Consciousness started with a tingle in her fingertips. It crept up her digits and into her arms, spreading until her entire body began to wake up from its healing slumber. A thick fog had settled over Sam’s brain, but as she regained consciousness, it quickly burned off. She wasn’t sure why, but she realized she had been expecting pain. Lots of pain. A memory of something hard hitting her head came back to her, and she reached up to touch the back of her skull.

Gingerly, she felt around, searching for a wound or even a scar. She found nothing, not even pain. Sam slowly opened her eyes, not sure at all what to expect. Directly above her was a dark blue velvet canopy hanging nearly eight feet above her. Following the fabric, she turned her head to see that it was attached to a very large, very old canopy bed made of dark wood. Looking around, she saw that the rest of the furniture in the room was antique as well. By the left of the bed sat a matching antique chaise, and on each side of the bed were intricately carved nightstands. Sitting gracefully atop each of them was an early 20th century Tiffany lamp, casting a yellow and green glow around the room that was otherwise darkened by the heavy curtains of the windows.

Turning her head slowly, she spotted a pitcher of water, a glass. She pushed down the blankets, then pushed herself up into an almost seated position to pour herself a glass of water. The liquid felt cool and refreshing on her lips, and she quickly drained the glass before pouring herself another one. As she was gulping down the second glass, she thought she heard someone’s breath hitch. Everything in her stilled, and for the next several moments she simply listened. There was someone with her in the room, she could hear them easily now, better than she could ever hear before. She could hear their breath, heartbeat, everything about them. Even beyond the room she heard people milling around. She counted three more. The guys from last night, she realized, the really strange but handsome ones.

Then, in the far right darkened corner she spotted a familiar face. Even in the dim light she could tell it was him. She’d never be able to forget what him, or any of the others looked like.

“Trevor?” She asked, her voice rasping bitterly. Immediately her hand went to her throat, and she drained the rest of the water in her glass.

“It’s Sulma, actually,” he said in greeting. “For honesty purposes.” He stood up and walked over to the bed, his gait slow, but purposeful. When he reached her he sat on the side of her bed, and, to her surprise, smiled at her.

“How are you feeling?”

She mauled over the question, and the fact that she was in a bed in a room she’d never seen before.

“Physically? Fine. Mentally? I feel like I got hit by a ton of bricks. What happened to me? Why do I feel so…so…”

“Different?” Sulma finished for her.

Sam’s gaze narrowed in on his, and she nodded. “First, let’s get you comfortable,” he offered. “May I?” When Sam nodded, he reached down to help scoot her body up into the pillows until she was completely sitting upright. When he finished, he took the empty glass from Sam and filled it for her once more.

“Keep drinking,” he encouraged. You’ve been out for nearly twenty-four hours.

Sam balked. “Excuse me? What the hell happened to me? Why am I here? Oh god, this is some weird cult, isn’t it? You’re planning on sacrificing me to the devil or something, aren’t you?”

Sulma chuckled, and put the water pitcher back down on the bedside table.

“One question at a time. First, the reason why you’re in bed feeling the way you do is because last night you, for whatever reason, you decided to sneak through our gates, scale a tree, shimmy over to a window, and eavesdrop on our conversation.”

Sam’s cheeks felt red hot as she listened to what had happened. The memories started to come back to her. She had told herself she was going back to the mansion to see more samples of the fungi, but in her heart she knew she was going to try to find out whatever she could, whether it be about mushrooms or men. It’s why she had decided to stay and spy on them when they started yelling.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, smiling sheepishly. “I was trespassing and had no right to be where I was.”

“Good. It’s a good sign that you’re apologetic. It means you have morals,” Sulma replied. “And yes, you were trespassing, but we don’t hold it against you. I’m not sure how much you heard. But we had more or less decided to find you when you fell through our roof, collided with a marble table downstairs in our enclosed garden, and cracked your head open like an egg.”

“Oh god,” she groaned, rubbing her hand over her face. “I remember now. How the hell am I still alive?”

“We were able to heal you,” Sulma explained, “but you should still be closely monitored. Just to make sure there isn’t any damage we might have missed.”

Sam shook her head.

“I don’t understand. There’s no way you could have healed me that fast. If I really fell yesterday I should have a huge gash in my skull.”

He paused, his eyes staring directly into hers. When he answered, he did so with another question.

“Why were you outside our window, Sam?”

She blushed deeply. It was a question she wished she knew the answer to as well. Level headed Sam would have never done such a thing. But this new Sam? She had no idea what she was capable of, especially if she was willing to scale a tree to sneak a peek at some hot guys.

“I know why,” someone said from the doorway.

Sam and Sulma both looked up to see Aruum walking towards them, his usually cocky grin on full display. In his left hand, he carried Sam’s book bag. When he got closer, he tossed it onto the bed for them to open.

“You were here to see the fountain again, weren’t you? Or the fungus. Or both. Either way, based on what you had in this backpack, I’d say you weren’t here to spy, but to steal.”

Sam winced, awash with guilt. She could feel that what Aruum was saying was true, but now that it was right in front of her she had no idea what possessed her to act on such an intrusive crime.

“I’m so sorry,” she apologized, looking from Sulma to Aruum. “Either way this is not my normal behavior. You see, I’m what you would call a book worm? Yeah. And I don’t do stuff like this. Ever.” She paused, then added.

“But, you did remove my sample from my bag Gre- I mean, Aruum. One could say I was pushed to it.

Sulma and Aruum shared an amused glance before looking back at her.

“Sam, it’s okay,” Aruum assured, his smile easy. He took a seat on the opposite side of her bed, and reached for her hand.

