Present Day- Seattle, Washington
Adalyn
The sound of thunder was deafening as I looked around trying to figure out where I was. The lightning was cracking across the sky, and I couldn’t make out much of my surroundings. Any normal human being would be terrified standing alone in a dark unknown forest in the middle of a thunderstorm, but I felt a sense of calm for some reason like I was supposed to be here. I continued to scan around me to find anything familiar but then I caught movement from my right, someone was walking towards me. My first reaction was to run but I realized that I was not afraid. I could see the shape of a man taking form.
I could tell that he was tall, well over six feet and as he got closer, I could see his broad shoulders, muscular arms, and a very toned chest. He had tattoos down his arms and across his chest depicting many battles against evil creatures. His skin was a light tan, his hair was red, and his eyes were the most beautiful green I had ever seen. He kept getting closer and I started taking steps to meet him halfway.
The rain was running down the lines of his chest like a river. I wondered what it would be like to lick it off him. Why am I having these thoughts about a man I don’t even know. I mean yea he was hot and looked oh so delicious, but he could be an axe murderer for all I knew. He looked straight into my eyes and my heart skipped a beat.
It felt like a had a whole swarm of butterflies in my stomach. I felt so drawn to him for some reason and found myself beginning to reach out to him. He got even closer to me and put his head down next to my ear. In a thick Irish accent he whispered, “I’ve been waiting for you love for a very long time, why haven’t you come to me sooner?” Before I could answer him something behind me caught his attention. “They are coming love and you need to run but don’t worry I'll find you again.”
Every bone in my body wanted to stay put and help him in some way and he saw the inner conflict shining in my eyes. “They haven’t seen your face yet love so you're still safe please go now while I hold them off. I'll always be able to find you”, he said as he hesitantly put his hand on my chest above my heart. I felt an immediate burning sensation and it was white hot. I shivered and felt myself getting wet. When I looked down at my chest there was a beautiful purple rose tattoo with two thorns. He looked completely shocked at the mark and moved to the side to let me pass. “I will find you”, he said, and I took off through the rain.
When I looked behind me, I saw five figures surrounding him. I stopped and hid behind a tree to get a better look at the attackers. They were easily a foot taller than him with what looked like horns coming out of their heads. He drew a sword that I didn’t even see he had, and it shone through the darkness as he readied for battle. I didn’t think he could take them all because they were so much bigger than him, but he threw himself at them as they slashed at him with claws and daggers.
He returned their blows in a beautiful but deadly dance. He went down on one knee and a scream erupted from my throat as I started running back towards him. I didn’t know how I was going to help him but something inside of me pushed me forward toward him. I realized how foolish this was when the beings stopped immediately and looked up at me just as the moonlight started filtering through the trees. I locked eyes with my mystery man and the look of terror on his face stopped me dead in my tracks.
They started to move towards me. “RUN”, he screamed at me. He jumped up trying to engage them back into battle. I turned on my heels and ran as fast as I could. A bolt of lightning struck right in front of me. I sat up in bed in a cold sweat trying to catch my breath. It was just a dream, I told myself and let out a breath.
A very detailed and scary dream, just then my chest started to itch and burn. I ran to the bathroom, stood in front of the mirror, and slowly took off my pajama shirt. I closed my eyes afraid to see what was there, but I finally peeked down and there it was. The beautiful purple rose with two thorns staring back at me in the mirror. My mind was racing with thoughts as I was trying to figure out just what was happening.
There was no way that the dream was real. Was there? I picked up my phone and there’s six missed calls and twenty text messages, all from my best friend Tabby. I scrolled through the voicemails first, “call me back Addie we are supposed to meet up tonight for a girl’s night out and please don’t back out on me again we seriously need this tonight both of us, pretty please come out.” I looked at the clock, two hours until I was supposed to meet her.
I got up and took a shower. I rummaged through my closet to find something cute to wear. I finally picked out a form fitted pair of jeans and a red fitted shirt. I braided my long black hair to the side and put on some makeup. I looked myself over in the mirror, good enough I decided and headed out the door.
There was still light rain coming down and I quickly hailed myself a cab. “Where to little lady”, the older cabbie asked as I slid into the backseat. “McGinley’s please on 32nd and 40th.” “I know the place”, he said. We settled into a strange silence for the rest of the ride. My thoughts turned to the strange dream as it played over and over in my head.
I got so lost that I didn’t even realize we had arrived until the cabbie cleared his throat, "Um excuse me miss but we are here.” "Oh, I’m sorry", I said and handed him the money. I stepped out into the night and there was electricity in the air. I pushed open the door to the bar and immediately got hit with a rush of warm air and the smell of alcohol and pine cleaner. I scanned the room and took in all the little details, the oak bar with ten barstools lining the outside all full of blue-collar men off their shifts, the dim lights hanging overhead, and the tables and booths that were also almost all filled with laughing people.
