Victor

by Taylor Longford

  "Okay," she chuckled. "Music and cameras. I'll buy that."

  Changing the subject while I had the chance, I lifted the sapling in my free hand. "Where do you want this one?" I asked Mac.

  "Yikes!" she exclaimed, and grabbed at Valor's spade. "I don't have a hole for that one yet."

  "Nay," Valor insisted, twisting away so she couldn't reach the pointed shovel. "Your ankle isn't strong enough for spade work."

  MacKenzie had broken her ankle five months earlier and although her limp was steadily improving, Valor was right. She didn't need to be digging holes. "You need to supervise the work," I told her while she showed Valor where to place the next hole. "That way the forest will know."

  "The forest will know what?" she asked, questioning me with an amused frown as she dusted her hands together.

  "It'll know that you replanted this section of the land. And since wood is the source of your magic, it'll increase your power. The trees in Pine Grove will spread the word about you, tree by tree, across the country. Then the forest will watch out for you. And take care of you."

  "Wow," she snickered. "I didn't know you were so…spiritual."

  I didn't consider myself particularly spiritual. But before I could tell her so, a stiff breeze sprang up and swept through the tall pines that surrounded the lot. My family smiled while a billion pine needles rustled like they agreed with me.

  Our girls looked considerably less impressed and a lot more skeptical.

  "Well I hope they warn me the next time there's a mountain lion around," Mac muttered. "I still can't believe what happened to Sophie. I just wasn't expecting anything like that. I'd never seen any cats on my property or even next door in the park. I'd just stepped inside to grab some water for us. But I'd never have left Sophie on her own in the garage if I'd even suspected something like that could happen."

  "Don't blame yourself," Valor cut in before her apology could get too long. He flicked his straight black hair out of his electric blue eyes.

  "Aye, don't feel bad," I added as I crouched and placed my tree into the hole Valor had dug. We all knew she felt terrible about what had happened.

  "And don't worry," Havoc soothed her. "Hooligan and I will take care of any cats crazy enough to come around here again, bothering our girls."

  Hooligan lifted his head and gave a gruff bark, making everyone laugh.

  Even so, I couldn't help a quick glance over my shoulder to check for wild animals. But the forest was peaceful as I straightened again and leaned on the handle of my spade, thinking it was nice that we weren't looking over our shoulders for harpies. The three that had escaped from a St. Louis museum and had caused trouble for the pack were dead, the last one hauled away by Federal Agent Simpson for experimentation purposes. We were free men. Or at least free gargoyles. It was a good feeling.

  "What does your sister drive?" I called out to Torrie as I watched the road below. Reason and Elaina had brought Chaos and Torrie up with them from Boulder that morning but were planning to spend the weekend in Pine Grove and Torrie had to be home by five. So she'd arranged for Samantha to pick her up.

  "A silver Toyota," Torrie answered.

  "I think she just missed the lot," I said, resting my spade against a tree and heading through the stumps that littered the slope like roughly hewn tombstones. "I'll go down to the road and flag her the next time she passes by."

  "Need any help?" Havoc immediately offered.

  I shook my head. If there was a nice lass around, naturally Havoc would want to be there, especially if he thought one of us was interested in her. He lived for yanking our chains. "Nay," I threw back over my shoulder, forcing a casual note into my voice as I turned my footsteps downhill. "I've got this."

  A few seconds later I was standing in the middle of the gravel road, raking my fingers back through my hair. I didn't know why I was so nervous. I certainly knew how to handle lasses. And Samantha was just a lass like any other lass.

  Except that was a lie. Because there was something about Samantha Evans that was different. I didn't know exactly what made her different. I just knew that there was a deep, vibrant spark burning inside her and I was drawn to it with an irresistible force. I noticed it the first time I met her. We'd arranged a rendezvous with Torrie at the bowling alley to learn more about Chaos, who was missing at the time. And Samantha had chaperoned her because her father kept her younger sister on a tight leash.

