Knights of Stone: Gavin: A gargoyle shifter rockstar romance

by Lisa Carlisle

  If not completely forgotten.

  As he soared into Inverness, he kept watch for Fiona below. Pedestrians walked together in clusters. Sounds of their conversations and the city’s traffic reached up to him. He ignored the groups to focus on the people walking alone, specifically one with fiery hair and the womanly gait that was imprinted on his mind.

  He followed the river north and headed in once he approached her flat. A woman rushed ahead on the pavement below. She had a large black bag slung over her shoulder. A breeze from the river ruffled her red hair around like a siren’s aura.

  Fiona.

  Relief wrapped around him like the warmth of his wings when he enclosed them around himself to brace against the winds. As he descended, he searched for a location where he could shift and uncloak himself so as not to startle her or any passersby.

  A black van pulled up beside her. Someone grabbed her and pulled her inside it.

  Gavin’s blood pumped with fury, and his vision clouded with a reddish hue. He roared as he descended, heading for her. He envisioned stopping the van and tossing it. He’d destroy it and anyone in it who’d threatened her.

  But, Fiona was in there. He couldn’t react without thinking and hurt her or his child.

  He had to come up with a plan to get to her safely without harming her in the process. Who knew who was in the van, but it had to be at least two people—the driver and the person in the back seat who’d snatched Fiona. If they were armed, Gavin was fucked. He had to think.

  As he followed the van driving away from Fiona’s neighborhood, he communicated to his brothers.

  Fiona has been taken!

  Shite, Lachlan said. How did you find out?

  I saw it happen. I’m following them now.

  Give us your location. We’ll come to you.

  We’re leaving her neighborhood now, heading west. I’ll contact you when I have more of a sense of where they’re going.

  As Gavin followed them from the city, the densely packed gray and tan roofs gave way to the more isolated homes surrounded by swatches of green meadows and brown fields. Where the hell were they taking her?

  Likely. They’d taken her against her will. What they planned to do with her wasn’t something they’d want witnessed.

  Miles passed before the black van turned off the main road and headed down a more secluded one that was little more than a dirt stretch. Green fields rolled in all directions, and mountains loomed in the distance. The van parked in front of a gray, rectangular block of a building, nondescript and far from any other structures. Odd. No, more than that—disturbing. Two other cars were parked there. Gavin notified his brothers of the location as best he could, and then he descended.

  Three men exited the vehicle. One was the bloke who had been talking to Fiona at the club. Gavin swore under his breath. That bastard had been up to no good; it hadn’t just been jealousy poisoning Gavin’s mind.

  The men glanced around as if making sure they weren’t watched. Gavin recoiled, but remembered he was cloaked in the sky. If they were human, they wouldn’t see him. Since they didn’t appear to notice him hovering, he figured that was the case. And since he hadn’t scented any other supes, it was a safe assumption.

  One of the captors dragged Fiona out. Gavin yearned to yank the man’s arm from the socket, yet at the same time Gavin’s heart fluttered at seeing Fiona alive. She wobbled as they led her from the van. He peered at her captors to see if any had weapons readily accessible. None were apparent, but they could easily be pulled out of pockets or from under shirts. The driver opened the door of the building.

  Gavin envisioned surging down and destroying each of them before grabbing Fiona and flying her to safety. He could easily take on three humans. Once again, the threat of any hidden weapons prevented him. And with his brothers on the way, they could better subdue the men and safely retrieve Fiona. The two cars parked at the warehouse could be for the two men in the vehicle, or others who were inside. At a minimum, Gavin calculated three men, and at most, thirteen.

  Although it killed him to watch them lead her inside, he had to follow the safest option.

  They’re bringing her into this building. It might be some kind of warehouse.

  While Gavin waited for his brothers, he landed and scanned the exterior to see what else he could learn. No windows afforded him a peek inside. A prickling sensation aggravated the back of his neck.

