Druid Dreams

by M F Adele

  I hesitantly agreed to his terms. The playful look in his eyes was enough to give me pause over my decision. Whatever. I’ll take the consequences as they come. There wasn’t much time left to plan anything out. It was 5pm already, and we needed to be at the club by 8pm for him to have time to set up. We needed to go to their apartment and get his equipment. We had to get ready. Well, I have to get ready, and he needs shoes.

  “Right,” Franklin intercepted what was sure to be an awkward moment where I was still trying to believe what I’d just found out, and what I’d just agreed to. “Here are the new cell phones,” he spoke as he started handing us phones with sticky notes holding our names on their cases. “These are for Jack and Grim,” he directed as he passed me two more. “Your new laptop has already been set up and left on your desk. Palmer has another, and when you and Novak return in the morning we can transfer his stuff to this one for him to use while we send them off to be checked. I’ll have the search of the property done before you get back and I’ll text you if I find anything, though, I don’t expect to.”

  “Novak and I will head to the apartment and pack a few bags. Text me what you guys need.” Stone spoke to the group. Vaughn looked exhausted, and I didn’t think he’d had any sleep. Palmer was messing with the computer from CBP and didn’t seem to hear a word Stone said. Briggs was already dozing in his chair with his head resting on his arms where they sat crossed over the table top. They need sleep.

  “I’m gonna go jump in the shower and wash all this filth off.” I motioned my hands around my body. Stone and I came in covered in dirt and dried blood. “Franklin can show you guys around the house when you’re ready. Make yourselves at home.” I had too much shit running through my head to be any more polite than that. “Franklin, when I’m done you can drop me off with Novak. Then, go buy whatever supplies we may need for the trip to Kentucky that we don’t have here or in storage. I’d like to have all the weapons and bags packed so we can leave in the morning. Also, get a rental van too. I don’t want to take any personal vehicles that can be traced back to us. Am I forgetting anything?” I’d been slowly backing up to the door as I spoke. The dried blood didn’t really bother me, but the dirt? Yeah, I don’t like it.

  Tomorrow was going to suck so bad, but I’d get to kill some bad guys so that would help. Then it would suck some more as we made our way back to wherever we ditched the van. I wondered briefly if I could teleport people. Probably best not to practice that on my mates.

  “I’ll have everything ready, Madam,” he assured me before my mind really derailed.

  “One last thing,” Palmer regarded me before he continued, “I, ehh, think I may have found a spell ta turn yer hellhounds into somethin’ other than dogs. I don’t know what yer limits with magic are, but I could probably change them into somethin’ like mice that would fit in yer bag.”

  “Thanks, Palmer,” I smiled coquettishly at him. I hadn’t found a limit to my magic yet. I’d have to explain that eventually. But not right now. “Send me a picture of the spell when you get a minute and I’ll see what I can do.” I winked at him as I exited the basement and made my way back to the ground floor of the house.

  As I leaped up the stairs two at a time that led to my bedroom, I let my mind wander over the last two days. Too much had happened and I hadn’t had a moment to digest it. I started shedding my clothes as soon as I shut my bedroom door. I made it to the bathroom and stepped into the shower before I even turned it on. The blast of baltic water brought me back to reality for a brief few seconds before I nose-dived into the rabbit hole of spiraling emotions all over again. Except, this time I let it happen. I didn’t stop the tears that fell from the corners of my eyes. I needed this breakdown to happen now, not tomorrow when we walked into an unknown situation, and not later tonight when I wasn’t alone. Right now. It was going to happen and then I was going to move the fuck on. Let me list the shit I’m dealing with:

  I bought a company to put a stop to a horrible drug that hit the black market, then realized the previous owner's son had started stalking me.

  I found out I had mates. Plural. And one of those mates was the asshole that broke my heart two years ago.

  I found out my parents may have been bugged, and I was being followed by someone other than the stalker I’d carelessly collected.

  I needed to make alliances and build an army, even though I had no idea what that meant.

  Then, I found out the fucking Druid mentioned above was kidnapped and in deep shit, and we had to rescue him before he was killed.

