Chapter Ten - word count 2520 - Download PDF
10.
      Gabriel watched Seth climb the stairs with Drew in his arms, then turned back to face the visitors.  
      He waved his hand palm up from his chest towards the conference room table.  
      “Have a seat, I’m will send for Lady Namara.” Gabriel’s tone was cold.
      Ross moved past Gabriel  “I’ll go fetch her.”  
      Gabe nodded then looked at the lycos. “Darius, Marcus, you may leave as well.”  
      He knew they would want to shift back to human form and that shifting would leave them naked, it wouldn’t be something they would welcome doing in a room full of strangers.
      The lion and cheetah walked past Gabriel as he moved to the head of the table.  
      Dragonselen sat down at the table his men followed his example, taking the chairs on each side of him.  Jade stayed near the door, it was obvious she was itching to leave the room but felt she couldn’t as yet.  
      Gabriel didn’t sit, he crossed his arms over his chest, his face a thundercloud of anger.  
      “I want to make a couple of things very clear.  Firstly, this is my compound and though I understand your upset over what you sister has been through, your rude behavior here has been unacceptable.  Something I was prepared to overlook,” Gabriel unfolded his arms bracing his hands on the end of the table as he leaned forward.
      “until one of the people in my care was hurt because you are all” he looked at Jade including her in the statement. “behaving like petulant children.”  
      Dragonselen spluttered “How dare you, do you not realize how important I…”
      “I don’t give a rats ass!” Gabriel spat.  
      “The fact is, we did you a favor, I didn’t have to send the lycos into the heart of Sandamar’s operation, risking them all to retrieve your sister.  What you don’t even realize is that you had the best warriors the whole of the Mythos has to offer, helping you, and you are behaving as if they gravely insulted you.”
      Dragonselen snorted, “They are hardly the best, the only warriors that can compete with dragon warriors are The Omega.” He laughed derisively, “The Omega – the end.  A story to scare naughty children.  There has never been proof they exist.  They are a fire side tale of terror and retribution for those who have done wrong. Your lycos could hardly compete with that kind of legend.”
      Gabriel stared at him flatly for a moment.   
      “Lord Dragonselen,” he took a breath, debating whether or not to tell the arrogant dragon lord, he decided he would, if only to see the bastard knocked on his ass.  “my lycos are The Omega.”
      Everyone in the room gasped, Jade smirked, it was obviously information she already had.  
      Dragonselen spluttered, “Th… That can not be!”
      “Oh, I assure you, it is.”  Gabriel felt the urge to grin at the dragon’s surprise.  
      Instead he drew in a cleansing breath, reigning his temper.  
      “I understand that you were unaware of this, and that your upset over what has happened to your sister must be effecting your reactions…”
      “Oh nothing is effecting his reactions, he is always a arrogant, elitist, prick!” Namara interrupted Gabriel as she walked into the room.  
      Dragonselen jumped up from his chair and rushed to his sister, crushing her in a hug he stepped back holding her at arms length to check that she was alright the pulled her back into another hug, he was speaking rapidly in Drakahms, the native language of the dragons.  
      With surprising strength Namara pushed him away from her.
      “Don’t you ‘beloved little sister’ me, you jerk!”  She frowned up at him   
      Gabriel had to cover his mouth with his hand to hide a smile.  
      “Why do you always have throw attitude?”
      He spoke again in Drakahms. His tone a bit annoyed.  
      “Dragon I wont even answer you till you remember your manners and start speaking in a language everyone can understand.”  
      Dragon gritted his teeth in frustration but the next time he spoke it was in English.”  
      “Why are you being so hostile?” he asked his sister, he’d thought she would be overjoyed to see him.  
      “Because your bad attitude caused one of my friends to be hurt.”  
      Dragon threw Ross a dirty look for being a tattletale.  Ross just lifted a corner of he’s mouth in a smile and shrugged one shoulder.  
      “And you!” Namara turned to look at Jade. “We are going to have a talk.  You know better than to let him get to you.”  
      Jade blushed at the reprimand.
      Ross chuckled and got a scowl for his efforts.
      “Something is amusing?” Namara asked him.
      “Nothing,” he cleared his throat. “I’m just amazed that you’ve managed to hide a little tyrant under that sweet demeanor of yours, I wish Dar could see this.”  
