I was sulking and it was annoying Gabriel and Luke to no end, so I kept it up much longer than I would have normally. Gabriel had stood me up on the stage before the mirrors and continued to dress me up like his very own Barbie. Granted the outfit he chose, a black swirling skirt that hit me mid-thigh and pretty pink blouse that hugged the small curves of my torso, was actually really cute and something I probably would have worn myself. It only made me angrier that I could appreciate the clothes he put me in.
I hadn't spoken a word to either of them since they'd forcefully removed the only weapons I'd managed to find, thus stripping me of any hope I had of slitting their throats and escaping. They were a lot less angry then I expected and even tried to get me to talk to them, but I'd refused. So they were now talking to each other, like two best friends hanging out on a Friday night as Gabriel brushed and styled my hair to perfection. He'd fawned over my hair, calling it chameleon hair since it had different shades of blond, brown, and auburn, though I just assumed it was dirty blond. I let him though, unwilling to admit to myself that the feel of his fingers running through my hair was comforting and relaxing, even given the situation.
"So," Gabriel's voice sounded close to my ear and I jumped at his close proximity, "What do you think, Doll?"
I rolled my eyes and glanced up the mirror, my reflection distracting me from saying something snarky about him calling me 'doll'. My hair hung in shiny loose curls around my face and my make up was light and tasteful. Somehow, he had made my green eyes look piercing and alluring and my skin look smooth and rosy without giving the impression that I was wearing make up at all. I could see the darkness of the mascara on my lashes but that was about it. I looked natural and, well, beautiful. I was actually impressed and for a moment, I wished that I had met him under different circumstances so I could compliment his work. As it was, I clenched my jaw tightly and glanced back down at the surface of the vanity where I sat.
"Aw, come on, Doll! You look fucking fantastic and I don't even get a smile." He frowned down at me and I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Don't call me 'doll'." I bit out and glanced down at my nails that were now painted a rosy pink to match the shirt I was wearing, except for my thumbs that were painted a shiny, iridescent black. Gabriel growled behind me and I risked a peek at his expression in the mirror.
He was irritated, I could tell, but I was still sore about the theft of my razor blades and the manhandling. "What else am I supposed to call you since you refuse to tell me your name?" He asked, running his fingers through my hair again to give the curls a more natural look. "Or should I just choose my own name...Doll?"
"Bite me." I snapped and he grinned rather sinfully.
He leaned into to me, holding my gaze in the mirror as his mouth found its way to my ear. "Be careful what you ask for, Love." He nipped at my lobe and I gasped at the electric current that shot through my body settling low in my stomach at the action. "You might just get it." He pulled away, the moment passing as quickly as it came as he turned to Luke behind us. "What do you think, Luke?"
Luke had pulled over the desk chair to sit behind us and watch Gabriel work over me. Apparently, at some point, Luke had gotten bored and was now spinning in circles on the computer chair. He dropped his feet to the carpet with a soft thump to stop his whirling momentum and came to a halt, taking a moment to get his dizzy eyes to focus on my reflection. His eyebrows shot up and his brown eyes melted to liquid chocolate as he devoured me with his gaze.
"You clean up nice, Sugar." He complimented, his South Carolina accent thickening. Gabriel grinned widely at the flattery and I bit my tongue to keep from replying, either in thanks or insult. Luke stood and approached us to stand next to Gabriel at my opposite shoulder as he continued. "Too bad you're dead set on trying to kill us."
I shrugged, "Can't blame me for trying."
Gabriel chuckled darkly. "I suppose not. Though I am curious to know what you were planning on doing with those tiny little blades? They couldn't really do much damage."
"You'd be surprised what I can do when I set my mind to it." I said evenly, adding a layer of threat to my words.
Luke cackled and Gabriel smiled. "No worries, I believe you. I can already see you're trouble, though maybe that's why Victor chose you."
"I thought Kota chose me?" My statement came out more as a question.
