Bump in the Night

Copyright © 2023 by Melanie Gilbert

Published by Scribbling Pen Publishing

www.scribblingpenpublishing.com

Cover by CReya-tive Book Cover

www.creya-tive.com

Edited by Holmes Editing

www.holmesedits.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, brands, trademarks, places, and incidents either are the
product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events,
locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of
either the author or the publisher.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means,
including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author,
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
“With danger and intrigue on every page, Gilbert has penned a daring new
fantasy!”
- RONE Award-winning author Casey L. Bond

“With an ending that will leave you gasping and intrigue that leaps from
every page, Bump in the Night by Melanie Gilbert is a must-read
masterpiece!”
-Award-winning author Stacey Rourke
To the man who put a fraudulent lien on my house. Without the stress from
not being able to sell the house, this book and its characters would never
have been born.
 CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Darkest Before the Dawn
The Witching Hour

Also by Melanie Gilbert

Connect with Melanie
About the Author
Connect with Scribbling Pen Publishing
First Blood
Dark of the Night
Blood and Magic
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The first draft of this book was really bad. Really, really bad haha. Thank
you to Tanya for loving it anyway and encouraging me to keep going.
This book came about during a dark time in my life. We needed to move
for my husband’s job, but couldn’t sell the house (see dedication), one of
my grandpas passed, and my husband’s grandpa passed. All within a week
or so of each other. Thank you to everyone who helped me survive those
months of my life and kept me going.
Thank you so much to my beta readers, editor, and cover designer for
making this book wonderful! I love it! And thank you to Casey Bond who
gave it a try and recommended it for me!
Many thanks go to God and my family. They are such wonderful
supports in my life. I couldn’t do this without them. Thanks also to Heather,
the best writing buddy in the world.
D
arkness plagued my entire existence. Not metaphorical darkness,
but devoid-of-light darkness. In fact, a mole saw more light than
my roommate did. Because of Astrid’s light allergies, the blinds
had to be closed and never opened, the light switch in the kitchen had been
taped into the off position, all but one lightbulb had been removed from the
bathroom, and she’d gone as far as to remove the lightbulb from the
refrigerator. Astrid lived in the dark and loved it. She thrived.
I hated it.
My cereal crunched as I ate one more lame dinner in the darkness at my
tiny kitchen table. Fuming, I took another aggressive bite of Cinnamon
Toast Crunch and glared at the entrance to the hallway that led to our
rooms. She’d be waking up soon, and I’d go to my bedroom to lavish in the
light of not one, not two, but three lamps and the overhead light. Some
might call it overkill, but I’d lived with Astrid for only a month now and
had bought the lamps one week into her lease. If I didn’t have a crappy,
dead end, low-paying job, I would’ve offered to pay the entire rent. That
way, she could move out and I wouldn’t have to live with a night owl. On
top of the light issue, Astrid wasn’t even quiet while I slept.
Finished with my dinner, I rose and rinsed my bowl and spoon before
loading them in the dishwasher. I couldn’t do this for another eleven months
before Astrid’s lease ended. If she even decided to move. She could decide
to stay another year. As long as I remained a compliant roommate, the
chances of her leaving were slim to none. With her allergies, she probably
didn’t find too many people willing to accommodate her. So, I wouldn’t be
compliant. Nor would I accommodate. I wouldn’t be a prisoner in my own
house. We saw each other once, maybe twice, during a twenty-four-hour
period. There was no reason to tape my light switches off. Besides, Astrid
saw perfectly well in the dark and probably didn’t even need the light in the
bathroom. Well, maybe she needed that one. Otherwise, she’d be standing
in a dark cave.
As the minutes passed while I cleaned up the kitchen—wiping down
cupboards longer than normal because I couldn’t see the grime on them—
my irritation with Astrid grew. Why didn’t she find a single bedroom
apartment? Why had she forced me to live this way?
I threw the dishcloth into the sink and walked into the bathroom where I
pulled out the bulbs Astrid had removed from their sockets. Refusing to
think about the consequences, I replaced the bulbs into their proper places
and left the bathroom. Who in the world was allergic to light? The sun? I’d
heard of that. But light?
Job done, I walked to my room and closed myself inside. I had plans to
curl up with a book before tucking myself into bed. My room had a large
enough space for a small book nook with a comfy chair in a corner, and I
headed there after changing into my pajamas.
Even with an entertaining book featuring my favorite characters—
vampires and werewolves—I couldn’t focus on the words on the page. I
could move home to my parents’ house. I’d worked at the restaurant in my
hometown for a while before moving to the city. I could work there again.
Mom and Dad wouldn’t make me pay rent, and I could save to go back to
school. Twenty-three wasn’t too old for that. Plus, after living paycheck to
paycheck, I could see the value in educating myself in something that
would bring in more money than I currently made. But would it be
something I would also enjoy? And if so, did I even want to do it?
 My lips vibrated as I blew out a breath. That’s why I’d quit college in
the first place. Why go and waste my money when I didn’t know what I
wanted to do with my life? Mom and Dad had given me some money here
and there to help me get by, but I was tired of living that way. Something
had to give.
Giving up on the book, I crawled beneath the covers of my bed and
prayed for a dreamless sleep. The chances were slim, but every night I
hoped. Sometimes luck was on my side. Sometimes—most of the time—
luck abandoned me. I just hoped I wouldn’t wake up with a headache and
exhaustion. The dreams were bad enough on their own.

I . I wasn’t supposed to be out. The night was dangerous.

