This had to be the first time in all his existence he’d allowed an enemy to claim first blood without a fight.
Ah. The Mortal Realm offered him new delights every day. He was turning towards the medical person to see if he could intimidate him out of annoyance and sheer boredom when a sharp knock sounded at the door.
Gran was already halfway there by the time Gregory transferred his attention from the Medical Technician to the door. He stretched his senses outward, and already had the newest arrival identified before he’d even entered.
Gran opened the door, and Major Resnick stepped in, a greeting already on his lips.
“Vivian, always nice to see you,” he shook her hand and then stepped around her after a moment and made straight for Lillian.
The human at Gregory’s elbow removed the needle and put a small bit of cotton and a tiny bandage over the site. Gregory managed not to sneer. Ha, as if the tiny wound hadn’t already healed as soon as the metal was removed from his arm.
“Lillian, good to see you again,” Resnick continued in his disarming small talk. “I take it the equine escape artists haven’t run off into the woods lately?”
Eyes narrowing, Gregory studied the human warrior. Something was off. Resnick was a capable, astute leader. The type to take in a situation, study it from different angles, and then come to a tactical decision. Sociable, he was not. He’d probably prefer to take a bullet rather than make small talk.
Lillian frowned and then gave a truthful, “I hope not. If they have, I’m sure they’ll be found.”
“Always glad to help.” Resnick turned his attention fully to Gregory. “And you must be Lillian’s mysterious fiancé, which no one in town has met.”
Gregory straightened from the chair and towered over the other humans in the room.
Even in human form, he didn’t see the need to cram himself down into a smaller form than absolutely required. Of course, magic and shapeshifting didn’t have size limits. However, Gregory was just more comfortable seeing things from a certain vantage point. Making Major Resnick crane his head to look him in the eyes…that was an added benefit. Rather juvenile, but mildly rewarding all the same.
“Name’s Gregory,” he mimicked what he’d seen on television and held out his hand to the human, “Nice to meet you, Major. Lillian told me about your meeting in the woods.”
“Ah, as I told her, I’m always glad to be a help. Besides, it was nice meeting another of Vivian’s delightful clan.”
Gregory chuckled at the human’s far from subtle inquiry. He stared down at the human, allowing a touch of challenge and his millenniums-old gargoyle nature to rouse and show in his eyes.
To the human’s credit, he held his gaze and returned Gregory’s unvoiced challenge.
Gran came up to them before anything more interesting developed.
“Major Resnick, can I interest you and your friends in some refreshments? There’s a pot of coffee in the kitchen and the cookies are still warm.”
A couple of the humans showed mild interest, but Resnick merely shook his head.
“Another time, we still have several stops to make.” He gave Gran a smile which held a hint of true warmth before glancing back at Gregory. “Don’t worry. As soon as everything settles, I’m sure I’ll find a reason to stop by.”
With that less than subtle remark, Resnick, followed by his men, departed without so much as a goodbye or a glance behind. Then again, they hadn’t come to exchange human niceties.
Curiously, Lillian had grabbed a pen and pad of paper off the end table and was furiously scrawling some message.
When she was finished, she tore off the top sheet and slapped it to his chest and began again.
He read her messy writing. Way to blend in! Ever heard of the word subtle? It’s a concept you really need to work on.
A grin stretched across Gregory’s lips.
Gran folded her arms under her breasts and directed a deep frown at him, and then jerked her chin in the direction of the kitchen.
Ah, he was about to get an ear full from more than one female. Lovely. Only in the Mortal Realm would other beings see fit to scold him.
He followed Gran and Lillian into the kitchen and then down the stairs to the basement. They continued past the wine cellar and on into the secret rooms and tunnels where the magic-forged weapons were being stored.
Their presence reminded him that he would need to solve this human dilemma quickly so the Clan and Coven could continue with the preparations for war with the Lady of Battles.
“It’s safe to talk,” Gran said when Lillian motioned at her own lips in question.
“Good, because we need to be ready to move. They aren’t going to waste time getting the blood analyzed.”
Gran nodded her head at Lillian’s words. “Exactly right. Gregory, your magic allows you to hide, but your ability to shapeshift might be more useful to us at this point.”
“You wish to change our plans?” Gregory, still in human form, quirked an eyebrow and rather enjoyed the novelty. “What did you have in mind?”
“I think it would be safer to swap out our samples while they are still in route. Certainly, easier than trying to get inside the military’s HQ afterward. If you can impersonate one of those Medical Technicians, you might be able to switch the samples with no one the wiser. Unlike one of the other coven members, if you’re caught, you can extract yourself far more quickly and easily. Though dear, try not to vanish before their very eyes. That’s likely to do more harm than good.”
Lillian’s brother and uncle came in carrying a box which looked exactly like the type the humans had put the blood samples in.
He didn’t smell a hint of magic upon it, so they or another Coven member had done what Lillian would have called a little ‘sleight of hand.’ Gregory smiled. He’d always been fond of efficiency.
“Do you think you can impersonate one of the humans and switch the samples in time?”
