by Faith Gibson
She smiled when she thought of the big man and how in the short time she’d known him, he’d shown her enough love to last a lifetime. She held on to the memory of his beautiful face, his gorgeous smile, his Amazon body. A punch to the stomach stole her breath. “What the fuck are you smiling about? That big motherfucker you think is gonna come save you? A cold piece of fish pussy like you can’t keep a man satisfied. Even if you already fucked him, I know from experience it wasn’t any good. Stupid fucking cunt. I was going to take you back. Forgive you. Then you go and file for divorce. Haven’t you figured out by now I’ll do anything to keep you?
“Your daddy wouldn’t let me see you, so I took care of that, didn’t I? Me and Judy figured that shit out together. You were so fucking smug, looking at that goddamn pretty boy football player. Wouldn’t give me the time of day. I didn’t need your virgin pussy. I had a real woman warming my bed every night.” He stopped pacing and got in her face. “I took your parents, I took your money, and now, I’m gonna take you.”
Please, whoever is up there, please let him kill me now.
Troy punched her really hard, knocking her out. When she came to, she was naked from the waist down. He had his cock in his hand. It was hard, and he was stroking it even harder. Abbi tried to squeeze her legs together to keep him from entering her, but he’d tied her ankles to the chair.
“Troy, no. Please no. I’ll do whatever you ask, just please don’t do this. If you ever loved me, please don’t rape me!” Abbi’s sobs were uncontrollable. She thrashed her head back and forth, jerking her body trying to rock the chair.
“Rape? Baby, it’s not rape when you ask for it. I know you want it.” Troy grabbed her face in his hand, holding it still while he lowered himself to her legs. Somehow he got his dick into her body. She wasn’t wet but he’d never bothered with that anyway. He shoved his cock into her dry core and started pounding. She moved her head and bit his hand. He stopped raping her long enough to grab her throat. “I’ll kill you, you fucking bitch. But not before I get what’s mine.” Troy squeezed her neck as he fucked her. It didn’t take long before his body jerked, and he orgasmed into her. “You’re mine, and I take what I want,” he hissed into her ear, never releasing the pressure on her neck. She was ready to die. Abbi brought up an image of Frey and Matthew together as she floated into oblivion.
Sixx got a location on Abbi’s cell phone, but it wasn’t static. It had moved, stayed static for about half an hour, and was on the move again. By that time, several of the Clan had arrived including Isabelle and Kaya. When they heard a child was involved, both women came offering their support. Frey was thankful, because the little girl wanted nothing to do with the mother who had been holding her. When Frey introduced her to the two women in his Clan, the little girl finally stopped crying and allowed them to take care of her. That was one less worry on his plate.
Lorenzo landed the helicopter in the parking lot and Frey jumped in, sliding a pair of headphones on. “Sixx has a lock on her phone. She’s headed north on Guntersville Road.” Matthew was sitting in the seat next to him, his hands clenched, knuckles white. Frey reached over and enclosed his big hand over Matthew’s smaller ones. He didn’t make any promises. Too much time had passed. He had let Abbi down, again. Even if he got her out of this alive, she’d never forgive him.
They patched Sixx through to the onboard communication system so he could give them immediate change in directions. “Her signal has stopped. She is on the bridge at the Brockton train yard.”
In less than five minutes, the helicopter was hovering over the bridge. “Fuck, there they are!” Jasper pointed to the railing of the bridge. Troy had Abbi over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“What the fuck did the bastard do to her?” Matthew screamed. “Frey you have to stop him; you can’t let him do this, Frey! He’s going to throw her over!”
Frey’s heart stopped when Troy laid Abbi’s lifeless body on the edge of the bridge, and with one flip, sent her falling to the tracks below.
Frey jerked the cans off his head and dove out of the helo. He phased in mid-air, begging his body to fly faster and harder than it ever had before. Frey reached her body with no time to spare. In one motion, he grabbed her, wrapped her in his wings, and flipped his body over just as the last grain of sand hit the bottom of the hourglass. His body smacked the ground, knocking the wind out of him. Frey hit the side of a rail and flipped, never loosening his hold on his mate. His body was battered, but he would heal. He reached out with his senses, searching for a heartbeat. There was none.
