Malakai (The Stone Society Book 13)

by Faith Gibson

  Rafael took Kaya’s hand that wasn’t casted and placed it against Sebastian’s cheek. Bas cooed, kicking his legs. Even in a coma, her touch was what Sebastian needed. Rafael needed it too. Priscilla slipped quietly from the room, giving the three of them some alone time. Rafael settled back in the chair, and as he did every time they were alone, he sang to them. His voice wasn’t anywhere as good as Gregor’s, but his little family enjoyed it.

  The door to the conference room opened, and instead of it being Remy, Deacon entered, his smile showing his straight, white teeth. “You’re not going to believe this,” he said looking at Carter and Hunter. Lachlan was used to being ignored, but he’d brought the other’s derision upon himself. “The mates… they’re alive. Bryce must be a hell of a pilot.”

  “That’s wonderful news,” Carter said. He and Hunter were all smiles, and Lachlan smiled with them. It would be tragic to lose one’s mate. He should know.

  “Is everyone okay? Was anyone hurt?” Hunter asked.

  “Sophia passed out, and they were worried about the baby, but both she and Abbi were checked out at the hospital when they got to Hawaii. Both mothers and babies are fine considering what they went through.”

  “Are they still going to Samoa?” Lachlan asked.

  “No, they are traveling to Italy. Tessa’s father, being King, owns a chalet large enough to accommodate them all, and he’s called on his Clan to offer protection. Drago didn’t win this round.”

  “That’s great news,” Lachlan said. “I was going to tell Remy, but you’re here, so I’ll tell you instead. I found where Dr. Craven is hiding out. Here are the coordinates.” Lachlan handed a piece of paper to the warden. “He’s just on the southern coast of Mississippi. I know with everything else going on, the Clan might have forgotten about the scientist, but he was easy enough to track down.”

  “Yeah, thanks. I’ll pass this along to Rafael.”

  “How’s Kaya?” Carter asked.

  “Getting stronger by the hour. How are things with the Unholy?”

  Hunter pointed at one of the screens Lachlan had hooked into a CCTV camera at one of the prominent downtown corners. “Quiet for now.”

  “Good. And the homes? All quiet there too?”

  “As far as we can tell. I’ve been tracking Drago and his little human. If I were a betting Goyle, I would lay odds they’re on the run.” Lachlan had found the warehouses Hagen had purchased under a fake company. He had passed along that information to Remy as soon as he found it. “Maybe now the Clan can bring their mates home instead of sending them away.”

  “Maybe. That would be wonderful. Keep up the good work, Lachlan. I’m going to tell Rafael what you’ve found.”

  Deacon left the room, and Carter and Hunter went back to watching the monitors for Unholy, while Lachlan continued working his magic.

  Josie had grown up in what she considered a well-off family. Seeing how the Gargoyles were able to secure whole floors of resorts and rent a private room in the restaurant, they were way beyond well-off. Sixx didn’t hesitate to spend whatever was necessary to keep them all safe. The thing that impressed her the most was he didn’t expect the others to pay him back. Josie couldn’t imagine the wealth he had which allowed him to purchase a jet knowing it was likely to be destroyed. If it wasn’t taken down, then it would replace the one that had been targeted.

  Lawton would be flying the plane carrying the mates and kids on to Manono, and Bryce was returning the males to New Atlanta who weren’t accompanying the mates. With Sophia being close to giving birth, Nikolas was going with the mates, as was Malakai. Kai had argued with Frey, but in the end, Frey asked Kai to go with the mates as a favor to him.

  Dinner had been a somber affair with the exception of Amelia. The child had no idea what was going on, as it should be. The plan was in place, and everyone was packed and heading to the airport. There was still worry that whoever was responsible for the plane malfunction would find out about the switch, but with Kai and Nikolas joining them, there were now four Gargoyles on their flight. Not that they could save a plane going down. They had discussed things like cabin pressure if the door was opened, but Josie had tuned it out. She didn’t want to think about dying. Not again.