Luke shook his head as Gabriel answered. "Oh no, Kota found you, though knowing him he was thorough and found a couple other back ups just in case you didn't make the cut. You were his first choice, but he had other options. Victor was sent in to feel you out and decide if you were the right choice. It helps that he has a rather good way with words." I ground my teeth at the memory of just how smoothly he had manipulated me and I promised myself I would repay him tenfold. "No, it was Victor who chose you and I'm starting to see why."
"You're special." Luke added, watching me with earnest. "He saw it, and so do I."
I scoffed. "Please, save your pretty words for the next girl."
Gabriel leaned forward again, searching my gaze in the mirror for something though I was at a loss for what. Did he expect me to just forget how I got here? Was I just supposed to accept my abduction and let them all do whatever the hell they wanted with me? If that's what he expected, he had another thing coming. I would destroy them all to get out of here if needed and the creature in my chest purred at the image.
"There you are." Gabriel crooned, his brilliant eyes shining madly for a moment as a wild smile splayed across his face. "That's why he chose you." He stated matter-of-factly as he caressed my cheek lovingly. Without another word, he abruptly turned and disappeared into the closet.
I watched him go in the mirror until he was out of sight before looking to Luke who had stood behind us watching our exchange. "What the hell is he talking about?"
Luke smiled at me and cocked his head to the side causing his blond hair to fall over his shoulder like a curtain. "He saw what Victor saw, what I see."
"And what do you see?" I asked shakily, fearful of his answer as he looked into my eyes like he could see to the very core of me.
Another smiled graced his lips, though this one was slightly deranged. "I see your beastie, the one you try to hide. The one that makes you do bad things, the one you can't control." His voice was eerie and I felt goosebumps break across my skin as I was held captive by his dark gaze, entranced by his words. "Don't be scared, Sugar, we've all got one. Even the people who walk around outside pretending they don't. They go to their jobs, talk with their friends, and love their families, but they never admit to anyone the desires they keep buried in the deepest parts of their minds, the things they do in the dark. We've all got monsters, some of us are just tired of hiding them."
Luke leaned in, his arms coming on either side of my body as his hands rested against the vanity, but he never broke eye contact. I was falling through his dark gaze, tumbling through the rabbit hole and I was terrified by what I would find at the bottom of the pit. The shutters fell open and I was faced with Luke, who he really was. I saw the gentle soul that I had watched since waking up in this little shop of horrors but I also saw the rest. I glimpsed the barely leashed animal that resided within him, tethered by a thin thread that was moments from snapping completely. I saw the anger and the pain twisting and twirling into an evil snarling creature that wanted to be unleashed, just to watch the world burn. I saw his monster and it called to mine in a way that made my hands tremble.
As if Luke knew what I was thinking, he smiled madly as he dragged his nose along the length of my neck till he reached my ear. His voice dropped lower turning dark and seductive. "You don't have to pretend with us...you don't have to hide anymore."
"Luke." Gabriel's voice broke the spell and Luke jerked away from me like he'd been caught in something he shouldn't have been. The curtains to his mind slammed shut and the darkness receded, leaving the calm collected person I'd come to recognize standing behind me. He faced Gabriel and I could see him swallow thickly. "I picked out some clothes for you if you wanna get changed for dinner."
Luke nodded and walked towards the closet where Gabriel had been, giving me an anxious glance. My mind was still spinning from the intensity of the moment we'd shared so I could only manage a blank, slightly blindsided stare in return. I hadn't really been too afraid before now. I knew that they were nuts and that my life was in jeopardy, but I knew that if they did eventually kill me, that I would go down fighting and taking as many of them with me as possible. I was entirely unprepared to find myself feeling...this. I didn't have a word for the emotions swirling through my body and I struggled to lock them up.