However, the urge to find it, them, something I couldn’t name, remained
strong. I’d tried to stay inside. I had. Tomorrow would bring a scolding and
lecture with it, but tonight, searching for that thing that felt missing in my
life was what I needed to do. They didn’t understand. But how could they
when I didn’t understand this feeling myself? What did I search for?
For hours, I searched. My feet hurt and my muscles grew fatigued, but
the urge to search remained until the sun crested the horizon. The impulse
deflated and I returned home to face the reprimand I knew was coming.
They—
“You jerk!” My door crashed open, interrupting the dream. I flew into
an upright position, grateful I hadn’t been having a nightmare before Astrid
burst into the room. “What were you thinking?”
It took me only a moment to remember what I’d done that Astrid would
be fuming about. “That I’d like to not be a prisoner in my own apartment.
We’re never in the same room at the same time. Why do you have to tape
the kitchen light off?”
 “Because it’s annoying. You could have killed me!”
My scowl deepened. “Highly unlikely. Get out.”
“Don’t do it again. I know people.”
“Are you threatening me?” I climbed from the bed. Astrid and I were
the same height. If I stood, she wouldn’t feel like she had the upper hand by
towering over my sitting frame.
“Giving a clear, distinct warning.” The light from my night light
reflected off Astrid’s white hair. What twenty-something had white hair?
Though the hair wasn’t nearly as weird as the eye tattoos. Those were
freaky. Who had tattoos through their eyes? Lightning bolts began just
above Astrid’s eyebrows, passed over the lid of her eyes, and ended an inch
below her eyes. Was that even legal? Not to mention how much it would
hurt.
Ignoring Astrid’s strange appearance, I folded my arms over my chest
and glared over at her. “Can you send it to me in writing so I have proof to
show the landlord that you’re threatening me? I’d like a new roommate
now. Until then, get out of my room.”
Astrid’s expression had turned livid, but she spun on her heel and left,
slamming my door behind her. What an awesome person—heavy on the
sarcasm. She definitely needed to find herself a new place to live. Alone.
Where no light-and-sun-worshipping person would be tortured by her
“allergy.”
With Astrid bumbling around the apartment and talking to someone on
the phone as loud as she could manage without waking the apartment next
door, I gave up on sleep. Even with a fan on, I could still hear her. My
anger, in addition to the racket, wouldn't allow me to sleep. And the dream
hadn’t helped my cause. Sometimes I preferred the dreams where I died. A
little heart-racing fear and then I’d fall back to sleep within the hour. The
searching was worse. Mom and Dad had never allowed me to leave the
house in the middle of the night. As much as I hated to admit it, tonight’s
dream had proven why I couldn’t move back home. The dream’s incessant
need to find what I searched for pushed me out into the night during my
waking hours. But why?
My parents had always been patient as far as my dreams were
concerned. They’d taken turns staying with me at night when the dreams
had grown gruesome around my sixteenth birthday. My nightmares hadn’t
concerned them enough to take me to the doctor. One day I would
understand why I had them. That’s what Mom and Dad said, and nothing
could convince them otherwise. At least tonight I hadn’t woken with the
migraine and exhaustion again. That had concerned them, but the doctors
hadn’t found what caused the migraine and exhaustion upon waking. Even
after countless tests.
Knowing sleep would evade me, I climbed from the bed and dressed.
Then I grabbed the pink can of pepper spray I always kept in my purse.
While I wanted to join a martial arts class, I hadn’t yet made the move.
Finances and all. So the pepper spray was the best safety precaution I could
afford at the moment, and it would have to do.
Astrid yelled at someone in a foreign language I didn’t know inside her
bedroom as I walked down the short hallway. Maybe she spoke French?
The one thing I envied about Astrid was her knowledge of languages. She
knew at least three besides English that I could confirm just from listening
to her. I’d taken a foreign language in high school and that hadn’t gone
well.
Outside the apartment building, I breathed in the cool night air. I did
miss the farm smells from back home and the non-toxic oxygen. Mom and
Dad would love it if I planned a visit. They’d taken in a foster child named
Gill, a cute little redheaded baby. We hadn’t met yet, but his pictures were
adorable. They wanted me to meet him soon. A visit home would do me
good and give me a break from my roommate.
 Without a destination in mind, I set out into the night. Cars drove on the
road beside me, but the traffic had decreased in the early hours of morning.
Few people were out, and the lights lining the street hid the stars. I missed
that about home too. Mom and Dad had no light pollution deep in the
woods. And what wasn’t forest was farmland.
A sense of dread entered the pit of my stomach, a familiar occurrence
when I wandered at night. My latest dream hadn’t touched on the feeling
that now soured the pit of my stomach, but the dreams didn’t always repeat
the sensation. Goosebumps would soon cover my arms and the feeling of
being watched would begin to drive me insane even though, when I’d turn
around, no one would be there.
Not in the mood to deal with the feeling of being watched on top of
everything else, I turned back toward home after walking only two blocks.
My irritation and anger had died, leaving guilt to push me down as I
dragged my feet on the sidewalk.
Why had I done that to Astrid? Mom hadn’t raised me to be a jerk, but
I’d acted the part. While we didn’t mesh well, Astrid had never been
unkind. Just a bit standoffish and sometimes annoying. Her allergy didn’t
allow her to socialize with people often. At least not in person. She’d never
had a guest over. I didn’t need to make her feel worse about her condition
than she probably already did. Kara, my old roommate, had been an angel.
I’d heard worse stories than Astrid from co-workers. If I wanted to keep
those stories from becoming my life, I needed to put my pride aside and
apologize. If Astrid didn’t leave early, or worse, if she stayed another year, I
didn’t want to be miserable for that much of my life if we started fighting.
Back in the apartment, Astrid stood in the kitchen eating a bowl of my
cereal. Smiling, I forced the annoyance to pass.
“Hey, Astrid. I’m sorry about the lights. It was mean and I won’t do it
again. I just miss light and we’re never awake at the same time. Could we
maybe untape the kitchen light so I can use it while you’re asleep?” I kept
my voice as kind and as light as I could manage. Maybe she’d forgive me
easily.
“Whatever.” She placed the bowl in the sink and went to her bedroom.
Well, I’d take that as a “you’re forgiven and can untape the switch,”
because she hadn’t said otherwise. If she had a problem with it later, we
could discuss the issue again. At least I didn’t feel more malice than I
normally did from her. That was a plus.
Once again holed up in my room, I changed back into my pajamas and
climbed into bed. This time when I dreamed, I died a most gruesome death
by the claws and teeth of a wolf, my least favorite of all of God’s creatures.
Most of the time, that was how I died. Sometimes someone snapped my
neck. Sometimes I was stabbed. The dreams changed a bit. Some things
would stay the same while others changed. When a wolf didn’t kill me, the
faces of the humans were never clear.
The sun woke me in the morning after a brief sleep with no dreams.
Those times were rare. The more time that passed from my sixteenth
birthday, the more frequent the dreams became. If I had the money, I’d go
to the doctor now, but I didn’t. If I lived with Mom and Dad, I could save
up for it, but I needed to be out on my own. The freedom to wander had
become extremely important. While I never understood the searching, the
act of it freed me from the need for a little while. I couldn’t guarantee Mom
and Dad would be okay with me leaving the house in the middle of the
night. Even if I was an adult.
A cold cereal breakfast before heading out for another boring day at a
chain store didn’t improve my grogginess. I missed cooking so much. But it
was almost the weekend. Just one more shift and I’d be free for a few days.
I had a rare weekend off and while I could’ve gone home, Mom and Dad
had already decided to leave town before I knew about the change to my
schedule.
 Work went about the same as usual. On the way home, I decided to get
off the bus one stop early. There was a restaurant I wanted to check out.
While expensive for my income level, it would be the only extravagant
thing I did for a month. Maybe more.
A mom-and-pop place, the barbecue scent in the air made my mouth
water as I walked inside. Sweet and honey could never go wrong. I’d order
a rack of ribs and take the rest home for leftovers. At least when it came to
stealing food, Astrid only ate my cereal. It was cheap so I didn’t put up a
fuss. I kept reminding myself that her job might not pay very much and I
didn’t want her to go hungry. Or it paid much more than mine and she was a
jerk. Anything was possible with a roommate I didn’t know.
“Expecting anyone else?” The bubbly hostess glanced behind me, but I
shook my head.
“Just me today.”
“Okay, come right this way.”
I followed the woman across the room. She was average height which
meant I towered over her. Kara had been extremely short. Since Astrid and I
were the same height, I didn’t feel like a giant. Kara had once said she felt
like a kid around me, but she was ten years older, so I didn’t understand
how that was possible.
“I’ll leave you to look over the menu. Your waitress will be here soon.”
The hostess gave me another smile and I nodded.
The menu made me reconsider my decision about the ribs. Everything
looked amazing and my stomach rumbled. While I decided what to have,
the place started to fill up. The dinner crowd would make my wait longer if
I didn’t choose soon.
Someone sat across from me. When I tipped my head up, a man with
dark, curly hair smiled back at me. “The barbecue wings are to die for, but
the ribs are even better.”
 “I was actually considering the ribs when I walked in. I’m sorry, do I
know you?” I tilted my head a little. Something about the man felt familiar,
but I would’ve recognized such a handsome man if we’d met before.
“My name is Dean. You’re Brina, correct?”
I blinked at him before my cheeks warmed. “So, we have met and I’m
the idiot who can’t remember.”
“Oh my gosh, relax. It’s been a long time. Ages. It’s only because
you’re as beautiful now as you were then that I remembered you at all. Plus,
your name is pretty fantastic.” He leaned back in his seat across the booth
from me. “Would you mind if I joined you? I’m as alone as you are this
evening. Work trip. It was last minute, but I’m glad I took it. What a shame
it would’ve been if I hadn’t come across you again.”
“When did we meet?” I took a sip of the water a waitress had brought to
me while I decided on my order.
Dean laughed. “Would you believe me if I said I didn’t remember? The
only thing I remember about our meeting is you.”
He had a nice laugh. And he knew my name. I didn’t know many people
in the city, so the chances of someone I hadn’t actually met knowing my
name were slim. As long as I could leave the restaurant first in an Uber, I’d
allow him to sit with me.
“Ready to order?” The waitress reappeared, giving Dean an extra-
sparkly smile. Yeah, he looked that good.
“We’ll both have the large rack of ribs. One bill. I’ll handle it.” Dean
took my menu and gave it to the waitress.
“Oh, you don’t have to. I can—”
Dean waved me off. “Call it returning the favor for not letting me eat
alone. Besides, if you talk PCBs and electronics with me, I can write it off
as a work expense.”
Our waitress walked away, a bit crestfallen from when she’d arrived at
our table. I laughed and shook my head. “I have no idea what that means.”
 “Well…” Dean proceeded to give me a brief explanation of circuit
boards that left me staring blankly at him. “And now it’s a business expense
and we can talk about things that won’t put you to sleep.”
“Sorry,” I cringed.
“No worries. It’s not your thing. What is your thing?” Dean sipped
Coke from his straw.
“I don’t really have a thing right now. Just working to make ends meet.
My roommate’s a little crazy, but then again, aren’t most everyone’s?” I
stirred my water with its straw, trying not to feel foolish. Dean had his life
together while I didn’t have ducks, let alone have them in a row.
“You’re still young. Why decide now what you want to do? What do
you enjoy doing for fun?”
“I read. Seriously, it would be nice to find a job where they pay you to
read all day. I’d sign up in a heartbeat. I can make a mean bowl of cereal
these days, but I like it so there’s that. Sorry, I’m rambling.”
Dean chuckled as I ducked my head. “No, no, I love it. Makes getting to
know you easier. I don’t have to ask dumb questions.”
“What do you like to do for fun?”
Dean sighed. “Work doesn’t leave a lot of time for fun right now. That’s
why I think you should run with where you’re at now. There’s so much
potential.” He smiled, changing from his serious expression. “What’s your
favorite memory? No, wait, what’s your earliest memory?”
“My earliest memory?” I bit my lower lip. “Believe it or not, I
remember learning to crawl at nine months old. My parents said most kids
don’t have memories back that far, but I remember. It’s not a super
awesome memory, but it’s my earliest.”
Dean nodded with a smile. “That’s cool.”
“It’s totally lame.”
“Is not. Not if most people can’t remember that early in their life. I
can’t.”
 Our meal arrived and our pleasant small talk continued. Barbecue was
interesting to eat with a man as good-looking as Dean, but he smeared
enough of the sauce on himself by accident that I didn’t feel quite so weird
when I did as well.
“It was nice to see you again, Brina.” Dean smiled as he accepted his
card back from the waitress. “I’m leaving town in the morning. Would it be
too much to ask if you’ll meet up with me later tonight? There’s this new
club I passed earlier. Well, the sign said it’s new. I wouldn’t know the
difference without it.”
“I know where it is.” The place was a few blocks from mine. “I don’t
normally stay out so late.” Especially with a man I didn’t know.
“You should come.”
A warmth filled my chest. An urge to please Dean, make him happy by
meeting up with him, made me smile and nod. “I can meet you there.”
“Awesome. I have one more meeting to run to quickly. Is ten too late to
meet? Just for a little while. Like I said, I have to leave in the morning, but
it would be nice to see you again since I have to run.”
So much for leaving the restaurant first in an Uber. Still, Dean hadn’t
given off any warning signs that he was a creep. He seemed like a straight-
up guy.
“Sure. I can meet you there at ten. Sounds fun.”
“Perfect.” He rose. “See you later, Brina Firestorm.”
Dean walked away and didn’t see me raise my hand. I cringed as I
spoke to myself. “My name is Brina Johnson.”
I
unlocked the door to my apartment, grateful Astrid wouldn’t be
awake yet, and walked inside. A man standing in my kitchen startled
a yelp out of me and I reached for the can of pepper spray I carried in
my pocket. Only, I wasn’t carrying the spray since I’d come from work, not
a nighttime walk, and I hadn’t returned the spray to my purse yet. Lesson
learned.
“Sorry to scare you.” The man smirked. He had the same white hair as
Astrid and tattoos around his eyes. Instead of lightning bolts, his tattoos
were of a spider web. Like a mask over and around his eyes. Weird.
“Um, who are you?” I closed the door so the man wouldn’t need to keep
blinking from the light coming in from the hallway.
“My name is Quest. I’m a friend of Astrid’s. I came to check on her, but
she’s still asleep. You must be Brina.” He didn’t phrase the statement as a
question, but I nodded anyway. His smile put me more at ease. Quest wasn’t
as irritating as Astrid. “I commend you for rooming with her. She’s quite
the irksome creature.”
“You aren’t kidding.” I relaxed and put my purse on the table by the
door. For now. I had no plans to leave it abandoned around a stranger. “Can
I get you anything while you wait for her?” I paused from walking further
into the room and began to back up. “How did you get in here?”
Quest ducked his head and gave an embarrassed shrug. “I sort of know
how to pick a lock. No one answered, so I let myself in. Astrid said you
worked a job, so I assumed you weren’t here. I guess I should’ve waited.”
“Just don’t do it again. Call Astrid’s cell until she gets her butt out of
bed.”
“Have you ever tried to wake her?” Quest smiled and my stomach
fluttered. He wasn’t as handsome as Dean, but Quest had no doubt turned a
few heads in his life. From the looks of him, he was about my age and had
the “bad boy” vibe going with the tattoos and white hair. I needed to be
careful. While bad boys weren’t typically my thing, Quest could totally
make it happen.
“I like my hand too much to knock on her door. Besides, Astrid and I
have nothing in common. The only reason I’d need to knock on her door is
if the place is burning down. And most likely, because she works at night
and I work during the day, I won’t even be here when it burns.”
Quest smiled wider. “Don’t try to wake her. It’s unpleasant.”
“That’s only because it’s you doing the waking.” Astrid hobbled out of
the hallway looking half asleep. “What are you doing here, Questy?”
I bit my lips between my teeth to keep from busting a gut laughing.
Quest seemed at ease around my roommate while she prickled like a prickly
pear.
“Thought I could be of some assistance with your current job
assignment.”
Astrid gave him the bird and walked back down the hallway to her room
while Quest chuckled. He gave me a shrug and a confident smile. “You get
used to her. It’s all in letting her irritate herself while you remain
completely cool and content with yourself.”
“Shut up, bozo!” Astrid’s yell came from the hallway.
“See?” Quest smiled larger. “Have confidence and the badly thrown
insults will bounce right off you. See, I know who I am so she can’t hurt
me. But the question is, Brina: who are you?”
“I’m Brina.”
 “Yes, your name is Brina, but who are you? What are you?” Quest
studied me as if I were a book he sorely wanted to read but couldn’t open.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but I need to change and get
ready for my date.”
Astrid bustled back into the kitchen looking more alive with clothes on
instead of her dark-as-midnight pajamas. “What date?”
“Some guy I met at a restaurant today. We’ve met before.” My brows
drew together. “He remembers meeting me, but I don’t remember him.
Which is weird because he’s pretty nice to look at. Unless he went from
ugly duckling to swan, I wouldn’t forget a face like his.”
“Just like you won’t forget meeting me?” Quest waggled his eyebrows.
I couldn’t stop a blush from warming my cheeks as I turned and grabbed
my purse.
“In your dreams.” Astrid saved me when I failed to come up with a
witty reply. “I don’t need help with my job. You’ll only get in the way. Go
away and come back if I call you.”
“But Brina wants me here.” Quest winked as I turned to go to my room.
“Tell Astrid you want me here.”
“If she knew you well enough, she’d know she didn’t want you here.”
Astrid pulled out a bowl and spoon before grabbing my cereal from the
cupboard.
Quest smirked at me. “She’s eating your cereal, isn’t she?”
“Yeah.”
Astrid turned my way. Even in the darkness I could see the death glare.
The time had come to excuse myself before I made things worse with my
roommate. After last night, I didn’t need that. While Quest was cute and
funny, I didn’t live with him. He could talk all he wanted about having
confidence and knowing who you are so Astrid’s comments wouldn’t harm,
but that didn’t extend to my possessions or my cereal.
“It was nice to meet you, Quest.”
 “Who’s your date with tonight?” Quest asked as I crossed the kitchen to
the hallway. “What’s he like?”
“What, are you her father or something?” Astrid smacked his sizable
bicep with her spoon. “Let the girl go so I can enjoy my breakfast in peace.”
“Now, that’s rude, As—”
She held up her spoon to stop him. “If you shorten my name once more
and add an extra s after the first, I will kill you. Make no mistake about it,
Questy. Lap dogs get shaved every once in a while.”
Quest’s shoulders bounced as he laughed silently at the threat. I’d
understood the first half, but she’d lost me in the second. But Quest seemed
to know what she was talking about.
“I’m just making sure she’s comfortable with the guy. She doesn’t know
him well and if she’s out in the dark with him, maybe we should make it a
double date. Keep her safe and all until she knows him better. I’d go along
by myself, but I’m pretty sure I’d be an awkward third wheel—”
“You’d be awkward no matter what wheel you were.” Astrid took a
large bite of cereal and grunted. “Fine.”
Quest bobbed up and down on the balls of his feet while Astrid rolled
her eyes. “Great. If you’re enjoying your time, Brina, all you need to do is
tell us to go away. We just want to make sure you’re safe.”
Considering I knew them about as much as I knew Dean, Quest’s
promise shouldn’t have meant much. But Quest was good people. He
handled Astrid with ease and only a good person could do that. Even I
wasn’t that good, as proved by last night’s light debacle. So I nodded and
Quest smiled.
“Okay, go change and get ready. Astrid will do the same. I’m kind of
stuck with what I’ve got.” Quest looked down at himself. Black jeans, black
boots, and a button-up black dress shirt. What was up with them and black?
All Astrid wore was black as well. “I’m not too shabby, but that depends on
where we’re going.”
 “The new club down the way.” I pointed in the general direction of the
club.
With a shrug, Quest smiled. “Then I’m all set.”
“You’re an idiot.” Astrid put her bowl in the sink while Quest grinned at
her. “You look like even more of an idiot with that stupid expression on
your face. Stop smiling.”
Excusing myself, I walked to my room and locked the door once it was
closed. That was so weird. Never in my life would I have pictured Astrid
consenting to a double date, with me of all people, and also Quest. She
didn’t seem to have much patience for him unless that’s just who she was
and he knew that. Quest was a good friend. Not many people I knew would
allow someone to speak to them like Astrid spoke to Quest and be okay
with it.
As I changed clothes, I pondered my life again. I couldn’t move home.
Astrid was a pain, but Quest wasn’t so bad. However, we only had a two-
bedroom apartment and I wasn’t asking Quest to move in with me. Astrid
didn’t seem to care for his presence, even though he made me more
comfortable in my own home than I’d felt in a month. My one conclusion
was that I needed more friends. I needed people like Quest around so I
could hang out other places or have people over who made me laugh. I
hadn’t smiled so big or been so entertained in months, and that had nothing
to do with Astrid.
My clothes needed to be washed, but in my defense, I hadn’t expected
to be asked out on a date. I had the whole weekend to do laundry. That had
been my only plan for my time off. Dean had come through and ruined it
for me. Well, not really, but now I needed clothes that were clean and not
just ones which would pass the sniff test.
I settled on a cute skirt with an okay top. Buying new clothes rose
further up my need-to-do list. Even my dirty clothes didn’t have a “let’s go
on a first date to a club” feel to them. I’d probably stand out like a sore
thumb, but Dean would understand. I hoped. On the plus side, he was
leaving tomorrow and the likelihood I’d see him again was slim.
“You’re kidding. She’s not wearing that or I’m not going.” Astrid
crossed her arms over her chest as I gaped at her mini skirt and the plunging
neckline on her top.
“Shut up.” Quest glared at Astrid. “She looks pretty and comfortable.”
I cringed. “Yeah, comfortable was not really the look I was going for.”
“How much do you want to impress this guy?” Quest leaned against the
kitchen counter. “Like, are you really into him? Enough that you want to
explore some physical options with him?”
“Oh no.” I shook my head. “He’s leaving in the morning anyway.”
“Which makes him even more interested in spending his last night in
town with a beautiful woman.” Quest’s comment made me squirm. “Don’t
worry. It’s why we’re coming with you.”
“She’s so naive,” Astrid complained. “She’s probably still a virgin.”
Quest turned to glare at her. Me, I wanted to hide beneath a loose
floorboard. So what if I was still a virgin? What difference did it make to
her?
“One day, I’ll need to ask the boss what he was thinking when he hired
you.” Quest stood straight. “Come on, Brina. Let’s get you to your date and
back home again safely. Then we’ll discuss how to make your crotchety
roommate more appealing.”
“Shove it, Quest.” Astrid grabbed up her ID and held it out to Quest as I
shouldered my purse. She groaned. “No, not the purse. Take out your ID
and give it to Quest. If your date doesn’t pay for you tonight, Quest will.
No,” she held up her hand, “no arguing. You can pay him back later. Let’s
go.”
I did as she said, giving Quest my ID and pocketing my phone. Quest
waved the keys to my apartment away and I had the distinct impression
Astrid had left her keys behind, too, since Quest could pick the lock again.
 The night was dark as we stepped onto the sidewalk. A trickle of fear
sent a shiver up my spine. With a gulp, I set off with the other two. When I
considered turning back, the warmth in my chest returned. I wanted to
please Dean. The warmth urged me forward while Quest and Astrid
bantered back and forth as the goosebumps on my arm rose faster than
normal. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. My skin crawled. I
wrapped my arms around myself, even more tempted to return to our
apartment. Astrid would be more than pleased with that outcome.
A howl in the distance stopped me. I stared off in the direction it had
come from. Astrid and Quest didn’t notice me for a few steps. My
roommate’s groan warned that she was not happy, but I waited for another
howl. Why was there a wolf in the city? The full moon overhead didn’t
make me feel better. Half the time I died in my dreams, there was a full
moon.
“Come on. Surely you’ve heard a wolf howl before.” Astrid grabbed my
arm and pulled me forward.
We neared the club and I groaned at the long line of people waiting to
go inside. When we arrived, Astrid and Quest spun in circles, taking it all
in.
“Um, I think I see someone I know.” Astrid peeked around a few
bodies. “Quest, you know him too. Let’s go say hi. Brina, stay here. Don’t
move. We’ll be right back. If your date shows up, don’t go without us. This
is work business and we’ll be right back.”
Astrid grabbed Quest and dragged him off into the crowd which had
expanded outside the club. How would I find Dean in the dark with so
many people around? Sure, I was one of the taller people in the crowd, but
there were so many. Watching the people waiting for their turn to go into
the club didn’t make me feel better about standing there alone. My outfit
didn’t match theirs. It was obvious now that Quest didn’t get out much if he
thought I looked good enough for a night out to a club.
 “Hey, Brina. I’m glad you didn’t stand me up.” I turned to find Dean
approaching. He moved in for a hug. As overwhelmed as I felt, I didn’t stop
him, though a tingle crawled up my spine when he backed up. Must have
been the nerves, because nothing about Dean screamed monster and the
warmth returned to my chest. I’d made him happy!
“Hey. I hope you don’t mind, but a couple of my friends wanted to
come along. They wanted to make sure everything was on the up and up.” I
turned and searched the crowd. “They saw someone they knew and went to
talk to them. I’m not sure where they are, but they’ll be back soon.”
“Oh, I saw them with a friend of mine. I’ll message him to take them to
the restaurant. I know we just ate, but this place is insane. After our friends
take care of their work stuff, they’ll join us.” Dean took my hand. A spike
of fear shot through me. I blamed Quest and his overprotective nature along
with Astrid and her making me promise to stay and wait for them. Dean had
been a gentleman earlier and we’d had a lot of fun. Still, I had to live with
Astrid after this and we’d brought her along against her will.
“They said to wait. Quest won’t like it if I leave.” The excuse sounded
childish to my ears. Quest would agree with it though. I could hear his
lecture in my head if I left without them.
“It’s okay. Honest. They’ll be right behind us.” Dean tugged me
forward. I resisted until he spoke again and the warmth returned to my
chest. “Come with me, Brina.”
I smiled and allowed him to lead me away from the club. Of course I
would go with him. Why had I thought otherwise?
“You look beautiful tonight, Brina.” Dean turned and looked at me.
There was a hunger in his eyes. The gleam sent a chill through me, but
Dean warmed me again just by speaking. “We’re almost there. Stay with
me.”
“Where are we going?”
 “I want you to meet some friends of mine. They’re looking forward to
meeting you too.” His voice had changed a bit. He seemed…darker. In a not
nice way. Maybe Quest was right. I should’ve stayed at the club instead of
letting Dean lead me through streets and alleys.
“Don’t fight me, Brina.” Dean’s voice made me smile. Why would I
fight him? I wanted to make him happy.
Dean led me to a restaurant I didn’t recognize. The lights were on
inside. When we entered, the customers stopped talking and turned to face
us. They had to be his friends. Each watched me and the sensation that
something was off kicked into higher gear. All the customers were male.
There wasn’t a woman in sight. Why that should come to mind right away, I
didn’t know, but an instinct in my head stilled my feet.
“Come, Brina.” Dean’s voice warmed me, but his eyes said he’d lost a
bit of patience. Now that we were at our destination, his kind façade was
falling away a little. He closed his eyes and blew out a breath as I pulled
against him.
“Losing your gift with the ladies, eh, Dean?” One of the men laughed
and elbowed the man beside him who also laughed. “I mean, I get it.
Someone like her would be bound to be a tough catch, but I’d expected
more from someone who’d banged her before.” More men laughed and
warning bells went off in my head.
“Shut up, Josh. Watch the door. We need to hurry and leave.” He turned
back to me and smiled. “Come with me, Brina.”
Of course, why wouldn’t I go?
I allowed Dean to tug me further into the restaurant. Some of the men
followed. One whistled at me. When I grew nervous, that man spoke. His
voice also put me at ease.
“You’re doing so well.” Dean’s compliment made me blush. He reached
for me and wrapped his arm around my waist.
 Glass shattering startled me enough that the magic between Dean and I
shattered with it. Spinning to see the scene, I gulped. The men in the
restaurant held weapons. The door burst open as a man inside crumpled to
the ground. A knife stuck out of his chest.
Quest flung another knife as he rushed in. A man on the other side of
the room grabbed at his throat before falling forward like his comrade.
Astrid and Quest were killing people!
“Brina, with me. Hurry.” Dean pulled me forward and I followed. Why
were Astrid and Quest here killing people?
My date led me through the kitchen and out the back door of the
restaurant. The cries of dying men behind us had me swallowing to keep
my stomach contents down. When we burst out the back door, I gulped in
the cool night air before Dean pulled me down the street. The fear on his
face made the fear within me grow. He’d said his friend worked with Astrid
and Quest. What was going on?
The darkness never held peace for me, but tonight, it held terror. My
terror grew as a man stepped out of the deep shadows and Dean came up
short. One by one, the streetlights around us dimmed until they almost
didn’t glow as the man in the shadows stepped forward.
“C
harmer.” The man’s voice was deep and smooth as silk.
Dean released me and stumbled backwards, a name
whispered from his lips. “Falcon.”
Falcon snorted as my head began to ache. Rubbing my temples, I
staggered to the side. The new man stepped out of the darkness and into the
light from a dim streetlamp. The perfection that was him rendered me
speechless and unable to move. Longer black hair fell into his eyes, but
Falcon didn’t seem bothered. The way he held himself, power oozed from
him. His shoulders were broad and his jaw strong.
But it was the marks around his eyes that held me frozen to the ground.
They were tattoos like Astrid’s and Quest’s, around and through the eyes.
Falcon’s tattoos were of tiger stripes. The difference between Astrid and
Quest versus Falcon was their hair color.
Dean grabbed me around the waist and held my body tightly to him. A
cold object rested against my neck. As I swallowed, the sharpness of the
knife’s blade made my breaths come in soft pants. Dean meant to kill me!
Falcon growled, sending chills up my spine and goosebumps over my
arms.
“You think you can kill her?” Falcon lifted a lip to expose a sharp, white
tooth. “I dare you, Charmer.”
Dean pushed me forward. A burning sensation flared up in my side.
Falcon disappeared into thin air and I spun to watch as Dean ran from us.
Before he could run far, Falcon reappeared in front of Dean. My date
skidded to a stop, but he didn’t have time to do anything else before Falcon
reached forward and snapped his neck.
Too stunned to scream, my muscles shook as Dean’s body fell to the
ground and Falcon’s attention returned to me. His expression was icy and
he cursed.
“Hellhounds trample her, she had one job.” Falcon stepped forward. In
reaction, I retreated a few feet. His expression darkened.
A painful throbbing in my head caused me to whimper. The burning in
my side didn’t compare to that of the ache in my head. Falcon’s darkness
seemed to lift as he took a step away from me. The lights gathered their
brightness again as he raised his hands in a way that showed he meant no
harm to come to me. He’d killed Dean. Astrid and Quest had killed people
inside. How could I trust them not to do the same to me?
“Brina?” Astrid’s call ended when she noticed me and Falcon down the
sidewalk. “Brina? Are you okay?”
“I…I think I want to go home.” My stomach tightened as another spike
of pain lanced through my head. I groaned and wrapped an arm around my
abdomen while the other hand massaged my head. “This is all a bad dream.
I’ve had plenty of nightmares to know this is one of them.”
“It’s not a dream.” Falcon’s shoulders squared off as Quest joined us.
“Quest, you and Astrid will escort Brina to my office. Once there, you will
wait for me. Speak of nothing that has happened. Not a word or I will feed
you to Fargo.”
Quest nodded and Falcon disappeared. He was there. Then he wasn’t.
Just like earlier.
“I’m sleeping or going crazy.” Dean’s body still lay on the ground. “I
need to call the police.”
“Shut up.” Astrid walked in front of me. Her dark eyes glinted with
hatred in the little light. “You were told to stay there. You couldn’t listen,
could you? Why did you have to go and be so stupid? If Quest and I hadn’t
arrived in time, you’d be dead.”
“Astrid—”
Astrid held up a hand in front of Quest’s face. “Shut up, Quest. Or did
you turn into Falcon’s little lap dog?”
Quest’s lips tipped up in a smirk. “Woof.”
Astrid rolled her eyes. “Give me your hand, Brina.”
I skittered backward. My heels hit the curb and I fell. Hands caught my
fall and I spun to find Quest behind me, smiling. He gave a shrug after I
checked to find he no longer stood beside Astrid.
His smile grew when I gawked at him. “We can’t have you hurting
yourself, now, can we? What will Falcon say?”
“Who is Falcon and what does he want with me?” My voice shook, but
I wasn’t embarrassed. Anyone who’d witnessed what I had would talk with
a shaky voice.
“Falcon is…” Quest looked up as he thought.
“Our boss,” Astrid answered for him. “He’s powerful and deadly, so
let’s do what he says and get out of the street before any Howlers show up.
There’s a lot of blood. It’ll draw them in like flies.”
“Howlers?”
Astrid strode over and grabbed my upper arm in a tight hold. Quest took
my hand at the same time. His touch was soft compared to my roommate’s.
The world disappeared into darkness. Before I could yell in shock, we
reappeared somewhere else, a room it seemed. Everything around me
remained dark except for the coals in a fireplace. My eyes adjusted slowly
as Astrid released me and Quest led me with precision to a chair by the
fireplace and pushed me down into it.
“Falcon will be here soon.” Astrid’s voice still dripped with anger. Who
was she? What did she want with me? “I’d keep quiet if I were you.”
 Falcon didn’t own a clock. Not a digital one with a glowing face,
anyway, and no analog clock ticked on the wall. That left me to count the
seconds in my head as we waited. The ache in my head cut the counting
short at five minutes. Where was Falcon? Why did we sit in the dark? Did
they all have Astrid’s allergy? Is that how they knew each other? From
some support group?
A door opened and someone stepped into the room before it closed
again. Falcon had joined us. His presence carried a weight with it. The
darkness changed around him, as if revering him in some way. As if he was
more powerful than the air we breathed.
“Welcome to my home, Brina.”
“Why am I here? How did I get here? What sort of drugs did someone
give me?” My hands shook as I clasped them. The burning in my side made
breathing uncomfortable, but that was the least of my worries.
Strong, large hands wrapped my smaller ones around something. “Eat
this.”
The smell brought me a tiny bit of relief. “A banana.”
“Eat it,” Falcon repeated. “It’s halfway peeled.” Falcon cleared his
throat as I lifted the banana to my mouth and took a bite. I should’ve
thrown it away. If I hadn’t been poisoned or drugged yet, the banana was a
good option for that now. “Astrid, why did Brina leave your sight?”
“I spotted a couple Charmers outside the club. Quest and I went to rid
ourselves of the problem. By the time we returned to her, she was gone,
forcing us to follow another Charmer’s scent.”
“He was pretty charming.” I took another bite of the banana.
“Astrid, if she leaves your sight again, I will personally push you out
into the sunlight. Do I make myself clear?” While Falcon’s words didn’t
sound threatening, his voice chilled me to the bone.
“I understand, sir.”
 “Take Brina to her room. There’s a change of clothing in her bathroom.
Let her bathe and rest. Fix up her wounds. If I smell her blood again, people
will die. Once she has woken refreshed, we will speak again.” Falcon’s
words were a dismissal, so I stood. The banana peel was taken from my
hand and dropped into a trash can somewhere in the room.
A hand took mine, and complete darkness swamped my vision again
before we appeared in a room with a raging fire in the fireplace. I walked to
it before someone pulled on my arm.
“Best not get too close.” Quest smiled down at me. “With how your
night’s going, we don’t need any accidents.”
“Why am I here? Who is Falcon?” Even after we’d spoken with Falcon,
I had no answers.
“I’m not sure why you’re here and it’s up to Falcon to tell you who he
is.”
“My word,” Astrid moaned. “Just tell her to shut up so we can follow
our orders and not die.”
“He wouldn’t actually kill you…” I trailed off as Astrid glared from
where she stood as far from the fire as she could manage. “He wouldn’t.”
Quest snorted. “Falcon knows ways to torture a soul until they wished
they were dead. He knows how to kill someone in ways that would frighten
you if you knew them. Obey his commands, Brina, or they may very well
be your end. If Falcon says sit, you sit. If he says stand, you stand. And if
he says to go to his bed, you slip your clothes off. No questions asked.”
“He’s a monster, and I will not.” I hugged myself and stepped away
from Quest.
He nodded toward Astrid. “Go with her. Falcon said bathe. You listen to
your new master.”
“Who is he that I should listen to him?”
Astrid walked over, grabbed my arm, and dragged me toward the
bathroom. “He’s the epitome of all evil. He’s the monster that hides beneath
your bed and goes bump in the night. He’s what lurks in the dark waiting to
chill you to the bone. No, he is darkness. And if you’re lucky, he’s not your
ruin.”
We entered a bathroom unlike any I’d ever been in before. Mostly
because of the lighting. There was none except red, glowing rocks in dishes
sitting on the double sink vanity allowing me to take the room in. A tiled
shower had been installed beside a large tub. The toilet sat closer to the
door. Two tall, skinny linen closets were between the tub and toilet.
“Take your shirt off and let me look at that cut.” Astrid closed the door
behind us and spun me to look at her.
Removing the shirt hurt my side and my head. I winced as Astrid
prodded at the wound I couldn’t see well. Blood dripped down my side. The
warmth left me a little dizzy. Had Dean stabbed me with the knife?
“Falcon ordered healing salts to be added to your bath. If the bleeding
doesn’t stop, we might have to add some stitches to close this up. Even if it
stops bleeding, you’ll need to rest and not do anything stupid.”
“I don’t usually do stupid things.” I turned from her. No way would
anyone in this place give me stitches. “If it’s that bad, I should go to a
doctor. I need to report Dean’s death and my kidnapping.”
“Do anything of the sort and I will kill you before Falcon murders me.
Your life means less to me than my own. Don’t do anything foolish, Brina.
I’ll make you wish you hadn’t. My soul is as dark as Falcon’s. Well, nearly
so. But I will kill you without a second thought, and after spending the
longest month of my life as your roommate, I will enjoy every second you
suffer. Now, bathe. There’s a pair of pajamas on the vanity along with under
things when you’re finished.”
Astrid disappeared. I gulped as I undressed. The water in the tub
steamed in the unnatural light. All of my decisions of the evening—
including sinking into the tub until the water was up to my chin—needed to
be reexamined, but my head was splitting open and my side felt like Dean’s
knife was red hot and stabbing me still. I was going through the motions, if
only to survive. Later, when I felt better and had strength, I’d be more
deliberate about making better decisions.
“This is a nightmare,” I mumbled to myself as I tried to relax. “You’ll
wake up soon and it will be over. There’s no such person as Falcon and
you’re mad at your roommate. That’s why you’re imagining her as a
horrible person. You’re safe in bed and Kara is your roommate still. This
has been one long, horrible dream. Tomorrow, you’ll step back outside into
the sunlight and you’ll smile and be warm.”
Eventually the heat from the water and a spicy scent coming from it
relaxed me. My headache began to ebb. Exhaustion set in. Before I fell
asleep, I climbed from the tub of still-hot water. How did they do that?
Especially when the air was so chilled.
I took care when toweling myself dry, not wanting to hurt my injured
side. When I pushed against the wound, I winced, expecting the pain to
flare up, but nothing happened. I stepped closer to the sink and its glowing
rocks to examine the wound, but no injury caught my eye. Not even a raised
cut or scar. My head didn’t even ache. They’d put healing salts in the bath,
right?
“Astrid?” My quivering voice didn’t carry far, so she didn’t hear me.
With my injuries healed, I quickly dressed and rushed into the other room,
throwing the door open so fast and hard I startled a jump out of Astrid who
stood feet from the door.
“Are you insane? What’s the matter? I said not to harm yourself and
take it easy. So help me, Bri—”
“I’m fine. I’m not injured. See?” I pulled my pajama shirt up enough
that she could see the unmarred skin.
Astrid crouched closer—though at this point, there were no doubts she
could see just fine in the dark—to see the area. “How is this possible?”
“I’m not sure. You said healing salts were in the bath.”
 “But they don’t work like this. Not so fast.” Astrid looked over at Quest.
He shook his head. She turned back to me, studying me. “Why are you
healed? What are you?”
Quest sputtered out a laugh and Astrid glared over at him as she stood
erect. He continued to chuckle. “Sorry, Astrid. It’s just that seeing you at a
loss has me quite entertained. Gremlins eat flesh, my heart be still, we need
to write the date down before we forget this ever happened.”
“Shut up, Questy, before I rip out your vocal cords.”
“Relax.” The whispered word from behind me caused a shiver to roll up
my spine. I could listen to him talk forever. My knees grew weak. A strong
arm wrapped itself around my waist from behind while Astrid and Quest
vanished into thin air. My mind and body had obeyed the one word
command so fully, I couldn’t turn to look at him.
He swept my blonde hair back over my shoulder. Soft lips pressed a kiss
to my neck. My eyelids fluttered closed until a pinch at the spot where my
neck and shoulder met caused me to jolt and hiss in his arms.
“Relax,” he soothed again. I obeyed and the pinch came again. This
time, it brought less pain with it. The arm continued to hold me up until he
scooped my body up into his arms. My eyelids had grown heavy and didn’t
have the strength to open. A voice in my head screamed that I needed to
open them. I was in a house with a monster. Instead of relaxing, I should be
running, but I couldn’t find it in me to obey the voice. The only voice I
wanted to obey was his.
He placed me on a cloud-like surface. More clouds were wrapped
around me. Lips pressed to my forehead in a tender kiss.
“Thank you, Brina. Forget I came. Forget this moment. Remember
Quest and Astrid only. Goodnight, lover.”
H
er face. I knew that face. What was her name? She was young,
but her strained features made her appear older. Martha. Her
name was Martha.
The wind howled around us as snow pelted my guardian. She kept her
head low as she walked, forcing herself forward against the beating of the
weather. We’d left her husband. The fact Martha had left the house in this
weather with me as a baby said a lot about the situation we’d fled.
Martha stumbled to a stop. She looked up and squinted into the storm.
Her face paled; even her cold, rosy cheeks. What did she see?
Her mouth moved. She spoke to someone. I couldn’t hear her words, but
she feared the person she spoke to. She stumbled back. Martha shouldn’t
fear anyone. Except…
She adjusted her hold on me, and a face flashed briefly across my
vision. No. Not him. Run, Martha! The poor woman. He would kill her.
What would he do to me once Martha lay dead in the snow? Would he make
her death swift and merciful or would he drag it out, lavishing in her pain?
My guardian nodded. A tear slipped down her cheek. She looked down
at me and gave a small smile while pulling the blankets around me further.
We turned around and began to walk home. He shouldn’t have allowed her
to live. What was he doing? Falcon was evil. Martha should be dead…
The dream faded as I roused from sleep. The headache I’d lost last night
had returned, and I groaned. Exhaustion left me lying in bed again. Why did
I have these migraines? I’d been lucky I didn’t wake up feeling this way the
last time I’d dreamed. The pain didn’t unnerve me, though. The fact I saw
clear faces in my dream made me a bit queasy. I understood Falcon being in
my dream. He’d influenced a lot of my night prior to sleeping, but the
woman? I’d never met her. Maybe I’d seen her face around the club and
because she appeared nice and safe, she was the one to care for me in the
dream?
“About time you woke up.” The voice made me still. “No, you’re not in
your own bed. You were tricked by a Charmer, and Falcon saved you before
the Charmer killed you.”
My mind had already recalled all that, but it was nice of him to remind
me. I blinked my eyes open. Thankfully, Quest sat alone at the end of my
huge bed and not Astrid. Still, a feeling of safety alluded me. These people
were kidnappers and murderers. Falcon was the worst of them, which
played into my weird dream. The woman holding me had seemed so real.
The fear I’d felt at seeing Falcon stemmed from the fear of him when he
snapped Dean’s neck. That had to be it.
“Why do you guys keep calling him a Charmer?” Pushing myself up, I
thanked anyone who would listen that I remained in my pajamas. “He was
charming, yes, but he wasn’t that good.”
Okay, he had been. With little effort he’d had me eating out of the palm
of his hand. Such a stupid girl.
“Falcon wishes for you to eat dinner with him. While that may sound
like a request, I can assure you, Brina, that it is an order worded very
politely.” Quest stood. “A bath is ready for you. There are more healing
salts for the headache. On the counter you’ll find a drink. It will help with
the exhaustion. Do you need Astrid to assist you?”
“No, I’ll be okay by myself, thank you.”
With a nod, Quest left the room. The fire in the hearth still remained the
only lighting in the room. An examination of the wall by the door and the
ceiling over my head revealed that whoever had built the house hadn’t seen
fit to install a light in the ceiling nor a light switch by the door. None of the
walls even had a window. My heartbeat quickened. I had no way to escape!
Swallowing hard against the fear, other features in the room caught my
eye. The fireplace was ornate and beautiful. The pieces of furniture
scattered around the room didn’t have a modern vibe to them. Everything
from the sitting area by the fireplace to the bed gave off the feeling of older
sophistication. The walls weren’t plain. Someone had taken great care to
carve details along most of all four walls. Even the ceiling gave off shadows
of more designs I couldn’t see well. The bed screamed of money with its
heavy duty, black-stained wooden frame with four posts. Draperies hung
along the beams of the bed. I loved the bed. It was beautiful. Why would
Falcon give me a room so exquisite? Unless all his rooms in this fancy
house held similar furnishings…
Thinking of Falcon urged me from the bed. On shaky legs, I hobbled to
the bathroom. The rocks still glowed red on the vanity. A section of the
countertop near the door didn’t have a sink. The long mirror that spanned
the entire vanity continued to that portion of the counter as well, and a chair
sat before it. Someone had placed makeup supplies on the counter. They
were crazy if they thought I’d be able to see well enough to do my makeup
correctly, and I had no intention of impressing anyone with my looks today.
If it was day. The lack of a clock or sunlight had my biological clock in a
frenzy. Quest had said Falcon wanted to eat dinner. Had I slept a night and a
day away?
The bathroom held a bit of a chill after the warmth of the bedroom,
though the water in the tub steamed as it had last night. The pulsing pain in
my head would soon be gone with another bath if all worked the same as it
had before. Unfortunately, I also felt inclined to drink whatever had been
left for me on the countertop to help my energy return. The sweet, fruity
taste remained in my mouth as I readied to take a bath.
 Undressed from my pajamas, I sank into the tub with a moan. Already
the ache in my head began to subside.
“I love noises like that.”
Splashing water, I sat up fast with a yelp and turned my attention to
where Falcon sat in the chair by the sinkless counter. His feet rested on the
vanity and he tipped back like he had no care in the world, like there was no
woman bathing just across the room from him. Thankfully, the room was
large and the side of the tub was high, but Falcon could see just fine in the
dark. I learned that last night. How much of me had he seen?
“Don’t worry, Brina. I didn’t look.” The humor in his voice begged me
not to trust him. From what I’d learned so far, Falcon was bad to the bone
and as evil as they came. Lying wouldn’t be above him.
“Get out.” I gripped the side of the tub as he chuckled.
“Relax, Brina. I’m not here to harm you. If I were, you’d be in a much
different position right now and I would be soaked. However, that is not my
intent. At least for now. Relax.” His last word carried a heaviness to it and
my body responded in a way I didn’t like. I laid back against the tub, and
my muscles relaxed as Falcon had ordered.
“How did you do that?” My shaky voice ended on a squeak.
“I’m a Shadow, Brina. It’s in my toolkit. You know this.”
My brain said I should be freaking out and grabbing a towel at the least,
but my body still didn’t receive the message. What could he do to me with
this power? How could he do this?
“If I knew the answer, I wouldn’t have asked.” I spit the words out with
force, trying unsuccessfully to appear stronger and tougher than I was.
“You have a sharp tongue in that mouth, don’t you?” Falcon chuckled.
“One day, I will tame it.”
Gulping, I closed my eyes tight as my body remained at ease. “Why are
you here?”
 “I grew bored waiting for you. A man as old as I should not be kept
waiting. We do things others would consider inappropriate.”
“Like sitting in a bathroom with a bathing woman?”
“Like climbing into a tub with a bathing woman. Trust me, I have not
crossed the line to inappropriate yet. Keep me waiting, Brina, and you’ll
find out how inappropriate I can be.”
A tear slid down my cheek. “Why am I here? Why me?”
“It would seem we have a few things to discuss. Finish your bath and
Astrid will help you dress in something appropriate for my presence. No
more of those rubbish clothes you wore yesterday. When you are through,
we will have a meal together and then, if you’re well behaved, I have a
surprise for you. Trust me when I say that you will like it, so behave and
keep that tongue of yours in check. I’m not above having you for my meal
instead of food.”
My body tensed and my heart raced. I sat up again. Falcon no longer sat
in the chair and I had every confidence he no longer hid in my bathroom.
His disappearance had stolen whatever magic he’d placed over me earlier.
My body reacted as it should have, trembling and shivering in the warm
water.
When I’d gathered my wits, I finished my bath and climbed from the
tub. The temperature of the air no longer bothered me. Other concerns—
like a reappearing kidnapper—held more urgency than a bit of temperature
discomfort. The one good part of the bath was that the headache I’d gone
into the tub with had eased and no longer pounded like a bat to my brain.
I’d finished drying myself and the towel was wrapped firmly around
myself when the door to the bathroom opened. Astrid walked in holding
new clothes. She glared at me as she placed the items on the counter in
front of the chair Falcon had sat in.
“These are what Falcon wishes you to wear. Dress and then I’ll do your
makeup and hair. Hurry up. Falcon does not like to be kept waiting, and I
refuse to be punished because of you and your tardiness.” Astrid turned on
her heels and left the room. She’d worn her usual black with a mini skirt
and a long-sleeved black shirt. In the darkness—even with my eyes
adjusted to the lack of light—I couldn’t see more.
With the door closed, I inched over to investigate the clothing Falcon
had provided for me. All of it was black, which was no surprise. I dropped
the towel and began to dress, cringing as I did so. What I wanted more than
anything else was to wear sweats in front of the pervert. Instead, I wore a
corset which pushed up my breasts to appear even more ample than what
they already were and tight leather pants with a skirt overtop with an open
front. The boots, I liked the boots.
In the mirror, my blonde hair was the only thing to stand out. What I
wouldn’t give for only one of the lamps from my apartment.
I called for Astrid, who entered and gave a command to sit—like I was
a dog—before she began to apply makeup to my face. Now that her secret
was out and she didn’t have to be a somewhat decent roommate, Astrid
didn’t hide her contempt for me. Such was my luck to be held by a creep
and assisted by his minion, her evil highness.
Once finished, Astrid blew my hair dry and styled it into perfect waves.
I probably looked beautiful, but the darkness hid a lot from me. Astrid had
moved the glowing rocks as far from us as she possibly could. Did that light
bother her as well? But with them gone, I couldn’t see much of my
reflection once she’d finished.
“You’ll do. Now, follow me.” Astrid left the bathroom with haste and I
followed like the good dog she treated me as.
Quest waited for us by the bedroom’s door, away from the fire in the
fireplace, which had burned to coals while Astrid had made me presentable.
After an inspection of my appearance, Quest nodded and led the way from
the room. His lack of a compliment or witty remark unnerved me. Were we
that late? Did Falcon scare Quest enough he’d clam up if he worried Falcon
would punish him?
We entered a black hallway. Not a single light shone in any direction.
Even my darkness-adjusted eyes couldn’t see a thing.
“Here. We’ll travel a different way.” Quest touched my arm and we
reappeared in a room with a fire in the hearth. I grabbed hold of Quest as
the disorientation of traveling in such a way passed. So far, I’d traveled into
dark rooms. This was the first lit room I’d materialized in.
Falcon sat at the end of a table. When we appeared, he rose to his feet.
If not for the evil darkness radiating from him, Falcon could be considered
the most handsome man on the planet. At least as far as I’d seen. He made
my knees weak as his lips rose in a crooked grin.
“Charmers beware, you do clean up nice, don’t you?” Falcon stepped
forward and raised a hand. Gently, he pushed a stray lock of hair out of my
face. “I have a gift for you, Brina.”
Falcon turned and opened a box on the table. From it, he pulled a
necklace. When he turned back to the firelight, something on it glistened. It
was, of course, black, but the jewels hanging from the lacy band were red.
He walked around me and wrapped the necklace around my neck. The
choker fit perfectly and the jewels rested warmly against my skin. From his
position behind me, Falcon had a perfect view of my chest. He lingered far
longer after the necklace was in place than he should have, enjoying the
view, no doubt. Perv. Too bad I didn’t have the guts to say such a thing to
his face. Not yet, anyway. Not until I understood more of what was
happening.
“Have a seat, Brina.” Falcon walked around me and motioned to a chair.
A place setting sat in front of it, beside Falcon’s spot. My back would be to
the fire, hiding the items on my plate, but my back would be warm in the
cooler house.
 Falcon’s manners as he pulled the chair out for me and assisted me until
I sat surprised me. While he’d been a creep, he had yet to be unkind to me.
At least he had something going for him. For now.
“Will Quest and Astrid be joining us?” I asked as my other two
kidnappers remained by the door.
“Do you wish them to?” Falcon motioned for the two to come sit when I
nodded. I needed answers and they all had them.
Falcon lifted the lid off my plate to reveal eggs, toast, bacon, and
hashbrowns. My stomach rumbled. On Falcon’s plate, he had a steak,
potatoes, and carrots. Quest sat across from me on Falcon’s left. Astrid sat
beside Quest. Neither asked for a meal. Nor did they act as if they expected
one. Maybe they’d eaten already?
“Now, Brina, what do you wish to ask me?” Falcon forked a piece of
meat into his mouth. “You have two questions. Think wisely.”
“Only two?”
Falcon shrugged. “Had two. Now you’re down to one.” He raised an
eyebrow as I opened my mouth to protest. “Use your words carefully,
Brina.”
What a jerk.
We sat quietly, eating as I thought of my question. I had so many. One
question wasn’t enough to receive all of my answers. Why was I here? How
did he have control over me? He’d called himself a Shadow, and Astrid had
said some dark things about him. But most of all…
“Who are you, Falcon?”
If I could get to the bottom of who Falcon was, maybe some of the other
questions would fall into place. Maybe he’d allow me to ask a follow up
question or two. I didn’t count on it, but maybe.
The scent of lemons permeated the room. As Falcon adjusted himself in
his seat to more fully face me as he finished his meal, the scent became
stronger. I’d always loved the smell of lemons. However, that would not
influence my opinion of my abductor. Lemons did not signal innocence.
“I am Falcon, the first Shadow, one of the First Four, firstborn of the
Darken.” He stated his identity as if I should know what any of that meant.
“I don’t know what a Shadow is or a Darken. Are you the leader of
some sort of gang?”
Falcon’s expression darkened. “Do you really have no clue? I had hoped
you’d remember some of this from prior exposures.” When my stare
remained blank, Falcon cursed. “Hellhounds eat them all, I would kill them
if they weren’t already dead.”
The cloth napkin in my lap became crumpled as I squeezed the material.
What I wouldn’t give to be away from here and on my way. My parents had
to be freaking out by now. Had the police been called to check on me yet?
Would they suspect foul play? Both Astrid and I were gone, and I’d
complained to my parents about her oddities. But how would they find me
here? Especially with no trail?
“How do you move like you do? Disappear and reappear?” I asked the
questions before thinking better of it. Falcon’s dark mood faded to be
replaced by a coy smile.
“You already asked your questions, Brina. The next time we meet, you
will be allowed two more. If I were you, I would ponder what you would
ask then while we are apart.”
Sitting tall, I locked eyes with Falcon. “Will you explain to me what a
Shadow or Darken is since your answer still remains unclear?”
Falcon’s humored mood didn’t change as he nodded. “Of course, I shall.
A Shadow is a subcategory of Darken. The Darken consist of four…
species…if that terminology helps you understand. They consist of
Shadows, Conjurers, Howlers, and Charmers.”
So, that’s why they kept calling Dean a Charmer. That was the…
species…Dean had been.
 “Shadows were the first created. I was the first of them, created from
the first drop of blood spilled on the earth, the first evil. As more evil began
to spread, Oswald, Elias, and Arlo were born. They are the first of their
kinds. Together, we make up the First Four.”
I held up my index finger. “You’re telling me that you were created by
the first evil act on the planet. That was eons ago.”
“Yes, it was. I am quite old. And I do not like to be kept waiting.” He
tilted his head to the side. “You read stories of fantasy all the time, Brina.
Why is this so fantastic? Your favorite stories have vampires and
werewolves. Even witches. Where do you think humans learned of such
things?”
“But you’re not—”
“I am a Shadow,” Falcon repeated. “As such, I drink blood to sustain
myself. Food is for my own enjoyment, but does not give me strength. As
you can see from Quest and Astrid, food is not important to them.
However,” he smirked, “the fear you are giving off right now is incredibly
delicious and I could survive off of it for hundreds of years if I wished.”
I gulped as my hands trembled. Falcon was a predator. He had a gleam
in his eyes that said he’d found his latest victim, his latest meal. His eyes
rolled back in his head as he breathed in deeply.
“Ah, Brina. You have no idea what your fear does to me.” Falcon
relaxed into his chair as Quest and Astrid stirred. “You strengthen them,
too. All of us are feeling so much better, the more afraid you are.”
“I thought you feasted on blood.” I swallowed at the disgusting image
that brought to mind.
“Blood and fear,” Falcon amended. “There’s a reason parents teach their
children to fear the monsters under their beds and in their closets. The
warning is now a joke amongst humans, but the truth remains the same. You
should fear what you cannot see. The darkness holds evils you cannot
imagine, Brina. We are the monsters in your closet. We are the ghouls
beneath your bed. We are what lurks outside your window, running our
fingers across the pane of glass, waking you from a deep sleep. The
scratching noises beneath you as you lay there shivering in your covers, that
is us. And once your heart starts to pound in that beautiful chest, we feast.”
I
stood and ran for the door, my chair flying backward to fall on the
ground. I’d nearly escaped before Falcon appeared in my path. He
caught me as I ran into him. His hands on my body held me to him as
if I belonged to him, as if I were a possession.
“You asked the question, Brina. If you do not wish for answers, then do
not ask the questions.” Falcon ran his nose over my temple, breathing in my
fear. “Ah, how I have missed this.”
“Let me go.”
He scoffed. “Not with such a rich bouquet of fear rising from you. I
have not dined so well in hundreds of years.”
Closing my eyes, I ignored Falcon’s arms holding me to his strong
body. With concentration and a blank mind, I closed off my thoughts and
slowed my heart. Falcon’s chest rumbled beneath my cheek.
“You are no fun, Brina, darling. No fun at all.” He released me and
stepped back. His eyes sparkled in the firelight. I amused him. “Do you
wish to be given your surprise?”
“I thought…” I fingered the necklace.
“Ah, no, the necklace was for me. This is for you.” He took my hand
and wrapped my arm around his. “Do you wish for your surprise or should I
take you back to your room? Returning to your room will give you no
answers.”
“My surprise will?”
 Falcon shrugged. “Only time will tell.”
Biting my lip, I considered his words. Falcon could be playing me. I
could go back to my room where I remained safest in this place. Well, when
Falcon wasn’t in my bathroom being a pig. But then, if his surprise could
help me, was it worth the chance? But could it answer my biggest question,
the question I should’ve asked Falcon: why was I here?
“I’ll take a chance on your surprise.” Was that the right decision? As
Falcon had said, only time would tell.
Falcon nodded and we left the dining area, Quest and Astrid behind us.
My captor led me down another pitch-black hallway. He wasn’t as kind as
Quest had been, moving us to the dining room in a breath. But walking
allowed me to learn the layout of the house. If the darkness didn’t hinder
me creating a map in my head.
The air rustled at my side, a breeze as someone passed. Falcon was
dangerous, but I tucked myself closer to him. He chuckled as another
person passed by us, a person I still couldn’t see.
“Your sight will improve. When, I’m not sure, but I hope it will be soon.
If not, Astrid and Quest will guide you where you need to go. Not that you
will travel on your own in my home for a while.”
“Afraid I’ll try to escape?”
Falcon laughed. “Ah, no, Brina. That I do not fear.” He stopped. The air
changed around us before Falcon grabbed my bare upper arm and pulled me
flush to him. His breath hit my face as he spoke. “But all the Darken help
you, Brina, if you try. I have dungeons you should pray not to see and an
arsenal of torture tactics that would make you wish for death if you knew
even a few. You are safe in my home and I will not have you trying to
escape it.”
While his hold on me remained gentle, if not a little firm, Falcon’s
words chilled me to the bone. I shivered in his hold. His tongue ran over my
neck.
 Without thought, I pushed back. He caught my wrist as I tried to slap
him. “I see you are a fiery one, Brina. Let’s not do that again, shall we? You
might give me the wrong ideas.”
“Get your head out of the gutter.”
“With you around, my head is always in the gutter. One day you will
know how much I have restrained myself. You might actually be proud.”
“Highly doubtful.”
He laughed as I struggled to scowl directly into his eyes. Which would
have been easier had I been able to see them. When he turned and pulled
me along with him once more, the reality of what I’d done made me
stumble. I’d nearly hit Falcon, a man so evil his own kind feared him. A
man so evil, an entire world feared him and had created myths and folklore
about him to keep kids safe at night. How had I ended up on Falcon’s radar?
How could I get off of it? Would I die if I did?
He’d promised me safety, but his words and his presence said otherwise.
Falcon wanted me in ways I had no plans to give. Not to him anyway. Not
to anyone here. My body was mine.
“We’re about to walk up some stairs.” Falcon’s warning came just
before I kicked a stair. He carefully led me up the stairs and pronounced
we’d reached the top of that flight before I tried to climb further. Most evil
men would’ve let me act the fool, but Falcon hadn’t allowed me to
embarrass myself, for which I was grateful.
Further down the hallway, a growl brought me up short. Another joined
in as the first began to die off.
“Hush now,” another voice, a male, commanded from the direction of
the growling. “You recognize Falcon, Astrid, and Quest.”
“This is Neo,” Falcon introduced. “The hellhounds are Vengeance and
her twin brother Revenge.”
Hellhounds? Red glowing eyes approached in the darkness. I squeaked
and pressed closer to Falcon, not even caring that his hand came to rest on
the opposite hip from him in a very possessive way.
“They will not harm you.” Falcon’s voice was low, intent to reassure
me. “Their purpose is to learn your scent. This way, when you return, they
will not be alarmed by you. However, disobey my orders and the pups will
see to it that you are stopped. Ravaging by a hellhound is unpleasant, or so
I’ve witnessed a time or two.”
A wet nose brushed against my hand. Falcon moved his hand from my
hip to my wrist in a flash before I could pull my hand away from the evil
dog. I didn’t dare whimper as the nose returned. Everyone around me could
smell my fear. Could the dog? If so, the beast would know how terrified it
made me. Another nose joined and I let out a slow breath as the two licked
me and then backed away, their red eyes retreating with them.
Falcon released my wrist and pulled me with him until a door before me
opened. The light from inside made me blink, and my eyes watered.
“Astrid, Quest, remain out here with Neo. Brina, enter the room.”
Falcon pushed me forward and I went. Until I saw the room was a bedroom.
Falcon had to push me all the way into the room as my fear spiked again.
Whatever Falcon wanted with me in a bedroom was no good.
Movement on the bed caught my attention before a familiar face smiled
at me. He rose as I ran toward him and threw my arms around his neck,
holding him tight.
“Azar!”
Realization slammed into me as he hugged me back just as fiercely, that
I didn’t know who he was. I seemed to, but I’d never met him before. How
had his name popped into my head like that?
I pushed back, and the man with golden hair like mine allowed me to
go. His light honey eyes watched me as I stepped further away from him.
“I’m sorry. That was rude. I…I’m Brina.”
The blond man nodded. Worry strained his expression. “I know who
you are, Brina.”
 “Sorry, I don’t know why I called you that or why I hugged you. I guess
you must remind me of someone, though I don’t know anyone with that
name.” I bit my lips between my teeth to keep myself from babbling on
further.
The blond’s eyes narrowed at Falcon. “What did you do?”
Falcon, who seemed perfectly unfazed by the hatred in the eyes of the
other man, shook his head. “She came to me this way. She knows nothing.
This is the first she has recalled.” He looked at me. “His name is Azar. In
another life, he was your friend.”
“Another life?”
