Myths and Gargoyles by Jamie Hawke (interesting books to read in english txt) 📕

slam on the breaks as a light turned red. Glancing back again, I asked, “Are we in the clear?”

“Maybe I imagined it, I’m not sure.”

“You have a family now.” The words sort of spilled out, but as corny as they felt on my end, she was smiling at me.

“Thank you.”

The light turned a moment later, and we were off, making our way toward Georgetown and along Reservoir Road. We had asked for directions and been shown a map on the checkout lady’s phone at Macy’s, and since I had been able to use my powers to scan it, I had what was pretty much a GPS screen up beside me. Convenient, that.

Steph leaned back and closed her eyes. I glanced over, unable to ignore the way the dress pushed up her small breasts to make them appear not so little. I was humored by her lack of makeup and the boots that were not at all in the style of the dress, but somehow, she made it work.

“Do you think Aerona hates me?” Steph asked,

“Of course not.”

“I’ve noticed the way she looks at me. And you.”

I frowned. “And me?”

“She’s not certain, far as I can tell. Still trying to decide whether or not to trust you.”

“Well, if you get a chance to put in a good word…”

Steph chuckled. “Sure. With the girl who hates me.”

“She doesn’t hate you.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“No need to keep your eyes open on my account,” I said, watching her yawn.

She held her hand over her mouth, then took my hand on hers. “Sleep… sure means something else lately, doesn’t it? What with traveling in dreamland or whatever it is you do, and… so much company.”

“You miss the old days?”

She chuckled. “When I was a big fraud?”

“When you weren’t yourself. When you were controlled by someone else.”

“Right. That was… not optimal.” She pulled my hand close, kissing it. “No, I love what we have now. Back then, I didn’t have friends. Even before they took me, I never had girl friends, not like this. And they’re more than that, of course. This is a family. Something else I have had.”

“We’re not going anywhere,” I said.

“Perfect.”

As that last word rolled out of her mouth, Steph was asleep, out of it the moment I crossed into Georgetown. The drive was beautiful, and as much as I had loved having air conditioning during the day, right then I wanted to roll the window down and feel the evening air on my face. Since it would possibly wake Steph, I didn’t, instead opting to bob my head to a song playing in it. Some old ditty I’d heard once at a school party.

Passing the Georgetown bars with crowds of young college guys and girls, I was reminded how my life had taken a swift turn, and how it was never likely to be anywhere near the experience they were having or about to have. Mine was probably a thousand times better, in some ways, and a thousand times worse in others.

The sun had set, darkness taking over, and the loud thumping of bass carried through from one of the bars. I turned past a French restaurant, eyed the organic ice cream shop at the next corner, and soon pulled up along with lots of other cars next to the Embassy.

A glance out showed that this wasn’t simply some dinner event, but a full-blown party. I also noted that our outfits weren’t necessary. While some of the attendees entering the gates wore fancier clothes than ours, others sported jeans and t-shirts without worry.

“We’re here?” Steph asked, groggily.

“Yeah, but you can sleep a little more. I’ll be here, next to you.”

“Staring at me while I sleep, I bet.” She hit me. “No thanks, creep.”

I chuckled. “Having a weird dream?”

“No, but I’ve been known to act a bit goofy from time to time, notably right after waking up.”

“You’re ready for this?”

She sat up, smoothed out her dress and adjusted her tits, then smiled. “Sneak around, hope we don’t get killed, and in theory meet some mystery power-person? Sure, why not?”

“Stay alert,” I replied, and we exited, heading for the Embassy.

Passing the ticket along, we entered to find an extravagant garden with a fountain, sculptures with spheres and whatnot that reminded me of butt beads, and a food stand near one of the entrances where a man and woman were preparing crepes. Moving around the corner, we found another one with champagne, along with an area where several people—mostly college age—were starting to dance. A D.J. had her booth set up over by the grassy hill where others were milling about, eating their crepes and whatnot.

“This is so not what I expected,” Steph admitted.

“My exact thoughts,” I replied, and motioned inside. “Let’s see what the deal is.”

The inside of the Embassy had several main rooms laid out in a way that reminded me of a fancy dance club. I imagined it wasn’t always like this. To my left was a silent auction area but at the moment it held various small-dish layouts, which we stopped at when I noticed Steph couldn’t prevent herself from staring at them. I had a little macaroon cookie—pistachio flavored. She tried several sushi rolls, then we moved on. A waiter came around with a plate of chocolate mousse shots, and of course, we had to try those. My eyes scoured the area for Galahad, not sure if it was he who we would should be looking for, or some host who would be the one to find us.

Passing through a room where the music was entirely different from outside, classier and slow, we watched as a woman in a flashy red dress took the stage and started singing. Impressive, and young men and women who were clearly college students or interns stood sipping wine and taking this all in. What an odd assortment of people, I thought. Had I stayed on the West Coast for school, I was one hundred percent certain this wouldn’t have ever been my scene.

It