  The thought of bringing York back into my life was what had me really and truly twisted. I wasn’t ready to face him. Not by myself anyway, but also not with an audience.

  Time to pull my big girl panties up and dry my eyes. I've got shit to do. The rest of this breakdown will have to be penciled into my schedule at a later date.

  Sloane

  Saturday Late Afternoon

  I threw on some light grey jeans and a black crop top when I got out of the shower. This is one of my favorite tops. It crisscrossed between my breasts and wrapped around my neck and waist. The back was open and exposed, and the fabric felt like a well-worn t-shirt. I admired the way it hugged my chest as I waved my hand around my hair and magicked that shit dry. I then twirled my fingers to add some beachy waves to my straight silver locks. Sometimes I found myself loving magic. Sometimes, I was bitter that I had to learn it on my own and not from my mother. That was the cycle of my life on any given day.

  Snapping my fingers, I applied my makeup. There was no way I could do makeup so effortlessly by hand. Magic is cheating, I know, and I don’t care. You use what you’ve got. Now I just needed shoes and I’d be ready to leave. Wait, scratch that. I stuffed a short black skater skirt in my purse first, and then I started searching for shoes. Shoes, shoes… Why can I only find one of almost every pair of shoes I own? Mother fu-

  “Helios!” I snarled his name as I marched down the stairs and stomped through the house, “You rotten fucking hound! Where are my shoes?” I yelled, completely forgetting there was actual, live people in my home that would hear me screaming at the hellhound.

  “Here,” Palmer tossed me one of my black Vans and a half chewed tennis shoe. “I've no idea whose who, but I snatched these from the red one before he made it out the back door.”

  “That’s Helios. He didn’t burn you, did he?” Palmer didn’t realize how lucky he was to still have eyebrows, or pants. Or fucking skin. He’s a brave one to go toe-to-claw with Helios so soon.

  “Nah, but you’ve got a burn mark on the outside of yer door now, because I slammed it right in his fire breathin’” face.” He huffed a laugh and rubbed his hands together looking embarrassed.

  “Thanks. That asshole stole half of my shoes. Atlas will bring them back though. He’s the fawn one. He’ll be nice if you see him running around. Cronus is the brindle one, dark with stripes in his fur.”

  “Yeah. I, ehh, don't think I'll be gettin' too close ta them if the others are gonna be tryin' to light me on fire as well.”

  “Atlas will like you. Cronus is hit or miss, and Helios is almost always a miss. They’ll stay outside while I’m gone but Atlas will be inside. He likes company. Just, uhm, text me if the other two are being rude. I’ll tell them to stop.” It was my turn to be embarrassed. I didn’t typically admit to being mentally connected with my hounds the same way I was connected to Jack. After some time I’ll be able to make that connection with my mates too.

  “Oh yeah, what’re ye gonna do? Text ‘em?” His smartass smirk relayed to me that he thought this was funny. Maybe it is. I could count on my hands how many people knew about my mental connections though, him being one of them.

  “No, of course not. They don’t have thumbs to text me back.” I sassed and rolled my eyes as I started walking towards the kitchen.

  “Mmm-hmm,” he hummed in amusement and trailed behind me. It’s so fucking sexy to hear him hum with his lyrical voice. I snatched a wa
ter bottle from the fridge and rested my back against the island so I could face him. Check him out. His short, dark auburn hair was messy. His eyes were the color of grey storm clouds. He had a light dusting of facial hair across his jaw, and his fitted button down was nearly the same color as his eyes. I bet he looks edible in a suit. He was lean and sculpted, and I’d wager his abs were so ripped that tape wouldn’t even fix those tears.

  I was on the verge of fanning myself when he slyly asked, “Checkin’ me out are ya?”

  “Mmm-hmm,” I hummed back at him.

  “And do ye like what ya see?” He inquired with a knowing look on his face.

