by L. C. Davis
If I could get to Sebastian, everything would be okay. It became a mantra and it was the only thought keeping me from collapsing.
The same howl that had split the air in the forests outside the Lodge nearly a week ago echoed from some unknown location in the void. It wasn't coming from any particular direction, which was somehow more frightening than if it had come from right behind me.
“Sebastian...” I pleaded internally for fear of giving the beast a clue as to my location.
Or, perhaps even worse, Victor.
Please, help me. I'm sorry, I never should have kissed him. I need you, please help me,” I begged. I had never been the praying type, but I found myself pleading with this man I barely knew with all the fervency of the devout.
My lips tingled with some incomprehensible betrayal. Another howl split the empty silence. This one was different. The other had been mournful. This was a sound of pure rage.
I quickened my pace but it was impossible to tell if it got me any further. A spot of light opened the dimly lit corridor and opened into the woods, providing me with an escape. My prayers had been answered, but I was met with a new, more terrible realization.
The beasts were in the woods. If I was going to escape, it would have to be through them.
10
I woke in a cold sweat, which seemed like it was becoming a habit. This time I didn't scream, at least. The dream had ended just before I could make it to the entrance.
I glanced around the room for any sign of Arthur, but his bookbag and shoes were already gone. Relieved, I climbed out of bed and threw Sebastian's shirt in my hamper and took a shower.
Once I got out, I checked my phone as I patted my hair dry. Seven missed calls, all from Sebastian. I almost hit return call but chose to text him instead. My hands were still trembling and I was sure my voice wasn't steady enough to talk to him without giving him something else to worry about.
I stared at the blank message box for a long moment before typing, “Any news about V-”
I paused and realized I didn't even want to type his name. The horrible dream was still fresh in my mind, but it didn't feel like a dream at all. My lips tingled still and I felt an irrational tug of conscience when I thought of the kiss.
I turned my hand over and found only the faint outline of blue that the Lava soap hadn't been able to lift off. No blood.
I breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a dream. Anyway, even if it had happened, it wasn't like Sebastian and I were dating. I was admittedly unsure of what my answer would be if he asked, and that uncertainty was largely due to the company he kept, but still.
Logic had little to no soothing effect on my guilt, and there were no alerts on my home screen, so I dressed hurriedly and made my way out the door, checking to make sure it was really locked one extra time.
Work was work. The morning passed hectically as students scrambled to gather last-minute sources for projects due on Monday. There were also a lot of returns to process, but I had finally settled into a steady system of sort, organize, file.
Of course, the girl who was supposed to be working the front desk with me had called out with what I assumed was a case of benderitis, so I hadn't had a chance to take my first break. I dug into the bag underneath my desk for the soda and snacks I had managed to grab from the vending machine so I could eat at my desk.
“Be right with you,” I said when the shadow of a person eclipsed me.
“Why didn't you call me back?” asked a ragged yet familiar voice.
I nearly got whiplash looking up so fast. “Sebastian?!”
His large hands were planted on the desk as he loomed over me, completely blocking out the overhead light. It took a moment to process the fact that he was really there.
His usual friendly if intimidating expression was gone. His thick brows were furrowed and the look of concern in his eyes chased away all traces of his almost goofy demeanor. I barely recognized the man standing in front of me.
He stared me down, his nostrils flared. I could tell he was struggling to control his breathing. “You called to me, but you didn't answer your phone.”
“I sent you a text,” I insisted, rummaging through my bag for my phone. Fortunately, we were having a rare lull and he wasn't holding anyone up. “And I never called you.”
I scrolled through our message thread to prove it to him, but I saw my unfinished message in the field. “Oh, shit. I forgot to hit send.” I looked up at him apologetically. “I'm sorry, I meant to ask you if you'd found Victor.” My heart sank as one possible reason for his demeanor occurred to me. “Oh gosh, he's not-”
“That's not why I'm upset,” he said, clenching his fist against the counter. Victor is fine, he showed up this morning. He just took off to go find himself in the woods or some shit. I'm worried about you.”
“Me?” I frowned. I could tell he was the possessive type, but showing up at my workplace because I missed a few calls seemed excessive even for him. “Why? I'm really busy, Sebastian, I can't always return your calls right a-”
“Hi, there” I said, noticing the girl coming up behind him. “Can I help you?”
She peered up at him with a mixture of awe and concern, keeping a wide berth.
Sebastian gave her an incredibly forced smile and a polite wave. “'Sup.”
She hurried over to the desk with a small stack of World War II books. I smiled apologetically and started scanning the books. “Find everything okay?”
She nodded earnestly and ran off as soon as I gave her a receipt with return dates. “Thanks,” I sighed, turning back to Sebastian. “Okay, what were you saying?”
He looked around and leaned in, lowering his voice. “I thought something had happened to you from the way your voice sounded.”
I frowned in confusion. “Sebastian, I never called you,” I insisted. “I got up, saw you had called and tried to send you a text to ask about your brother. I had to go to work right after, but this is the first time I've talked to you since last night.”
He shook his head. “Not on the phone.” He crossed his massive arms and cast another glance behind him. “You were begging me for help. Sounded like you were running from something.”
