"Did you have to hit her so hard?"

Words woke her but didn't remove the darkness. Oh, wait, it was just dark. She was in a dark car. And, judging from the gentle rocking, a moving car. Someone jostled her as they moved her head to rest on something firm but curved perfectly to her head. It smelled amazing too.

"She's got blood on my upholstery, Cor." Another man's voice complained from behind her.

Crap. Totally outnumbered and in a moving vehicle. Not good.

Alyss remained limp and tried to keep her breathing as even and slowed as possible.

"If Dom hadn't hit her so hard, she wouldn't be bleeding at all." The words seemed to be ground from a clenched jaw.

That made three guys. This kept getting better and better, she thought.

"Where's the statue anyway. At least we got the damned thing for our trouble?" Someone asked.

"Our? What ‘our?’ I’m the one got fucking pepper sprayed." Deducing, the one they called Cor, complained, his body rumbling with his irritated words.

The following silence must have lasted another ten, maybe fifteen minutes before the vehicle came to a stop and the driver cut the engine. "Alright, everyone out. Dom, take the artifact to Brianna." A passenger door opened and someone exited, she assumed Dom, to follow his orders.

“I’ll take our guest to her new room and get her settled." She felt the man under her shift.

"Would you like to walk or shall I carry you?" His breath on her neck made her shiver a little.

She'd been in pickles before, but nothing like this. Accepting that the police might catch her red handed, no matter how hard she worked not to, she never expected to be kidnapped by other thieves.

Opening her eyes slowly she looked up at him. A better view with the dome light on, she saw his hair was black, and straight and pulled back from his face by a tie at the back of his neck. His features were all angles, with a slightly pointed chin that had a slight dimple, high, sharp cheek bones. Those dark eyebrows rose in question, waiting for her response, as faint laugh lines creased at the corners of his eyes and mouth. He laughed a lot, that was a good sign, right? A person who laughed often couldn't be that evil, could they? Sitting up, Alyss eyed him suspiciously. "What do you guys want with me?"

"Though it may not seem like it now, but we actually just want to help you." He opened his door and hopped out of the SUV. Turning, he held an extended hand to assist her.

Taking his hand, she allowed him to lead her down the lifted black beast. Feet firmly on solid ground, his hand still held hers, thumb brushing over the back for a second or two before letting it go.

They were on a private gravel drive, a thick line of trees blocking any view of a real road. As he led her around the car, she saw what could only be described as a castle. Straight from a medieval fairy tale, it had two towers on either side, jutting towards the sky.

Wait...

"Where are we?" She asked his back, deliberately ignoring his butt.

"Connecticut." Was all he said.

"Great." She mumbled. Escaping would be even harder out of state, not knowing where the heck she was.

"What is this place," Alyss asked, following up the wide stone steps to a pair of oak doors.

Opening the doors grandly, he stepped aside, gesturing for her to go ahead of him.

She entered what looked like a greenhouse of sorts. Having expected gold filigree, chandeliers, with medallion fixtures, polished marble and potpourri, Alyss was a little shocked to find the large foyer filled with twisting vines of ivy and red roses covering the walls. Barely visible sconces shined a dim light over it all.

The center of the large space was a small pool complete with a fountain of fish frozen in concrete mid leap and spitting water from their mouths.

"Home," Cormac finally said.

"Home?" Frowning he took her gently, but firmly, by the upper arm and led her through the hall of ivy and roses up a grand staircase.

"To who?" She continued to pry, keeping pace with him.

"To the horde." At the first-floor landing, he stopped to turn to her. "And the rest of the dark fae."

He went on to ascend to the next level of stairs while Alyss processed his words.

Horde? Dark fae? What the hell was he talking about?

Wait, fae....

"Fae. You mean, like, magic?" Her breathes puffed out as she was forced to match his pace.

He only nodded, rounding to another story in the house.

Christ, how many stories was this place?

"So, that whole not being able to tell me about why you needed the statue, that was true?"

He seemed to ignore her, except when he stopped at the next level, the third, he turned to look at her, all seriousness. "Very much true."

That was all he said before turning to walk down the hall to the right. Doors, some open, others closed lined both sides. Those opened appeared to house simple bedroom furniture, a few even had personal items hanging from the walls, placed on the dresser or bed. Stopping at an open room halfway down, he waved his hand inside.

"This will be your room during your stay with us."

Alyss only peeked in, not trusting that he wouldn’t just slam and lock the door on her if she went inside. Same as the other rooms they'd passed. Standard twin bed, soft looking wool blanket on top, a single pillow encased in white cotton sheets. A small end table with a tiny drawer by the bedside had a very utilitarian lamp on top. A short dresser for clothes made complete by a tiny mirror hanging on the wall behind it completed the cheap hotel essence of the room.

"And how long will that be, my stay?" She turned to eye him warily.

"For as long as what’s necessary." He held a pausing hand up when she looked ready to claw his eyes out.

"We should know soon enough. A guard will be placed at your door, in case you wanted to test your lock picking skills." He pressed his lips together, daring her to deny that she had said skills. "Make yourself comfortable," he said, turning her by the shoulders and walking her backwards into the room a couple steps before backing out and shutting the door behind him.

Sitting down on the bed, she tested the firmness. Not terrible. She should at least be somewhere comfortable while she waited impatiently. There was no way she would be sleeping though.