Geoff was a mess the more days passed. He couldn't exactly tell anyone in his family this. It had been forever since he had asked for help. And then they would immediately ask him what was going on. Geoff didn't want to hear the whole spiel of things that he shouldn't have done. He was sure that even Sebastian would at that point. He had screwed up so bad.
It just had to be an incubus too. Every other beast he could always shake off, but incubi and a few other demons were a whole other issue. And Geoff wasn't enjoying this game of chase.
It was all a downhill spiral after that. First was Bruul, now was this damn bloke who couldn't take no for an answer. And to make matters worse, he couldn't even play music anymore!
He still knew how to make the notes, but there was something missing from his music, and it only got worse the more he tried to fix it. He didn't know whether it was out of tune or what, but nothing was working for him. Absolutely nothing was going right, and he was having to rely on Gus Gus to get him as far away from that stupid demon as he could.
Geoff plopped down in his boat, looking at the viola that he had once been able to make sing. Now all it did was fight with him. Instruments had to work in sync with the musician, but it didn't want to listen to him. He hadn't had this problem since he was a kid first trying to learn.
"It's okay, Geoff," Sebastian wiped the tears off his face. "You can learn how to play it, I promise."
"No, I can't!" he cried some more. "All I can do is get sick and stay at the doctor's!"
"That's not true," his brother shook his head, pulling him into a hug. "You can do anything that you set your mind to Geoff, including playing this viola. You just have to follow with your heart. The beauty will come with it."
Geoff put the viola away and laid on his back. Was this the end of him? He was so young, but a tamer's peek was always when they were teens, and he had already surpassed that. That was why most of them started families when they were old enough. They still tamed beasts, but their skills were nothing compared to the youths. Geoff had been pretty good at what he did too.
But now it felt like he couldn't feel it anymore. He couldn't feel the magic that came with making music. It all just slipped through his fingers before he could even try to grab it.
Was this the end of his career? Was this the time when he retired? Geoff didn't want to retire. He wanted to be the best tamer his family has ever had. He wanted to be talked about like Sebastian was, along with all the other ones in their past.
That dream was all over now, huh? Was this what growing up felt like? Geoff didn't want to grow up if that was the case. He would give anything to go back to his childhood. He just wanted to be happy again.
"I gotta snap out of this," Geoff rubbed his face and sat back up. When he looked at the coast that was coming up, he started to stand. "Alright Gus Gus. This is where I gotta leave you for a while."
The waves groaned as the sea beast protested.
"You aren't going through fresh water rivers with me!" he shook his head. "I don't even know how you did it the last time!"
Another complaint came almost immediately.
"I'll be just fine, ya clingy suction cup," Geoff looked to see the opening that led to the rivers. It wasn't going to take to long to get there with how much the wind blew. It knew right where Geoff wanted to go. "I'm gonna go to some friends to get help. Then I'll be back and we'll be right back to floating around the ocean. Maybe I'll just live as a fisherman or something for the rest of my life."
The river was big, but not big enough for this beast to be comfortable. He just hoped that Gus Gus didn't follow him. He knew that he would listen to him for a little bit, but he had followed him the last time even though he told him not to.
Geoff wished he could go back to that time. It seemed like it had happened ages ago. He felt like he had aged too much in such a short time.
His eyes went wide as he caught a glimpse of something. Of course, as soon as there was land nearby, he had to see the slimy demon nearby. How he got across the whole ocean that quickly was alarm.
"Well," he muttered to himself, holding onto the sail again. "I might not be able to play right now, but that ain't the only trick I have up my sleeve."
As soon as he got close enough to the edge, Geoff moved the sail to catch as much of the wind as possible. It soared through the water, avoiding every sharp rock that came their way. The water roared in his ears as he tried to get to his destination as fast as possible.
"Why are you trying to run from me?"
Geoff almost hesitated for a split second. It was too easy to believe that this was the real Bruul. He looked just like him. The only way that Geoff knew the difference was the way that he walked, and that horrible predatory smile. He wasn't the soft beast that Geoff had ventured with all around the world.
He just looked way too much like him. Enough to give Geoff goosebumps when he saw him. He hated it. It was annoying enough that he was having trouble playing music. This stupid demon was hitting him right where it hurt.
It shouldn't take too long. All he had to do was make it just a little longer and he was there. Then he could just hope that they could help him with this particular problem.
"You can't elude me, you know," that voice was sounding closer. "No matter how long it takes, you're going to be mine."
