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I moved to the freezer and put the Coconut and Mango back in. I was going to go directly back into the forest with the other tub and see if I could solve this one tonight. Then at least I'd have the day to think about the next part of the geas.
"I'll leave you to it," I said, "going to finish this one off in my cabin." I hefted the Berry Ripple and gave her a nod.
"Are you avoiding me?" she asked.
I spun back to face her, brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"
She indicated to the expansive kitchen. "It's not like there isn't enough space for both of us. Are you avoiding me, or is there somewhere else you need to be?" She raised an eyebrow at that, and I couldn't help the flush of red that blazed across my cheeks. "Oh, you dirty dog, you're taking that ice cream to a booty call! Don't worry, I won't tell HR about this. It's not anyone on our team, is it?" She leaned forward, a wicked gleam in her eyes.
"No, definitely no one on our team," I replied with a quick grin. Then I tapped on the top of the tub and gestured to the door. "Better get this to her before it melts."
"Get it, boy!" she called out, the cackle of her laughter ringing after me.
Selene
"He is full of trouble,"my mother said. She'd dropped her harpy queen stance, though she still wouldn't deign to come inside the hollow with me. I was sitting up easier now, the pain so much less than it had been originally.
"You're the one who bound him to me with the geas, mother," I bit out. Not that I was complaining. I mean, I enjoyed the attention that he was giving me, how he looked at me. Like I was made of magic, something from out of this world; out of his world, at least. That he could very well die hadn't escaped me, but I didn't want to dwell on that right now. I could do nothing to change his fate, even though I wanted to.
The moon was lowering in the sky, rain clouds coming in. I glanced up at my mother with a mixture of defiance and sadness. "Do you think he'll be able to break the geas?"
My mother's wings twitched, her eyes flickering from side to side like she wanted to say something but was holding back. Then finally, with a resigned sigh, she answered my question.
"He may find a way," she said softly. "But there is no guarantee. Do not get your hopes too high, though perhaps it is me who should be hopeful. After all, he is your first chance at having your own clutch, and if he breaks the geas…" She left her thoughts hanging there, though I knew what she implied. The magic between us would continue to draw us closer; she'd made sure of it.
With that, she flew off into the night sky, leaving me to stew in my hollow.
Footsteps sounded in the darkness, sending a strange mix of fear and fascination flooding through my body. Was it Brody, or one of the other monsters that dwelled on these lands?
I heard a soft rustle as it moved through the underbrush, followed by a light thudding noise as feet hit the ground with careful steps. A chill ran down my spine at the swirl of night air. My heart raced and despite my fear of the unknown, I felt alive with excitement.
A figure stepped out from between the trees, but it wasn't Brody.
"Nico," I said, my stomach sinking at the sight of him. The huge dark gargoyle owned this place, and if he was here, now, it meant that somehow, he had caught wind of the geas mother had bound Brody with.
"Where is she?" he asked, his voice like gravel in the darkness. He could have snuck up on me easily, so the fact he'd made his approach obvious should have set me at ease. It didn't.
"I'm not sure. She flew away when the rain began to fall."
"Not like her to be wary of getting a little damp," he said, his tone droll. He looked up, out into the trees, but even though his night vision was immaculate, he wouldn't find her.
I shrugged, knowing he could see me clearly even in the hollow's darkness.
"I know what she's up to," he growled, his eyes narrowing. "No human must die by the hand of a monster on this land. See that she keeps her word. If the peace is broken, there will be consequences." With that, he took off into the night, and I released a long sigh of relief as his presence faded away.
A deep sense of unease replaced the peace of the night. I had only a notion of what my mother was up to; knew that she wanted our line to continue, that a human male was the only possibility for that. Knew also that she missed the taste of human flesh, the thrill of the kill. Whether or not Brody completed the tasks of the geas, mother had marked him, and right now he was caught in her game, hunter and prey.
And I felt helpless to do anything about it. I was just another pawn in whatever game she was playing; one she would no doubt end up winning.
But I prayed not. Brody had done nothing wrong. He deserved better than the fate she would give him. As I watched the moon dip below the horizon and felt the chill of night settle in around me, I knew one thing for certain—I couldn't let him die because of this geas. No matter what happened, I would save him from whatever fate my mother had in store.
There was the snap of a twig and my head shot up as I peered into the darkness, my eyes adjusting. I could pick out another figure moving toward me, and this time I could tell it was Brody. The shape of him was just right, the smell of him too. Something that I couldn't describe; something that wasn't part of my world.
But why had he returned already?
It took too long for him to get to my hollow and duck inside, dropping to his knees beside me. Part of me wanted to reach for him and draw him close, to touch his hair, his skin, but I knew that keeping my distance was best for now.
"Brody," I said.
