The Body Beneath Novels & Stories

Black sap spilled across the dirt, steaming where it touched the air. The forest was bleeding. Gods. The forest was actually bleeding. The entity stared down at the black liquid spreading across the roots with horror flooding its face. “I hurt it.” “No,” the creature replied. “You are it.” The clearing shook again. This time something massive moved beneath the earth below us. Not roots. Something deeper. I felt it shifting through the ground like an enormous heartbeat waking beneath layers of buried memory. Kaelith’s expression darkened immediately. “There’s something under the forest.”

I slept. The foundation was there. Underneath everything. Visible. Permanent. Ours.

ALEXANDER "Keep searching till you find something. We won't leave empty-handed." There’s a rhythm to places like this. Underground. Not just in location, in energy. In the way people breathe when they think no one important is watching. Music pounds overhead. Bass thick enough to feel in your bones. Bodies move. Sweat. Heat. Noise. Chaos. Perfect cover. Which is exactly why I’m here. I lean against the railing overlooking the lower floor.

I swallowed hard as the doors closed, Ronan, Ryker, Finn and Asher’s watch. The real brothel wasn’t above. It was beneath. It was underground! I was being taken straight into it. Alone.

“You think this is about you and your girl?” “What the hell are you saying?” “I’m saying Robertson’s getting paid. Big. This isn’t personal anymore.. it’s professional. Organized.” “By who?” “I don’t know,” she said, but her eyes flicked away for the briefest second. “But I know where she is.” My finger curled on the trigger. “Then start talking.” Lena raised both hands. “The compound is underground. Old Cold War bunker Robertson retrofitted into a holding cell. No cameras. No signal. If she’s tried to escape, and tripped a wire…”

BENEATH THE FACADE Behind the façade of wealth and power, a web of secret awaits Chapter 25 beneath Emily's POV: Saturday afternoons like this were rare—quiet, unhurried, indulgent. I was curled up in the center of my bed, legs tucked beneath a fleece blanket, the soft hum of my air conditioner barely audible beneath the sound of dialogue playing from my laptop screen. My favorite series was midway through its new season, and I was already two episodes deep, with no plans of stopping anytime soon.

“It’s not over. There will be more.” Before Sienna could reply, the front door burst open, three armed men charged in. Enzo pulled Sienna with him toward a hidden panel in the wall. “Come on!” “Where are we going?” Sienna followed him, her voice panicked. “To safety. Go, now!” Enzo pushed the panel open to reveal a narrow staircase. They descended into a dimly lit underground passage, the sounds of gunfire and shouting fading behind them. Enzo closed the panel and turned to Sienna, his face hard.

But the panic is always there, lurking just beneath the surface, threatening to claw its way back up and consume me again. I suck in a shaky breath, forcing myself to count. One...two...three... I don’t even know what I’m counting for. Maybe it’s just a desperate attempt to ground myself, to keep my mind from spiraling. My body shudders violently, the chill of the room seeping deep into my bones. The cold is relentless, wrapping around me like a cruel, invisible vice. And then, I hear it—a voice, faint but unmistakable. My entire body freezes, my heart pounding so hard it feels like it’s trying to escape my chest. My head shakes, bile rising in my throat as dread takes hold.

Once the elevator stopped, Desiree sighed in relief, but it was short-lived as she heard him call her. "Follow me." Without uttering another word, Desiree followed Elijah into the hallway. Just like yesterday, a pin drop silence prevailed on Elijah's arrival. He walked past everyone, radiating the aura of confidence and self-assurance, commanding their respect and attention. Unknowingly, Desiree's eyes settled on his back. His dark hair was slicked back with perfection. His well-built muscles strained against the white long sleeves, appearing incredibly firm to the touch. Finally, her eyes rested on his calloused hands, the size of which matched his face.

“But before that, I have to get some wine from my room. No way in hell I'm doing this sober.” I told him, heading downstairs to the underground cellar. The strongest ones were kept safely down there. “But that's just prep in another language.” Hunter complained, following me. ~~~~~~~ “This can't be…” Hunter's hunted voice filled the dimly lit room even though it was like the mid day outside. The body still laid bare on the long metal table at the center of the room. Hunter had walked around the body multiple times. The more he looked, the paler he got.