Page 22 of The Red Room

Oh, he’s afraid all right. I’m sure none of the women he’s used and left on the sidewalk outside ever came back. But I’m here now, and he’s not getting off that easy. The chains continue to rattle, his muscular arms writhing.

“I am not your plaything, Nikolai. I don’t care how much money you have. How successful you are. You will not …” My voice trails off when I look at him. At the man I had so many things to say to. Now I can only stare in absolute horror. His eyes. The golden irises are gone and in their place … blackness. The same dark eyes I saw last night. His teeth bare, but they aren’t in a neat and polished row. Some are jagged and now larger than the rest.

“Run, Natalia,” he growls, his voice unusually low and unrecognizable. “Run!”

The skin around his face splits, and what looks like hair breaks through the seams. Lesions manifest all over his body,starting first at his neck and working their way down his torso. I can’t move. No, I can only watch as his limbs crack and twist, shifting in a way that is anything but human. It’s as if I’m watching a snake shed its skin, only this snake has something larger and more sinister hidden beneath. Flesh rips off of him, leaving brown fur in its place. The rest of his body follows suit, and his long hair melts away, pieces of it falling to his rapidly changing feet. Shackled hands, now claws, heave at the stiff metal chains, beating the ground mercilessly.

I can’t breathe. I can do little else than watch this man become something else. A long, protruding snout emerges from his deteriorating face, jowls held open and gleaming with spit along each sharp tooth. His feet are no longer feet, but misshapen monstrosities with inch-long nails. This isn’t happening. This is a dream. It’s all a fucking dream.

The beast chained to the floor where Nikolai was roars and shakes the entire loft. I flinch, bringing my palms to my ears. The windows flex inward and settle. Dishes rattle in the kitchen, crashing porcelain plates and cups into each other. It isn’t the worst sound, though. No, the thing trembling my entire body is how the chains seem to give under the monster’s weight, like they could crack at any second.

I do the only thing I can think of. The one thing any reasonable person would.I scream.I scream so loudly I feel a hoarse crack in my throat.Helppounds in my head worse than any migraine I’ve ever had but despite my mind pleading with me to run, to get the hell out of here before I become a fucking chew toy, I stand frozen. Fear chills all of my limbs regardless of the horrible heat coming from the center of the room.

It turns its attention to me and snarls something deep and guttural in my direction. The skin of its nose crinkles, creating a rugged landscape traveling up to its furrowed brow.Fuck.It’s huge, bigger than anything I’ve ever seen. Two largeears flip upward, each matted in the same brown fur. The eyes, pits darker than hell itself, glare as death drips off each large fang.

“Nik?” I manage, my voice cracking.

The creature stands fully and attempts to rid itself of the chains once more. The platform gives slightly, stretching just enough to send terror through me.

“It’s me. It’s Natalie,” I say, tears rolling down my flushed cheeks. I hold out the necklace, hoping whatever he’s become will recognize it. “See? It’s me!”

The monster recoils and howls, fighting the chains even harder now, thrashing and clawing at anything within reach.

“Please,” I say wearily, taking a step back and regaining control over my legs. “Please don’t hurt me.”

The creature fights against the restraints again, snapping its deadly jaws in my direction. The chains bend and give to its raw strength, metal ringing in tune with loud, explosive snarls.

Two large arms wrap around me and carry me through the door before I can even turn around. The monster howls again, slamming itself forward until the restraints lose slack.

“No! Get off me!” I scream, flailing against his tightened grip, my feet kicking the entire way.

“I’ve got you, Miss Nat,” he says, his voice thick and accented. Once we’re at the staircase, he releases me to the steps, and seals the hull door shut, leaving the monster’s roars on the other end to dampen and eventually silence. The man takes a heavy breath and rests his forehead against the threshold.Dimitri.

He tilts his head, and every inch of his face draws grim. “You need to leave.”

The fresh sting of tears blurs his grave expression. “What in the hell is happening, Dimitri? What happened to Nik? Heturned into a—” I don’t dare to utter the word aloud. It’s not real. It can’t be. Even thinking it curdles the bile in my gut. The need to vomit sours my tongue but I swallow it down harshly.

“You need to leave,” he says again, nodding his head this time, eyes pleading for my understanding. “Now.”

I do as he says, nearly tumbling down the steps and crashing through the entrance of Völk, too terrified to even look back. The front doors slap against the outer walls but return to their rightful place and dead bolt, any of the sounds inside dampening to a whisper on the deserted street. I run, sprinting down the sidewalk as fast as my weak legs will take me.

A Werewolf.Nikolai Vostik is a fuckingwerewolf.

TEN

I wake upin my apartment, head lolled over the back of the couch, and a tremendous kink in my neck. Not quite sure when I fell asleep, but if I had to guess, it was some time after the sun crept inside the loft, fighting its way through misshapen blinds and the curtains I still mean to fix. No way I could sleep when the moon was out. I probably never will again.

Chairs, a mattress, boxes I need to unpack, and whatever else I managed to find in my apartment to barricade the door still lay on the floor in front of the threshold, forming what I can only describe as a disorganized garage sale blockade between me and the one entrance inside. Looking at it now, there’s no way it would’ve stopped a regular person from breaking in, let alone a …

Werewolf.

No, the beast I saw last night would make easy work of the pile left in front of the door, chew its way through the mattress, kick over the boxes, and lurch toward me. Then, it would lift those horrible claws and rake them down my throat, shredding my neck to small ribbons of flesh. The thought of itreplays in my head the same way it did before I managed the few hours of sleep. Sure, I’ve seen monster movies, but never imagined I’d unwillingly have a starring role in one.

Nik. The way the skin ripped off his body like loose fabric on a dress. It wasn’t a dream. I still smell the stench. The odor of Nik’s human body decaying and pieces of it falling on the ground near his feet. Only it wasn’t Nik. This thing, this animal, was as real as the chains keeping it in place despite many attempts to break free. If it weren’t for the chains, well, Nik might still have my blood on various parts of his chained and naked body. The one thing I can’t shake, though, was the howl that shuddered Völk’s foundation. The way the floor trembled as if, it too, shared the fear coursing through each of my veins. My ears haven’t stopped ringing.

I thought things could be different, but I was wrong.I remember the way he said it. How it seemingly took everything in him to keep his features stiff and emotionless while he forced me out of the club.You are not safe around me. Around this place.Nik was trying to protect me, and Jesus Christ, I wish I would’ve listened.Don’t come back.I did. I was stupid enough to go back anyway, and now I’ve seen something I can never unsee.

Way to go Natalie. The first guy you’re truly interested in turns out to be a fucking werewolf. What next? Put up a dating account on Monsters Mingle? Seeking a creature of the night to feast on my organs.This is my luck. I’m not sure what I ever did to deserve this kind of karma, but the ripe bitch apparently has it out for me.I pinch the bridge of my nose, fighting off the headache pounding my forehead.

---