  Movement from behind made him turn. A man sprayed silver particles into Gavin’s face. He choked on the intrusion that filled his lungs and blinked through the shimmer that blinded him.

  Silver. Fuck.

  The metallic mist broke through his gargoyle magic that shielded him. He was no longer cloaked. The silver gleamed on him like a searchlight tracking an intruder.

  “Invisibility doesn’t trick our sensors,” the bastard taunted.

  Gavin could barely make out the whereabouts of the figure before him. He hollered and reached out but stumbled forward. The man raised a weapon in front of Gavin’s chest. Fuck, was it a gun?

  Vibrations rocked through Gavin’s veins like miniature lightning bolts and shock waves combined. His muscles didn’t work. As he crashed to the ground, he pictured Fiona. How the fuck could he help her now?

  Chapter 12

  When Fiona woke, she glanced at barren white walls in an unfamiliar room. A small light on an end table cast a dim glow. She was in a twin bed covered by white sheets and a brown throw blanket. An open door revealed a small room with a toilet and sink.

  Where was she?

  The black van! Mark. The hands that had grabbed her. It all rushed back. Her flat had been broken into. She pieced together her current situation. It rolled through her mind with as much devastation as an avalanche. She’d been kidnapped.

  She pushed the bed coverings off of her and rubbed her abdomen. “It’s going to be okay,” she reassured the baby, although she had no clue if that was the case. Stress wasn’t good for them, and she had to do whatever she could to reduce the anxiety. The instinct to protect her child from the world had already kicked in.

  After searching the room for a means to escape, she started with the most likely one—the closed door. She turned the doorknob and as expected, it was locked. An urge to pound on the door and swear at her captors swelled within, but what would that accomplish? She doubted it would lead to a favorable outcome. Besides, she needed time to understand where she was and figure out her options.

  The room had no windows. What kind of bedroom didn’t have windows?

  One that was to be used as a jail cell.

  She used the toilet. As she washed her hands, she glanced at herself in the small mirror over the sink. A pink mark high on her right cheek indicated some impact there. Had she fallen or had somebody done that to her? She’d been zapped. Did it happen during the fall? She touched it and winced.

  She paced and went over the events that led to being here. Shite! She’d left the pregnancy test on the counter as a reminder that her pregnancy was real. And, Gavin’s note was with the roses. Aargh.

  A man who had an unnatural interest in her lover’s background had now kidnapped her.

  What about Gavin? Was he all right? He’d been on the way to meet her. Had her warning about the break-in led him to a greater threat?

  She sat on the bed and rocked. How the hell was she going to get herself and her baby out of there?

  After about forty-five minutes, the sound of the doorknob turning jarred her. She slid back toward the wall. Mark entered, as she’d expected.

  “What do you want with me?” she demanded. “Why am I here? You have no right holding me against my will.”

  He closed the door behind him and leered at her. “Here’s a sandwich and a bottle of water.” He handed her a brown bag.

  Her mouth watered, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of revealing how she craved to see what he’d brought her. “Leave it on the table.”

  While he did, she eyed the closed
door. Would she have enough time to run, open the door, and get away before he reached her? Hardly. Plus, she had no idea who was on the other side of the door.

  “Make sure you eat it,” he said. “After all, you’re eating for two.”

  Fuck! She recoiled but tried to keep her expression neutral

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said with disdain. “However, I do want to know why you think you can kidnap me, bring me here and lock me up? Who the hell are you?”

  He snorted. “I can easily find out that you are indeed pregnant—and with his child.”

  Oh God. She blanched.

  Keep him talking. The more you know, the better off you are.

  For what? She snorted in her head. To know the details of their potential destruction?

  “What is this place? What are you doing here?”

  He tapped a long finger on his desk. “Ensuring that monsters like the one you sleep with can’t harm anyone again, like your friend or me. That’s the big, bad secret you wanted to know, right? Who killed her? Why don’t you take a closer look at your lover?”

