Page 20

Harlow

Tuesday Afternoon

The Halls of Dark Haven

C haos had descended on Dark Haven. As we wandered our way through the halls and up to the first floor, the shaking didn’t stop.

It felt like an earthquake, but from the demon howls that filled the halls, I knew it was not a natural occurrence.

The closer we got to the patient accessible hallways, the harder it was to move.

Demons filled the halls and we all huddled into each other to avoid them. I was sandwiched so intensely between Drake and Roman who had taken over, that I could barely walk.

“What the fuck is going on? What are these things? Other demons? Tell me I’m not the only one seeing this?!” Crew breathed out as he clutched Layne’s hand in his, making sure she wasn’t yanked away.

From the shrill tone to his voice he was terrified. I couldn't blame him.

“I see them, too,” Layne whispered as one leaned in close to grin widely at her.

“They’re demons,” I confirmed. “From Helheim.”

They already knew what Drake was, but seeing all of the demons in the halls was a very different thing. They weren’t muted versions of demons like Drake, but towering, twisted figures made of bone, shadow, gray skin, and flames.

I couldn’t blame them for panicking, I’ve seen them countless times and they still got to me.

“What the fuck is Helheim?” Crew bit out. I’d never seen him snap but I could sympathize. I also thought I was losing my mind... or rather it was a product of my already fucked-up mind.

Roman chuckled but it held little humor. “Norse afterlife. It’s not just a myth anymore.”

“Great,” Layne said in a pseudo-cheerful tone that bordered on hysterical. There was no time for more explanations as another ground-shaking rumble had us pitching to the floor.

“There’s a portal under the courtyard,” Drake said as he pulled himself up and led the way to the courtyard door.

“Portal to Helheim?” I questioned as we followed him. “What, how? And why are we heading to it?”

“Why do you think they’re confined to the halls here?” he shot back, pausing before shoving the door open.

He didn’t answer my other question, as if he were being forced to go to the portal. The real question was why we were following him to it.

Though curiosity kept me from saying those thoughts out loud. Thankfully, Drake wasn’t done.

“The deal with Vane was to keep peace and allow Hel’s demons to feed here. With the portal so near, they can’t leave the halls or survive outside of Dark Haven. Though, with it being thrown open, who knows now. I also don’t know why that deal with Vane started or what they did before, but it feels an awful lot like she’s strengthening her army. Whatever we’re about to see? It isn’t going to be pretty.”

With that not-so-optimistic comment, he shoved the door open and we stepped outside.

Hundreds of demons were pouring out of a fissure in the ground like a fog rolling in. The earth was cracked wide open, and underneath, flames and shadows swirled together violently.

Monty was among the crowd of demons but from the way he slammed magic into demon after demon, forcing them into the fissure, he wasn’t the one who let them through.

He didn’t even glance our way this time and I had to remind myself that he knew what he was doing before I raced over to him to help.

Monty was capable of keeping himself safe, I’d only get in the way.

“Holy shit!” Layne gasped.

Crew slapped a hand over her mouth but it was too late.

All at once every demon turned our way and took in a collective breath.

“Oh god, run!” Drake yelled, truly panicked as they started running at us.

“Where to?” Roman growled as he pulled me with him back inside, almost taking out Layne who for once didn’t counter with snark.

We were all genuinely terrified and running for our lives.

“The library?” I hissed, not wanting to be overheard. “Layne? Do you know the way?”

“Second floor, east wing, through the storage room,” she answered just as quietly. “But I wouldn’t take the elevator with these tremors.”

“Good point,” Drake offered. She looked taken aback by the compliment, and in any other situation, it might have been funny.

By the time we got to the second floor, I was out of breath but afraid to stop running. Demons were filling the upper floors already, and the chances of us going unseen were slim.

“Quiet,” Roman warned, pointing down the hall where a single demon was prowling.

Layne took the lead and opened the closest door, urging us inside and shutting it behind us. I’d expected a tiny storage room but this was twice the size of my room. It was filled with shelves of linens and medical supplies that all had seen better days. From the layer of dust coating it all, it hadn’t been used in a very long time.

“Back here,” she said, disappearing between two full linen shelves. The door was half hidden but she shoved it open, revealing a high-ceiling library that was covered in dust.

“Ivar!” Drake yelled, and when he didn’t come, he turned to me pointedly before barring the door with Roman’s help.

