I was floating in warm water. It was serene. No pain, no worries, no nothing.
I felt safe, at peace, loved even. It was divine. If I was to compare it to something, so you could understand, it would have to be the few seconds right after a thunderous orgasm. That times a million. I could stay here forever.
Suddenly, the water turned cold, like on a sunny spring day when the sun hides behind a thick cloud and the air goes from scorching hot to freezing cold in a matter of seconds.
I tried moving around to get back to the warmth, but the water just kept getting colder and colder. My fingers and toes started hurting. The pain spread up my arms and legs until I couldn’t move.
It became hard to breathe. I felt myself being pulled deeper down. The pain was unbearable, but my screams made no sound.
I woke up gasping. My head was pounding. My body was shaking. I blinked my eyes open and looked down at my hands. They were covered in blood, so was my white shirt.
I looked around and saw I was in the alley. The morning sun was peeking around the corner.
I searched for my phone. Dead. Of course. My brain was still fuzzy, making it hard to focus.
Besides the intense ache all over my body, I couldn’t find where to blood had come from. No cuts, no wounds, just a general deep ache.
Just then, I heard footsteps approach. I froze instantly. My heart was pounding in my chest, and my hands were shaking vigorously.
I held my breath as the sound came closer. Tears filled my eyes as I shrank down, trying to make myself as small as possible. The steps stopped right in front of me. I squeezed my eyes shut, making the tears spill over and dribble down my cheeks.
“Shh... It’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you,” a calm, soothing male voice said. “Are you injured?” he asked softly.
I slowly lifted my head.
“Jenny!” he exclaimed.
I knew that voice. My eyes snapped up to meet his.
“What the hell happened?” Pete’s eyes were painted with worry.
“I don’t know,” I sobbed.
“You’re safe now,” he said quietly as he helped me to my feet.
My knees buckled, but he caught me before I hit the ground. Without another word, he picked me up and carried me inside the hotel.
I expected him to take me to the locker room or something, but he kept going until we were at the service elevator. I didn’t have the strength to ask any questions. I was struggling enough just to stay conscious.
Next thing I knew, he was laying me down on a soft bed. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said quietly as he pulled a blanket over me.
I’d had to be blacked out or something because suddenly I jolted awake at the sound of raised voices coming from the other side of the door. I closed my eyes, trying to listen to what they were saying.
“...stupid fuck. This is way out of line,” a feminine voice barked.
“Should I have left her there?” Pete snapped back. I knew his voice well enough to recognize it.
“Of course not! But why the hell did you bring her here?” the female spat back.
“It’s got her scent! Do you really believe she would be safe anywhere else?” The silence stretched for almost a full minute.
The door creaked open, and I shut my eyes and pretended to be asleep. Pete came up to the bed and sat quietly down on the edge. He sat there in silence for a while, staring out the window.
“I know you’re awake, Jenny,” he said quietly.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, slowly pushing myself up on my elbows.
“What happened?” he asked, his voice was still quiet but a little more stern now.
I sighed and pushed myself up to sit. “Honestly, I don’t know,” I replied, frowning.
“Anything you remember might help,” he said, turning his head to look at me.
“I must have been drugged or something, because what I remember makes absolutely no sense,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.
“It might make sense to me,” he said, giving me a reassuring smile.
I contemplated whether or not to tell him. On the one hand, I couldn’t wrap my head around it myself, and he might send me off to the loony bin.
But on the other hand, I knew he was a good person, a good friend, and it might even be smart to talk about it. And who knew? Maybe he could make sense of it, even if I couldn’t.
“Jenny, nothing you can say will freak me out. Trust me on that,” he said, taking my hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly.
I took a deep, slow breath and conveyed what had happened. While I told him about the dark, the cold, and the pain, his face remained stoic, but by the end I could just about make out two faint lines between his brows. I was waiting for him to laugh or at least react in some way.
“Hmm,” he hummed as he narrowed his eyes. “I need to talk to some people about this,” he said as he rose from the bed.
“I know it sounds insane, but I swear I’m not crazy!” I said, starting to panic.
“Jenny, I know. I believe you. There’s a lot you don’t know. Let me figure this out. Just try to relax. You’re safe here. I promise,” he said gently, giving me a tight smile before walking out of the room and quietly closing the door behind him.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to focus my thoughts. This was all too much. I let out a defeated huff before looking down at myself. My clothes were soaked in blood, cold and sticky. The blanket was not enough to warm my shivering body.
The blood had stained my skin, but the bed sheets were already smeared in blood, and I didn’t have the energy to wash it all off. The damage was already done anyway.
I laid back on the bed and pulled the blanket up under my chin. I finally let the tears roll down my cheeks and onto the pillow. All the emotions I’d been suppressing came back. It consumed me, resulting in uncontrollable sobbing.
I clutched the blanket with my trembling hands while I curled up in a fetal position. With that, the last energy left my body.
All of a sudden, I felt a warmth between my shoulder blades. It spread until the whole back part of my body was covered, from my neck all the way down to my feet. The sensation was so incredibly comforting, and I was so exhausted, that I didn’t even flinch. I drifted off to sleep within seconds.
I was startled awake by a knock and the door opening. The warmth instantly turned to ice, leaving me feeling cold and alone.
Pete walked in, tailed by a woman I had never seen before and the shorter man sharing a table with Oriana last night.
The woman had big, blonde hair down to her elbows. She was short, around five feet, but her face was fierce. Her eyes were deep blue, almost purple. Even though she was giving me a gentle smile, I found her a little intimidating.
The man was just a few inches taller than me, just like Pete. He looked quite normal, average, like he would blend right into a crowd. He walked over to the foot of the bed and looked at me through narrowed eyes.
He didn’t come off as hostile, but I still felt like I should keep my guard up. The longer I looked at him, the more I realized he was not average at all. He was absolutely gorgeous with his brown eyes and honey-colored hair.
What was it about this place and all the beautiful people?
“This is Belvedere. He’s our chief of security,” Pete said, gesturing to the man. “And this firecracker is Katya. She is…eh…she’s our head of design,” he said, looking a little nervous.
Katya snorted and crossed her arms over her chest.
I looked at Pete, confused. What was all this about?
Belvedere cleared his throat, dragging my attention back to him.
“I have some questions I need you to answer,” he said.