Stress thickened Lillian’s voice. It was cute how she still worried about him.
“Yes, but I’ll have Darkness shadow me in case I get into trouble I can’t get out of.”
Lillian’s expression darkened. When he touched her thoughts, he picked up that she worried two gargoyles could muck up far more quickly than one alone.
He smiled.
She might be right.
He’d definitely bring the other gargoyle along.
Then he frowned, realizing something else. “You’ll have to come, too. The collars won’t allow us to be apart.”
Lillian’s eyes widened. “You’re right. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to take on another human appearance.”
“You won’t need to. You’ll merely be maintaining your gargoyle form and shadow magic.”
“Never was very good at that, in case you didn’t notice.”
“I’ll help. Besides, you’ll find it easier now with the abundance of magic in this Realm.”
“Yeah, about that.” Lillian fingered her own tattoo. “After that last big healing spell you did, I couldn’t stay gargoyle and shifted back to dryad me. How do we know I’ll fare any better this time?”
“We don’t.” He shrugged. “But we’ll consider this the first test.”
“That’s so not reassuring.”
Gregory huffed with humor and then allowed Gran to hustle him from the room.
She continued to direct them outside and into a waiting vehicle.
Lillian gave him a little shove when he balked at getting in. He’d never been in one of the little boxy things.
Lillian strapped him in and then hopped in the back unable to contain her laughter. His human face was probably more expressive than he’d intended, but he hadn’t realized he’d be using the human’s mode of travel.
Gran grinned at him and then the vehicle bumped and jolted into motion in such a way he was certain a few internal organs were still trying to catch up.
To distract himself from the unpleasantness of his present situa
tion, he called to Darkness and River.
“We may have need of you both. Come to me as swiftly as you can.”
“Yes, Lord Protector,” Darkness answered with his respectful tones. “We will come at once.”
Not that now was the time for idle chat, but he would have appreciated it if the other gargoyle could have been a longer distraction.
Gran took another corner at high speed, and he found himself gripping the part of the vehicle Lillian’s memories had labeled ‘the dash’.
As if the thought of her was enough to catch her attention, she tapped him on the shoulder and then gave him a look of sympathy. “Hey, Gran. We need to be alive to switch the samples. If we’re all killed in an accident, it’s not going to help the other Clan or Coven members.”
“Oh, please.” Gran huffed loud enough to make any gargoyle proud. “I’m barely speeding. Besides, we need to get you to the rendezvous point with all haste.”
Gregory dug the fingers of one hand into the dashboard and braced his other against the roof of the vehicle as the car jerked forward with greater speed.
He dared to send a glower in Gran’s direction but held his silence.
Gran took another hard turn. The vehicle shuddered as one wheel caught the gravel at the side of the road.
Vivian didn’t even flinch. Gregory couldn’t say the same thing about his stomach. He locked his jaws and sent a silent prayer to the Father with the hope he’d live to see the Magic Realm again. Preferably, before the Mortal Realm and its citizens killed him.
Chapter Five
Gregory survived the trip though he did wonder if a few of his organs were still somewhere back at the crossroads where Gran had taken a hard left without slowing. She’d eventually stomped on the brakes and pulled over. From there, they’d continued on foot, much to his immense pleasure. If they’d remained in the car much longer, Gregory might have thrown up all over the dash like his stomach had been urging. Riding in a truck’s bed was much preferable. Inside a car? Never again.
Movement flashed between the trees ahead, but Gregory wasn’t worried, he’d sensed the messenger spell’s approach long before it came close. The tiny hummingbird spell zipped over and landed in Gran’s outstretched hand. It glowed brightly for a few seconds and then the spell dissolved into mist.
“Greenborrow and Russet report they found a dying tree willing to sacrifice itself for our needs,” Gran said. “They say it landed nicely across the road. Major Resnick’s group has discovered the problem and are on their radios calling for equipment to remove the tree.”
Lillian cleared her throat. “Resnick and company won’t stay and watch the tree being cleared. They’ll likely commandeer the newcomers’ vehicles.”
“Exactly,” Gran said with an accompanying nod. “And you and Gregory need to insert yourselves with them before that. Now would be a good time to do a little physical remodeling.”
After a quick search through Lillian’s memories for the meaning, Gregory grinned belatedly. Yes, that was a good description for what he was about to do.
He reached for his magic instinctively, only to have it remain dormant. He touched his throat. How had he forgotten the damn tattoo?
“Oh.” Lillian’s eyes widened. “Sorry. Gregory, you have my permission to shapeshift.”
When he called his magic a second time, it answered, flooding him with its abundance. As the frosty chill spread through him, he focused on the mental image and essence of the human who had drawn his blood. His magic spiked, a wave raced over his body and sank its chill bone-deep. His body accepted the new form between one heartbeat and the next.
Lillian blinked at him. “Damn, that’s fast. When will I be able to manage that kind of speed?”
Gregory laughed, the tone different than usual due to the changes in his body. “A few millenniums worth of practice helps.”
“I suppose it would.” Lillian glanced down at her body. “So you think I should be in gargoyle form? You’re certain?”
