The Seer : The Alterealm Series Book 2

I squatted down in the big closet and then sat and pulled my legs against my chest. I didn’t know whose closet I was in, but with the number of doors I’d run past, it would take them a while to find me. Later, I’d stop and examine the fact that I knew the halls I’d just run through. I’d seen them for years. These halls had been the magical place I escaped to when I was young and needed some solace from reality. Now, here I was and they were real after all.

Looking out the closet door that was open a crack, I noticed I’d left the door to the room open. Stupid move, may as well have left them bread crumbs to follow. I was just about to rush out and close it when two large men walked in. Troy and Victor. I lowered my head to my knees and stayed as still as I could. This was something I could do. I’d practiced it all my life, being small and invisible.

“She came in here.” Victor said with no hesitation.

“Anyone could have left the door open.” Troy told him.

Victor shook his head, “No. I can smell her essence.”

Frowning, I lifted my arm and sniffed. I didn’t smell that bad. A little dirty maybe, but after running through the club anyone would have a bad odor.

“Oh.” Troy rubbed his arm with the tattoo. “I’m afraid all I smell and taste is my mate at this point.”

Victor stood with his hands on his hips and looked around the dark room. “Not surprising, you’ve only been bonded a little over a day.” He looked at his brother. “Are you all right? I’ve never seen you have pain while looking inside a mind.”

Troy exhaled loudly, “there’s never been pain before. I don’t know how she does it. If I had that much crammed in my head, like she does, I’d be a vegetable, unable to form a coherent sentence.”

Victor snorted, “That’s questionable with her as well.” He ran a hand through his hair, “when we crossed to the other side, we found her passed out in a… less than favorable neighborhood alleyway, with a woman watching over her.”

“Passed out?” Troy moved back to the door and shook his head at whoever was out there.

“Yes, she told Daxx it happens when her mind can’t cope with so many visions at once. She said it was like a reboot.” His voice was quiet, I thought I heard a touch of concern in it.

“So, she just crashes basically?” Troy came back into the room.

Victor nodded, “Yes, I’m wondering if her health is at risk.”

I frowned, I’d never thought about that. I’d always been this way and losing pieces of time when I blackout was a normal thing for me. Other than inside my head, I felt fine, the odd hunger pang probably wasn’t a risk.

“We can have doc take a look if she agrees. We owe her a lot. Not only has she helped with finding Marcus, but also Emil.”

Victor turned and looked around the darkened room again. “Not to mention Daxx, Rafael and Quinton’s attachment to her.” He mused quietly. “There’s more, but she took off before I could mention it.”

I hugged my knees and made sure my pack was right beside me in case I needed to bolt out of here. I should have asked Daxx how I could get back to her apartment. Another classic dumb moment on my part, not getting all the facts first.

“More?” Troy pulled his phone out and glanced at it.

“Yes. The woman that was watching over her, she says she is one of us. Rafael and your huntress thought perhaps she’d crossed over years ago and somehow gotten stuck there, but I have no records of any female in the last hundred years matching her description.”

I bit my lip, to stop from blurting out that they weren’t listening when I said she hadn’t been here. Did I say it? I closed my eyes and tried to remember. I spent so much time alone and talking inside my head, or out loud to myself, that I could hardly remember what had happened and what had yet to happen.

“People can change their appearance. Did you get a read off her? Is she one of us?” Troy ran a hand over his jaw. “This day is just filled with missing people, isn’t it?”

Victor made a sound of exasperation. “It is. I’m not certain if she’s one of us or not, I was more concerned with the woman unconscious on the pavement. While I’m concerned about Emil’s lineage, this Alona is in danger. A yellow eyed man approached her, according to Crissy.”

The way he said my name struck me strangely, sending shivers up my back. He pronounced it like it had several s’s and not just a few. Crisssy. It wasn’t bad, just different.

“Fuck. Okay, priority one will be finding this woman then. Was the yellow eyed man one of Marcus’ people?” Troy asked.

“I don’t know. Getting details is more than a little exasperating with her, but if Alona has been trapped on the wrong side for many years, we should…”

I lunged forward, gripping my pack tightly. “She’s never been here.” I gave him a stern look. “I said that… I think I did… out loud.” I shook my head to clear and focus. “She was born on… my side, space, whatever and has no idea why she’s as old as she is or different.” I nodded abruptly, having cleared all that up and then realized I was no longer hidden. Both men were just standing there looking at me.

