Haunted Nights ✅ Completed

Chapter Seventeen: Brothers Freed

Brothers Freed

“We should wake her.”

“And tell her what? Excuse me, miss, we’re really Daniel’s brothers and pretty decent human beings until that queen bitch turned us into blood-thirsty wolves hell bent on eating your face. Sorry we almost killed you?”

Maya groaned. “At least you’d have better manners than that older brother of yours. I don’t think that man knows the meaning of the word ‘sorry.’”

She opened her eyes and was unsurprised to see the two hotties from Daniel’s family portrait peering down at her. Until she glanced down and saw they were as naked as the day they were born.

She blushed and quickly snapped her eyes back up to their faces. “Forget it. I take it back. You guys are just as bad.”

Julian had the decency to look a little embarrassed, Remy just grinned. The effect was devastating. Thankfully it was Julian who spoke again, “Sorry there, miss….ah…”

“Maya,” she offered. 

“Maya,” he finished gratefully. “I’m afraid Remy and I haven’t been in human form for quite some time.” Then right in front of her he shifted back into wolf form. It happened so fast she didn’t even have the chance to gasp. Julian was nothing but a blur of brown fur as he streaked out of the room.

“My brother can be a little dramatic. Don’t hold it against him,” Remy winked at her.

Maya tried to focus on her surroundings, partly to see where she was but mostly to avoid staring at Remy’s naked perfection.

What was it with all these hot men in Louisiana?

As she looked around, she saw they were no longer in the tomb where Isadora had been lying in wait for her. This room was much smaller and a thousand times less ominous.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“Our family vault,” Remy answered as he knelt beside her, angling his body so she didn’t have to see more of him than was comfortable. He nodded over to the far corner and she could see something stacked from floor to ceiling.

No not something: gold. Perfectly shaped gold bars stood at attention beside piles of jewels separated by type and other precious items. Everything looked neat and orderly.

And very, very rich.   

“Wow,” Maya breathed unable to help herself. “That’s a lot of gold. I don’t remember being in this room before...” she said looking around. It was a little similar to some of the other tunnels she’d been in over the last few days, though this room was better maintained.  

“Isadora’s magic kept my family’s vault hidden within her tomb. It once belonged to our family, but Isadora kept it for herself after she cursed Daniel. Julian and I were its guardians. If anyone discovered it we were forced to attack.”

“Even your own brother?”

“Especially Daniel,” he whispered. The pain in Remy’s eyes was so deep it sent pangs of grief through her own chest. Maya couldn’t begin to imagine his burden, such sorrow it was enough to weigh down any soul – even that of the newly freed.   

“How long have you been down here?” she asked him as her own grief started to well up inside her.  

“Long enough,” was his quick reply as Julian ran back into the tomb, this time in human form. He was naked from the waist up but at least he was wearing a pair of faded blue pajama bottoms. They rode up a few inches at the ankle and didn't quite fit, but it was better than nothing. He tossed a plaid pair to Remy. Maya narrowed her eyes as she realized both pants looking awfully familiar.