by Faith Gibson
Tamian reached out with his mind, and the pup bounded right up to him. When she reached his feet, she put her front paws on his leg, her tail wagging so hard it made her butt jiggle. Tamian laughed, scooping her into his arms. “Well, hello, Stormy. Aren’t you a pretty girl?” He scratched behind her ears until the little girl approached, followed closely by a woman.
“Stormy!” the little girl cried out, and Tamian placed the puppy safely in the arms of her little person.
“Thank you so much,” the woman said. “We’re trying to get Stormy used to a leash, and so far, she’s winning.”
“You’re most welcome.” Tamian rubbed Stormy under her chin and silently instructed her to obey her person. The little girl set the puppy on the ground, and the little dog danced all around the girl. As he watched them play, an idea came to mind. “This might sound like an odd request, but I’ve been thinking of getting my daughter a puppy, and Stormy is just so cute. Is it okay if I take a picture of her to show my little girl?”
“I...” The mother hesitated, which was smart. Too many creeps in the world.
I promise I only want the picture to show my daughter. Your child is safe with me.
“Yes, that’ll be fine,” the mother agreed after he softly nudged her with his mind. Tamian only used his powers for good, and if the plan he was concocting brought him and Harlow together, he considered that a good thing. He pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of the pup.
“Thank you. Maybe I’ll have a Stormy in my life soon.”
“Can I see a picture of your daughter?” the little girl asked.
Tamian just so happened to have a photo of Amelia he’d taken the last time he’d been to the gym. Frey’s family had stopped by to bring Matthew his lunch when he forgot it at home. Tamian wouldn’t want to be Frey. Matthew had just turned eighteen, but Slade was still refusing to let the boy know they were mates. Frey had given Slade his blessing once Matthew turned eighteen, but Slade wanted Matthew to live a little. Go to college and play basketball. He didn’t want the young man to date, but he also didn’t want to bond with him before the kid ever had a chance at experiencing life. Tamian couldn’t imagine the type of strength it took to be around his mate every day, pretending to be just friends.
Tamian showed both mother and daughter Amelia’s picture, and after they agreed the girl needed a dog of her own, they headed back the way they’d come. The little girl turned and waved at him, smiling, while the puppy trotted obediently beside her. Tamian loved animals, and it was only because he was able to communicate with them that they tolerated being around a Gargoyle. Ever since his little chat with Molly, Travis’s black Lab, Jasper as well as other Goyles had been able to visit without her going nuts.
It was hard to imagine a life without animals around. Because of the beast inside, he basically was an animal himself, but for the small creatures to fear being around the Gargoyles, it had to bother some if not all of them. The joy a dog or cat brought to humans was a joy he didn’t take for granted, being one of the few – if not the only one – who could speak to them and ease their fear.
As he made his way back to the rental, Tamian thought about his plan for the next day. It was a cliché ruse, but it was one that worked. At least he hoped it would. Harlow was a smart woman, but he was counting on her heart to be a warm one. If only he knew more about his mate. Like whether or not she was dating the biker. Did she prefer someone all tatted up and scruffy over a male with unmarked skin and basic looks? He was as fit as the biker, if not leaner, but with clothes on, he didn’t feel like he was anything special.
Tamian had watched as the Clan members found their mates. When they did, the bond pull was so strong it didn’t matter whether or not the other mate was their type; they were drawn to them regardless. He’d never seen any couples who weren’t deeply in love, so he had to figure the fates knew what they were doing. Where he and Harlow were concerned, he prayed they did.
Deacon stood off to one side of the private waiting room with several of the Clan. Rafael and Kaya sat on either side of Priscilla as everyone waited for Jonas to come speak to them. The sadness rolling off the older human was almost more than Deacon could stand. All Gargoyles had the ability to detect emotions, but his “gift” went far beyond the norm.
Help me, he begged his beast.
I’m trying. Priscilla is far more distraught than anyone I’ve ever felt, and her brother is still alive. Can you imagine what it’s going to be like when he passes on?
