Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Dara
Four sets of eyes look down at me, surrounding me in a protective circle while I kneel helplessly on the ground. I can’t believe what I am seeing here. There are two Olivers. I close my eyes and open them again, thinking I am just seeing things. But no, holy fucking shit.
Another wave of pain tumbles down on me, and I crouch over, groaning. I have no idea what is happening. My whole body is on fire and the aches that keep pulsing through me are unbearable. But somehow, they seem to know what is going on. Calling it the change? What does that even mean? Am I about to transform into a wolf like in Vampire Diaries?
I am so confused, but I can’t focus on that right now as another wave of pain vibrates through me.
“Dara, I know this will be very confusing for you. But we are here to help you get through this. We know what is happening to you and we need you to come with us until the change happens,” Oliver says, placing a hand on my back and gently rubbing up and down.
“These are my brothers: Blair, Declan, and Harlan. We will explain everything very soon, but right now we need to get you to safety,” Oliver continues, pointing to each brother as he introduces them.
What the actual fuck is he talking about? I can’t move or respond for that matter. I try to get my head around what he says, but I can’t think. I’m in too much pain. Bracing my hands on the ground, I push myself up to a seated position. More pain slices through my entire body. Groaning, I look to each of the guys. “No offence, but there’s no way I’m going anywhere with you four. I don’t even know you.”
Lifting myself off the ground, I go to step forward. My legs give out and I fall back down.
Harlan curses, “We don’t have fucking time for this. We are going right now.”
Before I can even blink, I’m thrown over his shoulders and we are moving out of the bar. I want to kick and scream, but I’m in too much pain. Fuck the stranger danger and all that shit because I’m facing a losing battle. From what they have said, they obviously know what’s happening to me, which is something, because I have no idea and have never experienced anything like this before. My head rests against Harlan’s back and my eyes flutter closed.
“What the fuck is going on, Dara? Are you okay? Who the fuck are these guys?” Kayla’s voice screams from somewhere behind us. Opening my eyes, I find Kayla storming through the bar pushing everyone that gets in her way. Cool air whips over my body but it does nothing to cool me down.
Harlan stops before placing me on the ground. My body sways. Oliver or Blair place an arm around my shoulder to keep me in place.
Kayla comes storming out of the bar, halting in front of us and crossing her arms over her chest. “You have about ten seconds to explain why you are taking my best friend away when she clearly looks out of it?” She raises her brow and looks ready to throw down. God, I’m lucky to have her.
I go to step forward to join Kayla, but my legs wobble and I’m back on the ground. The concrete digs into my knees but it’s quickly replaced by another wave of electricity shooting through my limbs.
“Fucking hell. We don’t have time for this. Sorry, Kayla, is it? We are taking Dara to the hospital. She’s clearly hurt and the more time we spend arguing is more time she’s in pain.” Harlan steps forward, placing his hands under my armpits.
A shiver works its way up my arms. My eyes droop then everything turns dark.
Drip, drip, drip.
Will someone turn off that goddamn water?
Blinking, it takes me a moment to adjust to the bright light. Arms are wrapped tightly around my chest. I feel the gentle tap of a heartbeat on my back, and I glance up to find Oliver or Blair smiling down at me. Heat flames my cheeks and I try to wiggle free, but he holds me there in place.
Where the hell am I? I’m sprawled out on a double bed, there’s a simple TV unit directly in front of us and not much else. It’s then I realise we’re in a hotel room. Harlan, Declan, and the twins are here. I take a moment to really study each of the guys.
Blair or Oliver, one of the blond bombshells, is flopped on the double bed with his hand over his face. The other one is currently holding up my weight as I’m sprawled over his lap. I have bumped into and seen them on more than one occasion. It’s freaky how alike they are—I’m not sure how I’ll be able to tell the difference.
Declan’s pacing back and forth reading something in his hands like he’s trying to fix all of our problems. He has his brown hair cut close to his head and has a day or two of overgrown facial hair. He hasn’t said a word yet.
Lastly, I take in Harlan, who watches me intently from the chair in the corner of the room. His gaze feels like it’s accessing every part of me—heat floods to my core, but I ignore it. This isn’t the place or time. He has short brown hair and the most beautiful green eyes that remind me of the forest. He looks to be the one in charge, maybe the eldest of the brothers. They are of similar build, with some serious muscles.
I tap on Blair or Oliver’s shoulder. “Can you please let me go?” The pain is clear on his face. He waits several seconds and then reluctantly releases me.
I stumble a little as I try to get to my feet. How the hell am I going to get out of here? With the door set in my sights, I start walking. But as I’m about to reach out to open the door, a wave of pain brings me to my knees.
