Bride of Alvar (Redemption Saga, Book 1)

Chapter 3

The restrictively tight red dress Emily somehow scrounged up for me is quite impractical for the bowling. Things get better when Emily takes us to a fancy Italian place where, after a few glasses of champagne, I loosen up a bit.

All of us head back to my apartment for the rest of the night to open gifts and play silly bachelorette party games.

The presents are quite predictably scandalous and sexual: lingerie, a sexy dice game, and even a pair of pink fuzzy handcuffs.

I try to laugh with them, but even with champagne dulling my senses, it's hard to enjoy it all. Thinking too much about my sexual future is enough to send my brain into a panicked frenzy.

"What did you think?" Emily asks after everyone has left.

"I had fun," I say with a forced smile, striving to keep my doomed outlook a secret. Emily isn't the best person to share fantastical stories with.

"I know you're worried about something. You've seemed kind of lost today. Is it your Mom again? Is it about the gifts?"

"Yeah, Emily, it's about my mom," I lie, "but there really isn't anything you can do."

"You have three days to tell Mike and your friends goodbye."

What a nice guy for giving me a whole three days!

"Emily, I am thankful for our friendship." I hold her tight in our hug.

"You're welcome, love you," Emily says. She lets me go and turns to the door. "See you later, Lucy."

See you later.

The door closes behind her and my phone buzzes with Mike calling me.

I can't pick it up and I watch helplessly as my phone rings out his number, snapping the rubber band on my wrist until there's a red line on my skin.

My door opens and I jolt.

Thankfully it's just Emily, and not Alvar come to get me.

"I forgot my scarf." Emily smiles apologetically.

"Oh, here," I mumble and take her into the living room.

"I can't believe how cold it's getting out there," Emily says, she picks up her scarf.

The sound of shattering glass in my bathroom causes both of us to jump and scream. We snap our gazes into the direction of the noise.

Holy crap, someone just broke through my bathroom window!

The lights flicker and shut off. We're surrounded in darkness and my unadjusted eyes can't see anything.

Heavy footsteps sound from the bathroom.

I stumble panicked in the dark toward my front door and fumble for the knob.

"We know you're here, filthy Earth human," a scratchy male voice calls. "Now don't do anything stupid."

I bring my phone to my face, the phone illuminates the door and I attempt to dial 911 with shaking hands.

"There you are!" A deep voice exclaims and I hear Emily scream.

"Let go of me! Lucy! LUCY!" Emily's cry comes from the right of me. I shine my phone light in her direction to see two twisted monster-like creatures grabbing my friend by her arms.