With speed she never knew she possessed, Soraya snatched the bat she kept beside her door while simultaneously yanking the handle open. She knew she had to be quick, considering the possibility that whatever lay beyond the door could hear her every movement. She needed the element of surprise on her side.

  Bat raised out in front of her, she burst into the living room.

  Something popped around her as she jumped out of the doorframe, but she didn’t have enough time to process the sensation as she beheld what waited for her.

  Six strange men sat casually around her apartment, and they were having a…tea party.

  Chest heaving, bat frozen out in front of her, Soraya’s wild eyes darted around the apartment as she took in the rather lax scene before her.

  All eyes shot to her the moment she leaped out of her bedroom.

  Six pairs of dazzling, bright eyes that belonged to really large and familiar strangers—if she could even call them men—watched her with rapt curiosity.

  As her gaze ping-ponged between every single one of them, it became very clear that these men were not men at all, given their pointed ears and inhuman-like coloring and complexion. But strangely enough…their physical appearances weren’t what rooted her to the spot as she observed them.

  Two lounged on the newly lopsided couch—two legs had been knocked clean off it when the door was thrown at it the other night, leaving it permanently slanted. The bulkier of the pair had light amber eyes, his forest green hair brushing against broad shoulders, anchored the slanted end, so it looked as if the couch was leveled out with the shorter, leaner one sitting on the other side.

  The leaner companion was sitting cross-legged, one arm thrown over the back of the couch and completely at ease. He watched her vibrant olive-green eyes and grayish-brown hair that glinted golden in the sunlight streaming in from the bay window.

  Tariq and Sorenth.

  Their names came to Soraya as she recalled two sleepless nights of brain-melting sex. Of course, the brain-melting sex was also followed by—and somewhat overshadowed by—some of the most traumatizing moments of her life. Memories she deliberately pushed away at the moment as she continued to study them, even as her ears rang with the phantom howl of wind and a terrifying beastly roar.

  Out in front of them, spread on the low, stained coffee table, were pieces of fluffy bread, cream-colored cheese, and ruby-red jam. Two of Jesmine’s mugs that she liked to collect also sat by their finger foods. One was a giant light blue flower cup Jesmine found at a farmers’ market, and next to it sat the waffle cone pastel mug that Delilah had gifted Jesmine a few years back. Jesmine had been over the moon to receive it from Delilah, given Delilah wasn’t known for giving out, in her own words, “impractical gifts.”

  A twinge of annoyance shot through her.

  Her gaze darted to another man—male—sitting straight back in the armchair that was seated by the slanted couch. He, too, had a mug—another of Jesmine’s that was shaped like a prickly cactus. He had it perched on top of one knee of his pristine black trousers. He had flawless black hair and looked completely in control of himself. For some reason, it irked her to see, and she made sure he knew it when their gazes clashed together, her eyes staring down at his crimson-red ones.

  That one was Lestis.

  The last time she saw him was on…unfavorable terms. Now that she thought about it, she had also left him on unfavorable terms the first time she met him.

  Compensate.

  She sniffed her displeasure at his stupid, perfect face.

  Her focus swung right to see another leaning against the wall between Jesmine and Ahvi’s room. His bright indigo eyes flashed to hers, but she denied him her gaze as she looked at his black ruffled hair that seemed to gleam blue. Her eyes trailing down, she noted that he wore a black turtleneck compressor shirt that stretched over his muscled stomach and chest. If she weren’t so pissed, she would have appreciated Makoto’s beauty a little more, but her gaze shot to his hands.

  One hand was buried in the pocket of his dark brown combat pants, while the other cradled a double-walled glass cup with the inner glass layer shaped like a cute black bear’s head. It was Jesmine’s favorite cup.

  Inside, a creamy, lavender liquid swirled in the bear’s head, and a frothy white foam sat on the surface of the drink, giving the illusion of the bear wearing a stylish hat.

  Soraya’s lips twitched, and the bat in her hands lowered slightly.

  Her gaze slid to the kitchenette where the tallest man—male—she had ever seen stood towering over the counter, hands poised above a platter of food he was preparing. He occupied the exact spot where he had pinned her to the counter the night before everything took a turn for the worse.