I’d rather not imagine it. Deacon’s beast did its best to shield them from stronger than normal feelings.
Jonas, disguised as Chief of Staff Joseph Mooneyham, walked into the room and pulled Priscilla to her feet. “Come on, love. Let’s get you in to see Jonathan. We have him settled in a private room, and we’ve set up an extra bed so you can stay with him.” Rafael and Kaya followed behind, as did most of the Clan who were waiting. Deacon hesitated, giving himself a reprieve.
“You coming, Brother?” Paxton asked.
“Yes, but I’m going to call Remy and check in first.” Paxton nodded and left Deacon to his call. Remy Doucet was visiting from the West Coast. Sinclair had tasked the male with visiting the Pen to see how Gregor and Deacon ran it. The Unholy population was growing on the West Coast, and Rafael and Sin were designing a private facility where they could house their own inmates. The Stone name didn’t carry as much weight in California as it did in New Atlanta, and offering to build and run a prison had been met with one roadblock after another, so they designed a private facility which was in the process of being built.
When Gregor took off for the hospital, Deacon asked to go as well, leaving Remy to look after things at the Pen. While watching over Trevor, Deacon had gotten even closer to the Clan members’ mates and children. That also meant spending time at the manor and falling in love with Jonathan and Priscilla. Deacon didn’t have any family close by. His parents lived in Africa, and he hadn’t seen them in over three hundred years. He’d been an only child, so finding a family in his Clan brought him joy he hadn’t felt in a long time.
When Remy assured him things were fine, Deacon made his way to Jonathan’s room. Most of the Goyles were crowded around the door, giving Priscilla, Rafael, and Kaya breathing room. One by one, they visited Jonathan, offering him love and support. When Deacon entered the room, he became light-headed. What the fuck? Bending over, he took several deep breaths, trying to clear the fog from his brain.
“Are you all right?” Rafael asked, placing a steadying hand on Deacon’s back.
“Yeah, I...” Standing upright, he shook his head. “That was weird. I got dizzy all of a sudden.”
Rafael and Kaya looked at each other, smiling. Kaya said, “Dr. Bailey.”
“What about him?” Deacon asked, rubbing his forehead.
“Her. Dr. Bailey is Jonathan’s oncologist. You might want to stick around until she returns. You know, just to be sure.” Rafael clapped him on the shoulder, grinning.
“Be sure of what?”
“That she’s your mate.”
Chapter Seven
Lucy had expected more of an uproar from her grandfather over Tamian St. Claire. What set him off, though, was whoever it was at work messing with her. The Gargoyle they would deal with, whatever that meant. But how could they protect her from the unknown? After a couple hours of back and forth, Lucy changed the subject and filled them in on the little information she’d gleaned about the Ministry since their last meeting. After that was taken care of, she told them she needed to get home. It wasn’t often she had a weekend to herself where she wasn’t traveling, and she wanted to enjoy what was left of it.
Without permission, Monk stood from his seat and pulled Lucy’s chair out for her. At that point, the meeting was obviously deemed adjourned, and Lucy promised her family she’d keep them apprised of any new developments. She’d never ridden on the back of the quiet male’s bike, but Lucy didn’t hesitate to climb behind him. She loved riding, a
nd being behind a male as handsome as Monk wasn’t a hardship. On the way back to her house, instead of heading in the most direct route, Monk took the long way, winding through back roads for almost two hours. Somehow, he knew she’d needed the peace you could only get from riding the wind.
When they arrived at her home, Lucy eased off the back of the bike, squeezing Monk’s shoulders in the process. “Thank you,” she said. He tipped his chin in response and set off to do a perimeter check. Lucy left the alarm off, knowing he would reset it once he was inside. All the Hounds had been to her home, and they all knew her code. She didn’t wait around for him, because he would do whatever it was he wanted regardless of her plans.
