Stalked by the Gods, Blessed by the Moon

Ch.3 - The Man in the Shadows

AYLA’S POV

The dark figure seemed to materialize out of nowhere, a hand going to Brent’s shoulder and jerking him back towards him. Brent spun around, raising his fists, ready to fight off the figure. But after a quick up and down, sizing the strange man, he knew he wouldn’t be able to take him and instead held up his hands in defeat. “Hey, man. You can have her. She’s nothing but a c**k tease anyways.”

Before Brent could move towards the door, the man’s fist collided with Brent’s face, knocking Brent down on the ground cold. He didn’t move. My hand flung to my mouth. “Oh, my God! Did you kill him?”

The man laughed, his laughter echoing through my body as he stepped forward, the light illuminating him entirely so I could make out who had just saved me. He was tall. He was taller than anyone I’d ever met, and his shoulders were even wider than Jake’s, but instead of being lean, he was all muscle. Thick neck, thick torso, and thick thighs. He was a beast.

His eyes were the blackest I’d ever seen. It was as if he had no iris, just a pupil. Jet black. His hair was also dark, cut short on the sides, longer on the top, and pushed back. His jawline, as did his sharp nose, looked like it had been etched from stone. His eyebrows were thick, above his dark eyes lined with thick lashes. The man was…beautiful. I giggled.

One of those thick eyebrows angled at me. “Are you okay?”

I laughed harder, looking down at Brent. “He said I was a cockatiel.”

“A…”

I was laughing hysterically now. “I’m sorry, I’m drunk. And drugged, I think.”

He looked me up and down. “You do seem…out of sorts. Come. I’ll take you home.”

Before I could say anything, he grabbed my arm and started dragging me towards the door. I ground my feet against the floor, forcing him to stop. But he was so powerful that I stumbled forward, almost faceplanting on the ground. “Hold on a second. Who are you?”

“Aaron.”

“Okay, Aaron. How do I know you aren’t going to kidnap me?”

He motioned towards Brent’s limp body. “Would I have knocked out someone hurting you just to hurt you myself?”

I shrugged. “Maybe. Took someone else’s prey to become your own.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m trying to help you.”

I jerked my arm, pulling away from him. Being caught off guard would be the only reason I was successful; I knew he could overpower me easily, and if he had wanted to keep a hold of my arm, he would have. “I’m not going anywhere with a stranger. I’ll order a rideshare. Thank you for what you did…there. But I can take it from here.”

For being drugged, I felt pretty confident in my ability to take care of myself. I wondered if all the logical things I was saying were coming out as I thought I was saying them. Or was it wobbly, slurred? I had no idea. But the look on Aaron’s face told me that he didn’t believe what I was saying. So maybe I’m misremembering how well-spoken I was in my drunken, drugged state.

Aaron looked at the door as if he was considering leaving me there. After a moment, he sighed and looked back at me. “Come here.”

“I’m not…”

He grabbed me again, pulling me into his arms and up close against him. He was even more intimidating this close and smelled like smoke and heat – not just fire but the aftermath—the destruction. I looked up at him; his eyes seemed to flicker red before everything went black.

*****

AARON’S POV

Why did I get involved? What was I thinking? I was there to observe, to ensure that it didn’t happen, that it had been broken. But no, instead, I found myself watching her all night, feeling tinges of anger as she shamelessly flirted with those mortals despite not being interested in them. I’d seen what it’s like when a woman flirts with intention, and that’s not what Ayla was doing. No, she was masking something.

I had sat in the corner of the bar all night, nursing a warm beer for appearances, watching her and the three men. Men, if that’s what you could call them. They appeared to be nothing more than worms after I realized they’d done something to her drink, that even they’d gotten past me.

I realized something was wrong when the three beers she had made her stumble back to the bathroom. When I saw one of the men following close behind, I decided I needed to step in. I might be a coldhearted bastard, but I wasn’t going to let the poor girl get assaulted because she flirted with someone.

Knocking out the man who had put his hands on Ayla had been nothing compared to what I wanted to do to him. But, I wasn’t here as…myself. I was here as a mortal. I was here to observe. You’d think that Ayla would trust me immediately after being valiantly saved. But no. Instead, in a slurred speech of bravery, she insisted she could handle herself.

So, once again, I had to take matters into my own hands. Wrapping her in my arms, which felt…I couldn’t brood on what it felt like. No, I took her away. I took her home. I transported her. I made sure to induce a state of comatose when I did so to ensure she wouldn’t remember what had happened.

I already knew where she lived. I knew everything about her. I knew how she liked her pancakes, the color of her bedroom, and that she put on her left shoe first. Not because I meant to stalk her but because I had to keep an eye on her. Finally, she was turning 21, and I would be free—free to no longer stand guard over her.

I needed the clock to strike midnight, and my duty would end.

I laid her down on her bed, her eyes fluttering open as I did so. “Where are we?” she whispered.

“Home.”

“How did…”

I pressed a finger to her lips. “Shhhh. Go to sleep.”

I looked at the alarm next to her bed. It was 11:32pm—almost time. Suddenly, arms wrapped around my neck, and its shock threw me off balance. Lips crashed into mine. It felt like so many years of pent-up fury released, and I found myself kissing back, moving my lips against hers. But then, just as quickly, I pulled away, grabbing her hands to pull them from around my neck. “Ayla.”

She looked up at me, whimpering. “It’s my birthday.”

“I know.”

She looked at me, confused. “Who are you?”

My eyes darted between hers. “Nothing but a dream.”

I blew a soft breath on her, and she fell asleep again. I stood up, straightening the black button-up I’d worn tonight. I would have fallen victim to her kiss if I were a weak mortal. But no, I would not have her in that state. Not when she was drunk and drugged. And I’d scorch the Earth of anyone who thought they could.

A thought that I could come back later, possibly woo her, crossed my mind. Ever so briefly, as my eyes ran up and down her body. She was beautiful, that much was certain. And I wouldn’t have minded…stop, I thought. There is nothing about her that I should be admiring. She was nothing to me.

I walked over to the other side of the bed, and without taking my shoes off, I lay down, crossing my arms under my head. I focused on the alarm next to the bed, watching the time. There were only a few more minutes now.

Time seemed to move so slowly, but finally, when midnight hit, I sucked in a deep breath and twisted my body to assess Ayla fully. She was sleeping peacefully, and there seemed to be nothing abnormal about her. So it was ended. She was fine, and her mother was the last of the cursed.

I smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. As long as I’d watched her, I was almost sad to go. But I wasn’t weak, I wasn’t mortal. I wouldn’t let a woman consume me again and, least of all, this mortal woman.