Chapter 8 – Empusa
EMPUSA
What the fuck is wrong with me? Seriously!
I’m a virgin one night, and then I’m eagerly fucking three guys the next moment?
My head is screaming at me that this is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.
That the gargoyles are my enemies, at least in a traditional sense, and they might not be so kind if they found out what I am.
So why do I want more?
It feels like the lustful beast inside of me has awakened, and now I can’t contain her. When this mission is done, I’m going to need to beat it across the country and get as far from the gargoyles as possible before I lose my way and allow my darker cravings to take over.
I just wish my fucking body agreed with me.
My hard nipples and wet body are screaming for me to go back and see what else those gargoyles could do to me.
I feel like I’m trapped in some kind of nightmare that feels more like a dream.
I just want to lay down in the forest, spread eagle, and let the gargoyles do what they want to me.
But some fucking monster stole a child tonight, so I need to find a way to control my demon side and stay focused. This is my only reason for living now. Not the desire to ride big cocks.
I keep repeating those words to myself over and over again as I rush through the woods, following my instincts. Following the sense that whispers that a dark soul is somewhere ahead of me.
It almost seems fitting when I find the cave. This is the place that I could see a cyclops hiding out in, surrounded by piles of bones of children. There’s a huge rock to one side of the cave, and a distant memory claws at the back of my thoughts.
But there’s only one way to find this monster, and it’s by going in this creepy cave. So, I take a deep breath and inch into the darkness within.
My unique abilities mean that I can see in the dark. Not perfectly, but I can make out general shapes. My claws elongate, and I sense someone breathing not far ahead.
I creep slowly through the cave, going deeper and deeper inside. Up ahead, I see a huge shape on the ground. The cyclops! And, it seems to be sleeping.
My eyes narrow, and I inch closer. Kneeling down slowly in front of it, I reach out and lightly touch its chest…and I’m hit with the brightest of souls. Like the other gargoyle, the beauty of it is overwhelming. It sings inside of me, and I know that this isn’t the cyclops, not a chance.
Grabbing the flashlight I’d tucked into my back pocket, I turn the light on…and spot the third gargoyle.
Fuck. He’s pretty banged up. Breathing, but unconscious.
Which means that I’m in the right place. I’ve just found the wrong person.
Shutting off the flashlight, I don’t move. I study the shadows all around me, trying to get a sense of the cyclops. Trying to get a sense of if he’s in here with us right now. But after a moment, I’m one hundred percent sure we’re alone. The cyclops likely attacked this gargoyle and ran.
Which means I need to wake this guy up and get him to safety, before the bastard returns.
So, I shake the man. Over and over again. But he doesn’t move. I slap him. Still no response.
Not sure what else to do, I reach down and start to stroke his dick.
I swear, that must be the move to wake up any man, because his body instantly tenses, and then he’s on me. His big body crushes the air from my lungs, and he looms over me, his face inches from me.
“Wait.” His voice is groggy. “You’re…you’re that woman.”
“Em,” cracks out of my lips.
He sits up straighter, and then his voice comes out in a rush. “We need to get out of here. Before it’s too late.”
Too late?
He jumps to his feet, and then I’m slung over his shoulder.
I hear the sound of something loud outside the cave.
The gargoyle who carries me races through the dark cave.
I want to tell him to put me down, but I sense doom approaching.
I glance forward and see the light from the outside disappearing, and then it’s swallowed.
“No!” the gargoyle shouts.
We reach the spot the entrance had just been, and I hear the gargoyle pounding his fists against whatever has closed us inside. But it’s no use. After a few minutes, he stops, breathing hard.
“What just happened?” I ask, trying to sound calm.
He takes a minute to answer, but when he does, he sounds angry. “The beast lured me here earlier, attacked me, then locked me in with the boulder. I passed out while I was trying to figure out what the hell to do.”
Boulder. Fuck. I remember a certain myth about a cyclops who locked his victims in a cave and ate them at will.
“Are the kids in here?”
“No.” He sounds distraught. “There’s nothing else in here.”
“And you can’t move the rock?” It seems obvious, but I want to hear him say it.
“Not a chance.”
“Fuck,” I mutter.
“Fuck is right. We’re very, very fucked.”
For some reason, his words turn me on. Stupid lust!
“Want to put me down?”
His entire body stiffens. “Oh, right. I forgot.”
And then he does. But it isn’t fast. He sets me down slowly, my entire body rubbing down his.
My damn nipples harden again, and I realize I'm panting. This…this is so wrong. We’re trapped in a cave, waiting to be eaten, and all I want to do is taste this damned gargoyle.
