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Chapter 2

Nova

It's quiet between the three of us as if none of us knows what to say.

"Damn it looks like I'm late to the party." A man's voice says.

I turn to see yet another big man standing on the other side of the hole I was just pulled out of. This one though is like a golden god. Light brown hair that seems to shine in the low sunlight behind him like some kind of halo.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"Chase sweetheart." She says bowing slightly.

Okay, so maybe I have been shut out too long from the world but do people bow now?

"Okay..." I growl in annoyance when the two guys touching me tighten their hold on me.

How did I get in this position and who the hell are these guys?

I mean what the hell?

Annoyed with all the unwanted touching, I brush off the guys and step back from them so I can breathe. I cross my arms over my chest and hiss when a sharp pain shoots up my arm. When I look down at my hands I see long sharp...claws...at the tip of my fingers.

"Oh shit!" I say in shock holding my hands out in front of me. "What happened to me?"

I'm not asking anyone in particular because obviously, these guys wouldn't know.

Another thing about these claws is that they blend into the dark black tips of my fingers.

"Holy shit," I whisper to myself.

"Wow, that's a first." I jump back at the sound of someone standing so close to me.

The golden guy...Chase is way too close to me now.

"What is with you three and personal space?" I say stepping back from him.

"You smell too sweet to stay away." He says with a smirk.

Oh boy.

"Right. Well look, thanks for the help but I need to find my way back..." Home?

The place where I was being held isn't home but my old home is gone now too. So where do I go?

Crap.

"Find your way where sweetheart?" Chase asks.

I look up at him and then at the two guys behind him.

"I'm not sure," I say honestly and drop my head back with a groan.

I'm not sure what to do. Also, where the hell am I?

"What is this place?" I ask the three men.

"Basically nowhere. There isn't anything around for a few hundred miles. How did you get here?" The wolf guy says.

"I'm not sure. As you see, I was buried underground and I don't remember how I got here. I think I was dead maybe, or drugged. I'm not sure." I say honestly because what's the point of lying to strangers?

They may not even believe me, so there is no point in holding back.

Hang on...

"Wait if this is basically nowhere, how did you all find this place?" I ask but before they can answer a dark cloud appears out of nowhere.

It grows in size until yet another man steps out.

"Great," I say throwing my hands in the air.

This is just turning into a real party.

"Got anyone else in there?" I ask the guy as soon as he is standing in front of the strange cloud.

He gives me a strange look. "Why would there be?"

"Well, this is interesting. A dragon, wolf, Succubus, and a mage. What a group we make." Chase, who is the only one that has properly introduced himself, says.

"Indeed, a strange gathering of individuals." The big guy says.

They all look at each other for a minute and I sigh. None of this makes any sense and why are my fingers claws now? Only they aren't blunt claws. They look slim and dainty which makes up for the fact that they can slice through my skin so easily. Thanks to my healing ability the wounds have already healed.

"Look. I'm not sure what's going on or why any of you are here but I need to get back to civilization. I'm not sure what I'll do after that but I need to get away from where ever this is." I tell them.

"Of course, I can take you anywhere you like." The new guy says and it looks like he puffs up a little with pride.

"First I want to know how a Vampire ended up out here," Chase says.

"Well, I was being held prisoner and experimented on for the last few years after my family home was destroyed and I was kidnapped. Everyone I know is either dead or missing. Does that sum it up for you? Also if you are here to kill me for my blood let me just tell you that I'm willing to fight to live. I'm sick of people using me and I'm pissed!" My chest is heaving after that rant.

"Well, I can assure you that we have no wish to harm you. We couldn't even if we wanted to." The big guy says.

"Okay, and why is that?" I ask.

He looks at me like it should be obvious but I have no idea what he's talking about.

"You did not feel it?" He asks glancing at the other guys.

"Feel what?" I ask him with a little too much bit to my words, but I'm sick of this.

"We are your mates." He says.

I stare at him for a little too long before I break out laughing.

"I'm your mate? That can't be right. Vampires don't have mates." I point out.

"Perhaps but it's how we found you. We could sense you the moment you reawoke. Your mind sent out a call to us." The cloud guy says.

Well, this is just great.

"Right. So what does that mean exactly?" I ask because honestly, I haven't the faintest idea what being someone's mate meant.

Our kind lived a solitary life and didn't have mates so I'm not familiar with the concept.

"We are eternal partners." The big guy says.

"It means we are yours for life sweetheart. To be used however you choose." He winks at me and I give him an unimpressed look.

"Okay, we can address all this once we are out of here," I say waving my hand like that will somehow get rid of his words.

I'm too overwhelmed to deal with this and also...I'm hungry.

The lab gave us a steady supply of blood and bland foods but it wasn't good for anything than keeping us alive.

"Do any of you guys have somewhere we can go? I'm starving and...dirty." I look down at the white clothes we had been forced to wear at the lab.

It's covered in dirt and my own blood.

"My place is probably the closest," Chase says. "Can you transport the lot of us?"

He asks the cloud guy.

"Of course. Just tell me where to go." He says with a simple nod.

"Great!" Chase gives him some address and description of the area.

"Come." The cloud guy holds his hand out to me and I look at it for a second.

I'm not sure this is a good idea but I'm not in a position to complain since my options were few. So with a resigned sigh, I take his hand and that strange feeling of ants crawling on me starts up again. This time it's on the back of my neck and I reach up to scratch at it but don't feel anything there.

"Take in a deep breath." Cloud guy says and before anyone can ask why a dark cloud appears and we are pulled in.

The air feels suddenly cold and then we stumble out at a completely different place. An alley of some kind with a street full of people a few feet away.

"I will have to mask your scent." The cloud guy says.

I realize then that I'm still holding onto him and when I try to pull away he tightens his grip. My eyes lift to his and I'm stunned by their violet color. I have never seen eyes that color.

"We may all have to cover her scent." Wolf guy says.

He doesn't seem to talk much.

"Perhaps you're right." Cloud guy says.

Before I can ask what they mean wolf man steps in front of me and reaches out and cups my face in both of his hands. My eyes widen at the warmth of his skin against mine and then he leans closer. I'm expecting him to kiss me but he tilts my head slightly and runs his nose along my neck. My eyes fall closed and I shutter at the feeling then he steps away and I feel suddenly cold.

"I'm not a wolf sweetheart so I'll have to mark you another way," Chase says taking the wolf guy's spot.

Once again I don't get a chance to say anything before he wraps his arm around my waist and slams his lips against mine. I'm too shocked at first but then a wave of lust moves through me and I moan against his lips. He deepens the kiss and I am really into it. It isn't until someone clears their throat that I remember we aren't alone.

Chace moves back a little and smiles down at me before kissing the tip of my nose and then moving away. My head feels light enough that I don't put up much of a fight when the big guy moves toward me. He leans close and leans down to whisper something in my ear. It's in another language so I don't understand but I feel a quick pain before he moves away. I lift my finger to my ear and pull back to see a drop of blood on the pad of my finger.

Did he bite my ear?

Next, the cloud guy moves forward and rests his hand on the center of my chest. There is a tingling sensation and when he drops his hand there is a symbol branded on my skin like a tattoo.

"We should be fine to go now." Cloud guy says.

I'm so overwhelmed that I don't move right away. Chase chuckles and throws his arm over my shoulder which brings me back down to earth.

"We are going to have to repeat that kiss later." He whispers into my ears and I throw him a look that makes him laugh.

There is no way I'm admitting the effect his kiss had on me. It's clear his ego needs no help from me.

"Welcome to New Orleans." He says once we all step out of the alley.

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