Falcon’s lips smirked. “Ah, ah, Brina. You’ve hit your daily quota of
questions, remember?”
“But—”
When his eyes narrowed, I closed my mouth. Azar’s eyes held sadness
when they turned back to me. Tall like Falcon, who stood nearly a half foot
taller than me, with lean muscles and curly blond hair, Azar was nice to
look at. However, I didn’t feel that sort of attraction to him. Azar seemed to
have “big brother” vibes happening between us.
“You’re a prisoner here too, aren’t you?” I asked him. “That’s why you
have hellhounds outside your door.”
Azar nodded. “Falcon caught me a week ago. Hasn’t said much about
why I’m here and not dead, but I think you’re the answer.” He turned to
Falcon. “What do you want with me and Brina? Why aren’t we dead?”
“I should be dead?” I stepped back from both men and neither stopped
me. The fireplace did—thankfully not near the fire so I didn’t burn myself
—and I sank to the ground. Falcon and Azar watched me as I watched
them. They had answers. Neither of them appeared eager to give them to
me.
“What can you tell me about your past?” Azar sat back on his bed.
 Falcon cleared his throat. “I have a few things to take care of. I’ll leave
the two of you to talk.” He glared a look so evil at Azar that I quaked where
I sat, but Azar didn’t seem bothered. “Just talk. And nothing about—”
“I know the consequences. Trust me, I understand more than you do.”
Falcon nodded. After one more glance back at me, he opened the door
and strode out before closing it behind him.
“What’s going on?” I whispered my question above the snapping of the
fire beside me.
“I can’t say I truly know.” Azar ran both hands through his hair. “Don’t
call me a liar, Brina.”
I closed my mouth, the name stuck on my tongue. Why would I call a
stranger a liar? I’d intended to. He knew it. How?
“You’re confused.” It wasn’t a question. Everyone knew I had no
answers by now. “I’m sorry for that. For now, I need you to be patient.”
“I’m a prisoner here.”
“So am I.”
My chest rose and fell a few times before I hedged, “Maybe we could
escape together?”
“No.” Azar’s reply came quickly and with a harshness I hadn’t
expected. Stunned, I blinked back at him as he sighed and threw himself
back on the bed. “How much do you know about Falcon’s world?”
“He told me he’s the leader of Shadows and he feeds off fear and blood.
There’s three other groups. Charmers are one group, but I forgot the others.
Apparently I was on a date with a Charmer.”
“You were what?” Azar’s eyes opened in horror.
“I didn’t know. I don’t even know what a Charmer is.”
Azar nodded. “Then Falcon is right to keep you here. While I’d love to
take you away, it’s not the safest option. Not at this moment. So, for now,
remain here.”
“Falcon’s a creep. I’m not sure I’m safe with him.”
 “Well, you’re certainly not safe with what’s out in the world.”
I hugged my arms around myself. “He came to the bathroom when I
was in the bath.”
Azar sat up. “Did he do anything to you?”
“No. Said he didn’t peek when I climbed in. But then he enjoyed a good
peek when he put my necklace on.”
“I’m sorry, Bri. I really am. However, I still stand by my statement: stay
with Falcon. Even with his cruelties, he seems better than what waits
outside.”
With a groan, I looked up at the ceiling. “You won’t tell me what waits
outside, will you?”
“Charmers, Conjurers, and Howlers, along with more Shadows.” His
answer caused me to glare at him and he smiled. “Okay, fine. I’ll give you a
brief overview. Just enough Falcon won’t kill me later. Let’s start with
Charmers. The legends of sirens luring pirates and sailors to their doom is
derived from them. Their voices alone will convince a person to do
whatever the Charmer wishes. The person they’re charming wants nothing
more than to please the Charmer.”
“It feels like warmth in your chest and you really do want to make them
happy. Logic flies out the window and there’s no reason for doing what you
do. You just do it.” Everything clicked into place from last night, how Dean
had gotten me to the new restaurant and outside with very little effort on my
part. I ducked my head in embarrassment.
“You’re not nearly the first person they’ve fooled, Bri.” Azar’s voice
was filled with compassion. “Gives you an idea for the poor souls they lead
away.”
“What do they do to them?”
“Bank heists, collect codes they shouldn’t, convince people to sleep
with them.”
My mouth hung open. “No.”
 “Shadows draw their energy from fear and blood. Charmers grow
stronger with sex. Now, don’t get me wrong, most Charmers don’t even
need to convince someone to sleep with them. Like sirens, all they have to
do is talk and people are attracted to them. It’s when a Charmer asks
someone to go against something they believe in that their power is really
used and no one has been known to withstand the will of a Charmer.”
“Are the people hurt?”
“No. The Charmers take what they want and move on. Most people
wanted what they got, and the others aren’t too upset by it either. Those are
the ones who were used for sex. The ones for gain, they have a tougher time
because they have to explain how codes were released and things like that.”
“That’s horrible.”
“Shadows aren’t much better. None of them are.”
“Falcon used something similar on me while in the tub.”
Azar nodded. “Power of persuasion. Older Shadows can accomplish
that. With a command of their voice, you’ll do what they want. Unlike a
Charmer, it’s not because you want to please them. It’s because you have to,
you’re forced to. Your body is following an order. Shadows and Charmers
can slide as well. That’s when they disappear and reappear. They can only
slide from one place of darkness to another.”
My head began to ache. I groaned. “This is so much.”
“I know. It’s time to stop. Why don’t you come here and lay down?”
Apprehensive, I bit my lower lip and studied the bed Azar patted. This
could all be a cruel joke by Falcon. He could have dropped me off so Azar
would gain my trust and then he’d do bad things to me. However, I didn’t
have that feeling in my soul. Azar was a good man.
Azar, understanding, gave me a smile. “I won’t harm you, Brina. You
don’t remember, and it’s okay, but we used to be best friends.”
“We were never friends. I don’t know you.”
 “And yet, deep down, you trust me. Even though it doesn’t make
sense.”
How did he know that?
“Come here.” He patted the bed again. This time, I allowed instinct to
choose. I climbed to my feet and walked to the bed while Azar pulled back
the covers. “I’ll lay beside you on top of the comforter. I’ll protect you
while you sleep.”
“Okay.” I laid down. Azar did as he said. My body relaxed far faster
than I expected, and I didn’t know I was sleeping until my thoughts
changed.
Rachel needed medicine. That was the only reason I was out. Her
husband was sick. He’d caught the sickness that had killed half the town.
They weren’t supposed to catch things like this.
“Well, aren’t you a pretty thing?” I came up short as a man stepped into
the street ahead of me. Laughter rang out from the bar he must have just
left.
“Excuse me. My father is sick. I need medicine.” I tried to skirt him, but
came up short when he moved with me. His grin made me sick. A Charmer.
I couldn’t outwit him. Not yet. If given more time, I would’ve been immune,
or close to it, but not now. A word from him and I would be done for.
“Come with me.” He held out his hand.
“No.”
“Come with me, fair maiden.” The powerful push behind the words
made me reel backward. He was far stronger than I gave him credit for.
That, or I was far weaker.
I whimpered as I fought him, but he smiled and commanded me again.
This time, a warmth blossomed in my chest and I reached for him. He took
my hand and gave it a kiss. When he touched me, I tried to step away, but
he gave another command.
 A bang startled me awake and I bolted upright out of the nightmare.
Dean’s face smiled back at me from a dark street I didn’t recognize to
match the dark street he’d been killed on in real life.
I swallowed as the air around me cooled. The fire died out as darkness
swamped the room. Falcon stood in the doorway. Even in the light from the
coals, I’d know him. His presence dwarfed all others and his anger nearly
choked me as he stepped forward with glowing red eyes much like his
hellhounds. My blood ran cold as he growled.
“N
othing happened.” Azar’s response to Falcon’s rage came
across as nonchalant while I tugged the blankets over me in
hopes they’d protect me from what was coming.
“Brina, stand.” Falcon’s bark caused me to jump and squeal. My body
wanted to obey, but terror kept me in place, staring at Falcon.
“Brina, go to him.” Azar nudged me. Falcon growled and Azar sighed.
“Nothing happened, Falcon. She had a headache. In a place like this where
it’s dark and unfamiliar, she’s scared. I promised to protect her so she could
rest. Brina, go.”
With Azar on Falcon’s side and the fire once more coming to life in the
hearth, I slowly drew the covers back. The Shadow’s eyes began to dim. By
the time I crawled off the bed and reached his side, glancing up at him
quickly, I could see they were back to their usual black.
My shoulders, chest, and other exposed skin missed the warmth of the
bed. Falcon had a chill about him that made me shiver.
“Never again.” Falcon gripped my chin and pulled my face up to look at
him. “Never again will you sleep with another man.”
“I didn—” Falcon’s glare stopped me from refuting him. “Yes, sir.”
Falcon grabbed my hand and pulled me from the room. I had a chance
for one quick look at Azar who still laid on the bed. His eyes were sad, but
he gave me a quick nod. A feeling deep in my gut told me it was his way of
telling me I could get through this. I didn’t have his confidence in myself.
 In the hallway, Falcon pulled me along faster and with less care than
before. We could’ve slid anywhere he wanted to go, but Falcon’s anger
seemed to have gotten the better of him.
“Why are you so angry?” I pulled against Falcon’s hold on me. “He’s
my friend, or was, or…I don’t even remember him.”
Falcon slowed. “You are mine, Brina. No other man’s. If you’ll sleep in
a man’s bed, it will be mine. Remember that or next time, your friend dies.”
He pulled me forward once again, this time at a more reasonable pace.
His temper seemed to have cooled, but my anxiety over the situation grew.
Azar was wrong. The worst of the world’s dangers were not outside of
Falcon’s house, but within it.
We climbed two flights of stairs to the top-most floor. Falcon informed
me of this in case I ever became lost. His room and mine were on the same
level. Only a handful of other rooms were between ours.
Falcon stopped at a door. He opened it and even with the lack of light, I
recognized my bed.
“Outside of my house, it’s what you would call the afternoon.” Falcon
urged me forward into my prison with a hand on the small of my back.
“This is our night, though Shadows don’t need much sleep. Rest while you
can, because you’ll begin to live on our time schedule. We are active at
night. Quest and Astrid will bring you down for our next meal. You’ve
skipped your midday meal because of your nap, which is well so now you
can start on our meal schedule. Gather your thoughts. You’ll be allowed two
more questions at breakfast.”
Falcon left the room, closing the door with a foreboding click. Quest
and Astrid remained inside with me. Quest’s usual amusement had faded,
but Astrid’s loathing still felt palpable in the air. None of us moved until
Quest ventured over to the fire and tossed another log onto the coals before
hurrying away from the flames.
 “You should rest.” Quest gave me a forced smile. “Falcon won’t like
you tired at breakfast. And you’ll want to be clear-headed for your
answers.”
“Can you answer my questions?”
Astrid snorted. “We might not have the best lives, but we like to live
them. So, no, we will not be giving you any answers. Falcon has promised
them to you. Start thinking of your questions, like he said. I’ll be in the
hallway.” She disappeared and the weight in the room lifted.
“I’d say she would act more pleasant if she liked you, but that’s not
always the case.” Quest smiled. “Would you like a warning before it’s time
for your meal with Falcon?”
“Yes, please. I don’t want to be late again. I’ll assume at this point that
Falcon will provide another outfit for me to wear?”
Quest nodded. “Falcon will have another outfit brought for you.”
“I’m his little puppet and he’s having fun playing dress up.” I scowled
at the fire while Quest chuckled.
“I’m not sure why he has taken a liking to you, but he does find you
enjoyable. Entertain him, Brina. You’ll live longer that way.”
“I don’t want to be his entertainment.”
Quest shrugged and reached for the door handle. “It’s your choice. But
if you truly want answers, give the man what he wants. I’ll be in the
hallway with Astrid so you can sleep.”
“Quest?” He stilled with his hand on the doorknob as I called to him. I
sat in one of the chairs in the sitting area. Quest joined me, choosing a chair
that faced away from the fire.
“I can’t answer all of your questions, Brina.”
“I know, but I had a dream while in Azar’s room and he told me about
Charmers.” Quest nodded slowly for me to go on. “Dean planned to do
what Charmers do…” I gulped. “But he wasn’t alone.”
 “I’m unsure why Dean took such a liking to you.” Quest changed the
subject a little. I didn’t put up a fuss, hoping to get any information from
him.
“He and Falcon are two peas in a pod in that regard.” I wrapped my
arms around myself. “Why do you stay here? Why not leave this place?”
Quest crossed a leg over the other. “You’ve noticed I don’t mind the
light as much as Astrid?”
“Yeah.”
“She and I are the same age, though if you knew more about Shadows,
you’d think I was far older. The older a Shadow, the more they are able to
endure light. None of us can withstand the sun, though. A second in its rays
and we burn to nothing. I’ve heard it’s painful. But it obviously doesn’t last
long.”
“What does that have to do with why you stay here?”
“I was born stronger than most Shadows. I need to be on Falcon’s good
side, in his good graces, a needed being. If not, well…” He shrugged as if I
should know what he was talking about. Instead, I had even more questions
than answers. As if reading my mind, Quest continued, “I know that doesn’t
help, but as much as I pretend not to in front of Astrid, I still fear Falcon.
Yes, the Charmers would have had their fun with you. What they would’ve
done afterward, I’m not sure. I’ve never seen them act like that before.”
I shivered where I sat as near to the fire as I could manage. “That’s my
luck these days.” With a cringe, I looked over at him. “Does my fear really
give you energy?”
Quest blushed and ducked his head. It would’ve been cute, but a sick
feeling settled in my stomach. “Your fear has given me more strength than
I’ve ever known. If Falcon came across you while you were afraid, it’s no
surprise he stole you. You and your fear could keep him strong for a long
time. Astrid would be loath to admit it, but she too has been strengthened
by your fear. Especially while living with you.”
 “That’s gross.”
Quest flinched at my accusation. “It’s the way of Shadows. There’s no
stopping it.”
“But she enjoyed it.”
He smirked. “We all do, Brina. Just like you would probably enjoy a
perfectly cooked steak.”
So gross. But I wouldn’t mention that to Quest again. It wasn’t his fault
he was what he was born to be. He and Astrid both.
“You like Astrid.” I hadn’t meant to put the statement out there, but I
couldn’t help notice how much he loved to tease her. The way he spoke of
her, and it wasn’t just his words but also his tone, led me to the conclusion
that Quest at least had a crush.
Again, he ducked his head. This time, I thought it was cute. While
Quest was one of my abductors, something about him calmed me. He didn’t
seem as evil as the others. That would probably be my undoing. And
probably why Falcon had put Quest as one of my protectors.
He sighed. “We tried to have a relationship a long time ago.”
I leaned forward. “It didn’t work out?”
“I…I’m a bit different.” His eyes grew wide as I choked. “Not down
there! I’m fine down…gosh, Brina. There’s nothing wrong with me.” He
stopped sputtering as I smiled and waved for him to continue. “Shadows are
a bunch of whores, to put it lightly. Almost as bad as Charmers, but we
don’t force ourselves on anyone.”
“Not even with your persuasion?”
“Most Shadows aren’t powerful enough to persuade.”
“Are you?” If he could withstand the light more than Astrid, maybe he
could persuade as well.
He nodded. “Yes, but I wouldn’t use that against a woman. When I take
a woman, she will be willing.”
“So, you didn’t sleep with Astrid. That’s why it didn’t work.”
 “She’s a beautiful woman. It’s logical for me to be with her. I’m not
ugly.” Quest laughed, but then sobered. “Astrid took my refusal badly. I am
less harsh than my fellow Shadows and while I want to sleep with Astrid,
something keeps me from it. I’m not sure what.”
“Is she against marriage?”
Quest smiled at me, but it was an indulgent smile. I needed to learn
more about this world so I didn’t ask foolish questions.
“Shadows do have a form of marriage, but it’s rare. It can’t be undone.
Even if they grow to hate each other. Considering how long Shadows live,
few decide to make a commitment like that. Astrid is too…I’m not sure
what the word is…to take a mate. Independent, maybe? I don’t know.”
“She’s missing out.” I gave him a smile.
Quest shrugged. “That’s kind, but you still fear me.”
“I fear you the least of anyone here. Even Azar. I’m not sure why.
Probably the smiles.”
“Astrid hates the smiles.” He gave me a wink and stood.
“Quest, will I see my parents again? Is there a way to let them know I’m
alright?”
His eyes turned sad and I sighed, already knowing the answer. Falcon
didn’t care about my parents. He’d probably prefer they suffer, too.
Quest cleared his throat. “If that’s all, I’ll be outside your room and will
wake you in a few hours to get ready for breakfast. Your pajamas should
still be in the bathroom.”
“Falcon’s not going to…you know…drop in unexpectedly, is he?” I
didn’t need another unannounced visit from him.
Quest’s smile died. “I’m unsure, but if he does, give him what he
wants.”
“I can’t do that.”
He sighed. “Eventually, you will.”
 With that unsettling statement, Quest left the room. The fire crackled in
the fireplace as my body shook. Could they feel my fear outside of my
bedroom? But it was more than fear. My conversation with Quest had
confirmed a few bad things for me while also lightening my mood for a few
brief moments. Dean’s intentions hadn’t been good. But how had he known
me? Why had he pretended to know me and gone through a huge charade?
I sat on my bed and stared at the fire. Falcon had plans as bad as Dean’s.
At least he didn’t keep those intentions a secret from me. That seemed to be
some sort of a plus. At least I wasn’t blind to his unwanted aspirations.
Waiting for Falcon to pop into the room turned out to be a waste of
time. He didn’t come. I’d been sure he would. With a sigh, I went to the
bathroom and changed into my pajamas. The bathtub no longer steamed
with hot water. Someone had drained it. But who?
Back in the bedroom, I nearly leapt as my heart skittered and raced once
the initial shock had worn off.
“Hellhounds howl, how I do love the taste of your fear.” Falcon sat on
my bed. He looked too perfect to be sitting there, leaning back on his
elbows, and his lemon scent drove my head crazy.
“Go away.”
He shook his head. His arrogant smirk made my body warm against my
will. “You are tired, Brina, darling.”
“Stop calling me that.”
Falcon shrugged as if he had no intention of listening to me. He hadn’t
yet so if he had listened, I would’ve fallen over, stunned near to death.
When he didn’t speak again, I took the bait and asked the question he
waited on me to ask. Anything to make him leave faster.
“Why are you here?”
“I’m here to make a trade. An exchange or deal if you will.”
“What kind of trade?” Apprehension quickened my breathing. I could
list a million things Falcon would want from me and all of them were on the
no-go list.
He shrugged again. “I thought that after you’d floundered your way
through dinner, you would want to redeem yourself with another decent
question.”
“In exchange for?” I hedged.
Falcon’s black eyes glimmered in the firelight. “Blood.”
The blood drained from my face. “No.”
Falcon smirked. “It wouldn’t be the first time, lover.” He winked at me.
His pet name caused a shiver to roll up my spine. I’d never be his lover.
Falcon could have any woman he wanted with his good looks. He could go
find any other woman. I wasn’t fulfilling the job. Still, I trembled at the idea
his words brought to mind.
“I’ve never been bitten. I’d remember if I had. Go away.” My heart
raced and I retreated a few steps, fully aware of the delightful meal I gave
him with my terror. He stuck his nose in the air, closed his eyes, and
breathed in as if he was inhaling the scent of a delicious meal.
“I could persuade you to give me your blood.” Falcon stood and stalked
me as I backed toward the bathroom. Nothing would save me. Even if I
closed myself into the bathroom, Falcon could slide. He’d be in there in less
than a second. His grin grew. “Don’t you want some answers, Brina?”
“You’ve bitten me before?” His earlier admission made me gulp. I
didn’t want to believe him. He had to be lying to me. He was evil, after all.
“The answer to that will cost you another bite.” Falcon winked as he
moved slowly toward me, backing me into the bathroom. He enjoyed this,
stalking me. My pathetic heart allowed him to have his fun. But his answer
caused my limbs to shake even more. He couldn’t miss my body’s reaction
to him. “Just because you don’t remember it, doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
I can prove it to you.”
“How?”
 “Let me bite you.” He scowled as I made to take another step back.
“Stand still.”
My body obeyed the order while I remained terrified. He’d persuaded
me to obey the command. The Shadow could do anything he wished to me.
“Ah, Brina. I will not harm you.” Falcon ran the backs of his fingers
over my cheek. A tear slid from my eye, dampening his skin. “Hellfire
curse it all, this would be easier had I found you before now. I cannot
explain what you wish me to, Brina. It’s currently outside of my power as
I’m afraid it will do more harm than good. Should that change, I will give
you what you need. Until then, you will do as I say, obeying me with
promptness.”
“Why can’t I remember?” Falcon seemed so confident that he’d bitten
me before. If he had proof… but how?
Falcon smirked in the red glow from the rocks sitting on the vanity. “I
can persuade you to do whatever I wish, Brina. Even persuade you to
forget.”
I whimpered as he placed a gentle kiss against my temple. Falcon’s lips
were soft and warm. They should’ve been inviting. But they were
frightening. What he could do with those lips could be terrifying.
“I have never done anything to harm you, Brina.”
“Biting me is harming me.” I gulped on a sob.
“You gave me permission, Brina.”
“Did you take that memory away too?” I snapped.
Falcon stepped back. My fear lowered at the sadness in his eyes and
voice. “I did not do that.” He smirked again. “That is not a memory I would
have taken from you. But rest assured, you did give me permission to drink
from you. Otherwise, I would live on your fear alone.”
“Isn’t my fear enough?”
Falcon’s eyes dropped from my face, and I closed my eyes as he took
my body in. “Your fear will never be enough, but it is what I will take. And
one more drink of your precious blood until you give me permission to
drink from you again.”
“That will not be likely.”
He chuckled as if he knew something I did not. “We shall see.”
My shoulders fell. “Why am I here, Falcon? Answer that and you can
have your blood. As long as you don’t hurt me.”
“I won’t harm you. It will pinch, but you will enjoy it. Now, the answer
to your question: the most I can say is that you intrigued me a long time
ago. One day, I will answer your question more fully. I promise.”
“Were you the one who took the memories of Azar, Quest, and Astrid
away from me?” If he wouldn’t answer one question decently, he’d answer
more than one.
“I did not take your memories of Azar. You have never met Quest and
Astrid before Astrid moved in with you. Yes, she moved in under my
command. Yes, she kept you safe while you stupidly decided to go out in
the night. Idiot girl that you are.” His voice had become harsh, but his touch
against my cheek remained gentle. “Relax for me, Brina. The time for
questions has come to an end.”
My mind screamed as Falcon yet again controlled my body. He leaned
into me, smelling my neck before his teeth sunk into my skin with a pinch. I
hissed and he rubbed the small of my back in a way that urged me to
breathe and relax for him.
As he drank, a heat flowed through me that had nothing to do with the
room’s temperature. Falcon’s lemon scent made the lustful feelings inside
me rise. I grabbed Falcon’s clothes, pulling myself to him, but the feeling
didn’t last long. My head became woozy and my muscles lost strength.
Eventually, Falcon pulled back and caught me as I slumped into him. He
carried me from the bathroom and laid me on my bed, covering me with my
blanket before kissing my temple again as I faded into sleep.
 When I awoke from a blessedly dreamless sleep, my head ached and my
body seemed heavier than normal. The memories of yesterday came
together and I leaned over the bed before throwing up. Every time I awoke
like this, someone had been drinking from me.
“T
hat is so disgusting.” Astrid cringed away from me as I got
myself under control.
“Did you ever…” I held my neck, unable to say the
words.
“I didn’t need to.” Astrid’s answer was cool, unemotional. “You gave
off enough fear that I didn’t need to drink from you.”
When I looked at Quest who stood by the bathroom door with Astrid, he
held his hands up. “I only met you the other night. I’ve never drank from
you. I’m pretty sure Falcon would kill anyone who did.”
“I thought he didn’t need to drink from me. I thought my fear gave him
enough energy. Then why?”
“Because he does as he wishes,” Astrid answered. “Now get out of bed
and clean up so we can get out of here and one of Falcon’s slaves can clean
up the mess.”
“Slaves?”
Astrid shrugged. “You don’t piss off Falcon. Get up.”
I followed my order. This time, I took the world’s fastest shower even
though a bath had been drawn for me. The headache didn’t quite go away
and my limbs still shook when I dried myself off, but I didn’t want another
visitor to my bath time. I’d been allowed a few hours of rest, but no thanks
to Falcon, I’d slept beyond that allotment, making me late once again.
 New clothes had been laid out on the counter. I dressed in them quickly.
Again Falcon would have a view and I was in another corset dress. And
unsurprisingly, it was black.
Astrid did my makeup and hair again. Quest hung out with us in the
bathroom while people cleaned my bedroom. I couldn’t bring myself to feel
sorry for them. The man they served was the reason I’d thrown up in the
first place. Anyone who served Falcon—for any reason, including Quest’s
—was not a good person.
My ex-roommate stepped back to look at me as I stood. She shook her
head. “Do you think it’s too late to change her outfit?”
“I think she looks nice,” Quest disagreed.
“Yeah, but I think she needs an outfit that says please look at my body
and forgive me for being late yet again. Please don’t harm my protectors.”
Astrid reached forward and pulled at the top of my dress, tugging it down.
“Stop that!”
“You need to show more skin.”
“I’m showing plenty, thank you very much. Falcon will have to deal.” I
scowled as Astrid rolled her eyes at me. “No, I’m not apologizing with my
body. It’s his fault.”
“Falcon never takes blame,” Astrid countered.
“Of course he doesn’t.”
“It’s time for lunch.” Quest touched my arm and the bathroom changed
to the dining room. Quest helped me to my seat while Falcon stood, like a
gentleman.
“You should have taken a bath.” Falcon scowled at me as we sat.
“You shouldn’t have bitten me.” I held my shaking hands in my lap. My
appetite had not returned after my discovery this morning. Yet the smell of
food caused my stomach to grumble.
“I am cross today, Brina. Howlers eat you if you do not hold your
tongue.” The air around Falcon seemed to darken further as he glowered at
his plate. He didn’t touch the food. Neither did he remove the metal lid
from my plate. I could’ve done it, but I wanted to eat about as much as I
wanted to be in a room with Falcon.
Quest moved alongside me and removed the metal lid covering my
plate, revealing a delicious smelling chicken breast with steamed
vegetables. As hungry as I was, I couldn’t eat. Not beside Falcon who’d
begun to devour his food. I couldn’t bring myself to eat next to the man
who’d drank my blood so greedily only hours ago and who’d drank from
me countless times since I’d turned sixteen.
“May I visit with Azar today?” I spoke to the plate in front of me.
“Quest and Astrid will take you there.” Falcon answered without
looking at me. He continued as he cut his meat. “Let the hellhounds smell
you again, and this time, do not give them a reason to smell your fear. Neo
does not control them. If the hellhounds so wished, they could slaughter
you. It’s your job to show them that you’re the stronger one.”
“I’m not, though.”
“You’re stronger than you know, darling.” His tone didn’t sound as
powerful and egotistical as normal. That could change at any moment along
with his kindness to let me see another man.
I stood. My mother had raised a polite daughter, so I nodded to my
captor who finally looked at me. “Thank you, Falcon.”
He returned my gesture. “I’ll have food brought to you in Azar’s room.
But remember—”
“I won’t go near his bed.” The floor drew my attention. “The dream I
had there wasn’t pleasant. Not that many of them are.”
“You dream often?”
“Almost nightly.” A shiver ran up my spine. “I die a lot.”
“You die in the dark a lot,” Falcon amended for me. “Is that the case?”
I nodded. “Sometimes I have a task given to me by my parents, but
mostly I’m searching for something. But last time…” I swallowed hard.
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“Last time…” Falcon waved for me to continue.
“Faces aren’t clear in my dreams. Only, since coming here that has
changed a little. I saw a woman’s face. That dream, I didn’t die, but I felt
terror.”
“The dream in Azar’s room?” Falcon pressed, but didn’t use a harsh
tone to urge me on.
“I don’t know what happened, if I died or not. Dean, the Charmer, was
there. He did his whole Charming thing, making me obey his will. I wasn’t
strong enough to fight him. Before anything happened, you woke me.”
The fire had begun to dim as I spoke and Falcon’s eyes began to glow
red. I’d angered him.
“It was a dream, Falcon.” I stepped toward him, but a hand on my arm
stopped me. Quest shook his head when I looked up at him.
We slid out of the dining room and into a black hallway. I didn’t have
the strength or mental capabilities to be afraid when a hellhound came over
and pressed its nose to my hand. The second hellhound’s nose didn’t startle
me either. Talking about my dreams and Falcon’s reaction had taken more
strength from me.
Quest opened the door to Azar’s room and nudged me inside before
closing the door behind me. The man I’d come to see sat on his bed again.
He studied me. I studied him in return. Azar didn’t appear as strong as he
had earlier. Circles dark enough I could notice in the firelight lay beneath
his eyes. I couldn’t blame him for not sleeping in a place like this. If not for
Falcon’s blood draw, I might not have slept.
“You’re unwell, Brina.” Azar stood from the bed and walked to me. I
could’ve said the same thing about him. But my fear kept me from speaking
as my jaw quivered. When Azar wrapped me in a hug, I couldn't hold in the
emotions anymore and wet his shirt with my tears. Azar cooed while I
soaked the material of his shirt, telling me I was safe. He had no idea how
unsafe I was. I couldn’t tell him about Falcon biting me. Azar would try to
kill Falcon, ending his own life instead of my captor’s.
When the tears slowed, Azar still held me. His body was warm, and I
held him tighter. Falcon’s house was always cold. Even with the fire in my
room, the only time I was truly warm was in the bath. Falcon was right. I’d
been an idiot for skipping the bath this morning.
“My head hurts a little,” I admitted as I pulled from Azar’s embrace.
Falcon would kill the man if he knew I’d held him for so long. Deep down,
somewhere, I knew Azar and I had always been friends and nothing more,
but Falcon was possessive. My headache grew the more I tried to remember
when I’d met Azar. Too bad I couldn’t call my parents. They’d be able to
tell me. Probably. It’s not like I had a secret life they didn’t know about. I’d
been a good girl. Except, maybe I hadn’t always been and Falcon had taken
my memories. But not all of them, so who else had that capability that I’d
known?
But, then again, Mom and Dad had never mentioned a rebellious side
that I didn’t remember. Had they been impacted by the memory wipe too?
“Come here.” Azar pulled an old-fashioned chair to sit in front of the
fireplace, distracting me from my mental spiral. “The heat will help.”
I followed his instructions and sat in the chair, keeping my dress far
from the flames. Azar dragged a chair over and sat beside me. While we
watched the fire snap and pop as it ate the wood, I fingered the necklace I
still wore. The jewelry matched today’s dress as well. How could it not
when all I wore was black?
“You look beautiful, Brina, but that dress is not your style.” Azar
chuckled. “I didn’t peg Falcon as a man who appreciated his women
showing so much.”
“I’m not his.”
“No, but he thinks you are.” Azar became serious as he sat straight and
stared into my eyes. “Brina, whatever you do, do not sleep with Falcon. No
matter the consequences of not doing so. I can’t tell you why, but don’t do
it. Freedom will be out of reach if you do. This will be your prison forever.”
That couldn’t happen. This would not be where I lived out the rest of
my days until my last breath. The rooms were beautiful; comfortable even.
What food I’d eaten had been delicious. Under other circumstances, it
wouldn’t be a bad thing to be the wife of a rich man. But Falcon was a
monster.
“I will not be sleeping with him, Azar. That’s the last thing I would
do.”
“Even to save me?” Azar’s question took me by surprise. “If Falcon
threatened my life, would you sleep with him?”
I wanted to say no. I should’ve jumped right on that answer. Instead, I
swallowed while I considered his words. He would die. Sometime in my
life—when, I couldn’t yet remember—he’d been my best friend. As crazy
as it seemed, the knowledge rang true in my heart. I would die for him if
necessary. But I didn’t know him!
“Oh, Brina.” Azar’s eyes shone with moisture. “Not again. You can’t
save me. Don’t do it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I know, and I know that’s frustrating. In time, you’ll come to
understand. I promise you this. Until then, keep your head high and don’t
let Falcon get to you. He’s an evil, conniving monster who you need to be
on guard with at all times. He’ll back you into corner’s, Bri. Don’t give into
him. Falcon probably brought me here to use against you. There’s nothing I
can do about it, but I’m not afraid to die. Know that. Death holds no fear in
my heart.”
“Who’s ready for a bite to eat?”
I jumped at the too-happy-to-be-the-enemy voice and turned to see yet
another Shadow standing in Azar’s room. Quest closed the door behind the
new Shadow, giving me a slight nod to let me know he saw I was okay.
 “Brina, this is Oz.” Azar glared over at the woman placing a tray of
food on a small table. While I had a sitting area, Azar also had a sitting area
plus another corner held a small dining table. “Oz, this is Brina. You’ll want
to be careful. She’s Falcon’s special guest.”
Oz was a small Shadow. The others I’d seen were all tall. Her face also
had tattoos. From where I sat halfway across the room, I couldn’t see the
pattern of her tattoos. They appeared to be some swirls around her eyes, but
I could’ve been mistaken. She wouldn’t come closer to the fire. Her hair
was whiter than Astrid and Quest’s. The hair almost glowed in the dark
without the fire.
“Relax, Azar. I’m not here to harm her. I’m only bringing her food.
That’s it. I even volunteered for the job.” Oz gave Azar an obvious wink.
Azar rolled his eyes. “You will not catch me naked again, Oz. Stay out
of my bathroom.”
“You weren’t in the bathroom, love.” Oz smiled wickedly and turned to
me. “Your friend likes to sleep in the nude. Did you know?”
“Yes, she does,” Azar answered for me, but I didn’t know. Maybe at one
time I had.
“This conversation can stop.” The fire wasn’t heating my face as much
as my blood was. “I don’t want to think about this.”
Oz laughed. “Too bad. I’ve been trying to catch another glimpse. He’s
quite beautiful.”
Azar glared at Oz as she openly undressed him with her eyes. “Are you
finished?”
“Probably not, but I need to run. I wouldn’t mind a sip of blood
though.” Oz batted her eyes at Azar who turned to scowl into the fire.
“Spoil sport.”
The door opened and closed as I hid a grin from Azar. He groaned and
gave me a half-hearted glare.
 “Looks like you have an admirer of your own.” I laughed as he rubbed
his hands over his face. “At least Falcon didn’t catch me naked.”
“I make sure she can’t slide into the room now by keeping the fire high.
The first night, the exhaustion from evading Falcon was too much. I
showered and didn’t have the energy to dress again. The fire died down. I’d
just risen to throw more wood on, grateful Falcon allowed me that blessing,
when Oz appeared right in front of me.”
“For being a Shadow, she’s pretty.” Oz had a cute button nose and a nice
smile. The evil aura hadn’t quite taken over her personality yet.
“She’s young. Only a few decades old.”
“How can you tell?”
“The hair, for one. It’s white. But mostly I can sense her youth.
Shadows live a long time. Most likely Oz doesn’t leave here by herself. Not
very often. She’ll go with someone to feed. Not that she has to go far. Your
fear has fed quite a few Shadows in this building. You need to control that
fear, Bri. It’s okay to be afraid, but don’t let it overtake you.”
“Can you tell me how we met?” The subject change was intentional. Oz
had derailed my fear. Azar had brought it back.
He rose and brought a bowl of soup to me. My stomach rumbled. I
closed my eyes and took a deep breath in.
“Do you still love to cook?” Azar watched as I blew on my first
spoonful of potatoes. His question soured my stomach and I placed the soup
back in the bowl. “I’m sorry. I haven’t seen you in so long. It’s hard to see
you this way and have you not remember me.”
“I like to cook,” I answered his question from before. The answer was
simple enough. “Dean, the Charmer, knew me. Falcon knows me. You
know me. Two on that list aren’t good people. It’s hard to believe, without
evidence, that you’re not like them. I want to trust you, I do. It’s hard.”
“I understand, and I’m not upset with you, Bri. Your wellbeing is all
that matters. Eventually you’ll remember. Don’t rush it. Things don’t go
well if rushed.”
The soup tasted better than any soup I’d ever tasted besides my own. In
fact…
“This tastes like my potato soup recipe.” I took another bite. “Well,
Falcon has a good cook.”
“That he does.” Azar cracked a couple of his fingers. “I still prefer your
cooking, but I won’t complain. They feed us. Could be worse.”
Again I wanted to ask why we were here, but Azar hadn’t known
before. The chances of that changing were slim to none. Besides, if he
knew, he’d tell me. Right?
“I’m ready to go home. I haven’t been home in years. Pretty much since
the last time I saw you.” The firelight danced in Azar’s eyes. “When I do
go, I’m taking you with me. Somehow I’ll find us a way out of here. Don’t
you go snooping around. I’ll handle it. Your job is to do as Falcon says. But
soon, we’ll be home with family. The others have to be worried by now.
Especially—” Azar cut his sentence off.
“Especially, who?”
Azar tipped his head at me with a humored expression. “If I wanted you
to know, I would have said his name.”
Irritation made me turn my attention back to the soup instead of my
friend. I’d never enjoyed surprises or being left in the dark.
“You like having answers.” Azar watched the fire as he spoke. “Not
having any drives you insane. I wish I could help.”
I had no response, so I ate my soup and placed the bowl on the floor
beside me when I’d finished. Maybe, if I thought hard enough, a memory
would come to me. If I could start to piece things together, I wouldn’t feel
so lost and helpless.
Like everyone else in the world, I’d been born and grew up. I went to
school like all the other kids. My parents had been picky about my friends
and they’d been quite strict. They never said the name Azar. Had we gone
to school together and I never mentioned him to my parents because of their
rules?
The more I thought, the more my head hurt. An image or two came to
mind, but I shoved them aside. They were probably from books. I’d make
up characters’ faces as I read. I must’ve fallen asleep, because soon enough,
a dream began.
My search led me to the waterfront. I’d snuck out successfully this time.
The dreams, and the unquenchable need to search, wouldn’t drive my mind
to insanity tonight. They were trying to protect me. I understood that. But I
needed them to understand as well. I couldn’t control this insatiable need to
find…something. Things were too jumbled now. I needed to be careful.
However, who would find me at the beach in the middle of the night?
“Hello, Brina?”
I spun. The voice sent terror through me. His appearance, disheveled
red hair with crooked teeth, ignited the terror growing within me enough I
whimpered. I was too young! Why hadn’t I waited until I was older? He
would have found me.
He? My brain buzzed as the evil man stepped closer. I’d been searching
for a “he” and not an object. Would I remember this later?
“Brina, we meet again.” What was this evil man’s name? Vileness
dripped from his words. I should know his name. He knew me.
The unknown man pulled something from his pocket. He’d tracked me
down before. Splices of memories began to return as I backed away. He
wanted something from me. The man I searched for disliked this man. I
could remember that.
I stumbled into the water as the evil man laughed at my attempt to
escape. But this was no escape. The memories were coming. They were
coming too quickly. If someone didn’t stop them, I wouldn’t make it through
this. My guardians would know how to help. But they weren’t here.
 Glimpses of the man I searched for flashed through my mind too
quickly. I couldn’t see what he looked like before the overload began. My
mind jumped from one memory to another and then onto another.
Information registered in my mind, but my mind was too delicate to receive
it all.
The pain was too much. Oswald—that was the evil man’s name—roared
his anger as he finally understood what was happening. He still wanted
something from me. He chased me to get it. Even in pain, I wouldn’t let him
take what he wanted. I ran further into the waves before collapsing as the
pain in my head exploded. The current dragged me away from Oswald and
out to sea.
I awoke with a screaming headache. With a groan, I leaned forward and
fell out of my chair only to be caught and dragged away from the fire as the
screaming started—from me this time and not my dream self. The only
thing that mattered was the pain and the flashing of images in my mind.
They were too much.
Someone yelled, but I couldn’t understand them aside from the fact they
said Falcon’s name. I didn’t want to think past the pain to figure out the rest
of the sentence. All I wanted was to slip into blissful darkness by passing
out, but as the person held me, I couldn’t seem to let go of the images.
The pain stopped. So did the images in my mind. In fact, my entire
mind blanked.
“Brina, open your eyes.” Falcon’s command using persuasion forced me
to obey. I blinked up at him. The fire had died down while I slept, or Falcon
had dimmed it with his dark presence. Whichever way didn’t matter. The
fact was, the room was cooler and darker than before. Falcon’s hands,
wrapped around my upper arms, were warm. The pain had stolen my
energy. When I began to sink to the floor, Falcon spoke up again. “Brina,
stand.”
 “Falcon,” Azar growled, but didn’t finish his sentence when Falcon
glared over my head at him.
“She will stand if I order it. Now, what happened?” The question he
directed at me.
“Azar and I talked. I must’ve fallen asleep. I had another dream. The
pain was a lingering effect from it. Sometimes it happens when I dream. If
I’m searching for someone in my dream, the urge to go searching when I
wake is almost too much to bear if I’m not allowed to leave the house. This
time there was pain.” A shiver ran up my spine. Falcon growled and glared
at Azar. I imagined the man had reached out to me. An image of him doing
so stirred my mine, but Falcon’s next question pulled me away before the
pain returned.
“What happened in your dream?”
“I was on a beach.” I shivered at the memory and wrapped my arms
around myself. “I was searching again. I’d snuck out after a dream. The
usual. A man showed up. In my dream, I knew him, but I’ve never seen his
face. Faces don’t usually show up well in dreams until you kidnapped me.
His name was Oswald, I eventually remembered.” With a hiss, I grabbed at
my head as the stabbing pain began to return. “You mentioned that name I
think,” I ground out.
“What color are daisies?”
Falcon’s question took me by surprise and I looked up at him. The pain
retreated again, but didn’t ebb all the way.
“Daisies? White and yellow?” Another memory from the dream
surfaced. I spoke through clenched teeth. “I was searching for someone. A
man. I climbed into the ocean to flee the evil man and it pulled me out to
sea.”
With a whimper, I leaned forward and clutched at Falcon’s clothes. He
wore a fancy, black overcoat again. He reminded me of a fancy goth guy I’d
gone to high school with. Lemon perfume surrounded me. The scent drew
me from the dream, but I had to concentrate on the smell.
“Stand, Brina.” How I hated Falcon and his commands. “I am testy
today. You will remain strong. Bid your friend goodbye. We’re going
hunting.”
My body turned of its own accord and I told Azar goodbye. A different
kind of pain filled his eyes as I fulfilled the command Falcon had given to
the letter. Maybe Azar wouldn’t expect me to stick around this place if he
understood how much danger I was in while being kept prisoner at Falcon’s
house?
Falcon took my hand and we disappeared into darkness.
F
alcon’s idea of hunting differed from the rest of the world’s. The
Shadow slid us to the outside of a home I didn’t recognize in the
middle of the night. Trepidation and a cool breeze brought
goosebumps to my skin. What did Falcon plan to do? A disgusting taste
entered my mouth. Shadows feasted on fear and played the boogeyman in
the night, but they also drank blood.
“You will stay silent.” Falcon’s words carried a persuasive edge which
caused the refusal I would’ve given to fizzle out. His eyes lit up in the
limited moonlight. “You wish to learn more about my world. I’ve decided
to show you.”
Falcon disappeared only to reappear feet from me and bang on a
window. He vanished again only to materialize in front of me. His touch to
my skin slid both of us into a bedroom where a man sat up in his bed,
clutching his blankets to his chest. The man’s wide eyes stared at the
window. While Falcon and I stood in the room, within his view, the man
didn’t take notice of us.
“They can’t see me when I shield myself with the darkness of the night.
Neither can they hear what I do not wish them to.” Falcon smiled and
stomped his foot on the floor. The man jumped and his eyes darted to where
we stood. “Do you feel it?” Falcon breathed in a slow breath, eyes closed as
if he savored a smell only he could scent. “The fear here is divine.”
 If given the chance to speak, I would’ve told him how despicable,
detestable, and devoid of all humanity I thought he was. But Falcon wasn’t
human. Evil had created him, but did that mean he had to remain in his
wicked ways?
Since I couldn’t speak, I scowled as hard as I could at him. After my
attempt to hit him earlier, I knew better than to be physical with him again.
Especially with Falcon in a dark mood before his hunt. Falcon chuckled at
my unspoken reply and walked to the bedroom’s closet door. Slowly, he
opened the door. The squeal of the closet’s hinges made the man whimper
and cry. My heart ached as the tears fell down his face. What had the man
been through before this to create such fear in his heart? Falcon shouldn’t
be scaring the man, but consoling him! If Falcon wouldn’t, then I would.
Falcon didn’t stop me as I walked to the bed and sat on the side of it.
The Shadow’s command hadn’t broken. I couldn’t speak. But I could give
him a hug. Hugs were good for the soul.
I placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. He lashed out as his eyes
widened in fear. The man pushed me and I fell onto my butt before he
climbed off the bed after me and bolted from the room, slamming the door
behind him.
Falcon laughed as I climbed to my feet. “What did you think would
happen, darling? Be invisible and help a terrified man feel better? Thank
you for the sudden burst of utter terror, by the way. His fear was the best
I’ve had in ages, aside from yours. I’m glad I brought you along.”
He winked and I scowled. How dare Falcon use me to scare another.
That’s why he hadn’t stopped me. What a pig.
“Let’s go.” Falcon held out his hand as the terrified man burst into the
room again, shotgun in hand. “Now, Brina.”
Falcon’s growl forced me to move from where I’d frozen in shock. Our
skin touched as the man tightened his finger on the trigger. We were safely
away before the shot completed.
 Where we were took a moment to sink in before Falcon ran his
fingernails over the wooden floor beneath the bed. I tried to yell, but my
mouth wouldn’t open. Falcon’s command still seemed to hold. A young
whimper above us turned my stomach. He wouldn’t…
“Do not move.” Falcon smiled as he gave me the command. My body
seized up as his persuasion touched my mind. I fought the command, but
my brain couldn’t move my limbs as the Shadow beside me disappeared
from beneath the bed.
The child above me yelped when Falcon banged on the outside wall.
Tears escaped the sides of my eyes and slid down into my ears as the child
cried and shook in his bed. What was wrong with Falcon? This was a child!
An innocent little being so filled with hope, promise, and light. His dreams
shouldn’t be filled with the terror Falcon could inflict upon him. My heart
broke for the little boy.
Falcon never touched the child, but he terrified the poor thing until he
ran from the room screaming. Falcon joined me a second before the parents
turned the bedroom light on and explained that there were no monsters in
the room. Little did they know…
Falcon took my hand and we left the child and his family behind. My
life had become a worse nightmare than the ones which plagued me almost
nightly. At least the only victim in my dreams was me. That I could handle.
This…this was not something anyone could prepare for.
In the darkness of our new destination, a place outside, somewhere in
the world where only Falcon knew, I sank to the ground. “Why are you
doing this, Falcon? I thought I already gave you what you needed? You
have to be filled with enough fear by now. Not to mention the blood I gave
you last night.”
“Shadows are never filled. Not enough. We crave more. Consuming fear
only makes us yearn for more and more. Some go mad in their need for
blood and fear.”
 My body still shook as I wrapped my arms around myself. Wherever we
were, in a forest, we were in a cooler climate. How I missed the sun.
“What do you do when they go mad? Allow them to go on a terrorizing
spree?” My breath appeared as a cloud when I spoke. I needed a coat, not a
revealing dress. Parts of me which were normally clothed were getting cold.
Falcon leaned against a tree. The large moon overhead didn’t seem to
bother him. “As long as they don’t cause too much harm, they can do what
they please. If they bring too much attention to themselves from the other
Darken, then I take care of the problem. Now, if you and your emotions are
quite finished with your rest, I have hours of darkness to scare children in.”
“No!” I scrambled to my feet, dread pooling in my stomach.
Falcon’s mood shifted, but not to one I expected. He laughed. “And
what do you plan to do about it, Brina, darling? You can’t possibly think
you can beat me in a physical altercation and force me to not do as I wish.”
“I can try.” With jaw tight, I lifted my fists into the best attacking
position I could without actually taking any sort of a class. Stupid me. I
should’ve put the martial arts classes higher on my list of priorities. I’d
been dumb, even if I’d also been broke. Though, how could I have known
I’d be kidnapped by the world’s worst monster?
Falcon stood straight from where he’d leaned against the tree. “Stop
playing. We need to go.”
He captured my wrist when I punched at him. The quick defeat soured
my gut further. I couldn’t physically protect these children.
Falcon slid us to the outside of another house. As he went to scratch yet
another window, I squeezed my eyes shut. It took nothing for him to scare
them. He did the same things over and over with the same results. As long
as they feared what they couldn’t see, Falcon would keep scaring them. It
took him no effort at all and he feasted like a glutton.
“Wait.”
 I opened my eyes to find Falcon staring back at me, his hand half risen
to scratch the window. “I’m listening.”
“Please, don’t.”
His expression remained hidden in the darkness. The moonlight glinted
off his hair, but I couldn’t see any part of his face. “That’s all you have to
offer? A please? Darling, people have been begging the boogeyman to go
away for years. Why do you think I’ll listen to a woman such as yourself?
Even if you are a deliciously sexy woman.”
My jaw worked up and down, but I had no answer to give. Falcon
turned back to the house.
“Falcon!” I ran to him and grabbed his arm. He shoved me against the
side of the house. “An exchange!” Closing my eyes against the rising fear
within me, I gulped before repeating, “I offer you an exchange.”
The Shadow leaned forward and sniffed as he ran his nose over my
temple. My heart raced and Falcon placed a hand over where the organ
pounded in my chest. His hand warmed my skin and I shivered. His lips
rose, either in appreciation of my reaction, my offer, or both.
“I accept. Your fear in exchange for theirs.”
“Wha…what?” That hadn’t been my intention. I’d expected to give him
my blood again.
The world disappeared and when I opened my eyes after a quick blink, I
stood alone in yet another forest. No animals made a sound as if they knew
what kind of a monster roamed the forest with them. Even the predators
knew a bigger danger than them lurked in the shadows. That predator had a
specific prey and I shook at the knowledge as my ears strained to hear
where Falcon waited. But he wouldn’t allow me to know where he was. Not
unless he wanted me to. No one could hear what Falcon didn’t want them to
hear. No one could see what he didn’t want them to see. The almost
complete darkness masked his presence.
 I wanted to believe that whatever happened, Falcon wouldn’t hurt me.
He hadn’t physically harmed the people he’d scared, but I was more than
food for Falcon. I couldn’t explain why or what was happening. Why me?
“Why me, Falcon?”
A familiar feeling washed over me. The sense of being watched
accelerated my heartbeat and made the hairs rise on the back of my neck. I
didn’t turn. I wouldn’t see anything. I never did.
I sucked in a breath. Never had I seen anyone on my nightly walks, but
I’d always felt watched. Had Falcon followed me? Or Astrid. Could she do
this too? She was a Shadow who was energized by fear. Of course she could
hide in the darkness.
A twig snapped behind me. I couldn’t help but spin and search the
darkness as my heart hammered in my chest. Could he hear its swift pace?
Already knowing I wouldn’t find evidence of the man who’d kidnapped me,
I tried to even out my breaths. Falcon wanted to scare me, but I needed to
practice not fearing him. I would be brave for as long as I could. Which, as
the darkness remained silent around me, wouldn’t last long.
“You exchanged, Brina.” His voice came from my right. I turned, but
his presence moved behind me. His breath tickled my ear as he spoke. “I
want your fear.” He left my back. “Run, Brina!”
He didn’t need to use persuasion on me as he bellowed. My heart
skittered to a stop before racing faster than before. My feet were on the
move. With hands stretched out in front of me, I ran as fast as I could,
trying to evade the trees. The boots Astrid forced me to wear were terrible
for running in.
Branches broke to my left. Instinct made me course correct and run to
my right. My breaths came in quick pants as a wisp of fabric brushed my
arm. I yelped as Falcon caught me. He laughed as I pushed against him. He
released me with a nip of his teeth to my neck. His laugh followed me as I
somehow evaded trees, seeing them just in time to move out of the way.
 A hand grazed over my side. Another branch broke. Red eyes greeted
me in the darkness. Each made me veer in another direction.
Falcon nipped at me again. He appeared out of nowhere seconds later. I
ran into him and though I knew it was him, his sudden appearance
frightened me. I screamed. There was no one around to hear and save me.
With another laugh, Falcon released me. I ran again, nearly running into
two trees before Falcon caught me for a third time.
“Enough,” I gasped. This time, I held his jacket in my shaking hands.
“Enough, Falcon.”
“This is not enough to exchange me, Brina. It’s been fun, but not the
meal I would have had otherwise had we scared the babes.”
“You can have my blood.” My chest heaved as I caught my breath.
We slid again. When we arrived at our new destination—also in the
woods, maybe even the same woods—I found my back up against a tree.
Falcon’s warmth seeped into me as he stepped closer. His body pressed into
mine, spiking both my fear and my stupid body’s lustful reaction.
“Not blood, Brina. Something else.”
He could still taste my fear as I struggled to think of anything he’d
accept from me. “I’m not sleeping with you.”
Falcon didn’t respond but scented me again as he pressed himself into
me even more. He wanted me. He couldn’t hide it. I bit my lower lip as he
groaned and pulled away.
“Kiss me, Brina Firestorm.”
The name pulled me from my fear. My irritating attraction to the man
faded. “My name is Brina Johnson. Dean called me Firestorm too.”
“Do not speak his name again. Now, kiss me or I’ll finish the night by
terrifying more innocents.” His breath wafted into my face. The fruity scent
of lemons put me more at ease. My muscles relaxed and I breathed easier.
The more at ease I became, the more tense Falcon grew. “What is it?”
 “Lemons.” My face warmed at my idiocy of stating one word as an
answer. “You smell like lemons. I’ve always enjoyed the smell. There must
be a happy memory in my past that I don’t remember from my childhood
that aligns with the smell of lemons.”
Falcon’s hand gripped the back of my neck. “Kiss me.”
The command held no persuasion, but I didn’t need it. His lips covered
mine and electricity shot straight through me. I whimpered as Falcon’s hand
on my waist pulled me to him. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss. Heat
spread into every fiber of my being. My hands grabbed chunks of his hair.
The air around us changed, warming. My body warmed further. Every
swipe of Falcon’s tongue against mine scorched me.
“Holy hellhounds, Falcon!” A male voice startled me into jumping
back.
Falcon growled. His eyes, blazing red, turned to face the man who’d
interrupted us. Our intruder had curly brown hair and stood shorter than
Falcon by half a foot, still putting him near six feet like me. His shoulders
weren’t as broad as the Shadow’s either.
“Get out, Arlo.”
“Not again, Falc. This cannot happen again.”
“Enough!” Falcon stormed toward the new man and put his face in
Arlo’s. Arlo didn’t even flinch while I’d begun to quake in terror. “Shut up.
She knows nothing.”
Arlo shook his head and looked over at me. “Hello, Brina.”
“Conjurers curse you, Arlo.” Falcon turned back to me, grabbed my
hand, and slid us to my room. I hadn’t even looked around the place where
we’d been kissing. “Stay here. Quest will be here soon.”
Falcon left before I could ask a question. The fire in my room had died
down while I was out. After throwing a few logs on the fire, I examined my
outfit. It had seen better days. Running through the woods with Falcon
chasing after me had torn the dress in many places. Exhausted and shaky, I
trudged to the bathroom to change into my pajamas. No other clothes
waited for me on the vanity and I still hadn’t found a clock. What time was
it? Would I ever know again? I’d go insane soon if I spent every day not
knowing the time.
Quest waited for me in my bedroom when I returned with my pajamas
on. He nodded toward the table in the sitting area. “Falcon sent food up.
You should eat.”
My stomach growled in agreement. Scaring people and being chased
through the forest had given me the appetite of a male twice my size.
Missing a hearty lunch and only eating soup had been a bad idea.
Quest stood by the door as I lifted the lid off the plate left on an end
table. Beneath the lid, someone had placed a simple sandwich on a plate.
While the sandwich didn’t look like much, a hint of lemon when removing
the lid made me think of Falcon. Had he made my meal himself? But why?
Our kiss—an exchange I doubted Falcon would consider paid up—hadn’t
been enough for my captor to make me a meal. He had other Shadows to do
that. Unless he thought that someone else making my food would be
dangerous to me…
“Who’s Arlo?” The name popped back into my head as I picked up the
sandwich.
“Arlo is the First Four of the Charmers.” His answer made me choke. A
Charmer? Here? “Don’t worry, Brina. You’re safe. Arlo won’t harm you.”
I wouldn’t put it past a Charmer to hurt me. A room filled with his kind
had evil plans ready and waiting for my demise. Arlo would be no different.
Falcon was no better than them, torturing souls unless I kissed him or gave
him my fear. Azar hadn’t wanted me to give in to Falcon, but I would. I
knew it now. If I could save souls, I would. Fear wasn’t a bad thing, but the
way the Shadows feasted on it disgusted me.
“Falcon won’t allow Arlo to harm you, Brina.” Quest had taken my
silence as a refute of his judgment. “Neither will I. No one will get past me
to harm you. Yes, Falcon gave the command to guard you, but I find you
entertaining. If nothing else, you drive Astrid crazy and I enjoy that.”
I forced a smile on my face. “Glad to help.”
Quest nodded. “Finish your meal and I’ll be outside your room with
Astrid while you rest. You look like you could use it. Especially since
you’ve been out with Falcon.”
“Thanks, Quest.”
“You’re welcome.”
Quest left the room and I put the sandwich down, no longer hungry
even though I’d had soup in Azar’s room, but how long ago was that? It
didn’t matter. Falcon had a Charmer in his home, a Charmer who knew my
name. Why did he know my name? Why did Falcon allow him in his home?
One thing I did know, that had been made even more clear as time
progressed, was that Falcon’s home was dangerous. I needed to leave. Now.
H
ow would I make it past Quest?
I began to pace the room. Quest could slide. He could see
better in the dark. Also, he could smell my fear. If I didn’t play
this right, he could guess immediately at my plan. Or that I had a plan. If I
wasn't afraid enough, or if I was too afraid, he could think something was
wrong. Thinking made my tired brain hurt.
I stopped mid-stride. Yes, I’d come up with the perfect plan.
Using the most dramatic skills I had—because not even drama class in
high school had taught me how to act—I stumbled to the door and
wrenched it open, holding my head. Falcon already knew I suffered from
headaches. Maybe he wouldn’t be surprised if another one came. Plus, if I
was caught, I could just say I was stumbling around in a haze of pain.
Maybe it was dumb, but I rolled with it.
“Quest, my head.” I slumped against the wall just inside my room.
“Brina?” Quest rested his hand on my shoulder. “What do you need? I
can get a bath—”
“Falcon. I need Falcon. He knows…” I winced.
Quest swore. “Astrid’s not here yet. Stay right here. I’ll go grab Falcon.
Don’t move.” Quest disappeared and I stood upright, ending my ploy,
which hadn’t been that great. I hadn’t been as afraid as I should’ve been,
but my urgency had pushed my guard to make a quick decision. Quest was
nice enough. Hopefully Falcon didn’t hurt him because of me. Still, Quest
was a creature of evil like his master. I shouldn’t feel bad for him. I
wouldn’t.
I stepped into the hallway and realized the biggest fault in my plan.
While I’d realized Quest could see in the dark, it hadn’t occurred to me that
I’d be escaping in near total darkness. Still, I’d started this. I had no
intention of going back. Back was dangerous. If Falcon found out I’d lied to
escape, he would kill me. Even if he didn’t find out, he was a monster, and
in this house, I was surrounded by more monsters. They all fed upon me.
Every single one. Better to try to escape and die than play the coward and
still die while feeding creatures of pure evil. Falcon had chased me down to
scare me for the fun of it. He scared the innocent for pleasure. He wouldn’t
be above ending my life.
With my hand on the wall, I began to walk as fast as I dared back down
the hallway to the stairs in my pajamas and bare feet. When I neared the
stairs, I slowed, sticking my foot out before stepping so I didn’t tumble
down a flight or two. This approach saved me from biffing it and I took the
stairs painfully slow. If Quest had found Falcon by now, Falcon would find
me soon. I needed to hurry.
My heart hammered as I descended one flight and then the next. Finally,
the end of a flight of stairs found me on the main floor of the house. Stairs
were usually in the front of the house, so while I must have looked like an
idiot, I walked until I touched a wall. Then I began to follow the wall with
my hand touching it, hoping to find a door sooner than later.
“You won’t find what you’re looking for.” I paused momentarily as his
voice spoke into the large room before I proceeded on my endeavor. Even
though Falcon had arrived, I would keep searching. He wouldn’t keep me
from trying. Besides, I was already dead just by trying to escape. What if I
succeeded? Quest and Astrid both hated the sun. If the sun was up when I
opened the front door, I’d be all set. I’d find a home nearby and ask the
owners to drive me to the police.
 Falcon didn’t stop me as I searched, but the carved designs on the wall
never gave way to an outside door. Soon I’d passed other doorways that led
further into the house, but I didn’t find a door which would lead me out of
the house. Maybe I’d searched the wrong room? Was Falcon’s house
different and the stairs were in the back or on a side? Not that it mattered.
I’d never have another chance like this to escape. I’d wasted it. I should’ve
asked for a tour of the house or something before trying to leave. Another
thought sickened me as my failure sank in. Had Falcon brought Arlo with
him?
“You will not find what you seek, Brina. There are no doors or windows
in my home. We do not need them and it keeps intruders out.”
My stomach fell at the news. “And prisoners in.”
“That too.”
“Quest found you.” My shoulders fell.
“I did not need Quest to tell me you were on the move. All I needed was
this.” His fingers grazed my skin around the choker at my neck. I reached
up to remove it, but the clasp wouldn’t budge. I couldn’t even rip it off my
neck. “It’s infused with magic from a Conjurer. You’ll never remove it.
Only I can. And when you wear it, I will know exactly where you are.” His
hand wrapped around my neck. While his touch remained gentle, I’d seen
his hands easily snap the neck of a Charmer, a man much larger than me.
Falcon could break me easily if he wanted.
“I had to try.” I swallowed and his grip allowed me to do so with ease,
but that would change any second.
“Even after I warned you what I would do if you did try?”
“Azar said there are worse dangers outside, but he doesn’t understand
that you are more dangerous than them all. Arlo is a Charmer and he made
it into your house. He knew me just as others have. He can command me at
will.” I gulped. “Quest said to make sure I entertain you. That my life
depends on it. I’m not here for your enjoyment, Falcon. I want nothing to
do with this world. My parents are probably worried sick and there’s
nothing I can do to relieve that pain. They’re good people who don’t
deserve this. I don’t deserve this.”
“Are you about finished?”
I nodded. While, to me, the world seemed contorted from my lack of
sight, Falcon saw my nod. The fingers of his free hand slid from my temple,
down my neck, over my shoulder, and then down my arm. His touch sent
tingles through me, which I ignored. Even with my pajamas on, his touch
felt electric. How much more would I have reacted if I still wore a dress
that left my skin bear to his touch?
“Maybe seeing what waits for you out there will help you realize how
much safer you are in here. Even with Arlo dropping in unannounced at
times.”
“I’ve met a Charmer.”
“Then it’s time to meet a Howler.” Falcon slid us somewhere else with
just a touch to my skin. The stench of the place was my first indicator that
we’d moved, not the sight of our changed location. There were red glowing
rocks in wire nets every few feet which allowed me to see, a difference
from the other room I’d been caught in.
“Won’t the rocks help your captives escape?”
“You assume we’re in some sort of dungeon.” Falcon chuckled.
“It stinks like it.”
“That it does. And no. It won’t. The only prisoners I have right now are
Howlers. Red light hurts their eyes.”
“Oh.”
Falcon continued to lead me forward. A person came into view soon.
His hair was somewhere between my protectors’ and Oz’s. It didn’t have
the brightness, but also didn’t seem as dull as Astrid’s and Quest’s.
“Hello, sir.” The man nodded to Falcon.
 “Asa.” Falcon nodded at the man. “Brina, this is Asa. He is in charge of
my prisoners.”
The Shadow nodded at me. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.” He
smiled and sniffed the air. “I’m assuming you’re the one who’s been
smothering this place in fear.”
Falcon growled and Asa raised his hands. He lowered his head as
Falcon and I pressed forward. How many of Falcon’s Shadows was I
feeding? I needed to do as Azar said and pull myself together and get a
handle on my emotions. The last thing I needed were a bunch of strong,
overly fed Shadows in the house with me. Especially after what Falcon
said. The more they fed, the more they wanted. If I didn’t control myself,
these Shadows would wreak terror on the world.
We continued down a hallway. When we reached a corner, Falcon
turned right. Iron bar cages came into view. The light in this part of the
prison was different; more soft yellow than red. A man in the first cage sat
with his legs crossed in the middle of the cage. He watched us as we did the
same to him. His pants were torn. He had no shirt, socks, or shoes. The dark
hair on his head was nearly as long as the hair on his face. Hair also covered
most of his exposed body. Dirt smudged his skin that was visible around the
