“So you thought you’d take that shit? You’re more patient than I am. I would have told them my dick is none of their concern, nor what I do with it, as long as she’s willing. I know you, Creed. You’d never take something that wasn’t freely offered.”
Creed shrugged. “They are driven by their emotions. I’ve adjusted to that. It makes them feel as if they have some control over my duties when I listen. It’s mildly annoying but tolerable. It keeps the peace.”
Kelzeb grinned. “You’re a better man than I.” His humor faded fast. “Is there anything you want to tell me?”
“I need to seek an audience with Lord Aveoth immediately. I am flying in tonight.”
“About what?”
“I will only speak of it with Lord Aveoth.”
“I see.” Kelzeb cocked his head. “So, she was human, huh?”
“Yes.”
“I only know of one human who lives with this pack. I thought she moved away. Seattle, wasn’t it?”
“She visits her parents.” Creed’s spine stiffened. He didn’t like that his clan kept tabs on Angel or her whereabouts.
“I’d like to meet her.”
Creed grew very still inside. He couldn’t lie and he hoped she was already gone. It had been a good half an hour or more since he’d seen her. “I dropped her off at her parents’ home. It is the fourth cabin from the main trail to the river. White porch with two rocking chairs.”
“I didn’t drive all the way from our clan. I was a few hours from here, visiting this pack that has an abundance of unmated females. Didn’t you get the update?”
“I wasn’t certain which of our clan would be in the area, or the exact location. I was only warned there might be flight traffic that wasn’t hostile.”
“A few of the Lycan alphas in the states want to make deals for guardians. I’m sure they were encouraged by their elders, since they know about the sweet deal this pack gets from us. Word spread that we keep their woods clear of those pesky poachers who like to sneak around at night, setting traps and taking potshots at wolves. They’ve also had some issues with Vampires and were told there are none left in this area, since we cleared them out. They want alliances with us and aren’t above using their women to get them. There were a few I approved to make the trip to meet our single men, but I still have a few other packs to visit. I hate these bullshit gigs. Good thing I’m only sent on them a few times a year.”
Creed said nothing. He could understand why another pack would wish to align with his clan. Lycans couldn’t protect their territory as well as someone could from the sky. A guardian was able to cover large areas quickly and take out threats before they reached the pack homes.
“I like Lycan women. Don’t get me wrong. My mother is one. The thing is, I’m finding myself drawn to another type lately. Aveoth is kept busy with his Jill. She was raised totally human. The things that come out of her mouth amuse me. She has an issue with authority, so Aveoth is constantly having to deal with her antics.” He chuckled. “It looks lively. She has only a small understanding of what we are, so she has no fear. It’s refreshing. I want to see if this Angel stirs my blood. She survived a night with you during the ravage so I know she’s sexually compatible with our kind.”
Creed managed to remain still when he really wanted to attack the other GarLycan. Angel was his. Suddenly he considered Kelzeb a threat. They had been friendly in the past but he’d kill him if he laid a finger on his mate.
“What do you think? Would this Angel consider mating with a GarLycan?”
He chose his words carefully. “She’s a human who was raised with a Lycan pack. She holds no prejudices against our kind.”
Kelzeb grinned. “You’re good. Not even an eye twitch or hint of anger in your voice. You even answered without giving anything away.”
“What do you believe I would hide?”
Kelzeb leaned in closer and his expression grew serious. “I decided to take a little look around before I drove in. Get a lay of the land, because it’s been some years since I’ve been here. My first stop was your place. You didn’t cover the opening, Creed. You’ve grown a bit lax about security, living with these Lycans, since they can’t reach your lair. The mountain is too sheer for them to climb. You should have burned the bedding with her blood on it. You bit her, didn’t you? I doubt some virgin would climb into bed with one of us, and it was near the top of the bed, not the bottom where you would have chained her.”
Creed said nothing but his heart pounded.
