Chapter 13
L evi was at the wheel when Arcadia finally came into view. After three stops to stretch our legs and one stop to grab a bite, we were finally approaching the impressive gates to the gargoyle stronghold as the sun was preparing to set.
Romi had lived here growing up. This place had been his home, and he’d painted a picture of tall sturdy walls and thick wooden gates reinforced with steel and iron.
He’d told me of the wide winding streets that led to gated properties housing the elite bloodlines, and the elaborate streets lined with huge mansions made of sandstone to weather all elements, and now…
Now I was about to see it all for myself.
“Fucking hell,” Touron said. “It’s massive.”
“Have you never been here?” Ginia asked him.
“Nah, my bloodline never made the cut.”
“Ours either,” Ginia said. “But our sire has friends here, so we visited often.”
I was confused. “I thought all the omega nests were in Arcadia.” There were omegas at the academy, but once they found their mates, they’d move back to Arcadia to birth and raise their young. At least that’s what I’d been led to believe.
“Not all of them,” Orix said. “There are many approved and some unsanctioned nests out on the rim.”
The gates loomed higher as we approached.
“What if they don’t let us all in?” Touron asked.
“It’s Derek I’m worried about.” I glanced across at him, curled up on the floor at the back of the van, recharging in slumber. “If they try to hurt him…”
“They won’t,” Orix said. “I’m familiar with the guard here.”
Levi brought the bus to a halt, and Orix jumped out and jogged to the gates. He pressed a button on the intercom fixed to the door and waited.
“I wish we weren’t here for such a sad reason,” Ginia said. “Arcadia is beautiful.”
“Oooh, we should go to the bakery on Maple,” Palia said.
“I’m going to go home and shower,” Curi said with a sigh.
Orix opened the bus door. “We’re good to go.”
“We’ll need somewhere to stay,” Touron said.
“You can stay with me,” Orix said to Touron. “We have a guest house on grounds.”
But my attention was on Shar, who sat silently across the aisle from me. The tightness in her jaw spoke volumes. She wasn’t happy to be back here.
“Hey, Shar, is it okay if I stay at yours?”
Shar sat up straighter. “What?”
“Can Derek and I stay at your place while we’re here?”
She looked momentarily thrown, then her expression warmed. “Sure you can.”
I woke Derek, and we all clambered out of the bus and followed Orix to Arcadia’s gates. My stomach trembled with excitement and apprehension as a smaller door in the mammoth gates trundled open.
“Home sweet home,” Shar said, her tone laced with bitterness.
Orix ran his hand through his golden hair, teasing the darker highlights into disarray. “Let’s just get this over with. Funeral is tomorrow afternoon. We can leave straight after and be back at the academy in time for a late supper.” He lead the way into the stronghold.
This had been Romi’s home, but it had also been Serath’s, and now…Now I would be a part of it, even if only for a little while.
There were no vehicles emitting gasses into the air in Arcadia; instead, sturdy trams designed to carry goyles ran all over the city.
There were trees and bushes wherever I looked.
They bordered every street and dappled the many gardens that could be found here.
The buildings were huge squat affairs with balconies built for landing and taking off.
Everything was larger—more space, more air, more everything.
My eyes struggled to take it all in as we rode the tram across the city to the elite quarter. Even the night couldn’t hide the beauty of this place.
“The air smells clean,” Derek said from his seat beside me.
“All the trees,” Palia explained. “Arcadia is committed to a greener world.”
The guards had given Derek a wide berth as he’d entered the city, but Orix assured me that there would be no issues. They understood that he was a shield and only a threat to anyone who tried to harm me—Lionel Basque’s daughter.
Was he here? My sire, my…father? Should I go and visit? No. Not without an invitation. That would be awkward.
The street widened out, and an arch came into view up ahead.
“Elite quarters,” Ginia said excitedly, sitting forward in her seat.
We passed through and onto a woodland-lined road. There were gaps in the trees at regular intervals—roads leading into deep woodland.
“All the properties are farther back,” Palia explained to me. “They overlook the lake.”
“This is my stop,” Curi said as the tram came to a halt. He hopped out. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” His gaze snagged on mine for a beat. “If you need me before then, just call.” He began to walk away.
Call? How? “Hey! Curi, I don’t have your number.”
“Just ask the operator to connect you.” He threw the words over his shoulder. “Everything here is connected.”
The tram set off again without him, and there was no denying the empty feeling his absence evoked. I was getting too attached to the blue-haired goyle.
“This is us,” Shar said a moment later as the tram slowed again.
“I’ll pick you up for the funeral tomorrow,” Orix said. Derek and I joined Shar at the edge of the woods and waved goodbye to the others as they set off again.
“I’m starving,” Shar said. “I’m going to ask Berta to fry us up some steaks.”
We followed her down the moonlit road.
“You sure you have space for us?” Derek asked.
Shar smiled up at him. “I’m sure.”
The trees grew sparser then fell away, but the road continued, bordered by neatly clipped lawn snaking toward a huge three story building that reminded me of a castle.
I let out a low whistle. “ That’s your house?”
Shar glared at it. “Yep. That’s my house.”
“You will definitely have space,” Derek said.
“Too much of it.” She picked up the pace toward the moonlit monolith. “Come on. Maybe we’ll get lucky and Father won’t be home.”
“You don’t like your father?” Derek asked.
“I like him just fine, in small doses.”
