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We head toward the main house, following two guards with two more behind us and as we spill through the door, I see three men waiting for us who make my heart bleed fear. One is bad enough, but three men like this terrify me. It’s as if I’ve been surrounded in terror for weeks now, ever since that fateful night in Dark Shadows, and I wonder if I’d still be here if I had a crystal ball that showed me what was waiting for me. I’m guessing not, but now I’m here I wouldn’t change a minute of it because I have never felt so alive as I have since entering this world.
“Lucian.” Mikhail steps forward and embraces a man who appears to share the same soul as the Russian. No emotion, no expression, just dark deadly eyes that reveal absolutely nothing. He turns to the man beside him and says, “Dante.” Repeating the welcome and then the other man. “Romeo.”
I watch the three men embrace and then their eyes turn to us, and I shrivel under their dark, demonic gaze.
“Apollo, Adonis, your mission was a success.” Lucian says in a deep, husky voice, making me wonder if they are all cut from the same cloth.
“Thanks to you.” Apollo steps forward and, like Mikhail, embraces Lucian, whispering something in his ear that makes his eyes gleam.
Adonis drops my hand and does the same and whispers his own message into the ear of the man who made this all happen.
As the brothers step away, the three men stare at Phoebe and me and I say nervously, “Thank you.”
Phoebe appears as terrified as I am and merely smiles and whispers, “I can’t thank you enough.”
The three men nod and then Lucian says, “Come. We will talk in comfort.”
Adonis reaches for my hand and I’m grateful for the support because this place is terrifying, despite the company I keep. We are surrounded by menace and it’s difficult to breathe and as we head into a large room, I catch my breath at the opulence in front of me.
Four women are waiting, watching our approach, and theirs is a different kind of welcome entirely. The smiles of reassurance that greet us settles my heart as the older woman stands and says with a broad smile, “Welcome to our home.” She steps forward and kisses Phoebe on both cheeks before doing the same to me and then, one by one, the other women follow her.
When all the welcomes have been made, she says firmly, “Come. We will leave the men to talk business. You will be made comfortable here and have nothing to fear.”
I hesitate and stare at Adonis and he smiles reassuringly, so I take a deep breath and follow the women out of the room, desperately wishing he was beside me right now.
As soon as the door closes, the older woman says politely, “I am Elena, the men’s grandmother for my sins.”
A pretty blonde steps beside me and grins. “I’m Riley, Lucian’s wife, and take no notice of him. He’s a pussycat under that dark scowl.”
Another woman takes Phoebe’s hand and grins. “I’m Isabella, Dante’s wife, and this is Ivy who is married to Romeo. Please don’t be scared. I know it can be intimidating, but we are here to help, not to threaten.”
I swear my soul relaxes as I sense how normal life here is underneath the hellish facade and as we walk up a grand staircase, Riley says brightly, “It’s so late you’ve missed dinner, but we’ve instructed the chef to arrange room service. Just settle in. You must be exhausted after your ordeal. There’s everything you need in your rooms, and I’m guessing you could do with the rest after what you’ve been through.”
We stop outside a room and Isabella says to Phoebe, “We’ve put you and Apollo in here. Is it okay to share? We can arrange separate rooms if you like.”
She appears anxious, and Phoebe rewards her with a soft smile. “This will be perfect, thank you.”
As Isabella opens the door, Phoebe turns and, for the first time, looks directly at me and smiles, before breaking free and rushing into my arms, whispering, “Thank you for coming for me. I will never forget what you did, and I will always be here for you if you need me.”
For a moment, we hug, both of us reluctant to let go, and as she pulls away, Phoebe’s eyes glitter with gratitude. Then she follows Isabella into the room and Riley sighs. “I can’t imagine what that poor girl went through. I must say, you were so brave heading onto the island. Mind you, I would have done exactly the same.”
Ivy laughs as Elena rolls her eyes. “That’s Riley for you. Nothing scares her, which is probably a good quality to have being married to Lucian.”
The three women share an amused look and then I follow them to the room next door and Ivy says, “We’ve put you and Adonis in here, although the same rules apply. If you would prefer your own room, it can be arranged.”
I say quickly, “No, we’re good, thanks.”
Elena nods. “Then we will leave you to rest. Some refreshment will be delivered when the men have finished business.”
I am grateful for the time on my own because it’s pretty intense being surrounded by so many dark souls in a strange house. This life, these people, are poles apart from what I’m used to, and I really need some time to wrap my head around it all.
I head inside and the women leave me to it, and I stare around a room that is both opulent and yet cozy. It could be a seven-star hotel it is that decadent and as I stare at the cool classic lines and an interior that could have been designed by the best, I blink in disbelief at the world I have fallen crazily into.
It all swirls around me like a tornado of memories from my time at Dark Shadows to Madeira Island. My beginnings with Apollo and what I felt then, as opposed to what I’m feeling now. It brought me to Adonis, to the Vieris and their fucked-up world, ultimately crossing my path with Adonis, my soulmate, my everything.
I am so tired and wander around the room in a daze, not really understanding how I came to be here at all, and I wonder what my own family must be thinking. It all seems a world away from the journey I have traveled and yet I wouldn’t change a minute of it.
I head into the bathroom and spy the roll top bath and waste no time in running it. As I slip out of my clothes, the gold rope drops to the ground along with the gold wreath, and I wonder if I should have handed them back to Mikhail. I set them carefully on the side and vow to make it the first thing I do when I leave the room because I don’t even want to think about the value of the items sitting on top of the vanity unit.
