Chapter 31

 

When I opened my eyes I was standing in my dingy apartment. It looked even smaller the last time after wandering around the large nightwalker, I’d say palace, but it wasn’t. Dwelling? Whatever it was called the bathroom was larger than my whole apartment. Then again, when a group of giants lived there, it made sense.

I didn’t bother turning the lights as I navigated over to the wall that seemed to be my think spot in this tiny space. Sliding down, I looked outside at the street light.

My mind was mush. So many thoughts at the same time, I didn’t know how to begin to sort them out. For as long as I could remember I didn’t actually belong anywhere, not fitting into any one group for more than a few days. I’d always thought it was because I didn’t have any sort of normal upbringing, but now I had to admit that was just an excuse I used to not fit in. I liked my life, for the most part. I looked around again, debated on turning on the lights, but it looked better in the dark so I left it that way.

If I hadn’t witnessed and lived everything since that night I tracked Wanda, the first time, I wouldn’t have believed it. Screenwriters had taken over my life and were tossing things at me from every direction. I was just a bounty hunter from the wrong side of life that had to fight every day of her existence just to stay in the game. Now suddenly I have a group of people, from some other realm to boot, telling me they’ve been waiting for me and that’s where I belong. The part that was messing with my head the most was I liked being there. All the weirdness blended with who I was, I wasn’t normal in any way and now I find out there’s a whole race of beings that aren’t normal at all.

I didn’t even know about their way of life, on the outside they looked normal, when they weren’t glowing with the flashy eyes at least, and that was good for me. I could always get to know more about them as my comfort zone expanded.

The words from the book kept coming back to me, that was a whole lot of ‘I don’t know what to make of this stuff’, to put it simply. How in hell had I been selected to be the Huntress Queen that had the delightfully horrid task of choosing between two identical twins to mate with for all of eternity and then some? There had to be a typo or something everyone was missing. It was written a long, long time ago maybe a part was lost in the translation. Maybe I was just supposed to have a brief affair with one and then the other, and carry on my merry way. I groaned at the ridiculous thoughts randomly taking over my mind. Was I taking all of this too literally? The brothers all seemed serious about it, or the few that had actually said something.

Pieces were fitting together, little things here and there. The looks between Troy and Chase from the moment I’d first seen both of them in the same room. The way each of them watched when I was close to the other. Troy’s cryptic conversation about prophecies and the separate parts appearing to come together— Did they really think I was the one that was going to control whether the eight, no make that nine men died alone in some distant century or if they lived their own happily-ever-after?

This internal discussion was getting me nowhere.

I scrolled through the numbers in my snazzy new phone. My popularity was skyrocketing with a shattering ten contacts entered. Aside from eight brothers, Frank was in there and Crissy, a woman I was determined to get off the streets.

I dialed the one number on the list, the only one I was sure would tell me it straight.

He answered on the third ring.

“Victor, its Daxx.”

There was a long pause. “Daxx, I can honestly say you’ve surprised me.”

I grinned. “No doubt. Have you got a minute?”

I heard a female voice in the background.

“I haven’t interrupted anything, have I?”

He cleared his throat. “No, I was…” More murmurs. “What can I do for you, Huntress?”

With that the other voice grew quiet. I had to give it to him; he could make a point without being rude. “I have questions.”

“I am surprised you called me.”

Dropping back against the wall, I stared at the stained ceiling. “Well, I figured with you being Mister Justice and all you’d tell me the truth.”

“Of course.” His tone was less ridged.

A mental pat on the back for me, I’d managed to compliment him without even trying. “It was either you or Leone—you’re the only two that aren’t treating me with kid gloves.”

He sighed, “there’s good reason for Leone’s reaction.

“He doesn’t like women?”

“What?” He chuckled softly. “No, I can assure you that is not the reason.” There was another pause. “Leone’s afraid you’ll be his downfall.”

“Downfall to what?”

“About thirty years ago, Leone had an addiction.” When he paused again I wasn’t sure if he planned to continue and then I heard movement in the background and a door close.

“Leone was addicted to pure human essence. I believe he’s afraid you will tempt him and send him back to that place he worked hard to climb out of.”

I was shocked. Not because he was telling me, but that the brothers had weaknesses like the flawed humans I knew. “I’ll be sure to keep my essence far away from him.”

Victor chuckled again, adding another surprise to my tally. “I’m afraid that’s impossible my dear, you absolutely reek of it—in a very appealing manner of course.”

“Of course.” I repeated, not sure if I’d been insulted or complimented. “I’ll still try to stay clear of him.” Apparently, that was the end of the discussion when he didn’t say anything further. “And why do you keep your distance and pretend I’m not there, Victor?”

“I’m not willing to change my life after five hundred years because of some words scribed in a book.”

I grinned. “Not ready to give up bachelorhood?”

“Mmm, something like that. Now, Daxx, please tell me why you called.”