by Judith Post
She beamed at her son. "It's beautiful. I can't wait to glaze it."
"You're going to make one for me, aren't you?" Zimaida asked.
Tepo's chest swelled a bit and he gave a quick nod.
Dante walked into the room, drying his hands on a kitchen towel. "The bowl will have to wait till tomorrow. Ally and I have to visit the werewolf pack. Skar's expecting us."
"Skar?" Ally stared. "Who'd name their kid Skar?"
Dante flipped the towel over his shoulder and motioned it was time to leave. "His dad was the alpha of Summit City's pack before Skar took on the job. He knew the ropes."
What kind of ropes? That your kid was going to get challenged and beat up until hopefully, he survived to be the new alpha of the pack? Ally grimaced. "What kind of a childhood is that?"
"The kind that keeps the alpha's heir alive." Dante tossed his towel to Ecanus and went to the coat tree by the front door. He shrugged into his black, leather jacket. He looked like a picture of tall, dark, and luscious. Ally licked her lips. Greeks were suckers for things of beauty…or lust.
"Let me change before we leave." Not to be more attractive. She wanted to wear her work clothes tonight. She ran to their room to pull on a long skirt and spandex shirt. She kicked out of her gym shoes and slipped into a pair of ragged sandals. The dreaded, fashion no-no. Sandals with socks, but if something happened and she had to shift, these clothes proved accommodating. Lucky Dante. With his gargoyle magic, he could bulk up to winged wonder and change back with his clothes intact. No other supernatural she knew had learned that trick.
When she hurried back, Dante gave a quick nod. "Smart. Just in case."
She nodded, too. The Summit City werewolves were friends with the gargoyles, but Corbin had been a friend, too. Who knew how things would go?
Once outside, Ally could see her breath when she exhaled. The weather had been cold and gray, but there hadn't been any snowfall yet. As usual, her gaze went to the giant tulip tree in their backyard. Stripped of leaves, its branches spread across the lawn to embrace every withered blade of grass, every empty flower bed. Zimaida's tree. When Ecanus left their carriage house to take his turn, standing watch on the cathedral, the nymph entered its bark to be one with it.
Dante held the car door for her, and once they were settled, he once again headed to the north side of town. This time, they drove past the surburbs into the country and turned onto a twisting, gravel, county road. The lonely location reminded her of Gideon and Humusi's property on the south side of the city. Very private. Dante slowed at a farm with lots of acres before turning onto a bumpy, potholed, gravel drive—as uninviting as possible. Ally looked for a house and didn't see one, only a large, red barn. Dante found a parking space in a wide lot behind the dilapidated building, hidden from view from the road. SUVs and pickups filled the remaining slots.
Ally glanced to look for some cabin deeper in the woods that sat at the back of the property. No lights shone from windows. No pole barn huddled at the end of a trail.
Dante got out, and she followed him to a small, steel door at the back of the barn. Really? Did the Summit City pack sit on hay bales to conduct their meetings? He knocked three times, the door cracked, and then opened wide. They entered a dark, narrow foyer with a high ceiling.
A man that looked like a bouncer slapped a hand on Dante's shoulder. "Hey, man, Skar's been waiting to start the meeting. He said you'd be showing up."
Dante motioned to Ally. "Ally, this is Muscles, Skar's second in command."
Muscles grinned. "Is this your witch?" He looked her up and down and then sniffed the air. He frowned. "Hmm, a unique scent. I can't place it."
Witch? Ally smiled at the man. Clearly, Dante hadn't told them that she was a gorgon. Gargoyles only mated with other supernaturals, never a mortal, so he had to tell them something. Witch would work. And how many witches could claim they got their powers directly from Artemis herself?
Ally studied the foyer and realized security cameras blinked in its corners. Nozzles were embedded in the ceiling tiles. Nozzles? For what? Muscles led them to a second, metal door that opened into the barn itself. He threw it open, and Ally blinked in surprise. This barn had never held hay.