“We’re sorry you got hurt, but we’re not sorry you’re here.”

Immediately Sulma’s gaze went from her eyes to the small embrace, and then up to Aruum’s face. Sam couldn’t identify what it was, but it wasn’t quite jealousy. In response, Aruum merely smirked, and gave Sam’s hand a little squeeze. She could feel the tension in the room. It was as thick as the fog that rolled in on the city’s harbor, and despite feeling shockingly aroused by both of the men, she didn’t want to be the reason for the tension either.

“I should go,” she told them, pulling her hand out of Aruum’s. “I intruded, and again, I am so sorry. I’ll pay for any of the damages I swear, I’ll just scribble my address down before I leave and you can have the bill sent to me.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Sulma assured her as Aruum began to speak over him.

“What?” Aruum asked, jumping up. “No, you don’t have to leave. Sulma, tell her she doesn’t have to leave.”

Sulma’s eyes flicked up to Aruum’s, clearly amused by his friend’s outburst. “She can’t leave, but you can. And you should. Now.” The last word came out as a growl, and although Aruum rolled his eyes, he obeyed.

Once they were alone again, Sulma turned back to Sam. The look he gave her flooded her with happiness and warmth, although she couldn’t understand why. All she knew was that she wanted to hold him. Or him to hold her. She didn’t really care, she just wanted to touch him.

“I only said that to get him out of the room. I’m not even injured and he still drains me. I can’t imagine what he does to you.”

Sam laughed lightly, surprisingly genuinely. “He’s not so bad,” she replied. “I mean, he can’t be if you’re willing to dedicate nights looking for him, right?”

Sulma smirked, and took a seat once more, his hand only inches away from Sam’s.

Her fingers twitched, and she fought the urge to reach out and grab it.

“So, I am free to leave then? I’m not a prisoner or anything?”

“When you’re ready,” Sulma promised. “But you’re not. You really should stay here a couple days until you’re fully healed. We already made contact with your building’s supervisor, so that they don’t file a missing persons, and Aruum picked up a couple of your books for you.” He paused, then added with an almost sheepish grin, despite his wolflike appearance.

“He was going to grab you some nightgowns too, but I guess you didn’t have any. So we picked you up a couple. They’re in the closet when you’re ready.”

Sam thanked him, feeling oddly relieved about everything. She could leave when she was strong enough, which meant she wasn’t a prisoner. And she even had her books! Something she didn’t like to be without. Still, something about Sulma made her wiggle with unease.

“I feel like you’re not telling me everything,” she said, her voice soft. Wanting the truth, she looked once more into his eyes. Only this time instead of just letting him look into her soul, she attempted to look into his.

There was pain there, and loneliness; a need, both sexual and spiritual. They stretched over power and strength like a thin membrane, and her heart ached for him. Suddenly she felt the need to wrap him in her arms, despite barely knowing him. She went to reach for him, and he all but jumped off the side of her bed.

“You must absolutely be starving,” Sulma suggested, shoving his hands into his pant pockets. “Amaa got you some groceries. One of them is a pineapple, which I have no idea how to take apart. So you probably won’t get any of that. Do you like pineapple?”

Sam had no idea why they were suddenly talking about pineapple. Especially after what she just felt from him.

“I- umm, don’t particularly need the pineapple?” She said, her tone leaning more toward a question than anything.

“Great. No pineapple then,” Sulma said, his voice uneven. He turned away from her and started walking towards the door. When his hand reached the door knob though, he sighed, and turned around.

“Sam,” he said, his tone laced with warning. “I meant what I said. About you leaving. You may do so when you’re healthy. But…it would be remiss of me if I didn’t tell you that you may have a hard time staying away.”

Her brow furrowed, somehow understanding that this had something to do with what she was able to identify in Sulma’s eyes.

“Why will I want to keep coming back?” She asked. All traces of awkwardness were gone now, as was the pineapple.

“We can talk about it later,” he told her. Sulma left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Sam stared at the door in shocked silence, not sure what to make of what she had just woken up to.

Later that evening, Sulma and Aruum returned with Taas and Amaa. Sulma gave formal introductions, and for an hour or so the four men lounged on her bed with her as they asked her about her research. Even the other top students in her classes didn’t talk to her about her work, so she was more than happy to have someone to talk to. What impressed her more was that they all at some point or another seemed to be able to follow what she was saying, whether it was about botany or human sexuality. Despite their insane good looks, they were incredibly intelligent. She wasn’t sure what gene pool they crawled out of, but after speaking with them she realized she wanted to take a dip in it herself. They all just seemed…perfect.

When they started to say their goodbyes, Sam felt sad to see them go. She enjoyed getting to know each of them, despite her introverted nature. Normally she treasured her privacy, but with them, she actually enjoyed being social. One by one they parted with her, until Sulma was the only one left in the room.

“You should get some sleep,” he told her, easing up off the bed. “I’m sure you’re exhausted by all that explaining you had to do with those knuckleheads.”

“Are you kidding?” She asked, laughing as she looked at him. “They were great. You all were. Plus, how can I forget that you all saved my life? They could have not followed a single word I just said and I would still feel appreciative to have my life.”

Sulma grunted, a strange smile tugging at his lips. “You really aren’t like most girls, are you?” He asked.

Sam shrugged her shoulders. “I guess we already have enough of those,” she replied. “Every now and then one like me pops up to cause a little chaos and fun. You know what I mean?”

Sulma’s half smile grew into a full one as his eyes took on a new heat. “I certainly do. Sweet dreams, Sam. See you in the morning.”