Flames of Fate

Scotch Phantasms

[Here's Chapter 5! I hope you all enjoy it. It'll be a few days before my next chapter is up as I just finished this one, so I hope it'll tide you over for a little! Thanks so much for taking the time to read it, I truly appreciate it. Without further ado, here it is!]

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It had taken us a little more than half an hour to reach the gated driveway to his house. I stopped the bike - albeit with his help - in front of the massive, wrought iron gates, and they began to open of their own volition.

"Well that's creepy," I said.

He laughed. "They aren't really opening by themselves. All my vehicles have custom sensors built into them that open the gates, but I also have a keychain sensor and a staff that can open them for me from inside the house if I've lost it or my phone has died and can't be used to open them."

The gates were gorgeous, I had to admit; they were entirely made of wrought iron and stainless steel, interwoven in the most complex design I could imagine...with the crowning jewel of a pair of vicious looking dragons with massive rubies for eyes. Real rubies.

"Quite the ominously impressive gates," I say, trying to keep my cool.

"Yeah, they're fairly magnificent," he said, shrugging. "Anyways, let's go," he continued after a moment.

I kicked the bike back into gear and drove it up the extensively long driveway. Eventually the house came into sight...and when I say house, I really mean estate.

It was massive. It was a hybrid between a mansion and a castle, a sprawling manor made entirely of brick and stone and glass and covered in both red and green ivy. It took my breath away, and I gasped when I saw it in its entire splendor. I was speechless as I stared at it in all of its glory, and I marveled at the enormity of it.

The driveway ahead of us collapsed before my eyes, forming a ramp to the belly of the house. Grayson nudged me in the direction of the ramp, and I drove down it slowly, shocked to find myself in a garage beneath the house filled with expensive toys.

I pulled the bike into an empty slot beside numerous others, dropped the stand, and climbed off. As he followed me off he bike, I took off my helmet and tucked it under my arm. "Well," I said coolly, "this is quite the house you have here, Gray."

"Okay, so house might have been a bit of an understatement...so sue me."

"I just might," I said playfully. "Can you imagine the settlement I'd get?"

He shuddered in response. "You'd probably get at least one of my beach houses," he added good-naturedly.

I laughed, throwing the helmet at him.

"Hey!" he exclaimed as he caught it. "That could've left a bruise."

"Maybe on your ego," I said, raising my eyebrow sarcastically.

"Whoa-ho! We have a comedian who is also a critic!"

I smiled sweetly at him, saying nothing.

He rolled his eyes. "Well, come on, we'll get you inside and warm you up."

He took my hand for what must have been the twentieth time that night and led me over to a wall.

"I hate to break it to you, but I can't walk through solid stone."

He laughed. "Oh, you have so much to learn," he added as he pushed a slightly discolored stone. I jumped as the seemingly-solid wall gave way to an elevator.