      Her cheeks pinkened but Namara didn’t say anything to that.  She turned back to her brother and held out her hands.  
      “Take these off.”  
      Her brother looked down at the bracelets at each wrist, ancient devices meant to stop a dragon from shifting to its winged form.  
      “I am sorry sister, I can not.”
      “What do you mean you can’t?”  
      “Father sent me to fetch you and bring you home, he did not give me the incantation to remove the bracelets.”  
      “What?” Namara was furious, “Of all the highhanded, egotistical…” she glared at her brother.  “So I must just run along home, like a good little girl, then he’ll take these cursed bracelets off?”  
      Her brother nodded.  
      Namara felt like shrieking, she threw her hands up, spun around and left the room before she killed her only brother.  
      
      Drew woke up with someone purring in her ear.  She tried to shift only to find herself cocooned in warmth.  She had to get her bearings, it was horrible to wake up and not know what’s going on.  
      The last thing she remembered was pain.  Unbearable, unadulterated pain, and Seth’s touch easing it.  He’d picked her up, cradling her in his arms and she must have passed out because after that she had no memories.  
      She opened her eyes a crack to find Khan stretched out on her right side, as she lay on her back on top of the bedding.  That was the purring she was hearing, the leopard had his head near hers and he was purring like an idling engine.  She wondered vaguely when she had decided the leopard wasn’t going to eat her.  
      Drew felt a weight across her stomach and looked down to see a long tanned arm slung over her.  Her eyes widened slightly and she looked left, straight into Seth’s sleeping face.  His sleep-softened features were angelic and she fought the urge to reach up and trace the gentle arch of his eyebrows.  He was lying on his side curled around her.  Drew’s eyes were drawn to his lips.  She had always loved a full bottom lip on a man and Seth’s was perfect, it made her itch to nibble on it.  He must have sensed she was awake because he stirred.  Opening violet eyes to look down into her face.  
      “Hey” he murmured softly lifting his arm off her stomach and stretched sleepily.
      Drew felt her heart speed up.  If this man’s essence could be bottled the world would have an aphrodisiac that worked like magic.  
      “Hey.” Her voice was scratchy when she answered him.  
      “How are you feeling now?” he asked as he brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face.  
      “I’m okay.”
      “Is the pain gone?”  
      She nodded. “I haven’t tried to move but I think it’s gone.”  
      Khan raised his head to give them a dirty look.
      Drew felt the vibrations through his chest as Seth laughed.
      “Khan says our talking is disturbing his cat nap. He’s going to sleep somewhere else.”
      The big cat sat up and smoothly jumped off the bed stalking through the connecting door to the other room.  
      “What happened?” She asked him.
      He sighed, “We aren’t completely sure, but we think it had something to do with Jade’s power.  She was trying to force the lycos in the room to transform, but since you haven’t changed over completely yet… Well Jesse thinks it accelerated the change in you, and that’s what caused the massive pain.  What he couldn’t tell me is why my touching you eased the pain.  So before you satisfy the urge to beat me because you woke up with me all curled around you.  Remember I was trying to help.”  His chuckle made her realize he was teasing her about the beating she should give him.  
      “Khan too?” she asked with a chuckle of her own.  
      “It is strange.” He admitted. “but his presence seemed to ease your pain a little too.  I’ve got to be honest, most of this is weird, even by Mythos standards. Once I carried you up here and Jesse came I tried to put you down, but it was obvious, even unconscious that your pain got worse, so I Jess told me to lie down with you and that seemed to help.”  
      He frowned. “Are you sure the pain is gone?”
      She nodded.  “Yeah I’m pretty sure.”
      “The best way to find out if it is, is for me to move away from you.” He was quiet for a moment, just staring at her face. “But I’m damned if I want to.”   
      His voice became husky.  “I like it right here.”  
      Drew felt her stomach summersault as he reached up and rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand.  
      Someone knocked on the door.    
      Seth bit back a curse, why the hell did people always interrupt them.  Was it a conspiracy?  Was someone trying to telling him something? Yeah, someone probably was, he had no business getting involved with a woman again.  But she’s not Veronica.  His inner voice tried to tell him.  She’s a woman, he spat back at the voice.  Women will walk all over you.  Women will get people you loved killed, out of pure spite.  Yeah, his inner voice reminded him, but you don’t have to fall in love with her, you just want to get a taste of her.
