by Judith Post
She shook her head as she started the engine. "That bed's not getting used until we break it in right."
He grinned. "That's a lot of pressure, but I can handle it."
"I know." She blew him a kiss and pulled away.
* * *
Ally fell asleep the minute her body hit the couch. She didn't wake until she heard the door open at the back of the house and Tepo's footsteps run up to his apartment. Samuel's heavy footsteps followed. She'd left her keys on a hook on the side porch, in case they wanted to use her Jeep. They must have gone out for a while. She glanced at her watch. After three in the afternoon.
Her stomach rumbled. When was the last time she'd eaten? She padded to the kitchen with its new, stainless steel appliances and couldn't stop a smile. Finally, a stove with six burners. A side-by-side refrigerator and freezer. The meals she could cook! For now, though, she made herself a quick, chicken-salad sandwich and called it quits.
Her mind turned over the events of the last few days, and she picked up her cell phone. "Dante? Did you show the sketch I drew to your police friends? Ask them to pass it around? The satyr has to be staying somewhere in town—a motel room maybe—and he has to eat somewhere. Maybe someone's seen him. He stands out, and I'm guessing he's not the low-key type."
The man would catch peoples' attention. His brown hair looped in large curls that fell to his forehead. His eyes were almost too large for his face. Thinking about it, with his goatee, his looks did remind her of a goat. And he gave off a wild energy. People would shy away from him.
Dante assured her that he showed the detective he worked with the picture, and he'd ask him to send it out to anyone and everyone he could. "I probably should have done that sooner," he admitted. "We're just so used to working alone, monitoring supernaturals ourselves, I didn’t think about it. We try not to get mortals involved, so that no one gets hurt."
"I understand."
"I warned him not to approach him, just to let us know where he is and to let us deal with it."
She couldn't think of anything else to do at the moment, so started to get ready for her turn on watch. She was showered and dressed when Dante called.
"Your hunch was right. A policeman had to visit a campground south of here. The campers were too rowdy, too lewd."
"Campers?" It hadn't occurred to Ally that there'd be more than one satyr.
"Two of them. They were harassing a young couple at the campground, making disgusting innuendoes. The husband tucked his handgun in the waist band of his jeans and called to complain before he packed up, and he and his wife left."
"But the satyrs are still there?" Ally asked.
"Yes, but I talked to the park manager, and they're getting ready to leave too. Probably going to move to a new town to hunt the nymphs there."
Ally grabbed her purse. "Let's go get them."
"Want to drive here to pick me up?"
"I'm on my way." When she went to the side porch, the Jeep keys were on the hook again, and Samuel was waiting.
"Dante told me about the satyrs. Hypos and Tepo promised not to leave the house. They're safe. I'm coming with you."
Ally shook her head. Phones had nothing on telepathy, but an extra gargoyle was always a good thing. "Thanks."
He arched an eyebrow. "It's what we do, protect our city."
"Thanks anyway." She sped across town to the campus.
Ecanus paced as Dante maneuvered into the back of the Jeep. He was a little scrunched, but she couldn't take the top off today. The temperatures had dropped, as promised.
"I want to come too," Ecanus said. "I want to catch whoever hurt the nymphs."
Dante shook his head. "Sorry, but I need you to watch over Lexi and Zimaida. Until we catch the satyrs, I don't want to take any chances."
Ecanus grimaced as they pulled away. Ally watched in her rearview mirror as he walked back to sit between the two trees. She'd never guess Ecanus had a vengeful bone in his body, but maybe under the right circumstances, everyone did.
Ally drove through town on her way south. When she passed the cathedral, she glanced at the roofline. It was habit, by now. She was surprised to see four gargoyles, one sitting at each corner. "How did you do that?" she asked Dante.
He and Samuel exchanged proud grins. "We made plaster casts of ourselves, treated them to make them weather proof, and keep them stored in the attic. All four of us are hardly ever on the roof anymore, so they take our places."
It was a brilliant solution. "Why didn't you ever do that before? That's how I met you, when I noticed that a gargoyle was missing."
