Page 14

Before I realized it, I was on the floor staring at Kiam’s shiny boots. Rubber, shiny buckles, and polished leather remained immaculately clean until a deep, crimson rain began to fall around his ankles.

Blood.

“Get your hands off her,” I heard a voice growling.

My hair was moving away from my forehead, and Kiam was balanced on the balls of his feet. He was gazing at me with his head tilted, like I was a fascinating curiosity. He ran his tongue over an elongated tooth, and I rolled backwards, blocked by a set of long, lean legs.

“Here, take my hand.” I looked up and a set of green eyes met my own. The limb appeared normal, though it was stained red. Most of him was stained red.

His fingernails were once again an average length, manicured perfectly, but they reflected the light as if they were mirrors.

When I looked back at Kiam, he gave me a small smile, his teeth appearing human once again. I shook my head, trying desperately to clear thoughts I knew would take a distinctly downward turn the moment I searched for Bryan and his friends. I would never recover if I stared for too long.

Placing my hand in his, I couldn’t help but notice the wash of red in my peripheral vision. Just like anyone who drove by an accident on the highway, my gaze was pulled toward the scene of carnage.

Streaks ran across the walls, dripping lines of blood like abstract art, stark against a bright white backdrop. It pooled on the broken top of the coffee table, and beneath torn, severed limbs. Nothing looked real. It couldn’t be.

Things like this just didn’t happen—it was only minutes ago we were all out at the bar. The only thing that made sense was I’d dreamed about leaving Bryan, and it turned into a nightmare. None of this was real.

The disconnect left me numb, my brain misfiring and unable to form a single, coherent thought. Kiam was licking his fingers, and I watched as Lukas waved each of his dripping hands over himself. The gore disappeared like magic, leaving him pristine.

My eyes ached and my legs swayed when I glanced down at my bag. It was sprayed with an unidentifiable gooey red and beige substance that was slowly sliding down the leather sides in chunks.

Even in death Bryan makes a mess. That thought snapped me out of my stasis.

A roar sounded through my apartment, and I spun in a circle, catching my reflection in a mirror. My mouth was stretched open. The sound was coming from me.

Lukas glanced at Kiam—who appeared bored out of his mind, twisting and straightening his rings on his fingers, lips set in a line.

I took that moment to swoop up my bag and dash toward the door. I was stopped suddenly, blocked by the blond monster’s arm. Bouncing backward, I slammed into the wall but didn’t fall down.

The motion put space between us, and he stared at me, waiting to see what I’d do next. There was a lamp on the table to my right, and a weighty, decorative box. I chose the box for its sharp edges.

Before I could get enough leverage to do anything with it, my wrist was squeezed. The pressure increased until the knickknack fell on the carpet.

Lukas rubbed his chin with two long, elegant fingers. “You’re brave for someone so fragile.” He gave me a small smile, his eyes lit with approval.

Did I just turn this asshole on? My blood turned to ice and plummeted to my feet.

Then, the reality of my situation hit like a freight train. There was no fucking way I was asleep. Fully and unfortunately awake, I was trapped by two murderous strangers and the only person who could have helped me was spread throughout my living room in bits, chunks, and pieces.

“Why... why did... what did...,” My voice rambled incoherently. “How...”

“We should go,” Kiam stated, kicking an unidentifiable blob of something out of his way.

Lukas started pulling his gloves back on but quickly stuffed them in the pockets of his coat instead. “Yes.”

“You can’t just leave, look what you did.” My head throbbed while I considered whether I should clean up or if I should just call the police. I was under no illusion. I'd be blamed for the mess; thrown away in jail for life.

No one would ever believe what’d happened here when I said two crazy men grew long nails and then shredded three people into little pieces without a fight. I’d end up in a psychiatric ward.

Lukas glanced at the scene before returning his gaze to me. “I will do anything you require.”

“What? What I ‘require’ is that this never happened to begin with. How did... What even happened here?”

The man smirked down at me. “No one is allowed to disrespect or dishonor you.”

“What do you care? See that bag? I was leaving.”