Chapter 3 Overwhelmed - Adele's POV

Tyler opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted before he could say a single word.

“Don’t tell her about that,” a voice boomed from outside the door.

“Oh, I guess I am just running my mouth again. Anyway, ignore him. He gets on my nerves all the time.”

I glanced at the door, wondering what he wasn’t supposed to tell me. “Why would he stop you from telling me about choosing someone? Isn’t that something I should know if I am to…adapt?”

Adapting to this place sounded absurd. I didn’t even want to think about it, but I was. My only thought on the shore was getting back to the mainland to enact my revenge, but if I was already dead, why couldn’t I live out my fantasies?

When I turned and looked at Tyler, he was giving me a knowing look. 

“You should adapt,” he remarked, then started toward the door.

Though I didn’t know him and I wasn’t entirely comfortable, I couldn’t help but feel at a loss with him leaving.

“Where are you going?”

He stopped at the door, his hand resting on the knob. “One tip for you, sweetheart. Most of us want to forget our pasts and live in the present.”

My gaze narrowed as I looked away guilty. I wanted to ask if anyone ever left here, but I felt nervous.

“You’re thinking about it. We all do when we arrive,” he said softly. “It’s better to give up now.”

And with that said, he was gone, leaving the door open.

I sat there on the bed, the covers clutched to my chest for the longest time. No one came through the door, but I could hear them moving just beyond it. I swallowed hard, knowing that I should go out there and introduce myself. 

“Get yourself together, Adele. It’s just a few men. You’ve interacted before.”

I looked away. None had ever said anything about choosing them before, though. This was different. These men had expectations.

In some ways, it sounded as if I had walked in on some kind of twisted fairy tale. One that I wasn’t sure I wanted to be part of. Deep down, my mind was screaming to run and let the creatures in the woods eat me before I jumped into something I couldn’t get out of.

That smaller part, though, was curious.

Slowly, I eased out of bed and took the cover with me. At the door, I stopped, sucking in a breath. Could I do this?

Before I could talk myself out of it, I pushed the door all the way open and stepped into the light. I blinked a few times, letting my vision adjust, and then everything came into focus.

It was a small living room with couches and chairs all over the place. A small fire roared across the room. Five men were moving around while two others were going up the staircase off to the left.

When I gasped, they all stopped what they were doing and turned toward me.

I saw red eyes at the top of the stairs, so that must be Craven. He was sticking to the shadows again, but I could make him out. His eyes were locked onto my face as he stood there, frozen.

The one right behind him was smirking.

I looked to the right, where the other five are. Tyler was in the middle of them with his brows raised and a smile on his face.

“Hi, I’m Adele,” I said, my voice cracking on every word.

“And she has decided to join the living!” Someone to Tyler’s right said. “Welcome.”

I reached up, rubbing one hand across my face while clutching the cover with the other. This…wasn’t a dream. It was real.

“Is she alright?” One of them whispered.

“I think so,” another said.

Tyler told them to be quiet and then laughed. “You’ll have to excuse them. We’re not used to having a woman around here.”

“There’s barely any on the Isle,” the first one snapped. “That’s why.”

I shook my head, trying to make sense of it. “You’re not used to women?”

Several seconds passed and all I got was silence until Tyler cleared his throat.

“Uh, no. Not many women are banished,” he said slowly, then looked at Craven at the top of the stairs. “You should go to bed, vamp boy.”

“I will go in a minute,” Craven bit out. 

His gaze was still locked onto me as if he was waiting to see what I would do next. The room fell quiet while the others watched.

Something tugged in my chest toward the vampire staring me down. I couldn’t stop myself from gazing into his eyes, then wondering what his lips tasted like.

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I flinched. Why would I wonder what it was like to kiss a vampire?

I looked away, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. Then I heard it. A chuckle at the top of the stairs.

Craven was smirking as if he had heard my thoughts.

“Craven,” Tyler snapped. “Stop messing with her.”

I paled. “Messing with me?”

Tyler’s gaze hardened as he stared up at Craven. “She doesn’t need that yet. Go to bed. It’s light outside, anyway. You get irritable if you’re up.”

I looked up the stairs just in time to catch Craven rolling his eyes. “Fine. I’ll leave the little witch alone…for now.”

In a blur of motion, he was gone, hidden behind one of the doors upstairs. I stood there, shivering in shock.

Tyler closed the distance between us, his hands outstretched as if he meant to hold me, but he stopped himself. “I’m sorry about Craven. He likes to…tease.”

I nodded, though I didn’t know why I was the target of his teasing. Everything was becoming overwhelming fast, and I didn’t know if adapting was a good idea after all.

Suddenly, the room was fading in and out. I reached up, waving my hand and trying to fan myself. “Is it just me, or is the room disappearing?”

Tyler’s face fell. “She’s about to drop! That stupid—”