Dirty Lying Dragons

3. The Cabin

free chapter 3/7

Dani

I woke up with my entire body aching. I instantly remembered the rooftop, the wolves, and the nasty gash on my arm, which was still throbbing by the way.

Thanks Amelia.

My eyes snapped open and I sat up, my head spinning from the quick motion.

I caught my head in my hands to steady it, and then looked around.

This was not my bed.

Actually, could you call it a bed?

I was in a loft of some kind, with a giant mattress laying right on the wooden floor. The mattress had black silk sheets, but the similarities to an actual bed stopped there. On top of what had to be a custom sized mattress, was piled furs. Actual furs, from animals. Dangerous animals. And in lieu of pillows there was rolled up sheep fleeces. Weird, but comfortable. It all looked like a caveman's love den.

I moved a little more and the furs dropped from my shoulders. Air hit my skin and made me realize I was only wearing a bra and panties. Someone had taken my wet clothes off. And if they took my clothes of the may have removed...

My eyes widened, and my hand flew to my ankle bracelet.

Oh thank fuck.

I sighed. The charm from my mother was still intact. It was tiny, a thin gold chain with a pink stone in it. I'd worn it for most of my life and I wasn't supposed to take it off. Ever.

Charm aside, I took inventory on the rest of me.

I inspected my arm. It still hurt like a bitch, but it had been neatly bandaged and I could smell disinfecting chemicals at work. Who could have done it? And for that matter, where the hell was I?

Oh.

Oh shit.

That man. Creature. Thing.

I bit my lip remembering the teleportation circle, then the hot water, and then the hulking guy that just reeked with a deadly ferocity I wasn't ready for. I almost wish I had stayed to try my luck with the werewolves instead.

Yeah, he was more dangerous. Definitely not human, though nothing I had ever encountered before either. A demon maybe? They were huge, and very strong, but this guy didn't have any horns. Maybe a fae? They were intimidating, and moody and his eyes looked like something from another realm, but that didn't feel right either. A shiver ran down my spine. I hoped he wasn't either of those things or I was in deep shit. No human wanted to owe a fae any favors, and a demon...

No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to stay away from the magical world.

I shrugged off the rest of the furs, a chill racing across my bare skin in the cool air, and I dared a peek over the edge of the loft. I had to find out more about my surroundings and maybe a clue of what had caught me and bandaged me up.

The place was what real estate agents like to call 'rustic'. The fireplace was huge, taking up half the wall, but the flames were flickering dangerously low for being somewhere so cold outside. The walls were logs. Just, giant logs. No insulation, and the primitive windows barely had thin panes of glass in them. They would do nothing to tell me where I was, but they did show me it was night outside.

I ran my eyes along the walls and ceiling. No electricity that I could find. Instead, a series of lanterns burned in key places of the room, lighting it as brightly as one could expect from firelight in a heavy cabin at nighttime.