Frey

by Faith Gibson

  “I’ll make these for you any time you want,” Jasper told him. “I know we’re just hanging out right now while I’m pulling security detail, but after this is all over, you’re welcome to hang out at my house, too.”

  “Really?” The kid’s eyes were huge.

  He laughed, thinking how much Matthew reminded him of Trevor. They were both so full of life, yet so insecure. Both had shitty family lives. Trevor’s parents only wanted him as a back-up in case Travis’ heart gave out. Matthew parents were killed before Matthew even hit puberty. “What about when Trevor comes back? He won’t want me around.”

  “I was just thinking how you and Trev are a lot alike, except for your age. You’ll still be welcome, and I have a feeling the two of you are going to be good friends.”

  They pulled into Dante’s driveway, and Jasper rolled his window down, speaking into the security box. The gate opened, and they drove on through. “Do all the Amaz… badasses have those talky things at their gates?”

  “Yes. As a matter of fact, Frey’s brother Julian designed them. Rafael, who you met yesterday, designs all our homes. My home was already built when I bought it, but he had designed it for the previous owner. You’ll find we are a close-knit group.” Jasper parked beside the other Goyles’ vehicles. “We’ll go in and say hello to Dante’s mate, Isabelle, and her son, Connor.”

  “His mate? Don’t you mean like his wife or girlfriend?” Matt had his hand on the door handle but waited for an answer. “Look, I know y’all are different. Frey told me that much. He said he would show me rather than explain it to me soon.”

  If Frey had told him that much, he was going to be honest with the teen. “Yes, we have mates. One person who is chosen for us. Trevor is my mate.”

  Matthew frowned. “So, even if you wanted to date someone else, you couldn’t?”

  “Once we find our mates, we don’t want anyone else. I have dated before, it just wasn’t meaningful. And now that I’ve found Trevor, I know he’s the one.”

  “So, Abbi was chosen for Frey?” Matthew was trying to figure it all out.

  “Yes. Let’s talk about this later.” Jasper pointed to the door. “It appears they’re waiting for us.” They got out of the car and headed to the front porch. Jasper had called Dante giving him a heads up that he was bringing Matthew. He was waiting on the front porch with Connor.

  “Dante, welcome home. And you must be Connor. It is my honor to meet you,” Jasper said as he approached the porch. “This is Matthew.”

  “Nice to meet you, too,” Connor said. He held out his small hand for both guys to shake.

  Connor asked Dante, “Da, can I take Matthew out back?”

  “You sure can. We’ll be right behind you.” Dante’s face lit up like a new, proud father.

  Jasper shook hands with Dante and asked, “Have you heard from him?”

  Dante clapped him on the shoulder. “No, I’m sorry, Jas. I’ve texted a couple of times, but he wanted space. I’ve been trying to give it to him. He hasn’t been gone that long.”

  “I have a very bad feeling. Someone was watching us. I thought it was Craig, but he’s dead. Someone killed him and …What if they followed Trevor? He’s out there, alone and vulnerable. Dante, this is my worst nightmare coming back to haunt me in broad daylight.”

  “Come on, Brother. Let’s get training over with, and after, I’ll call him and tell him it’s urgent.”

  The men walked through the house and out the door leading to the back deck. Connor was introducing Matt to the Goyles he didn’t know. Matthew greeted them all then asked Jasper, “Just how many badas… Amazons are there?”

  Jasper mussed his hair as he walked past, “Thousands.”

  “Amazons?” Dante asked as they continued onto the open area where they trained.

  “You know how Trevor calls us the badass club? Abbi calls us all Amazons. Matthew knows we are different, he just doesn’t know the whole truth. Frey plans to show him when the time is right.”

  “Trevor needs to know, too. I’d already planned on telling him before you declared him your mate.”

