by E A Price
Grey gave him a sly look. “That’s not her, is it? Your female?”
Castor humped and placed Milady on the ground, as he did, he noticed something peeking out from behind the other trashcan – something pink.
With mounting dread, he reached out a clawed hand and plucked a pink scarf off the ground. It was undoubtedly one of Tilly’s. She had half a dozen in varying shades of pink. He held it up to his nose and nearly gagged at the bitter smell.
“Ophelia,” he hissed.
Grey straightened and growled.
He had missed her scent due to the burning odor, but Ophelia had been here, she had touched Tilly’s scarf.
Without thinking, his claws ripped through the scarf. “She has Tilly.”
His Tilly. His sweet, defenseless Tilly.
“It is not long since sundown; she could not have taken her far,” rumbled Grey decisively. He got down on his knees and sniffed the ground furiously. “We will track them. We will find her.”
They better.
Twenty
Tilly quailed under the furious glare of the female. Ophelia hadn’t taken her far, merely into the woods so they could ‘talk.’ She wasn’t alone. There was another gargoyle with her. He was smaller than her and cringed when she talked. He looked like he wanted to be there even less than Tilly. Though, she wasn’t sure why she wasn’t more afraid. Technically she’d been kidnapped, but she was actually feeling pretty sanguine about the whole thing.
“How do I get into the mansion?” demanded Ophelia for the third time.
Tilly shrugged. “I have no idea,” she admitted. It was news to her that the gargoyles were living at the mansion.
Ophelia kept asking her questions along those lines. She wanted to know where the gargoyles were at that moment, how many there were, how to get into their home. Tilly told her what she could, but truly, she didn’t know much.
The female looked like she wanted to explode. The bubbling anger was quickly transferred from Tilly to the male gargoyle.
“You fool; she’s next to useless, they haven’t told her anything. We’ve wasted our time with her.”
The male shrank a little. “I never thought…”
Ophelia’s eyes flared for a second before Castor dropped to the ground in front of them.
“Castor!” gasped Tilly.
His lips curved into a smile and Tilly beamed at him. Right, this was why she hadn’t been afraid – because she was so sure Castor would protect her. He’d said he would, and she believed him.
Ophelia grasped her arm, but even that couldn’t stop the excitement growing inside her. He was here – Castor, her gargoyle.
Castor folded his arms, and his tail flicked from side to side. “Tilly, what did you tell her?”
“Everything I know – I didn’t hold back,” she breathed.
Castor grinned. “Good girl.”
Tilly let out a delighted giggle, and Ophelia snarled. “Come one step closer, and I will rip her arm off.”
Castor’s expression hardened. “I would not do that if I were you.”
Ophelia gave him a superior look. “Soft on this pathetic, weak creature are you?”
His wings bristled. “Watch your tongue, gargoyle. The female is mine.”
Tilly’s mouth made an O of surprise, and he realized he would have to double check that she wanted to be his later – humans preferred to be asked that kind of thing. Though if she was reticent, he planned to ask her over and over until she finally gave in out of exasperation.
Ophelia bared her fangs. “Gargoyles mating with humans – it is disgusting. Gargoyles like you don’t deserve to live.”
Tilly harrumphed, and Ophelia squeezed her arm a little tighter.
Ophelia smirked. “You will watch me kill her and then I will kill you for being a traitor to our kind.”
“You will not hurt my mate,” growled Castor.
Her eyes flickered to Lief. “You cannot stop both of us.”
Castor let out a chuckle. The sudden harsh sound made Ophelia flinch, though not as much as when Grey plummeted to the ground and grabbed Lief.
Lief squawked as the larger gargoyle easily held him in place. Grey grinned. The gargoyle had a hitherto unknown sense of showmanship.
Ophelia sucked in a breath through her teeth, considering her options. Her eyes flickered between him and the struggling Lief. Lief would not be getting away anytime soon or ever given the expression on Grey’s face. Ophelia could still get try to get away. She could also still hurt Tilly.
