Chapter 15
Chapter fifteen
Looking into Vaelyn’s stormy grey eyes like this, I feel something else I haven’t felt in a long, long time—intrigue and desire. I don’t understand it. Could it be because I smell Adrestia on her? Am I still drawn to Adrestia as much as I was all those years ago?
What I told Vaelyn about Adrestia was the truth; we likely couldn’t have a functioning relationship after what happened.
I’m not sure I could trust her again, even if I wanted to.
But then Alaric’s claims come back to me: You really think she just stood by and let them do as they pleased with you without interfering?
How the hell do you think you were able to get out?
Maybe it’s time I finally talked to Adrestia about what happened.
“I’ll take Roxi to Adrestia’s under one condition,” I say.
She raises an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”
I take a deep breath. “You go with us.”
She crosses her arms over her chest and stares into my eyes. “Fine.”
“Just ‘fine’? No argument?”
“I have nothing better to do right now. And I’d like to make sure she’s okay,” she says, nodding toward Roxi.
“That’s understandable. Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me. They really did a number on her.”
I take a deep breath to keep myself from losing it again. “Are you able to fly with Roxi in your arms?”
She nods. “My wings aren’t attached to my arms.”
“Good. I need you to take her for me, please. It’ll look really strange if I waltzed into Adrestia’s apartment building carrying an unconscious, naked woman.”
“That’d be interesting to witness. At least she’s wrapped in blankets,” Vaelyn says, holding back a laugh. “So, I take it you can’t fly?”
I shake my head. “I wasn’t graced with that ability. I have tried to change into several flying supes, but I’m not able to get the wings to work.”
“Interesting, but unfortunate. I can carry her with no problem, but I won’t be able to carry you at the same time.
So I can fly you there one at a time, or you can head there on foot by yourself.
The only problem with that is that I don’t know the address or how to get there from the ground.
If you could fly, it would be a totally different story, and you could follow me. ”
“It’s fine. What do you remember about the surrounding area?”
She shrugs. “Not much. I didn’t really have a chance to look around while I was on her balcony. I did notice that her building was the tallest in the city.”
“She must live in the Luxur building,” I say confidently, even though I feel everything but that at the moment. “It was the first building that drew my attention when I got here.”
“Then you know how to get there, I assume?” I nod and she continues, “Great. If you’re not there in thirty minutes, one of us will come looking for you.”
My eyes drop to the beautiful gorgon on the bed. Not much of her pale skin is visible with the blanket covering her, but bruises cover every bit that is. If I hadn’t already killed the disgusting men around me, I would track them down one by one and torture them.
I lean down, kissing Roxi’s forehead before I turn to Vaelyn. “I’ll see you guys there. Please, just… be careful.”
Vaelyn walks up to me and places her hands on my arms. “We’ll be fine. The building really isn’t far from here, and flying supes in the city tend to be pretty rare as it is.”
I let out a sigh and drop my head in defeat. Vaelyn catches me off guard when she rises onto the tips of her toes to gently kiss my cheek.
Before I can say anything, she’s pulled away and scooped Roxi up to head out the door. I stand there in shock, listening to her footsteps echo down the hall as she descends the stairs. That was… unexpected.
When the shock finally wears off, I turn toward the door, and a blinding blue light flashes in the room.
Not again.
“Were we not just here yesterday?” Alaric asks behind me as the light dissipates.
“I tried to keep her away from here, but shit happened, and she decided to come back. Except before she got here, these three fuckers abducted her from the street and took advantage of her. They tied a fucking bag over her head so she couldn’t look at them.
There was no way I would allow them to get away with that,” I hiss, rounding on him.
He holds a hand up, stopping me in my tracks.
“Anna, stop. You will do well to remember that I am a friend, not a foe. I am not here to bring you in; I am here to take care of your mess. Again. This time, I will have to call in the others as well. There is not just a demon for me to take care of this time.”
I let out a long breath and will my heart to slow. “I wouldn’t make a mess if I didn’t have to. Roxanna is covered in bruises, pretty much from head to toe, because of these pieces of shit. They deserved a hell of a lot worse than they got, but getting her to safety was my top priority.”
