Gods & Monsters

NINE

    I have a few glasses of wine and we finally start talking again, about nothing in particular or notable.

    As if the waiter has summoned from thin air, he stands next to our table, a plate of chocolate cake in his hands. I look up at him, only to realize he looks different from the previous one. This one is blonde, where the last one had dark brown hair. His eyes are the lightest color of blue, and his eyes land on me instantly, a smile pulling at his lips.

    There's an fraction of a second before Aden is standing, his fists clenched tightly at his sides and anger twisting in his expression. Before I can ask him what the issue is, the man holding the cake reaches his hand out and Aden flies against the back wall, taking out an expensive-looking sculpture in the process. I stand to my feet, looking between the waiter and Aden who is now pinned to the wall with an unseen force.

    "What the fuck?" I ask, my brain not being able to logically put two and two together. Aden strains against the invisible force, the tendons in his neck flexing beneath his skin and eyes burning brighter than I've ever seen them.   

    "Don't fucking touch her, or you will find your soul residing in Dubnos where I will torture you for all eternity." Aden hisses, spit flying from his mouth. What?

    "I just want to see what the fuss is about, Aden, nothing more." The waiter ,who I'm suspecting isn't a wait at all, turns to me, a smile on his lips. He lowers his hand, but Aden continues to be pressed against the wall, as if someone invisible is pinning him there by his neck. "I couldn't help but overhear your shared sentiment, Lia. Don't you know you're communing with the devil?"
"Lia, get the fuck out of here," Aden says, the man turns toward him and something flexes in his jaw and Aden winces, his teeth clenching as something unseen causes him pain.

"Can you please stop-stop whatever it is you're doing to him!" I can't even specify what, because I have no fucking clue what is happening.

"Lia—"

"Oh, Aden, you can't protect her. You know that." Aden's eyes narrow and the lights above us begin to flicker. I take a step back, looking up and back to Aden who's staring at the man with death in his eyes.

"Mongan, this is your last warning," Aden says, his voice a throaty growl, sounding inhumane. The man now known as Mongan tips up a smile, then he makes a swatting motion with his hand through the air and Aden falls from the wall, as if the invisible force has suddenly disappeared. And with that, Mongan disappears as well, as if he had turned into the oxygen around us. I stare at the spot where Mongan once stood, my brain frantically fighting to connect what I just saw with logic.

This has to be another dream.

This is all just a strange dream.

"We need to leave, now," Aden reaches forward and grabs my arm, and it feels as if I am now walking through a warm mist. The warmth encircles me completely, feeling damp on my skin and sticking like a sweat. I let out a scream as my stomach lurches to my throat and the world around me turns black. In an instant, as if I had just blinked, I find myself standing inside a bedroom. Aden's hand is still on my arm, and I look around in horror. The wooden accents accompanied with the modern furniture lead me to believe I'm standing in some room inside Ciara's house.

"I need to wake up, please," I say in a weak voice, stepping away from Aden. He looks far different than he does in my dreams. The shadows aren't shrouding him, at his every beck and call as if controlled by him. No, he looks like he does in walking life. But this isn't walking life. People can't teleport, they can't hold people against walls using the force like Star Wars.

"I'm sorry, but you're very much awake." Aden steps forward and reaches to touch me, but I step away, my eyes holding him with caution.

"Don't touch me. I want you to explain to me very carefully what the fuck just happened, Aden."

"You just encountered one of the most evil god's that the other world has to offer."

I stare at him with wide eyes, my mouth twitching to speak but no words leaving my lips. I take us both by surprise when I let out a loud laugh, almost sounding manic. The laugh carries on, shaking my whole body in a madness that's all consuming.

"You're fucking crazy," I say between my laughs, tears falling from my eyes. He watches me with a weary stare, not an ounce of humor within. "The first guy I trust to date is a fucking nutcase. This is my life." I step around him and head toward the door that's cracked open and reach for it, only for the door to slam shut with a loud thud. I jump from my skin, staring at the door in horror. I turn on my heel slowly to see Aden standing behind me, his jaw set and eyes blazing.

"I knew there was something off about you. This isn't funny anymore, Aden. It's a great joke, believe me, I don't know how the fuck you're pulling this off but I want you to stop it right now!"

"This isn't a joke, I'm afraid. I am Aden, son of Arawn and Morrigan, God and ruler of Dubnos. Ciara and Kieran are children of Danu, the goddess of nature. The man you just met is Mongan, son of Mannan, and also your brother."