Chapter 9 – Kage
KAGE
Idon’t know what the hell is wrong with Draven.
He’s in the worst mood I’ve ever seen him in.
All he’s done since we returned to the apartment is pace the floor.
When I tried to interrupt him, he’d grabbed me by the shirt and shoved me back.
If it wasn’t for Soren, we would have beat the shit out of each other.
It’s fucking strange. I expected this kind of behavior from myself. But from Draven? Not so much.
For the first time since making my deal with Hades, I wonder if I made a mistake. Is Draven unravelling from the stress? Or was he not yet ready to face this modern human world?
“I’m going to go out and search the woods,” I tell him.
He ignores me, continuing to pace.
Gritting my teeth, I leave, slamming the door behind me. Instantly, I’m hit by the chill of the autumn air. I long for my gargoyle flesh. It doesn’t feel the cold the way my human body does.
And then I realize what I need, to change, to go for a flight.
I hurry out of the apartment complex. When I reach the woods, I keep going until I find a quiet clearing. And yet, I feel strange. Like I’m being watched.
Instead of shifting, I slow my pace but continue through the trees.
Deeper and deeper into the forest, my hand itches to touch the blade I have concealed along my spine beneath my jacket, the hilt hidden in the middle of my shoulder blades.
But I don’t, I just keep going, thankful that all gargoyles can conceal their weapons beneath a glamour.
Glad I wasn’t stupid enough to enter the woods unarmed.
There’s something in this forest. Something that thinks it’s hunting me.
The hellhound. It has to be.
And then, I hear a twig snap. Turning slowly, I stare into the darkness. Seconds tick by as sweat rolls down my back, and then a dog emerges from the shadows. No, not a dog. This must be the hellhound.
Its flesh is frightening. Like its body has been turned inside out. I can see the muscles stretched and hanging from its bones in a way that makes my pulse race. It’s creepy as fuck, but not nearly as big as I’d imagined.
With slow movements, I reach for the hilt of my sword.
Its strange mouth draws back, and a low growl emanates from its lips. Sharp teeth catch the light of the moon, and I swallow hard. Those are fucking sharp looking teeth.
When I hold my blade out before me, waiting for the attack, my instincts suddenly scream a warning.
Spinning around, I slice my blade, and it strikes another one of the creepy dogs.
My sharp sword slices through its rotten flesh like butter, and the pieces of the beast hit the ground with sickly thuds.
Within seconds, its corpse turns black and melts into ash.
There’s fucking two hellhounds! Two! It was nice of Hades not to mention it…
As I turn back to face the other one, I see movement in the woods. Time seems to freeze, and then half a dozen of the beasts emerge from the shadows.
Heart racing, I take a step back. I’ve faced worst beasts than these, but there’s too many of them. I have no chance of getting away without a few good bites. But whether there’s one hellhound, or eight, this is what I was sent here to do. And once they’re dead, we’ll have our mate.
And then more of the bastards emerge from the shadows on my other side.
My stomach drops.
Thirteen. There’s thirteen of them.
Shifting, my human flesh turns into that of a gargoyle. I wanted the thrill of taking on the beasts on more even ground. Of knowing every scar and wound was earned.
But in my human flesh… well, I won’t survive this attack.
All at once the beasts leap at me, like they were given an unspoken command, and I launch into movement. I managed to kill one, and swing and miss at another, before one of the dogs sinks its teeth into my calf.
I nearly drop my sword as pain radiates from the wound. This is… impossible. Nothing can hurt me in my stone flesh. And yet, it does.
Kicking off the beasts, I turn around, swinging at the creepy beasts, but all I’m managing to do is keep them at bay, not kill any more of them. One of the dogs leaps onto my back, biting down on my shoulder. I gasp, then shake to get him off.
But he bites down harder, and my sword drops from my hand as his bite causes a cold feeling to spread down my arm. Like… like death.
Reaching behind me, I yank him off. Concentrating, I cause my wings to sprout from my back. I don’t understand what’s going on. But these creatures can hurt me. I need to get out of here. Now! Before it’s too late.
Two dogs leap onto my wings, their teeth clamping down. I swing around, try to grab for my sword, but have to jump back as more dogs race toward me. I manage to knock the dogs off my back on a tree, but my wings feel numb.
And that cold feeling? It’s spreading.
For the first time in my long life, I feel something unexpected: fear. I’ve never run from a fight before. But I need to get out of here, now. And I’m truly not sure I’ll be able to escape.
I thought gargoyles couldn’t die.
I think I was wrong.
Instinctually I try to shoot into the sky, not caring that I’ll have to break branches to escape. But my wings? They don’t obey me. They simply lie limply on my back.
Shit. Flying is out. I have to run!
Heading back in the direction I came, I suddenly find my path blocked by the dogs. There’s so many of them. Too many of them. There seems to be more each second that passes.
I look behind me. If I run deeper into the woods, I’m dead. But how can I reach the town and my brothers?
And then, I feel it. Something I never imagined in my life. I feel my wings disappearing and my hard flesh melting away. In absolute terror, I look down at myself.
I’m in my human skin.
This is impossible.
The dogs begin to growl, and the sound makes every hair on my body stand on end.
I think… I think I’m going to die.