by E A Price
“I would save your breath, my dear. I do not want to shoot you, but there are other ways to make you comply.”
He pulled a small device out of his pocket and Twenty-Six blanched. Her natural, purple skin paled to a violet at best. “No.” She stepped back, and her chest started heaving as tangible fear assailed her body.
“We have not needed this since you were a teenager, but as Amalric does not wish to comply, I am afraid I must show him the price of disobedience.”
He pressed the device and Twenty-Six let out a keening screech. She clutched her head and her body writhed in agony. Her legs trembled, struggling to hold her and Ric grasped her.
“What is this?” Ric bellowed.
“Sadly,” shouted Adler, loudly to be heard over Twenty-Six’s agonized wailed, “we did not have time to implant your chip.” He waved the device. “It just gives our subjects a little persuasion when they do not want to do something.”
“Turn it off!”
“Will you come with us willingly?”
Tears streamed down Twenty-Six’s cheeks.
“Yes,” he forced out through gritted teeth.
“You will not try anything?”
“No, just turn it off!”
“Of course.”
Twenty-Six collapsed into Ric’s arms, her body shivering as a trickle of blood crept out of her nose.
“She will be fine,” said Adler, dismissively. “I would not kill her.”
Ric heaved her small body into his arms. “No, just torture her.”
“As long as you behave, it will not be necessary for us to do this again. I am afraid we are in a hurry, so we don’t have time for proper transportation.”
Ric snarled as the security guards each shot a tranquilizer dart at him. He weaved slightly and vaguely wondered why three Adlers were now talking to him. Where had the other two come from?
“That should be enough to calm you, but not enough so that you pass out. Now, let’s get moving. As much as I would like to meet your comrades, I would prefer it under more manageable circumstances.”
“Like when they’re chained to the floor in a cell,” slurred Ric. Now where did all those fairies flitting around all the Adlers’ heads come from? And why were they all setting fire to their own lab?
“You already know me so well, now, move.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“Into the van. Move!” snapped Adler. “Open the gate!” he yelled to the security guards.
Ric sneered as he gingerly held Twenty-Six in his arms. The whole world was a little fuzzy for him at that moment, and for some reason, he wasn’t quite as angry at the situation as he should have been. But he was still furious.
Twenty-Six whimpered in pain, and he carefully placed her in the van, clambering in after her. He was mad enough to snap Adler’s neck, but not enough to risk Twenty-Six’s life. He’d figure out another way to escape later.
Adler let out a very unmanly yelp as a body was flung at the van. He spun to find Cai and Gracchus glowering at him. He grabbed the security guards, pushing them towards the furious gargoyles, who were snarling and preparing to attack.
“Protect me, you fools,” hissed Adler.
Their eyes bulged. “With what? You only let us carry tranq guns.”
“Just… just distract them so I can get away.”
“You don’t pay enough for this!”
One of the security guards ran away while the other seemed frozen in action. Gracchus flexed his claws, and he snapped to attention, running after the other security guard.
“Useless, useless,” muttered Adler.
He scrambled into the van, hands shaking as he started the engine. The vehicle had barely moved an inch before a van plowed right into the front of it. Adler’s head slammed against the wheel, and he felt blood trickling down his forehead.
Adler groaned as the huge blue gargoyle with wicked looking horns ripped the door off. Weakly, he pushed past the creature and stumbled across the ground.
“No,” he babbled. “I’m in charge here. You can’t hurt me. You belong to me…” He floundered past the gargoyles, past the gawping women who had been driving that blasted van and ran as fast as his old legs could carry him.
*
Kylie gasped in alarm as the strange, old man ran straight into the electrified gate, and ten thousand volts shuddered through his body. He dropped limply to the ground.
Luc landed on the ground behind her, clasping her arms to stop her from running to him.
“He might be hurt.”
“He is dead, little one.”
“Good riddance,” slurred Ric as he fell out of the van. He grinned dreamily as he spotted Brenda.
