“Come step into my parlour,” 

He says with charmed guile. 

I swear that what I hear next is an animal growl, I deep-gutted primal sound that makes even Yohan break his stare and look toward the door. There’s another growl, then something crashing. That was sooo not your imagination, Zah. What the hell? What have you walked yourself into? The four brothers in the room exchange a look, Jae nods, then Yohan gets up and walks from the room.

“Stop it! Now. Both of you,” I hear Himchan say from the doorway. “We have a guest, a very impressionable one. And your little flare-up does not bode well for her chances of making it to another sunrise.”

What I hear from the hallway can only be described as more animal sounds, but the angry growling has ceased. Breathe Zah. Just breathe. And what did he mean by not making it to another sunrise? Could anyone be more melodramatic than this family? I have to admit, despite trying to rely on my rational brain, there’s a part of me that’s irrationally terrified right now.

“I do apologise for that little display of pointless hostility,” Yohan says as he sits back down, straightens his jacket and crosses his legs. “I’m guessing you’re a little shocked. Honestly, only thing that shocks me right now is that you’ve survived this long.”

Another loud crash sounds in the hallway, then what sounds like footsteps on broken glass. There’s a darkness in Daehan’s eyes that scares me to my core when he finally walks back into the room, bloodstains standing out boldly against his white shirt that’s ripped to shreds across one shoulder.

“Shall we continue, Miss Gibran?” he says, a steel-edge to his voice that less than an hour ago mesmerised me with its smoothness.

“Su... sure. I uhm... if you think that’s wise,” I reply, trying to keep my voice from trembling. No story is worth this much anguish. How do I get myself out of this? Or more importantly, is there a way for me to get out of this? “I don’t mind waiting if you need to see to that,” I say, gesturing toward his bleeding shoulder.

As Jep walks into the room Daehan looks directly at him and proceeds to take off his shirt, revealing three deep gouge marks to his right shoulder. Ouch! That’s gotta hurt. The air literally ripples with tension as the two brothers lock stares, seemingly challenging each other silently.

“No need to worry, Miss Gibran. It’ll heal,” Daehan says as he sits down, his eyes still locked on Jep’s.

“I really think you need a doctor; that looks nasty.” How can he sit there with blood dripping from wounds deep enough to reveal the muscle beneath? He isn’t even flinching.

“What’s your professional assessment, Jae?” Daehan asks, his eyes still locked on Jep’s. Professional assessment? Jae is a doctor?

“You’re all certifiable,” Jae replies between bites. Yes, he resumed eating the moment the fight in the hallway was under control. The younger boys were quietly munching away as well, neither of them making a sound. This is so not a normal family.

“He meant as a doctor, fool,” Yohan says.

“That was my professional opinion as a doctor.”

My breath catches in my throat, heart trying to thump its way through my ribcage as my entire belief system comes into question. No way! What the hell was in those damn tarts? Psychedelic drugs? I watch in open-mouthed amazement as the wounds on Daehan’s body start to heal right before my eyes. I can’t believe what I’m witnessing; it’s like watching a wound being stitched, but without the stitches. I can hear the others talking around me, but it all just sounds like white noise as I sit and stare at his body for what seems an eternity. There isn’t a single scar on him, merely patches of dried blood. Bloody hell! I should say something. Think Zah, think! Say something! Anything.

Slowly I start to slide out of my stupor, aware of tiny sounds escaping my lips – nothing even vaguely intelligible – and I’m gripping my pen so hard my hand aches. I look around at the others, expecting them to be as gobsmacked as I am, but find almost every eye in the room trained on me. Yohan is saying something, Chan looks mildly concerned, Daehan and Jep are looking at each other and the other two look like they’d rather be someplace else – anywhere else. What’s happening to me? I think it’s fair to say that now is a good time to panic... and pray. Everything around me seems to be moving in slow-motion as if we’re underwater right before the darkness claims me.

“I think she’s waking up,” I hear Hansol say as light filters slowly through the shroud of darkness surrounding me.

“You’ve just loaded a gun, put on a blindfold and fired into a crowd,” I hear Jep say.

No, you didn’t, you did not just pass out. How embarrassing. I do not want to open my eyes; don’t think I can bear to look any of them in the eye right now.

“Lesson number one, since we’ve already passed the point of no return on the secret society thing, you can’t fool a werewolf into thinking you’re still not conscious. So... feel free to open those pretty brown eyes any time you’re ready, Miss Gibran,” I hear Yohan saying from somewhere behind me. “No need to be afraid, while you were off to that lovely place called oblivion, there was a somewhat heated discussion concerning your fate. My little brother has convinced us to give this interview a chance. Isn’t that right, Chanie?”

