Lovers of Myth

"Stay with me."

When his voice caught hold of her ears she felt like she had found something she had been missing for the whole of her life. The timbre of it calmed her heart, jumbled her mind, and made her lips turn up in a light smile. It felt like she was truly whole, and if that didn’t scare her she had no idea what would.

When his arms slipped away she looked into the eyes of what most would call a monster. When her shadowy gaze met his crimson eyes she couldn’t help but lean in close.

“My God.”

Her whisper was consumed by the heat of their kiss. This wasn’t going to be pretty if anyone found out, but what could she do? She was compelled to touch him as if fate was forcing her whims by choice or not.

In his arms, she knew him, them. Their love had been a great, chaotic one. Would she lose herself within him once more? Would she remember this moment come morning?

On the morning of day thirty a slightly confused but glowing scientist was met with the scowl of a higher-up in a suit that seemed to suck the happiness out of everyone he passed. Ivory ignored his growl of a warning to the guards, knowing full well they wouldn’t be ‘putting down' her beast.

“Good morning, Mr. Kelson.”

He waved off her happy tone, clearly not in the mood for small talk. To be honest she was on edge but hiding it well. She remembered fleeting moments from her journey into the shadows the night before. Now she held more questions than answers. How did she know this beast? She tried to do some research on the name she had spoken, but surprisingly there wasn't a lot of information in the books here.

That meant no one had known, before her, his identity. It also meant she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If she asked for more books and research on his name they would know who she was speaking of. At least they would know it was one of the two gods she had a case on. She must tread carefully here.

Trying to keep her head in the moment she looked over to her boss, his disgruntled behavior prickly. She wondered what happened to make him so grumpy. Would hearing her god speak please him? What would it mean for them all?

With a flick of her wrist the prison door was opened, but before she could enter her companion pushed past to lead the way. Still, she smiled, refusing to bite the bait. He wanted a reaction from her, to drag her into his pity party. Misery and her company. She rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. Today, he would hear the voice of an angel and perhaps that would raise his mood some.

“Well, you know what we want.”

Mr. Kelson was standing between her and the room, making her unsure if he was even aware of his surroundings. What was going on in that head of his?

“Mr. Kelson, if you’ll allow me through?”

With a huff, the man moved to the side. She was just about ready to hit him over the head with her clipboard, but taking a deep breath seemed to be the better option. Bludgeoning her boss may not help her cause much. Besides, this was a simple task now. Dhuosnos would speak because he owed her this much. He wouldn't tell her why, but he seemed sad when he promised to make her life a bit easier the night before.

“Hurry up Ivory, I haven’t got all day.”

The use of her first name threw her off a bit, but the scowl she sent him only seemed to amuse the man. Turning her back on him she moved forward to speak with the god standing off to the side, leaning against a wall as if he didn’t have a care in the world. She recognized his far-off look, but he quickly focused on her when she came into view. Those bright eyes held regrets she couldn't understand just yet.

“Will you speak for us?”

His blue skin looked darker somehow, teeth sharp and white as fresh snow as he parted his soft lips to break his silence. Yes, she had discovered that not all of him was as hard as armor. When they kissed he was a being of endless passion, his need mirroring her own. He had placed rough hands on her hips as they connected and all of her had heated up like a furnace.

In that moment her cheeks were dusted pink with blush, heart fluttering in her chest. She felt the strongest urge to go to him, in front of her boss, and kiss him until they both passed out. She wanted nothing more than to be near him. Not being able to was killing her. However, a sinister part of her hated the very sight of him. The cold chill of it was eating away at her warm thoughts.

“Well?”

Mr. Kelson was growing impatient, but his unneeded comment ticked her off nonetheless. Her back remained the negative man’s only upside to this whole ordeal. He was tired from meetings the day before and if he disliked one thing most, it was failure. If this woman couldn’t get one damn word to come out of this behemoth’s mouth then she was just as worthless as the demon she was training.

He flinched a bit at his own demeaning thoughts. It wasn't her fault they fumbled the other god's case and shot him. Hell, she was trying to clean up that mess for him too. Even though he didn't speak the negative comment he was already scolding himself for it. He knew he should be more grateful for her tenacity.