“Oh thank god!” she exclaimed, running into his arms.
He pulled her up his body and planted sloppy kisses all over her face.
“Who is this?” asked Gracchus, as he held Twenty-Six.
“Long story,” said Ric between kisses. “I was supposed to mate with her.”
“What?!” squawked Brenda.
“Brenda!” snapped Chris as he found her curled around Ric.
“We must leave,” rumbled Luc, throwing Kylie over his shoulder. “The fire is spreading, and we must get home before dawn.”
As they drove away, the building exploded.
*
Bell stilled as he heard two, no, three vehicles approach. It was near dawn. All they had to do was subdue the gargoyles and soon enough they would turn to stone and become much more manageable. He signaled to his men to wait for his command.
He winced as his shoulder throbbed. He had underestimated the gargoyle Amalric. He would not do so again. This time, they were using electrical prods designed for elephants, and tranqs dosed with enough juice that would take down a whole herd. Course, it would be easier if they could just use real bullets. Armor piercing rounds for their thick, fucking hides. But no, the precious council didn’t want their gargoyles to get hurt. Whatever.
He heard the crunch of boots of gravel and he itched to spring out at the beasts. Before capturing Amalric, he had to admit he was a little curious as to how hard it would be to take one down. Now he knew, and he just wanted it to be over.
Although, he was a little surprised that they had come by car. They had wings. He’d been expecting some kind of aerial attack and had taken pains to ensure that were not visible from the air. His men were masters at hiding. No matter.
Flashlights bobbed around the clearing, and he could have sworn that the gargoyles were wearing boots. Did they manage to find shoes to fit their clawed feet? Perhaps they had brought human helpers with them. Not a problem. He would kill them and fake a car accident or something.
Bell signaled his men to follow his lead. He was going to enjoy this.
Almost as one, he and his men appeared out of the darkness, weapons raised, ready to take on… the FBI?!
Half a dozen suits pointed guns at them. The weapons were no match for their automatics, but they were the freaking FBI! Or at least it certainly said so on their bulletproof vests. He hesitated for half a second. There weren’t that many of them. He and his men could… shit.
The loud whop-whop-whop of a helicopter boomed as it closed in on them, and he was illuminated by a searchlight.
“Come on, man,” called a pretty Latina FBI agent, “don’t be stupid.”
Bell cursed under his breath as he dropped his gun, then his taser, then his other guns, then the knives and finally the nunchucks – brought for emergency use only. Reluctantly, his men followed suit.
“What’s a guy like you doing out here on a night like this carrying a bunch of illegal weapons?” quipped the Latina FBI agent as she cuffed him.
“Hunting gargoyles,” he muttered.
She raised an eyebrow at him before bursting into laughter.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Brenda stirred awake. It was already dark out. She must have slept the whole day. Chris had complained and grumbled, but he allowed her to ta
ke the day off school. Although it was with a stern warning that she not make a habit of it. He needn’t worry; she didn’t intend to go running around in the middle of the night, breaking into top secret labs and rescuing her gargoyle boyfriend on a regular basis.
A sliver of anxiety lingered, but she warmed as she thought of Ric. In spite of Chris’ huffing and puffing, she had curled into his lap on the ride home. Well, more like he had hugged her and wouldn’t let her go. Luc had managed to pry them apart enough that the crush to her ribs wasn’t quite so pronounced, but Ric hadn’t wanted to let her go. Honestly, she hadn’t wanted to go anywhere.
On hearing distant sirens, they had quickly left the lab the previous night, only stopping to retrieve Ingrede. They had been shocked on finding Chloe’s dead and concerned that something may have happened to the female gargoyle. Thankfully, Ingrede was fine, merely hiding and awaiting their return. Chloe’s death appeared to be an accident. Brenda wasn’t proud of it, but she could not bring herself to be particularly sad about it. It meant there was one less person out there who could hurt them anyway.