  No, no, no. That couldn’t be the truth. Oxygen surrounded her, but she couldn’t breathe it in. Her lungs were too constricted.

  Gavin had said gargoyles were the protectors of the earth, so they wouldn’t attack innocent girls, right? What would be the purpose? Although she didn’t understand his kind, it didn’t fit.

  Unless one had gone rogue…

  Forcing herself to slow the short, panicked breaths through long, deep inhales, she found enough calm to continue the conversation. After all, the fate of her baby and lover could depend on it.

  “You must be mistaken. He hasn’t hurt anyone. You’ve gotten the wrong idea about him.”

  Mark raised his brows. “Do I?” He snorted. “Don’t you know what he is by now?”

  She almost answered, “Gargoyle,” but figured it was better not to dig a deeper trench. It was already at a dangerous depth. Any deeper and it could be a grave.

  “Cat got your tongue?” Mark taunted. “Fine. I know what I need to know for the moment. And I’ll learn more with time. If you’d been more forthcoming with the information I requested, you might have avoided being in this situation. After all, I wouldn’t have had to break into your flat and discover your secret. So, it looks like you brought this on yourself.”

  Was he seriously trying to blame his actions on her? Talk about victim blaming. Well, he couldn’t be reasoned with since he was a nut job. She had to stick to the goal of getting information. It was one thing she’d been good at in her career—getting people to talk about their passions. In this case, it was rather dark, but she’d have to run with it.

  She tilted her head. “What type of creatures do you think attacked them?”

  He replied with a taunting laugh. “Typical journalist. The information you seek is one-sided. Why should I tell you anything since you kept information from me?”

  She clucked her tongue. If he was going to answer her questions with more questions, she wouldn’t get far. She had to give him something, while not providing any information about gargoyles.

  “The creature that attacked my friend moved like a dark shadow across the land. It had wings and glowing red eyes. It had claws that it used to maul her.” She glanced at his scar.

  He flinched almost imperceptibly.

  “I think it was some kind of demon,” she added. “Is that what attacked you?”

  Mark pursed his lips and gazed off into nothingness with a grim expression. Whatever his memory was, it haunted him. She couldn’t help but feel some empathy for him. He’d been a victim, too. But she couldn’t let that derail her. He’d taken her and meant harm to those she loved.

  Loved. Funny how with Gavin and her baby threatened, it jarred her into realizing how much they both meant to her. She wouldn’t let this damn bastard break her. One way or another, she’d get out of here. She would find a way and escape to somewhere safe and protect her precious child.

  “Aye.” His voice lowered just above a whisper. “I thought it was a werewolf until it unfurled enormous wings. I believe it was a demon. I’ve discovered many sinister, unnatural creatures live in the shadows and those monsters are the vilest of all. It’s my life’s mission to rid the world of this evil. I was lucky enough to get away, but who knows how many others didn’t.” He nodded at her. “Like your friend.”

  Despair crept in like the nondescript white walls closing in on her, threatening to smother her. He was a madman who planned to destroy her baby and Gavin.

  Oh God, how her lifelong quest and current desires had come together and clashed in this explosive revelation. She’d been driven to uncover the secrets of the supernatural in her pursuit to reveal the truth and protect others. Now that he’d confirmed it was likely a demon that had killed Angie, it didn’t change anything. It wouldn’t keep her loved ones safe.

  Fiona had to be careful with her next words. “You must see the flaw with your logic. Clearly, I’m not going to be with the creature that attacked my friend. Gavin is not a demon.”

  His lips twitched, but other than that, there was no reaction. “The exact species doesn’t matter. They come in many forms. He’s not human, of that I’m sure. And we can’t have monsters like his kind running free and terrorizing us all.”

  Shite. She wouldn’t gain any ground by revealing that gargoyles were protectors. His single-minded obsession was to destroy non-humans.

  “What’s outside this room?” she asked, going for a different tactic.

  “Nothing that concerns you.”

  “Why not? It’s got to be related to this conversation we’re having.”

