“Is that what Damien was trying to do? Make me forget everything from tonight?” Samantha asked.
“Yes, he was,” Kelsey answered softly.
“I wish it worked.” Samantha stared down at her hands. “I wish I could forget everything from tonight. Everything,” she whispered before glaring into Shane’s eyes, showing him how disappointed and betrayed she was feeling.
“I’m sorry,” he mouthed, knowing the apology was not going to cut it.
With a stronger voice, Samantha said, “Your secret is safe with me. I’d like to go home now to the one person who has never betrayed me. The only person I can trust. Take me back home to my mother.”
Thirteen
While Damien and Kelsey worked on getting Samantha back home, Shane ended up going to the headquarters where he knew Camille and her brothers were staying. He still had couple of hours before dawn, so he wanted to make sure to meet with them before things really got out of control.
They were all in the same room as if expecting his arrival. Jared was still fuming mad, probably because Shane beat the hell out of him.
“You dare come here? After everything that’s happened?” Jared demanded.
Shane knew they wouldn’t do anything to him with so many other gargoyles staying at the headquarters. “I come in peace. I think everything has been blown out of proportion here. I wanted to clear up any misunderstandings,” Shane said, his arms raised to show he meant no harm.
“Blown out of proportion? You were completely disrespecting my sister!” Jared said, taking a step toward him.
“The human means nothing to me. I already told you that. But I didn’t want you to harm an innocent person, so I defended her. I assure you, she was just somebody I met at the bar.”
“Lies!” Camille screamed. Up until then, she had not looked at Shane. Now, she glared at him, her eyes ablaze. “I know that’s Damien’s wife’s niece. I know you’ve known her for years. You stand here and lie with a straight face?”
Shane took a deep breath. Before he could speak, another of her brothers, Luther, stepped forward. “Looks like you’ve created quite a mess for yourself. How do you plan on fixing it?”
“How are you going to make sure our sister keeps her honor?” Marco, her third brother chimed in.
“Okay, so the girl is Kelsey’s niece. But, I swear, she means absolutely nothing to me. Nothing. Yes, I should have been more in control. It won’t happen again,” Shane said, bowing his head slightly. He had to make sure he didn’t react and get them angry to a point where they’d go after Samantha.
“You better believe it won’t happen again,” Marco said. “This is going to be handled right here and right now. You’ve been leading our sister along for years now.”
“No more, Shane. You take her as your mate, or there will be consequences,” Jared said.
“I don’t do well with threats,” Shane responded, tired of playing the nice guy. “I have never led Camille on. She knew what she was getting into.”
“Shane! You know you’re the only one I’ve ever wanted,” Camille cried. “How long do you expect me to wait?”
“I never expected you to wait. You were free to leave whenever you wanted. You know that. I never expected anything from you,” Shane said. He was already tired of defending himself and was ready to leave.
Luther leaped up and tackled Shane. As he held him down, he said, “Enough. You will not talk with our sister in such manner. Not only have you broken every gargoyle rule, but you stand before us with the arrogance that you have the right to do as you please. We will not let you get away with this. You will claim Camille as your mate, or you can say goodbye to your little human friend.”
Shane pushed Luther off him and leaped up. “Like I said, I don’t do well with threats.”
Marco began to laugh. “Okay, your choice, Shane. We gave you the option. You could have saved that human’s life.”
The other brothers started to laugh with him. All the while, Camille stared at Shane with the evilest of intentions in her eyes. Would they really go after Samantha? Were they capable of harming her?
Shane knew the answers. They were more than capable of doing such an act. Shane weighed his options. Was there a way out? Maybe he should just deal with The Council and their punishment. Maybe he could go to his father. After all, he was one of the Master Gargoyles. But Shane knew all that was useless. His father was not allowed to interfere with The Council’s business. And the punishment would be severe. The Council would find out that he’d been having sex with humans once they investigated, and they would use him as an example. He had broken one of the biggest gargoyle laws. Not only would Shane be locked up for years, but even when he got out, he would be forbidden to have any type of interaction with another human again. Shane couldn’t imagine never seeing Kelsey, and possibly even Tori and Ryan. Not to mention, it would kill him if he couldn’t see Samantha. Eventually, they’d force him to claim Camille as his mate anyway since he’d been sleeping with her.
Shane couldn’t stand the thought of feeling trapped and giving them the upper hand. Damn it! How had it come to this point? He was not going to allow them to force him into a decision he didn’t want to make. But then again, was it worth Samantha’s safety? Wasn’t her life more important than anything else? Of course it was. For once, Shane needed to step up and stop thinking about his own needs. He would make the sacrifice for his Sammy.
“I need some time,” he said, standing tall.
“For what? I told you this has to be settled here and now,” Marco said.
“I will take The Oath for now. You know that this is just as good as making Camille my mate. I will promise to remain faithful to her. She knows I will keep my promise.”
“Not good enough,” Jared said.
“How much time do you need?” Camille asked.
“Maybe months. A year. I don’t know.” Shane was desperately trying to buy some time.
“What do you need time for?” Marco demanded an answer.
