Possession

My heels clanked on the concrete, the sound ringing in the air like a steady beat. It was Friday night, and usually the sidewalk was teeming with people, chatter and laughter filtering in from the crowds walking on the streets and the people in the restaurants. Neon signs glowered and flickered while cars zoomed up and down the street. The street, locally known as The Ave, was always buzzing with life.

However, today it was deserted. The stores were closed and shrouded in darkness. No one graced the sidewalk except me, and not even a car drove down The Ave. It was Thanksgiving break; most people had left the University District and gone home to celebrate the holiday with their families. Only the street lamps lit up the sidewalk, but they couldn't keep at bay the eerie darkness that lingered in the air. It felt like shadows lurked in the dark alley, waiting to pounce on me. I had always had this sixth sense since I was little, but my parents often shrugged it off and told me to pray about it.

Since I was an international student, I stayed on campus, spending my days aimlessly scrolling on Instagram. At 5 p.m., I had the genius idea to take a walk to a thrift store to lollygag, only to find it closed, having forgotten it was a public holiday. I was a twenty-minute walk away from my dorm, and I was silently cursing myself for not wearing attire appropriate for running, which I desperately wanted to do. I was wearing my thick black block heels, a knee-high long-sleeved black bodycon dress, and a thick orange cardigan that reached my knees.

The loud purr of an engine pierced through the air as a car neared. I whipped my head Aaround to see a black BMW rounding a corner and stopping right next to me. My sixth sense sprang to life, and I felt as if all the cells in my body buzzed. It wasn't fear this time; it felt more like familiarity.

The window lowered, and a man stuck his head out. A pair of captivating golden eyes stared back at me.

“Hey beautiful, where does one go to have fun around here?” he grinned, as I admired his beautifully sculpted face—from his chiseled jaw and smooth chocolate skin to his plump rosy lips and straight teeth. His hair was a short, curly mop cut to perfection with a fade on the sides and a shape-up at the front.

“It… it’s Thanksgiving. There’s no one here,” I stuttered, unable to compose myself around his immense beauty.

“You sound foreign. Where you from? I like your accent.”

“Kenya,” I said breathlessly.

The window behind him opened and another face popped out. This time, it was a man with milky skin and bright red hair that was tied behind him into a ponytail, a few loose locks framing his face. His eyes were an electrifying gray, almost silver. His lips were thin but dangerously curved, the color of rose petals.

He was gorgeous too, and I felt my heart skip a beat at the masculine beauties in front of me.

“Well, Kenya, come party with us,” the redhead teased.

“Yeah, come on, beauty. We'll keep you safe,” the chocolate-skinned man chimed in.

“I… I… don’t know.”

“Come on, you don’t look like you have anything going on. We promise not to bite unless you ask us to,” the black-skinned man teased, the redhead chuckling in response.

“Come on,” they cooed.

I took a deep breath and let my sixth sense take full reign, and nothing in my body raised an alarm. I only felt peace and comfort around them. I trusted my sixth sense; it never steered me wrong.

When was I going to get another chance to get in a car like this with men this handsome?

“Okay,” I said with a charming smile, responding to their intense stares as they drank me in. Thankfully, I had dressed nicely tonight and had just gotten out of the shower before leaving my room.

The back door swung open, and long legs clad in loose ripped black jeans stuck out. He stood up, showing his full height. He was tall, with broad shoulders, wearing a white tee, and his tattoos on his neck, chest, and arms were on full display.

“My beautiful lady,” he ushered as he stepped aside, letting me in. My heart quickened in my chest as his intoxicating scent consumed me. I smelled the distinct scent of amber and something else with a sweet note.

I clambered into the car and almost dropped my jaw at the extravagance. The inside had cream leather seats and smelled sweet and woody at the same time.

The seats chilled my exposed thick thighs as my dress had risen up to mid-thigh. I tightly grasped my beige leather purse on my lap as I nervously and excitedly settled into the car.