  Ariki was piloting Pono’s plane back to the island, but he wasn’t happy about it. He’d wanted to be on the plane with Kai. The worse part of the morning was watching the couples saying goodbye. Even with their decoy plane, there was still a small chance something could go wrong. Josie buried her face against Kai’s chest so she didn’t witness the tears and soft kisses. She felt guilty her mate was coming with them. Sophia didn’t have the same problem. She was more than happy Nikolas was with her due to the impending birth of their baby.

  Kai and Ariki hugged Pono tightly before watching him head off alone to the decoy plane. Sinclair argued up until the last minute that he should go with him. But a text from Rafael told his brother to get his ass back home to his mate, and Sin capitulated.

  Josie didn’t understand how they made it all happen, but she didn’t need to. She had quickly come to understand when the Gargoyles wanted something to happen, that made it so. Now, she and the others were on their way to Kai’s island home. Four hours felt like an eternity while waiting the whole time for something to go wrong. When the plane touched down at Apia without incident, there were high fives, shouts of joy, and tears of relief. Ariki was there waiting for them, and he wasn’t alone. Five men, who had to be Kai’s brothers, stood with him. Kai was swept up in man hugs and fist bumps as he greeted each one.

  When Molly growled at the males, Trevor was the one to introduce her to her new “friends” and told the brothers he would explain once they reached the island.

  “Let’s get on our way,” Ariki said. “We’ll make all the introductions as soon as we reach Manono.”

  Each brother led the way to identical SUVs and helped load the luggage in the back. Kai and Josie along with Tessa and Trevor rode together. Fetu chatted about Samoa and more specifically Manono, giving them a brief history of how it became their Clan’s home. When he mentioned Ariki and the Auspice of Sevens, Kai tensed beside Josie briefly. Fetu must have noticed the change in his brother’s mood because he asked, “What’s wrong?”

  Tessa, who was riding shotgun, turned in her seat. “Is there more to the curse than what you’ve already endured?”

  “What’s she talking about, Uso?”

  “When Josie and I first met, she wasn’t aware of Gargoyles. I shifted to show her what I am, and she thought it was a hoax. She denied the bond.”

  “Oh, shit. How bad was it?”

  “Really bad,” Josie whispered. “I thought I was dying, and Kai actually was. Thankfully, the Clan stepped in and made sure it didn’t happen.”

  “You have to mention that to Mama.”

  Josie looked at Kai. “Do your parents have the same type of bond we share where they can read each other’s thoughts?”

  “Yes, why?”

  “Then she already knows. While we were waiting on you to get to the resort, I told your dad and Pono what happened. Is that bad?”

  “No,” Kai said at the same time Fetu said, “Yes.”

  Fetu sighed. “Mama has always worried about the Auspice. She’s even dreamed of something bad happening. She has always been more intuitive than most, and she might have seen something.”

  “You mean like a vision?” Trevor asked.

  “Yes. That might seem strange—”

  “Not really. Connor, the little boy with us? He has visions too. He draws what he sees, and the drawings are scarily accurate. He was kidnapped from his home, and using his drawings, he was able to tell us where he was being held,” Tessa explained.

  “What exactly did Mama see?” Kai asked.

  “She wouldn’t say. Maybe it’s already come to pass. She will not speak of her visions. She says things have to play out as they’re supposed to. That if she tries to stop something from happening, the consequences could
be worse.”

  “That makes sense.” Trevor leaned against the door. “Take our situation. If someone had told us we were going to be involved in a plane crash, we would have made a different plan. Maybe we’d have all stayed in New Atlanta where Drago could target each of us individually more than he already did by blowing up our homes.”

  “Or maybe the fucker wouldn’t be on the run with his little hacker boy-toy, and we’d have already found him and taken his head,” Tessa countered.

  Fetu grinned, looking at Kai in the rearview mirror. “We need to keep Tessa and Sefina separated.”

  “You aren’t wrong, Uso.”

  “Uso? Does that mean brother?” Trevor asked.

  “Yes. And Tamu means father, but we call our mother Mama.”

  “Your dad called me something I didn’t understand when we met.”

  “Was it laʻu tama teine?” Fetu asked.

