Chapter 15 – Draven
DRAVEN
Flying usually calms me down, but not right now. Not after what we’ve been through.
We’re all shaken by our visit with Hades. It’s strange to be warriors. To be gargoyles who know how to fight, to kill, and to keep going, even when injured. But then, to suddenly feel so unexpectedly uncertain.
The three of us have fought through more battles than we can count. We’ve survived against extraordinary odds. But this time, I’m worried about our future.
There is no world without Kage, so we must find the hellhound and return it to Hades. No matter what we must do to achieve this goal, we don’t have a choice. Kage is my Brother. I won’t let him down.
Realizing that I’ve been flying for too long, I almost turn back when I sense the coast not far ahead. Yet, that isn’t why I keep flying. Something about these woods feels strange. Like a pulling I can’t ignore.
And every gargoyle knows how important it is to follow ones instincts.
Scanning the ground, I head straight for a small clearing. When I land, I move cautiously beneath the shadows, remembering Kage’s attack. And his warning that beasts were capable of hurting us, even in our stone forms.
But instead of anything dangerous, I soon find myself standing above an unmarked grave. Something within me recognizes this grave is old, and yet, no grass grows upon the earth.
Kneeling down, I know without words that this is the grave of a gargoyle. Gargoyle deaths are so rare. Usually only the result of being destroyed in our statue form. So when one of us is buried, the grave always pulls us to them.
Because the gargoyle has a story to tell.
Reaching out, I ignore the way my hand shakes. I’ve touched a gargoyle grave before, and I know what’s to come. There’s nothing to fear, and only peace to bring to the dead warrior beneath the cold earth.
Closing my eyes, I let my fingers graze the earth.
Instantly, images come to me of a massive gargoyle. He radiates bravery and strength. He is a warrior, as we all are, and his power is nearly immortal.
And then I see him in these woods, and I see the woman. She’s a strange beast with the body of a snake and the face of an angel. When she stares into the eyes of this warrior, he is gone. Unable to fight her, pulled to her like he’s under her spell.
She leans down and bites into his throat.
I feel my pulse race as he groans and tosses his head from side to side.
My brain whispers the word monster, that this woman is one of those creatures we hunt and kill, but the man and creature are locked in their own state of bliss.
The sight is strangely erotic, intimate in an unexpected way.
And then, suddenly, he collapses.
Her eyes widen. She looks terrified. Leaning over him, she touches the side of his throat. His eyes grow glossy, and she trembles.
This monster has killed one of us. The man buried in this unmarked grave.
Another gargoyle races to his brother, and the monster slithers away. As he kneels over the fallen gargoyle, he doesn’t look to the monster, but I do. Tears race down her cheeks, and then she’s gone.
I’m trembling as I draw my hand back from the grave. I would recognize that monster anywhere. Lamia. And I know the tales of the gargoyles she’s killed.
What I don’t understand? The gargoyle seemed to enjoy her bite, and she seemed to enjoy him.
And then there were her tears… monsters don’t cry. Do they?
I stare down at the grave and give a silent prayer to the fallen warrior, hoping he found peace in the afterlife. And yet, I don’t believe he has. Not if the pull of this grave was so strong.
Rising to my feet, I stare down at the mound of dirt. What led me here today?
I believe in fate. I believe in powers larger than myself. And I believe I came here for a reason.
Was it to be reminded that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed? That even Kage can die?
I don’t know, but I keep seeing that monster… Lamia… crying. The image of her makes me feel sad. Not just for the man that died, but for the monster.
And that’s how I know I’m not in my right mind. Monsters don’t cry. Monsters don’t deserve empathy. They’re emotionless beasts that deserve nothing but death.
If I was brought here to be reminded of why we can’t fail, then I have been. Not that I needed it.
No matter what, we will catch the monster and save Kage.
Taking back to the air, my mind spins. Right now, Kage and Soren are laying out their plan to catch Cerberus.
And I was supposed to search as far as I could for any sign of it.
There is nothing, but I didn’t expect to see any.
A beast from the Underworld… a creature raised for death and destruction…
well, it won’t be stupid enough to be caught so easily.
It’s evening when I arrive back at the apartment. Inside, Kage and Soren have showered and they stand when I enter.
I frown. “What’s going on?”
