Emerald (The Silvia Saga Book 1)

by Jenna Lee

  I shrink down a little as the guy looks my way, hating the attention he’s giving me. Kayla struts back to me with Mr. Business Suit on her heels. She shuffles in and puts our drinks down on the table, passing me another shot and beer.

  "You are gone all of five seconds and you bring back a stray to the table. You are a piece of work girl, who’s this guy?" I ask, gesturing to the man.

  Kayla lets out a laugh and rolls her eyes.

  "Hi, I'm Malcolm. Nice to meet you," he says, pulling out his hand.

  I shake it and say, “Dara. Likewise," as I pick up the shot and chuck it back down my throat.

  Phew, the way these bad boys were going down I will be ready to hit that dance floor sooner rather than later. It might actually be Kayla's turn to drag my drunk-arse home. I liked the sound of that.

  "So, what have you ladies got planned for tonight?" Malcolm asks.

  "Oh, well it’s my girl’s birthday tonight so we are out celebrating, hoping to meet some nice guys to take us home," Kayla says, fluttering her eyes at Malcolm. I snicker at Kayla’s attempt of flirting.

  She is always so forthcoming and always says what she is thinking. It’s what I love the most about her; being so down to earth.

  Malcolm chuckles at her antics, having no idea what he has gotten himself into, "I might be able to help you with that. I have a few mates upstairs, I just came down here to get some air. It is pretty intense up there."

  Kayla giggles, "Perfect! Sounds like my type of atmosphere."

  I sit here mute, watching these two interact. I finish my beer and get up out of the booth.

  "Alright, you ready to hit the dance floor?" I ask, doing a little bum dance. Shit, I think those tequilas have gone straight to my head.

  "Hell, yeah, if you’re going to be dancing like that," Kayla hollers as she walks past me, slapping me on the arse. We head over to the bar and have one more shot, then head up the stairs. As we get higher up the music gets louder, and the bass is pumping.

  My body can feel the pulse and I love the feeling. I stop for a second and embrace the ambience as the bass shutters through my whole body. We get up the top of the stairs and I stop to take in the space.

  The dance floor is in the centre of the large space. With the bar surrounding the whole area in a half circle. There is over a thousand people in here. The dance floor looked to be at capacity with everyone grinding up on each other, like wild animals letting loose and aroused. Hell yes, I wanted to get up in that.

  I catch up with Kayla and Malcolm, as I was too busy daydreaming. "Alright, this place is pumping let’s get in there," I yell at Kayla, so she can hear me.

  She nods and grabs my arm, dragging me into the crowd. There is a mixture of men and women, but as usual, the men overpowered the women ten to one. A lot of dick but not as much pussy in here.

  Well, that suited me just fine. We stop once we get right into the crowd and start to dance. Malcolm comes up behind Kayla and starts dancing up on her. He waves behind me and I turn around to see, I presume one of his mates.

  He looks to be in his late 20's with long shaggy hair that looks like he just rolled out of bed. Looking up, I notice his eyes are a chocolate brown and one of them gives me a wink.

  Oh yes, he will do just fine, I think to myself. I turn back around and start dancing up on him. Grinding my arse into his package. I feel him get hard behind me. I roll my eyes into the back of my head. Fuck, that felt so good. I look up and see Kayla staring right at me, giving me a cheeky grin.

  I go a shade of red and giggle, lucky it was dark in here, so I feel no shame. I felt so good tonight, my mind and body were free, and let me tell you it is a good feeling.

  The last few weeks I have been stressed with work and paranoid that someone was always following me. Tonight, I let it all go and just let my hair down and have fun with no worries. The music changes to 'Changes' by 2Pac a remix that has everyone in the club thinking they’re gangsters. They all jump up and down in unison, rapping like they know the words.

  Mr. Hot Stuff puts his hands on my hips and starts swaying my hips with his. He does this for at least five minutes, then turns me around so fast that I don’t know what hits me. I look up and notice that I am face to face with a different guy.

  Not just any guy; it’s him...the guy, I saw at my work last week, the one I bumped into at the shop and from my dreams. The blonde-haired hottie that left me feeling all hot and bothered thinking about him all week.

  I look up into his eyes, those crystal blue eyes that look like I’m staring into the deep blue ocean. They are so beautiful, so familiar, as if I have looked at them so many times before. But that’s not possible. His lips turn up with a slight smirk. Oh fuck, he makes me so damn wet just by smirking at me.

  He pulls me toward him and whispers in my ear. "You like what you see, Princess? You have no idea the things you do to me. Your heart is mine and has been since the day you were born." I shiver at his words and look up into his eyes again. They weren't lying, and I believe him.

  I believe in some fucked up way that my heart was his, but how could it be? I just met him, or did I? He felt so familiar like I have known him my whole life. He spins me around so that my back is hard up against him. His hard-on digging into my arse and I let out a little moan. My eyes roll to the back of my head and I grind into him more, just to feel the length of him. OMG, he is huge, and that's just from feeling it dig into my arse through his pants.