His eyes sought Tilly’s. There was trust in her lovely dark eyes, and dare he even hope it – affection? She trusted him, and she cared for him, and he would not let her down. His eyes flicked down to her foot and then to Ophelia’s foot. Tilly’s brow wrinkled, but she gave him a half nod.
“Let her go,” growled Castor.
Ophelia sneered, and Tilly stomped her small sneaker as hard as she could down on Ophelia’s clawed foot.
Ophelia was more stunned than hurt, but it distracted her, and she loosened her grip on Tilly. Castor leaped at Ophelia, knocking her down, freeing Tilly from her grip. Tilly scrambled away, and he heard Lief yelp. That was followed by a large crack. But as Ophelia swiped at him with her claws, he had bigger things to worry about.
Ophelia kicked him and jumped away from him. “One day I will kill your female, you can be sure of that.”
Rage poured through Castor, and he knew he couldn’t allow her to get away. As Ophelia tried to leap into the sky, to fly away, he dove after her, grasping her wing, pulling her down to the ground. She struggled and bit and clawed, but she could not overpower Castor in his fury.
“Tilly, close your eyes,” he hissed.
He broke Ophelia’s neck. She was trying to scratch his eyes out, threatening to hurt his mate, so he broke her neck. He didn’t have to think twice. Perhaps Luc would be angry with him – perhaps his chief may have wanted to question her, but capturing could mean she would escape later and still be a threat to Tilly. She was dead. Problem solved. Ophelia had caused a lot of pain to a lot of gargoyles; this was the least she deserved. At least now she wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else.
Grey nodded at him. Lief was also dead. Grey killed him when he tried to escape.
“Castor?” quavered Tilly. “Can I look?”
She was kneeling on the ground, her hands firmly over her eyes. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she flinched.
“It’s me,” he murmured, kneeling down.
She dropped her hands and looked at him questioningly. Castor pulled her into his arms.
“I have you. I have you,” he murmured.
Yes, he did.
Twenty-One
Castor carried Tilly into the mansion kitchen. He had not listened to objections, merely picked her up and flew her over to the mansion. Flying in the arms of a gargoyle had been an eye-opening experience. It was… the most exciting thing she had ever done! It had been a little chilly up there, but his arms were pretty cozy.
He placed her on the ground and Tilly beamed at him. “Please tell me we can go flying again?!”
Castor chuckled pleasurably while his gargoyle friend pushed past him, muttering something that made Castor snarl at him.
“You are sure she did not hurt you?” Castor asked, giving her a worried look. His hands roamed over her body, inspecting her for injury.
“I’m fine.” Though she wasn’t averse to the hand roaming.
Castor stopped, settling his hands on her waist. She was so small he had to stoop a little, and she giggled. They must have made quite a strange pair.
“I should have been there to protect you.”
“You were,” she cooed, stroking his cheek.
“I should not have left you in the first place,” he said remorsefully.
Tilly shook her head. “I told you to go. You were being really… honest and it hurt my feelings.”
“I am sorry…”
“Don’t be. You were right. I sh
ould have a little more backbone…”
His wings flared. “I was not; I was merely scared of losing you. I have lost everyone who was important to me in my life, but the thought of losing you was too much to bear, and I was furious. I should not have been cruel. I never wish to hurt you. You are perfect as you are.”
“I’m really not,” she murmured, even as she flushed in delight at his words.
“You are,” he insisted stubbornly. “I felt lost until I found you. I thought I liked being around you because you needed me, but I think I need you more than you do me.”
Her heart fluttered. “You need me?”
He gave her a crooked smile. “I both need and want you. I never wish to let you go, Tilly.”
“Oh.”
Tilly bit her lip and Castor looked a little crestfallen. His chest heaved. “I understand if you do not wish to be involved with a gargoyle…”
“I feel the same.”
“You do?” he asked a little doubtfully.
Tilly nodded and giggled.
