The Inferno

Chapter 30 My Enforcers

L uckily, Kane decides to flit me back to the room I’d been in.

When Sai tried to intervene, spouting something about needing to finish a conversation, he’d delivered a very Kane-like stare, one that would silence a room full of serial killers, and flitted me instantly. The second I was outside the door, he left again.

Meaning I was alone, well, alone in this room at least.

I could still feel them. All four of them.

It’s hard to explain, but I knew they were all in the house. The moment Julien returned, my blood released a rush of heat that had me gasping. A subtle hum runs beneath my skin which I instantly recognise as Sai. There’s a soft wave of warmth which is Ezekial and Kane… well, he’s a deep, churning chill which penetrates my bones.

I shiver when I think about that one for too long.

At the club, I could sense when my family were there, and who it was, but it was their emotions I was attuned too. This was… something more.

And if I could feel them, I was sure they could feel me.

I wonder what I feel like?

I’d been locked in these thoughts for a while.Trying to distract myself from what I had done withSai... with Julien... then with Julien and Sai.

Having another panic attack would not be ideal. So, I try to think of excuses.

Sai's power being connected to mine. Check.

Julien's blood. Check.

I add those piss-poor excuses to the pile I seemed to be collecting when it came to those two men. Telling myself next time, I'll be stronger. Next time, I'll be prepared. I won't be affected by their power, or their blood, or their devastating looks, or their hard bodies...

Stop.

I bite my tongue, stopping myself from going into a deeper spiral.

Even as I lay on the extremely comfortable bed, even as I admire this beautifully decorated room, not being able to appreciate its beauty in the darkness it previously resided in, my mind keeps wandering back to them.

All four of them.

I can't stay still.

I'm constantly moving, rearranging the plump pillows and thick covers until I'm surrounded, running my fingers over the soft materials, continually trying to distract myself and force my mind to ignore all other sensations. To ignore them .

I groan.

I close my eyes.

I try and make a mental note of all the things I need to ask.

What happens moving forward? Why did Prospero imprison me? Am I to be punished for my behaviour at the trial? If no, when can I return home? How? What will I do in the meantime? How can I tell my family I'm safe if I can't contact them?

All the while refusing to dwell upon what happened with Sai… or Julien... or both.

The need, the urge. What did Julien call it? A craving.

How it felt to be between them...

Jolting upright, my hands fly to my chest. I quickly scan the darkening room.

“You OK, Red?”

My racing heart softens at his voice. I slump back into the pillows, remembering where I am and realising I’d been asleep.

“I must have fallen asleep… I didn’t remember where I was for a moment.”

The room is eerily silent, dusk setting the room in a cool hue of violet which makes it seem utterly surreal, that and Sai’s voice literally inside my head.

“Want any help waking up fully?” The suggestive tease creates a soft vibration over my skin.

I decide ignorance is my best option. “Are we meeting soon? I have a few questions.”

“Ah, so we're just gonna feign ignorance now, Red?"

Yes. Yes I am.

I don't respond because I know Sai and I knowthat anything I say, he will somehow twist. Silence is the only choice.

I scuffle to the edge of the large bed, moving my many pillows as I stretch my arms and legs, noticing my normal kinks and twinges are… gone. I spend a few more moments twisting and turning, enjoying the sensation of feeling well rested. Frowning when I try to remember the last time I had felt this... good.

After a dramatic sigh, Sai fills the silence, "Come on down when you're ready, Red. We’ve been waiting for you.”

I flinch at his words, quickly pushing out of the bed and knocking over several bags on the way. “You've been waiting?! Why didn’t you just wake me?”

I quickly bend to pick up the bags I'd knocked, stuffing the items back in and only pausing over them when I realise they’re clothes, newly bought... and these bags weren’t in here before.

“Did... Did someone bring clothes in here whilst I was sleeping?” The accusation in my tone is crystal clear, resulting in Sai’s vibrating laughter in response.

“I did, mon envie.” That silky rumble, and that stupid French phrase I do not understand, will be the death of me.

My thoughts and anger scatter, making it difficult to maintain the same irritated tone when caught so off guard.

“OK, well, could you have maybe waited until I was awake?” Not an ounce of anger was translated in my tone and I physically cringe at my weakness.

“No,” Julien replies, giving me absolutely nothing to retort with.

I simply stare at the clothes in my hand, feeling the soft materials and turning over the cardboard label clipped to one piece with a golden pin.

My heart thumps, eyes widening as I stare at the numbers printed in bold.

“Are these supposed to be for me?” I ask, my shock and confusion transparent.

“Yes,” Julien calmly answers. “Do they not meet your tastes?”

I’m standing now, erratically emptying the bags onto the bed and catching glimpses of numbers. Long numbers. “I work as security in a club, you know I can’t afford these.”

My voice is rushed, I’m imagining the things I could have bought with this type of money, a car? A house? A private jet?

“They’re a gift.”

I shake my head. “No, no, flowers are a gift, this... this is…” I take a slow, steady breath.

Fucking vampires.

They really had no clue.

