“I don’t know.” Her voice wobbled again. “I’m really sorry. I try to take care of the things you tell me but sometimes I can’t handle the chores plus the daily care of the magical beings we’ve got stashed throughout the house.” She sniffed. “I think I accidentally unworked the wards…”
“It’s okay.” Her anger melted away as her friend’s big lavender eyes filled with tears.
Mona’s lack of grace was often a source of contention and embarrassment. Being the illegitimate great great great—too many greats to count—granddaughter of a Muse was bad enough, but Mona had been disowned from her illustrious heritage simply for her inadequacies. At least that was the story she told. She couldn’t dance without hurting herself or others, she couldn’t sing without shattering glass, and she most certainly had never inspired anyone, human or otherwise, into doing any feat of wonder. Sophia had come upon the girl in a low moment of her life three years ago and they had been best friends ever since.
“I’m sorry.” Handing her a dry dishtowel, she patted Mona’s shoulder then slumped down at the kitchen table. “It’s my fault for bringing them into the house. I should have taken them directly to Sterling when I had the chance. Now I’m stuck with them.” She buried her head in her hands, smearing the mashed potatoes on the tabletop in the process.
“You can’t help feeling sorry for them.” Mona dashed the tears from her eyes and cleaned up the food bits closest to her. “Besides, what would Sterling have done with two imps and a pixie?” She glared as Frieda came out of her hiding place under the sink to perch on a sack of flour on the counter. “He would have consigned the lot of you for deportation to the Arkadva Mines, that’s what.”
“The Portal Master should be respected at all costs and both of you will rue the day you didn’t submit me for his Judgment.”
“Listen Frieda,” Sophia rolled her eyes. “Believe me when I say the Portal Master would have taken one look at you and your list of crimes against various beings, and he would have decided to dispose of you at once. Remember that debacle with the baby and the hiccups? The Judgment Panel is still upset about that stunt.” She bit her lip to keep from laughing. The pixie crossed her legs at the knee and swung a delicate foot in the air. “Sterling only concerns himself with the high profile offenders now.” She shivered. He was a difficult man to please, and she’d seen firsthand how he carried out his ironhanded rulings. He’d reneged on his promise to release her from her birthright for years, leaving her his servant.
“Be that as it may, once I am presented at his court I will have no problem telling him you lock me in the vegetable bin.”
Glancing at the spiky purple hair that framed the pixie’s face, Sophia sighed in defeat. “I wouldn’t have to keep you locked up if you would behave yourself when you’re left alone. We’ve been over this too many times to count.” She picked crusted potatoes from her cheek and stared into the middle distance. “I’m not scheduled to make an appearance before Sterling for another month, but I promise you I’ll plead your case. Would that make you happy?”
“Yes, even though I don’t hold much stock in human promises.” Her eyes sparkled beneath the heavy ring of eyeliner. “I’m off to the linen closet.” With a wiggle of her nose, pots, pans and food items flew about the kitchen in a vortex of sparkly wind. Frieda’s mischievous laughter rang eerily in the air as she disappeared into the nether regions of the apartment. This coupled with Mona’s attempt at domestic helpfulness equaled a messy dwelling.
She glanced at Mona and shrugged. “I try to be nice to her and this is what I get in return.”
Not for the first time, she silently cursed the life she’d been born into. Being a Gatekeeper for one of the Portals of the Mortal Realm wasn’t the picnic everyone thought, especially when she also had the unfortunate stigma of being half gargoyle on top of it. Her thoughts zeroed in on her boss, Sterling. Tears crowded her throat. No matter she despised bringing paranormal beings before the man for his Judgment, his grudging benevolence was what kept her from spending her life as a pile of rock.
Sometimes she felt living as garden statuary would be infinitely better than being consumed by guilt and self-loathing most of her waking hours.
Sophia stood and drifted to the refrigerator for a bottle of water, dodging the utensil tornado in the process. “At times I wish I was another person. If Sterling didn’t hold so much power over me, I could finally be free.”
