Druid Dreams

by M F Adele

  Franklin turned and started making his way to the back door as I stood. A back door that wasn’t burned this morning, but was now covered in black scorch marks, making us both pause to study it. I wondered briefly what happened there, but Franklin mutterd “that fucking hound,” under his breath, and I had my answer.

  I obediently followed Franklin through the house, making note of certain rooms and dismissing others completely. This place is a never ending maze. I think I might need a map to get around for the first couple days. The mansion was positioned on the side of a slope. The yard was tiered, so each floor had its own access point to the outside. The basement had a pool that was both indoor and outdoor along with a gym and a small theater room. The first floor was the main area of the house with a large den and TV area in an open concept floor plan that connected to a restaurant style kitchen and dining area. It could have easily sat twenty people but only held ten chairs. Off the side of the kitchen were two black doors. One led to an attached three car garage while the other opened up to a smallish room with a sleeping hellhound inside. It had a dog door attached to the outside wall where we just glimpsed the fire tipped tail of a large dark beast leaving the sleeping quarters.

  The second and third floors of the house had three suites on each floor. Franklin told me that Vaughn, Palmer, and York had rooms on the second floor while Briggs, Novak, and I all had rooms on the third. The second floor was home to a gloriously filled library, and the third floor housed an incredible game room. The fourth, and final floor, of the monolith mansion was where Franklin pointed out yet another black door. That one led to Sloane’s suite. All the doors in this place are black. How am I supposed to tell them apart?

  The last floor also had a greenhouse with a waterfall that cascaded down the side of the exterior wall and into the part of the pool that hung out of the basement. The doorway at the opposite end of the fourth floor hallway led to a rooftop patio with a large black telescope setup in one corner and lounge chairs scattered across the opposite side. Real grass grew on the surface and I could only imagine what kind of sight would await us when that grass needed to be cut. It’s really unrealistic of me to imagine the old Vampire scaling the side of the house with a push mower strapped to his back… but that’s exactly what I’m seeing.

  Franklin’s last stop took me to what I assumed was my suite. He disappeared before I opened the door. I inhaled a deep breath, turning the knob slowly. Upon entering the suite the first thing I noticed was that it had my tastes and personality written all over it. Nearly the entire space was black and charcoal grey, but there were some occasional splashes of red, orange and white around the den.

  There was a dry bar in the right corner that hid a mini fridge under the black marble countertop. A concrete shelf held smokey colored glasses in a variety of shapes and sizes. The sitting area had a black leather couch with grey furry pillows and a white knit blanket tossed over the back. A coffee table sat in front of the couch with a large glass top and a thin metal frame that showcased the rich burgundy rug underneath. Across from the doorway was a room length window that had black curtains tied back on both sides. The left side of the room was home to a tall cactus in the corner by the window, a fireplace with a TV above it, and another closed black door that blended in with the wall.

  I twisted the handle on the door, readying myself. It led to a massive bedroom with a sleek desk positioned against a wall of glass. The window seemed to continue through the wall of the living space. A floor to ceiling bookcase was nestled to the right of the desk, where the window finally ended. One shelf was stacked full of classic books. The rest of the shelves were bare and waiting to be stocked.

  The bed was all black. Ebony headboard. Pitch black bedding with pillows to match. And one vermillion throw pillow in the center that had the words “Wanna touch my horns” in tiny black glass beads. It made me smirk to myself. It’s dirty demon humor that lightens the room. I could imagine Sloane had a good laugh when she picked it out. I walked closer to the bed, and the deep grey rug on the floor melted around my feet. It was warm compared to the cool, concrete coated flooring that flowed throughout the suite. The bed looked inviting. As I sat on the edge of it and threw myself back, the mattress dipped with my body weight and gave me the sensation of laying on clouds.