The house was too large for one person. It had been too vast for three people, but it was hers outright, and she couldn’t find it in herself to move to something smaller. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Lucy imagined the house one day being filled with a husband and children. Any time she got those wistful thoughts, she wondered what her forever man looked like, but now...? Now it was Tamian St. Claire whose face she imagined.
Could Gryphons and Gargoyles mate? What would their offspring be? Special. That’s what. Lucy wasn’t worried about whether they’d be mostly Gryphon, because she’d always been in awe of the Gargoyles as a species. Having learned bits and pieces about them from Lucius had taught her about their kind, and she wasn’t one to discriminate. The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. Why was he following her? That was the question she pondered more than who at work had it out for her. If she had someone like Tamian as her mate, the two of them would no doubt be a force to be reckoned with.
Lucy had no way of finding him; she tried. A basic computer search came up empty, so maybe he’d find her again. If that happened, she was just going to ask him what he wanted with her. The direct route was often the easiest. Her family would no doubt yell at her for putting herself at risk, but she didn’t feel danger when she was around him. She felt an undeniable pull. Lucy knew about their genetic makeup, but she didn’t know about their societal norms.
After pouring herself a glass of tea, Lucy stepped out onto the back deck and sat down, relaxing in the quiet of her surroundings. The estate was a haven of sorts, even if she had security cameras monitoring the grounds for intruders and a quiet biker checking for sneaky Gargoyles. With Monk there, Lucy doubted Tamian would return, but she could hope.
Tamian returned to the hotel suite with enough Italian food to feed half their family, but both he and Tessa could put the lasagna and toast away like nobody’s business. “Anything happen while I was out?” He knew she would have called if anything worth speaking of had come up, but he still asked.
“Not since they returned a few minutes ago. I’ve rewound the feed so you can see for yourself.” Tamian watched as Harlow slid off the bike naturally, so it was something she was accustomed to. The biker followed Harlow, but neither of them spoke. While she went inside, the male remained outside and looked around. He strode around the perimeter of the large, stone house before entering through the door on the patio. Once inside, he punched in the code on her alarm panel before helping himself to a bottle of water out of the fridge. Harlow said something to him at that point before disappearing farther into her home. The male sat down at the island in the kitchen, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Since then, Harlow has been sitting outside relaxing, and the biker has checked the exterior and perimeter several times. The two of them haven’t spoken to each other since they got off the bike. By the looks of it, he’s there as a bodyguard and nothing more.”
Just because the biker wasn’t her boyfriend didn’t mean she didn’t have one. Still, Tamian was glad to hear that bit of news. It would make things easier going forward. After opening one of the little plastic cups of garlic sauce and setting it beside the bread, Tamian took his plate over to the sofa and watched the monitor. Skillfully, he dipped his bread into the sauce and shoved it into his mouth without dropping a speck.
“Why would a government agent need a bodyguard?” Tamian muttered.
“Why did you feel the need to follow me all over the world? I could take care of myself, probably better than your Harlow can.”
“Because you’re my sister.”
“So maybe they feel just as protective of Harlow as you do me.”
Tessa had a valid point, but until he knew for certain, he couldn’t help but imagine all sorts of scenarios, both good and bad. “She’s an agent for the GIA, lives on a large estate, and has a lot of money. What if her family isn’t watching out for her but using her? I know they’re family, but it hasn’t been that long since she found out she was adopted. Has Julian looked into the Hounds’ financial records?”
“Not that I’m aware of, but I can ask him to if it will make you feel better.”
“It would.” Tamian would be the first one to step in and defend his mate if her family was taking advantage of her in any way.
“I’ll email him now, but she didn’t seem threatened. Never once did she flinch or scowl at her grandmother and uncles earlier. Not even when they found the cameras.”
“Okay, so they aren’t a threat to her, but if they feel the need to have protection on her, something is going on.”