Certain? No. Yet he didn’t want her playing a female soldier. If she was found out, she’d be an easy target. He didn’t like the idea of her ghosting him in gargoyle form much better, but at least this way she could remain invisible and run or fight much more efficiently. He would have left her behind, guarded by the other Fae if it wasn’t for the cursed brand around his throat.
“I’m certain. Gargoyle form is your best defense.”
“Yeah, knew you were going to say that.” Lillian didn’t waste time, though. She stripped off her outer clothing down to her loincloth and crisscrossing breast band, both of which he’d spelled so they would shapeshift with her.
Gran stepped back and turned her attention out into the forest as if to watch for danger. Gregory didn’t bother with the same ruse, more concerned about how her tattoo might react to her shapeshifting.
Lillian dropped to her knees and bowed her head. After three slow even breaths, magic flowed along her skin and black wings with a hint of crimson at the edges sprang out of her back. She made a small hissing growl as her body continued its change.
When it was over, Lillian looked up at him, her wings drooping along her sides. Then with a full body shake, she folded them tight to her back and stepped up to him. After a quick glance down at her limbs and tail, where she was clearly counting body parts, she looked back at him.
“Well, I’m all here. Guess that went well.” She stepped closer and then her expression morphed into a toothy grin. “I’m taller than you. How’s that for novelty?”
She came to stand nearly toe to toe with him and proceeded to sniff at his hair, leaving his face until last. He stood stoic, waiting for what was coming next.
Lillian didn’t disappoint. Her rumbling laugh filled his senses a moment before her warm, wet tongue licked him from chin to hairline.
He refused to rise to her baiting or wipe a forearm across his face. When she didn’t get a reaction, she huffed and dropped to all fours. “You’re no fun.”
“I try not to be,” he answered with half his attention focused on the forest track. They would need to move quickly if he was to infiltrate the human ranks. He set a brisk pace and Lillian trotted at his side, quickly outpacing him.
She rolled an eye and then an ear at him. Changing directions, she galloped back to his side.
She was having far too much fun at his expense, Gregory decided.
“You’re too slow. We’ll never make it in time.” She dipped her one wing as she sidled up next to him. “Get on. It’ll be faster.”
Gregory frowned. He was supposed to carry her—that was the natural order of things. He grunted unhappily. Nothing about this life was normal. Why should this be any different? Besides, she was right. They were running out of time.
With an annoyed huff, he swung a leg over her back and mounted. He’d barely settled in place before she set off down a game trail which led in the general direction they needed.
Every time she leaped over a fallen tree or swerved around a broad trunk in their path, he thought his human-formed body would fail him and he’d find himself sprawled on the ground in an ungraceful heap.
*****
Ahead, flashes of light glimmered through the trees, marking the road and the site where the tree had come down to block it.
Even with his dulled senses, he could see and hear the humans as they organized themselves. Some were examining the tree—yes, that was Major Resnick studying its base. His suspicious little heart wouldn’t find anything more than a rot-hollowed trunk. The dryad and leshii required nothing as mundane as an axe to fell a tree.
Lillian rolled an eye at him. “I hear the other vehicles approaching from the east. They will be here within minutes.”
“We have time enough. Besides, I think the leshii already has the humans in hand.”
Lillian slowed and then came to a stop ten feet from the road’s edge, where the shadows were still deep enough to hide them even without the use of magic.
Gregory reach
ed for her thoughts, merging with a little affectionate caress of his mind against hers. “Call your concealment spell and then follow my lead. You’ll have to run alongside the road and shadow the vehicles the whole way. You can’t allow more than twenty feet between us during the journey or the collars will activate.”
“I’ll stay close, I promise.” She sounded equal parts determined and worried.
“Your gargoyle body can reach speeds greater than even I can run, but I don’t think you’ll have to test your limits today.” He jerked his chin to the left where the leshii was making his way to their location. “I have a feeling Greenborrow might have a number of surprises for the humans if his grin is anything to go by.”
Lillian flicked an ear in the leshii’s direction. “He knows we’re not here to hurt the humans, right?”
Gregory started to nod and then changed his mind.
“Greenborrow,” he warned. “The humans are not game for you to hunt.”
The leshii snorted. “My dear boy, the humans are always game, but don’t worry. You can tell your lovely lady her humans are safe from harm. I only plan to have a little fun at their expense.”
“Do nothing to expose us and endanger Lillian.”
“Never, you two are far more fun than the humans.”
Gregory huffed. “How reassuring. So what other plans do you have to distract the humans?”
“A few, but unfortunately nothing that will occupy them long enough to allow you time to sort the samples here.” The leshii shrugged. “You’ll have to do the switching once you’re deep in their lair.”
“I’ll manage.”
“If you’re caught trying to switch out the Coven’s samples, it will be an admission of guilt as surely as if you signed a written confession.”
Gregory nodded in agreement. Really, how hard could it be to switch a few small samples of blood?
Chapter Six
Sorceress Hunting (A Gargoyle and Sorceress Tale Book 3) Page 4