  Alkimos’s hair was no longer the honey blonde color she remembered it last. Instead, his long hair was now a soft silver color, braided back from his face. And looking into his eyes was like looking at the gray clouds after a storm had passed—calm but charged with energy.

  Besides his platter of food was yet another mug from Jesmine’s large mug collection. It was more of a bowl than it was a mug—the same as the flower mug Tariq had. This one, though, had the face of an adorable cartoonish penguin painted on the front of it.

  A tense silence settled over the room as they studied each other. They weren’t attacking her—too busy having their teas and snacks that definitely did not make her hungry whatsoever—so she ignored them for the moment and glanced toward Jesmine’s room.

  The door was open, and she could see into the mess of her friend’s room, right to the rumpled, empty bed. Ahvi’s barren mattress mirrored the emptiness.

  Both rooms showed her how alone she truly was.

  Heart sinking, Soraya’s grip tightened on the bat, making the wood groan. She parted her mouth, about to speak, when she heard the bathroom door creak open next to her.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Heart leaping in her chest, she spun to tackle Jesmine in a bear hug but stopped when a tall figure emerged, the sound of the toilet flushing behind him.

  She caught the bat from slipping from her hand as she came face to face with a male who had pure white hair brushed back from his face.

  Two golden eyes met hers over the rim of a mug that was shaped with the waist and bubble butt of a porcelain woman. A gift she had gifted Jesmine on her last birthday. It was also unironically the most used mug in their apartment.

  Raziel.

  He had a golden scar bisecting his left eyebrow, running down his smooth cheek to the line of his jaw She hadn’t noticed his golden scar before, but she could see it clear as day now. She hated that something in her chest burned at the sight of it, at what could have caused it, but she overpowered that feeling and dismissed it.

  With a snarl, Soraya leaned forward and snatched the mug out of Raz’s hand before it could touch his scarred lip. The scalding liquid sloshed over her skin, but her anger had officially boiled over to the point she didn’t register the hot sting dripping down her hand.

  How dare any of them touch Jesmine’s mugs!

  “Who the hell brings their drink into the bathroom with them?” She demanded, completely outraged. Not necessarily because of the drink in the bathroom, but seeing him with the mug that Ahvi used last was the tipping point to her sanity.

  His eyebrows rose, and she heard someone cough to cover up a laugh from the living room behind her.

  Raz flicked his gaze away from hers to scowl over the top of her head, glaring at someone before she raised the end of her bat into his beautiful face. “I will use this,” she growled. “Back up, or I will bash your teeth in.” She pushed the end of the bat closer to his face.

  He gracefully maneuvered out of the path of her weapon.

  Someone in the apartment whistled in appreciation.

  It served only to annoy her further. “Shut up,” she barked over her shoulder, not dropping the bat until Raz scooted out of her personal bubble. The reclaimed mug swung precariously from her fingertips.

  As Raz reached the end of the kitchenette bar, she whirled and leveled the bat at each intruder in turn. Her focus finally landed on their pointed ears—a detail she’d deliberately ignored until now.

  She felt her own ears then. The unfamiliar points beneath her tangled hair sent fresh fury boiling through her veins.

  “What the hell are all of you?” she ground out, “And where are my friends? Where is Jesmine?”

  Why had they taken her back to her apartment? And why were they all here—kicking it back like this was an everyday occurrence?

  Lestis bent forward to set his cactus mug down on the coffee table, before leaning back in her armchair to steeple his fingers in his lap. “My name is Caelestis. I’m—”

  “Don’t care,” Soraya interrupted as she pointed the bat at him. “I asked you what you are, not who you are.”

  Caelestis took her rudeness in stride. Not an ounce of offense showed on his perfect face as he eyed the bat with amusement.

  A voice like cool silk interrupted her vision of smashing the bat into his straight nose. “Don’t you mean what we are, love?”

  Soraya’s gaze shot to Makoto, who was taking a sip out of the bear cup. He managed to not get a single drop of foam on his upper lip, and Soraya found that unnatural.

