Page 14 of Druid Dreams

I walked out of Vaughn’s room, down the hallway, and headed to the living area. The coffee table was littered with Palmer’s books and he had a coffee cup in his left hand as he turned the pages of a book with his right. I’d bet my left nut that there was whiskey in that cup, not fucking coffee. Stone was sitting on the floor by the fireplace. When he came through the door of the apartment it was instantly filled with the sound of crackling wood and the smell of burning pine. He was a pyromaniac, but I guess that was okay since he was a demon and regular fire wouldn’t burn him. It would sure as hell burn the rest of us though.

Stone and Palmer were sitting there like they knew I was going to call them in. I heard Briggs in the kitchen rifling through the fridge. He was always cooking, but Palmer beat him to breakfast this morning. I sampled their food, but I didn’t need it for sustenance, so it was just more of a curiosity for me.

Briggs was a great cook though. Better than Palmer. When they were home, there was something different to eat for every meal. The cabinets were filled with spices and dried herbs. Nearly everything we ate was home-cooked if Briggs was here, but he didn’t cook desserts, although he loved chocolate chip cookies.

Our neighbor, Mrs. Annette, made us a fresh batch each week. Since everyone was out of town this week we didn’t get any, but I was sure we’d get a nice big box of them on Monday. Palmer was a baker, so kitchen duty worked well between him and Briggs, and then we got left with cleaning up their messes.

Vaughn stormed into the living room, grumpy and still looking skeptical. It was an odd look on him. I felt a smidge evil for finding joy in the situation. He was always so confident and collected. He really didn’t know, and I knew it was killing him. He hated not knowing every little step or detail. Between him and Palmer we were never short on control freaks. Today was one of those rare times where we all knew something that he didn’t. Granted, we weren’t sure if he knew or not and the subject never came up. We were probably going to end up telling him information that we weren't supposed to tell anyone. I didn’t want to be the one to tell him, but I would if I had to.

Has he really never heard the stories? I rubbed my hands together excitedly. It was going to be fun watching him flounder around trying to fit the pieces together. Palmer and I have had several conversations in the past few years, since we all moved in together, about what had brought all of us to one place. Most of us had known each other since we were teenagers, but we didn’t start hanging out until a little over six years ago. Now the puzzle pieces were starting to click. I wondered if Palmer saw it yet. If my math was correct then six years ago Sloane King turned eighteen. Old enough for her to find a mate. All of that information made me think about the Druid we used to be friends with.

“Hey, Briggs? Come in here for a minute.” Or twenty. I hoped he wasn’t cooking anything. “Turn the stove off, it might take more than a minute,” I yelled across the apartment. He growled softly in response and stomped into the room, wiping his hands on a dish towel. At least he’s clean and groomed now. When he came home last night, he looked like a caveman. He nearly made me jump out of my skin when he banged open the door and dropped his bags on the floor.

“Guys, tell Vaughn the story of the King family,” I instructed no one in particular, or whoever wanted to answer. Not me though. I wanted to watch Vaughn’s face. “No, wait.” I held my hand up and closed my eyes, fighting a smile. “Tell Vaughn about the Kings’ daughter. We can save the rest for later. It’s not important right now.” The three of them looked from me to Vaughn and back again, probably wondering if I was joking.

“Ye don’t know?” Palmer asked incredulously. Eyes narrowed, he shook his head a few times and turned to Vaughn for an answer.

“Uhm, no, but I met her last night.” He shrugged his shoulders and looked around. All three of them were staring wide eyed at him, just like I did. “We drank a rather expensive bottle of tequila and I kicked her ass in darts.” He rubbed the back of his neck like he’s a little embarrassed to admit that last part. I would be too. I’m surprised she didn’t kill him. Rumors though, you know?

“And she didn’t kill you?” Briggs piped up, reading my mind. Not really, but close enough. He was awake, not grumbling, and focused completely on Vaughn. I let myself wonder. Maybe they were just rumors and she was actually nice, or maybe she was a crazy bitch. Either way, I knew she was hot as hell. I’d seen her pictures in her father's office.