He glances around the room. “If safety were your true priority, where is she?”
“Clearly no longer here.”
“No shit, Sherlock,” he grumbles.
“It’s a long story, but I sent her with someone to Adrestia’s place in the city.”
That catches his attention. “You must be on speaking terms with her then?”
I roll my eyes. “Not exactly. We haven’t discussed anything, but it’s the safest place I could take Roxi for now.”
“How do you think Roxanna will feel about you bringing her to Adrestia’s?”
“She’s already aware of my prior relationship with Adrestia. They actually met earlier, and that led to this whole situation.”
His brows shoot to his hairline. “Do tell.”
“I think not, Alaric. It’s none of your business.”
He pouts. “But I thought we were friends.”
My eyes narrow on him. “Fine. It all started when this harpy literally ran into Roxi while we were on our way here. They looked each other in the eye without anything happening, and I dragged the harpy into an alley so we could talk more. Then Adrestia showed up and accidentally looked into Roxi’s eyes, too.
I let my emotions get the best of me when we figured that out, which upset both Roxi and the harpy.
” I finish my long-winded explanation, and he stares blankly at me.
“If that’s all you’d like to know, I really need—“
“She looked each of you in the eyes without consequence?” he asks with little emotion.
“Yeah… What is it?” I ask, suspicion creeping into my voice.
“Have you heard humans use the term soulmates?”
“Of course. They use it for everyone they feel they have some sort of connection with,” I say with a scoff.
His eyes darken as they focus on me again. “They’re very real in the supernatural world, Anna. Some species believe you can have more than one person you connect with on a spiritual level, just as humans do, but I agree they take it to another level.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “What does this have to do with Roxi and all three of us being able to look into her eyes?”
“She’s the first gorgon to have been born in centuries—”
“I’m well aware of that. I was alive when they were killed off. Hell, I even killed some of them myself,” I say, getting irritated.
His eyes narrow at me. “Let me finish my explanation, Avyanna. Several eons ago, gorgons roamed the Earth in search of their Synkairós—Synkai for short. Their Synkai were like their soulmates, yet so much more. A life partner. Someone who understood them and didn’t fear them.
A missing piece of their soul. Without them, they were destined for insanity.
“From what I understand, gorgons weren’t limited to one Synkai. The most impressive thing about this, though, is that gorgons and their Synkai could make eye contact without anything happening to either person. Sound familiar?”
My mouth hangs open. I’m completely speechless.
Alaric laughs. “Your kind have something like a soulmate they believe in, too, right?”
“We do. Sielunkumppani,” I whisper.
He nods. “That’s Finnish, right? Meaning soul companion?”
“Yeah. I was born and mostly raised in what’s considered modern-day Finland, so Finnish was my first language. But I’ve never believed in Sielunkumppani before. I’ve never seen anyone who has one,” I say, staring off into space.
“How many others of your kind do you actually know?”
“I haven’t met another doppelg?nger in centuries. Even before then, I’d only ever really seen my family.”
A smile spreads across Alaric’s face. “Exactly. So how would you even know if it’s real or not, according to your kind’s definition?”
“You’re not wrong,” I mumble, still staring into space.
“Could Adrestia and Roxanna possibly be this for you?”
My eyes drift to him again. “I have absolutely no clue.”
“Do they make you feel like you belong with them?” Alaric asks.
I consider his question for a minute before replying. “They do. But how do you know that?”
He shrugs. “I’ve been around for a very long time, as have you.
But we’ve worked on opposite sides of the coin.
You know more about the monsters of the supernatural world—that’s been your specialty for years.
I know a little bit about a lot of things.
Just because I’m ‘The Retriever’ for the demons does not mean that’s all I know about. ”
“That kind of felt like an insult, but whatever. This is just a lot to comprehend,” I say, ending on a whisper.
Alaric shakes his head. “It wasn’t an insult in the least, Anna. You have a specialty, and you stick to it. I’m what the humans like to call a ‘jack of all trades’. I love to learn about everything and anything, even if it’s only just a little.”
“Okay, well. I really should get going. Thanks for everything.”
He smiles. “No problem. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you at some point before long.”