Three Demons Ch 03

Thanks to all who commented on the last chapter, the encouragement was well appreciated. Keep up the comments and sorry for the wait!

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I looked straight ahead at the shower with it's glass door and the toilet and eventually the sink. The shower had rectangular cuts of white stone with gray streaks lining the walls, a rain shower head suspended from the ceiling. The built-in shelving holding no soaps or sponges of any kind. The toilet looked modern, clean, even new. The dark brown vanity had a raised, square sink that was fairly large with a practical, if expensive, looking faucet - next to which was a black, metallic soap bottle and a matching toothbrush holder holding zero toothbrushes. This bathroom looked like if belonged in a showroom, and felt odd when compared to the homey feel of the living room's theme with it's woodsy furniture. I preferred this room out of the one's I had seen. It looked so easy to clean, so precise.

Made perfect to ease my OCD tendencies

, I thought.

So why there weren't any personal effects, I couldn't understand. It bothered me how this room was unused, mainly because I wanted to sort through what property of these gorgeous men I could get my hands on. I was about to leave for home and probably never see them again, I needed something nostalgic to attach with the memory of them. Perhaps sniffing their body wash into oblivion would satisfy me. I chuckled.

God, look at me. I'm developing psychopathic tendencies

, I thought lightheartedly. What was I doing again? Oh yes, getting dressed to leave these incredibly attractive and hospitable men.

I turned to the mirror above the sink and winced. I looked absolutely horrid. My pale skin looked more washed out then usual and my sunken in gray eyes were bloodshot and surrounded by dark circles. My naturally arched and defined eyebrows had so much promise and gave my face such definition when they weren't in their current unruly and under plucked state. My nose was defined and my cheekbones were high, my lips rosy and supple and...dry, horribly dry. I licked them immediately which did absolutely nothing except make them look cracked and wet. My gaze continued to stray down my reflection, skimming over my neck and my shoulders. My eyes shot back up to stare straight ahead. I didn't even want to address the imperfections of my body this early in the day. I looked at my messy, oily hair. "Shit," I muttered. I should have washed it last night. There's was no fixing this within the few minutes of time I was allotted before I was expected back to be driven home.

I set the plastic bag of toiletry items Everett had bestowed me upon the vanity's countertop. I rummaged through it, placing each item on the glossy granite and crumpling up the bag before setting it as far from the sink as I could. I washed my face before brushing my teeth. I tried to do as much as I could with my dirt brown hair before lifting up my shirt just enough to coat my pits in deodorant. I looked at myself cleaned up a bit and sighed. The after wasn't much improvement from the before, but it'd have to do. I put the items back in the bag and walked out.

Everett was waiting by the door, eyebrows furrowed as he focused on the bright screen emanating from the large phone which looked tiny in his hands. He was wearing the jacket he'd taken off earlier which barely concealed his powerful arms and chest from my view.

I can only imagine what his body looks like nude

, I thought with longing as a pouted lip distorted my face into a frown. I didn't know what had come over me. When I saw attractive men, I just recognized how beautiful they were and hopefully avoided interacting with them. Being around too many of these foreign creatures in such close quarters for extended periods of time was turning me into a leech. I shook my head as if to dispel the thoughts and headed for the bedroom within which I had slept the night prior.

I headed in to find the bed made, proving that these men were even tidier than I was with my micromanaging tendencies - an odd fact to process. I found my personal artifacts where they had been last night; my boots still next to the dresser, though they were dry now, my hat and scarf still hanging on the door. I opened the closet door and was pleased to see my brown coat suspended on a wooden hanger, with the ends of my red gloves poking out of a pocket. I checked the other pocket for my phone and, sure enough, it was there just as Oliver had predicted. Seeing as how a large and undoubtedly warm man like Everett needed a jacket and I had the tendency to freeze in temperatures under fifty degrees, which was the summer climate of my region of residency, I opted for dawning the apparel.