hair.
“Go on.” Falcon pushed me forward toward the cage. “He’s only a
Howler. Nothing to be afraid of.”
Falcon’s voice mocked me. Even while his prisoner sat, unarmed and
defenseless, his aura screamed that he was the more dangerous of the two of
us. I had no choice but to approach. When I stopped, Falcon pushed me
forward again. I stood a foot from the cage when the man inside lifted one
side of his mouth in a sneer. His lips lifted to expose a long, sharp canine.
Within the breath, a beast flew at the cage wall, right at me. An arm
pulled me away as I screamed. The world went dark for a moment before
another world opened up to me.
 Wind howled through the trees. If the leaves weren’t gone, they would
have rustled, but snow crunched beneath my feet, the signal Autumn had
come and gone and winter had set in. My least favorite of all seasons. In the
distance, a real howl was voiced to the full moon overhead. A Howler had
caught a scent and I only needed one guess as to whose scent that was.
Why had I run into the woods? Mother always said it wasn’t safe in the
woods at night. She’d pleaded with me to stay inside while she was needed
at her sister’s, who was giving birth. Why hadn’t I kept my promise?
Maybe I could make my way back home before the Howlers caught up
to me. It was my only chance of survival. The thought spurred me back the
way I’d come. Sticks and holes in the ground tripped me up in my long dress
and I twisted my ankle. I didn’t pause to assess injuries as the howls came
closer. Instead, I pushed on through the pain. More pain would come if I
didn’t hurry. I’d been stupid to think I was strong enough to fight them this
time around. Maybe in another life I would have been, but not now. Next
time I’d be more defenseless than ever.
A figure appeared in front of me and I pulled up short. A whimper made
the creature laugh. He appeared as a man in the moonlight, but his arms
and the parts of his legs which were exposed by rips in his pants were
covered in long hair like a wolf. His hair was silver and wild. Twigs and
dead leaves stuck in the long, matted strands.
He laughed. The sound grated on a nerve, like he needed to cough up
some phlegm.
“It’s not every day one of you is stupid enough to venture out at night.
Especially on a full moon.”
What did the full moon have to do with anything?
“Run along now.” I picked up a stick and threw it. He barked out a
laugh. Well, he partly looked like a dog, so it had been worth a try.
Something crashed into me, throwing me into the air before I hit the
ground. Growls rose up around me. My head spun, but I peered up from
where I laid to see more Howlers enter the circle of trees. These, though,
were more animal-like, crawling on their hands and feet like a bear, but
their mouths had elongated into a snout. They looked weird, but also very,
very lethal. I was a dead girl.
The first Howler laughed and changed to look like his brethren. They
gave me no warning, no taunting. They just attacked.
Their teeth and claws tore my skin and clothes as I curled up to protect
myself. My screams were loud, but no one would hear them. Even if they
did, no one would come running to help. There had been too much death
already.
A roar filled the air and the Howlers paused. Another roar had them
fleeing and scattering into the woods. I could only lay there and pray
whatever could send a Howler running for its life would be merciful and kill
me quickly.
Another large figure approached. The moon behind him didn’t allow me
to see his face, but I’d know that powerful aura anywhere. Falcon. He was
a little too late.
“Brina.”
“Brina!” My name being screamed in my face woke me and I lifted my
head to stare into red eyes which blazed with a fury I’d just seen in my
dream. My scream died, as did the imagined pain, and I slumped against my
captor.
Every part of me shook as Falcon held my weight. “The dream,” I
whimpered.
“It wasn’t a dream.” Falcon lifted me into his arms. Darkness wrapped
around us until we finished sliding to my room. Quest and Astrid stood by
the door as Falcon laid me on my bed. He turned to them. “Find Brina a
meal. This time, force it down her throat if you need to. She does not leave
your sight again.” His attention fell on me again as my head throbbed.
“You’ll have little light. Your guards will be stronger in the darkness and
the lack of light will keep you still. Astrid will see to it that you’re dressed
in warmer clothes so you’re not useless to me by falling ill. I warned you,
Brina. Do not test my patience again. You have questions and I will give
you answers. First, I must deal with an issue while you dress in clothes.”
Falcon didn’t wait for me to acknowledge his demands but disappeared.
The guards he left me with glared in my direction as the fire began to die.
“No, no.” The blankets wrapped around my legs made me fall out of
bed as I tried to disentangle myself. When they became unruly, I crawled to
the fireplace on hands and knees. My hopes died as the coals did little to
warm the air and didn’t light the room at all.
“Let’s go.” Astrid pulled me to my feet and dragged me into the
bathroom. “Change.”
She didn’t turn as I picked up the new shirt sitting on the vanity. The
shirt—I now hated black—had short sleeves. The pants were heavy and
there was a long-sleeved sweater with a hood to cover my arms, which
already had bumps covering them from the cold. Astrid didn’t allow me to
leave her sight as I dressed.
“I can’t stay here.” I glared back at her when I’d finished dressing.
“You have no choice in the matter. You’ll stay here, you devil. Do you
have any idea what you could have done to Quest? He’s almost of age and
you could’ve ended it for him now.”
“I don’t understand. Quest alluded to something about his age and
strength earlier. What does it mean to be ‘almost of age,’ Astrid? After what
I did, I know you don’t owe me any answers, but it might help us all if I
understood this world more.” I pulled the opening of my sweater closed.
The hood might come up if I cooled down further.
“There are no old Shadows, Brina. Quest is almost four hundred years
old. He’s by far the oldest Shadow alive, but not for much longer. Falcon
doesn’t let anyone live to become as powerful as himself. Not even close.
Quest’s hair is changing. The older a Shadow gets, the more black strands
will grow in their hair.”
“I didn’t notice black strands.”
“You won’t. You’re a human with crappy eyesight. But Falcon is a
Shadow and sees well. It’s only because Falcon needs Quest to guard you—
for some devilish reason only Falcon knows—that Quest is still alive. But if
Falcon feels that Quest can’t do the job, then it’s into the sun’s light for
Quest. He’ll burn like the sun itself.”
“Falcon would do that just because I tried to escape and it wasn’t
Quest’s fault?”
In the dim red light, Astrid gave me a “cut the crap, you know Falcon”
look. “Brina, Falcon has had thousands upon thousands of children in his
lifetime. He’s not a saint. He’s almost the devil. Each and every one of
those children of his, he’s thrown them into the sunlight when they came of
age. That, or he let his hellhound, Fargo, maul them to death and eat them.
Quest isn’t his child, Brina. He’ll do worse to him. Keep that in mind before
you test him again. Falcon is a monster.” Her words brought a sick feeling
to my stomach. Astrid let the explanation settle before dragging me back
into my bedroom.
Red rocks filled a few bowls throughout the room. Quest stood by my
bed holding something in his hands. Squinting didn’t help me figure out
what it was.
Quest’s mouth rose as he pulled the item apart. “Care for some fuzzy
slippers?”
“Oh my gosh, yes! They’re warmer than boots.” I raised each foot in
turn and Quest slipped the shoes on my feet. “Quest, I’m sorry.”
He placed a couple fingers on my lips. “You’re scared, Brina. We are all
feasting on that fear. Even Shadows feel afraid and act irrationally. Don’t do
it again.”
 “Astrid explained more about Falcon’s power policy. I won’t do
anything stupid to risk your life, or hers, again.”
Quest shook his head. “It would be normal for you to try to escape
again, or not care about your captors.”
“It would be normal for you to be mad at me.”
He gave a wicked chuckle. “Had you been here five minutes prior to
your arrival, it wouldn’t have mattered that Falcon was here and wants you
safe. You would’ve felt pain as a result of what you did. However, I’m more
interested in Falcon’s answers than your pain at the moment. But pull
something like that again, Brina Johnson, and I’ll give Falcon a reason to
kill me.”
I didn’t need to see Quest’s face to know his expression had darkened.
His voice held a threat to my life, and I shivered.
With a gulp, I nodded. “Duly noted.”
“You have soup waiting for you. You’ll have to eat it in the dark, or you
can ask Astrid to spoon feed you.”
“Shut up, Questy.” Astrid punched Quest in the gut. He groaned and
coughed from the hard assault.
The lightness of the conversation relaxed me a little. This was
somewhat normal, or as normal as things had been before everything fell
apart.
When he could breathe, Quest guided me to my chair and I nibbled at
the soup until nothing remained in the bowl. Somehow, I didn’t spill a drop,
though some had dribbled down my chin. Thankfully I’d also been given a
napkin.
The room seemed to darken more as Quest took my bowl. I rose. Falcon
had returned. This time, he’d promised answers.
T
he fire blazed back to life. Azar knelt in front of it. As he placed
another log into the hearth, Quest and Astrid moved farther from it
while Falcon watched me from where he stood by my bed. The
half of his face lit by the firelight remained unreadable. The dark side of his
face made a shiver run up my spine. How could I be so stupid as to think I
could escape him? I fingered the jewels hanging from my necklace while
despair sank deep into my soul. Now, I’d never escape him.
Azar stood. The firelight made his blond hair seem brighter. Especially
compared to Falcon’s black hair that seemed to have a bluish tint to it. The
dark circles beneath Azar’s eyes hadn’t lightened, but neither had they
darkened. “You’re alright, Brina? How’s your head?”
“It’s okay. Doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m not sure what happened, but
thanks for being there.”
I waited for Azar to scold me about attempting to flee Falcon’s house
without him at my side. He’d been right to have me wait and we’d go
together, but when I’d decided to flee, I’d been terrified and desperate. And
I hadn’t understood as much about the evil outside Falcon’s walls. At least
now we knew I wouldn’t be running with Azar. My presence would only
draw Falcon to Azar. Stupid Falcon and his stupid trick, allowing me to
imprison myself with his so-called gift.
Still, Falcon and Azar had both not been wrong. The monsters outside
of Falcon’s house were far more dangerous than I’d expected. Yes, I knew
Charmers were out there, but I’d never expected creatures like Howlers to
prowl the world. How many were there?
Azar didn’t scold me, so I turned to Falcon.
“You promised answers,” I accused my captor when he made no move
to stick to his word. “If I don’t know what to expect from this world, I’ll
probably wind up dead. Someone else could die in the process. Lay it out
for me. Why am I here and how do I know Azar? This time I get more than
two questions.”
“Take a seat.” Falcon nodded to the chair behind me. “Azar, you will
join us. While we get comfortable, Azar, maybe you can remind our dear
Brina why it’s unsafe for her to try to escape my home.”
Azar raised an eyebrow at me while I sat in the wingback chair I’d risen
from. How could people sit in these things? They were terribly
uncomfortable.
“You keep telling me I’m safe here,” I spoke up before Azar could. “Yet
a Charmer slid into your house, Falcon. And not just any Charmer, but the
leader of the Charmers. Dean influenced my mind easily enough and he
wasn’t as powerful of a man as Arlo is. I assume anyway.”
“You assume correctly,” Falcon answered, “but Arlo is a friend. He will
not harm you. He’s had the chance and didn’t. Nor would he risk ruining
our friendship. To do so would upset the balance he dutifully strives for.”
“Well I didn’t feel safe.” I crossed my arms and glared up at him. Being
in the chair and Falcon now standing above me didn’t make me feel tough.
Falcon scoffed and covered me with a blanket he’d brought from the
bed. I shivered. The fire needed to heat the air soon.
“When the meeting is over, the room will go back to darkness—”
“No.” Azar glared at Falcon from where he sat in a chair he’d pulled in
front of me and angled so we could both see and feel the flames from the
fire.
 “Shut up.” Falcon ground his teeth together. “You are only here because
I feel gracious. Her guards need to be strong.”
“She needs to be strong, Falcon. Unless you don’t want her to
remember…” Azar shook his head as something dawned on him. He
glowered at Falcon. “You’re a piece of crap, Falcon. She’s not a toy for you
to play with. If she was mature and could defend herself from you, I’d say
go for it and watch her kick your butt, but she’s weak.”
“Enough.” The fire died down at Falcon’s order, sending us into almost
complete darkness once more. I whimpered like a baby. I’d had it back for
mere moments!
“She needs the fire, Falcon,” Azar hedged softly, reaching over and
patting my hand where it wrapped tightly around the arm of the chair I sat
in. “Let her stay with me. I can protect her. Your guards can wait in the
hallway where it’s dark. You have my word that she’ll not share a bed with
me.”
“We’ll return to this after I’ve explained things to Brina.” Falcon’s
answer surprised me when he didn’t deny Azar’s request outright or blow
up at my forgotten friend.
Falcon sat and the darkness suffocating me lifted a little so the fire
crackled at half the size it had been. A tear slipped down my cheek. I wiped
it away quickly so neither man would see my weakness. After a month of
living in the dark with Astrid, all I wanted was the sun, the light.
“Hang in there.” Azar’s smile was filled with compassion. “You’ll see
the sun again.”
I forced a small smile on my face. Inside, I died a little more. No, I
wouldn’t. Not as Falcon’s prisoner. He wouldn’t allow me to leave his sight
or his mansion and he couldn’t go out into the sun. So there was no way I
would see its bright rays again.
“First of all,” Falcon began as if Azar and I hadn’t had a private
moment, “your name is not Brina Johnson. That is the name your guardians
gave you so you’d fit into the world better while you grew. Your name is
Brina Firestorm.”
Quest and Astrid gasped. The name meant something to them. It meant
little to nothing to me. I opened my mouth to tell him he was wrong, yet
again, but a gut instinct had me closing my mouth and staring into the fire.
The name Brina Firestorm sank into me this time. It felt right. Not wrong
like when Dean had used the name or earlier when Falcon had called me by
it. Maybe I’d grown more accustomed to hearing it? Still, that option felt
off.
My attention turned to Azar, looking for him to refute Falcon. Why did
I trust Azar, a man I didn’t know, to tell me the truth?
Azar nodded. “Your name is Brina Firestorm. There are few things that
Falcon and I can tell you. We’ll explain why,” he cut off my rebuke. “Be
patient as we tell you what we can.”
I blew out an impatient breath and looked over at Falcon. He in turn
nodded for Azar to continue.
Azar adjusted himself in the chair so he sat straighter and gave me his
full attention. “The first thing you need to know is that I am not human.
Like the Shadows, my kind was created a long time ago near the beginning
of the world. More specifically, my kind was created after the flood to put
an end to the Darken, or at least keep them in check.”
“So you’re enemies.” I pointed to Azar, then to Falcon, and back again.
I’d figured as much, and one of them might have mentioned it already, but I
needed to make sure I remained on the same page as everyone else in the
room. This could be my only chance to learn everything I needed to know
about this crazy world.
“Yes, we are. Which is why I’m under the belief that I’m here because
you are. But I’m not sure why you’re here.”
“Why would you be here because I’m here?” A dull ache in my head
warned of another headache to come if someone didn’t find me medicine.
However, with how everyone reacted when I mentioned a headache, I didn’t
want to say anything or the conversation might stop.
Azar looked over at Falcon who gave a small shake of his head. My
hatred of Falcon grew. Why did he have to approve or deny the information
given to me?
My friend sighed. “She needs light, Falcon. Without it, the dreams and
visions will overwhelm her. You promised her answers, but there are none
that won’t put pressure on her fragile mind. There will be no rhyme or
reason to how things come back to her. And they’ll come back more swif
—”
“Shut up.” Falcon glared at me as Azar closed his mouth. The Shadow
scoffed and shook his head. “You are an idiot, aren’t you? Howlers eat you
alive, why must you be so noble?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I winced as an image and
then another flashed in my mind. They were gone before I could really
grasp anything from them. Just like in my last dream. “And I’ve been eaten
by plenty of Howlers, thank you very much. My dreams are filled with
them. Well, they’re actually wolves, but close enough. But I want—”
“Hellhounds howl, shut your gob.” Falcon stood as I winced. “This is
over. Brina, take my hand.”
“She needs light!” Azar stood. He puffed out his chest to intimidate
Falcon, but he couldn’t. Falcon was broader and taller. And more evil. I
wasn’t sure anyone could intimidate Falcon and he was the bringer of all
fear. Nothing scared Falcon. He was the embodiment of fear. Azar was
wasting his time and energy. Even though he fought for me, and I really
wanted light—and heat—Azar needed to stop. He’d get nowhere with
Falcon.
Falcon stood in front of me, hand extended. Azar stewed where he stood
beside the evil man. I had no choice but to do as my captor commanded.
 When my hand touched Falcon’s, he smirked at Azar like he’d won a
battle no one had expressly said was happening. Then, we were gone and in
a new room.
“Undress.”
I balked at Falcon’s command and pulled my hand from his. “Excuse
me?”
Falcon nodded toward a circular raised cement circle. The cement had
been crafted into bricks. Steam rose from inside the circle. Was it some sort
of fancy bathtub? Red rocks had been added to the top of the wall around
the tub. What I wouldn’t give to dive in and have a good soak. But not with
Falcon around.
One side of his lips rose. “Don’t worry. I won’t look. See?”
He walked to a chair and sat, not facing me, and put his feet up on
another double vanity. I shivered in the cool air of the bathroom. The
darkness hadn’t grown on me yet. My eyes continued to strain to see
everything around me.
“Where are we?”
“My bathroom.” Falcon’s answer startled me. “Climb in the tub before I
help you.” He turned and smirked at me. “Trust me, I’ll enjoy it if you take
your time undressing. I’d like to get you—”
“Shut up. I’m following your orders. Turn around.”
Falcon’s chuckles made the hair on the back of my neck rise. I didn’t
have a choice but to do as I’d been ordered, but that meant trusting Falcon
and I knew for a fact that was a stupid decision. However, Falcon’s help
was something I didn’t want even more than I wanted him to take a peek.
My hands shook as I removed the sweater, shirt, and pants I’d been
given not long ago. Hadn’t I just cleaned up and now another bath?
“The warmth of the bath will help your head,” Falcon answered my
unspoken thought. “Whenever your head begins to hurt, take a bath. Quest
and Astrid will be informed of this as well. Should you fail to notify them
of a headache, you will be punished. As will they.”
Falcon hadn’t looked while I’d undressed and I hurried up the cement
steps to the top of the bath. A few steps led into the huge tub. I climbed
down them and found a shelf ran around the entire tub so I could sit and
relax while I soaked. The tub felt more like a hot tub than a regular tub.
“Why would you punish them for my decisions?” I couldn’t help but
relax in the heated water. The headache I’d been trying to hide diminished
in seconds. I groaned as the pain fled.
Falcon chuckled. “Don’t be dumb again, Brina. Your wellbeing is my
only concern. Astrid and Quest are charged with your care, which includes
your protection. The headache will escalate until it’s as bad as it was in
Azar’s room. You were lucky I could help you control it. If not, you would
be dead right now. Do not speak. There are no answers I wish to give you.”
“Why is my wellbeing your concern?” I ignored him and asked anyway.
“Why am I your prisoner? Besides my fear and blood.”
“You are mine, Brina. I own you.” Falcon’s words shook me to the
core.
“Why do you kill them?” The change in subject would keep me from
throwing up. My body shook beneath the water.
Falcon laughed again. “You’ve been speaking with Astrid and Quest.”
“It’s only natural to speak to them. They’re the only people around. You
and Azar won’t tell me anything. Well, you won’t let Azar tell me what I
want to know.”
My captor scoffed. “He pretends as if he’d tell you anything, but Azar
would keep as much from you as I do. Test him. He’ll disappoint you.”
“What happens to Azar once you’re finished with me?”
“I’ll enjoy killing him. First, I’ll start by plucking every hair off his
head. That doesn’t seem like much, but have you had one hair pulled,
Brina? Hurts, doesn’t it? Hurts more when it’s pulled out in clumps.
Sometimes the scalp—”
“Stop!” I squeezed my eyes shut as tears dripped down my cheeks.
“Please stop.”
“Now, Astrid and Quest…I’ll either let Fargo eat them or I’ll throw
them out into the sun. Quest is too old, but I need him to keep you safe.
Once I’ve had my fun with you, there’s no need to keep him alive. Nor
Astrid. In fact, neither are keeping you as safe as I’d like. Astrid would
obey me better if she realized how far I’d go to make sure you were safe.
Watching Quest burn up in the sun would be a good reminder to her of what
will happen if she fails me.”
“Don’t…please don’t.” My jaw trembled.
Falcon’s voice sounded too humored and I pictured him leaning back in
his chair with a large smile on his face. “I’ve killed my own children, Brina.
Hundreds of thousands of them. What do the lives of Azar, Quest, and
Astrid mean to me? Astrid and Quest will be dead soon anyway. They’re
too old and growing too powerful. Besides, they’re Shadows. Why cry over
them?”
I had no answer as I wept in the tub. They were evil, all of them, but
something clutched at my heart. I couldn’t allow them to die. No, I couldn’t
allow Quest to die. And he cared deeply for Astrid. He was unlike the
others and deserved to live. Azar held a piece of my heart that I couldn’t
remember. Even if I understood what was happening, I couldn’t allow any
of them to die. They should all live and not be punished because of me.
“Don’t kill them. Please.”
Falcon’s voice came to me closer than he had been. “What will you give
in exchange for such an act?”
“I…I don’t have a lot of money, but—”
“My vaults are filled with treasures you couldn’t imagine. I have no use
for money.”
 I closed my eyes tight. “I’m not sleeping with you.”
“I didn’t ask you to.”
“But you want me to,” I elaborated. The water wasn’t warm enough, nor
opaque enough, to hide me from Falcon’s response.
“Yes.”
The gem attached to Falcon’s necklace seemed to weigh me down as I
shivered in the bath. He knew where I was at every moment. I could never
escape him. I’d be a prisoner forever. Well, the rest of my human life.
“I’ll never try to escape again.” I held a hand over my mouth after the
words had escaped me.
“You will remain here for as long as I wish? Without complaint?”
I nodded but Falcon couldn’t see it, so I removed my hand and gulped
for air before speaking again. “Yes. If you promise not to kill them or
punish them for the things I do wrong, I’ll stay as long as you want me to.
And don’t kill them afterwards.”
Falcon settled onto the wall a few feet to my left where the tub had
begun to circle around. His back faced me, but I’d never felt so exposed.
“A promise to a Darken is different than if you gave your promise to a
human. If you break your promise to me, Brina Firestorm, I will kill you
and I will kill Azar, Astrid, and Quest. Their deaths will be on your head. I
accept your exchange and in return, I promise not to kill your protectors or
my enemy, but you will wear my mark as a constant reminder of your
promise.” Tears streamed down my cheeks and I fought not to whimper as
Falcon tightened the invisible noose around my neck.
“I accept your terms.” My voice cracked and I broke down into sobs as
Falcon rose.
“Finish and do not drown. Drowning will lead to deaths. There are more
clothes in the chair. Rest as best you can. Astrid and Quest will bring you to
breakfast. Astrid will be here in a few minutes to take you to your room.”
Falcon disappeared and I allowed my heartbreak to escape in howling sobs.
 When I could cry no more, I stood and left the tub. Astrid appeared
when I’d finished dressing in the new pajamas Falcon had provided. They
were thin and comfortable, but also long-sleeved to keep me warm. And I
had black fuzzy socks.
Astrid said nothing when she held out her hand to me. I didn’t look up
at her face as I touched her skin and we were transported back to my
darkened bedroom. Quest and Azar were nowhere in sight as I crawled
beneath my covers and buried my face in my pillow, trying not to cry while
my emotions were not as numb as I’d thought they were. What had I done?
M
y head throbbed when I woke. Remembering Falcon’s
demands, I mentioned a bath to Astrid. Sensing a difference in
me, she went to prepare the bath herself while I sat on my bed,
staring at a wall.
I’d promised Falcon that I’d never attempt to leave his house. Not until
he was finished with me, whatever that purpose was. I’d never see the light
again. Nor would I see my parents. My brain couldn’t compute what Falcon
and Azar had been trying to tell me yesterday. The answers Falcon had
promised had been nothing. Maybe if Falcon hadn’t sensed my headache I
would’ve learned more, but with Falcon’s censoring, that likelihood was
small.
Not that I would’ve ever left Falcon’s house even if I hadn’t made a
promise. That was the reason why I’d made it. I fingered the collar attached
to my neck. The gem was warm with the magic used to trap me. Magic.
What kind of a world had I fallen into?
“Bath’s ready,” Astrid interrupted my thoughts. “Don’t drown.”
Her command held less bark than usual. Why had I traded my freedom
for her? For Quest? For Azar, who I couldn’t even remember? Had all of
the things which had transpired to me here been a trap? One I’d fallen into?
I couldn’t see it as a trap. Quest and Astrid feared Falcon too genuinely.
Azar hated him too authentically. Everyone obeyed him too perfectly.
 I stood and followed her into the bathroom. Astrid stuck around, sitting
in the chair Falcon had used before, while I soaked in the tub. The headache
faded quickly and I climbed from the bath promptly. There was no sense in
pushing off the inevitable. Falcon would be waiting. My delay would only
make him happy to censure me now that he couldn’t punish my guards.
The dress Falcon had for me to wear caused my mouth to fall open.
There wasn’t much material to the shiny leatherish skirt. When I put it on, it
didn’t even make it halfway to my knees. The long-sleeved shirt thankfully
covered my chest, but left my abdomen and lower back bare along with the
shoulders. So much for keeping me warm. The boots covered more of me
than the skirt, going up to my knees.
“Can I pick my own clothes soon?” I tugged at the shirt, but there was
no way it would cover more of me.
“Falcon picks what he wants.”
My bare shoulders fell. “Yeah, he owns me. I get it. Entertain him.
Make him happy.”
Astrid considered me, a stick of eyeliner halfway to my face. “What
happened when he took you away?”
“Nothing.” Unsure if Falcon wanted me to tell anyone or not, I kept my
mouth closed and allowed Astrid to make me beautiful for my new master.
She considered me when she finished. “You’ll do. Now, let’s meet
Quest and be on our way. We might not be late today.”
Well, that was good news. As we left the bathroom and met Quest in the
sitting area of my bedroom, I felt the exhaustion of the last few days. The
fire in my room had gone completely out. Red rocks sat on the table beside
Quest or I never would have found my way to him. Astrid had to lead me
most of the way there anyway. She handed me off to Quest who gave my
hand a squeeze.
“Be brave, Brina.”
“Yeah, I know. He can smell my fear.” I released a deep breath.
 “I don’t know what he did, but there is no fear coming from you
anymore.”
“Well, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? Well, for me, but not for all of you.”
“No, it’s not. Don’t lose your hope, Brina.”
I blinked to keep the tears at bay. “Wouldn’t you all love it if I did.
What does it matter to all of you? The only purpose I serve now is to feed
him my fear and my blood. And the rest of you get to enjoy my fear as
well.”
“Let’s go before we’re late.” Astrid touched my other arm. “I’d rather
we were on time. I’m not sure what Falcon’s mood is this morning. Let’s
not test his patience first thing.”
They didn’t have anything to worry about as we slid to the dining room.
Falcon wouldn’t be punishing them again, but that didn’t mean I wanted to
be late. If Falcon was as grumpy as yesterday, I’d rather not add to it.
Instead of a grumpy Falcon, we were greeted by a smiling man. “Won’t
you all sit?” Falcon indicated we should sit in the seats we’d taken
previously. He’d even had food brought for Quest and Astrid. The two
appeared apprehensive in the low firelight. If I didn’t know what was
happening, their reactions would’ve made me very nervous. Instead, I sat in
the chair Falcon pulled out for me.
Falcon sat in his chair and nodded with a smile to our two companions
as they also sat. “Thank you for joining me for breakfast this morning.”
“Thank you for the invitation.” Quest’s reply was added upon by a nod
from Astrid.
“Unfortunately, Azar seems to be running behind. It’s probably for the
best.” Falcon stood again. Quest’s and Astrid’s bodies had stiffened. Their
boss was throwing them for a loop.
Quest began to slowly rise. “I can find out where he and Oz are if—”
Falcon waved him off. “Sit, sit, Quest. Relax. This is a day of
celebration for you. You, Astrid, and Azar should celebrate the day away.
I’d allow you to take the day off, but Brina seems to enjoy your company
and I need her protected.”
The two across the table watched me. Quest’s eyes narrowed as if trying
to speak to me without words. I’d never been good at silent conversations,
and since Quest and I knew each other as well as I knew Falcon, I didn’t
attempt to help him understand. How could I explain it all in expressions
anyway?
“Brina has made me a promise.” Falcon’s announcement had Quest and
Astrid’s eyes opening wide. “In exchange for your lives, Brina will remain
here as long as I wish her to be my guest. She will not waste our time with
pathetic escape attempts. Brina will be mine and you will live as long as
you wish to, or as long as someone else wishes. Your death will not come
by my hands. I cannot promise that others will not kill you. Now, Brina,
stand.”
Stand? What did he want me to stand for?
I didn’t ask but did as I was told. Falcon opened his mouth and grabbed
hold of one of his sharp canine teeth. I cringed at the sound as he pulled the
tooth from his mouth.
“Don’t worry, lover, it’ll grow back.” He winked at me as Quest choked
and downed the water in front of him. Astrid sat there with her mouth open.
These reactions did have me worried now that I had no idea what Falcon
planned to do.
Falcon stepped around the corner of the table to me and pulled my body
to his. He wanted me, and I flushed as I tried to back away from him.
“Stand, Brina.” I couldn’t fight his persuasion yet again. Would he ever
stop doing that?
I couldn’t move as Falcon moved a hand to the back of my skull and
tipped my head back. He raised his hand with the sharp tooth so I could see
it. Falcon shushed me gently as he cradled my head.
 “This will burn, Brina, but it will be over soon. You chose this. Relax
for me and keep your eyes closed.” I had no choice but to follow his
command. “You will carry my mark for the rest of your life. I told you that
you would.”
He placed the point of the tooth to my skin. When he pushed down, I
jolted as pain registered to my nervous system.
“Relax. Breathe. I have you.” Falcon’s persuasion continued to hold me
in place as he repeated himself while tearing into the skin on my face with
his tooth. The burning made tears fall from my eyes and Falcon’s cooing
did nothing to help me feel better as he burned my face off. Blood dribbled
down from the cuts. What would I look like when he’d finished with me?
“There. All done.” Falcon’s announcement made me open my eyes. He
exchanged the tooth for a wet cloth and I closed my eyes again as he
washed my face. So much for the makeup Astrid had applied. “I can assure
you, darling, that the pain felt worse than it looks and the wounds have
already healed.”
Falcon released me and I leaned against the table as the pain in my face
began to quickly ebb. A handheld mirror was placed in front of me. Falcon
rested a hand on my back.
“You now carry the same Shadow mark as I do. No one will doubt you
are mine.” Falcon lifted the mirror.
In the light from the crackling fire, I had a good look at my face. I bit
my lip so I wouldn’t whimper at the black marks around my eyes, outlines
of tiger stripes. Now I truly belonged to Falcon.
The doors to the dining room opened as Falcon lowered the mirror. My
jaw quivered. Azar had arrived. What would he say? It was one thing to
have Falcon announce my agreement with him, but another to turn and
show any of them my face. Shame washed through me. My gut told me that
Azar wouldn’t understand. He’d be furious.
 “Sorry we’re late, sir.” Oz’s voice trembled. She was young. My eyes
closed and Falcon chuckled.
He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “No, Oz isn’t being added to the
deal. You’ll need to make another exchange for her. Doesn’t have to be this
big, though. She’s a minnow in the lake of trout you just bought.”
Falcon stood and waved Oz and Azar in. “Come join us. In fact, Azar,
you may have my seat. I need to be running.”
I stared at him, mouth agape, as he smirked at my friend who walked up
behind me. When Azar came around my side, I turned and ducked my head.
My friend placed his hand on the small of my back. When I looked up
through my lashes, Quest and Astrid both stared at me, looks of disbelief
plastered on their faces.
Falcon disappeared, but the tension in the room remained.
“Does someone want to fill me in on what happened here?” Azar’s
worry came through in his voice.
After a cleansing breath, I turned my face up to Azar, knowing he’d take
it badly. Badly didn’t cover it. His eyes grew wide and his mouth fell open
as a glint of horror filled his eyes.
“What did you do?” He stepped back and shook his head. “Of all the
stupid things… How could you be so dumb?”
My eyes burned as I took a step back. “I…I…” I cleared my throat.
“Enjoy your meal.”
I spun and raced from the room with shouts of my name behind me. The
complete darkness blinded me, but I ran. My tears would’ve blinded me
anyway.
An arm around my waist caught me as I found the descending stairs the
hard way. Quest chuckled behind me and pulled me to my feet from where
I’d begun to tumble.
“Watch out there, lightweight. Not sure running in the dark is a good
option for you. Falcon won’t like it if you break your face.”
 “At least he won’t punish you for it.” My voice cracked.
“Why did you do it?” Astrid’s voice came out of the darkness. I didn’t
have enough energy to be startled.
“I don’t know, honestly.” I swallowed back more tears. “Take me to my
room?”
Quest hadn’t released me. We stood in my room the next moment.
While the lighting was similar, the temperature in my room was only a little
warmer.
“Azar is angry with me.” My shoulders remained deflated.
“He has every reason to be.” Astrid took my arm and dragged me to my
bed. “Quest is turning. I’ll help you dress in your pajamas again. Falcon’s
performance is over for the day so you deserve to be comfortable. Don’t
think this changes anything between us. I still can’t stand you.”
“I know. I didn’t expect my promise to change anything. He…he told
me how he’d kill you guys and Azar. I’m already his prisoner. Promising
not to leave didn’t really change much. The only thing that’s different is this
mark on my face.” The pain from the mark had faded. Only when I touched
my face and felt where the lines had been drawn into my skin did I notice
the mark was there at all.
“How much about the mark did Falcon explain to you?” Quest asked
from the other side of the room.
“I promised I’d never leave. Falcon promised he wouldn’t kill the three
of you and to remind me of my promise, he would mark me.”
“That’s what he said?” Anger filled Quest’s voice as Astrid paused with
my shirt halfway over my head.
“Yes.”
Quest swore and Astrid finished dressing me. I’d made both Azar and
Quest angry. Astrid didn’t like me enough to care. My promise to Falcon
had shocked her, but that was it. She’d be back to hating me openly soon
enough.
 The only person I didn’t want to hate me was Azar. He was supposed to
be my friend and yet he’d reacted worse than my enemy. I knew he
wouldn’t take the marks or my promise well, so why did his rejection hurt
so badly? The darkness in my heart matched the room around me as I
crawled beneath my covers. I’d just woken, but my body felt as if I’d been
awake for days. Besides, in a room darker than night, what else was there to
do but sleep? At least in my slumbers, maybe I’d see the sun.
“Y
our dad said not to go up against Falcon.” Dax’s reminder
made me want to elbow my best friend in the gut. We were
so close!
“Evil like Falcon needs to be stopped,” I reminded him as he, Azar, and
I stared at one of Falcon’s fortresses. We’d already destroyed three, killing
plenty of Shadows. My father would be happy with the work we were doing
to rid the world of Darken filth. “Besides, this endeavor isn’t just about
Falcon. Shadows are destroying this world along with the other Darken.
Our job is to wipe evil off the face of the planet.”
Skittering in the forest beyond us caused all three of us to jump.
“It’s just an animal,” Dax said and relaxed beside me. The shorter,
stockier man sighed. “We need to calm down.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
My stomach fell to my feet as we spun to face Falcon. As realization hit
me that the Shadow First Four had laid a trap for us, my mouth parted. I’d
been a fool. Falcon had played me right into his hands.
“Falcon.”
He held a crossbow. His arrow flew through the air, straight toward
Azar. Instinct kicked in and I jumped in its path, Azar yelling at me. The
arrow pierced my chest. Dax kept me from falling, and Azar held me up on
the other side as Falcon smiled a wicked grin.
 I wanted to yell at my friends to run. They needed to flee before Falcon
killed them too. But my time had come to an end.
I started from my dream and sat up, rubbing my chest. The pain in my
dream had seemed so real, but my head didn’t hurt, so I’d consider the
dream a win nonetheless.
The warm air around me stilled my thoughts. Light danced on the walls
from a roaring fire in a fireplace that wasn’t mine. The black bedding on a
huge bed wasn’t mine. My hands trembled as I clutched the comforter.
“Azar disapproves of my choice, but agrees that my room is better than
yours.” My eyes darted to Falcon who sat in a corner of the room near the
fireplace, but in a dark corner. I couldn’t make out his face, only his body as
he shrouded himself in inky blackness. “Your guards are outside my door,
but in here, my bedroom, you are safe.”
I shrank away from him until my back hit the headboard, stopping my
progress. The dream still seemed too real and too like Falcon. A memory of
pain scorching my chest as an arrow embedded itself in me caused my
breathing to quicken.
“What did you dream of?” Falcon’s voice was soft.
“You.” My voice trembled and I cleared my throat. “You killed me.”
“How?”
“Azar was there—”
“Ah, I understand. Forgive me for it?”
I blinked at him. “It was a dream, Falcon. There’s nothing to forgive.”
“Still, the dream upset you. You are scared of me.”
“That has nothing to do with the dream.” Though my dream hadn’t
helped my fear. I tipped my chin up, putting on a braver face than I felt.
“I’m not weak, Falcon.”
“I know.” He chuckled. “I know you aren’t more than you do. One day,
you’ll know too.”
 “When will you give me answers?” Movement by the door turned my
attention that way. I yelped as a massive wolfish creature with red eyes rose
to stand. A hellhound!
“Relax, Brina.” Falcon stood and walked past the fire to stand beside
the hellhound. “This is Fargo. He’s the reason you’re safer in here than
anywhere else. Azar isn’t happy about it, but after his poor behavior earlier,
I would be less worried about what your friend thinks.”
My throat was thick as I swallowed. Being reminded of Azar’s
disappointment—and that was putting his reaction lightly—was not what I
wanted to happen first thing upon waking in Falcon’s room, especially
around a hellhound I’d heard too much bad about. This was the hellhound
who mauled people to death and ate them.
Hello, Brina. The hellhound, Fargo, walked over to the bed. I trembled
as he stood feet from me. His red, glowing eyes watched me as I watched
him. I am Fargo. Falcon and I are bonded. If you are in need of him, I can
reach out to his mind for you.
“The others I met, the ones guarding Azar’s door, didn't talk to me.” I
refused to think about what Falcon thought I’d need him for. Unless I was
actually dying—and even then, it was debatable—I’d never be in need of
my captor.
Most hellhounds do not speak to those who are not their clan or bonded.
“Okay.”
Falcon walked toward me. My body stiffened as he reached the side of
my bed and stooped, bringing his face close to mine. He breathed deeply at
my temple and I realized that I once again gave him my fear to subsist
upon. Would I ever not be afraid so I could starve the man? His lemony
scent didn’t help calm me this time.
“I will leave you alone for now. There are some matters I must attend
to.”
 He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine before I could pull away. Heat
blossomed in my chest. When I should’ve pushed Falcon away, I allowed
him to place his hand behind my head and pull me closer. My hands rested
on his chest. The moment was broken briefly as my fingers touched a soft
cotton shirt instead of an overcoat. His muscles moved beneath my touch as
I slid my hands up to his shoulders and Falcon tipped his head to deepen the
kiss.
Falcon pulled away first, leaving my chest rising and falling rapidly.
Heat rushed to my cheeks and my eyes dropped when Falcon chuckled.
“Charmer’s envy, Brina, your lips will be the death of me.” I turned my
face from him, but the back of his fingers still glided over my cheek.
“If only.”
Falcon barked out a laugh and then was gone, his laughter causing my
chest to tighten. The sound hadn’t been his normal mocking chuckle.
Falcon had been care-free. His laugh had been of pure joy. And it sounded
beautiful.
“I’m going insane.” I rose from the bed and marched over to the door.
Swinging it open, I was unsurprised to see a black hallway.
Quest turned from where he stood in the doorway and leaned against the
frame. His goofy smile returned to his face. “Good morning, lifesaver.”
“Shut up, Quest. You’re an idiot.” Astrid’s grumpy demeanor made me
smile. Things hadn’t really changed in our small group. Good.
“If either of you want to leave the hallway, you’re welcome inside. You
can even kill the fire a little if you want to.” I backed away from the
doorway. “I’d rather not be alone in Falcon’s room.”
His kiss had left my head spinning, leaving me wondering if kissing was
another superpower Falcon had for evil. If left to his devices, I’d be sure to
give myself over to him too quickly and I didn’t want that. But my body
seemed to have other stupid ideas. If company was here, I wouldn’t kiss
Falcon.
 Shame swallowed me whole as Quest entered the room. He closed the
door behind himself, leaving Astrid in the hallway. Her response to my
invitation didn’t surprise me as I remembered Falcon’s lips on mine…and
how much I’d liked their touch. They were soft and full.
“Astrid does better in the darkness. The light and warmth doesn’t bother
me as much. She’ll stay out there if that’s okay with you.”
I turned and gave Quest a smile. “That’s fine. After the last few days, I
wasn’t sure either of you would join me. I did nearly get you killed when I
attempted to run away.”
Quest chuckled. “Yes, you did, but you saved us now.” His smile faded.
“You shouldn’t have agreed to the mark, Brina, or remaining with Falcon.
Did Falcon tell you what the mark means?” When I shook my head, he
nodded. “Would you like me to?”
“How bad is it?” I swallowed hard. If Quest told me I shouldn’t have
done it, even to save his life, and Azar reacted so badly, the mark couldn’t
be good. Technically Falcon had added the mark on at the end of the
agreement. It hadn’t been in the original.
“You won’t be able to leave him, Brina. Not completely.” Quest sat
down in the sitting area by the fireplace, the place Falcon had been upon my
waking. The fire dimmed a little as he sat. “Falcon ensured you’d always be
tied to him in some way.”
“Quest, spit it out.”
“Shadows give each other their marks when they decide to be mates.
You are now Falcon’s mate, Brina.”
“What?” My voice shook as I shrieked. Falcon had deceived me yet
again. Why did that surprise me? It shouldn’t have. I was such an idiot.
Brina. I turned to Fargo as he settled back on his bed of furs. The mark
will keep you safer than you are without it.
“How?”
 Quest looked between me and Fargo but didn’t say anything. The
hellhound hadn’t spoken to the Shadow, but Quest didn’t ask to be informed
of the conversation. If Fargo had wanted Quest to know what he said, Fargo
would have spoken to his mind as well.
Falcon wants you in his home for his own purposes—purposes I will not
disclose. But there are other Darken who would rather see you dead. The
mark would deter most Darken from harming you. They wouldn’t want to
face Falcon’s wrath for destroying you.
Destroy. Such a lovely word to describe my end.
“It doesn’t matter.” I sat on the end of the bed. “Falcon’s mate or not, I
promised I wouldn’t leave. If the mark makes Falcon feel better about that,
then whatever. I’m not sleeping with him.”
Azar is here. Fargo didn’t stir as the door to Falcon’s room opened and
Astrid allowed Azar to enter. Oz remained in the hallway with Astrid as she
closed the door.
My body had stiffened at Azar’s name. I couldn’t take another rejection
from him right now. His words had cut me to the core, making me feel so
small in such a massive house filled with people whose very natures were
pure evil. Would Fargo try to eat him if Azar treated me just as badly now?
I didn’t feel as bad as I should have.
“Hey, Brina.” Azar took a step, then another, toward me. When I didn’t
tell him to stay away, my friend walked over and sat on the bed beside me.
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and the dam around my emotions
broke. Azar held me as I cried.
“I’m so sorry, Bri.” Azar kissed the top of my head. Quest growled, but
Azar waved him off as I pulled myself together. “Shut up, Shadow.”
“She belongs to Falcon and you know it.” Quest glowered from the
sitting area but hadn’t moved.
“You know Falcon is playing with her, with all of us. He doesn’t love
her or care anything about her. Isn’t that why your kind exchange marks?
When they care about each other?” Azar’s grip on my shoulder’s tightened,
like he wanted to whisk me away. “I should’ve gotten her out of here
sooner.”
“It’s not your fault. I can make my own choices. Even if they’re bad.”
My shoulders fell. “I don’t know enough about this world to make good
decisions.” Something I continued to not get across to them.
“I know, but to give you what you need could harm you. But,” Azar
continued when I opened my mouth to fight with him, “I need to tell you
something. Falcon won’t want me to tell you, but I need to. Especially now
that you wear Falcon’s mark and are more or less his wife. Don’t sleep with
him, Brina.”
“She’ll do what he expects—”
“No, she won’t,” Azar cut Quest off. Azar looked me in the eyes.
“Brina, you are like me. You are not human.”
I blinked at him. “What?”
“That’s how we know each other. Please, if you don’t listen to anything
else I say ever again, listen to this. Our kind mate for life, Brina. Every one
of our lives. Sex binds us to our mate. If you sleep with Falcon, you’ll be
his until the end of time. Don’t do it. The pain of a bad mating will drive
you crazy. Don’t sleep with Falcon.”
I threw myself back on the bed. “I don’t understand any of this. I’m
human. I’d know if I wasn’t.”
“Not at this point. You’ve been killed a few too many times before
reaching maturity. I mean, you’re basically human now, but you’re not. Not
really. However, if you die before you’re mature, and not in a human way,
but in the way of our kind, you won’t be coming back. Our kind mature
slowly the first time. After we’re killed and reborn, we mature anywhere
between sixteen and twenty human years. You’re past that time. There’s no
telling when you’ll mature, as in gain all your past abilities. I’ve never met
or heard of this happening to anyone else. It could take as long as it did the
first time you matured—something we’ll talk about later. Or it could
happen any second. What’s most important is that you must not die. You
won’t come back.” Azar again looked me in the eyes, emphasizing his
words with his stare as best he could. “Brina, do not die.”
“I don’t want to die.”
“Want to meet a Conjurer?” Quest stood from his chair. “If you want to
learn more about our world, they’re the last of the Darkens you need to
meet.”
“Not if he wants to kill me, I don’t want to meet him.” Every other
Darken I’d met wanted to take my head off. Fargo’s warning echoed in my
head. The Darken wanted me dead. But why? Why me?
Quest smiled and I relaxed a little. “She won’t kill you. Felicia is a guest
in Falcon’s house, in his employ. You wear Falcon’s mark. Felicia won’t
harm a hair on your head.”
Great. A Conjurer in Falcon’s employ. That didn’t scream “really nice
person” to me. However, I needed to learn things.
I stood. “Okay, lead the way. Just don’t let her kill me. I enjoy living.”
I
cleaned up alone in Falcon’s bathroom. He’d provided me with a
black sweater and black jeans. My captor had finally taken my chilled
body seriously. How I missed heat and the sun.
Quest waited with a plate in the bedroom. He held it out to me when I
joined him and Azar. Two pieces of toast made my stomach rumble, and I
couldn’t stop myself from scarfing the food down. The two men didn’t
mock me for my lack of manners while I ate. Yesterday had been a long
day…rather night…and I hadn’t eaten my dinner. Something a little heartier
than soup would’ve been nice, but I’d take what I was given. At least
someone was willing to feed me.
“Ready?” Quest held out a hand to me. He surprised me by holding out
a hand to Azar. “If you can be decent to Brina and to Felicia, you may come
along.”
“I’ll be decent.” Azar took Quest’s hand and Falcon’s room
disappeared.
We appeared in a room filled with candles and a roaring fireplace. Quest
retreated into a corner where another Shadow sat on a stool reading a book.
A folding accordion screen sheltered the men from the fire and the light in
most of the room, but still gave them an unobstructed line of sight to the
brunette woman also reading in a plush chair.
“Fire.” I walked over to the flames. Quest gave a growl when I walked
out of his sight, but I ignored him while the woman laughed.
 “The lack of light took a long time to get used to. Sometimes Falcon is
kind enough to allow Fargo to take me to a sunny spot so I don’t go
insane.” I turned back to the brown-haired lady. Her hair was long and
wavy with lighter shades of brown. Her eyes laughed at me. “Take full
advantage, Brina. The screen will protect Cash and Quest so we can even
throw more wood on if you want. The heat might begin to drive them a
little crazy, but they’re both old enough to survive it.”
“You know my name?” I held my hands out toward the fire as I kept my
eyes on the Conjurer.
“Yes. Falcon mentioned you were here. I also know that this is Azar.”
She nodded in my friend’s direction. He gave a nod in return.
“You and Falcon…you’re close?”
Reading the hidden message in my words, Felicia laughed. “Not that
close. I do some favors for Falcon in exchange for a place to stay. I would
love to stay out of Oswald’s grasp. He’s not as humane as Falcon is when
his people grow too old. Oswald loves experiments. His people become his
lab rats when he thinks they’re powerful enough and old enough to need to
die. Or if he gets annoyed with any of us. Most Conjurers will take their
own lives if they feel they’re becoming too powerful or are slightly on his
radar. Instead of taking that route, I decided to offer my magical services to
Falcon. At least I’d be of some value to him.”
“Did you make this?” I fingered the necklace at my neck.
Felicia shook her head. “No, I didn’t, I was too young when it was
originally made, but I did strengthen the magic already attached to the gem
and the clasp.” Her good-natured expression fell. “I’m sorry for that, Brina,
but I had no choice. If I want to live, I do what I’m told. Just like Falcon’s
Shadows.”
“I understand.”
Azar picked up a chair by Felicia and carried it to me, exposing a black
blob beside Felicia’s chair. It moved and stuck its head up, its red eyes
identifying what it was.
“This is my personal hellhound, assigned by Fargo. His name is Idiom.”
Felicia gave the hellhound a smile. The beast snorted and laid back down.
“He’s thrilled with his job, as you can see.”
“Totally.” I smiled and moved aside for Azar to place the chair where
I’d been standing.
“Sit. You’ll be more comfortable.” He gave me a smile and I nodded
before complying.
“Now,” Felicia leaned forward in her chair and clasped her hands
together, “what can I do for you, Brina? What brings you to my lair?”
The twinkle in her eye let me know she meant the word “lair” as a joke.
Felicia was just as much of a prisoner here as I was. She had a bit more
freedom, but as I looked around the room and found her bed and a door to
her bathroom, I couldn’t help but picture us in the same boat. Outside of
Falcon’s walls, people—Darken—wanted to kill us.
“I had an unfortunate run-in with a Charmer a few days ago. Thankfully
Falcon killed him,” I elaborated as Felicia’s face fell. “Falcon introduced
me to a Howler in his dungeon. Obviously, I’ve met a few hellhounds. Then
there’s whatever me and Azar are.”
“But you haven’t met a Conjurer.”
“Only in my dreams.” A shiver ran up my spine and a chill set in.
“Unfortunately for me, it was Oswald. Or what I pictured Oswald to look
like. I’ve never met him, so I could be way off. Considering what you’re
saying, I’m probably not off by that much.”
Felicia grimaced. “You have my sympathies.”
“Thanks. As you can see by my face, Falcon gave me his mark because
I didn’t know enough about this world to say no to the deal he proposed.
Rather, I didn’t know that I needed to quickly refuse the mark when the
topic was brought up. I’m tired of nearly dying and being ignorant in this
world and falling for Falcon’s stupid plans for me. No one seems intent on
giving me answers.”
The Conjurer nodded. “I understand. I’ll tell you as much about my
kind as you can handle. If your head starts to hurt, you stop me.”
“Okay.” Too bad Azar sat in the room, and Quest as well—even if I
couldn’t see him—because they’d both call me out if I lied to Felicia about
an ache. How did she even know about my headaches? What did that have
to do with this conversation? I wanted to groan at all the missing
information I had. Azar and I were supposedly alike, but he didn’t have
headaches.
Felicia pulled her bare feet up in the chair with her. She’d stay warmer
if she wore socks and shoes.
“So,” she began, “Charmers are like your siren myths. Vampires and the
boogeyman are based on Shadows, and Howlers are where werewolf lore is
derived from. Well, witch lore is based on Conjurers.” I’d sort of figured
that out by now, so I nodded. “Conjurers work with spells, potions, and a lot
of other things Oswald won’t teach us. Who knows what he’s got his fingers
into these days. Rumors are he’s trying to find ways to copy the other
Darken so he can build an army and come against Falcon, but rumors are
far from true, usually.”
“If he was able to succeed?” The thought made a shiver slide up my
back.
Felicia’s body quaked with the same reasoning. “Falcon’s Shadows
would have a feast with all the fear in the world, but they wouldn’t be alive
to enjoy it. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that point.”
“Falcon and Arlo are watchful,” a male voice I hadn’t heard before
spoke up, and Felicia nodded toward the screen. I rose and walked around it
to see the male Shadow on the stool better. “Hey, name’s Cash.”
“Hi, Cash. I’m Brina.”
 Cash nodded. His head of white hair wasn’t nearly as bright as Oz’s
was, which meant he was closer in age to Quest. My stomach fell. I’d saved
Quest, Astrid, and Azar, but I should’ve tried for more. Cash and Oz would
die because I hadn’t met them yet. Well, Oz I had met, but she was still
young and wasn’t my guard. I’d forgotten about her.
“As I was saying,” Cash started again. “Falcon and Arlo have heard the
rumors, too. They’re very aware of what Oswald is doing. The First Four
meet yearly to make sure one is not more powerful than the others.”
“Afraid they’ll get their butts kicked in a fight?” I smiled at the thought
of Falcon being pummeled. I’d like to see that.
“Falcon’s not the softest comforter on the bed, but he beats some of the
others. Arlo…he seems to stay neutral, though he and Falcon are friends.
Elias is known to choose the side he thinks holds the most power. Lately,
because of rumors, that’s been Oswald, though at one time a few hundred
years ago, he swung to Falcon. I wasn’t alive then, but obviously Oswald
had issues with that.”
“I don’t even want to imagine. What made Elias swing to Falcon’s
side?”
Cash shrugged. “No idea.”
I looked at Quest who shook his head. He didn’t know either. What
could have made Falcon seem stronger than the others, and how did Oswald
make himself stronger?
Turning to Felicia, I tipped my head in question.
She smiled. “Here’s a piece of random trivia for you. What caused
diseases like the plague to first come into existence?”
“Rats?”
Felicia shook her head. “Oswald.” I gulped. “Of course, he didn’t
expect his experiment to backfire and feed the Shadows. With everyone
afraid, large cities were a feast for Falcon and his kind. However, the
Charmers were weakened. Most of all, Howlers had meals. The plague
wouldn’t harm them.”
“That’s how he became popular with Elias again?”
“No. Just a bit of information so you know how crazy Oswald is for
power. Not all Darken are bad, Brina. They are what they are because they
were born with no choice. The abuse of power by all heads of the different
Darken classes has been atrocious. However, Falcon and Arlo are not nearly
the worst. So be grateful Falcon found you and not Oswald and Elias.
Rumor also has it that Elias, the Howler First Four, is going mad.”
“Mad? How?” I sank back into my seat by the fire.
“He’s becoming more animal than man.” Falcon walked out from
behind the screen. “I see you’ve met Felicia.”
“She’s very nice.”
“Yes, she is. I need to speak with her alone.” Falcon nodded toward
Azar. “I see you got over your first impression. She looks beautiful with my
mark, no?”
Azar scoffed. “Don’t touch her, Falcon.”
“Or what?” Falcon smirked and walked to where I now stood in
preparation to leave. He watched Azar with a smirk on his face as his hand
traveled down my side to my hip, pulling me close to him. Azar growled
while Falcon chuckled.
The helpless expression on Azar’s face didn’t bode well for me. Fear
clawed at my throat and Falcon breathed in deeply.
“Oh, for pity’s sake, Falcon. Leave the poor girl alone.” Felicia’s
outburst shattered the bubble of fear threatening to choke me, and I could
breathe again. “The girl needs support. Not idiots making her feel more
endangered. Males. Idiots, all of them. Brina, dear, you come visit me
anytime you want. I think we’re both lacking in girl time.”
“I’d like that. Thanks.”
 Quest came around the corner, followed by Cash. In the firelight, I
could see that the tattoos around his eyes were rain drops. While Quest was
tall and lean, Cash was more broad and a bit shorter. He nodded to me and
held his hand out to Azar. Quest took my hand when I reached for him.
“I’ll be by soon to see you, Brina.” Falcon’s lips lifted in a crooked grin.
“Wear something nice for me?”
Ignoring Falcon’s crude comment, I turned my body to face Quest.
Understanding my need to leave, Quest had us out of Felicia’s room in the
next second, but I didn’t recognize where he’d taken us because I couldn’t
see.
Someone turned a lamp on and I turned to find a Shadow a little older
than Oz blinking her eyes against the light.
Quest went to stand by the new Shadow. “Brina, this is my sister, Adler.
She’s not really my sister, but her mom took care of me when I was a baby.
Someone left me in Mara’s apartment. It’s not uncommon for Shadows to
do that and Mara’s own son had been killed in an attack by Howlers, so she
could nurse me.” He gave the smaller Shadow a hug around the shoulders
and I warmed to her instantly. “Adler doesn’t push me away for being a bit
different.”
“Of course not, you silly boy.” Adler slapped Quest’s chest before
turning her attention to me. “It’s nice to meet you, Brina. Quest mentioned
that you’ll be our guest here for quite some time and that you enjoy
cooking. I thought you might want to help me cook.”
My smile could’ve lit the room. “I’d love that!”
Adler giggled, a tinkling sound I hadn’t expected from a Shadow. Astrid
was so gruff and Oz was funny. I almost asked if Adler was part Charmer.
Her looks and laughter would make any male turn their head. But I kept my
mouth closed. Did the Darken mingle together? Would it be insulting to
ask? I didn’t want to make an enemy of Quest’s sister. Adler and Quest both
had been kind to do this for me.
 I stepped closer to the lamp and Adler stepped away, wiping at the tears
on her cheeks caused by the light. Red glowing rocks would’ve helped
Adler see, but then I’d cut a finger off and Falcon would probably kill
people.
Adler and Quest grabbed out ingredients. I followed them slowly
around the room and brought items back to my lamp so they could stay
away from the light. Adler told me what we were making for lunch and that
the Shadows who lived in Falcon’s house would eat in a different dining
area than the one Falcon used.
“What requirements do you need to meet to live here at Falcon’s
house?” I asked as I sliced up a tomato.
“There’s no requirements,” Adler answered as she chopped vegetables.
“You can choose to live at any of Falcon’s strongholds. You can even live
by yourself, but that’s dangerous. The other Darken, mostly Conjurers or
Howlers, like to kill us. Charmers are in the same boat as us and don’t give
us too much trouble. I live here because Quest does and he lives here to
keep himself in Falcon’s good graces. Which I guess he doesn’t really have
to do anymore.”
“No, but I enjoy guarding Brina.” Quest smiled across the counter from
me where he sliced onions for hamburger toppings to go with my tomatoes.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You really are crazy, you know that? It can’t
be that much fun to guard me. Seriously, you have to be bored by now. And
don’t get me going on what could possibly come after me.”
“There’s Howlers in the basement.” Quest pointed to the floor with his
knife.
“Have you ever fought a Howler?”
“Twice.” Quest ate a chunk of onion and I cringed. “What? You don’t
like onions?”
“Not plain, thank you very much.”
“You’re missing out.”
 Adler giggled. “He also eats pasta uncooked and hard.”
“Yuck.” I waved my hands at Quest before he spoke again. “Don’t tell
me more. I can’t take knowing.”
“Fine. I’ll start putting patties together.”
“Good idea. Just don’t eat the meat raw.”
Quest cringed at the thought. Thank goodness or I would’ve thrown up
on the tomatoes.
We worked in companionable silence until Quest stopped and stared at
me. I watched him as he seemed to fight with himself. Finally, his shoulders
rose and fell and he leaned against the counter across from me after
washing his hands.
“I talked to Azar a little while Astrid was helping you dress. Don’t tell
Falcon I left my post. Astrid and I know what you are, but we don’t know
how to help or what’s going on. Azar filled me in on the dreams and
headaches. They think you’re better off not knowing yet.”
I stopped cutting the tomato my knife was halfway through so I didn’t
chop my finger off. “You think differently?”
“I think it’s ridiculous not to give you this one answer. From Azar’s
explanation, I understand better why they are keeping information from
you. Giving you this key piece of information should help you understand
and be more patient. Plus, if it makes the headache come back, all I have to
do is go get Falcon and he’ll help you forget my explanation.”
“It’s worth a try.” I put the knife down. “Give it to me.”
“The dreams and visions you’ve been having, they’re not dreams.
They’re your brain trying to recall your past. They’re your memories trying
to return to a mind too human to handle the fact you’ve been reborn many
times.”
Something Azar said came back to mind and I held up my hand. “Azar
said whoever I sleep with, I’ll be bound to them for every life I have. I
didn’t put that together.”
 “Yes, you’ve been born before and died. The dreams and visions are
memories of things that actually happened. Now, while that’s all well and
good, here’s the scary part.”
A chill ran through me. Quest was a Shadow. Did much scare him to
think that this was scary?
“If the memories start to come back too quickly, they’ll overwhelm your
mind. That’s when the pain starts. If they overwhelm you—”
“I die,” I finished. My arms circled me, hugging me tightly as my
dream…my memory…of Oswald came back to mind. “When I met
Oswald, the memories started coming back. That’s when the first pain
attack started in Azar’s room. Images passed through my head.”
“You should stop talking about it,” Quest advised. “Don’t try to think of
these memories. They’ll come as you’re able to handle them. That’s why
Azar fought for light for you, why you’re in Falcon’s room. Your kind do
better in light, and you’ll be stronger to handle the memories’ return if
you’re not in darkness all the time.” He straightened and picked up a plate
of burgers ready to grill. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to start grilling
these before we have Shadows breaking down the door because they want
food.”
Adler seemed intent to distract me from Quest’s information so I didn’t
overthink and create my own memory meltdown. Azar and Falcon didn’t
think I should know the information, but for once, things had begun to
make sense. However, I’d need to replay my dreams later. I had a feeling I
wasn’t going to enjoy them.
There were a lot more Shadows in Falcon’s house than I’d expected, but
since it was their day, most were out devouring fear and blood. I tried not to
react when Adler reminded me of that disturbing fact about her kind.
However, I tried to remind myself about what Felicia said. Not all Darken
were bad.
 But I didn’t need to worry about all the other Darken. It was the Darken
whose mark I carried on my face that I needed to fear. Him and my
memories.
Q
uest wouldn’t allow me to eat my meal with any of the other
Shadows. Since I didn’t want to eat with them anyway, I didn’t
put up a fuss when Quest put his foot down. We said goodbye
to Adler and Quest took me back to Falcon’s room.
“Does Adler have a boyfriend?” I asked as Quest threw another log on
the fire and backed up quickly.
“No.” He shrugged. “While Adler is beautiful and alluring to the males,
they can’t look past her mixed heritage. Even though her father is Darken
too.”
“A Charmer.”
Quest nodded. “It’s pretty easy to tell. However, Adler wouldn’t be
Adler if she wasn’t part of him. So while she claims to be here because I’m
weird, it’s also because she doesn’t have many friends.”
“That’s so sad. Why don’t you have her come visit us?”
Quest shook his head in disbelief. “Brina, we’re Darken. Your enemy.”
“I’m stuck here for the rest of my life, or lives, without a chance to see
the outside world like Felicia. There’s no way Falcon will let Fargo take me
to see the sun.” I looked over at the hellhound’s bed, but it was empty.
“He’s probably out hunting.”
“Okay. Anyway, we both know I’m stuck here. I’d like a friend or
two.”
Quest walked to the door and opened it. Astrid stuck her head in.
 “About time you two made it back.” Astrid folded her arms over her
chest as she glowered at us.
“We stopped in to see Addy for a bit.” Quest’s mention of his sister
softened Astrid’s expression.
“Well, next time, come get me. I like chatting with Adler.”
“She’s pretty fun,” I added and Astrid didn’t bite my head off.
“I’ll leave you to have some time to yourself.” Quest nodded at me and
walked into the hallway, intentionally bumping into Astrid as he went. Liar.
Quest totally left so he could flirt with his girl.
Quest closed me into the room. The fire crackled, and I took a good
look at the space I would live in the rest of my life as a prisoner. Built-in
bookshelves to the right of the fireplace in the sitting area caught my
attention first. I wandered over and examined the shelves, surprised to find
most of my favorite novels on the shelves.
I pulled a book from the shelf. It caught my eye first because it was one
of my absolute favorites. In fact, Falcon had the entire First Blood series by
Heather Karn, and not just the first book, First Blood. The books contained
my favorite things: vampires, a broody alpha book boyfriend, and shifters.
Why did Falcon have this on his shelf? He didn’t seem the type to sit down
and read a book. Another fairytale retelling series with Fae, The Fae
Brothers Ever After series, were among the other books.
Most of the other books on the shelves I’d enjoyed as a teenager while
some books were old. Very old. After I reread my favorites on his shelf, I’d
check out the older ones. They couldn’t be awful, and reading them beat
sitting here in silence by myself all day.
I put the book on the nightstand on the side of the bed I’d chosen, the
side by the bathroom, and noticed a vase with a half dozen golden feathers
sticking out of it. With gentleness, I fingered the delicate feathers. They
seemed to have a glow about them in the darkness. I’d never seen a feather
like them. What bird did they come from?
 “Those were a gift.” Falcon’s deep voice made me spin with a startled
yip. He nodded toward the feathers. “They were a gift from my last lover.”
In all the time I’d known Falcon, his eyes hadn’t been so soft. When he
moved forward and reached out for the feathers, his fingers brushed them
with a tenderness he’d never shown to anyone or anything before.
“You loved her.”
Falcon stilled. “Yes.”
“Did you kill her?”
My captor turned to me, a sorrowful glint in his eyes instead of his