  “Jasper, you’re with me,” Uri said. He paired the men up, and they went over their technique first. Jasper willed himself to concentrate. Once they began sparring, he let go. His mind drifted back to those days in Ireland where he was fighting for his people. Jasper was not practicing with Uri; he was on the battlefield, swift and fierce. His movements were graceful yet deadly. The striking of metal on metal powered his body; the blood spilling at his feet fueled his soul. He was lost in the memory until someone yelling his name brought him back to the present. When he dropped his sword to his side, his chest was heaving. Seven pairs of eyes were locked on him. Uri’s was a look of amusement. “Someone’s been holding out on us.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Frey had no idea what was wrong with Abbi. After throwing up, she’d gone to bed without a word to either him or Matt. When they went to bed, she got back up. She was avoiding him, but he didn’t know why. Something must have happened at the community center, because that’s when her emotions had been off the charts. She did a good job of hiding it, but his Gargoyle senses were alerted to her body’s fluctuations in breathing and stress. Her being his mate only heightened the intensity with which Frey felt it.

  Matthew left early with Jasper, so it was just the two of them in the kitchen. She only spoke to say good morning. Frey had no idea what to say to ease her pain, so he tugged her into his arms and held her. He offered no words because he had none. She didn’t pull back from him. If anything, she held on tighter while he smoothed her hair down her back and placed kisses to the top of her head and temple. For a moment, her body calmed as she accepted his comfort. When she released her hold on him, he handed her a travel mug of coffee.

  He drove her to the school, holding her hand the whole way. When she opened the door to get out of the truck, she turned his way to say something but stopped. The glimmer of tears shone in her eyes as she smiled. “I’ll see you later,” was all she said. Frey pulled away from the curb, and seeing Lorenzo in place, he headed to the gym.

  Uri was at Dante’s, leading the sword training. Mason and Kai had opened the gym, and Frey was hoping to get in a little sparring before the building got too crowded. His shifter was itching to fly, but he would have to settle for a little physical contact instead. Kai was at the front desk when he entered. “Good morning, Kai. Settling in okay?”

  “I am, thanks. I wanted to talk to you about getting in on the patrol rotation. The Unholy population has declined rapidly on the west coast, and I miss hunting for the buggers.”

  “You can go out tonight. With all the shit that’s been going on, we’re down a few males. It will be nice to have another body in the sky.”

  “Speaking of which, Uri has been filling me in on some of the situations. This Alistair is bad news, huh?”

  “Yes. He’s been gunning for Jonas since he mated with a human. Now he’s got his sights set on Rafael and anyone in the Clan. That includes you, now. So keep your eyes peeled, and let me know of anything that feels off, no matter how insignificant you think it is.”

  “Will do.”

  “You up for a little barefoot sparring? I want to meditate first, but I need to get in the ring and let loose.”

  “I’m always up for a fight, even if it’s the friendly sort.”

  “Excellent. I’m going to take the back room of the dojo and get my head on straight. I’ll see you in a few.”

  Frey walked to the back of the building where the dojo was. His gym was separated into several sections. The part that held the exercise equipment was the main room most people used. The boxing gym was in the center of the structure. It contained a square ring, punching bags, and speed balls. The dojo was on the right side and was separated from the other sections by a thick wall. This kept sounds from the other parts from penetrating into the martial arts classes. He stopped by the changing room and removed workout clothes from his locke

r. Since Kai was also into martial arts, they would spar in the dojo where shoes weren’t needed.

  The back room was dark, and Frey kept it that way. He sat in the middle of the floor and closed his eyes. It took everything in him to calm his body enough to clear his mind. Images of blonde hair flying through the air flitted into his subconscious. Soft pink lips seeped through. The taste of her juices on his fingers and tongue invaded. His cock swelled, making it difficult to relax. Frey lay down on the floor and stretched out. This is impossible. He was the master of meditation, yet Abbi’s presence in his life was disrupting his abilities. He grabbed his erection, willing it to go away. The instant his hand met the head of his shaft, the vision of Abbi beneath him flashed through his psyche. “Fuck,” he muttered.

