Page 108 of Gray
I liked that his mood had improved. The heaviness of what he needed to do had threatened to crush him last night. I had tried to kiss away those troublesome thoughts. Not a permanent fix by any means. I’d only wanted to make him forget for a while.
My phone vibrated on the table, and I grabbed it. As I clicked to read the text, Gray leaned against my arm and read along with me.
Scar:You still alive and kicking, Hawk?
Me:Yeah. How are you holding up?
Scar:Well, out of all the shit I’ve seen in my life, I gotta say I never expected zombies to be one of them. So that was fun. And by fun, I mean absolutely terrifying. One of the bastards bit me, so I’m just waiting for the end. How long do you think I have before I start craving brains?
Gray grabbed the phone and hit Dial. A second later, he said, “Hey, it’s Gray. You don’t gotta worry about the zombie bite. They’re not like the ones in movies that are infectious. I mean, clean the wound and stuff. A moldy corpse bit you, so it can definitely get infected. But you won’t turn into one of them. It’s not like a virus. They’re just dead people.”
“Thank god for that,” I heard Scarlett answer. “I’m glad Hawk has such a smart boyfriend.”
“Smart and cute too,” Gray said.
Boyfriend. The word felt too insignificant for us. We had never actually put a label on what we were. One day, the hot hookups had just turned into something more. Our souls had accepted each other, and that had been the end of it. No turning back.
After lunch, Alastair told us to meet him outside. Meetings normally happened in his study, but there were too many of us. Good thing the weather was nice. Overcast but with a warm breeze. Summer was right around the corner.
Gray hopped on my back, linking his arms around my neck and hugging my sides with his legs. He would need a nap soon. He always got sleepy after eating a big meal. I carried him across the grass toward the others.
The muscle in my jaw twitched when I noticed someone else had joined the group. The vampire’s purple eyes shifted to me.
“What’s he doing here?” I asked, stopping in the grass. My anger toward his kind had eased a bit, especially after learning not all of them behaved like monsters. But some distrust still remained. Maybe it always would.
“Don’t be mad,” Gray mumbled against my neck. “Konnar’s here ’cause he’s our ally.”
“He’s allowed past the barrier?”
“Mhm. He’s been a good friend over the years. That’s why Al got so mad at you that one time. He’s an arrogant butthead, but he’s loyal and protective over those he cares about. That includes Konnar.”
Another thought struck me. “It’s daytime. How is he outside? Shouldn’t he be dust by now?”
Konnar’s gaze hardened. “For someone who’s hunted my kind for two years, you know very little about us. Lower-level vampires can’t go out during the day, even if it’s cloudy, but that doesn’t apply to the ancient ones like myself. Direct sunlight is uncomfortable but won’t kill us right away. Overcast skies like today do no harm.”
“Who cares?” Galen growled. “We don’t have time to stand around talking about stupid shit. Belphegor is out there right now collecting souls.”
“Can he really be successful?” Konnar asked, obviously having become used to Galen’s grumpiness over the years. “Will the souls let him break into the celestial realm?”
“Lazarus believes it to be true. That’s all I need to believe the same.” Alastair looked at Castor and Daman. “I need you two to track Belphegor.”
“Just like old times, eh?” Castor rubbed his hands together. “My skills are probably a bit rusty, but it shouldn’t be too hard.”
Daman’s emerald-green eyes moved to Gray. “What happens when we find him? Will you really be able to kill him this time?”
“I have to.” Gray emitted a small sound. He then hopped off my back and stepped forward. “Even if it breaks my heart in the process, I gotta try.”
“I don’t like this, Smalls.” Raiden shook his head. “Let us take your old man out. Okay? You don’t have to do it.”
“It has to be me.” Gray grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “None of you can sneak up on him like I can.”
“I could,” Daman muttered.
Warrin rested a hand on the small of Daman’s back, which seemed to smooth Envy’s bitter edge, and looked at Alastair. “Why haven’t you gone after him before?”
“We have,” Alastair answered. “Daman and Castor have tracked Belphegor down several times over the centuries, but any attempts to get close enough to kill him have been futile. He always evades us.”
“Because you wouldn’t allow Gray to help,” I accused him, remembering what Gray said about his brothers thinking he was useless. They couldn’t shelter him forever. “He’s not a child. He can make his own decisions.”
