Chained to Darkness

by Raven Woodward

  Everyone dies, was Arian’s reply. Thick, hot blood sprayed his coat. Gore was strewn all around in a morbid painting of justice. The floor beneath his paws was slick, the air filled with the bitter tang of blood. His stomach rumbled with hunger, eager to drink his fill.

  They disposed of the clan members easily enough. It wouldn’t keep them down for long, he knew.

  Huddled in a far corner, a small group of women shook and cried, their milky skin dotted with crimson. Arian’s tongue licked his coated fangs.

  Snap their fragile bones.

  Drink their silky nectar and bathe in their death.

  His thoughts were filled with feverish desires too dark to reach the rational part of his brain.

  A honey-colored beast leapt in front of the humans, earning a chorus of shrieks. But the beat didn’t attack. Instead, his silver eyes narrowed on Arian. He hated how much they resembled Oricus’s.

  Dominicus, stop. You’re not thinking clearly. Your mate is not here, now let’s go.

  I said, Arian growled, they all must die. Now move.

  For a moment, Elentis fought the direct order, his teeth bared while his smaller, toned form vibrated with rage. His steps were slow, giving Arian time he didn’t have to reconsider.

  The moment his path was clear, Arian pounced. Sinking his teeth into soft flesh, he let the warm liquid he craved wash over his tongue. Their screams were silenced with a bat from his mighty paw, snapping their frail necks.

  One attempted to crawl away: a thin woman with dry, brittle brown hair. Most likely an addict, fed by whatever product she could get away with stealing. She rasped wet breaths, moving far too slow to ever hope to escape. He bit down on her bony waist, severing the woman’s body in two.

  When he’d finished, and the building was sufficiently coated with the carnage, he turned and sprinted away, not waiting for the others.

  They would think him a monster for what he’d done, but Arian was done with his brother’s game.

  HARLOW

  The men stayed away from her room for a full day. Even Rex—who was supposed to be helping her “magic”—didn’t make an appearance. By midafternoon on the second day, she was fed up with the silence. It wasn’t her fault that the painting situation went awry. Whatever Oricus’s deal was, he really needed to get over himself.

  She wandered the empty halls, passing only a handful of servants who avoided eye contact. When Jezzebelle brought her tea in the afternoon, she too kept her gaze lowered, and didn’t speak a word. It was like Harlow was being punished for something she didn’t do.

  There weren’t many windows above ground on her end of the…really big building they were in. From the vast labyrinth of halls, she’d guess it was a castle. Some passages were nearly overgrown with vines and branches, just like the dining hall—as if the walls and trees were one and the same. Other passages were narrow and inlaid with cracks of gold and shimmering pearl that seemed to pulse with their own light source.

  Wherever the hell they were, not a single thing she encountered sparked any memories. In fact, it was all a bit foreign and strange. But then again, painting hadn’t seemed familiar and she’d discovered she was an artist. When she’d asked Jezzebelle questions about the place, she’d ignored Harlow’s questions and bowed out of the room, her lovely face pinched. Before she’d left Harlow’s room, the orange scarf had fluttered back, revealing slightly pointed ears, increasing her suspicion tenfold.

  With a sigh, Harlow strode through yet another undiscovered hall. Warm orange-and-red sunlight heated the frosted glass that she peered out from. She wanted to feel it on her face. Soak in the rays, smell the fresh air, and let everything melt away for just a small while.

  A petite, straw-blonde girl with mousy features was carrying folded linens and hurrying in the opposite direction. Before she could pass, Harlow stepped in front of her, earning a squeak that truly did sound as though it belonged to a mouse.

  “Sorry to scare you,” Harlow said quickly, looking behind to make sure no one could overhear them. “I’m looking for a door. Any door. I want to go outside for a bit—”

  “I’m sorry, that’s not allowed.” The girl shook her head frantically, her eyes wide.

  “What? Why the hell not?” Harlow demanded. “Am I some kind of prisoner?”