In a floor-length white dress cinched at the waist by a tan belt, she looked like a fine wine ready to taste. He was surprised when she showed up here, but it made sense when she spoke of her concerns on the job. She was tricked into this messy hellhole and now there was no choice but to work. She deserved better.

He wanted nothing more than to conclude this whole catastrophe of wasted money, but he wasn’t without mercy. He truly didn’t want to end the creature's life, not that they technically could anyway. Worst-case scenario the thing would end up in a cell in the underground rooms. It was all just a part of the job. Tools without a use could not be kept, at least not where every one of the investors could see their money being wasted.

“I’m over here.”

The deep voice that knocked him into the embrace of surprise had his eyes widening. Well, he could rule Ivory out for that one. His mind had been wandering so of course he hadn’t been watching the damned thing. Honestly? His eyes may have been glued to the woman’s ass. Damn, he was going crazy. What if she had seen? Lord, that was all he needed to get a lecture on.

He looked up to meet the thing’s eyes, a shiver running down his spine as his jaw hung agape. Had the monster gotten bigger? Why did he suddenly feel like he was its next target?

“Ivory.”

She was smiling when she turned to face her boss, knowing full well that he would be surprised. What she didn’t expect? He was halfway out of the room as if he might need to run at any second. Her smile fell and suddenly she grew worried. What was wrong with him?

“Are you ok?”

When she got to his side he grabbed her by the arm, pulling her into the hall and slamming the door behind them. She stumbled backward when he moved in close as if he needed to whisper his next words. His hands landed on the wall at either side of her head, his eyes full of fear as if he had just witnessed his own murder.

“What the hell just happened?”

She frowned, clearly unsure what he meant. Had he not heard Dhuosnos speak? Surely he did, but what scared him like this? It couldn't have been her godly beast. He had done nothing more than speak a few words.

Mr. Kelson took a deep breath, realizing he looked a bit insane so close to her face and sweating like a pig. Not to mention the guards were looking him up and down as if they might have to intervene to protect Ivory. Clearing his throat he stood up straight, running a hand through thick auburn hair.

“Right, he passed the test. Now make sure he understands what he’s saying.”

She nodded, moving to follow him down the hall only to have him throw a hand up to stop her. Clearly, he didn’t have much else to say.

“Just call me if you need anything. Oh, and visit your other subject soon okay? Thanks.”

That was it. Just like that, they were safe. He was safe. She couldn’t contain her smile, rushing back to the room to give him the good news. When she got to the door and the guards moved to follow her in she stopped and realized what she was doing. She had to control herself until they could have a moment alone.

She didn’t know what was happening to her, but she was attracted to the very creature everyone seemed to fear. Maybe it was a death wish, but she didn’t see anything evil in his eyes. He was a living being, just like the rest of them.

Her mind was already rewiring itself. What would seem unnatural to some had her cheeks warming with blush. In the rational parts of her brain, she knew something was wrong and she needed to figure out what was going on. Those parts were shrinking, quickly.

She daydreamed of him constantly, but what started as bright and warm was now a mix of chaos. One moment he was smiling and the next there was a darkness that was eating away at everything. She would close her eyes to the image of him reaching out to her, welcoming her home. Then she would turn around to that frozen sadness within his eyes that was drowning her heart in fear.

What if she looked too far into this and it wasn't good? She knew something was inside her, begging to be free. From a young age she had dreamt of other worlds so vividly real she couldn't paint them perfect enough to replicate them. No human attraction could ever compare. What her father had brushed off as her imagination she now knew was more.

After working in this place, and meeting the beings here, she was questioning everything. What if she was meant to be here? What if there was a plan for her life? A path already paved for her future.

She found herself walking down the hall toward her office, her mind on another plane of existence already. In another life, another place, she had been loved. She had been happy. So why did she feel so cold and empty now? She could read every book in this place, but her answers would never jump from a page.

No, deep in her mind there were leaks, cracks in her defenses that were simply waiting for the right time. Soon, she would either drown or swim. Or perhaps, she would become the water. The chaos.