“Monty! Help!” I called out, hoping that the demon in the hall couldn’t hear us with how our voices echoed in here.

He popped in immediately, looking around for the threat. He was breathing hard, which wasn’t surprising since we’d literally yanked him from battle. “What is it, little human? They know not to touch you.”

“And you still think they only follow your orders?” Drake demanded. “Ward this room against them like you did her room.”

“I don’t follow your orders half breed,” he spit out, but I wasn’t having any of his elitist bullshit.

“Do it. These demons aren’t going to hold back, they’re not all loyal to you,” I reminded him. Loyal demons didn’t get cast back to Hel. “Or do I need to recap my week in Vane’s secret wing? Not to mention you saw them run after us in the courtyard, even you couldn’t have missed that.”

Monty let out a low growl before going to the door we entered and shoving the table aside before carving a large sigil into the back of the door. He did the same on a door upstairs before coming back to stand in front of me. I expected more yells but he let out an exhausted sigh.

He leaned down and pressed his forehead to mine. I reached through the shadows to place my hand against the bone covering his chest. It was solid, a reminder he was here. We just breathed each other in for a few beats. Monty was my safety net and I didn't want him out of my sight now.

He finally pulled away and turned to Drake.

“Keep her safe.”

He gave us all one last look and disappeared. If he wasn’t facing bigger issues, he never would have followed Drake’s demands, even if it was to help me. That alone had me worried.

“You just summoned a demon,” Layne said. I nodded and grimaced, waiting for more but she laughed. “Of course, you did.”

“So, what now?” Crew asked as he started pacing, his footsteps were the only clean spots on the dust-covered floor. The man was barely holding onto his sanity by a thread and I hated that he was swept into this world.

They didn’t deserve it.

No one bothered to answer. Hell, I didn’t even think Drake knew what to do, and he was likely the safest out of all of us since he was half demon.

At least we were safe here.

We all wandered the library for a moment, my mind mulling over everything that had happened in the few short months I’d been here.

The library was likely once very beautiful. The windows cast rays of bright light into the room, illuminating the large shelves clad with hundreds upon hundreds of books.

A staircase wound up to a loft filled with more books, but I couldn’t see much beyond that from where I stood.

The earthquakes had dislodged books from the shelves, creating a mess of ripped pages and broken spines.

Couches, chairs, and dingy tables filled the space between the shelves. It would definitely work to keep us safe, but there was no food here.

Hell, all we had was furniture and books, not anything to keep us alive.

“We need a plan. Layne and Crew, find the records and see if you can find building plans. There has to be ways we can get around unseen. Roman and Harlow, check out the room, find anything we can use as weapons. I’ll be back.”

Drake was back to barking out orders.

“Wait, where are you going?” I demanded as I turned to face him. “You can’t go out there.”

“I’ll be fine,” he said without looking back, walking out of the room. My heart stopped as the door shut behind him.

“He will be, he’s the only one of us who can still make it around the halls. We need supplies and he’s not the type to back down from a challenge.” Roman’s reassurance was nice, but it did little to help calm my nerves.

“We need wea—” I started to say but my words were cut off as the library faded around me. A throne room was now in its place and the woman I recognized as Hel sitting on the throne. Her human face was tipped up in a smile, the skeletal side indifferent. “Well, this is certainly a way to say hello.”

She chuckled. “I was strong enough to manipulate your world this time, so I didn’t have to appear to you, instead I brought you to me.” She paused, her face hardening. “Something’s wrong with the gargoyles. You need to wake them. They’re the ones who can stop this madness.”

My eyebrows rose at her insane expectations of me. Not only did I know nothing about her gargoyles, other than the strange vision of one coming to life on the roof, but I also didn’t know how to wake them.

“You didn’t know they were trying to open the portal?” I asked. She glared at my suspicion, but I had more than a little right to be.

“Of course not,” she dismissed. “Just do as you’re told.”

I couldn’t tell the goddess of Helheim to fuck off, but in that moment, I sure as fuck wanted to. Instead, I stuck with facts. Like how I was not fit for this role.

“I don’t know how to wake a gargoyle, I don’t even know how to save my friends from your demons,” I countered.

“With this. For both counts,” she said as she snapped her fingers.

