Olympian Elemental Trials Series

Chapter 7: Sanctuary, My Ass

Paige

"Inside...Now!" Motorcycle guy yelled at me. Dozens of those weird-winged creatures shot toward us. My breaths stuck in my chest and I froze, unable to move.

I didn't see how in the world a mere building...a bar at that...could possibly help against these monsters. Then again, this guy had made the earth rise up under his feet into a column where he'd launched himself at the monster.

The snap of its neck breaking sent a shiver of revulsion through me. But I dashed toward the entrance anyway. Maybe he knew the owner and the place had a shotgun. Or a hidden machine-gun that could take out multiple crazy-ass creatures quickly.

My legs and arms shook from too much adrenaline and from holding on to the dude while we had sped down the street to avoid one of these monsters. Now there were more of them. My blood whooshed in my ears as I struggled to reach the bar before one of the creatures snagged me. My breaths lodged in my chest as panic soared.

When I crossed the threshold, a pop sounded in my ears. I kept running until I got to the bar and pounded on the wood like a crazy woman. And hell, maybe I was since I had seen some freaky s**t.

"Hello, help, I need help," I continued slapping the bar to get the bartender's attention.

He turned to me with a bored look. "What can I get you?"

"Call the police or army-there's monsters outside-do you have any guns?" My words raced.

The handful of people at the bar swiveled in their seats and stared at me like I'd said the sky was falling. Did they not see or hear the commotion outside? Or the explosion when the bike hit the car moments ago? What the hell was wrong with these people?

I spun around, searching for a phone to call the authorities myself or a weapon for when those monsters broke into here but came up with nothing but the bottles of alcohol lining the back of the bar.

A crash boomed outside and my heartbeat throbbed faster in my ears. What was that? Was the guy okay or had the creatures killed him? My hand flew to my throat as I slowly walked to the window to peek outside.

Before I reached the pane, the motorcycle dude tore in through the door. Blood coated his face and arms. His leather jacket was gone. The leopard shirt held long gashes along the front and back of it.

"You're hurt...I'll call an ambulance," my words tumbled out while my heart swelled into my throat.

Spotting me, he grabbed my arm and hauled me deeper inside the bar. "I'm fine. Where do you think you're going? I told you to wait here."

I jerked my arm free of his hold. "What the f**k is going on? Who are you? What are those things?" I crossed my arms. "Is this something that happens all the time cause everyone in here seems immune to everything going on out there."

"Immune." He smirked. "That's a good word for it."

"Well, what would you call it?" I gritted my teeth. Outside, the monsters shrieked and screamed so loud the bar's jukebox couldn't drown out the sound. "Or wait, is this some tourist thing? Like scare the American girl and she'll be so grateful she'll fall into your arms?"

"Not that I would object to that," he eyed me up and down but instead of feeling dirty or insult, arousal quickened my blood. "But now's not the time."

He left me standing there and slid up to the bar. "I'm going to need something stronger than wine tonight. Give me a whiskey, please."

The bartender nodded, pouring his drink. "What will you have, miss?"

"Me?" I squeaked out. "How can you drink at a time like this? Demon-things are outside. What if they break through the door?" Why hadn't they done so already?

"You're safe as long as you're here." He swallowed his drink in one gulp, pushing it toward the bartender for another. "Go outside and they'll rip you to shreds. I did my good deed for the day, I saved your ass. But if you race out into danger again so soon then you're on your own."

"What are you, my guardian angel or something?" My insides were shaking and I couldn't catch my breath. "You were on the plane too. I don't believe in coincidences." Not any more. Not after everything I'd seen.

"You don't want me as your protector, trust me."

"T-Thank you for rescuing me," I said. "Sorry, in all the chaos I forgot to say that."

He arched an eyebrow but saluted me with his shot glass.

"Shouldn't we call like the military or someone to fight these things?" I paced back and forth, rubbing my arms from a chill that I couldn't get rid of. "What if they hurt someone? And what are they?"

Instead of answering, he clasped my wrist, turning it palm up then setting a glass of dark liquor in my grasp. "Drink."

"Sorry, I'm only nineteen."

"And the drinking age in Greece is eighteen, so you're good." His fingers were warm as he lightly pushed against the back of my hand to move the glass up to my lips.

I frowned staring down into the liquid. "Are you trying to get me drunk so you can have your way with me or something. Cause I'm telling you right now that won't happen."

He laughed, the sound pleasant and rumbling in his chest, "With what you've been through tonight, that little bit won't do that much. It's not even a full shot and even a lightweight virgin goddess would be able to have at least two of those without a problem. It's just to calm your nerves, nothing more."

But he kept his hand underneath mine steady and I realized it was because I was shaking. "Okay, fine. But if I end up drunk I'm kicking your ass."

I tilted the glass back letting the liquid slide down my throat. Then I hacked and coughed as a burning sensation hit me.

"Easy, easy. I wanted you to sip it until you got used to the taste." But there was a bit of admiration in his dark eyes.

"What now?" I handed back the glass shuddering at the onslaught of the flying demon things screeching outside. "We call the cops or priest or Calvary, right? In the meantime shouldn't we get weapons to defend ourselves?"

He set my empty glass on the bar and rubbed a hand over his face like he debated telling me something. The other people sitting around the bar appeared oblivious to the danger or our conversation.

"The Empousas can't enter this place," his tone was matter-of-fact like he was talking about horseflies or something.

"How can such a creature exist?" I can't believe I was even considering that this guy and me weren't going insane.

"Hecate created them as her minions so to speak."