arrogant expression. “Yes.”
My breathing stuttered and I nodded, turning away from the feathers.
They were another reminder that Falcon was evil. He’d kill me just as he
had the woman he loved.
“This dresser,” Falcon pointed to a wide, short dresser on my side of the
room, “is yours. The closet to the right of it is yours as well. If there’s
something you wish to add to the items already there, please let Astrid
know. She’ll find them for you.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I see you found the books.” Falcon indicated the
book on my nightstand.
“I hope it’s okay if I read them.” I fingered the paperback, suddenly
worried I’d done something wrong and stepped into Falcon’s personal
world.
“Of course. Read what you’d like and if you want more, again, let
Astrid know.”
“Thanks.”
“I have another meeting. Read. I’ll see you at dinner.” Falcon
disappeared.
With my captor gone, my interest in the closet piqued. What else did he
have lined up for me to wear? Could I burn any of the outfits I hated? Then
I’d request Astrid find me something more suitable that I found
comfortable. I wouldn’t complain about being in Falcon’s house, like I’d
promised, but I would not keep playing his game, dressing in whatever he
felt to dress me up as.
Looking in the closet turned out to be a small waste of time. The
darkness inside hid my vision of the dresses and other clothing. Couldn’t
the man find me a flashlight? At one time he’d told me my vision would
improve—that must’ve been related to the fact I wasn’t human—but when
would it happen?
With nothing else to do, I crawled up on the bed and opened the book. I
skipped the beginning of First Blood and went to the part where Koda and
the sexy vamlure—cousin to the vampires—meet. It was my favorite part.
Too bad the book didn’t hold my attention as much as I’d hoped. My
thoughts wandered to my dreams. They were actually memories. They’d
happened. But had all of them?
I shuddered as I remembered the dream with Dean. Of all of the dreams,
I didn’t want that one to be real, but things started to click into place. Dean
knew me the same way Azar did. The same way Falcon did. They knew me
from a previous life. I’d died before. I’d died so many times. I didn’t want
to count them all or dwell on being eaten by Howlers, tricked by Charmers,
or tracked down by Conjurers. Interestingly enough, no Shadow had killed
me. Did Falcon have something to do with that? But why? And why was
Falcon in some of my memories?
If they were memories, Falcon had talked with Martha when I’d been a
baby. But what had they talked about? I could ask Falcon. Would he
answer?
The images in my head started playing through as I thought. I stiffened.
Quest had told me not to think about my memories so much or I could force
another meltdown, but I hadn’t listened. When a memory began to play in
my head, the rest of the world faded.
 I shouldn’t have left the house in a winter storm, but the urge to find him
had grown to an uncontrollable level. My guardians hadn’t been strong
enough to stop me this time. I was days away from reaching maturity. The
chances of me running into a Darken tonight, in the middle of nowhere,
were slim.
Darken preferred cities. Except Shadows. They didn’t care where they
went. Fear was everywhere. Charmers could find more whorehouses in the
city and Howlers devoured the homeless—those society wouldn’t miss.
Conjurers had no reason to go into the country, especially at night.
Darkness didn’t help them like it did the Shadows.
The shadows of night didn’t scare me as I walked deeper into the woods.
Where was he?
A growl to my right stopped me. I’d heard many wolves growl over the
years. This was not one of them. Was I still close enough to home that
Hannah and Esau would hear me if I screamed?
The Howlers came out of nowhere. A pack of ten or more of the
animalistic Darken circled me, chuffing out laughs as I screamed for my
guardians.
One slashed out. I blocked his claws with the knife I’d brought. It
wouldn’t be enough, proven by the claws that slashed across my back while
I’d been turned. I couldn’t watch the danger behind me. While they
continued to harm me, I screamed, both in pain and for help.
A monster slashed at me, knocking the blade from my hand. The handle
had been wet with blood, mostly mine. Another Howler grabbed my wrist in
his teeth now that the weapon was gone. He yanked me toward him as a
roar filled the air. Before I could celebrate my safety, the Howler’s teeth left
my wrist and dug into my neck, a killing blow.
The Howlers raced away as I began to fade. His arms around me were
the last thing I felt before darkness settled in.
 I sat up with a start, gasping for air. Quest watched me from where he
stood just inside the doorway. He must’ve come in to check on me.
“Do I need to have Astrid help you with a bath?”
Shaking my head, I padded across the room to the door, the insatiable
need to search nearly overwhelming me. I hadn’t felt the need to search
since being brought to Falcon’s home as a captive.
“Where are you going?” Quest held the door closed.
“I need to walk. I’m not trying to escape, Quest. I just need to search
until the feeling leaves. Then you can bring me back.” I pulled at the
doorknob. “Ask Astrid. I do this a bit.”
Quest allowed me to open the door. Astrid raised a tattooed eyebrow at
me.
“Need to search.”
She rolled her eyes at my reply and motioned me from the room.
Thankfully she had been my roommate and knew my quirks. Falcon hadn’t
said I had to stay in his room, only that I was safer there.
Quest wrapped my arm around his as we walked down the hallway. “We
just walk around?”
“Usually.” I spoke the word slowly as I felt drawn to a lower level of
the house. “Let’s go down.”
“Well, there’s no up.” Quest laughed as Astrid muttered behind us.
We ventured down the stairs slower than the searching urge wanted.
When we reached the next floor down, Quest tried to lead me off.
“No, down one more.” I squeaked when Quest picked me up and carried
me down the next set of stairs. He placed me on the ground gently and I
looked up to where I thought his face would be. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
The need to search pushed me forward. We walked down the hallway,
Quest pulling me to the side when another Shadow needed to pass me. By
now, they had to wonder who Falcon’s new pet was. I wondered that too.
 The urge to search stopped me in my tracks somewhere in the hallway. I
needed to go left. Never in my dreams, or out in the night in my waking
hours, had the searching feeling directed me down a specific path. What
about being in Falcon’s house had changed the dreams and the need to
search?
“Brina?” Quest nudged me.
“I need to go that way. Please tell me there’s a door there.”
“There is, but I’m not sure you’ll want to go in there.”
“Why not?”
Quest moved nervously beside me. “It’s Falcon’s office.”
My breath stuttered at his admission. Falcon’s office. Why did the
searching feeling lead me here?
I cleared my throat. “I need answers. Put my hand on the doorknob,
please.”
“Bri—”
“Now, Quest.”
He urged me forward until my hand rested on the doorknob. Before I
could retreat and back out of my plan, I twisted the knob and walked into
the office. My idea that the office would be lit was completely wrong—
which was dumb because I’d already been there before—so while I wanted
to go into the office in a blaze of glory, glaring at Falcon the entire time, I
had to stop and stare into the inky blackness. It ruined the excitement of it
all.
“Come on in, Brina.” Falcon’s voice held a laugh and I wanted to punch
it off his face. “I should let you know that Arlo is visiting me.”
My heart stuttered. Arlo? The Charmer couldn’t be the person I’d been
searching for. He just couldn’t!
“Hello, Brina.” Arlo’s silky voice made me cringe. He laughed. “I see
you are not so fond of me right now.”
 “Your kind almost assaulted her a few days ago,” Quest answered for
me. “That’s all she knows of Charmers.”
“I see. I will not harm you, Brina. You have my word.”
“I don’t trust the word of a Darken.” My declaration caused both Arlo
and Falcon to chuckle.
“As you shouldn’t.”
“Why are you here, Brina?” Falcon’s amusement remained and
reminded me of the searching feeling now that I was no longer distracted by
my fear of Arlo.
“I…” I stepped forward, following the urge while hoping Quest would
keep me from walking into anything. My hand, held out in front of me,
would keep me from walking into a wall, but it wouldn’t stop me from
running into anything lower than my shoulder.
My hand brushed someone. The incredible urge to search disappeared in
the same second and I gasped. A warm hand covered mine.
“Find what you were looking for?” Falcon gave a soft laugh. The
vibration rumbled through my hand. Falcon touched my chin with his
fingers, pushing my mouth closed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“It can’t be,” I whispered, too shocked to run screaming from the room.
Falcon’s hand covered mine. His other hand touched my face, following
the scars of his mark. The darkness hid him from me, but I could imagine
arrogance dominating his expression.
“You have always been mine, Brina. This isn’t the first mark I’ve put
upon your delicate skin. No matter how many lifetimes you live, you will
always belong to me.”
His voice was tender, but his words cut me to the core. In another life,
Falcon had marked me. The knowledge gutted me. Would I never be free of
his evil?
When he’d finished tracing the mark, the physical evidence of my
captivity, Falcon lifted my hand to his lips to kiss the backs of my fingers.
“One day, you will understand all of this.”
I gave a slight nod, but I wouldn’t understand anything beyond Falcon’s
evil nature. He craved my fear—and my blood. His people feared him, and
they had good reason. He’d killed so many of them, including his children.
He’d even taken the life of the woman he loved. One thing that knowledge
proved was I would not be making it out of this alive. Neither would my
protectors or my friend. Falcon would kill us all. Not now, but in the future,
we would die at his hands. Once I was no longer entertaining him, Falcon
would end me. Then he’d have no reason not to kill the others. Sure, he’d
promised he wouldn’t, but without me around, nothing held him to his side
of the deal.
That left me with one choice: I had to kill Falcon.
F
alcon released my hand and I stepped back. My body had begun to
shake. Whether from the cold of Falcon’s office or the fear caused
by what I had to do, I didn’t know. My captor either didn’t notice
or didn’t think the small quaking I did was worth mentioning.
“Quest, take Brina back to my room. Astrid, you’ll ready her for dinner.
Arlo will be joining us, so nothing too extravagant.” Of course Falcon
wouldn’t want Arlo to see the outfits he’d dressed me in at the start of my
imprisonment.
“Yes, sir.” Quest took my hand and we reappeared in the hallway
outside of Falcon’s bedroom. I only knew where we’d gone after Quest
opened the bedroom door. “Inside you go.”
I nodded and walked into the bedroom, heading straight for the
bathroom, noticing that Fargo was still blessedly absent. The red glowing
rocks still gave away little of what the bathroom looked like, but I only
needed the basics. I’d bathe and warm myself, but Astrid wouldn’t be
dressing me. I would be choosing my outfit.
“How long until dinner?” I asked as Astrid closed the door to the
bathroom.
“About an hour? Maybe a little more. Let’s not push it, shall we?”
Astrid walked to the strange tub and water began to run. “Especially if Arlo
is present. Falcon will want you there on time.”
 “Of course he will.” I began to pace when I should’ve been undressing.
I’d need a bath. For this, I needed to be strong. But I wouldn’t be bathing
here. “I’m not taking a bath here, Astrid.”
“Oh yes—”
“Take me back to my old room. Go get Azar, Oz, and any Shadow that
you trust. Especially ones that are older and in Quest’s situation where
Falcon will kill them any day.” I grabbed Astrid’s upper arms, shocking her
into silence. “Astrid, what will happen to you and Quest when Falcon
decides he’s done with me? When Falcon’s fun ends and I’m no longer
here, what will make him hold up his end of the deal? If you could hide
from him, you wouldn’t be so scared of him. Am I right?”
“Yes,” Astrid hedged. “What are you getting at?”
“Falcon has to die.”
Astrid swore. “Do you know how many people have tried to kill
Falcon?”
“But they didn’t have me and they didn’t have Azar. I’m not sure what
me and Azar’s people can do to fight you guys, but I know from my
memories that Azar has killed a lot of Shadows and other Darken. I did too,
but we all know I’m not in that sort of condition to be helpful like that.
However, Falcon allows me closer than anyone else. I can’t live like this,
Astrid, and you won’t live if I’m dead.”
My protector let loose a string of profanities that would’ve made my
mom faint.
“Brina, if this doesn’t go well—”
“We all end up dead. I know. But it’s nothing that won’t be happening
regardless of if we do this or not.”
Astrid grabbed chunks of her hair as she warred with herself. “I should
tell you to shut your gob and get in the tub, but I don’t want to die. Not like
that. I want a fighting chance and we’ll get none of those with Falcon.”
 “Take me to my bathroom. I’ll bathe while you gather the others. I need
to be warm so I’m strong.”
“Fine.” Astrid grabbed my wrist and we slid to my old bathroom. The
red rocks remained on the vanity as if they waited for my return. “Bathe
yourself. Falcon will know of the change of location so I need to run
interference and have Quest gather everyone. I’ll bring your outfit with me
upon my return. Be ready to dress in ten minutes.”
“I’m on it.” I turned the water on in the tub before starting to undress.
My heart hammered and I didn’t try to stifle my fear. I needed the Shadows
around me strong.
We were going to die.
I climbed into the tub and tried to still my mind so I could think. Astrid
and Quest were gathering a group of Shadows who’d trust that a plan was
being made. But who did I think I was to make a plan? I’d get them killed. I
wouldn’t put it past Falcon to kill all of them and keep me alive for his fun
and pleasure.
At a loss for a decent idea, I ducked my head below the water. A glint
on the other side of my eyelids made me open my eyes wide. A golden light
reflected in the water.
We were in a sandy mini arena. Dax bounced beside Azar. Dax’s short,
carrot-top hair stood up and freckles made him look young. Beside him,
Azar shook his head. Azar had let slip last night that Dax had developed a
crush on me. My greatest fear had been realized. I’d feared Dax’s feelings
were growing, but I didn’t have those same feelings in return.
“Come on. Let’s do this.” I smiled at them both, but it was strained.
“We’re leaving in less than an hour. One more spar.”
“It’s my turn.” Dax winked at me. Before yesterday, I would have
believed it was just a friendly gesture. Like normal. Today, I wasn’t sure.
“Liar. It’s mine.” Azar got into a defensive position and I duplicated his
movement while Dax glared at Azar. It really was Dax’s turn. Azar was
trying to help a friend—me—out.
Azar was fast, but I was faster. I punched him in the gut and then in the
face. He’d have a black eye for about three minutes. His healing speed was
increasing.
Back and forth, we fought until we were both heaving from the exertion.
Smiling, we fist bumped and faced Dax. He applauded us, but his eyes were
filled with confusion. Oh gosh, did he think me and Azar were a couple? I
didn’t like either of them. Not like that. We were friends. We always had
been. I’d hoped we always would be, but Dax developing feelings would
complicate things.
“Come on, guys.” I smiled again and grabbed my waiting bags. “Time
to go hunt some Darken. Unless you’re not up for it.”
The men smiled at the challenge.
“Oh, we’re up for it.” Dax slugged Azar in the shoulder. “Come on, Az.
Let’s beat the lady to the rest of the troops.”
We raced across the compound to reach the front gates. Serenity waited,
arms crossed. Her glare was priceless as I approached with the two men in
tow. I wasn’t yet sure which she favored, but she didn’t deserve either of
them.
That was the protective instinct in me. Serenity wasn’t a bad person. She
was a good warrior and had taken down her fair share of Darken. But she
wanted to be better, only so she could brag. Father was the first and
Serenity was upset because her dad was second. Keeve and Noa were still
the best of friends. If only that could be said of their children.
“Finally you decide to show up.” Cove smiled beside Serenity. A scar
ran down the left side of his face, given to him by a Darken he’d killed
minutes after the injury had been inflicted. He’d nearly lost his eye. He was
mated to my sister Raven for six months now. She was pregnant with their
first baby.
 “Had to teach these guys who’s the boss.” I winked at Cove and he
laughed.
“Yeah, well, let’s get out of here so I can get back just as fast.” No
mated male wanted to be away from his mate for long, but especially newly
mated males. The fact Raven was pregnant so soon after their mating added
to Cove’s insistence upon a quick trip.
“Okay then. Let’s head out!”
The group of about a half dozen more people yelled out a cheer and we
were off. It was time to slay some Darken.
My eyes opened again under the water. I pushed myself to the surface
and gulped in air, coughing up a little water I’d ingested while the vision
had held me. Of all the times to have a memory overtake me…
An ache began in my head once more. I didn’t need this. If the pain
persisted or grew worse, I’d need Falcon’s help. I quickly shoved away a
thought that said I shouldn’t kill Falcon or I’d risk losing my life when the
memories tried to overwhelm me again—and they would. So far, he was the
only person who’d succeeded in keeping me alive when the flashes of a past
I couldn’t remember overwhelmed me.
“Brina!”
“I’m okay.” I waved Astrid off. “Am I late? A memory had me.”
“Not if you get out of there this second. Hurry up. I’ll do your makeup
and hair as quickly as I can. The others are in your room.”
I did as Astrid said and we left my bathroom faster than I could’ve
imagined with me wearing a modest, long-sleeved dress. Again, black.
I recognized all but one person in the room. Oz sat by Azar on my bed.
Asa from the prison paced in a corner while the unknown man sat in the
sitting area by Quest.
“Who are you?” I asked the man.
He was the only bald Shadow I’d met so I couldn’t tell his age by hair,
but I sensed his age. Azar said he could do that too. This Shadow was
nearly as old as Astrid who was the second oldest in the room. I blinked,
realizing I could see everyone better than ever in the red light.
The bald man smiled. “Neo.”
My brows rose. “Oh, with the hellhounds outside Azar’s door.”
“They’re hunting, so we don’t have much time.”
“Understood.” I bounced on the balls of my feet. “We’re planning to kill
Falcon. Anyone who has doubts about the mission or suddenly has a love of
him, needs to leave.”
Neo snorted. “The end of my life is coming. I’d rather go down
swinging, doll.”
Quest and Azar growled. Neo held up his hands in defeat. Hopefully
he’d never call me that again. It was creepy.
“So how are we doing this?” Asa, the guard I’d met briefly in the
prison, seemed the most jittery. Was that from planning to kill Falcon or
from guarding monsters in the depths of this hellhole?
“I’m not the warrior I used to be,” I admitted. “According to the
memories that are starting to come back,” I paused as Azar glared at Quest,
“I used to be a pretty good warrior.”
Azar scoffed. “You were one of the best, Bri. You weren’t pretty good.”
“But you’re one of the best too, Azar. Falcon might have gotten you
here on his own, but you didn’t have backup, I’m assuming.”
“I didn’t,” he confirmed.
“So, a group of us should be able to end him. I can get close and he
won’t expect you guys to do anything because you’re all loy—”
Neo let out a laugh. “He’ll expect it from us. We’re old. He won’t
expect Oz to do much. She’s too young to be stupid. There’s still plenty of
life left in her. And where’s your sister, Quest? Doesn’t she want to be
here?”
“She’s busy in the kitchen,” Quest replied. “If we wanted to throw
things off more, we’d have her here. She’ll do what she can to help, but
right now we need her doing her job.”
Neo turned back to me, not putting up a fuss.
“Okay.” I began to pace by the fireplace, hoping it could give off any
sense of warmth. My bath was almost pointless by now with how chilly the
room had grown without me living there. “Falcon will be comfortable with
Oz being at dinner with us since she’s guarding Azar. She’s also young, so
I’ll ask Falcon to lower the light in the room. Rather kill the fire a little.
That will allow you guys to better slide into the room—”
“It also allows Falcon to slide,” Quest added.
“Not necessarily.” Neo placed a finger to his lips as he thought.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but Falcon doesn’t want Brina injured.”
“None of us do,” Azar added, but Neo waved him off.
“If someone, say me, were to hold a knife to Brina’s neck—”
“It’s been done,” I cut in. “The guy is dead. Falcon slid.”
“But if someone is at that person’s back. Say Quest stands at my back
facing away from me. Maybe Astrid has that pretty crossbow from Falcon’s
office and can shoot Falcon while he’s dealing with Quest…” He raised his
eyebrows, asking if we liked the plan.
Asa raised his hand. “I can slide in, too, and help cause distraction.
Maybe give Arlo a swift punch to the jaw to keep him from using that voice
of his to charm us.”
“If something goes wrong,” Azar added, “I can light that place up like
the middle of the day, only with a lot less sun. Again, that’s a last resort.
Otherwise, I’ll fight where I can.”
“And if it all fails, at least, like Neo said,” Oz nodded to the bald man,
“we’re going down swinging.”
“Okay, so,” I looked around the room again, “Oz, Azar, Astrid, Quest,
and I will go to dinner as planned. However, Quest will be the one to hold
the knife to my throat.”
 “No.” Neo shook his head. “Falcon will never believe he’s capable of
hurting you. It’s obvious Quest is attached to you. I couldn’t care less about
your life, if I’m being honest. Falcon will see that.”
My gaze turned to Azar who studied the Shadow. When Azar nodded, I
released a breath. “Okay, we’ll go with that. But Quest will have your
back.” Quest gave me a swift nod before pulling a knife from his boot. He
walked to me and held it out.
“In case something goes wrong, use this to defend yourself.”
“Thanks.”
“Be careful, Brina.”
“Asa will grab the crossbow from Falcon’s office,” Astrid continued the
plan. “But he’ll give it to me when things go down. I’m the better shot.
Asa’s better with his fists. Oz will watch Azar’s back and they’ll help Asa
take out Arlo, if the Charmer even sticks around. If anyone wants out, you
need to speak now. There won’t be time to recall this later.”
Astrid stared at everyone, but no one opted out of the plan. It wasn’t an
awesome plan, but we were going up against Falcon. And not just Falcon,
but Arlo too if he decided to join in. No plan, awesome or crappy, would
hold up to Falcon. And especially not up against Falcon and Arlo.
“Maybe we should wait until Arlo isn’t with Falcon,” I hedged.
“If we can take them both out,” Neo said, “I’d call that a plus.”
“Does anyone have a problem with Arlo being there?” I asked. No one
answered. The look in Asa’s eyes said he already thought this was a losing
battle and he wanted to ensure he wouldn’t make it out of this. My heart
went out to them. They were my enemies, but they had as much hope of
escaping their fates as I did.
“Well, okay then.” Astrid clapped her hands. “Get moving everyone.
Especially you, Asa. Get that bow. You won’t have much time.”
Asa disappeared. Everyone else rose from their seats. My stomach
turned sour.
 “Control your fear, Brina.” Quest made his way to me and squeezed my
hand. “Hide the knife in your pocket. Breathe, or Falcon will notice
something is wrong.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in. We could do this. Even if
we couldn’t, I’d endured plenty of painful, violent deaths. What was one
more? Yeah, I wouldn’t be coming back, but at this point, maybe that was a
blessing. Falcon would only track me down again. I’d go through this one
more time. But I would be with my friends. Even if Astrid didn’t like me,
she was my friend. She didn’t have a choice in the matter.
I let out my breath and squeezed Quest’s hand back. “Let’s do this.”
Quest slid us to Falcon’s dining room. Falcon and Arlo rose as Astrid
appeared beside me. She moved to stand by the door as Quest placed his
hand on my lower back. Azar and Oz appeared beside us. Falcon’s eyes
opened a little wider, surprised to see the Shadow and a prisoner he hadn’t
invited to dinner.
“I’m sorry, Falcon.” I stepped forward and cleared my throat. What we
were doing finally sank in and I wanted to run from the room. But I stood
my ground. This was my plan. I couldn’t back out now. Still, here went
nothing.
“I
should’ve asked if it would be okay if I invited Azar and Oz to
dinner. Adler was busy in the kitchen, so I thought Oz would
want to come. I figured that if I’m here, I might as well get to
know people. But if it’s—”
Falcon held up his hands to stop my rambling. His eyes grew soft. I
nearly tipped my head to the side, puzzled by his reaction.
“If it pleases you to have them with us, then I’ll have places added for
them. Next time, a little warning would be nice, but if you wish for them to
join us, I will allow it.” Falcon’s kindness confused me.
I cleared my throat and tried to look more at ease than I felt. “Thanks,
Falcon.” Oz flinched at the fireplace and I remembered what else I was
supposed to do. If I didn’t pull myself together and ignore Falcon’s
strangeness, I’d be the cause of deaths. “Would you mind doing that thing
you do and toning the fire down for Oz? I’d like her to be comfortable with
us.”
“It’s okay—” Oz tried to wave me off, but Falcon had already reduced
the flames. “Thank you, sir.”
“You’re welcome, Oz. Now, everyone take your seats.” Falcon
motioned me to come sit in my usual seat. Arlo sat on Falcon’s left.
I’d taken one step when a knife blade pressed to my neck. I yipped as
Quest wrapped his arm around my waist. Blood dripped down my neck as
my eyes opened wide with fear to plead with Falcon to save me. This
wasn’t how the plan was supposed to go!
Falcon’s eyes narrowed and darkness shrouded the room. “Release her.”
“I think not.”
“She gave her freedom for you. Why do this?” Falcon growled. “So,
this is how it’s going to go? Hm? You think you can take me down.” His
eyes softened as he looked back at me. Sadness deflated his shoulders. “Oh,
Brina. If only you could remember.”
I hissed as a memory began out of nowhere.
The pain. I’d never felt pain so intense and awful. Falcon leaned over
me. He took my head in both of his hands. The pain when he twisted lasted
only a moment.
“You killed me,” I gasped as the pain from the memory vanished. “You
broke my neck.”
“I did.” Falcon didn’t deny the charge. How could he when I’d seen it?
“Enough!” Neo’s harsh gravelly voice yelled out. When had he entered
the room? “Fight us or the woman dies. Not all of us are sentimental toward
her. I personally hope she dies with you so your mark is destroyed.”
I shook, grateful Quest was the one to hold me captive.
Falcon slid. Azar, Oz, and Asa—who appeared out of nowhere—
attacked Arlo in the same breath. Quest shoved me toward a wall. I turned
as a bang made me jump. Astrid’s arrow had missed its mark and buried
itself in a wall. In the darkness, it was hard to follow the action as everyone
began sliding to have the best advantage. Everyone except Azar, but he
seemed to have a good handle on fighting.
The knife Quest had given me weighed down my dress in the pocket it
rested in. I pulled it from my pocket and discarded the sheathe. My
heartbeat quickened as I watched the fighting.
Falcon slid. He reappeared in front of me. His back faced me two feet
away. I could end it all. My fingers tightened around the knife.
 I attacked at the same time Falcon turned and faced me. My arm arched,
the knife came down at Falcon’s chest, but I couldn’t stab him. I stopped the
attack with the knife’s blade an inch from Falcon’s shirt. The room held its
breath as the knife hovered over Falcon’s chest where his heart should be, if
he had one.
“What are you doing?” Asa hissed. “End him!”
“I…I…” My eyes rose to lock with Falcon’s.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “One day, you’ll know why. You’ll remember
that I loved you.” He smiled at me as Astrid’s bow fired an arrow.
Falcon crumpled. The arrow had entered his back and came out the
front. My body stood paralyzed. My ears rang. People’s voices were
muffled. Someone grabbed my arm and slid us away. Shock kept me from
examining my surroundings. What had happened? Falcon had loved me? I
couldn’t reconcile that with what I knew of him.
Pain in my neck made me pull against the person who had their teeth
buried in my neck. Pulling against them only made the pain worse, but I
refused to allow them to drink from me without a fight. Not soon enough,
they pulled their teeth from my flesh.
“Shut up.” Neo licked my neck and moaned. “No wonder he kept you
close. Your blood is divine. Too bad for you he’s dead. Falcon won’t be
saving you.”
“Quest will find you. And Azar.” Astrid wouldn’t care that I’d been
taken. She’d probably rejoice not to be forced to protect me.
Neo snorted. “Quest’s a little busy at the moment. You won’t be needing
help anymore by the time any of those idiots can find you.”
My heart constricted. Falcon was dead. I should’ve been overjoyed.
Why wasn’t I? Why was I so worried about those we’d left behind at
Falcon’s house? Half of them only wanted to be near me so they could
subsist upon my fear.
 Neo slid us again. We went from darkness to a small shadow. Then Neo
pushed me into a room filled with medium light. Somewhere outside of the
house we stood in, the sun was either setting or rising. How I wanted to see
the sky change to pretty colors, but I’d never have the chance.
We stood in a living room. The house was devoid of furniture. A “For
Sale” sign waved in a breeze out the front window. Nothing in my view
gave me an idea of where we were. Though I had no way to communicate
that with Azar or Quest even if I did have a clue. If they were even alive to
help me. A shiver ran up my spine. Neo’s threat to them didn’t seem fake.
“Hello, Brina. It’s nice to see you again.” A man with bright, unruly red
hair walked into the bare living room, smiling to reveal crooked teeth as he
drew closer. He was tall and lacked the muscles Shadows and Howlers were
blessed with. No one could call this man attractive and his aura reflected
that. He looked the same as he had in my memory.
Terror spiked like electricity through me, and Neo’s evil chuckle came
as more pain exploded in my head. I slapped a hand to my forehead, but
nothing would take this away except Falcon or a miracle. With Falcon dead,
I needed the miracle route.
Closing my eyes to focus on keeping my mind centered in the moment,
I shivered at the Conjurer’s laugh. It had chills running up my spine. Like in
my dream, he created terror inside me just by being in his presence.
“Neo said you’ve forgotten a lot. After the last time we met, I’m not
surprised. You were quite ignorant then. Just as well. You won’t know to
fear me.”
Oswald was wrong. I knew him. Even if I didn’t, his presence choked
the hope right out of the room, leaving me almost unable to breathe as I
shook. Oswald, the Conjurer First Four, an original Darken born after
Falcon, had already been the cause of my death in one of my other lives. He
wouldn’t mind doing it again.
 The man’s fingers began to glow, and he stepped closer to me. “Oh,
Brina, it’s a shame you don’t remember me. This would have been a lot
more fun if you had. Instead, I have to wait for your mind to come to grips
with itself. I’m not very patient, mind you, so either you remember quickly
or I’ll just nudge those memories along. You have five seconds to recall my
name.”
He placed his fingers along the right side of my face. Five seconds! I
knew the man’s name, but if I delayed, Azar or Quest would have more
time to find me. My heart missed Falcon and his determination to keep me
safe. Why had I decided it would be better for him to die when Fargo told
me how the Darken wanted me dead? I still didn’t know why they targeted
me.
A tear leaked down my cheek and Oswald made a sorrowful face.
Despair filled my chest. No one would find me in time to save me from this
man and whatever plans he had for me. Last time, I’d had an ocean to throw
myself into. This time, I had no such luck. I would be at Oswald and Neo’s
mercy. The thought sickened me.
“Your five seconds are up, Brina.” A delighted, evil grin rose on
Oswald’s lips a second before he touched my skin and pain exploded
beneath my skull. My mouth opened, but I couldn’t scream as my legs gave
out. Neo caught me with an arm around my waist. More images of people
and places rushed through my mind. My body convulsed. They needed to
slow down! I didn’t want to die. Not like this!
When the plague of images ended, I shook in Neo’s arms as Oswald
removed his hand from my face. A cold sweat glistened on my skin as I
peered up at Oswald. I’d feared Falcon for days, but that fear had nothing
on the terror Oswald brought in his wake. What I wouldn’t give to be
Falcon’s captive again.
“Remember yet?” The Conjurer’s laugh was wet, and I cringed away
from him. “No?”
 Before his fingers touched my face again, a memory began to play. As it
began, instinct told me that it was the last time I’d seen Oswald.
I’d needed to leave. I had. Or so I kept telling myself as I walked down
the cobblestone streets of the city I lived in with Mama and Papa. I needed
to find someone. I needed to find him. Who that “him” was, I still didn’t
know, but there was an urgency in the back of my mind.
The streets were no place for a young woman coming out of her
childhood, but the darkness called to me. Well, it had until I’d entered its
realm. Now, I wished that I’d obeyed and stayed in my room where a fire
blazed in the hearth, stoked multiple times a night by my wonderful father.
A hoarse laugh from my right filled me with dread. Oswald. The
Conjurer. He’d found me again. Why had I been so stupid? The man I
sought couldn’t find me if I was dead.
“Hello again. I’m sorry, last time I didn’t grab your name.” Oswald
stepped further into the street. The lamps gave off little light to see by, but
the magician held a glowing ball of light in his hand now.
“Brina.”
“Hello, Brina. I’m Oswald.”
“I remember.”
“Ah good. Then you remember what I want?” Oswald stepped closer
and I stepped back. His aura felt like a sink hole of slimy oil. “Come now,
Brina. Let’s discuss something. What does Falcon want with you?”
“I don’t know who Falcon is.”
“Is that so? Shame. Not really. It’s better if you don’t know him. He is
the worst of the Darken and not to be trusted. The beast turned his back on
us in the prime of our glory!”
I backed up more until my back hit the building behind me. “I’m sorry
for his abuse to you, but I really don’t know him and if it’s okay with you, I
must be going.”
 Oswald closed in on me faster than I could blink and pinned me against
the wall. Where was someone? Anyone. Why was the street so deserted?
Panic made me lash out, but Oswald was too strong for me. His looks were
middle aged and far from attractive but he was stronger than he looked.
“I’m afraid I also want something from you, Brina, dear.” He pulled a
needle and syringe from his coat pocket. “Just a bit of blood.”
Blood. Oswald was a Conjurer. My blood in his hands would damn the
world.
I whimpered. As he raised the long needle, I threw myself forward.
“Oswald.” His name escaped as a gasp when I came out of the memory.
How could I survive this when the last time I’d met Oswald, I’d been
stronger and had more memories? Not many, but I’d known I searched for a
man. In later lives, I knew no such thing.
More memories came to me, memories I’d already been given back, as
Oswald smiled. Falcon. He’d been in so many. He’d come to me just too
late so many times. His furious growl had preceded his presence, sending
the enemy skittering away just seconds too late. Falcon’s last words came
back to me. “One day, you’ll know why. You’ll remember that I loved you.”
He’d searched for me while I searched for him, but why did I search for
Falcon at all?
“Well, now we’re getting somewhere.” Oswald’s pleasure nearly made
me gag as he waved a hand with long fingers through the air in a sweeping
motion. My legs came out from beneath me and I found myself floating,
weightless, out of Neo’s arms. I tried to fight even though the pain and
memories had left me weak. Oswald laughed as I grunted but couldn’t
move.
“Now, this will all be over soon and will be a lot less painful if you can
answer some questions for me. I know your memories aren’t all there, so
I’ll help you retrieve them if it’s needed.” I cringed as the Conjurer seemed
all too eager to cause me pain. We were enemies, of that I was sure. Just
like I was an enemy of Falcon’s. Or I had been?
What in the blazes non-human species was I? What was Azar? At one
time I’d known how to fight. Could I remember now and gain back my
energy in time? No, I couldn’t. Even if I could remember what I was, in no
life had I been strong enough to fight a First Four and I’d gone up against
Oswald at least twice. Both times, I’d killed myself to evade him. In this
life, I was nearly human and pathetic. I would die and not come back.
“Falcon’s people are fighting against your army.” The light, female
voice made me squeeze my eyes closed in despair. Adler. Quest’s sister of
all people walked into view to stand beside Oswald. How could she work
for such a man? How could she do this to Quest? He loved her so much.
“Falcon’s dead, Arlo can’t slide, and I released the Howlers in Falcon’s
prison. Shadows are fleeing right and left. The hellhounds and Brina’s
protectors are fighting, but they’ll be dead soon as well.”
Oswald smiled over at the young woman. “Perfect. Thank you, my
dear.” The Conjurer turned his attention back to me where I floated in front
of him. “Now, Brina, before I get completely down to business, tell me,
what did Falcon want with you? Why has he tracked you down all these
years? Why did you agree to wear his mark? What is Falcon’s plan?”
“He loves me.” The answer slipped out and when it did, the same gut
instinct that told me Azar was my friend confirmed that indeed, Falcon did
love me. Only this instinct made me believe his parting words to me. He’d
shown me nothing of his desires, aside from the evil ones, in this lifetime.
Nothing Falcon did in the last week had said, “Brina, darling, I love you
and I have been searching for you.”
Oswald’s loud guffaw laughter pulled me from my thoughts. When he
settled down, he wiped tears from his eyes. “He’s good, I’ll be the first to
admit that. Only Falcon could make one of your kind think he loves you.
Can’t tell you what you are, now, can I? Won’t get my answers if the
memories come back too quickly. We’ve learned that before.” Oswald
leaned against my body with his hip to my side like I was some sort of table
for him to rest himself on. “He’s more powerful with you by his side. That’s
why he wants you, Brina. You should know that to clear your vision before
your end. The knowledge won’t help you, especially since Falcon is dead,
but you’ll have a better understanding of the First Four of the Shadows
when I’m through. You can die with a clear conscience instead of a
muddied mind.
“You see, Falcon never wanted me to have more power than him. So, he
used you to become more powerful. I want to know how he did it. What
about you made the bird spread his wings and fly? Was it the mark? Did he
mark you in your past life with him?”
“I…I don’t know.” My jaw trembled. Was that why Falcon had searched
for me? Why he wanted me to think he loved me? If he loved me, why had
he killed me?
“Oh, Brina, you used to be so much braver. Times like this were filled
with more fun when you had a little fight in you. But that’s beside the point.
I am here for a specific reason: to discover how you make Falcon stronger.
If you don’t know, then I’ll need some blood. I could’ve had Neo do it for
me, but I couldn’t resist the challenge of taking you out from under Falcon’s
wing. Figuratively, of course. Thank you for helping my plan by creating
chaos in an attempt to kill Falcon.”
Oswald pulled a needle attached to a syringe from somewhere. Needles
didn’t make me nervous, but the size of that needle—even larger than the
one in my memory—caused dark spots to damper my vision. This was it.
My end.
If there was a time for my guardians and best friend to find me, this was
it. But I didn’t hold out much hope. If fate was kind, they weren’t all dead
along with Falcon.
“H
old her neck still,” Oswald ordered Neo, the traitorous
Shadow beside me. Fighting the magic holding me only
made Oswald smile and pat my hand. “It’s not as bad as it
looks, Brina. Wait, yes it is.”
Neo grabbed my neck. Using every ounce of energy I had, I tried to
move. All that effort resulted in my neck shifting the slightest bit.
Oswald snarled. “Hold her head still, you idiot. The last time I tried this,
she purposefully killed herself. I refuse to allow that to happen again. Adler,
pull the neck of her shirt down. I need a clear view of her heart. The needle
must go in the neck and make it to her heart.”
He had to be kidding.
The needle pierced my neck. I sucked in a breath between gritted teeth.
Terror would be strengthening my enemies, but I couldn’t stop the panic
rising inside me. Nerves stung at the entry site where the needle punctured
my skin. Oswald smiled down.
“I so enjoy your pain. It’ll make your blood even more powerful for my
use. It’s a shame I can’t keep you alive. The endless supply of power you
could provide taunts me, but I can’t risk Falcon’s people coming for you.
It’s better they find you dead. You don’t need to grow stronger once that
friend of yours finds you. Neither do you need to strengthen another
Shadow.”
 Oswald was far from gentle as he slowly pushed the needle further into
me, drawing out my pain. Pressure on the left side of my chest caused my
heart to race even faster. Oswald planned to kill me and I was useless to
stop him, and the only person here who could’ve put an end to this was
Adler, but she worked with the enemy.
“Almost there.” Oswald’s glee was disgusting as he plunged the needle
straight into my heart.
My eyes closed tight at the pain. I nearly threw up.
A growl tore through the air. Like in my memories, I couldn’t see
Falcon, but I knew his presence. He’d come for me. But how? He was
supposed to be dead. Was I so far gone that I imagined him? Yearned for
him to save me so I dreamt he was here? Like in those dreams—memories,
rather—he was too late.
Oswald’s eyes widened before his lips pulled back in a snarl. “You’re
supposed to be dead!”
“Didn’t stick.” Falcon’s voice caused a sob to escape me. He was here.
Falcon wasn’t an imagination. I couldn’t see him, but Oswald could and
that was proof enough for me.
The Conjurer’s lips rose in a terrifying smile. He didn’t pull the needle
from my body as Falcon growled again. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re
alive or not, Falcon. You’re too late. You cannot save her from me. I win.”
His laugh grated on my nerves as Falcon growled again. Falcon
wouldn’t give up on me. Even as I weakened from Oswald drawing blood
from my heart. If only Azar was here. He could help me with his strength
and knowledge in a fight. It was lightening out, time for our kind to be
strong and the Darken to weaken. The sun was our friend.
One thing was certain, there was hope. I wouldn’t quit fighting. Falcon
had a lot to amend between us and I’d make him. He had answers I needed,
and this time, he’d answer them.
 A growl tore from me as the pain exploding from my back intensified.
My father continued to push more of his energy into me and the agony
increased. I’d been the one to insist I was ready for this. What if I wasn’t?
But I was. I knew it. If my father had any uncertainties, he wouldn’t be
shoving his power into my back. He would’ve shut down my idea the
moment the words exited my mouth. But he hadn’t and here we were, me
leaning against his desk gasping for air and growling like an animal from
the pain. It would end soon. But before that, the pain would grow worse.
My mouth opened in a silent scream as the power from my father built
inside me, pushing limits I’d never reached before. When I thought I could
no longer bear the pain, it ended with the release I’d hoped for.
In the mirror behind my father’s desk, my reflection stared back at me as
I sagged forward. My arms shook as I smiled at my new appendages.
Golden feathers, all unique in their color, glinted in the sunlight off my
wings. My nose dripped a few droplets of blood from the pressure that
drawing my wings out had had on my body.
“I did it.” I stood straight and tucked my wings close to my back. Then I
spread them out as far as they would go. Closing my eyes to concentrate on
my wings alone, I held them out away from me for as long as I could
manage.
When I could hold them out no longer, I gave a heavy exhale and
released them to tuck into my back again.
Father laughed as I caught my breath. “Ten seconds. That’s a very good
time, Brina. Especially for a Phoenix as young as you.”
“It’s not good enough.” I ground my teeth together and shoved my
wings out again. I didn’t last half as long as the first time.
Father’s chuckle from behind me made me try again, but it was
pointless. I’d had my one chance.
“Brina, you will not be the best at everything. You are not the youngest
Phoenix to have their wings brought out. You didn’t beat the record for
outstretched duration. However, you will do great things.”
“There’s only one thing I want to do.” I’d failed at the other goals in my
life and I wouldn’t fail this one.
“And what’s that?”
“I will be the one to kill Falcon. The first of the First Four will beg me
for his life before I end it. Then I will kill the others.”
Father gave a soft snort. “No one can accuse you of having small
dreams.”
“No, they can’t.”
I awoke from the memory as a fiercer pain lanced through my chest. A
wave of energy rushed to my left hand and I raised it to grab Neo around
the throat. The Shadow screamed as flames erupted from where my hand
met his flesh. He burned up in a second.
Anger pulsing through me, I turned on Oswald whose eyes had grown
wide. As I reached for him, his shocked expression fell to one of hate. He
muttered a word and stepped into a bright circle. Then, he and the circle
disappeared.
With Oswald gone, the magic he’d used to levitate me above the ground
faded. I fell to the ground below, hitting my head on the fake wood flooring
and jarring the needle in my neck, the one also sticking into my heart. The
energy I’d discovered along with my identity faded with the lack of enemies
and my slight mortality. The last of the memories of all my past lives hadn’t
returned along with the knowledge of what I was, but they would, given
time.
Someone knelt beside me and pulled the needle from my neck. A
Darken. Hatred and anger made my blood warm with the need to kill. When
the needle slipped from my neck, I grabbed it from the Darken beside me
and swung it with all my might, opening my eyes in time to see Falcon’s
eyes widen before he disappeared from my side.
I blinked and stopped my attack mid-arch.
 “Brina?” Falcon reappeared in front of me, kneeling on the ground by
my feet. Quest and Astrid appeared behind him. “You’re bleeding, darling.
Let me help you.”
I scooted further away as Falcon reached for me. I didn’t make it more
than a few inches before the pain had me flat on my back and helpless
again. My lungs gasped for air. I coughed on blood.
“She needs heat, Falcon.” Azar, glowing with power, knelt at my side. I
blinked at him. He was really glowing. “Brina, you need to go with
Falcon.”
“No.” I tried to rise, but the pain from hitting the back of my head along
with exhaustion sent me back to the ground.
“Brina.” Azar grabbed my chin with his fingers and made me look at
him. “Go with the Shadow. Unless you’ve had a memory where he abused
you, go with Falcon.”
“He killed me.” My voice cracked.
“And you don’t know what has happened between then and now. You
can’t die right now or you won’t be coming back. I think it’s worth the risk.
I can’t slide. Falcon can. He can get you what you need. I need to help the
others stop the threat the Conjurers pose.”
“Oswald?” My voice cracked and I hated that I looked at Falcon for an
answer.
“He’s long gone,” Falcon answered. “Oswald is powerful, but when he
feels outmatched, he runs away like a bloody coward.” His eyes bore into
mine. “Your memories of me have not been kind, but I will not harm a hair
on your head. You will see that in time.”
I fingered the marks on my face. Falcon winced. “I wish I could have
done things differently. In the end, I’m not sure it mattered.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I know.” His shoulders deflated. “Let me take you to heal and I’ll
answer what I can for you.”
 “You always promise that and yet I have no answers.” I couldn’t fight
him when he stepped to my side and lifted me off the ground. Azar didn’t
push him away. I glanced at my friend who gave me a brief nod. He really
wanted me to go with Falcon, after everything? Was the threat against us
still high enough he’d hand me over to our enemy?
Falcon held me to him and I gave a pathetic whimper when his
movement hurt my injuries. The darkness that was Falcon surrounded us
and then we were in a place I’d never been. But I had. The room seemed
familiar though I had no recollection of it.
The Shadow First Four set me down on the ground. I laid there, unable
to move. We were in a large room with a pool. Rose petals floated in the
water, giving off a floral scent that fought to trigger a memory. It fought to
come through, but Falcon losing his shirt beside me, making me choke in
shock, kept the memory at bay for now.
“What are you doing?” When Falcon began to pull off his pants, I
diverted my eyes to the side, taking in the rest of the room. The candles
flickering around the pool let me see more than the red rock’s light ever
could.
“If I put you in water by yourself, you’ll drown.” Falcon slid into the
water and walked to my side where I could see him again. This time, just
his chest, shoulders, and head. “There’s not enough room in a bathtub for us
both to be comfortable.”
When he grabbed the top of my pants, I took hold of Falcon’s wrist. He
didn’t wince as I put pressure on the joint.
“Trust me, my love. Please.” His eyes implored me with a tenderness
every version of my past self couldn’t fathom. “Part of you knows, Brina.
Let that part in.”
“You’re evil; a monster.” I gulped. “I don’t want you.”
Falcon’s wet hand brushed away a tear. He gave a sad smile. “I’m not
sure that helped. There’s more water on your face than before.” His smile
fell and he cleared his throat. “Come to me—”
“With clothes on.”
He smiled and my heart thrilled at the sight. Stupid heart.
“Yes, with clothes on. Come to me and your healing can start. We’ll talk
while I hold you.”
There was no choice for me as Falcon picked me up and lowered me
into the water. I closed my eyes as the water’s warmth spread through me.
Falcon held me to his strong body, and I tried to ignore everywhere we
touched. Was Falcon wearing underwear?
“You know what you are?” Falcon’s soft words distracted me. Thank
goodness.
“A Phoenix.” I wrapped my arms around Falcon’s neck as he walked us
toward the other end of the pool. The water rose around us as the ground
dropped to make the pool deeper.
“Don’t worry, Brina. I have you.” He sniffed at my temple. “All that is
good and wonderful, you smell divine.”
Falcon slid his hands down my side to grip my thighs and pulled my
legs around his waist. My eyes opened and he shrugged when I felt that he
was definitely not wearing anything. The pompous jerk gave a crooked,
sexy grin while my body warmed more, and not from the water. I rolled my
eyes and looked away from him.
“Darkness below, I have missed your eye rolls when I do something you
claim to be irritating.”
“Falcon, you’re naked in a pool with me. How did you not think I
would be irritated?” I turned back to him and glared, but that did nothing to
stop the man from chuckling at me.
“Oh, I did know, darling.” The huskiness of his voice would be the
death of me. While my energy had returned, I didn’t have the strength to
shove away from him and swim to the pool’s edge.
 “I don’t understand any of this. You were so cruel.” I trembled at
memories of Falcon in this life. “How could you do those things if you
loved me?”
“I had no choice. If it had been the two of us alone in this house without
a chance for anyone to find us, I would’ve waited on you hand and foot. But
we weren’t alone and I couldn’t let my feelings for you show. I needed you
to fear me. For your safety, and the safety of others, I needed to keep a
distance.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Falcon gave a soft chuckle. “I don’t blame you. However, it is the truth
and one day, sooner than later, I will be able to explain even more and you
will forgive me.”
“Highly unlikely.” I grunted as a spike of pain made me rest my cheek
on Falcon’s bare shoulder.
“Let the memory come, my love.” Falcon nuzzled the top of my head.
“Let it come. It will help with answers.”
Falcon swam around his pool. The pile of clothes beside the water’s
edge told me what I already suspected: Falcon swam naked.
Nervous energy nearly sent me back the way I’d come before Falcon
noticed me. He stood, water sliding down a toned body I yearned to be
closer to every day. His delicious muscles called to my fingers to run over
them as his lips crushed mine.
I stepped back. Falcon didn’t move as I fought with myself.
He was evil, the first darkness to mar the land. How many people had
lost their lives because of him? How many people had he terrified for the
fun of it? How much evil had spread across the world because of him and
his kind?
And yet, as Falcon watched me, I saw a glimmer of something in his
eyes that I’d never expected to see the first time we’d met. Hope. Falcon
had been a lustful, devilish man who’d enjoyed killing me and feeding on
my fear after capturing me. Since then, Falcon had changed. I’d grown to
trust him. While his kind still needed fear and blood to survive, Falcon no
longer took joy in it. Unless the fear or blood came from me. Then he
enjoyed it a little too much.
I bit my lower lip. There was no going back from what I wanted. How
many of my kind yearned to court me and make me theirs? And I could have
whomever I wished. Yet, I’d fallen for Falcon, my enemy, the man I’d vowed
a hundred times over to kill.
The robe I wore slid from my shoulders to pool on the ground around
me. Apprehension forced me back a step. I’d never been naked in front of a
man before and the air chilled me a little. But the wonder in Falcon’s
expression as his eyes devoured me in a reverent way stopped me.
“Beautiful.”
Falcon’s one word brought heat to my cheeks and lower regions. He
began to walk towards me, and I sat on the side of the pool until he picked
me up and pulled me into the water and against his hard body.
My fingers held his shoulders and felt the muscles beneath my hands
move as Falcon waded back out into the middle of the pool.
“I’m scared.” My voice came out as a whisper as I clung to him.
Falcon’s nose brushed my ear, sending a delicious shiver down my
spine. I could sense his smile as I shook. “I know, darling. I know what this
means for your kind, and I am honored by your choice, even though I’m
unworthy of you.” His lips grazed my neck. I tipped my head to the side to
give him better access and Falcon growled.
“You are my undoing, Brina. Whatever you wish, I will grant it.”
“There are two things.” Both were terrifying to ask of him.
“And they are?”
I trembled as I pulled back to look into Falcon's eyes. His dark eyes
watched me, never leaving my face as I spoke. Though I could tell he
wanted to look at the rest of me.
 “I want you to meet my family.” Most Shadows only had current
partners. Meeting family wasn’t important. They didn’t have families. Just
lovers and ex-lovers and children from random unions.
Falcon’s brows rose as his eyes widened. A gasp came from his parted
mouth. I knew what I’d asked of him. We were enemies. Yet Falcon had
changed. Would my family see that? Would they give us a chance to show
them his change?
Nodding, Falcon swallowed. “I will meet them. For you, I will take the
risk.”
The risk was that they could kill him. None of them would mind and
they’d be praised for killing my mate. Could I risk it?
My heart said yes. Family was important to me, to all Phoenixes. Azar
and Dax were even included in my list of family to meet Falcon. They would
have a harder time since they saw Falcon kill me.
“And the second thing you wish of me?” Falcon’s question brought me
back from my thoughts.
I opened my mouth to ask him for what I wanted, what I craved, but the
words wouldn’t come. He’d been with so many women. How could I ask him
to…
With bright cheeks, I ducked my head, embarrassed I couldn’t ask him
for what I most wanted. I was already with him in a way more intimate than
any I’d ever been in.
Falcon’s hand slid over my body, eliciting a gasp from me. He chuckled.
“Is this what you want?” His voice had deepened.
“Yes,” I gasped.
Falcon dipped his head and feathered his lips over mine before pulling
back. “Is this what you want?”
A burning began inside me and Falcon chuckled as I opened my eyes to
find myself glowing in his arms. This time, I looked straight into his eyes as
I answered him. “Yes.”
 “I will never allow you to regret this decision.” Falcon pulled me to
him. The kiss he lavished upon me sent my head spinning and when he’d
finished making me his, a tear slid from my eye as I felt a connection open
between us. I’d been alone for so long but didn’t know it. Now, I’d never be
alone again. No matter how many lifetimes I lived, I’d find Falcon. Every
time. Because I loved him.
I
gulped as I came out of the memory. Falcon’s hand rubbed my back.
Horror stole my breath and I gasped for a minute.
“I…I mated with you.” My voice was more shriek than words and
to Falcon’s credit, he didn’t flinch.
“You are my mate,” he confirmed.
“How…” I pulled back but couldn’t finish asking how I’d allowed
something so horrible to happen. There was something in Falcon’s eyes, a
vulnerability I’d never expected to find there. Raw emotion filled him and a
tear leaked from Falcon’s eye.
“I broke my vow to you.” Falcon leaned his forehead against mine. “I
promised that you would never regret binding yourself to me. The revulsion
in your expression every time you look at me…you should have stabbed
me. It would’ve been a kinder fate than seeing the disgust in your eyes now.
Though your feelings towards me are justly deserved. I did what I did to
protect you, but only your memories will prove that to you. While they
return, I will have to persuade you to not hate me as best as I can.”
Falcon had always seemed larger than life—mostly in an evil way—but
in the quiet of the room, Falcon had never seemed so small. If not for the
memory of our mating, a memory that would make me light the room on
fire with a single blush, I wouldn’t believe Falcon capable of being worthy
of me. What had he done to make me think such a thing? How had he
influenced my mind?
 And yet, in my dream, I hadn’t felt influenced by any outside force. The
choice had been mine. I hadn’t felt pressure from him. In fact, I’d shocked
him.
Falcon’s hand rose out of the water. Water remained on my skin as he
traced the shape of his mark on my face. “I did not have your love when I
made these the first time. Neither did I have your respect. Just as I did not
when I put them on you in this life. But I promise you that I will earn them
both again.”
“And if I don’t fall in love with you?” Falcon stiffened at my question,
but didn’t rebuke me.
I rolled my eyes as his fearful expression twisted into a wicked grin. “I
shall not stop trying until you do, lover.”
“Shut up, Falcon.”
“Brina?” His eyes clouded with hesitation. I didn’t know this Falcon. A
tug in my gut said that this Falcon, this was the one I did know. I just
needed to get to know him again.
“Falcon?”
“Brina, darling, I will honor my promise to you. I will meet your family.
But, might I also ask something of you?”
“You have two questions.” Falcon grinned at my joke. It was forced, but
cracked more ice between us.
“Okay, the first, may I drink your blood again? I will not drink as much
as I have since finding you in this life. You won’t wake exhausted with a
headache. Between Shadows, drinking from each other reaffirms the bond.”
Falcon faltered. I couldn’t read his expression, but I read what he was trying
to say without seeming desperate.
“This is important to you.” He nodded. “It’s why you drank my blood
once you found me.”
“Most Shadows don’t go years between drinking from their mate unless
the mate is dead. I couldn’t resist drinking from you when I found you.
Keeping my teeth out of you now that you are in my world again is nearly
painful. But I understand if you wish for me to stay away from you for
now.”
“Let me think about it?”
“Of course.”
A door opened behind me, in Falcon’s line of sight, and I wrapped my
arms tightly around his neck, not ready for the next attack to come. I
couldn’t see who had barged into the room, but Falcon didn’t tense beneath
me.
“Get out,” Falcon barked.
“If you’re done,” I recognized the voice of Arlo, “we need to discuss
what happened and how to make it not happen again.”
“Brina is healing.” Falcon held me closer to him as my current life’s
memories replayed in my head. Oswald’s people had attacked Falcon’s
home and Howlers had been let loose to kill at will. Or that’s what I
understood.
“Falcon, we should go.” I wasn’t sure what caused it, maybe a remnant
of feelings from my memory, but I leaned forward and placed a kiss to the
corner of Falcon’s mouth.
“Her protectors are in the bathroom. I’ll send the male out and the
female can help her dress. She’s not going to die, so she can swim with you
later.” Arlo’s annoyed voice made Falcon grin at his friend.
“We’ll be right out.”
“Right out, my foot. Just be finished within the hour.” Arlo left,
slamming the door behind him.
“He is my favorite of the First Four.” Falcon relaxed more, enjoying the
freedom to speak to me for the first time since I’d been captured by him.
His dark eyes met mine. “Brina, if ever you are in trouble and I am not
there to help you, you can trust Arlo. He doesn’t agree with our bonding
because of balance, but he knows of my feelings for you. Arlo will protect
you. He knows the fury which will rain over this earth if he doesn’t and I
lose you forever.”
“Don’t.”
He placed fingers over my mouth, silencing me. “My fury will be
against Oswald, Elias, and their kind alone. Your people, mine, and the
humans will be safe from me. Arlo’s Charmers are still up in the air.”
As we spoke, Falcon moved us toward the door. Leaving the pool would
mean returning to a life of darkness and fear. And monsters.
Falcon stopped. His inhale against my skin was long. “I wish I could
take your fear away. If only I could take it as energy and leave you feeling
strong.”
He breathed in a few more times until we reached the edge of the pool.
If I had to be afraid, at least the fear strengthened Falcon. I shook my head,
unable to believe I wanted him strong. But after being held by Oswald, I
needed Falcon to be at the top of his game.
“Astrid shot you. How are you not dead?” I ran my hand over the place
the arrow had damaged him, but no wound remained.
Falcon smiled. “The arrow was created by Felicia. It wasn’t real.”
I gawked at him. “How?”
He laughed. “I wouldn’t have given you protectors I couldn’t trust,
darling.”
“Astrid told you?”
Falcon leaned in and brushed his lips over mine. “Everything.”
“You’re not mad?”
“You died time and again searching for me, my love. The chances of
you being able to kill me were slim, no matter how many times I irritated
you.”
Falcon laughed when I rolled my eyes before lifting me from the pool to
sit me on the edge. The chilly air made me wrap my arms around myself as
Falcon pulled himself from the pool.
 He laughed as I first gawked and then turned away while he dressed.
My memory had left nothing of Falcon to the imagination, but that didn’t
mean I was ready for that in this life.
“How do you handle the warm water?” I cleared my throat when my
voice sounded thick. “The others don’t like warmth.”
“They are young. I am old. And they do not have a bond with a
gorgeous Phoenix.” Falcon knelt beside me, wrapping a towel around my
shoulders. His lips grazed mine again and a yearning built up inside me, but
I wasn’t ready for what my memories pushed me toward.
Falcon pulled back instead of deepening the kiss. “Astrid will help you
change. I gave Arlo a hard time, but we do need to hurry. Oswald will be
regrouping, and some of Arlo’s Charmers were here during Oswald’s
attack. They are the ones who released the Howlers. That is not a good
thing. Most, if not all, of my Shadows have fled my home. I need to find
them.”
I pushed myself to my feet, feeling a little stronger than earlier, but still
a bit wobbly. The water seemed to have helped me heal once again. Did my
kind heal so quickly? Now that I knew what I was, would Azar and Falcon
answer more questions?
Falcon allowed me to lean against him as he led me out of the pool
room and into his bathroom. The darkness awaiting us made my shoulders
fall.
Falcon leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to my temple. “I need Astrid
and Quest strong, darling. If not for that, I would give you your light. I do
not enjoy torturing you.”
I nodded as full understanding settled into place this time. Falcon had
kept me in the dark to protect me. The balance between light and dark, heat
and cold, had been a fight for both of us. But I understood why now.
Astrid didn’t say anything from where she waited by the door as Falcon
kissed me again and left the room. Hopefully he would be changing as well,
though the cold air wouldn’t bother his wet skin and damp clothing like it
did mine.
We didn’t talk as Astrid helped me change as my strength began to fail
again. She blew my hair dry with a hair dryer and left the machine on for a
few extra moments once my hair had dried so I could bask in its heat for
another moment. Then she led me into Falcon’s room.
Red glowing rocks had been placed around the room instead of a fire
burning in the fireplace. The glow allowed me to see a dozen or so people’s
silhouettes.
Falcon took my hand and led me over to his bed. I sat in the middle of
the large mattress and he tucked me beneath the covers and proceeded to
climb into the bed beside me. Azar came in on my other side. It was a little
strange, but they were both warm. Falcon even placed another blanket over
my upper body since I refused to lay down and the bed’s comforter
wouldn’t cover all of me.
“Brina knows what she is but her memories haven’t returned.” Falcon
squeezed my hand. “Azar is unsure if she’s ready for them to come or if it
will continue to cause an overload. The one memory she had while healing
caused her a bit of pain, so let’s keep things steered away from talk of her
kind. Also, Brina and I have come to an understanding that is between the
two of us. She trusts me.”
“Perfect.” Arlo clapped his hands once, ending Falcon’s overview of my
situation. “As if Oswald kidnapping Brina wasn’t enough, he nearly stopped
me from sliding—thanks Felicia for the assist—and he’s gained control of
pretty much all of my Charmers.”
“What?” Falcon barked.
“My strongholds are empty and those who remained tried to kill me,”
Arlo elaborated. “And since Oswald seems to be more powerful at the
moment, we know Elias will side his Howlers with the Conjurers. So much
for balance.”
 “It’s not too late.” Falcon groaned. “How could he be such a fool?”
“He’s after power. He always has been. Especially after you grew in
power.”
“I don’t want power.”
“I know that, Falc. Oswald doesn’t know that, though. He knows you
became more powerful when Brina lived here. He thinks you did it on
purpose.” Arlo paused for a few brief moments while everyone tried to
catch up. “Falc, if we don’t stop him and put his head on right…”
“I know. But that’s a problem for another day. Right now, we need
somewhere safe. Somewhere where Oswald’s Conjurers can’t find us and
where your Charmers can’t slide and influence my people.”
“I am sorry for that.”
“Felicia, Cash, Adler—”
“Adler!” She gave me a wave. My mouth hung open. Why was she
here?
“Adler wasn’t a traitor,” Falcon clarified. “She helped keep me in the
loop and your necklace led me straight to you.”
I fingered the jewelry I’d loathed for so long, finally grateful for it.
“I’d lost you many times,” Falcon admitted softly into my ear. “I wasn’t
about to do it again.”
“Back to the business at hand,” Arlo grumbled.
“We need to get Arlo a girlfriend.” Falcon busted out laughing at my
offhand comment. We were in a serious situation, but the stress of it was
nearly paralyzing me.
“That is not the first time you have suggested such a thing, Brina.
However, we don’t have time for that.” Arlo sat on the end of Falcon’s bed.
“As Falcon was saying, we have Felicia, Cash, Adler, Asa, Oz, Astrid,
Quest, Azar, me, Falcon, and Brina left. Everyone else here is dead or they
ran off. Falcon, we need to gather your Shadows or the eleven of us are
dead. And your house has seen better days.”
 “I can fix the house,” Felicia offered.
“No. Save your strength.” Falcon sat up beside me, his power coating
the room, making it hard to breathe. “I know of a place where we can go.
However, if anyone here betrays me—even you, Arlo—I will make your
death so painful you can’t even imagine it. Being torn apart by a Howler
would be preferred.”
I gulped. “I’ve done that a few times. Don’t betray Falcon.”
My mate squeezed my hand. Mate. What had my past self done? And
who was this man? I couldn’t wrap my head around Falcon’s change. Azar
nudged me in the side, but I couldn’t read his face in the poor lighting. He
probably wanted to know what was up between me and Falcon. If he hated
that Falcon had marked me, how would he react when he found out I’d slept
with the Shadow?
“We’ll let Brina rest for a few hours and I’ll prepare things for our
move,” Falcon went on. “If anything happens to Brina while I’m gone, I
don’t think I need to tell you that lives will end and, Azar, I will hunt you
down at every life you have and destroy you.”
“She’s my friend, Falcon. The only way someone gets to her is if I’m a
pile of ash.” Azar gave my other hand a squeeze.
Red eyes appeared and Fargo climbed on the bed. I will protect Brina as
well.
“In case you need help, Fargo has returned from checking my other
strongholds.” Falcon rose from the bed and Fargo took his place, curling
into me. “Oswald destroyed them.”
Arlo swore. We were in so much trouble.
“Breathe, everyone.” Evil mirth filled Falcon’s voice as he rose from the
bed. “I have a plan. Oswald won’t know what hit him when I’m done
fileting him.”
T you so much for reading “Bump in the Night”! If you could spare a
few minutes to leave a review, I would appreciate it greatly. Reviews help
authors so much!
“The Witching Hour,” book 2 in the Things That Go Bump series
releases soon! Keep reading for the first chapter along with information on
a free short story, “Darkest Before the Dawn.”

