Page 19

Hiro

Tuesday Early Morning

Basement

W aking up and checking outside my door was possibly the stupidest thing I’d done to date. The moment the demon spotted me I was transported into this dark, stone room.

There wasn’t enough light to see anything but I could feel the cold stone under my fingertips.

Roman tried to take over but this time I fought him off. I was curious what was happening and I didn’t have a lot of explanation other than his journal entries to really make sense of it all and I wanted to witness the demons for myself.

This was the time for me to be strong for once.

A thud sounded before a hand brushed over mine, then was snatched away just as quickly.

“Who’s there?” Drake’s harsh voice thundered in the previous silence and I let out a relieved breath.

“It’s me, Hiro,” I answered. Drake let out a soft sigh of relief.

“Did you check the hall, too?” he asked in a bitter tone. I nodded, then realized that he couldn’t see me either.

“I did.” He let out a dark chuckle but it sounded more exhausted than truly amused.

“Then I’d say we’re stuck here until morning, or until Harlow sends her monster to retrieve us,” he answered. A soft thud sounded as he shifted, his head likely hitting the stone wall behind us. “No Roman today?”

“I wanted to see this through. I’ve missed a lot lately,” I admitted. Drake and I weren’t usually this forthcoming, but in this moment, I found myself scooting closer to him, seeking comfort despite who it was.

My jaw dropped as he wrapped an arm around me, his scent mixing with mine. A sigh escaped as I was enveloped in his warmth.

The fact I didn’t tense had me questioning everything. Maybe I was getting stronger.

Touch was something I was starved for, sure, but on my own terms.

When others touched me in my life, it wasn’t with the intent to comfort or be kind, and I’d learned to not trust it.

Drake might be my mate but he was harsh and often scary. Yet, I instinctively knew he wouldn’t hurt me.

With him, it was different. He was always standoffish, but at least to me he wasn’t a complete dick.

That was one reason I liked him despite the nerves. He was honest, blunt, and you knew what you got. Everyone else, I had to read their emotions and demeanor to gauge if I could trust myself around them. My therapist said it was a trauma response but I couldn’t control it. At this point it was a habit.

“You have, I’m glad it was you in here with me. I’ve seen enough demons to be good for the rest of my life,” he admitted.

“I’m still trying to make sense of it. Demons…” He tensed next to me and I started to move away, assuming he was uncomfortable, but he stopped me by tightening his hold.

“Don’t. I… uh, did Roman write about me in your journal?” I’d expected this to come up at some point.

Drake himself wasn’t human.

At first I didn’t believe it, but with everything happening at Dark Haven I couldn’t hide from the reality I found myself in. And Roman would never lie to me.

“He did,” I whispered back. “I’m not scared of you, Drake.”

“Why not?” he demanded as his body tensed. “Everyone else is. I’m a fucking monster, or half of one at least.”

“No, you’re Drake,” I explained, wishing I could see him. “And humans fucking suck, so I’ll take a half demon over a full human any day. We’re mates.”

He let out a shocked chuckle. “I’d call you crazy for that but we’re all a little crazy here.”

My chest tightened when he didn’t address my comment about being mates. Were we still going to pretend it wasn’t real?

“We are,” I agreed, both of us laughing quietly. Drake had always intrigued me but we’d never connected like this—a quiet, vulnerable conversation.

I found that I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed them with Harlow. Both were confident in themselves and who they were.

They didn’t hide things from me intentionally, as far as I knew. With her I found solace, a person who could understand and accept me as I was, all of me. And Drake didn't seem to care how I got here or what was ‘wrong’ with me, he for some reason saw me, as Hiro, when no one else really did. He didn’t talk over me or avoid me like others did, in fact, he’d talk over someone else to ensure I wasn’t pulling away or losing myself in our group.

Being seen meant a lot in a world that only saw what they wanted to.

Even now as we sat in silence, his arm around me and demons moving in the halls far away, I felt something settle in my soul.

