Chapter 17 – Celaeno
CELAENO
The gargoyles weren’t kidding when they said something was wrong in this town. The second I arrived, I felt a dark presence that was almost suffocating. It’s like being trapped beneath a blanket of suffering and grief that chills my very soul.
In all my life, I’ve only been to a few places that felt like this. All of them were cursed.
We’re standing on a hill, overlooking a small town surrounded by woods and mountainous hills. The sky overhead is a deep, sleet grey, and the clouds are heavy with the promise of rain. All and all, this is exactly the kind of place I’d expect weird shit to happen.
I shiver, looking down at my jeans and t-shirt. I’m definitely not dressed for this weather. Not the chill or the icy winds clawing at my flesh.
“Cold?” Journey asks behind me.
“N—o—pe,” I stammer through chattering teeth.
He gives a soft smile and grasps the bottom of his sweater. I swear my heart skips a beat as he peels it off, leaving behind a thin t-shirt.
“Want it?”
“Uh-huh,” I say.
Boy do I want it. I want it against a tree. I want it on the ground. I want this big man to keep shedding his clothes until I get to see if they carved his package as nicely as they carved the rest of him.
Calm down! I order myself. But that’s the thing, I’m starting to realize that half of the reasons I find these gargoyles so frustrating is because I find them so hot.
“Celaeno?”
My head jerks up, and my cheeks burn. He’s holding the sweater out in front of him, and there’s no chance he didn’t see me eye-balling his junk. So much for playing it cool.
I was playing it cool up until now, right?
“Thanks,” I mumble, grabbing his sweater and putting it on to hide my embarrassment.
With his sweater around me, I'm wrapped in his scent. I swear I have to hold back a groan of pleasure. It smells that good, so rich and manly that my inner muscles squeeze in the mostly pathetically lonely way.
Man, I hate myself right now. It’s like spending half the day riding Journey in the air has turned me into a desperate, horny woman.
The worst part is that I’ve been getting the same sense from the guys.
Ever since the strange gargoyles tried to take off with me, I’ve been catching them staring.
And maybe I’m delusional, but they look as sexually frustrated as I feel.
“Better?” he asks staring at his sweater on my much smaller frame, his voice tinged with a huskiness I’m digging.
I pat my small breasts and run my hands down my stomach, caressing the soft material. “Much.”
When I look up, all three men are staring at my chest. Ender’s mouth is hanging open, Journey’s eyes are bugging out of his head, and Grey looks like he’s about to do something bad—something I might enjoy.
Where did that thought come from? I can't be considering Grey romantically, not after he called me a monster and swore he’d be killing me soon.
But then I think of what he said about his brother dying at the hands of Lamia, and my heart aches a little. I understand loss. I understand how angry it can make us, and how that anger can tear at our souls.
I’m still mad at Grey. I still think he’s a jerk. But I also know that his anger and bravo is all in an effort to hide the way he truly feels: sad. And that somehow makes me feel closer to him.
Even though I hate it.
Looking at the gargoyles, they continue to stare at my breasts. It’s almost comical.
“What? Have none of you seen breasts before?” The second the words slip from my lips I wince.
Grey adjusts the front of his jeans and storms away.
Journey gives me a guilty look. “Sorry, being celibate has its disadvantages.”
I think my brain just stopped working. “I’m sorry, but did you say celibate?”
He nods, looking pained.
“So… none of you have sex at all?” How has this not come up until now?
Ender exhales noisily. “No.”
Wow. The mere idea that they’re celibate makes me feel all kinds of things I didn’t expect.
For the first time since meeting them, I'm grateful. It’s nice to know they’re probably as horny and miserable as I am.
It's even nicer to know that when this is all over they won’t be going home to bang a bunch of gorgeous women.
That idea makes me scowl. Of course their type would be big busty blondes with long legs.
“I bet there’s a pack of tall models just counting the days until they can take you guys for a spin again.”
Oh fuck, I can't believe I said that out loud.
Ender laughs, and Journey is grinning like a fool. “Afraid there’s no ‘pack’ of models anywhere.”
“Nope, we always share one woman…” For one second I picture a Celaeno sandwich with these gargoyles, but Ender has to ruin my fantasy by continuing to talk. “So, there’s only going to be one gorgeous model somewhere.”
I cross my arms over my tiny boobs. Maybe I’m barely five foot two inches, and maybe my figure is as flat as a board. So what? Tiny-boobed women need love too.
And here I thought they weren’t attracted to me because of the monster thing. And then I imagined they were attracted to me. Turns out I’m just not their type.
