by Faith Gibson
Slade and Tamian got back in and drove silently for another fifteen minutes. When Tamian stopped again, Slade got out, retrieved his own sword, careful not to touch the blade, which was infused with hellebore root. He removed his shirt and tossed it on the seat. When Tamian drove off, Slade jogged toward the trees. Calling forth his wings, Slade launched himself skyward, keeping low over the treetops. Even if there were humans present, Tamian would be able to alter their memories if they happened to see what appeared to be a man with wings.
I need you to focus on Matthew.
On it.
Slade was glad his beast was agreeable. They hadn’t spoken since Matthew had gone missing, but the shifter hadn’t retreated completely. It had merely remained silent. The beast added his strength to Slade’s, pushing out to feel for their mate. Even though he and the beast were one being, they were two sides to a coin, being able to function together or separately. Only when their body was in mortal danger did the beast completely take over.
I feel him. It’s faint, but he’s here. Matt? Matthew? Can you hear me?
Which direction? Slade could feel the subtle thrum of their connection, but since they hadn’t completed the bond, it was too faint for him to get a lock on Matt’s location.
Southwest.
The beast continued calling out to their mate, and Slade changed course slightly, heading the direction the beast indicated. To Tamian and Santiago he whispered, “I’ve got a lock on Matthew. Santiago, head west. Tamian, head east.” Both males affirmed they’d heard him.
He’s close.
Slade’s heart rate picked up when the tether became stronger. He lowered himself onto a tree branch, retracting his wings. The flapping of wings was a distinct sound, but if Arden heard movement in the trees, he might assume it was an animal. Keeping his sword tight in his grip, Slade jumped from limb to limb, nimbly landing while scanning the area below for signs of his mate and the Greek.
There!
Slade could make out the SUV parked in a small clearing close to the edge of a lake. There was only one body visible, and Slade assumed that was Arden. That didn’t mean he didn’t have backup though. Before he closed the distance, he whispered through the comms he’d located the male, and the others said they would scout the area for other Gargoyles. Slade didn’t see Matthew at first. He had been focused on the Goyle who was leaning against the SUV smoking a cigar. He was calm, like he didn’t have a care in the world. Maybe he thought he didn’t.
Movement inside the SUV caught Slade’s attention. It was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. Matthew sat up in the back seat, running his hands over his face before looking around. He opened the door of the vehicle, holding a bottle of water. Arden glanced back at Matthew but didn’t make a move to intercept him. The male knew Matthew wasn’t a threat to him, and Matthew knew better than to run from a Goyle. If he knew what Arden was.
As Slade eased his way closer, Santiago whispered he had Arden in his sights. Tamian wasn’t as close, but he was drawing nearer. They both confirmed they hadn’t seen any other Goyles in the area. Matthew didn’t appear to be injured. Slade couldn’t feel fear coming from his mate. He was rather calm for having been kidnapped. He drank his water and scanned the area. Arden pulled another cigar out of his shirt pocket, so while his attention was on lighting it, Slade moved even closer. With his eyes on Matt, his foot slipped, and the branch cracked under his weight. Matthew looked in his direction, smiling.
“Where are you going?” Arden growled.
Matt had taken a step toward Slade, his smile bright, but he froze when Slade shook his head and placed a finger over his lips.
“I was going to take a piss,” Matthew said, turning away from where Slade was hiding.
Arden narrowed his eyes. “Stay where I can see you. There are wild animals out there.”
You have no idea.
Arden kept his eyes on Matt. “Hurry up. There’s a gator in the water,” he told Matthew. Slade scanned the area behind Matt, but from his angle, Slade couldn’t see what was behind his mate.
“I’ve got Arden. You get Matthew,” Santiago whispered over the comm.
Slade trusted the pilot to take down the Goyle, so he dove from the tree, spreading his wings behind him. Arden caught sight of Slade and phased, launching himself toward Slade. Santiago was flying fast, but he didn’t reach Arden before he tried to intercept Slade. Slade was distracted by Matthew who was too close to the lake, where Slade could now see there was, indeed, an alligator climbing onto the bank. Matt stood frozen watching the three Gargoyles, not seeing the immediate threat climbing out of the water right behind him.
