Removing the Gargoyle’s Mask

by Charlie Richards

  “Thanks for taking care of Marty for me,” he offered.

  Sapian smiled. “No problem, Raymond. He said he’d be back this evening.”

  Relief filled Raymond, although it didn’t quite dissipate the odd sensation in his gut. He ate quickly, then hustled to his office, wanting to get online so he could see if Marty left him a message saying when he’d be by.

  As soon as he booted up his computers, Raymond pressed the intercom button. “Hey, Cooper. I’m on,” he called, knowing the gargoyle that shared the security day shift would be more than happy to head back to his mate.

  “Sounds good. Holler when you need a lunch break,” Cooper called back, then with a snicker, he added, “Or when your mate shows up. Me and a few other guys will spot you for the next few days while you get to know him.”

  Raymond’s brow ridges shot up at the unexpected offer. “Thanks.”

  “Hey, I know how distracting the mate-pull can be. Talk to ya later.”

  Cooper disconnected and Raymond started going through his emails. He’d deleted a half a dozen emails before he spotted it. Frowning at the headline—You’ll be mine again soon—he hesitated to open the message. Staring at the email address, Raymond felt certain he’d seen it before…or at least, something similar. Scotty87? Why did he feel like he should know it?

  Curious, Raymond clicked the message. The words made his blood run cold.

  Don’t worry. I took care of Martin. Now, you’re mine again.

  Grabbing his phone, Raymond called Marty’s phone. “Come on, pick up,” he hissed. When the line clicked, he heaved a sigh and without waiting for the man to answer cried, “Marty, thank the Gods. I got this message and, fuck, I know it was stupid, but I got so worried.”

  “You should be worried, you asshole,” snarled a male voice he didn’t recognize. “My brother is in the hospital because of something you’re mixed up in! You stay the hell away from him!”

  “What?” Raymond squeaked, but he didn’t get an answer. The line was dead. Raymond dialed Marty’s number again, praying the stranger—who he guessed must have been Matthew judging by the brother reference—would pick up and tell him what the hell was going on.

  It went to voicemail.

  He tried again, but got the same result.

  “Fuck!” Leaping to his feet, he took a step away from his computer before common sense prevailed. He couldn’t just go running into the night and to the hospital. He didn’t even know which one Marty was at. Dropping back in his chair, he picked up the handset again and dialed his chieftain. Waiting for the gargoyle to pick up, he tucked the phone between shoulder and ear and started typing. He’d just managed to figure out which hospital was closest to Marty’s residence when Maelgwn picked up.

  “What’s up, Raymond? Is Marty here? Need a break?”

  “My mate is in the hospital. I need help,” Raymond blurted.

  “What? How’d you find that out?” Maelgwn snapped.

  Distracted by trying to hack into the hospital’s records, Raymond had just opened his mouth to respond when his chieftain cut him off.

  “Forget it. I’ll be right there with a few others.”

  Once again, his line went dead.

  This time, Raymond didn’t care. He didn’t even bother returning the handset to the cradle, just lifted his head and allowed it to drop…wherever. Typing swiftly, he glared at his computer screen, willing it to give him the damn information he needed. “Where the fuck are you, Marty?” he whispered harshly.

  He couldn’t find any trace of his man at the first hospital, or the second. By that time, Maelgwn, Tobias, Sapian, and Einan had poured into his office. He tried not to let it distract him, lifting one clawed finger to indicate his request for silence, then returned his focus to his keyboard and monitors.

  “Gotcha,” Raymond hissed. “He’s at Lindle Memorial on Juniper Street.” It felt like his heart stuttered in his as he read the prognosis. “Oh, Gods, he was shot. He’s in critical condition.”

  “Relax, Raymond. You claimed him. You started the bonding process,” Sapian immediately pointed out. “He can heal from a gunshot wound.”

  Even as Maelgwn stated, “We’ll get him out and bring him here. We can help him.”

  Tobias turned to Einan. “Notify Perseus we’ll be bringing in a critically injured human, then find someone to take over for Raymond.”

  Einan quickly left while Maelgwn rounded the desk and gripped Raymond’s shoulder. “What happened?”

