Fate's Roar

by Jalpa Williby

  “I don’t plan on going anywhere soon, little Sammy. Now, tell me who did that to you. I will make them pay for touching you.” Shane was having a hard time calming down. Who would hurt Samantha like this?

  “Shane, please, right now is not the time. I just want you to get better. You don’t understand how seriously you were hurt.”

  Realizing she still hadn’t released him yet, Shane slowly slipped out of her hold. He knew being in close proximity with her was dangerous for him. A flicker of disappointment flashed in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it, taking a step away from him.

  Seeing her reaction, Shane took her hand and played with her bracelet. He had noticed his ring attached to it as soon as she’d walked in. “Nobody is telling me anything, Sammy. The fact that I don’t even remember when I gave you this ring is making me crazy.”

  Samantha looked down at the bracelet and the ring. “Oh, I’m sorry. Err, you probably want your ring back.” She began to take the bracelet off.

  Shane shook his head and stopped her. “No, of course not. If I gave it to you, it was because I wanted you to have it.”

  “You gave it to me so Damien could find us. It worked. But this is your clan’s ring. It belongs to you.” Samantha again attempted to take the bracelet off, so she could slide the ring out.

  Shane sighed. “Believe me, I want you to keep it, Sammy. Please, keep it. It would somehow make me feel better in this confused state I’m in. Now, will you please tell me what’s going on? Why are we all hiding out? And Damien said you know the truth about us? Umm…yeah, not quite sure what to say.”

  “Come on, you need to sit back down and rest.” Samantha smiled and guided him to his bed and sat next to him.

  “I’m done resting. I wanna know what the hell is going on.”

  “What’s the last thing you remember? Like really think about it.”

  “I remember being at a club in Vegas. Then you were there. I, uhh, remember I was with some girl. I’m sorry you had to witness that. The whole thing was really awkward.”

  Samantha’s eyes darkened. “Is that all you remember?”

  “I saw you run out upset. I thought I ran after you, but I can’t be sure. That’s the last thing I can recollect.”

  Samantha looked down at her hands as she contemplated on what to say next. “Yeah, well it’s okay. Maybe it’s for the best you don’t remember,” she whispered, wiping a lonely tear that had snuck out.

  “Please tell me what happened.”

  With a sad smile, she caressed his cheek with her hand. “What matters is that you’re alive. Actually, that’s the only thing that matters to me. Listen, it’s going to be dawn soon. You need to eat, and I know the others—especially Ryan and Tori—are dying to see you. Let’s just go downstairs to eat.”

  Shane stood up with her. “Wait, Sammy, who told you that we were gargoyles? How did you find out?”

  “Again, a long story.” She sighed, looking away.

  “How do you feel about it? You’re not even acting surprised.”

  “I’ve had some time to get used to the idea, trust me. To be honest, I always knew something was up—probably from the beginning. There was no way you would have been able to carry Kelsey and Damien out from that fire. I guess I was more hurt that you had kept it a secret from me for so long. But now, none of it matters. As far as I’m concerned, you’re still Shane.”

  Thirty-two

  His father’s little hideout was not so little after all. Shane and Samantha passed multiple rooms to get to the dining room. Besides the rooms, he was really surprised when they passed an enormous workout room.

  “How did I not know my father owns a place like this?” Shane mumbled.

  “What’s even more crazy is how young your father looks. I can’t tell age of gargoyles, but in his human form, your father looks like he can pass as your older brother.”

  “He’s been shifting to his human form? That’s strange. I can’t remember the last time he’d shifted.”

  “Oh, yeah, whenever he’s around Mom and I, he’s always a human.”

  “So strange. That’s not like him,” Shane mumbled.

  “Why does he look so young?” Samantha asked.

  “Gargoyles age a lot slower than humans. For example, I was born almost fifty years ago, which would make me almost twenty-five in human age. We live for a long time, especially Master Gargoyles. To be honest, he’ll probably outlive Damien and I if we all die of old age.”

