jerked me forward.
“You will remember,” she said, gritting her teeth as she pulled me forward. For a woman who looked as though a strong gust of wind could have swept her away, she was surprisingly strong. I fought in her grip but she held on with a strength that reminded me of the man who had attacked me the night before.
Not a man, a creature… The voice in the back of my head reminded me as Lux dragged me deeper into the tunnel.
“Let me go,” I said, slamming my fists into her arm in an attempt to break her hold but it did nothing except send a ricochet of pain up through my hands.
She paused and I almost ran into her before I jerked to a halt.
“Get your hands off me and—” I realised her stopping had nothing to do with me and everything to do with the large gold key she’d pulled from her pocket. Glancing over her shoulder I spotted the large wooden door which blocked the corridor. Huge rusted bars—as wide as my arm—fitted across the top of the door gave a view of whatever lay beyond. But I was stuck behind Lux and try as I might I couldn’t see what awaited us.
She fumbled with the key, struggling to slot it into the rusted lock but it wasn’t so easy to do one handed. When she released me I seized my opportunity with both hands. Wasting no time, I sprinted back in the direction we’d come, covering as much ground as I possibly could. Even though I wasn’t much of a runner I wasn’t the one wearing skyscraper heels. If I could just get far enough away from her then I could—
When her hand wrapped through my hair shock sent my heart rate into a tailspin. Despite still moving forward Lux jerked my head backwards with enough force to knock me on my ass. My head rang and my neck and shoulders ached so much I was surprised to discover she hadn’t actually ripped my head from my shoulders.
Without missing a beat, she started to drag me backwards by the hair. When I fought against her she tightened her grip, causing tears to spring into my eyes.
I screamed until my voice went ragged a
nd my throat ached. Digging my heels into the ground, I grabbed out at the walls, tearing my fingernails along the rough rock until the sandy coloured stone was covered in little bloody streaks and still I fought.
“Shut up and move or I will separate that pretty head of yours from your shoulders.” There was venom in her voice and I knew deep down that she meant what she said.
Falling silent, I nodded my ascent and stumbled to my feet as best I could. She resumed dragging me down the corridor toward the now open wooden door.
I won’t die like this. I can’t die like this.
Balling my hands into fists, I punched the woman holding me straight into the stomach but aside from a muffled grunt she behaved as though I hadn’t even touched her. When I lashed out again, she simply sidestepped my blows and tightened her grip on my hair.
We reached the door in less time than it had taken me to sprint down the hall and she thrust me inside. I landed on a dry dirt floor, the blow knocked the air from my lungs but I was back on my feet before she reached my side. Desperation made me daring and I darted out of her reach as she tried to grab me.
“You’re tougher than you look,” she said and I couldn’t be sure but she sounded genuinely surprised.
“I’m not going to let you kill me,” I said, as she reached for me again.
Lux paused and stared at me, “I’m not trying to kill you.” She huffed, exasperation colouring her words. “If I was, you would already be dead.” There was no artifice in her words, she was being completely sincere and there was a part of me that knew without any doubt that she spoke the truth.
“I don’t understand why you’re doing this,” I said and as much as I hated it, I could feel tears beginning to form a lump in the back of my throat.
Putting her hands on her hips, she gave me a sad smile as she shook her head. “This has nothing to do with you, at least not really.”
“Then let me go.”
“I have to show Azael that you’re not who he thinks. He’s been caught out before, we all have,” she said.
Fallen Angel: An Urban Fantasy Reverse Harem Bully Romance (Dark Hearts Academy Book 1) Page 3