  “That’s it.”

  “It means daughter-in-law.”

  “But Kai and I aren’t married.”

  “To him, it doesn’t matter whether or not you have a piece of paper. When you bonded with Malakai, you pledged yourself to him in a way that’s more permanent than a human wedding. You are one of our family now, and as such, don’t be surprised when my mate and the others steal you away to do whatever it is they do when the seven of them get together. All of you, Trevor included, are going to be spoiled by day’s end unless Trevor would rather hang out with the males.”

  “You mean I’m not automatically relegated to being with the females just because I’m gay?”

  “No, Little Uso. It’s because you’re a mate. Our island may be small, but our minds are not. We have several gay couples on the island, both male and female. But my female is going to want you with them because of your aura.”

  “My aura?”

  “Yes. You have a light around you that will be hard for her to resist. It’s difficult to explain, but when you meet her, you’ll understand. You and she are alike, much the same way Sefina and Tessa are.”

  Tessa laughed. “If there’s two of them, I’m definitely going to need backup.”

  “You have that backwards, Red.”

  Josie leaned closer to Kai, and he slid his arm over her shoulder. Other than the mention of his mother’s vision, Josie was excited to meet everyone. When they reached the far side of the island, they had to transfer to a boat. Lucky for them, one of Kai’s nephews owned the boats which traveled to and from the island.

  When they were all boarded, Kai’s brother, Hoani, took over speaking. “Before the apocalypse, the island was busier than it is now. There are no roads therefore, there is no need for cars. There are four villages on our island. The one we inhabit is Apia and is comprised of Gargoyles and a handful of humans who are aware of our kind. The other three are where the humans live and tourists visit. After the apocalypse, we were able to purchase all the villages. The island is still owned by the government, but we are able to run it as we see fit.”

  Josie got her first glimpse of Kai’s home. It was breathtaking. If it wasn’t for her mother back home, Josie thought she might never want to leave. Lush greenery. Crystal blue waters. It truly was paradise.

  Hoani continued his speech. “There was a walking trail around the perimeter, but we rerouted it so it doesn’t bypass our village. That gives us a little more freedom to be ourselves. There is technically only one dock giving boats access to the island, but one of our males devised a hydraulic system where we can raise and lower a dock on the side of our island that only we have access to. If you’ll look to your left…”

  Josie and the others turned to look, and rising out of the water, as Hoani explained, was a dock that jutted out approximately twenty feet from the bank. It also crossed over the ground so they didn’t have to walk through tall grass to get to the trail.

  “Wow. You’ve been busy since the last time I was home,” Kai said.

  “We really have. Tourism is at an all-time high, and the income from that alone has been enough to ensure our village is private. We do not advertise our village as a tourist location, and we do our best to keep humans away so our secret remains safe. Thus, the secret dock.”

  As the boat pulled up alongside the platform, Kai pulled Josie’s hand to his mouth, pressing his lips to her skin. “Welcome to Manono,” Kai said.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  It had been too long since Malakai felt the fire burning inside. Over the past century, he had thought his curse had shifted. He thought that which made him different had been extinguished. But standing in front of his home, he felt it resurging.

  “Are you okay?” Josie asked.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “You’re rubbing your chest.” Josie placed her hand over his that was pressed against his birthmark.

  Kai laced their fingers. “I’m happy. Being here, with you, is absolutely perfect. It’s hard to describe, but it’s like I’m connected to this land. Leaving was necessary because I was missing something. I left to find my mate, but in doing so, I left behind a part of me I thought was gone. Now, standing here, I know it wasn’t gone, just waiting for me to come reclaim it.”

  “I’m sorry.” Josie tried to pull away, but Kai wouldn’t let her.

  “What do you have to be sorry for?”

  “Because this is your home. It’s where you belong, but I don’t think I’m ready to leave my mom behind.” Josie’s voice cracked, and Kai wrapped his arms around her, kissing her temple.

  “Oh, Sunshine. This will always be home, but so is wherever you are. I’m not ready to leave New Atlanta either. Remember the training center? We have a life ahead of us in Georgia. You have plenty of time there with your mom. This island isn’t going anywhere. Maybe in thirty or forty years we will decide to come here to live for a while. Come on. Let’s help everyone get settled.”

