Page 16 of Guided by the Stars
Before I can question him more, his hand tugs me up and I find my legs, following along with him as my mind is mentally exhausted. “We can answer your questions once Alexius comes back. We will tell you everything, but right now let me show you around.”
Downstairs consists of only two rooms, but Daemyn points out where the cups and silverware are in the kitchen and where to find the stash of games they keep in the living room. Overwhelmed, I silently follow, until he hesitantly takes me to the front door. “Look, we are in the mist where they can’t see us, but can I trust you not to run away?” he asks, running his hand through his hair.
“As tempting as it is to run, I doubt I have a chance to make myself magically go back to where I was a few hours ago.” I sigh as his eyes study me. I really have nowhere to run or hide. I grew up exploring the woods with my dad, and judging by what I saw out the window, there is no safety outthere on my own. I won’t be a fool though, the minute this turns worse, I won’t hesitate to tempt fate. I guess Daemyn finds honesty in my words and he opens the door.
The view isn’t too different from the cabin my parents used to rent at Lake Tahoe. Towering trees surround us. They are enormous, made up of bright and dark greens, bringing the world to life. Except here, instead of looking down, I’m facing upwards, squinting at lavish homes climbing up a mountain. They are too far away to make out details, but close enough to notice the sunset sparkling off of them. It’s almost like a fairytale, homes that shine with gold and reflect like crystals over the forest below, right where we are standing.
I wrap my arms around myself, taking a deep breath in. Maybe it’s their words spinning around in my head, but I can’t deny the air here seems heavy, almost oppressive, like you’re being watched. I take a step back inside and don’t argue when Daemyn closes the door, and then I let him lead me up the stairs.
We barely set foot past the last stair, when the front door slams shut, vibrating through the empty hall, startling me.
“Why don’t I go downstairs and talk to Alexius for a bit? We’ll leave you alone up here so you can have some space,” Daemyn suggests, pointing towards the doors down the hall. “You can choose whichever room. Join us whenever you’re ready.”
He turns, heading back down the stairs and I move with purpose, running through a dark bedroom towards the open door on the opposite side. I shut it behind me, locking it, and blocking out Alexius’ voice as it rises. It’s a bathroom, one of those adjoining ones where two doors lead in. Quickly, I lock the other and strip out of my clothes. The sticky stuff is caked on my skin, and despite knowing no amount of waterwill wash away this nightmare, I step through the glass door, needing a cold shower for clarity.
I’m stuck in a ridiculous situation where I’m starting to question my own sanity, but something deep within me is believing this mess and if there is any hope of figuring this out, I’m going to need all the facts. Hopefully Daemyn is telling me the truth and they will answer all these questions floating around in my head.
Determined to learn more, I shower in record time, only to be left cursing as I stand in nothing but a gray towel over the sink, scrubbing my clothes with warm water. With every rub, the goo grows stickier, and I eye the door to my left, knowing I’m out of options.
“Fuck, I need clothes,” I grumble, pushing the door open and letting the light of the bathroom shine into the empty bedroom. It’s small, lacking personality. No pictures, no posters, not even a tv. Just plain white walls and a king-size bed with a dresser in the corner.
“Whatever,” I mumble and run over, opening a heavy wooden drawer. My fingers sift through organized piles of colors until I pull out a black t-shirt and yank it over my head. At the sound of footsteps, I stumble back, dropping the towel.
“No,” I hiss out and dart back into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I move quickly, turning on the shower, hoping they will leave me alone. I just need a little more time.
The sound of a door creaking open pulls my attention to the other door connected to the bathroom. I hold in my breath and listen as Alexius attempts to whisper, “I thought you said we can’t come up here.” His deep voice fails him, especially since I’m leaning my head against the door, straining my ears to hear them.
“I’m just putting her purse in here. She might need something.”
Well damn, if anything, I guess at least Daemyn is considerate. I dropped it during my struggle with Alexius. Unfortunately, most of it is probably useless to me. All the typical, random stuff any woman would carry; phone, camera, food, and my toothbrush; nothing too helpful when kidnapped into a fantasy world.Maybe in the future I should consider bringing spare clothes with me.
I push my ear harder against the door and listen as feet shuffle across the floor. “Done.” Alexius’ husky voice vibrates loud and I hear the drop of my purse. “Now let’s get downstairs. I need a few drinks and we need a plan. She can’t stay here.”
My thoughts exactly, buddy.
Their footsteps fade away, followed by the sound of a door being pushed closed. Assuming they left, I turn off the shower and wait a few minutes listening to the silence before cracking the door open just enough to peek through. Without seeing a soul, I go in and run for my purse. Quickly, I pull out my phone and drop it on the bed just as quickly when it confirms my suspicions, I’m out of range.I’m truly stuck.
As I make my way to the dresser I’m confident that I am in Daemyn’s room. There are pictures of woods and sunrises hanging on the walls, and black and white sketches laying around the room. It’s set up is similar to Alexius’, but this one holds more character. Instead of a crisp white bed, his is covered with black satin sheets and colorful throw pillows. His dresser isn’t neat and clean, but instead it’s cluttered with photographs.
“Cute,” I mumble, lingering on one particular photo. Daemyn has his arms wrapped around a guy covered in similar tattoos, with huge matching smiles painted across theirfaces. It’s the only photo with the pair of them together, but you can tell how comfortable they are with each other.
I let out a long groan, chastising myself. Seriously I’ve been kidnapped and I’m admiring his pictures!
With a heavy sigh, I pull open the drawer, finding only jeans and underwear. I pick out a pair of his black boxer briefs, cursing this ‘fate’ thing Daemyn talked about. I’m stuck in Olympus, left without much of a choice on anything, and relying on hope from a vision one of my abductors had, sealing my fate to theirs. I must be damn crazy for believing them and accepting this as my current reality.
Lacking options, I tie a knot into the shirt and secure the boxers with the extra hair tie I keep around my wrist. Then, my eyes drift toward the window that holds the view of the world that’s going to keep me captive.
Inhaling deeply, my fingers brush against my necklace, and I promise myself that I’ll believe their words are true, that their intentions are to protect me. I’ll play nice, get all the information I need, and then I’ll get the hell out of here and back to Adriane.
Adriane
When Beautiful is Created
We step off the boat, making our way toward a huge fence that is entirely made of gems and diamonds. The massive golden gate opens and closes, allowing souls to pass through. Guarding the gate is an enormous three-headed beast of a dog, watching the souls as they pass. Icicle Eyes passes by the big three-headed dog with no problem. Once he reaches the other side, he turns back towards me with a smirk on his face. Though he is one of my captors, the way he smirks draws my attention to him. My eyes drink him in and I can see how toned he is in those jeans and his black shirt with a black leather biker jacket and matching boots.
“So…are you expecting me to follow you?” I shout at him, and he nods. He is freaking crazy. I might be crazy sometimes, but no way do I have a death wish. “And if I don’t?”
“Cerberus is the least of your worries. You’re stuck here in the Underworld, so cross or wither away where you stand,” he says so matter-of-factly, as if he doesn’t have a care in the world.Jax stands beside me and my eyes take him in. He is tall, with chestnut brown hair that is cut short on the sides and long on the top. His grey sleeveless shirt reveals his muscular arms that are covered in intricate tattoos. His biceps flex, forcing me to quickly avert my gaze. I have a feeling he knew I was eyeballing him. This, I can play to my advantage. I just need to butter him up a bit.
