The Greystone Bundle (Books 1-4)

by Taylor Longford

  Without warning, the harpy opened her talons and I yelped, grabbing for her ankles. But I was already on my way down, arms flailing, legs kicking. My T-shirt filled with air and lifted up to my arm pits. I tried to pull it back down to my waist. There was nothing else to do. I couldn't sprout wings and fly like a bird—or a gargoyle—and I wanted to retain some kind of dignity as I raced toward my death.

  The air rushed by me so fast I couldn't get any of it into my lungs. Looking downward, I could see I was running out of time and I tried to remember the last time I'd said my prayers. I wished that I'd done a better job because in a few seconds they might mean the difference between heaven and hell. I tried to formulate a quick one in my head but my brain had shut down, frozen in wordless, expressionless, nameless terror. I squeezed my eyes shut so I wouldn't see my brains explode when I hit the rocks below.

  Right about then, I hit something, but it wasn't a rock. It wasn't that hard. I mean, it was hard but not that hard. I tumbled into a pair of strong arms that broke my fall. My hero with the strong arms and impeccable timing soared downward for several hundred feet. Then we leveled off and sailed silently above the trees that covered the snowy slopes.

  "Quiet," a voice murmured in my ear. It was a guy's voice and his accent was the same as Reason's. And it was definitely a gargoyle holding me as we glided through the air. But it wasn't Reason. His hair was too dark.

  Whoever he was, he needn't have worried about me blabbing my head off. I was busy trying to make up for the breathing I hadn't been able to do while I was falling. I sucked at the air and concentrated on filling my lungs.

  With a glance back over his shoulder, the gargoyle glided to the ground, setting me on my feet and pulling me behind a large outcrop jutting from the tree-covered slope. The freezing cold snow on the ground burned my feet and I hopped from one foot to the other while he peered around the side of the tall rock, the moonlight briefly illuminating his features. In the pale light that filtered down from the dark sky, I recognized him. But only because Reason had drawn his portrait so many times. It was Chaos.

  His eyes glowed with a strange brilliance not unlike Valor's but they were the color of sea foam rather than electric blue. And the ends of his brown hair were tipped white, like Dare's. The hoodie tied around his waist hung down over his jeans, and his feet were bare like mine. But the cold snow underfoot didn't seem to bother him in the least. "Why isn't she following?" he muttered to himself.

  "She's only got one eye," I suggested in a whisper, still hopping from the cold. "She might not have seen you."

  He shook his head, watching the sky. "She should be able to smell me."

  "She doesn't have a nose either," I admitted humbly.

  He jerked his gaze to my face. "How do you know that? What happened to her?"

  "I had a…previous run-in with that harpy."

  He looked stunned. "And you took out her eye as well as her nose?"

  I didn't want him to think I was some sort of she-man so I said, "I had some help from your brother." I thought he'd be happy to hear news of his family. Instead he seemed startled.

  "What are you talking about?" he snapped.

  "I know Reason."

  When I used his brother's name, he didn't seem pleased. He acted like he didn't want anybody to know who he was. Like he didn't even want to be who he was, if that makes any sense.

  "Reason sketched a picture of you and I recognized you from his drawing."

  His eyes narrowed into angry slits like he didn't want to believe me.

  Trembling from the cold and rubbing one foot against my shin, I crossed my arms over my chest. "You must know Reason can draw," I stated defiantly.

  "Aye," he admitted grudgingly. "Reason can draw."

  "They're looking for you. All of them. Reason and Victor. Defiance, Havoc and the rest of your cousins. You…you have to come with me, to my place. We'll get Reason and call your family and let them know you're okay."

  "What about Force and Courage?" he demanded, ignoring what I'd just said.

  "They're still missing," I told him through chattering teeth. "Do…you know where they are?"

  He shook his head and stared at the ground like he was trying to recall a bad nightmare. "We were together in a large…vehicle, then all hell broke loose."