“I’m Lucas, by the way.”
“Em,” I tell him softly.
It’s too quiet for a long moment before he says, “Don’t worry, my brothers will find us soon.”
“I know. I saw them just a bit ago.”
“You did?” He sounds surprised.
I’m glad it’s dark because my cheeks feel hot. “Yeah.”
He clears his throat.
I struggle to say the right thing. “If we go back, we can probably find where I dropped my flashlight, and then come up with a plan.”
“Good idea.”
We walk together, struggling to find the place I’d found him on the ground. After a moment, he reaches out and takes my hand. My first instinct is to punch him, but I struggle to ignore my natural instinct and slowly hold his hand back.
“Don’t want you to fall,” he says, his voice a little husky.
“I was more worried about you,” I counter.
He laughs, and the sound is a delightful rumble. “We gargoyles are pretty steady on our feet.”
“And on your backs.” The moment the words leave my lips, I want to take them back.
“Oh yeah? How many gargoyles have you had on your back?”
I chew my lip, feeling embarrassed beyond my wildest dreams. “Tonight, or in total? Because the number is the same.”
He freezes. “You’re not joking. Are you?”
I don’t know what to say.
He turns, coming closer to me. “You and my brothers…you didn’t. Did you?”
My breath is coming in and out too fast. “I don’t know what happened. It was like we couldn’t keep our hands off of each other. First Rokad, then Narath and Conley.”
“What?” Now he sounds shocked and pissed.
“What?” I say right back, feeling a bit defensive.
“Nothing,” he murmurs, but it doesn’t sound like nothing.
“You sure?”
He keeps walking, his palm sweaty against mine. “It’s just…I figured when we finally, well, with a woman, it’d be together. Usually, our kind shares one woman, since women are so rare in the gargoyle world.”
The hurt in his voice surprises me. “So, you feel left out?”
He laughs, but there’s still sadness in his voice.
“Nah, I’m good. Really. I mean, I’m glad…
that happened for all of you. I’m a bit surprised.
Not about Conley, I’m sure he’s had his share of women, but I don’t think I’ve seen Narath and Rokad do more than look at a woman before.
And Rokad seems too responsible for doing something like that so quickly.
While, Narath, well, he’s got his own shit going on. ”
I roll his words around in my mind. “Well, this was also kind of a first-time thing for me.”
He freezes again, then starts walking. “So you’ve only had us…I mean, them?”
I nod, then remember he can’t see me. “Yeah.”
He doesn’t say anything more, but we reach the back of the cave and split up, touching the ground, searching for the flashlight. But, it’s no luck.
Finally, I sigh. “I think it might be long gone.”
“A needle in a haystack,” he says, coming closer to me.
“So, what do we do?”
He takes my hand again, surprising me, but I find myself enjoying it. “Over here. We’ll tuck ourselves into a corner and wait. Whether my brothers come back or the creature does, we’ll be ready.”
My pulse picks up. “Think it’ll be back tonight?”
“Not a chance. I think it’s going to go guard wherever it’s keeping the kids. And chances are my brothers will find it and the kids first, then go look for us.”
I feel oddly useless. “So we just have to keep busy until then.”
“Wonder if we can find a way to do that,” he says, adding a sexy purr to his voice before laughing.
I hate that his words turn me on. “You know, I’m not just going to mount you because you’re a gargoyle. I don’t even remember what you look like.”
“I’m hot,” he rushes out, sounding smug. “Hair shaved pretty low, but it works for me. And my eyes are light brown. I have a lot of tats, something I did for myself that my brothers thought was stupid as hell, but it makes me happy.”
“Where are your tattoos?” I ask, wishing I could see them.
“My arms and one shoulder,” he says, then we stop walking. “Here’s the cave wall. Want to sit?”
“Sure,” I agree, and we sit together, like being in a dark cave waiting to be rescued or eaten is a completely normal thing.
I slide my back down the side of the cave, and he sits next to me. The heat of his body strangely nice. His leg touches mine, and then he puts a hand on my leg. He mumbles an apology while drawing it away.
To my surprise, I set my hand on his thigh instead. “Should I apologize too?” I find myself smiling.
“Nah, that’s…nice.” He sounds breathless.
And my body reacts.
I tell my demon side to calm down, that we’ve filled our lust bucket enough tonight to last a lifetime, but I feel like my demon just laughs at me. She wants this man. And there’s a strange sense that if I do anything, give him any sign, I could have him.