The Gods & Monsters Trilogy (Book 1): Gods & Monsters

by Janie Marie

  David turned and left the bedroom. He couldn’t stay there and feel sorry for himself. He had a job to do, and this woman and her family were now the most important priority.

  No matter how much suffering he might endure, he would not leave her. He would keep them safe because he was completely in love with a girl that he had yet to speak to. He didn’t even know her name, but she already held his heart.

  Quickly exiting the house, David ran over to the house neighboring hers and scaled a tree until he was on the roof. He searched the area briefly before finding a spot to sit.

  He stared at one of the windows and noticed a faint light between the cracks of the wood. He closed his eyes as he heard a delicate sigh from inside. Somehow he knew it was her, and he listened to the four heartbeats, instantly feeling drawn to the one beating faster than the other three. Hers. It had to be hers because it was the only sound he wanted to hear.

  He sighed. Arthur was right, he should not have gotten his hopes up.

  David opened his eyes and gazed down at the house again, realizing despite all his pain and disappointment, this was still the best moment of his life. Bittersweet, but still the best night of his life. He had found her, and she was everything he had dreamed of.

  He smiled, remembering her lovely, hazel eyes. They were not a new sight to him; they had haunted his dreams for centuries, and now they were perfectly clear in his mind, and he had the most beautiful face to go with them.

  Her flowery scent still lingered in the air. He inhaled and let it fill him with peace. When the sweet scent of blood hit his nose, he let out a breath and shook his head. There wasn’t time to weaken to his thirst.

  A low groan sounded to his left. He turned and saw a corpse, crawling across her front yard. It seemed he couldn’t even have a few moments to ponder her face anymore. He lifted his rifle and fired.

  They wouldn’t touch her.

  EXHAUSTED, JANE PULLED herself through the window and into her home. She took the water Jason offered her with a shaky hand and held it as tightly as she could. Her muscles shook from fatigue, but she lifted the bottle to her lips and greedily drank.

  “Are you okay?” Jason asked.

  Sweat dripped down her neck. “I’m fine.” She took another sip of water before wiping her forehead.

  “Mommy!”

  Jane smiled and squatted down to hug her children. “Hi, babies.” It was such a relief for her to see them safe. This was why she took the risks she did. She squeezed them a little more to reassure herself that they were really there. “Were you two good?”

  With a big smile, Natalie answered. “I helped Daddy find Nathan’s dinosaur toy, and he stopped crying.”

  “You did?” she asked.

  “Yep!” Natalie replied, bouncing in place.

  Jane kissed her head then Nathan’s. “That’s my big girl. Go and lie back down. It’s not time to get up yet.”

  Jane led her back to the makeshift bed, then picked up Nathan and placed him down next to Natalie. She gave them one final kiss goodnight and returned to the couch.

  Jason sat beside her and offered her more water, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You were gone a while this time. I got worried.”

  She was slightly stunned by his concern and affectionate gesture. For the past three months, they had continued down their spiral of separation, and while she hoped they’d become stronger, it hadn’t seemed likely. Too much damage had been done, and both had changed in ways that neither could accept. She was risking her life to keep them safe, and Jason was doing what he’d always done: making her feel like she was the craziest person in the world.

  Looking now, at the soft expression he was giving her, she wondered if she had been wrong. He was staring at her like he had early on in their relationship. Maybe they would make it through everything together.

  Despite being so detached from each other, she desired a life with him. He was her husband, after all. Yet, when she looked into Jason’s brown eyes, she couldn’t help but wish they were blue.

  The image of those sapphire eyes wouldn’t leave her mind. They had brought her a sense of peace for some reason. It was ridiculous, but she wanted nothing more than to look at them every day for the rest of her life. One word had formed in her thoughts when the mysterious soldier, dressed in black from head to toe, gazed at her: home.

  Jane shook her head to clear her thoughts of her savior and returned her attention to Jason. She couldn’t believe she was thinking about some guy she knew nothing about while her husband sat there. As poor as their relationship was, she was still Jason’s wife. “Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

  “I know.” Jason sighed. “I just wish you wouldn’t go out there. It should be me saving us. I shouldn’t have to sit here and watch you offer yourself up as live bait.”

  Jane leaned back against the couch. “We’ve had this conversation already. I can’t carry the kids if something happens. They’ll die. You can protect them better than I can, and they would be better off anyway. I’ll sacrifice myself if I have to.”

  “I’m trying to be nice, Jane. You know the kids need you. I don’t know why you act like this. It’s like you want to die. Just like you never want to get better.”

  She sighed. He always said stuff like this. He thought it was so easy to be “better”. He didn’t even care that his words hurt her so much. Her only defense was to give him attitude. It was better that than do the things she really wanted to do to him.

  “Well, did you run into any extra trouble?” he asked, snapping her out of her sudden darker thought. “You look really out of it.”

  Barely stopping herself from rolling her eyes, she nodded. It was like he didn’t care she was willing to die for all of them. “Yeah, a little. I guess I was more tired than I thought. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

  “What do you mean? What happened?”