“Uhm, no.” Vaughn replied, utterly confused by Briggs' reaction. “She was really sweet and funny. Beat my ass at a game of pool though, and drank me under the table. We left the club at 5:30 this morning and I noticed Taylor fucking Caplin is stalking her. He was waiting outside when we walked out.” He spat Taylor’s name with more venom than I’d ever heard come from his mouth. I understood why if he thought she was his mate. I didn’t like Taylor either. I think maybe we should pay him a visit soon. I’d love to scare him senseless, and then compel him to forget so we could do it all over again. For a whole month straight. Just terrify him until he has a heart attack. Death by scare. It’s fucking perfect.

“Wow.” That was all Briggs had left to say as he nodded his head. Dumbfounded. Yeah, that was what I would call him right now.

“Well, I dinnea know where ta begin, exactly,” Palmer chimed in real fucking helpful, but at least he was pulling us back to the task at hand.

“She has four parents,” Stone was the first to give up real information, “And I know a little about her, but I’m not sure if it’s just rumors or not. I’ve never met her.” He shrugged his shoulders with his hands out to the side. He looked like the Demon version of my sister's favorite emoji. “It’s said that her mother was such a powerful mage that she was able to magic herself pregnant from all three of her mates at once. Together they had one child. A daughter. She’s part mage, demon, vampire, and shifter. The best qualities from each with none of the weaknesses. A dangerous mixed breed hybrid. She is the elite predator. There’s no one else like her. Shortly after she was born her mother went missing. Her mates are still searching for her.” Stone looked genuinely saddened by that last statement. He hung his head a little before he took a deep breath to continue.

“You said her name was Sloane?” He asked Vaughn. “She must be about 24. The Devil himself gifted her with three hellhounds when she graduated high school, but I’m sure that’s just another rumor floating around. I've never seen hellhounds when I've visited Hell, only read about them. It’s said that he’s her grandfather, though he could possibly be her demon father. I never worked up the guts to ask Headmaster King when I was sent to the Devil’s Academy, but I apprenticed under him enough to hear him talk about her. I still visit him a few times a year. His name is Samuel King.”

“Whoa, Stone. I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard you talk at once.” I couldn’t help it. He was usually so quiet. I knew all this information but I still had a slack jaw as he spoke. He never talked that much. Even when he had something to say, it wasn’t quite that many words at once. “Guess you won’t speak for the rest of the week,” I teased. He grunted at me and rolled his eyes, but I saw the side of his mouth lift a little like he was fighting a smile. I’d count that as a small victory. He liked my sense of humor. He just didn’t want me to know.

“Her vampire da’s name is Nathaniel King. He rules the Vampire covens,” Palmer started.

“Yeah, with an iron fist.” I huffed out my interruption. We had so many rules to follow. Don’t even get me started. We couldn’t kill them. We couldn’t drink from unwilling participants. We couldn’t let them remember we drank from them. The rules went on and on and on. I followed those big “main” rules, but the smaller ones? No fucking way. I’d just use common sense, thank you very fucking much.

“And he also acts as the regent to the guild leaders in ‘er ma’s absence.” He hedged on like I didn’t interrupt him. “Sloane should’ve taken over when she came of age, but she asked for more time. She’ll take over when she mates with a mage. Or, so Nathaniel says.” Palmer wanted to read the contract between the guild leaders and Nathaniel, but he was told it wasn’t his business. He was a salty mage until that sweet talking vampire told him if she didn’t have a mage mate then he’d turn the guilds over to Palmer. Something about a treaty after that. I fell asleep while Palmer was explaining it to me. That’s how boring it was. I didn’t sleep, but Palmer talked me to boredom so quickly that I was near death.

