5 - LEXI - WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?

In daylight, Nox Trium looks nothing like itself.

The solid black front of the building isn’t imposing at all, and the dead blue neon sign barely even catches the eye of anyone walking by. Just another three-story building in the urban jungle.

It’s late in the day. The sky outside is pink and orange, but no one seems to care — inside, the lights are on, windows and doors sealed tight.

The bouncer leads me to the office, and a shiver runs through me when I remember how recently I’d been there, passed out on that sofa — tended to for a gunshot I’m not even sure I really took, by a man with the voice of an angel and the kind of sinful beauty that tastes like strawberries and trouble.

When the door opens again, it’s Samiel who steps in. A smile stretched ear to ear.

— You actually came. — That dreamlike voice fills my ears.

— You said I had to, if I wanted answers.

I still need to know if I really was shot or… if I just need a psychiatrist. Because how could I have healed so fast?

— I think the job offer had something to do with it too — he teases.

— Money’s nice. But I’m not ready to lose my soul.

His brow furrows, amused.

— No one gets corrupted that easily just by being an accountant in a nightclub, Lexi.

I fold my arms across my chest, chin tilting higher.

— They say you run some kind of sex cult here.

He laughs outright.

— We don’t have the power to take your soul. — Samiel steps closer, and I freeze, breath caught. His hand brushes the top of my head, like he’s petting a tame animal. — Here, you only give what you want. And it’s not your soul we’re after.

A warning flashes through my mind. We. Us. Samiel never says I. Why?

— Let’s talk business? — I push his hand away. — This is supposed to be a job interview, isn’t it?

— Then let’s go find Cael.

Every step I take down the hallway makes it clearer: this entire three-story building belongs to them. The third floor looks like an apartment — probably theirs. The first, the club. Where we are now, the office, a game room, and something else Samiel seems intent on showing me.

The corridor ends at two wide doors, which he pushes open at once.

The first thing that hits me is the smell — sweat and rubber. The room is huge, heavy bags swinging from the ceiling, wooden floors creaking under rubber mats. In the back, an octagon cage and a few weight machines.

I’m stunned. It’s a training room.

And then I see him. Cael. In the open space at the center.

He’s shirtless, every muscle alive, carved into the body of an athlete — fighting the club’s bartender. The blows are brutal, almost cruel, and for a second I think about stepping in.

God, he’s going to kill the guy…

Suddenly Cael grips the man by the throat and slams him into the wall so hard the plaster cracks and crumbles, exposing the brick beneath. The sound ricochets through the room, forcing me back a step.

My hand flies to my mouth, trying to smother the gasp that slips out.

My eyes are wide, locked on him, unable to look away. 

Terrifying. And hypnotic.

The guy collapses to the floor, breathless and beaten. Cael turns slowly, chest heaving, his narrowed gaze landing on me.

I freeze. I can’t move, can’t think straight. The way he looks at me crushes the air in my lungs… and sends shivers racing down my skin.

— If you’re done, can we go to the office?

Cael only turns, grabs a black knit shirt from the floor, and pulls it on with rough movements. His eyes — cold, lethal — never leave mine. But for a second, mine betray me, sliding lower… over his ripped abs, down to where those two sculpted lines vanish into the waistband of his black sweats.

— Shall we? — Samiel’s voice makes me jolt, and his smirk heats my cheeks. I’ve just been caught practically drooling over a man who seems to despise me.

—--------------- // —-------------- // —-----------------

— And what do you need to get started? 

My brows shoot up.

— Don’t you need to go over my résumé, talk salary, and…

— You got two bonuses last year for productivity and technical skills — Samiel cuts in, casual. — I don’t see any reason to waste time with your résumé.”

I shake my head. No point in asking how he even knows that.

— How much do you want, Lexi? Three, five, ten times more?

My mouth falls open, but nothing comes out. Unbelievable. I’m speechless.

What kind of job interview is this?

Then Cael pushes the office door open, and suddenly the room feels tiny.

His body is still damp, the white shirt clinging to him. His eyes land on me with pure disdain, and it sparks that part of me I usually keep buried — the anger of always feeling… less.

What did I ever do to this man?

And since I’ll have to put up with him, I play high stakes:

— Ten times more sounds perfect. —  My arms cross over my chest, daring.

— Hired. — Samiel says, just like that.

They start to leave the room.

— Wait! I’ll need the files from the computer, access to the system program… I need everything you’ve got —  I say, as if it isn’t obvious.

From the shelf stacked with books, Samiel pulls down a notebook and hands it to me.

—This is last month’s accounting.”

— Handwritten? What century are you living in? — I gape.

Then I flip to the first page, and the numbers are tangled with a few strange symbols. I squint. What the…?

— Is this Japanese?

— It’s not Japanese, it’s… — Samiel stops mid-sentence. — You won't need this.

I blow out a frustrated breath, completely lost. 

Cael leaves as quietly as he came in.

— My God, Samiel, who are you people? — My voice drops lower than I meant. I don’t actually expect him to answer.

He pauses in the doorway, glancing back at me.

— We’re already friends, Lexi. You can call me Sami. — He lets a beat pass, then smiles. — And let’s avoid talking about God in here, okay?”

I suck in a sharp breath and hold it.

Samiel swore they don’t have the power to take my soul, but all I feel is that something is deeply wrong with this place.

And with these men.