I open my eyes slowly, feeling colour rush to my face as I find all eyes trained on me. I try to sit up, but my head feels too heavy to lift and my mouth feels like it’s filled with cottonwool. I shut my eyes again while I try to steady my escalating heartbeat. This is so much worse than what I imagined my worst nightmare to be like. My eyes fly open as I feel something cool against my skin.

"I won’t hurt you,” Jae says, flashing an icy glare somewhere over my head. “Or let anyone else hurt you.” He moves the cool compress gently across my brow, genuine concern clouding his face.

“If I wanted her dead she would be,” I hear Yohan saying from behind me. “Just saying...”

This isn’t happening. It’s all a dream.

“You okay to sit up?” Chan asks.

All I can do is nod dumbly as he helps me up, unable to meet anyone’s eyes in the room. Zah, I think embarrassment is the least of your worries right now. Okay, time to put on your big-girl knickers...if you’re about to go out, it will not be with a whimper. Chan is still observing me with grave compassion; Jae is looking at me through narrowed eyes – his expression hard to read – while Hansol goes between looking bored and annoyed. Yohan is somewhere behind me, somehow I can feel his gaze burning into my back. Jep and Daehan are still locked in an intent battle of staring at one another, a battle neither seems to want to back down from. Why do I have to be the pink elephant in the room?

“Thank you,” I say, looking at Jae and Chan. I try a smile, but my face feels frozen, so merely nod my thanks. “Mr Mato... Daehan? I uhm... can we get back to the interview, please? I have a deadline...” Ugh! Seriously, Zah? Try avoiding any words similar in meaning to or even rhyming with ‘dead’.

Daehan does not reply and I’m left wondering if he even heard me.

“I would be sorely disappointed if things were to end without us answering the rest of your questions, Miss Gibran. With complete honestly, naturally,” says the all too familiar husky voice from behind me.

“This interview is over,” Jep says, for the first time looking directly at me. That voice. Wow! “Or was that not clear?”

“She’s already been invited into where the wild things are and they’ve certainly caught her scent,” Yohan says. I can clearly hear him breathing in my scent as if emphasising his point. “Besides, who says you can’t rewind reality? Relax, it will be fun.”

“Yeah, it’s all fun, until it’s not and we’re trying to get bloodstains out of the carpet,” Hansol says, still looking annoyed. “Again.”

“Are you happy now? You did this,” Jep says to Daehan, gesturing at me with his hand. “Her blood is on your hands.”

“Why can’t you trust that I know what I’m doing?” Daehan replies. “When have I ever acted without thought? The only thing I regret is having this interview here. Too late to change that now.”

“She’s a reporter! We humoured you with your little exposé book, this is just crossing the line,” Jep says, his eyes appearing red for the briefest of moments. Oh fu... did his eyes really just glow red?

“Oh I’ve seen this movie, it does not end well,” Hansol says, still looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.

“I’m doing this. You can stay and be a part of it,” Daehan says, both his eyes and voice laced with steel. “Or you can leave.”

Jep looks somewhere behind me, sighs then nods before walking over and sitting directly across from me. “I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced, Miss Gibran. I’m the person these idiots have to obey,” he says, looking at Daehan as he says the last bit. “Which makes me the one who gets to decide whether damage control is in order or not.” There’s no mistaking the veiled threat behind his words.

“I trust you have an appreciation for all things that exist beyond the borders of logic, Miss Gibran,” Yohan says as he sits down beside me. “You know all those monsters your mother warned you about? Well, disappointingly, none of them live in your closet or under your bed.” He lifts a perfectly manicured hand and I watch in horror as his skin starts to ripple as if it’s about to erupt into a mass of torn flesh and sinew, only to settle after a few seconds as dark claws start ripping their way through the tips of his fingers. Fuuu... ohhh this is so not happening right now. Claws? Is he about to kill me?

“Was that really necessary?” Jae asks. “You’re scaring her.”

“She came here to learn more about us. Consider this a bit of show and tell...” he says, turning his hand this way and that to give me a better view. “Now I know you were expecting fur, but that’s just not very attractive, is it? I can do the whole fur thing if you like, but I’d much rather not. Besides, Cin doesn’t appreciate us getting hair on the furniture.”