Dante shrugged. "We were always on the roof during the day and only left to watch the city at night, when supernaturals are active. No one ever noticed. But now, since we spend so many days with our mates, things have changed. The roofline would only have Ecanus sitting on one corner. People would wonder."
Ally laughed. "Ecanus isn't going to be on his corner much longer, if Zimaida has anything to say about it." She took a deep breath. "And I know the perfect place for them to stay."
Dante looked worried. "I know we have an extra bedroom, but…."
"The coach house," Ally said. "I'll make our extra room into a studio, and they can stay there."
"You'd give up your studio out back?" Samuel rested his hands on her shoulders. "Do you know how kind that is?"
Ally waved away his compliment. "That way, I don't have to walk across the yard to work in the winter. I can stay in my pajamas all day."
"Like you'd do that!" Dante shook his head. "You have a serious work ethic. You're usually in your studio right after breakfast—fully dressed."
She grimaced. It was sad, but true. Clayware didn't just spin itself beautiful on her pottery wheel. She turned to head out of the city. Most of the trees that lined the highway were bare. Farmers's fields were harvested, ready for their winter rest. Nature was ready to be tucked under a blanket of snow.
It took another twenty minutes before they reached the eleven thousand-acre park. They crossed the bridge that spanned a dam, creating a manmade lake for boating and fishing. She drove toward the campgrounds and parked in a gravel lot.
The three of them walked down a dirt path that led to an area for tents. Two men were packing gear into the back of a well-used minivan. When they saw Ally and the gargoyles approaching, they stopped what they were doing. The one who'd attacked the river nymph crossed his arms and grinned. The second was the man Ally had sketched.
Dante didn't bother to mince words. "We're guardians of Summit City, and you've harmed nymphs who are under our care."
The satyr she'd sketched sneered. "What are you going to do, throw us in some kind of prison?"
"We have no prisons. You know that."
"So you're going to kill us?" The second satyr snickered. "Do we get to play with your pretty girlfriend before we die, as a last request?"
"I've seen how you treat women." Dante took a step forward when hooves pounded behind them and horns hit all three of them from behind.
Ally sprawled in the dirt. She rolled before a hoof connected with her head. Jumping to her feet, she called on a protective bubble and turned to see a half dozen satyrs, surrounding them.
She sighed. So much for an easy finish to this job.
A satyr ran, head down, toward her bubble. He hit the shield and bounced backward. He pushed himself onto his elbows and shook his head, glaring at her. "What the hell is she?" he asked the others.
The brown-curled satyr narrowed his eyes at her. "Must be a witch. I knew she didn't smell right."
Each satyr took a deep breath, trying to place her scent.
"She's still a female, with female parts, no matter what she is," one of them said. "Let's take care of these two, then we can share, like we did with the water nymph."
Ally thought of the way Dante had described the nymph's body they'd found in the river. No wonder Ecanus didn't want her to see it. Heat pulsed through her veins. Fury pounded in her ears. She raised her a
rms, the bubble melted away, and a whirlwind of energy surrounded her. It picked up one of the satyrs and sent him flying. She heard him connect with a tree. Something snapped, hopefully, him.
Dante's fist connected with something that cracked. Samuel bashed two heads together. They split like melons. One of the satyrs pawed the dirt, then rushed her. He fought his way through the circling winds and stood face to face with her, his lips curled in cruel glee. She smiled, placed a hand on his chest, and shot energy into him. His whole body jerked, as if jolted by electricity. She didn't remove her hand. His eyes bulged, and when he sank to the ground, he wouldn't be getting back up.
When she looked back to the gargoyles, Dante grabbed the last satyr by his hind legs, whipped him skyward, then slammed him to the ground. Finished. Done.
Dante strode toward her. "You okay?"
She brushed dirt off her long, black skirt. "I broke a fingernail."
He grinned.
Samuel kicked at one of the bodies. "Bullies, that's all they were. I hate bullies."
