Capturing Their Flame [Stone Passions 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Rebecca Airies

  She hadn’t accepted that she belonged with them. He didn’t understand why she’d acted as she did and wanted the reason. “You don’t involve human authorities in our business.” She turned her head to stare at him. “My Agali would kick my butt all across the city if I’d done that. I wouldn’t blame her either. I might not have paid much attention on certain parts of my lessons, because I didn’t think they applied to me, but I did get that Branal business is kept to the Branal. I assumed you wouldn’t want them involved in Gargoyle business any more than my leader wants them involved in my life.”

  “Yeah, there would have been an uproar, but since you seemed ready to run, I didn’t think you’d resist any chance to flee.” Isaac grinned. That solved that mystery. She had done as she was supposed to do.

  “Are we heading to your house now?” She returned to staring at the road ahead of them.

  “No, I need you to grab my phone and press three. Put it on speakerphone. I don’t know where my Bluetooth is at.” Isaac said.

  He could have used the voice operated function if he hadn’t turned it off the last time he’d gotten in an argument with Neil. It started turning on and off during that fight.

  He’d looked it up. Some kind of error in the program caused it. That would be solved if he re-downloaded the software. He hadn’t gotten around to it yet. He didn’t use the function often.

  She did as he asked and put it on speakerphone. He’d assigned the number three for one of the betas. He lived in the same community that Isaac did. The phone rang and rang. Just when Isaac thought it would go to voice mail, someone answered.

  “What do you need, Isaac?” Dante asked.

  He saw Naomi stiffen. She must recognize Dante’s voice despite the fact that it had been distorted by Gargoyle form the last time she’d heard it.

  “We had an encounter with a corrupt Gobel in the parking lot of the store as we left it,” Isaac reported.

  “Do we have an incident of some kind?” Dante’s voice sharpened.

  “Not from our end. I used fists, no claws out at all. Too much chance that someone would see us.” Isaac was glad that he’d managed that. “The Gobel was obviously corrupted, no attempt at disguise at all. I tried to play it off as someone in a mask. The humans seem to buy that.”

  “Any cell phone video?” Dante asked.

  “Not that I know of. The two humans who I saw both had phones, but one held his at his side. The woman called the police with hers.” Isaac frowned. There could have been someone who had one he didn’t see. That was why he reported it now before he got back to the community.

  “Naomi was with you?” Dante asked. “Is she all right? Is she still with you?”

  “Yes, she’s all right and yes, she’s with me. She knows enough to keep the police out of our business.” Isaac grinned. That did make it easier.

  “Good. Are you all right, and where are you now?” Dante fired the two questions at him.

  “We’re on the way to the community. We’ll be there soon,” Isaac replied. He knew that Dante would want to know more information.

  “Come to my home once you get here.” Dante hung up after he spoke.

  “Well, I don’t know if Neil’s home. Perhaps he can get us something to eat. If he’s there, it will be waiting for us when we finish.” Isaac frowned. “Push one on the speed dial.”

  The phone rang until it went to voice mail. Isaac left a message.

  “What about a text message. Would he answer a text rather than a phone call? Or perhaps he’s already talking to someone.” Her fingers hovered over the phone’s screen.

  “No, he has his phone on silent when he’s working. He would have answered me if he wasn’t working.” Isaac shook his head. Neil would much rather talk than text. He thought it ridiculous to sit there sending fifty messages back and forth to another person when they could communicate much more personally by voice, or even better in person.

  “Oh, we’ll have to get something when we finish talking with this Dante.” She exhaled.

  “It shouldn’t take long. He wants a basic report. There’s a restaurant in the community. It’s owned by a Gargoyle, which is the reason he’s allowed to have his business here.” He smiled. The community also boasted a small café near the pool/recreation area. The food at the restaurant would take longer, but his hunger wouldn’t be satisfied by sandwiches.

  “Anything sounds good at the moment. Takeout pizza or a fast food burger would do.” She grimaced.