  “Well, I was leading them away like I have been doing, just jogging down a few streets before speeding up to lose them. I kept them close but still made sure I was out of reach. But I ended up running into more of them, and I panicked. They surrounded me—one even grabbed me, so I just started shooting until I got free.”

  Jason’s eyes were wide as he looked her over, checking her for injuries.

  She thought about those blue eyes again and wished she’d seen his face. “I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t been there.”

  Jason looked up. “Who?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, not looking at him and continued imagining the masked man and his shimmering sapphire eyes. The way they glowed under his mask wasn’t natural, but she wasn’t alarmed by them. “After I got away someone started firing at them and saved me. I think they were soldiers of some kind; they wore uniforms. But they looked like a special military team. There were three, and they were wearing black, even black masks.”

  “Did they say anything to you?”

  “What?” She blinked a few times and focused back on him. “Oh, no. They kind of just looked at me. Then a zombie came up behind one of them, and I killed it. I didn’t stick around. When they turned to look, I ran.” She shifted her gaze away from his questioning look and focused on her hands. She didn’t know how to hide she was practically swooning over the blue-eyed one. Actually, she didn’t look at the other two, but she knew there were three of them. But he was all she cared about, all she wanted to see.

  Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. “You didn’t think to see if they could help us? We haven’t had any sign of help for three months, and you run away the first time someone comes to your aid?”

  “What, Jason? I panicked!” She smacked her hand on the sofa. “You imagine being out there and see if you think to ask questions when a group of huge dudes wearing masks and holding rifles are just staring at you.”

  “I told you I’d go.” He glared at her. “But you like to act like the hero. It’s like you just don’t think sometimes. They could have taken us with t
hem or helped us gather more food. You don’t think about what’s going to help our family. You’re more concerned with this little high you get from running out there than taking care of us.”

  She fought to keep herself from screaming at him. “Yep, I’m the one thinking about myself. You always think about me and the kids. We’re the only thing that matters to you.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing, Jason.” She turned her head. If she had to look at him and have this conversation one more time—

  Jason stood up and, surprising her, he held out his hand. “I don’t want to fight. Just go get some sleep. We’ll forget about this. And next time we see them, if there’s a next time, we can ask for help.”

  Jane was too tired to argue and let him pull her up. He led her to the bed and even pulled the blankets back and covered her after she laid down.

  “I’ll keep an eye on things,” he said before leaning down to place a soft kiss to her forehead.

  She watched him leave as she blew out a breath. It bothered her he was kissing her—he hadn’t kissed her in months. He probably wants sex tonight.

  Jane sighed, not wanting to think about that. She didn’t want to think about Jason at all because he was right. Those men had been the perfect opportunity to save them, but she didn’t think about that when she saw them.

  No, when she saw him, she wanted to run right into his arms like an idiot. That’s why she ran. All he did was look at her, and she wanted to go with him. Everything else had slipped away from her mind, even her kids, and that was wrong. Jason was right, she was selfish.

  Jane rubbed her face. She was tired and needed sleep, but she found herself trying to imagine what the man with glowing eyes looked like. He was probably gorgeous, and he saw her all sweaty and ugly. She even fired a gun in his direction like a crazy person. He was probably glad she had run off.

  “Stop it, Jane,” she whispered to herself. It was stupid to keep thinking about him; she would never see him again. And besides, it wasn’t like she could really do more than fantasize about him. She was married, and although her relationship with Jason was practically nonexistent, she couldn’t picture herself with anyone other than him.

  Jane rolled on her side to try to get more comfortable and get her chaotic thoughts to settle. As much as she tried, though, she kept thinking about how stupid she was. Any time she felt a little bit proud, Jason knocked her down, and he always made her feel like a moron for the way she thought about things. He made her paranoid and turned every argument around so that she ended up hating herself even more—made her feel crazier than she normally felt. Made her feel sick when he…

  A nauseating feeling stirred in her stomach and mouth. Blowing out a slow breath, she closed her eyes, ignoring the sudden sick feeling and tried to fall asleep.

  Those blue eyes suddenly formed in her mind. Well, they made her feel better than the direction her previous thoughts were trying to head, so she gave up. The twinge in her stomach vanished, and she smiled with the image her savior’s gaze on her. The icy-blue color of his eyes swirled into the darkest ocean blue. There’d been so much emotion and passion in his stare. She couldn’t recall Jason ever looking at her that way, and she basked in the brief attention the stranger had given her until, finally, the stormy-blue color lulled her into a deep sleep.

  David sat atop the roof of a large two-story house and took aim at the thirtieth walking corpse before firing.

  “You know,” Gawain said, taking a seat beside him, “it’s not like it’s the end of the world.”

  Glancing in his direction briefly, David lifted his rifle again and fired. Thirty-one. “What do you want?”

  For the past five hours, the others had left him to his thoughts while he prevented any threats from coming within a hundred feet of her door. Knowing the undead couldn’t touch her as long as he was there brought him some comfort.