  Raymond shook his head slowly. “I have no idea. I spotted this email,” he said, pointing. “Worried, I called Marty’s phone, but his brother picked up. He,” he paused, his voice hitching as frustration, stress, and anguish flooded him. “He told me—he told me Marty was in the hospital because of me. He told me to stay away from him.”

  Maelgwn squeezed his shoulder again. “Relax. We’ll get him out,” his chieftain assured. “This isn’t your fault. We’ll find who did this.”

  Sighing, Raymond tilted his head, baring his neck, and leaned into his chieftain’s touch. He still felt jittery and his stomach rolled, making him regret the steak and eggs he’d eaten only a bit ago.

  “I know you don’t want to be left behind, but trust in your fellow gargoyles, Raymond,” Maelgwn rumbled. “We’ll get Marty here safely, then we’ll use your blood to stabilize his condition.”

  “But that will start finalizing the bonding process,” Raymond murmured. He knew, at this point, him marking Marty wouldn’t stop the human from walking away from him if that was what he really wanted. Raymond still wanted to give him that chance, but if he did this, shared his blood, that would take the choice away from his mate. Raymond turned his concerned gaze on first his chieftain, then on Sapian. “You spoke with him. What if he doesn’t really want me?”

  Sapian chuckled. “Oh, your young human wants you, Raymond. Don’t you worry about that.” He gave Raymond an encouraging smile. “Finishing the bonding process without confirmation may not be the best choice, but under the circumstances, I think your mate will understand.”

  “Gods, I hope so,” Raymond whispered.

  “Head to the infirmary,” Maelgwn ordered as he strode toward the door. “I’ll have a couple of the guys meet you there.”

  As his chieftain headed out, motioning for Sapian to follow him, Tobias stepped close and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Come on, buddy,” he urged, showing more tenderness than Raymond could ever remember the second expressing before. “Let’s get you to the infirmary.”

  Raymond nodded almost absently as he allowed their clutch’s second to lead him from the room.

  Pacing the small front room of the suite used at the hospital wing, Raymond tried to remain calm. Instead, all he could think about was the fact that three gargoyles Marty didn’t know were probably even then marching into a hospital to kidnap him…again. Would his mate ever forgive him?

  Suddenly, Raymond found himself wrapped in the arms of several people. Glancing around, he noted Missy to his left, Bobby on his right, and—from the scent—Cornelius was behind him. Raymond sank into his friends’ embraces, letting their kind words and stroking hands soothe him.

  * * * *

  The beeping cut through the haze engulfing Marty’s mind, flooding him with pain. Fucking hell, what happened? Suddenly, he felt like he was choking. Marty struggled to breathe, but there was an obstruction in his throat. Beeping to the left of his head went wild as he tried to lift his hands to his face. Only his right arm responded, while fresh pain stabbed through him and attempts to move his left proved futile.

  “Easy now, Martin,” a female voice stated firmly, drawing his attention. He pried open his eyelids to see a pretty…man standing over him. “Just focus on breathing through your nose for me, okay?”

  Marty’s brows shot up, but he focused on the extremely feminine male nurse’s words. He forced himself to inhale through his nose, then exhale the same way. After doing th
at twice, his lungs no longer burned and his panic started to ease.

  “There you go, cutie,” the male nurse crooned. The dirty-blond haired fellow smiled encouragingly, nodding all the while. “Good. That’s it. Now just relax and I’m going to remove the throat tube. Just relax.”

  Caring brown eyes peered down at him with warmth. “You ready?”

  Blinking once, Marty hoped that conveyed his agreement. It wasn’t like he could speak with the damn tube down his throat.

  “Okay.” The man kept talking as he worked. “I’m Nurse Leroy Wilde. You just keep breathing for me tough guy. This is gonna feel a little weird,” he stated as he began tugging…something…from his throat.

  Weird was an understatement.

  Marty tried to keep breathing, really he did, but by the time the last of the tube was pulled out, his gag reflex was working overtime and the urge to puke overrode almost every other sensation.

  Slender hands gripped Marty’s shoulder and a deceptively strong arm slid under him as he was rolled to his right. “Let it out,” Leroy’s soft croon urged as he slid a bed pan near Marty’s mouth.

  So, Marty did. He heaved, emptying stomach acid mixed with a little extra. Closing his eyes, Marty focused on breathing through his nose—again—and swallowed convulsively.

