by Faith Gibson
Tamian stared at Xavier, at a loss for words. Never in a million years would he have thought his father would choose him as his replacement. “You don’t have to do this,” Tamian said before turning to the bar and refilling his tumbler, setting the lemonade to the side. This conversation required something harder. After downing the whiskey, he poured yet another. Before he could toss it back, Xavier stepped next to him and stilled his hand.
“I know I don’t have to, but you’re the logical choice. You’re my son as much as Andrea is my daughter.”
“Have you considered her being Queen?”
“We’re talking about your sister here, remember? Can you imagine the trouble she’d get a Clan into if she ruled?”
Tamian couldn’t help but smile. “Oh yes. All kinds of trouble.” Tessa was the fiercest woman he knew, but she was also one of the craziest. “I know you think of me as your son, but King? I’ve all but remained hidden most of my life. I’m not qualified to rule a Clan.”
Elizabeth’s hand gripped Tamian’s forearm. He’d not heard her rise from where she was sitting by the fireplace. “Tam, my darling boy. You are more than qualified. You’re smart as well as a fierce warrior.” When he opened his mouth to argue, she held up her hand. “Stop. Your father and I have heard how you helped the Stone Society. You stepped up to the plate when they needed you most. Sure, you might say you were doing it for Andrea, but we all know your heart is as big as anyone’s. You aided because it was the right thing to do. They are your Clan as much as the Italians are.”
“You’re right, they are my Clan. It’s one reason I don’t feel right taking over for Dad. I’ve never dealt with the Italians in an official capacity. I’ve only ever met a handful of the Goyles when I’ve stayed at the chalet. How can I rule when I don’t know my people?” People was a relative term considering the Clan was comprised of full-blooded Gargoyles.
“Then get to know them. Visit the chalet more. Let the Clan get to know you. They won’t be surprised when I tell them you’re taking over the throne. I’ve spoken highly of you many times over the last few years. It will be a smooth transition.”
Tamian doubted that. He was only now getting comfortable being around the Stone Society and being part of their Clan. It wasn’t as if Xavier was asking him to become CEO of a corporation, a position that would last a few years at most before he could retire. This was a centuries-long commitment. If he accepted, he would have to concentrate on a Clan he knew little about. That wouldn’t give him time to search for Harlow.
“I found my mate,” he blurted.
“Excuse me?” Xavier asked, while Elizabeth said, “Honey, that’s wonderful.”
Tamian shook his head and paced across the room. He looked out the window, but he didn’t see the expanse of land. He saw stormy blue eyes that laughed when she waved at him.
“Tamian? Son?”
“She’s the reason I went to Norway. The Goyles there thought she was spying on them.”
“And was she?” Xavier asked.
“Not as far as I could tell. If my instincts are correct, she’s an agent with the GIA, and I figure she was there on assignment.”
“Then why did the Goyles think she was spying?”
“Because she was in Holmesvik, which is a shifter town. Very few humans live there, and even fewer visit.”
“But you don’t think she was spying on the shifters?”
“No. She left several times and drove to Oslo. Each time she ended up near the human King’s palace. I think she chose Holmesvik because it’s quaint and relaxing. Plus, it kept her from being seen too often in Oslo.”
“Did you speak with her?” Elizabeth asked.
“No. I basically spied on her to see if she was spying on everyone else. While I was doing that, she slipped away. Somehow, she was on to me. I’m telling you, there’s something different about Harlow.”
“Harlow?”
“Yes, Harlow Guthrie. That’s one of her aliases. Julian was able to find several names the female has used, but he hasn’t been able to establish her true identity. She was able to give us the slip. Instead of being on the flight to New York under one of her known aliases, she was on a private jet which landed in New DC.”
“Is it possible she’s a shifter?” Xavier asked.
“Anything’s possible. Until I get her face to face, I won’t know.”
Xavier’s face softened. “I’m assuming you’re going to pursue her?”
“I have to. If she is my mate, I have to know for certain, and I don’t want to put off finding out. What if something happened to her before we were able to complete the bond? I’d lose her forever, and now that I know there’s a possibility I actually have that one person who was intended for me, I can’t not go after her.”
“I understand. I didn’t stop pursuing your mother until I had her to myself. But just because you’re going after this female doesn’t mean you can’t consider becoming King. I’m serious, Tamian. I want you to take my place on the throne.”
Tamian tossed back the whiskey still in his glass. “I’ll think about it. Now, if I’m not mistaken, dinner is ready.” Retrieving the glass of lemonade, Tamian took a sip before heading to the dining room where Cassandra was placing the last bowl.
“Right on time,” she said with a flourish.
Lucy walked out of the debriefing doing her best to bite her tongue. She didn’t need her job. Hell, she didn’t even like her job. Not really. She had enough money she could disappear if she chose, but that would make for a lonely life, and she had a family who needed her. When the government had given her an ultimatum, she never thought going to jail would be the better option. Now, it was looking pretty good. The men and women she worked with treated Lucy as if she were a low-class thug, just because she’d been caught looking into a corporation whose ties to the government ran deeper than she realized. She’d been arrested and then given a job doing the very thing she’d been arrested for. Irony at its finest.