I gawk in open-mouthed wonder – yes, I can actually feel myself drooling a tiny bit out of the corner of my mouth – at his transformed hand. His fair skin has darkened to the colour of caramel, muscles rippling on his once slim fingers that now end in dangerously sharp black claws.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” he says with a smile. “Oh stop gawking at me like that, you’re making me feel like a freak.” He lowers his hand and within seconds it begins to change shape and colour until it’s once more his perfectly manicured hand.

I nod, completely flabbergasted by what I’m witnessing.

“We’re not evil, just different,” Chan says, his expression pensive. “None of us chose to be who we are; we were born into this world. Some of us wish there was a way to live regular lives.”

I try to think of something to say, but Jep’s penetrating eyes makes me question every response I would normally have. What would be the diplomatic thing to say? At this point, I’d settle for anything that would convince the brothers that I can be trusted. “Okay.” Are you serious, Zah? Not only do you have a degree from the best school in the country, but you also graduated Magna cum laude. That’s all you could come up with?

“Yeah, real smart one you picked there, Daehan,” Jep says. “I would expect much more from Magna cum laude.”

Not surprised. Sooo not surprised. Are any of my thoughts safe? How do you even get the voices inside your head to shut up?

“I uhm... I’m not sure what you expect of me. What would you do in this situation?” I ask boldly, trying hard to hide the tremor in my voice. “I have serious questions prepared for Mr Ma... uhm... Daehan. This is not the setting I imagined I would have to conduct my interview. And like I said earlier, you can trust me.”

“It’s true; she has some fascinating questions lined up, all in here,” Yohan says. I didn’t realise he still has my notebook until he starts paging through it again. “Let me see here... ah, here’s an interesting one. What flavour of kibble do you prefer?”

Five sets of eyes turn toward me.

“Hey, c’mon, that’s not in there. I... I wouldn’t...”

“Rabbit,” Jep says, looking mildly amused. I’m not sure if it’s the question or my discomfort that amuses him most.

Enough! I really don’t care if I’m about to become a late-night snack, but this has gone far enough. I grab the book back from Himchan and tuck it into my bag. “I’m not here to be toyed with, not by any of you. I don’t care how many teeth you have between the six of you, I am here to conduct an interview and I am not leaving until all my questions have been answered to my satisfaction. I’m not here for any of you, I’m here for him.” I point toward Daehan, who’s lounging casually against the wall, still shirtless. “And put some clothes on, that is a little distracting.”

The room goes deathly quiet; I swear I can hear my own heart beating. Everyone in the room is staring at me with varying expressions.

Jep shakes his head, smiles, then bursts into raucous laughter. “I like this girl, she has spunk. Hansol, give Dae your jacket.”

“Wha- man...” Hansol complains but shrugs out of his jacket and tosses it at his brother. “And why does he get to keep his hood up in the house?” he asks Jae, gesturing toward Jong.

“Because it’s not a hat,” Jae says.

Daehan puts the jacket on, then pulls up a chair next to Jep’s. Hansol looks ready to punch something – or someone. Chan is still looking like he’s lost somewhere in a world of his own, occasionally smiling up at me whenever he catches me staring. Jae is slowly making his way to the bottom of the fruit bowl he has perched on his lap. Yohan and Jep are exchanging looks that make me feel like they are considering changing their flavour of kibble.

“Fangs, Miss Gibran. We call them fangs, not teeth,” Daehan says, a lazy smile playing on his lips. “My brother likes you, that’s a good thing. Now to get him to trust you. To be or not to be, that’s the million-dollar question.”

I lean down to make more notes on my laptop and by the time I look back up, something about him is definitely different. The first thing I notice is his eyes, the inscrutable charcoal eyes I was just getting used to, now a deep sapphire. He cocks his head to one side and smiles, revealing sparkling white fangs that would put any canine to shame. Wow! I’m really seeing this. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Can they even let me leave after all I’m witnessing? I note slight discolouration to the rest of his face and on closer inspection, everything about his face has changed in one way or another. Even his hair looks longer, fuller and lighter than I remember. Is it weird that I’m not even freaking out anymore?

“That still freaks me out every time,” Jae says. “Will take a while to get used to your new look. Enough, you’ve made your point; those eyes are weirding all of us out.”

What’s weirding them out? Judging from what I’ve gleaned tonight, at least two others are werewolves too, so why would looking at Daehan make them uncomfortable?