  The servant’s lips opened and closed like that of a fish out of water. “I-I—the master said—”

  Harlow reared back as if she’d been struck. “The master? Oricus said I couldn’t go outside?”

  The girl nodded, her eyes filling with tears. “I’m sorry, please. I meant no harm.” Her words quickly dissolved into sobs and Harlow took a further step back, brows pinched.

  Folding her arms across her chest, she said, “Take me to him. Or at least point me in the right direction.”

  From her sobs to her hyperventilating, it was clear the girl was terrified of him. Harlow rolled her eyes, just as a familiar face entered the hall behind the catatonic servant.

  Rasimus flashed Harlow a smile, barely noticing the source of the panting breaths.

  “Bullying the staff, pet?” The wicked gleam in his eyes told Harlow that that idea pleased him greatly.

  Her ire rose and she huffed. “No, dammit. I can’t get her to stop. All I did was ask to go outside. When she refused, I told her to take me to Oricus so I can find out why the hell I’m locked up in this place if I’m not a prisoner.”

  The amusement in Rasimus’s expression grew. To the girl he barked, “Go! And shut up, no one is going to hurt you…yet.”

  Harlow leveled him with a glare. “Now who is harassing the staff?”

  He stroked his dark beard, chuckling deeply. The sound vibrated through her, settling between her thighs. She squeezed them together, willing the sensation to dissipate at once.

  “You can’t go outside because it’s currently unsafe. The area is well guarded, but we don’t want to risk your safety on something as weak as assumption. Once the threat is lifted, you’ll be allowed to go wherever you please.”

  Anger burned hotter in her gut. “That’s a weak excuse and you know it. I can’t go out, literally two feet from the door, because I could die? And who is this threat?”

  Rasimus cocked his head to one side, staring at her with interest. “You’re an interesting creature. I look forward to having you soon.”

  The words made her eyes widen and her face flame. “Wow, that was helpful, thanks,” she muttered, and turned away. Before she could flee as she’d planned, Rasimus laid a hand on her shoulder, jerking her to a stop.

  “Let me discuss it with Oricus. We might be able to arrange an outing to sate your desire for sunshine. In the meantime, stay where we can keep you safe. Don’t bother trying to sneak out. There’s a dozen of us and we’re all watching you like hawks circling prey.”

  She jerked her shoulder from Rasimus’s grasp and stalked away, hoping the sound of her hard swallow didn’t reach his ears. But his rumbling chuckle that followed her made her think it had.

  When she was back in her room, she slammed the door closed and slumped against it. For the first time since waking up several days ago, she could feel the weight of lies lingering inside the stone walls.

  Whoever these men were—besides her mates—they were dangerous. Every staff member felt it.

  Maybe her mates weren’t dangerous to her.

  Or maybe they were.

  There was only one way to find out.

  She’d have to sneak out.

  Later that afternoon, after scrutinizing her painting supplies for some magical flaw or anything else that would have caused her temporary blackout, she flopped onto her bed and heaved a sigh.

  “Damn, I’m bored,” she complained loudly.

  A moment later a muffled laugh approached. The door flew open and let Geoff in without having to knock, oozing confidence and somehow looking unsure at the same time. His sexy, genuine smile paired with his messy blond hair had
her heart flipping like a dolphin doing tricks. Warmth slid down her chest, pooling low in her belly, and awakening a desire to run her fingers through his golden strands.

  Damn that bond and all the raging hormones that accompanied it.

  “I heard you say that you’re bored,” he said before running a hand through his hair. The action caused the hem of his tight-fitting shirt to ride up, giving a flash of a deliciously toned abdomen.

  She forced her gaze north and clenched the duvet in her fists to keep from checking if she was actually drooling.

  He laughed, a light sound that made her wonder if he was actually related to Oricus, Rasimus, and Tadaj. Exalicur seemed more like Geoff: easygoing, able to exist outside of the shroud of darkness that enveloped the others. “Are you less bored now that you have company?”

  Harlow rolled her eyes. “Where can a girl get an afternoon cup of coffee and a book, or some Netflix?”

  Geoff’s smile faded marginally.

