“Of course.” Gretchen smiles.
“Thanks,” Rage says as we walk away. I stay close to him. I keep alert. We go into the reception area. The exit is through there. I notice that he scans the parking lot before leaving the building.
He looks relaxed, but he is watchful. I am too. My senses are on high alert.
He opens the door for me, and I hop in, then he climbs in as well. The car roars to life as he turns the key. “There is a pair of sweatpants and a shirt on the back seat,” he says. “I had the pleasure of meeting Gaire.”
My heart starts beating faster. My throat feels tight. I knew my leaving wouldn’t go unnoticed for long. I knew it might take a few days for someone to figure it out and for the news to reach him. I didn’t think he’d find me this quickly. I’d hoped to have a little more time.
I jump into the back of the car and then get down behind the seats. I shift. “He found you?” I push out, sounding panicked. I am panicked. “Where? What happened? You should drive. My shifting will have sent a signal.”
“A signal?” He frowns.
“Drive…now…please. And thank you for saving me.”
“Don’t get too comfortable,” he says as he reverses the car. “I’m still not sure I want to be involved. I don’t have a choice; I actually can’t be involved. It’s too dangerous.” I see his hands tighten on the wheel as he pulls off. “Now, tell me about the signal you were talking about and get dressed.” His eyes lower to my chest, and his jaw tightens.
I get this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach when he looks at me like that. Just as quickly as his eyes settle on me, they move off, back to the road. I grab the shirt and pull it on. “Gaire is a Hunter. He can teleport between the various realms. He hunts by picking up the essence of the person he is tracking. It can be anyone or anything, from a ghost to a human and everything in-between. Some people would call it an aura, I guess. Your aura or essence is different from person to person…it’s unique, just like our fingerprints. He picks up on it…like a trail. He gets this strange expression, and he suddenly knows where to go. Things like shifting, or using power of any kind, emit a kind of signal. There are those who can sense it. He is very good at picking up a trail.” I’m trying hard to explain all of this. “I guess I don’t fully understand how it works.” I shrug. “He will have traced my aura to your place. I spent plenty of time there. What did he say to you? I can’t believe you came for me.”
Rage is driving as fast as he can without being reckless. He pushes out a breath, focusing on the road. “Not too much. Just that he knows you were with me. He was more interested in where you had gone, and if there was a chance you would come back.”
“What made you change your mind about helping me?”
“I disliked him intensely.” Rage pauses. “He called you his pet. He said you belonged to him and that he would eventually break you.” Rage exhales through his nose. I can hear he’s mad.
I snort. “He would say something like that. He is such a bastard! It’s unfortunate that he is indeed my master.”
“Yeah, he mentioned something along those lines. What the hell does that even mean?”
“It means I’m screwed, that’s what.” I shake my head. “I gave him power over me a little over a year ago. I didn’t even realize I had done it.” I pull on the sweatpants, one leg at a time. I can see that Rage is thinking things through. The pants are huge, so I start folding the top of them to try to make them fit better.
“How did you give him your power? How do you do that without knowing it?” He sounds exasperated.
“I fell in love with him.” I make a noise of irritation. “It was a total accident. I can’t believe it happened.” I feel shame build inside me. My mam warned me about boys like Gaire. I feel a pang just thinking about home.
“Do you still love this guy?” he growls, his eyes flashing to me via the rearview mirror. “Is that how he still has power over you? I’m assuming the fact that he is your master is significant.”
“No! I hate him with everything in me,” I snarl the words, almost under my breath. “It doesn’t change the fact that he is my master. I wish it did, but it doesn’t. Where are we going?”
“Fucked if I know.”
“Unfortunately, he can track me more easily because I am bound to him.”
“There must be a way to break this bond.”
I pull in a hard breath and tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “I would have to fall in love with someone else, and that’s not going to happen.”
“I don’t blame you,” Rage says, turning a corner. “I’m driving around in circles. There’s a chance we’ll get spotted if I keep it up. We need to go somewhere. It can’t be anywhere public since you’re not really dressed for it.” He glances my way.
