Spectrum (Stone Society Book 14)

by Faith Gibson

  “I want you to go with me. I’ve always known I was adopted, but my parents said they didn’t know anything about my birth parents, and I want them to meet you.”

  “Just don’t tell them I’m four years older. That’ll be hard to explain without letting them know I’m a Gargoyle.”

  “Damn, you look good for fifty-seven. And you’ll look that way forever?”

  “Yep. Jonas is nine hundred seventy-three, and he and I can pass for brothers.”

  “Nine hundred… He’s lived almost a thousand years?”

  “Yes. Gargoyles, males especially, have long lifespans. There are only two ways to kill males: beheading and some rare poisons.”

  “Huh.” Cyrus clasped his hands in front of him. “If I am going to find my mate, I hope it happens sooner rather than later. I’d prefer to live hundreds of years looking like this instead of a wrinkled old man. Before we go, can I see your wings? Or is that inappropriate to ask?”

  “Not at all. Seeing mine, you’ll know what to expect.” After putting their dishes away, Zeke removed his shirt and called forth his wings. Cyrus reached his hand out, but Zeke took a step back. “Touching a Goyle’s wings is reserved for one’s mate.”

  Cyrus ducked his eyes. “Sorry.”

  “No need to apologize. We hadn’t covered that.” Zeke wrapped his wings around his body, then flared them behind him again. “They’re good for protection and flying. That’s another thing that takes some getting used to. Just make sure if you ever decide to take to the skies you are in a secluded area. We can’t have humans aware of our existence.”

  “Except for our mates?”

  “Yes, but the fates wouldn’t give us a human mate who wasn’t loyal. Whomever you end up with will be trustworthy and will love you like no other.” Zeke retracted his wings and put on his shirt. “Are you sure you want me to come with you? I’ll need to stay away from the animals.”

  “I’m sure. Mom doesn’t have any pets, and all the horses and cattle are well away from the house.”

  “Then let’s go.” Zeke had never met any of his siblings’ adopted families, and he was looking forward to seeing where his brother grew up.

  Stella’s eyes were gritty when she woke. Groaning, she turned over on her side to see the clock. It didn’t surprise her it was almost noon. She had stayed up late texting with Zeke. She had wanted to call him, to hear his voice, but he seemed to prefer texting. He didn’t come across as shy, but maybe it was easier to reveal parts of himself over text. She had learned a few tidbits about the handsome blond, but mostly, he asked about her. On one hand, it was a positive he didn’t drone on and on about himself. It showed he wanted to know about her. On the other, she hadn’t gleaned much about him other than he had quite a few siblings who were scattered around the globe. That was intriguing considering he was so young. Had his father found a woman after Sheila who he connected with and gave him lots of children? Or was the elder Ezekiel a player with different baby mommas?

  If that were the case, Stella prayed Zeke didn’t take after his father. He did travel for his job after all. When she asked what he had been doing in Egypt, he told her it was a family reunion of sorts. Since Stella was an only child, she couldn’t imagine having siblings to travel with and visit around the globe. Maybe if she and Zeke hit it off the way she imagined, she would get to travel with him.

  After they said goodnight, Stella lay awake dreaming of a life with Zeke. He owned a beach house, and she had to admit living with him by the ocean was enticing. Stella loved teaching, and she could always change schools. That was probably in the cards anyway. With the way things had been going with Bradley, she didn’t see herself staying at New Fallbrook High School after the current year was up. It had been a mistake to go out with the man, especially since he was the principal. There was nothing in the employee handbook about dating other teachers. In fact, there was a married couple who taught at the school.

  Stella unplugged her phone from the charger and checked to see if she had any messages from Zeke. She smiled to see he had sent her a good morning text, but when she noticed the time he sent it, she frowned. Did the man not sleep?

  Stella: Good afternoon, and yes, I just woke up. Hope your meeting is going well.

