Chaos

by Taylor Longford

  But Joey was right. I was a lot prettier, probably because of all the weight I'd lost. Too bad I was still at the bottom of my high school's food chain.

  And a month later I began to wonder if I'd imagined the whole thing. I mean, I have a really good imagination. Maybe I'd tripped and hit my head and wandered around homeless for two weeks, imagining winged monsters and hot guys with dark hair and sea foam eyes. Or maybe it was just my way of dealing with the guilt I felt for the way I'd treated Chaos.

  By that time, I was having some pretty vivid nightmares, featuring harpies that dropped out of the sky. And harpies turning me on a spit over the fire. I'd wake up in a sweat, my throat sore from screaming, my legs weak with terror.

  But I'd have traded the nightmares for the rest of my troubled dreams, which were mostly about Chaos. We were back in the mine again and he stood with his wings spread, shielding me from the harpy as he turned his head and gazed down on me. The look on his face just broke me. The expression of hurt and anger. The accusation in his eyes. When I woke from one of those dreams, I'd be weighed down in a thick fog of guilt and depression. Which was a crazy sad waste of my emotions if he wasn't even real, if he was just a product of my imagination.

  My father thundered on like he was trying out for the Olympic thundering team while my mom and sister tried to cheer me up. That's how I ended up at the high school basketball game. Sam insisted that I get out and do something, hoping it would make me feel better. But just because she was trying to cheer me up didn't mean she wasn't being way protective. She was determined to make sure I didn't stray again and wasn't tempted by Joey or whoever she thought had really run off with me.

  That's where I ran into Chaos's family. I didn't know how they'd found out about my connection to Chaos or how they tracked me down. But they were at the game.

  Chapter Ten

  Sam and I were sitting in the bleachers, waiting for the game to start when I noticed this incredibly good-looking guy climbing the stands right in front of me. I wasn't the only girl in the gymnasium who noticed him. He was so hot, he was hard to miss. He wore a really nice black leather jacket and his blond hair was tied back in a short ponytail.

  His gray gaze connected with mine for a second before he made his way up toward me and took a seat by my side. There was still plenty of room in the stands so I was surprised he sat so close but when he asked to borrow my phone, I dug it out and handed it to him. And after he made a quick call, he started talking to me.

  "My family and I are looking for our cousin," he murmured without looking at me. "His name's Chaos."

  That's when my whole world fell apart. My heart started trying to break out of my chest and I could hardly breathe. I'd thought it was all over. I'd almost convinced myself that none of it was real. That it was a dream or delusion. But now it was happening again. And I didn't want to end up back in that mine. Or any other mine. With any other mad harpy.

  He slanted a look down at me. "Can you help us?"

  "Just leave me alone," I whispered, panicking.

  "Our girls will meet you in the ladies' room if you can tell us anything," he continued quietly.

  I stared straight ahead, wishing he would just go away, while my sister leaned forward and gave him a suspicious look.

  "Call us," he insisted in a commanding tone that reminded me Chaos. "Please. If you care about Chaos, call us. Our number is on your cell." Then he got to his feet and moved away.

  "Who was that guy?" Sam demanded right away.

  "No idea," I gritted through clenched teeth. "Never saw him before."

  "He didn't have anything to do with your disappearance, did he? Because…"

  "Because what?" I snapped.

  "Because I could understand why you'd run off with a guy like that."

  I turned and stared at her. Really? Saint Sam would consider running off with a guy?

  "Well not me," she admitted. "In my opinion, good looking guys are nothing but trouble."

  I figured she would know. The guy she dated for two years in high school was a card-carrying sexy beast. Nils. Even his name was hot. They broke up right after prom and she was still crying at graduation. So I guess it was pretty traumatic for her. Since then, she's steered clear of good-looking guys.

  "But I could see how you might," she added.

  "You thought he was nice looking?"

  "Uh. Yeah," she said like that was a dumb question.

  I couldn't help comparing the chiseled blond to Chaos, who evidently was not a product of my imagination after all. He was real. "I've seen better," I murmured.

