Chapter 11 The Mysterious Elite
The Mysterious Elite
It was a testament to how confused I was at the moment—or perhaps how incredibly vivid and sensual my dream had been—that my first reaction upon hearing Octavian’s voice was to go all hot and breathless.
It took a moment for me to shove down the intimate images my subconscious had invented and register what he’d actually said.
“My power?”
Octavian smiled at me, hopefully not because he could see the effect he had on me. “I see you’ve recovered well.”
“I’m no longer in unbearable pain, if that’s what you mean.” I rubbed my arms, still not quite believing I came out of that experience completely unmarked. “I’m not sure I’ve mentally recovered yet.”
“You’ll need some time, of course,” he said. “And there’s much you need to know. I’m sure you have more questions—”
“About a million,” I said. “But honestly, before we do anything else I’d kill for a shower.
And some fresh clothes. And a cup of coffee.
” I wanted to make sure my head was clear before I tried to make sense of all this insanity.
I glanced from one brother to the other.
“Do you guys mind giving me some privacy for a minute?”
Alastor had already started toward the door, looking delighted—or at least what I assumed passed for delighted in someone as grumpy as him—to be relieved of his guarding duties. It was Octavian who lingered, his lips dipping into a frown.
Let him stay, a wicked little voice whispered in the back of my mind. Heck, invite him to have a shower with you. You know you’d enjoy it.
But I shut down those thoughts quickly, crossing my arms across my chest and lifting my chin stubbornly.
“Out,” I said. “I’m not letting you perv on me while I’m getting dressed.”
He shifted, looking almost embarrassed. “That wasn’t my intention, I assure you. I simply…” He cleared his throat, which sounded like a small avalanche. “I’m grateful you’re all right. Last night, I feared…” He shook his head. “It was never my intention to cause you any suffering.”
It was uncomfortably close to what dream-Octavian had said to me, and I was grateful once again for the dim light.
“Yeah, well, what can you do?” I said. “It sounds like it would’ve happened either way. But I’m okay now.” I gave him what I hoped was an encouraging smile, then gestured to the door.
He turned to go, then paused at the threshold and looked back.
“You still have a choice, you know,” he told me solemnly. “I hope you’ll listen to everything I have to tell you, and I hope you’ll consider all the implications of what you are and what you can do for us, but in the end, you will always have the choice.”
“That’s reassuringly vague and ominous.”
One side of his mouth tilted up, so apparently he found some humor in my sarcasm. His normal charming twinkle had returned to his eyes when he said, “Take your time freshening up.”
Despite his reassurances and pretty words, it was pretty obvious to me he was dying of impatience over this whole thing, but I was pleased he was at least making an effort.
“I don’t suppose you could make a pot of coffee?” I said. “Everything’s on the kitchen counter.”
“Of course.” He dipped his head at me, looking every bit the charming prince sent here to do my bidding, then disappeared out the door.
I locked it behind him. Not because I feared any danger from these men—though maybe I should have—but because I wanted absolute assurance of privacy while I got my head on straight.
I stepped into the bathroom and twisted the shower on, but rather than jump in and wash last night off of me, I darted back across my room and grabbed my laptop off my dresser.
Please let them be awake, I thought. Neither Esmer nor Isaac were early risers, but hopefully they’d still hear my ping.
While I was waiting for the laptop to boot up, I sank down into the chair by the window. An unfamiliar scent hit me.
Alastor had left his jacket here. I hadn’t paid much attention to what either Alastor or Octavian had been wearing, but Alastor, at least, had taken the time to change before taking up his watch over me.
Instead of the dark velvet jacket he’d been wearing for the masquerade, this one was a smoky gray.
It was still way more formal than what a normal person would wear to a middle-of-the-night vigil, but that’s a billionaire for you.
And it smelled heavenly.
I found myself leaning closer without even thinking, breathing in that scent. It was fresh and masculine and slightly unusual, like a glade deep in the woods but with a hint of something from far away. Or like earthy cedar trees with a touch of spicy citrus.
What the heck are you doing? I thought, sitting abruptly upright. First you have a sex dream about Octavian, then you start sniffing Alastor’s clothes… Who’s the creepy one now?
Despite my harsh inner judgments of my behavior, the scent was too delicious to be anything but distracting, so I finally got up and plopped down on my bed instead. I pulled up the chat I shared with Isaac and Esmer.