I remember when Dracula bought Alexis a golden bottle of champagne for three thousand pounds. She turned it down, of course, but it didn’t stop him delivering endless expensive items to her. Even an original painting which we’d heard he’d gotten from the black market.

Accepting things like this meant something.

“ I can' t accept them. I don’t want to be indebted to you,” I finally state, remembering that being blunt and straight-forward was the best approach with Julien, and most vampires.

“Y ou’re forgetting something, mon envie,” he begins, that warm rumble quickly sending a flush along my skin. “ It is we who are indebted to you .”

My brows bunch as I consider his words, my fingertips dancing over a particular silk dress, one in a deep hue of sapphire. “ Listen, I get that you’re all feeling a little… guilty about—”

“ There’s no word to describe how we feel about what happened to you.”

I ignore his interruption and quickly summarise my point, “Even with what happened, you still saved me when you had no reason to. This is too much, Julien.”

I curse myself for saying his name, unable to stop it simply slipping out, before waiting for his next round of reasoning.

When the silence is about to become a second too long, when I’m preparing to pick up the dress I’d been secretly admiring during our conversation and stuff it back into a bag, I feel him.

My power wraps around me naturally but I don’t turn around as I feel him approaching, each step he takes makes my blood burn with the need to see him.

I can feel his annoyance when I refuse to turn around, even when my own power has begun to seek him out, skimming his skin in urgency. I bite down hard, my jaw aching, ensuring I keep putting these forsaken clothes back into the stupid, fancy bags.

“You should ask permission before entering a room someone is in.” I’m aiming for annoyed yet cool and aloof, but you can hear the slight lilt on the last few words because he’s so close I can practically feel the heat of his skin. I take a deep breath, which floods me with his woody scent as I force my power to keep me steady. “I thought someone your age would have manners.”

“You know if I thought you cared, I would have knocked,” he finally speaks, and his voice sends an eruption of heat cascading through my veins.

I have to close my eyes, attempt to close off a sense to ensure I can concentrate. At least I’ve had the willpower to keep my back to him.

“But it’s clear you aren’t one for manners… or rules. ”

Why on earth does that send another rush of heat to my stomach?

I grip the soft material of a shirt, wrinkling it between my fingers I pinch it so hard. I still haven’t opened my eyes, hearing and feeling him is already too much.

“You’re keeping these,” he states.

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

I bite my lip. He’s purposefully trying to get a reaction from me and I have to stop myself from responding. My thoughts flicker with a range of replies, not a single one which would diffuse or win this stupid battle we’ve begun.

When I’m about to give my brilliant response, a great one worded ‘nope’, is the same time he runs the back of his hand down the side of my throat.

The sensation is heavenly.

The soft trail of heat it creates slowly sinks into me, going deeper until my entire body feels the same sensation as though he’s touching me everywhere from just that one spot.

I sway of my feet. My power quickly stabilises me but I’ve already stepped back meaning my back becomes flush against him.

When his lips begin to follow the touch of his hand, a soft delicate skim just below my ear, I fall back into him further. My body urges me to melt into him, fall into his warmth, and his strong arm wraps around my stomach to ensure I don’t fall.

“Your skin should only ever be touched by the softest materials,” he begins to murmur, and I’ve given up even trying to respond. His low tone sinks into me, keeping me paralysed in his seductive heat. “I want to adorn your body in silks and velvets, satins and lace. I want to worship you. Please, allow me to do so.”

Damn.

This vampire is clearly skilled in many ways but he is especially skilled in this.

I feel the familiar sensation of my eyes changing, the subtle alteration as they begin to bleed into black. I manage to hold onto some control but there’s a clear haze over my vision now, the room is slowly cast into a semi-darkened state .

I still can’t respond, physically, mentally. I’m too enthralled by his words and the way his lips are continuing their journey along my throat in slow, reverent caresses.

“Shall I take your silence as surrender?” he whispers against my throat. The words seem to sink into my skin and heat the blood there.

But the word ‘surrender’ ignites a flicker of semblance in my mind, the word holding a semantic my psyche clearly doesn’t appreciate. My power flares out, wrapping around me like a thick shadow which causes Julien's touches to halt.

His pause allows me to turn in his grip and face him, which was a mistake on my behalf. Tilting my head up, and up, to seek out his gaze, my body ignites when I meet the pure, animalistic hunger reflected in his crimson stare which almost causes me to growl.

“I wouldn’t say surrender ,” I quietly reply, my voice tinged in the darkness I’d become quickly accustomed to, my eyes locked with his which have darkened into a deep maroon.

“I see.” He smiles, revealing all his teeth.

When combined with his fiery gaze which is threaded with black, it becomes a predatory, ravenous look.

A look which screams at me to yield, to submit.

My breath catches for a moment, caught between enjoying the moment, his knuckles caressing my spine, the heat flushing my skin, his rich scent...I can’t stop but sigh from the heavenly sensations.

And I’m still trying to maintain control when he speaks again, “Are you sure?” he questions in a low, seductive husk. He’s all teeth and hungry gaze, his fingers gently skimming my throat which causes my eyes to close. “Not yet.”