I find it interesting. His eyes are dark, and yet they’re very expressive. I mostly see anger and irritation, but there’s more there. So much more. “One of your friends, maybe?” I suggest.
He frowns. “I’m thinking Maddox.”
“No!” I say.
“Why not?”
I’m pretty sure he still wants to palm me off on his brother. “I told you, your brother isn’t up for dealing with the likes of Gaire. He’s an infant as far as his powers are concerned. Gaire will eat him alive.”
“Is he going to track us that quickly?”
I sigh. “I hope not.” I shake my head. “We would have a couple of hours to plan, and then we’d need to move on. We need to be prepared for the worst.”
“I wouldn’t want to put one of my friends in harm’s way. I could get us a hotel room?”
I shake my head, “That’s the first place he’ll look. There aren’t too many places to stay in Newfolk.”
“We could blow town…” He curses. “But I’m still not convinced I’m the right person to help you.”
“Leaving town won’t help us. Gaire can teleport. We need to plan. There are ways to mask the strong aura I give off. Ways to break down the stupid bond.”
“What ways?”
“We’ll talk about that later. Where can we go? What about Bolt or Night? Both of them would be good options. They’re strong.”
“No and no. Bolt will do anything to protect his girlfriend, and Night has a wife and child. They would kick us out in a hot minute. I know I would if the roles were reversed.”
“We need someone strong, with a whole lot of power.”
“Death is a good option. He’s a full god. He’s unattached. Keeps a low profile.”
“No way!” I shake my head. “He’s connected with the Underworld. Hades is—”
“Death is one of us.” Rage pulls into a parking lot, choosing a space close to the entrance of the shopping mall. It’s busy. There are crowds and people everywhere. He instinctively knows how to hide. We should be okay here for a while. He turns and looks at me. “I trust him one hundred percent.”
I want to call him out and tell him he’s wrong, but I don’t. I choose a more subtle approach. “Death is beholden to Hades.”
Rage nods. “Death is Hades’ son.”
“Hades trapped Death into giving him control. The only reason Death is breathing is because Hades lets him. Death may mean well. He might be a fantastic person and try hard to do the right things, but he is still beholden to Hades in every way.”
“Is it the same with you and Gaire?”
I shake my head. “Gaire is nowhere near as powerful as Hades. He’s stronger than almost all non-humans, but Hades takes all the cake in this regard. Death has no choice…ever. His body is not his own. Even his mind, to a degree.”
Rage curses, looking away. “I knew it was bad, but I didn’t know it was that bad. Poor Death!” He looks back at me. “What kind of control does Gaire have over you, then?”
“We need to move. We need to find somewhere to hole up and to talk. I’ll tell you everything then…I swear.”
Rage nods once and then pulls out of the space. “What about Trident? Is he str
ong enough for you?”
“Now you’re talking.” I smile.
Rage looks at me through the rearview mirror. He’s scowling. It’s very clear that he doesn’t want to be here.
10
Rage
I knock on Trident’s door for the third time. “I think we should go to Sam’s house.” I check the time. “He would be sleeping and pissed that we woke him up, but I think it’s a better option than this.” I hear a woman moan from inside Tri’s place. I knock again…harder. I even check to see if it’s locked, and…it is.
“Mmmmm,” she says. “I’m not so sure Samuel is the right choice. Son of Hypnos… lord of sleep.” She shakes her head. “What is he going to do, put Gaire to sleep for us?” She shakes her head again. “That won’t work.”
“Jarrod, then.” The woman’s moans are getting louder, which is a good thing. Maybe she’ll come already, and then Trident can let us in.
Nia shakes her head. “No. He’ll tell Gaire all about his past just before Gaire kills him. Trident is the best option we have. We can wait a few minutes. He’ll be done soon.” She sniffs, looking a little uncomfortable.
“You hope.”
“I’m pretty sure.” She licks her lips, her eyes on the door.