“Free to do what? Turn into a living statue while you’re at the mall? Face it. Without Sterling, you would have no choice but to give in to your birthright. At least this way, and with Sterling’s tinctures, you stand half a chance of being normal. Just like your dad.”
No way was she willing to discuss her father right now. “I don’t know what normal is.” Her life had essentially crashed around her feet the day she’d come home from second grade complaining of a skin rash that resembled a pebble-covered walkway. Her father had taken her aside and told her it was a “normal” occurrence for those with gargoyle genes and that there wasn’t anything she could do about it. Of course, much later in life she discovered she’d gotten into the ugly end of the gene pool and had to rely on magical medicine to prevent fully becoming a stone statue.
For years she’d wished she were one of the other—
fully human or fully a gargoyle since mixed genes meant a fifty-fifty chance she’d get the crap end of the stick.
True to her luck, she’d never seen the greatness of either species. She’d gotten the drawbacks of both—and no way to fix it.
Sighing, she wanted to give in to the bitterness lurking deep down within. A determined hammering on the front door prevented her from delving into self-pity. “What now?” Sophia quickly scanned the immediate area for any sign of paranormal disturbances. She frowned as the vortex stopped abruptly with a clatter of pots. “Where’s Calvin?”
“I think he’s taking a nap in the upstairs bedroom.”
Satisfied the resident ghost wouldn’t make an unexpected appearance, she strode to the door and yanked it open. The admonishment died on her lips when she came face to face with the man who’d kissed her. “You.” Excitement prickled her skin, and for a brief moment, her world slid sideways.
“I expected a much different welcome but there’s always time to work on your manners.” Honey colored eyes winked with mockery as he removed the gray fedora, freeing a halo of blond curls that fell to his shoulders. “Are you going to invite me in? I’ opposed to airing dirty laundry in public.”
Chapter Two
As the man stood in the doorway, Sophia stared at him. Her stomach pitched with queasiness. Something about him screamed paranormal power though his appearance didn’t give anything away.
And she wanted no part of it.
“Go away.” Backing off a few steps, she shook her head. “For your sake and mine, please turn around and go home.”
“I wonder if there’s more to your statement.” His voice, well-modulated and full of mockery, slid over her skin with the softness of satin. “Can I come in?”
“It’s not a good time.” Her gaze faltered from the heavy brilliance of his. She heaved a sigh and her shoulders drooped. Damn it. She hated it when special cases crossed her path. “We’re having a bit of… difficulty just now.”
“Trust me when I tell you nothing will catch me off guard.” He fingered his blond goatee as he grinned.
“Why should I trust you, because I have to say, an assault on the street doesn’t exactly do it for me.” She heard the quaver in her voice despite her intentions to maintain a strong front.
“Because you don’t have a choice.”
“That’s debatable.”
“Then how about this? You need me as much as I need you.”
“I don’t need you. I don’t even know you—don’t want to know you.” She couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped. “Seems like I never have a choice with anything anymore.”
“I know how you feel.”
&nbs
p; Not knowing how else to get rid of him, Sophia ushered him inside the apartment. No doubt it was the beginning of the end for him. “Mona, we’ve got company.”
“You don’t live alone?”
At his shock, she smiled. “Sorry to disappoint you. Guess it puts a damper on further lip-locking attempts, huh?”
Thankful for Mona’s presence, she led the way down the short hall to their small living room decorated in muted hues of browns and golden tones. He no sooner settled into a comfortable loveseat when her roommate glided into the room, fluffing a mass of black curls.
“Mona, this is…” Sophia’s words drifted to a halt and she transferred her gaze to her uninvited guest. “Actually, you never did give me your name.” An accusatory tone ate up the previous bewilderment. “I guess there wasn’t time between the assault and the kiss.”
An amused expression brightened his face. “My name is Xavier Leighton.” He stood in one smooth motion and shook Mona’s hand. “What a vision of loveliness you are.”
