Valor (A Greystone Novel)

by Taylor Longford

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  When I came to, I was floating in a soft glow of peace. Someone was brushing fine, warm silk across my fingers. At least, that's how it felt. The sensation was extremely pleasant.

  I cracked my eyelids open and looked into the intense blue color of Valor's gaze. His fingers were laced with mine and he held my hand to his mouth. As I watched, he brushed my fingers against his lips.

  "Hi," I whispered.

  Valor's eyes filled with emotion. "Hi," he answered in that low, rough lilt I love so much.

  I was lying in a doctor's examination room. Hooligan sat beside Valor's chair, looking scruffy but heroic. And as my gaze drifted upward, it snagged on a watercolor hanging on the wall. I recognized the painting and realized I was in the Pine Grove Medical Center where Whitney's father worked. Despite my injuries, I felt no pain. I figured I must be on some sort of medication. Whatever it was, it was pretty effective.

  Valor turned his head and I followed his gaze. Dare, Havoc and Defiance were standing against the wall beside the heavy wooden door. Victor sat in the other chair. He leaned forward and watched me seriously. When I smiled at him, the pack let out a collective sigh of relief.

  I chuckled hazily. "Are you guys okay?"

  Victor shook his head and smiled softly. "With four members of the pack already missing, we couldn't face the idea of losing another one."

  "You're being overly dramatic," I murmured. "I'm not going anywhere."

  Valor cleared his throat and put his lips close to my ear. "We told the doctor you slipped in the snow on the driveway and hit your face on a rock."

  I nodded to let him know that I understood and would back up his story if anyone asked any questions.

  He watched me carefully for a moment then turned toward the guys standing against the wall. "Tell the doctor she's awake."

  In answer, Defiance opened the door and stepped from the room.

  "What happened to the harpy?" I asked dopily, feeling slow but generally glad to be alive.

  Victor set his mouth in a serious frown. "She's…passed on."

  "Kicked the bucket," Havoc said.

  "Bought the farm," Valor added.

  Dare went next. "Expired."

  "Met her maker," Victor said and shook his head solemnly as he watched the floor.

  Okay. The gargoyles were obviously Monty Python fans. I guess that's what happens when you live through the seventies. "So the harpy's dead." I chuckled. "What else did I miss?"

  "By the time we got there, everything was over," Victor admitted with sigh, and I could tell he hated missing out on all the action. "Then Dare drove us straight to Mim's house and she called Whitney to see if her father could open his office."

  "They were closed for Thanksgiving," Valor explained.

  "Then Mim helped us get here," Victor said.

  "Mim's here?" I asked.

  "And Whitney," Valor told me. "They found your insurance information in your backpack and they're taking care of your paperwork."

  My gaze traveled to Hooligan who wouldn't normally have been allowed in a doctor's office. I suppose Dr. Anders had made an exception for him since we were his only patients. "How did you get involved?" I asked my dog.

  Hooligan lifted his head and barked softly as if he was trying to answer my question.

  "I couldn't find your keys in the snow," Dare explained. "Though I was sure you must have dropped them for me. So I let Hooligan out of the house and he went straight to them. And after I printed out a second map, he insisted on coming in the car with me."

  I rubbed Hooli's silky ears through my fingers and grinned at Valor. "So which one of you finished off the harpy?"

  Valor smiled warmly as he looked down at Hooligan. "I think it was a tie."

  "Really?"

  "The harpy's throat was a mess by the time she died and turned to stone," he said.

  "Where is she now?" I asked, meaning the dead artifact.

  "We broke her up," Valor muttered darkly.

  "We saved some of her remains in case you want to pot some flowers," Havoc added with a wicked smile.

  It sounded like they'd broken her up into pretty small pieces. I nodded several times before I realized I was repeating myself. And through the quiet fog that wrapped my brain, I remembered I had an unanswered question for Valor. "How did you manage to get out of your stone form in time to rescue me?"

  He blinked in surprise. "You woke me."

  I shook my head in a wobbly circle. "The harpy knocked the piece of wood out of my hand before I could wish you awake."

  "It was you," Valor claimed. He lifted his chin and shot a grin at the other gargoyles.

  "It couldn't have been me," I argued slowly as I looked around at the pack. "Unless I'm such a powerful witch that I don't need wood to cast spells."