  It was more than the pure kindness that shone through in her obvious inner beauty. It was her grace, both in the way she moved and the way she acted, the things she said. It was clear that she hadn't been interested in my attempts to charm her but she maintained her elegance and compassion during the entire afternoon.

  I knew she was smart; she was studying veterinary science. And I knew she was attractive to humans as well as gargoyles like me. And she had a lot more confidence than her sister. I knew she'd never be nasty or mean, even when under attack. But I was certain that spark would flare up when she needed it, giving her the strength to face adversity; nobody would ever "walk all over" Samantha Evans. She'd fight back, but she'd fight back with dignity.

  Then after we'd finished bowling and were turning in our shoes, Samantha noticed a small boy who looked a little lost and upset. He wasn't crying, not yet. But he looked like he was getting close as he stood in front of an empty lane and searched the area, a small bag of potato chips clutched in his fingers. Samantha realized he must have gotten turned around after visiting the snack bar, and correctly located his family at the opposite end of the bowling alley. Taking his hand, she led him back to his folks.

  And for the first time in my life, I found myself interested in a girl.

  "Just interested," I reminded myself in a low breath. "That's all it is." Of course, my sharp ears allowed me to track the car's approach from a long way off. And as I heard it draw close, I tried to look casual, hooking my thumb through the belt loop on the front of my jeans as I stood on the side of the road.

  The small silver car appeared at the top of the hill then slowed down and coasted to a stop beside me. As the dust settled, I walked around to the driver's side while Samantha rolled down her window.

  "You found us," I said, flashing her a smile that I hoped put her at ease. Because she looked a little anxious as her gaze locked on my eyes. I pointed at the driveway. "That's our place. Can I ride up with you?"

  "Sure," she answered after the slightest hesitation.

  So I sauntered around to the other side of the car and got in, pleased to have come up with way to spend a few minutes alone with her. Torrie must have been the last one to sit in the passenger seat because there wasn't room for my legs. My knees were almost touching my chin.

  "That…looks uncomfortable," she pointed out.

  "It is, a little," I admitted, smiling at her as I fumbled at my side for the release lever that would push the seat back. "But we don't have far to go."

  "Here, let me," she offered, reaching across me to help with the lever.

  "Nay, I've got it," I tried to tell her but not soon enough.

  Then she was leaning across me, her arm scorching a path across my chest, her fingers teasing across my wrist momentarily before gliding over my knuckles and reaching the lever.

  Her touch on the thick skin covering my barbs almost did me in. I gasped as the seat exploded backward and my legs found room in the small car.

  "Are…you okay?" she asked, eyeing me with a curious frown while a thick ache pulsed beneath my knuckles.

  I sucked in a sharp breath and stared back at her in a mild state of shock. In all my years of romancing girls and women, I'd never reacted that way to a lass. I'd always been the master of control. Never once had my barbs tried to make an appearance, even during particularly heated moments.

  Now, at nothing more than a casual touch through a thick leather glove, they were trying to burst from beneath my knuckles in an urgent bid to mark the beautiful young woman beside me. Nothing like that had ever happene
d to me before. Seriously, I felt like a kid who'd just come of age. "Aye," I panted, and rubbed my palm over my fist as I stared down at my gloved hands. "Aye. What about you?"

  "I'm fine," she answered, although there was a slight tremor in her laughter. "Why wouldn't I be?"

  Aye, why wouldn't she be? Just because I'd experienced a life-altering reaction when she touched me, my body ready to internally combust, it didn't mean that she'd felt anything out of the ordinary. Still, it was hard for me to accept that what I was going through was entirely one-sided. Surely she'd felt something.

  Pressing my lips together in a flat line, I turned my head and tuned my ears for a surge in her heartbeat as I looked out the side window. Any increase that would suggest that she was excited. Unfortunately, my own heartbeat was hammering in my ears and obliterating all other sound within a hundred yards.

