Living a life of darkness, never seeing the world for what it truly was, had to be worse than death. Beauty, desire, happiness, and heartbreak, all of the human emotions were feelings death would never experience. However, if the blinders of darkness were lifted, and the light the new world fell onto the being for the first time, anything and everything became a possibility.
Tawne had lived in this darkness her entire life. When Olivia brought her into this new world, the shadow that sheltered her life lifted. She viewed the world with new eyes and a sense of self for the first time, the light warmed her skin, it enveloped her body with comfort, and it was also frightening.
The new light in her life had four names: Cristofano, Evan, Chayton, and Will.
Cristofano warmed her sense of self. Being near him cloaked her with an invisible shield. Being with him, she felt safe, wanted, nurtured. She would want for nothing so long as he was by her side.
Evan comforted her, like wrapping a favorite blanket around yourself, loving the smell, the touch of the fabric, everything. He was home for Tawne.
Chayton elated her with wonder, laughter, and contentment. With Chayton, she would always smile, learn something new, bounce ideas off of him with no fear of judgment. He would possess her in a way that allowed her to let go, lose herself to the moment, fly without fear of falling.
Then there was Will. He frightened her above anything else, but it wasn’t fear of him, it was fear of herself. She feared ever allowing someone to know her, the real her, to allow that vulnerability to be taken advantage of. With Will, every bit of herself was served on a platter before him, waiting to be consumed. She was exposed, and it scared the hell out of her, however, at the same time, it thrilled her. She was addicted to the sensation that came with being around Will. Every touch, lick, bite…it consumed her.
She needed clarity to understand what it was, exactly, the men asked of her. They wanted her, that much was clear, and she wanted them. All of them…at the same time. Never in her life had she considered such a thing possible.
Lying in her bed, the sheets warm under her body, she glanced over at the curtains and wondered what time of the day it was. Was it morning? Night? She had no recollection of time.
Leaving the confines of her bed, the floor chilled her feet and a chill surrounded her body. She grasped the comforter from the bed and wrapped it around her naked body. Subtle flurries warmed her belly when she thought of her men ravaging her body as the soreness settled into her legs, between her thighs, backside, and her neck.
A heat crept up her neck and she smiled. No one had ever given her as much pleasure as she experienced with them. No one else ever would. They accomplished their goal in ruining her for anyone else. The thought made her chuckle.
She reached for the curtain and drew it back. The sun had begun to crest over the horizon, mixing soft hues of blue with the darkness of the night. Soon the bright orb would be full in the sky. She longed to feel the heated rays on her skin. If this was the life she chose, it would not be often she could sunbathe, garden, run a marathon. Not that she would run a marathon, but if she wanted to. She didn’t think any were held at night.
Closing her eyes, she inhaled the smells of the morning; fresh dew on the ground, grass, the fall foliage. She sighed and leaned against the rails on her balcony.
She looked down at her arms, at the remaining red marks where two of her men had bitten into her flesh. She touched the strawberry spots, the skin tender under her fingers. The flesh tingled, and a flutter of excitement shot through her body.
Tawne had four vampires. Four. They were hers and she… She wasn’t sure what she was in this moment. She was human, not a demon, not a vampire. Human.
But not for long. The words echoed through her mind once more.
What did the men expect of her? Did they expect her to take this serum Chayton had created? Would it change her chemical makeup and make her a demon? Would it kill her and she’d be reborn as a demon? What of her human life? Would she be removed from all human society? What about children? Vampires could not create children, unlike some of the tales woven throughout fiction history. She wasn’t sure about children, but had not completely written off having them, either. But accepting this life and everything that came with it meant giving all of this up…and children.
She gripped the rail and stared up at the morning sky. Her heart sped to a quickened beat and her chest grew tight. She coughed, having a tough time breathing. Gasping for air, she let go of the comforter and it dropped to the ground around her. Tawne was out in the open but she had never felt so enclosed…trapped.
“I need to go. I need air, to get out of here. I need…” she paused in her mumbling and backed away from the rail. “Home.”
Panic. She recognized the symptoms and closed her eyes, sucking in long, deep breaths. She shivered and after opening her eyes, she looked down at herself. She stood naked on the balcony, panicking about drinking a serum and giving up her life. She was being ridiculous, or maybe it was delirium. Time would definitely tell.
Tawne put on the clothes she’d worn to the vampire's home and made her way to the balcony window. It was later in the afternoon. Soon the men would bring up the topic of the serum and ask if she’d take it. Could she take it? Of course, she could make rational decisions, but would she? Not likely. How to tell the men who had changed her life and turned it upside down? She was clueless on how to broach that subject.
Hey, yeah, I like you and all, and wow, you fucked me really good, but no, I can’t do this.
Or maybe…
I’m a human and I can’t live in your society just like you can’t live in mine. I’m out.
Or maybe…
You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my lonely world and I can’t wait to join you.
Door number three sounded best and she wanted it, but did she need it? She had no idea. The men were bouncing around in her head. Cristofano, Evan, Chayton, and Will. Their forms were corporeal, but only slightly. Their forms moved with the wind that blew through the imagination of her mind.