  Dare lifted his hand and rubbed his fingers over his mouth. "Uh. The floor was made of wood, MacKenzie."

  "And your feet were touching the floor," Valor added while the rest of the pack chuckled.

  Recalling the mansion's polished hardwood floors, I slowly lifted my hand and smacked the heel of my palm against my forehead. So I was a witch after all. Just not a very bright one.

  But before I could properly beat myself up, the door opened and Defiance returned with Whitney who was carrying a set of crutches for me. Dr. Anders wasn't far behind. He stepped into the room looking a little frazzled as I realized Whitney and her father were probably missing their Thanksgiving dinner.

  Whitney's dad checked my toes peeking out from the end of the cast and pronounced me fit to travel. Then he sat down on the padded stool and dashed off a prescription for me. "I talked with your mother and she's on her way back from California. In the meantime, she said Mim could give you a lift home. Your mom will see you there." He handed me the prescription on the white square of paper. "I hate to heal and run," he joked. "But there's a huge drumstick waiting for me at home with my name on it."

  "I understand," I said and grinned at Whitney.

  Using the crutches, I navigated my way through the medical center while Valor and the others opened doors for me. We caught up to Mim in the waiting room. She followed us outside to the parking lot where Whitney gave me a hug before she got in the car with her dad.

  And back at the house, Valor helped me inside to the living room. As I eased down onto the couch, I realized I hadn't gotten to the grocery store to buy the things we needed for dinner. And by now, the store would be closed. I sent Havoc and Dare to the kitchen to see what we had in the freezer.

  Before the rest of the guys could settle themselves around the room, Mim asked if she could speak to me privately. Right away, Victor and Defiance sauntered from the room. I didn't even have to ask them if they'd mind leaving. I thought it was really sweet of them. 'Course it wouldn't do Mim much good. Because the gargoyles would probably hear every word she said…unless they left the house and took a walk over to the park.

  Mim glanced uneasily at Valor.

  "I'm not leaving," he informed her quietly. He pulled a chair close to the couch and planted himself in it.

  I opened my mouth to tell Valor he didn't have to stay with me but he interrupted me before I could say anything.

  His tone was firm as he wrapped my hand in his. "Don't ask me to leave, MacKenzie."

  I studied him briefly and could tell he wasn't going to budge on the issue. "What is it?" I asked Mim, wondering what on earth she had to say that she didn't want the guys to hear.

  Mim set her chin at a determined angle. "I didn't want to ask any questions while we were at the medical center but I'm still waiting to hear what happened to you today."

  I felt really bad. Mim's my best friend. And normally, she'd be the first person to hear the story. But we'd all avoided telling her anything and she was probably feeling left out. I was in no condition to improvise because of the painkillers dulling my wits but I did my best. "I'm sorry I didn't say something sooner, Mim. But I…slipped in the snow and
broke my ankle."

  "What happened to your face?" she demanded quietly. "And don't tell me you slipped in the snow and landed on your face, MacKenzie. It looks like somebody hit you."

  Maybe it was the drugs, but I didn't understand why she seemed so upset. Sadly, even though I was under the influence, the perfect lie jumped into my head. "When I walked into the garage this morning, there were two men inside. They were stealing the step-person's stuff. They'd broken open his wooden boxes and had a bunch of statues loaded into the back of their truck. When I tried to stop them, one of the men…hit me."

  "You tried to stop them?" she asked incredulously as she glanced at Valor. "Where were the others? Where were Valor and Dare?"

  "They…were inside the house," I lied as fast as I could make things up. "They came out but were too late to stop the robbery. When I chased the truck down the driveway, I slipped in the snow and broke my ankle."

  She looked at me as if she didn't believe me.

  "So the guys carried me to the car and came looking for you."

  "If somebody robbed your house," she said slowly, "then you need to call the police." She pulled her phone from her pocket and offered it to me like she was challenging me to stand behind my story.

  I looked at the phone and shook my head. "I can't do that, Mim."

  "Why not?" she asked as if my response was no big surprise.

  But I had the perfect answer. "Because I'm not sure the step-Greg's dealings in antiquities are entirely above board. I think I'd better talk to him about the theft before I go reporting anything to the police."

  She stared at me a long moment then returned the phone to her pocket. But I don't think she was convinced of much more than the fact that Greg's dealings were on the shady side. "Okay," she finally said. "I'd better get going."

