“What the hell?” I squeal, jumping back.
My shoulder bumps into Ellis, who steadies me with his free hand while chuckling.
“Yuck, West, just yuck,” I whine, but I’m pretty sure I might be lying. Because I kind of liked it. Does that make me sick and twisted?
I swear to God West knows where my thoughts lie because he gives me a knowing look then wets his lips with his tongue.
I almost stick out my tongue again, just to see if he’ll lick me again.
“Are you two always like this?” Ellis asks in amusement.
West and I stare each other down, but I eventually start to squirm. No, we’re not usually like this. Do we argue? All the time. But never has West licked my tongue, and never in a million years would I have thought I’d like it. I’m blaming it on what happened in the car. That threw us off balance or something. Orgasms throw me off balance.
Yeah, that’s it. Damn orgasms.
Okay, maybe not damn orgasms. Because I like them. A lot.
Still, all orgasms aside, I need to get my balance again, because I refuse to fall for anyone ever again. Especially Blaine’s best friend. Or ex-best friend anyway.
“Yeah, kind of,” West tells Ellis, his gaze remaining fused on me. “Alexis and I have always sort of had this thing going on between us.”
“A thing where you’re annoying and I try to tolerate you,” I quip with a sugary sweet grin.
He snorts a laugh. “Is that what you really think?”
I nod, totally lying because, deep down, I know I’m as annoying as him. “Yep.”
He glowers at me, but it’s a playful move. “So, you never try to annoy me?”
“Nope, I’m completely innocent.” Yeah, I’m so not, but I’m not about to admit that to him.
West snorts another laugh. “You’re about as far from innocent as they come.”
I scowl at him, yet I’m struggling not to laugh. “I am not.”
“Are, too.”
“Are not.”
“Too.”
“Not.”
“Too, too.”
“What?”
He laughs, his eyes crinkling around the corners. “That was fun.”
I roll my eyes, but a smile threatens to turn my lips upward. “Whatever, you weirdo.”
I can’t help smiling a little bit. I’m actually feeling decent and almost forgot why I’m standing out in a hallway, holding two different guys’ hands. Then a stressed breath puffs from West’s lips and his whole demeanor tenses. Just like that, I’m reminded of why I’m here and about how crazy the last twenty-four hours have been.
“Are you ready for this?” West asks me with a nervous edge in his tone.
“I have no idea,” I answer honestly. “Since I have no clue what’s going to happen.”
Pity flows from Ellis, and my anxiety skyrockets.
I really need to find out what’s causing this weird little ability that manifests sporadically. Maybe when it’s just West and I, and I’m positive I can trust him, I can ask him. Maybe he’ll know something about it.
“Everything will be fine.” West gives my hand a squeeze and offers me a small, tense smile.
When I glance at Ellis, he gives me an uneasy smile, as well, yet his eyes are crammed with worry. I may not know him, but since he knows what’s going on … let’s just say his nervousness makes me fear what awaits me on the other side of the door.
Alexis
I swear to God it takes West an eternity to twist the doorknob and open the door. In all actuality, it probably takes about two seconds. But I’m losing track of time, like everything is creeping in slow motion, like I’m blazed out of my mind or something. Perhaps the drugs injected into my system are causing it. Or perhaps my increasing body temperature is making me hallucinate. Or maybe I just have a fever.
I open my mouth to ask West if he knows if the drug has any side effects, but then he finally opens the door all the way and all words are lost.
I’m not sure what I expected, but it definitely wasn’t some dungeon-like room with padded, soundproof walls and chains bolted into a cement floor. As an added bonus, bars line the ceiling, along with a single spotlight that is nearly blinding. And all of that is just the room. I haven’t even got started on what the people inside are doing.
Minus West, Ellis, and I, two other people occupy the room. One of them is a guy with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing black cargo pants and a matching hoodie. The metal cuffs of the chains are secured around his wrists, his nose is bleeding, and welts cover his face. He looks utterly miserable and beaten, on the verge of death, and I can’t feel what he’s feeling.