  “I think we can do better than fast food.” He smiled and reached over to pat her thigh. It was all he could do at the moment. He didn’t want to have an accident. He wouldn’t risk her safety.

  She nodded. He focused on driving. Once they entered the gated community he relaxed a little. Although there was always the chance of attack, the sheer number of Gargoyles here made it safer. He drove them to the betas’ house.

  The betas lived on a larger lot. The clan had three betas. Although Dante earned his title first, and the other two received it from him when they decided to form a bond together, the other two betas Cael and Thane had earned the honor.

  When he stopped the car, she opened the door and stepped out. He came around the car to join her. He’d rather her wait for him to get out. He wanted to check the area, but he’d go through that with her later. They needed to get through this and stop by the restaurant. He also didn’t want to start an argument right before they walked into the betas’ home.

  He guided her up the walk to the door. He rang the doorbell. They didn’t have to wait long. The sound of footsteps reached Isaac. He didn’t know if she could hear them. The Branal might not have enhanced hearing.

  Dante opened the door and stepped back to allow them entry. He urged Naomi in first and then followed her. While Dante closed the door, they waited in the entryway. Dante’s black hair looked a little mussed.

  “Come on. Cael, Thane, and I just sat down to enjoy some baseball when you called. You can tell us what happened. The last I heard, you’d planned to go shopping for her with Neil. He’s obviously not with you. Was he there?” Dante led them into his living room.

  Dante introduced Naomi to Cael and Thane. Dante and the others looked as if they’d settled down for a relaxing night. They all wore t-shirts and jeans. Cael’s long blond hair curled near the base of his neck. Thane leaned against one arm of the couch and his white blond hair spiked on top of his head.

  “No, he said he had to work late. I took her to the store alone. It seemed safe enough. We hadn’t had any problems in months with corrupt Gobel. I couldn’t kill it. Not with humans close.” He looked at his beta. He would have removed the threat if at all possible. He sat in a chair and pulled Naomi into his lap, unwilling to let her out of his reach.

  “I realized that. We’ll have to keep on the lookout for it, and any others with it. They don’t usually travel alone.” Dante nodded.

  “You didn’t partially shift, did you? No fire?” Thane stared at Isaac hard.

  “No, I kept it to fists. Would have gone to feet and fists if necessary. Too much light in that damn parking lot, and humans were way too close for anything like that. Although I wanted to use my claws, I resisted the urge,” Isaac admitted.

  “Good. Do you have any idea why it was there? Do think it meant to attack the store?” Dante stared off, probably trying to think of some reason that would suit the Gobel’s habits.

  “No, it wasn’t near the store. When I saw it, it was creeping between two cars. Its red hair and the skin stood out. It didn’t bother with a glamor. Made no attempt to fool the populace that it was normal.” Isaac frowned. It didn’t make any sense to him.

  “Was it after you? Have you encountered any Gobel, corrupt or otherwise?” Thane’s attention locked on Naomi.

  “Not that I know of. I thought the Gobel stayed near the gates they protected. They don’t have the overbirth of males like yours do, or the need for a certain mate.” She shook her head. “If I’d encountered something lik
e that thing in the parking lot, I’d remember it.”

  “Most of the time they don’t appear like that. They’ll walk around among us with a glamor. Scent and the feel of magic is the one way to know if you’ve encountered one of them.” Cael leaned forward.

  “The only magic I’ve sensed, other than yours and other Branal, was from a woman in a bakery. She wasn’t doing her job. I’d guess that she’s the product of either a Branal or a Gargoyle who happened upon her mother and left her pregnant.” She shrugged. “I don’t have the enhanced sense of smell that you do.”

  Unlike Branal, human women could become pregnant with a Gargoyle or Branal baby without changing.

  “She worked there?” Cael asked.

  Naomi nodded. “Was well known there, customers called her by her name. I’d stopped by for a brownie on my way back from shopping. I can’t say how long she worked there.”