  "Moan for me again, my Princess, and I will be dragging your hot little arse out of here so fucking fast you won’t know what hit you," he whispers into my ear. Oh god, this feels so right.

  Princess? Why does he keep calling me that?

  He has my head so messed up and confused. But right at this moment, I didn't care, because it feels so right. But it also felt like something is missing. Was I crazy? He is perfect but here I am wanting more, always needing more than what is right here in front of me.

  “What’s your name?” I ask, leaning my head back to whisper in his ear.

  “Oliver and yours is Dara,” he says back.

  What the hell? How does he know my name?

  Shit just got even weirder.

  Chapter 6

  Oliver

  Oh god, I am going to be in so much trouble from the guys for doing this.

  But I didn't care, I was on Dara watch tonight and I followed her to the club. I kept my distance from her, but I always knew what she was doing from the corner of my eye. When she went upstairs and went onto the crowded dance floor, I had to follow her in to make sure she was safe.

  Once I managed to get through the crowd and saw her dancing on that guy, I lost it. No way my Princess was going home with anyone else tonight, or ever for that matter.

  I snuck up behind them and whispered into the guy's ear, "Get the fuck out of here now, or I will shove your own hand so far up your arse, you will be bleeding for weeks." The guy went still, and quickly turned around and moved so fast I lost him in the crowd. I took his place behind Dara and loved every second her body was touching mine.

  Dara held a special place in my heart—all our hearts. Especially in mine and my twin brother, Blair. He hasn’t admitted it yet, but I know he feels a deep connection to her like I do. She just doesn’t know who we are, yet, but she will remember soon enough. Her memories were long gone, but I hoped they would come back soon. I needed her to remember us. Remember Silvia.

  I pull her closer to me and whisper in her ear, "You have no idea how special you are to us. You will see soon enough. I couldn't resist keeping my distance from you any longer." I feel her body melt into mine and it feels so right. My head snaps up as I feel my brother’s presence in the room.

  Weird, I wasn't expecting them back so soon. I look toward them and my eyes connect with Harlan's, who appears at the top of the stairs with the rest of the boys. I sense something must be wrong from their body language. I turn Dara around, so she is facing me and
pull my lips down to her ear.

  "Come with me now, Princess, we need to get some drinks." She nods her cute little head at me and lets me pull her out of the crowd.

  As we near the boys, Dara sucks a laboured breath through her lips and freezes. I turn her toward me.

  "What is it?" I ask panicked.

  She looks like she is in a lot of pain, her body starts to shake and my hand that sits on her back starts to burn. I quickly pull my hand off, as I can’t stand the heat any longer. My brothers all approach with concerned frowns on each of their faces. She drops to her knees and yells out a curse.

  “It hurts, everything hurts,” she cries out, with pain written all over her face.

  I can’t stand seeing her in pain, but I think I know what is happening. I look at all my brothers, who all nod in unison.

  “It’s time. She is going through the change. We have to get out of here now before we draw unwanted attention,” Harlan says, taking charge.

  Dara looks up at all of us with worry in her eyes.

  She has no idea what she is in for.

  Chapter 7

  Dara

  I look up at the four guys that are 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 Oliver’s. I close my eyes and open them again, thinking I am just seeing things. But no, holy fucking shit. Not just one but two, bless my poor little heart.

  Another wave of pain tumbles down on me and I crouch over in pain. I have no idea what is happening. My whole body is on fire and the pain that keeps pulsing through me is unbearable. But somehow, they seem to know what is going on?

  What the hell?

  I am so confused, but I can’t focus on that right now, as another wave of pain pulses through me.

  “Dara, I know this will be very confusing to 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, looking down at me.

  “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 says, pointing to each brother as he introduces them.

  What the actual fuck is he talking about? I try to get my head around what he says, but I can’t think right now. I am in too much pain. But in some fucked up way I trust him and believe that they can help me. I take in each of the guys that surround me.

  Blair and Oliver, the blonde bombshells. I have bumped into and seen them on more than one occasion. Twins? What are the chances that there is not only one hottie but two? It must be my lucky night.

  Declan, who has his brown hair cut short to his head and has a day or two of overgrown facial hair. He looks to be very reserved, as he stands back accessing the situation before him.

  Lastly, I take in Harlan. 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, the eldest of the brothers. They look of similar build, with some serious muscles. I feel very petite as they tower over me, each one being well over 6 feet.

  The familiarity I feel with them is insane. I feel like I know them like they are close friends. Which is a crazy thought. Because as of the past week, I have never seen any of these guys before. Had I? I needed to think about this later as my body continues screaming in pain.

  The guys give me some space and I see Kayla pushing her way through the crowd toward me. She looks pissed off and on a mission. She reaches me and pushes the guys out of the way.