“I like you, Drake,” I blurted out. “I like Harlow, too, but differently. You… I…” I was rambling and lost my train of thought, unable to force more words out as panic started to seize me.

Vulnerability and honesty were dangerous and here I was taking chances. I just didn’t want to hide from this anymore.

“Hiro!” Drake’s voice was loud enough in my ear that the panic stopped. He let out a slow chuckle before I felt his free hand pull my face gently in his direction.

Soft lips ghosted over mine as an answer to my unasked question, and I couldn’t hide the smile that spread over my face.

It was the confirmation I needed and Drake’s way of putting the ball in my court.

Now I just had to figure out what I wanted or how to put into words that I didn’t want to let this fade away.

Something crashed in the distance, telling us we weren’t alone.

Harlow

Tuesday Morning

Third Floor

“Wake up!” The deep voice that roared in my dream was so intense that I jolted awake in my room.

Sweat covered my body and I glanced around, seeing nothing but an empty room and the dim light from the hall.

A quick glance at my alarm clock had me groaning. It was barely after four thirty in the morning.

My door creaked open, and my breath caught at the amplified sound of the nightmarish halls of Dark Haven after dark.

Vane’s words echoed in my head. He promised he’d double down on his efforts, was this the product of that?

“Hello there? Are you lost?” The slithery smooth voice had me spinning around to face a large demon whose tongue was flicking out like a snake’s, like he was tasting the air between us.

“No, get the fuck away from me!” I screamed before I was snatched by something behind me and slammed on my bed. The demon’s laughter filled the space before the door closed in his face and a very angry Monty was looming over me.

“I told you to not leave your room at night! Tonight of all nights you disobey me?!” he screamed loud enough my ears rang. The desperation in his voice was unlike him.

“Someone yelled my name, it woke me up,” I argued. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have, I sleep like the dead here!”

“Don’t leave again,” he warned before pushing his shadows at me. I tried to fight the darkness overtaking me but was powerless to fight as it pulled me under.

The eerie silence that filled the halls of the third floor had me unsettled. At first, I worried my meds were still adjusting since I’d had the strangest dreams all night. There was usually some movement around. It took everything in me to convince myself I was overreacting and to go through my morning routine without panicking.

My body felt grimy with sweat so before anything, I had to shower. As I grabbed my designated shower caddy from the desk, I noticed Nurse Drew and the night nurse were nowhere to be found.

By the time I’d taken a full shower and changed, it was still quiet. After depositing my caddy back at the nurses’ desk, I went through the hall, knocking on doors.

Every room was silent and locked, which in itself was strange. They never left me alone now.

“Hiro? Roman?” I called to be sure before moving on to Layne’s. “Layne? Crew?” Again, nothing. Holding onto hope, I called out the last member of this floor. “Drake?” I was still met with overwhelming silence.

Every footstep seemed booming in the quiet, and I realized the floor was lacking its usual noises I’d taken for granted, the buzz of the air conditioning, the washer running, everyday noises.

My heart pounded against my chest and dread settled in.

Something was wrong.

Not looking back, I ran for the elevator and slammed the button for the basement, hoping they simply went to breakfast without me and this was a vast overreaction.

The elevator wasn’t stopped once on the way down, but when it opened at the bottom I was met with a wall of shadows. A scream escaped and I fell to my ass, scrambling away from it as they pushed forward.

These weren’t demons, they were my panic come to life. I hunched in on myself and took measured breaths, counting them down.

One.

Two.

Three.

Forcing my eyes open, I sagged in relief at the empty hallway. It was short lived, though, knowing I still hadn’t found a single person so far.

With my panic at bay, I raced to the doors and threw them open, shocked to find bored cooks behind the line and not a single patient. Even the high-security section was empty, not a patient, nurse, orderly, or security guard in sight.

“Where is everyone?” I called out. One of the workers poked her head through the line so she could see me.

