“Arsehole,” grunted Car.
Helmuth came up with a deafening roar. Fangs flashed as he spread his batlike wings.
Gena clung to Cody. “I’m with the Scottish guy. That is ugly.”
Cody lifted his mate, his gaze colliding with Mac. “Get her to safety!”
He then tossed Gena as gently as he could in Mac’s direction.
The wolf-shifter caught her with ease and went for the exit.
Wheeler was suddenly there, filling the opening, in partially shifted form. It was something Cody had only seen a handful of times in his life. He didn’t look like a normal vampire did. No. He looked every bit the hybrid the scientists had made him. And now that Cody had gotten a good view of Helmuth in gargoyle form, he saw the similarities in Wheeler.
He also saw pure hate burning in his friend’s eyes.
Mac whistled. “Och, is it me or did the dead wheel throw the giant flying lizard?”
Wheeler paid Mac no mind as he defied gravity and flew above the water level right at Helmuth, who had only just gotten to his feet fully. The two collided and it rocked the ship.
Mac kept hold of Gena, protecting her.
“Cody!” shouted Armand from the exit. He was standing near Bill, who was picking something out of his teeth. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” said Cody fast, nodding to Mac. “Get my mate to safety!”
Armand’s gaze went to Kaiko and he raised a brow but didn’t comment. Instead, he glanced at Bill. “Escort Mac and Cody’s mate topside. Gus is there, waiting for all of you. The rest of the enemies on the ship have been dealt with.”
Bill grinned. “Count Dick-u-la, you’re more badass than I gave you credit for. Kind of. If we don’t take into consideration the whole sparkling in the sun thing.”
Armand groaned.
Bill kept smiling as he motioned for Mac to follow him. “Bring the mermaid. Should any of those commie bastards still be kicking, I’ll light them the fuck up. Ain’t nobody hurting the mermaid on my watch. They try and they’ll be picking a rocket out of their ass.”
Mac lifted Gena higher and she scaled him, nearly getting free. “Hey now, lass. Do nae go that way. The big ugly thing is that way.”
“We can’t leave Cody alone,” she protested.
Cody’s heart swelled. “I’ll be fine, Gena. Go. Please. I can’t worry about you and fight.”
She didn’t look happy about his plan, but she nodded and permitted Mac to escort her from the area. Car followed, carrying Kaiko out as well.
Once they were gone, Cody set his sights on Helmuth and Wheeler, who were locked in battle.
Armand moved up alongside Cody and put his hand on Cody’s shoulder. “Wheeler will listen to you if you tell him to stop. Do it quickly, I can feel him losing control. If he succumbs fully to that side of himself, I’m not sure we’ll get him back.”
“Hey, asshole, save some of the big ugly for me,” said Cody loudly.
Wheeler ignored him and kept fighting with Helmuth.
“Don’t make me piss on you!” yelled Cody.
Wheeler’s gaze whipped around and landed on Cody a second before Helmuth took a swing. The punch connected with the side of Wheeler’s head and he went down hard.
Cody wasted no time. He surged forward, his sights locked firmly on Helmuth. For the longest time he’d thought he’d want revenge for what had been done to him. As he extended a hand, making sure his claws were out, and let his mouth do a partial shift, he knew deep down he wanted Helmuth dead now to protect his mate.
He jumped up and over Wheeler and came down, slashing out at Helmuth. As he did, Helmuth’s skin turned partially to stone, deflecting the blow. Cody landed in the water crouched and came up, tossing his head back, sending water flinging in every direction. He twisted fast and glared at Helmuth.
The man was there, his upper body shifted back to something close to human form while his lower half was all gargoyle. He sneered. “You can’t stop me. Others have tried. I always come back. You’ll forever have to look over your shoulder, always wondering when I’ll strike. When I’ll come for her. And I will come for her. After all, this has been seventeen years in the making.”
Cody snarled. “You won’t fucking touch her.”
Helmuth laughed. “Tell me something, Livingston. How does it feel knowing the little girl you saved, and were captured because of, is your mate? How does it feel knowing she’s to blame for you being locked away as long as you were?”
The man’s words sunk in and Cody gasped.
Gena was the little girl from Costa Rica?
No.
As he thought about her hair, her eyes, and the way he’d noted the similarities instantly upon first seeing Gena at the square, relief swept through him. The little girl had lived. She had grown into an adult. And she was now his wife.
