Chapter 19 – Ryker
RYKER
None of us have touched our food since she left. And with her words, everything seems to have changed. Yes, she’s a monster, and she could be lying.
But if she’s a liar, she’s a damned good one.
“I hate the fucking gods,” Vincent says.
“They’re bastards,” Darius adds. “And if you’ve read anything of history, her tale is nothing new.”
“So you believe her?” I ask.
They both stare at me sharply.
“Don’t you?” Darius watches me closely.
After a minute, I nod.
“So what does this mean then?” Vincent sounds upset.
I think for a minute. “It doesn’t mean anything. We still have to go on this fucking quest. We still have to take her to the cave. Nothing has changed.”
Vincent’s gaze locks with mine. “But are we going to kill her in the end?”
They’re both looking at me again.
Which feels strange and right all at once. In my Brotherhood, Grey was the leader. But even though I rejected Vincent’s idea that we should form one ourselves, somehow I feel like I’ve become the leader of us. Our alpha.
“We can decide that later. After we discover how dangerous she is.” And then I say what I know they don’t want to hear, “Because no matter how she was made, we can’t justify leaving her alive if she’s going to kill more innocents.”
They stand quietly. We wash our dishes and tidy up the place. I have to put on my spare set of clothes, because the first one is ruined with blood. Darius and Vincent manage to find clothes that look a little small, but good enough.
We throw out all evidence of our attack and try our best to make sure the home looks the way it did when we arrived. Then, we wait for Lamia.
She comes inside a while later, takes a shower, dresses in a new green dress that matches her eyes, and packs a small bag. When she comes to stand before the glass, sandals on her feet, she looks sad and lost.
And I feel strangely guilty. “Ready to go?”
She nods.
For some reason, I pull her into my arms, not waiting to see who wants to carry her this time. We leave the house. I shift into my gargoyle form, and we take to the sky.
And with every mile we go, I feel more confused. Because the truth is I feel strangely connected to Lamia. I might even like her a little.
I think of her caring for our wounds, tending to us in the night, and making us our “feast” in the morning.
I’m a monster hunter. But is Lamia really a monster?
The thought disturbs me all the way to our destination.