  Netflix? How did she remember something so specific when she didn’t have a single memory of the guy a few days ago?

  “Uh, no Netflix, but I can hook you up with some coffee. How about a puzzle? I know where those are kept.”

  “Isn’t this your home?” she asked, getting to her feet.

  Geoff’s eyes took her in, but not in the same way Rasimus did where it felt like her clothes were being slowly peeled from her body. No, this man seemed to be trying to figure something out. As if scanning all of the pieces of the puzzle and assessing how they fit together. The effect of his scrutiny had her fidgeting, nonetheless.

  “Not usually,” he answered after a moment. “I have several places I reside in depending on the time of year. This is what you could call a summer home. Except it’s Mkorath, so more like a winter home. Although Lunvet is basically hell, so I hope we’re not here that long.”

  She blinked, trying to process everything he’d just said. It was more information than she’d gotten in a little under a week. It was Mkorath, which was…

  “Mkorath is winter?”

  Geoff shook his head. “Mkorath is autumn. Lunvet is winter. Now how about we go get you that coffee?”

  “What else can you tell me?” she asked in a rush. “Are we in America?” No, of course not. Mkorath. Lunvet. That’s a different language. Pausing, she cocked her head, surprised by the knowledge she hadn’t known she possessed. “Wow, I didn’t know I knew that. Mkorath sounds like a different language though. German? Are we in Germany?”

  His eyes widened and the remainder of his amusement vanished. He held his hands up, shaking his head. “Whoa, whoa, calm down there, little witch. Don’t hurt yourself. Our location is a secret for everyone’s protection. It’s literally forbidden to speak of it, so don’t bother.” His hand came up and ruffled his silky blond hair again. “Your memory is improving every day.”

  She heard the apprehension in his tone. What was he hiding? What were they all hiding? After their dinner she’d felt more inclined to trust them, but each hour that passed made her recant that idea more and more. “You’re right,” she said, deciding to play it cool. “Let’s go get some coffee now, I’m jonesing hard.”

  Geoff chuckled. He slung an arm around her shoulder and pulled her along with him to the kitchen, where he clumsily fixed them both a cup of bitter coffee. They sipped their beverages as they wound their way back up the staircase to a room that was most certainly his. Everything was neatly organized, the room sparsely furnished. If anything, it confirmed that he didn’t live here year-round.

  Inside a double-doored wardrobe that opened just like hers, he pulled a selection of puzzles from the top shelf for her to choose from. He had every version of chess ever created, including ones she’d never heard of. There were other board games too, but their titles were in a language she didn’t recognize. The guy was obviously a nerd.

  Every puzzle he owned had ten thousand miniscule pieces, but she told him to pick his favorite. When he dumped the pieces onto his ornately carved dining table big enough to seat four, Geoff’s features relaxed and his fingers went to work.

  She took a long swig of her coffee—content to watch him do the entire thing—but he peered up at her from under his long lashes and grinned.

  “Aren’t you going to help?” he teased.

  She blushed, turning over cardboard pieces to examine their images, but her mind was elsewhere.

  “This puzzle is older than you,” Geoff commented after a moment. She paused and met his gaze over the sea of jumbled colors. “I saw it in the window of a secondhand shop about sixty years ago. It reminded me of this place. My home. I remember thinking how strange it was that the image, to whoever created it, was nothing but fantasy, but to me it was a snapshot of a moment in my childhood.” His lips curved at the corners of his mouth.

  Harlow’s mouth went dry. “Sixty years ago?”

  “Yeah, of course you don’t remember that about us. We’re kind of immortal.” He laughed, and the sound was like velvet dipped in honey. It had a bitter edge, though he tried to hide it.

  “Immortal?” She attempted to keep her breathing even, but how did one react to discovering her mates would live forever? “Wait, am I too?”

  Geoff wrapped his hand around the back of his neck. “Yeah. Hopefully Oricus doesn’t kick my ass for telling you that.”

  Harlow took several deep, steadying breaths, but still her heart raced. She was immortal. She would live forever.