The woman starts groaning in a very definite rhythm. I shake my head and push my fingers into my temples. Please let this end! Please! Listening to Tri fuck is not on my list of things to do to keep calm. It’s on the other list. The what not to do list.
It gets noisier and noisier. I can hear Trident grunting now too. Nia’s eyes are getting wider and wider. Finally…fucking finally…the woman gives an almighty yell. Any asshole can hear that she’s coming hard.
Thank fuck!
I knock again.
“Give them half a minute,” Nia whispers.
“No!” I growl. “Fucking Trident and his dick.”
“You also have a dick,” she says…completely straight-faced. “You were at a sex club just the other night.” She shrugs. “I don’t see too much of a difference.”
“There’s a huge difference. Tri does this all the time. The other night was the first time I’ve looked for sex in months. Not that it’s any of your business.” I look at the scar on my arm. I see her cheeks turn pink. She’s ashamed. I should hope so! I knock again, much harder this time. “Tri! Hey…Tri!” I knock some more.
He finally opens the door, wearing the tiniest pair of underwear I have ever seen on a man.
“Hi,” Nia says, smiling.
“Hello, there.” Tri goes straight into flirt mode, like he wasn’t just fucking another woman moments earlier. Like he doesn’t reek of sex and some shitty floral perfume.
“We need your help,” I say. “Can we come in already? We’ve been out here forever.” In reality, it was only about five minutes, but it felt longer.
“Sure.” He moves to the side, and we go in. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I was…busy.” He smirks. “Make yourselves at home.” He points at the living room. “The kitchen is well-stocked, so help yourself.”
“Where are you going?” I fold my arms. I know exactly where this knob is headed.
He points at the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. “I won’t be too long,” he says.
“What?” I growl. “Get rid of the girl. This is serious.”
“So is this,” he says. “I kind of promised her three orgasms. We’re two down and one to go.” He’s walking backward as he talks.
“No,” I say. “Get rid of her…now! You can explain that something has come up.”
Tri laughs. “Something is going to come up, alright. I’ll be as quick as I can. Lucky for you, I have a magic dick.” He grins and repeats, “Make yourselves at home.” He winks at Nia. The fucking audacity of this man.
I watch as he saunters off, disappearing down the hallway. “I think going to Samuel and putting Gaire to sleep would have been better than this,” I tell Nia.
She laughs softly. Her cheeks are a bright pink.
“Do you want something to drink? He has a whole bar, and then there are the traditional beverages…coffee? Tea?” I’m usually not this nice. It feels weird.
“Bar?” She lifts her brows. “No, thanks. Maybe just a water.”
I nod and head into the kitchen. It’s ridiculously big. I doubt Trident even cooks. I grab two waters from the fridge and walk back to Nia. As I hand a bottle to her, it starts up again – the moaning. This time the headboard is smacking against the wall. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter.
“He did say he would make it quick.” Nia is smiling. I can see that her cheeks are red again.
“Let’s sit.” I gesture to the living area. “Maybe we can go outside?” I’m not sure if I can listen to this for much longer. At least if we’re out back, it won’t be as in your face.
“It’s easier for Gaire to find me outdoors. I don’t know why that is. I don’t know much about his tracking powers. In hindsight, he was tight-lipped about them. He was tight-lipped about a lot of things.”
We take a seat. The banging gets louder. Hard thuds that almost shake the whole damn house. At least, it feels that way. I work hard at ignoring the noise. Pissed all over again at what an inconsiderate bastard Trident is. “So, what are—?” The moaning gets louder too. I can barely think through all the racket. We can’t hold a decent conversation, that’s for sure. I scrub a hand over my face as I watch Nia squirm in her seat. She looks very uncomfortable. I see her picking on the label of the bottle in her hand. Dammit! I squirm in my seat as well but for a different reason. My cock is pressed up against my zipper. I’m listening to Tri fucking some girl, and all I can think about is how sexy as fuck Nia is. I think about how she looked naked. It’s inappropriate and not like me at all! I look away because I can see her nipples trying to poke holes in her shirt. Thank fuck for my tight jeans and t-shirt right now.