Frey let out a roar. His precious mate was gone before he’d had a chance to claim her. If she was going to die, she was going to do it as a fully bonded mate. He knew there would never be another female for him. With tears flowing down his face, Geoffrey sank his fangs into Abbi’s neck, sealing the bond forever.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Jasper was out of the helo before Lorenzo landed. Troy fucking Quinn was not getting away. Jasper had no idea if Abbi was dead or alive or how badly damaged Frey was. Lorenzo would check on them. This motherfucker was going to jail. Death was too good for the bastard. He would sit in a box in the lowest level of the Pen. Alone. Gregor and Deacon would make sure he never saw daylight again. Troy had momentarily been stunned at seeing Frey flying through the air. When the helicopter landed, he saw Jasper headed toward him, so he took off for the car. Jasper used his shifter speed and caught up with him before he could get away.
Troy started yelling, “What the hell are you? Stay away from me you faggot freak! Get your hands off me.”
Jasper held back on the first punch to his face, but being a Gargoyle, a pulled punch still packed a lot of power. “I’m going to do to you what you did to Abbi.” He punched him in the stomach. Troy doubled over, gasping for breath. Jasper brought a knee up, snapping Troy’s head back so hard, he landed on his ass. Jasper picked him up off the ground, holding him by his collar and the waistband of his pants, so his feet weren’t touching the ground. His eyes grew wide as Jasper released his fangs. “You are a worthless piece of shit. You killed Abbi’s parents, you abused Matthew, you raped Abbi, and now you’ve murdered her, too. You don’t deserve to live, but death is too easy for a worthless maggot like you.” Jasper threw him to the ground, his head cracking on the concrete.
“He killed our parents?” Matthew asked from behind Jasper. Matthew glanced at Jasper’s fangs. Ignoring them, he turned his attention to Troy who was writhing on the ground in agony. He ran at his brother-in-law and kicked him in the face. Jasper knew he was damaging his ribs in the process, but the boy deserved to dole out whatever punishment to the man he chose. “I hate you! I hate you! You stupid, evil fuck, I hate you! All I ever wanted was a father. You couldn’t be that. You were so fucking jealous of Abbi’s love for me that you hated me. I hate you back, you fucking fuck!” Matthew kicked Troy until his body gave out. Jasper gently hauled him away, holding him in his arms while the boy cried.
Red and blue lights flashed in the distance. Sirens interrupted the sound of sobs coming from the teen in his arms. Jasper had no idea who all had arrived and were now watching the interlude between him and his friend. He didn’t care. He would hold onto the boy as long as he needed.
“Gun!” When Jasper heard the warning, he turned his body so he was between Troy and Matthew. With no thought to who could possibly see, he phased, wrapping the teen completely in the safety of his wings. The bullets smacked his back, and the shell casings pinged against the pavement. Troy was unloading his magazine into Jasper’s body. The sound of another gun rent the air, this one coming from the opposite direction. Jasper’s head snapped up at the sound. When he saw who had fired the shot, his heart stopped. Trevor was holding a service pistol like it was a part of him. Only one shot was fired. That’s all it took. Trevor had put a bullet right between Troy’s eyes.
Trevor handed the gun to Dane and headed straight for Jasper. When he’d closed the distance, Trevor reached out to t
ouch his wings, but Jasper phased back so he could check on Matt. A flash of confusion and hurt passed quickly across Trevor’s face. Still, he knelt down and wrapped his arms around them both. Jasper searched his eyes, “Trev…”
“We’ll talk later. Right now Matt needs us.” Trevor leaned his head against the teen’s and closed his eyes. Jasper had no idea what to think until he saw Dante. He gave Jasper a small nod before phasing and diving over the railing.
“Frey,” he whispered.
Abbi never really thought about death before. She’d heard there would be a white light with your loved ones waiting for you if you were good. She’d heard the horrific tales about your soul burning in an eternal flame if you were bad. She must have been neither. There was no light, only pain. Not the pain of being burned, but the pain of being hit multiple times. The pain of your stomach being ripped out through your navel. The pain of heartache at never seeing those you loved again.
