Page 40 of Druid Dreams

We wandered through the tents for about twenty more feet before Vaughn stepped out of one with Novak. They hustled to us, and Vaughn stopped before me. “You look like shit,” he complimented.

“You too, Fae.” I almost thanked him, but I knew better. “Were you two sharing one last kiss before the fight starts?” Novak made a kissy face at Vaughn and started leaning in.

“Fuck off,” Vaughn chided as he shoved Novak’s face with a palm to his forehead. “You ready to go, York?”

“Never been more ready in my life,” I admitted with a laugh.

“And who’s this guy?” Vaughn hitched his thumb in Levi’s direction.

“York’s friend. Human. Saved his life. He’s coming back with us.” Stone cut to the chase with easily understandable facts for the control freak.

“His mind is clean. Take him. Palmer can fight with us.” Novak solved the questions Vaughn was going to ask before they spilled from his mouth.

“Alright, lets go.” Vaughn wrapped his arm around my shoulder and Stone let go. The cold passed over my body before I could even blink. We landed in an inviting living room full of wooden furniture. Vaughn showed me where the closest bathroom was as he placed a hunter green backpack in my hands. “I’ll bring the other guy back. We should have enough clean clothes for him to wear. But, York, if Sloane freaks out…” he started.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I’ll handle her,” I interrupted. “I couldn’t leave him to die, Vaughn. He’s the only reason I’ve lived this long.”

“Handle her,” he laughed. “That’s funny. We’ll be back after the fight. Try to get some rest.” His last words were spoken through water as he misted out of the hall and to the camp grounds. It took him seconds to get there and back with an unconscious Levi in tow. “I tossed him on the couch,” he yelled to me through the bathroom door. “He passed out, and he’ll probably be nauseous when he wakes up. I’ve never misted a human before.” Then he was gone again.

I inhaled a deep breath and looked at myself in the mirror while I waited for the water to run hot. I do look like shit. The heat of the shower washed away my anxiety as I stepped in. It swirled all the dirt and filth that covered my body down the drain. I hadn’t been this clean since the day I was taken. I lathered the soap and cleansed every inch of my body twice before rinsing and cutting the water off. I look a little better now, but I still need a haircut. I took the clippers and buzzed them over my head, leaving less than a half inch of hair behind. Then, I trimmed my facial hair up and hopped back in the shower to scrub my scalp and wash the excess hair off my body. I rubbed my skin again and again, trying to get the feel of the underground cell off of me. My skin was a raw, dusty pink color before I stepped out and dried off. Now I look like myself, minus the haunted look left in my eyes. I hope that will go away with time.

It felt good to be clean. It felt even better when I sunk into the oversized recliner in the living room and popped the footrest up to get some sleep. Until Levi woke up screaming.

Palmer

Monday Early Morning

After Vaughn disappeared with Levi I turned my attention to Novak. “Where’s Sloane?”

“She’s playing hide-n-seek.” He grinned at me like that was the answer I sought.

“What d’ya mean?” I didn’t like the idea of her hiding or being by herself. I knew she was strong, but she should still have some backup.

“She killed a couple guys, and then went for a joy run around the camp. They haven’t been able to catch her yet. She’s playing with them while she cuts them down.” Novak explained a little better.

“Shouldn’t we help her?” Stone asked us all.

“Yeah, Novak and I were checking tents for stragglers when you guys found us.” Vaughn sounded like he was underwater as he spoke. His body formed in front of us and we all started walking while he kept talking. “She said to pair up and take them out. Briggs and the hounds are tightening up the perimeter, forcing everyone to the center.”

A bolt of lightning struck right in front of my feet. We all jerked our heads to the left and saw a group of males standing together. It was a face off, but our odds were too good. “Why don’t yous keep goin? Stone an’ I will take care of these eejits.”

“Yeah, we’ll keep checking the tents,” Novak proclaimed as they spun in the opposite direction.

Stone tempted me with an ecstatic, “Ready to kick some ass?” When I nodded my head he began to morph his lean 6’0 frame into the monster he kept hidden within. Stone as a demon took some getting used to. If I had to put numbers on his growth, I’d say he was at least a foot taller and nearly 200 pounds heavier. His skin was so dark he looked like a moving shadow. His horns twisted out of the sides of his head, a few inches above his pointed black ears. They swoop out and up, and curl towards each other behind his head. His horns are pretty fucking cool.

Stone was enough to make any sane male run away in terror. He loved the thrill of a chase. Apparently, just like our mate. Three males turned and ran, leaving two gaping shamelessly. Stone unfurled his leathery wings and lifted to the sky, tail lashing back and forth as he slowly ascended. The only way to see him in the sky was to follow the absence of stars as he glided through the night in search of his prey.

“Are ye for running too, or will ye stand and fight?” I called out to the last two males. I didn’t know what they were, but that didn’t change anything for me. I wanted to fight and sling some magic of my own. Maybe test out this medieval weapon the old Vampire showed me before I went to sleep last night. I thought he had called it a dire flail. It was a three foot pole with a foot of chain on either end. Attached to the chains were large metal spheres covered in spikes. He said I could feed my magic through it. I liked the way that sounded and the ease at which I could sling the weapon around. It felt like an extension of my limbs when my power flowed through it.

No one moved, and I grew tired of just standing there so I threw up my hands. “That’s grand, yas don’t have to fight me, but I don’t fancy yer chances with the Demon.” That got them moving. I waited until they got closer, then decided instead of drawing my weapon I’d use my favorite move. It’s a classic. I drew my fingers in so my hands looked like guns and aimed them both at the incoming males. With a childlike “pew, pew,” I squeezed my bottom two fingers and shot bright orange magic rods straight into their chests. The sound effects are for me.

They collapsed to the ground in heaps. I blew the invisible smoke from my finger guns for good measure. Handy little trick that is. I swaggered over to them and pulled the magic from their weeping wounds before dissolving it back into my hands. Laughter rang out behind me and I froze in my tracks. Sloane skipped over with a manic grin on her bloodied face. She placed her hands on my chest as she leaned into my ear and whispered “that was really dorky, but so fucking hot.”

“Ye liked that, did ya?” I gave her a cocky smile, setting my hands on top of hers.

“Mmm, very much,” she confided.

“An’ if I did it again ta the gobshite that was followin’ behind ya? What would ye do?”