  Lani was there waiting as all the Stone Society members cut through the trees leading to the village. After greeting everyone and gushing over Connor and Amelia, Lani stopped in front of Kai and Josie with her arms open. “Laʻu tama teine, welcome to our family.” She pulled Josie into her strong embrace, winking at Kai over Josie’s shoulder.

  Molly was barking and running happy circles around all the younger children, and Kai explained to his mom about Tamian.

  “That’s amazing. I’ve never seen an animal accept our kind. I really need to meet Tessa’s brother.”

  “Ready to trade in your old Goyle for a younger one who can do tricks?” Ariki asked.

  “Never, my darling.”

  Fetu had been right. All his brothers’ mates had gathered around, making the newcomers feel at home.

  “Has anyone talked to Pono?” Sefina asked. “I’m going to kick his ass when he gets home.”

  Nikolas stepped up with his arm around Sophia. “I’m really sorry your mate was dragged into our war.”

  “Dragged?” Sefina grinned. “I know my Pono. He wasn’t dragged anywhere. He went willingly with a smile on his face. I’m just pissed I wasn’t with him.”

  Tessa threw her arm around Sefina. “Right? Why do the males get to have all the fun?”

  “Oh, I like you,” Sefina said. And just like that, the bonds of friendship began.

  They spent the next half hour getting everyone settled into their temporary homes. The family houses weren’t nearly as large as most of the ones of the Stone Clan, but they were large enough to accommodate two or three extra. Kai had plenty of nieces and nephews with kids of their own. Sharing their homes wasn’t a hardship since everyone was family, and no one in Kai’s family had an issue with spending time with a relative. They banded together the same way Kai’s other Clan did and would do in the coming months.

  Kai’s mama kept everything lowkey on their first day, but she was planning a fiafia a few days later. Some of the males would make traditional dishes like palusami for the buffet, while others prepared to perform the Haka. It had been almost a century since Kai had joined his family in
the dance, but he wanted to participate to help welcome his American family to his Samoan home.

  Kai’s parents had a large portion of their lawn set up with large, outdoor, traditional cushions, as well as patio tables and chairs, where they visited with their family daily. The furniture had changed over the centuries, but the intent was the same. Much like Rafael and Kaya opened their home, Ariki and Lani had an open-door policy during the day to anyone who wanted to visit. Unless agreed upon beforehand, family knew to go home at sundown. That was his parents’ time to unwind together in the quiet of their home. Kai had been the last to move out into his own home, but after hearing his parents making love every night, he understood their need for privacy. They never hid their bond from him and his brothers. It was just how things were growing up with mates as parents.

  Kai and Josie had spent an hour in his smaller home making love. Kai promised he wouldn’t abandon either of his families as they became acquainted, but a soft kiss led to a deeper one, and that led to taking Josie against the wall. If his family knew what they’d gotten up to, no one called them on it. They all knew how hard it was to keep their hands off one another when newly mated. Isa and Sophia were chatting about Sophia’s pregnancy, while one of her sons was talking with Nikolas. By the expression on Nik’s face, he was excited about the topic they were discussing. Kai led Josie to the table, and they took seats next to Nikolas.

  “I’m going to find Kili and talk to her about this,” Henry said before rushing off to find his mate.

  “What was that about?” Kai asked.

  “Nikolas was explaining some of what’s been going on, and I might have mentioned Hirini is not only a genius but also well versed in all things to do with computers,” Isa said.

  “Malakai, how would you feel about your nephew moving to New Atlanta?” Nik asked.

  Kai stared after Henry, as Hirini preferred to be called, smiling. “I would love it. Is he considering it?”

  “Yes. He’s been itching to get off the island for a while now, and I’d feel much better about it if he went somewhere there was family.” Isa grimaced. “I know he’s seventy-four, but to me, he’s still my baby. He along with some of the other younger Clan are restless and looking to find jobs elsewhere. See what the world has to offer.”