“The trap’s set,” Soren says. “Tomorrow’s supposed to be stormy. We’ll spring the trap then, when it won’t be able to see us and smell us as well.”
I nod. “Then why do you both look like you’re going somewhere?”
“We are.” And I try not to notice that Kage looks paler than usual. “We’re going out to help set our plan… and maybe to relax a little.”
I think of the beautiful woman from the bar. “I know the perfect place to go.”
We walk to town. Kage and Soren talk ahead of me, but I follow slowly behind.
I’ve been trying so hard not to think about the beautiful woman from the bar.
More important things have shadowed my thoughts…
like the god’s impending doom. But now, in the darkness, heading toward the bar I first saw her at, I can think of nothing but her.
I’ve had sex with many women before. Yes, it’s been a long time since I touched a female, but my memories are still crystal clear. I know just how to touch a woman. Just how to make her feel all the wonderful things that bring her pleasure.
And yet, nothing was the way I expected with the woman in that closet. I didn’t try to touch her the way I have before. I watched her and did what I thought would bring her the most pleasure.
The truth was that she intrigued me. Something about her was so harsh and strong, and yet, she seemed so different when we were alone together. Every time I touched her, she looked so amazed. Like she’d never been touched like that before.
I wasn’t foolish enough to think I was her first man. A woman that beautiful doesn’t remain untouched. But I felt like our time together was special and unexpected for her too. Powerful and significant.
Touching her was how I imagined it would be to touch my mate.
And yet, she’d run from me. Disappeared as if into thin air.
Just the thought of it makes me angry. Had I done something wrong? Had I not brought her pleasure the way I had imagined?
Or did she perhaps already have a lover?
The thought makes me enraged. I can’t imagine another man touching her. I can’t imagine that she would leave and search out someone other than me to bring her pleasure.
I have to find her.
Why? I don’t know. But I have to. Before we leave this place.
Logically I know that when we get the hellhound, we’ll be given the mate of our dreams. Anything that happens with this woman would just be a rest stop before finding our mate.
So why doesn’t it feel that way? Why is it so hard to stop thinking about her?
“Which way?” Kage asks.
I realize we’ve reached the center of town.
Pushing past them, I lead our way to the bar the woman had been at the night before. I try not to hope she’ll be inside, but I’m kidding myself if I don’t accept that this is exactly why I led them here.
They say something, I don’t know what. But I ignore them, heading straight for the doors.
Inside, the club is loud, dark, and crowded, but I don’t care. Kage moves past me as he and Soren go to sit in an empty booth on one side of the room. I don’t follow them. Instead, I scan the waitresses and bartenders, trying not to feel disappointed when I don’t see her.
Walking slowly, I head toward my Brothers, then freeze.
In one corner of the room, the woman is there, with a friend, laughing.
I want to race right over to her and demand answers, but I also don’t want to scare her off again.
So I force myself to go to our booth and sit down, my gaze never leaving her.
“What can I get you boys?” a woman says.
“Drinks,” I tell her.
Suddenly, she’s leaning in front of me, blocking my view of the beautiful woman from the night before. A growl catches in the back of my throat. What more does she need to know?
“What kind of drinks, sugar?” she purrs.
I glare. “We don’t care.”
“Alright then, I’ll get you something special,” she says, her voice crisp as she turns around and goes to the bar.
“That was polite,” Soren says, his sarcasm heavy.
I turn my glare to him. “I don’t want to waste time.”
He raises a brow. “Didn’t we come here tonight to start laying the foundation for our plan?”
Yeah, but that was only one of the reasons I came here tonight, yet I don’t say so.
He continues. “We should talk to anyone we can, especially the waitress. This is just like any pub or way-stop. The serving staff usually have a pulse on everything going on around the town.”
I scowl, because he’s kind of right.
“What the fuck is your problem?” Kage asks. “You’ve been pissed since the other night.”
I think about lying or denying it again, but instead, I sigh. “I met a woman.”
“A woman?” Kage repeats, leaning forward.
I nod. “And things got… intimate between us.”
Kage grins. “Then what’s with the bad mood?”
“She took off. I don’t know why, and I didn’t know how to track her down again.”
Kage’s grin fades. “What did you do to anger her?”
That’s just it. I don’t know. “I wish I knew. But I can’t stop thinking about her.”