“So, you guys wanted to show me these birds, or what?" I know I sound a little grumpy, but I don’t care.
Grey perks up from where he’s been kicking dirt by a tree. “Finally, something that isn’t a waste of time.”
He hurries up before I can respond. I trail after him, annoyed that I’m a little hurt.
Ender’s suddenly at my side, walking slower to match my stride with his long legs. “There’s another thing wrong with what you said.”
“Surprise, surprise,” I mutter.
He lowers his voice. “We’re not so much into models as we are into smart-mouthed brunettes.” My hearts races as he leans closer, his hot breath ticking my ear. “And we’ve got this thing—where we really want some tiny girl we can fit perfectly between us.”
I’m pretty sure the spot between my thighs melts. We keep walking, but I'm lost in horny thoughts.
When thunder rolls in the distance, my head jerks up. Frowning, I stare up at the sky. Inhaling slowly, I get that feeling again, but this time it’s worse. Every step we take toward the town deepens that feeling of dread.
I catch the sour scent of a curse on the air. Something’s wrong here. Really wrong.
I stretch my awareness out and feel my birds, but that’s not right either. I dig a little deeper, frowning.
“Shit,” I stumble, clutching my head. I go down on my knees, trying to stop the pain.
Ender’s kneeling in front of me in a second. “What’s wrong?”
Tears sting my eyes. “My birds—“
My words get caught in my throat. Touching their minds was like touching a hot poker. Anger burns within them, and behind that fear, sadness, and confusion. Their emotions were so intense that for a second I was lost in them. I’ve never felt anger that strong before.
It's scary… and dangerous.
“Celaeno,” Ender says my name softly, and then, he’s caressing my neck.
I stiffen. His fingers are like magic, drawing me back from the pain, drawing me out of their minds.
My head falls to rest against his chest, and my hands rest on my thighs.
He continues to rub my neck and shoulders, erasing the tension that I've allowed to build up for years. “What’s wrong with her?” Grey asks, and there’s an edge of something in his voice.
I sigh. “This feels so good. You have no idea.”
“Really?” Ender whispers.
“Yeah. I can’t remember the last time someone touched me like this.”
“Fuck,” he mumbles.
Journey speaks from above us. “Better stop talking like that, small fry, or Ender’s not going to be able to handle himself.”
I laugh, surprised yet again by the change in these three. What has come over them? Or was it something that has come over me?
We’d had a good night’s sleep. But that wasn’t it exactly. This morning they’d been… different. Almost openly kind to me. Was it really just because of the strange gargoyles trying to kill me?
Or maybe it’s because we’ve reached our destination, so our time together is almost over? That actually has a strange ring of truth to it.
When I look up, all three gargoyles are staring at me. What were we talking about again? Oh yeah… “How long have you three been celibate?”
My question’s met with silence.
I snuggle closer to Ender as his hands move down my back. “Don’t everybody answer all at once.”
Man, this feels nice. Too damn nice.
“A little over twenty years,” Journey says, very slowly.
My head shoots off Ender’s chest. “Twenty years? Fuck! You three must be going nuts.”
Grey glares. “That's exactly why some hot little monster shouldn’t be rubbing her breasts, moaning, and getting massages. We’re here to do a job, not to do you.”
I stare at him. “I didn’t rub my breasts!”
His eyes flash with anger. “When you put on his damn sweater! Don’t act all innocent here. I know exactly what you’re doing. You know how hot you are, and you know just how to work the three of us into a frenzy.”
“I was not…!” I freeze. “Wait, you think I’m hot?”
Grey rolls his eyes to the sky. “Did we piss off some asshole god somewhere to have to deal with this shit? Let’s go.”
Ender is grinning again as he stands and offers me his hand. I take it, still staring at the gargoyles. Do they really think I’m hot? The concept is so damn weird to me I don’t even know what to say.
We keep walking toward the town, but this time in a group.
“So what exactly happened back there?” Ender asks.
I stiffen, remembering the wrongness of my birds.
When I glance around the trees, the feeling deepens yet again. Why are there no birds in this area? I sense that all of them are concentrated in one area ahead, but that goes against the natural instincts of birds.
“Whatever this curse is, it’s powerful.”
They all freeze.
“How do you know there’s a curse?” Grey asks, and for once he's not scowling.
I stare at him in shock. “Didn’t you all feel it the second we landed?”
They shake their heads.
Maybe I can sense it because of what I am. “There’s a powerful curse across these lands and my birds are being affected by it.”