  I was freezing cold and wanted to get back home where I could pull some jeans over my bare legs, but I thought I should use the opportunity to ask him, "What happened after the accident?"

  His gaze snapped to my face. "I don't have time for that now. Where can I take you?" he growled.

  With a trembling finger, I pointed east.

  "I'll take you to the edge of the city," he offered reluctantly, rubbing a hand over his mouth.

  I looked down at my bare legs. "I c-can't walk home like this," I shivered. "I'll get hypothermia."

  "Alright, but we'll have to hurry," he relented, looking behind the rock before he picked me up. "Show me where to go."

  "How did you know I was falling?" I asked him as we sped through the air and I pointed the way back to my apartment.

  "Are you kidding?" he grunted. "The sound of your screams must have traveled ten miles."

  I guess I had been pretty loud. "Is that harpy holding you captive?" I asked him.

  "Not that one," he rasped.

  "Is there another one? Where's she holding you?"

  "There's another one," he answered flatly but didn't offer anything else. He wasn't exactly what you'd call talkative.

  "What should I tell your brother?" I asked when we reached my apartment and he started dropping toward the ground.

  "Tell him to look for the others—Force and Courage. I'm not worth saving."

  I didn't know what he was talking about, or what he could have done that he thought was so bad. But I knew Reason so I told him, "Your brother won't give up. He'll never stop looking for you. You know how he is. You know how he feels about duty and honor and responsibility and all that stuff. He's not a quitter, Chaos!"

  His mouth flattened into a grim line and he set me down on the sidewalk in front of the house. "Just tell him," he growled and jumped back into the air, disappearing into the dark sky.

  I hurried up the stairs in my bare feet, wondering how I was going to get the door open. I was pretty sure I'd locked it after I'd gotten back from dropping off Reason. That was my standard MO. But the door was slightly ajar when I reached the landing. Apprehensively, I pushed it slowly open.

  Levi was standing in the middle of the apartment, frowning down at the cell phone in his hand. As I stepped inside, his startled gaze jerked to my face. "Elaina!" he exclaimed. "What happened? Where have you been? I was just about to call 911."

  Feeling awkward as hell, I tugged my T-shirt down far enough to cover my panties. "How did you get in?"

  "I forced the lock with my debit card. What happened to you?" he demanded, hurrying over to me and looking like he wanted to pull me into his arms.

  I took a non-encouraging step backwards. "I don't have time to explain right now," I told him. "I have to pick up my roommate in about ten minutes."

  He planted his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. "Elaina, what the hell's going on?"

  "It would take too long to explain," I told him, thinking it would probably take forever to think up the necessary lies, which were going to have to be epic if they were going to work. "Let's meet for coffee tomorrow, kay? Ten o'clock outside the library. I'll fill you in then."

  He gave me a surly look. "Will your roommate be with you?"

  "No," I promised and flashed him a flirty smile. "It will just be you and me."

  "Okay," he growled, not looking too pleased. "Can I help you with that broken window?"

  "I'll get it," I said airily, like broken windows were no big deal and happened all the time, which wasn't far from the truth come to think of it. Honestly, Levi must have thought I was some kind of whack job. But I was a whack job in a hurry so I shooed him out the door.

&nb
sp; Once I'd gotten rid of him, I dashed around, changing my clothes and dealing with the long slash that ran down the back of my leg. It was just a thin scrape—nothing serious—so I smeared antibiotic ointment on it and pulled on a loose pair of dark jeans that wouldn't show any blood. Then I dabbed a bit more on the small holes beneath my collarbones.

  Checking the time, I raced to tape a pizza box over the window, and got myself out of the apartment. It was only a dozen blocks to the school and I was just a little bit late when I got there to pick up Reason. But he didn't seem to notice or mind. When I pulled up to the curb, he jogged from the building toward the car.

  I was absolutely going to tell him about the harpy as soon as he was settled in the passenger seat, but he looked so happy and excited that I decided to wait until I'd heard his news. I'd never seen him so fired up. He rattled on about his interview all the way home and I couldn't get a word in edgewise.

