Into the Darkness (Darkness #1)(32)

I shook my head, a smile working onto my face. I meant to ask if he was guarding me, or comforting me until I felt better, but sleep pulled me under before I could harvest another thought.

Chapter Fifteen

“Ready?” Charles asked, holding open the door.

I’d spent two days on bed rest, letting my “natural resources” regenerate within the confines of my designated room within the mansion. That’s all Charles would tell me about my situation, “You were depleted, and you need to regenerate your natural resources. The Boss is powerful, but he isn’t a pack of gods.” Peppering him for information yielded no results, but plenty of requests for sex. Worse, I wasn’t even allowed to wander the halls or have a peek outside; I was on lockdown, Charles being my chatty and jolly jailer.

When the order came down the line that I could go, which was ten minutes ago, I didn’t need to be told twice. I was tired of the constant surveillance, I wasn’t a huge fan of the scarf in progress—red and orange wouldn’t go with anything in my closet—and I needed some freedom. I needed my life back! This new world was interesting, and the prospect of having magic fascinated me, but I could only handle so many changes at one time. I needed a little time to get used to all this.

“Ready, Freddy!” I snatched up my car keys.

“Who’s Freddy?” Charles asked in confusion, guiding my arm toward the right.

“Your momma.”

“Is this some weird human joke?”

“Yes, and you are the butt of it.”

“Well, you are just a butt. Head!”

“Terrible joke.”

“You suck,” he pouted.

“Now you’re just being mean.”

We strolled at a measured pace through empty halls and rooms, the damage from a few nights ago greatly on the mend, the replaced furnishings a little more modern, but with the same quality.

“Do you guys work? How do you afford all this?” I asked, scanning the art on the walls with interest. They were largely oil paintings, huge, and appeared expensive, though I was no art dealer. “And where is everyone?”

“We are often left a portion of people’s estates—usually a new friend that happened to grow a firm attachment right before they died. We then have excellent investors and business personnel within our fold.”

“Your fold?”

“Yeah, you know, our bros. Anyway, if we don’t make it ourselves, kind humans are nice enough to donate it to us, and then we take great care of it. The Boss is excellent at management.”

“Ah. And the half-naked people having loud, obnoxious sex that occasionally woke me up over the last couple days?”

“Probably fully naked, and they are most likely sleeping. It’s late. Or early, depending on your take.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot you guys keep the opposite schedule.”

“Better get used to it, because once you start testing for magic, you’ll have to change your sleeping schedule around. Thankfully! I’m not used to this. We need to get you in trouble soon so I have something to do.”

As we emerged from the house, I stopped, preventing him from stepping outside with me. “What do you mean?”

“Didn’t the Boss tell you? You’ll have to be tested for magic. We’ll bring you back here for that; but we can’t keep an assessing team up for you…”

“No, I mean, why would my getting in trouble give you something to do?”

Charles tilted his striking face, one shapely eyebrow quirking quizzically. “I’m confused.”

“Because he’ll be keeping an eye on you,” said another voice.

It felt like my stomach was on a rollercoaster, launching high into the air, and then plummeting a second later. I turned to the right slowly, my body tingling.

The Boss stood next to me, having snuck up without a sound. He wore a vest, his bare arms cut and defined, circled by those swirling, and sometimes vicious looking, tattoos. His perfect face was turned down to me, his eyes squinting in the noon sun, but the velvety black within sucking me in and turning my chest to goo.

I unconsciously stepped forward, my body too weak to resist the pull. The invisible string attaching our bodies tugged, warming my limbs.

A female throat cleared as my eyes held his. Only then did I realize someone stood next to him. A distractingly beautiful woman, over six feet tall, glared down at me, her dark brown eyes hard. It was then I noticed the red high heels, the same ones I noticed when I was under the desk a few days ago and she was with someone that was not the Boss.

The way she was standing, though, pushed in close to the Boss’s side, her chest angled toward him, immediately registered as having a claim on him. Or wanting one. Being that the Boss allowed the body proximity, I got the impression the feeling was mutual.

A surge of jealousy reared its head as I took a shuffling step backward, backing down from her territorial stare.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Boss?” Her voice was melodic—if playing a xylophone made of icicles could be called musical.

The Boss, apparently having a real name, glanced at her before focusing on me again. “No, she is unimportant.” To me, he said, “Charles will be watching you. Our memory charms don’t seem to stick, which means you’re a liability to our lifestyle. I cannot risk a loose mouth. Should you decide to mention us to anyone—including your boyfriend—I will kill you and the receiver of information. Do I make myself clear?”