I held the now folded scarf and beanie in my hands after putting on my boots and walking to the front door. Everett looked at me and a smile broke his face in two, teeth and all. The smile exposed his enlarged canines, a physical trait which was more common in men and something I was definitely attracted to. Once I stood beside him, that silly expression fixated on his face locking my eyes to his, he opened the door and stood aside. "After you," he said, his tone purped up. Like driving me home and never seeing me again was the most exciting thing he got to do all day. I walked past the doorway, down the steps and pavement, which to my pleasure were devoid of ice and snow but covered in rock salt. I headed to the driveway where a black Chevy suburban was parked, Erik leaning on the doors with his arms crossed and a smug expression on his face. I blinked as my vision ran up and down his lean body, so lithe and almost feline in movement and manner. I smirked at the image of him with a tail and whiskers.

How silly

, I thought with a smile.

Once I reached him I said, "So where's my dog?"

"In a cage, in the back," he replied, smugness evaporating from his pretty face.

I chuckled at that. "Do you all just have large cages lying around?" I asked, incredulously.

"You'd be surprised what animals we have walking around here," he said, low and mysteriously. His smile returned, an all too predatory one with one side of it almost smirking at me. His eyes glittered with that same glow I thought I'd seen in Everett's eyes earlier.

Speaking of the man, I heard Everett's loud stomping as he caught up with me. "We borrowed it from a friend," Everett practically growled. The tone of his voice startled me, my eyes jumping to his form. He had a stern look on his face as he eyed Erik, the gaze screaming warning. "We ought to head out," he muttered. And though the words were pieced together as if it were a suggestion, his manner and tone made it a solid command. He walked around the nose of the vehicle, heading toward the driver's side and slamming the door shut after he got in. I looked to Erik questioningly, but he just sighed and reached into his pocket to shove out a pack of cigarettes. He popped the top and offered it to me. "Want one?" he asked.

I looked at him, mouth gaping and eyes widened - didn't expect him to be a smoker, but I suppose assuming things of him when I barely knew the guy was bad on my part. "No thanks, I-I don't smoke," I replied. He shrugged and popped one between his lips, slipping his hand back in his pants to rummage for, I'm guessing, a lighter. I know this sounds silly but there was something so cool about him when that piece of rolled up lung cancer was trapped between those luscious lips of his. His mouth went slack and he breathed around the cigarette and I saw the edge of his teeth and the tip of a canine tooth. He seemed to have finally found that elusive lighter of his but as he brought it to the end of the cigarette, it wouldn't light no matter what he did. The car horn honked loudly and I was broken out of my reverie.

Erik put the lighter back in his pocket and slipped the cigarette behind his ear. "Seems we're in a hurry," he said, like this was all some big joke. The apathy, the mocking tone, the all too sexual flirting and innuendos. It reminded me of a part of myself, one that I wanted to be but couldn't put out there when all the authoritative forces of my life caged me. He didn't seem to care about one thing and it made him seem like the type of person that could pack up his things and leave without a care in the world for what he was leaving behind. I wanted to be like that.

He opened the door to the backseat and I followed suit with the passenger door, both of us getting in. "Trying to take a smoke break?" Oliver quipped, I saw him sitting in the seat behind Everett who was behind the wheel.

"Yes, till Everett honked."

"It was taking too long, Erik. I'm sure Freya wants to get home as soon as possible after meeting our lot," he said with smile, his golden eyes on me.

"No, I'm fine. But my mom," I began. I couldn't finish what I was saying because I heard a loud growl coming from the back, presumably my dog, and it was bothersome. "Sorry about that," I said, my eyes meeting each of their's in turn to express the sincerity of my words.

"It's fine, he's probably just grumpy. He wants you home more than anybody right now, it seems," Oliver said with a laugh. I smiled at him and he smiled back, there was brilliance in his eyes like he felt pure bliss at my expression. I turned back to the front and trying to ignore the burning of my cheeks. I was never this nervous, what was wrong with me?

"So where are we headed?" Everett asked.

"I live on Cedar Road. Near the country shop and probably the only grocery store in town," I replied. There was silence. I looked at him and he was hitting the gas. We headed out.

