Page 2 of Sunken Empire

My head pounds like the seventh gate of hell. Any movement above my neck causes pain behind my eyelids so intense that I feel as though I'm going to puke. Using distractions to my advantage, I run my fingers through the soft sheets surrounding my body. They caress every inch of my naked skin, and it feels marvelous. Wait a minute, naked?

After a quick inspection, it's confirmed. Damn, I must have gotten drunker than I thought last night. That dream was something else, but it makes me seriously glad that I never left my room. I couldn't even imagine being stranded in the ocean. Bile tries to rise again just thinking about it. However, I will take those sexy voices any day of the week. Leave it up to my imagination to tease me.

Speaking of those voices. "Do you think she'll wake up soon? What if the spell was too strong on her?" one of them asks.

Shock overrides my pain as I jerk straight up in bed. At the last minute I remember to grasp the sheet to my chest, but the three strangers standing around me still get a quick glimpse underneath.

Jackhammers pound my skull as I demand, "Who are you, and what are you doing in my room?"

"Actually, Damselfish, you are in my room," says one of the blonde ones.

His long hair hangs down to the middle of his back. There are braids with tiny beads lavishly woven in. The thing that captures my attention the most is his eyes. They are the most startling shade of seafoam green.

I finish my perusal of his body and can't stop gaping like a fish. He is naked from the waist up with only a pair of soft blue jeans covering his legs.Tan skin leads down into that sexy man v.

The other blonde one shifts from one foot to the other off to the side, pulling my attention to him. Twins. Very sexy twins.

He looks identical to his brother. The only difference being the scowl directed at me and their eyes. This one’s color is a tang fish blue. He crosses his arms across his chest, and I lift my right eyebrow at him. I don't want to look away and lose the staring battle that we have going on, but curiosity gets the best of me. Rolling my eyes, I turn to the last person in the room.

He is standing halfway behind and to the side of the first brother at the foot of the bed that I am laying in. His features match the other two exactly. Though this one has harsh laugh lines marking his face, and the color of his hair and eyes are different. The sandy brown locks make his gold eyes stand out. He's got less beads braided into his hair, but it's just as long as his brothers'.If those things didn’t set him apart, the tattoos definitely would. They cover every inch of skin that is visible from the neck down. I can’t make out all of them, but I sure would love spending the day doing an inspection. Especially the ones that trail out of sight.

My gaze travels back over the three of them. So, triplets then? Smokin’ hot triplets, who are all standing in front of me shirtless and looking all too much like the cat that ate the pet goldfish.

I turn back to the one who spoke first. He seems like the safest to get answers from considering his replica looks ready to kill me and the other one is eyeing the sheet covering my body just a little too hard.

I think since I'm lying naked in a bed in front of three strangers it might be a good idea to introduce myself.

"Rubi," I blurt.

Subtle, Murphy. Real subtle.

"I mean, my name is Rubi," I say, correcting myself.

The dark-haired one smiles widely, accenting those laugh lines while his green-eyed brother introduces the three of them.

"I'm Zale. These are my brothers, Zanthus and Zephyr," he says pointing at the other blonde and then the darker-haired one, still grinning.

Zanthus? Why does that name ring a bell? I brush it off because I've got bigger problems at the moment.

"Nice to meet you, really. But look," I admit, "I'm not sure how I ended up here last night. I was super drunk, and to be honest, I remember nothing but this crazy-ass dream I had. How is it I came to be in your room exactly? And not to be rude, but where are my clothes?”

Zanthus somehow manages to keep his scowl as he huffs, "You call that scrap of material you were wearing clothing?"

Zephyr chuckles, and it raises my hackles.

"I don't need your approval on the choices of my attire, you brute. Just give me back my dress and I'll be on my merry way out of here," I snap at him.

Probably not the smartest or politest I could have been, especially considering I have a blank memory about last night. He must not have contributed much considering I'm lying naked in his brother's bed. My guilt dies down at that and the fact that I refuse to let him think he has any control over my emotions.

"You want your dress, woman?" he asks.

His muscles flex as he reaches down into the small trash can beside him. The flimsy black material hangs from the end of his fingertip as he taunts, "Come get it."

I don't know who he thinks he is or who he thinks I am for that matter, but I don't scare easily. Tori always said I was the crazy one out of the two of us. She even banned the game truth or dare within the first year of knowing me.

I couldn't possibly care any less about them seeing me naked. At least one of them has already. Tossing back the covers, I take a deep breath to steady the drumbeat in my head. When it drops to a low lull, I stand and make my way over to him. To his credit, his eyes never stray from my face. I'm pretty sure I can't say the same for his brothers. Which is confirmed when I hear one of them whistle under his breath.

I snatch the material and head towards the connected bathroom door. Only when I turn the knob and open it, I see that it's a closet. I cut my eye over to Zanthus, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed brute, just in time to see a mocking smirk on his face.

---