“Matty, run!” Slade yelled just as Arden crashed into him. Arden grabbed for Slade’s sword, his hand gripping the blade. The male jerked back, but the poison had already started seeping in before the cut began closing up. Santiago flew up behind Arden, slicing at the male’s neck, but he dove out of the way before it could make contact.
“Go get Matthew! I’ve got this.” Santiago circled around the Greek, keeping between him and Slade.
Slade turned in time to see the alligator closing in on Matthew who had yet to move. The animal’s powerful jaws were open, ready to snap Matthew’s leg. Slade flew as fast as he could, knowing he wasn’t going to get there in time. His heart threatened to stop beating, and a roar left his chest as he begged his beast to push harder. Slade grabbed Matthew in his arms, lifting him off the ground just as the gator’s jaws snapped closed.
A powerful blast of air blew past Slade as Tamian collided with the gator, splashing as they hit the water. Slade flapped his wings, taking Matt farther away from the water’s edge before lowering them to their feet. He made sure they were well away from where Santiago now had Arden pinned to the ground, sword at his throat. The gator rolled and the water churned, and everyone stood quietly waiting to see who the victor would be. Less than a minute later, Tamian rose from the dark lake and trudged up onto the bank. He looked first at Slade and Matthew, then cut his eyes to Santiago.
“Well, that was fun.” Tamian carded his fingers through his wet hair, pushing it away from his face. He walked over and picked up his sword he’d dropped before tackling the alligator.
Slade ran his hands down Matthew’s arms, searching him for any sign of injury. “Gods, Matty. I’ve never been so scared in my life. Did he hurt you? Are you all right?” His voice choked, and Slade shook his head, blinking back the tears threatening to fall.
“I’m fine,” Matt said, casting his eyes to his feet.
“Hey, look at me.” Slade nudged Matt’s chin up with his fingers. “Talk to me.”
“I’m sorry I ran,” Matt whispered, his own eyes wet. He didn’t bother holding his tears back.
“Oh, Matty.” Slade cupped his mate’s face, using his thumbs to wipe the wetness away before he pulled him to his chest, kissing his temple. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I failed you. I promised to protect you.”
“You’re not the dumbass who ran off.”
Slade coughed out a laugh and hugged Matt tighter. “We’ll talk about it later. Right now, we have to decide what to do with Arden.” Slade turned them toward Santiago and their captive. Tamian fell in step, and when they reached the Greek, Slade stopped a few feet away. There was no way the male was getting anywhere near Matthew again. He wanted to rip the Goyle apart, but he needed to protect his mate more.
Matthew leaned back against Slade’s chest, relishing the hold his Goyle had on him. No matter what happened next, Matt knew one thing – he would never run from Slade again.
“As much as I’d love to take your head, I’m going to keep you alive,” Tamian told Arden. "You’ll be going back to New Atlanta where we have a cell waiting for you in the Pen. If you cooperate, you might get to keep your head. If you don’t…”
“Fuck you. You might as well kill me now. I will not betray my Clan nor my King.”
“You betrayed your King when you left Greece,” Santiago said.
&
nbsp; “My King is Drago Costas, not that punk-ass Lindholm.”
Tamian stepped closer. “Drago is no King. He has no claim, and he never will. Your army of Unholy, no matter how large, will never be a match for a Clan of Goyles. You know this. Drago should as well. He’s wasting time and money on a fruitless endeavor. The only good I can see in Drago being in the States is the Reborn. We have two of them, and we’ll find the rest. When we do, we’ll administer our own serum, and the Unholy will be no longer.”
“You don’t know the formula since you don’t have Craven.”
“I don’t need Craven. I have a cousin and an uncle who are both brilliant. My cousin has already figured out the components by taking blood of one of the Reborn we captured. The jig is up, Arden.”
Matthew had no idea what they were talking about. He knew about the Unholy, but he never really worried about them. He had selfishly thought about his own life and future, leaving the monsters to the Goyles. By the sounds of things, it was possible the Unholy would be taken care of with this new serum. That would be one for the history books.