He pulled her up to him for a kiss, groaning ecstatically into her mouth. After all her years searching for the ideal man, one just dropped out of the sky in front of her! No, he wasn’t like anything she could have possibly expected, but she cared for him – so much. He didn’t demand anything from her, didn’t want anything from her – no, he wanted her. He wanted Tilly just as she was, and she wanted him, just as he was.
Their lips finally parted, and he rested his forehead against hers. “I have to say I like being needed.”
“I like being wanted,” she murmured.
“But I love being with you.”
“Me too.”
His claws lazily traced patterns on her back until he growled. “I must speak with my chief about Ophelia.”
Slowly, he lowered her to her feet, caught her hand and kissed her wrist. “Stay here; I will not be long.”
Tilly nodded. He moved away slowly as if she might bolt, and when he got to the door, started hurrying away. She giggled and pulled out a kitchen chair. She really wasn’t going anywhere. He needn’t worry about that. She wanted to be with him, and she needed to be with him. It was fast, but she was falling in love with him. Tilly blushed at the thought, but yeah, she was. Her whole life she’d wanted exactly what Angie had – devoted doctor husband, beautiful beach house, two kids and a fluffy dog. But in reality, she had her cute little house, lots of friends, an enormous cat and a gargoyle who made her happier than she’d ever been. Her future wasn’t quite mapped out the way she expected, but she wouldn’t change it for anything.
She gulped as a gargoyle she didn’t know stalked into the kitchen. She was female, though not much smaller than Castor. Her skin was dark, mustard yellow, and her black hair cropped closely to her head. Her horns curled back over her head, ending in wicked points. She was wearing only a tiny skirt and a bandeau across her chest – Tilly wore more at the beach! Though this female didn’t share Tilly’s wobbly bits – no, her large body was all muscle.
Tilly stood up, though it didn’t make much difference – the female was at least three times larger than her.
“Umm, hi,” said Tilly in a bright voice. “I’m Tilly.”
The female curled her upper lip back, showcasing some very sharp teeth. Okay, apparently female gargoyles just didn’t warm to her.
“You are the one who has Castor so beguiled,” said the female in a throaty voice. Her yellow eyes roamed over Tilly’s body, much as Castor’s usually did, though she didn’t seem quite so impressed by what she saw.
“Umm, I suppose…” murmured Tilly. Her gaze wandered to the doorway, hoping Castor would appear.
“Castor is a good male.”
Tilly’s cheeks blossomed with heat. “I know that.” He could be grumpy and grouchy, but she adored him. He was the best man she had ever met, and no matter what happened, she was sure he would protect her.
“He will make an ideal mate,” continued the disapproving gargoyle.
“Well, I…”
“For me,” she finished haughtily.
“Ahhh…”
“Castor is virile and strong…”
She couldn’t argue with that.
“He needs a mate who will give him strong younglings.” She gave her a look of earnest. “Have you seen my hips?”
“Umm…”
“They are childbearing hips!” declared the gargoyle moving toward Tilly.
“No doubt,” agreed Tilly as she took a couple of steps backward. Where on earth was Castor?
“Since he is clearly infatuated with you, I have no choice.”
Tilly’s back hit the counter.
The gargoyle drew herself up to her full height, spreading her impressive wings. “I challenge you to fight in combat for the right to mate Castor.”
“What?!” Oh, crumbs!
*
Castor’s tail twitched impatiently. He wanted to be with Tilly – he could think of half a dozen things he wanted to be doing with Tilly at that moment.
He had reported what happened with Ophelia to his chief and Kylie. They were shocked, but both relieved by the news.
Kylie clutched one of Luc’s hands with both of hers. “I’m not going to lie; I feel better knowing she isn’t out there.”
Luc grunted.
She gave her mate an anxious look. “You’re not upset are you?”
“No, little one. She deserved death for what she did. She was a good warrior, but selfish and foolish. Death was the best option for her.”
