BEFORE YOU READ:
This story will contain quite a bit of mature content, including sexual content, language, violence, drug use, and mentions of child abuse (these moments will be in conversations, not detailed in flashbacks or dreams). I'll leave warnings at the start of chapters when they occur. Some parts may end up being cut to follow the Tapas guidelines but will be available on Wattpad. Please read at your own discretion.
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"Come on, Rhys!" I dragged my attention away from the horizon's picturesque mountain-scape and looked at the rest of the group. The five of us had been traveling for years, going from town to town to search for quick jobs. Usually it was hunting bounties or man-eating woodland creatures. Sometimes it was just helping with construction. But we always stuck together.
At the moment, we were all dragging luggage from our van and trying to get into a hotel before the storm overhead hit. This town--Graves, I think the map said it was called--was a pretty good size, so there were a few options of where we could stay; but of course, we chose the cheapest one. Our lifestyle didn't have the greatest pay, though it allowed us to survive comfortably as long as we minded the shared finances carefully.
Henry, our unofficial leader, glanced down at his watch and ran a hand through his graying hair with a sigh. "Maddox, I swear these boys are getting slower every time we stop." The massive man beside him--all muscle, yet not a mean bone in his body, mind you--smiled kindly and went back to gathering his belongings.
Sabo and Dominic, on the other hand, were in the middle of shoving one another. Though the exact same age--twenty-five--they couldn't have looked more different. Dominic was nearly as tall as Maddox and almost as muscular. The sides of his head were shaved, but the top was pulled back in a small bun.
Sabo was a whole foot shorter and had a wild mane of blond hair sticking out in every direction. While he was small, he was wiry and clever as a fox. He was usually Dominic's cohort in any pranks, which were all typically directed at me since I was the youngest.
Dodging a playful punch aimed at Sabo's head, I hefted a bag onto my shoulder and stared up at the massive hotel. It was fairly rundown, but I was a bit surprised by the amount of people there were trickling in and out of the beat-up front doors. After I noticed how seedy most looked, I wrinkled up my nose and nudged Dominic when he stumbled my way again.
The man swung around, his hazel eyes lit up with joy. Behind him, Maddox had snatched up Sabo and was holding the giggling man still until he calmed down.
"Hey, what kind of hotel is this exactly?" I mumbled, narrowing my eyes as a drunk man tripped and fell on his face a few feet from the hotel.
He snorted and clapped a tan hand onto my shoulder. "The affordable kind, Rhys. Although judging by the look of it, I'm guessing there are some hidden gems inside." He winked conspiratorially, not so subtly hinting at the prospect of prostitutes.
Henry waved us forward, ending our conversation. "Let's go. Those clouds are looking pretty angry."
We hurried into the hotel's lobby--a large room filled with vintage furniture and stinking of cheap perfume--and saw a fat, balding man behind the front desk. He grinned sleazily and folded his hands, his remaining hair so stiff with gel that it didn't move even as the man shifted around. The red ringmaster coat struggling to contain his beer belly had the name 'Reggie' stitched beside the lapel in gold thread.
"Welcome, gentlemen. How may I assist you?"
"We need three rooms," Henry replied curtly. Give these people any hint of interest and they'll try to sell you your own soul.
"Of course, of course. Our hotel also boasts a private bath with optional...premium perks, not to mention companionship from one of our many lovely ladies." Reggie gestured to a group of scantily clad women lounging on the other side of the lobby. Several of them had more exotic features, including a woman with light blue skin and gossamer wings folded against her back. The girl next to her had a long striped tail curled in her lap.
Their eyes--and those of a few people passing by--instantly went to me, taking in my white hair and golden eyes. I was obviously not human, just like them, but the attention always made me uncomfortable.
Shifting my gaze back in front of me, I pretended not to notice their stares.
Henry ignored Reggie's offers until we were eventually led to our rooms on the second floor. Since there was one large bed in each room, two pairs of us would share while one had their own. I was the lucky winner this time, so I disappeared into my room and flopped onto the bed.
The mattress wasn't the most uncomfortable one I'd had to sleep on, but at least the cream sheets were soft and appeared relatively clean. A tiny bathroom was linked to the room, and there was a rickety table beside the bed crammed full of supplies common in what was basically a brothel.