  She didn’t expect a response if he was busy, so Stella rolled out of bed and padded to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. She had cleaned out her refrigerator before leaving on her trip, so her options for breakfast were slim. While she waited for the water to heat in the coffee maker, she popped a piece of bread in the toaster. After both were ready, Stella took her meager breakfast to the living room and sat cross-legged on the sofa. Her laptop taunted her from the coffee table. With next week being right before winter break, she didn’t have much to do in the way of planning lessons. The students’ attention span would be shorter than usual. In past years, she had given them a short book to read and had them write a report on Thursday to turn in Friday. Why deviate from what worked?

  Stella popped the last bite of toast in her mouth and grabbed her computer, setting it on her lap. Kerri had forwarded all the grades from past lessons, and Stella spent an hour going over what she needed to catch up on for Monday. A new email came through, and when she saw it was from Bradley, Stella held her breath. It wasn’t unusual for him to send messages to all the teachers, but this one was from his personal account. Since that was the case, she left it unread. Professionally, she couldn’t ignore a missive from her boss, but personally, she could. Stella didn’t want anything to do with the man outside of school.

  After taking care of business, Stella decided to run to the store. She didn’t like cafeteria food, so she took her lunch every day. She wasn’t getting any younger, and it was harder to keep her weight at a sensible level, especially since she didn’t jog as often as she used to when Bruce was alive. If she and Zeke got together, she would need to get back in the habit so they could run together. By the looks of his body, Zeke did a lot of running. She had only caught a short glimpse at the airport. Her focus had been on the way his light blue eyes darkened the longer he stared at her. His blond hair had just the right amount of wave to it, and Stella longed to run her fingers through it.

  Pushing off the sofa, Stella closed her laptop, and set it on the coffee table. She padded to her bedroom to change out of her comfy clothes. She wasn’t as vain as some women, but she also wasn’t one to go out looking like she just crawled out of bed. She pulled her long, black hair into a low ponytail, brushed some foundation on, then dressed in jeans and a beige sweater. Since she was only going for groceries, she left off a necklace. Stella had a large collection taking up two standing jewelry boxes in her walk-in closet. She began collecting them in college, and it was rare to see her without one. She had picked up a couple stunning new pieces while on vacation.

  After getting the reusable shopping bags out of the pantry, Stella drove the short distance to the closest grocer, not wanting to travel half an hour to the Farm Fresh Market. She would grab what she needed for lunch, then go to the specialty market one day after school since both were in the same area. Stella loved to cook, but doing so for one person got tedious. She often made large batches of food and froze the leftovers. But the market had small, prepackaged meals that were perfect. All the ingredients were included in the box, and she didn’t have to measure or worry about if she had the right spices. As she drove, Stella thought about Zeke. They had briefly touched on favorite foods, but you could only eat so many steaks – Zeke’s favorite – or enchiladas – Stella’s favorite.

  Stella chose a cart and stowed the shopping bags on the rack underneath, then pushed it to the produce section. She was scanning the spinach when she felt someone step close behind her.

  “Hello, Beautiful.”

  Chapter Four

  Stella closed her eyes, begging whatever goddess was listening for strength. She schooled her expression before turning to face her boss. “Bradley.”

  His megawatt smile faltered at her frosty
greeting. “Did you get my flowers? I had hoped to deliver them myself, but your neighbor said you were running late. Did something happen to delay your homecoming?”

  Stella grabbed the cart and turned it so it was between them. “I didn’t realize I was on a schedule. Not that it’s any of your business, but I had lunch with someone upon my return.”

  “Excuse me, I need to get to the lettuce.” An older woman pointed behind Stella.

  “Sorry.” Stella turned and chose a bag of spinach instead of shopping for the loose variety. She tossed it into her cart and moved out of the woman’s way. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Calhoun.” Using Bradley’s last name always pissed him off, but Stella was past the point of caring. Before she could get two steps, he gripped her arm.

  “Stella—”

  “Let go.” Stella jerked her arm out of his hold. She lowered her voice, not wanting to air their dirty laundry in the produce section. “I have made it clear I have no intention of going out with you again. Stop emailing, stop sending flowers, and for the love of Bast, stop interrupting my class for no good reason.” Stella grabbed her purse, then left her cart where it was, rushing out of the store. She checked to make sure he wasn’t following, and when she made it to her car, Stella locked herself inside.