Overhead, a huge loft opened to a sitting area. She saw a master bedroom and bath behind it. Ally spied a gourmet kitchen in the far corner on the ground floor. In the eating area, chandeliers lit the long, wood table that looked as though it could easily seat thirty. Oak floors sprawled from corner to corner. Sofas and easy chairs were arranged in casual groupings. Large screen TVs were bolted to the opposite wall. A pool table took up another corner. Stairs led to a basement.
"We're meeting down there," Muscles told her, watching her take in the surroundings. "The guest bedrooms are down there, too." He motioned for them to follow him.
Fluorescent lights flooded the basement with brightness. A circle of easy chairs filled one half of the space. A mini-kitchen separated the meeting area from the bedrooms. Ally was surprised to see a room with silver bars at the end of that hallway.
"For werewolves who've been hurt. We're not always reasonable then," Muscles explained.
Ally nodded. She'd met lots of supernaturals, but she'd never visited an alpha's den. She found it slightly intimidating. Her nails grew a bit, and Dante put a hand on her elbow to calm her. The nails receded.
Muscles's dark eyes narrowed. He sniffed. "You're not a shifter, at least, no scent I recognize."
"I'm the last of my kind." Ally left it at that.
His lips quirked in amusement. "A mystery woman. It gets even better." With a nod, he led them to the group of werewolves gathered together.
The man in front of the group wasn't as big as Muscles, but Ally found him more threatening. He smelled like power and raw energy. She stepped closer to Dante.
Skar noticed Dante and smiled. "Welcome, friend." He waved him closer.
Ally intended to stay on the sidelines, but Dante's fingers gripped her elbow again and led her forward. She raised an eyebrow in warning, but he ignored her.
Close to a dozen werewolves filled the seats they passed, all of them bristling with hidden power. They fell silent as they watched Dante and Ally.
Skar studied her. He sniffed, too, and tilted his head. "She's witch, yes, but you haven't told us the entire story, Dante. There's more."
"She's my protector," Dante said.
"Like gargoyles need bodyguards." Skar narrowed his eyes, considering her, then nodded. "You've mated well. I smell more kinds of magic than I can recognize. I've heard she's helped you battle several enemies."
"She's helped me win."
Ally felt relief when Skar didn't push the subject. He asked, "What are we battling now?"
"I don't know." Dante explained about Corbin's visit and what they'd discovered on his computer.
Skar frowned. "Matthew. Three years ago."
"Samuel, Ecanus, and I are going to look through our files when I get back tonight."
"No need, I remember Matthew. Corbin's the one who changed him, wasn't he, Muscles?"
Muscles's massive shoulders sagged. "Matthew's father made Corbin promise to, if he asked."
Ally frowned, trying to follow the conversation. "I don't understand."
"Matthew and Mitchell were brothers. Their father was a member of our pack. He mated a witch." Skar glanced at Ally, then continued. "Max and Morgana argued constantly. Weres mate for life. Witches, not always. She meant to leave him and take the two boys with her. The fight turned deadly…for both of them. Before he died, Max made Corbin swear that the pack would raise the boys and if they chose to shift when they turned eighteen, that Corbin would change them."
"That's why Mitchell chose Corbin," Ally said.
Skar nodded.
"And the gargoyles?"
Skar sighed. "Mixing Were genes with witch genes gave Matthew more power than most of us. He decided to use it badly. We weren't sure we could stop him."
Ally could guess t
he rest. "So the gargoyles had to finish him. And Mitchell?"
"He didn't want to risk the change. It's not always successful. But he has his mother's blood in him. He has enough magic to be dangerous, and he clearly blames us for Matthew's death."
Ally turned to Dante. "Which of you battled Matthew?"
"Samuel and I."
"Then you're the two Mitchell wants to kill."
Dante pressed his lips together in a tight line. His gaze raked the werewolves in the room. "Will he blame any more of you besides Corbin?"
Muscles answered. "Matthew challenged one member of the pack after another to rise up in the line of command. He finally challenged me and lost."
"What happened then?" Ally asked.
"He was as high in the pack as he was ever going to go, and he wasn't happy being third."