“You’re the first down here, and breakfast ends in fifteen minutes. Grab you some to go, honey.” She disappeared, then popped back through with a few Styrofoam boxes and a paper bag. I loaded them up with breakfast, just in case.

“Thanks!” I called out as I tucked a few bottles of orange juice in the bag and headed out the way I came.

Monty was waiting for me on the elevator, and I picked up the pace at the sight of him.

“There you are. What the fuck is going on?” I demanded.

“I told the demons to feed last night, to prepare. This is the after-effect. They’ll all be awake in a few hours,” he drawled as if he were bored by my questions.

“Monty! What the actual fuck?! You can’t use them like this! What about Drake?” He was one of them they couldn't feed from him, right?

Monty let out a chuckle as he stared down at me. “He was causing a scene with that human you like, so I took care of them.”

Ice ran through my veins, and it took everything in me not to punch him right in his skeletal face.

“Where are they? If you hurt them then that’s the end for us, Monty,” I promised him with enough venom he took notice.

“It seems you found your fire today. You could fucking say thank you as I’m the reason you went untouched at night,” he bit out.

My nightmare from last night had included him, and I narrowed my eyes, his smirk telling me everything I needed to know. It wasn’t just a fucking nightmare.

Part of me was grateful for the save, the other part, furious I could have possibly saved the guys from whatever fate everyone else was forced to live through.

“Fuck you, Monty. We’re not fucking pieces on a chess board. Where are my mates?” I demanded again.

“If you’re going to be petulant, I’ll send you there with them.” His tone was sharper than I’d ever heard but I didn’t care. This was bigger than me.

“And if you try a stunt like this again, I’ll spend every fucking night in the hall standing vigil to keep them safe,” I countered.

With the realization I did have ways to fight him, some of my own anger calmed.

He wasn’t the only one in control, and I had to learn to hold onto what little I had and use it against the assholes like him in my life. I had a feeling that no matter where my life led, Monty and I would always be complicated.

“You won’t, I forbid it,” he yelled loud enough the lights flickered around us.

“Forbid? I’m not just yours, Monty,” I sang out. “Now, take me to them.”

Without warning, I was snatched off my feet in a swirl of shadows. When they cleared, I couldn’t see a thing.

“Hiro? Drake? Anyone?” I called out as I took a tentative step forward, feeling around so I didn’t crash into anything. “Monty, I swear to all that’s holy if you stuck me in a fucking closet somewhere to be a dick, I’ll cut yours off!”

“Harlow?” The voice was weak and muffled, and I rushed toward it, crashing into something on the way. My chest hit the ground hard enough the wind was knocked out of me, but I crawled forward despite the pain and lack of air.

“Hiro?” I called again, though, it was followed by a cough that forced me to stop and catch my breath. “Fucking hell, where are the lights?!”

“There aren’t any, I have no clue where we are,” Drake answered. It sounded like they were on the other side of the door.

My progress was slow as I used my hands in front of me to keep me from crashing again, crawling across the dirty stone floor and just praying a rat or something didn’t come running by.

When I finally hit the wood of a door, I stood and felt around for the knob. A key was still in it, so I turned it and opened, disappointed to realize it didn’t help add any light.

“There you are,” Hiro said as he threw his arms around me, almost missing completely. “It feels like we’ve been here for hours.”

“I woke up and no one was there. Even the cafeteria was empty except for the workers,” I explained as I hugged him back, breathing him in. Marshmallow and campfire had me running my nose over his neck, savoring my mate for a moment. Just having someone with me was a huge relief after being alone all morning.

“They come in daily, so they weren’t here last night,” Drake said. “I heard a struggle and came out to Roman fighting off a demon. We caused enough of a scene that Ivar showed up and threw us down here on ‘Hel’s orders.’”

I almost felt bad for getting angry with him, especially if he brought them here to keep them safe for me.

