Heaven stood and looked back at Sadie, and she gasped. It was the man who had been carrying her earlier. A soft smile tugged at his lips and she felt a gentle calm settle over her body. Something inside her knew she would not be in danger with this man near her. A part of her wanted to cling to him, thank him for his chivalrous actions, but she kept her distance, at least for now.
“Good afternoon, Miss McKenzie,” the long-haired man said, and smiled. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Doctor Chayton Blair. I left you a note in your room. I hope you found it?”
She nodded and stood glued to the spot on the floor. The doctor, Chayton Blair, seemed nice enough, but then again, in her books she would write someone named Doctor Feelgood. He would be a charmer, witty and funny, but he would be dangerous. She wouldn’t allow herself to be his next victim.
Damn, I’m losing my fucking mind to consider these men characters in a book right now.
When she didn’t offer anything else, he continued.
“Right, okay, like I said, I’m Chayton. To my left is Charles Bennedict.”
She shifted her gaze to Charles, the dark blond male who had long, naturally curly locks and light blue eyes. His skin appeared to be tanned, maybe sun-kissed was a better word. He wore a button-down denim shirt and jeans that hugged his legs and ass. His sleeves were rolled up and he wore a beaded bracelet on one wrist. His hair was tied back with a leather strap. He had scruff on his face, and he was breathtakingly beautiful.
He grinned. “G'day, ow ya goin?”
She pressed her lips together. He sounded Australian.
“You right?” he asked again.
“I, umm…”
“Give her a moment to get herself right before she answers anything,” Chayton offered. She would have to make a mental note to thank him later for saving her from having to answer questions.
“Oi!” he hollered, then grinned. “No worries, too right.”
“Right,” Chayton said with a grin, then motioned to another of the trio who wore a white t-shirt with a dark blue blazer and matching pants. He also had scruff on his face, light brown hair, and hazel eyes. He didn’t look amused in the least and she wondered if he was the one who was determined to not bring her here.
“This here is Adam Macray,” Chayton said.
Adam sighed and lifted a brow. He fastened his jacket and kept his eyes on her, staring into her soul. He was judging her where she stood, and her blood turned hot.
She would slap the smirk off his lips before the end of the day. He may have not wanted her here, but he didn’t have to be a dick about it.
“When you’re healed and good to go, you’re out of here.” Adam turned and left the table, walking out of the room. A cold wake was left in his place and it wasn’t from the temperature of the room. The man was rude. He didn’t want her here. No worries, she’d leave as soon as she could.
Then, that revelation hit her. She could leave.
She wasn’t a hostage!
Why not leave now?
She had her bag, but not her phone. Phone didn’t matter, she could replace it, but how would she get back to town?
“Oi,” Charles yelled toward Adam. “He’ll be right later. You here threw off his routine.”
She lifted a brow and let her breath go, realizing she’d been holding it.
Chayton shook his head. “Our apologies, Miss McKenzie. Last, but not least, is William Thomas.”
William Thomas. The one who carried her to their home. His kind, blue eyes, dark hair, and devastating good looks had her weak in the knees. William took a step closer, his broad shoulders and thick muscles pulled against the white polo. He had on fitted dark blue jeans, dress shoes, and his hair was combed back and styled.
His lips tugged into a slight grin as he approached. “You’re welcome here as long as you need to stay. Once you’re ready to go on your own, you’re welcome to leave. Our home is yours until then.”
He was old school in his mannerisms, and she pictured him as Charles Brandon from the Tudors. He approached closer and held his hand out. She hesitated for a moment, then placed hers into his.
He brought it to his lips and placed a gentle kiss upon her knuckles, his eyes never leaving hers. “Welcome to our home, Sadie McKenzie.”
She cleared her throat and took her hand from his.
“I, umm, overheard you talking about a few things and I’d like some clarification?” Sadie sidestepped William and walked toward the table. William followed her and pulled the chair Adam had vacated out for her. “Thank you,” she told him.
“You’re welcome.”
As soon as she sat down, and William scooted her in, the other three men took their seats. Charles sat across from her, William on her right, and Chayton to her left.
“How much did you hear?” Chayton asked.
“Blood demon and blood whore.”
“That bugger,” Charles growled. “Sorry ‘bout him.”
“Don’t apologize for him,” William said. “Adam is Adam. There’s no excuse for his behavior but if you were to get to know him—”
“Nope, still a wanker,” Charles interrupted with a wink.
She grinned.
“As I was saying,” William started, and eyed Charles for a moment. “If you get to know him, he’s a good man. Just had a bad run of luck for a while.”
She nodded and turned her attention back to Chayton. “Please, help me understand what happened before. And how long was I out?”
“You’ve been here for about a day. I had you on pain meds to help you heal while you slept. Before we jump into the other questions, Miss McKenzie, do you have family we can notify of your whereabouts?”
She looked to her hands on the tabletop. She crossed her fingers, then shook her head. “No, I have no family.” She looked back at the doctor. “Please, call me Sadie. I’ve been an orphan my entire life. I have no one.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” His eyes were sad and his head lowered slightly, then he met her gaze. “Well, no more dilly dallying, right?”
“Sure,” she offered, and looked to the other two men. In the distance, in the shadows, she realized Adam was still within earshot. When their gazes met, he held hers for a long moment. There was a soft light that cast down on his features, barely there, but it was almost like an angelic hue. He blinked, then looked away.
She turned her attention back to Chayton. “You were saying?”
He nodded, then took a seat. He opened the manila envelope and cleared his throat. “Sadie, while you were in the orphanage or foster homes, did anyone ever tell you of your lineage?”
She shook her head no.
“May I see your left arm, please?”