“Charles King is Supreme Alpha. I've had the honor of meeting him more than a few times before.” Briggs finally spoke. “We have annual meetings with the alpha’s apprentices. There are six of us, from around the world. Should something happen to him before his daughter takes her place, then we’re supposed to basically meet up and either vote a regent alpha in or fight to the death, unless she steps in. In more or less words.” he growled and covered his face with one hand. “Also, I was not supposed to tell you guys that,” he added as an afterthought. Explains the growl I guess.

Vaughn looked a little paler than he did earlier. Pale was his normal skin tone, but he was fading from a shimmery cream to a dingy white. It had a real sickly affect on him. Next he would turn green. I really wanted to make a joke about his changing skin tone. Not the time Novak. I knew what he’d say. He said the same thing every time. “Fae don’t change their skin color, Novak. That’s a myth. I could glamor myself but it doesn’t actually change anything. It’s just an illusion” What was that word Palmer called him again? Something shite. I’d ask him later.

“Fuck.” He breathed out and slumped down in his seat. “Jack wasn’t lying when he said she’d kill Taylor with a spoon if she caught him stalking her.” Ahhh, now I remember. A dry shite. Vaughn was a dry shite. Back to the point.

I arched a brow at him. “Who is Jack?” And why did I feel so jealous? I’m not the jealous type. I’d never even met her. Never mind, I know. From the look on Palmer's face, I could tell he was figuring it out too. I'd give him a minute more.

“He’s... I don’t know. Her bodyguard? Her best friend? Maybe both? Or neither. I don’t know!” He threw his hands up, exasperated with the whole situation. “He saved my ass last night though. Said she sent him because she “saw” Taylor waiting for me at my car. How? She left in the opposite direction of where I parked.” He jumped up to pace. His air quotes were super cute. “I mean, he’s a big ass horse shifter and he kicked Taylor right in the chest. Then he threatened him. Jack said he’d rip his heart through his chest and eat it if he caught Taylor ever speaking her name again. It was honestly panic inducing. I’m kind of glad he likes me. He-”

“We don’t have horse shifters.” Briggs cut in sounding very offended. “Shifters are predators, Vaughn. Wolves, large felines, bears, occasionally a snake... you know? Meat eaters. Not fucking horses.”

“We do,” Stone announced so quietly that I thought I was hearing things, and he looked a little pasty too. I’d never seen Stone any color except that pretty, light caramel color that made him pass as Asian, or the pitch black color of his demon skin. His demon skin was so black that most of the time I couldn’t see him in the dark with my night vision. It was like his demon form sucked up all the light around him. He didn’t change forms very often. He did when he went to Hell though. Sorry, the Underworld, or whatever. Hell is the capital. They could call it Cincinnati and I still wouldn’t give a fuck.

Before Briggs could dispute him, Stone rolled on. Ha. I kill myself with puns sometimes. “We have one, and he is a predator. He’s a massive steed. Darker than even me. He leaves a trail of smoke when he moves and he can travel through shadows. His eyes reflect hellfire. He had a son, but no one has seen either of them in decades. Some people say they’re both dead, some say he ran after plotting to overthrow the Devil, others say he went missing just like Samuel's mate. No one knows.”

Stone was killing me with all the talking today. At this rate, he won’t say another word for two weeks. It didn’t surprise me that the Demon had that kind of information though. He was a quiet, sneaky fucker, and people never knew when he was listening to them. I thought he’d make a great spy. That’s what they do, right? Palmer though, he’d been oddly quiet. I bet he was taking notes in his mind about what was being said, all while planning out the Fae’s burial before the biggest predator in all the realms could kill him. It was kind of funny, kind of not. I think I want to meet her.

“Okay,” Vaughn interjected slowly and nodded his head. “That sounds like Jack. He’s also very... nice.” He shrugged his shoulders. I could tell that he didn’t know what to think. We were blowing his godsdamn mind. He got up yesterday morning to go to work, met his mate, met a mythological demon, had a lunatic try to kill him, and then found out we all knew shit we had been keeping from him. He was going to need a stiff drink and a long nap after all that shit.