by Faith Gibson
“Not as far as I’m concerned. When we go in, it will be me on the cameras pretending to be him. If he has someone on the outside watching, they shouldn’t suspect anything is wrong. I don’t plan on taking anything other than Lucy when we leave. Before that happens, I’ll evacuate the premises of anyone else present, telling them they have the next few days off. I’ll be ‘encouraging’ them to go away and not speak to anyone of where there’re going or why.”
“Have I told you how jealous I am over your Jedi mind control?”
Tamian laughed at Tessa’s petulant tone. “Yes, just like you’re jealous over my wings.”
“And Lucy’s. Damn, y’all are going to have some badass kids.”
“Kids? Don’t get ahead of yourself. We’re not mates yet. She might decide she doesn’t want anything to do with me once she gets to know me.”
“You’re joking, right? Tam, I have no idea why you don’t give yourself more credit. You’re a Gargoyle with special abilities, and you’re hot to boot.”
“You’re not supposed to think your own brother is hot,” Tamian teased.
“Whatever. I can look at you objectively without being skeevy. Anyway, the cameras are online. Now we just have to wait for Ramey to go home.”
If only they knew where the lab was, they could get Julian to hack into the cameras there so Tamian could observe his mate. He wanted to reach out to Lucy again and make sure she was okay, but he didn’t want her to feel he was being overprotective. She was a government agent as well as a Gryphon. His mate was equipped to handle herself. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t worry about her. She was his to protect, no matter how capable she was. She reminded him of Tessa. His sister was also a badass, but he knew Gregor was just as protective. Tessa’s mood had improved over the last couple hours, but he chalked that up to having something to focus on other than babies.
When Tessa mentioned him and Lucy having kids, he couldn’t deny the warmth that spread through his chest at the possibility. He’d never really considered having a family of his own. Now that it was a possibility? He wanted a houseful. If that’s what Lucy wanted. The Montagnon line was being carried on with all of Jonas’s grandkids, but it didn’t mean Xavier wouldn’t want grandchildren of his own. Tamian was interested in getting to know Lucy and her family. Did any of her uncles have children? Or was Lucy the only one? With her being twenty-five, Tamian doubted she was the only grandchild. And if they were to have children, would they be Gargoyle or Gryphon, or a new hybrid of both? Tessa was right; their kids would be badasses. That made Tamian smile.
“What’s got you so giddy over there?” Tessa asked, breaking into his thoughts.
“Giddy?”
“Yeah. Whatever you were thinking about made you chuckle.”
“I don’t chuckle.”
“Dude, you so were chuckling. Spill.”
Tamian couldn’t tell her the truth. With her previous admission to worrying over not having kids of her own, it would only bring her mood down, so he lied. “I was considering Lucy and I being King and Queen of Italy, sitting on our thrones in our crowns while all our Clan members bowed at our feet.”
Tamian pulled into the parking lot of the hotel and found a spot near the back entrance. When he put the car in park, he looked over and found her grinning. “You are such a goober. There’s no way you’d sit on a throne.”
“Of course I wouldn’t, thus the chuckling. Now, come on. We have work to do.” Tamian intended to keep Tessa’s mind preoccupied with all things Ramey so she wouldn’t have time to dwell on her own problems.
Drago stood on the balcony of his hotel room, letting the sound of the waves wash over him. The water wasn’t the clear blue of the seas back home, but it was settling nonetheless. The males who’d migrated from Greece were hanging out in the hotel. Drago had found a more upscale one that hadn’t been abandoned. He was putting the shifters up for the next several days until he could decide where to house them on a more permanent basis. It had only taken meeting them once to decide who his second in command would be. Arden had immediately stood out as the most alpha of the group, and the others took direction from him without question.
The Unholy, while widespread, were few and far between the farther south Drago had traveled. They needed an army, but they needed to put one together as quietly as possible. After a long discussion over shitty liquor, Drago had instructed Arden to take the serum and distribute it to a few Unholy in the area so they would have males who would be able to travel when the time came. He hated to use one of the vials, but it was necessary to the cause. Dr. Craven was already working on the next batch, so Drago didn’t begrudge using a little to ensure the Unholy they found in Florida would be good additions to their growing group. Eventually, he would spread them out across the country, but first he had to take down Rafael Stone and his family, which was mostly situated in New Atlanta.