  “Ugh, let’s not talk about death anymore. As far as I’m concerned, your father brought you back to life. We’re celebrating tonight.”

  Shane laughed. “The night will be over in another hour or two.”

  Samantha frowned, thinking about what he said. “Yeah, that’s true. Okay, we’re having a real celebration tomorrow night when you wake up. Deal?”

  Surprised to see everybody waiting for his arrival, Shane again started to feel uncomfortable. Everything about this was wrong, especially as they watched him intently for his reaction.

  “Would you guys stop staring at me as if I’m gonna break?” he barked.

  Ryan and Tori released their parents’ hands and ran to him. “Uncle Shane!” Both screamed in unison.

  After picking Tori up and kissing her on her cheek, he pulled Ryan into his arms. “I missed you rascals. Feels like I haven’t hung out with you in ages. Since when did you two get so tall?”

  “We were scared you were gonna die, Uncle Shane!” Tori cried.

  “Nah, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. I gotta watch my favorite nephew and niece grow up still, don’t I?”

  That made Tori giggle, but Ryan held him a bit tighter. Shane knew Ryan was a lot like him and didn’t like to show his emotions much. The fact that Ryan was still clinging onto him reinforced to Shane how serious his status must have been.

  Kelsey approached him next and pulled Shane into her arms. “Don’t do that shit again. You scared the hell out of us,” she said. When she released him, Shane saw that she was crying.

  “Wow, everybody is so serious. It’s stressing me out.” Shane tried to tease, but nobody laughed.

  Sammy’s mom also hugged him. “So glad you’re better, Shane. We were all very worried. Thank goodness your father was able to heal you.”

  “Thanks, Sofia. Yeah, I’m glad to be alive,” he said, smiling.

  The situation was too grim for him, and he could feel his tension rising. All he wanted was to be able to remember everything. Maybe then, things would make sense.

  “The ladies cooked some Mexican today, Shane. I know you’re not particularly fond of human food, so I’ll apologize ahead of time. It’s just that you can’t go hunting right now…” Kelsey tried to explain the food situation.

  “Err, no, it’s fine. I’m hungry, so I’ll eat anything.” It felt weird to him that she was talking about hunting in front of Sofia and Samantha. Shane took his place on the table and began to eat the food as the others started. “How do we have human food anyway?”

  “Sebastian has been sneaking into the grocery store and getting what we need,” Sofia explained.

  Shane almost choked on his food. Sebastian? Nobody called his father that. He was Master Sebastian, for crying out loud. Had anybody explained that to Sofia? He snuck a quick glance in his father’s direction, who was smiling at Sofia. Shane blinked in shock. His father never looked at anybody directly, let alone smiled at them. It was like waking up in the twilight zone. What the hell had he missed?

  Shane watched their interaction from his peripheral vision. Sofia was a looker for sure. She didn’t look a day over thirty, her jet black hair always shined down her back, and her almond-shaped, light brown eyes were captivating against her tan complexion. His father certainly seemed taken by her.

  Shane was thankful that the conversation at the dinner remained light. With a million thoughts flooding his mind all at once, he wanted nothing more than to go back to his room. But just then, his father spoke up and broke t
he most shocking news of all.

  “I’ve been meaning to share something with you all for a while now. I just didn’t want to until Shane was awake to hear it as well. I’ll wait until my grandkids go back to their rooms.”

  All eyes turned to Master Sebastian, recognizing his serious tone. As soon as Ryan and Tori finished their food, Kelsey quickly took them out of there.

  “What’s going on, Father?” Damien asked once she returned.

  “This pertains to Samantha actually.”

  Samantha stiffened next to Shane, and he could hear her heart racing. Instinctively, he reached under the table to hold her hand. He wanted to assure her that he was there for her.

  “What is it?” she asked, holding her head high.

  “Is everything okay, Sebastian?” Sofia asked, a worried look on her face.

  “Well, there’s really no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it. Samantha, you have gargoyle blood running through your veins.”