“It’s his eyes, Miss Gibran. They’re new. The colour, not the... you know,” Jep says. Okay, I’m now convinced he can read my mind. Can all of them do that? “And no, just me. Sometimes Zelo, but he needs to touch you to be able to read you.” Shut up, Zah. No more thinking out loud. But you’re not thinking out loud, yet you are. Ugh!!! Just stop thinking. Period. “Good luck with that, Zah.” He winks at me, then smiles. His smile is the most striking I’ve ever seen on a man.

“Get out of her head Jep, that’s an invasion of privacy. There are laws against that,” Jae says.

“And we all know how important it is to stay on the right side of the law. Right?” Yohan says drily. “I even did jury duty once. Model citizen and all that.”

“Wasn’t that the time we needed you to charm the jury and you got the judge to throw the case out even before it began?” Chan asks, earning him an icy glare from Yohan.

“Be quiet puppy, you’re ruining my buzz here,” Yohan quips. “It was still torture, all two hours of it.”

“Hansol, why don’t you introduce Zah here to the family? It is what she came here for, I would imagine,” Daehan says. Not sure when he changed back, but his cool black eyes are once again on me as he speaks.

“Really?” Hansol asks, looking at Jep rather than Daehan.

Jep nods. What family? I thought I’d already met all of them.

Hansol rubs his hands together gleefully, looking excited about something for the first time since I’d met him.

“Don’t you need to touch her first or something?” Jae asks. “And I’m not sure this is such a good idea.”

“Nah, I touched her earlier when we fetched her,” he says, eyes lit up with excitement. “I got this...”

“Not me,” Chan says, looking somewhat uncomfortable. “Show her the others, not me.”

“Why?” Hansol asks, confusion clouding his green eyes.

“Respect his wishes, Hansolie,” Jae says. It’s hard to really know who is in charge of the family, there seems to be some sort of pecking order, but there are times when each of the brothers carries an air of authority that dares defiance.

“Whatever, think he likes her just a little too much,” Hansol says, a tiny bit of wind let out of his sails. He shuts his eyes for a few seconds and when he reopens them they are a tawny yellow.

I can hear the others talking, but for some reason cannot hear a word they’re saying. His eyes are so mesmerising, I feel myself drawn into them until nothing else exists around me. The room seems foggy, a thick mist clouding my vision with yellow eyes glowing softly through the gloom. I know that I should be afraid, but I’m not, a comforting warmth enveloping me. A can feel a cool breeze against my skin, smells and sounds of nature permeating my senses. What the hell? I’m guessing you’re no longer in Kansas, Dorothy. Why am I not even questioning this madness anymore? Slowly the fog lifts and I find myself surrounded by trees. I remember their property being surrounded by a wooded area, has he taken me outside?

The eyes are still there, following me, yet somehow I feel safe. Then it happens, the thing that kicks me in the teeth – the eyes are no longer just eyes, a shape forming around it – the eyes have now become a huge tawny wolf that’s slowly advancing on me. Hansol? Where the hell has he gone? Was this the way they got rid of their unwelcome guests? Leave them out in the woods to be mauled by their pets – would save some money on kibble. I hear movement behind me and turn to find four more sets of eyes attached to real live ravenous looking big-ass wolves emerging from beyond the trees. Okay Zah, this is the point where you start to scream. Would playing dead work?

I shut my eyes, if I am about to die, I’d much prefer that I be the last to know about it. I know, my logic is screwed, but all in all this has been one seriously screwy night. How am I still able to see them with my eyes shut? Won’t they even afford me this small mercy? All five wolves are at this point no more than a few steps away from me, but they’ve all halted in their tracks. The one closest to me has dark brown fur, his eyes glowing yellow just like the light coloured wolf I first saw. There’s a grey one beside him, lounging on the soft woodland floor, observing me with the same yellow eyes the other two have. The other two start pacing restlessly from one end of the alcove to the other, one of them a soft grey, his fur shining silver in the moonlight, his blue eyes cold and penetrating. The other one has fur as black as night and when he does eventually look up at me with fierce red eyes, it finally hits me. How stupid could you be, Zah? The signs were all there. This is the family – well, the family minus one. But how are we here if I don’t remember leaving the house? They are ALL wolves?

I’m no longer afraid. They advance on me – all except the grey one observing me coolly from the ground before me – as if sensing that I no longer fear them. The brown one comes close enough for me to reach out and touch his soft fur, licking my hand in the way a puppy would once you’ve finally earned its trust. In a flash, the fog is rising again and all I can see is a pair of yellow eyes glowing softly through the mist. And I’m back in the room with six sets of eyes trained on me.