  "That's not possible," she tossed back at me.

  "Wanna bet?" I muttered as the game started, ending our argument.

  But I didn't make a move for the restrooms. No way. Real or not, I wasn't getting involved with any more gargoyles. I never wanted to see Chaos again and he was mad at me anyway for suggesting that he was a harpy dude. So I was firm on that score. There was no changing my mind.

  Then when Sam and I were making our way out of the gym after the game, my gaze snagged on the sight of a dark head up ahead. The ends of his hair were tipped with white, and for a split second I thought it was him. I thought it was Chaos. And my heart stopped dead in its tracks. I wasn't afraid or disgusted or shocked or even nervous. I just wanted. My heart just ached with this terrible feeling of…longing. Longing for something and someone I refused to even acknowledge.

  Of course, it wasn't Chaos. But it was someone in his family, and he was surrounded by a bunch of beautiful bad boys who must have been his brothers and cousins. The one who'd talked to me earlier caught my eye and gave me a hard look, making me feel like crap for refusing to help.

  So I fought with my conscience and my heart for the next twenty-four hours before I realized I had to make the call. Chaos was in trouble. And these guys seemed to know him and wanted to help. He'd told me about his brothers and cousins so I knew he had family in America. I figured I could at least contact them and tell them what I knew without getting too involved, right?

  And maybe if I did something to try to help Chaos, I'd quit having those terrible dreams. So I locked myself in my room and dialed the number his cousin had left on my cell. His family seemed really nice and very concerned. I even talked to his brother, Victor—the one he told me about! I told them about the mine and everything I could think of but they still wanted to get together, so we set up a rendezvous in a bowling alley on Monday.

  I had the day off due to a teachers' in-service day and Samantha was willing to chaperone since she only had one evening class. I didn't know how long Chaos and his family had been in America but they definitely hadn't bowled before. The first ball that rolled down the alley broke all the pins.

  It was crazy. I don't think anything like that had ever happened before. At least, the staff at the bowling alley acted like it was a first. But after I got to thinking about it, I thought maybe it explained how Chaos had been able to twist that chain open in the mine. Maybe gargoyles were stronger than humans.

  I'd told them to leave their leathers at home 'cause I didn't want Sam to freak, so they showed up in polos and khakis, looking like a bunch of vigilante choirboys. The short-sleeved, pastel shirts made them look deceptively sweet. And the muscles that ripped down their arms made them look like they could tear a man apart with their bare hands. Sam tried to act like she didn't notice anything, but she wasn't fooling me; she couldn't take her eyes off Victor's biceps. Or his tousled hair, which was about five different shades of gold. Seriously, the guy could have been a cover model for GQ.

  But I was surprised that Chaos's brothers were both blond. I'd assumed they'd have dark hair like he did. And the third blond was his cousin, Defiance—the one who'd talked to me at the basketball game…and the one who'd killed those men Chaos had told me about.

  In fact, only one of the guys had brown hair and his was really more bronze. That was Havoc who wore his hair in long dreads that streamed halfway down his back. The last t
wo gargoyles—Valor and Dare—had black hair and Dare was the one with the white-tipped ends. He was the one I'd momentarily mistaken for Chaos at the end of the basketball game.

  Three of them had girlfriends. And when I say girlfriends, I don't mean casual high-school-type relationships. These guys were whipped…but not in a bad way. Valor was with a redhead named MacKenzie, Dare was with a pretty girl with long dark hair and violet eyes who looked like she had some gypsy blood in her background. Her name was Mim and she was missing the last two fingers on her left hand so I don't know if she'd had a run-in with a food processor or what, but Dare seemed really protective of her, holding her hand and gently stroking his thumb across her knuckles as if he felt responsible for her injury.

  Reason's girlfriend was Elaina and she didn't look any older than me even though she went to CU Boulder, same as my sister. In fact, she was probably nineteen, like Sam, but she didn't look it. Maybe that was because she wore her black hair in a ponytail. Or maybe it was the freckles. Anyhow, she was a total crackup. She had the staff at the bowling alley running in circles trying to keep up with her demands.

