Chapter 18 – Kage
KAGE
Soren and Draven are eating breakfast when I walk in. Ignoring their dirty looks at my soaking body, I hurry across the house, grab a towel and dry myself, then change my clothes. When I come out, I grab a plate of food, my thoughts turning.
When Hades had said that each day I’d lose a piece of my soul, I hadn’t known what it would feel like. I certainly didn’t expect it to be a painful tearing that brought me to my knees. When I’d accepted the task from the god, I hadn’t ever questioned it. It made sense.
We’re monster hunters. Hunt a monster. Get our mate.
But every time I think of our deal now, my stomach turns. The night I was attacked still feels like a strange nightmare, with twisting shadows and lots of pain. But if I hadn’t made the deal, I think I might walk away from this task. Something about it no longer feels right.
And yet, now I have no choice.
“About the girl…” Soren begins, but then just stares at us helplessly.
Draven grins. “She’s amazing.”
I grunt. Of course she is. Not only did she handle all three of us last night, but she’s everything a woman should be. Strong, confident, and perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
Even if under all of that there’s a softness to her that seems unexpected.
“I think we should avoid her for now on.”
Soren’s words take me by surprise. “Why?”
He stares down at her plate. “She’s not as… arrogant as I thought.”
Draven grins. “And that means we need to avoid her… why?”
“Because,” and now Soren seems angry, “she’s been hurt before. She’s vulnerable and in need of good men who will stand by her. We can’t be those men for her. Not with our task. Not with our deal.”
“What if we give the god his dog and keep the girl?”
Soren stares at Draven. “There’s no guarantee with her. When she finds out we aren’t human, she might go running for it. We have a once in a lifetime chance to get our perfect mate. Is it really worth the risk?”
Some of my confidence fades. He’s right, of course. We can’t gamble on maybe when we have a sure thing.
“She might be more understanding about the whole gargoyle thing than we think.”
I glance at Draven. What isn’t he telling us?
He sighs. “Last night Cerce and I encountered something in the woods.”
“Something sent by the hellhound?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Something that looked a hell of a lot like a zombie. And, I’m thinking, when it comes to humans being animated back to life, it might be a creature sent by Hades.”
I freeze. “Those dogs that attacked me were the same way.”
Of course. I hadn’t really processed any of it. But it seemed less likely they were working with the hellhound, especially after it killed them, and more likely that Hades sent them.
But why?
Soren looks troubled. “So, is Hades sending these creatures to attack us or the hellhound?”
Draven frowns. “I have the feeling he doesn’t care who gets hurt, as long as he gets his dog back.”
I think of Cerce. “We need to get that dog out of here. Before any of the people in this town get hurt.”
Draven gives me a knowing look. “So, we push ahead with tomorrow night?”
Soren nods.
But I still feel troubled. “Doesn’t it bother any of you that we’re counting on this dog wanting to protect the innocent for our plan to work?”
“It’s not what I’d prefer,” Soren says. “But our options are limited. Besides, as far as we know Hades doesn’t plan to kill it, he just wants it back where it belongs. We can’t exactly allow a hellhound to run around with humans, whether it has a sense of right and wrong or not.”
“Still, it feels wrong,” I say.
Soren shoots me a dirty look. “It’s you or the dog now, so no more doubts. Just focus on the task.”
He’s right. And I hate that he’s right.
“Going back out into the human world is changing us.”
Neither man responses. They just stare down at their plate. And that’s how I know I’m not the only one who’s noticed it. Which for some reason makes me even more concerned. Being a gargoyle meant being a warrior and a protector.
Now?
It seems to mean being part of a gargoyle society, making deals with gods, trapping monsters, and becoming lovers.
I just hope as we fumble to figure out this world that we don’t screw up too terribly.