Gabriel shrugged away from the wall where he'd been leaning and meandered over to me and I ran my eyes over his change of clothes. He was dressed nicer than he'd been before, with a pair of dark jeans and a buttoned black shirt that hung open over his orange tank top. He still looked like a sexy rocker, just a little more refined and I scrambled over my myself to get out of the chair I was sitting in to back away. I was feeling confused and vulnerable and his tempting good looks were a little too much to handle at this moment.
"Running scared, now?" Gabriel smiled in bemusement and I scowled at him.
"I'm not afraid." I lied, hating the doubt that caught in my throat.
He chuckled and approached me, making me back away until the back of my thighs hit the vanity. "Of course you're not." He mocked as he reached out and twisted a curl around his finger.
I slapped his hand away, hissing through my teeth. "Don't touch me!"
"Why?" He didn't retaliate but he did step closer invading my space again. "Afraid of how much you like it?"
His cockiness grated on my nerves and I brought my fists against his chest in a hard shove. He only backed up one step and I knew it was because he chose to not because of the strength of my push.
"Don't worry," Gabriel mused, quirking an eyebrow at my hasty retreat, "I felt the same way when they first found me. Confused and overwhelmed, I had no name for the safe feeling they brought me. It was like being in a room surrounded by strangers and yet not feeling alone for the first time in my life. Yeah, we're not normal, but at least we're together, at least we're a family." He leveled his eyes on me, the gravity in his gaze rivaled only by that of Luke's a moment before. "He's right, Doll, you don't have to hide here, not with us. You don't have to be alone."
His words speared my chest, making my withered heart swell. I felt it ache and writhe as it tried to remember how to beat, how to feel, but I fought the motion. I threw ropes around it, tightening it till it choked, and then chained it to the ground.
My face hardened, carved from stone and Gabriel recoiled momentarily before recovering his smile. "Don't worry, it will take some time to get used to us. Hopefully, you don't get killed before then."
Oh, that was hopeful.
Luke joined us then, wearing the same blue shirt only now he wore a white undershirt beneath it. He had on a pair of nice jeans and he'd changed his shoes from sandals to clean sneakers. He looked even more like a model that had just walked out of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalog, and I had to check my mouth for drool.
Gabriel gave him a once over before walking over and running his hands through Luke's hair to tame some of the messiness and tangles. It was kind of adorable watching him fawn over his friend, and I watched the exchange with rapt attention. Once Gabriel deemed Luke smart enough, he checked me over again and then headed to the door.
Swinging it open he held out a hand towards me and I brought my hand to the hollow of my throat in a rare gesture of hesitance. I was frightened by how easy it would be to reach my hand out and place it in his, and I didn't want to give in to the foreign feelings these two brought out in me. Give me violence and death threats and I was ready to wage war, but face me off with these lunatics who talked about family and acceptance, and I found myself floundering.
Feeling a warm body fill in the space beside me, I wasn't surprised when the back of Luke's hand brushed against mine. He wanted to take my hand again and this was his way of asking permission. How I knew this silent language of his, I wasn't sure, but I turned to narrow my eyes in scrutiny at him. There was an odd vulnerability in his gaze and I got the insane urge to reach out and cup his cheek to smooth the worry away. I refrained.
He brushed his hand against mine again, the clear question in his face and I found myself giving a curt nod. A smile lit up his face as he once again slid his hand into mine and laced our fingers. Half of me wanted to jerk away from his touch while the other half reveled in it. Maybe I really was as crazy as they were.
Gabriel grunted, bringing my attention back to him and his still waiting hand. Well, I'd already given in to Luke so why not commit completely to this madness. They want me to like them, trust them, and maybe if I pretend it will help me escape. My only fear was that I would find myself no longer pretending. Hopefully, I would get out of here before that happened.
I placed my hand into Gabriel's palm and he gripped my hand tightly before pulling me, and by extension, Luke, towards the open door. "Let's go, you two troublemakers. It's time for family dinner."
Oh, great.