Chapter 11
Welcome Home
That was thrilling… at first, and then it just morphed into an embarrassing nightmare. We were running over the sea. I did, but only for two percent of the journey. Then Adan pulled a stunt that got me fuming.
"Ready?" Adan said, grinning cockily.
I was getting giddy from the worry; we were going to jump off a cliff and into the ocean. "No," I replied, eyeing the waters. I took a step back, undecided about whether I should follow Adan, but I didn't really have a choice; my hand was held tightly by his firm grip.
"Here we go," Adan said. He laughed. I shut my eyes tight, too afraid to look at the drop. There was a strong tug at my arm, and in a second I felt my feet fall over the edge.
I opened my eyes and screamed when I saw myself getting closer to the rocky waters. "Oh my god." My heart was leaping into my mouth. I was going to die. I was sure of it. The turbulent waters were going to crush me—a painful death no doubt.
There was another strong tug from Adan, this time it was harder. My legs were almost frozen but he made me move. I was stunned; my eyes the size of golf balls. We were running. I glanced down and my mouth dropped open. What in the world was going on?
Adan had his gaze fixated on me. He was grinning boyishly, having a lot of fun I presumed.
"We're running on the waters," I said.
"Yep, pretty fun isn't it?"
It was exhilarating. Who knew how fast we were moving. The wind blew across my face; I could feel my hair blow with it. The cool waters splashed around me. I felt so fast, so strong. How I moved like that was a mystery.
I smiled at Adan. "Wow, I never thought that I could run like this. They always laughed at me for being the last in gym."
"This is actually pretty slow."
I lifted my brow. "Really?"
"Yeah, it's too slow, you're like a turtle."
I was probably the fastest turtle in the world. "That's just rude." I scowled at him.
Adan slowed down. "Whatever," he mumbled. I looked behind me; he fell a few hundred feet away. What was he doing?
It happened before I could blink. I didn't have time to object when Adan picked me up in his arms to cradle me like a baby. "There now we can go faster," Adan said. He chuckled. He better not drop me. Letting go would result in my really nasty fall… and a swim with the dolphins. I hugged his neck tightly. It wasn't something I wanted to do but I feared for my life.
"Hold tight," Adan said. I did as told. "We'll be there in a few minutes."
I couldn't believe what was happening. He ran faster, if that was humanly possible. Well it wasn't, Adan was a demon. But still. We were moving at least five times more quickly. I shut my eyes again and tried not to shriek. "Oh god; save me please." This man was going to be the death of me.
"Adan please slow down," I said.
He was beaming. "No way, I'm having too much fun." How conceited could he get? "It's hilarious when you're this scared." I could feel the blood rushing to my face. This man got great kicks out of making me as mad as hell.
"Slow down Adan!"
He looked at me. Was he going to listen? Then he gave me a smirk that said he was up to no good. I held my breath. "Phone call," he said, before throwing me over his shoulder to free one of his hands.
"Yeah?" he said to the person on the call. I was going to have a heart attack. Adan left me hanging and dangling behind his back. I was staring at the foaming waters beneath me, frightened out of my wits. Plus, the position he threw me in was completely humiliating.
"You better put me down this minute!" I yelled, struggling against him and kicking my legs around. Adan didn't care about what I was doing. He continued talking into the phone.
"What do you mean five years?" I heard him say. He kept me firmly locked into position, running just as fast as before. This was worse than a roller coaster ride. And I've always hated roller coasters.
"Well we're here," Adan said, all bubbly and happy. He put me down. I gave him the angriest look I could muster, but all he did was laugh at me. "You look stupid." I wanted to slap him so badly. "Your hair is all over the place, and look at that cute pout."
Cute? My cheeks started to heat up but my embarrassment was instantaneously engulfed by my rage. "You're the worst person ever!" I clenched my fists by my sides and stomped my foot. He just continued laughing. "Adan, you are the meanest prick in the world."
"Oh I'm sorry." He patted my head then walked past me, suppressing his laughter.
I looked around. The place was very cold. I gasped when I realized where I was. Adan had diverted my attention so it took me awhile to notice. This is the freaking desert. I stared at the endless space of sand with disbelief. That man was such a liar. He said that I was going to love it. What was there to love about a desert? There was nothing to do here but get chilled to death by the icy night.
"It's just sand and more sand," I said, following after Adan. "Not even a cactus in sight."