Kylie gave him a wan smile, and the two of them were sharing an intimate moment, so Castor growled lowly – he had things to do, and they had plenty of time later for their moments.
“Their bodies are already stone.”
Kylie’s brow wrinkled. “Stone? During the night.”
Luc rumbled gently. No doubt the humans did not know. When gargoyles died, they turned to stone. Their clan would then smash them and scatter them on clan ground. It was considered distasteful to leave a gargoyle as a permanent statue – they were a person, not an ornament.
“I do not believe either Lief or Ophelia have the right to remain on clan ground.”
Kylie let out a small sigh. “No. But they can’t stay in the woods – horny teenagers will find them eventually.”
The two gargoyles looked at her, and she rolled a shoulder. “Teens go there to make out. Not important.”
“I will have Chris and Andrew retrieve them. Ric and Grey will assist.” Luc cocked his head at Castor. “What of the female, Tilly?”
Castor puffed out his chest. “What of her?”
“You’re sure she wasn’t hurt?” asked Kylie.
“I am sure; she is quite… perfect,” he breathed.
Kylie ducked her head. Her shoulders shook slightly. If he didn’t know any better, he would swear she was laughing.
Luc rolled his eyes. “Are none of the town’s females safe?” he muttered.
Castor growled. In his defense, Luc started it by mating Kylie. He was going to ask that he give his blessing for Tilly to join the clan when a delicate, melodious scream jangled his nerves. He would know that scream anywhere.
He flew through the house, clattering into the kitchen to find Tilly holding a metal pan and Ryia groaning on the floor. Other pans littered the floor. Grey was already there, howling with laughter.
“Tilly?!” he rasped.
Tilly gave him an apologetic look. “She just started saying something about a challenge and then she came at me.”
“She challenged you?” roared Castor in a fury. His eyes blazed as he looked at the dazed gargoyle.
A gargoyle challenging an unarmed human female... he was disgusted with Ryia.
Grey’s laughter finally quieted to mere burps of mirth. “Yeah, Ryia went after her and Tilly here just kept throwing pots and pans at her. It was hilarious.”
“You allowed Ryia to attack her?” snarled Castor.
Grey shrugged his wings. “I wou
ld have intervened if necessary. Your female is not quite as utterly helpless as she appears.”
Tilly held up her pan. “Finally took her down with a wok.” She smiled awkwardly.
Castor blew out a breath and then started chuckling quietly, it grew into a full-blown laugh, and he pulled Tilly into his arms, wok and all.
Just as he was considering how quickly he could get Tilly to his room and completely naked, Annis bustled into the room.
“It’s Ingrede,” she panted, wild-eyed and anxious, “she’s about to give birth!”
Twenty-Two
The following night
Danica twirled her new battle-ax. “I’m thinking of selling it,” she taunted with just a hint of a malicious smile.
Ingrede chuckled as she rearranged her youngest son. Cai was giving everyone an infinitely smug look while baby Wolfe inspected his new baby brother.
Grey’s chest inflated in a fury. He muttered something about a ‘devil woman’ and stomped away with Danica skipping after him.
“What’s the matter, bug guy?” she mocked. Her derisive laughter could be heard echoing through the house.
Bea and Gustave had returned from their travels with three new gargoyles in tow - one female and two males. They hit the jackpot, and Kylie couldn’t wait to wake them.
It was official. Tilly was part of the clan. After she technically managed to best Ryia in challenge, everyone else eagerly accepted her into the clan. Ryia was somewhere, licking her wounds, and Castor was thrilled both by his little mate and the fact that he would no longer be bothered by Ryia. She was a stubborn gargoyle, but old-fashioned – she had challenged and lost, and that was the end of the matter. If he had known it would be that easy, he would have found Tilly and had her best her when Ryia first brought up mating.
The new youngling was birthed with ease, and Annis was relieved, and Chris proud of her. She felt more confident for when Kylie was due to give birth.
Castor led his mate through the mansion, introducing her to everyone she did not know.