  “Damnit!” In her rush to get away, she’d left her reusable bags underneath the shopping cart. Thankfully, they were inexpensive and could be replaced. She didn’t make much on a teacher’s salary, but having tenure, she made more than the younger ones just starting out. She was frugal with her money during the year to save up for her vacations. The only things she splurged on were get-aways and her vast array of beaded necklaces. The trip to Egypt had cost a pretty penny, but she and her mom had gotten a two-for-one deal, so splitting the cost had helped. Still, she hated spending money when she didn’t need to.

  Stella was pissed that Bradley had ruined her shopping. She could either wait for him to leave the store, or she could come back later. Stella opted for neither, praying he didn’t follow her. She started the car and headed toward the market she should have gone to in the first place. When she arrived, Stella circled the parking lot several times looking for Bradley’s fancy car. When she didn’t see it, she parked and went inside. Stella made it through the store and back to the parking lot unscathed except for the expense of purchasing new bags.

  Stella wanted to call Zeke. She wanted him to know what was going on with her boss, but it was too soon to lay all that on him. She had a feeling he would be the kind of man to confront her problem for her. It probably spoke to her love of action movies, but Stella could imagine Zeke popping Bradley in the nose. Maybe she would mention it – the confrontation, not the violence – when she texted with him later.

  Instead of taking the main roads home where she would have to sit through several traffic lights, Stella opted to go the long way. The two-lane road was quiet for a Sunday afternoon, and Stella turned up the radio, singing along with her favorite rock band, Cyanide Sweetness. Stella loved most types of music, but sometimes a girl needed to blast something a little heavy. Her mind went back to Zeke and the fact that he liked jazz. Stella imagined the bluesy tunes playing in the background while they cooked supper together. They would eat on his back deck overlooking the Pacific. If she hadn’t been lost in a daydream, she might have noticed the truck racing up behind her.

  There was a double yellow line, so she was surprised when the truck veered into the other lane to pass. Only they didn’t pass her. The truck rammed into the side of her car, and Stella screamed. She jerked the wheel to the left, but the truck struck again, pushing her off the shoulder. Stella braked hard, but the tires caught gravel and fishtailed a few times before there was another hit. This time, the truck tapped her back quarter panel, sending her spinning. “Oh, goddess!” A million thoughts flitted through Stella’s mind, but the one that stuck out the most was that she would never have the chance to find out if Zeke was the one.

  No sooner than her car stopped, the door was jerked open. A large man reached in, unbuckling her seatbelt before hauling Stella out onto her feet. He never said a word. Holding her sweater with one hand, he swung with the other. She raised her arms to shield her face, but it did no good. The first hit to her head hurt like nothing she’d ever encountered before, but the punch to her stomach took her breath. At five-four and one hundred forty pounds, Stella was no match for the stranger, although she refused to stand there and not do something. Stella scratched at his face and arms. She tried to kick him. When she managed to draw blood with her nails, the man cursed her, then punched her in her temple. Stella went down, and soon, there was nothing but darkness.

  Meeting Cyrus’s parents was a different experience for Zeke. When he’d spoken with his other siblings, it was usually after they had transitioned, and those meetings came with much arguing, some fighting, and lots of anger. Zeke didn’t blame any of them. He only blamed Jonas. But being the bearer of the truth came with the need for tough skin and patience. He could commiserate with each and every one of them, having transitioned without his own mate at his side all those years ago. Luckily, for most of his brothers and sisters, they could narrow down who might have caused their phasing.