Someone lifts me up, and I have no energy to put up a fight. I’m deposited on the soft bed. After crawling into a tight ball, I rock back and forth. My body feels like it’s on fire. I try to lay back into the pillows and control my breathing, which is all over the place. The guys haven’t attempted to take advantage of me, and in some fucked up way I know they won’t. I don’t get that bad-guy vibe from them, but you never know. That’s why I have to stay awake and alert.
Oliver pulls me against his body, and I exhale, placing my head against his chest. He rubs his hand up and down my back, which calms me slightly—if it wasn’t for the pain that keeps ripping through me. I double over, clutching the sheets with my hand. Holy fuck. I have never been in so much pain before. My back is literally on fire.
Grabbing the hem of my dress, I’m about to lift it over my head when Blair clears his throat. “What are you doing, Dara?” he questions me, looking at my hands.
“I am way too hot. I need to get this off now.” I cry out in pain, pulling off my dress so I am just left in my underwear and bra. I flop against the pillow. The room turns silent. All the guys try to look everywhere else other than at me.
“How much longer will this continue?” I yell out, squeezing my eyes shut.
Oliver tries to calm me down by rubbing my back again, but it isn’t helping anymore. All I can feel is this pain ripping through me, making my whole body feel like it’s on fire and tearing into two.
“It shouldn't be much longer. Just hang in there,” Harlan explains from across the room.
With a surge of energy, I sit up suddenly, moving to the edge of the bed. “I need a cold shower to cool me down,” I say over my shoulder, heading to what I assume to be the bathroom.
Harlan blocks my path, and I almost run straight into his chest. “Are you sure you will be okay in there?”
“Yes, just let me cool off before I try and get some sleep. I promise I will yell out if I need any help. Now please get out of my way,” I almost growl, squeezing my way past him.
I catch one of the twins in the corner checking me out. He looks up and gives me a wink. How on earth could he be so bloody cheeky at a time like this? I roll my eyes and go into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. Leaning against the door, I let out a loud sigh. I don’t bother locking it just in case I need the guys’ help.
After turning on the lights and exhaust fan, I finally look at myself in the mirror. I am so bloody red and blotchy. I sigh. Why did these men have to see me in my worst state?
I sit on the toilet seat, leaning over and bracing my knees for a good five minutes, and suddenly I feel the pain easing. After a few seconds, it’s gone. Like it was never there. My whole body relaxes for the first time, and I laugh.
Could anything else fucked up possibly happen tonight?
Lifting myself up and off the toilet seat, I glance over my shoulder and look back into the mirror. I suck in a huge breath, all of the colour draining from my cheeks.
What in the actual fuck?
Something green runs along my spine. It was not there before. I take a step closer to the mirror and closely inspect my back. Oh, my god, what the hell is that?
There are three circle-shaped green vines like a border—with nothing inside them. That is weird. I try to rub them off, hoping they will disappear. But after rubbing for a few minutes, I have no such luck.
Grabbing hold of the vanity, I stand there in shock. My breathing picks up. This is not happening. I am dreaming this whole night. I will wake up tomorrow and none of this would have happened. I splash some water onto my face and slap myself a couple of times, trying to wake myself up but it does nothing. This is so fucked up. I need to get out of here. I need to get home to see Kayla, to make sure she can see this on my back as well, to confirm I am not going insane.
Someone knocks on the door, and I jump.
“Are you okay in there?” Harlan yells through the door.
“Yes, yes. I am fine. Don’t come in,” I stutter, trying to gain control of my emotions. I need to get out of here without the guys realising. I have to see Kayla and sort this shit out. She will have the answers—at least I hope she will.
I turn the shower on and frantically look around the tiny bathroom, trying to find an exit.
There’s a window above the toilet. Bingo! Trying to be as quiet as I possibly can, I grab a towel and wrap it over my underwear. I don’t want to give anyone outside a free flash show.
The toilet seat creaks as I step onto it. I freeze. My heart rate goes through the roof as I wait for them to barge into the bathroom, but they don’t. Thinking light and being as careful as I possibly can, I reach and lift the handle to the window and push. It squeals, and I’m certain they will be able to hear it over the sound of the shower. Wasting no more time, I force out the flyscreen and it falls to the ground with a smack. Here goes nothing. I hoist myself up and out of the window. It’s only a small drop as the hotel is on the ground level.
As soon as I hit the dirt, I take off running toward the street. I keep going until I’m about two hundred metres from the hotel and wave frantically to the oncoming cab driver. He slows down, and I jump in the back, quickly rattling off my address.
His gaze catches mine in the mirror and he eyes me up and down, no doubt taking in my outfit.
“Don’t ask. Just drive, and step on it,” I demand, dropping back into my seat and running my hands through my hair. What the fuck is happening right now? I can’t even think straight. I hope to God that Kayla’s home, so we can try to figure out what the hell is going on.