Lucy was good at her job, but she wasn’t good enough to go completely off the grid. It would take someone with skills much better than hers to get her a new identity. One the GIA couldn’t track down. She wasn’t the only hacker employed by the government, so she couldn’t risk running off. Besides, the family depended on her to help find dirt on the Ministry. Four years wasn’t enough time spent with her grandparents and uncles to just walk away from everything.
While the GIA looked into how the Ministry affected world governments, her family searched out the smaller factions who were able to stay off the government’s radar. Going after the Ministry wasn’t all her uncles and grandparents did. The Hounds of Zeus was a motorcycle club whose members were all shifters. Whereas a lot of MCs were all about running guns, drugs, and even trafficking people, the Hounds were about keeping humans safe, getting the bad guys off the streets, and doing the things which fell into the not-strictly-black-and-white category. Hacking into computers was one of those things that was against the law but helpful for the club to keep tabs on the criminals.
When Lucy got caught, she’d been so distraught she blamed her predicament on her father. Warryck Lazlo had chosen to let Lucius and Vera raise Lucy instead of keeping her. If he had allowed her to be raised by Rory and Sutton, she would have grown up as part of the family. They would have taught her how to keep her head down and avoid getting caught. It was something they all excelled at. War had argued she wouldn’t have the education she received, or all the money and assets Lucius amassed for her. Lucy argued right back that she would have had the truth. And her family.
Rory talked Lucy down from her anger against War, even though the woman had refused to speak to her son for years after he gave custody of Lucy to Harlow’s family. Lucy’s grandmother was something else. She had been the wife of the MC’s president for many years, but she was nobody’s “old lady.” Aurora Rose Lazlo was a Gryphon shifter, and a momma bear – or lion rather – when it came to her family. Rory preferred the lion to the e
agle, and she wasn’t afraid to bare her sharp teeth.
Keeping her head held high, Lucy strode out of the New DC office and headed to the rental car she’d picked up at the airport. The case she’d been given wasn’t like the ones she normally received. As a matter of fact, she had a bad feeling about her assignment. Somehow, this felt like a setup. Lucy had kept her head down for the last four years while doing both the government’s and her family’s bidding. Never had she given the GIA reason to suspect she was involved in anything outside of her job.
Keeping one eye on the road ahead and the other on the rearview mirror, Lucy drove toward the airport. Instead of giving her an assignment over video conference, the government had wasted money on a jet to bring her to New DC for an hour just to send her back across the water to South Africa. At least it was somewhere she’d never traveled before. When she arrived at the airport, Lucy reboarded the government jet she’d just traveled on and settled in for the long flight.
Chapter Three
If it hadn’t been for the fact that Harlow returned to the airport within a couple hours after landing, Julian might never have found her. As it was, he called Tamian and told him his mate was headed back out. Tamian cut his visit with his parents short and returned home to New Atlanta. He wanted to be in the lab with Julian while he was searching for the elusive female. After promising Xavier he would seriously consider taking over the throne, Tamian bid his parents goodbye and took off.
Not bothering to stop at his apartment, he went straight to the lab after his jet landed. It was late when he arrived, so Tamian sent Julian home to be with his mate. Tamian grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and settled in, glued to the monitors. The front door opened, and he reached out to see who it was, smiling when his sister’s voice called out before she made it to the room where he was.
“Tam?”
“In here, Tessa.”
His sister strode toward him. When she reached where he was sitting, she placed the back of her hand on his forehead. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. What are you doing?”
“Seeing if you have a fever.”
“Why?” Tamian gripped his sister’s wrist and pulled her hand away from his head.
“You never call me Tessa. What the hell’s up with that?” She sat down in the chair next to him and rolled closer.
“Would you prefer I call you Andi?”
“Hell no, but that never stopped you before. What’s changed?”
“Dad wants me to be King.”
“And that’s why you called me Tessa? You’re not making a lot of sense right now.”
“No, I called you Tessa because it’s what you prefer. I’m not sure I want to be King.”
“Then say no.”
Tamian arched a brow. “Say no to our father, the King of the Italians?”
“Sure. We both know being King is a big fucking deal. I wouldn’t want the job, and I’m a lot more outgoing than you are.”
“What are you trying to say?” If Tamian didn’t know Tessa was telling the truth, he’d take offense to her assessment of his personality.
“I’m not trying to say anything. I’m merely stating a fact we both already know. You could be King if you wanted the responsibility. You’re smarter than anyone I know with the exception of Jules and Jonas. You’re brave and tough and have the blood of the Montagnons running through your body. But it takes someone who isn’t afraid to step on toes to rule a Clan.”
“Which makes you perfect for the job.”
Tessa laughed and slapped Tamian on the arm. “Right. We both also know I’d have a Clan turned on its ear in about two-point-five seconds. Don’t think I haven’t realized Dad didn’t ask me to rule. I am the oldest, but even he knows I’m not cut out for that shit.”
The computer chimed with an alert, and both siblings turned their attention to the monitors. “Who are we looking for?” Tessa asked.
“My mate. At least, I think she is. Whenever I’m around her, I get these feelings.”
