9. Luke

NINE

Luke

I followed Carissa, yawning. If I didn’t get to my bed soon, I’d be out for the count in the middle of the floor. This weariness wanted me horizontal.

The gargoyle slowed, coming to a stop outside a closed door.

“When’s my mark getting here?” I heard Asher demand, followed by the slamming of fists on stone.

“I’m here!” I yelled via the amulet. “Sorry! I forgot to say we’re back in business.”

“Thank the gods,” he replied.

Crap. Stupid me for not giving him a head’s up.

The moment we entered the drab room, a burst of energy got my feet moving and my body in the chair next to Asher.

He threw an arm around me, pressing the side of his head to mine. He spoke his relief with his body, making things a little better.

There. The balance was restored, my soul buzzing with joy.

For several minutes, I kept my head down, not wanting to look up as bodies settled and the scent of almonds assaulted my nostrils.

“Luke.” Seth’s voice sent bitter energy across my epidermis.

I lifted my head, forcing my eyes to finally meet his. “Seth.”

The weaver regarded me with his haunting hazel gaze, his handsome, chiseled features, and perfect ashy blond hair—all of it once setting my pulse on fire.

Now it made me want to puke. God, he stirred my irritation just by occupying the same room as me. Being around him dampened my mood, turning me into a prickly creature of loathing.

Bastard.

Carissa sat on his left, Luna on his right, the enchanter staring away.

Fuck off.

Dane took the seat on Asher’s right, another reassuring presence. And he’d made sure Tom got home safely.

Thank God. Poor Tom, having to witness me going off on one. I’d have to make it up to him with food and plenty of Mario Kart .

I sat up straighter. There would be no slumping here. After recent events with Seth, I never wanted to appear meek or diminished in his presence. Easier said than done. One minute I feared him, the next I didn’t. He just had that effect on me.

“I will come straight to the point,” the bastard announced, never taking his eyes off me.

I held my own with the eye contact. Well, maybe a sliver of anxiety tried making me back down.

“You’ll be staying in the tower for the foreseeable future,” Seth said.

My confidence dropped like an anvil tossed from a roof. Oh, crap.

Asher jumped to his feet. “No.” His voice rolled around the room, bouncing off the walls. “Not happening.”

Seth took a calm, arrogant drag of his joint as Carissa pulled rank, forcing Asher back into his seat.

“Stay quiet or get out,” she warned him.

“Easy, bro,” Dane said.

Seth’s lips twitched.

That’s it, laugh away on the inside, you fucking turd.

Feeling brave, I leaned forward, giving the weaver a smirk. I’d rather leap over the table and crack him in his forehead, though.

He blew out a couple of smoke rings before speaking some more. “I think it’s the best course of action to take. Obviously, I’ve consulted with Carissa and Luna, as well as other members of this tower, and this is the best solution. At least until it’s deemed safe for you to live in the town properly again.”

My determination to be strong wavered. Again. “I don’t…” Dammit! Why did I have to squeak?

Asher took my hand, giving it a squeeze.

His touch gave me a boost, filling my voice with vigor. “I don’t want to stay here. You can’t make me.”

Seth cocked his head. “Interesting. Yet you’re wearing the bracelet.”

“Meaning what?”

Cue three more smoke rings puffing from his smug gob. “You obeyed that order. What’s so different now?”

“Because the lighthouse is his home,” Asher answered. “You can’t stop him living his life.”

Seth glanced between us. “Think about what happened tonight.”

I jumped in. “But my powers are suppressed properly now. Trust me.”

The powers and the dark voice slept at an extreme distance. Almost as if they were in another realm, the walls thin enough for me to know they were there, yet thick enough to provide utter silence.

Telling him this didn’t assuage him. And Luna offered no backup. I mean, she knew how her bracelet worked. Why not take my side?

Why the hell should she?

“It’s not enough,” Seth said. “Not until we’re sure it’s safe. Also, we must get to grips with Brinecrest’s security first. In the past twenty minutes, there have been two more attacks from those humans.” He sucked on his joint. “Times are changing. I am being forced to impose a stricter lockdown for the next week. There will be no reopening as of yet.”