There were at least a dozen messages from last night—from each of them—asking for updates and check-ins.
Isaac had obviously been getting more and more worried as the evening went on, and even though Esmer had spent the earlier part of the night assuring him I was just enjoying myself, it was clear that even she was getting a little anxious by the time midnight crept around.
Feeling guilty, I began typing quickly.
GoldieGirl19: Are either of you awake?
GoldieGirl19: this is important
GoldieGirl19: I’m so so sorry about last night
GoldieGirl19: I lost my phone. or someone stole it. still not sure which.
GoldieGirl19: And I met the Crestwoods. all three. that’s where things got weird.
I paused there, wondering if I should just go ahead and type out the whole crazy thing or wait for a response. Now that I was faced with the prospect of explaining everything that had happened since last night, it all seemed…well, even more ridiculous.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long before a response popped up on the screen.
the_mEsmerizer: the FUCK Goldie
the_mEsmerizer: tell me everything
the_mEsmerizer: which one did you bang?
the_mEsmerizer: please tell me you banged one
I smiled. Leave it to Esmer to lighten the mood. And to bring everything back to sex.
GoldieGirl19: I didn’t sleep with any of them
GoldieGirl19: but I kissed one
the_mEsmerizer: WHAT!!?!!!!!!!
the_mEsmerizer: I need details
the_mEsmerizer: NOW
GoldieGirl19: don’t worry, you’ll get them eventually
GoldieGirl19: but right now I need some advice
GoldieGirl19: they told me all this crazy stuff about being from another world
47Blob: I KNEW IT!
47Blob: I told you!
Apparently Isaac had shown up just in time for the good stuff. And he was just getting started.
47Blob: I hope you got evidence. Video or something
47Blob: I told you there was something weird about them.
47Blob: Where are they from exactly? I’ve been reading about this wormhole in Russia that they believe links to somewhere in the Andromeda Galaxy.
GoldieGirl19: they’re not aliens
GoldieGirl19: I asked.
47Blob: well of course they wouldn’t tell you
GoldieGirl19: they told me they were from another world, but it sounds more like a place with magic and wizards and stuff
GoldieGirl19: they said they were trapped here by a curse
the_mEsmerizer: are you high or something?
the_mEsmerizer: this isn’t funny. we were legit worried about you
GoldieGirl19: I’m not high
GoldieGirl19: and I’m not lying
And it was becoming obvious that this was not the sort of conversation we should be having via our chat app.
GoldieGirl19: Can you guys switch over to voice chat?
I glanced at my door, and though I didn’t think the brothers would be eavesdropping on me, I wasn’t going to take any chances.
Grabbing my laptop, I darted into the bathroom and sat down on the closed toilet lid, right next to the running shower.
By the time I’d settled my computer on my lap, my friends had already switched to voice chat.
And I told them everything—well, almost everything.
I described the masquerade and my meetings with each of the brothers—leaving out my kiss with Octavian for the moment, as well as Radven’s true name—and I included the loss of my phone, the blackout, and the secret lair.
I told them everything the brothers had told me about the curse, their world, and why they’d sought me out.
And I explained why, despite everything I thought I knew about the world, I was actually starting to believe they were telling the truth.
I also told them about the intense pain I’d experienced as I was trying to leave, and how I’d woken to find the brothers had brought me back to my apartment.
“You mean they’re at your place right now?” Esmer asked.
“Well, at least two of them are. I haven’t seen R—George, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s somewhere nearby.”
“Was it possible they slipped you something?” Esmer asked. “Some of those party drugs will fuck you up.”
“I guess, I just…” My fingers slid across the skin of my arm. “I’ve never been on anything like that, so I wouldn’t know. But I tell you, this felt real. Really real.”
“But what they’re saying is impossible,” Esmer said. “You know that, right?”
I did know that—so why did I believe them?
Esmer wasn‘t done. “I mean, you’re telling me these guys just showed up out of the blue one day, all the way from this ‘other world’ of theirs, and no one noticed?”
That was a good point, and one I didn’t have an answer to. But there was someone else in this conversation who had always been good at coming up with answers to impossible questions.
“Isaac,” I said. “You’re being too quiet.”
“I’m thinking,” he answered. “And checking in with some guys I’ve been talking to. They’ve been helping me track down stuff about the Crestwoods.”