  When I turned my head to the left, I saw a brick fireplace ready to be lit with a black fire iron jammed into the wood neatly stacked inside. Tied to the handle by a white ribbon was a red piece of paper. I got up to grab the note, but the sight above the mantle had my footsteps halting. Above the fireplace, across from my bed, was a large picture of a burning field from the Underworld. I knew that place intimately. It was where I grew up, before my parents were murdered. That exact field was the view from my bedroom window. Written in the fire were the words, ‘“The valley is mine” in black, dripping ink. I watched, mesmerized, as the ink dribbled down. The fire from the picture made it sizzle and disappear, over and over, but the words never ran nor faded. The magic in this picture is breathtaking.

  I figured out how to make my feet move again after several minutes of staring. I strolled over to snatch up the note and the delicate white ribbon. As I pulled it free from the fire iron the fireplace roared to life. The hellfire inside licked at my fingertips but didn't burn the paper. I unfolded it gently and viewed the blank page for a moment before handwritten words magically began to appear one at a time.

  “Stone,

  This space is yours for as long as you want it. The magic in the walls is tailored to you, and you alone. If you desire a change then all you need to do is speak it aloud and it will happen.

  I hope you enjoy it.

  -Sloane.”

  I am very much enjoying the suite. It was ridiculously spacious with minimal decor. Exactly what I liked. It’s a gift that I don’t deserve yet, I intend to show my soon-to-be mate otherwise. I thought about all the things I’d like to show her as I proceeded with the rest of my exploration. The only door I hadn’t checked was on the far left of my new bedroom. It opened to a well-lit bathroom with a pocket door that led to an attached walk-in closet. Black towels were rolled up and snugly secured in a shelf near the entrance to a glass-walled shower. A large mirror showed my wide eyed reflection, and after looking at myself I decided I’d had too much excitement to sleep tonight.

  I exited the suite in pursuit of a nightly activity. I didn’t need as much sleep as everyone else, but I did need a little more sleep than Novak’s none. Do I want to go outside? No. No I don’t. What to do, what to do? I started by looking at the other rooms. I liked to know who was where in the setup of things like this. Call me nosey, but I can’t help it. I wondered if the others had rooms designed for them as well. I was pretty sure they did, but I wanted to see them anyway. Then I would poke around the extra rooms. Maybe I’d see what the game room was all about, find out what books were in the library, or check out the movie selection in the theater. I don’t know. I’m a curious creature so I’ll just see where my feet take me.

  There was a door on the right and the left of the hallway. Black doors. I started with the left. That suite had Novak’s name all over it. Not literally, but it’s his style. The suite was completely different from mine. It still had a black theme to it, though his was more vintage to my modern. All doors led to the left in his suite as well. As I walked through I noticed the four poster bed had a blood red pillow on it. It looked like someone had smeared “No pencils allowed” in black paint, and the humor surprised me. I didn’t know if that was a euphemism or if it was about wooden stakes. I didn’t even know if stakes actually worked on vampires, but it was funny either way. Sloane had a dry and insulting sense of humor with some of the guys. I was finding that I loved that about her. I couldn’t wait to see if that was a recurring theme in all the rooms. I really hope it is.

  Briggs’ suite sat on the right side of the third floor. His space had a woodsy feel to it. There were a few potted trees and plants, and the furniture was earth
y and rustic. His suite doors opened to the right and I followed them to his bedroom. His low bed sat against a brick wall and his pillow made me laugh out loud. The white bone read “Dog hair is totally trendy” in rough threading. I knew he’d both hate and love it. Instead of a balcony like Novak and I had, his wall of windows led to the tier of yard that was laid out for this floor. Perfect for a wolf. I left his room with a relieved smile on my face. He should warm up to Sloane in no time.