Tessa swallowed a bite of lasagna and pointed her fork at him. “Maybe they’re protecting her from you.” When Tamian started to protest, Tessa talked over him. “Hear me out. She was home alone and then she saw you in the trees, yeah?” Tamian nodded, and she continued. “If she saw you phase, she has to know you’re something besides human. Just because her uncle is also non-human doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel threatened by the handsome male spying on her from the trees. Her family arrived, they all had breakfast together, and then she more than likely told them about seeing you. Why else would they have suddenly gone looking around the estate? The cameras should have shown anything out of the ordinary. Since they hadn’t, the uncles searched until they found our cameras.”
“I hate it when you make sense. But she has to know I’m not a threat. I mean, if I wanted to harm her, wouldn’t I have done that in Norway?”
“Uh, no, because you couldn’t catch her in Norway. Your female is smart and elusive. She lost you before you even knew what was happening. She figured out your name probably using the government’s facial recognition technology. There’s not a lot of information about you on the internet; I checked. So, she knows your name, but that’s about all she knows other than you’re a shifter. I bet she’s sitting there on the patio waiting for you to return so she can find out more. If she’s truly your mate, she had to feel the pull when you were close to her. I guarantee she’s curious. Her note did say ‘better luck next time,’ so maybe she’s counting on there being a next time.”
Tamian was confused on how to approach Harlow. “Do you think I should approach her without a disguise? Or should I continue with my plan to get close to her tomorrow pretending to be someone else? I don’t want to have to fight the biker, so I should probably just go ahead with the previous plan.”
“I think that’s your best bet for now. If it works, you’ll get close to her and can talk to her without confrontation.” Tessa pushed back her empty plate. “Try to get a bead on her emotions. If that doesn’t work, at least you’ll be close enough to listen in on her conversation with the biker, if they ever speak to one another. I can’t imagine being in the same house with someone and never speaking a word to them.”
“Maybe he can’t speak.” Tamian couldn’t imagine being mute. He was quiet by nature, but not being able to communicate whenever he wanted to would have to suck for the male.
“Anything is possible.” Tessa tapped a few keys and said, “I’ve asked Julian to dig into the Hounds financials. If you’re okay for now, I’m going to go for a walk and call Stone. I kind of miss my mate.”
“Kind of?” Tamian smirked at his sister. “I’m surprised you’ve gone this long without calling him. You forget I’ve seen the tw
o of you together.”
“Don’t get smart with me, little brother. You have your own mate, and when the two of you get together, you’re going to understand why Gregor and I act the way we do.”
Tamian held his hands up. “Fair enough. Go on. I’ve got this.” He stood and cleaned up the remains of their dinner before grabbing a beer out of the fridge. Once Tessa was out of the hotel room, he leaned his head back and briefly closed his eyes. He could only pray he and Harlow would have with each other half of what Tessa and Gregor had. Or all the Gargoyles who’d found their mates, for that matter. Even Jonas and Caroline were still inseparable after all their years together. He wanted that with Harlow.
The hours dragged on as Tamian stared at the monitor. His impatience was almost too much for Tessa, but she eventually went to bed, leaving him to his grumbling. When morning came, he showered and dressed so that when the disguises arrived, all he had to do was apply the prosthetic. Tessa wanted him to also alter his voice, so she took a trip to the hotel restaurant where guests were eating breakfast. While sipping a cup of coffee, Tessa recorded a conversation between two men. Once she returned to the suite, it didn’t take her long to transfer one of the random voices into the recorder and program the nearly invisible device Tamian would place against his throat.
“It’s a good thing I’m prepared,” Tessa said as she pressed the small disc against his skin.
While she’d been downstairs, the package from Jonas arrived, and Tamian had transformed his appearance. Using a dab of black hair gel, he slicked back his hair to match the character he’d chosen to portray. At the last moment, he opted to forego the colored contacts. Tamian secretly wanted for Harlow to recognize some part of him.
“How do I look?” he asked, testing his new voice.
“Like you walked off the set of a soap opera.” When Tessa didn’t mention the contacts, Tamian took it as a good sign.