The beach was practically deserted save for the handful of people out walking. Female laughter echoed across the waves, reaching Drago’s ears. It had been too long since he’d let himself enjoy the feel of a soft body. The laughter was only the beginning of a stirring within, and when Drago got a delicious scent on the wind, he bent over and placed his hands on his knees. Inhaling deeply, the aroma sent his beast into a frenzy.
Not having found his mate after all those years, he’d resigned himself to a life of fucking random women. Having heard how the Stone Society was finding their mates in humans, Drago knew what was happening. Now was not the time for him to take a mate. He had too much to do in regard to building his army, but his beast was demanding they take what was theirs.
“Fuck!” he seethed through gritted teeth. If he didn’t follow through with claiming the female, his shifter would try to take over, and that couldn’t happen. There was too much at stake for Drago to be at odds with the beast. Stepping back into the hotel room, Drago got a look at himself in the mirror. Dressed in military fatigues was not the way humans dressed as they strolled along the water’s edge. Luckily, he’d bought swimming trunks, knowing he would at some point want to swim along the waves. Drago changed quickly, and with another look at his reflection, he appreciated the male staring back at him. Snagging the room keycard, Drago secured the plastic in the inner pocket of his trunks while making his way to the elevator. As he strolled with purpose toward the beach access, he breathed deeply, hoping to calm himself. When his mate’s scent found its way to him once again, it had the opposite effect.
The two women were farther down the beach than he would have liked, but with his shifter vision, Drago was able to keep his eye on them. Taking off at a jog, he was able to catch up with them considering they stopped every so often to dig in the sand at their feet. “Good morning, ladies,” he purred as he slowed his steps. Both women were pretty, but it was the one with blonde hair who held all his attention. When she smiled at him, he knew he was fucked in more ways than one.
Chapter Seventeen
Rafael held Kaya’s hand as they walked to the front door of the large home of Sutton and Rory Lazlo. When he spoke with Ryker on the phone, the male had suggested they meet with his parents as well, and Rafael readily agreed. He hadn’t liked the thought of taking his mate into the motorcycle club compound, and he was relieved he didn’t have to.
The front door opened, and a couple who looked not much older than him stepped onto the porch. “Rafael, welcome to our home,” Sutton said, holding out his hand.
Rafe shook it, and said, “Thank you for having us. This is Kaya, my wife, my mate, my Queen, but most importantly, the mother of my child.”
Rory’s face softened as she stepped forward to greet Kaya. “It’s a pleasure. Please come inside.” She stepped aside, allowing them to enter the house first. A large, broody male was waiting just inside. “This is our oldest son, Ryker. While he’s president of the Hounds, we all felt it was important to meet as a family.” Ryker offered his hand to Rafe and inclined his head to Kaya.
Rory led them into a
large living room. The house was nicely furnished, but it was evident it was a home that had seen many years of use. “Can I get you something to drink?” Rory asked, being the perfect hostess.
“Nothing for me. Kaya?”
“Heavens, no. I already have to pee every five minutes as it is. You’d think this baby was ready to pop by the way he sits on my bladder.” Kaya blushed at her admittance. “Sorry, that’s probably too much information for a first meeting.”
“Nonsense. Having pushed out five boys, I completely understand,” Rory replied, her smile warm as she motioned for them to take a seat.
Rafael didn’t wait to start the conversation they had flown to New York to have. “I appreciate you reaching out to us. I have to admit, we were surprised to find there’s another species of shifter. May I ask how the Gryphons came to be aware of the Gargoyles?”
Sutton, who was seated next to his wife, took her hand. “While our true form is that of an eagle combined with a lion, we are able to shift into each animal separately if we wish. It was long ago when one of our kind was flying in eagle form, and they noticed what they thought was a man with wings. The Gryphon followed the man and observed for a while. He wanted to know how a human was able to fly. Being a shifter, he wasn’t afraid of the male, so he made his presence known and asked. During their conversation, the man admitted to being a Gargoyle.
