Page 3 of Devil’s Night (Vinduthi Captured Mates #7)

NICOLE

I opened my eyes, blinking rapidly as the room swam into focus. Where was I? The last thing I remembered was the flash of light from that strange device in the attic. My heart pounded as I took in my surroundings - an old bedroom, antique wooden furniture all around me. I was sprawled on an old four poster bed, the ornate floral pattern of the cover faded.

And then I saw him.

A tall, imposing figure stood near the window, his back to me. Gray skin, pointed ears, small horns protruding from his temples. I rubbed my eyes, convinced I was hallucinating.

“What the…”

The figure turned, and I flinched. His eyes were a vivid crimson. Swirling orange markings adorned his chiseled features, dancing down his left cheek and the side of his neck to disappear behind the collar of his grey jacket . Sharp teeth poked out from his thin lips.

“You’re finally awake.” The rumble of his voice struck a nerve deep inside my core.

I scrambled backwards on the mattress. “Who…what are you?”

He held up a hand, calming me slightly. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m named Sargon.”

My mind raced as I studied him, trying to make sense of this. Some elaborate prank? A movie set? But his appearance was too realistic, too visceral to be a costume or makeup effects.

“What’s going on?” I demanded, my voice trembling. “Where are we?”

Sargon regarded me with those piercing red eyes. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

I scoffed. “Try me.”

He paused for a moment, then spoke in a measured tone. “I’m a bounty hunter. A Vinduthi, not that the name of my people would mean anything to you. My last assignment went bad. I ended up trapped here, in this house.” He snarled. “In this time.”

I stared at him, dumbfounded. Vinduthi? Trapped in this time?

Screw this. I was done. It was too much. Too much to try to believe, too much to realize that my big scoop was going to be nothing more than a big joke. Just like the rest of my life was turning out to be.

I leapt off the mattress and bolted for the door, desperate to escape this madness. Sargon called out behind me, but I didn’t stop. I flung open the bedroom door and raced down the creaky stairs, the musty air stinging my lungs.

The front door was just ahead. I grabbed the handle, throwing it open only to be met with a crackling jolt of energy that sent me flying backwards. I slammed into the wall, gasping for air as spots danced in my vision.

Sargon caught me, gripped my arms to steady me. At his touch, a different sort of sparks ran through me. What the hell?

“Are you alright?”

I glared at him through a haze of confusion. “What did you do?”

He shook his head, his expression one of weary impatience. “I didn’t do anything. Maybe if you’d listened instead of running off, you wouldn’t have gotten yourself shocked.”

I started to argue, but the words died at my lips. He was right - I’d acted rashly without letting him explain.

Sargon helped me to a decrepit sofa and took a step back, eyeing me warily. “We’re trapped here, you and I. This place it’s not going to let us leave so easily.” He sighed. “So maybe try listening this time before doing something stupid again.”

I swallowed hard, my body still tingling from the blast. Aliens, portals, bizarre energy fields - it all seemed a little too far-fetched to be real, even for someone like me who investigated this sort of stuff for a living. But the evidence was right in front of me. I took a deep breath and met Sargon’s gaze.

“Okay,” I said shakily. “I’m listening.”

Sargon leaned back against the tattered sofa, his sharp gaze fixed on me. “My target was Doar Fuile - a brilliant scientist with more than a few skeletons in his closet. Genetic experiments that no one asked for, unethical research that crossed every line.” He paused, lips twisted into a smirk. “The bounty would’ve been enough for me to retire comfortably.”

I swallowed hard, trying to process this insane situation. “So why was he wanted?”

A humorless smile twisted Sargon’s lips. “Where do I start? The man was a menace. Rumor had it he’d tampered with things he had no business messing with - spacetime continuum, dimensional rifts, that kind of madness.” He shook his head. “I didn’t believe it at first, but my information was faulty. I never expected to end up trapped here because of his deranged tinkering.”

My eyes went wide as my brain scrambled to absorb what he was saying.

Spacetime continuum? Dimensional rifts? It sounded like the plot of a bad sci-fi movie, but the haunted look in Sargon’s eyes told me he wasn’t joking around. A chill ran down my spine. This was real - as insane as it was, we were trapped somewhere -- somewhen.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. What could I possibly say to that? This went so far beyond a regular haunted house investigation. Swallowing hard, I gave a shaky nod. “That’s not the sort of thing you’d expect, no.”

Sargon studied me for a moment, then grunted in what might’ve been agreement. An awkward silence stretched between us as I struggled to collect my scattered thoughts. How did I go from a simple ghost hunt to being stuck in wherever the hell this was?

An alien bounty hunter from the future, trapped here with me by the machinations of a mad scientist? It was almost too outlandish to process. Part of me wondered if I’d finally cracked, lost myself in some delusion. But no, the throbbing ache in my shoulder from slamming into that energy barrier was all too real.

I eyed Sargon warily, taking in his imposing figure, those horns, that burning gaze. Even if this insane situation was real, he was dangerous.

Yet he’d helped me up after that shock, warned me about doing anything rash. And there was something about his touch that made my head spin.

For now, at least, my best option was to hear him out.

A spark of determination flickered in my chest, burning away the icy tendrils of panic. Wasn’t this what I’d always been looking for? A mystery that couldn’t be explained by any other means?

Ok, yes. And now I was trapped with it. That was a minor detail I couldn’t get away from.

But surely a temporary one. There had to be a way out of this nightmare. I just had to find it.

“I guess we’re partners, then.” I stuck out my hand. “I’m Carter.” After a long moment of him simply looking at me, I dropped my hand to my side and squared my shoulders. “We’ll figure this out. Somewhere there’s a solution.” I frowned. “You’ve searched this whole place, right?”

He scoffed, those sharp teeth glinting. “What do you think I’ve been doing? Sitting around twiddling my thumbs?”

Fair point. I pressed on, undeterred. “But the barrier at the front door - that wasn’t there before, was it?” At his grudging shake of the head, I felt a flicker of hope. “So something changed. Maybe if we can figure out what, we can change it back and get out of here.”

Sargon grumbled something unintelligible. “Even if something did change,” he growled, “it was probably for the worse, knowing my luck.”

I ignored his pessimism, rising to my feet. He could wallow in doom and gloom if he wanted, but I wasn’t giving up that easily. “Well, I’m going to take another look around. See if I can find anything you missed.” I shot him a pointed look. “You don’t have to help if you don’t want to.”

Without waiting for his response, I turned and headed for the stairs, my pulse quickening. We had to start somewhere. Start at the top, work my way down.

Any plan was better than waiting around for things to make more sense, right?

As I climbed the creaky steps, I could feel Sargon’s presence behind me, those heavy bootsteps following close behind. He might act all gruff and indifferent, but I had a feeling the bounty hunter was more invested in escaping this trap than he let on.

The attic door loomed ahead, slightly ajar. My heart thudded in my chest as I reached for the handle.

Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I pulled the door open and stepped through.