"Right." I glanced around again hoping to spot a weapon of some kind to use against the monster. How hard would it be to get a gun license here in Greece? Did they even know these monsters patrolled their streets at night? Or was I the lucky one to witness this?

"Don't worry, you're safe here. The Empousa cannot cross the threshold."

"Why not?" I'd seen him fight the creature. It wasn't powerless. A door, windows, and a little wood and brick weren't going to keep them out long. My breaths sped up, panic stabbing my chest.

"Have you heard of holy ground?" he asked watching my expression.

"Sure. Blessed graveyards, churches have them." A fav in werewolf and vampire horror movies sometimes. "But what does that have to do with anything? Are you saying those monsters are supernatural?" That made sense but didn't ease my growing terror.

"This bar is on hallowed ground."

I glanced around again not sure what I was expecting. Like a halo or perhaps an angel statue hidden in the corner or something. There was that popping sensation in my ears when we crossed the threshold but I'd been inside churches before and visited graveyards and never had that happen.

His smile showed the dimple in his cheek and sent my heart speeding up but in a good way. Now was not the time to focus on a guy no matter how hot he was. He leaned against the bar. "This was the spot of a temple of one of the ancient gods."

"Now you're pulling my leg." I crossed my arms trying to staunch the urge to race out of the bar. Here, I felt trapped. Helpless. The need to run and escape pulsing through my veins. Now I understood all those horror movies where the girl flees. And this guy said we were safe because this was the site of an ancient shrine? Was he just trying to make me not freak out? "No way, the Greek government wouldn't have allowed anyone to build over such history."

"Oh, the temple was destroyed long ago and forgotten. Only rubble and ash remained and without human history to show it had ever been here..." He shrugged. "this place was built on top."

"Human history?" He had a funny way of talking that made me intrigued as to why. "Then how do you know about it?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He nodded to the bartender for another drink.

If he offered it to me, I was going to have to pass. My head was already starting to swim. I sat down heavily on the stool beside him. "What are those, Empousas? Why are they after me and why are there dozens of them waiting outside?"

He swallowed down his drink before answering. "I can only answer one of your questions. Empousas are Hecate's messengers so to speak. They do her bidding."

"Wait...the Greek goddess Hecate?" I straightened my spine. Maybe my rescuer was insane or already drunk and I just hadn't realized it until now. But I wasn't going to go back outside alone with those things waiting so I'd play along for a bit.

"The same." He looked me up and down again as though trying to figure something out. "But what I don't know is why. What could Hecate want with a slender human like you-and a foreigner at that."

I squirmed on the bar stool. "You seem to be the ancient Greek expert; don't you have any ideas?"

Not that I was buying into what he was saying but I figured come sunrise those blasted demons would be gone or whatever hallucinations I'd been having probably from the sleeping pills Emily had given me would wear off by then.

"What's your name?" he asked so suddenly that I stammered.

"P-Paige. Why?" Was all this a stunt to lure unsuspecting tourists into his arms? If so, part of me was flattered he had gone through so much trouble. But the expression on his face wasn't one of triumph, it was closer to apprehension.

"Last name?"

"Johnson." Not that he could locate me with that information if he did turn out to be a psychopath since my last name was way too common.

"That couldn't be it then. Your surname's not even Greek at all." He shook his head, his facial features relaxing some. "You can't be who Hera said you are."

"Look, I don't understand what my last name or being Greek has to do with this at all." Never mind that my grandmother's maiden name was Floros cause I hated to know his reaction to the news. "If those things are real outside, what can hurt them?"

"Magic. Sunlight. Apollo's spear."

"Well since I don't have any of those at the moment." I rubbed my hands down my thighs, "anything else? Holy water? Are they like vampires and can be killed with a stake through the heart?"

He gave me a crooked smile but shook his head. "You watch too many movies."

"Okay, so stakes are out. Do they even drink blood like vampires?" There had to be some way to kill or banish these creatures. Emily must be worried sick about me. I dug out my phone to text her but the message said error...not connected. What the hell?

"Yes," he dug out his cell phone, "it's more like a succubus who visits men while they sleep then puts them in a sleep paralysis they can't move or fully wake up from, then suck their blood."

"Oh." Still didn't answer the question of why they were after me. "How does your phone work in here and mine doesn't?"

He typed away on his phone for a minute before answering. "Help should be here soon."

"Great." I let out a shaky sigh. "Mind telling me what demon-hunter group you called? You know in case I run into these things outside again."

God, I hoped I never had to see another she-demon-monster thing again.

"My brothers but both are a bit hard to reach."

"What do they do?" Maybe the guys were renegade priests s***h demon killers.

"Pretty much whatever they want." He shrugged. "Like most of our family."

Remembering I knew like zilch about this guy, I cleared my throat. "Thanks again for saving me. I told you my name but you never gave me yours."

"Dionysius but call me Dion." His husky voice normally would've turned my mind to mush but with the adrenaline still pumping through me all he got was my stomach fluttering a moment.

I stuck out my hand to shake his but he clasped my fingertips and brought my knuckles up to his lips, kissing them.

"Pleased to meet you, Paige. And any time I can rescue a damsel as lovely as yourself is a good day."

A pleasant sensation snaked up my body from his lips. My heart fluttered and I felt light-headed. Woozy even. Was this reaction from the alcohol? I closed my eyes to try and staunch the dizziness only to wobble on the bar stool.

"Hey, you okay?"

Had he spiked my drink or something? I opened my mouth to chew him out when the room spun.