The Amber Shift

Nine

Noelle

The sun peeks through the drapes and I squeeze my eyes shut against the glare, rolling over and burying my face in my pillow. I groan, opening them a sliver to look at the alarm clock.

7:30am. "Why?" I whine to myself, kicking off the covers and sitting up on the side of the bed.

When my gaze falls on my bedroom door, my cheeks burn at the memory of being with Remi and then having such a sexually charged conversation with Asher within hours of each other. After he left, I lay in bed for hours, reflecting on what he said to me.

When that day happens, I'll be waiting to take care of that need pulsating between your legs.

I jump off the bed and rush to the bathroom, turning on the shower and hopping in while the water is still cold.

As I lather my vanilla shampoo into my tangled hair, an image flashes across my mind: the wolf I saw last night. Was that what I heard howling my first night here? I shudder at the thought. Corbin's little security detail should be out there figuring out what those things are instead of worrying about me all the time. But what if they are part of the odd happenings? The glow I glimpsed for a fraction of a second last night says they could be. How can I feel safe in this house with monsters on the outside and potentially on the inside too?

God, it is a stupid thought. My imagination is getting the better of me. Maybe the trauma from losing my mother and moving here is catching up to me. I'm contriving impossible stories about creatures found in movies and books when I'm clearly just surrounded by men—exceptionally good-looking men, but men nonetheless.

A loud knock at my bedroom door echoes through the room, jarring me from my wandering mind. I rinse the shampoo out of my hair before shutting off the water, sticking my head out the shower door and calling, "I'm in the shower, give me a few!"

"Noelle, I need to speak with you immediately. Please hurry."

My uncle's tone is serious, almost panicked. Something must be wrong if he's at my door this early with that edge of hysteria in his voice.

"Be out in a second!"

I make sure all the soap is rinsed from my body before I get out of the shower and towel off. Throwing on my white silk robe, I step out of the bathroom and fling open the door. Not only does my uncle stand on the other side, but so does Elijah. My face flushes, and I pull the robe tighter around my body.

Clearing my throat, I step aside and motion them into my room. "What's going on?"

"Sit down, Noelle," my uncle says.

Corbin eases into the chair across from me with Elijah towering over us at his side. It takes every ounce of my willpower not to look up at the man that my uncle ultimately put in charge of my safety. His eyes bore into me, and I shift under the weight of them and plaster a smile on my face.

My uncle clasps his hands in his lap and says, "Something has come up and I'm sending you to my mountain home for the next week."

I furrow my brows and instead of asking what has come up, I say the next thought that pops into my head. "But it's my birthday next week!"

"I know. You will love the estate up there. There are horses, a lake, and the scenery is gorgeous. I will send a couple people with you to make your stay comfortable, and of course, Elijah and the others will be there. You won't be alone."

My eyes dart to the man standing behind him. Elijah stares down at me with his arms crossed over his chest, and his face is void of any emotion. Corbin could have brought a statue with him into my room, and I would have had a better idea of what is running through its head.