Frey (2 page)

She fully expected Troy to burst through the
door at any moment. He was yelling crazy stuff to Brandon. Why had
Brandon waited so long to notice her? She’d had a crush on the
hottest boy in school since they were in fourth grade. Of course,
the captain of the football team only dated the head cheerleader,
not some nerdy dancer. Troy was good looking, but his attitude left
something to be desired. She tried to break things off with him
several times, but he would lose his shit, threatening Abbi if she
didn’t take him back.

The yelling continued out in the hall, and
all Abbi could do was wait it out and pray her dad or some other
adult would come rescue her. Hopefully, Troy would give up and go
on home. She hadn’t seen her parents in the crowd earlier, but
surely they had arrived by now. They never missed her shows.
Never.

The door opened and her dance teacher, Miss
Kelly, came in. “Abbi, you need to come with me, sweetheart.
Something’s happened.”

She stood up, wiping her eyes. “I promise
what Troy said isn’t true! I’m not pregnant!” She started crying
again.

Miss Kelly frowned at her. “Abbi, I have no
idea what you’re talking about, but you need to come with me. Your
parents were in a car accident. I need to take you to the
hospital.”

“
What? No. That can’t be
right. Miss Kelly…”

Her teacher and mentor wouldn’t give her any
details. The silent trip to the hospital was the longest ride of
her life. When they arrived, Abbi knew something was wrong. Her
aunt Judy was standing off to the side of the waiting room. To say
Abbi’s mother and her younger sister didn’t get along was an
understatement. For Judy to be there waiting…

The adults who were whispering loudly
stopped talking when she entered the room. The hairs on her arms
stood on end. Her little brother Matthew was sitting quietly. He
never sat quietly. He rarely sat, period. It was all their parents
could do to get him to sit down long enough to eat supper. “What’s
going on?” Abbi asked no one in particular.

Miss Kelly took Abbi’s
hands in hers as she explained, “Abbi, I’m so sorry. Your parents
didn’t make it.” Miss Kelly didn’t go into the sordid details of
the wreck. Or maybe she did.
Her parents
didn’t make it?
Abbi’s brain was foggy. It
felt as if someone had stuffed cotton in her head.
My parents are dead?

“
The doctors did
everything they could for your mother. Your father died on impact.
It appears the brakes gave out.” Miss Kelly was still talking, but
Abbi wasn’t computing it. Not really. How could she and Matt go on
without their parents? Who would take care of them? Abbi’s life was
over.

“
If you were already
eighteen, you could declare yourself Matthew’s legal guardian.
Since your birthday isn’t for another few months, your aunt is
going to step in and take care of you,” Miss Kelly stated, rubbing
her hand up and down Abbi’s arm.

Her aunt? Judy was going
to be their guardian?
She was wrong
before.
Now
her
life was well and truly over.

Chapter One

Present Day 2047

Geoffrey Hartley was standing at the counter
of Lion Hart Dojo when the front door flew open. A furious young
man sporting a black eye stomped into the gym. Frey didn’t hesitate
to ask, “What can we do for you, Son?”

That was obviously the wrong thing to say.
“I’m not your son!” The young man was pacing like a caged animal,
ready to escape his confines and rip his captor to shreds.

“
No, you aren’t. I
apologize if I offended you. I don’t know your name, so I cannot
address you properly. Let’s try this again. What can we do for
you?”

“
Matt.” The teenager
stopped pacing and stood in front of Frey, sliding his hands in the
pockets of his blood spattered jeans. “Name’s Matt.”

“
Okay, Matt. I’m Geoffrey.
Why don’t you come to the back with me so we can get your face
cleaned up a bit?”

Matt hesitated, taking in all that was Frey.
Being the largest of the Gargoyles in New Atlanta, he would
intimidate anyone, especially a wiry teen who just had his face
pummeled.

“
Look, Matt. You came here
for a reason. Wanna tell me why you’re here, besides the obvious?”
Frey had been in this spot too many times to count. There comes a
breaking point in everyone’s life. You either find yourself and
grow, or you lose yourself and wither away. Matt was ready to take
charge of his destiny.