“If she is, you’ll transition soon. Unless you already have?”
Tamian hesitated. He’d never told Andi he transitioned when he hit puberty. He turned to face his sister and admitted one of the truths he’d kept from her all these years. “I phased for the first time when I was young, just like the full-bloods do.”
“Holy fucking shit! Why didn’t you tell me?” Tessa slapped him on the arm again. For a half-blood, she was stronger than she looked. If he wasn’t Gargoyle, he would be bruised already.
“I didn’t want you to think differently about me. It was bad enough I was a clone, but to be able to shift the way the full-bloods do...” Tamian shrugged, keeping his eyes on the monitors. “Wait, there she is.” Tamian pointed at one of the screens.
“What is your mate doing in South Africa?”
“How do you...? Never mind. I sometimes forget how extensively you’ve traveled the world. I’m assuming she’s on assignment. Best we can figure, she’s an agent with the GIA. Julian has found several of her aliases, but we still don’t know her true identity.”
Tamian and Tessa watched Harlow as she stepped into a taxi and it drove away. Tamian kept his eyes glued to the screen while Tessa typed away at one of the keyboards. The monitor changed over to another street, and Tessa continued following the car.
“How are you doing that?” Tamian asked.
“It’s a little trick Jules taught me one night when Gregor was out patrolling, plus I was bored. I figured if he ever needed backup here in the lab, it would behoove me to know how to track someone down this way.”
“Behoove you?”
“Shut up. I happen to like that word.” After a few more taps on the keys, Tessa stopped. “Damnit, I lost her. She went into a section not monitored with traffic cameras. Finding her again will be nearly impossible. I think our best bet is to keep our eye on the airport.”
Tamian huffed out a sigh. “We have no idea how long she plans to be there.”
“No, but she’s going to leave at some point. I’ll keep an eye on this if you want to do something else.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, read. Swim. Run.”
“Can you get into the flight plans of the private jets?”
“Yepper. Hang on a sec...” Tessa surprised Tamian when just a few seconds later, she said, “Okay. There are ten private jets set to leave in the next two hours. Do you have any information on the plane she arrived in?”
“Yes.” Tamian slid a piece of paper over to his sister.” Tessa scrolled through the information on the screen. “Got it. Her jet is set to leave this afternoon, headed back to New York. Looks like this was a quick in and out. Why would the government send her to Africa for less than a day?”
“Why does the government do anything?”
“Truth. Well, at least now we know when she’ll be returning.”
“I wonder if LaGuardia is close to her home. When she came in last time she went to New DC”
“All you can do is wait and see where she goes from there.”
“Or, I can actually be there and follow her.”
“What if she gets on another flight from there?”
“Good thing I have a plane of my own then, right?” Tamian pulled out his phone and dialed. “Santiago, Tessa and I managed to track Harlow down. She’s leaving Cape Town for LaGuardia. I want to be there to intercept her flight, so let’s plan on leaving in fourteen hours. That gives us a couple hours leeway.”
“I’ll be ready,” his pilot said. Tamian often sat in the cockpit with the male who’d long ago become his friend, taking over controls if Santiago needed a break. That was another skill the Clan knew nothing about. He’d been flying solo for years. Santiago was a shifter, the one who’d taught Tamian to fly. Tamian trusted him with his life. Therefore, he had no trouble telling the male all about Harlow.
“Thank you.” Tamian disconnected and turned to his sister who was rubbing her hands together. “W
hat has you so excited?”
“You need a co-pilot, and I’m bored. Since we have fourteen hours, that gives me plenty of time to go home and pack. Tomorrow, I want to run by the manor and see Jonathan for a bit.”
“How is he?” The human male who helped look after Rafael’s home had cancer, and it had progressively gotten worse instead of better, even with treatments.
“Not well. Priscilla’s about to lose her mind. Not even Kaya’s pregnancy is keeping the housekeeper’s mind off her brother.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. You’d think Jonas would have found a cure by now.”
“It’s not like he isn’t working on it. As a matter of fact, he’s talking about turning the hospital over to someone else so he can focus all his time and energy on finding a cure.”
“When you go see Jonathan, give him my regards.”
“Will do. Now, I’m going to head over to the Pen and see if Stone needs help wrangling any Unholy and tell him about our trip.”
“You honestly think Gregor’s not going to want to come along?” Tamian had been extremely jealous of his sister’s mate when they first got together, but now, Gregor was family. Tessa couldn’t be in better hands, nor could she have found a mate who was more perfect for her. Gregor was up for anything Tessa wanted to do. Not just to watch out for her, but the male truly enjoyed the craziness Tessa brought into his life. The prison warden had an adventurous streak hidden behind his stoic façade.
“Oh, I know he will, but things with the Unholy are heating up. Seems even though Kallisto’s behind bars, her goons are still doing her bidding somehow. Drago was sighted downtown, but he disappeared before the Clan could get to him. Between Gregor and Deacon, they have their hands full with the Pen. He’ll miss me, but if I tell him I’m going to visit the ’rents, he’ll more readily agree to letting me go without him. Plus, I have you to protect me.”
“Who’s going to protect me?” Tamian asked, grinning.