  Everybody remained silent, except for a quick gasp from Sofia. Samantha didn’t move a muscle for several seconds. Blinking several times as she tried to process this new information, Samantha finally said, “I don’t understand.”

  Shane squeezed her hand tighter since he was just as confused.

  “I can sense it. That’s why none of our powers work on you. At least one of your ancestors was a gargoyle,” Master Sebastian explained.

  Sofia frowned in confusion as she dropped her fork.

  “It is not from your side, Sofia,” he continued. “I do not sense gargoyle blood in you. It must be from her father’s side. It was probably long ago, but I do believe it was a very powerful gargoyle because I can sense your powers, Samantha. Have you not noticed how you have been especially strong when you needed to be?”

  Shane’s head was spinning. This couldn’t be real, could it? What the hell was his father talking about? Sure, his powers never worked on Samantha, but she was especially strong? In what way? She was so gentle; he couldn’t imagine her ever fighting anybody.

  “I guess that explains a lot,” Samantha muttered, her voice quivering. There were tears in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

  “Are you sure, Father? Can you be mistaken?” Shane asked.

  “No mistake. I know she has gargoyle blood flowing through her.”

  Shane sighed, frowning. “Maybe you should work on your approach next time you share news like this, Father. You can clearly see how your blunt announcement in front of everybody has upset her.”

  “There was no easy way to say it,” Master Sebastian answered.

  “No, you’re right, of course,” Samantha said, still avoiding eye contact with everybody. “I would rather know than not know.”

  “Okay, I think we’re all quite shocked about this. Is there anything we can do to support you, Samantha?” Damien asked.

  “No, I’ll be fine. Just need to process it all,” she whispered.

  “What about you, Sofia?” Damien turned his attention to Sofia.

  “Sweetie, do you want us to go to your room?” Sofia asked her daughter. “Maybe you wanna talk?”

  Shaking her head firmly, Samantha said, “No, I want to be with Shane right now.”

  Surprised that she’d want him by her side at a time like this, Shane sprung to his feet, knowing she needed to get out of here. “Okay, let’s go. I think this has been too much for everybody in one night.”

  Grabbing her arm, Shane led her back to his room, holding her steady. She was barely able to keep standing on her own feet and was leaning against him for support. Once in his room, she collapsed into his arms. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Shane picked her up and carried her to his bed. Lying her down, he sat next to her.

  “Talk to me, Sammy,” he said, brushing her hair away from her face. She looked pale and upset, and all he wanted to do was hold her in his arms to let her know it would be okay.

  “I’m just confused, that’s all. So much has happened lately…I’m feeling overwhelmed. I don’t know how I feel about what your dad just shared.”

  “How can I help?”

  “Just lie down here next to me. I just need you to hold me and remind me that you’re alive.”

  Shane chuckled. “That’s easy enough, but you know it’ll be dawn soon, right?”

  “It’s okay. Even during the day, while you had turned into a stoned statue, I still stayed with you.”

  Raising his eyebrows in surprise, he shook his head. “You stayed here in this room even while I was a statue?”

  Samantha nodded. “I only left to eat, use the bathroom, or take a shower. If I wanted to sleep, most of the time, I slept in here, day or night. I didn’t care.”

  “Wow, I’m grateful you took such good care of me, Sammy. I guess I owe you big.”

  For second time within the hour, Sammy blinked back her tears. “Come under the blankets and hold me before the sun comes up,” she said.

  As much as he loved being close to Samantha, he hated it just as much. She had the power to make his mind and body react uncontrollably. He knew she needed him, though, so without wasting another second, he took his place next to her in his bed. Pulling her into his arms, he closed his eyes, enjoying how she snuggled closer to him. Wishing this moment could last forever, he reluctantly accepted the fact that their forever would be over very soon.

  Thirty-three

  Shane wasn’t surprised to see Samantha gone when he woke up the next night. He remained lying there a little longer, thinking about the recent events. What a shock to find out some distant ancestor of Samantha’s was a gargoyle. He wondered how she was truly dealing with it. Yesterday, she’d fallen asleep instantly in his arms as if she’d been exhausted for weeks. According to Damien, she’d barely left Shane’s side, so she probably didn’t get much sleep.