  "Dare can take you home," I offered. "Or you can drive my car to your place and he can bring the Jeep back here."

  She shook her head. "I'll call my mother and ask her to pick me up."

  I hated, hated, hated lying to Mim. And I had an uncomfortable feeling that she hadn't gotten everything off her chest. Unfortunately, I was too drowsy to give the idea the attention it deserved.

  "What was that about?" Dare asked darkly after Mim had left and the gargoyles filtered back into the living room. "What does she think happened to you?"

  "I'm not sure," I answered, again feeling like I'd missed something that Dare had somehow picked up on.

  He shared a grim look with the others. They looked uncomfortable but not as unhappy as Dare.

  "My mom's on her way home," I pointed out in the moody silence. "She'll probably be here in a few hours."

  "We'll straighten up our rooms and make ourselves scarce," Victor offered quietly.

  "Where will you go?" I asked, worried about where they could spend the night. There was a foot of snow on the ground.

  "We need to clean up the mess we made at that big house on the ridge top," he answered. "We can spend a few nights there while we're fixing the place up."

  "We'll be careful not to attract attention," Defiance added.

  My gaze rested tentatively on Valor.

  "I'm not going anywhere," he assured me. "Dare and I will stay here with you."

  I nodded groggily. I was relieved that he and his brother were staying. But I wondered what my mom would have to say about it.

  Valor was still holding my hand when my mother hurried into the house. I was dozing on the couch but she startled me awake when she called my name from the mudroom. Her anxious gaze was fixed on my face as she crossed the living room toward me.

  She didn't see Dare who was down in the family room, printing out emails. At first, she didn't even notice Valor sitting in the chair beside me. "MacKenzie," she exclaimed, looking positively ruffled which is unusual for Mom. "What happened? Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine," I soothed. "Just a few scrapes and bruises and a slightly broken ankle."

  "What do you mean, slightly broken?"

  "Well, mostly broken," I admitted.

  "How did it happen?" she cried, her eyes looking a bit moist.

  "Don't cry, Mom. It's not that big a deal," I insisted before she started crying. And I told her my brief lie about the robbery.

  She was more concerned about me than the theft. "What did Dr. Anders say?"

  But before I could answer, she finally noticed the beautiful teenager holding my hand.

  Valor stood as her gaze connected with his. "Please don't ask me to leave."

  "Who are you?" she asked, clearly stunned by his words as well as his extreme good looks.

  "My name's Valor Greystone," he answered. "And I'm in love with your daughter."

  She slid her wide-eyed gaze toward me and I nodded. Then composing herself, she reached out and shook his hand before she wrenched her curious attention from him and returned it to me. "Did Dr. Anders okay your release?" she asked.

  "He sent me home with a pair of crutches," I replied with a shrug.

  "Does it hurt?" she asked as her unhappy gaze rested on my dark toes.

  "I'm on pain medication," I assured her. "I can't feel a thing."

  Mom sniffed. "Is there anything I can get you?"

  I knew she'd feel better if she had something to keep her busy so I told her some tea would be nice.

  "I'll start a pot," she offered, and moved toward the kitchen. But before she got across the room, her gaze snagged on Dare who was waiting quietly for her in the entryway.

  "Can I help?" he asked.

  Mom gave him a startled look while Valor scrambled to introduce his brother. She shook Dare's hand and tilted her head as she asked, "Do I…know you?"

  "You've probably seen me around," he answered with one of his rare, stunning smiles.

  "Maybe. But…where are you guys from?" I could tell she was a bit puzzled by their accents, which didn't sound quite British.

  "York, originally," Dare answered.

  I had to smile. Originally went back a ways for Dare and Valor.

  "Do you have a place around here?" she asked.

  Dare responded smoothly. "We're staying in a house on Evergreen Mountain."

  "That's a nice area," Mom commented as she peered at him, probably trying to figure out where she'd seen him before.

  Dare nodded. "The place is a little run down at the moment. But we're fixing it up." As they turned toward the kitchen together, he added, "I hope you don't mind if we spend the next few nights here with you and MacKenzie. Considering everything that's happened, my brother and I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving you alone."

  My mother seemed charmed by the idea as well as the good-looking gargoyle. "Thanks for the offer. That's probably a good idea, at least until I can have an alarm system installed. We have a couple of spare bedrooms." As she stepped into the hall, she turned suddenly. "Don't you think you'd be more comfortable in your bed, MacKenzie? I'll bring the tea up when it's ready."