A dagger appeared in front of me. It looked as if it was carved from stone and Helheim’s embers, a soft blue glow sparkling on the surface. It was carved to a thin point and the base was polished to a shine.

“Thank you?” I said. “What does this have to do with the gar—” my words cut out as the throne room faded back to the library “—goyles. Dammit. She has to stop doing that.”

“What happened?” Crew asked, all three of them in front of me. Layne looked ready to cry or yell at me, and Roman’s panic hadn’t faded yet.

“Hel gave me this.” They all jumped back and gasped at the dagger. “She said this is the answer to the demons and supposedly it will allow me to wake the gargoyles. No big deal, right?” I laughed humorlessly.

“You were just standing there, not saying a word, it was weird,” Crew explained as he stepped back and shook his head. “This is all too much.”

“We also found something,” Layne said as she turned and ran off, coming back with files, handing one to each of us. “Found our files.”

“Did you look?” I asked as I stared down at the thick file now in my hands.

“Of course not,” she scoffed. “I’m shameless but even I have standards. It’s all for you to browse. They never tell us what’s in these. I’m going to find out the mysteries of Layne.”

“Be careful,” Roman warned her. “It’s not always good news. Don’t let it make you vulnerable.”

“I won’t,” she promised.

Layne and Crew took a couch near the records, and I noticed Roman sat his file down next to mine before dropping onto the couch nearby.

“I’m not sure I want to look,” I admitted as I put my dagger by our folders and sat down with him. “None of the things said in there are likely true.”

“I’m more interested to read about our other alters,” Roman said. His nerves were clear in the way he was clenching and unclenching his fists over and over. “But it feels wrong without Hiro. Sometimes I wish we could communicate in our head like others can.”

“It’s got to be disorienting,” I said. “Switching and losing time.”

“It is, it’s been easier lately,” he said with a small smile. “We’ve been more thorough in our journal. We have had a lot more interesting things to write about.” The teasing in his tone had a smile breaking out.

“I’m glad I came here,” I offered. “I might not have thought so that first night. But meeting you, Hiro, and Drake. It’s changed me. And Layne and Crew... I’ve never had real friends.”

“Same for us. After Hiro’s brother died protecting him, I was created. We spent years bouncing around foster homes, then facilities, and none of them are like Dark Haven. This place is awful in some areas and amazing in others.”

“Yet all the patients paid the price for Vane,” I said with a sigh. “I can’t stop imagining the demons feeding on you all. It’s an awful feeling awake, I can’t imagine the nightmares.”

“We’ve had some bad ones, a lot about that night,” he admitted. “It’s a small price to pay for autonomy.”

My heart broke at his words. It was fucked up that we were grateful for all the chaos and hell surrounding us because the world was worse.

“Are you going to read it?” I asked him as I leaned into him. He wrapped an arm around me but didn’t answer for a few beats.

“I think so,” he finally said as he reached for the side table and grabbed his folder.

His hands shook as he pulled it open, and I tried not to read over it as he did, waiting for him to say something and offering silent support.

Then his face paled further and he gasped.

“Oh my god.”

“What?” I asked, sitting up so I could properly look at him. “What’s wrong, Roman?”

He was in a sort of trance, not listening until I put my hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at me.

“I’m not the alter. Hiro is,” he said. Roman’s voice broke and I scooted in closer. “How could we remember that wrong? I was the older brother he lost... no. This means.”

God, my poor mate. We had enough to deal with without finding out everything you thought about your past and current life were a lie.

“Hey, hey, you’re both strong now, because of you,” I soothed. But the tears tracking down his cheeks were breaking my heart. He was the strong one, and seeing him break was not easy to watch.

“Maybe it’s wrong, it says I’m an alpha,” he admitted, his voice full of shock and confusion. “We’re a beta, no knot.”

That wasn’t something I could confirm for myself yet but if they were able to look so different when switching, could they have somehow mentally blocked their knot from growing, too?

We likely wouldn't have answers for a while. This wasn’t the time to think about knots, the revelations were too big.

Roman turned to me, voice wavering and fresh tears falling.

“I failed my little brother, Harlow. I let him die.”

“No,” I argued. “You did not let him die, you tried to protect him. You were a child, Roman. And look at the life you’ve given your Hiro.”

He swallowed hard and closed his eyes, leaning his head forward until it rested against mine.