He narrowed his gaze on Helmuth. “Fuck you and your mind games. She was just a kid then. She isn’t why I was taken. You are, you sick asshat. And you mark my words. You won’t be touching her.”
Helmuth laughed wickedly again. “Oh, that is where you’re wrong. You see, none of you can stop me. And you all know it. I’m too powerful. I will come for her and for the little brat she’s got taking root inside her now. I’ll raise it as my own. It will call me Father. You’ll be a distant memory in her and your child’s mind.”
Gena was pregnant already?
The very idea of Helmuth ever being near Gena again already left Cody unhinged. Thinking of the man near his child was too much. Cody let go and gave in to the blind rage that wanted to control his every move.
He seized hold of Helmuth and lifted the man out of the water with one hand before slashing out with the other. In one fluid motion, he took Helmuth’s head clean off his body. He then tossed the headless body aside and stood there, staring at the bloody water, his breathing harsh, his body amped from adrenaline.
“Ohmygod, he beheaded…ohmygod!”
At the sound of Gena’s voice, he cringed, afraid to turn around and see fear in her eyes. He shifted fully into human form once more.
“Did you see that?” she asked.
“Aye,” said Mac. “Though I’m thinking he’s wishing you dinnae.”
“That was…holy crap, Cody. That was amazing!” she yelled.
“Ha. She’s perfect for you,” said Wheeler, sounding banged up but fine.
Slowly, Cody turned to face Gena.
She was there, just inside the doorway with Mac right behind her.
Mac shrugged. “She’s a slippery thing.”
Gena smiled as she teared up. “You’re hurt.”
“I’m fine,” said Cody. He teared up as well. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
She made a move to come for him and stopped as she looked down at the bloody water. “Uh, no offense, but there’s a head and a body in there somewhere. I’ll wait right here for you.”
Armand laughed. “Wheeler is correct. She is perfect for you.”
Cody hurried to her and once there she launched herself at him. He caught her and hugged her to him, burying his face in her hair. He squeezed her tight, inhaling her scent. It was then he noticed the slight change in it.
He tensed.
Helmuth had been telling the truth.
Gena was expecting. It was new but there.
She kissed his cheek. “I love you, and I forbid you from death matches with gargoyles again. Am I clear?”
“Crystal,” he said with a laugh. He then licked his lower lip and eased her down slowly. “I love you too. But, Gena.”
She stared up at him. “I heard what he said. And I can see the worry on your face. I’m fine. And we don’t know that he was right. I might not be…”
“You are,” said the men who were present.
She looked at him and smiled. “Then we should probably think about our living situation unless you’re good with raising a baby on a boat or in a van.”
He kissed her forehead. “Pick a house. Any house. It
’s yours. Just say the word. But first, I want you checked over thoroughly. I want to know you and the little one are okay.”
“If we’re with you, we’re fine, but I’m so quitting my job. I work for assholes,” she said with a wink.
Cody laughed. “One of the assholes is missing a head so there is room to climb the corporate ladder. Kidding. I do not want you anywhere near The Corporation.”
She tensed. “Bonnie and Rene. They don’t know…”
Armand smiled. “Your friends are safe and with Clara and Ruby. They are filling your friends in on everything. It’s important they know the truth about The Corporation.”
“Ruby is back in town?” asked Cody, surprised to hear the Para-Reg was back so soon from her assignment in Virginia.
Gena stared at him. “You know Ruby?”
“Yes. Do you?” he asked.
Wheeler laughed. “She is or was Bonnie’s significant other. From the way they hugged and then kissed when they saw each other, I would say things are back on for them. Is it wrong to admit seeing them making out turned me on?”
Cody groaned.
Armand laughed.
Wrapping an arm around his wife, Cody looked at his friends and then back at the room to see Helmuth’s decapitated body floating in the back corner. “It’s over?”
“Yes,” said Armand. “It is. He’ll never hurt anyone again. Now, what do you say we get you and your mate back to shore and then get all the captives on board set free?”
Cody exhaled slowly. “I say hell yes.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Gena stared at the testing results on the screen before her, trying to wrap her mind around everything she’d been told. Had she not seen for herself, firsthand, that supernaturals were real, she’d have thought this was a cruel trick. But now that she knew the truth, that there was more out there in the world than met the eye, there was no turning back.