P . Shadows. Both will fall without the other.

Still reeling from Falcon’s admission and Oswald’s attack, Brina doesn’t
know what to believe. Falcon’s actions don’t line up with her recently
returned memories. Until Falcon’s true secret is revealed, and Brina’s left
wondering if she truly knows the real Falcon.
Coming to grips with her new reality is harder than it should be with
Brina’s memories threatening to kill her at every turn. Forced to turn to
family for help, all Brina finds is more enemies than friends. If the darkness
and memories don’t kill her, people from her past just might.
 The Witching Hour is the second book in the dark paranormal romance
series, Things That Go Bump. If you like second chance romances,
forbidden love, and alpha males, you’ll love The Witching Hour! Keep
reading to continue exposing the truth of Brina’s world!
https://books2read.com/u/mdj0Ql
 Darkest Before the Dawn

A Shadow bond is what he’s always wanted. Love is a word she’ll never
say. Time is ticking away for them both.
Astrid’s only loved one man. He’s also the man she’ll never have. When
a task is thrust upon her by Falcon, a vile and dangerous Shadow, Astrid is
forced to take the job or allow the only man she cares for to die.
Willing to do anything to save Quest, her love, Astrid accepts the job of
protecting a human. But what should be an easy task soon turns into a full-
time endeavor to keep Brina alive when creatures of darkness begin to hunt
her down. Can Astrid keep Brina alive long enough for Quest to convince
Astrid to be his, or will they both die when Astrid fails?
Grab Astrid and Quest’s FREE short story now!
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 THE WITCHING HOUR