God. At this rate, Christmas would be canceled. Though I hated the season, those who loved it deserved some festive fun.

Carissa clasped her hands together as if in prayer. “Tell me you both understand this.”

The rational part of me did. Of course I did. This made the most sense. But the rest of me…it was another case of Seth’s hooks burrowing into the fabric of my life, his influence smothering me.

I slumped a little. “I… I…” No words came out, snared by defeat.

“I will allow some concessions,” Seth added. “As long as you behave and follow the rules of the tower.”

“What are they?”

“You can have your friends over. You don’t have to be isolated. I want you to have a semblance of a normal life, and you can even make your fabulous cocktails to scratch those mixology itches. As long as you whip up a Paloma for me.” He winked.

Although the wink made my skin crawl, relief mitigated the disgust. “Tom and Maren can visit?”

“That’s what I said.”

“Awesome. Thanks.” How painful to say.

“See? I’m not a monster.”

Old feelings surfaced for a moment. Vestiges of sensation from when I kind of liked him. They quickly died away, Asher’s sandalwood aroma chasing them away.

Whatever kindness he tried to show, there were new rules to live by.

Never fall for Seth’s kindness again.

Never fully trust anything he said.

“There’s no choice here,” Asher said in my head. “My hands are tied.”

I didn’t react, keeping our communicating a secret.

“Thank you for the concessions,” I answered Seth out loud. “I know you didn’t have to offer them.”

He nodded, blowing out a stream of smoke with no further response.

For Asher, I said, “ We can get through this. There are worse places to stay.”

“Yeah.”

“Plus, Dane’s here for you to hang out with, and there’s some awesome views of the town and sea.”

He laughed. “Loving this positive spin.”

Seth’s eyes moved between us. He knew we were talking, his features twitching with irritation.

I brushed my knee against Asher’s for comfort, boosting me against the scrutiny of the weaver.

God. Sharing a space with Seth wasn’t going to be smooth sailing. At least the tower was big enough to avoid the bastard and his stinky joints.

Carissa, who’d been typing on her gargoyle-exclusive gray flip phone, looked up and cleared her throat. “Now that’s settled, I can tell you the plan.”

Those phones ran on the G Network, which provided better signal than human companies. For gargoyle use only, no human customers allowed.

Dammit.

Seth leaned back in his chair, taking his eyes off me at last.

“I have ordered extra knights to be sent over from Gula,” Carissa continued. “There will be some grumbles about their time off being cut short, but too bad. This is serious.”

Gargoyles typically worked on six-month rotations—six months on Earth, six months back on their home world.

“Also, I have put in a request for extra weaver assistance,” she added.

The weaver glowered at her as if she’d called him weak.

She shook her head. “The more the merrier.”

Seth puffed on his joint, his mood in the toilet. Oh, well. He’d have to suck it up. As it stood, Brinecrest was vulnerable. It needed this fortification.

Because of me…

Damn. The guilt weighed heavily. If it weren’t for me, this town could go about their festive business, no gas mask arseholes pissing in their cereal—as Asher would say.

“Sounds cool,” Asher answered, rubbing at his stubble.

“You will both join the patrols,” she told him and Dane.

Oh. Unexpected.

Asher bristled. “But?—”

“ But ,” she bit back at him, “you will stay here with Luke after your shifts.”

Here came the return of smug Seth.

Asher seethed with angry energy, the tips of his fingers digging into the table. “It’s my job to protect him at all times.”

Seth yawned. “Please stop this tired old trope, Asher. We get it. He’s your mark, maybe even more than that.”

Carissa squirmed in her seat.

“Don’t worry,” Seth continued, relishing this, “you can fuck up monsters by day, and fuck Luke by night.”

As a defensive move, I blurted, “You don’t know his shift pattern yet.”

Not the best retort, but a retort all the same. And it worked in muting the arrogance on Seth’s handsome, irritating face.

Take. That.

Asher didn’t argue. “Fine. As long as I can work with Dane.”