It’s a cozy little place that most people don’t know exists unless you’re from the area. I looked around again to try and see if Tabby is here yet and spotted her over at the end of the bar flirting with some guy. She looked beautiful as always and my total opposite. I’m short just over five feet tall, athletic build, long black hair, and brown eyes whereas Tabby is almost six feet, thin, blonde, and blue eyes. She was wearing a way to snug red top and a mini skirt.
She was getting really flirty and I knew that if she drank anymore, she would be going home with him. She saw me inside the door, smiled and waved me over. She already ordered me a rum and coke which she knows is all I'll drink tonight. I bent down so I could whisper in her ear. "Hey, can we sit in a booth", I said. "I need to talk to you”. "Ok sure", she said. As we walked away, she glanced back at the man she was flirting with and said, "be right back sweetheart".
I saw him smile and then take out his phone and head to the back. It seemed strange but I didn’t think anything of it. We sat down and I told her all about my dream. She sat and listened patiently until I was done, and I showed her the rose. "Oh, cool Addie you finally did something crazy and got a tattoo." "No Tabby that’s the thing I didn’t, I woke up with this and you know I don’t get drunk." As I spoke that last sentence my chest started to itch and burn again. "What’s wrong", she asked as I reached for my chest." Is it infected or something."
I moved my hand and all around the rose there was a faint purple light coming through my shirt. I threw my hand back over it in hopes that no one else in the bar would see it. The door opened and two guys walked in. I was hit by the smell of a rainstorm. I knew it was the guy from my dream before I even saw him. It drew me in for reasons that I was still unsure of.
He looked different now with the long black coat, but it was him. When our eyes met, I saw the recognition on his face. He grabbed the guy he came in with and headed back out the door. “Well, that was strange”, Tabby giggled. I looked back at her, "I'm sorry, I have to go that was the guy from my dream." “But wait, oh come on Addie”, she called after me as I jumped out of the booth and made my way to the door.
I was mentally preparing myself for this interaction and I was going to question this man until I was satisfied. I needed to know why I was so drawn to him. A big burly man stepped in front of me right before I grabbed the handle for the door. "Where do you think you’re going sweetheart", he slurred out with breath that told me he had way too much to drink. I glared at him and everyone in the room was silent except for a little giggle from Tabby because she knew what was going to happen.
I must get out of here before I lose him. "Get out of my way or I'm going to make you regret it." He laughed in my face and the smell of alcohol was so strong it could knock out an elephant. "I said move and I meant it", he went to grab a hold of me. I ducked, stomped on his foot, jabbed him between the legs, and executed a well-placed knee to the face that dropped him to the floor. There was a collective gasp that went around the room and his friends got up from their seats.
When I looked back at the door my mystery man was standing there in the doorway with a feral look in his eyes. His chest was heaving, “Are you ok? He didn’t touch you, did he?”, the man asked in that Irish accent. "I'm fine thank you and no he didn’t touch me", I said. He seemed to relax, “You have no idea what I would’ve done to him if he had.” He glared at the guy’s friends and they all sat back down at their table. My chest started itching again.
I looked down and saw a light coming from his palm which he absently scratched with his thumb. It took all my willpower not to grab his hand and flip it over to see if it had a matching mark to mine. I looked back up at him, “We need to talk. I'm not sure who you are but I feel like I know you." He tried to play it off, "I think you've had a few too many tonight love."
The tone in his voice made me angry and I wanted to punch that smirk off his face. "Would you like a taste of what he got?” I pointed down to the man still unconscious on the floor. He looked shocked that I spoke to him that way. The other man peeked his head in the door and laughed, "Hahaha got yourself a feisty one there didn’t you Rainn", in that same lilting accent.
I looked back at the other man with a smile, “You have no idea but if you would like to test me, I’m sure I can oblige.” He immediately stopped laughing and looked at the man he had called Rainn. That name suited him because when I breathed in all I smelled was a wild rainstorm. It was affecting me in ways that I was not prepared for. I had never wanted to jump a man that I had never met before more in my life. He just looked at me like he was contemplating his next move.