Matty. My sweet Matty. You are why I’m not seeing the white light. I am so, so sorry, my sunshine. My bean. What I wouldn’t give to see you bouncing around just one more time. Eating the last piece of bacon. Singing that heavy metal music at the top of your lungs when you think nobody is listening. Wearing my toe shoes and trying to do ballet.
Frey, you beautiful man. You tried to save me. I know it was my mind playing tricks on me. There’s no way you could fly. Men don’t have wings. And those fangs. I saw those before, you know. A couple of times. You thought you were hiding them, but I saw them. Then I felt them. You bit me! Why did you do that? Not that it hurt. Well, maybe a little, but when your body’s already hurting so badly, what’s a little nibble between lovers?
I love you, Sweetheart.
Yes, you did love me. I know it. I felt it in the way you held me, the way you looked at me, the way you made love to me. I loved you, too. I can say it now that I’m dead. Even if it was only after a week, I love you Geoffrey Hartley…
I love you.
Frey didn’t leave Abbi’s side until he heard the sad wailing of a little girl- Amelia. Her mother was dead. The man who brought her into this world was dead, too. Kaya had somehow kept social services out of it. For now. Debbie Cranston had no immediate family, and now they were searching for some not so immediate relatives. Frey kissed Abbi’s forehead, “I love you, Sweetheart.” He stood and walked into the hall where Isabelle was having no luck in quieting the child. “Here, give her to me,” he told Isabelle. As soon as Amelia was in Frey’s arms, she tucked her head into his neck, and the sobs lessened to quiet tears.
“Come on, Little One, let’s go sit with Abbi.” Frey refused to call her Miss Quinn. As soon as possible, he was going to convince Abbi to change her name. Whether she went back to Swanson or moved forward to Hartley was her decision, but one he would allow her to make on her own. Frey sat back down in the hard hospital chair where he’d been keeping vigil for the last forty-eight hours. Jonas was monitoring Abbi closely. She had suffered fractures to the left side of her face and internal bleeding from a miscarriage. According to the tests, Abbi had been two months pregnant.
When Frey explained to the doctor that Abbi hadn’t been breathing, Jonas suspected the bite to her neck was the only thing that saved her. “I don’t understand,” Frey said. “I thought the bite only served to seal the bond.”
Jonas rubbed his chin, “I have been testing a theory. Our Jasper is not the first Gargoyle to prefer men. While most of the older males have kept their sexual proclivities under wraps, a few have not. There are two cases I know of where males have found their mates in other males. Human males. They cannot procreate, yet their lives have been extended somehow. I do believe the saliva being released into the bloodstream is the cause.”
“Since I bit her and she lived, Abbi is now truly my mate?”
“Yes. You will want to have the discussion with her, because it should ultimately be her choice. But I would have done the same thing had I been in your shoes.”
Abbi’s injuries weren’t life-threatening. Jonas explained that her coma was a self-induced defense mechanism. When her mind was ready, she would wake up. Frey would be there when that happened. His chair was next to the bed so he could hold Abbi’s hand. He needed to be touching her constantly. His beast was howling to be near its mate. Frey stayed in the chair during the day, but at night, he slid into the bed with her, holding her, watching over her. When the door was closed and the lights were off, he reached out with his mind, talking to her, telling her he loved her and needed her.
The little girl in his arms was quiet, her body going slack. Her soft, sleeping breaths were puffing against his skin. Frey had always wanted children. Even when he was flying a helicopter in the worst parts of the world, seeing humans decimate each other, his mind was never far from the future family he secretly dreamed of. Back then, it had been nothing but a fantasy. Females were nearly extinct, and the chance at finding a mate was dwindling closer to zero. Still, he longed to have a female to share his life with, fill his home with children. The fates, it seemed, had other ideas for him.