      True, he smiled softly, very true.  
      He got up from the bed without saying a word to Drew and went to answer the door.  
      Drew felt bereft when Seth got up.  She’d been prepared to ignore that door forever just for the chance of a kiss.  She wanted to scream in frustration.  If she’d been more experienced in this kind of thing she would probably have pinned the man to a wall by now.  She wasn’t though and her cheeks heated at the mere thought of her being that bold.  Then she almost gasped aloud, what was she thinking, Selphie was a wonderful person, and Seth was just as sweet to help her, but she couldn’t be thinking of kissing him.  How could she have forgotten that Selphie and Seth were a couple, but she wasn’t completely sure they were a couple.  Neither of them had said so.  Maybe she should ask Selphie straight out.  Yes, that’s what she would do and if Selphie confirmed it then she’d make damn sure her thoughts about Seth were completely pure from then on.  
      Seth pulled the door open.  Jade stood on the other side.  
      “How is she?  I’m really sorry Seth.  If I had know there was a newly turned near I would never have thrown my toys out of the crib.”  
      He smiled at her description of her tantrum and stepped out of the way so she could enter the room.  
      Drew had pulled herself up to sit when she heard Jade’s voice by the door.  She offered the woman a weak smile.  Half afraid that Jade would get mad and cause her that pain again.  
      “Please don’t be frightened of me, I would never hurt you on purpose.”  Jade said then sat on the edge of the bed.  “I’ve come to say sorry.  I really didn’t mean to hurt you, I was too distracted to feel your…”
      She didn’t finish, she was looking at the spot on the bed next to Drew.  Jade tilted her head to the side.  Still staring at the bed next to Drew.  
      Seth closed the door and leaned back against it.  
      “What are you looking at Jade?”  
      “Who turned Drew?” she answered his question with one of her own.  
      “I did.” Seth could hear the guilt in his own voice.  
      Jade nodded, “That explains a lot, but not all of it.”  
      She was still staring at the bed next to Drew.  
      “Look I don’t want to be funny, but you are making me uncomfortable, what are you looking at?”  Drew asked Jade.
      Jade looked at Drew, “Oh, I was looking at Khettah.”
      “Who, what?” Drew stood up getting off the bed.  Jade was starting to freak her out.
      “She has a sentin?” Seth was grinning.
      Jade nodded answering his grin.  
      “What the hell are you two on about? The only sentin around here is Khan and he’s in the other room.”  Drew was starting to get pissed off.  
      Seth thought he’d better explain before Drew got angrier.  
      “Drew, you haven’t been properly introduced, this is Jade, as she likes to be known. Her real name is Bastet, she is an Egyptian goddess.”  
      “Was.”  Jade corrected him.
      “Whatever – you still have all your powers even if you don’t use them much.”
      Drew looked at the dark haired woman with a bit of shock and a lot of awe.
      “A goddess?”  
      Jade pulled a face “As I said, I don’t do goddess anymore, but Seth is right, I do still have abilities.”
      “One of those abilities is a connection to and power over cats of every flavor.  So Jade would be able to see your sentin before she materialized completely.  And if she can see your sentin it means that you will be a Du’call lycos.”  
      “The other classes of lycos don’t get sentins?”
      Seth shook his head, “No, only Du’call get a sentin.”  
      Drew looked at Jade.  “You said her name?”
      Jade smiled.  “Yeah, its Khettah.  A wereleopard’s sentin, will always have a name beginning with the letters Kh.”
      Drew felt a smile stretch her lips, it was a cool feeling, knowing she’s soon have a sentin of her own.  
      The opening bars of Down with the Sickness by Disturbed started playing, Seth reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.  He flipped it open and put it to his ear.  
      “Hello.” He paused listening, “10 p.m. at Fiends? Okay, we’ll see you there.  Later.” He flipped the phone closed again.  
      “Drew are you okay? Is the pain completely gone?”  he asked.
      “Yes.” She answered.  
      “Good, I’m gonna go round up the others, we’ve got to meet someone tonight.” He looked at Jade “You in?”
      “Yeah.”  
      “Okay, I’ll be back in a bit.” He turned pulling open the door and walked out.
      “What was that all about?”  Drew asked Jade.  
      “That,” Jade grinned “is an invitation to go have some fun.”