“I don’t deserve you, Harlow.”

“We deserve each other. We’ve been through hell and back again and we’re no longer alone to face the world,” I promised before standing and holding out a hand. “Let’s go for a walk.”

“We’re safe here,” he protested.

“And there’s a whole second loft, come on,” I urged him.

Roman needed to get out of his head and we had time to kill before Drake came back.

Future me could figure out what the fuck to do with a dagger. Current me was going to enjoy a moment of peace.

The upper floor was cozy. There was a large fireplace that I wouldn’t trust using, but if we were stuck here, we could try to clear it out.

A door was on the far wall but I wasn’t interested in what laid beyond, only that the ward Monty drew there held strong. The important thing was that the loft was secluded from the floor below.

“We can at least sleep up here,” Roman noted as he glanced around. His voice still held a bit of shock, and I wanted to take it away. I just didn’t know how.

“Hey, don’t get lost in there Roman,” I said as I stepped into his space and tapped his temple. “You’re both in charge from time to time and he isn’t going anywhere. I like you Roman, for you. And I like Hiro, for Hiro. You’re two separate people and no matter how he came to be in this world, you’re both amazing.”

“How can you say that?” he asked me incredulously. “I’m a monster.”

“No, you’re a great man, Roman. You’re a protector and look how much you’ve saved Hiro from,” I corrected him. “Now, I haven’t seen your dick yet, maybe you are hiding a monster in there.”

He laughed at my lame joke, a little bit of his tension draining. I took that moment to pull him in for a kiss.

He was hesitant at first, unsure, but I wasn’t afraid to show him how much I wanted him. We both could use a bit of stress relief.

“Can I?” I questioned as I let my hands rest on the button of his jeans. His eyes widened but instead of protesting, he nodded.

I dropped to my knees, thankful for the dusty rug underneath us and undid the button. He helped drop his pants and boxers, and I snorted out a laugh.

At first, he looked offended and tried to step back but I quickly explained.

“You do have a monster in here, it’s always the quiet ones,” I teased with a wink.

It might have been a ridiculous stereotype, but in his case, it was absolutely true. He was long and thick, and I didn’t hesitate to swirl my tongue over the head.

To his credit, Roman managed to keep his noises muted, and fuck, the sight of him biting his lip and watching me with hooded eyes was everything.

I felt sexy and powerful, and that was all the encouragement I needed to take him into my mouth.

In a move that surprised me, Roman took over. His hands tightened in my hair, and he started to fuck my mouth shamelessly. He was so thick it wasn’t easy, I gagged on his cock with each thrust until I relaxed my throat, but loved every fucking second of it.

His low rumbling growl was strong enough I knew the alpha theory had merit. Roman needed this and I wanted to give him a moment of peace any way I could.

With his scent filling my nostrils, all musk and smoke, my own body pulsed in response. My pussy ached for him and slick had my panties wet for him. I let my hand move to the base.

He had a knot and his entire body shuddered as I teased my fingers over it, his hips slamming into me with even more force as pleasure jolted through him.

This would be fun to explore if we got the chance.

Roman rumbled out my name as I hollowed my cheek and teased my tongue over his tip each time he pulled back, using everything I knew and his noises to guide me.

Tears ran down my face and when I glanced up at him concern etched across his features.

Not wanting him to second-guess, I wrapped my hands around his thighs, holding on tight.

“Fuck, Harlow,” he breathed out. “This is fucking amazing. You’re taking me so well.” The praise was like crack to me, and I soaked it in. If he fucked my mouth this well, I couldn’t wait to see him fuck my pussy.

And he thought being an alpha didn’t make sense.

He slammed his hips forward until my face was resting against him and held me there as he came, whispering my name reverently as I swallowed down his cum. The knot under my fingers twitched, but didn’t inflate. I wondered if it would, if the mental blocks fell away.

“Where the fuck is Harlow?” Drake’s words cut through the bubble of peace we had, and Roman released me. I sucked in a breath as he stepped away, my voice raspy as I answered Drake, giving Roman a devilish grin.

“Just letting Roman fuck my face. We’re coming!”

Layne and Crew’s startled laughter filled the space below, and Roman made a choking sound before we both joined in as well.

He tucked himself away hastily, and I stood up, brushing the dust from my own jeans.

“Come on, we’ve got a world to save.”