My eyes flash open, staring directly into his when I state, “Never.”

His grin only widens and my heart races at how beautiful he is. His dark skin practically shimmers under the twilight and his eyes, like a deep red wine, peruse my face.

Then, he’s lowering his stance just to ensure we’re eye level. “But, if you keep looking at me like that, making those soft sounds, I’ll be the one at your mercy.”

He’s all I see and those words only increase the burning desire coursing through me, the thought of him submitting, yielding, on his knees before me… The fingers upon my neck trail up until they’re wrapped around my throat .

“Say the word and I’ll flit us elsewhere.” In my haze, I find it hard to fully comprehend his words, my head tilts to try and focus. “The others are awaiting us downstairs but all I want to do…” He leans forward, this towering, intimidating creature lowering himself until his forehead rests against mine and our lips align in the barest touch. “Is take you somewhere, keep you all to myself, make Sai furious whilst he imagines all the things I’m doing to you.”

He kisses me, one soft caress that is barely a kiss before he pulls back again.

“I know you too well, you big fucker, so don’t even think about it,” Sai’s voice interrupts our heated haze. We don’t move but we both feel the lustful reprieve begin to cool.

I close my eyes, re-grounding myself with slow and deep breaths. All the while, I try to be unaffected by the rumbling laughter emitting from Julien only a few inches before me.

“I would have invited you... eventually,” Julien responds, placing a sudden, small kiss upon my forehead before stepping back and unfurling to his full height once more.

When his lingering touch falls away, I shamefully sway towards him, still feeling the effects of heated touch in my haze. But then my power wraps around me, smothering me in a cooling, supportive grip which allows me to steady myself and I finally open my eyes.

“Get changed and I’ll take you to the others,” Julien suddenly announces.

He never takes his crimson gaze from me as he moves backwards until he’s against a wall, becoming partially submerged in the shadows.

I open my mouth to rebuke his order, but Julien is quicker. “Please, indulge me, mon envie . Please.”

It’s the final word being repeated that makes my annoyance fizzle, it was definitely not the word ‘indulge’ in his deep, husky timber and all the inappropriate thoughts that created.

Definitely not.

Julien watches me, clearly seeing my internal conflict. He grins once more before melting into the shadows.

I watch the dark shapes, still in awe every time one of them simply moulds into the very shadows themselves. Then I snap myself out of my ridiculous admiration.

My eyes quickly dart to the clothing still partially scattered upon the bed, others are hanging haphazardly from bags. They’re all dark hues of blues, reds, greys, purples and, of course, black. And, they are all, absolutely, undeniably, beautiful.

All my taste.

All things I would pick if I had a limitless credit card.

“Fuck,” I utter in resignation, running my hands over the amethyst tank top made from some type of silk, the material literally liquid between my fingers. “ Fuck. ”

I wasn’t a materialistic person. Sure, I liked clothes but I’d always lived frugally. Borrowing clothes from Ferne and Jo, accepting ones from Alexis’ which weren’t quite her size. I’d rarely buy something new and most clothing for the club was provided by brands who wanted free advertisement.

But that didn’t mean I didn’t like having things.

Especially nice things.

I had a bracelet at home, gifted to me by Alexis’ after my first year with them. It was a small, dainty chain with three rubies encased in gold. I was terrified of wearing something so delicate, so beautiful. I still remembered the first night Alexis convinced me to wear it during work, I spent all night worried it would break.

That was when I learnt I was a jewellery girl.

Every year since, she’d bought me something with another jewel. The last one being an amethyst necklace. Her jewel.

A sad smile passes my lips as I think over that day, nearly a year ago now. I absent-mindedly touch my chest, remembering the weight of it. And those gifts, those jewels which were always so precious to me, would now all be dust.

I shake my head, focus my mind again, readying myself for the questions I needed answers to and begin to quickly change.

Of course, everything was tailored to fit me. I thought it was a fluke at first.

The silky top sitting just right upon my chest, the material just tight enough to accentuate my curves but not uncomfortably so. Until I tried on the black jeans which stopped exactly at my ankle bone and moulded to my legs like a liquid tourmaline. Then, small ankle boots which were exactly my size and… the underwear.

Goddess the underwear.

I nearly kept Alexis’ gym shorts on, nearly. But when I saw myself in the most modest piece I could find: a dark grey, cotton bra and briefs, I realised I could never go back to normal underwear. Luxury underwear had taken my soul. I never knew bras could be so comfortable. I also never knew I was a double D.

I didn’t even want to dwell upon how Julien knew all my measurements so well, how he knew my sizes better than myself, and it was a thought I’d happily die with.

I didn’t need help finding the dining room again because my blood practically screamed the directions and when he saw me, dressed head to toe in all the things he’d bought me, I wondered if he’d change his mind about waiting for me to ‘surrender’ .

His hungry gaze sweeps over me, tracking my every step as I take slow steady breaths. One slight tilt of his head is the only indication I get about where I’m to sit, in the very chair he is towering behind.