The genie wasn’t going back in the bottle without a fight.
And her life would never be the same again.
Gargoyles were a thing, and one had tried to keep her and kill Cody. Not only that, she was apparently far more than human herself. Then there was the fact she was married in the eyes of the paranormal world. And the man she was married to could turn into a shark.
Yes.
It had certainly been an interesting couple of days.
The icing on the cake was that she was expecting. Try as she might to deny as much, pointing out how long it would normally take to figure out a woman was expecting, the men surrounding her had been adamant. She was pregnant.
They’d also been quick to point out they were anything but normal so why was she expecting pregnancy to follow the rules?
She’d spent the last few hours in an infirmary that looked like something out of a science fiction movie. It had equipment she’d never heard of before. Not to mention it was staffed by nothing but built hunks. They’d given her a good once-over, despite her protests and reassurances that she was fine. They weren’t taking her word for it.
Not that she could exactly blame them.
Cody had basically lost his damn mind over her safety and his concern left them all scrambling to prove just how fine she was.
He’d spent the first hour hovering nonstop to the point she wanted to throttle him herself. Wheeler had come and pulled Cody away, insisting they debrief the others. She strongly suspected that was code for giving her a break from her overprotective husband.
Which was very much welcome.
The infirmary had only just begun to calm since her arrival. It had been packed with people who had been freed from the ship. From what Gena had been able to overhear, a lot of them weren’t in good shape at all.
Her hate of Helmuth only grew.
She was glad he was dead.
She glanced up from the test results on the handheld tablet and spotted one of the men from the infirmary there. She knew he was a doctor, but she couldn’t recall his name.
His long dark hair hung to his mid-back and when he turned partially, his profile screamed male model. He’d been watching her quietly, giving her time to process everything before her.
“Overwhelmed?” he asked.
“And then some.”
“Want some coffee or anything?” he questioned.
She nodded. “I would love something stronger if you have it, but I know that isn’t an option now.”
He paused before pressing a smile to his face. “I make a mean cup of tea.”
She smiled. “That sounds perfect.”
He hurried away.
Wheeler entered and came right for her.
Gena stood quickly. “Oh no. Tell me he didn’t really tear anyone’s head off—again. I know he was threatening to do it to everyone if they didn’t check me over all the way.”
Wheeler laughed. “No. He got his fill of head tearing in for the night. But he is currently occupied so I thought I’d check in on you. How are you holding up?”
A tiny choked laugh came from her. She was so far out of her depth that all she could do was tear up.
Wheeler hugged her. “None of that now. He’ll kick my ass eight ways from Sunday for making you cry.”
Gena did her best to wipe away her tears. “What about the other man? Kahale?”
“Kaiko is still in surgery,” said Wheeler, a grim expression coming over him. “From what I was able to gather, his outlook isn’t as good. There is a pretty big chance he won’t survive.”
She lowered her head, filled with grief over a man she barely knew. “I’m sorry. I’m guessing he was your friend too. I heard the others mention he’s one of you guys.”
“Was one of us,” said Wheeler, his jaw setting. “I don’t know what he is now. Far as I can tell, he was willingly doing that madman’s bidding.”
“The little hairy guy says that isn’t so,” corrected Gena. “He said Kaiko had his mind tampered with. Is that possible? I mean, to have your mind bent to that extreme?”
Wheeler was quiet for a moment before nodding. “Yes. It’s possible. Takes some doing though.”
“Then you can hardly blame Kaiko for what he did and how he was,” she said, her chest aching for both Kaiko and Cody. “It doesn’t seem to me that he had as much choice in the matter as everyone wants to think he did.”
Wheeler eased back slightly. “If you’re right, it means I left two of my friends to be taken, tortured, and experimented on. That I failed not only Cody all those years ago, but Kaiko too.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
He closed his eyes. “When they went off the grid, I thought it was on purpose. They both like to do that—vanish for periods without telling anyone where they’ll be. I assumed they were doing that. That they were off in shifted form swimming in the ocean or something. I didn’t know they were being held captive.”
“Don’t make me kick your ass,” said Cody, entering the room swiftly. “I already told you that you can’t blame yourself. The one to blame is dead. End of story.”
As Gena stared at Wheeler, she got the impression it was far from over for him.
THE END
* * *
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