“I want to do it right for your sister. Camille and I have a history. I don’t want it like this. We’ll always remember it as something negative as we grow old together. No, she deserves better. If I take The Oath, then at least you guys know I promise to take her on as my mate. Then, I will make her my official mate on my terms. We owe that to each other.”
The brothers turned to Camille to make her decision. When she nodded, Luther said, “Okay, we accept your terms. Make your oath now while we all are here to witness.”
Shane clenched his jaw. He wanted to leap at them all and battle this out right here, right now. But, there was no way he could take all four of them on. Camille got her way after all.
Facing her, he said, “Camille, I make The Oath of Fidelity to you. I will remain devoted and loyal to you from this day forward. Furthermore, when we’re both ready, I promise to claim you as my forever mate.”
While Camille smiled in victory, Jared said, “You’ve got one year. If you haven’t claimed our sister as your mate within the year, all bets are off. The vengeance will be ours.”
“I have my own conditions,” Shane said, staring at them dead in the eye. “If you ever threaten to hurt anybody I know again, including my brother or his family, The Oath will be annulled. And, if any of you even go near Kelsey’s niece, I will rip each of your hearts out and feed them to the dogs.” With one final bow, Shane exited without so much as a backward glance.
Fourteen
Sitting on top of the Empire State Building, Shane was lost in thought. What had he gotten himself into? There was no way out of this mess he’d created for himself. He’d been back for couple of days, but hadn’t discussed with anybody what had happened. He knew Damien and Kelsey were anxiously waiting to hear about his meeting with Camille’s family after he had left them at the hotel in Vegas. The truth was, he just didn’t want to talk about it. If he said it out loud, then it would make it all too real.
Shane took a deep breath. Th
ere was no way to avoid this. He knew they’d managed to trap him, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. There really was no choice. This was the only way he could protect Samantha.
Samantha…he needed to see her. He owed her an explanation. Since they’d kissed four nights ago, he hadn’t even spoken to her. Her last words to him were how much she hated him. Could he blame her?
Even so, he had to go to her one more time. He didn’t want her to hear about Camille from anybody else but him. She would resent him even more. Hell, who was he kidding? Either way, she was going to resent him. First of all, she saw him as a beast—a monster. For all he knew, she may just refuse to see him. But he couldn’t have that. He had to see her—talk to her—one last time. He needed to ask for forgiveness. If she couldn’t forgive him now, then maybe one day she might. And Shane needed to believe that for his own sanity.
He closed his eyes. He never really believed in God, but he needed something right about then. Something to believe in. Something to hold onto. Something to give him courage to do the right thing and to face Samantha one final time.
Shane clenched his jaw. Inhaling deeply, he spread his wings. In his bag, he had some clothes to wear once he shifted into a human. Following Samantha’s scent, he was able to locate her at her mother’s home. Within minutes, he was standing at their front porch, ringing the doorbell. It was just past eleven o’clock, but he could hear they were still awake.
Sofia answered the door. Confused at seeing him, she said, “Shane? Come in. What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
From her response, Shane could tell that Samantha had stayed true to her word and hadn’t shared anything with her mother.
“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m here to see Sammy. Is it okay if I talk to her for a bit?”
“Of course. I’m glad you’re here.” Sofia then lowered her voice. “She’s been acting really strange since she’s been back from Vegas. She’s pretty much been locked in her room. I know for a long time you guys were close. Maybe she’ll open up to you.”
Somehow, Shane doubted it, but he smiled at Sofia and said, “Maybe. Is she up in her room? Is it okay if I go up there?”
“Sure, just knock on her door. I know she’ll be happy to see you.”
Again, Shane doubted that as well. He sprinted up the stairs to her room and stood in front of the door before finally gathering the courage to knock. A part of him couldn’t wait to see her again, but the other part of him wanted to turn and run.
When Samantha ignored the knock, he said, “Sammy, it’s me. Please, let me in. I need to talk with you.”
He was sure she was about to yell at him to leave her alone. Instead, there was a long silence. He knew she was right behind the door. He could hear her heartbeat increasing as soon as she heard his voice.
Shane rested his forehead on the door, and lowering his voice, he said, “Sammy, please let me come in. I can feel you on the other side of this door.”
Slowly, the door swung open. Samantha stood there with her sweatshirt and yoga pants on. She was completely makeup free, and her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail. Shane caught his breath, as her image took him back in time to the days when the innocent, little Samantha looked up to him as her hero. But now, she stared at him with disappointment, holding her chin up defiantly.
“Can I come in?” Shane asked.
Samantha stepped back to allow him to enter. She folded her arms in front of her, waiting for him to speak. As soon as he noticed she was still wearing his bracelet, the twisted part of him felt victorious. Somehow, it made him feel she was still his. But deep inside, he knew she never was and never will be.
Trying to stay focused, Shane clenched his jaw. Now that he was here, he was at a loss for words. Just seeing her in person was agonizing. His heart squeezed as unbearable pain pierced through it, and all he wanted to do was go back in time and erase the events of that night.
“Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to say something?” Samantha finally said.
“I’m sorry,” Shane said, his heart heavy.
Samantha closed her bedroom door and turned to him. Lifting her eyebrows, she said, “You’re sorry? For what?”
“For everything, Sammy. I’m sorry for everything. I wish I could turn back time and fix this mess.”
“Really? Where would you start, Shane? For kissing me? For practically having sex with that nasty girl at the club? Or, for lying to me all these years?” When Shane remained silent, she continued, “I trusted you, Shane. Sure, I always knew there was something I didn’t understand ever since that first night I saw you when you rescued Damien and Kelsey from the fire. But it didn’t matter. I was young, and I needed a friend. You were the one person I could always count on growing up. I came to you for everything. I’ve shared some of my deepest secrets with you. Can you imagine an innocent teenager sharing her dreams with somebody she thought she trusted? I considered you my best friend, damn you! But now, I see it had been one-sided. I never knew you. You’re nothing but a selfish, lying bastard.”
Shane was frustrated. “What did you want me to say? Oh, by the way, Sammy, you should know that I’m also a gargoyle. I’m not really the person you think I am. That to most humans, I look like a monster. I would never want to burden you with that kind of knowledge.”
“But it’s my burden. It’s not up to you to decide that. You didn’t even give me a choice. Everything has been a lie, and now I’m supposed to just accept that?” Samantha’s eyes glistened with fury.
“I’m not a human for heaven’s sake. How could I possibly tell you that? And if I remember correctly, you’re the one who’s been distancing yourself from me in the recent years. Every time I saw you, you barely spoke to me.”
“Don’t you dare turn this around on me. I’ve always considered you my family. Even more. I would’ve done anything for you. Just because I may have stayed to myself and I wasn’t able to talk to you as openly as in the past, doesn’t mean I cared about you any less.”
When Shane heard her voice quiver with emotion, he stepped toward her. Immediately, Samantha stepped away from him.
“Are you scared of me, Samantha?” Shane asked, terrified of the answer.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I would never do anything to hurt you.” He was desperate for her to understand at least that much.
“You already have, Shane,” she said, her eyes filling with unshed tears.
“I can’t stand this. It’s killing me to see you like this.” All he wanted to do was to pull her in an embrace and promise her he’d take the pain away. But how could he when he was the reason for her turmoil?
Quickly blinking the tears away, she asked, “Why are you here? Just get to the point.”
Shane swallowed hard, not looking forward to what he needed to tell her. “Okay, well, I’m here because I needed to tell you something. I didn’t want you to hear it from anybody else. It was important that I told you myself.”
“Go on,” Samantha said, walking away from him.
“So, this may be a bit difficult to understand to be honest.” Shane cleared his throat. “In gargoyle culture, we choose our forever mates. It’s kind of like marriage.”
This got Samantha’s attention because she turned around to face him.
“For instance, Damien claimed Kelsey as his mate. This means she’s his forever mate, for as long as they live,” Shane continued to explain.
“Okay,” Samantha said, looking confused.
“There’s also another process called The Oath. So, before claiming somebody as your mate, you can take The Oath, which basically promises that one day you will choose that person as your mate.”
“What is this about? Just spit it out!” Shane could sense her anxiety was rising.
“I have taken The Oath to a female gargoyle named Camille.” Shane paused, clearing his throat. “I wanted to be the one to tell you that.”
Samantha turned her back to him. “Why are
you telling me this?”
“Sammy, I…” His voice trailed off.
“Why are you telling me this?” she repeated, turning to face him again.
“I needed you to know. And I thought I should be the one to tell you,” Shane answered, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“Why?”
“It should be me. I should tell you. It’s the right thing to do,” he mumbled.
Charging toward him, Samantha’s hand landed on Shane’s chest, shoving him.
“Why? Why are you the one telling me? What do you have to gain from it?” Samantha’s hand balled into a fist, and she hit him on his chest. “Why?”
She swung again with her other fisted hand, losing all control. Shane watched helplessly as the tears were now streaming down her face.
“Sammy, please. I have nothing to gain from this, believe me.” He swallowed hard, taking her blows. “And everything to lose,” he whispered.
But she wasn’t listening, as her hysterics took over. Swinging both of her fists at him, she yelled, “Why? Why? Just tell me, why you?”
Shane grabbed her wrists and pulled her into his embrace, trying to calm her down. “Stop, please. I can’t bear this.”
Samantha shoved him away and slipped out of his arms. “Don’t you touch me,” she hissed.
“What do you want, Sammy?” Shane asked, defeated. “How can I make this better?”
Samantha glared up at him, her face wet from the tears. “Just get out!” She then pulled the bracelet off and threw it at his feet. “And take your stupid gift with you. I’m just glad I’m leaving for Los Angeles soon. Don’t ever try to contact me again.”
Never had Shane felt this type of pain. He wanted to fly as high as he could into the solitude of the dark sky and scream at the top of his lungs. He closed his eyes, hoping for some strength. When he finally opened them, he knelt down to pick up the bracelet. He placed it on her dresser and walked toward her door.
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