Arcanum Hominem (#1)

Chapter 34

I got up and left my room, retracing my steps to the kitchen. It was dimly lit everywhere, but it made the atmosphere comfortable rather than ominous. I wasn't hungry surprisingly, I just wanted to get familiar with every place in here since I would be staying here for a while. The fridge and freezer were fully stocked, more than what seemed needed. I went to the living room and familiarized myself with the space as well and continued to do that until I reached a place I wasn't shown during the tour. It was stairs in the very back corner of the warehouse, the home part, hidden by a door without a knob. I accidentally stumbled across it by bumping into it while trying to avoid a peacefully sleeping Hades.

It was dark down the stairs, and chills went down my spine when a draft hit me. I didn't spook easily, but I was in a place I was unfamiliar with and found a spot that was obviously hidden for a reason. I took in a deep breath and looked for a light on the wall. There was a switch, and I flipped it, a lightbulb above my head flickering on with a light so old, it was almost orange.

"Take it easy," I muttered to myself and reminded myself to breathe and that I wasn't going to die, at least not tonight. The more I walked slowly down the stairs, the cooler it got, making me shiver just a bit. I finally made it to the bottom of the stairs and could only go one way, to the right. The left side was a solid wall of dirt. I started walking down the hall and froze when there was no more hallway, revealing what was down here. As far as I could see, to my left and right side were doors—solid, metal doors with little keyholes on them. I slowly walked on the pathway in between the doors, trying to breathe as quietly as possible and not panic.

It was eerily quiet, but I could hear some chains rattling behind some of the doors. I didn't even want to think about what was behind the doors.

"Hey, what are you doing down here?" Someone growled, and my eyes widened when I saw an extremely large man a few feet away from me with red hair and an angry look on his face. I squeaked and promptly turned around, running back in the direction of the stairs. I could hear his thunderous footsteps and heavy breathing. He was gaining on me. I made it to the stairs and didn't stop even when I busted through the knobless door. I ran around the place, looking for a safe place to hide, but failed.

There was a yell and a door being slammed open, and I gasped, pausing to catch my breath and looked around quickly. I spotted the door that led to the server room, and I ran there, yanking the door open. Killian and Levi both shot up from their seats, confused looks on their faces.

"Someone is chasing me!" I yelled, and Killian pulled a gun from his side, eyes narrowing at the door as I hid behind him, catching my breath. My lungs were crying out for air, but it was hard to catch up to my lungs. The door crashed open, and Killian raised his gun, pointing it at the large man that came through.

"Where are you, girl?" The redhead roared, looking around for me.

"Oh, that's who's chasing you? That's our guard, Khaos." Levi explained, and I let out a sigh of relief. I chuckled nervously and stepped out from behind Killian, who lowered his gun.

"Who is she?" Khaos growled and pointed in my direction, brows dipped in anger.

Levi took a step forward. "She's our guest and will be staying with us for a little while."

Khaos grunted, still glaring at me. "Okay, fine. But keep her out of my dungeon."

Killian glanced down at me, narrowing his eyes. "How did you find the dungeon?"

"It was in an accident, I-" I started explaining but he cut me off.

"Don't go down there again, got it?" His voice was low and stern, which made me scrunch up my nose distastefully. Before I could form a rebuttal, throats were cleared and I turned to see two other people I didn't notice before, standing there. One was a woman with dyed dark red hair and she was around my height. The other was a guy taller than me with strawberry blonde hair and he had a curious look on his face.

"Cleo and Row. They complete our team and help us track down targets." Killian introduced them and Cleo stuck out her hand, giving me a soft smile.

"It's nice to meet you. I hope you enjoy your stay," she spoke as I grabbed her hand, shaking it. I gave her a smile myself.

"It's nice to meet you as well, thank you."

Row stepped up, giving me a grin, and stuck his hand out. Killian took a step back as I shook his hand, his grip strong and skin rough. "So, are you and Killian a thing or what?"

I scoffed at his bluntness and heard Killian sigh behind me. Row looked over my head and his grin grew.

"What? It's a valid question. You never bring anyone here and she's beautiful."

Well, he was definitely bold. I liked that.

"No, we're not a thing," I answered his question and he looked back at me, raising his brows.

"Well, okay then. I look forward to getting to know you." He smirked, eyes flitting over my head again at Killian. I wouldn't be surprised if Killian was giving Row death glares right now. I gave him a smile before taking a step back, standing next to Killian again. I didn't care to stay in the spotlight.

A computer beeped and Cleo went to one of the many in the room, clicking something on the screen. Her eyes widened and she looked up at us.

"I found the next target."