They had come home, and all the gargoyles retreated to Bea’s garden – there were no spells around the house, but they feared who else knew about them and would go looking for them at the Hardcastle mansion. Bea, Gustave, Andrew, and Maggie had all returned with two new gargoyles, which they had also taken to Bea’s.
Brenda didn’t know whether it was the drugs they had pumped into Ric, or whether he really had been worried for her, but as dawned approached, he had not wanted her to leave him. He had clasped her to him, and only with Gracchus and Luc’s help did she escape his stony grip. If they had not helped, she’d have probably been trapped in his arms for the entire day. Which wasn’t as romantic as her sappy heart seemed to think it was. Eventually, she’d need to go pee, right?
No, Chris had brought her home, and she was dead to the world the moment her head hit the pillow. But now, she was eager to see Ric. He must be waking at that moment, him and all the other gargoyles. Including Twenty-Six... Hmmm. She wasn’t proud of it, but she couldn’t deny a stab of jealousy. Well, Ric had said the evil Frankenfreak doctor was trying to mate them. Was it wrong of her to want to make sure that it didn’t actually get that far? Hell, he wanted Brenda to be his mate, and she hadn’t even gotten as far as peeking under his loincloth. How was she supposed to react to hearing about those two potentially mating?
Surely, they wouldn’t have had time to do anything. How long did it take to mate? Two and a half minutes in her limited experience. That included undressing time.
Nope, not thinking about that. She would talk to Ric and find out what happened when she saw him again. Which better be darn soon.
Brenda showered and dressed at warp speed before bouncing downstairs to find Chris waiting for her.
“Hey,” she murmured.
“Hey.” His chin was covered in day-old stubble, but otherwise, he looked as fresh as a really manly daisy.
Brenda bit her lip. She was a little embarrassed after last night. Ric’s hands had been all over her on the ride home. Chris was like a father to her – it was something a father really shouldn’t have to witness.
She poured herself a cup of coffee, ignoring Chris’ disapproving frown. Hell, he still thought she was too young to drink caffeine, no wonder seeing a gargoyle slobbering all over her freaked him out. Oddly enough, she didn’t think he actually had a problem with the gargoyle part. No, it was the fact that he had man parts that made Ric public enemy numero uno.
“Been awake long?” She tried for nonchalant. Thankfully, Chris wasn’t exactly the talkative type even when he was in a good mood – at least not when it came to feelings.
“Few hours. Sanchez called. They arrested the guys at the meeting site. They were carrying illegal weapons, and most had outstanding warrants for their arrest. Said they were there hunting gargoyles. Said there was a bunch of them living here.”
“Imagine that.”
“Sanchez didn’t believe them.”
“I thought you said she believed in that kind of thing.”
A ghost of a grin passed over his features. “She believes there’s a possibility. She’s waiting for evidence.”
Brenda sipped her coffee. “So the FBI aren’t going to do anything else?”
“They came by the Hardcastle house earlier just to check it out.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing. Andrew was there, so he handled them, showed them the real stone gargoyles on the house. Gustave plied them with cucumber sandwiches and Maggie bored them to tears with local history until they surrendered and left.”
She let out a long breath. “Good.”
“You need to eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You need to eat,” he said firmly, as he placed a mountainous breakfast in front of her.
“Fine.”
She shoveled some scrambled eggs and bacon into her mouth as quickly as she could and immediately regretted it when Chris had to thump her on the back to stop her from choking.
“Brenda, what exactly is going on with you and that gargoyle?”
“Mmmf mmf mmf.”
“Don’t avoid the question.”
She swallowed and gulped down some coffee. “We… we care about each other.”
Chris rubbed his head. “You’re eighteen.”
“And I care about him.”
“And a couple of weeks ago it was Kevin.”
“Chris…”
“Brenda, you are too young for this kind of thing. He’s not just some teenage boy you can take to the movies and make out with on your grandma’s bed when she goes to bingo.”
“I never once did that!”
“I may be new to this gargoyle thing, but they mate for life. You’re not ready for this.”
