by BJ Sheldon
“Bastard,” she mumbled, stepping over Gavyn to get to Rami.
I drew in a deep breath and assessed the situation. The man I loved…the man who made it possible for me to open myself up completely to another person…that man had just tried to kill me.
Gavyn and Rami rose to their feet. We stared at Dorian lying in a heap on the ground in front of us.
“Tie him up,” I ordered, my voice still a bit raspy. I reached up and touched my throat. I knew there would still be bruising for a bit, and I could only imagine how it looked. But I couldn’t worry about what had happened moments before. I needed to worry about keeping it from happening again.
The guys dragged him to the chair and proceeded to tie him up with some chain I kept in the studio, ensuring there was no wiggle room or opportunity for escape. I rummaged through one of my desk doors until I located a couple of padlocks. I tossed them at the guys to ensure the chains were locked in place.
“Stay on him,” I said firmly. Grabbing Grace by the elbow, I led her to the door. I paused, turned, and interjected, “and if he wakes up, knock him out again.”
As Grace and I stepped outside, the sun rose just on the edge of the horizon.
A new day was dawning with new problems. I would need to deal with the problem of Dorian and would most certainly need to deal with the feelings I was fighting. But I didn’t have the luxury of falling apart. Humanity was in danger. I was in possession of Solomon’s ring, and the delicate balance of Heaven and Hell lay firmly on my shoulders.
Tears would need to wait, so I fought them, stubbornly not allowing them to fall.
Grace and I headed over to my trailer. I grasped her arm just short of the door and stopped her.
“Hey. That was risky back there. One blow to your head, and he could have killed you.”
Grace smiled at me, and for the first time she seemed to really look at me like a friend.
“Sean would have done the same thing, right? He wouldn’t have stood by and allowed his friends to be hurt.” Grace reached up and gently tapped my chin. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re not wrong. Still doesn’t mean I agree with what you did.” I forced a smile to my face. “But thanks.”
“Did you just bring me out here to yell at me and then thank me?”
I chuckled. “No. I need you to pull out your computer and do that thing you do. I have to find out more about this Asmodeus falcon thing.”
“You’re lucky I have a hot spot on my cell phone.”
“A hot spot? Why is that lucky?”
“Wi-fi.”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know what?”
“Why fi?”
“Oh geesh. I keep forgetting who I’m dealing with,” said Grace, slapping her hands to her face. “Never mind. Come on. My laptop and cell phone are in your trailer.”
We made our way inside, and Grace grabbed her stuff.
Together, we began to stroll back to my studio.
“Are you okay?” Grace asked.
“Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, your boyfriend just tried to kill you. I’d think you’d be less than okay at this point.”
“I’m fine. Besides, whoever that is in there…he’s not my boyfriend. He’s something else.”
“Are you sure?” Grace gently gripped me at the elbow, causing me to stop in my tracks.
I could see that she was concerned with my wellbeing and that she wondered if I was just fooling myself about who Dorian was.
“Look. I could fall apart and shed multiple tears about what’s going on. And I’ve never been in love before, so I’m not exactly sure if that’s what I really feel for him anyway. But I can tell you this…that douchebag chained up on that chair isn’t Dorian. It isn’t the Dorian I met before the battle with Raja and Azazel. It isn’t the Dorian who looked at me like I was the most amazing woman on the planet. He isn’t the guy that kissed me as if he’d never kiss another. Whatever or whomever is in there is someone else completely. And no one will ever convince me otherwise.”
Grace nodded.
“Well, for someone who’s never been in love before, you have a pretty firm grasp of what love is,” she said with a slight grin. “I can only hope I fall as hard for someone the way you’ve fallen for him.”
“Keep flirting with Rami the way you have, and you’re well on your way,” I replied.
Her face turned bright red. She quickly headed back for the studio without saying another word.
We stepped inside the door and found Rami and Gavyn still keeping guard.
“Hey. I’m getting thirsty. I’m gonna make a run. You guys want anything?” asked Gavyn.
“Don’t look at me,” I said. “Maybe these two might want something.”
“I could go for an energy drink or ten,” replied Grace.
Gavyn glanced at Rami who shrugged. “Whatever you bring back is fine by me,” he said.
“Cool. Be back in a bit,” said Gavyn. “You guys going to be okay with him while I’m out?”
“He’s tied up pretty tight. I think we’ll be all right. Just don’t be gone any longer than necessary,” I replied.
“You got it.” Gavyn ducked out, shutting the door behind him.
Grace made short work of researching everything she could about Asmodeus. What we found was everything we already knew. He’d been forced to work for King Solomon and had been a somewhat trusted companion and friend. The ability to shift into a falcon was used to spy on enemies on behalf of the king, enabling Solomon to defeat his enemies. But their relationship ended badly when Asmodeus stole the ring and tried to escape with it. Solomon eventually managed to retrieve it, but that was where the story seemed to end. There didn’t seem to be any new information on Asmodeus whatsoever. After all, multiple centuries had passed since the time of Solomon, and I wasn’t sure what I had hoped to find in the first place.
We were just about to give up when Grace suddenly became very excited.