“That’s what I thought.” Kelzeb shook his head. “Damn it, Creed. I knew the second I saw that blood and where it was that you didn’t chain her down. You mated her.”
“I did chain her down.” That he could truthfully say.
“Then how in the hell did her blood get near the top of your bed? What is she? Ten or eleven feet tall?”
Creed heard Kelzeb’s sarcastic tone.
“So you chained her but then let her go. You’re planning on going to see Aveoth tonight. That implies you have something to tell him. You could have accidently scratched her with your fingernails, but it must be more than that for you return to our cliffs. Why won’t you tell me what happened?”
Creed just coldly regarded him.
“Damn. I’m trying to put myself in your place. You, for whatever reason, released her from the chains and bit her. Did she beg you to take her the way Lycan men do? Did she freak the hell out in the chains so you showed compassion? Say something!”
Creed kept his lips sealed.
“Was it just a cut somehow or did you mate her?”
Silence.
“I’m going to have to go to her parents’ house and meet her. Is that what you want? I’ll do it. It’s my job to investigate what went down here after this pack called Aveoth. He wants a report.”
“I’ll report to him myself.”
“Just tell me what the hell happened. I might be able to help.”
Creed debated the wisdom of seeking an ally. He knew Lord Aveoth and Kelzeb were close friends. He also knew the man in front of him had a reputation for being lax about the rules. It wasn’t a secret that Kelzeb had been punished by the previous lord of their clan for many infractions. As a youth, the lead enforcer had liked to test limits and push boundaries.
He’d also admitted he had an attraction to humans. It was worth the risk.
“I am still in service to Lord Aveoth until my hundredth birthday.”
“You did mate her. Damn. He’ll want to see her, too, when you go before him.”
“She is not at fault.” He wanted that made clear. “The punishment is mine to take.”
“You know it doesn’t work that way. She’s your mate, and you technically belong to the clan. It means you’re both considered one unit now. You go before Aveoth with her at your side.”
“I will not risk her being killed or enslaved. I told her to remain here with her pack so they could protect her.” It wasn’t a lie. He had told her that.
“Oh, fuck. Her pack can’t overrule our laws. She stopped belonging to them the second you mated her. She’s one of ours now. Just answer me this: Did you plan to mate her or was it one of those moments when your dick did the thinking for you?”
“I did not plan it.”
“Did you untie her because she was scared? Were you too rough? I would worry about fucking one of them, and I’m not suffering the ravage. It’s not as if we’re known for being gentle in bed to begin with. I get how it could happen. You were trying to console her and one thing led to a moment of insanity. Do you even like her? Hell. What a mess.”
“I regret the timing, not that she’s mine.”
Kelzeb cocked his head, peering at him with interest. “You live here and have known her for a while. How close are you to her?”
There was no reason to deny it. “I feel for her.”
“Are you in love with her?”
“I will fall for her to keep her safe, if it comes down to it.”
“Just say you love her. You’re telling me you’ll die before you let her suffer any punishment.”
“I feel for her,” he repeated.
“Damn. Your father must be proud of you. I’m a big disappointment to mine. He barely withstands my presence. He doesn’t like the way I talk or that I’m not…well, like you.”
“It’s a difficult balance with Gargoyle fathers and Lycan mothers. I know we’re both first-generation half-breeds.”
“That’s a nice way to put it. I enjoy it when my mother slaps the shit out of my father for the things he says to her. I almost envy her. I’d love to deck the bastard from time to time. It’s the only enjoyment I get out of these road trips. He’s not able to glower at me from a distance since I don’t run into him.”
“Solitude helps.”
Kelzeb turned his head, glancing up at the lair, then back at Creed. “But the girl visits you. You let her up there.”
“Just for the ravage.”
“First time? What about when you take lovers?”
“I don’t.”
“Shit. You’ve been assigned this post for about three decades, give or take some years. Never?”
“No.”