Troy raised his hand, “First, you don’t need to hide here.” He waved a hand around. “This was Daxx’s room, you can stay here.”

I looked around, taking in how big it was. “What would I do with all this space?” Looking back at the closet briefly, I shrugged, “The closet is more than enough space for me.”

He sighed and lifted his hands for a second before dropping them. “Then stay in her closet, but you are perfectly safe here.”

I wanted to believe him, I really did, but I had trust issues… to add to all my other issues. Looking at Victor, I was surprised to see his eyes were red and in the dim light they almost glowed. “The rats’ eyes in the alley are almost like that if light hits them a certain way.”

Troy snorted.

“Did she just compare me to vermin?” Victor asked quietly.

“I don’t think she meant it quite like that.” Troy said with a big grin on his face.

I remembered. “Do you really think there might be something wrong with me?” I waved my hand at them. “I heard what you said about when I blackout.” I hadn’t been to a doctor since I was young, when the caretakers of the group home had dragged me there to get the drugs to keep me quiet and docile. “Maybe I’m broken after all?”

Victor exhaled and looked at the floor, when he lifted his head the red eyes were replaced with his normal ones that didn’t glow in the dark. “It could be possible.”

“There’s no harm in making sure, Crissy.” Troy added.

Biting my lip, I paced over and looked down at the bed. It was big enough for a whole family. Distracted by the door across from it, I went over and peeked in. Feeling along the wall I flicked on the light. It was a huge. shiny bathroom. I wasn’t certain, but it looked like it was bigger than Daxx’s whole apartment. I looked down into the tub, which could have easily been mistaken for a small swimming pool. Stepping over the side, that came almost to my hip, I sat down, when I looked up the men were standing there giving me a strange look. “I’ll see your doctor,” I pointed at them, “but no needles and I won’t take pills ever again.” I shook my head. “Been there, done that, and all it did was make me go crazy inside my head.” I looked at Troy for a moment, feeling like I needed to justify I wasn’t crazy. “They never stop.” I pointed to my head, “What you’ve seen. That’s how it is, when I sleep, when I wake… they never stop.”

His expression changed and I could see why Daxx had chosen him, he had a compassionate heart. “I’ll set something up for you.” Troy told me and then looked at his phone again. “I need to go take care of something.” He smiled at me. “Daxx will be here shortly. I’ll see you at dinner.”

When he left my sight, I sat there and looked at Victor, he didn’t look like he was trying to dissect me, but he still had a weird expression on his face. I liked to learn new faces and what all their expressions could mean, I just wasn’t sure if this was something I should do with him.

He cleared his throat, “If you’d like an actual bath, I can come back later to talk about Alona.” He motioned out into the room. “I’m sure there will be something in the closet you could change into. Daxx’s clothes have already been moved to the King’s chamber.”

“She is a queen now.” I stood up, debating on if I did want to have a bath.

“She is our Huntress Queen.” He nodded abruptly.

I stepped out and looked back down into the tub. Maybe a bath wouldn’t be a bad thing. I wasn’t even sure if I remembered the last time I had one. Falling in the river probably didn’t count. He still watched me. “Do you have a title or job?” Going to the mirror I looked at my bright red hair, it was a mess, but that wasn’t new. My roots were starting to show already. I wondered if I could combine dyes and make the purple shade I wanted. My eyes, with the dark circles underneath were just a normal, washed out brown. Maybe I could get colored contacts. Glancing up, I saw he watched me in the mirror.

“I’m the justice here.” He finally said.

I studied his reflection in the mirror, somehow feeling less analyzed then if I just turned around to look at him. “I sensed there was something unbendable about you.” I smiled, “I guess you always tell the truth?” That must be why he felt so cold, the decisions he made couldn’t be easy.

He straightened, but still held my eyes in the glass. “Yes, which doesn’t always suit others agendas.”

Turning, I leaned back against the counter and hugged my bag. “So much tragedy could be avoided if people stuck to the truth.”

“Indeed.” Victor said softly.

“You don’t like me.” I observed out loud.

His green eyes moved over my face for a tense minute. “I’m not well enough acquainted with you to like or dislike you.” He stated in a low voice.

“There’s something though, that makes you want to dislike me.” I realized I was standing in a bathroom with a strange, large man. That was something I never did, allow myself to be boxed into a space I couldn’t get out of. Quickly I went back out into the room and started looking for a light switch.

“That may be so, it’s too soon to know for certain.” He answered quietly.