  Frey listened to make sure he was still alone in the back of the building. He lowered his black shorts, freeing his cock. Instead of fighting the visions, he allowed them free rein. He stroked slowly at first, but the memory of her tight pussy clamping down on him as she came had his balls aching and his fist stroking faster. He pulled his shirt up as hot spurts of come coated his stomach and chest. He bit his lip to keep from yelling her name. Pain from his fangs added to the pleasure of his release.

  When the pulsing subsided, Frey removed his t-shirt and used it to wipe up the mess. Jacking himself wasn’t anywhere close to the real thing, but hopefully it would calm his beast until he could make love to Abbi again. He headed to the changing room and took a quick shower before going in search of Kai.

  Troy drove around his neighborhood several times to make sure nobody was sitting on his house. Being able to use both Grady’s and Debbie’s cars made it easy to give anyone looking for him the slip. When he didn’t see anyone watching, he parked Debbie’s car down the street in the driveway of a vacant house. All the neighbors had already left for work, so he didn’t have to worry about anyone seeing him as he stayed to the backyards to reach his own house. When he was inside, he went to the kitchen and grabbed a new bottle of whiskey.

  This hiding out bullshit was getting on his nerves, and it was all Abbi’s fault. He loved being a cop. Carrying a gun and badge gave him the credibility and respect he’d not had before joining the force. Now that was ruined. He would have to move where nobody knew him to get another job. Being married to the prettiest girl in town should have been a boon, but she’d turned out to be a prudish, selfish bitch. But she was still his. Would always be his. At least he had any other woman he wanted whenever he wanted. Crazy, cheating bitches were good in the sack. He hated every fucking one of them.

  The craziest of all was Debbie. Fucking cunt, trying to bribe him, him, for child support. Fucking brat wasn’t his, it didn’t matter if she did look just like him. No way was he paying for a kid that could belong to any man in New Atlanta. She could be George’s spawn for all he knew. No, Troy wouldn’t claim any kid that didn’t come out of Abbi’s body.

  Fucking Abigail. He needed to find her, bring her back home. He would convince her that he would change. Promise not to hit on her or her fucktard brother. He just needed the chance to get her home, fuck her nice and easy a couple of times. Buy her a bracelet or some shit. Women liked that kind of stuff. Then when he had her, he’d never let her out of his sight again. She was fucking his.

  His pacing and drinking was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. He glanced through the window to see Grady standing there, holding something in his hand. He took in the empty street, and wondered what the fuck his fellow cop was doing there. Troy opened the door to the man.

  “Hey. I uh…”

  Troy searched the area again before jerking Grady into the house. “What are you doing here?”

  “Look, man. I don’t know what this is, but the Chief told me to bring it over here.”

  Troy took the offered letter. Grady didn’t hang around while he opened it. He shut the door and relocked it, taking another swig of whiskey.

  The return address was from the Law Office of Victoria Holt. He didn’t know any Holt. Maybe Abigail’s parents had some money he didn’t know about, but then it would have been addressed to Abbi, not him. He ripped the envelope open and read the letter. Divorce. He didn’t get any farther than that one word. Fucking bitch thought she could divorce him? He took a long pull of the amber liquid, not caring it was spilling down his face.

  “Fucking cunt! Who the goddamn does she think she is? Fucking bitch! I’ll kill you!” Troy yelled to the empty house. He threw the letter into the kitchen sink and found a lighter in a drawer. He set the document on fire. He drank long swallows of whiskey while he watched the papers burn down to ash. When his bottle was empty, he threw it across the room, shards of glass flying in all directions.

  “Fucking, no good, can’t give me a goddamn baby cunt. You don’t want me? Fuck you. If I can’t have you, nobody can!”

  Everywhere Trevor looked, he saw a large man with dark hair and dark eyes. He had no idea of their true color, but could imagine they were black. He’d left Travis a note explaining he needed to get home. He somehow felt if he traveled at night, he’d more easily be able to tell if someone was following him. He was wrong. Every pair of headlights behind him had his body tensing up. He was ready to get out of his car and somewhere safe. Where that was, he didn’t have a fucking clue.