We went from the road to a gravel drive that seemed redundant since they didn’t have cars here.
Three steps led to a porch and an unlocked door. It was dark inside with only one lamp burning low in the entranceway, but there was enough light to make out the impressive staircase curving upward to the first-floor balcony.
“You best take off your shoes,” Shar said. “Berta will have a fit if you get her floor dirty.”
She kicked her boots off and carried them to a door to our left. “You can put them in here.” She tugged it open to reveal a walk-in cloak room with hooks for coats and scarfs and shelves for boots and shoes on the opposite side.
Boots stored, we followed Shar down a corridor lined with closed doors, down a short flight of steps, and into a spacious kitchen where a female goyle sat at the table reading a book.
She looked startled as we entered, but her face soon broke into a warm smile.
“Niza!” She dropped her book and hurried over to pull Shar into a hug.
“Look at you. Just look at you.” She reached up to touch Shar’s curls.
“Your hair’s grown. It suits you.” She cupped her cheek.
“Oh, my child. You look well, but what are you doing here? I wasn’t told to expect you.
And you brought company.” She smiled at me, but her eyes widened in shock at the sight of Derek.
“This is Cameron Basque and her shield, Derek,” Shar said. “They’ll be staying the night here.”
“A shield…” She peered up at Derek, all curiosity now. “Can it…Can it talk?”
“I can talk,” Derek said. “And I’m a he .”
“He’s a person,” Shar said with pride. “His own person, but also Cameron’s shield.”
“Well…” Berta beamed up at Derek. “It is very nice to meet you.”
Derek inclined his head. “You too.”
“And Miss Basque, you have been the talk of Arcadia ever since your sire revealed your existence. Our hope for the future.” She clasped her hands to her chest. “I was devastated to hear about your brother. He was such a sweet boy.”
“You knew Romi?” Shar asked.
“We met several times on social occasions. He was always polite and helpful. He never looked down on anyone of a lesser station.” She bustled over to the stove. “Tea?” She didn’t wait for a reply before putting the kettle on. “How long will you be staying?”
“Just the night,” Shar said. “We came for a funeral.”
Her face fell. “Ah, yes, I heard. Such a terrible loss.” She sighed and shook her head. “Your father won’t be back till dawn, but I’m sure he’ll be delighted to see you. Are you hungry?”
“Actually, we are,” Shar said. “Would you mind?—”
“ Pfft , of course not. Sit, sit, tell me all about your training…well, the parts that you’re permitted to reveal, and Derek…” She smiled kindly at him. “Tell me about you. I’ve never seen a sentient shield before.”
We’d traveled for hours, and I’d driven for miles, so by the time midnight drew up, I was ready to retire. Shar showed me to the guest room next to hers and left me to pass out while she took Derek to the cinema room to watch a movie.
I didn’t have the energy to scope out the room, didn’t even bother to turn on the lights, content to strip and climb into bed with just the moonlight for company.
My head hit the pillow, and I sank. Deep.
I’m back on the grassy path with the darkness pressing in on me, but this time, a figure is framed in the circle of light up ahead.
“Hurry!” Serath reaches for me. “Run!”
I break into a sprint a moment before the darkness clamps its jaws shut.
Arms encircle me, crushing me to a taut chest and cutting off my scream of horror. “I’ve got you,” Serath says. “I’m here.”
I pull away just enough to be able to peer up at him. My gaze grazes his hard jaw and then sweeps across his full mouth and up to his pale blue eyes filled with triumph.
“You found me,” he says.
This is a dream, and yet it feels so real. I don’t want it to end. I don’t want to wake up. “Yes, I found you.”
He cups my nape and brings his mouth down on mine in a crushing kiss that steals my breath.
“Cameron…” He breaks the kiss and presses his forehead to mine. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
My heart breaks. I want to pretend, want this to be real, but it isn’t, and that hurts. “I can’t do this.” I pull away. “I won’t. I watched you die, and this…this is too painful.” I squeeze my eyes shut. “I need it to stop. I need you to go away.”
He grabs my arms. “Open your eyes, dammit. Look at me. I’m here. I’m here. I’m real and I?—”
A rumbling growl cuts over his words, and the hackles on my nape quiver.
“You have to go.” Serath cups my face. “Go, but don’t forget this. Remember. You need to—” Another growl. “Dammit.” Serath presses a kiss to my lips, and then he shoves me away. Out of the light and into the gray.
The mattress bows beneath my body as Serath presses me into it, his mouth on my neck as he trails kisses up toward my jaw.
There’s something…something I need to?—
He claims my lips, and our tongues meet. I’m lost, all train of thought abandoned to sensation as heat pools low in my belly, a glowing coal that gets warmer and warmer. Until my pussy is throbbing so hard it’s almost painful.
I need him.
I need him inside me bad.
But this is wrong. We can’t. We shouldn’t. I shove at his shoulders, and he breaks the kiss, and all I see are his eyes, dark with desire. Hungry, so hungry…
I woke sweat-soaked, the apex of my thighs pulsing with need.
I needed…Fuck, I needed…I shoved my hand into my pants, into my slick heat, and finished what the dream had started, coming hard, mouth clamped shut to stifle my cry.
I rode the orgasm, pulse pounding in my head, chest aching with trapped breath.
The fever ebbed slowly, and my muscles relaxed. I turned my head to look at the window, at the almost full moon hanging in the starless night like a warning.
It was happening again, and I wasn’t sure how I’d cope.