  Instead of answering him, I leaked some images into his mind to test out these two theories I had. Purely for scientific reasons, of course. Me on my knees with his finger under my chin, tilting my head back to look up at him from my kneeling position. Him circling the bed I was strapped to with a black leather flogger in his hand, taking his time to work me over. Me dangling by my wrists, blindfolded and him edging me. Him wrapping my legs around his waist and giving me that release he kept denying me, driving into me until I screamed so much my voice was hoarse. Totally scientific.

  “Does that seem about right?” I questioned him breathlessly. Teasing him turned out to be bad for my sex drive. I was regretting the decision to skip panties real fucking hard too. I can get in his mind but not the others.

  Smirking, he crossed the three steps between us in two long strides. He took my hand gently before spinning me around and pinning me to the island. He ran that stubbled jaw of his up the side of my neck and rumbled in my ear, “Dat’s just the tip of the iceberg, Love.” Then he ran his face back down my neck. When he spoke next his lips barely caressed my skin, but it was enough to send tingles storming through my body. “An' don't ye forget dat ya started this when it comes time for yer punishments for bein' a bad girl...”

  I groaned hoarsely as he pushed himself into my back and reached around to run his fingers just below the waist of my jeans. Why am I in jeans right now!? Why do I need to leave? He twirled me back to face him and his left hand slipped through my hair before he tugged it harshly and kissed me softly. He didn't remove the fingers of his other hand on their trek along the top of my pubic bone. After a few heartbeats passed between us he broke the kiss and backed off, returning to his original spot propped up and looking unfazed except the large bulge in his khakis.

  “I’m a patient man, Love. Don’t start thinkin’ I won’t tease ya as hard as ye tease me.” He winked at me. “Now, go keep the Vampire out of trouble and have a little fun tonight.” Then he just fucking saunters off, adjusting his package and leaving me breathless and wet. This isn’t teasing, it’s godsdamn torture!

  The trip to meet Novak at their apartment was an excruciating 28 minutes. Unfortunately, every car ride I’ve had today has felt the same way. I was so flustered and soaked that I shifted mercilessly in the back seat, but wearing jeans with no panties only made it worse. Every time I moved the friction drove me further insane. I’m going to die a frustrated, miserable death at this rate.

  I lifted my hand to knock on the door as I surveyed the hallway around me. I didn’t even connect my knuckles to the wooden surface of the door before it swung open. Stone appraised me then nodded his head in that “come on” way that guys do sometimes. When I entered he grabbed a few bags off the floor and exited, closing the door quietly behind him.

  Novak came around the corner talking to Stone. “Palmer is gonna want those books on the coffe- Hey. When did you get here?”

  “Just now,” I informed him.

  “Awesome, I need to grab my laptop and then we can go.”

  He was gone and back in the blink of an eye, patting his pockets down while mumbling “keys, keys, keys,” like the chant would help him magically locate them. I watched him fumble around for a few minutes, trying hard to keep the smile off my face. He’s so hot, even when he’s talking to himself about where he left his car keys.

  His chestnut hair flopped in his eyes, and he pushed it out of the way with one heavily tattooed hand. The colorful art mingled together, from his fingers to his forearms, where they got lost in the scrunched up fabric of his black, long sleeve t-shirt. As he kneeled down to look under the coffee table, the back of his tight shirt rode up a little. I saw that those striking tattoos appeared to cover him from neck to waist also. I wonder if his whole body is covered in them like Briggs. I wanted to run my fingertips over the intricate artwork and memorize all the images, but I’d have to make time for that another day. His septum was pierced. It drew my attention to his plump Cupid’s bow lips that he pulled to the side as his eyes roamed around the room. Those gorgeous, golden irises bounced from surface to surface while he ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

  “Would you like some help?” I called out to him as I battled with myself to keep a smile at bay. “I mean, as much as I’m enjoying the view, I feel like I could use a locator spell to find your keys.” I could’ve already found them, but looking at him had been a pleasant distraction. His fitted jeans made his ass look amazing and showcased the bottom half of his sinewy physique. His muscles bunched and tensed as he walked closer to me, his predatory gait turning me on even further after my perusal of his body.