Otherwise, he seemed quite composed. I almost felt disappointed.

But the moment I sit, his fingers begin trailing upon the back of my neck beneath my hair as he murmurs in my head, “Just say the word, mon envie.”

My stomach swirls with thoughts of Julien's gaze darkening, his hands and fingers trailing somewhere much more—

I openly flinch at the appearance of the others stepping out of the shadows, yet Julien's calming caress continues as though they were always there.

Kane and Ezekial are engaged in a conversation, one which has Sai raising his hands in submission and emitting a laugh of shock, the markings of his palms swirling in a deep hue of sapphire.

Then their eyes are upon me and I grip the sides of my chair beneath the table, hoping the pressure will help with the feeling of weightlessness flooding my body, one that is making my skin hum and spine tingle in pleasure.

“Big man persuaded you I see?” Sai smiles, his dimples prominent, eyes shining as he slots into the chair opposite me, plopping his elbows onto the table to lean over and meet my gaze. " Now, can I persuade you to take them off? "

My gaze shoots towards Kane and Ezekial, but they're still engaged in the same conversation, they have no idea that Sai is talking to me.

I glance back at his smirking face, trying to remain composed. Even if our powers instantly entwine causing the marking that emphasises the sharp edge of his jaw to glow in an intense violet. Even if every one of my nerves begins to buzz with the anticipation of having him closer, of his hands joining the soothing sensations Julien continues to secretly deliver.

“You know I can be very persuasive, Sai,” Julien rumbles from behind me. "There's so many ways we could persuade you, mon envie."

I bite the inside of my cheek in attempt to dampen the heat which flashes through me at his words, at this dangerous, private conversation.

At any moment, they could slip, I could slip. But that seems to be the fun of it. Trying not to get caught.

"Stop it, " I warn, " both of you. "

But that only makes it worse.

"Look at her, only speaking to us, such a good girl. Our dirty, little secret." Sai's heated praise, and his open-mouth smile as he runs his thumb over his lower lip, only makes the fire in my veins increase. "Don't worry, Red. We're good at keeping secrets and sharing."

Sharing.

I’m waiting for one of them to testify to that very fact,to continue teasing me with vile words, to provide a dirty anecdote which I’ll be forced to endure whilst my gaze hazes over at the very thought…

Luckily, before they're able to fan my self-created flames, Ezekial’s voice pulls me to him.

Clad in a pair of soft charcoal joggers and a baggy white t-shirt, which somehow still reveals the edges of his muscular stomach when he turns just so , causes the fire to heat again.

His metallic gaze is gentle as I pull my sight up, away from his chest, and I finally realise he’s asked me a question.

A question he’s waiting for me to answer.

What on earth did this man just ask me?

“ What I would give to know what’s going on in that head of yours right now…” Sai’s voice seeps into me again, his words, as always, lingering upon the edge of laughter. My eyes flash to him, the irritation clear, and his smirk only adds to it. “He asked what you want to drink, Red.”

Yes, that was it. That’s why Ezekial is literally holding a lowball glass in his hand.

“Oh, erm…” My first words are, as always, elegant and well-rehearsed. My heart suddenly pounds at the simple implication of having to choose a drink. My gaze quickly scans the array of bottles upon the black marble bar side. “A whiskey or bourbon would be great, thanks. ”

There’s a subtle smile playing with Ezekial’s lips just before he turns to pour my drink.

I frown slightly, catching Sai’s gaze which is practically glowing with interest and I hear the slight huff of breath from Julien which is nearly a laugh. I quickly realise this was more than simply choosing a drink. This meant something, a secret test or initiation of sorts.

As I carefully assess the three men again, I finally build up the courage to seek out the coldness which had been calling to me from the instant he appeared, one I had been actively avoiding.

He’s already watching me from the other side of the table, leaning against the arm of a stone chair and holding a small tumbler in his hand. A glass that is filled with a rich amber liquid being slightly swirled between his fingers.

When Ezekial places my glass before me, the soft clink against the stone table causes me to glance down and I see the same liquid mirrored there. For some reason, my skin begins to heat at the thought of sharing the same substance as Kane. I chance another look at him, his expression is utterly unreadable except for the sliver of darkness I feel skim over my ankle.

“Should’ve known,” Sai quietly quips, breaking any type of forming tension before taking a swig of his beer, the bottle one I’d seen before and instantly knew was only ever served on the higher levels.

I quickly hide any type of expression in my glass, unwilling to acknowledge the pleasing feeling of that shadow still wrapped around my skin, as I take a gentle sip which almost has me moaning.

It’s the best whiskey I’ve ever tasted and I’d tasted a fair few.

“Please, don’t tell me this is something ridiculous like three hundred a bottle,” I murmur, eyes closed to enhance the taste as I take another sip and mentally count how many shifts it would take to afford just one glass.

“No.” Kane’s cold voice is like lightning striking me. I manage to stop the physical reaction but my eyes flash to his over my glass. “It’s five hundred.”

My eyes widen as they focus upon his words whilst he takes another small sip and I can’t look away.