“I’m DeAndre, but you can call me Dre. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance,” he said smoothly as he turned to face me.

“I'm Amara. Nice to meet you,” I said as coolly as I could, but his honey-brown eyes melted me.

There was someone seated next to him in the passenger seat—a lady with long brown hair who paid me no mind.

I was about to greet her when the door opened, and the redhead slid in from the other side, his face quirked up in a dangerous smirk that pulled at my heartstrings.

“Let's go to Club Onyx, Dre.”

“Onyx it is.”

The car sped off, and it felt like we were gliding on water with how smoothly it moved. Dre turned on some music that sounded like hip-hop with an R&B and rock twist to it. I weirdly liked it.

I yelped in surprise when the redhead's hand landed on my knee out of the blue.

“You gotta loosen up,” he coaxed as he rubbed my skin. Jolts of electricity erupted across my leg, and I felt warmth wash over me. His milky-skinned hand contrasted against my deep chocolate thighs.

A part of me wanted to shake his hand off, but another part of me liked it there.

“I didn’t catch your name,” I asked, trying to distract myself from his lingering touch.

“Alistair.”

“So what do you do, Alistair? You don’t look like a college student.”

“I work for a very affluent family out here. All three of us do.”

“Nice.”

His hand stayed there for the rest of the ride, teasing me. He made no movement—the warmth of his hand just encircling my knee and putting me in a stir.

We weaved in and out of traffic as we headed to downtown Seattle.

Why was I so calm?

Usually I felt a little alarmed around strangers, but I felt a very old bond with the three strangers in the car. They felt like my protectors more than anything.

The car came to a smooth stop. I looked out to see a building that looked like it was built in the Victorian era. The windows were black, no light coming from them.

I whipped my head back at Alistair with alarm, wondering where they had taken me.

“Relax, it’s jumping inside. It’s a very exclusive club.”

Dre opened the door, letting a cold draft slip inside. I shivered, not only from the cold but from a feeling that emanated from the building.

He held out his hand, which I took as I clambered out of the car. His palm was soft and warm, my hand feeling dainty in his large one. Somehow his presence calmed me down, and I ignored my sixth sense.

“I’ll take it from here,” Alistair said, cutting in as he extended his arm for me to loop mine through.

“She’s all yours, brother. I’m just trying to have a good time, nothing else,” said Dre as he dropped my hand and put his hands in the air in surrender.

“I chose her first. Don’t get in my way,” Alistair said a little fiercely as he glared Dre down.

“No. I’m no one’s, just to put that out there. I don’t know what plans y’all have going on, but I want no parts,” I interrupted, trying to diffuse whatever was going on.

“Let’s go inside,” Alistair said, his demeanor changing as he relaxed his shoulders and looked at me.

I looked at him warily, still mulling over what he had said.

“Relax. We’re just being men. I saw you first and asked him to stop the car, but Dre likes playing games and hollered at you first. He likes messing with me like that. Nothing serious.”

I still eyed him suspiciously. He chuckled, the sound reverberating in my ears and melting my heart. It was infectious and hearty.

“I promise there’s nothing weird going on. I’m just competitive and Dre likes to mess with me.”

“Be nice, Dre,” I joked as I looped my arm through Alistair’s.

“Hah! I like to keep life interesting. Where would the fun be if I didn’t rile things up?”

I noticed the brunette had walked toward the door, placing her hand on a panel by the wall. As we approached, the door swung open.

A strong intoxicating scent hit, and I felt all my fears and inhibitions wash away.

We walked into a hallway that had a red carpet covering the entire floor, with wooden paneled walls. Purple flames dimly lit the area from lamps that sat high up on the walls.

I could hear the muffled thumping of bass and the roar of laughter and voices.

We walked down the hallway toward a set of double doors. Every step I took, I felt lighter and looser—like all the bolts, screws, and knots that held me upright and uptight were loosening and I was free.

The double doors opened, and two bodyguards on either side stood beside them.