  “Jane,” said Gawain.

  David lowered his rifle and looked at him full on. “What?”

  “Her name is Jane.”

  Returning his focus on her house, David remembered her soft face and how her hazel eyes sparkled in the moonlight along with the freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. When Gawain chuckled, he realized he was smiling and stopped. She was already someone else’s.

  He had heard the man, her husband, asking her if she was all right, and David used every bit of skill he’d learned to block out their conversation. He didn’t think he could handle hearing them together.

  “Thank you,” was all David could mutter.

  Nodding, Gawain lifted his rifle and released a shot. Despite using silencers, the dead continued to come. “Sure. You know this isn’t the end for you both, David.”

  “How is it not?” he asked, almost growling. “She’s married and has two children. They are a family. I won’t break that up. I could never do that to her.”

  “Maybe she’s not happy.” Gawain’s response was too casual.

  He glared at his friend. “What do you know?”

  Gawain held his hand up in surrender. “Nothing. I am only suggesting that maybe you shouldn’t give up.”

  “Arthur should stay out of people’s heads and mind his own business,” David said.

  “He’s only trying to help, and you are his business.”

  “It does not matter. I will not be the cause of anything happening between them. She would only hate me if I tried to take her away.” David hated sounding defeated.

  “I didn’t say that you needed to take her away. I’m merely pointing out that you are her soul mate just as much as she is yours. She stands to lose just as much.”

  David pondered over Gawain’s words while he focused on the four heartbeats inside the house. Hers still stood out. He could even identify her soft breaths as she slept. No, he couldn’t hurt her that way.

  He wouldn’t take her away from her family. His destiny would have to go unfulfilled. She hadn’t even seen him completely anyway. It wouldn’t be hard for her, like it was surely going to be for him.

  Gawain interrupted his thoughts. “I know what you are thinking, and you’re wrong. She didn’t have to see your face to feel that you were more than a mere stranger to her. Even without Arthur reading her thoughts did I know that. It was obvious by the way she looked at you... She looked into your eyes, David. Her soul recognized yours.”

  David chuckled. “You really believe our eyes are the windows to our souls?”

  Gawain grinned. “Didn’t yours whisper to you: there she is.”

  He smiled but said nothing.

  Gawain released another round, drawing David’s view from the house. “They don’t stop, do they? We have not had anything like this in all the cities we have come across.”

  “It’s her,” David said, looking down on the home again. Gawain looked there as well. “I think she’s pulling them in—like she did us,” he explained. “Let Arthur know we need to strengthen the perimeter around the house.”

  “She’s a magnet?”

  David shook his head. “I’m not sure, but it’s definitely her.”

  Nodding, Gawain stood and stepped off the roof, landing lightly, and sped toward their base camp.

  Dawn was approaching. David scanned the glowing horizon before looking back at her house. “Jane,” he whispered, before he jumped down to the crispy brown grass.

  Arthur’s troubled voice rang out in his earpiece. “David, we have a situation. Get over here. Tristan and Bors are coming to guard her for you.”

  He looked up in time to see Tristan and Bors already approaching him. They cast worried glances at each other before Tristan greeted him. “It’s not good, David. You had better hurry. We will keep her safe.”

  “I know you will,” David said. “Thank you.” He received a pat on the shoulder as he passed Tristan. If there was anyone he trusted more than Gawain or Arthur to watch her, it was Tristan. Not only was he a loyal friend, but he was also their third best fighter.r />
  “Sure thing, brother,” Tristan said.

  “What is it?” David asked when he arrived at the house he had been at earlier. It was their new camp, and he was glad that it was so close to Jane.

  Arthur stared at him for a moment before finally speaking. “Are you all right?”

  “Fine. Now what do we have?” David dismissed their concern. They wouldn’t understand what he was going through—they all had their wives.

  “Wolves,” Gawain said, getting to the point.

  David glanced at Gawain and then to those around him before focusing on Arthur.

  Arthur ran his hand through his hair. “Kay, Bed, and I were out expanding the perimeter. Eight miles southeast, we found a family of five, completely slaughtered. We could still smell the wolves. They were heading north, but we lost the scent after two miles. It was as though they vanished.”

  Letting out a breath, David already knew what Arthur would tell him next.

  “I need you to track them down, David,” Arthur said. “You and Gawain are the best. They need to be eliminated to keep her safe anyway. I would not ask you to leave her if it wasn’t important.”

  David looked up at the ceiling. He was torn over the decision to leave while such a dangerous threat was near.

  “Gawain told me your theory about her being the cause of the increased activity,” Arthur said. “I think you are right. For some reason, we are all drawn to her. We will leave her in good hands, though. Her safety is all the more reason to take care of the wolves quickly. Tristan and Bors will be within view of the house, and Geraint will be up top. If need be, we can come back.”

  David looked back at Arthur. He didn’t have to voice his worry. He knew Arthur was reading every thought going through his mind. “Fine. But I want to get this done quickly.” It took all his effort to walk out and away from her, but he had a job to do.