by Nia K. Foxx
“You lied.” The accusation was hurled from a normally reserved Sergi.
“Lied?” The gremlin looked between the two angry gargoyles. Gargoyles were imposing creatures by themselves but two was enough to give even an honest gremlin cause to take cover for the next century or two. Lorn could see the creature assessing the fastest mode of escape. Gremlins were fast, but definitely not gargoyle fast. Only vampires and jinn equaled a gargoyle in speed.
“Look, fellas. I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about, but I’m certain it’s just some misunderstanding.” The gremlin shifted into human form, no doubt in an effort to appeal to the Protectors sympathetic nature. It wasn’t working.
“Don’t stand there acting innocent, Turt.” Sergi stalked the man. “You told me you overheard plans of a succubus frenzy.”
“I did?” He looked between the two confused.
“You little rodent.” Sergi grabbed up the smaller life walker by the collar. “You demanded to meet me this afternoon and told me about a succubus plan.”
“Look, Sergi, I’m not normally one to argue with someone three times my size, but I swear I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sergi, put him down,” Lorn said. Something about the frightened creature struck a chord.
Sergi hesitated a moment before dropping the gremlin none too gently on his feet.
“Where were you this afternoon, Turt?” Lorn asked.
“Um…with a friend…a lady friend.” He looked between the two.
“I believe him,” Lorn said after quiet contemplation, knowing the gremlin was too scared to lie to them.
“Okay, Turt, you’re free to go,” Sergi dismissed him.
“I would like to help,” he volunteered. “After all, it sounds like someone was impersonating me and I want to know why.”
The two gargoyles exchanged looks before agreeing.
“Looks like we’ll be heading to gremlin central,” Turt offered.
***
“Tell me why we’re going to Catalina Island?” Fatima asked as they boarded the ferry taking them from Long Beach to the tiny island. She was exhausted. As if the twelve-hour flight from Paris to JFK hadn’t been enough, they took an immediate connector on a non-stop to LAX. In the crowded LA airport they made a quick pit stop to purchase some casual wear.
“It’s nearly impossible for gargoyles to track near salt water,” he answered simply.
“How do you know so much about it? If memory serves me you were more opposed than I was to doing the research to prove they existed, now you’re an expert.”
“Let’s just say I’ve had a total re-education since we last met. I don’t pretend to have all the answers but what I have learned is enough to make me more cautious about everything.”
Drained, she flopped into the nearest available seat. Gordy had booked them passage on the first ferry out so thankfully they didn’t have too many people to contend with over space.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she muttered more to herself than to the man seated next to her.
“Tell me about it. No matter what, we have to stick together, trusting each other implicitly.”
She tiredly nodded her agreement. What she wouldn’t give for a shower and a few hours of undisturbed sleep. As her mind drifted between wakefulness and the dream world she wondered if she’d done the right thing by leaving Lorn so abruptly. In retrospect he’d never done anything to harm her, but then again he hadn’t been completely honest about things.
She yawned.
By now he should have discovered Pierre hadn’t gotten to her in time?
***
“I suggest you talk now before my friend here remembers he left his mate on another continent because of some gremlin prank.” Sergi shoved the grotesque creature into the wall of the dark alley.
“Hey, I swear I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the beastie screeched, cowering as the silent Protector, in human form, stalked him slowly.
Large hands flexed as if preparing for a battle and the gremlin watched in horror as the Protector’s incisors lengthened. He’d heard of Lorn De LaRue but had never had the misfortune of dealing with him until tonight. If he lived through this he would strangle the very life out of the conniving little succubus. She’d asked him to steal the file on the human woman some cracker jack PI had collected. Later, she’d wanted him to impersonate Turt, a low-level gremlin and relative, in order to pass on false information to Sergi Romonov. Initially Fer thought he would be meeting with an elf. To his surprise the giant who met him bore no resemblance to the fair elves, and there was no mistaking the origin of the green eyes boring through him. Only gargoyles were known to possess eyes the color of leaves hit my morning’s first light. Fer almost backed down, but fear at being discovered in his impersonation urged him. He was glad when the man accepted his information with only a modicum of questions. He’d hoped it would be the last time he’d see him or the stool pigeon Turt again. He’d thought he would come out the winner all the way around, mind blowing fucking from a famed succubus and possibly getting rid of his bothersome cousin at the same time. A total win – win.
“It would be better for you, cousin, if you tell them what you know,” Turt commented, looking more than amused at his predicament.
“Go to hell, you little weasel. You’re a dis…” an unseen force gripped his throat, lifting his portly body off the ground and effectively cutting off his next words.
“I’ll only ask this one time. Who put you up to this?” Lorn gritted.
Fer made several croaking sounds in an attempt to talk his way out of the lethal situation, but he found it impossible.
“Perhaps if you allow him to breathe he can provide the vital information we are seeking,” Sergi commented at Lorn’s side. Although Fer was sure neither really cared if he would breathe again once they had their information.
