𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐒

004. kidnapper lowkey dilf???

THE FIRST THING THEO REGISTERED WAS THAT THEIR KIDNAPPER WAS HOT, even as his head spun from the chloroform and his gaze was slightly unfocused.

As far as he could see, they were in a little black room. Xandra was to his left, Dexter and Paris were to his right. A gag stuffed his tongue, filling his mouth with the taste of cotton. There were no windows, no visible doors, just a metal table in front of them like the ones they had in detective shows.

Behind the table sat a man. A hot, hot man.

Hot as fuck.

He had a dark speckled beard that shadowed his jaw with liquorice black, and eyes equally dark. (That jaw-- Theo would kill to have a jaw like that. Or to kiss a jaw like that.) But his eyes looked like they were soaked in kerosene, dangerous and glittering with malice and unspeakable evils. Yet the malice in them made Theo's blood rush. The man's eyebrows cut slashes of heavy obsidian over his brow, and his dark hair curled over his forehead, slicked back slightly, making Theo think of a sexier Elvis.

And who was sexier than Elvis?

Xandra, next to him, growled something through her gag. Theo twisted his neck to look at her, eyebrows cocked in question. She shook her head, glaring at the man still. Theo muscled his foot so it brushed hers, and tapped her gently. Glad you're alive.

Her eyes crinkled in a smile, and she tapped his foot back, too. Same here.

Theo turned to check on Dexter and Paris. Both were quiet, though Paris was fidgeting with the cloth strips that bound their hands, either trying to break out or trying to tie himself more securely. Theo wasn't sure which one he'd place bets on. Dexter looked like the drug was hitting him hard, his eyes slightly drifting in two different directions. Oof.

Theo turned back to the hot guy. He was sitting across from them, examining them with those smokey coal eyes, giving them time to come to.

No, bad Theo. Don't get seduced to the dark side! Theo berated himself, shaking his head. I will not fall in love with a man twice my age who kidnapped me, and potentially could sell me into a human trafficking pyramid scheme.

Then he spoke, and Theo was a puddle of hormones on the floor. Screw the human trafficking pyramid.

"I want to apologise for your treatment." His voice was low, rumbling over Theo like an earthquake, gritty yet full. It carried weight, dark and heavy, and made Theo's hairs stand on end, snapping his focus to attention, making his heart rush.

Theo would've told him not to apologise, but his mouth was still gagged.

The beautiful man continued. "My name is Kiernan Rox. I'm a general here, the leader of an army called the Keepers. I'm sure you have a lot of questions. I'll try to answer as many as I can."

He signalled with two gloved fingers forward, and four black-armoured figures --Keepers, Dexter presumed-- marched forward from the shadows, unknotting the gags at the back of their heads. Up close, their armour was matte, a strange synthetic material that looked both soft and plastic at once.

Theo winked at his guard. "Thanks, love."

Xandra spat at her guard, furious. "What the hell? You can't just kidnap people! Where the fuck am I?"

"We," Paris corrected, still wiggling about. "Where the fuck are we. We're all here, commonly, together."

"Shut up, French Fry."

"Sorry, Hurricane Xandy."

General Rox's face crossed with a pained expression.

"Can we get back to the topic, please?" Dexter squeaked, voice trembling a little. He was trying desperately not to freak out, swallowing down the thick texture of fear and panic. It wasn't working as well as he hoped, but he'd done this before. He could do it again.