The drive was silent, but the silence wasn't awkward. It was blissful and comforting. I enjoyed their presence, oddly, and throughout the ride I thought of how nice it would be if I kept in touch with them - but I had to be realistic. I was just some teenage girl, a mere child in their eyes, who they felt obligated to rescue because I didn't have the brains to keep myself out of trouble. I could have made my way back if I wanted to but I didn't, there was no reason to go back and almost every reason to stay away. But I didn't want to think about that now.

As I saw the arctic wasteland that was my home, impressed by Everett's driving skill the longer we drove without swerving from all the ice on the roads, I started to relax more and more. Going home didn't seem so scary anymore, not when I had these three with me. My mom would see me with these three and she'd be too worried about embarrassing herself in front of other people that she'd control herself around me until they left. Once they were gone, I'd be fine. My highest priority at that moment was to make sure they didn't know the exact reason why I didn't find my way back home last night. started to doze, one sentence repeating in my mind to a chant.

It'll be okay, you'll be alright.

And then the car stopped. Everett cut the engine and got out. I heard one of the back doors open and close. "You alright, sleepy head?" Erik asked. I could hear him smiling, by his tone. I rubbed at my eyes a little bit, they hurt when I tried to keep them open for longer than a second. I swallowed the spit that had accumulated in my mouth while I napped.

"Fine," I rasped, my voice breathier than I had intended. He said nothing, so I assured myself he hadn't noticed/minded the texture of my tone. I looked out the window and saw the rundown shack I called home. I opened the door and, as I was stepping out from the car, I heard Erik wish me goodbye. I turned to his window and smiled, the glass was tinted and I couldn't make him out but I was sure he saw me. I head the trunk door of the car shut, Everett holding the cage carrying a growling Felix and Oliver accompanying them. I turned back to the house and swallowed. They followed me to the door, I knocked a few times but there was no answer. I started pounding on the door with my closed fist and could feel the surprise from the men behind me. I heard muffled shouting, then the bolts and chains coming loose from behind the door.

"The fuck d'ya want?" My mom shouted, once she'd opened the door. She looked at me. "Hey, where you been? Huh!" She leaned in aggressively, revealing the almost empty bottle of whiskey in her hand, her breath reeking of alcohol. I closed my eyes and let the shame wash over me. My hopes of her being civilized in front of them had been shattered thanks to some asshole named Jack Daniels. "Hey!" She shouted, some of her spit flying and hitting my face. I opened my eyes, already filling up with tears. "Who are you, honey?" She asked, her eyes moving between Oliver and Everett a few times, making it unclear whom she'd asked the question. I heard Oliver exhale quietly which just made everything so much worse. But fuck them and the assumptions and judgments I was sure they had at this point. She'd ruined whatever I might've had going on with them, but that wasn't saying much in the first place.

I broke out that authoritative tone I always used when my mom got out of hand. "Go inside, mom," I said. She looked at me and scoffed.

"Don't you use that tone with me, you little who-" She began.

I cut her off. "I want to help you with whatever you need. Go in, I'll follow you in a moment. I just need to get Felix and these guys settled."

She looked confused but thankfully started to turn around and headed inside. I turned around to see both of them looking shocked, eyes widened and mouths slack - the whole thing. My eyes started to tear up but I looked at the ground and willed them gone, steeling my nerves with a deep breath. I looked back up at them with a smile. "So that's that. Thanks again for your help," I opened the cage door, Felix jumped out. "Inside," I demanded. Felix scampered inside before he even got the chance to growl again. I closed the cage door. "See you around," I said without looking at either of them, instead heading inside and quickly shutting the door behind me. I leaned against the wall and slid to the ground.

My mom was laying on the couch, holding the bottle in her hand, the contents dripping onto the already soaked carpet. I winced and whatever emotions I'd withheld till now were let loose. I cried because I felt sorry for myself, for my misfortune of having been born to this particular woman on this particular universe in this particular time period. Everything seemed like the wrong time, wrong situation. Felix trotted over with his head bowed. He nudged at my jaw with his nose and licked at my neck. It just made me sob harder but I immediately and uncontrollably hugged him and he stood still and let me. "We'll be okay," I whispered as my tears soaked his hide and sniffled.