Dante reached into his pocket for his cell phone. He told Samuel, "I'll call our detective friend if you let Ecanus know the satyrs won't cause any more problems."
Samuel nodded while Dante punched in numbers.
Ally walked to her Jeep. The pine trees that bordered the campground hid her view of the satyrs' bodies. She took little pleasure in this victory. Mostly, she felt dirtied by meeting them and relieved that they couldn't hurt anyone else.
When Samuel and Dante joined her, Samuel said, "I'll wait here to talk to our friends if you two want to go home."
"How will you get back?" Ally asked.
Samuel motioned toward the sky. "It'll be dusk soon. I'll fly back. Tell Ecanus and Zimaida to meet us at your house. You're cooking something wonderful to celebrate, right?"
Ally slanted him a look. Samuel was getting to be as cheeky as her Dante.
Dante nodded. "I like that idea. I'll help in the kitchen."
On the drive home, they stopped to buy lamb chops. Ally added the ingredients to make couscous, hummus, toasted pita, and a huge, Greek salad. Then they bought wines. Ally could picture a glorious evening together. Pulling in front of their Queen Anne-style house with light spilling from its front window reinforced that idea. She reached for Dante's hand and gave a satisfied sigh.
"This will be a first," she said. "We can cook together and sleep together in our new bed."
Dante smiled. They walked to the front door, jostling their grocery bags.
Hypos and Tepo sped down the stairs to welcome them.
"You beat the bad guys!" Tepo cried. "Samuel told us."
They all ended up in the kitchen, working together. By the time Samuel returned and Ecanus and Zimaida arrived, supper was almost ready to put on the table. They poured wine and toasted their success. Then Ecanus cleared his throat.
"I want to let all of you know that I asked Zimaida to be mine, and she said yes."
"Already?" Ally stared.
Zimaida blushed. "The truth is, I asked Ecanus to be mine, and he said yes."
"Smart move," Samuel told her. "Ecanus is so shy, you'd have waited forever."
There was more wine. More toasts. And lots of laughter. They ate, they drank, and they enjoyed one another's company.
At the end of the night, Ally gave a happy sigh. "I had a thought. Would you two like to make the coach house into a home? It's two-story with electricity, even plumbing—the previous owner was an antique car fanatic and spent hours in there, working on his cars."
Zimaida's cheeks turned a rosy pink. "Do you mean it? I'd be so close to my tree. I could slide in and out of it to see Ecanus."
Ally nodded. "Why not? I cast protection spells around it. It should be safe. I lost both of my sisters, but this way, I'll have two more. And who can complain about having gargoyles underfoot?"
The party went from there. Dante sent for Gideon and Humusi, so that all four gargoyles could celebrate together. They ordered in more food. It was a cause for joy. All four gargoyles who watched over Summit City had found their mates.
It was late by the time Ally and Dante said good night to their friends, turned out the lights, and headed to their new bed. But gargoyles don't need sleep. And Greeks are passionate, so the bed got broken in properly. And Ally's house was finally and truly a home.
The End
Pack Problems
The Fifth Ally & Dante Novella – NEW!
A Lunch Hour Read
by
Judith Post
Copyright 2014
Ally watched Tepo struggle to form the clay as it spun on the wheel. She'd planned this project for a Sunday, so that he'd be out of school and could help. His white-blond head bent over the bowl he was trying to form. The ten-year-old boy bit his bottom lip, he was concentrating so hard.
"Are you sure you want a kid in your pottery studio?" his mother, Hypos, had asked.
"I'm so happy you both want to work with me, I could pinch myself." Ally had hidden for so long that having people underfoot felt like a gift from the gods. Athena and Artemis must have teamed up to bless her. She couldn't believe she was part of a family, of sorts.
When she'd taken Dante, the gargoyle, as her partner, she hadn't realized she was taking on his three, fellow gargoyles, too. And that those gargoyles would find mates of their own. Or that she'd buy a big, old house so that Hypos and Samuel could live upstairs with Tepo, or that Ecanus and Zimaida, his nymph, would live in the carriage house at the back of the property.