Tamian stepped closer to Arden who was on his knees with Santiago’s blade across his neck. Matthew knew the Stone Society swords were crafted with a poison which rendered Goyle’s weak. Frey had made sure he was aware of that in case he decided to ever pick up one of the weapons. The hellebore root Julian used could cause total paralysis and possibly death to a human. Tamian bent down so he was eye level with Arden.
“You are going to come back to New Atlanta, and you are going to willingly tell Rafael everything you know about Drago and his operation. You are going to keep quiet and not give us any trouble. Nod if you understand.”
Arden nodded, and Tamian stood. “Santiago and I will take him back with us. We’ll drive his SUV, and the two of you can take the rental car and continue on your vacation. I think you have some things to discuss?”
“That we do,” Slade said. “But I’ll help with the Goyle, since I created this mess.”
Tamian shook his head. “Drago created this mess. Not to say I’m glad for Matthew’s kidnapping, but we now have a major player in Drago’s organization. He’ll be able to give us some much-needed information. Matthew’s okay. You two will have a story to tell your children and grandchildren. And I got to wrestle an alligator.”
Everyone laughed. Well, everyone except Arden. He was quiet, and Matthew had a feeling it was because of Tamian’s secret power. It worked on dogs, so it probably worked on Goyles too. Matt would go along with whatever Slade decided, but he really wanted to get back to their vacation. He had a Goyle to claim.
Chapter Sixteen
Matthew got his wish. Slade offered again to head back home, but both Tamian and Santiago convinced him they didn’t need help. Tamian also agreed to keep Matt’s kidnapping secret from Frey until after they got home and could tell him themselves. Matthew would tell his dad the truth. That it was all his fault he’d been kidnapped. He would leave out the part about the blowjob though. There were some things his father didn’t need to know.
It was still the middle of the night, and Matt was ready to crash. He had been sleeping soundly when something woke him. He could have sworn he heard someone calling his name, but when he opened his eyes, he was still in the back seat of the SUV. Alone. He didn’t figure he’d slept long, because Arden was in the same spot he’d been when Matt last saw him. Matt had felt a pull at his soul. The same kind of tug he encountered when Slade was around, so he climbed out of the vehicle, taking a bottle of water with him. It was dark out, but when Matt heard a noise coming from high above him in the trees, he knew. Slade was there. He couldn’t see his Goyle, but he smiled anyway. He knew in his heart that tug he felt was real, and his mate was there to save him.
His only thought was to get to Slade, but Arden noticed him, asking where he was going. He lied, saying he had to pee, so he changed directions and walked toward the water, hoping to keep Arden’s attention on him, giving Slade the element of surprise. Everything happened fast afterward. Slade told him to run, but Matt didn’t realize it was because of an alligator. His heart had taken forever to calm back down to a steady rate. He’d come mighty close to losing his leg.
Slade asked Matt if he wanted to go back to the beach, and he said no. He asked if they could go to New Orlando instead, and Slade readily agreed. Matt admitted he wanted to find the closest hotel to crash in, and after that…
Slade had threaded their fingers together, brushing his thumb back and forth across Matt’s hand. He kept glancing over at Matt, and Matt assured him he was really there, and he was okay, just tired. Matt wanted a comfy bed and some sleep. When they woke, he knew they would have to talk, but he wouldn’t let Slade take the blame for what happened. It felt like days instead of hours since he’d run from the hotel room, and his mind was trying to shut down from exhaustion. That was the only reason he wouldn’t ask Slade to complete the bond as soon as they were alone in a hotel room.
“Matty, wake up.” Slade was brushing Matt’s hair away from his face, and Matt stretched, smiling.
“Where are we?”
“New Orlando. Instead of stopping at a small hotel, I drove straight through. I called and got our reservation changed so we could check in a day early. Is that okay?”