She sighed and grabbed her purse. She needed to get out before her emotions forced her to change her mind.
She’d just closed her bedroom door behind her when a loud clap of thunder erupted, and she jumped, fear coursing through her. A flash of lightning lit the sky briefly and the familiar tap-tap-tap on the roof alerted her it was raining.
Fucking perfect.
Not wanting to make a sound walking the stairs, she decided to take the elevator. She peeked around the hall area and found it empty. She took a deep breath, then made her way to the lift. She pressed the button and felt relief the instant the doors opened. Tawne stepped inside and pressed the first floor button. As the doors closed, thunder clapped again, but his time it was louder, closer.
The elevator began to move, descending down. Was leaving the right decision? If she wanted to remain human and hold onto the possibility of having children, then yes. She glanced up at the ceiling and through her mind’s eye, willed herself to see her four men, staring back at her.
Tawne closed her eyes and a tear slipped down her cheek. The moment something good came into her life, it was only a matter of time before it was ripped away.
First her parents, then Olivia left her for a while. She came back, but it wasn’t the same. She wasn’t the same. Anyone who’d ever loved Tawne left her. Yet, here were four men, asking for her to stay, and all she could do was leave.
Another thunderclap disrupted her self-mutilating thoughts. The elevator jolted, and the light went out. She screamed and fell to her knees, dropping her purse. Her chest ached as her heartbeat surged in rhythm with panic and adrenaline.
Short breaths pushed past her lips and her hands shook underneath her. She couldn’t hold her body up much longer and her arms collapsed. She fell to her side and pulled her knees to her chest.
Tawne closed her eyes and rocked on the floor. She sobbed and cried out, “Help me!”
“Tawne?”
She heard a voice call for her, but wasn’t sure if it was one of her men, or her mind playing tricks.
“Tawne, are you in the elevator?” It was Evan. “Tawne, please answer me!”
She squeaked, but nothing more. She couldn’t talk, breathe, or move. The sound of her cell phone chimed in the darkness. The phone was in her purse, but she couldn’t move. If she moved, the elevator might fall, and she would die. That’s all there was to it.
“Tawne, we need to know you’re okay. Please, answer!”
We? Who all was outside? It didn’t matter, she wouldn’t move. She cried, tears flowed from her in waves. Pain squeezed her chest and she hissed.
“I can feel you, Tawne.” It was Will. “Your pain shot through each of us. You’re going to be fine. I promise.”
“Just breathe, Tawne.” This time it was Chayton. Were they all waiting for her?
The elevator jolted again, and panic screamed through her, sending a shrill from her that would give a banshee a run for their money.
“She’s near the second floor,” Cristofano announced. “Let’s get the doors opened and get her the fuck out.”
“Fuck this,” she heard Will growl. Then he groaned as if he were squeezing something hard, or maybe pulling.
Light leaked in, disrupting the blackness of the confined space. It grew wider and she lifted her gaze up to it. It was like Heaven, here to claim their angel.
But she was no angel, not like this. It wasn’t like her men were angels either. The thought made her want to laugh in the middle of her breakdown.
The door opened more, and she could see Will on the other side, straining to get it open. More hands pushed and finally, the door gave and opened fully.
Like an animal in danger, she rushed out the elevator on her hands and knees, and into the strong arms of a man. She sobbed into a strong, comforting chest, having no idea who she clung to, but she didn’t care. She cried into his chest and fisted his shirt in her hands.
He cradled her head and he pressed his lips to her forehead. “Shh, I have you. You’ll be all right. You’re safe.”
She lifted her gaze, blurred and tear ridden, to stare into the eyes of Will.
He smiled and wiped the tears from her face. “We have you.”
She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his chest. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“What are you sorry about?” Cristofano asked and laid his hands on her shoulders.
Her heart broke and the words were on the tip of her tongue. As much as she wanted to tell them why, she wanted to take the words back. She pulled herself free from Will and waved off the men from trying to touch or coddle her. She met their gazes and lied.
“I didn’t mean to scare you. One of my worst fears is falling to my death in an elevator.”
Chayton took a step forward and reached for her hands. “You’re safe now. There’s something we wanted to show you when you’re ready.”
“Yes,” Evan added. “Let’s take a minute and relax with a drink, get ourselves cleaned up, and head out.”
“Where are we going?” She glanced at Evan, then Chayton. She was about to tell them she couldn’t do this but decided against it. Were they none the wiser? Did they know? Could they feel it? Pushing her feelings aside, she forced a smile. “What’s the plan?”
Cristofano stepped closer and took one of her hands from Chayton. “Consider it a surprise, setup with the coven.”
She raised her brows. “A surprise with the coven? Wow…that’s kind of huge, right?”
Cristofano nodded. “Yes, definitely. With the promise of this new serum, we think the sky is the limit.” His smile resonated in his eyes. She couldn’t help but smile back.
And a part of her died inside. She was a shit. No, not a shit—the shit that grew on dog shit when it was hot outside. She was the scum that fed the nasty crust that grew around dog shit.
This was not the ending of her fairytale story she’d planned for herself. Her eyes burned with a new threat of tears. She fought like hell to keep them hidden.
“Wow, I can’t wait.”