  Despite Reason's earlier arguments about honoring his duty to watch me and look for his kin, it was obvious that he wanted to accept the scholarship. And I started worrying that if he knew about the harpy attack, he'd turn down the most important opportunity of his life.

  "You're awfully quiet," he said as we climbed the stairs up to the apartment. "Aren't you excited for me?"

  "Way excited," I told him, and unlocked the door. "This is the best thing that could happen to you and you totally deserve it."

  As he stepped into the apartment, he glanced through the open bathroom door. "What happened to the window?" he asked.

  That meant it was lying time. But I was up to the challenge. I've never been backward about telling the odd lie, especially when it's for a good cause. "I don't know. It was broken when I got home from dropping you off. Probably just some high school kids. There was a rock on the floor," I improvised cleverly. "I threw it outside."

  I knew it was wrong to lie about the harpy and everything else, but I decided the truth could wait until the weekend, after Reason had accepted the scholarship, after we went to Pine Grove to set up the phones with the tracking app. I figured I could tell everyone at once about the attack and how Chaos had come to my rescue.

  "It seems strange that someone would come alongside the house to throw a rock," he commented, catching my gaze and holding it suspiciously. "Instead of just throwing it at the front of the house."

  "Maybe…they didn't want to be seen," I said, making a swift turn into the kitchen. I headed for the fridge and pulled a frozen pizza from the freezer, the one that had gallantly sacrificed its cardboard box for the cause. "Tell me more about your interview with the Art Department," I encouraged him.

  The next morning, my leg was stiff and sore. I checked it out in the bathroom and found the wound crusted over in a few places and oozing in a few others. All in all, it appeared to be healing but every time I flexed my knee or ankle it stung like heck. So, I had to pretend nothing was wrong even though I wanted to complain every time I took a step.

  "What's wrong?" Reason asked as we walked from the apartment toward campus.

  "What do you mean?" I asked, and frowned up at him. I'd been quiet because I was wondering how to give him the slip long enough to meet Levi at ten.

  "Your face is kinda pinched," he pointed out. "You look like…you're in pain."

  "I'm fine," I said, and forced a smile onto my features.

  His gaze narrowed a little as he searched my eyes. "Are you sure?"

  "I'm just having girl issues," I told him, which seemed to do the trick. At least, he didn't ask any more questions. So, I thought maybe I could make it work for me. "I need to stop by Health Services this morning and talk to someone, maybe pick up a few things."

  "I'll come with you," he offered quietly, which wasn't what I expected. Most guys would chew off a limb to avoid a visit like that.

  "I'd be more comfortable on my own," I pointed out, trying to act all awkward and wishing he hadn't chosen this occasion to be gallant. "If you wouldn't mind trusting me, just this once." It was really despicable of me to play the "trust" card when I was planning something completely untrustworthy but I got my way in the end and was able to meet Levi for coffee.

  I bet you're wondering how I explained what had happened the night before—what possible story I could have come up with. Well, I told him the truth. Yep. I told Levi that a huge winged alien had dragged me out through the window and dropped me off on the edge of town. I told him it was mind blowing and life altering and I was never going to be the same and was going to spend the rest of my life searching for alternate life forms.

  So…it's kinda sad…but I don't think Levi wants to be my friend anymore. If he'd had the chance, he'd probably have deleted his phone number from my cell. And I dragged to my next class feeling a little down about chasing off a really nice guy. On the upside, Reason had visited with Professor Ingemar while I was otherwise occupied, and he'd accepted her offer of a scholarship.

  So, I'd accomplished my mission and at least I felt good about that.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Our afternoon class was cancelled on Friday and I assumed we'd head to Pine Grove to pick up Valor's phone and get the tracking app set up before Reason marked me. But Reason had different plans.