I’m homed in on the smallest tilt of his lips, the way his eyes seem to enjoy the shocked expression of my face before he swallows and speaks again, “A glass. ”

I slowly nod my head as though it was the least I could have expected. I place my glass down and stare hard at the literal liquid gold.

“Of course it is,” I murmur, feeling the deep burn of the whiskey trailing down my throat. I swipe my fingers around the rim of the glass. “You guys really like to spend.”

“Only on the things we like,” Julien adds, his fingers never stopping their tentative touches.

Ezekial places his own glass upon the table then and when he takes his seat, at the point of the table, the silent action seems to be an indication for the others. I note Kane slipping into the seat he was leaning against and I feel Julien's fingers slowly ply away as he places himself beside me.

Now everyone is seated, the atmosphere becomes something thicker, heavier, and my thin coils begin their natural course of curling around my limbs in a snug grasp, transparent in colour but their presence enough to siphon tension from the air.

“I’m sure you have questions,” Ezekial begins, and I instantly feel the coils tightening in response, eager to wrap themselves around him, to sweep across the table and reach him.

The grip upon my glass tightens as I force them to stay with me.

This magnetic pull is incessant, making my breath catch and skin shiver with need, much like the sensation I was filled with moments before my darkness engulfed them all.

The need to heal them, the need to kill those who had harmed them.

“What happened before?” I ask, completely disregarding the mental conversation I’d spent hours preparing for, forgetting the questions I’d urgently wanted answers to.

Unwilling to see their expression as confusion swirls around me, I stare, hard, at the amber liquid. “With Prospero’s guards,” I add, terrified for a moment they were about to discuss my power rendering them immobile on the ground. I certainly wasn’t ready to revisit that right now.

“It was an ambush,” Kane states.

I keep focused upon my glass. “They were trying to ambush you?”

“No,” Ezekial begins. “It was an attempt to ambush our guards. They’d made a civilian report a sighting of Prospero’s men, when our guards arrived they were completely out numbered. It was an attempt to weaken our defences and cause a distraction.”

I gently nod along. “But it didn’t work? ”

“They weren’t exactly expecting us to turn up,” Sai adds before taking another swig. “Poor bastards didn’t stand a chance.”

“And the girl?” I ask, tilting the liquid towards me.

“We’ll find her.” The sincerity of Ezekial’s voice is too much, my eyes peer over the glass to catch his metallic gaze carefully assessing me.

I’m not sure how to respond as I finally take another sip, the burn helps to ease my tense muscles as I lean back into the surprisingly comfortable chair.

“When can I go home?” My question is quiet, filled with uncertainty as my eyes remain focused upon Ezekial.

“When the district is considered safe, the protocol will be removed and restrictions will be lifted,” he states, like repeating the instructions from a manual without a hint of emotion.

“OK, and when will it be considered safe?”

There’s a pause and I’m uncertain if there’s a silent conversation for a moment, until Kane answers, “When the threat is eliminated.”

My eyes race to his. “The group that attacked ‘The Inferno’ and ‘Purgatory’?”

He nods.

“And how long will that take?”

There’s no need for words, the silence which follows answers it.

I close my eyes, taking another sip and allowing the heat to ease the heavy sickness swirling in my gut.

“Are we talking weeks? Months?” I ask, my words barely passing my lips as the lead in my stomach becomes heavier and heavier with each moment of silence, with each layer of uncertainty.

When no one responds, my coils darken and attempt to adjust the strong emotions rampantly running through me. The thought of not seeing my family for months… maybe even a year… after spending every single day with them for the last five…

My heart begins to race and I quickly swallow the remnants of my drink, grasping the glass which would surely shatter if I pressed just a tad harder.

“I can’t even speak to them?” My voice is like the glass I’m holding, on the very edge of breaking.

My coils thicken, flaring out slightly and creating a shadowy layer around me. I feel their powers react instantly, responding in their own ways, flickering, crackling, darkening .

“No.” Ezekial’s voice, although low, holds a sharp edge.

My eyes lock with his at the sound, uncertain why it’s there until I catch the flicker of distaste emitting from him... and then the others.

My power flares.

“Don’t you dare,” I bite out the words. “You don’t even know them.” My irritation quickly forms and my voice becomes louder. “You have no right to feel like that.”

Surprisingly, he isn’t taken aback by my words or outburst, if anything, his distaste only seems to increase. When I realise the emotion is only growing because the others are adding to it, my anger rapidly builds.

My gaze furiously flickers over the four men, each one making their feelings clear without a single word and I feel my eyes beginning to turn.

“Red, you need to place yourself in our shoes. The whole situation you had with those people was... fucked up.” Sai’s markings are humming, the soft movement an attempt to ease me, his gaze holding a flicker of darkness as he watches me. “You know what Stockholm Syndrome is, right?”

“Are you fucking joking?” I growl out the words before continuing my onslaught. “Those people saved me, they took care of me, they gave me a home when I was completely alone and you think… what is it you think exactly? That I was abducted?”

“Yes.” My sight slices into Kane, my teeth gritted at his single word and obsidian eyes.

