Page 6 of Forsaken By Fate
The overhead lights flicker annoyingly, causing Fenris to fiddle with the light switch on the wall.
“Stop it!” I command him, my irritation growing as my nerves fray. I don’t know how to handle this situation, and it’s reminiscent of my early days of leadership.
“It’s not me!” Fenris complains. “There’s something off with the electricity. I bet she’s got something to do with it.”
A low groan emanates from the bed, and we spin around to look at the waking woman, her hand raising to touch her head. “Ow!”
Her eyelids flutter open, and a terrified gasp escapes her rosebud lips, revealing a row of brilliant, white teeth. The lightbulbs in the chandelier fizzle and pop in unison.
Stalking across the room, I pick up a candle and blow into it, igniting a blow of my breath, causing the intruder to whimper from the bed. She curls into a ball, pulling her knees to her chest as she gawks at us.
“I…” she mewls, but doesn’t finish her sentence.
I light another two candles as my brothers peer at the chandelier in confusion before peering back at the woman. I can feel the energy shift in the room, too, but she is my primary concern for the moment.
I need to get her under control, and everything else will settle.
“You what?” I demand coldly. “Who are you?”
“A-Aurora.”
I wait for more than that, folding my arms over my chest as I glower at her. “Where did you come from, Aurora?”
She swallows visibly, her eyes darting over our collective faces, as if she can’t figure out which one of us to look at.
“I asked you a question,” I intone.
“Oklahoma City.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I cast my brothers another look, but they’re just as baffled as me.
“What are you doing here?” I growl. “How did you get through the portal?”
Perplexed, she stares at me, and I realize she has no idea what I’m asking her. “Do you know where you are?”
“Texas,” she mumbles. “Outside of Dallas somewhere. My car ran out of gas, and I was looking for a station?—”
“You’re in Oak Hollow,” I interject flatly.
She falters and nods. “I saw the sign,” she concedes, staring down at her hands. Her doe eyes pop, hands pulling back the blankets to look at the unfamiliar nightgown. “What…?”
She trails off as her head jerks up, and she meets my steely stare.
“The housekeeper put that on you,” Zane tells her reassuringly. “You shifted in a panic and shifted back into your human body after you passed out. We brought you here.”
I give him a scathing look, and he shrugs nonchalantly. “I don’t want her to freak out.”
“Where ishere?” she squeaks, sitting up weakly. “Is this your house?”
“Stay down,” I order her, and she freezes. I don’t see her as a threat, not on her own, but who knows who else she is working with.
“We should have just gotten rid of her,” Fenris mutters under his breath. “This is already more of a hassle than it’s worth.”
Lightning cracks outside and even I jump slightly at the unexpected weather. All our heads whip toward the patio windows overlooking the Juliet balcony, but there’s not a drop of rain in sight. A freak lightning storm plays out in the far distance, cracking surreally like an unfettered plasma ball.
“Fine! Kill me then!” Aurora cries out defiantly, stunning me. Her nervousness abruptly dissipates as she springs up onto her knees, throwing her hands up. “I’m right here. Do it if you’re going to do it!”
A smirk forms on my lips as I study her svelte form, barely hidden beneath the thin material of the nightgown, her fear still palpable despite her bravado.