  Of course, the first thing I noticed were the runes on the guys' necks. They were the same intense blue as Chaos's but they were all different. And when the girls took off their jackets and hoodies, I was amazed to see that they were each wearing their boyfriend's rune on their shoulder! So I wondered if that meant their boyfriends were bound to them like Chaos was bound to the harpy.

  And that strange feeling of longing hit me again as I wondered…if things had been different maybe I'd have been wearing Chaos's rune, instead of that harpy. Then I realized how ridiculous that sounded. Chaos would never have given his rune to someone like me! He was drop dead gorgeous. And I was just…me. Honestly, I'm such a loser sometimes, I can't stand myself.

  While I set up our game, Reason took the scorekeeper's chair next to me and introduced himself.

  "So, you're Chaos's family?" I asked as soon as Sam left for the ball return.

  "Aye. His family and pack."

  "Pack?"

  "Our kind forms packs, like wolves and other animals. It's a strategy that improves our chances of survival."

  "Can I ask you how you even found me?" I murmured while I leaned over and helped him set up his game. "How'd you know I'd been captured with Chaos?"

  Reason ran a finger down the centerline of his nose, which looked like it had been flattened in a fight at some point in his life. But it wasn't unattractive; it just made him look really tough. "My girlfriend and I got into some harpy trouble near Boulder, and Chaos arrived just in time to help. Before he went back to Vilschka, we found out he'd given up his rune to protect a lass named Torrie. So we scoured the news outlets for any mention of missing persons. When we heard about you—Victoria Evans—we put two and two together. And came looking for you. But we had trouble reaching you at school. Elaina tried to get close enough to start a conversation but it seemed like you were never alone. You were always surrounded by your friends."

  I nodded and gave him a wry glance. "It's called an intervention group. They're not friends. They're just supposed to make sure I don't 'run away' again."

  "The authorities didn't believe you'd been kidnapped and held against your will?"

  I gave him a wry smile. "Not when I started talking about armored harpies with wings."

  A small crease formed between his tawny eyebrows and he looked troubled, like he wanted to ask me something but didn't know how to phrase it.

  "I didn't mention anything else," I offered in a low mutter. "I didn't tell them about Chaos or…gargoyles."

  His frown softened so I guess that's what he was hoping I'd say. "Why not?" he asked, his tone turning suddenly curious.

  I shrugged and stared at the silver bands on Victor's wrists while he stood on the lane and waited for his ball. "I don't know," I finally answered. "They didn't believe in the harpy so why would I dig myself in any deeper?"

  He kept his gaze on me like he was waiting for more.

  I watched Sam's second ball speed toward the pins. "After I got back home, I wasn't sure any of it was even real. I thought maybe I'd hit my head and imagined the whole thing. But I figured if it wasn't a hallucination, I didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to Chaos…or the family he'd told me about."

  "Thank you," he said quietly. "It…must have been terrible, what happened to you. The harpy didn't hurt you, did she?"

  "Vilschka?" I snorted. "She tried. But Chaos wouldn't let her touch me."

  A proud fire ignited in Reason's eyes and I was almost overcome by a sudden wave of emotion, especially when I remembered how Chaos had fried his wingtip trying to protect me. But it felt good to talk about him. And it felt wonderful to be having this conversation with someone who wasn't in denial about what had happened to me. And I had a crap-ton of questions that I'd been wondering about. "Can you tell me what happens when a gargoyle gives his rune away?"

  Reason pushed out a sigh. "When a gargoyle gives his rune to a female, he's bound to her for life. He'll always protect her. He'll never leave her. Even if he hates her."

  For several moments I couldn't talk. You've heard the expression, "my heart sank". Well that's exactly what my heart did as the terrible realization hit me. Chaos had given up everything for me. Everything. Why would he do that?

  "Your turn," Sam prompted me as she took a seat on the bench.