How did they know we were coming?

A purple, blue, and orange mist filled the dance floor, illuminated by the bright lights that pulsed through the club. People writhed and gyrated on the dance floor, their movements fluid to the point that they almost seemed inhuman.

We turned to the left, up a curved wooden staircase that led to the balcony. There were plush plum leather couches scattered everywhere, with glass tables in front of them topped with various bottles and shot glasses.

Alistair ushered us into a corner where only the two of us sat. Dre greeted the other people in the room, laughing and joking around.

I was trapped between the armrest of the couch and Alistair. He was seated right next to me, his arm draped behind me, his intoxicating scent and warmth enveloping me.

He leaned down to whisper in my ear,

“You're an exceptionally beautiful woman.”

“Thank you.”

“I would like to get to know you better.”

Before I could reply, the atmosphere in the room changed. The inhibitions I had before came flooding back, and I tensed up.

I saw Alistair get up too quickly and make a quick bow.

A man glided into the room, catching my attention. His hair was cut short, the top very low cut and while the sides faded out giving him a clean but dangerous sharpness. Three cuff earrings lined his ear, catching the light as he moved.

Tattoos snaked up the side of his neck, disappearing beneath his white button-down shirt that was left open just enough to tease more of the tattoo on his chest. A silver necklace lay against his collarbone, the elongated diamond pendant gleaming like a blade. He wore black pants that looked like they belonged to an expensive suit, paired with black dress shoes.

His face held an otherworldly beauty: his coffee colored skin as smooth as whipped chocolate, hooded eyes shadowed beneath thick brows that gave him a seductive and intense glare. His light golden eyes gleamed like fire, and his full, luscious rosepink lips looked soft.

Those eyes stared right at me, causing my breath to catch in my throat. He averted his gaze, releasing me, and I started to breathe again.

He sat on a couch opposite us and waved his hand in the air.

The room—which had seemed to pause due to his entrance—revived again, and the atmosphere filled with laughter and chatter.

Alistair was back by my side, throwing his body over mine. I fixated my eyes on his, trying to ignore the pair burning holes into me.

Something strange was happening within me. I found my body consumed by the white-haired man; I could barely notice Alistair had moved to nuzzle his nose into my neck. I knew he had asked me something, but I had just nodded in a daze.

I heard a soft whisper, but it didn’t sound like Alistair. I felt the redhead stiffen, then he straightened up, clenching his jaw. He excused himself in a rush, got up, and left.

Alone on the couch, I looked everywhere in the room but at him. After a while, I found myself drawn to his intense gaze.

I heard a voice in my head gesture for me to come.

“I need to go home,” I said apprehensively.

“Why?” he said, his voice loud like he was right in front of me, though he was across the room.

“Because I shouldn’t be here with you.”

“What makes you say that? I haven’t done anything to you.”

“You’re dangerous for me. I can sense it.”

“You look like the type of girl who would be into dangerous men.”

I laughed, his response tickling me.

He smiled slowly, his lips curling up, but it only made him look more sinister—handsomely sinister. He leaned back on the couch, one leg draped over the other.

Every part of me wanted to lean closer until our skin touched, but a big part of me knew nothing good would come from associating with this man.

“I can hear your heart beating, hammering away like a hummingbird.”

“How can you do that? How can we even communicate like this without our lips moving?”

“Don’t play coy with me, witch.”

“Witch?”

“You really don’t know? You know nothing of the powerful magic coursing through your veins?”

I shook my head slowly. Me? A witch?

Whatever was in the air was getting to me. I must really be out of my mind. I was probably hallucinating this whole scenario and just slumped over on the plush couch like some drug addict.

“Interesting.”

He made a motion with his hand, and a man appeared in front of me in an instant.

I jumped in surprise. Was he just lingering nearby? Because he got there inhumanly quick.

“She needs to forget about this night, then take her home.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Before I knew it, he placed his hand on my head, and I fell into instant blackness.