Dawn (Hero Society Book 1)

by Jessica Florence

“Okay, you are going to need to go into more detail with this. I need to see the bigger picture here.” I set my tea down and listened to him with my full attention.

  “Draco, with the help of you and me, will assemble the beginnings of what will be called the Hero Society. A place where people with gifts like ours can do good in the world. But before that ultimate future, we will face something big—something bad—and I won’t go into all the details because they can always change, but it’s worth it, Rose. It’s so worth everything. We have to convince Draco to join us, and get the others to fight the darkness that’s coming.” He was exhilarated and yet very serious. I held out my hand for his and he gave me his touch.

  I felt everything, and knew how important this was to all of humanity.

  Just as his emotions shifted to something I hadn’t been expecting, he ripped his hand away from mine before I could really take it in. My eyes darted to his. He knew something that he didn’t want to share with me.

  “Not important right now.” He settled back against the cushions and gave me a few seconds to let my emotions calm before elaborating on the information he’d given me.

  “So when do we start this epic quest bestowed upon us? I can tell you Draco won’t be easily persuaded to join. He all but kicked me out with his steel-toed boots when I tried to peel back the first layer of his fortified wall.” He was impenetrable. I’d never seen someone like him. Completely void of any deep emotion.

  “I have a feeling it’ll all work in our favor. And to answer your question, we start at nine in the morning tomorrow.”

  I shook my head and took a deep breath, letting everything soak into my brain. I trusted my brother with every fiber in my being, and knew from everything I’d felt through my own power that this work was indeed worth it. I could go without seeing it like he did and still know it was the right path, no matter how probable his gift deemed it to be.

  “To the Hero Society.” I raised my cup up in salute.

  He chuckled at my enthusiasm, and then his eyes glossed over. Sometimes he would get a vacant look in them when he started paying attention to the future. From what he told me, it’s like a constant reel of different possibilities all at once.

  Without a word to me, he reached over to the remote and then turned on the TV.

  “It’s a horrifying sight, Stan. Behind me you can see that from the tenth floor to the fifteenth is completely ablaze. Firefighters are doing everything they can, running into the fire to help those who are stuck in their apartments.” The newswoman looked at the sight behind her and started to panic. Cameras flew to where her gaze was, and there you saw people hanging out their windows, screaming for help. One small silhouette was falling along the side of the building, and I closed my eyes.

  I didn’t want to see a human choosing which death they preferred, fire or a long fall.

  “This, Rose—this is why we need them. To save as many lives as we can. We won’t succeed every time, but we can try.” His voice held none of the playfulness or excitement it had before. He was completely serious as he watched the news of the apartment building that was on fire. After setting my cup down, I walked over to my window and looked over toward Gaston Street. The building was blocked by another, but I could see the smoke, and I could vaguely hear the sirens wailing.

  I prayed to the universe that we succeeded in bringing people with gifts out into the light. The world needed us as much as we needed them.

  Chapter Six

  Rose

  “So what exactly are we going to say to him? Hey, Draco, we want you to be the leader of our super new club called the Hero Society? Free T-shirt when you sign up!” I was a nervous wreck as we made our way up the long driveway to Draco’s cabin. I honestly didn’t think I was going to see him again, especially not so soon.

  My hands were sweaty, and I felt completely unsure of myself.

  Phillip was driving, and the only thing I felt from him was anticipation. He said that Draco had so much knowledge that could help us, and it was critical for him to be persuaded to join us.

  It was going to be interesting, to say the least. I had the feeling Draco liked being alone and kept his human contact to a minimum.

  The drive went by way too quickly, even though it was no short drive from the city.

  I looked over at Phillip and saw he had a slight look of awe in his eyes. My brother rarely was in awe of anything. My nerves were replaced with intrigue; I wondered what my brother had seen.

  We stepped out of the car, and I waited for him before leading us to the door. Except my brother grabbed hold of my arm and started pulling me toward the side of the house. Okay, I guess he’s back behind the house then.

  “You could have just told me,” I whispered. Phillip just rolled his eyes and kept leading me.

  I heard a loud thwack, then a few seconds I heard it again. Weird.

  As we rounded the back of the house I saw what the thwacking sound was.

  Draco was chopping wood; this activity was not a surprise for a man who lived off the grid, but my imagination was completely off.

  Totally.

  Unconditionally.

  Off.

  I’d never seen so many muscles move so fluidly. As he lifted that ax up and over, splitting the piece of wood. His shirtless body was unlike anything I’d ever seen before, and I’d seen plenty of men at the parties Phillip had dragged me to, plus those on TV.

  Each band of tissue flexed and became taut, before letting go with such strength I could have sworn I felt the vibrations from the contact of metal and wood.

  His hair was tied back into a bun behind his head, his face completely focused on his task. I wish I could say my focus was on the task we were here for, but it just wouldn’t be true. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. The sweat-covered torso, his low-belted jeans, with old boots peeking out below the hem? My mouth began to water, looking at the pure masculine picture before me.

  He was the type of man that would touch you with his calloused fingers against your soft skin, making your whole body tingle from the feel of it. I had felt him before, and knew he would be all about a woman’s pleasure, in any way she needed it, before taking his own release from her sated figure.