Hypos shook her head. "He's only ten. Remember that. A kid and clay could mean disaster."
Ally shrugged. "Who cares? It's clay."
And that had settled it. So now, the three of them were working in her studio together to make Hypos her own, unique dinner ware. Hypos had loved Ally's reddish-orange dinner plates with gold highlights so much, Ally had agreed to help her make harvest-colored plates of her own.
Hypos worked at the long, narrow table that ran along the far side of the studio. She applied a dark-green glaze to a dozen, fired plates lined up in neat rows. Ally stood behind Tepo, occasionally reaching to guide his hands while he worked. He was trying to create a serving bowl like the one Ally had made. They were so deep into their work that Ally didn't hear the doorbell the first time it rang.
The clay slumped under Tepo's fingers. Frustrated, the boy pushed away from the wheel. When the bell rang again, he ran to answer the door. Ally frowned and hurried after him. No visitors came here. Ever.
A tall man stood on the stoop of their brick, Queen Anne-style house. He smiled at Tepo. "Hi. I'm Corbin Byter. Is Dante home?"
Tepo knew the drill. Ally had put protection spells around the entire house. The yard, too, so that no one could pass the high hedge that circled their property to harm the huge tulip tree that Zimaida—the wood nymph—called home. And no one could enter the house to harm them. The only way an enemy could come inside was if he was invited. Tepo turned to Ally. "Do you know this guy? He wants to see Dante."
Ally had never seen the man before. Dante didn't invite anyone here. He'd have told her if he was expecting someone. She smiled. "Dante's not home right now. Would you like to leave a message? I'll make sure he gets it."
The man sniffed. "I can smell him. He's around here somewhere. Samuel, too. I'd like to see both of them."
Ally narrowed her eyes. She'd been caught in her lie, but that had never bothered her before. It wasn't going to now. This time, she sniffed. A werewolf, from his scent. With a hint of something else. "They're unavailable at the moment. If you leave your name, I'll tell them you came."
She wasn't being rude. All of them had made a pact that no one came to this house unless it was an emergency. How Corbin found them, she had no idea. But if he wanted to see Dante and Samuel, he'd have to meet them somewhere else.
"Look, lady, I have no quarrel with you, but I need to see Dante and Samuel. Now." Foam slathered from the man's lips. Muscles bulged beneath his
long-sleeved T-shirt, splitting a seam. He slammed his fist against the door frame—an impressive show of impatience.
Ally crossed her arms over her chest. Time to rethink things. Maybe this was an emergency. A crazed Were couldn't leave this property if they wanted to keep mortals safe. "Calm down. Give me a minute."
She motioned for Tepo to run upstairs to tell the gargoyles what was happening. Maybe there'd been a catastrophe. Maybe Corbin was desperate for help. But he hadn't struck her that way when he first got here.
Corbin's transition slowed. He fought for control, and his nails receded to their usual length.
Footsteps hurried down the stairs, and both gargoyles came to stand behind her—two, tall, well-muscled men who made her feel like a skimpy filling in a massive sandwich.
"Corbin?" Dante sounded surprised. "Is everything all right?"
"We need to talk."
Dante started forward, but Ally put a hand on his arm to restrain him. Another scent wafted from Corbin—dark magic. Weres didn't practice the black arts. Dante looked down at her, puzzled, then turned to Corbin. "I'm listening."
"Outside. It's private."
Dante stepped toward the door again, and again Ally stopped him. Frowning, he ruffled her hair so that her short, dark curls stood on end. "Someone's being a little over protective."
Drool dripped from Corbin's lips. Fangs grew to lethal length. Nails curved into claws. "Please. I can't hold back much longer. There's a boy in the house. And women. I don't want to hurt them."
Samuel reached for Ally and moved her behind him. She stepped sideways so that she could see better.
Dante stared. "What's up? Just tell us. If we can help you, we will."
Corbin gripped his temples and whimpered in pain. He struggled to resist shifting. "I'm sorry," he growled. "Can't say, but we're friends. He used that."