  “What the fuck is going on Dara? Are you okay? Who the fuck are these guys?” Kayla yells, eyeing them and giving them her best attempt at a don’t fuck with me look. That’s my girl.

  “It’s okay. Something is happening to me and they are helping. They seem to know what is happening. They are going to take me to a safe place,” I say back, trying to keep my voice steady.

  Kayla puts her hand on her hips and says, “Are you expecting me to believe that? To trust them to take care of you?” She questions me.

  “Yes, trust me, please,” I grit back. Clutching my side, as another wave of pain hits me.

  She sucks in a deep breath and says, “Fine, but I expect an update every hour and you home by morning. It is already 12:20 a.m. so by 10 a.m. at the latest,” she says, looking at her phone.

  I nod, and Blair puts out his hand, pulling me up from the ground. As soon as our fingers touch, I get a shock of electricity. Damn, he is so dreamy. I don’t ever want to let go. He pulls me up so effortlessly like he lifts triple the size of me daily.

  Another surge of pain goes through me and I double over, holding onto Blair’s arm tightly.

  “Alright, we have to get out of here now. We will keep you updated Kayla, I promise,” Harlan says, looking straight into Kayla’s eyes.

  “Good, you better. If I find out you laid one inappropriate hand on her, look out! You won’t be able to feel your balls for a week,” Kayla says, pointing her finger at each one of the guys.

  I lift my mouth into a little smirk, thinking of my best friend doing that. The funny thing is, I knew she would follow through with her threat.

  I give her a hug and say, “I will see you in the morning. I promise.” I let go and let Blair, well at least I think it’s him, pick me up and carry me like a baby. We head downstairs and go out the bar’s front door.

  There is a black Range Rover sitting out the front like it was waiting for us. I keep going in and out of consciousness. The pain was getting unbearable. I am passed into someone else's arms. As soon as I touched him I knew who it was, Oliver. I didn't even have to look up to check, I somehow just knew it was him.

  I inhale and Oliver smells of freshly cut grass. Mmm, my favourite, I think to myself. Oliver must catch me sniffing him because I feel the rumble of his belly and he lets out a chuckle.

  We hop into the car and I lay down over Oliver's lap. I must have passed out because I wake as I am transferred into another set of arms. I look up to see it’s Blair who is carrying me out of the car. The car is parked right out the front of a hotel and we walk straight into a hotel room.

  I tap on Blair's shoulder and say, "I am okay to walk by myself now, thank you." I see the pain on his face. He waits several seconds and then reluctantly lets me go.

  I sway a little as I try to get to my feet. I walk the short distance to the double bed and sit down. The guys try to look busy, but you could see the concern written all over their faces. I try to lay back into the pillows and control my breathing, which is all over the place.

  Blair comes over to sit down next to me, grabbing my hand and drawing circles in my palm. It was such a sweet gesture, it eased the pain for all of one minute until it shot back again. 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. I went to grab my dress to rip it off.

  Blair clears his throat, "What are you doing, Dara?" He questions me, looking at my hand on my dress.

  "I am way too hot. I need to get this off now," I cry out in pain. I pull off my dress, so I am just left in my underwear and bra.

  I gave myself a mental high five for wearing my sexy underwear tonight. All the guys go slack jawed and try to look everywhere else other than at me. Blair clears his throat next to me.

  I didn't have time to ask him what was wrong, as another round of pain goes through me.

  "How much longer will this continue?" I yell out, squeezing my eyes shut.

  Blair tries to calm me down by drawing circles onto my hand 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 ripping into two.

  "It shouldn't be much longer, just hang in there," Harlan explains from across the room.

  I get up suddenly.

  "I need a cold shower to cool me down," I say, heading to the bathroom. Harlan blocks my path.
>
  "Are you sure you will be okay in there?" He questions me.

  "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 say frustrated, squeezing my way past him.

  I catch Oliver 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. I don’t bother locking it, just in case I need the guys’ help.

  I turn on the lights and exhaust fan and 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? There was no chance I was getting laid tonight now after this shit. Bugger.

  I sit down on the toilet seat for a good five minutes and I feel the pain easing, then suddenly it’s gone like it was never there. Could anything else fucked up possibly happen tonight?

  I get up and turn around to turn on the shower. I look back into the mirror and suck in a huge breath.

  What in the actual fuck?

  There on my back is something green that 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?

  Down my spine, there are three, circle-shaped green vines. All empty with nothing inside them. That is weird. I try to rub them off hoping they will disappear, but after rubbing for a few minutes, there is no such luck.

  I grab a hold of the vanity and stand there in shock for a few minutes. This is not happening, I was 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 my face a couple of times trying to wake myself up.

  This was so fucked up. I need to get out of here. I need to get home to see Kayla, to make sure she is seeing this on my back as well, confirming I am not going insane.