“You’re all insane.”

“Definitely been told that before…” Sai quietly mumbles, but I ignore him, my gaze staying locked with Kane’s.

“You’re wrong.” My shadows flare out to emphasise my point, which only causes theirs to mirror the reaction.

“Did you ever meet their families?” Ezekial suddenly questions.

I’ll admit, it catches me off guard. I spend a moment thinking and then another moment and I’m about to come up with something, to say it wasn’t that big of a deal because I couldn’t enter their districts due to my lack of legal documentation, when Ezekial’s questioning continues.

“Did they ever lie to you? Keep things from you?”

My eyes flicker back to Sai and Kane then, well aware of the lies they’d helped me discover. The barrier, my darkness, the mark …

“Did they ever talk about getting someone to investigate your heritage? Where you came from? If you had any family out there looking for you? Why you were outside the district wall? Why there were no guards on duty that night?”

What?

There were no guards?

They never told me that...

No, no, no. This isn’t true.

This cannot be fucking true.

Those five years were not built on a false foundation. My attachment to them is real, genuine, built on respect and… I don’t know who to look at.

My heart pummels against my chest as I force myself to breathe.

“They only ever lied to keep me safe,” I whisper, because even I know it’s a poor excuse, and I hear someone emit a bitter laugh.

“Safe from what?” Ezekial’s voice has taken on an even sharper edge, one that has increased with each question, his eyes darkening to reflect hard steel as the air shimmers metallic.

“Whoever gave me this mark.”

“The mark they never tried to remove?”

“And other things.”

Ezekial frowns. “Like what?”

I can’t think.

“From us,” Kane interjects. I feel the cold sliver upon my skin tighten and a soothing sensation pulses through me, one which tries to ease the conflicting emotions raging a war inside of me. “They vilified enforcers, the Council, us, and they manipulated you.”

Each statement creates a crack in my perfect memories. My chest feels painfully tight and my initial rage at their suggestions, their provoking statement and bias emotions, suddenly turns into one of pure terror.

“They used you.”

No, this can’t be true.

“They found you, injured and alone. They knew what you were instantly and rather than follow the correct procedures, rather than tell you the truth, they took you and made you work security in a club.” Kane’s cold voice is embedded with fury, it’s a chilling poison that seeps into me and clings, making the tightening of my chest almost unbearable until his shadow attempts to ease me again .

I was uncertain when my coils began to fade and loosen, returning to their natural state within me. I was too focused upon the hard, cold lump in my throat, the heavy sickness filling my body with the terrifying realisation each of their words brought.

“They said enforcers would kill me.” The words are barely audible as I stare ahead at my empty glass, desperate for the warmth it once brought. “They said, because of my power, I would be considered a threat. That they couldn’t register me because then I would be found…”

Someone’s annoyed growl permeates the thick air.

“Are you seeing what they did to you?” Julien's deep voice is an attempt to soothe the sickness and ease the terrible pain in my chest, but his words only add to it. “Little Empath, they stopped you being found. They trapped you.”

I feel my eyes begin to sting but I refuse to cry. I scrunch my eyes shut and try to remember conversations, words, anything to help refute the lies they’re telling me.

My empty glass reappears, refilled, I barely catch the blur of Julien as he places it there.

“I can’t think about this right now.” I grab the glass, thankful for the distraction, my words becoming mumbled as I take a large sip. The burn flows down my throat, heating the numbness from their words and helping my memory. “Can you just show me where the nearest hotel is?”

In response to my question, they become stoic forms. The only indication of their silent discussion is the slight hum of the air which crackled when I attempted to take part.

I run my fingers over the edge of my glass again, puffing out my cheeks in frustration, and consider throwing it against a wall to gain their attention.

“These attacks were not random, they’re targeted,” Ezekial suddenly states. I feel Kane’s intense stare at his words, as though he’s unhappy they were ever uttered. “There’s a reason those venues were focused, they were searching for specific targets and you were one of those targets.”

This wasn’t exactly new information, I remembered the green cloak being told to find the empath, grabbing me by the throat and electrocuting me when I refused to comply.

Without thinking, the image and sensation rushes through me, casting the scene before them all internally. The shadows in the room instantly magnify and their eyes glow in the darkness they create.

“I’m very aware, as you saw…” I say, swallowing as I observe the shadows of the room continuing to bloom. “But I wasn’t the only target and that doesn’t answer my question about a hotel.”

“That man who tried to take you,” Julien says, his voice practically vibrating as my leg skims against his, “he was easy to break.”

“No fun at all, really,” Sai adds.

“He provided a list of all their targets,” Ezekial continues, his gaze a hard steel fractured with black and focused only on me. “All of which have been located and put into safe houses with a dedicated enforcer team.”

The pieces click together instantly and my chest only tightens, the stabbing which was rescinding returns with vengeance.

This was my safe house.

They would be my enforcers .

“I can’t stay here,” I blurt, my eyes racing over Ezekial’s face as soft lines of confusion begin to appear. “There must be another team I can—”

“This isn’t a discussion, it’s done.” Kane’s authoritative tone instantly silences the room. His sliver coils tightly around my calf to emphasise the finality of his words.