“He said they were feeding, preparing for something. I don’t think he even knows what Vane is planning, but it’s big, and Hel seems to be preparing for it,” I explained. “Sorry if you were hungry, I brought food with me but Monty dropped me in a pit of darkness with no warning, I dropped it when I fell.”

“I’m assuming we’re in a basement,” Hiro supplied as he took my hand. “We’ve felt out every inch of this room and this is the only door, let’s try yours.”

“Don’t you have fire, Drake?” I asked, confused why he wasn’t using it. I could almost hear his jaw clenching and felt his anger through our bond.

“It’s locked down. I don’t know why.”

He brushed past me before a loud crash resounded.

“Found some shelves. Wait!” With a click, a flashlight flickered to life.

It was dull but enough to give us something. He swept it around the room and pointed to the French toast, bacon, and eggs splayed all over the dirty floor.

“I’m good on the food.”

I let out a half-crazed laugh. “My bad. I’m smacking Monty when I see him next.”

“I hundred percent support this plan. I’ll hold him down for you,” Drake smirked, a glint of humor and anger bright as he met my gaze.

“What are they planning? Because it sounds like we’re caught between two sides of a war or something,” Hiro said.

His voice shook, and I squeezed his hand.

“I think you’re right, but they wouldn’t achieve it without Hel knowing,” Drake said. “Whatever is happening, she’s very aware.”

“We just get to sit here and wait it out?” Hiro asked as he threw his hands up in frustration. “Fuck them for thinking that we’re some sort of cattle. It’s disgusting how they’re preying on the most vulnerable members of society.”

“I take it you and Drake had some long talks?” He definitely seemed to know more about demons now than before.

“Yes,” he said. “It feels like some sort of strange fever dream. Like what if I wake up and realize this was all some hallucination, you know?”

“I feel that way often.” I laughed. “But there’s a distinct difference in hallucinations and these demons. I can spot it now. Mainly because the demons are physical and can force shit to the surface including memories. My hallucinations aren’t that big of assholes.”

“Can we stop with this kumbaya bullshit and get the fuck out of here?” Drake bit out.

Demons were always a sore subject for him, so Hiro and I both shut up and followed him as he walked farther into the room.

A small scraping noise had me straining to listen, then confusion set in at the groans and grunts that followed. It only got louder the closer we got to the door.

“What is that?” I questioned.

“The demons should be gone at this point,” Drake answered. “So, hopefully just the boiler room.”

Drake pushed the door open, and we were met with the sight of Layne riding Crew, a fire burning behind them.

They were so involved that they didn’t notice us coming in despite the loud smack of the door against the wall.

“Fuck!” Crew called out as he slammed her down on his hips, finishing the job.

He got extra points for making her come with him.

Drake, being the dick he was, stepped forward and gave them a loud round of applause. Crew gasped and practically threw Layne off of him. Good thing he wasn’t an alpha.

She found it hilarious, standing naked and proud just laughing hysterically.

“Well, do I get a rating?” she demanded as she pulled on her clothes and Crew threw the condom in the incinerator.

“The fire gave it more ambiance, I’d say that’s at least an extra few points,” Hiro supplied as he averted his eyes.

“I’d rate you a solid eight, nice rack,” I teased. She bowed, giving us one last view of her boobs before covering them.

“Why are you guys down here?” Crew demanded. He sounded angry, but I assumed it was more out of embarrassment than anything.

“That would take a really fucking long time to explain. You guys know a way out of here?” Drake asked instead. He was already heading for the opposite door. “Though you may want to put your fire out, pyro.”

Crew cursed and threw water on the fire before following us to the door. Just as Drake started to pull it open, a loud explosion shook the building.

A jolt of electricity charged the air, and something strange settled in my chest.

I could feel something, or someone, rather. They were searching for me. I don’t know how I knew it but I did. It was a connection similar to mine with Monty.

“What the fuck was that?!” Layne called out.

“Whatever Hel had planned . . . it’s begun.”