“Holy shit,” she snapped. “You’re not gonna like this.”
“Like what?”
“Just remember…I’m only the messenger.”
“Yeah, okay. What did you find?”
“I’m not kidding. You cannot get angry with me about this.”
“I’m about to get angry if you don’t tell me what the hell you’re talking about.”
Grace spun the laptop to the side where I was standing and pointed at the screen.
“What am I looking at?” I asked, leaning over.
“Just read it,” she sighed. “It’s an old Ethiopian text about Asmodeus. They are one of the oldest Christian sects still in existence and still have scriptures like the Book of Enoch in their Old Testament canon.”
What was on the screen started out just like everything else we’d read. He worked for Solomon, could turn into a falcon, blah, blah, blah. But then something caught my eye. A single word jumped out at me that made my skin crawl.
Gavyn.
Asmodeus has two names. He called himself Asmodeus in human form, but he went by Gavyn whenever he transformed into a falcon. It seemingly sounded less demonic and more royal, and working for a king like Solomon demanded a regal moniker.
Asmodeus and Gavyn were the same entity…which meant that Gavyn was a demon.
Son of a bitch.
It appeared we had all been played.
Grace stared at me with concern.
“So, what do we do?” she asked.
I stood up tall and stretched, my arms far up over my head, taking in a deep breath. I exhaled slowly, lowered my arms, and looked Grace in the eye.
“Nothing,” I said, shrugging nonchalantly.
“Nothing? Are you sure you’re feeling all right after that whole Dorian-trying-to-kill-you thing? Because I could have sworn I just heard you say, ‘nothing’.”
“Look. If we confront him right away, he’ll just bolt. Right now, it’s best if we just pretend like everything is the same�
��as if we know nothing more than when he left.”
“Excuse me,” hollered Rami. “Someone mind filling me in on what you two lovely ladies are talking about over there?”
“Short version?” I asked.
“Sure?”
“Gavyn is a demon.”
“I’m sorry, what now?”
“Asmodeus is Gavyn.”
“Well, shit.”
We all went silent.
“Are we sure it isn’t just a coincidence? Couldn’t his name just happen to be Gavyn and he really is Gavyn the Hybrid and not Gavyn the demon?” asked Grace, hopefully.
“If only. But fate hates us and God has a sense of humor. And I don’t believe in coincidences. Gavyn definitely isn’t a Hybrid and he’s definitely not one of the good guys,” I replied.
“You’re handling this far better than I thought you would. I figured you’d be flying off the handle right about now,” said Grace.
To be honest, I’d thought about throwing a tantrum but instead decided to follow my instincts. I knew if we let on to the fact that we were aware of Gavyn’s true identity, we’d never get the drop on him. I had no doubt he’d come after me to get the ring. By keeping what we knew a secret, at least I wouldn’t be caught off guard.
“He doesn’t know you have the ring,” said Grace. “So, just as long as we don’t say anything, he’ll be none the wiser.”
“But I will.” A voice growled sadistically from behind us all. Dorian was awake.
“Oh great,” I replied. “My prince is awake.”
I wandered over to where Dorian was tied up and began to pace around him.
“Who are you?” I asked. I was outwardly cold, but inside my fear and anxiety were trying to boil to the surface.
“I’m Dorian. The man that you love. A pathetic excuse for an immortal. A dude that has spent way too much time building his abs and not enough time cracking a book. Seriously, I’m like dumber than a box of rocks upstairs. But I will admit, I do have great hair.”
“You’re not Dorian. Who are you?”
He sneered.
“I already told you.”
“Fine. Don’t talk.” I turned my attention to Rami. “Hey, will you grab that duct tape from the shelf over there?”
Rami jogged to the shelves. He found the tape and rolled it toward me on the floor. I stopped it with my foot and grabbed it, tearing a piece off.
“You have the ring,” said Dorian.
“And your voice is getting on my nerves,” I replied, placing the tape over his mouth.
I wandered back to the table, shut Grace’s laptop, and stared into the distance.
“Sorry,” said Grace. “I forgot he was there.”
I nodded. “It’s okay. Look, we have something else to consider here. Asmodeus. Gavyn. He supposedly has the fourth gem. Without it, no one can control the demons or any supernatural being for that fact. So, if we play it cool, maybe we can get our hands on that rock, put it where it belongs on the ring, get the demons to go back to Hell, and figure out a way to destroy the damn thing.”
“You make it sound so simple when you put it like that,” said Rami sarcastically.
“Got a better idea?”
The silence that ensued told me that no one had an inkling whatsoever.
As if on cue, Gavyn strolled in holding a couple of plastic grocery bags.
“I’m back!” he announced, raising the bags up for us to see.
We all tried to act casual. Grace discreetly placed her phone and laptop in her backpack on the floor while Rami wandered back to Dorian to keep an eye on him.
Gavyn handed out some drinks and snacks to the others, but he was suddenly distracted by Dorian.
“What’s with the tape?” asked Gavyn, pointing at our prisoner.
“His voice was getting on my nerves,” I replied.
Gavyn nodded.
