Chapter three

Dorian

"Alright, darling," I murmur, running my fingers through this woman's hair. I feel bad for forgetting her name. My heart is up in my throat. Even after four months of doing this, it still feels like swallowing acid. Good, I deserve to hurt for this. "Just lay down. You're about to have the best sleep of your life."

Thankfully, she doesn't fight it. I let the dream wash over her as I carefully lay her down on the bed. The tiniest smile plays at her lips as her eyes flutter behind her lids. At least she's happy.

I do my best to let that soothe my soul though I know I don't deserve it, not really.

After locking the door behind me, I make my way back down to the lobby. My shoulders are still with tension as I see a familiar figure. I hate that I'm doing this. I hate that he has this fucking power over me. Fuck Stewart. I can't wait for the day that he has no hold over me and I can be rid of him forever.

I step outside, wishing the cool air would cover up Stewart's scent. My nose twitches, my body finding his scent revolting. Gods, I hate him. I hate him with every fiber of my being.

"Stewart," I greet with a nod. I hate him but I have to play nice.

"Dorian. It's a pleasure as always." I just barely keep my lips from curling in a sneer. If only my enticement worked on him. There are other supernatural creatures who are immune to each other's abilities. Though humans? So far I've only met a single human who wasn't affected by my enticement.

"Yup," I grit out, trying to stay professional. "You'll find your next meal waiting for you upstairs. As always I expect her to be unharmed by the time I wake her up on Sunday." Stewart feeds on dreams which means all of the people I put to sleep have no reason to have a single hair out of place by the time he's done feeding.

"Business as usual, I assure you," Stewart says, "just a while longer of this. I can feel my strength coming back. Maybe another month tops and then you'll be on your way with your sister in tow."

"Perfect. Are we done here?"

"Ah, yes, of course. Have a good weekend, Dorian."

"Mhmm," I murmur, turning away. The sooner I'm away from this deplorable man the fucking better. I tug my long hair over my shoulder, running my fingers through it. It's soft against my fingertips, soothing me ever so slightly.

I'm not even sure where I want to go. I'm about to wander aimlessly through this tiny town until my body goes slack as a new scent hits my nose. Instead of my body violently wanting to get away like with Stewart's scent, this smell draws me in. It tempts me closer.

It's the man from the bar. And he's with someone else. Interesting. Maybe the man in glasses I spotted earlier?

My interest is piqued. Not only did my enticement fail on tall, broad, and mysterious, but his scent calls to me in a way I've never experienced before. It's dark and nutty, something close to dark chocolate if I had to put a name to it. It's amazing.

My steps are near silent as I make my way over to the little cafe they've sat themselves at, no doubt following me from the bar. Alarm bells are ringing in my head, telling me they're dangerous, but I ignore it. The worst thing that could possibly happen to me has already happened, so what's the harm in playing with a little bit of fire?

As I get closer, the breeze runs in my favor, letting me scent them both. My knees just barely keep from locking. There's another scent now, mixed with the dark chocolate. It's electrifying, like sparks flying through the air. I'm once against coming up short with a proper name for it, only that it's all addicting. It's only made better by the fact that the two scents are mixing together in the breeze, making something entirely different and delicious. Like dark chocolate mixed with something spicy.

"I should have asked for his number." Oh, really? I wait in the shadows, listening into this interesting conversation the two of them are having. My bruised ego is soothed ever so slightly by tall, broad, and mysterious being just as put off by his companion than he was with me. Maybe that's just his style.

"Why don't you go ask for it right now?"

"What?"

"Yeah. Go over there and ask for his number. Pretend you changed your mind or something."

The man I flirted with makes a face, his eyes going wide. "Hell no!" Well, there goes my fragile ego going down a peg. "I'm not good at shit like this. You go talk to him, you're good with people."

"I'm not the one he was flirting with earlier. If I go ask him it'll be super suspicious." He's not wrong, but at the same time I gotta admit I wouldn't mind either of them flirting with me. One of them is broad and strong with a take no shit attitude while the other is lithe with glasses and messy hair. They're both attractive in their own ways, both pushing pretty much all of the buttons I have.

"This is a shit plan, Cooper."

Cooper. Something about knowing his name makes a thrill go through the pit of my stomach. Why the hell am I so drawn to these two? Is it just the fact that my enticement failed, or is there something more at play here?

Instead of slinking in the shadows any longer, I decide now is as good a time as any to make my dramatic appearance. I step forward until I'm right behind Cooper, looking down at tall, broad, and mysterious with a wide smirk. His eyes meet mine, going comically wide.

"Shit," Cooper hisses out. I can see the way his shoulders go tense and I can't help but smile even wider. "He's right behind me, isn't he?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. I would love for you to buy me a coffee so we can sit down and have a proper chat, huh?"

There's a moment of stillness before the man across from Cooper lets out a bone deep sigh. "Iced or coffee?" he asks as he stands up, pushing his seat in. I chuckle warmly as I take a seat at their little table.

"Iced please."

As he goes, I turn towards Cooper, eyeing him up. I don't even try to hide the fact that I'm checking him out. He's hot. Sure, he's wearing converse, a band tee, and skinny jeans but that does nothing to turn my interest away. If anything it makes me want him more just so I can see what he's hiding under all of the nerd. Plus, I've always wanted to come across someone's glasses.

"What?"

"Nothing," I say with a smile. "I was just checking you out."