G
oosebumps rose along the flesh of my arms. Fear leaked from me
to feed the Shadows in the adjoining bedroom, but I no longer
cared. They were supposed to be my enemy, and they had been.
Now the Shadows, Conjurer, and Charmer were the only beings keeping me
safe from an even greater monster. I needed them all strong.
Astrid found me leaning against the vanity with both hands while
breathing in and out with precision so I wouldn’t throw up. My Shadow
protector leaned her hip against the counter beside me and crossed her arms
over her chest. When I glanced over in her direction, she raised an eyebrow.
“While we appreciate the smorgasbord you’re giving us, if Falcon
returns and you’re this terrified, heads will start rolling.” Astrid stood and
pulled me to Falcon’s large tub. Steam floated off the water and into the air.
It looked inviting. “You’re supposed to be warming up in a bath. Maybe it’ll
help with the fear.”
 “The fear will pass. I just need time, and then I’ll be okay.” Still, I
undressed with Astrid’s help and climbed into the tub. “It was just a
dream.”
“You mean a memory.”
I squeezed my eyes closed against the reel of the Howler tearing me
apart with his wolf-like body. “Yeah.”
While I now remembered that I was a Phoenix and had been blessed
with many lives, I still didn’t remember most of my memories from those
lives. Some memories had returned to me during waking hours while others
plagued my sleep, portraying themselves as dreams. Those memories were
mostly of me dying by the hands of various Darken.
The Darken consisted of Shadows, Conjurers, Charmers, and Howlers.
They were created from evil, and I’d been unlucky enough to fall into the
hands of Shadows, a vampiric type of race, only days ago. I was their
enemy, but their leader, Falcon, had kept me alive instead of killing me.
Hours ago, a memory had returned. Falcon and I had…mated. Thinking
about the memory made it replay in my head and my face burned hotter
than the water I sat in. The first of the First Four, leader of the Shadows,
was my mate. I was a Phoenix and we mated for life. All our lives, not just
the current life we lived. There was no fleeing Falcon now. Except…Falcon
loved me.
A powerful presence entered the room. As if my thoughts had
summoned him, Falcon had returned.
“Leave,” Falcon barked at Astrid. She walked too quietly for me to hear,
but I assumed she did as Falcon commanded. His people all feared him.
They had every right to. Falcon was a monster.
“You should be kinder.” Once upon a time, I’d feared Falcon as well.
Until he’d confessed his love and had been so tender with me. Yes, I’d been
injured, but his tenderness had been emotional, not just physical. Still, there
was a part of me that warned my mouthy side that I should watch my
words. Falcon had proven to be quite the beast in the last week.
“You should contain your fear.” Falcon sat on the high wall around the
tub. His back faced me, but that could change any moment so I covered
myself as best as I could. Falcon chuckled. “Do not fear, darling. I won’t
turn. Not until you beg me to, and then I will relieve myself of my clothing
and join you.”
“Falcon,” I groaned, slapping my hands over my face to hide from the
memories his words again replayed in my head. There was no doubt he
thought of them too. Only he probably had many more memories like it to
recall.
My mate’s cheerfulness faded. “Fargo should be in here with you.”
“Your hellhound has the mind of a person and not an animal, so no
thank you.”
“Well then you need to control your fear, because if any Shadow still
loyal to Oswald remains in this building, you’re strengthening them as
much as the others on the other side of that door.”
My shoulders slumped at Falcon’s words. “You’re right.”
“I usually am.” Even with his back to me, I could picture a cheeky grin
on his face. Thankfully I couldn’t see it. Falcon’s smiles made me melt.
Stupid body.
“Where did you go?” I breathed in deeply to calm my fears. At least
enough that they didn’t broadcast so far. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. You
were gone when the dream…memory…woke me.”
“The injury Oswald created took energy from you. Even if you’d tried
harder, you wouldn’t have been able to stay awake. Not with how badly he
harmed you. Hellhounds destroy him, when I get my hands on the Conjurer,
I’ll rip him apart with my teeth.” Falcon took a few calming breaths of his
own while a shiver of fear slid up my spine. Falcon’s fangs weren’t a
laughing matter. He’d used one to draw his Shadow mark tattoo onto my
face. I forced myself not to finger the raised mark around my eyes yet
again.
Falcon dipped his fingers into the water. “I’ll return with some clothing
for you. You’ll dress quickly and we’ll be on our way. We’ve already stayed
here too long. Fargo was right. Oswald destroyed my strongholds. Any
Shadows not killed have fled either into hiding or to Oswald’s forces.
Howlers gut them, if I meet up with a traitor, they’ll wish they’d never been
born.”
“Fear makes people do things they otherwise wouldn’t—”
“They should have feared me more.” Falcon stood, his action and voice
indicating the topic was closed. “I’ll return and then we must leave.”
Falcon’s presence left the room with him and returned mere minutes
later before leaving again. The door to the room opened. I stood to grab a
towel and wrapped it around myself. My eyes blinked multiple times,
surprised to see Adler with Astrid. The Shadow was the sister of my other
protector Quest. She gave me a small smile.
“I wanted to make sure you didn’t hate me for being there when Oswald
hurt you and not doing anything.” Adler stayed by the door while Astrid
walked to a pile of clothes Falcon had left on the vanity. “I would’ve
stopped him before he killed you.”
“I know.” Could she sense my lie like she could my fear? In truth, I’d
been close to dying and hadn’t felt any reassurance from Adler at all. She’d
played her part well. I still wasn’t sure if she would’ve saved me or not, but
I wanted to believe her. She loved her brother, and Quest found me
entertaining at the least. Maybe she would’ve saved me for his sake. Or for
her own. Falcon would’ve killed her instantly if I’d died.
“What are these?” Astrid held up a pair of worn jeans and a light pink
hoodie. I didn’t recognize the color in the darkness where the only light was
given off by glowing red rocks, but I recognized the design of my favorite
hoodie—and I knew what color it was.
 My mood lifted. Falcon had dressed me in nothing but black since I’d
arrived. Yes, it was a bit creepy that he knew which pair of jeans were my
favorite along with the hoodie, but the clothes were the first evidence of
Falcon’s kindness and caring since I’d arrived at his home.
The heat of the water had given me energy—such was a trait of
Phoenixes apparently—so I quickly dressed myself in my comfy clothes
and smiled at myself in the mirror; a true, happy smile. The first I’d smiled
in so long. Even before I’d been kidnapped by Falcon, the month I’d had
living with Astrid as a roommate had been far from pleasant. She still
wasn’t a peach, and I’d be more wary of sharing things around her since she
told Falcon everything I did and said. Still, her backstabbing had probably
saved my life.
When I finished dressing, I turned back around to find Astrid glaring at
me, arms again crossed over her chest. Apprehension filled my stomach.
Astrid wouldn’t harm me—Falcon terrified her too much—but she’d
probably find a terrible dress to stuff me into soon if I’d done something to
wrong her.
“What?”
Astrid rolled her eyes. “Falcon is giving you your own clothes,
squeezing your hand after climbing into bed beside you, and being very un-
Falcon-like. And you ask me what?”
I shrugged, trying to play nonchalant. “I made a deal with Falcon. Well,
we have an arrangement.”
“So he said.” Astrid narrowed her eyes at me. “Don’t be stupid, Brina.
Falcon is a monster. He’ll promise you anything to get what he wants.”
“I know what he wants. He’s not getting it.” I wasn’t sleeping with
Falcon. Not until I learned to love him. At this point, even with his kindness
and tender moments, that was a slim-to-none chance. He’d terrified me,
innocents, and his own people all in a few days. How could he do that to
someone he loved? What had I been thinking when I slept with him in a
past life?
“Uh huh. Come on.” Astrid led the way from the room. Everyone had
gathered in Falcon’s bedroom. All had bags except for Arlo, Falcon’s
Charmer best friend, and Azar, my Phoenix best friend.
Falcon strode into the room from the hallway, a scowl adorning his
beautiful features. No one needed to be told to listen. Everyone shut up and
gave Falcon their undivided attention. “We’re leaving now. Take hands.
Brina, you’re by me.”
I walked to Falcon’s side and took his hand. Hours ago, touching Falcon
would have terrified me. Now, confusion meddled with my head.
Falcon’s hand heated my already cooling skin. Azar took my other
hand. His skin was even warmer than Falcon’s, but my friend didn’t cause
my stomach to jump in excitement by touching him like my stomach did
when Falcon touched me.
Stupid stomach.
“Where are we going?” Arlo, the First Four Charmer, had taken
Falcon’s other hand. He was the only other person in the room unafraid
enough of Falcon to ask him direct questions the others considered none of
their business.
“Safehouse.” Falcon’s answer came right before darkness overtook us.
The scene changed as Falcon finished sliding to our new location. After
being forced to slide with Neo from Falcon’s house and into Oswald’s
hands, I didn’t care for that way of travel anymore. Thankfully I still wore
the necklace Falcon had given me. I used to think of it as a leash to keep me
Falcon’s prisoner. Now, I considered it a gift. Should anyone try to kidnap
me again, the tracking spell in the large red stone would allow my mate to
find me again. Only Falcon could remove the necklace, so I was safe.
We stood in an old house. Wood paneling covered the walls, and the
kitchen—what I could see of it through a doorway leading further into the
house—hadn’t been updated in decades. Even the long, shaggy carpet had
stains on it, and I didn’t want to think about what bugs might be living their
best lives in the flooring. The condition made me cringe. Thankfully, the
room had a dim lamp on so the non-Shadows could see while not blinding
the Shadows. How I had missed non-red light.
“It’s not first class, but it suits its purpose.” Falcon released Arlo’s hand
but tugged me to a tiny desk in a corner. He slid the drawer in the middle
out and revealed a large pad of paper. “Place your hand on it.”
I did as commanded. Falcon had shown great patience since the attack,
but I’d seen him on a bad day. Bad-day Falcon wasn’t someone I wanted to
be around again.
The pad of paper warmed when I pressed my palm into it. My skin
tingled.
“Is that…?” Felicia, Falcon’s Conjurer, walked over to us. She snorted
as her mouth tipped up in a smile. “I should’ve known I wasn’t the only
Conjurer you kept on hand.”
“It’s a recognition spell,” Falcon turned and told the room. “If you need
aid, come here.” He rattled off the address and made us repeat it until we
could recite it without error. I took the longest to remember it—no surprise
—but Falcon was patient with me. “Touch the paper when you arrive. It
will alert the Conjurer who created the spell that you are here. Help will be
sent for you.”
“And just who’s coming to save us?” Arlo asked as Falcon pulled my
hand from the paper and nodded to Felicia to go next.
Falcon smirked and shrugged. Arlo glowered. At least I wasn’t the only
person annoyed by no answers this time. I’d grown used to no one
explaining pretty much everything to me. Secrets were a pain, but I finally
understood why I couldn’t have all my answers right this second. They’d
kill me. Literally. In the most painful way. I’d died that way once.
 I winced and raised a hand to my head as another memory tried to
surface. This wasn’t the time!
“Brina, look at me.” Falcon’s command was lathered in persuasion. I
had no choice but to look at him. “Forget what you began to remember.”
The memory nudging at my brain eased away and with its dismissal, the
pain fled. “Will I ever remember it?”
“I’ll return it to you when you are capable of handling it.”
I nodded. Azar wrapped an arm around my shoulders. My best friend
narrowed his eyes at Falcon.
“That’s not how this process is supposed to work.” Being a Phoenix,
Azar had probably watched our kind be reborn. Maybe he’d been reborn as
well and knew how things were supposed to go when done correctly. He
knew this process better than anyone.
Falcon raised an eyebrow. “You wish for her to die from memory
overload?”
“Of course not.”
“Then shut your gob.” Falcon narrowed his eyes at Azar’s arm.
Knowing my mate, I stepped out of Azar’s hold. Falcon relaxed when Azar
no longer touched me. Possessive jerk.
Once everyone had taken a turn to lay their hand on the magic paper,
Falcon led us through the door at the back of the room and into the kitchen.
He grabbed a couple cans from a pantry and sent us all to the family room
in the basement. With every room we entered, Falcon turned on a small
lamp. He made me memorize where they were in case I needed them again.
Not that I expected to need them. Being out of Falcon’s sight, or the sight of
my protectors, would be rare. Quest and Astrid wouldn’t be separated from
me. Their lives depended on me staying alive.
“Oh no. I’m not sitting on this.” Felicia took one look at the couch and
shook her head.
“It looks rough, yes,” Falcon laughed, “but I can assure you, it’s clean.”
 Cash, Felicia’s Shadow protector, joined her by the wall she opted to
lean against while another Shadow, Asa, was the courageous one who sat
on the couch. The springs creaked, but it held his weight. He bounced twice
just to make sure and all was well until a cockroach ran out from under the
piece of furniture. It ran right at Felicia, who screamed and pretty much
crawled up Cash. The Shadow didn’t appear at all bothered by the woman
in his arms. In fact, there might have been a smirk on his face at one point,
but in the dim lighting, it was hard to tell.
“Howler’s fury, Felicia.” Falcon sat in an old recliner as Fargo, Falcon’s
hellhound, chased down the cockroach…and ate it. “Sit, everyone. Now.”
I’d planned to sit on the floor beside Azar, but a hand tightened on my
wrist and Falcon pulled me into his lap. The heat in his eyes startled a gasp
from me. His desire had his eyes changing from a depthless black to a
reddish glow. I tried to stand up, but Falcon held me.
“Release her, Falcon.” Azar had gained his feet again.
“Brina and I have an arrangement, Phoenix. An arrangement she
remembers and has again committed to in this life. Sit.” Falcon nuzzled my
neck as I tried to ignore Azar, whose expression remained helpless when I
stole a quick glance at him.
I wanted to blurt out the truth. Azar was my friend and he was trying to
protect me like a friend should, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him about
mating with Falcon. He’d warned me against it over and over. But I
couldn’t rid myself of the memory of his reaction to Falcon’s mate mark on
my face. Azar would likely desire to kill me himself once he found out what
I’d done. I couldn’t tell him. Not yet. But Falcon wasn’t helping my case,
either.
Arlo cleared his throat.
Falcon pulled back from me. “Fine.” Falcon kept me on his lap but
stopped smelling my blood. He wanted to drink it. Drinking from me would
strengthen him and reaffirm our bond. He needed that. There had been pain
in his eyes from not having my blood as I’d stared into his eyes earlier, but
why did he have to irritate Azar like this?
“We’ll stay here for a while,” Falcon announced. “I want to make sure
Oswald doesn’t have a spell in use that will track us wherever we slide.”
“Can he do that?” Asa slapped a hand over his mouth after interrupting.
He was older. He knew the rules of the cruel Falcon, and interrupting had to
be a big no-no.
“I’m not sure,” Falcon answered without disciplining Asa. The Shadow
relaxed when Falcon kept talking. “At one time, he used a spell to make it
impossible for me and Arlo to slide.”
“I wouldn’t put anything past him,” Arlo agreed. He turned back to
Falcon. “Where do we go after we wait?”
“To a place I know.” Falcon held up his hand to stop Arlo from arguing.
“This place is our only hope of survival. You will trust me, or you can
leave.”
Arlo scoffed. “Because Oswald left us so many places to go.”
“Well, you can thank Brina for the place we’re going to now. If not for
her, it wouldn’t exist.” Falcon nodded when I turned to him. “It’s true. But,
I’m afraid the way to get there will cause you some issues.”
“How so?” My body stiffened in apprehension.
“You don’t have good memories there.”
I swallowed hard. “How bad?”
“Not good.”
“I see. Did you kill me there?” As far as my memories had shown,
Falcon had killed me twice. Once, he’d killed me outside with Azar. I still
couldn’t place the other time—the time Falcon had snapped my neck— and
Falcon hadn’t yet elaborated on the circumstances of that death as of yet.
Had it happened first or second?
Falcon shook his head. “No, I did not kill you there.”
“Then I think I’ll survive it.”
Falcon watched me. “We’ll see.”
ALSO BY MELANIE GILBERT

