Not Her Gargoyle

by Annie Nicholas

  “The alpha’s sandwich shop?” Armand asked. “The four of you really are insane.”

  “I was alone,” Nick added.

  “How does this make a difference?” Armand threw his hands in the air again. If he kept this up, he might learn to fly with them.

  Norm grinned. “Did it taste good, at least?”

  “It really did. They put these little pickled peppers in between the salami and used cream cheese instead of mayo and some—”

  “Enough,” Armand roared. “I have been inside Riverbend’s den. I was their guest for some minor insult during the previous alpha’s reign. May his black soul rest in pieces.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

  “We could use any help you can offer.” Nate returned to sitting on the edge of the cot. “I’m all for helping Nick, but three gargoyles against a werewolf pack aren’t good odds.”

  “Wait here.” Using his supernatural speed, Armand descended to the lower levels then returned with paper and a pencil. “You are not going to fight the entire pack.” He proceeded to draw a rough map of the den. “Have you ever heard the story of Helen of Troy and the Trojan horse?”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The ice cubes in the Ziploc bag smashed into little bits as Ruby pulverized them with her rolling pin. Nick had left her. Abandoned again. She’d think she would be used to being discarded by now. Nobody stayed. Not even her sister.

  She poured the contents of the Ziploc bag into a glass and popped a piece in her mouth. It felt good to crunch the ice between her teeth. And it was all she had in her fridge.

  Ruby returned to her spot on the fire escape and watched the street. She wasn’t waiting for Nick. It was hot tonight and the apartment didn’t have air conditioning. The fire escape offered her a cool breeze. She crunched her ice and considered popping a few pieces in her bra.

  The evening had started out so promising. Even romantic. It was like fate had it in for her. Ruby rested her head against the rusty metal rails and stared up at the night sky.

  Nick didn’t think she understood, but she did. His wings were freedom. He could pick up and go whenever or wherever he wanted while she was rooted in one spot her whole life. She envied the gargoyles. Sure, they might not have things like property or furniture, but heck, technically neither did she. They got to see the world, experience new cultures and live. She just existed. Barely. She had been doing it for so long that she hadn’t seen the difference until she met Nick.

  Ruby pulled out her phone and stared at the time. He’d been gone for hours.

  She scrolled through her contacts and texted Trixie. How are you?

  Fine. Her sister responded right away, then she sent her a picture of Nick that Betty must have taken. So hot.

  Ruby knocked the back of her head against the railing. I know. She hesitated to say more. Typing that Nick had left her made it seem permanent and she wasn’t ready to give up on him.

  Details. Now.

  He’s a coworker at the coffee shop I’m training at. She and Trixie were drifting apart. Before becoming a vampire, Trixie would have known every fact about her relationship with Nick, but now, she had to send others in her place at the coffee shop, since they were only open during the day. Ruby knew it wasn’t intentional. They had both tried, but they couldn’t even be alone in the room without the risk of Trixie killing her. Viktor kept saying soon she’d be safe. Soon for a vampire could be years.

  And…Prompted her sister.

  He took me on a date tonight.

  A real date? Trixie knew Ruby’s sordid past and her low standards. Trixie hadn’t been around to witness her attempts to change.

  He took me out for hot dogs and we danced in the park.

  Then a witch had come and destroyed everything.

  Sounds romantic. Is he a keeper?

  Ruby sniffed and wiped the single tear that rolled down her cheek. You bet. How was she going to fix this? Yes, Nick had left her, but she had hurt him first. Not intentionally. She deserved a chance to explain herself. She sipped the water created by her melting ice. I’m melting.

  Is it hot? I don’t feel the heat like I used to.

  Don’t rub it in. Good night, Trix.

  Night, Ruby.

  It was obvious Nick wasn’t planning on returning, otherwise he would have by now. Ruby groaned as she rose to her feet and climbed through the window into the apartment. She had shrugged off all the other men who had dumped her. None of them had been worth fighting for.