"Yeah," he says self-consciously, his cheeks pinkening. "I noticed. Do you make everyone feel like a piece of meat or am I special?"

"That's not the feeling I was going for," I say honestly, leaning back in my chair. I tuck my hair behind my ears. "I was hoping to make you feel desired. Because you are. Desired, that is."

Cooper snorts, shaking his head and looking away. "One second you're hitting on Martin and the next you're telling me I'm desired. What the hell is your deal?"

"Would you like to find out, Cooper?"

"Fuck. Stop it," he grits out, crossing his arms over his chest. "Stop whatever game this is. Just--" Cooper lets out a noise of frustration. "Can we at least start with your name?"

"Dorian," I tell him after a pause. There's this feeling welling up inside my chest. Chasing that gut feeling, I reach out, gently touching Cooper's arm. I reach within the well of magic I possess as a siren, letting out a tiny bit of enticement. "I think we could be good friends, Cooper."

Just like Martin, nothing happens. Cooper pulls his arm away, looking at me with suspicion which isn't completely unwarranted. I did just try to use some magic on him.

I've never met a human who could withstand enticement like this. And tonight I've met two of them. What the hell does this even mean? I would wonder if I was completely out of magic but I know for a fact it still works, evident by the woman I left in that hotel room for Stewart.

"Here," Martin says, sliding me over an iced coffee as he sits back down.

"Thank you, Martin," I say, smiling when his eyes go wide in surprise before darting over at Cooper. My heart is racing but I do my best to ignore that. I have a theory. But it's something too terrifying to even voice in my head. It can't be that. I can't be finding them while I'm in the middle of this fucking blackmailed arrangement.

I refuse to believe Lady Fate would be so cruel as to bring me my mates while I'm at my very lowest.

"I'm glad we can get the pesky introductions out of the way. The ice breakers are always the worst part about meeting new people," I say, taking a sip of my ice coffee and watching as these two seem to be able to communicate without speaking.

They were fighting when I walked over but it's hard to miss the fact that they have something going on between them. A tiny part of me is actually jealous. The bigger part of me wants to matchmaker the fuck out of them. Gods, I bet they would look so hot kissing.

"Sorry, what was that?"

Martin clears his throat and I realize I'd been staring a beat too long and missed what they were talking about. He tries again. "So, why are you here?"

"Out for a stroll and saw a couple of attractive strangers that caught my attention?"

We all know it's a lie, but it's a fun lie, one that compliments them both. I smile as they both roll their eyes almost in sync. Gods, they're adorable. I'm enjoying toying with them far more than I probably should be.

"I have a feeling you know exactly why we're here," Cooper says, his voice taking on the tiniest bit of an icy edge. I lean forward on my elbows.

"And why is that?"

His eyes dart over my shoulder towards the hotel. A shiver runs down my spine, knowing what's happening in there. I stare into his eyes for a long moment before looking away. "I'm not sure what you are," Cooper says slowly, letting his words sink in, "but I know without a doubt that you're not human."

I lean back in my seat, taking another drink of my coffee. My entire world could come crashing down right now. I could lose everything. I could fucking die right here, right now. Yet, I can't find it in myself to be scared. At least I'd see my sister again.

"So you two are what? A couple of hunters?"

Martin nods, his fingers tightening around his coffee cup. "We've been tracking this case from the beginning."

I knew it! I fucking knew I had some hunters on my tail. I was so careful. Fuck. I take a steadying breath, calming myself down. Their scents invade my senses and for a split second, I almost lose my glamour, distracted by how fucking good they smell, especially together and so close up. In the next moment, I'm in control again.

"What happens now?" I ask bluntly. "You know it's me taking people. How do you normally take care of monsters? Because that's what I am," I say, my voice going soft as I stare down at my coffee. "A monster."

Cooper's hand touches mine and I startle, my eyes darting up to meet his. "Come back to our camp with us."

"What?" Martin and I say at the same time.

"I'm serious," Cooper says with a nod. "Come back with us. Meet Jeff. I have a feeling there's so much that you're not telling us, but I know you're not a monster."

"You can't know that."

Cooper shrugs. "Call it a gut feeling."

I stare down at the table for a long moment, my brain going a mile a minute. This is a bad idea. Terrible, really. They're hunters. What's stopping them from taking me back to their camp so they don't have to drag my body somewhere after they've finished me off?

But there's just something about them. Something that pulls me. Something deep within my very soul.

I look over at Martin, gauging his reaction and find him looking back at me. He gives me the tiniest nod. "Cooper is right," he says just barely above a whisper. "You should come meet Jeff."

"Is Jeff your leader?"

Martin nods. "He's different. He won't hurt you. Not unless you give him reason to, of course."

"I don't want to hurt anybody," I tell them seriously, my voice barely audible. I swallow thickly. My heart is hammering a mark into the inside of my ribs. I focus on Martin and Cooper's scent. They smell so nice together and the smell helps calm me down. After another moment, I put on my game face, not wanting them to see how I'm really feeling. "Fine. Count me in. Take me to your leader and he can decide for himself what I really am."

Cooper takes out his phone, sending off a text before looking at me. "Fancy a little walk in the woods?"

"Gods, I really wish that was a euphemism," I murmur before finishing my coffee and standing up. As I tuck my long hair behind my shoulder I notice two sets of blushing cheeks and can't help but smirk. "Lead the way."