Kelzeb closed his eyes and shook his head. “Damn.” He reached up and ran his fingers through his hair and looked at Creed with sympathy. “I didn’t know. Why the hell didn’t you get friendly with the locals?”
“There were no unattached females of age when I arrived. And I stay solely in this territory unless I am called home to give updates to you. Later, the desire wasn’t there.” He paused. “The only woman I wanted was the one I knew I couldn’t have. She deserved more than just sharing my bed from time to time. It would have been too difficult for us both.”
“Angel.”
He inclined his head. “She wanted a mate. I couldn’t give her that.”
“So you decided to pick her last night? Why? You had to know she was the one who might make you lose control.”
“I believed I could resist, and…”
“And what? Just spit it out.”
“I couldn’t hurt her that way. It would have been painful for her to know I had chosen another when she’d volunteered. I already made her suffer by rejecting her when she approached me to be my mate. It’s why she left here in the first place. After she was gone, she visited every year. There would have been talk if I’d taken a lover, and she would have heard. I didn’t want to add to her pain.”
“You really do love her. You’ve had it bottled up for years. You need to tell Aveoth this. He’s not such a bad guy. Go pack an overnight bag and I’ll swing by the girl’s parents’ place to tell her to do the same. We’ll drive home together. It’s best if we just get this over with. I’ll speak to Aveoth privately first, and then you need to be open with him. Tell him you’ve loved her for years and did everything you could to resist. We’ve all suffered the ravage.”
“She won’t be coming with us.”
“She will. He’s got a soft spot for humans since Jill. Aveoth has never killed a woman or had one enslaved since he became our lord. Those were just bullshit rumors circulating, that he murdered his lover. Lane came to him already broken in spirit, and it was only a matter of time before she couldn’t live with the pain she felt. She leapt off that ledge of her own free will.”
“He challenged his own father and took leadership. Lord Aveoth is ruthless.”
Kelzeb shook his head. “I’m going to share something with you that stays right here on this spot. Am I clear?”
“Yes.”
“Your word?”
“Given.”
“Lord Abotorus was one cold bastard. Aveoth and I never trusted our fathers, so we would eavesdrop on council sessions they held together. We were listening when Lord Abotorus and the council decided adding Lycan bloodlines to our clan had been a mistake. They were plotting to murder the Lycan mates—and all the children the Gargoyles had with them. That included me, Aveoth, you, and your brothers, if I need to point that out. That’s when Aveoth challenged to be lord. We told the clan what they were plotting recently, but not the exact details of how we discovered what they were up to. Here’s another secret. Ever wonder what happened to Tuno and Yessa?”
“They were the only pure-blooded Gargoyle mated couple. They left to seek a life with another clan.”
Kelzeb snorted. “Wrong. No mated pair leaves their young children behind. Elco and Winalin don’t have parents because Lord Abotorus planned to replace his GarLycan mate with a Gargoyle one.”
Creed let that sink in. “Yessa was already mated to Tuno.”
“And she wanted to keep it that way. They died fighting side by side, making sure she didn’t become a forced breeding vessel for that prick Abotorus. Both our fathers helped him attack them, but they fought to the death. We didn’t know until after the fact. We saw them removing the bodies from the cliff and overheard enough to learn how they’d died. It’s why Aveoth hasn’t banished the siblings for their constant bad behavior and plotting. He feels guilt. They lost their parents because our fathers murdered them.”
“The clan should have been told.”
“It was our word against theirs back then. We couldn’t follow them when they flew the bodies away, and had no idea where they’d disposed of them. Not to mention, what could anyone have done if we’d managed to prove it? Abotorus and the council were in charge. Aveoth had to challenge his father and kill him.”
“I had no idea.” Creed was stunned and horrified.
“Aveoth is nothing like his father. He’s an excellent lord. His mother was an influence in his life. It means he has a heart…and occasionally listens to it. I’m sympathetic to you and this Angel. There’s a really good chance that he will be too.”