I wonder if he’s going to die. I wonder if I should be frightened.
Why am I not more frightened?
“Is that the guy who tranquilized me?” I whisper to no one in particular.
“Yeah.” Ellis’s breath touches my ear as he responds, and I nearly jump out of my skin from his unexpected nearness.
“That’s what I thought.” My gaze wanders to the other guy in the room, a guy I met only today. Yet again, I feel like I’ve met him before.
Steel.
Holy hell, he looks even scarier than before. And, even though I hate admitting it, kind of hot.
Unlike the first time I saw him, he’s stripped off his shirt and is now only wearing jeans secured by a studded belt and thick combat boots. Sleeves of bright ink and intricate patterns tattoo his lean arms and chest, and sweat drips down his rock-solid abs.
Holy shit, Masie would be flippin’ swooning herself to death right now.
I swallow a lump wedged in my throat, wishing I could wipe my brain clean of her. And Blaine.
West abruptly swipes his finger along the inside of my wrist, drawing my attention to him.
“You okay?” he mouths.
I nod, not only lying to him but to myself. Because, deep down, I’m not okay. I’m hurt, confused, and worried.
West searches my eyes, a pucker forming at his brow. I question if he can see the truth hidden inside me.
“Now, are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to beat it out of you?” Steel growls out.
I rip my gaze off West to look over at Steel.
He’s pacing in front of the chained-up guy. Each step he takes is calculated, like a predator stalking its prey.
The guy on the floor shuts his eyes and rests his head against the wall. “I already told you I don’t know anything else.”
“Wrong answer.” Steel lifts his booted foot and bashes the bottom of it against the guy’s face.
Blood squirts out of the guy’s already bloody nose as he makes a sickening gargling sound. Steel gives him no time to recover, his eyes darkening as he grabs a fistful of the guy’s hair and slams his clenched fist straight into his already swollen jaw.
My heart slams against my chest, and my grip on West’s hand constrict.
This is crazy. Insane. I mean, sure I’ve gotten into fights, but never this bloody. I should probably run away, leave this house, and never come back, right? I imagine, if my parents were here, my mom would tell me to do just that and my father wouldn’t have even wanted me near these guys—he was always a bit overprotective. But they’re not here and neither is the Alexis who existed when they were around. And this Alexis, the one who lost her parents, had her heart ripped out by her two best friends, and was tranquilized by the guy currently being beaten up wants some answers. So, my feet remain planted to the floor, even as Steel raises his fist, preparing to punch the guy again.
I want to shut my eyes, but I don’t. I watch as Steel bares his teeth, raising his fist and crashing it into the man. It’s as if he’s gone completely mad. I wonder if he has. I wonder if he’s straight-up crazy. Or if something much deeper is causing him to look so out of control.
Remember …
Remember …
I blink as strange images and a voice pierces my brain. Then I press the heel of my hand to my forehead, and just li
ke that, the voice and images fade.
I think I’m going crazy.
I think Steel is going crazy.
He moves to strike again with untamed fury in his eyes.
“That’s enough.” West releases my hand then strides forward and grabs Steel’s arm.
Steel whips his head in West’s direction, and if looks could kill, West would be a dead man standing.
“Let go of me,” Steel grits out, a vein in his neck bulging.
West shakes his head, his fingers remaining wrapped around Steel’s bicep. “If you kill him, he’s not going to be any use to us.”
Steel’s jaw clenches. “Fine.” He jerks his arm away from West, straightens, and storms toward Ellis and me.
As he steps underneath the light, I notice the blood splattered across his chest, which I’m pretty sure isn’t his, and the elevated scars on his left side. Four scars to be exact; each almost the same length, running vertically along his ribs. I don’t know what would cause that kind of scarring, but if I had to guess, I’d go with a bear attack. He must have been in so much pain when he got them, and even though the guy gets under my skin, I feel kind of bad for him.