The telekinetic hold on him relaxed enough for the Fer to speak.
“It was a succubus. She said I could get rid of Turt and help her play a trick on you Protectors at the same time.”
The hold tightened again.
“Why?”
“I don’t know, I swear,” he gasped. “I thought I was getting the better end of the deal, you’ve never been sucked off until you’ve had a succubus… you know what they say about succubi.”
Lorn knew, but had never been interested in getting firsthand experience; the creatures were crafty, untrustworthy and dangerous, plain and simple. They were also noted to have an unrivaled vengeful streak.
“How did you contact her?”
“I didn’t. She found me.”
“Do you have plans to see her again?”
“No.” She probably hadn’t expected him to live long enough once the deception was uncovered. The gremlin was an expendable stooge.
“For your sake, you’d better hope she comes looking for you.”
Lorn let him go suddenly. The gremlin fell to his knees in front of him. “From now on you will report any communication with this creature to Turt.”
“Of course,” the gremlin managed between gulps of air.
***
Gordy looked down at the woman dozing trustingly on his shoulder. She was truly more beautiful than he remembered. He couldn’t believe his luck, she was finally all his. She hadn’t mentioned any intimate details about her time with Lorn, but he could tell something had happened during her hiatus. Gargoyle or not, men who looked like the Frenchman did, with as much wealth as he possessed, had unknowing women ready to bang down his front door. He couldn’t fault Fatima if she succumbed to its charms. She was the innocent in all this and he would forgive her this slight.
Gordy’s gentle nudging roused her from her slumber.
“We’re here,” he announced softly.
She looked around, blearily taking in the Mediterranean style city of Avalon. It was a quaint little seaside town, she noted as they left the ferry. Golf carts trudged by with people makin
g their way from one destination to the next. For a moment she couldn’t believe a place like it existed in North America.
“We’ve a small bungalow rented on the edge of town,” he advised, hailing one of the golf cart taxis.
“How small is small?” she asked. Although grateful for the lengths he had gone through to get her back to the States, she didn’t want to give him the wrong impression about how things would proceed. As far as she was concerned they were still colleagues’ even friends but she drew the line there.
“There are two bedrooms, if that’s what you’re asking.” There was an edge to his response.
She nodded. “Gordy, I want you to know I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I just don’t want things to get convoluted in all this craziness.”
He sat tight-lipped, looking straight ahead as the golf cart bounced along the coastline.
“If you think I came to get you for some ulterior motive then you’re wrong,” he finally began.
She sighed heavily, feeling guilty for her assumptions. “I’m sorry, it’s just this is all so fantastical and I’m really tired. Maybe after a shower and half a day’s sleep I’ll be able to think clearly again.” She doubted her own words. With everything she’d gone through she didn’t think it was possible to feel normal again.
“It’s okay,” he excused. “You’ve just had a big shock, not to mention flying halfway across the world in a day. I think you’re entitled to feel suspicious of anyone’s motives.”
She appreciated his understanding; the irony of the situation wasn’t lost on her. She had done her best to put off any sort of personal involvement with the man, yet it was Gordy who’d come to her rescue like a knight in shining armor. She should feel grateful towards him, but somehow gratitude was an elusive emotion.
***
“What!” Lorn roared at an already flustered Pierre.
“She wasn’t there, monsieur. You know my telekinetic abilities could not reach you across the ocean. I left messages for you on Sergi’s voice machine-”
“Enough with the excuses. Tell me what you know,” Lorn continued his rant, pacing in human form across the kitchen’s granite floors, dressed only in a pair of jeans. He’d barely managed to pull those on when he realized Fatima’s faint scent should have been more potent to his sensitive senses if she were nearby. He’d torn through the castle, calling for her. Finally Pierre had rushed in, interrupting his bellows.
“I arrived at the hotel, and she was gone. According to the concierge, she left with a blond American man soon after your return.”
“American? Are you certain?” he barked. At the elf’s nod he continued, “Why didn’t someone stop her?”
“Apparently she didn’t seem to need assistance.” Pierre swallowed, obviously not wanting to be the one to give him the news. “She left with him without resistance,” he added quietly.
No! Lorn’s brain rebelled against what he was being told. It wasn’t true, she couldn’t have left him. He mentally searched his mind for other possibilities, various scenarios playing out rapidly, but none added up. He remembered the way she’d begun to recoil at seeing his fangs, how she stared unemotionally at his offered wedding ring, and the look of fright when he transformed into his gargoyle self. There was no denying the obvious. She had in fact run away, escaping back to America where she thought she would be safe from the monster.
“I’m going to Paris. Call the hotel and inform them I want the lobby’s surveillance tapes for that evening after our arrival from dinner.”
“Of course, sir. Should I have the helicopter readied?”
“No, I will fly on my own.”
“But, monsieur, do you think it wise? The sun will be rising soon and you might be spotted.”
“I do not employ you to think,” he threw over his shoulder as he stormed from the room already in mid transformation.