"Keep trying, ya arse!" He spoke through his teeth. "I know exactly who you are!"
"Do you really?" The fake Bruul asked. His voice vibrated through him, just like it always seemed to. "Or are you just afraid of the real one too?"
"The real one wouldn't hunt me down, thank you very much!" Geoff shouldn't be talking to him like this. The more you talked to one of them, the easier it was for them to get under your skin. The taunting had left him sleep deprived for the past week of him following him. "Ya know no one likes a stalker!"
"You wouldn't want to be my treasure?" He asked. "You don't want to be so special that you're the most valuable thing to me? How could I just let you go, Geoff?"
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force the tears from coming out. The last thing he wanted to do was show any kind of emotion towards him. They ate that up.
That split second was all it took for him to crash into the shore. His boat wasn't hurt, but there was no way that he was going to be able to get it back in the water before this demon got to him. He met those eyes just once, seeing the look of the hunter. The last thing Geoff wanted was to be hunted, whether he loved the person or not. This man looked so much like Bruul. There was part of him that wanted to believe that it was.
And the rest of him told him to run. That part won.
He could see the forest in the distance. All he had to do was reach it and he would be able to hide from it a little better. The dark bark had never looked so welcoming.
He slid under some underbrush right when the incubus tried to grab him. At least his reflexes were still working. Geoff always had some good survival instincts. He guessed that was how he lived so long in the first place. There were so many times when he could have easily died. This was just one of those. Nothing too difficult.
Until his arm was caught by a strong hand.
"I told you, I wasn't going to just let you go," those orange eyes glowed with anger. All Geoff could do was cower to him right then, his heart racing in his chest. Bruul had never been angry at him. And now he was really out of ideas.
"And I told you that you don't act like the real Bruul," Geoff spat at him. If he was going to fail this bad, he might as well dig deeper. His grave wasn't going to dig itself after all.
"Is that true?" He got closer, his hot breath hitting him. "Maybe you should show me just how he would act. I like a good roleplay."
He shivered again. Geoff wasn't sure how much more he could take. All he knew was that he had to stall until he figured out a plan. This wasn't how he wanted to go out. Being a victim of this demon was not fun.
Before he could think of anything to say, he was yanked back as something wrapped around his waist. He looked down to see a dark tree branch. It brought him into the depths of the forest that he had been trying to get to just in time. The incubus was no where that he could see, but he didn't doubt that it would be back.
"Thanks," Geoff said at the black bark. "I guess this is the second time I've gotten help from you."
He remembered this forest spirit. She hadn't showed him the happiest of lives. But Geoff was glad that he was able to help her when they were dealing with that vampire problem. Now he just wished he could get someone to return the favor.
Geoff ran through those trees, slightly remembering the way to the specific place that he wanted. It had been a while since he had been to Black Creek. But he knew where Alamir's house was. He had gotten to talk to him a lot when he was there last.
"If you ever need help, you know you can always come to me," the man told him. His blue eyes shined with honesty.
"You're probably gonna need help before me, mate," Geoff hit his arm playfully. "Thanks for the offer though. Maybe I'll use that as an excuse to say hello one of these days."
He was glad that he had offered his help. Alamir had been a good friend, even though Geoff hadn't seen him much. They used to sail around a lot when he was just starting out. It was a blast seeing his reaction to all the things that Geoff had to deal with on a daily basis.
Geoff should have expected him to have a large house. It made sense for how Alamir acted most of the time. He wasn't pompous. He just acted like a rich kid.
The house was an old one, but sturdy. There were three stories to it, and he could only guess that it was the one at the top. The leaders always had the best rooms. All it took was him finding the one with the grandest balcony that faced the forest. Geoff grabbed some pebbles and started throwing it towards that glass door. At least he still had decent aim.
The glass door slid open within seconds, and the familiar face that was his old friend popped out, looking around suspiciously.
"Alamir!" Geoff whisper-yelled towards him, waving his arms.
"Geoff?" He looked down to him, confused. "What are you doing here? Are you okay?"
Wow. He really looked bad, didn't he? For some reason, that question really struck hard for him. He barely was able to respond. All the pain that he was trying to push down just resurfaced right then, along with those tears that he had held back on.
"I need help," he barely croaked out. Geoff covered his face with his hands and collapsed onto the ground that he stood. His body was exhausted. After almost no sleep and a plethora of problems, it was all so overwhelming.
"Geoff," Alamir had gotten down there fast, pulling him into a hug. "What happened?"