  “Are you telling me you know how to find my keys and you’ve been checking me out while I search for them?” He stalked closer as he playfully questioned me. His graceful movements could be compared to a feline. No motion was wasted. Every step he took was purposeful, powerful, and sexy as hell.

  “Absolutely,” I purred at him. “That’s precisely what I’m saying.” I gave up completely on fighting my expression as he took one last step, crowding my personal space. His sandalwood and sage scent invaded me, momentarily making my brain short circuit. “Describe your keys to me.” My whispered request came out husky with desire. My deceitful body had done nothing but betray me since I met these males.

  “Well,” he glanced down to where my taunt nipples brushed his chest with each inhale I took. “My key is…” he continued to watch my chest move as I fought to control my breathing. He left his sentence hanging, and I desperately searched for a distraction while I waited for him to start describing his keys again. “unyieldingly firm.” His voice dropped to a deeper tone as he peered into my eyes and settled his hands on my hips. “It's got a few silver rings attached to it and there’s some writing around the base. It slides in the ignition with a bit of resistance, but with a twist of my wrist she turns right on.”

  I let out my second frustrated groan of the day. The victorious look on his face was enough to make me want to kiss him, or slap him. I wasn’t sure which one I was going to choose yet, but then he leaned in so close that I thought maybe he’d decided for me. Instead he hovered over my lips as he whispered, “Found them.” On the table in the small foyer, right next to where I set my purse, was a set of keys. “Time to go, Trouble.”

  Fuck. Is he joking? Why was it always suddenly ‘time to go’ when things were getting hot!?

  Sloane

  Saturday Evening

  The club felt desolate outside of opening hours. With all the lights on in the building, it had an emptiness to it that made me uncomfortable. It was typically wild with life and music, but there were still two hours before we officially unlocked the doors to the public. A quietness rang through the barren establishment that was both haunting and peaceful, yet it was so abnormally cold that I couldn't stand being on the main floor. I left Novak and Simon to their various setups after introducing them and headed upstairs.

  The rooms up there weren’t meant to have the same party atmosphere as the main space. They were homely and warm. Not temperature wise, but that feeling of warmth you would get when you walked into a well-used room that showed the owner’s pride in their area. I walked into the office and stretched out in the chair behind the sleek, modern desk. There was a folder full of paychecks that needed to be signed and an inventory checklist to be loo
ked at and initialled so we could send off for our weekly orders. I got all of that done and out of the way before writing a few other notes out. I waved my hand above each of them with the intention of sending them to the rooms my mates would be staying in. When I knew they had all reached their destinations I relaxed once more in my chair and picked up my phone to text Jack.

  A phone chimed from my purse, reminding me that I had new phones for Jack and Grim in there, and no way to get in touch with them until they showed up. Other than reaching out mentally. I didn’t want him to freak out over the turmoil rolling around in my mind, so I decided to wait out my boredom. I exited out of the one-sided conversation with Jack and saw that Franklin had texted me. All preparations had been made for our trip in the morning, and that filled me with nervous, jittery energy.

  I will rescue York, but I will not be ready to talk about how his disappearance made me feel. I know he’ll want to talk sooner than I will. He was always like that. Often I needed time to put my feelings into words. Other times, I just needed that distance to keep from getting angry. He understood, but he’d still push me. Together we were like a brushfire waiting to happen, dry grass and one misplaced burning match. He kept me grounded and I kept him wild. The adventures and excitement I experienced with him felt endless, until they abruptly ended.

  In hindsight, I should’ve known something was wrong. I did look for him, and I hired people to find him, but there was nothing. His cell phone was wiped clean by the factory reset, then cleared of fingerprints and left to be found on a bus station bench. I didn’t know what happened to his car or the stuff he had at his house. Now that I’m really thinking about it… I remembered I still have a few boxes of his things in the attic. Franklin packed his stuff up and moved it all out of my room after a couple months of not hearing from him. I didn’t know what to do with it, so it had been sitting there the whole time he’d been gone. I guess, if anything, he’ll have clothes when we return.