  She gritted her teeth as she swung the end of the bat his way. “And what exactly,” she seethed, “Would that be?”

  “We are a part of the fae people, doe-eyes.”

  Soraya froze at the words spoken out loud. Her hand trembled with the weight of the bat. Slowly, she dropped her arm down to the side as she cast her gaze on Tariq.

  Something in her gut twisted as she recalled that meeting him was the start of all of this madness.

  But was he truly to blame? No. Of course, he wasn’t.

  A voice whispered a dark truth at the back of her mind. She blocked it and mentally fortified herself before something could break free. Something that had been carefully hidden in the depths of her consciousness. A box of memories that was tucked away, and now they possessed the key to set them all free.

  Soraya wasn’t ready for that.

  She swallowed. “And what does that mean?” Her gaze shot from one pair of bright eyes to the next. Silence. Gnashing her teeth together, she roared, “What does it mean?!”

  “It means you’re not human, Soraya,” a deep, soft voice answered.

  Soraya didn’t like that answer. She spun around, the garment she wore fluttering around her thighs, aiming the bat directly at Alkimos’s chest. “And?”

  “And bottom line…it means you don’t belong in the human world, Soraya,” Raz’s raspy voice tacked on, gently. He was leaning on the bar, his golden eyes flickering with sympathy as he watched her. As they all watched her. Studied her.

  She felt like a bug underneath a microscope.

  The bat in her hand wobbled as she tried to keep the rising fear inside her at bay, and she quickly dropped the bat down to her side so they couldn’t see it.“Where is my friend?” She changed the subject—not ready to listen about herself anymore.

  “Your…friend?” She heard someone say from the couch.

  “I think the other scent in this apartment belongs to her friend. I recognized it from the garden we found her next to.

  Just like that, her anger flared back to life, and she jumped on it, grabbing it with both hands. Her lips turned down in a sneer. “Yes, my friend—Jesmine. Where did that thing take her?” She cast her gaze around the room once more. The wood of the bat cracked underneath her hand. “I know you know what I’m talking about, so don’t try to deny it.”

  Sorenth got up from his seat on the couch and approached her. “We’re not your enemies, Soraya. We can help, but you need to listen to us first.”

  Frightened, Soraya raised the bat. “Stay back,” she ordered as she walked backward until her back hit the wall.

  Sorenth slowed his approach and put his hands up in a placating gesture. “Soraya—,”

  “She told you to back off,” Makoto growled as he pushed himself off the wall.

  Tension cut through the room as they all started seizing each other up, and an electrifying current of energy thickened the air, making goose bumps appear on her arms. It happened so quickly that it made her head spin.

  It was at this point that Soraya finally noticed how the room was divided by these intruders.

  Sorenth, Tariq, and Lestis to one side, and on the other stood Makoto, Raz, and Alkimos. It turned out that they weren’t all friends as she’d initially thought. In fact, it looked like there was bad blood between all of them.

  Good, she thought, tucking that bit of information away. She could use that to her advantage.

  But the question became, why were they all in her apartment if they couldn’t stand one another? What was the point of all of this?

  Soraya shouted, “Enough!” Cutting through the tension like a knife and getting their attention once again. “Whatever is between you guys has nothing to do with me. All I care about is getting my friends back. Do you know where my friend in the rose garden has been taken?” She pointed the bat at Tariq, indicating that she wanted him to answer.

  Without missing a beat, he answered, “It took her to our world.” He nodded his head toward Raziel. “He would know more than I.”

  She shot her gaze to Raz, who gave Tariq a withering look before addressing Soraya. “If it took your friend, I know who it’s taking her to. But as to their exact whereabouts…that’s a bit more complicated.”

  Soraya narrowed her eyes. “And where is that?”

  “It’s on the continent of Alphame, Soraya. Where you’re from,” Alkimos answered steadily.

  Soraya ignored that last bit of information as her mind spun. If Jesmine were in this Alphame place, then that’s exactly where she would go to get her friend—her sister, back. No matter what it took.

  She straightened her shoulders with resolve hardening in her chest. There was only one path forward for her.

  All eyes were on her as she demanded, “Take me there.”