  “Fuck,” he grumbled.

  “Oh, not on the first date, honey,” Leroy purred into his ear. “And until you brush your teeth, no kissing either. Doesn’t matter how sexy you are.”

  Marty snorted at the man’s queen-like teasing. He turned his head just a bit and muttered hoarsely, “Sorry, cutie. I’m taken.”

  Nurse Leroy sighed dramatically as he eased Marty back into a reclining position. “Story of my life. All the big, sexy men are taken.” He winked. “She must be quite a lady.”

  A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he thought of his special someone. “Raymond. His name is Raymond. And, yeah,” he murmured hoarsely. “He’s all that.”

  Leroy affected another dramatic sigh, complete with his hands over his heart. “Be still my heart. Big, sexy, gay, and taken. Sigh.” Leaning close, he used a pen light to inspect Marty’s eyesight, then he checked his other vitals. “If anything happens between you and sweet Raymond, you look me up, huh?” Leroy added with a wink.

  Marty couldn’t help but smile at the insatiable flirt. “I’ll do that,” he mumbled. Fatigue flooded him as he laid back against the pillow. “Damn, what happened to me?”

  “You don’t remember?” the nurse cocked his head. “Your brother is still waiting for news. Poor guy has been alternating between pacing and resting his head in his hands for the past eight hours.”

  “Damn.” Marty felt bad he hadn’t even thought of his brother, his thoughts too consumed with his sexy lover. Wait, eight hours? “Shit, what time is it?”

  Lifting his watch, Leroy showed him the time even as he said, “Almost two in the morning. Visiting hours are long past, so we sent your bro home,” Leroy explained, misunderstanding. “Don’t worry. I’m gonna call the doc in here to check you out, then you should try to get a few more hours sleep. We’ll call him in the morning.” Leroy assured, rubbing his arm encouragingly.

  “Need to call Raymond.” Shit, what did it say about him that he wanted to call his brand new lover before his brother? He’d feel bad, except, he’d been shot. He suddenly remembered that. Was Raymond in danger, too?

  Leroy gave him a concerned look, but he nodded slowly. “If you give me his number, I’ll call him for you.”

  “No need to call him,” stated a deep voice.

  Marty’s eyes widened upon seeing the huge African American enter his room. “Maelgwn?”

  The massive gargoyle in human skin swept his gaze over Marty. “Damn, Raymond’s going out of his mind with worry, Marty. Let’s get you to your mate, hmm?”

  “Who the hell are you people?” Nurse Leroy asked indignantly. The small nurse placed one hand on his hip and pointed the other toward the door. “You three need to get out of here.”

  Einan looked the nurse up and down. “Little spitfire, aren’t you?” he stated with a smirk. He looked at Maelgwn and grinned. “Can we take him with us? Cornelius will love him.”

  The third guy, a slender, wiry redhead who Marty didn’t recognize, snorted. “Einan, he’s a human, not a pet. You can’t just adopt him.”

  At that, Leroy’s jaw sagged open, only to be snapped closed. “That’s it. I’m calling security.” The nurse tried to shove past the wiry…gargoyle? Human?

  Marty had no idea.

  “Hey, whoa, there, cutie,” Einan called, wrapping his arms around the charging nurse before he could get out the door.

  At the same time, the stranger closed the bedroom door. When Leroy tried to cry out—either in rage or indignation, Marty’s head was starting to get real fuzzy and he couldn’t tell—the big redhead grabbed the nurse and clapped a hand over the nurse’s mouth, pulling him close.

  The man grinned at Einan, saying, “Don’t let Cornelius hear you say that. He’s pregnant and will totally kick your ass for complimenting a non-pregnant male.” The guy actually winked, then added, “Trust me. I know. You’ve never dealt with pregnancy hormones until you’ve seen Stacey angry at me.”

  Einan smirked. “And yet, Greg, there you stand.”

  Greg snorted and shrugged. Then, the redhead leaned down and murmured into Leroy’s ear, “You are Marty’s nurse, right? So, you’re gonna help us smuggle him outa here while keeping him out of harm’s way. Aren’t ’cha?”

  Leroy actually had the audacity to glare and growl low in his throat.