  “Not a corrupt if she worked there long enough for people to know her. I’ll want the name and location of that bakery.” Dante’s eyes narrowed on her.

  “Why would they be after me? And how would they know where I am, because the last place anyone saw me was at that theater. We left at intermission.” She glanced at Isaac and then back to the three betas.

  “Yes, they wouldn’t know where you were if they’d targeted you before you encountered Isaac and Neil. It could be a random attack. It might not have realized Isaac posed a threat until too late.” Dante nodded.

  Isaac knew what he left unsaid. It could be an attack targeting them. If the Gobel targeted them, more violence would follow. They’d have to prepare for that possibility even if it never happened.

  “You did a good job, Isaac. Kept her safe and kept anything strange about us off the net.” Dante nodded. “We’ll have the techs watching the usual channels for any videos of the Gobel.

  “I’ll let you get her home now.” Dante stood.

  “Thank you. We’ll stop by the restaurant and pick up something for all of us to eat, but we’ll be home soon.” Isaac stood, keeping Naomi in front of him. He wrapped his arm around her and they both followed Dante to the door. They walked down the sidewalk. Isaac put her in the car and walked around to get inside.

  “I hadn’t heard of any Gobel in the area for nearly a year. Was there one in the area months ago?” She glanced over at him as he started the car.

  “Yes, there was a pack of them four months ago. They robbed stores, wanting the money. We never knew if they wanted money or if they needed it for something else,” Isaac admitted.

  He’d finished the fight. He didn’t want her living in fear, but she had to know that there was danger. She’d ignored it for a long time in favor of living in her little fantasy world. Naomi fought and tried to ignore her destiny.

  He drove them to the restaurant. He and Neil sometimes ate here, usually taking the time to sit and enjoy the atmosphere. After the night he had, he yearned to get home and relax. He urged her into the restaurant.

  Mill stood at the light cream host station. The red-headed man smiled and stepped forward. “Hello, Isaac, it’s good to see you. I get to meet the young Branal I’ve heard so much about? Is Neil parking the car?”

  He liked the simple color scheme here. The walls were all a cream color. Orange-red curtains hung on the floor to ceiling windows. The orange carried over in some of the artwork, highlighted by black frames.

  “Hi Mill, this is Naomi Hardin. The woman meant for Neil and I. Naomi, this is Mill. Well, Maximillian, but he likes Mill.” Isaac shook Mill’s hand. “Neil is at work. We’ll pick up something for all of us and take it home.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Naomi.” Mill took Naomi’s hand and shook it. “Everyone calls me Mill. Max and Maximillian are my father and Grandfather. It’s what comes from being a third. Someone has to have a different name.

  She smiled at him. “I think Mill is a great name.”

  “Come on over to the bar. I’ll get you some menus and you can decide what you need. I’ll be back over here to talk once I do my job.” Mill smiled.

  They followed Mill to the bar. The cream tone dominated here, too, but the rich tone of the wooden barstools, as well as the splashes of orange-red made it comfortable and welcoming. Naomi climbed onto a seat and grabbed one of the menus. Isaac took the seat next to her. After the fight, he needed her near him. Her close proximity reassured him that she was still safe.

  “Everything is great here. Well, what I’ve had. I haven’t tried everything to be honest. I found that I loved their steaks and usually stay with it.” Isaac turned toward her. He knew what he and Neil wanted.

  “A steak does sound good.” She glanced over at him and smiled.

  Chapter Eleven

  Neil glanced over at Naomi. She had been given a desk near him. She had the computer Isaac had set up for her. Isaac had loaded a couple more things onto it this morning. He didn’t know what the new programs included, but hoped that it would keep her busy. He didn’t have a private office to take her to and adjust her attitude. Perhaps she’d learned not to throw a tantrum.

  Not that he minded fucking her. That would be great, but he had work to get through. She also needed to settle down and adjust to life with them. Once she did that, they could get her studies back on course. They couldn’t enroll her in any type of college until that happened. He knew she’d use the opportunity to try to return to her old life.