  People didn’t live forever. She knew that. Just another convenient piece of information that told her how fucked up her situation was.

  Geoff’s hand covered hers, his pale brows pinching. “Hey, I didn’t mean to freak you out. I thought you might have remembered that. And anyway, it’s not so bad. You’ll get to travel anywhere you want to go, learn whatever you want—an instrument, a new language. Hell, you can get a dozen degrees and never use a single one.”

  “Is that what you did?” she asked, trying to focus on something other than the fact that she’d watch the world change and evolve while she stayed the same.

  He shrugged. “I’ve gotten a few degrees. I even taught at Oxford for a while.”

  Harlow’s eyes went wide. “What did you teach?”

  “Advance Technologies.” He smirked down at the puzzle he’d gone back to piecing together. Clearly there was a joke there that she wasn’t getting, but Harlow decided not to pry.

  “It must be really helpful to have so much time on your hands.” Her breathing had returned to normal, thanks to his distraction.

  “In general, it is. Fortunately, there is plenty to learn and discover, even as time progresses.”

  Nodding, she linked two parts together, then continued her search. They carried on, talking about England and the other places he’d been in Europe since she’d always wanted to spend a few months there exploring on her own.

  Well after her coffee was gone, he offered her a can that was labeled with symbols she didn’t recognize. He popped the tap of his own can and gulped down a large mouthful. Harlow followed suit, first sniffing it, but it was completely odorless. She tipped it back, surprised with how it fizzed on her tongue, tasting like ginger and cinnamon with the strong burn of alcohol to follow. She hummed. “This isn’t too bad.”

  Geoff chuckled. “It’s kjoilir kul’dref.” The words sounded harsh, yet beautiful. The vacant expression she assumed she wore made him clarify. “An alcoholic ginger beer basically. It’s not actually ginger, but that’s as close of a comparison I can come up with.”

  They worked well into the evening laughing, and Harlow realized she enjoyed his company. His shy manner slipped away the longer they were together and he told her a little about his childhood, growing up with a bunch of brothers, though he was vague on the details.

  Once the puzzle was completed, she sat back, admiring their work. It was a moonscape with a vibrant galaxy of colors and six moons aligned in the sky. A creature leapt from the da
rk water below, with two tails and spiky fins. It was wholly unfamiliar.

  “What did you call that thing?” She pointed to the animal.

  “A ynabreet.” Again, his language sounded sensual and musical.

  A small laugh escaped her before she met his gaze. His pale green eyes were suddenly brighter, churning with a molten heat she couldn’t describe.

  The warmth pouring from his body was intoxicating—or maybe it was the alcohol. But she felt like she couldn’t get enough of his scent. Ginger, cloves, and something masculine—it pulled her in, and before she could register what was happening, their lips were a breath apart.

  He closed the distance, shattering what was left of her self-control. His soft, full lips brushed against hers once, then his tongue flicked her bottom lip.

  She groaned against him, the fire in her core making her want to crawl into his lap. He pressed his mouth to hers fully, and she parted for him, tasting him as he did her. Their kiss deepened, growing heavy, and her hands found his chest, roving over every hard dip and plane. She felt his touch graze up her thighs and she shivered.

  Finally, with a soft growl, Geoff pulled back, getting to his feet immediately. His pupils, she noticed, were blown wide, dominating the now-brilliant green of his irises. He scrubbed a hand down his face before offering her the other.

  “Come on. I need to get you back or my brother is going to kick my ass.”

  She tried not to pout but got to her feet. Blushing, she asked, “Why do we have to wait? I mean if I feel like having sex, shouldn’t I be allowed to do so when and with whom I want? You’re all my mates, so it’s going to happen eventually, right?”

  Geoff headed for his door and tapped a black pad on the wall beside it. With a small gush of air, it opened. Glancing over his shoulder he said, “In order for it to work properly, it needs to be done at once. If you claimed one but not the others, it would send the rest into a frenzy. And I don’t think you’d be able to fight off eleven men who were unable to take no for an answer.”