  She didn’t know where he was, but she knew someone who might.

  Nick rode piggyback style on Norm as his older brother flew him back to the city. Walking was out of the question since he had discovered blisters covering his feet. Being human sucked. No wonder they clustered together in cities, since traveling took them so much time and energy.

  And pain. Let’s not forget the pain.

  The dull ache in his chest was growing harder to ignore. At first, he’d thought he was mourning the loss of his wings, but the longer they discussed their plan, the more his thoughts kept turning to Ruby and how he had left her. He had been too raw inside, the sudden inability to change shape too fresh in his heart when Ruby had made her comment about his staying human. Had he overreacted? Definitely. Losing her was hurting him more than losing himself.

  But he wouldn’t go back. Not yet. If he returned to the apartment, she would insist on helping steal the grimoire. These were werewolves that they were dealing with and Ruby was human frail. Nick had to keep her safe. Once this was over, he would beg her forgiveness.

  “This plan of Armand’s better work because I am not flying your ass all over the place. You weigh a ton.” Norm flew close to the rooftops while Nick kept an eye out for Eoin or Angie. “And what are you going to do about those dragons? I don’t want to be mistaken for you again.”

  “One problem at a time, brother. And what do you expect me to do about dragons? I was just hoping they’d eventually forget about me.”

  “You obviously don’t know dragons.” Norm pointed below them. “Is that the place?”

  Nick leaned forward and glanced over his wing at Nikita’s shop. The light was still on inside even though it was late. “Yes, drop me off here.” He clutched Norm’s shoulders and bit back a curse as he dived toward the street. It was nerve-wracking letting somebody else fly for him.

  They landed hard on the deserted sidewalk. Norm stumbling forward and pin wheeling his arms. “Shit.” He fell to his knees and Nick flipped over his shoulders, landing on his back. “I didn’t take your added weight in account.”

  Nick groaned. “No shit.” Slowly, he climbed to his feet and helped his brother.

  Norm’s knees were scraped and bloody. He grimaced. “I won’t be living this down anytime soon.”

  Nick knew what he meant. They teased each other relentlessly. It’s what kept them close.

  His brother glanced at the sky. “Still looks clear. I better return to the lighthouse.” He clapped Nick on his back. “See you tomorrow.”

  Nick swept his pants free of debris and rubbed his aching lower back. He had to remember he was no longer stone-tough and would break much easier. Hobbling across the street, he approached the magic shop and peered through the window.

  Nikita was in her sitting area, sipping tea. He entered and came to a full stop.

  Ruby sat across from Nikita. She twisted in her seat. “It’s about time. I was wondering if I was going to have to sleep over.”

  “What are you doing here?” He stormed into the shop. The last thing he wanted was her involvement in this mess. Bad enough he’d dragged his brothers into it.

  She left her chair and faced him, arms crossed. “Keeping Nikita company while waiting for you.”

  Nick narrowed his gaze. “You’re friends now?”

  The witch laughed. “Far from it.”

  Ruby gave him a long, hard look. “You left so suddenly. We didn’t have time to discuss anything so I came to the only
person who had information. Nikita was telling me why she wanted this grimoire.” She grasped his hand and drew him over to the loveseat.

  “Before I answer any more questions, I need to know if you are accepting this quest.” The witch set her tea aside.

  “You haven’t left me much choice.”

  A wrinkle formed between her eyes as she frowned. “On the contrary, I think I’ve been more than generous. I allowed you to live.”

  Put that way, he guessed he should be counting his lucky stars.

  “She’s bluffing. She wouldn’t have killed you. That’s what black magic witches do. Look at all of her potions.” Ruby gestured toward the shelving lining both walls. “These are all white magic.”

  Ruby hadn’t seen the back of the store and the witch’s kitchen, but she had a point.

  Nikita huffed. “Fine, I wouldn’t have killed him, but sometimes death is a mercy. I offered to help you and you did me a wrong.”