Am I just imagining this tattoo on my back?
A wave of guilt washes over me for running from the guys, but they can’t blame me for that. Being in a hotel with a group of strangers then discovering this—any girl would be running for the safety of her own home.
A short while later, we pull up to my apartment. My hands freeze on the towel as I go to check for my purse. Fuck.
“Ehh, can you just wait here for a minute? I need to run upstairs to get some money.”
The guy huffs. “You’ve got five minutes. If you’re not back, I’ll be banging down your door.”
“Deal.”
I jump out, run into the foyer the security doors jammed open with a rock like it always is no ones fixed it so much for security, and frantically hit the button for the elevator. I have no idea what time it is, but it is very quiet, thank goodness.
The ride in the elevator feels like it’s taking forever. As soon as the doors open, I sprint out and begin knocking frantically. I continue for a good minute until the lights turn on and the door flings open.
Kayla takes in my appearance and her mouth stays wide open. “What the fuck, Dara?” she says, pulling me inside and shutting the door.
“No time to explain. Can you please give the cabby outside some money? My purse isn’t with me.”
Kayla rubs the sleep from her eyes and heads straight out the door without a backward glance. She knows me well enough to figure out when shit’s gone south. I stay standing in the kitchen until she comes back.
“Okay, spill. What on earth is going on?”
I have no idea how to explain this, so I drop my towel and turn around so my back is to Kayla.
She gasps. “What the fuck, Dara …?” She pauses. “You got a fucking tattoo? Thanks for inviting me. I thought we made a pact to get one together? Good to see how much you care about that.” She crosses her arms over her chest.
I spin around, shaking my head. “No, I didn't go out and get a tattoo. I wouldn’t do that without you—we made a promise. You of all people know I don’t break promises.”
She laughs out loud and points at my back. “Are you crazy? How else would that get there without someone tattooing your back?” She rolls her eyes like this is a big joke.
I throw my hands in the air. “I am not fucking kidding, Kayla. I did not get this tattooed on my back. It showed up after that weird fever settled down. I know I must sound crazy—I still can’t believe it. Please believe me. Trust me.” Tears threaten to fall over my face.
She must see it in my eyes that I am telling the truth. “Okay fine. In some fucked up way, I believe you. But answer me this—what’s with the three vine rings? Do you know what they mean?"
“I have no idea. Seriously, I am telling you. It just showed up. I am so fucking confused. Am I crazy?” My face falls into my hands. Is this the moment that someone comes running out and screams, punked? I sure as fuck hope so. That would at least make a little bit of sense.
She lets out a heavy sigh. Grabbing hold of my shoulders, she spins me around to have another look. “You most definitely are going crazy, but I must be too. Because I am seeing this.” She traces her hand over the tattoo.
She yelps, yanking her hand away like it’s on fire. “What. The. Actual. Fuck? It burnt me. Your skin feels like it is on fire.” She practically runs to the kitchen sink before turning on the tap and letting her hand cool under the cold water. She looks up at me, and we both stare at each other for what feels like minutes, trying to take all this in.
Her bedroom door opens, and a guy puts his head out. “Are you coming back to bed, babe? It’s getting lonely in here …” He pauses. “Oh, hey there, you’re welcome to join us," Malcolm from the bar says, finally noticing me standing in nothing but my bra and underwear.
I try my best to cover myself, but there’s no point. He’s already seen it all.
Kayla replies, “I will be back in there soon. Give me a little bit.”
He winks then shuts the door again.
Kayla turns back around. “Okay. We will figure this shit out tomorrow. Please go and get some rest. I know it will be hard but just try. Oh, and what happened to those four sexy guys?” She raises her eyebrows up and down.
“We headed to a hotel, and they looked after me. Once the fever settled down a little bit, I went for a shower. That’s when I noticed it on my back and freaked out. I jumped through the window and came here. I wanted to check in with you to make sure I wasn’t losing my mind. But now, thinking about it, I should have stayed with them. For some reason, they seemed to know what was happening to me,” I try to explain my fucked-up night.
She stands there with her mouth open, obviously still trying to get her head around this whole thing. Join the fucking club.
“Okay, please go sleep it off and maybe you will wake up and this will all be a dream. If not, we will figure it out. Who knows? We could have been drugged and are tripping balls right now.” Kayla laughs, and I can’t help but join her. She knows how to make me feel at least a little bit sane.
“All right, I will try, and I hope to fuck that what you’re saying is true.” I pull her toward me, giving her the biggest hug and say goodnight.
After kicking my bedroom door shut, I fall onto my bed. I won’t be getting any sleep. Happy birthday to me.