“What’s wrong, Red? Worried what we’ll get up to in this house together?” Sai’s teasing tone sends an instinctual thrill through me, my skin reacting in its regular hum as though seconds ago we weren’t irritated by him.

“So, this is my new cage?” I state, narrowing my eyes at him, my words dripping with the sarcastic tone he’s so fond of.

“Hey, at least it’s an upgrade,” Sai softly remarks, his markings pulsing when he becomes the focus of my angry glare, his smirk prominently in place. “Better housemates too.” His last words are barely a whisper as he smiles into his beer bottle.

“According to you guys, it sounds like I’m just swapping one cage for another, larger, inescapable one.” My voice raises a few octaves, the liquid amber finally soothing some of my previous worries, and nerves, as I stare down at all of them with renewed fire. “And what exactly am I meant to do here? I’m just expected to stay in this house until all of this is over? How is this any different from the life you say I was living? ”

I’m careful not to voice my final and most disturbing question… how am I expected to stay here with them ?

Or maybe I voice it mentally, because Ezekial’s grey gaze softens when it meets mine which is filled with fury. “Jasmine, you’re not a prisoner.”

Why do names hold so much power?

He says it like it’s a holy word, something you’d utter in reverence or worship, and it instantly cools the rage which was beginning to ripple inside of me. My own eyes soften, the deep lines of anger smoothing out across my face as I fall into his liquid mercury eyes.

“If anything, we need you to be seen,” he begins, seeing the furrow of my brows at his words and quickly continuing in the same gentle tone. “They’re actively searching for you. They were waiting for you to come through that barrier at 'Purgatory'. Clearly, we have a mole, or moles, which we need to find.”

“And the things we’ll do when we find them.” Sai’s excitement over the thoughts of violence causes my own darkness to swirl. He senses it, of course, and sends me a wink which has my cheeks flushing.

“They know you’re in this district still, and they’ll be looking.” Ezekial's metallic gaze flashes onyx briefly before returning to a stormy grey. “But, to everyone else, you’ll be just another civilian. The more you’re in the public eye, the more mistakes they’ll make trying to get to you.”

That thought causes my breathing to stutter. The thought of being chased, essentially being bait to encourage these bastards to reveal themselves. It isn’t worry making my heart race, no, it’s excitement of being there to catch them.

My own eyes flash and I shut them quickly, quelling the darkness now clawing to escape. Kane’s sliver reacts to my darkness, smothering itself against my entire lower leg and instantly sending me into a subtle haze.

“Let them try,” I answer, my voice slightly dazed but I’m still conscious, well aware of my thoughts and words.

“Jeez, the things you do to me, Red.”

“One of us will be with you at all times, of course.”

“What?” I blurt, shaking my head in attempt to clear the fog and feeling intensely embarrassed at the thought of being babysat. “I don’t need it. ”

“We’re not questioning your strength, we’ve all seen it… felt it.” Ezekial's eyes wander over the other men for a moment, I can almost see them reliving the moment I’d engulf them in my power. “But it’s the same rule for anyone under enforcer protection and it will be upheld to ensure your safety.”

“You also need training.” Kane’s cold gaze sweeps over me. “You don’t know how to control your power; your emotions influence you too much. As well as protecting you, we’re also protecting others from you.”

For some reason, those final words make me flinch and all thoughts of violent, bloody revenge dissipate, now replaced with worry and dread.

“It’s never been this hard to control before.” My quiet voice fills the room, original embarrassment refilling whilst I refuse to look at them. My eyes flicker over the table instead which shimmers under Ezekial’s metallic mist and contrasts against the blackness. “I’m trying.”

“Guys, we’re fucking butchering this.” I don’t even hear him move but Sai’s suddenly beside me, having pulled another chair into the space to my left. His markings intensely pulse in waves of violet and blues as he rests his arms against the table, leaning forward in attempt to catch my gaze. “It’s us, our darkness calls to yours and that mark you have makes everything slightly more… unstable. But we can also help you manage it, especially Mr Impatient over there.”

My lips twitch at Sai’s use of the nickname I’d created back when Kane was simply known as ‘Dark Eyes’ but I quickly pull them back into a stern line.

“Sounds like I’m a bird with clipped wings.”

“More like one that’s never fully flown,” Sai murmurs, the tenderness of his voice lulling me to him as I search his piercing eyes.

“Don’t worry, Little Bird.” Julien's new nickname sends a flurry of heat through my veins. I fight the urge to turn towards him, even when I feel his fingers brush against my thigh beneath the table. “We will teach you.”

The hypnotic rumble of his voice compels me to turn and become caught in his gaze. The intense red of his iris is fuelled by a hunger created by those final words, the sensual double meaning evident.

“And my mark?” My throat feels incredibly dry, I swallow. “Are you still going to remove it?”

The men all glance at one another and I use the moment to take another sip as I watch them cautiously .

“When we know it’s safe to do so,” Ezekial answers but his eyes are focused upon the enforcers, waiting for their reactions.