  Suddenly, his eyes came up to our approach and collided with mine.

  I stood no chance of hiding the straight desire that my gaze contained. We stared at each other for what seemed like eternity before his gazed traveled down my body and then followed the arm that was attached to mine, skimming over to my brother’s form. For a brief second I felt jealousy, but it was gone as soon as it registered.

  He set down the ax and grabbed what looked like his discarded shirt to wipe the sweat from his face.

  I envied that shirt. Maybe it was weird—and I had never felt this way before—but the thought of being against that man while he was covered in sweat turned me on.

  “Well, this is a surprise.” He tossed the shirt over his left shoulder and walked over to us.

  “Yes, an unexpected one.” It was an honest statement.

  “Draco, this is my brother, Phillip, and Phillip, this is Draco.” I introduced them, and they engaged in a manly handshake. Seeing the two of them together made me laugh. My brother was almost the complete opposite of Draco. While Draco was all man, muscle, and golden tan skin, Phillip was a nerd. He was tall, pale like me, and had some muscle tone from running. His blond hair was messy looking, but he rocked it, in my opinion. The one thing they both had in common was an air of confidence surrounding them. Both had vibes that said that they were not to be fucked with.

  “Honored to meet you,” Phillip said, just as their handshake ended. Draco’s head tilted to the side before asking us if we’d like to go inside for something to drink.

  “Sounds good.” My mouth that had been watering before suddenly felt very dry with him standing so close to me. We walked together to the cabin, and then he held the door open for us to enter his home.

  Draco gestured that we sit on the
couch, so that’s what we did. Draco came over to us a few moments later with glasses of cold water in his hands. He downed his fairly quickly, and my eyes were glued to his Adam’s apple as it bobbed with every swallow.

  “So, what brings the great Phillip Griffin and his lovely sister to my cabin?”

  He called me lovely.

  “It’s a long story, but I think the beginning would be the best place to start.” He went on to tell Draco about us. How he saw all the futures, my gifts, and then he told him about the vision he’d shared with me about the Hero Society.

  “I don’t know your full story; I’ve done my research and found some. Mostly myths from long ago. But I do know this is your destiny. You were meant to lead us into the new age of heroes. Without you, this ends here. The time is now, Draco. Something is coming—something that will change life for all mankind if we aren’t prepared. We need you. They need you.” Phillip’s speech was really well done, but I wasn’t getting any emotions from Draco, either from my power, or anything from his face.

  He had listened to everything that was said with a completely indifferent expression. A very hard man to connect with when it came to emotions. Phillip on the other hand was more unbalanced than I had ever seen him before. There must be equal chances of this going either way. Draco joining us, or not. Phillip didn’t know which Draco was going to choose, and the pure desperation in his eyes begged the choice to be the former.

  Draco’s eyes moved to mine. He hadn’t looked at me the whole time Phillip spoke to him, and his gaze made me squirm a little.

  “Do you know what you’ve signed up for?” he asked me, and I nodded without hesitation.

  “My brother believes it’s worth it, so that is all I need.”

  He looked at me, reading my expression, and I gave him nothing that said I would waiver.

  “I appreciate you telling me your story, but you have the wrong guy.”

  My heart sank, and I felt my brother’s body freeze.

  “Impossible,” Phillip whispered.

  “May I?” I asked Draco for his hand, if he was lying then I would know it. If he chose not to let me touch him, then it would be obvious he wasn’t telling the truth.

  He didn’t move, so I walked over to him, and held my hand out.

  His blue eyes looked at my hand and then swiftly let his hand touch mine.

  Remorse.

  That was all I felt.

  “I am sorry I am not that man you seek.” He pulled my hand up and pressed a soft kiss to it before letting it go at my side.

  I didn’t know what to say or do at the moment.

  “If you find him then, give me a call.” Phillip stood, and set a business card on the end table before turning to me.

  “Rose.”

  It was time to go, but I couldn’t take my eyes away from Draco.

  My brother knew Draco was the man. He was never wrong with things like this. There only had to be one answer. Instead of listening to my brother’s demand that we leave, I crouched down in front of Draco, his head lowering so he could look into my upturned face.

  “I know the man inside you is still there. Whatever may have happened, or how much time has passed, he’s there. All you have to do is listen to him. You are so much more than this, or what my brother knows you are meant for. I see you, and the man I see would rise like the early morning sun, not hide in the shadows while the world fell to rubble and chaos. All you need to do is rise, Draco. Be our sun.”

  It was like the words came straight from my soul rather than my mouth. I didn’t know Draco, other than what I’d seen in the past twenty-four hours, but somehow I knew what I said was true. I felt it deep inside and that was what came out of my lips.

  His mouth parted, and he stared at me like I was a ghost.

  Fear.

  Pain.

  Loneliness.

  He was battling many emotions right now, but I could tell my words had broken a little chink in his armor. I only prayed it was enough to wiggle in some hope that he would change his mind.

  “You don’t have to be alone anymore, Draco. You have us now.” I turned to Phillip, and together we walked out the door in silence.