Adan came to a stop. "Be patient."
He bent down toward the ground and swept sand away from a rock. It looked ancient, carved on it were some words in a language that I couldn't read. Adan lifted his palm to his mouth, then bit.
"What are you doing?" I asked, slightly repulsed by the blood that was dripping down his hand. I felt disgusted by myself. I wanted to taste it. Demon blood too? I didn't want to admit that I had those urges.
He let the red liquid drip onto the slab of rock. Some incoherent words came out of his lips. I stood there and watch him intently. It looked like he was carrying out some sort of ritual.
"What's that for?" My voice sounded somewhat shaky. He didn't reply, but took a step closer to me and held my hand. I glanced at him uneasily, making clicking noises with my tongue (it was a bad habit.). My stomach started to churn; the atmosphere felt dark and creepy. Adan smiled. What is he planning now?
He tightened his grip on my hand. "Hold on tight," he said. I gulped. The sand beneath started to sink. Quicksand? But the sand was dry. It was pulling me in. My breath hitched.
I tried to jerk my feet off from the ground which held me prisoner, but its grip was too strong. It formed long tendrils and started to circle around us like mini tornadoes. "Get me out of here!" I panicked and pressed myself against Adan, trying to seek protection, "What the hell is going on?"
He laughed darkly and I stared up at him, my eyes as large as orbs and my mouth pressed into a hard line. "Oh just chill," he said. "This isn't going to hurt at all trust me."
The mini sand tornadoes started spinning faster, and they closed in on us. They were going to crush us. I was caught in the middle of it all, like a sitting duck. "I guess I have no choice," I murmured. I gritted my teeth and waited for the worst to come. They were moving so quickly, spinning... and spinning. My whole body was probably shivering, though I didn't notice it. The only thing I felt was the mind numbing fear.
The tornadoes blended into a blur, because of their high speeds. They were only a few feet away from us now. I'm going to die. Lightning and thunder rumbled around us. I could hear my own heartbeat.
I cursed at how my ground was holding me in position. The spinning sand was only a few inches away from us. I shut my eyes tight, ready to get thrown around and mutilated.
"We're here," Adan said. The whooshing of the spinning wind had stopped. I took in a sharp breath. I really held my breath throughout the whole thing. Warily, I lifted my eyelids, not sure about what to expect. The churning of my stomach was still there. I was speechless. The place was amazing.
It was a city, a medieval city, torn straight out of a story book. The low buildings were made out of stone bricks, and so were the floors. There was a rustic look with the houses—vines and moss growing all over them. I looked to my left and noticed that we were standing next to a fountain in the middle of a plaza; it had angels intricately carved around it. A few horses trotted past us. No cars, motorcycles, or buses. Horses. The area was also rather crowded, which was peculiar since the sun had already set.
I gasped with horror when I realized how the passersby looked like. Some had ears protruded out from their heads. Others had ugly yellow claws drawn from their hands. At the far end of a building I saw a large green ogre that was thrice the size of an average man.
"Desert Grove," Adan said, gesturing to the city proudly. "Also known as my empire; smack straight in the middle of the Gobi Desert." He was smiling.
"Oh, uh, it's great," I said, apprehensively tugging at the ends of my hair. "I love it, thanks."
He seemed slightly taken aback, looking at me with a blank expression. Then, he smirked. "Thanks huh? You're welcome." He ambled forward and I followed him.
"Where are we heading to?"
Adan pointed to a large castle that loomed over the city. "There. Where else would I live?" I rolled my eyes at him. How could anyone be that obnoxious?
As we walked on I tried to keep close to Adan, the monsters looked threatening. But many of them bowed as he strolled by, showing him deep respect. I looked at his back. Is this idiot really that strong? Previously I managed to get a taste of his bite, but the grotesque beasts seemed like they could do much worse.
"Is it always night in here?" I asked.
Adan nodded. "My people are all nocturnal; we got some witch to spell it."
"Oh."
"You know if you promise to marry me you can have all this too. Everyone will be in your command."
It wasn't a very tempting offer. His 'people' looked very intimidating and I wasn't sure if I wanted to command them at all. Or if I could. "I'd rather not," I said. And then we drudged on toward the castle.
