Page 31 of Things Get Dark
“Must you be so angry with us?” Levi asked, perching on the desk with his legs crossed, unfazed by Callan’s temper. “The chains were for your own good during the festival, and you know it.”
“Why did you chain him in the study?” I whispered to Nox, trying not to bring too much attention to myself.
Nox chuckled darkly. “The better question is ‘why were there chains available in the study’? I told you, our old friend William Treglyn was an eccentric man.”
Callan huffed, the chains rattling with the movement. “He was a malicious bastard, and I’m glad he’s in hell where he belongs.Now unlock these chains or—” He sniffed the air once, then twice more, and narrowed his eyes at me. “Your scent…”
An awkward laugh bubbled out of me as I shuffled on my feet, suddenly too nervous to look at him in his strange eyes. “Uh, sorry. It’s been a long night, so I could probably use a shower.”
“Come closer.”
My eyes flicked between Nox and Levi, searching for anything in their expressions to warn that I shouldn’t go to him. But neither gave me reason to run.
I approached slowly, circling the desk where Levi sat with his elbows on his knees. He seemed so casual compared to how I met him upstairs. A warmth at my back spurred me on, and I knew it was Nox. He had a strange presence to him that drew me in, even when I couldn’t see him. It was an addictive feeling, just being near him.
As I rounded the desk, slowly but surely moving closer, I was able to get a better look at the chained man. He was muscled, much bigger than the other two. He probably spent a lot of time at the gym when he wasn’t being chained in Tudor-era manors. His nose looked crooked, and his hair was lighter than his friends’. It fell past his shoulders in shaggy waves. The shirt he wore was ripped open, exposing his torso—and more muscles—and like Levi, he was barefoot.
Crouching down to his eye level, though staying just out of reach, I fought past my nerves and met his intense crimson gaze. His eyes were amazing. Swirls of orange danced with a deep red, emitting a glow I’d never seen contacts do before.
“Callan, this is Hazel.” Nox introduced us, close enough behind me that I could still feel his warmth. “No biting… unless she asks nicely.”
Callan grinned, exposing fangs that looked real. He licked one of the canines, never breaking eye contact with me, and Ishivered. Though this time, I was far from cold. He slowly leaned towards me and inhaled deeply.
Suddenly, he leapt up from the floor and would have pounced on me if not for the chains being pulled taut from their anchors behind him. I screamed, scrambling back into Nox as Callan let out a bone-chilling roar that left me shaking on the floor, barely out of reach. Tears spilled out of my eyes, and for the first time that night, I truly wondered if I was safe. And deep down, something about that thrilled me.
A warm, wet tongue licked up my cheek, savouring my tears as strong arms wrapped around me from behind, holding me in place. Callan continued to struggle mere inches away from me, yanking at the chains and straining his impressive muscles between feral growls.
“Mm, your fear really does taste delicious, Witch Hazel. Are you picturing how easily he could hurt you with that strength of his?” Nox chuckled in my ear, the sound mixing with Callan’s growls and reverberating through me. “Or are you imagining something else? Levi and I are here, too, you know. Don’t leave us out of your sick fantasies.”
Callan roared again, louder this time. His fiery red eyes stared at me, where I was trapped in Nox’s arms. Light glinted off his fangs, and his arms strained against the chains, his muscles rippling under his open shirt as he pulled harder in his fury. Or was it desperation?
“I wonder, what are your instincts telling you to do?” Nox asked me, seemingly unbothered by the threat before him. “You could say ‘pumpkin’, of course, but I don’t think you will. Not yet, at least. You’re far too curious for that. You want to see where this rabbit hole leads, don’t you?”
Another tear dripped down my cheek as I stared up at the terrifying beast of a man in front of me. He could snap me like atwig, and all I could think about was how much I wanted to feel him above me, inside me. I wanted all of them.
Nox licked up the tear. “I don’t want to rush your decision, but I don’t think those chains will hold him much longer. Now, will you fight or fly?”
He loosened his arms enough for me to wriggle to my feet, and the last thing I heard as I ran out of the study was the shattering of chains, followed by a piercing howl.
Chapter Five
My lungs burned asI forced myself to keep moving. The manor’s corridors blurred together in a twisting darkness as I ran. I had no idea where I was; my only focus was moving forwards. Away from them.
Shouldn’t I just call out ‘pumpkin’ if I don’t feel safe?
But that was the point of Halloween. I didn’t want to feel safe, not really. I was having too much fun.
Another howl echoed through the halls, closely followed by three sets of frantic footsteps, and my adrenaline spiked. I had to keep moving. The moment I slowed down, they would catch me, and our game would be over. They thought they were playing with me? My role may have been the prey, but I was just as much a player here.
I swerved around a corner, and to my delight, found the grand staircase leading down to the foyer. Grinning, I continued past the stairs into the opposite wing of the manor. I knew they would expect me to run for the exit, so this could buy me some time.
Ducking through an open doorway, I hid behind the open door and peeked through the gap in the doorframe to check I wasn’tfollowed. Satisfied, I took a moment to catch my breath. The room was completely dark, so I should be safe for a moment. My sides ached. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d run anywhere, let alone from three Halloween actors. As my breaths came out in heavy bursts, I covered my mouth with a hand in an effort to muffle the sound.
“Gagging yourself, Witch Hazel?” a low voice whispered from behind me, then warmth surrounded me. “There are better ways to do that, you know.”
No way. How did he…?
Nox’s hand gripped mine, pulling it from my mouth and spinning me to face him. Before I could scream, his painted lips closed over mine, kissing me hard. He pulled me closer with his free hand on the small of my back, pressing me against the hard lines of his body, and I gasped against his mouth. Despite the warmth of his skin, he tasted cold. It was how I imagined a storm cloud would taste, a shadowy mix of smoke and rain.