***
Lorn barely recognized the man on the tape; he’d changed dramatically since their last encounter but every fiber of his being knew it was Dr. Gordy Singleton with his hand clasping his mate’s. Audio wasn’t possible but it was evident from Fatima’s reaction she was surprised to see him. Their exchange was brief before the two rushed out of the hotel. Outside, the man hailed a passing taxi, holding the door open for Fatima to precede him into the waiting car. She did without the slightest hesitation.
Her abandonment washed over him like an icy shower, creeping through every crevice of his body until he was left numb. He would find his mate and the human. He wanted to know the extent of their involvement with the succubus, and to make Fatima pay for her betrayal.
***
Fatima awoke feeling refreshed and more alert, albeit confused over what had transpired over the last forty-eight hours. She sat up in the strange spacious bed, taking in the white adobe walls. A gentle breeze wafted in from an open window, bringing with it the fragrance of salty ocean air. With the exception of the steady sound of waves crashing onto rocks somewhere outside, all was quiet within the dwelling. Fatima had a faint recollection of entering the single story bungalow and Gordy giving her a brief tour of the residence while all she’d really wanted was a nice soft bed.
She made her way into the cozy living room. “Look who’s rejoined the land of the living,” Gordy greeted her, stepping through an open patio door, his sudden appearance giving her a start.
“You were so quiet I didn’t know anyone was here.”
“Just catching up on some reading.” He held up a book.
Fatima nodded her acknowledgement; although she found it absurd he could calmly sit down and read when all they had known about the world had been tossed out the window.
“Are you hungry? The refrigerator is stocked with almost anything you can think of eating.”
“No, maybe I’ll have something later.” She felt as if she should be doing something like informing the public of the unknown threats out there, but she couldn’t do it until she had enough information herself.
“How did you find out about the gargoyles?” she asked, finally opting to take a seat on the cream-colored love seat. Tucking her legs beneath her bottom seemed to calm the restlessness winding its way through her.
“I learned from a woman who calls her kind succubi.”
“You mean like the mythical demons?”
“There is nothing mythical about her, and as for the demon part I doubt she has an evil bone in her body.”
“Why did she tell you about Lorn, or gargoyles?” She had to know.
“She wanted me to help you. She knew De LaRue had been tracking you for months. He’d hired a private investigator to dig up anything on you he could. Apparently, Lorn and his kind have been looking for a viable means to breed with human females. If they succeed it will be only a matter of time before we’re up to our neck in the giant flying demons.”
“What’s to stop him from finding someone else for his research? There’s plenty of other scientist out there, some who would love the opportunity to dabble in this sort of thing.”
For a moment he looked truly baffled, as if she’d said something he hadn’t considered before.
“I’m sure my succubus friend has a plan for preventing it, but she seems to believe you are the key. She is quite the intelligent creature.”
“Are you sure you can trust her? I mean, what do we honestly know about any of these beings? Lorn told me his kind protect humans, but if he were lying what makes you so certain about her?”
“She wouldn’t lie,” he barked instantly, seemingly instantly enraged by the suggestion.
“I’m sorry, it’s just what do we really know about any of this? Are they all creatures from myth and legends, how do we know which is friend and which is foe?”
“Well, I think it’s obvious. Anyone who wants to suck our blood or use us as guinea pigs for their genetic experiments must be the enemy.” He tried to make light of the situation.
“I seem to remember my mother saying ‘beware of
strangers bearing gifts,’ too,” she retorted, knowing they would need a more concrete way to determine who to trust and what to do next.
***
Krail stiffened as he listened to his older son describe the events leading up to his mate’s disappearance. He’d said a succubus and gremlin were behind the lure to get Fatima alone, but what he didn’t say, what they all knew, was ultimately the woman had left of her own free will.
“Do what you must, but I want her returned,” Lorn stated vehemently, looking into the faces of each Protector assembled. The twenty gargoyles gathered in Lorn’s Chicago home and paid close attention as their brethren ran down what transpired in Paris and New York.
“Why should we waste our time helping you when our own mates have yet to be found? Simply because you can’t keep yours under wraps doesn’t mean the rest of us should join in your quest to locate a woman who’d rather not be with you,” Alexi responded from his vantage point near a window.
“If you don’t wish to help, Alexi then by all means leave,” Lorn retorted, eyeing the man. He was wound tighter than a drum and would be very willing to indulge Alexi in the fight the Protector always seemed to be spoiling for when the two were in each other’s presence.
Alexi shrugged nonchalantly as if to suggest it didn’t matter either way.
“Why do you think this succubus would risk involving herself in gargoyle matters?” Jean asked.
“I don’t know but I mean to find out.” Lorn’s jaw clenched automatically at the thought of the elusive female creature with his mate. Fatima had been missing for over two weeks, and he was no closer to finding her than he had been when she first disappeared.
“I believe she has Fatima in a coastal state, most likely as close to the ocean as possible,” he provided.
