11:30 p.m.

It seemed like an eternity since Drake had disappeared down the warehouse and into those dark tunnels. Lyn didn’t have the slightest clue how deep they traveled or how elaborate the underground system actually was. The hidden chamber beneath also remained a mystery to her, though Drake seldom spoke of it. She pulled out a pack of chesterfields from her jacket and held a cigarette with her lips. Then she fumbled around the jacket some more for the zippo lighter she thought for sure was in there somewhere. Just as she felt the lighter bulging through a hidden pocket, a car pulled up to the curb.

It came to a slow stop with its wheels making a slight squeal. The tinted windows to a small silver limousine rolled down its windows, revealing Godfrey, Drake’s loyal butler.

He tilted his cap. “Evening, Madame,” he greeted, in a flat tone.

The cigarette fell from her mouth. “Godfrey? Wasn’t expecting curbside service tonight.”

The butler stepped out from the driver’s seat, struggling to fit through the door and almost hitting his head. Lyn chuckled, as she knew Drake dealt with the same problem. He opened the backdoor and gestured for Lyn to enter. She hesitated, looking back at the empty warehouse with Drake still nowhere in sight. Godfrey stood watch by the car as he awaited his master’s arrival. He noticed Lyn’s troubled expression. The old butler held another zippo lighter in his gloved hand. He flicked the lighter, igniting a small flame as Lyn leaned forward to light her cigarette. She took a deep, long draw before exhaling out the window.

It marveled her that after all these years, Godfrey still wore the appearance of a middle-aged man slightly balding near the crest of his silver hair with soft teal eyes. But proud muscles still laced his arms and legs from his youth, and she couldn’t help but feel somewhat imposed by his presence. For an old man, he still moved furniture and carried heavy platters with relative ease. And in the winter, she watched him split logs with one swing of his axe.

Lyn sighed. “Where is he?”

Godfrey peeked at his golden watch. “He should be here… right about… now-”

From the shadowy entrance, Drake emerged. His face was visibly troubled and his blue eyes glared in the darkness as if they were blue crystals. Godfrey greeted him as he approached, “Welcome back. I trust the mission was successful?”

Drake answered with a scoff. Lyn scooted to the other side as he entered the car. “Drive,” he said, before Godfrey could even shut the door.

Godfrey nodded, unfazed. “Of course, sir.”

11:40 p.m.

The narrow beams of light pierced through the night, illuminating the dark roadway as the limo traveled to Drake’s grand country estate on the outskirts of Hampshire. For the entire ride, Drake didn’t utter a word, nor did Godfrey. Instead, he propped his head on an arm and blankly gazed out the window. They came upon a small forest with another paved roadway that led directly to the estate. Towering tree canopies that blocked the sky watched them with shriveled and shrunken faces. Red paper lanterns hung from their branches going all the way to the last set of trees at the exit.

And before she knew it, Lyn found herself at the estate’s iron gate, guarded by two stone angels that rested on stone pedestals. Two servants on each side pulled open the gates and shut them just as fast as the car had entered. Godfrey drove around the enormous marble fountain that spewed gallons of water into its reservoirs from the small family of cupids atop. He parked the car at the edge of stone steps to the estate’s entrance and rushed out of the car to open Drake’s door.

“Thank you,” Drake said.

Godfrey only bowed.

She hooked Drake’s arms with hers and pulled herself into him. He stopped and their gazes met, her emerald eyes filled with worry. “You know you can talk to me, right? What’s wrong? I haven’t seen you this upset in a while. It’s Ulysses isn’t it?”

His face softened. That was the only answer she needed.

“It’s okay, I already know,” she continued. “You don’t have to tell me, but I’ll be here for you… like I always have been-”

“Lyn…” She felt his powerful arms wrap around her body. “We’ll talk later, alright?”

She nodded.

12:32 a.m.

A chill touched her heart and awakened her. She rose from the bed, covering her perky breasts with a sheet. Beads of sweat covered her body and a blazing fireplace brightened the master bedroom. She struggled to catch her breath. Drake consoled her and pulled her into him, letting her rest upon his broad chest. He rubbed the smooth milky skin of her arms and back and kissed the top of her head. Then he greeted her with a bright smile and a quick kiss. She squeezed his arms and basked in the warmth of her nude body against his. She belonged to him as he did her.

“You were dreaming again,” he whispered.

Lyn sighed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up…”

“Was it about your family again?”

“Yeah.”

Her disheveled green hair spread out on Drake’s chest like a tangle of snakes. The medusa inspired doorknob caught her attention. She reached for the lone pearl resting on the dresser and spun it. The pearl rotated perfectly on its axis, not swaying out of place. She watched it spin until it lost rotation.

So, I’m not dreaming…

“Why do you think Athena turned Medusa into a monster?” Lyn asked, still gazing at the doorknob.

Drake raised a brow. “It was her punishment for defiling her temple. And Athena was jealous of her beauty if I recall-”

“No.” Lyn traced Drake’s lips with a finger.

“She was raped- by a god. Perhaps Athena did that to protect her so she would never be harmed by a man again. That’s why her face is supposed to be for good luck.”

Drake chuckled. “So what, you want to turn me to stone now?”

Lyn smiled. She ran her fingers through his curly hair and bombarded him with soft kisses. Lyn squealed as Drake rolled her over without warning. He kissed her savagely, and she felt the spot between her legs grow warm and moist. She moaned as he kissed her neck and gripped her soft, full breasts. And as he lifted her legs against his shoulders and penetrated her, she gripped the sheets tighter and gasped aloud.

“I told you,” he said, his voice filled with lust. “If you are a witch, then I am a demon.”

Lyn returned a smile. “It is a part of our contract after all...”