A Fae Brothers’ Ever Afters Novels

Midnight: A Cinderella Retelling
Enchanted: A Beauty and the Beast Retelling
Captive: A Rapunzel Retelling
Poison: A Snow White Retelling
Deal: A Rumpelstiltskin Retelling
Deception: A Hansel and Gretel Retelling
Greed: A Christmas Carol Retelling

Things That Go Bump

Bump in the Night
The Witching Hour

Sons of Water
Elemental Assassin
Elemental Warrior
Elemental Destroyer
Elemental Prisoner
Elemental Healer
Elemental Traitor

Blood and Magic Series

Blood and Dust
Bites and Bonds
Hunt and Seek
 Dark Nights Series
Dark of the Night
Blood of the Night

Standalones
Alpha King
The Curse of Thorn
Of Fishes and Wishes
Sowing Catastrophe
Something Wicked

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CONNECT WITH MELANIE

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 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melanie Gilbert is an award-winning author who is addicted to hot chocolate and writing. Seriously,
she can’t stop writing the words or guzzling gallons of hot chocolate a year like a Christmas elf.
When she’s not writing, Melanie enjoys long walks where she spends the entire time plotting and
talking her husband’s ear off about plots. Currently, the beautiful state of Wisconsin is her home
where she lives with her hubby, and two kiddos.
CONNECT WITH SCRIBBLING PEN PUBLISHING

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 First Blood by Heather Karn

Supernaturals roam the streets. She never dreamed she was one. He
needs to prove she’s not a monster.

College student Koda Niklane wants what most people her age want: to join
the Elite, a branch of the military that deals with paranormal threats. While
she’s human and can’t fight, Koda’s memory is picture perfect, earning her
a chance at her dream. But while Koda’s dream comes true, Koda gets the
surprise of a lifetime: she’s not human and neither is her new trainer.

Still reeling from the knowledge that she comes from a line of blood
drinking supernaturals, Koda begins training under the care of the hot and
lethal Captain Raven Cartana. Right away, Koda’s lack of fighting skills
proves to be a greater challenge than expected. Can Raven keep Koda alive
long enough to train her while their feelings toward each other slowly begin
to blossom?
First Blood is the first book in the paranormal military First Blood series. If
you like slow burn romance, brooding alpha males, and kick-butt heroines,
you’ll love First Blood! One-click now to enter a world where supernaturals
roam the streets!

mybook.to/FirstBlood1
 Dark of the Night by Heather Karn and Melanie Gilbert

A vampire-witch halfbreed. An arrogant vampire Elder. Will they

live long enough for him to change his mind about her?
Rejected by everyone she’s ever known, Henley Stark ends up in the
clutches of a vampire Elder doing his dirty work. Trained to be a bounty
hunter, Henley uses all her training to stay alive as she goes up against the
worst of supernaturals on a daily basis. But none of those jobs prepares her
for the moment she makes a vampire’s dead heart beat.
Alex Davenport enjoys living life on his terms. Older than dirt, few can
force him to do their will. Meeting his mate—the disgraceful halfbreed—is
a blemish on Alex’s otherwise perfect life.
Henley’s used to rejection, but coming from her new mate wounds more
than before. However, her new job might cut her pain short as she and Alex
are searching for the worst villain the world has ever seen. Will Alex come
around or will Henley die alone, without the love she’s longed for?
Dark of the Night is the first standalone novel in the dark paranormal
romance Dark Night series. If you enjoy rejected mates, enemies to lovers,
and a feisty heroine, then you’ll enjoy this riveting tale of a woman finding
her place in the world. Buy now to start the adventure!

https://books2read.com/u/4Nx1DW
 Blood and Magic Books 1-3 Boxset by Melanie Gilbert

Even the villain will do the right thing…for the wrong reason.
Vampires are driven by blood, and Gabriel Zach is no exception. In over
a hundred years, he’s never smelled anything as divine and exquisite as the
blood of vampire hunter Lennon Stewart. And he’s never met anyone who
drives his lust through the roof quite like her.
As unspeakable monsters threaten to destroy Gabe and Lennon, they
have a choice: work together or die apart. Aided by Lennon’s brother,
Berkley, and Gabe’s best friend, Easton, the gang takes on Madison’s worst
monsters while hoping to live to see dawn. All the while, Gabe must curb
his thirst or he could be Lennon’s destruction.
Lennon’s job is to kill monsters, but Gabe’s job is to keep her alive, if
only for selfish purposes. At the end of the day, will both make it to sunrise
alive?

https://books2read.com/u/bQya76