When Abbi came out of her coma, he would allow her all the time she needed to fall in love with him. If she never did, he would live with it, but the little girl in his arms was his. He had already called Victoria and put the paperwork in motion. Even if relatives of the mother were found, Frey was going to make it worth their while to allow him to adopt Amelia. Abbi might hate him for keeping Troy’s child. She might not be able to handle being around such a harsh reminder of her husband’s infidelity, but it was something he had to do.
Matthew came into the room, quietly leaning against the wall as he stared at his sister. Frey loved the boy; not because he was Abbi’s brother, but because of what type of person he was. He might still be a teen, but the person inside the young body had the heart of a good man. He had wanted to protect his sister against someone older, tougher, and meaner. He didn’t let his age or size stop him from trying. Frey respected the hell out of the kid. He would love to adopt him too, but since he was older, Frey would simply remain in his life as a father figure and provide for him as if he were his own son.
They had spoken about all the things Matt had seen when they rescued Abbi. He had promised he would show Matt the truth of the Gargoyles, he just thought it would have been in a planned setting. The kid took it all in stride and listened intently when Frey told him about the Clan. From what Dante told Frey, Trevor was having a harder time with the truth. Not because of what they were, but because Jasper hadn’t told him. Jasper was still on administrative leave which was a blessing for Frey. He had saved Matthew’s life, and Frey was indebted to him. While Frey was at the hospital with Abbi, he trusted no one more with Matthew’s well-being than Jasper.
Matthew pushed off the wall and came to stand on the other side of Abbi’s bed. “Any change?” he whispered.
“Not yet. We have to keep talking to her and encouraging her.”
“Can… I know you don’t want to leave her, but can I have a minute alone with her? I have something I need to tell her.” Matthew’s voice cracked as he looked down. Frey could see the tears rolling down his cheeks.
“Of course. I’ll be right outside.” Frey stood with Amelia in his arms and stepped into the hallway.
Frey didn’t use his enhanced hearing to listen in on their private conversation. Whatever Matthew needed to say was between him and his sister. Instead, Frey focused on the little girl in his arms. He could envision her in Abbi’s dance studio, wearing a little pink tutu, twirling in circles while giggling. At least he hoped the child could overcome her trauma and one day laugh again. The way Troy had used Amelia set Frey’s soul on fire. If he could dive into the human’s hell, he would go after Troy Quinn and rip the motherfucker to shreds.
“Frey, get in here!” Matthew yelled. Isabelle ran out of the waiting area and took the sleeping child from his arms.
He hurried into Abbi’s room. The beautiful sight before him came close to knocking him to his knee
s. Abbi was awake and smiling at him.
Chapter Forty
Abbi’s heart hurt. She was the one who failed Matty, yet here he was pouring his heart out to her. He told her everything that happened from the time the helicopter landed up until this moment. At first, she thought she was dead. Her eyes had flickered momentarily, and she’d seen Matthew standing by her bed. She was in the hospital, and she was in a whole lot of pain. Pain that radiated from her heart. Didn’t they give patients morphine or something? Maybe she had been given drugs, because she had heard Frey say he loved her. Now, Matty was going on about how much he missed her and needed her. He told her she’d been a great mom to him, but now there was a little girl who needed a mother. As much as he wanted her to come back for him and for Frey, if she couldn’t do it for them, could she please come back for Amelia.
Troy was dead. He would never bother either one of them again. It was time to start healing for both of them. Time to put the past behind them, and look to the future. With Frey in their lives, the future looked really good. Matthew loved Frey and wanted them all to be a family. Not just for his sake, but for all their sakes. Frey loved Abbi and needed her.
God, she loved her brother. She could do this. She could wake up for him, for Amelia, and for Frey. And yes, she would wake up for herself, too. She willed her eyes to open. The lights weren’t too bright, so after a few blinks, she was awake and focused on the beautiful, bruised face of her sunshine. “Matty.”
“Frey, get in here!” he yelled. Ouch, that hurt. “Oh, god, Abs, oh god…” Matthew leaned his head on the side of her bed and wept. She reached her hand out and ran it through his hair.
Abbi was aware of Frey before she saw him. Her big, strong man. Her savior. She smiled at him, “You bit me,” she whispered. Matthew’s head popped up, and he looked from Abbi to Frey.