Skar nodded. "He left us soon after that, went rogue. He tried to use magic to attack Muscles one night before leaping on him to finish him off. A cowardly, cheat move. But it didn't work. It took Muscles weeks to heal, but he defended himself, and then we started hunting Matthew. Dante and Samuel found him first, attacking a shifter in a parking lot to take his money. Matthew wouldn't surrender, and they had to destroy him."
A shifter. Ally thought a moment to consider his choice of words. Not a werewolf. Must be something weaker. She frowned. "So why does Mitchell want to punish someone? It sounds to me as if Matthew didn't give anyone a choice."
Skar paused, remembering. "Max didn't choose his mate wisely. Morgana wasn't a stable person. Matthew was even worse, and Mitchell doesn't always see the reality of things either."
A crazy witch and an angry shifter, who'd never released his Were energy. Magic and madness. Not a good combination. Ally's gaze locked on Dante. He wasn't going anywhere without her until they found Mitchell. If she had to crouch on the cathedral roof when it was his turn to stand guard, she would.
Dante saw her look and shook his head. "Two of us will stand watch from now on. If Samuel and I are together, you don't need to worry."
She didn't argue. It wasn't a bad idea, keeping the two of them together, as long as she was somewhere close by to make sure they stayed safe.
Skar read her expression, too, and laughed. "I don't know what you are, woman, but I'm glad we met. So, how do we find Mitchell?"
"I suspect he's deciding how to find us," Dante said.
The rest of the meeting was spent, deciding on the best way to search him out without putting themselves in danger. The only thing they came up with was to stay in groups, not confront him, and not be caught alone.
"I can't go with you tonight," Dante said. "Samuel and I have to take our turn on the cathedral. We shift watches at midnight."
Skar nodded. "We'll only sniff out clues. If we find where he's staying, we'll wait until you can help us." He looked at Ally. "You're invited, too."
She didn't need an invitation. "Where he goes, I go. At least, until we find Mitchell."
Skar and Muscles exchanged glances—a silent communication. "That works for us. You can be our protector, too."
At her scowl, Dante smiled. "We'd better go before you make her too grumpy. She can be prickly when you rub her the wrong way."
Muscles's voice turned nuanced. "Then be careful how you rub her, my friend."
Before she could give a snarky answer, Dante put his arm around her. "We need to get home. I want to talk to Samuel and Ecanus before I stand watch."
She bit back her reply. With a nod, she followed Dante out of the room. When Muscles opened the door to let them outside, voices started up again in the basement. The Weres had been able to hear their departure and wouldn't talk until they were gone.
On the drive home, Dante said, "That went better than I expected. I wasn't sure if Muscles would let you in or not."
Ally stared. "And what would you have done if he blocked the door and told me to get lost?"
"I'd have driven home with you."
"Right answer." She smiled.
They made small talk the rest of the way home. They had a plan—not a brilliant one—but it gave them a sense of direction. They knew who and what they were up against. And that gave them some hope.
When they pulled to the curb at the side of their property, the only light that still shone in the Queen Anne was the light in the kitchen. Ecanus and Samuel waited there to talk strategy with Dante. Zimaida, Hypos, and Tepo had returned to their own apartments to call it a night. While Dante went to greet his friends, Ally wandered into her studio. A half dozen, naked, clay plates waited to be fired. Good. Zimaida had a good start for her set. Ally peeked through the kiln's peephole to see how Hypos's plates were drying. Not quite ready. They usually took about fourteen hours. Had they really put them on the shelves only this afternoon? So much had happened, time felt warped.
Ally relaxed as she put things away and tidied up. The studio clean, she headed to their bedroom in the front corner of the house. She switched on the bedside lamp, and a blast hit the old clapboards and rattled the windows. She glanced at the magic as it fizzled out. A fire spell. Mitchell had meant to burn the gargoyles where they lived. Shows what he knew. Gargoyles didn't burn, but Hypos and Tepo might, if they didn't escape in time.
Too bad for Mitchell. Poor Corbin hadn't lived long enough to tell him that the house and yard were protected.
Another blast—more anger than sense this time—hurtled toward them, and Ally chanted a reversal spell. It changed direction and sped toward the warlock. It sizzled and went out as he dispersed it to protect himself. Ally started to the front door as a car engine revved and sped away. Mitchell would know he was dealing with a witch now. He'd better play smarter. Witches could be tricky things. And he didn't know the half of it.