Sophia rolled her eyes. If he thought kissing up to Mona would make him more palatable to her, he was sadly mistaken.
No one got close to a Gatekeeper if they wanted to continue to live.
Mona’s tinkling laughter cut through her thoughts. “I’m Mona, Sophia’s roommate.”
“Charmed.” Xavier released her hand. “Luck must be with me to find two such fascinating women under the same roof.”
“Perhaps you could tell us why you’re here before my roommate dissolves into a puddle of goo on the carpet.” Sophia glared. “I’m already up to my neck in housework as it is.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“I was referred to you by a friend.” He grinned as Mona continued to regard him with awe.
“Why would anyone refer you to me? I work in a gourmet grocery for Pete’s sake.”
“I have a question.” He smacked a palm against his thigh. “Perhaps you can help me with a problem I’ve been struggling with for the past few months. Can you recommend a side dish that will compliment venison? It’s become…rather dull for my palate.”
She frowned. “I have no idea. I’m a vegetarian.”
“Interesting albeit somewhat disappointing.” He assumed a crestfallen air before drawing a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “Food is not something we have in common, but it’s not a deal breaker.”
“For what?” She shook her head. “You know, forget it. I don’t want to know.” Sophia moved a few steps away. “Look, I’m tired and not in the mood for small talk. I only let you in because I felt sorry for you.”
“Poor girl, she’s obviously overworked and stressed out,” Xavier said in an aside to Mona. “Maybe some wine would help.”
“Sophia clearly has issues.”
She gritted her teeth at Mona’s defection to the stranger’s side. “I do not! Besides, I’m the one he attacked.”
“If I recall correctly, you didn’t object to the embrace.” He stroked his goatee, lifting an eyebrow in challenge.
Annoyed, she curled the fingers of one hand into a fist and squashed the urge to smack him. “That’s…you…” She huffed, tongue-tied, as heat rose in her cheeks.
“Play nice, kids.” Mona smiled, but when she caught Sophia’s dark look, she cleared her throat. “Things around here haven’t been right for a few days. In fact, they haven’t been right for a few weeks ever since that evil pixie came to live here.”
“Ah, then it was the pixie who decided on the decorating scheme? Early Garbage Dump?” Xavier shot his gaze around the kitchen, taking in the splotches of crusty food and drying pasta noodles. “I was beginning to wonder if it wasn’t some sort of modern art project.” He ignored the frosty glare Sophia tossed him.
Mona snickered. “When she gets irritated, Frieda has a tendency to throw things.”
“And curse things.” Sophia frowned at the pile of pots and pans. The cleanup alone would take hours.
“I see. I assume Frieda is the pixie?” He rubbed the skin between his eyes.
Secretly, Sophia hoped he had a headache. It would serve him right for barging into their lives.
“We have a terrible time keeping glass-ware.” Mona touched his arm. “She’s got a temper that matches Sophia’s.”
“Like the mess is all Frieda’s fault. You’ve broken more glasses than anyone I’ve ever known.” Sophia narrowed her eyes, cleared her throat and redirected a glare to Xavier. “Cut to the chase, please. This isn’t a coffee shop where you can banter about stupid things for hours.”
“Certainly.” He winked at Mona. “It wasn’t your knowledge of vegetation and culinary dishes that interested me.” Xavier paced around the small room. “It’s because of your association with the Portal Master that I sought you out. You see, I suffer from a curse of the shape-shifting variety.”
“Is that all there is to your statement?” Sophia ran a hand through her hair and dislodged a slurry of peas and carrots. “Please don’t say what I think you’re going to say.”
He reached out and removed a bit of mashed potato from her forehead. “My malady asserts itself in the form of lycanthropy.” He wiped his hands on a white handkerchief he procured from a pocket inside his suit. “I didn’t quite remove it all. Would you like this?” He dangled the handkerchief before her, lifting a brow in question. “Or I would be quite happy to kiss it away.”