Soren shakes his head. “How are you two getting this distracted by women?”
I turn to Kage, a question in my gaze.
“The woman who helped me last night also turns out to be our new neighbor,” he explains. “And she’s amazing. Sexy as hell. Confident. Strong. She’s everything a woman should be.”
“So is my woman,” I tell him, and the words ring true.
And now I know why I’m so upset. Before we were bound to our lands.
We would awaken to battle enemies, remain awake awhile to celebrate and sleep with beautiful women, and then we’d turn back into stone.
But never before did I meet a woman who seemed…
special. And for the first time in our lives, we can do something about it.
If we weren’t bound to a god.
But after…?
“She’s here.”
Both the men across from me stiffen.
“Where?” Kage asks.
I gesture with my head. “In the corner.”
They both turn around. My heart races. If they find her attractive too, maybe this woman could really be something. Finally a mate for us to share.
Soren swears. “Is this a joke?”
When he turns around, glaring at me, I find I can’t speak. Doesn’t he find her attractive? Doesn’t he feel the same pull to her that I do?
Kage turns around more slowly. “The dark-haired woman with the blue eyes?”
I nod.
“That’s Cerce. The woman who helped me last night, and our new neighbor.”
My jaw drops. What does this mean?
I wrack my brains. It means… Kage already likes her.
Turning to Soren, I study him. “What’s your problem with her?”
He scowls. “Besides the fact that she’s arrogant and difficult? How about the fact that we’ve got three days to save Kage’s life? How about we’re on the cusp of being given the perfect mate? Take your pick.”
I open my mouth to respond when the waitress returns. “Three Long Island Ice Teas!”
Tea? I was hoping for ale.
Shrugging, I grab it.
“Thank you so much,” Soren says, and suddenly his voice is as slick as silk. “We’re new to town.”
The waitress winks. “You don’t need to tell me, sweetheart. Every girl in town knew the second you three came strutting along.”
“It seems like a pretty unique town,” Soren continues.
She smiles. “Oh, you won’t find people like us anywhere else. It’s truly a special place. And my home town.”
“You grew up here?” Soren asks, flashing his smile.
The woman melts under his attention. “Born and raised.”
He leans a little closer. “I’m a little surprised. A woman as beautiful as you… it’s hard to picture growing up in such a dangerous place.”
“Dangerous?” she asks.
He feigns surprise. “First the vicious dog, and then that guy out in the woods.”
“What guy?”
He lowers his voice. “I heard there was some guy attacking women out in the woods near The Maple Tree apartments.”
Her eyes widen. “I haven’t heard anything about that.”
“Oh,” he says. “Sorry, I hadn’t meant to scare you.”
She shakes her head, standing up straighter. “I have some friends in The Maple Tree apartments, so I’m glad you warned me.”
Soren flashes her another smile and takes a sip of his drink. “No problem. And wow, this drink is amazing. I have a feeling we’re going to need more of these.”
She winks. “Big guys like you? I bet you’ll easily take three or four.”
There’s a bit of a challenge in her voice. Confused, I take a sip of my tea. It’s sweet and absolutely delicious. So what’s with the challenge?
“I’ll come back and check on you boys in a few,” she says, turning and strutting to another table.
We all look at each other triumphantly. Spreading the rumor has begun. Hopefully by tomorrow night we’ll have led the hellhound right into our trap.
As time passes, we drink two more drinks and random women join us in our booth. We subtly spread our rumor and manage to avoid the drunken arms and kisses of the strange women. By the time we’re on our fourth drink, I realize that I feel pretty damn good.
Spread our rumor. Check.
Seduce the beautiful Cerce…
When my gaze goes to her, I stiffen. A man is talking to her. Leaning close. Grinning.
Despite myself, my pulse speeds up. Is he flirting with her?
Sinking back in my chair, I feel anger growing inside of me. I’d thought waiting awhile would build my confidence to go talk to her. I hadn’t considered other men might approach her.
Sipping my drink, I glare across the bar. This won’t do. This won’t do at all.
Soon one of two things will happen. I’ll seduce Cerce, or I’ll beat the shit out of the man talking to her.
Maybe both.
“Ready to head back to the apartment?” Soren asks.
I don’t look away from my target. “You guys go. I have something to take care of first.”