I shut the drawer, rolling my eyes, and stared up at the ceiling. We'd just finished up a bounty in the neighboring city, so we'd probably stay here for a few days to recoup some energy. Despite the slightly uncomfortable environment, a room was a room, and I was grateful for it.
About an hour after I settled in, Sabo and Dominic knocked on my door. I rolled off the bed and opened it, finding them both with huge smiles on their faces. "Hey, Rhys! Guess what we got you."
"I'm guessing nothing good," I grumbled. They were fine apart, but together? It was a disaster waiting to happen.
Sabo gasped like he was offended. "Rhys! That hurt. But the group thought that you've been working so hard recently! That last bounty worked out all thanks to you, so we got you a little token of our appreciation." He thrust out a little slip of paper, which I accepted and read.
"A bath? There's a perfectly good shower in my room." It was essentially a hose strapped to the wall, but I'd seen worse.
"Yes, but you get a nice relaxing hour in the bath! It's already paid for. You wouldn't want to waste it, right?"
I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed. "Fine, whatever. Thank you, guys."
They dipped away quickly and left me to get ready. It'd been a long time since a hotel we stayed at offered bath services. It was way more relaxing than a shower, true. And I definitely wasn't going to let money go to waste, even if this was obviously some sort of prank they were pulling. I wondered if they were just trying to steal my room, or perhaps go through my things while I was away. Whatever it was, I figured I'd just allow them to get it out of their systems early on.
I grabbed clothes to change into and padded down to the lobby. Reggie--I guess who was the hotel manager--accepted my ticket and showed me to a small room at the end of a hallway behind his desk where a hot bath had already been drawn. Once I shut the door, I undressed and slid into the water with a pleasant groan.
However, only a few moments passed before the door opened quietly. "Need any help?" Came a soft, sultry voice. I sat up swiftly, dropping the cloth that had been over my eyes. That's when I saw her.
The stranger was wearing a loose robe that revealed one pale, slender shoulder. As she slipped into the room and locked the door behind her, I stared in awe at her long, raven-black hair. It drifted all the way down her back, every strand perfectly in place. "W-What?" I croaked.
She smiled, which almost made me delirious with how beautiful it was. As the girl approached, I noticed that her eyes were a very pale purple, almost silvery with how light they were. "Your friend bought you the premium service. That includes my...assistance."
Damn those fools. "Um, I-. No, no thank you. I can, uh, bathe myself." But she glided over to kneel behind me, picking up the floating washcloth and gently rubbing my back with it.
"It's already paid for, silly," she whispered in my ear. When her soft lips brushed against the back of my neck, I spasmed like I'd been shocked. "I've never seen someone so young with white hair. Are you part Fae?" Her voice—surprisingly and tantalizing low for a woman—so close to me made my hair stand up and my body start to...react.
"I'm h-half," I replied, trying to nonchalantly cover myself so that she couldn't see. "I'm assuming you are, as well? Your um...your eyes."
"Good catch." The stranger suddenly chuckled quietly. "You don't have to try and hide it. That reaction is natural."
I blushed fiercely and felt her hand start to creep down my chest. "Um, I'm Rhys, by the way. W-What's your name?" I was hoping that I could distract her with conversation, but she just laughed again.
"Oh, you don't need to do that. I can be whoever you want me to be."
"That's okay. I'd just like to know y-your name." I trembled as she started washing my leg and brushing against the inside of my thigh.
Her hand stalled momentarily. Then she kissed my neck again and moved her touch closer. "Sam. My name is Sam."
I arched my back when she let go of the washcloth and wrapped her hand around me. "Is that short for Samantha?" I breathed out, still trying to keep a conversation going.
She snorted and suppressed a giggle. "Yeah. Sure." Sam leaned forward and nibbled on my ear seductively. "Just relax now. Let me take care of you."
After a minute or two, I decided that I didn't want to be the only one receiving pleasure from this interaction. I reached back and slipped my hand under Sam's robe, thinking I would do something nice for her. However, imagine my surprise when I felt a completely different set of hardware than I had been expecting.
My eyes flew open, and Sam snatched my hand away. He snatched my hand away. Sam smiled awkwardly and released my wrist. "Well you just ruined it for yourself, idiot."
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