  Cyrus introduced Zeke as his biological brother, and Zeke told the Gillespies half-truths and a lot of lies. He explained to Cyrus on the drive that his parents couldn’t know the truth of Gargoyles. Cyrus had agreed, but the male didn’t want to lie to his parents, so he let Zeke do all the talking. While Cyrus went about his daily chores, Zeke sat with Gwen, allowing the older woman to dote on him while peppering him with questions. While she was fixing their lunch, Zeke excused himself and walked outside. The kitchen door led to the backyard, which contained a picnic table, several Adirondack chairs surrounding a stone fire pit, and a large square plot of dirt that had been a garden in the summer. Cyrus’s parents’ house was worn and lived-in, but it wasn’t in need of repair. Cyrus made sure of it. They had four hundred acres that would all go to Cyrus whenever they passed. The couple never had children of their own, so Cyrus had received all their love. Zeke wasn’t jealous, but he did wonder what that would feel like. Not wanting to be rude, Zeke got on with the reason he had gone outside.

  Zeke: My meeting is going well. I might be home sooner than expected.

  Zeke sent the message and watched his phone, waiting for it to show Stella had read the text. It showed to be delivered, but after ten minutes, she still hadn’t read it. It was possible she was driving. Maybe she was busy getting ready for class the next day. She could be in the shower. Nope. Zeke couldn’t let his mind go there, because facing Gwen with an erection was the last thing he wanted. Having shifter hearing, he left the phone on silent. When she responded, it would vibrate. He tucked the device back in his front pocket and returned to the kitchen.

  By the time Cyrus was finished for the day and ready to head home, Zeke still hadn’t heard from Stella. His Goyle was sure something was wrong, and it was all Zeke could do to keep the beast from taking over. Zeke bit the bullet and tried calling, but it went straight to voicemail. He didn’t leave a message, but when several more hours came and went with no response, he called back.

  “Hello? Zeke?” Sheila’s voice was scratchy. And why was Stella’s mom answering her phone?

  “Sheila, what’s wrong? Where is Stella?”

  “She was…” Sheila’s voice broke. It was twenty-seven long seconds later before she answered. Yes, Zeke counted. “She was attacked coming home from the grocery store. She’s… It’s not good. I need to go.”

  Attacked? Godsdamnit, his beast had been right. Something was wrong, and instead of being there to protect her, he was almost thirteen hundred miles away. “Sheila, wait! Tell me where you are.” There was no way Zeke wasn’t going to be there for his mate.

  “We’re at the Tri-County Medical Center. I-I have to go.” Sheila disconnected, and Zeke wanted to throw his phone against the wall.

  “Everything okay?” Cyrus ask
ed. Zeke had told his brother about meeting Stella in the airport and how they had texted back and forth.

  “No. No, it’s not. I have to go. Stella was attacked, and she’s in the hospital. That’s all I know.”

  Cyrus clasped Zeke’s shoulder. “I’m going with you.”

  Zeke was taken aback at his brother’s offer. He kept in touch with the siblings he watched over, but with the exception of Sam, he wasn’t close to any of them. For Cyrus to offer to be there for him after just meeting meant the world to him.

  “I appreciate the offer, but stay here and help your parents.”

  “Dad can call his buddy to help out for a few days. Let me do this.”

  “Okay. But we need to go. While you pack, I’ll get us a flight.” Zeke prayed there was one leaving soon, because he couldn’t stand the thought of Stella lying in a hospital bed without him there longer than she’d already been. Cyrus was packed and ready before Zeke found their flights. It took several, but he got them leaving New Missoula in less than an hour and landing in New Santa Ana. “We’ll have to drive part of the way once we land, but that’s only an hour and a half. Let’s go.”

  Cyrus called his dad on the way to the airport, and John told him not to rush home. To be there for his brother. Zeke’s heart warmed at the sentiment. He already felt closer to Cyrus than any of his siblings with the exception of Sam, but Zeke could see that changing. Sam and Monica had reunited with Xenia, and with the lot of them still in Egypt close to finding where Cleopatra was buried, they finally had the opportunity to bond as a family. Zeke hoped they succeeded on both fronts.

  During the flight, Zeke explained more about what he had encountered on his trip to rescue their brother and his mate. He recounted quietly how Sophia disguised herself as an old woman, kissing Nikolas right there on the street, then he explained how Jonas was a genius who created the disguises. Zeke didn’t usually talk about their father much in the first few days. Now that they had figured out the trigger, bitterness grew inside Zeke. Jonas had given him life, but he had taken so much from Zeke too.