  I was standing in the kitchen, wiping down the stove after a late lunch of hot dogs. The job didn't require bending my leg, which seemed to be getting worse, so I took my time. Reason stood beside me, leaning against the kitchen counter, his fingers wrapped around a cup of hot chocolate. He took a swallow from the heavy white cup then set it down. Without looking at me, he said, "It's been two weeks."

  He was talking about the last two weeks that I'd spent taking his venom. I was up to a tablespoon a day and that meant I should be immune to the poison. I took a deep breath and waited for him to continue.

  "We should probably move ahead with the plan," he said, all business-like. "If you're still willing."

  It would have been nice if he'd been more romantic, like if he'd gone down on one knee and asked me to wear his rune and pledged his troth to me. I don't even know what troth is but I imagine he probably does. It would have been even nicer if he'd said he loved me or even liked me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. But this wasn't about him and me. This was about taking the necessary steps to rescue his family.

  I dropped the sponge in the sink and turned, locking my gaze on his eyes. "You're always doing the right thing, aren't you?"

  "What do you mean?" he grunted.

  "You're doing this because you think it's your responsibility to find your brother and cousins. But, what about you, Reason?"

  "What about me?" he snorted.

  "What about you and your life? I think it's noble of you to make these sacrifices. I think it's fabulous to find a guy who's so responsible, who thinks about everyone else before he thinks about himself, but you've been doing that for a long time now, and you can't keep living your life for everyone else."

  He rolled his wide shoulders in a tight shrug. "What are you trying to say, Elaina?"

  I dried my hands on the kitchen towel. "Why don't you do what you want for a change?"

  He looked down at the floor then looked up and said, "This is what I want."

  I huffed out a sigh. He just wasn't getting it. "Okay," I tried again. "Let's forget about your rune and marking me and supposedly doing what you want. Let's start all over. Before you do this—before you give me your rune—I want you to stop and do something for yourself. Anything. Just as long as it's something you want."

  "Something I want," he said flatly.

  I took a steadying breath because I was starting to lose my patience. "Uh-huh."

  "Anything I want?"

  "That's right," I answered, forcing my voice to be calm when I wanted to shout at him. "Anything you want."

  "And then you'll let me mark you?"

  I tipped my chin in assent. "As long as you do one thing for yourself first."

  So, he grabbed me and kissed me.

  It
took a while for me to gather my senses, which were scattered nine ways to Sunday, but eventually I got a hold on my wayward emotions and pushed him away.

  "You said it could be anything I wanted," he murmured, a sexy smirk curling his lips.

  "You're not taking this seriously," I complained.

  He let out a rough sigh then tilted his head upward and studied the ceiling for a while. Finally, he returned his gaze to me. "I've never been more serious before in my life."

  For several moments, I stared into his eyes, looking for some sort of truth in his words, wanting to believe he was sincere. But I just couldn't make the leap. I was convinced he was messing with me.

  "You just don't get it, do you?" he said softly.

  "Get what?"

  "How I feel about you." He reached for my face, his thumb tilting my chin upward as his fingers slid along my jaw and threaded into my hair. His mouth slowly moved closer to mine and I got the strong impression that I was about to be kissed. Hardly breathing, I watched his lips as my eyes drifted closed.

  Gently cradling my face in one hand, he reached down with his other one and caught my leg under the knee, pulling it up his side. It was totally unexpected and would have been really sexy except that it hurt like hell. Although I bit my tongue, a tiny grunt of pain sneaked past my lips.

  "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice suddenly stern as he lowered my leg slowly back to the ground.

  "Nothing," I answered but found it hard to hide my discomfort, which was probably written across my face in bright, flashing neon.

  The look in his eyes turned hard. "What's wrong?" he demanded and grabbed the front button on my jeans.

  Okay, it wasn't the first time a guy had tried to get into my pants but it was the first time one succeeded. A split second later, my jeans were down around my ankles and Reason was turning me so he could see the back of my legs. I was surprised by the curse he used. I thought he'd use something old-fashioned like, "God's Blood" or "Holy Tombstones". But nope, it was a modern swear word that hissed through his teeth.