Chapter 14

"To the other rooms," he says plainly, "that is the only way to get to them."

"Wow," I gaze at the beautiful chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling, noticing the mural painted above me.

It is of wolves in the forest, chasing a bunch of humans. But the strange thing about them is that the human's eyes are red, bright like the werewolves' green eyes but a different color.

They are really scary and intimidating, sending recognition into my chest. I have seen those eyes before.

Pain flashes through me, realization searing. I yell, but that does not dissolve the hurt. The terror.

"Berenice!" a voice rips through the air to my ears.

I grab the man's hand, pressing it against my heart.

"Help me," I moan, "My heart is hurting."

It is throbbing, pounding against my chest.

"What's wrong?!" a beautiful voice says anxiously, one I don't recognize.

I raise my hands to my ears, trying to block out the noise, but the screams don't cease. The terrible screams...

All I see is darkness now, slipping into the endless void.

"Berenice" the same voice from before, the one that doesn't belong to Caleb or Lee, wakes me.

My eyes flutter open, consciousness returned.

"What happened?" I ask, the blurry images coming into focus.

Hovering right above me is an unbelievably handsome man, with bright green eyes. My eyes grow wide as I survey him.

With each strand like a clear crystal, sparkling like rainbows in the light, his hair reminds me of Caleb's but without a definite color. His short buzz cut of this spectacular hair gives way to pale, perfect skin and lightly reddened lips.

His eyelashes are thin and shiny black, long and enticing. His face is heart-shaped, and he almost looks like a girl.

"You lost consciousness," he informs me, his gaze disconcerting.

It is slightly pleasant, but still strange. I still have not gotten used to all these pretty guys looking at me.

I sit up, my back against the headboard. I look around the room, at the splendor surrounding me. It is absolutely gorgeous, a bedroom with surprisingly modern furnishes.

"Well, thanks," I say, getting up from the bed, "I am fine now."

My hair is matted, falling past my shoulders. The man grabs my arm, his expression of concern.

"Are you sure?" he questions, peering into my eyes.

"Of course," I nod, though I am anything but.

My head hurts, a throbbing pain that nearly swallows me whole. It is diminishing slowly, yet not quite slow enough. I truly have no idea what just happened.

My mind seems to be fuzzy, only the pain and the strange screams echoing in my head over and over...

Caleb rushes into the room, his expression of pure alarm.

"Berenice!" he cries, coming to meet me.

He demolishes me into a huge, bone-crushing hug. It is comforting, more than I can ever admit.

"I was so worried..." he whispers, his breath dancing along my cheek.

I smile, tilting my head downwards so he can't see it.

The rainbow man stands up, watching me with a warm smile that makes my heart go fuzzy.

"So she really is your mate," he says, without any doubt, "I'm glad. This will stop our alpha from being such a player."

Caleb blushes slightly, my eyebrows rising.

"Caleb was a player?" I rip away from him to ask the man.

It is hard to believe, for the way he shows me such devotion is not like a player at all.

"Was," the handsome man winks, "but now that he is mated, all he can think of is you."

"You are a player too!" Caleb protests, his voice ignored by us both.

"So mating makes you instantly fall in love with each other?" I ask dubiously.

He nods matter-of-factly.

"Then we didn't mate," I say confidently.

"What?" they both stare at me, Caleb frowning as I back away from his grasp.

"I am not in love with Caleb" I firmly state.

The man looks at me, and chuckles.

"Yes you are," he says, "I can see it in your eyes. You just won't accept it because you still don't understand it. Your body is probably trying to reject these foreign feelings."

I stare at him for a second, and then I begin to laugh.

"Think whatever you want," he grins, "my name's James, by the way. Jim said that he wants to meet you, so he will be coming soon..."

A figure bursts into the doorway, his breathing heavy.

"Where is she?" the guy asks, and then his eyes find mine.

Grinning eagerly, he crosses to be by my side.

"My name is Jim. And your name, my beautiful lady...?"

"Berenice" I can't help but grin, instantly relaxed by his playful attitude.

Also, his entire appearance is enchanting, invoking awed silence. His hair is a bright blonde, almost pure gold, and he has those green eyes that seem to be the common thing between all these werewolves.

His skin is as tan as Lee's, with nice lips and a thin but strong body. His face reminds me of Caleb's, with a likeness to a lovable puppy.

"She's my mate," Caleb carefully informs Jim, and he rolls his eyes.

"Oh really? I haven't figured that out yet."

After snapping at Caleb, he turns to me.

"Your smell is so wonderful... have you met Lee yet? Because he will love you."

"Why?" I ask.

He certainly doesn't seem to love me.

"Because he likes stealing other men's girlfriends... as I do. And especially one who possesses an intoxicating fragrance like you," he smirks, casting a white-toothed, glistening smile that shines brightly.

I blush, the red rushing to my cheeks. I snap my hand away, a scowl decorating my features.

"I'm not anyone's girlfriend!"

"Ooh, you're feisty."

Jim only smiles brighter, his enthusiasm unstoppable.

"I like it."

Caleb grabs my arm.

"You're jealous aren't you?" I laugh, letting him start to drag me towards the door.

He blushes slightly, a cute expression on his face.

"No, why would I be?" he asks.

Jim and James cheer behind us, obviously amused that Caleb is experiencing that kind of emotion.

Just before we exit the room though, a huge form fills the doorway.

"Hey," he nods at Caleb, and then turns his gaze to me.

"I'm George" he introduces himself, without a smile.

"I'm Berenice," I note his similarity to Caleb, their likeness almost startling.

George is muscled, even more so than Caleb, and sinewy. He is tall with brown hair, his face an almost perfect copy of Caleb.

However, a thin scar stretches from his forehead to his cheek, marring his otherwise beautiful face.

If Caleb was the Prince of Light, George would certainly be the alluring Prince of Darkness.