“That’s not necessary.” Not wishing to feel his warm lips on any part of her body lest she forget exactly who or what she was, Sophia yanked the handkerchief from his fingers then scrubbed at her burning cheeks. “What part of following orders do you not understand? I told you not to tell me anything about yourself. It’s for your own good.”
He executed an old-fashioned and elegant bow from the waist. “I’m a werewolf but perhaps the more politically correct term would be were-person, if you’re uncomfortable calling me the first term.”
Oh, damn it all to hell and back. Part of her wanted to plug her ears with her fingers and sing a string of “I can’t hear yous” until he stopped talking. The last time she’d resorted to the childish stunt was as a ten-year old. Now, when stressed, she internalized it until an ulcer grew. Why the hell did he have to show up at her home and tell her about his status? Now Sterling would…
So complete was her terror that for a few moments, she slipped into her past, to the day when she first became aware that her life was hopeless.
A memory of herself as a little girl swam into her mind. Hair in mousy pigtails, one higher than the other, she stood at the fence of their backyard, in tears once again because she’d been teased at school. They’d recently moved into a new district due to her father’s job. Being a gawky preteen with glasses and a secret didn’t allow her to blend well with others.
Her father came up behind her and wrapped her in his arms. He was a big, burly man who always smelled like shaving soap and pipe tobacco. That scent didn’t comfort her this time. “What has brought on the new deluge of tears, little one?” he’d asked.
“My skin did that stupid rocky thing again. I was so scared I almost changed right there in front of my English class.” What made it even worse was the fact she’d been talking with one of the most popular boys in her grade. When her weirdness made itself known, he’d looked at her in horror, called her a freak then the rumors started to fly.
“I’m sorry for your trouble, but these are the things you must become used to. The life of a Gatekeeper is not an easy one and does not come with happiness.”
Sophia pulled away and looked into her father’s rugged, handsome face. “What if I don’t want to be a Gatekeeper? What if I don’t want to have to track people down and turn them in to the Portal Master just because they’re different?” She didn’t understand a whole lot of what her father did for his business, but she did know the cost of betraying his friends had had a lasting effect on his once jovial demeanor.
He never laughed anymore. Ever.
“Listen honey.” He lifted her chin wi
th a hand so she’d stare into his stormy blue eyes. “You can’t change what you are. I’m a Gatekeeper and will be for my whole life. Once I’m gone, you’ll continue my work. It’ll be your responsibility to ferret out the more dangerous paranormals and turn them into the Portal Master for rehabilitation and reassignment. This is how it has always been. If you fight your destiny, you’ll be miserable. The key is to accept things as they are and move on.”
She shook her head and looked away, not able to bear the infinite sadness in her father’s gaze. “That’s not fair. Why can’t I choose what I’ll be? Isn’t it enough I’m stuck being a gargoyle?”
“Sometimes, Fate doesn’t let you choose. You’re given a job for a reason, either to learn something or develop into a better person. Why do you fight it?”
“Because I want to be normal!” The tears started again. She wiped them away with her sleeve. “I want to choose my job. I want to be able to talk to a boy without grossing him out because of my skin. I want to make friends and keep them.”
“But Sophia—”
“No Dad, you don’t get it.” Hopping the fence, she angrily swung around to face her parent. “This is your fault. You never stood up to your boss and demanded anything else. You let people push you around and now you want me to do the same. That’s not fair. Why can’t someone else be a Gatekeeper? Why does there need to be a Gatekeeper in the first place?”
Anger shadowed her father’s face. “You were born into this life, just as I was. It’s what you are. The sooner you realize there is nothing else, the better off you’ll be. Trying to be something you’re not will cause more heartache and drive you to the darker side of this world. At all costs, you want to avoid that. It’s a hard road and one you won’t easily get away from it. Above all, guard your soul, Sophia. It’s the only thing of value a Gatekeeper owns.”
“You don’t understand anything! You never listen!” Heartbroken and angry, Sophia ran through the fields that backed their property. She kept going until she couldn’t breathe anymore and then she fell to the ground and wept.
Charmed by the Werewolf Page 2