  I jumped up, more than happy to escape for a few minutes. I took my time selecting a ball and setting up my shot but I got an unexpected strike and was soon back in the seat beside Reason. "How does a gargoyle give away his rune?" I asked soberly, my glance drifting toward the vivid blue symbol on MacKenzie's shoulder.

  "Did you ever see Chaos's barbs?"

  "Yes."

  "Well, a gargoyles uses those barbs to carve his mark into the girl's upper arm, near her shoulder."

  "Does it have to be on her arm?" I asked.

  "Nay. It can be anywhere but it's traditionally placed on her arm."

  "And after that, he can't leave her?"

  "Its meant to be given to the lass he loves," Reason explained, his gaze resting warmly on Elaina. "So normally, it's a good thing, cementing the relationship for life and gifting the girl with his protection forever."

  "A harpy doesn't need protection," I muttered.

  "Nay," he agreed. "But that's not what a harpy wants from a gargoyle. She's after something else. She wants a lifetime supply of venom. Harpies think the poison makes them better looking. Less ugly."

  "That would take some pretty powerful crap," I growled.

  "Aye," he agreed again, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

  But I couldn't help but feel sad as I watched his face, and wondered if he knew what else his brother had promised the harpy. How he'd promised to mate with her. An involuntary shudder vibrated through my frame. "Are you going to try to find him?" I asked.

  "Aye," he answered in a determined voice and caught my eye. "What can you tell us about the mine where you were held prisoner?"

  So in between my turns on the lane, I told him a few things that might help them find the mine and anything else I could remember. And when we finished the last game, I was ready to put it all behind me once and for all. Except that I couldn't. Up until then, it had been easy to ignore the things Chaos had done for me because everyone I knew was insisting it had never happened. I'd even convinced myself that it had never happened. Now I knew that it had. And even though Chaos was kind of responsible for my abduction because it wouldn't have happened if the harpy hadn't been looking for bait, he'd sacrificed his future for me. And I couldn't help but feel bad for accusing him of being one of those monsters.

  In fact, I kinda broke down when it was time to leave. I was sitting next to Reason in the scorekeeping chair. "Please help Chaos," I whispered as I got to my feet. "And contact me if you learn anything. Anything at all. Call or text me. Please."

  He promised to keep in touch and I left the bowling
alley feeling a little better about everything.

  On the way back home, Samantha kept giving me these subversive looks from the driver's seat.

  "What?" I finally muttered, feeling like a criminal in the spotlight.

  "That guy with the pony tail…" she started in a suspicious tone of voice. "Wasn't he the guy at the basketball game on Friday?"

  "I dunno," I hedged. "Maybe."

  She nodded slowly. "Running into him again was kind of a coincidence, don't you think?"

  "What are you getting at?" I grunted.

  "Is someone stalking you?" she shot back. "Did that guy have anything to do with your disappearance?"

  Honestly, her determination to solve the mystery of my disappearance was getting annoying. "I already answered that question at the basketball game."

  "No, you didn't," she argued. "You just said you'd never seen him before."

  I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it."

  "And when I suggested he was nice looking, you said you'd seen better."

  "Yeah, well, I have," I answered defiantly.

  She was silent for a while. Then she said, "Me too."

  I turned my head slowly in her direction and narrowed my eyes on her face. "You mean better looking than Defiance? The blond with the pony tail?"

  "Uh-huh," she answered, and flicked her tongue over her lips. "Did you see that guy who played alongside me?"

  "Victor?" I asked.

  "Yeah," she answered, her gaze turning distant. "That guy's a broken heart just waiting to happen."

  "Maybe not," I reasoned, sticking up for Victor. I hadn't had a chance to get to know him because he'd been so busy distracting Sam while I was talking to Reason. But I was pretty sure both of Chaos's brothers were good guys, just like he'd told me. "Maybe nice looking guys don't have to be ass—"

  Sam flicked a quick frown in my direction. Seriously, she's such a prude sometimes.

  "Maybe nice looking guys don't have to be heartbreakers," I rephrased tactfully. But Sam's discrimination against good-looking guys made me think of my own biases. "Sam?" I started thoughtfully.