  Making my way down the stairs, I noticed that they lit up with each footstep. Clever for those without night vision. The room on the far right of the second floor was no doubt York’s room. It was filled with plants, and had an earthy green and orange vibe that was broken up with touches of other colors. His room didn’t have an empty closet like the rest of us. It was half filled with clothes I hadn’t seen in years. It reminded me that the Druid had a girlfriend before he went missing. Now I definitely know who she was. My guess would be that Sloane didn’t move his stuff back in though, but Franklin did. His bed sat diagonally across his room with a large flowing plant hanging over the head of it. The pillow on his bed, yeah, it made me laugh more than Briggs’ did. It was controversial and would certainly piss the Druid off. His insulting pillow was such a dark green that it was almost black. It was hand-stitched with “The earth is flat” in bright orange threaded letters.

  The center suite on the second floor had to be Vaughn’s. It was more minimal than mine and all light to my dark, with one faded navy blue wall in each area. Everything else in the suite was white, cream, or light blue with touches of dark navy and royal blue. His pillow was the color of twilight and popped against his stark white bedding. It was also the most insulting one yet. I was so thankful I decided to be nosey because I haven't laughed this much in months. “Here lies a fairy” was printed on his pillow in a powder blue, swooping, girly script. I took a picture of it with my phone and sent it to Novak before leaving Vaughn’s space.

  I only had a few minutes before the guys went to sleep. It was after 11pm, and I heard Franklin walking them through the tour of the main floor. Palmer’s suite was to the far left, below Novak’s room. When I opened his door it immediately screamed bookworm. His living space walls were either shelves or windows. The rooms had a navy, gold, and burgundy theme to them that suited him so well I would’ve assumed that he designed it. His pillow was so specific to him that I had to smother my laughter so they wouldn’t hear me as they trailed up the stairs after Franklin. “Know your safeword” was printed in a neat, blocky script on a burnt mustard pillow in the center of his tall canopy bed. It was perfect for him.

  This is all perfect for all of us. I let that thought sink in as I slowly hiked the stairs to the top floor and stopped at Sloane’s door. I wanted to snoop around, but I didn’t want to invade her space. The guys were different, we had lived together for years. I didn’t feel bad about checking out where they were staying for the next… however long. Sloane’s room was a grey area for me, but I reached for the knob anyway. I’m too curious of a creature to not look, but I won’t touch anything.

  Her suite was the same size as ours, but where we had sitting areas she had a cluttered office with a purple velvet couch against the wall. Her large desk was filled with files and half chewed pen tops. Everything was a gloomy grey but the pops of color she had in there brought some much needed life to the room. The end tables on the sides of her bed were bright pink. The edges of her black doors were all electric green. The rugs on her floor were layered with the same vibrant colors plus yellows, greens, purples, and blues that jumped out. The colors made the room look busy compared to her grey cushioned headboard and plush black bedding. I didn’t miss the pillow thrown haphazardly onto her barely made bed. It was my favorite out of all the ones I'd seen in the rooms. “Cute and psycho” was scrawled in fancy black cursive on a bright pink pillow. Her space has as much character as she does. It’s just all hidden behind a solid black door.

  As I eased myself away from the snooping, I decided the rooftop patio seemed like a good place to chill out and think through my convoluted thoughts. I walked down the long hallway, to the right of Sloane’s room, and up a lit stairwell to the door that led to the patio. The late night air hadn’t grown humid from the invasion of summer temperatures yet. The end of a Tennessee spring was hot during the day and chilly at night.

  I picked a lounge chair near the brick firepit, tossing a ball of hellfire in it as I crossed my arms behind my head, and began to stargaze once again. The thoughts swirled through my mind, but I basked in the chaos and nearby heat. It was a wonderful night to let my thoughts roam free while I counted the constellations in the night sky. The stars were bright, and the moon was almost gone. Crickets chirped on the ground below mixing with the waterfall from the greenhouse and crackling embers while making the most enchanting background music.