He wasn’t following me around the room, which made me feel better. I went over by the door and felt along the wall, but still didn’t find a switch. I glanced to see he was moving in my direction, “When will you know for certain?” He moved by me and flicked on the lights. I had looked in the right spot, just not high enough. I looked at the room now that I could see it. “Holy.” I whispered. “A whole family could live in here.” It was huge. The decorating was wonderful, all shiny wood and pretty carpet, but still it was so much space.

He chuckled and stood beside me. “You may not have noticed, but we are a fairly large breed on this side.”

I looked up at him and nodded, “I noticed.” Shrugging, I went over to look at the closet now that I could see. “I like my size.” I shrugged. “It has saved my life more times than I can remember.” The closet was filed with clothes of every kind. Someone had put a clothing store in a closet. I remembered I was talking. “Being able to hide and not being found is very important in my world.”

“And why is that?”

He spoke from right behind me and I almost jumped out of my skin. Turning, I glared at him.

“I apologize I didn’t mean to startle you.” He bowed his head like they did in movies when he said it.

“Your kind of stuffy.” I told him, “but I like it and some of the words you use too.” I turned back and went over to the line of shoes on the floor. Shoes, boots of any and every kind. I looked down at my worn out running shoes, the one side of my left one was worn right through. Squatting down I picked up a pair of black boots, they felt like real leather. I set it beside my foot and it looked like the same size. I remembered he was there. “I like these.” I held up the boot.

“Take anything you wish from this closet.” He said with a strange tone in his voice. “All of this was for the huntress, and as we had no idea her size, Mitz made certain all sizes and styles were covered.”

I stood up holding the boots and my pack to my chest. “Really?” Turning I looked at him to see his eyes were red again. Frowning, I went over. “Why do you keep looking at me with red eyes?” I didn’t know much about his kind, but knew that I had to ask Raf and Quinton to change their eyes and let me see their fangs.

“I’m uncertain about my reaction to you.” He said quietly, but continued to stand there stiffly with red eyes.

I set the boots down and went to stand in front of him. “Are you mated?” I’d learned one thing today at least.

One eyebrow raised. “I am not.”

I smiled, “Can I see your fangs?”

His mouth twitched like he wanted to smile, but wasn’t sure if he should. “What is your fascination with our fangs?” He opened his mouth and showed me his.

Reaching up slowly, I touched the end of one of them. They were quite sharp. “For as long as I can remember,” I touched the incisor on the other side of his mouth and smiled, then pulled my hand away. “I could see things and thought for sure I was stuck in some fantasy…” I shrugged, and decided to use his words, “that I was crazy.” I touched a finger to his lip because he’d closed his mouth, “when I first saw Rafael’s fangs, I knew all those things were real and I wasn’t a lunatic.” I shrugged and picked up the boots again.

He reached out and took them from my hand and then gently tugged on my pack. “I will hold these if you’d like to look through the clothes.”

I released my hold on the pack and spun around. “I never keep more than I can carry in my…” I’d left my bag in the dinning room. I had to go get it.

He put his hand out and stopped me from running from the room. “Your bag will be fine, I’m sure Daxx will bring it with her and you can put it somewhere safe.”

I looked up and nodded slowly. He had to tell the truth, so I could trust that. Glancing down at his hand still resting against my stomach, I looked back to him quickly. His eyes were red. Backing up, I studied him, trying to see the space around him. The cool aura I usually sensed with him was gone, or had warmed, I wasn’t sure. “I don’t know why you have fangs, I never asked Quinton, but someday,” I glanced at the floor, away from his red eyes. “I will.”

He moved closer, or maybe just leaned down, I wasn’t sure exactly. He held my chin lightly with two large fingers. “Have Daxx put my number in your phone and if you ever feel the need to hide, call me, I will come and get you.”

I nodded, not even able to find words to say, which was something I don’t think had ever happened in my life. He didn’t release my chin and I didn’t move. His red eyes were searching mine for something. If I were normal I’d be running and screaming demon, but I was so far from normal that even I didn’t understand me.

My head suddenly felt cloudy. I backed up. “No, no, no.” I put my hand against my forehead and pressed on it like I was going to be able to stop them from flooding my mind with too many. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to focus on them, to see if I needed any of them before they were lost.

“Crissy?”

I felt him grasp my shoulders and my last thought was ‘oh good I won’t do a faceplant on the floor’ right as the darkness rolled over me.