Page 41 of The Devil's Dilemma

Chapter ten

Austin

Where the fuck wasI, and who was the man standing next to me?

How had I got here? More to the point, who was I?

“Austin? Are you okay?”

Was I Austin? Was I okay?

I sat up, and the bedclothes fell to my waist, revealing a red mark on my chest. What the hell was that?

“Don’t touch it,” he said, his voice laced with panic.

I looked at the hot-as-fuck man standing next to me in just his boxers.

Had we been in bed together?

“Why not?” My voice broke, my throat as dry as a desert.

“Wait there.” He walked from the room, returned a moment later, and handed me an open bottle of water. “Drink this.”

I did as he said and propped myself up on the pillows. Why was I in this bed? Was I ill?

My skin felt clammy, my muscles ached, and I was so hot. Was I coming down with a fever?

“Do you remember anything?” he asked, and I patted the bed next to me. He was intimidating, not least of all because of the fucking horns sticking out of his head.

And were his eyes orange? I’d never seen that before. Or had I?

“I’m not sure.” Pictures flashed before me. Memories? An old man, a gun, a strangely dressed man, a casino chip. A woman whose face sent love flooding through me, emotions so strong I feared I’d break down and cry.

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the image away. It was beautiful and painful all at once. Her blonde hair fell to her shoulders. She wore a white cotton dress and a smile so brilliant it outshone the sun.

“Austin.”

I opened them again. A lamp in the corner cast a soft glow on the room.

“I don’t know what’s going on. Why am I here? Have we had sex?”

“No, no. You passed out, and I brought you in here. It’s a long story.”

I took another sip of the water and placed the bottle on the nightstand. “I have time. A lifetime, maybe?”

He sat next to me on the bed, but not too close to make me uncomfortable, one leg bent. He blew out a breath.

“You remember nothing about the past few days?”

I shook my head. It was all a blur, broken images of people I thought I knew, places that seemed familiar.

He reached across me and plucked something from the table next to me.

“Do you know what this is?”

He gave me what looked like a casino chip, warm to the touch and ancient in appearance.

The image of the strangely dressed man popped up again. He’d handed this to me, telling me it was for protection.

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