  My mate is astonishing, and also not my mate yet. She hadn’t tried to force me to talk, and when I did speak she listened intently. She didn’t get mad that I was able to see her vision of York. York. I miss that fucking Druid. He had been my closest friend. I knew he didn’t just leave. He told me he was being followed and asked me to move all his stuff into a storage unit on the outskirts of town. I thought he was going crazy until he came up missing. I would’ve spoken up if he hadn’t made me swear a druid style blood oath of secrecy. Do I know if druid blood oaths work on demons? No. Am I willing to chance death to find out? Also no.

  I knew Sloane was apprehensive about York’s rescue. I was looking forward to seeing him again though. The guys would be mad at me if they ever found out that I knew what happened. I didn’t know much, but it could’ve been enough to rescue him sooner. Sloane will surely be pissed. To my defense, I didn’t know where he was, just that someone was coming to kidnap him and succeeded. After Sloane’s vision earlier, I thought it might be best to pick up some of his things.

  I stopped by the indoor storage unit, when I left her and Novak, to grab some stuff for him. The old leather covered box of druid artifacts being the first thing I stuck in the bag, followed by clothes and the keys to my beloved motorcycle. I had been driving York’s Bronco around since mid fall, when it started getting too cold to walk the six blocks to work twice a week. I loaded my bike carefully in the back and drove to Sloane’s house. Where both vehicles now sit in a once empty detached garage.

  I vaguely remembered hearing Samuel help plan the build of this monolithic estate, with his fellow mates, a few years ago. Now that I had seen it with my own eyes, it felt like they built it knowing that Sloane had multiple mates. Of course they did. Why else would they put their only child in a house this size? From my view on the rooftop I caught a glimpse of movement in the trees and felt the presence of creatures similar to demons. The hellhounds patrolled the grounds with keen fire-lit eyes and monstrous appetites, just waiting for some poor fool to pass the barrier that divided them.

  In the distance, a dark figure darted across the driveway and let out a bone chilling version of a bark before I heard the gate to the property open. Think deep and throaty mastiff bark mixed with a lion's roar, then mixed with the snarled warning of a wolf. Yeah, bone chilling is accurate.

  I checked my phone and it read 3:38am. I was lost to my thoughts for longer than I realized. Novak’s boxy black Mercedes slowly crawled forward with a hellhound trailing on either side to usher them in. When they pulled into the detached garage the hounds dispersed and went back to their nightly patrol. I took a moment to admire how well trained they were. I had never heard of anyone training a hellhound, let alone three. It boggled my mind that my mate had done it so well.

  Sloane and Novak stepped out of the garage, and the door started to close as they strolled towards the house. I grinned like an idiot as I watched them giggling. She was barefoot and he was holding her hand in one of his with her shoes in the other. It’s not typical Novak behavior, but she seems to be bringing out our best qualities at breakneck speed. Vaughn didn’t argue when she t
ook charge. Briggs didn’t throw a fit when she beat him in their alpha fight. I wondered what a few more days would bring out, or what a few months would show us? What about years?

  I waited for them to get closer as I swiftly moved to the edge of the house. I dropped from the rooftop patio to land silently on my feet behind Novak. Sloane leaned over his shoulder and gave me a lopsided smile. “You can’t sneak up on me. Even if I am tipsy, I can still hear you.” She blew me a kiss before winking at me. I was stunned, watching her with heedful eyes. Novak didn’t hear me so how did she?

  “Did you get any rest?” Her stubborn look said she wouldn’t take no for an answer. I didn’t have the chance to tell her anything before she continued her questioning. “You know we’re leaving in two hours, right?” She sounded so much like Samuel, but I knew better than to point that out.

  “Yes. I need more rest than you two do, but not as much as the others.”

  “Uh-huh…” she responded with a small smile on her red lips. “So, what you’re saying is, you’ll rest on the trip there.”

  “No,” I responded while shaking my head, “That’s not what I’m saying.”

  “Are you tired?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Do you want to go swimming?” She narrowed her eyes and looked up at me through her lashes. Her line of questioning threw me off balance. It’s four in the morning. Why would I want to go swimming? The coquettish look she gave me had me surrendering with no more hesitation though.