I felt the rush of blood to my head and a dark tunnel of vision started to surround Sebastian.
No. There was no way.
“I-I don't know what you're talking about,” I lied.
“Don't lie to me, Remus,” he growled, slamming his open palms on the counter. It was a gesture more frustrated than threatening. “I thought I was gonna have to rip someone apart.”
I shivered a little. From anyone else, it may have been an empty figure of speech, but from him it was no hollow threat.
“What exactly did you hear?” I asked warily. I could just try to convince him he was crazy, which he probably was, but the timing was uncanny. If he somehow had heard my cry for help in the strange dream, what else was he aware of?
“Just you saying 'please help me' a lot,” he said. Before I breathed a sigh of relief, he frowned again. “And something about a kiss.”
I felt my cheeks grow warm. He knew. Somehow I really had called out to him in my dreams, and he had answered. Guilt and shame started to surface again, but I promptly pushed them back and reminded myself that I was free to kiss anyone I wanted, dreama or not.
“It was just a nightmare,” I said. At least it wasn't a lie. “I-I have no idea how you heard me, though. How did you know it wasn't just a dream?”
“I didn't,” he shrugged. “But I wasn't gonna take the chance.”
I didn't know how to respond to that. The library was starting to get busy again and I needed time to think. “Can we talk about this later? I'm the only one here and I don't want to get into trouble.
He sighed, stepping away from the desk to look around the area. “Sure. I'll just wait over at one of those tables and look at books or something,” he said with a grimace.
I arched an eyebrow. “You mean read?”
He shrugged. “Whatever.”
“I don't think that's such a good idea,” I murmured. “Can we meet somewhere after my shift?”
“Nope,” he said, grabbing a book off the cart I hadn't had time to put away yet. “I just spent the worst three hours of my life looking for you, I'm not leaving your side until I know what's going on. Besides, I want to learn,” he said, brandishing his selection triumphantly.
I leaned back in my chair and pursed my lips, trying to hold back a laugh. “You're going to learn about breastfeeding and early childhood development, huh?”
He looked at the cover and dropped it back onto the cart like it was infectious. “No, uh, I'll find something else.”
“I don't get off for another three hours,” I warned him. “You sure you want to stay?”
He smiled wide but his eyes were lifeless. “Yeah. No problem. You guys have any magazines?”
I laughed. “Behind you, three shelves to the right.”
“Cool,” he said, striding off into the periodicals.
I sighed and returned to my sorting duties until a fresh line formed. When had a moment to glance over, he was busying himself with a copy of some motocross magazine at a table in the corner.
Well, it wasn't like he was causing any trouble. The uneasy feeling I'd had all morning curiously vanished in his presence.
The hours passed quicker somehow. I tried not to entertain assumptions that it was the fact he was there. By the time I finished my shift and finished straightening up my station, I looked over to find him asleep at the desk with his face buried in another magazine.
Must have been a rough night for him, too.
I wandered over and gathered his magazines before placing them on a stray cart. “Hey,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder to nudge him. The touch sent a sharp jolt of static electricity into my left hand, causing me to jolt.
He lifted his head and gave me a sleepy look. Of course he hadn't felt it. “Hn?” he asked groggily.
He was kind of cute like this, with his hair all roughed up and covering his eyes.
I smiled. “Time to go, we're closing. Wanna go talk somewhere?”
That woke him up. He sprang to his feet and pushed his chair in. He could be surprisingly thoughtful sometimes.
“Yeah,” he said eagerly. “Let me take you to dinner.”
I hesitated, but finally nodded. “Yeah,” I said. “I have class tomorrow, so I can't be out too late, but that would be fun. You can tell me about your brother and maybe we'll find a logical explanation for this dream thing.”
He snorted.
“What?”
“You have to have a logical explanation for everything, don't you?”
I thought about it for a moment while I grabbed my things. “Yes,” I admitted, slinging my bag over my shoulder. “I guess I do.”
I turned the lights out and the entire first flow went dark. I nodded for him to follow me towards the side door. It was the long way out, but I admittedly wanted to see his reaction to the giant pendulum that hung through all three floors of the library and swung reliably on a tiled track on the center of the floor.
“And what about things you can't explain?” he asked. His sneakers screeched on the floor as he came to a halt in front of the pendulum.
“Holy shit. What's that?” he asked stepping in front of me.
It was getting harder not to laugh. “It's a pendulum. It was originally used to measure time,” I explained. “This one tracks the earth's orbit.”
“What's moving it?” he asked, peering suspiciously up to the point where the rod and pivot disappeared into the ceiling.
“Gravity,” I explained, enjoying the way he was mesmerized by its movements. “There's a perfect point of equilibrium between the pivot up there and the weight. As the earth moves slightly, the pendulum has to move to keep the weight in line with the pivot point. It's always working to restore equilibrium.”
“Huh,” he murmured, focused on the smooth movements of the weight now. “So the path is always changing a little?”
“Y-yeah,” I said, trying to hide my surprise. “That's exactly right.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets and kept watching. I stood beside him and watched, too, wondering what he was seeing. I hadn't expected him to be that interested.
