Page 2 of Their Offering

A small plaque above the door read,

A cut on the hand

to open the door.

The seal between worlds

will be closed no more.

I pressed my lips together and contemplated just how drunk I must be. The seal between worlds? This must be a joke.

Suddenly, a hand-shaped imprint began glowing softly to the right of the door.

Fuck, I wassodrunk. No, not drunk. I was dreaming. I was sure of it. This was one of those weird, twisted dreams that felt like reality.

I let out a loud breath and rolled my eyes. Why hadn’t I listened to Katie? What if I’d passed out somewhere? I probably never even left the party.

I stared at the glowing handprint and shrugged my shoulders. I looked around once more and came to a decision. If this was a dream, why not indulge it? My real life was so mundane—living on the edge in my dreams might do me some good. Endless partying, a piece of a shit mother? I deserved this break.

I smashed the bottle against the side of the building and slid one of the sharp edges across my palm. I hissed at the sting of the cut. It was totally unsanitary, but did that matter in a dream?

Once blood began to well into my palm, I placed my hand against the imprint.

The outline of the door glowed, and I jumped back, falling straight back onto my ass. The giant door swung open, the sound of stone grinding on stone ringing in my ears. I couldn’t see past the doorway through the inky darkness inside.

I waited a few minutes, but nothing came out: no monsters, no mist, nothing. I stood and dusted myself off before stepping through the doorway, blinking as my eyes adjusted to the lack of light.

The inside was much larger than the outside made it seem. There was a concrete table low to the floor in the middle of the room, which required two steps down to reach. I slowly approached it and swept my hand across the tabletop. My fingers remained clean when I pulled them away, despite the feeling that no one had used this building in a very long time.

At the other end of the room was a platform of sorts, two steps up from the floor the table was on. I could make out more strange markings on the back wall, similar to those I had seen on the front door.

I twisted my lips in disappointment. There was nothing in here. Why the fuck was I dreaming of an empty concrete shed with a stone table? Did someone drug me? Was I tripping?

I kicked myself again for not listening to Katie. I silently prayed that some sleazebag didn’t find my body while I laid there all vulnerable.

Without warning, the markings on the back wall lit up, filling the room with a bright, blinding light. I raised my arms to protect my eyes, blinking several times before I could see again. What the hell was that?

When the light faded, I could make out three men— at least, I assumed they were men, based on the dark outlines of their broad shoulders and tall frames—standing in the back of the room. The one in the middle was the tallest, but the men to his sides were slightly bulkier. To the left, I spotted a pair of red eyes, while to the right were piercing blue ones. I couldn’t even see the face of the one in the middle.

I heard a dark chuckle, and the red-eyed shadow took a step toward me. Somehow, I managed to stay upright, but I backed up until my ass bumped into the table. My heart was racing, but I wasn’t scared. Instead, I felt something akin to excitement coursing through my body.

“Stop. Don’t come any closer.” I tried to keep my voice from shaking. Could I fight in my dream? Could I somehow defend myself?

“Tsk, tsk; that’s no way to greet the princes of Hell,” the red-eyed man scolded, his voice deep and husky.

I held his burning gaze as he stepped down to meet me. For some reason, I didn’t feel the fear I knew should’ve been burning through my body.

It’s just a dream, Lilly. Get a grip. It’s not like you’re actually in danger.

Now that I could see him clearly, I realized he was gorgeous–likedrop-deadgorgeous. He had sharp features, almost inhuman. His brown hair was short on the sides and a little longer on top; I itched to run my fingers through it. He had a five-o-clock shadow I burned to feel scrape across my face, and his eyes almost seemed alive with fire. I wascaptivated.

The red-eyed man brought his hand to his chin, rubbing his stubble as he scanned my body. My thighs clenched almost involuntarily, and he snickered before darting his tongue out to lick his lips. Why was that turning me on?Wait.Could he tell it was turning me on?

I wanted him to touch me. I wanted to feel his hands on my neck, my chest, my stomach, my thighs, between my legs. I wanted him everywhere all at once. It wasunnerving.

“So, little one, it's customary to have an offering for us, yet I see nothing on the altar.” He nodded toward the table behind me. “I do hope you have something to give us. I would hate to kill such a spectacular creature.” He was directly in front of me in two steps, and I had to crane my neck to maintain eye contact. My breath hitched when my eyes met his.

“So?” His voice dragged me from my naughty thoughts about the stranger in front of me.

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