"I don't know what to do anymore," he said. It was the only thing he could think of, out of all the things that had happened. The truth of the matter was that he had never felt so lost in his life. "I can't do anything anymore, Al."
"Of course, you can," he reassured. He was always like a big brother to him, but no words could comfort him. "Let's get inside, Geoff. I'll get you into some better clothes and you can get some sleep. You look like you haven't slept in weeks."
"I haven't," he laughed for a second, his tears still streaming down his face. "I don't want to come in. I need your help. I need..."
"What happened, Geoff?" Alamir asked, rubbing his back. "What made you like this?"
"Myself," he shook his head. "I'm an idiot."
"Mind if I join the party?" Another voice made him snap his head up. He looked to see the short man that he had met the last time he was there. He gave him a sad smile, offering some tissues and water.
"I wouldn't consider this much of a party," he wiped his nose. Then he took the water and chugged it, down to the last drop. "I need your help getting rid of this incubus. He's been tailing me for the past week."
"How did you get targeted by an incubus?" The short man sat down. If he remembered right, his name was Teddy. "The ones that hunt typically go after people that have had experience with love before, or some sort of romantic relations."
Geoff stayed silent at that, his shoulders were already deflated as it was. He just couldn't say it to them both.
"Oh, honey," Teddy immediately understood, coming closer to him and giving him a hug. "Was it because of that one guy that you were trying to avoid the last time you were here?"
"No," Geoff shook his head, his messy hair flying everywhere. He hadn't wanted to take the time to take care of it lately. "I wish it was just Matt. He was an ass, but..."
"You fell for someone else?" Alamir asked. "You never even told me about this Matt guy. And I thought I would get a whole novel when you found your first love."
"That's because it didn't work out," He said, hugging his knees. "Neither one of them. Everyone's meant to find their true love except me."
"Why don't you start from the beginning," Teddy said. "Then we'll help you with this incubus."
It was the first time in a week that he had anyone other than Gus Gus to talk to, especially since he was purposely avoiding calls from his family. The last thing he wanted to do was try to lie about his situation. That was why he went here instead. He knew that the people here had dealt with demons before. Cursed forests always drew them in. And Alamir was the smartest person he had met in that unie that he had been to.
He wound up telling them everything that happened. It started right when he left this forest too, so there wasn't much that he had to explain that didn't involve Bruul. Geoff supposed if he wasn't so tired, he might have told the story a little better. But he was a blubbering mess right then. He was surprised that he was able to talk in general.
"Then you left?" Alamir asked. "Why?"
"Because," Geoff told him. "Don't you guys get it? All you beasts are meant to find soulmates or true love and everything. He's not going to want me, not forever. I'm just the temporary."
"What on earth makes you think that?" Alamir asked, his eyes wide. "Geoff, you do realize how long it took me to find mine?"
"That doesn't matter," he shook his head again. "You still wound up finding yours. I never will. I'm just a human. I don't have deity or power that is going to just tie me to someone. Humans don't have that kind of luck."
"But he's a dragon," Teddy said. "He's immortal. If he had one, and it wasn't you, then he would have found them already."
"Alamir had to wait a long time to find you," Geoff said. "Time don't mean anything."
"I have a feeling that this is a little deeper than just Bruul," Alamir told him. "You used to think that love was meant to be enjoyed, even if it was just temporary. I remember you telling me that. What changed with that way of thinking?"
"Easy," he answered, sniffing again. "I grew up and realized that no one wants to love me, even temporarily."
His eyes watered more as he said that. It felt like he was beating himself up with his own words. But it was true. Matt wouldn't even love him, and Bruul wasn't going to either. It was better that he just left that night rather than stayed until the morning. He wasn't going to go through a conversation about the amazing night just being a fleeting feeling.
No. Geoff would rather just leave with the thoughts that they had a chance rather than deal with that conversation. He couldn't handle it again. His heart couldn't handle it.
"Geoff," Alamir pulled him into a hug again. "You aren't unlovable. You're the opposite of that. There are so many countless people around the world that care about you. Nothing about you would ever make anyone just have a fleeting feeling. You resonate with everyone you talk to."
"Then why did it already happen?" he asked, trying to fight off the comfort. The pain was starting to come out as frustration. "I'm not as liked as you think, Al. I'm not just a little kid anymore traveling around the world."
"No," he answered. "You're one of the bravest people I've ever met. One that's always followed his heart, no matter where it led him."