  I pointed to the driveway again then leaned back and let out a long breath as I slanted a quick look at her delicate profile, her short straight nose and lush pink mouth. Her thickly lashed eyes were an exotic mixture of green and brown radiating from dark centers like mysterious starbursts. I wanted to connect with that dark spark that smoldered deep in her eyes. I wanted to reach out and thread my fingers into the shiny fall of brown hair that spilled over her shoulders in thick waves of rich color, hungry to feel those glossy strands sliding between my fingers.

  But I wasn't paying attention. And while I was caught in the web of my private fantasy, Sam parked at the top of the driveway and opened her door before I could get it for her. So I had some catching up to do as I climbed from the car and strode to her side. "We're replanting the forest," I explained and rested my hand on her lower back, steering her toward the rest of the pack.

  I was playing with fire, touching her again, but I was hoping the gloves would provide some protection. They didn't. A heavy wave of pain ripped through my knuckles with such unexpected force that I had to suck in my cheeks to stop from moaning. But before the sweet agony could grow into anything more intense, Samantha quickened her pace and swiftly put about a yard between us.

  I frowned at her back, breathing hard and feeling the sting of her silent rejection as I followed her across the lot where a new growth of grass was springing up underfoot. Hanging back with my arms crossed over my chest, I watched her face as she exchanged greetings with the pack, Defiance introducing her to Whitney who hadn't been at the bowling alley when the rest of us had originally met her.

  Of course, Havoc managed to slide up next to her, charming her with his ready smile and easy manner. Grinning, he offered her a bouquet of pine saplings bundled together with a length of orange survey tape that he'd tied in a bow. It was almost worth putting up with his lame antics and overt flirting to see her smile. At the same time, my fingernails were digging into my palms and I was so ready to kill him.

  "They're lovely," she murmured, leaning over and sniffing the green bouquet with its prickly needles while chunks of soil broke away from the bare roots to splatter on Havoc's purple high tops.

  "I didn't have time to write a card," he apologized.

  She lifted an eyebrow, pretending to be disappointed. "What would the card have said?"

  "Pining for you," he answered with a quick grin.

  I wanted to tell him he was barking up the wrong tree. But I didn't want to stoop to his level of bad punnery. Then Samantha started laughing and I forgot about all that, staring at her lips while the sound of her amusement rang through the forest.

  Still laughing, she turned to her sister. "Are you ready to go, Tor?"

  "But you only just got here," I cut in. "And it's been months since we've seen you. Won't you come inside for a few minutes?" I gave Havoc a sharp look, hoping he'd help out.

  "We could make some tea," Havoc offered, catching on quickly. "And I did some baking this morning."

  "Rose hip buns," I added smoothly. "They're Torrie's favorites."

  "Sorry," she apologized, throwing a smile over her shoulder as she moved back toward the driveway where her car was parked. "But I have a lot of papers due this week."

  A slight frown creased my brow. I knew the end of the school year wasn't far off, but Reason and Elaina weren't too busy for a visit. Still, Samantha was studying veterinary science and I figured that might be more difficult than the art degree Reason and Elaina were going for. "Well, maybe the next time I'm in Boulder, we could get together with your sister and the others for some Chinese food," I suggested as I kept pace beside her.

  "Sorry," she repeated without seeming to even consider the idea. "But when I'm finished with these papers, I have to study for finals."

  "Well, maybe when finals are out of the way?" I persisted gently but stubbornly.

  She stopped at her car and turned to face me, looking over my shoulder to make sure Torrie and Chaos were following but not close enough to hear her next words. Of course, she didn't know that my entire family would hear what she said next. "I'm sorry, Victor, but I'm just not interested."

  "Not interested?" I echoed, more than a little surprised. I'd never met a lass who wasn't interested in me. It didn't seem possible. And I didn't want it to be possible. Not now that I'd finally found someone I was interested in. "Why not?" I challenged her with a casual smile.

  She opened the car door and shrugged as she slipped into the driver's seat. "I'm sure you're a nice person, Victor. But you're just not the right guy for me."

  "How do you know I'm not the right guy?" I asked mildly, closing her inside while Chaos and Torrie slid into the back seat.

  "Believe me," she answered through the open window, her voice low. "I know. I've gone out with guys like you before."

