Seven Devils and a Rose

When my eyes next fluttered open, my mind was as empty as the vastness of a black hole. I lay there on that hard bed I didn't know I had, staring into a void. It was only a few moments later that my mind cleared and the blurry sight of an off-white fabric wall came into view.

I blinked, confused and a little lost. Where am I? And why was my head hurting so much?

I searched my brain for a moment, and then everything came back to me. Ah, that was right. I'd had a weird dream last night, hadn't I? About being chased in the woods by two demon-like men and their army of soldiers. One even had the nerve to steal a kiss from me, while the other stared at me like I was his next meal. And yes, there were two mighty winged lions.

I sighed, relieved somewhat that it was merely a dream. Or should I refer to it as a nightmare? Although, I must admit that the scenes were cool, despite the fact that everything had felt so real. I wondered if I should tell Dad about it. He might find it fascinating and perhaps even want to incorporate the scenes into one of his future books.

Hot spring. The image came to me in an instant, and I smiled pleasantly. I was the first to have a dip in Dad's newly renovated bathhouse.

"It was good," I said softly. I thought I'd have to take another dip tonight. It had been nice just chilling in that wonderful pool and enjoying my time.

Then, as usual before getting out of bed, I thought about what I wanted to do for the day.

"I wanted to go to the beach, and maybe I'll get to meet new people my age." I smiled. "And hopefully, I'll make some new friends on the island. That'd definitely make my summer a lot more entertaining and exciting."

The plan for the day roughly sorted, I decided to get out of bed. After all, I desperately needed some painkillers because that headache didn't feel like it'd go away by itself anytime soon.

I shifted slightly, intending to turn over, but then I realized I couldn't. I suddenly felt like I was being squeezed into a corner. I noted that there was something behind me, thick and hot against me, blocking and preventing me from moving even an inch.

I tried again to turn to my other side, as I was getting rather hot and bothered in my small corner of the bed, and my body had grown numb.

When I still couldn't move, I groaned and struggled. That was when an ironlike arm wrapped itself around my middle and tightened around me, along with a hard, warm body behind me.

My heart raced, and I swallowed. What the hell?

"Stop making so much noise," a voice of deep timbre said softly into my ear.

I blinked.

What is going on? Why is there a man in my bed?

My heart raced, and a cold sweat settled on my skin. I turned my head slightly, dreading what I was going to see.

The moment I turned, a masked face along with steel-gray eyes, aquiline nose, and firm lips greeted me. I nearly screamed my head off but managed to hold myself in check and utter, with a shaky voice, "Caleb? How? You were in my dream, so how…? Oh God! And why are you in my bed?"

"Dream? Your bed?" the man asked, perplexed.

I nodded. God, was I still dreaming? If so, this had to be the weirdest dream I had ever had, because the man beside me felt so real.

Caleb leaned in close so that his masked face was only inches from mine and the warmth of his breath was fanning my skin.

He said, "I'm sorry to say, but this is my bed, boy, and you're noisy so early in the morning." He caught my chin in his hand and rubbed his thumb on my lips as if he found the flesh rather fascinating. "If you must know, Alfie, I'm fucking tired and am now in desperate need of some… rejuvenation."

I blinked. This is his bed? Then how did I get in here in the first place?

Then it dawned on me. Oh God! It hadn't been a dream. Everything that had happened last night had been real—from me bathing in the hot spring to the aurora appearing out of the blue to me crossing over to this realm and then being chased and captured.

Something else caught my attention. Alfie! Caleb was referring to me as Alfie instead of just a boy or brat.

"You're a little lost, aren't you?"

I asked, "Where am I?"

"As I said, in my bed and in my tent," he answered coolly as he easily moved my body around so that I faced him.

Heat flushed hot on my cheeks as I stayed stiff in his arms. I shifted my gaze to his lips because I didn't have the guts to look into his eyes and asked, "Why am I in your bed?"

"Do you prefer the soldiers' quarters?" he asked. "The hard ground? Or Felix's bed?"

I shook my head. No, I'd prefer not to be in Felix's bed if I could choose, because the man would undoubtedly be teasing me again in his unusual way, which I didn't want. It'd be like me sleeping with a hungry wolf. As for the soldiers' quarters? Definitely not! The ground? I wouldn't mind…

And for Caleb himself? I suddenly remembered something important from what I had faintly heard last night during my dreamlike state while the trio had their conversation. Caleb had said that he wasn't into boys, more so, me since I was unusual and impetuous. Of course, to them I was indeed a boy, and logic told me that Caleb was not interested in me in that way, which meant that I was safe in his presence. This could have explained why I was in his bed, I supposed, because he was concerned for my safety.

So dark Caleb was an intimidating, hard man with a soft heart, then? He must be a tsundere, a Japanese term used to describe a person who was initially cold and hostile before slowly becoming warmer and friendlier the more you get to know them.

Thinking that I had figured out Caleb's character, I decided to make full use of it.