“The two struck up a friendship afterwards. The Gryphon didn’t speak of the Gargoyle to his family for many years. When he was dying, he told his son the truth about what happened the day they met. The son kept the secret for many years, until he was on his deathbed. It went on for several centuries that way, always passing on the secret to the oldest son, until one day, it became common knowledge. Not wanting our species to be found out, it was an unspoken agreement for all who became aware to keep the Gargoyles existence a secret. The name of the shifter was never shared, only that a different species was out there, watching over humans the same way the Gryphons were.”
“That’s amazing. If the Gargoyle shared with anyone about the Gryphon, it wasn’t passed around, as far as I know,” Rafael said. “I can see where it would be easier for the Gryphons to hide your true nature. Sure, shifting into a lion in the middle of a crowded area would cause chaos, but people have seen lions, and eagles aren’t that uncommon. Now, if you changed into your Gryphon, that would absolutely be something to see, much like a man with wings.”
Sutton smiled, nodding in agreement. “We’ve done our best to keep the human population unaware of our kind with the exception of those humans we’ve taken as mates. We know little about the Gargoyles other than you exist and you battle the Unholy. According to this Tamian, the fates have chosen Lucy as his mate. The Gryphons don’t have fated mates, and as such, we fall in love much like humans do when choosing who to spend our lives with. If the fates chose Lucy, who is a shifter, for Tamian, does that mean they also pair the Gargoyles with humans?”
“Yes. Kaya is human. Until recently, the Gargoyles mated with our own kind, but our females are becoming scarce. When I mated with Kaya, I was under the impression it was the first time that happened, but we later found out that wasn’t the case. Tamian’s great uncle mated with a human over two hundred years ago, and my own uncle had the male ostracized from his clan for not keeping the lines pure. Alistair was a right bastard. My mother was Greek, and my father was Italian. My uncle disowned her even though he knew the fates choose our mates. Good thing for her my father was the King of the Italians, so it didn’t matter.”
“Tamian told Maveryck his father is the Italian King. Does that make you brothers?” Rory asked.
“No. My father decided to come to the Americas and settle our family here. When he did that, he stepped down from the Italian throne, and Xavier Montagnon, Tamian’s father, took over. He had been my father’s right-hand male for centuries.”
“So Tamian wasn’t lying when he said he was a Prince.”
“No, he wasn’t. But Tamian is so much more than that. He stepped in and helped out our Clan on more than one occasion. Like when Kaya and I met, she was the Chief of Police, and someone was framing me for a series of murders. Tamian went undercover in the Penitentiary to help get information on the man responsible. He also stepped in and helped rescue my cousin’s mate when she was wrongfully held in the Super Max.”
“They broke someone out of Super Max? How’d they manage that?” Ryker asked.
“Julian, the cousin I mentioned, is a genius when it comes to computers. Tamian and his sister are masters at disguise. Together, they were able to impersonate a couple of agents long enough to get Katherine out of prison.”
“That makes me feel better about this plan of his,” Sutton said. “Tamian said he was going to impersonate Lucy’s boss. Since this is something he’s done before, hopefully he’ll be successful.”
Ryker’s phone rang, and he excused himself from the room.
“So, Kaya. Are you still Chief of Police?” Rory asked.
“No. Rafael wanted me to retire when I became pregnant. Having been kidnapped and shot at several times, it didn’t take much to convince me.”
“Holy shit! You were kidnapped?” Sutton shook his head. “I apologize for my language.”
Kaya laughed and waved his apology off. “I’m sure you didn’t mean to say holy.”
Rory elbowed her husband in the side, grinning. “I like you,” she told Kaya.
“I started out as a beat cop and worked my way up the ranks. You can’t be a woman in a man’s world without hearing worse than that. You also can’t lead in a man’s world without cursing a bit. Sometimes I had to get colorful to get their attention,” Kaya explained.