  “Your offer of help came with a large price tag I couldn’t afford. It was like dangling a cure in front of a sick man,” said Ruby.

  “I’m not removing his curse.” The witch crossed her arms and looked away. “There’s nothing you can say that will make me change my mind.”

  Was that what Ruby was doing here? She had been trying to convince Nikita to change her mind?

  “I came to tell you I would take the deal, but first I need to know more about this grimoire.”

  Nikita smiled. “Good,” she almost purred. “That book is evil. My coven has felt its presence since my grandmother led us. It had taken my mother years to narrow down the source to the vampire clan in Riverbend. We couldn’t gain access, but a few weeks ago, it moved.” She tapped her chest. “I felt it in here. This might be our only opportunity to destroy it.”

  He exchanged glances with Ruby. “You want me to touch a black magic book that you can sense from this distance?” That didn’t sound dangerous at all. This task was almost impossible and the risks were now worse.

  “There are no short-term effects being in its presence, but the longer the wolf pack holds it, the more they will be influenced.”

  Ruby gasped. “Are you saying the werewolves will go evil?”

  The witch nodded.

  “Maybe we should tell Betty and Ken about this.” Ruby directed this comment to him.

  “That’s not a good idea,” said Nikita. “The wolf packs are independent and the alpha in Riverbend has a chip on his shoulder the size of a city block. There’s no way he will cooperate with Ryota.”

  Nick sighed with relief. He didn’t want New Port’s werewolf pack involved. Like Nikita had said, there were too many politics when it came to wolf shifters. “What will keep the book from corrupting your entire coven?” He didn’t want to be responsible for bringing something evil into New Port and causing a witch apocalypse.

  “That’s why I wanted you to inform me of your plan so I can begin preparations. It’s not like we could just set fire to the thing.”

  He nodded. “You have a deal. I’ll return the grimoire in three days.”

  She held up two fingers. “Two days. Today counts as the first one.”

  Ruby jumped to her feet. “What? That’s ridiculous. What difference does it make how many days it takes to accomplish this?”

  “If it was up to me, I would give him as much time as he needed.” Nikita shrugged. “Magic has rules though. The curse has a time limit, not me.”

  “That’s not fair.” Ruby’s face flushed with fury.

  The witch leaned forward and met Ruby’s glare. “You stole from me. I don’t need to be fair.” She stood. “Wait here a minute.” Then she exited to the back of the store.

  Nick grabbed Ruby’s hand and pulled her onto his lap. “I don’t want you involved. I’m taking you home and I want you to go to work tomorrow.”

  She shook her head. “I helped you to steal the charm. I’m just as responsible.” Cupping his face, she kissed the tip of his nose. “I wanted you to know that I don’t care if you’re human or gargoyle. The only thing that matters is that you’re mine. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was just frazzled by everything.”

  He hugged her tight. “I shouldn’t have run off like I did. It’s an old habit I need to break. Running from my problems only leads to more trouble. I know you’re worried the werewolves might kill me.”

  “Oh good. You kissed and made up.” Nikita’s voice dripped with sarcasm. She held out a blue stone. “I want you to succeed but I can’t tell you where in the den they are keeping the grimoire.”

  Ruby groaned. “That’s like looking for a needle in a haystack full of werewolves.”

  “I know. That’s why I created this locating stone that will help lead you to it.” She set it in Nick’s hand.

  “It’s cold.” Like he was holding ice. “How does it work?”

  “It senses black magic. The closer you are to the grimoire, the hotter the stone will get.”

  “That’s it? We have to play hot and cold to find this thing.” Ruby rubbed her temples. “You don’t have a compass or something that could at least point in the proper direction?”

  “Not on our time frame. Magic is not like baking a cake.”

  Nick set Ruby onto her feet and followed. “Two days.” He pulled Ruby along before she could say anything else that might cause the witch to place a curse on her as well.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Nick tugged Ruby along behind him and escaped the magic shop. “I can’t believe you thought it was safe to hang out with Nikita.”