* * *
Dante glowered when she followed him to the door for his midnight watch. She loved it when he turned all masculine and protective. Not that it did him any good. "Gargoyles don't need sleep. You do. Samuel and I will be together. You should stay home and get some rest."
She put her hands on her hips. "Not gonna happen. I can go with you or I can give you a fifteen minute head start and then follow you. Your choice."
He sighed. "We'll drop you off, then park the car a few blocks away. It's cloudy enough, we can fly to the rooftop. No one will notice."
She nodded. They'd be safe if they flew. If Mitchell planned on attacking them at the cathedral, he'd hide somewhere near there. She pulled on a heavy coat, smashed her short, dark curls under a wool hat, and tugged on gloves. It might not be winter, but it would be plenty cold if she stood outside all night.
"We can sneak you into the church," Dante said, watching her. "You'll get frostbite if you hide in the bushes."
"Thanks, I might slip in and out to keep warm." She started for the door. "Is Samuel riding with us?"
Footsteps sounded on the back staircase. "I'm on my way." Samuel hurried to join them.
Dante drove. They dropped Ally a block away from the cathedral and then they went on. By the time she heard them land on the roof, she was hidden deep in shadows on the side of the building. When they moved to take their places on opposite corners at the front of the church, a shadow stepped out of a recess of the botanical conservatory across the street. Mitchell lifted his palm to shoot magic at Dante, and Ally stepped forward to deflect it. She easily diverted it with a blast of her own. Mitchell swirled to face her. "You don't know who you're dealing with, witch. Leave here and I'll spare you."
"I'm scared now," she cried. "If I were you, I'd run before I come for you."
He started to chant—one of the spells that Artemis had taught her. It could be used to make someone do your bidding. She understood now. That's how he'd controlled Corbin.
She hurried a spell of her own. His tongue swelled up, and his words slurred. Hard to enslave someone when your words won't form. Another brain flash. When Dante had asked Corbin to tell him what was wrong, so they could help him, Corbin had replied, "Can't." If he'd tried t
o tell them about Mitchell, his tongue would have swelled, too.
With a growl, Mitchell threw magic at her. She waved it away. "Who are you?" he screamed, his words barely recognizable.
"I'm Dante's mate. If you hurt him, you'll wish you were dead. Leave here." She shot energy at him.
Mitchell turned and ran. Ally raised her arms to shoot a binding spell, but he'd called for a protective shield, and her magic bounced off it. He zipped around the corner, and Ally expected Dante or Samuel to swoop down to nab him. When they didn't, she worried.
"Dante? Are you all right?"
"We could use some help up here!" he called.
She ran up the steps to the cathedral's roof. Dante and Samuel had Gideon pinned to the floor. The young gargoyle thrashed and struggled to free himself. Ally stared.
Dante gasped, pinning Gideon's shoulder back down. "Mitchell must have hit Gideon with whatever he used on Corbin. Gid attacked Samuel. We don't want to hurt him. Is there an anti-spell?"
Ally spoke the words to remove the curse, and Gideon stared up at Dante and Samuel in surprise.
"Why are you sitting on me? You guys must weigh a ton."
Dante's shoulders relaxed. Samuel sagged into a sitting position.
"You're slipperier than a piece of wet soap," Samuel complained.
Gideon looked to Ally for an explanation. When she told him about Mitchell and his magic, Gideon flushed with embarrassment. "I attacked my own friend? I thought gargoyles were immune to most magic."
"We are, but this one's a little different than the norm." Dante looked at Ally. "Mitchell could use his spell on anyone we know. Is there a way to protect people from it?"
She nodded. "If I'm there, I can say the counter spell, but I can't be everywhere, so I'll brew a potion. People will have to sip it to make it work."
"That won't be a problem. No one wants Mitchell to control them." Dante frowned at her. "Is there a reason you didn't use your other magic on him? He wouldn't be a threat anymore."
She sighed. "Both Gideon and Samuel know I'm a gorgon. You don't have to be sly around them."