His bestie nodded enthusiastically.

Carissa agreed, her phone buzzing with a message. “Brilliant. A retinue of knights will be here within the next couple of hours.”

Wow. Super speedy.

She gestured at Dane. “Go back to your room. I’ll send over a revised schedule in a few hours for your next patrol.”

“Yes, boss.” He got up, patting Asher on the shoulder. “Speak to you later.”

“Take care, buddy.”

The two men exchanged a look before Dane left the room.

Seth got to his feet. “Well, this is a wonderful development, isn’t it?” He sounded as sincere as a snake promising not to eat the juicy rat.

This was all temporary plaster over the cracks. We didn’t know anything about Ember or her plans beyond kidnapping me. The same with my powers.

My head throbbed, my body annoyed at the lack of a mattress, duvet, and pillow.

I asked about King Declan, promising my limbs bed would come very soon.

Seth strode across the room. “Clearly, the ring is enchanted to get you back to her.”

Obviously. I didn’t ask about the jewelry. So, I repeated the question.

“Soon,” Seth responded.

“Soon what?” I countered.

“Soon we’ll find the king. Soon we’ll figure out what his relationship with Ember is.”

“Does he have a musky scent?” I threw in.

He nodded. “Why?”

I explained the bedroom vision.

“Probably an affair,” Asher said. “Patchouli and musk and wrinkled clothes rings alarms bells.”

Carissa shook her head. “Why would he betray the queen?”

Queen Alexandra had recently died in a mysterious accident.

Seth opened the door, his expression vacant. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Get some rest.”

My cheeks flared with heat. Why did he have to be so damn annoying?

Luna got to her feet next. “There is more to the bracelet than you realize, Luke. And before you ask, you will see things for yourself.”

I could jump up and rage, demand to know what the hell she meant. But what was the point? My mind and body craved respite. Me spouting off would only result in drama.

I’d experienced enough spectacle for one night, and for a whole lifetime.

Ugh.

“Okay,” I answered, resting my head on Asher’s shoulder for support as much as a display of unity.

The mote enchanter left the room with Seth.

Carissa sighed. “I need a holiday from this. Come on, you two. I’ll show you to your room.”

The door opened, the human servant here to offer the same thing.

Carissa dismissed her. “I’ll do it myself.”

The servant scurried away.

We followed Carissa, hand in hand, to a suite similar to the one we’d stayed in before—the suite with the bar, two bedrooms, and plenty of cold grayness. This was different, only having one bedroom as well as a hot tub in the bathroom, and some heavy gray drapes pulled across the balcony windows.

“If we’re staying here, things are gonna change in the décor department,” Asher said.

Carissa chortled. “Thought so. I’ll make arrangements for your things to be packed and delivered here.”

“Tom can help,” I answered quickly.

I didn’t want to drop him in it, but I trusted him to pack my things and not snoop.

“And Dane,” Asher joined in.

“I planned on asking them both to help. This Tom person is looking after your key, Luke.”

Phew!

“Thanks,” the gargoyle and I answered at the same time.

I giggled, the flicker of silliness quickly waning.

Carissa’s brow furrowed before she bid us goodnight.

“Maybe we got on her nerves,” I said.

Asher shrugged. “Bollocks to her.” He cupped my face and bent to kiss me. A soft, beautiful move to make my toes tingle.

I wrapped myself around him like a sloth up a tree, resting the side of my face against his red leather. “Can we sleep now?”

“Yeah.” He stroked my hair. “Sleep is good.”

“Worry about this again later?”

“Whatever you need.”

Crap. Selfish move. “Unless you want to talk about it now?” I lifted my head. “We can sleep in a bit.”

He kissed my forehead. “I want to snuggle.”

And so, we snuggled up together under the gray duvet of the big round bed in our new bedroom.

“This is nice,” I whispered, embracing the little spoon energy.

Big Spoon kissed the back of my head. “Yep. Yep. Yep.”

I could get used to this.

Forever.

It didn’t take me long to fall asleep in his wonderful arms.