But it seems the whiskey has finally invaded my bloodstream because my sense of self-preservation is at an all-time low.

I splutter dramatically over my next sip and release a hard laugh directly at the obsidian gaze piercing mine.

“I’m sorry, it’s just, this is all too much.” I laugh again, watching the way Kane’s gaze seems to harden. “Considering how a few weeks ago you were voting over my life. Then, only a few days ago, Kane told me you were going to remove my mark, to end the ‘calling’, and if it killed me, so be it.”

I stare hard at Kane, a mocking, cynical smirk on my lips.

“You remember that, right? In the club, just before the attack, dragging me into the Dark Realm and telling me you’d slaughter every person in that club if I tried to leave? Remember, Kane?”

The reaction this elicits from the others sets my skin alight, the burst of powers which form around them all whilst they deliver varying stares at Kane.

“I should have gone to the Fae Realm when I had the chance,” I mutter, shaking my head as I clench the glass.

Kane doesn’t respond.

No one does.

But their powers are busily soaking into every molecule of the room, surrounding us in a thick barricade I wasn’t sure I could ever escape.

Warning me to behave, to stay.

I scowl into my glass.

As the silence stretches, I continue to indulge in the emotions filling the room and every single one feeds my building rage.

“You’re all hypocrites,” I mumble, draining the last bit of amber liquid, enjoying the heat it adds to my growing anger. “You say one thing, then do another. You play games with my life, threaten to kill me, hurt the people I love.” The room bursts into shadows then, the temperature dropping. “You say all these awful things but then… then… you save me?”

The fluctuation of emotions is entwining, trapping one another and becoming heavy like tar, biting into my anger and pulling it down as I stare straight ahead into nothingness.

“When I thought I was going to die, in the club, you came. Then, you stopped me from being taken when you could have just left me, but you didn’t… you healed me. Then, I’m at death’s door once again, trapped with no way out, and you came, again . You save me, again .”

No one speaks, all I can hear is thud of my heart as the words splutter out, falling like heavy rainfall during a storm.

“And you all seemed so… so angry . I’d never felt such fury, such rage… and what you did to those guards... I just don’t…I don’t understand.”

My eyes race along the table as my power greedily feeds from the menagerie of emotions clinging to the air, even those lurking deep in the shadows, giving me the strength to compose my racing thoughts into some type of question.

“What do you want from me?” I feel the tears brimming and angrily shake my head.

Why am I reacting like this? Why do I no longer care if my words infuriate Kane? Why am I no longer scared of their reactions? Because the whiskey is burning through my veins or because the emotions swimming in the space are so varied, I can hardly distinguish my own?

I also feel their eyes, all intent upon me but I’m purely focused upon him , upon the only man I truly struggle to see, and he watches me back.

There’s a small flicker of grey in his otherwise impenetrable gaze and it’s the only response I get, to my question at least.

“We train early tomorrow, be ready before sunrise.”

And then he leaves. The sliver upon my leg disintegrates.

And my emotions, no longer slightly quelled by his, flare to life.

I tug my leg away from Julien's gentle fingers, staring furiously at the vacant chair across from me and abruptly stand. I don’t even spare another glance at the others, too consumed by heavier emotions eager to brim over and escape.

They don’t try to stop me.

A part of me, and I fully knew which part, hoped they did so that I could unleash some of these feelings onto them. But the other part was happy to escape to solitude.

When I find my room, my powers somehow subconsciously leading me there with subtle wisps of shadows, I slam the door so hard I hoped the entire house shook.

Now, finally alone, as alone as I could be in their house, I build my mental wall high and strong, and finally allow my emotions to spill over.

I slide down the door, onto the ground and bury my head between my knees, caging myself beneath folded arms. My wisps surround me in comforting vines which provide some layer of warmth as I take deep, shuddering breaths.

Here, I remain.

The tears came quickly.

Angry, bitter filled ones which stung as I rubbed my eyes and scowled into the darkness. Then came the ones filled with sorrow, ones which simply fell, streams lining my face as I openly cried and my power caressed the redness of my face.

Their words fuelled the tears, their words and my own doubts. The ones I’d always held at the back of mind, whenever I felt alone, like I didn’t quite fit in with my makeshift family.

I didn’t believe everything they’d said, I knew my family and I knew that, in their own way, they cared for me. I never once doubted my own love for them.

But I couldn’t shake the niggling feelings or questions I had. Why had they never sought someone to help find my real family? Why had I never met any of their close families? The closest was Brutus’ luna and that was only once, at the club, during work hours. I'd met some of the pack but only the ones that actually worked at the club.

Was I so naive? Or maybe, I just never wanted to question it. Happier to dwell in my own ignorance than to dig deeper.

Then it came to them. Specifically, two of them.

I groan into my legs.

What was I doing?

Allowing them to touch me, allowing myself to enjoy it, to want it.

What the fuck was I doing?

No matter how kind their words, or how heavenly their touch, I had to hold onto my initial hatred for them.

For all of them.

I had to be stronger. If not for my family… for myself.