“It’s perfect. Just point me to the nearest bed.” Matt was still tired. He had slept over four hours, but his body wasn’t ready to wake up yet. Slade’s eyes darkened, and Matthew swallowed. Four hours might have to be enough. When he looked around, it wasn’t a hotel he saw. “Are we staying at a mall?”
“No. But our bags are back in my car. We need clothes and essentials.”
Matthew wiped the sleep from his eyes and unbuckled. He wasn’t letting Slade out of his sight, and from the relieved look on Slade’s face, he felt the same. It didn’t take long to grab a few days’ worth of shorts and shirts, and then they were headed to the hotel.
When they were in their room, Slade put a hand on Matt’s waist. “I know you got some rest in the car, but I’m exhausted. If you don’t mind, I’d like to crash for a little while before we decide what we want to do.” Slade was giving him an out. Or a reprieve. There was no “out.” Not now. Matthew was all-in when it came to the sexy Goyle sitting beside him, but more sleep did sound heavenly, especially if it meant he got to relax in his mate’s arms for a little while.
“One bed, right?” Matt wanted Slade to know his intentions before they went inside.
“One bed.”
The valet was waiting patiently for them to get out. Since it was so late – well, early – they were the only ones in the lobby. The desk clerk paid no attention to them both being male nor their age difference. She just smiled and told them to enjoy their stay. That was a first, and Matthew was glad for it. But even if the woman hadn’t been so gracious, Matt wouldn’t have cared. He was past worrying about what anyone else thought.
Their room was luxurious, but Matt didn’t expect anything less. Not with Slade paying. He kicked off his shoes, stripped off his shirt and shorts, and crawled under the covers wearing only his briefs. Matt closed his eyes so he wouldn’t see Slade getting undressed. The bed dipped with Slade’s weight, and when he slid under the sheet, he pulled Matthew to him. Matt wrapped his arm around Slade’s waist, settling his head on Slade’s bicep. Slade pressed a soft kiss against his lips. “I’ll see you in a few hours,” Slade whispered against his mouth. Slade drew lazy circle’s on Matt’s arm, and he let the repetition lull him to sleep.
When Matt woke, it was late morning, and Slade’s side of the bed was cold. He prayed he hadn’t done something to upset the Goyle. Like rub his morning wood against his thigh.
“Good afternoon, sleepyhead,” Slade said, entering from the balcony.
“Is it?” Matt looked at the clock. Yep, it was. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. We needed rest after what we both went through.”
Matthew looked at the floor instead of at Slade. He needed to get his ap
ology out of the way before they went about their day. “Slade, I’m sorry.”
“No, Matty. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“But I do. I ran.” When Slade started to protest, Matt held up his hand. “Yes, you told me to, but I knew better. You would never hurt me. We both know that. Even if your beast had decided it was time to complete the bond, you would have found a way to be in control and made it good for me. From what Trevor said, it’s going to be good regardless.”
“You talk to Trevor about sex?”
“Well, he talked, and I listened,” Matt admitted. He wasn’t going to start their relationship off by lying. “He talked about when he and Jasper first got together. He didn’t go into detail or anything, but he needed a sounding board, and I was there. Anyway, what’s done is done. And like Tamian said, good came out of the ordeal. Another good that came from it is I realized nothing matters other than you and me being together. Not my looks. Not what people say when they see us together. You and me? We’re what matters. I want you, Slade. I want to be with you in every way possible, but I want to do it as your bonded mate. I’m ready.”
Slade didn’t move from where he was standing. As a matter of fact, he backed up a few steps and ran a hand through his already messy hair. “I… Matty, are you sure? Not about sex, but about completing the bond?”
“I’m sure.” Matt crawled out of bed, moving toward Slade. He stopped with a foot between them. “I was also thinking… I might not play basketball.”
“What? Why?” Slade held out his hand, and Matt took it. Slade led him to the patio where a carafe of coffee was waiting. Matt didn’t care what time of day it was. When he woke up, he wanted his caffeine, and he preferred coffee over sodas.
“Well, if I’m on the team, I have to live in the dorms the first year. I don’t want to live apart from you. I still plan on going to school, but we can live together if I’m just a student.”