“So, does this mean the two of you are over?” asked Gavyn with a smirk. “Because if you are, I know a great little spot where we could…”
“Stop right there,” I said, pointing at him threateningly. “Not the time. Not the place.”
“Another time then,” he replied, winking.
“Never gonna happen. Not even if you were the last guy on Earth. Not even if God Himself demanded it. Never. Ever. Ever.”
“Interesting. That was quite a rejection you dished out there. Maybe you’re protesting a bit too much.”
“Look asshole. Let me be clear. I have no feelings for you whatsoever. And I never will. And Dorian and I aren’t over.”
“He tried to kill you. I’d say that’s a pretty clear sign that things have ended on a sour note.”
“It’s not him.”
“Who?”
“Dorian. That’s not Dorian. I don’t know who that is, or even what he is, but that isn’t Dorian. Something’s been off with him ever since he came back. I can tell you that the Dorian I know would never hurt me.”
“Sounds like you’re putting a lot of faith in a guy you barely know.” Gavyn folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the wall.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I barked back.
“I mean, how long did you really know Dorian before the battle at the Badlands? A few days? A week, maybe? How much can you possibly get to know someone in such a short period of time? Seems to me you fell for someone you shouldn’t have and now you’re just back-pedaling to save your own ass. Odds are, he’s exactly the same guy, only now he’s showing his true colors.”
I tried to respond but words escaped me. Gavyn wasn’t completely wrong. I hadn’t known Dorian long. What if Dorian really was a cold-hearted psychopath with a short fuse? What if he’d never been what he’d portrayed himself to be? But I quickly dismissed the thought. I knew what I knew, and I knew what I felt. My intuition was rarely wrong, and I trusted Dorian.
And I knew that that thing tied to the chair wasn’t him.
“Gavyn, why don’t you make yourself useful and go take the first watch outside. I’m going to keep an eye on Dorian. Rami and Grace…there’s an air mattress in a box in that corner back there behind that sculpture thing made of old pop cans. Why don’t you blow that thing up and get some sleep?”
“Why do you own an air mattress?” asked Grace.
“Sometimes, Sean used to lose track of time when he’d visit. He used it all the time.”
“Why didn’t he just use the bed in your trailer?”
I smiled. “Because I spend most of my time in here. Guess he figured it made sense.”
“You still miss him,” said Grace softly.
“Every damn day.”
Gavyn strolled toward the door and did as I’d asked. He went outside to keep watch, although I was fairly certain I couldn’t trust him. As far as I knew, he and Naberius were working together to get their hands on the ring. I would need to remain vigilant if we were going to survive and figure out to outsmart the enemy…or enemies.
Rami and Grace found the air mattress and inflated it. They immediately lay down for the night, saying nothing. I knew that what Gavyn had said about Dorian was on their minds, and I could tell they were doubting Dorian’s true colors. But I had nothing left in my life except for hope and faith.
Sean was dead. Dorian had tried to kill me. And Naberius wanted me…in more ways than one.
Hope and faith were the only things that continued to drive me.
Hope for humanity. Hope that I was on the side of right. Faith in my allies. And faith that Dorian could be saved.
For the next few hours, I attempted to complete menial tasks all over the studio to try and take my mind off everything, if even only for a few minutes at a time. I washed my paint brushes, organized my sculpting tools, and even checked on Rami and Grace to make sure they were okay as they were curled up together, her head snuggled up on his chest while they slept. But whenever I glanced back at Dorian, his eyes were firmly on me, following me wherever I went. His eyes continued to glow, and I kne
w I could no longer deny what I’d been thinking to myself all along.
It was time for answers.
No matter how painful.
Chapter 23
I picked up the bench and set it down just a few feet in front of Dorian. His eyes followed my every move, glowing gold. I sat down and stared at him for the next twenty minutes. My chest tightened with every minute that passed as I wondered if Dorian was in there somewhere—if he existed behind those evil eyes. My fingers traced the hilt of my sword as I tried to understand what I was feeling. I was conflicted, unsure how to deal with whoever it was sitting in front of me.
With Gavyn out of earshot, I decided it was time to ask the questions I’d been struggling with those past few hours. I stood, my fingers gripping a corner of the tape. I quickly ripped it from his mouth.
“I have questions,” I began. “And you’re going to answer them.”
He laughed manically.
Before I could stop myself, I reeled and punched him in the jaw. I pulled back, shocked that I had been capable of performing such an act on someone I cared about. But as I gathered my thoughts, I told myself it wasn’t him…not really.
And I needed answers.
The blow hadn’t fazed him. He laughed again.
“And what’s so funny?” I asked.
He grinned, remaining silent.
“What are you?”
Dorian licked his lips, his eyes dancing with depraved mischief.
“Don’t you mean who?” he asked.
“No. I meant what. What are you?”
Dorian looked down and shook his head.
“You have no idea what you’re up against here, do you. You’re in way over your head and have zero chance of getting through this unscathed. Personally, I’d rather see you dead, but I’m not in charge. Naberius has other plans for you. Although…” Dorian eyed me up and down. “The things he plans to do with you…I’m beginning to see why he has the dirty thoughts he does.”