  Shane racked his brain to try to remember anything else. He was missing critical pieces from his memory. Everything and everybody seemed different, and none of them were willing to talk. He had to figure out why they were all in hiding, including his father. But no matter how hard he tried, his last memory was still of the events in Vegas.

  Forcing himself to get up, he changed into his human form and jumped in the shower. He was happy to see some of Damien’s clothes in the closet. Good thing Damien was always thinking ahead. He settled for black jeans and a black, button-down shirt. Just as he was about to leave his room to grab some food, he heard a knock. He swung the door open to see Samantha standing there with a tray of food.

  “Hey!” she said, smiling ear to ear.

  Shane couldn’t help but light up at the sight of her. Her long hair was flowing down her back, and she was wearing a fitted, black dress.

  “You look nice. What’s the occasion?” Shane asked, stepping out of the way so she could enter.

  “We’re celebrating, remember? We’re celebrating your life. Did you forget?” Samantha placed the tray of food on the table.

  “Oh, I guess I did. That big announcement at dinner threw me off. How are you doing anyway? I’m sorry that my father has no tact whatsoever.”

  “No, he’s great. I prefer the direct approach, and I’m sure he knows that,” Samantha replied. “But I’m okay today. You know, I see life totally differently these days. At least it explains some things to me. I guess I’ll just meet with your father and find out what all this means. Look, I know you’re probably starving. I brought you some Italian. I heard you prefer fresh meat from your hunts, but couldn’t help you there.” Samantha smiled as she teased him.

  “Did Kelsey tell you that?” Shane hid his smile.

  “She sure did. I’m glad she’s able to fill me in on this gargoyle world of yours.”

  “Uhh, don’t believe anything she says about me if it’s negative,” Shane said as he sat down to eat his food. He could only imagine all of the dirt Kelsey had on him.

  “Pretty sure I’ve seen you at your worst, trust me.” Samantha prepared two plates and poured
them both some red wine. “Believe it or not, your father actually brought wine. Guess he found out my mom likes red wine.”

  Shane looked at her in surprise. “Okay, I think I’ve missed out on a lot. Is something going on between my father and your mother?”

  Samantha’s eyes widened. “Why would you say that? I think they’ve become good friends, that’s all.”

  “Well, let me put it this way, nobody calls my father Sebastian. People call him Master Sebastian. If you’ve noticed, even Kelsey calls him that. I was surprised when she called him by his first name, and more than that, he didn’t seem to mind it at all.”

  Samantha frowned. “Maybe Mom doesn’t realize, but as far as I know, they’re friends. Mom hasn’t dated anybody since my father passed away. I know it’s crazy because it was so long ago. She’d say she had no desire to do so and wasn’t going to waste her time.”

  “When my mother was killed, my father completely withdrew himself from everybody. It was like he had died also. This is the first time I see some of my old father returning.” Shane continued to devour his food. “Did you make this? It was actually really good—you know, for human food.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Samantha said, finishing her wine. “Come on, we’re going to dance now.” She got up and turned to Pandora on an iPad.

  “You brought your iPad here?” Shane asked.

  “It’s actually Ryan’s. He’s letting me borrow it. I didn’t even get a chance to pack anything to be honest. My mom grabbed some things, and this dress is actually Kelsey’s.”

  “You dressed up for our celebration?” Shane asked, teasing her.

  “I dressed up for our date,” she answered.

  “This is a date?” Shane arched one of his eyebrows at her.

  “It most definitely is. Now, you owe me a dance.” Christina Perri’s song, Arms, came on, and Samantha took his hand and pulled him up.

  Shane and Samantha had shared many dances in the past, but she was a young girl at the time, and she’d beg him to teach her to dance. This was different. Samantha was a beautiful woman now and his weakness. He could only pray that he would be able to control himself with her so close to him.