  His first instinct had been to call Jasper, but he was the reason Trevor was in this mess. He knew only one person to call that he absolutely trusted: Dante. His boss had given him space, mostly, but if anyone could offer Trevor sanctuary, it would be the big guy. He called Dante’s cell phone and it went to voicemail. “Dante, it’s Trevor. I think I’m in trouble, but I’m not sure. Please call me back.” All he could do was wait. He was about an hour outside of New Atlanta. Surely his boss would get the message before he arrived into town. The night had shifted into morning, and the sun was in his rearview mirror making it impossible to see if someone was trailing behind him.

  Trevor had just reached the New Atlanta city limit sign when his phone rang. “Hello, Dante?” he asked without looking at the caller I.D.

  “Yes, it’s me. Where are you?” Dante asked, but there were other voices in the background. He definitely wasn’t at the morgue.

  “I’m on 75 just hitting the exit for the hospital. Are you there? Dante, I think I’m being followed.”

  “No, I’m at home. Listen to me; don’t go to the morgue. I want you to come straight here.”

  “I don’t know where you live. I need an address.”

  “You do know where I live. I live on the same road as Gregor. Do you remember how to get to his place?”

  “Yes,” Trevor was shaking now. It was still a half hour drive to get to the warden’s property.

  “Go past his driveway for half a mile. I’m the only property on the left side of the road. I’ll be watching for you and the gate will be open.”

  “Dante I’m…” he wanted to say scared, but his boss probably already knew that.

  “I know, Trevor. Just be careful, and if you see anyone tailing you, don’t stop. Call me back and I’ll come get you.”

  “Okay. I’m sorry.” He didn’t know why he was apologizing.

  “It’s what friends do, Trevor. Just get here safely.”

  Trevor disconnected the phone so he could concentrate on where he was going. He drove well over the speed limit, not caring if he got stopped. Hopefully the police would deter anyone that was following him. He continued on with no sign of any cars close by until he turned on the road leading to Dante’s. A black SUV was pretty far behind him, but it didn’t make him feel any better. The road was secluded with very few houses. If the SUV didn’t turn soon, Trevor would know he was being followed. He passed Gregor’s driveway, using the odometer to gauge half a mile. The SUV was gaining on him, but he’d slowed down so he wouldn’t miss his turn.

  Trevor found the driveway, and true to Dante’s word, the gate was open. As soon as he cleared the metal barrier, it automatically closed behind him. The SUV had stopped and was sitting in the road at the entrance to the driveway. Trevor couldn’t see if it was the same guy from the park. He traveled on down the driveway to Dante’s house where his boss was waiting for him outside.

  “Trevor…” Dante looked like he wanted to hug him but refrained.

  “Were you followed?” Jasper asked as he ran out of the house. He did hug Trevor. Hauled him into a tight embrace. When he finally let him go, Jasper gently grasped his face, looking him over.

  “I think so. There was a black SUV that got behind me once I was on this road.” Trevor focused on Dante as he talked. He couldn’t look at Jasper. Not yet.

  “Jasper, why don’t you check it out?” Dante suggested. Jasper started to object, but he backed away from Trevor and took off running down the driveway.

  “Come on, let’s go inside. There’s much we need to talk about.” Dante led Trevor inside his home where several badasses were gathered. The room was filled with way too much testosterone. Along with the big men were a little boy and the teenager he’d seen at the gym. The teen was staring at him like he had somehow pissed him off. The little boy, however, was smiling. Dante introduced everyone, and when he got to the child, he said, “Trevor, I’d like to introduce you to my son, Connor.”

  “Your son? I didn’t know you had a woman.”

  “I do. Her name is Isabelle. She’s at work right now, but you’ll meet her later.”

  Trevor was afraid to ask what else. But what else was there Dante had failed to tell him?

  Before he could ask, the front door opened and a pale looking Jasper walked through. He stared at Trevor before looking to Dante.

  Dante asked, “Did you see who it was?”

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