  "That's a good idea," Valor agreed before I could answer. He swept me into his arms and headed for the stairs while I looped my arms around his neck. He didn't really have to carry me. I could have used the crutches to climb the stairs. I think he just wanted to hold me.

  "I guess I'd better call the police and report the theft," my mother called from the kitchen.

  But I convinced her to check with Greg first as Valor carried me up the stairs.

  "That was pretty impressive," I told Valor after he'd settled me on my bed. "Especially that part where you expressed your undying love for me and refused to leave my side."

  "I never expressed undying love," he murmured. A crooked smile curved his lips upward.

  "No?" I questioned him, and pretended to look disappointed.

  "Not yet," he answered softly. "But I'll probably work my way around to it one day if you give me a chance."

  I reached behind my head and pulled my pillow down behind my neck. "Tell me more," I insisted, smiling up at him.

  Valor's beautiful face turned grim as he
looked down at my fingers laced with his. "You can't imagine how terrified I was when that harpy tossed you through the doors of that house, Kenz. I about died. You can't begin to understand how helpless I felt, trapped in my stone form and unable to help you. And when she started hitting you…"

  He shook his head and dropped his face into his hand.

  "Hey," I soothed. "It's okay."

  He nodded shakily. "It's okay, now," he agreed. "But if anything had happened to you…" He lost his voice and lifted his head as he held my gaze. "You shouldn't have waited so long to spell me out of my stone form."

  "I'm sorry," I murmured. "But I had to wait until the harpy was close enough for you to reach her with your blade."

  His voice rose with emotion. "I should have been the one fighting that monster, MacKenzie. I should have been the one protecting you. All of my instincts were screaming for me to act and I couldn't do a thing to help. I thought I'd lose my mind."

  I began to realize how hard it had been for him.

  "You should never have come after me," he added in a low mutter.

  "Technically, I didn't come after you," I argued with feeling. "The harpy came and got me and dragged me into it."

  "But you were coming before she captured you," he accused me solemnly. "You were coming with Dare in the car."

  "What was I supposed to do?" I exclaimed softly. "Sit at home and wait for you to escape?"

  "You should have let the pack deal with it, Kenz. I could handle anything as long as I knew you were safe. I'd have come back to you, even if it had taken years."

  I lifted his hand to my face and rubbed my cheek against the thick skin on his hackles. My heart fluttered with emotion. His words were scored into my memory forever and I'd treasure them for the rest of my life. But if Valor thought I'd stand by and let him face danger alone, he was stark, barking mad as my grandfather would say. Maybe it was Valor's venom running through my veins, but I had a protective streak of my own.

  Besides, he'd forgotten I was one of the pack.

  On top of that, I'm not as patient as a gargoyle. There was no way I'd wait years for Valor to wake from his stone form because I'd end up being older than him. And I wasn't convinced he'd still think I was cute at forty. But I didn't say any of that. I just told him I wouldn't let what happened to Dare happen to him.

  He kissed my fingers, closed his eyes and opened them again. Then he pinned me with an intense look as he said, "I love you, Kenz. More than anything. You're the most beautiful, loyal, brave and daring lass I've ever known. I want you to wear my rune."

  I just stared up at him.

  "Will you wear my rune, MacKenzie?"

  I realized he was holding his breath and could tell how important my answer was to him. I wanted to answer yes, without reservations. But I remembered Dare's earlier warning to me. "I'd love to wear your rune," I whispered. "As long as your brothers think it's a good idea."

  He shook his head and chuckled softly. "Believe me, MacKenzie. This decision doesn't require a pack meeting."

  "Just the same," I said quietly. "I want to make sure your brothers consider me a good risk."

  He smiled as if he didn't think that was going to be a problem. "Will you wear my rune, MacKenzie? If my family agrees you're a good risk?"

  "Yes," I whispered. "Absolutely, definitely, yes."

  Leaning toward me, he tucked my hair behind my ear but it just spilled forward again and covered half my face.

  I pulled the unruly mass of red behind my head and trapped it against the pillow. "It doesn't behave," I explained in a shy mumble.

  "Just like you," he murmured before he lowered his lips against mine. "I like it that way."