Chapter Four

THEY STOOD THERE observing her. After Isla administered the cocktail to Lily, a wave of massive psychic energy flushed through the fortress, shaking its foundations. There was truly a lot of power to this beauty of a woman.

Upon her first sip of the cocktail, her powers had appeared to activate. Traces of light flushed through her veins, dancing up and down her arms. Then the screaming began.

From behind the one-way glass, the Triad could observe peacefully. They could watch her without risk of being exposed to her powers. They knew the abilities of seers. They had met a couple of them in their lifetimes.

She was different though. She was weak in stature, meager in room appearance. She carried herself small, as if she were always trying to shrink and disappear in a room. Yet, somehow her abilities were overwhelmingly powerful.

“What do we do with her?” Donte asked. He looked over at his companions, watching their expressions change with every movement of Lily’s.

Elias was practically pressed against the glass. He’d found a new toy that he wanted to play with. She was definitely too fragile for any of Elias’s ideas of “fun and play.”

“We can’t do anything. We have no sectors to hold her. There has been a seer born for nearly a century. The last one died, without a trace,” Caspius responded. He scrubbed a hand down his jaw, tension forming in his expression.

“When was the last time you shifted?” Donte put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. He knew how much aggression Caspius’s kind held if they didn’t shift. He knew the starting symptoms, when they direly needed the release.

“This morning. I’m fine.” He brushed Donte off. “Can you smell her? It’s driving my beast insane.”

“Like roses and embers,” Elias sighed. “I wonder if she tastes as delectable as she smells.” He licked his lips.

Caspius growled at the incubus. His movements were so swift. He had Elias against the wall by his throat, dangling him in the air. “The last thing we need is for her to become enamored with someone who doesn’t grasp the concept of a relationship. We know seers mate for life. If you are not it, she will know, and will vocalize it.” He let Elias down.

“Damn! You need to relax,” Elias said. He straightened out his shirt, looking over at Donte. “You better remind him who he’s talking to.”

Truth be told, Elias was vicious. Despite his happy-go-lucky demeanor and sex-crazed lifestyle, he was a brute of a man. Those who dared to let his baby blue eyes mesmerize them, were fools. Behind those eyes of promised hot nights and unending desires, laid a monster that would slaughter those that stood in his way. The man was a sleeping giant.

“Knock it off! Both of you!” Donte’s eyes glowed red. He growled at them, a warning he was never too kind to give. His nostrils flared.

“Perhaps, it’s time to meet her.” Caspius motioned towards the door to the infirmary. “We’ve sensed her energy, we’ve seen it run through her body. Now to meet her.” His normal, cold tone returned.

“Yes.” Elias nodded stiffly. He took measured strides towards the door.

Donte did his best to get in front of both Elias and Caspius. Gods forbid Lily released another burst of psychic energy, he’d be able to take the brunt of the wave. He would heal faster, and be able to put her down if need be. It was always best for him to enter a room before his companions.

He twisted the door knob. Slowly, he pushed the door open. Cold air rushed him, running across his face. The bright lights of the room were intense.

The lean, tall chimera greeted them at the door. She bowed her head respectfully before motioning towards the seer. “Be gentle. She’s in a sort of chaotic phase right now,” she warned.

“Isla, we can handle it.” Elias shot a quick glance at her, before returning his eyes back to the seer in the center of the room.

EVERY FIBER OF HER being was trembling. she couldn’t figure out what was happening to her. Lily had never felt so weak before.

She was so hot, so cold. Her blood was like lava in her veins, threatening to burn her from the inside out. Her throat burned, like someone had poured acid down her throat. Her head ached, and the voices kept screaming and whining. She just wanted a moment of silence. She wanted peace.

God! Someone kill me please! She whimpered to herself.

“She’s worse than what we observed,” a cold voice said. The ice in its tone made Lily shiver.

She braced her hands on the tiled floor, trying to force herself to look up. Somehow, Lily managed to tilt her head upwards, and the sight that greeted her, leaving her in awe.

Three men stood before her, each one more beautiful than the last. Each let off an overwhelming energy of their own, making her limbs tremble.

One peered down at her with pale, ocean blue eyes. They bore through her, threatening to find out her every fear. His skin was mildly pale. The sharp contours of his cheekbones and jawline were a masterpiece. His face looked like it was carved by the gods, and encased with midnight tendrils for hair. He was lovely to behold.

He held out a hand to her. A spark of ruby flickered in the depths of his eyes, commanding her to take his gesture.

Still, Lily remained sitting. Mesmerized by the feast before her eyes.

“Are you okay?” A much kinder voice asked her. The face that paired to it, seemed to be something that women would fantasize about.

Baby blues sized her up, a thick frame of lashes set to half mass. A sort of I’ll-take-you-to-bed aura surrounded him. His well-groomed chestnut brown hair was combed back. For some reason, Lily wondered what his hair would feel like between her fingers. Would it be as soft as it looked? His skin was sun kissed, the soft angles of his cheeks just slightly more golden.

Lovely. She swallowed her growing desire. Lily had to be insane! She’d just been through something traumatizing, and yet her body is screaming for this stranger to touch her. Still, it made her wonder just what he was.

“I’m fine,” she squeaked. Lily stabbed her fingers through her hair, trying to push her curls from her bangs. She nibbled on her bottom lip. A nervous habit.

Lily made eye contact with the last one. He was bigger than the other two. Where they were built with seemingly lean muscles, he was not. His muscles bulged at his too tight shirt, and his thighs stretched his jeans.

His hair was buzzed close to his head, the stubble a black brown. His eyes were hauntingly similar to hers. The same blue-grey hazel. He even had the same slash of gold in his right eye as she did. He has a fine trace of a beard growing, defining the contours of his jawline.

Lily didn’t realize that she was leaning, until her face was almost planted into the ground.

“Easy,” the third man said. He eased Lily into a sitting position.

“You know, most who aim to join our household would present themselves to us. You made a hidden entrance,” the sultry gentleman said. He forced her to look at him. “What’s your agenda, seer?” He snarled at her.

“Elias, back off,” the first one barked. “The doc already told us she didn’t know what she was up until now.” The ruby color in his eyes continued to flicker as he looked at Elias. A skeletal figure formed under his skin, threatening to make a permanent appearance.

“Easy for you to say, Donte. Up until finding out, she was going to be your next meal.” Elias smirked.

A meal? Lily scrambled backwards, doing her best to get away from the bickering men. More specifically, the one that was going to eat her.

Lily swallowed, hard. She could hear her blood rushing in her ears. Her heart felt like it was ready to beat out of her chest. Breathe. she tried to reassure herself. Breathe.

But it wasn’t helping. The more she lingered on the idea of being someone’s meal, the more terrified she’d become. Anxiety built up inside of her, threatening to explode as vivid images of her lying across a table, with her throat slit, filled her mind.

“Easy, Lily.” A pair of arms wrapped around her, one across her chest and the other across her stomach.

She could feel pressure building up. Her anxiety was begging for relief. Her labored breaths weren’t helping her. Suddenly, she was being held firmly against a chest.

Lily struggled for freedom, clawing at the arms holding her hostage. Scream. A voice inside her head whispered. She did.

All at once, she was free. Her anxiety attack had stopped. She felt the release of pressure, and oh the damage it had caused.

The lights were flickering. The glass medicine cabinets and the walls had shattered and cracked. The three men were on their knees, covering their ears. All she could do was watch them.

The first two men, Donte and Elias had gotten up. They started stalking towards her. All at once, everything faded to darkness.