She unfolded her hands and hesitantly lifted her arm toward him. He took her wrist gently in his grasp then turned her hand over, palm up. He ran his thumb over the birthmark on her skin.
“This is a sign of your lineage, my dear. This is an indicator of what you are, not necessarily who you are.”
“But it’s only a birthmark,” she whispered. She looked down at it, then gasped and jerked her arm away from him. The marking on her arm had darkened and it was moving. Like a living tattoo. “What did you do? Why is it moving?” She looked to William then Charles. Both men were staring at her with interest, almost a longing in both of their eyes.
She frowned, then turned to Chayton. “What is this? Wait. Shit. I’m dead, aren’t I? I died and this is hot man heaven, isn’t it?”
The doctor chuckled and shook his head. “You’re not dead, Sadie. You’re alive and well.”
Charles laughed then said, “No, you’re definitely not dead, Sadie. If you were in hot man heaven, trust me, Adam wouldn’t be here.”
“Fuck you,” Adam growledfrom across the room.
She flinched in her seat and William shot up from his chair.
“Watch yourself, Adam.”
“Or what, William? You’ll lock me in my room?”
“I don’t understand what’s happening?” she asked, and the humor was gone. Her eyes brimmed with tears. “What is all this and what’s happening to me?”
The doorbell rang and William turned and headed toward the door. He opened it and another man walked into the home.
“Malik, welcome to our home.”
Malik. She remembered the name. Sadie stood from her chair as the man entered the room. His hair was long, to his shoulders, parted down the middle, slicked straight. He wore a black suit and shirt. He was tall and slender in build with an essence of power surrounding him.
“Ahh, Miss McKenzie. You’re well. I’m glad to see you’ve made a wonderful recovery.” He offered his hand and she took it. He placed his other hand on top of hers and smiled. “What have you learned so far?”
“Thank you, and not much, to be honest.”
“We were just about to get to her information,” Chayton offered. “Would you like to do the honors, sir?”
Malik smiled and motioned for Sadie to take a seat. When she sat back down, William offered his chair for the man. With a deep inhale of breath, Malik took his seat and the doctor passed the folder down to him.
“Who are you exactly?” Sadie asked.
“Think of me as the governor of our area.”
“But you’re not the governor.”
“He’s our leader of the Covenant here,” William added. “He’s our ruler for our part of the world.”
She frowned, feeling more lost and confused. “Okay, so I feel like I’m Alice and I’ve just tumbled into Wonderland. Please, someone tell me what’s going on, why this birthmark is suddenly active, what is a blood demon, and I’ll have you know I’m no blood whore.” Her last remark was directed at Adam.
Across the room, Adam grinned and lowered his gaze to the floor.
“You have questions and, I promise, we have the answers.”
“She’s an orphan. No idea who the fam is or where she’s from,” Charles added.
Malik nodded. “Okay, so let’s start at the beginning and work our way through, shall we?”
Sadie sighed and nodded. “Yes, please?”
“Sadie, you are a blood demon.” Malik remained quiet for a moment.
She sat back in her seat and frowned. She looked to each man in front of her, and the one in the shadows of the hallway. No one said anything for a long moment until she finally spoke up.
“All right, I’ll bite. What is a blood demon?”
“You’re not frightened of this news?” the doctor asked.
“Not yet. I don’t know what this means, but I’m here to tell you, I’m a human. There are no demons in our world. That’s all fantasy make believe crap.”
“Is it, though?” Adam asked.
She stared at him, then shifted her gaze to William. He lifted his brows to her.
“Wait, you’re serious?” She turned to Malik once more. “I’m a blood demon?”
“Yes, my dear, you are.”
She stood from the chair and began to pace. She had only ever read of demons in stories or saw them in movies. They were ugly, unholy, and nasty. She was none of those things. Well, she didn’t go to church, but that didn’t mean she was unholy.
“Okay, so blood demon. How? I’m a human female woman. I have no horns or special powers.”
Malik crossed one leg over the other, then pressed the tips of his fingers together. “Why would you want horns?”
She frowned. “That’s not my point. Demons are gross and from Hell. I was born in a hospital to a woman who died in childbirth. I have no idea who my father is, or was, if he’s still alive. It’s just been me my entire life.”
“Sadie,” Malik started. “Please try to understand. Blood demons are nephilims, children born from the conception of a male demon and a human woman. Your mother lay with a demon and became pregnant with you. Thus, you were born a blood demon. In normal circumstances, we’re aware of all blood demon births, but you somehow got away from us. Regardless, you’re here now an we’ll make this right.”
“Nephilim? Isn’t that a type of demi-god?” she asked.
“In the movies, yes,” Malik answered. “In this instance, though, no.”
“Right, so if I’m this blood demon, what does that make all of you?”
Adam returned to the room and this time he held a stemmed glass with a red substance inside it. It wasn’t red wine but looked to be thicker. He sipped it and his lips were stained blood red. He licked them, then grinned. A red sheen was on his teeth and she gasped.
The suspense was killing her. She felt herself tumbling further into this Wonderland of hers and wondered when she’d wake from this nightmare. Fear of the unknown clamped down on her chest. She felt her head start to spin and she grasped onto the back of her chair.
“Tell me,” she whispered.
“A blood demon,” Malik started, “is the sustenance for our species, Sadie.”
She blinked, slowly, trying to make sense of what he was saying. There was a black hole underneath her feet, ready to open and swallow her whole at any given moment. It was just waiting for the other part of the news Malik and the others had not yet shared.
“What are you?” she whispered.
“Vampires,” William answered.
Sadie blinked and her knees buckled.
“Shit,” Chayton yelled, and Malik was by her side the moment she began to fall. Once more, darkness took her sight and she fell into the man’s waiting arms.