  “True.” He smirked to himself. “It’s where we’ve caught other—” he tapped his fingers and finished with “—non-humans.”

  “And what do you do with them?”

  His lips spread wider. “Whatever we like.”

  Her heart slammed into her ribs. This warehouse was a jail. Her mind conjured the worst pictures of creatures being tortured in cages.

  Mark’s phone vibrated. He picked it up. “Aye.” After a moment, he said, “Where is he?” and then he finished with, “Bring him to a cell with wall restraints.”

  Cells. That confirmed her nightmare.

  He ended the call. “We have a visitor. Your lover has arrived.”

  She gasped. “Gavin!” She covered her heart. “What are you going to do with him? Don’t hurt him. He’s none of those things that you think he is.”

  Mark studied her like she was an entertainer on stage there for his sole amusement. “I have a better plan.” He strode to the door and opened it. “Once he hears what I have to say, you’ll learn how dangerous creatures like him are.” Before he closed it, he added with a sneer, “I’m willing to bet that he’ll tear you to pieces.”

  Gavin tried to reach for his captors as they dragged him inside, but his muscles were as immovable as if he were in stone form.

  “Let go of me,” he seethed. “Or, I’ll fuckin’ kill you when I get the chance.”

  “You won’t,” one of the men said with a sneer. “You’re done.”

  “Game over,” another declared with a laugh.

  The scent of humans and chemicals brought to mind his worst nightmare. He glanced at a long interior space. Tables were covered with microscopes and test tubes. Closed doors lined the walls on either side. He was in some type of laboratory. They dragged Gavin’s dead weight along the tile floor. It was humiliating to be so helpless like this, manhandled by humans, unable to control his body. They hauled him into a white room and restrained him with metal cuffs to a wall. A toilet was a yard or so away. Unable to stand, Gavin sank to the ground, his affected muscles sagging like they were weighted.

  He tried to communicate with his brothers, but he couldn’t connect. The damn silver probably blocked his magic.

  A man entered and closed the door behind him. It was the one who’d spoken to Fiona at the club. A
growl rumbled from deep within Gavin’s chest. If his limbs cooperated, he’d squeeze this monster’s throat.

  This close, a scar was visible at the man’s temple—three faint lines. Shite. This was who Roger had warned Gavin about when he’d arrived in Inverness—a bloke asking odd questions. Why hadn’t Gavin examined him closer when he’d seen him talking to Fiona? If Gavin had approached them, he might have noticed the scar and it would have triggered his wariness. He or one of his brothers could have watched the man and prevented her from being taken.

  “Hello, Gavin. I’m Mark. Welcome.”

  He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. The pungent smoke drifted to Gavin. He turned his head, but to no avail. The odor crept into his nostrils and clung to his skin like a parasite.

  “Where am I?”

  “My workspace. You see, we like to investigate creatures like you.” Mark walked before Gavin, his boots echoing against the tile floor.

  Creatures. Gavin’s spine straightened.

  Mark took a puff from his cigarette and blew it out. A plume of smoke reached out to Gavin like a curled finger.

  “Must you?” Gavin asked.

  “Heightened sense of smell,” Mark replied. “It doesn’t always come in handy, does it?”

  “Why am I here?”

  “We’ve heard about your abilities. Showing off at concerts? Now you didn’t think you’d get away with that forever without raising some interest, did you?”

  Shite, shite, shite. The worst repercussion was coming to fruition.

  “It’s not safe to have beings like you running around unchecked.” Mark waved and scrunched his nose with disgust. “Or wolf shifters.”

  Gavin’s heart thundered and crashed. He was fucked.

  “Your missing island is peculiar. How have you hidden it?”

  Gavin kept his mouth shut. He wouldn’t reveal one damn thing to this human. The gargoyles had combined their magic with the witches and wolves on the isle to cloak the island.

  “Where is she?” Gavin demanded.

  “Fiona?”

  Gavin nodded.