“I can’t explain it, I just feel this pull to him – I know it sounds crazy, but I do. This isn’t some dumb crush, and my age doesn’t make a difference. I did care about Kevin once, but it was nothing like this.” She gave him a beseeching look, willing him to understand. “Last night, when I wasn’t sure if I was going to see him again, it was like being stabbed in the heart.”
Chris shook his head and turned his back to her, placing his plate in the sink. He tensed as Ric dropped into the tiny garden.
“He’s here.”
Brenda dropped her fork and ran to the door. She really wasn’t playing hard to get.
“Brenda,” Chris snapped.
“Please, trust me.”
Chris sighed. “I’m going to speak to Luc and Kylie. Just… fuck I don’t know. Just stay here.”
Brenda nodded before running outside and into Ric’s arms.
*
Ingrede smiled and rubbed Wolfe’s rounded tummy as he waved a cuddly penguin around. She had never seen such a creature herself, but as Kylie would say, it was very cute.
Cai had scoffed at a clan chief taking a human for a mate, but Ingrede admired him for it, and hell, she even liked Kylie as a friend – not something she could boast of any of her previous female clan mates. There was too much ruthless competitiveness for any friendship to take root.
Ingrede yawned and then Wolfe yawned, a tiny echo of hers. He then giggled and threw the penguin at her head, which she laughingly passed back to him.
Cai lumbered into the room, and she tensed ever so slightly.
“The youngling?”
“Wolfe is fine,” she murmured.
Cai knelt on the floor next to her, his huge brow knit together. “What is he wearing?”
“A baby grow. Annis modified it for him.” It was blue and had fluffy sheep all over it. Annis had been as shy as anything when she had presented Wolfe in his sheep printed glory, but she needn’t have been. Ingrede adored it.
Cai, on the other hand, grumbled. “I am not sure that is fitting for a warrior.”
Ingrede gave him a sour look before scooping up Wolfe and cradling him in the crook of one arm; h
is tail automatically wrapped itself around her wrist.
“It is very fitting for a baby.”
“Nor that item he is playing with. When I was a child I had a block of wood and I was grateful for it.”
Ingrede pursed her lips together. “He likes it and it was a gift from Kylie. I would not be so rude as to reject a gift from our chief’s mate.”
Cai’s jaw ticked, but he did not pursue the matter. Lucky for him. Ingrede was feeling a little weepy, but she could just as soon pick up a battleax and go to war over a baby grow and a stuffed penguin.
“Your wing,” he muttered.
“It is fine. It will fully heal when I sleep again.”
“Let me see,” he ordered gruffly. “I wish I could have punished that female myself for hurting my mate.”
Ingrede sighed and flexed it, allowing Cai to look. He ran a hand down it, his talons lightly tickling her skin, and she had to admit his gentle touch was not unwelcome.
“I was worried when we could not find you last night,” he said in rather an accusing tone.
“After Chloe died, I hid. I was not far away. Anyway, you need not worry. If anything happens to me, I am sure Annis or Kylie will take care of Wolfe.” Even if it broke her heart to think of anyone else being his mother.
“And me?”
She looked up to see a strange expression on Cai’s face.
“You?”
“Who would take care of me?” he asked quietly.
She shook her head. He was thinking of his own needs. Their coupling had always been frequent. In spite of their disorientation at their new surroundings, they had been together a few times since awakening. Honestly, she found the physical act comforting and relaxing, but it was not all she ever thought about.
“You do not need me.”
“You are wrong.”
Anger surged through her. “You are worried you would not find another gargoyle to mate with.”
“No,” he growled, “I am worried about existing without you. Even if there were a million female gargoyles in the world, I would still want you. You are… irreplaceable.”
“Me?” she whispered. Her heart thumped strangely in her chest.
“I can feel you pulling away from me; you have been since even before Wolfe was born. But you are mine,” he snarled possessively. “You have always been mine and always will be.”