“It's kind of like fate, I guess.”
“Hm?” I glanced up at him, curious. “How?”
He shrugged. “People try to change things, but it's all just gonna happen anyway. We keep swinging one way, then the other, but it's bullshit. We're just running circles around where we know we'll end up anyway.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but I wasn't sure how to reply to that. I was beginning to realize that Sebastian could either be incapable of comprehending or incomprehensible period.
“So,” he said after a moment, shifting into his usual demeanor instantaneously. “Ready to go?”
“Uh, yeah,” I said hesitantly, leading him to the door. He pushed it open and held it for me.
“Thanks,” I said, pulling my sweater closer once the night air hit me. The days kept getting shorter, and I still hadn't learned that I needed two different outfits for the morning and night. This wasn't Texas.
Heavy material draped across my shoulders and his familiar scent enveloped me. I smiled gratefully up at him and pulled the heavy leather closer around me. “Thanks. Did you park in the library lot?” I asked, scanning the nearly empty lot for his truck.
“Oh, I didn't drive,” he replied. “I was too freaked out, I just ran here.”
I blinked. “And you thought running would be faster than driving?”
He cleared his throat. “Uh, wasn't really thinking. Is there anywhere nearby we can go?”
“Yeah, there's a cafe that has really great food just across the street,” I replied. I realized that he was wearing a dark blue version of his usual T-shirt. His closet must look like a cartoon character's. “Aren't you cold?”
“Nah,” he replied. “I'm warm blooded.”
One look at his hulking frame and I believed it. A sculptor couldn't have done a better job on that torso.
He looked down at me with a mischievous grin. “You're checking me out.”
It was a statement, not a question.
I blushed. “I was not,” I grumbled.
He walked backwards a few steps and did a cheesy spin. “Go ahead, get your fill. Treat me like a peace of meat.”
The laughter I'd been holding back all night bubbled to the surface and showed no signs of stopping as he began to assume a variety of muscle magazine poses.
“Are you happy now?” he asked, glaring at me over a flexed bicep. “Is this what you want?”
“See, now I feel like I'm stealing if I don't buy a membership at your dungeon,” I teased.
“Oh, I'll send you the bill,” he said, falling back into step beside me. He reached down to ruffle my hair. It was a surprisingly affectionate gesture. “I love the sound of your laugh.”
I walked a bit closer. He really wasn't kidding about being warm blooded.
“It's not something I do often. Except around you,” I admitted.
I was expecting some sarcastic remark, but he just smiled. “If I had it my way, you'd be laughing all the time.”
He swung the cafe door open so hard I was worried a hinge might break. The place was dead on Sunday nights and we had our pick of tables. I pointed out a booth in the back and Sebastian shook his head.
“A table is better,” he said, walking over to one. After he pulled out my chair and took the seat across from me, I could see why he didn't want a booth. He would already have to hunch over the low table to eat as it was.
“Everything I've had here is good, the wraps especially,” I told him. I doubted he was a picky eater, though.
He was scanning the menu earnestly. “They don't list calories.”
I blinked. “You count calories?”
“Yeah, it's hard to eat enough with a
ll this low-fat granola bullshit going around,” he said. “I need to stay fueled for, uh, security.”
“Wow,” I blinked. “Is the job really that intense?”
He shrugged. “The club is pretty tame most of the time. At least what goes on outside of the dungeon,” he said, pausing when the waitress came. He ordered a plate of wraps for me and what I'm pretty sure was the rest of the menu for him and handed it back to the waitress.
“Oh yeah,” he continued, picking his straw out of his soda glass before he drank a huge gulp. “I don't just do security. I take on odd jobs when things get boring.”
“What kind of jobs?” I asked, curious. Sebastian was the kind of guy I could see doing a myriad of jobs, from construction to being a personal trainer. He could certainly scare me into doing a pushup.
“Bounty hunting, I guess,” he replied.
I nearly choked on my water. “You guess? Seems like it would be pretty straightforward.”
He laughed. “Let's just say I take on jobs no one else wants to do. Sometimes that involves tracking down stolen shit, other times it's hunting an animal that's gone rogue. Just depends on what people need,” he shrugged.
“That sounds like a dangerous life,” I murmured.
He grinned. “If I didn't know better, I'd think you were worried about me.”
I blushed. “Maybe I am,” I admitted. There seemed no point in denying it. If we were going to get to the bottom of what happened, we had to be honest with each other. At least about some things.
“Well, I was worried about you today,” he said, causing another twinge of guilt. “What happened?”
I sighed. “I was hoping you could tell me. I did have a nightmare, and I did call out for you in the dream. It was at the Lodge,” I admitted reluctantly.
“The Lodge?” he frowned. “What happened?”
I looked down at the table, trying to decide just how honest I was willing to get. I trusted Victor even less now than ever, but my faith in Sebastian paradoxically had grown.
“Victor was chasing me,” I said, deciding to leave out the rest. “Your stamp got carved into my skin, he went into a rage, and I ran. Then I heard the wolves from the nightmare I had at the Lodge and-”