Swallowing hard, I let my gaze reside on his face, only to find that his eyes are locked on mine. He wears no emotion in his expression; his face a blank mask. But his silver eyes thunder with a storm, and intensity pours off him.
“Are you scared?” he asks in a low, almost hopeful tone.
He wants me to be afraid of him? Yeah, this guy is definitely a weirdo.
“Of you? Or of the other guy?” I ask in the most casual tone I can muster.
He studies me with an indecipherable look. “You are afraid of me, aren’t you?”
“No. Although, I bet you hear that a lot.” I press my lips together as his intense gaze burrows into me.
“And what about him?” He points over his shoulder at the chained-up guy. “Are you afraid of him?”
“Why would I be? He’s chained up, and I’m surrounded by three very tough-looking guys who were assigned to protect me.” I pat his arm. “Thanks, by the way.”
He gapes down at his arm where I patted him. When Ellis snorts out a laugh, Steel’s cold gaze shifts to him.
“You think she’s funny?” Steel asks Ellis.
Ellis shrugs. “She’s kind of amusing, and I think you’d agree with me if you weren’t all amped up.”
“I’m not amped up,” he insists, cracking his knuckles. “I’m not even halfway there.”
“Really?” I ask with skepticism as I glance at the beaten-up guy. “Then, what the hell do you do when you’re all the way there?”
Steel’s lips curl into a smirk. “I finish the job.”
I gulp, wondering if he means he kills people. Does that mean West kills people, too?
“Steel, knock it off,” Ellis warns. “You don’t need to scare her.”
“Yes, I do,” Steel says with his dark eyes trained on me. “This entire time, she hasn’t acted scared. Not even when she thought she was kidnapped. But she should be scared. She will be when she finds out what’s going on.” He leans in, crowding my personal space and lowering his voice. “Don’t worry, though; like you said, we’re here to protect you.”
I do my best not to shiver, but I do.
As a smirk spreads across his face, I fire back a smirk of my own, even though I’m so damn confused.
I open my mouth, prepared to put him in his place, when West interrupts me.
“So, what’s going on?” he asks Steel as he appears at my side and threads his fingers through mine. “Ellis said we needed to come back here.”
Steel stares at me for a beat or two longer before tearing his gaze off me. “You want to have this conversation in front of her?” he asks West with a questioning arch of his brow.
“Not really,” West says with a sigh. “But she’s stubborn.”
“Yeah, I can tell.” Steel rubs his jawline. “Which means she’s going to be a pain in the ass to keep an eye on.”
West rolls his eyes. “I highly doubt you’re going to mind.”
Steel stares West down with his arms crossed. “What the hell does that mean?”
“I think you know,” West replies with a challenge in his eyes.
Steel shakes his head, his jaw ticking. “What did I tell you about making assumptions about me?”
West shrugs. “I’m not making assumptions. I’m stating a fact.”
As they continue to bicker like two old ladies, Ellis lets out an exhausted sigh.
“Are they always like this?” I ask.
He nods with zero hesitation. “Steel kind of brings it out in people.”
“So do I, I think,” I admit with a frown. “At least with West.”
Ellis’s eyes sparkle mischievously. “Maybe West is the problem then.”
I laugh, which seems odd considering the situation. “Yeah, maybe, but I doubt it.”
The chained-up guy suddenly lets out a hysterical laugh, and just like that, my smile fades. So does Ellis’s. West and Steel grow quiet as they turn toward him.
“And the clock officially starts.” The chained-up guy laughs again. And laughs. And laughs like a mad man losing the last bit of his sanity.
Blood begins to pour from his nose while his body slumps to the floor. He continues an eerie, wild, haunting laugh as he rolls back and forth.
“What the fuck?” West releases my hand and strides toward the guy with Steel right at his heels.
Ellis doesn’t follow. Instead, he tows me toward him until my side is pressed up against him. Then he drapes his arm around my shoulders and hugs me against his side. The protective move seems odd since I don’t really know him. At least, that’s what I think at first. But then the chained-up guy unexpectedly springs to his feet and rushes forward with so much force the chains snap.