“Is she okay?” I can see Nia is listening.
“Who?” I frown.
There’s more shrieking. “Her.” She points in the direction of the hallway.
“Yes, of course,” I growl because duh.
Nia licks her lips, “You look angry.”
“I’m not angry,” I snap at her.
I see her shrink. “I’m sorry this happened, and that—” she starts to say.
“It’s not your fault, and I’m not angry with you.” I keep my voice even. “Just a little irritated with Trident.” I shake my head and clench my jaw, pressing my lips together.
“In all fairness, we did drop in on him unannounced, and he did…promise.” She frowns, looking unsure.
I roll my eyes.
The banging is so loud at this point that I wonder if the wall is going to lose some plaster. It’s quite possible.
Nia frowns, “Don’t his neighbors complain? From the sounds of it, he does this sort of thing often. I would complain.” She wrinkles her nose.
“All the time, and yes, they object in a big way. He had to move out of his apartment and into a free-standing house because of all the complaints. I mean, imagine having to live right next door to this.”
Nia laughs. She’s quite beautiful when she’s relaxed. Her honey-hued eyes dance and shimmer. Her mouth is full and slightly bow-shaped.
I feel my own lip twitch.
The banging is hard and fast at this point. The moaning lets up for a moment or two, and then the woman screams. As in, all out and blood-curdling. I’m thankful because that means it’s almost over.
Nia jumps up. “Is he hurting her? He wouldn’t, would he?” Her eyes are moving from left to right. She’s listening to the woman screaming. She looks more and more panicked as the scream goes on.
“No!” I shake my head. “He isn’t hurting her. She’s fine.”
The scream gets louder. Her throat must be bleeding. She’ll be hoarse after this.
Nia’s eyes go huge. “That can’t be good. It can’t.” She looks upset. Very agitated. She starts to walk in the direction of t
he hallway. “He’s hurting her!”
I take her hand, holding her back. “It’s fine. I swear. He’s not hurting her.” My voice is soft. “That’s not pain.” Thank god the screaming abates. It has turned into a moan. A long, drawn-out moan. Enough already, asshole! The groan is laced with pleasure. “See?”
Nia doesn’t look sure, and for the first time, she seems really afraid and very upset. She’s still listening. Still trying to decide. Then she nods and pushes out a breath. She still looks freaked out.
“You okay?” I ask.
She swallows thickly and nods. Her eyes have this haunted look that I don’t like. What the fuck did that asshole do to her? A reaction like this doesn’t come out of nowhere. Somehow, I know Gaire was involved. His reference to breaking Nia doesn’t sit well with me.
I give her hand a light squeeze and let it go. I haven’t held a woman’s hand in a very long time. It was forever ago. Another lifetime. A better time. Back then, I didn’t know what I was. I didn’t know yet that I’m a monster. Ignorance is bliss. Awareness, on the other hand, can be torture.
Tri is still breathing hard when he saunters into the living room half a minute later. He stinks like hard sex. I wrinkle my nose. Thankfully he’s wearing a pair of shorts this time. “You could have taken a shower.”
“I thought this was urgent.” He shrugs, all-out grinning.
“We can wait five minutes,” I say, folding my arms. “You need to get the woman out of here. It’s dangerous for her to be here right now.”
Tri’s eyes darken. He nods once and leaves.
“I’m afraid power and brains don’t always go hand in hand,” I mumble almost to myself.
“Mmmmm,” she says. “I don’t know. I think Trident is plenty smart.”
“He has a funny way of showing it.”
“The way I see it, both of you have walls built solidly around yourselves. You’re both standoffish and—”
“You call that standoffish?” I point at the entrance to the hallway.
She nods. “I doubt he sleeps with the same woman more than once or twice. You forget I’ve been hanging around all of you for a week. I’m observant.”
Lord of Chaos (The Dragon Demigods Book 7) Page 6