My eyes shifted warily around the streets. The store signs had all sorts of things printed on them, nothing that people would sell in the human world. Spells and Spice. Pets for Sale: Beetles, Cats and Ogres. Potions Galore. The one that had me queasy and hungry at the same time was the "Blood Bank". Pretty obvious what was in there.
Adan stopped in front of the large metal gate at the front of the castle. The thing was huge. I gave him a quizzical look, wondering how he would open it. He shrugged then lifted his arm to face his palm at the entrance. "Ready?" he said. I shook my head. He didn't care. I noticed that the monsters made a large clearing behind us. Why?
The almighty demon clenched his fist. There was the sound of crushing metal. Then suddenly the whole gate flew off its hinges. Adan flicked his hand to his back and the door was thrown behind us. My jaw dropped. I stared at the scrap metal that Adan just made, not believing what I saw.
"What just happened?" I said.
Adan brushed his hands against each other and sighed. "The architect asked me to pry it open slowly. Too impatient. Damn it— destroyed another good gate." He moved toward the castle. I stood still.
He turned to me and crossed his arms. "What are you waiting for?" Adan tilted his head. Then, he winked. "Don't worry; I'll get them to fix it right back up. Should be done by tonight."
That was him; Adan—the annoying selfish brat that got too much power for his own good. Full of surprises. I brushed my hands through my hair and walked after him. I guess I should try and get used to his demeanor if he were my mate. Wait what? Did I just accept him as my mate? I mentally pinched myself. No, I hate him.
The interior of the castle was dimly lit, giving it a dull look. Though, since it was a medieval-looking castle with grey brick walls, there was also a spooky atmosphere that I tried to shake off. The place was gigantic. I assumed that what we walked into was the hall. It was the size of a football field. Plus, it was well furnished with chairs, a table, carpets, curtains and the like.
"How did you get this place built?" I said.
Adan gave me a face that asked whether I was serious. "Some beings here are architects.
And once we got the plans down it wasn't hard to build the whole place. I mean, we warlocks that can spell bricks to stack themselves on top of each other. It didn't take more than a few months."
I raised my brows. This whole majestic place took less than a few months to build? Unbelievable.
He looked very smug. "I know, amazing right?"
I was about to make a snide remark when a woman walked over. "Shape-shifter," Adan whispered. She was a tall Asian that looked very motherly. I didn't know why, but it was hard to put my finger on it. Perhaps it was her warm smile, or the way her hair was tied up in a very neat ponytail. She seemed to be in her late thirties, though still a stunner. She wore red court shoes with heels at least six inches long, and a body-hugging black dress that went very well with her curves.
"My Lord, welcome home," the shape-shifter said. Her voice was smooth and comforting.
Adan smiled back at her. "Anything happened while I was gone?"
"Um…" she frowned. "This may displease you sir, but Lord Hearth has come for a visit."
He too frowned at her words. Hearth… The name sounded familiar. "Why did you let him in?"
Her face looked grim. "I didn't have a choice."
Adan sighed. "Where is he?"
"I gave him a room sir. He's waiting in the last room to the left on the second floor."
"Okay. At least you're still alive," he said. "Come on Eve, we have to meet Mr. Hearth." Indeed, Shape-shifter was right. Adan did sound displeased. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I didn't fight it off. It was futile.
He walked me to the second floor like that, hugging me by his side. It was awkward, so I flushed. The stairwell spiraled up, with paintings lining its stony walls. I recognized some of them as being portraits of Adan and Hollie. They looked faded and old.
The name "Hearth" kept ringing in my mind. I've heard it somewhere before, maybe it was related to this Lord Hearth the shape-shifter was talking about. I was about to find out. There was an uneasy feeling in my chest. For some reason I didn't want to know who this person was.
We walked along the dark corridor, the smaller space making it even spookier. When we reached the last door I gulped. Lord Hearth was on the other side. Instinctively I held onto Adan's shirt, hoping that he would bring protection. He should have been the last person I looked to for help. Best option right now, I thought.
I took in a deep breath when the door swung open. The room was dark, like the rest of the castle. Inside were four monsters waiting for us: a blonde woman dressed in black, two muscled men that had brown hair, and a man wearing jeans that had his back facing against us. It was a strangely familiar back.
"Well Jason, nice of you to come and visit," Adan said.
The man turned around slowly. It was him; with his beautiful black hair and silvery eyes. His gaze shot straight at me. I thought that I was going to faint.