Chapter is updated :)
Rainn Rainn pulled up to the mansion outside of town that he and his brother Liam bought ten years ago. He's exhausted after a night of hunting a group of rogue demons through the city. He was so close to finding them and then the trail went cold. He needed to talk to Liam and see if they had any updates from the team on demon movements in and out of the city. He decided to head for home for a few hours of sleep before he would be back at it again. He got out of his car and decided to go check the gardens that he had put in this year. He told the gardener he wanted plenty of color and he wasn’t disappointed as he turned the corner and saw all the blues, pinks, purples, reds, and yellows. Rainn wasn’t particular about the kind of flowers that they planted but did ask that some were from his homeland. The garden was something that he and Liam decided to have put in when they first moved in. There was partially one already there, but it was small and overgrown. They w
Tabby I’ve called and left a million messages for Addie and no answer. Tonight, was supposed to be our girl's night out but I guess I'll be going alone. Addie has a habit of making plans but not actually going through with it which is why I'm one of her only friends. I got off the couch and headed to my bathroom for a quick shower. I started ripping through my closet to find something to wear. I probably have way more clothes and shoes than necessary but hey a girl has got to look good. I finally chose a form fitted red top with spaghetti straps and a short black faux leather mini skirt. Now what to do about shoes? I spotted my favorite red stilettos and grabbed them. I headed to my vanity and decided to leave my blonde hair hanging down my back in ringlets and put on a little bit of makeup. That should do just nicely, I said to myself. I headed out the door and hoped that eventually Addie would show up at McGinley’s. I jumped in a cab and gave him the address. Before I knew it,
Typhon I headed into the conference room of my security company, The Damascus group. I hate having to go to these meetings, but as the owner, it is necessary with certain clients. I mostly have bodyguards that get hired out for rich and powerful clients, but I do have some mercenaries. I have my second in command with me as always, Henry, who is a smoke demon. He pays more attention to the clients than I do. I built The Damascus group from the ground up and I only employ super naturals because, well, this company is a cover for something I enjoy much more. I sit down at the huge table next to Henry and the client starts complaining about his problems and why he needs a guard. I'm not listening anymore but zoning out, caught in a memory of long ago and how I became this person, well, not a person but the horrible demon I am today. I'm in my room and I can hear the screaming downstairs as it gets louder. It's my parents as always. I'm twelve years old and even though my parents f
Adalyn I ended up leaving the bar with Rainn and his brother, but we don't even make it to the car before we are in trouble. We were surrounded and I'm stuck in the middle with no idea what to do. Rainn looked at me with regret and said that he didn't want me to find out this way before his body changed and a skeletal appearance shimmered over his own. His brother changed as well; they took their fighting stances. I was sure that I was seeing things and, yep, I'm officially crazy. What have I gotten myself into. I decided the best option was to try and make it the last few feet to the car and hope it was unlocked. I took off toward it when one of the men claiming to be a demon came at me. I dodged most of his attacks, but he put me on the ground. He started stalking closer to me and I just reacted and ended up sending him flying with a pulse of energy somehow. I'm freaked out. My mind is racing and is having trouble coming to terms with what is going on here. I needed some air. My l
Rainn She had the reaction I was hoping for when she saw the house that would eventually be her home. I couldn't wait for her to see the rest of it, but first Liam and I had to get Malik settled in the cells until we could question him. I had carried her into the house, taking in her scent every step of the way. I realized now that I was already addicted to her. I put her down when we got inside even though I really didn’t want to. "Adalyn, why don't you explore the house a bit while we get Malik downstairs." "Ok sure", she said. We made our way through the kitchen and down the stairs to the basement. The basement runs the entire length of the house. We remodeled it a few years ago and split it up into different rooms. We have a gym with every kind of machine imaginable. Then, it's the armory where we keep any weapons that we might need for any mission, an interrogation room, and then finally, through the last door is the cells. We only have three cells down here, but they all serve
Adalyn My mind was reeling when Malik told me that I was a dream walker. I've never felt like there was anything special about me. I was a normal girl and nothing interesting ever happened to me. "I can prove it", he said. "How can you prove that I'm a dream walker?" "Easy, one of you get something for her to lay on, and then we will begin." Rainn and Liam looked at each other like they were trying to decide if this is a good idea or not. "Guys I need to know and if this is the only way to find out then I want to do it." Rainn looked down at me with so many emotions in his eyes but the most prominent one is fear. He moved closer to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He looked over at Liam and nodded his head, then put his head on mine and smelled my hair. "Why do you keep smelling me?", I asked, as my cheeks turned pink. He moved so his lips were right by my ear and whispered, "because you smell like a field of wildflowers, and it reminds me of home. It calms me." My cheeks tur
Rainn I was completely shocked by everything that happened while questioning Malik. It seemed like she needed some space to process everything, so I decided to give her the spare room next to mine so she could get a good night's sleep. I wasn't sure that I could keep my hands off her for much longer, everything about her lured me in. It seemed like she was disappointed in my decision for her to stay in the next room and when we got to the room and I went to say good night to her, she pulled away from me. I thought maybe she was still processing whatever she saw, so I left her alone and went back down to the kitchen with Liam. When he saw me walk back in, he was shaking his head. "Man, sometimes you are so dumb", he laughed. "What are you talking about?" "I love you, you’re my brother, but dang, did you not see how upset she was that you pushed her off into the guest room?" I started to regret my decision immediately. "She needed you even if it was just to hold her and comfort her and
Adalyn Two weeks have flown by since I found out that I could dream walk and about being destined mates with Rainn. We let Malik out of the cell, and he explained who was after the guys. They have made a lot of enemies being hunters for so long, but now they have found themselves in the crosshairs of a demon lord by the name of Beherit. According to Malik, Beherit is a storm demon who Rainn and Liam had a kill order on his second in command and brother Apollyon. He said that after they killed him Beherit went crazy and has been plotting his revenge ever since. They knew who he meant immediately, and we have been training hard every day since. Three days ago, we had a visit from Jamison, who is the weapons specialist for the Vindicta. Rainn thought it would be a good idea for me to choose my specialty weapon. He told me to choose wisely and that I would know when I held it. I walked down the table that the guys had set up and picked up each weapon, from guns to throwing stars but no