“Not even going to ask how you did that. You’re the wolves in the book, aren’t you? All of you,” I exclaim as soon as I find my voice.

“Hallelujah, someone give the girl a cookie,” Yohan says. “Who says you can’t lead a horse to water and make it think?”

“Is he always like this?” I ask of no one in particular. “I’m so psyched right now...” I get up off the sofa and start pacing – and no, I’m not a pacer, but today seems to be a day of firsts for a great many things – feeling like the adrenaline rushing through my veins might soon cause me to explode into a splodge of pure energy. “You’re the mean-looking silver grey one and you... you’re the black one,” I say, pointing at Daehan and Jep in turn. “And you’re the blonde-ish one, right?” Hansol nods and smiles brightly for the first time. I look from one brother to the next before saying, “You’re the brown wolf with the kind eyes.” Jae smiles and nods. “And you must be the grey one, the arrogant one.” Yohan’s expression leaves no doubt in my mind that he considers that a compliment. “You weren’t there. Why?” Chan merely shrugs.

I continue pacing, trying to find my way through the labyrinth of information running through my mind. Six sets of eyes follow me, but no one says anything. Triple dipped in chocolate whammy Wow! What a story. I’ve either hit the bonanza of all stories or my doomsday. Either way, I am going to finish this, if only I could think of a single question to ask.

“I would imagine that all of your questions, intended or otherwise, would have been answered by now, Miss Gibran,” Daehan says. “What more could you want to know?”

“Maybe she’s waiting for me to remove my shirt as well...” Yohan adds.

“Oh shut up, Yohan.” Where did that come from? Did I really just say that out loud? “I’m sorry, I uhm... sorry?” I half-smile at him. “It’s just that I’m trying to remember the questions I had planned and you’re not really helping.”

He regards me for a moment before saying, “Always say what you mean and always mean what you say... even if it could spell your doom.”

“Are any of you in a serious relationship or married?” I ask. That’s a good place to start.

“No,” Jep says. He looks over at Jae for the briefest of moments before looking back at me.

The reporter in me does not miss the look of discomfort on Jae’s face, neither did I miss the gold ring he wears on his ring finger when he placed the tray down on the table earlier. Hmm... have to get back to that later.

“We’re not exactly what you would call ideal mates,” Chan says, still wearing a wistful smile.

“Don’t you have a girlfriend in the city, Daehan?” Hansol asks. “Wish I had one.”

“What Dae has cannot be considered relationships,” Jae says, not even attempting to hide his disapproval. “What’s the longest your adulterous trysts ever lasted? Six months?”

“Four,” Daehan replies, clearly unfazed by his brother’s disdain. “At least one of them lasted that long, I think.”

“See what I mean, Miss Gibran. Real shameless infidel,” Jae says with a look of condescension.

“Oh dear, now I’ll never get into heaven...” Daehan says, his voice dripping sarcasm.

“Heaven is overrated. I would be sorely disappointed when I arrive where the fun people go and find none of you there. Except for you Jae, I’d be shocked to find you there,” Yohan says.

So not what I was looking for, but this certainly is interesting. Daehan has dated in the city, so there should be people there who know him. Jae either is or was married. Why would they try to hide it? How all these incredibly attractive men are still single is a mystery to me. Despite the obvious darkness that lurks beneath each one’s personality, there is also charm and a real likability – well, all of them, except Yohan.

“You have two more questions; I suggest you use them wisely?” Daehan says.

“I wha-”

“Way I see it, the ones we answered without you even having to ask them add up to at least eight, but I’m being generous, so you get one bonus question,” he says, looking at Jep for confirmation.

“I’d say that sounds fair,” Jep agrees.

“Something does puzzle me, your tattoo...” I say after giving my next question some thought. I’ve noticed that at least three of them have tattoos, which defies the topsy-turvy logic of their world. Jae’s tattoo I couldn’t see well, but bits of it is visible snaking up the side of his neck. I know that I just met the guy, but he’s the last person I would expect to have daringly visible tattoos. Chan’s is the most visible since he’s wearing a sleeveless top, he sports one that covers his entire upper arm in bold tribal looking lines. Then there’s Daehan, it was hard to miss the pattern that spans all the way down his left side, inching its way down the side of his body to below his beltline. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but if your bodies can heal as impressively as I think they can,  shouldn’t it be impossible for you to have tattoos? I mean, it would disappear within hours, if my logic is still sound after all it’s been made to endure these past few hours.”