“Same as having five alpha males for sons. I had to get colorful, as you put it, or else they’d have tried to run roughshod over me.” When Sutton growled low in his throat, Rory explained, “Sutton wasn’t always here. Being in the military meant being away from his family for months at a time. I’m proud of my mate for the male he is, and I had no problem taming the boys.”
“Godsdamnit,” Ryker barked from the other room.
“Okay, maybe taming isn’t the correct word. All our sons are good, and they have followed in Sutton’s footsteps when it comes to doing their duty to keep the humans safe.”
“They’re all military? I thought they were bikers,” Rafael said.
“No, none of the boys were military, but they all do their part in doing whatever’s necessary for the sake of humanity. Being bikers is a lifestyle, but it’s one that allows us to bring in other Gryphons who are like-minded. All of them except Lucy’s father, Warryck. He’s a college professor, but that’s a story for another day. Speaking of Lucy, tell us how it works being fated mates. Is this something she has a choice in?”
Rafael looked at Kaya and smiled, remembering how they came together. She had a choice, but after all was said and done, she made the right one as far as he was concerned. “Lucy absolutely has a choice, and if she decides she doesn’t want Tamian, he will do the honorable thing and step back without pressuring her. However, I’ve never heard of the fates bringing two beings together that weren’t perfect for each other. Once Tamian has Lucy safely away from the lab, the mating bond will kick in, and she’ll be drawn to him. Like I said earlier, Tamian is a good male. He comes from a great family, and Lucy would be hard-pressed to find someone who would love her more.”
“Love?” Ryker asked when he returned to the room. “If their mating is fated, what does love have to do with it?”
Rafael and Kaya glanced at each other, and he couldn’t resist pressing his lips to hers, no matter who was watching. He rested his hand on her belly and sighed. Turning to Ryker, he said, “It has everything to do with it. I’d say your parents feel the same way, even though they chose each other.”
“He’s not wrong, Son,” Sutton said. “Who was that on the phone, and what set you off?”
Ryker, who took after his father with his dark hair, scrubbed a h
and down his long beard. “We might have a problem.” Ryker cut his eyes to Rafael and Kaya without continuing.
“What kind of problem?” His father gestured for him to continue. “Is this club business, or something to do with Lucy, because if it’s the latter, you should speak freely in front of our guests.”
Ryker blew out a breath before saying, “Monk isn’t behaving well. After Mav met with Tamian, Monk became agitated and shut himself up in his room. When it was time for Hawke to go relieve Spyder, Monk demanded he take the next shift. It seems our boy feels an attachment to Lucy.”
“All the brothers feel an attachment. She’s like their little sister,” Rory said.
“It’s more than a familial attachment. According to Hawke, Monk fell for Lucy when she first arrived.”
“How did we not know this?” Sutton asked.
“You know how Monk is. He keeps everything bottled up inside. Even if he did speak, he still wouldn’t have mentioned his feelings. I can’t imagine he felt you would take it well if one of our own had feelings for her, so he didn’t share with anyone. Hawke only knows because of his empathic abilities.”
“Is he going to try to stop Tamian?” Rafael asked. This Hawke wasn’t the only empathic one. All Gargoyles could sense emotions, and the ones the Gryphons were experiencing were all over the board. Rory was worried, Sutton was pissed, and Ryker... Well, the male was harder to read.
“No. I’ll personally see that doesn’t happen. Sutton, I’m going to schedule a flight out as soon as I can get one. With both Mav and me out of town, I’m asking you to step back in with the Hounds. I don’t want to listen to Hayden and Kyllian to bitch about who should be sitting at the head of the table in our absence.”
“I can have my jet ready to leave immediately. I’ll just need to contact the pilot and have him change the flight plan,” Rafael offered.
“That’s not necessary,” Ryker responded.
“Maybe not, but if there’s a chance of this Monk doing something drastic, and you being there will reduce the possibility, I’d prefer you get there sooner rather than later. Besides, it will give us an opportunity to get to know one another better during the flight.”