“He’ll have to make an example of me. Most would see it as a weakness on his behalf otherwise.”
“Aveoth doesn’t really give a damn about what others think of him. Anyone who’s had doubts about his abilities to lead our people have met his sword. It tends to make an overall impression. He handpicked his enforcers. Do you know why he chose me as his first?”
“You’re an old friend and an excellent fighter. He would trust you without question.”
“I am and he knows I’d never betray him.” Kelzeb nodded. “I’m also a half-breed. Most of his enforcers aren’t full-bloods. He chose us because we’re not like our fathers. We’re loyal to him and we believe that change is needed for our survival. He took Jill as his mate. You live here, so you missed the fallout. There was a shit-storm over that in our clan. She’s got human and VampLycan blood running through her veins. It means their younglings will carry slight Vampire bloodlines.”
Creed tried to hide his surprise. “I wasn’t aware.” Vampires were their enemies, and while they’d made an alliance with the half-breed Lycans with Vampire bloodlines, they didn’t mate with them. The full-blooded Gargoyles wouldn’t stand for it. Their hatred had lived too long to accept them into their clan as members.
“Do you have a problem with Aveoth’s mate?”
“No.” He didn’t like Vampires, but he hadn’t spent centuries fighting with them until all he knew was that hatred.
“Good. You’re not too much like your father then. Our fathers, along with the other two council members, tried to band together to strip Aveoth of his title after he mated Jill. They even demanded he leave our clan. They failed.”
“I wasn’t told.”
“You should have been. Our fathers were smacked down hard and punished for their defiance.”
“How?”
“Do you wish to seek vengeance for whatever your father suffered?”
“No. I’m only curious.”
“I personally got a chuckle out of my old man being brought down. He’s such a highhanded prick at times. They had to bow to Aveoth in front of everyone and apologize. They were stripped of their ranks in our clan. There’s no more council of full-bloods. They hold no power and no longer have the
ability to help enforce the laws they created. Aveoth allowed them to stay but all of them know they will be banished if they ever attempt to go against him again. He said he’d personally put them in a box and ship them back to one of the established clans in Europe.”
Creed tried to imagine his father bowing and apologizing. “I wish I’d been there to see it.”
“It was priceless.” Kelzeb chuckled. “I whipped out my cell phone and shot a video. I got a few disapproving glares from some of our people but I don’t care. I wanted to treasure that moment forever, after all the times my father has torn into my ass.”
Creed felt a hint of envy. He could relate. His father had always disapproved of him. There had never been a time when he’d known pride from Kado. His father’s superior attitude and haughtiness had been difficult at times.
“Are you ever resentful that your father swore you to duty for a hundred years?”
“Yes,” Creed acknowledged. “It was done at my birth. I was raised in the lower caverns to begin my training young, before being sent out to guard the borders to the far north at the age of fifteen.”
Kelzeb winced. “That’s hell. No one is supposed to do more than a year. The council had you out there for about ten straight, didn’t they? It’s so damn cold it makes flying impossible most of the year. Why did you do it?”
“My father decided it would build character to keep offering to extend my assignment. He did it fourteen times in a row. Lord Aveoth realized how long I’d been there and reassigned me here. I believe he worried about my sanity.”
“No shit. We would have pulled you sooner if we’d known, but it was the full-blood council who assigned most of those duties. Your father letting you live in a barren zone for all those years was flat-out cruel.”
“Yes.”
“That makes a lot of sense now, the one incident you caused. You are a guardian but spent all that time protecting nothing.”
Creed frowned. “What incident? This is my first real offense.”
“The human girl. It was a first for one of us, taking a human child and giving her to a Lycan pack. Your report stated she was abused and the situation was grim but it came as a surprise. Humans kill their children sometimes. It’s sad but it’s their problem. You made it ours. It was a big risk if the human authorities got involved. The full-blood council wanted to punish you for possibly exposing us to the outside world.”
Creed Page 9