  While Einan still seemed to be fighting back laughter, Maelgwn shook his head and rolled his eyes. After a second, Maelgwn lowered his head a few inches and frowned at Leroy. “We can do a better job healing Marty than this hospital can. You will help us.”

  When Leroy still looked mutinous, Marty lifted his right hand just a smidge to get everyone’s attention. He turned pleading eyes on Leroy. “Please,” he gasped. “Please help them. I was shot by someone. I don’t know who. I trust these guys. They’ll keep me safe.” Even as he said the words—and noted the surprised lift of both Maelgwn and Einan’s brows—he forced his body to nod. “P-Please.”

  God, his head hurt so badly. His vision swam, but he could still make out Leroy’s frown, hear him huff in frustration as he snapped, “Fine. Marty can’t be taken off the IV, yet. He needs the fluids.” He bit his lip, looking somewhat hesitant before adding, “If you want to move him, you need an ambulance.”

  Maelgwn eyed Leroy for a few seconds, then jerked a nod at Greg. “Secure an ambulance. Meet us in the alley in twenty minutes.”

  Greg nodded, then slipped from the room.

  That was the last thing Marty remembered before sleep swamped him again.

  Chapter Ten

  Raymond’s sensitive hearing picked up the sound of a heavy vehicle rumbling down the driveway. His heartbeat picked up, and some sixth sense told him his mate neared. Brakes squeaked. Unable to wait a second longer, Raymond leaped to his feet, pulled away from his friend’s comforting embrace, and headed toward the door.

  Tobias gripped his arm, stopping him. “Hold up, Raymond. They’ll be here in a second.”

  Unable to help himself, Raymond hissed at the bigger gargoyle and tried to pull away.

  His hand tightening, Tobias growled low.

  Raymond stilled at the sound, struggling to reign in his desire, his need, to go to his mate. Especially in the face of the second’s displeasure.

  “I know you’re not trying to challenge me,” Tobias rumbled softly. “Just be patient. Maelgwn is bringing your mate.”

  A shiver worked down his spine at the reminder of why his chieftain needed to retrieve his mate from a hospital in the middle of the night. “I’m so worried,” he whispered. “I-I just need to see him. Reassure myself—” He gulped back a sob, unable to keep talking without breaking down. />
  Once more, his friends crowded around him. This time, even Tobias wrapped an arm around him. The usually stand-off-ish gargoyle offered him support. Maelgwn was relaxed and resolute in his belief that where he led, his people would follow. He guided with a kind yet firm hand.

  Tobias, on the other hand, maintained a cool aloof attitude and carried out his chieftain’s orders with strict and swift precision. Those who resisted or refused ended up with a very aggressive gargoyle in their face. One look at Tobias’s angry, narrowed eyes, or hearing his low warning growl quickly brought anyone to heel.

  Raymond took advantage of Tobias’s uncharacteristic offer of comfort, and sank into the second’s embrace. Tobias gently rubbed his back—even trilling for a few seconds—before he eased his grip. Moving away, Raymond offered his friends a forced smile.

  The sound of doors opening and voices drawing nearer reached them.

  Stiffening again, Raymond clenched his hands and spun to eye the double doors. His breathing picked up and he opened his mouth to scent the air better where it flowed across the extra sensors on his tongue.

  My mate is coming.

  When a high pitched beeping started up on the opposite side of the door, Raymond heard a voice he didn’t recognize snap, “Son of a bitch! Where the fuck is your hospital in this place?”

  “Through here,” Maelgwn shouted over the noise. “Hurry, Greg.”

  “Damn it. Come on, Martin,” the stranger pled. “Stay with me.”

  At the sounds, their clutch doctor, Perseus—a six foot seven, pale green gargoyle—rushed through an archway leading from the other side of the room toward the now swinging doors. “Report!” Perseus shouted, his black-tipped, clawed hands reaching toward his patient even as Sapian held the swinging doors open and Maelgwn and Greg wheeled the stretcher through the room. A slender human Raymond didn’t recognize hustled alongside, inserting a fluid into the plunger of the IV inserted into Marty’s arm.

  The human glanced up to meet Perseus’s gaze, his mouth open—probably to answer—then his eyes widened and he squealed. Sapian nabbed the man before he could topple over backward.