  Given the situation, he gave thanks that both he and Isaac worked for Gargoyle owned companies. They wouldn’t be able to take her work with them if the situation was different.

  He also appreciated that he didn’t have to watch over her by himself. Gargoyles mated in triads and quartets for the most part. It offered more protection to the female in the marriage.

  The people in quartets usually held more power. The Cim and the Beta positions specifically always had quartet matings. They faced more trouble than others, more problems, and more danger. The extra strength of a third male helped them hold their position and provide stability to the clan.

  He’d never thought about it until she came into their lives. That extra help was invaluable, especially since she didn’t accept their claim. They would continue coaxing, explaining, and showing her their conviction until they’d formed a stable, happy triad.

  “What’s this new stuff?” Naomi glanced over at him with her eyes narrowed.

  “I’d guess it’s something that he thought might help you pick up your studies when it’s possible,” Neil said.

  “Whenever it’s possible, is that guy code for after I’m pregnant?” She raised a brow.

  She had a hell of an attitude. He could see what instigated the spanking and the sex with Isaac.

  “Nope, it’s guy code for whenever you stop thinking this is something you can walk away from. We know you’d try to leave if we sent you off to class today. We can’t be chasing you all over town and constantly dragging you back. One of the times you leave us, you might be hurt. Now concentrate on your books, and anything else he put on there. We’ll talk more at lunch.” Neil turned back to his computer. He didn’t know if she’d press him. Part of him hoped that she did.

  She turned her attention back to her computer and didn’t say another word. He worked steadily until lunchtime. He had to touch her shoulder to tear her attention away from the worksheet on the screen in front of her.

  “Let’s go get some lunch. We can talk a little before we return and I get back to work.” Neil gestured toward the elevators. As one of the newer employees, he shared office space with others. He wanted to talk to her. The semi privacy of a restaurant offered the best option other than taking her home.

  She nodded and they took the elevator down to the lobby and out of the building. Neil knew where he wanted to take her. He loved a little Italian place located not far away from the office. They had cozy little booths where he could sit close to her and they could have privacy. Not that he’d be using it for anything other than talking. As this was a human owned r
estaurant, they would not tolerate any sexing there.

  Once they entered in the restaurant, they followed the hostess to the booth. He turned to her as the waitress left with their drink order. Naomi looked around the restaurant.

  “This is a nice place. I had no idea it was here.” She stared at him.

  “You have to work in this area or spend a lot of time here to find it. Regardless of that, it does a brisk business most days.” He leaned back against the cushioned seat.

  “The food smells wonderful.” She licked her lips.

  “It’s delicious. How about we get to know each other while we’re here? We haven’t talked much.” He let his eyes roam over her face.

  “No, we’ve been involved with sex.” She nodded.

  He liked the bluntness and smiled. “Why did you choose nursing, medicine?”

  “It seemed like a good place to start. I’ll have time to try other things if I discover I don’t like it. I always found the body and healing it intriguing.” She shrugged.

  He wondered if that was one of the first things she’d chosen. From what she’d said, she’d followed the rules her parents had set down and hadn’t deviated much. He knew she didn’t see it that way though. It would take time for her to start thinking about a different way of life.

  “From what you said, I think you’ll enjoy it.” He nodded.

  “If I can ever get back into it. Why advertising?” She tilted her head.

  “Marketing, but I also have a business degree. I wanted to have a place to start with an opportunity to advance.” He took the menu the waitress handed him.

  “The company you work for, it’s connected to your Cim, right?” She glanced at him.

  That wasn’t a big secret. “Yes, Cim Abram owns it.”

  “That would make it easier for you than a normal job.” She bit at her lower lip.

  He knew what she meant and kept unsaid because of their location. He wouldn’t have to change jobs as some other people. If a Gargoyle or a Branal worked around humans, every ten or fifteen years, they’d have to change jobs, because they didn’t age like the humans did. It made it hard to form relationships. Few humans knew of the creatures who lived alongside of them.