  As we drove down the long gravel road, Phillip’s hands gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles.

  “He has to join us,” he said aloud, I think more for him than me.

  I reached over and sent him a teeny bit of calm energy through my touch.

  “He will,” I said, with hope in my tone. Hope was all we could do.

  Chapter Seven

  Draco

  A week had passed since Rose and her brother had sat on the couch I was now staring at as if they would sprout from the cushions.

  Rose may be sweet, and kind. But her words were like a dagger that had sliced into me with force.

  She’d known exactly what to say to get inside me. And for a brief moment, when her soul was attempting to speak to my lost one, I felt her there in my chest.

  I had been so long on the edge of letting myself go…I couldn’t die, but I had been teetering on the fence as to letting myself starve and go into a kind of stasis sleep. I couldn’t handle the idea of watching the life around me die, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I tried. For over two thousand years, I tried.

  I was given the destiny of living forever, and helping those like me become a force against evil. I’d found many men and women with gifts and had lost them all. Some to others’ hands, some were taken from me by evil, and some had turned corrupt by greed and power.

  In the end it always ended the same—just me, living on this earth, alone.

  Now, according to Phillip the seer, the true time for my destiny was here. But hadn’t I had enough pain already?

  I had failed at my fate, and had let the hope inside me die.

  But here I was, staring at the brown couch, thinking about what Rose had said.

  “Be our sun.” I huffed.

  My left hand went to my neck as I felt the pattern of scarred skin there.

  A sun.

  The only scars that had never healed were along my spine: a symbol for each of the Greek gods who made me into who I was. The first hero. Created by the gods themselves to help their creations, to protect mankind in their stead.

  Before the memories could come out of their box in my mind, I returned to thinking about Rose.

  The woman held something inside her that I hadn’t seen in a very long time—a warrior’s spirit.

  Even my beloved Cassandra’s fire was nothing like the blaze I saw in Rose’s eyes when she knelt before me to deliver her final blow to my peace of mind.

  There was a war waging inside of me, and I was avoiding the resolution like a plague.

  I looked up toward the roof of my cabin, as if I could see the clouds above, and the gods who had made me into who I was now.

  “Haven’t I suffered enough?” I asked them, even though I knew they weren’t there anymore. Gone from existence, and only their creations were left. I’d left them to their own lives ever since Cassandra died; it was the final ember in my heart that gave out. The war that was happening at the time she died didn’t help, either. I had wished both man and gifted to destroy themselves.

  I didn’t want to try, but it was as if the man that Rose had spoken about was digging in his heels inside me. I couldn’t shut him out and continue on just existing.

  Instead of giving into the war inside my head, I went into my darkroom to find peace in the focus of printing the pictures to send out to the magazine tomorrow.

  That night wasn’t any better. I tossed and turned as memories flooded my dreams like a long movie reel.

  Images of a great general in the middle of war; with a sword in his hand, he was unstoppable.

  I was unstoppable.

  “Fucking hell!” I cursed and jumped out of the bed, heading for the bathroom. My hands turned on the water in the sink. It felt cold, but welcome, as I splashed it against my face.

  Curse
that woman.

  Feeling frustrated that I had been so affected by her words, I threw on some workout clothes, and left for the barn.

  It was early morning, maybe two hours before sunrise, so the air was chilled, and the forest was quiet. I envied their peace. I thought I had found peace in avoiding destiny, but turns out it had just been biding its time. No one could escape their fate.

  I lifted my old boxing bag from against the barn wall and onto the chain that hung from the truss. The old barn rafter made a squeak of protest from the weight, but I knew it would hold, even with me beating at it.

  It wasn’t long until I was treating that bag like my worst enemy. It’d been a while since I’d been in a good fight, so the ache in my hand brought a slight grin to my face.

  My muscles began to burn, and even though the effects wouldn’t last more than an hour, I enjoyed the feeling of a beaten body. After the bag, I went for a run, and then decided to keep doing physical activity. I felt alive, and useful.

  When I finally collapsed on the grass in front of my cabin, I just lay there and looked up at the still-early morning sky. It was beautiful, the dawn of the day.

  Exerting myself had done the trick, and I felt better about the distractions of my life recently.

  Then the sound of gravel being crushed by tires echoed around the forest. I lifted my head and saw a small car approaching my cabin. When it came to a stop in the driveway, and the engine cut off, I was grumpily wondering if someone had put up a sign at the bottom of the driveway that said Come on in! Welcome!

  I’d had more visitors in a week than I’d had in ten years. The thought was staggering.

  As I sat up to see who would step out of the car, a small-framed woman with blonde hair came into my view. I let myself flop back into the blades of grass and closed my eyes.

  It would seem the woman with the sharp tongue had come to cut me a little deeper.

  “Early morning workout?” She stood over me, blocking out what little sun had peeked over the mountain.

  “What do you want, Rose?” I was slightly annoyed that she was here and that she had an effect on me that most didn’t. There was silence for a few moments. I almost wondered if she had left, but I didn’t hear her footsteps heading toward the car. I opened my eyes to look at her, and she was staring off toward the view of Seahill.