What the shit!
Shock waves over me, powerful and potent, as the man shoves West and Steel aside as if they weigh nothing. They slam against opposing walls and crash to the concrete floor with a sickening thud.
“West!” I cry out in horror.
The guy barrels toward me, growling, “Must destroy! Must destroy!”
Usually, I can handle crazy situations, but this isn’t just a crazy situation. It’s straight out of a sci-fi, horror movie or something. I don’t know what to do. Don’t know how to react. So, I stupidly stand there as the guy rushes me. Thankfully, Ellis doesn’t share the same stupidity as me.
In one swift movement, he whirls me around while positioning his body in front of mine. “Stay back,” he orders, then charges at the guy.
The sound of their bodies impacting makes my stomach churn.
I slap my hand over my mouth and back away as the guy picks Ellis up by the throat, lifting him so high his feet no longer touch the floor.
“No one gets in the way of a mission.” The guy grips Ellis’s throat as he stares coldly into his eyes.
Ellis gasps for air, kicking at the guy. The guy isn’t even fazed.
Seriously, can you say steroid freak? Who is this guy?
Or what?
The thought crosses my mind out of the blue, but I hastily shove it aside.
This isn’t a fantasy book, Alexis. The dude’s human. He’s just jacked-up on something.
As the guy continues to strangle Ellis, I look from West to Steel, who are passed out on the floor. I don’t know how this guy managed to knock them unconscious, but one thing is for sure: it doesn’t look like they’re getting up anytime soon.
My gaze flies back to Ellis, whose face is turning blue. I may not know him very well, but I’m not about to run away and let him die. The realization that he could very well die—that the guy choking him could very well be a killer—doesn’t frighten me as much as I thought it would. It pisses me off.
A strange, powerful feeling overcomes me as I make my way around the edge of the room to the broken chains. I pick a piece up then make my way back to the guy and Ell
is, a foggy haze glazing through my mind.
I feel possessed, controlled by an unseen, unknown force. But the force gives me strength. Gives me power. Guides me straight to the guy, lifts my arms, and wraps the chain around his neck. Then I tug with all my strength, a strength I never knew I had, and they guy startles, dropping Ellis as he stumbles back.
“Let me go, you bitch,” he chokes out as I hold the chain around his neck.
My heart is racing, and that heat I felt earlier has altered to a deathly cold chill. I’m so cold I feel as though I’m dying. Maybe I am dead. Maybe I died a while ago and this is all just a dream. Maybe that’s why I feel like I’ve done this before. That I’ve hurt someone. Badly. That I’ve died. A lot.
“You think this will stop everything,” the guy chokes out as he tries to turn around, “but it won’t.”
I make no move to speak, kicking his legs out from underneath him instead.
He crashes to the floor with a loud thud, his head cracking against the cement.
I keep the chain around his neck like a leash as I lean over him. “Stop what?”
“You don’t know?” He howls with laughter. “Sucks for you then.”
“Tell me,” I demand as I wind the chain around my hand, causing it to tighten around his neck.
He grabs the chain, trying to pry the metal away from his neck while gasping for air.
I smile, still feeling possessed.
His face starts to tint blue as he struggles to breathe. “You’re going to die,” he grits out. “And your death’s going to be slow and painful.”
“Says the man with a chain around his neck,” I growl out.
“Oh, I’m not going to kill you.” He laughs. “The poison is.”
I stop winding the chain around my hand. “What poison?”
He laughs like a crazed hyena, throwing his head back. “The poison I put in you. It’s going to kill you soon.”
My heart misses a beat. “But I’m okay … I woke up … West said I’d be okay …” None of this makes sense.
“Oh, your guys don’t know about the other drug I injected in you.” The crazed smile that possesses his face sends a chill down my spine. “It doesn’t really matter, though. Whether they know or not, no one can save you. No one can ever be saved when the kiss of evil taints their blood.”
The Other World_A Reverse Harem Series Page 8
