“This is Ryland, and he is Thaddeus. They won’t hurt you, Evelyn,” he says, pointing between both men. Thaddeus moves closer, sitting on the end of the bed where I woke up. Ryland stands up, staring down at me.
“Why am I here? And you bit me.”
“I didn’t bite you; I marked you. Well, I suppose they are actually the same thing,” Ryland says in his husky voice, making me shiver.
He smirks and holds his hand to help me up, but I ignore it. Getting up myself, I step away from him.
“Marked me?” I say, trying to process his words. I have heard the term before.
Everyone found out about shifters after the world turned to shit. Dark creatures revealed themselves for the first time. They made the world realize exactly what was lurking in the shadows. That was when the stories people told around campfires suddenly became a reality.
“Yes. You belong to us now,” he says, and I shake my head.
“I want to go home. Take me home, Orion,” I tell him, and he looks at me with nothing but sadness in his eyes.
“You won’t be going home, Evelyn. You belong with us now.” He repeats the same words I don’t want to hear; the same words I refuse to believe.
“No, I belong at home,” I tell him, walking past them, only for Thaddeus to get up from the bed and block my exit. I feel something strange wash over me, and I fight the urge to shiver as dread consumes me.
Something is seriously off about him. Even with Orion saying I shouldn’t fear them, something about Thaddeus has me on edge. The negative energy coming off him in waves makes me want to run. My blood turns ice cold in my veins as he looks down at me. He is tall and very broad, I only come up to the center of his chest. There is something really bad about him; something evil, dark, and twisted.
He reaches his hand up, cupping my cheek, and his thumb brushes my lips. I feel a shiver run up my spine and sparks rush over my skin. It is unsettling, and I don’t know if I want to cringe away or lean into his hand.
“You’re not leaving. I can’t let you go now,” he says, making me look up at him.
His eyes watch me with a hunger I have never seen before, a cross between wanting to rip me apart and feast on my blood, or something all-consuming. Either way, I don’t like the idea. I try to move around him when his hand moves to my arm, gripping it tightly, and fear rushes through me at the tightness of his grip.
“I said you’re not leaving. It would be in your best interest not to provoke me,” he says, his tone emotionless and cold as I try to walk out of the room.
“Thaddeus?” Orion snaps, making me look at him.
I find both Ryland and Orion looking at Thaddeus with worried expressions. My eyes move to his and I gasp at what I see. His eyes are completely black. It feels like I am staring into the eyes of a demon. Black veins ripple under his eyes and down his cheeks. The air leaves my lungs, and my throat restricts when I notice the fangs protruding from beneath his top and bottom lips. My entire body trembles in fear as he looks down at me, and I take a step back. My stomach turns upside down, and the thought of throwing up becomes a real possibility as I feel fear knot my stomach and goosebumps raise on my skin. Fear makes me step back away from him. But he steps closer like a predator, ready to pounce. Suddenly, the lights flicker, and my pulse rises.
“Thaddeus, get a grip of yourself,” Ryland’s voice rings out in the darkness.
“You’re him, aren’t you?” I whisper, suddenly realizing I’m not just in the presence of shifters, but the Dark Ones. The men responsible for destroying the world, destroying lives.
He chuckles, and I feel my hair stand on end. “And who is that?” His voice is coldly calm.
“The Dark King,” I stutter.
Something in me snaps me out of my fear. As adrenaline runs through me, I run, taking off out the door. I am desperately looking for an exit, a way out of this maze of a place. I see a door and run for it, my feet hitting the tiled floor in panic. As I reach for the handle, I find myself spun around and pinned against the door.
Thaddeus’ hand wraps around my throat as he presses himself extremely close. His entire body is pressed against mine as his head drops to my neck. He inhales deeply, running his nose from my shoulder to my jaw.
“The things I want to do to you. The things I will do to you,” he says with a groan.
Tears brim in my eyes as they start burning. I notice Orion and Ryland behind him, walking toward us. “Orion,” I gasp.
Both of them step on either side of him and I watch as Thaddeus reacts to their touch and his eyes go to his shoulder where Ryland’s hand rests. I feel a hand press between our bodies, and I feel Orion grab Thaddeus’ crotch, and Thaddeus presses himself against me and into his hand.
“Focus on me, Thaddeus; you don’t want to hurt her,” Orion whispers to him, before pressing his chest into Thaddeus’s back. Thaddeus leans back into him as his hand slips from my throat to my chest.
Knowing if I move, he may kill me, I freeze, as his hand cups my breast through my shirt, squeezing and palming it.
“I want her,” he growls, but it almost sounds like a purr leaving his lips.
“You will have her, but you need to let her go,” Orion tells him. I shiver at his words, and Thaddeus’ eyes dart to mine like bottomless pits. I can’t tear my eyes from his as they swallow me whole. “She isn’t going anywhere, Thaddeus. Focus on me,” Orion tells him.
“She is trying to leave me.” He groans, as I feel Orion’s hand between us, rubbing him harder, and I can feel his enormous length against my stomach. Ryland’s hand runs over his chest, and Thaddeus moans at their touch. I can’t stop the arousal that spreads through me as I watch them touch him.
“You’re not leaving, are you, Evelyn?” My eyes snap to Ryland at his words, and I see he is trying to warn me to agree with him.
“No, I will stay,” I gasp out, my heart thumping in my chest erratically at his warning. Thaddeus groans before moving closer, his lips crash against mine hungrily as he devours my lips, forcing his tongue into my mouth. I freeze, letting him have the control he wants as I fight the urge to shove him off and away from me.
His kiss is demanding, and his hand snakes into my hair as he tangles his fingers and yanks my head back. His lips move down my jaw to my neck, and I look to Orion helplessly as Thaddeus assaults my skin with his lips. Ryland tugs his face away from me, kissing him passionately with the same desire Thaddeus has. Thaddeus lets me go and steps away, all but attacking him as Ryland pulls him away from me. Orion tugs me to him, and I follow him; anything to get away from that beast of a man.