Geoff looked into his eyes with his blurry ones. All he could see was the same kindness that he had always remembered from the man. He looked at Geoff as if he really believed everything that he was telling him.
"Now you're just trying to make me cry more," he wiped his face again, the tissues quickly depleting.
"I think you need to talk to this dragon," Teddy said. "It really seems like this is more than just a fleeting feeling. And you should never run away from one person just because of the actions of another."
"What if I get my heart broken again?"
"Then I'll have two people to punch when I see them," the short man smiled, ruffling his hair a bit. "Don't think that I can't either."
"Teddy."
"Oh, hush," he told Alimir, rolling his eyes a bit. Then he turned back to Geoff. "All I'm saying is that you shouldn't stop following your feelings just because of fear. Follow your heart."
Follow his heart... He had heard that all his life, but he guessed he needed to hear it one more time. Geoff had always followed it. This time was just an exception. This time he was just scared because...
Because he had been hurt before.
And now his whole life seemed to be tumbling down because of it.
"Come on," Alamir helped him stand. "You can spend the night here. We'll take care of this incubus tomorrow. I already have my men looking for it."
"They're pretty dumb," that voice made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up again. He was really hoping he could go a night without hearing that voice. It already tortured his dreams.
The fake Bruul stalked closer to him, the smile still wide. Alamir tried to put himself in between them both, but Geoff knew that wasn't going to be enough. His mind was so exhausted, but it woke up immediately at the sight of him, searching through the area to figure out some way to get out of this.
"Stay away," Alamir growled protectively. "I'm only giving you one warning."
"Why would I stay away from my one, true love?"
That was a stab in his heart. Geoff was going to just start running, or punch him, whichever won in the battle that had quickly started inside him. Before he could, though, he heard something strange in the forest. The shadow of a woman appeared right behind the incubus.
"LIAR!" The hiss of the forest filled the air as branches grabbed the demon. As soon as it did, it pulled him towards a thick trunk. They couldn't do anything but watch as the demon changed to his true form, screaming for only a second before getting consumed by the very forest itself.
"What..." Teddy looked at that tree in horror. "What the hell was that?"
"That was your forest spirit," Geoff answered, still looking at the shadowy figure. "Do me a favor and take care of her for me. She's a lot nicer than you think."
"You didn't listen to my advice," She spoke to him through the fog that rolled out, clinging to the ground.
"What do you mean?" Geoff asked, ignoring the weird looks that he was getting from Al and Teddy.
"I told you to follow your heart," she said. "That is where your true power lies, Tamer. Without it, you lose everything you ever wanted."
"What are you hearing, Geoff?" Alamir asked.
"Just someone else telling me that I need to go and talk to Bruul, I guess," he sighed, combing his fingers through his hair again. "This isn't going to be a fun conversation, either."
"If he really loves you, then he'll understand," Teddy told him. "Trust me. It's not like you did anything to break his heart, other than leave. There could have been many different ways you could have completely sabotaged yourself."
"Thanks, I guess," he frowned. He should have known that this was going to be their answer. He just wanted to hear someone else's opinions, since he knew what his family would think. He had wanted to get ahold of Seb to ask him what he should have done, but he supposed that he was too busy with his new daughter. That's what always happened when they got kids.
The wind picked up a suspicious amount, whipping his hair into his face. It took until Geoff looked up at the sky to realize what had caused it.
He really wished he could say that it was just a plane.
"Looks like I'm going to have to take you up on that offer for a night's rest later," Geoff told Alamir.
"Why?" he asked. "What was that?"
"Another problem," he said, looking at the white dragon that was already turning around. He knew that it was going to attack this time around if he didn't start moving. "I gotta go before your forest turns into a winter nightmare."
He ran before the werewolf could say anything, going through those trees as fast as his feet would let him. His adrenaline pumped his blood, as he forced his legs to move faster and his eyes to notice the things that he had to avoid.
It didn't take long before he broke through the trees to the other side of the forest. Geoff pushed his boat back to the river, hoping that the wind was on his side as he lured the dragon away from his friends.
He just hoped that he could find Bruul soon. Because he wasn't sure how long he could last with this.
Author's Note: Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Geoff always knows how to make me cry, I swear. This is going to be my last one for this week, before taking the weekend off from posting chapters. The good news? Geoff finally got to realize that he should probably go and talk to Bruul. The bad news? It may or may not be too late.
We'll get into some more action and drama next week, don't worry! Thanks for all the votes and comments! I'll see you all soon with another chapter.
-Saturn