  “I never said I thought it was safe. You left me little choice. Actually, I came here to ask her if you had already left for Riverbend. When she confessed that you hadn’t shown up yet, I decided to wait.” She hurried her steps, catching up to him. He noticed the absence of her heels and glanced at the comfortable shoes on her feet. She ran her hand down his arm. “I couldn’t leave things as they were between us.”

  Pulling her against him, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and slowed his pace. “I’m glad you found me.” It was true she had hurt him, but it hadn’t been intentional. Especially since she didn’t want him to die. He didn’t want him to die either.

  “We’re good?” She peered up at his face and he spotted the strain around her eyes.

  “We’re more than good.” He caressed her face. He’d finally gotten her relaxed this evening for about five minutes before things fell apart again. “You deserve someone better than me.”

  A blush bloomed over her cheeks, anger an echo in her heated gaze. “Stop saying—”

  He bent forward, tracing his tongue over her soft lips.

  She shivered. “What was I saying?”

  “Oh Nick, let me do dirty things to you.” He wanted to take things in a different direction, try something new. Ruby had been so focused on bills and jobs. She’d forgotten how to have fun. He needed this, and it seemed she needed it too.

  She trembled at his touch, their lips a fraction of a breath apart. “Nick, I think I said do dirty things to me.” The way she spoke his name had changed. She’d always said it with an edge of flirtation. Now, it was something warm that wanted to curl inside his chest.

  He closed the gap. Her lips were delicate as they parted on a quiet sigh. Hands sliding around her waist, he pressed her curves against his body and luxuriated in their softness. He wouldn’t allow himself to caress any of them, to mold them in his palms until her sighs became pleas. He tilted her chin so his mouth moved more fully over hers.

  A slender hand curved around his neck as Ruby rose on tiptoe to follow his kiss. Her breasts slid over his shirt, taut nipples brushing against him.

  Groaning, he nipped at her bottom lip before pulling away.

  Her nails dug into his neck, as if not wanting to let him go. It made his entire body ache.

  She sighed, leaning into him. “Too bad we don’t have time for more.” Her sweet curves pressed against him, a temptation in the flesh.

  Nic
k glanced at his watch. “How much time do you need? We still have a few hours before work.” He was too wound up to sleep. Maybe she was as well.

  “Work? I thought we would call in sick. We can tell Peter that we caught whatever Nancy had.”

  Nick scratched the back of his head. “Doesn’t seem right to call in sick when we just started working for him.” Peter was a good guy. He hadn’t made any unreasonable demands since they’d started. It wasn’t fair to leave him short two people so they could spend the day in bed.

  She spun to face him, stopping him in his tracks. “When were you planning to leave for Riverbend?”

  Comprehension finally dawned on him. She thought they were leaving tonight and would be in Riverbend during the day tomorrow. He hadn’t explained the plan to Ruby. “We have to wait until tomorrow evening to leave.”

  She took a step back. “Why?” That was the million-dollar question. She tilted her head, clearly confused. “We only have two days. Why are we wasting half of one? I understand the coffee shop is a great place to work but it’s not worth your wings.”

  He cleared his throat. Not sure how she would react. “A vampire is helping us and there’s not enough time to travel to Riverbend and execute our plan before sunrise if we left now.”

  She looked even more confused. “Where have you been all night? A vampire? Who?” She poked his chest and he noticed her chipped nail polish. Her hair was wild and her face bare of makeup. “Is it Viktor?”

  He ran his thumb over her full lush lips, admiring the natural pale pink color. By the gods, just when he thought she couldn’t be any more beautiful, she outdid herself again. “It’s not Viktor.” The whisper making his voice husky.

  She shivered at his touch. “Why does this vampire have to go? I mean, I get we could use more manpower but we’re losing precious time.”

  Nick shrugged and gave her a chagrined smile. “It’s his plan.”

  “Oh… And you can’t execute it without him?” She rested her hands on his shoulders as he stepped closer.