  That was hard to believe. I was a gargoyle, recently arrived from thirteenth century England. I leaned down until my nose was inches from her face and said, "Trust me, Sam. You've never met anyone like me."

  But challenging her might have been a mistake. Because she stepped on the gas and I had to move fast to get out of the way. And as the car accelerated down the driveway, the tires spitting gravel, I saw Chaos turn and give me a thumbs-up through the back window. It was nice to know he was on my side, but it didn't do much to soothe my bruised ego.

  The pack moved up around me, the girls waving at Chaos and Torrie.

  "She's not one for long goodbyes, is she?" Defiance commented, his eyes narrowing as he watched the car.

  "Nay," I agreed. I yanked on the fingers of my gloves and peeled them off my hands, slapping them against my thigh as I watched the car disappear around the bend. Several of the girls gasped and I turned my gaze in the direction of the pack, surprised to find everyone staring at me.

  "Man, you've really got it bad don't you?" Havoc snickered as he sauntered to my side.

  "What are you talking about?" I growled.

  He pointed downward and I followed his gaze.

  Unfortunately, my leather work gloves had filled with venom. Shocked, I frowned down at the blue stuff splattered down the leg of my gray jeans. "But…she's just a girl," I told myself. Too late, I realized I'd said it out loud.

  MacKenzie snickered. "Who do you think you're kidding, Victor? She's not just a girl. She's the girl."

  I lifted my head slowly and searched her face. Her words sounded vaguely familiar, like I might actually have been the author of them in some previous lifetime. "What do you mean?"

  MacKenzie's brown eyes glittered with amusement as she lifted a finger and pointed at me. "You're in love, Victor."

  "That's ridiculous," I scoffed. "I hardly know Samantha."

  One of her dark eyebrows lifted as she eyed the bright blue stains on my jeans. "Yeah, well, Valor hardly knew me when he started having leakage issues."

  "You're in love," Valor agreed, and rubbed a hand over his mouth to hide his smile.

  Havoc elbowed me. "Suck it up, big guy."

  MacKenzie gazed thoughtfully down the driveway. "Now the question is…what are you gonna do about it?"

  "What can I do about i
t?" I muttered after a few seconds of dark reflection. "She doesn't like me."

  "That's…hard to believe," Elaina said slowly.

  "I know, right? What's wrong with me?" I asked, lifting my hands from my sides as I searched the faces of my pack.

  Elaina shook her head. "She's gotta be nuts."

  "Crazy," Whitney agreed.

  "Stark barking mad," MacKenzie added. "Even if she is Torrie's sister."

  "Torrie," I murmured, and stalked toward Valor. "Give me your phone," I growled and started a quick text as soon as the cell was in my hand.

  "What are you doing?" Mac asked, peering curiously around my side.

  I jerked my chin up and frowned at her. "How do you spell 'wrong'?" I demanded impatiently.

  "Here, let me," she laughed and stuck out her hand for the phone. And after I gave the cell to her, she sent Torrie a text. "What's wrong with Victor?" she asked. "Doesn't Sam like him?"

  Torrie answered within a few seconds and we all crowded around MacKenzie while she read the answer out loud. "Sorry about that," the text read. "But Victor's just too good looking for my sister."

  Chapter Two

  So that was definitely a setback but I wasn't ready to give up. "I'll just have to be not so good looking," I decided.

  "That's not going to work," the girls all chimed in at once. "You've got too much of a head start."

  "Well, what would help?" I asked, determined to do something.

  Elaina gave me a long, speculative once-over. "Well, for starters, you could try cutting your hair. It's way distracting with all those different shades of gold going on."

  "My hair?"

  "Yeah," she answered, then hesitated and gave the rest of the girls a doubtful look. "Except that you might actually look better with short hair."

  I reached up and scraped my hair away from my face. "What do you think?"

  Elaina shared a frown with the other girls.

  "I think we'd have to take a vote," MacKenzie murmured.

  "I like it better short," Whitney sighed.