“
I want to learn to
fight.” Matt was back to pacing the small area in front of the
counter.

“
Why?” This might seem
like a stupid question, but it wasn’t. The reason someone wanted to
learn was the most important thing Frey could ask.

“
Why? Look at my fuckin’
face, man. That’s why.”

“
Let me rephrase the
question then. Do you want to learn to fight so you can beat the
shit out of whoever did this to you? Or do you want to be able to
defend yourself next time?”

Matt stopped pacing. “Is there a
difference?”

“
There’s a big difference.
If you only want revenge, then you’ve come to the wrong place. If
you want to be able to defend yourself, train, grow physically and
spiritually, then you’re in the right place.”

“
I want to protect my
sister,” Matt almost whispered.

“
Who are you protecting
her from? The same one that did that to you?” Frey asked while
pointing to the bloody nose and black eye. The teen nodded, looking
at his shoes.

“
Have you been to the
police?” Frey had seen too many domestic cases come through the
door. Their women’s self-defense class stayed full.

“
He
is
the police,” Matt seethed through
his teeth.

Fuck.
Frey hadn’t been expecting that. “Let me guess, he’s your
father?”

“
Fuck no. Her
husband.”

Frey needed to better understand the
situation. “I tell you what, let’s go in the back and get your face
cleaned up. How old are you?” This time Frey didn’t give Matt a
chance to refuse; he turned and headed to the locker room.

“
Seventeen.” The voice was
directly behind him, so Matt was following.

Frey removed a first aid kit from the shelf,
and once he got the blood cleaned off the kid’s face, he placed a
small bandage over the cut below his eye. He found a spare t-shirt
and offered it to Matt. The interaction had given the young man
time to calm down and Frey time to assess his mood.

“
Now, if you are serious
about training, I’m going to need your parents’ consent since you
aren’t eighteen yet. Just get your mom or dad to come sign the
forms, and we’ll get you started.”

“
I don’t have any parents;
my sister is my guardian. Will that work?” Matt still wouldn’t look
into Frey’s eyes.

“
The sister whose husband
did this?” Frey was ready to lay into the woman who would allow her
husband to do this to her brother. Then again, she was probably
getting the same treatment. He needed to find out the cop’s name
and get Jasper and Dane to check him out.

Again, Matt just nodded, moving his weight
from one foot to the other.

“
Yes, if she’s your legal
guardian, that’s just as good. When can she come in? I’m assuming
you want to get started as soon as possible.”

Matt looked at Frey then, “Yes, sir, I do,
but I’ll have to wait ‘til she gets out of her class to ask
her.”

At least he had manners, something Frey
wouldn’t have to teach him. “Okay then. As soon as your sister
signs the consent form, you can get started. I’m going to warn you,
I expect you to listen to what I teach you and do what I tell you
to, no matter how odd it may seem. I’m going to be tough on you.
Can you handle that?”

“
Yes, sir.”

“
Come on, I’ll show you
around.” Geoffrey walked Matt through the dojo and the gym,
explaining the different types of classes they offered. When Frey
first opened the place, it was basically a boxing gym. As mixed
martial arts became more popular, he expanded training to include
Muay Thai as well as other forms of martial arts. Frey was a master
in every discipline he studied, holding the highest color belt
offered in each. Being a Gargoyle meant he was much stronger than
humans. He had to call on his shifter abilities to keep his power
in check. It was the reason he was one of the best in the world.
His discipline surpassed his strength.

Being afternoon, there were several rooms in
the dojo being used. Matt was able to see the different forms being
taught. “Why is it so quiet in here?” he asked Frey once they
finished their tour.

“
That is part of the
discipline. When you work on your form, you need to concentrate.
Open your mind, close your mouth. When you fight, you will use your
voice and your core to help in strikes and kicks. Does that make
sense?” Frey was strict when it came to the way his students were
taught. He learned many years ago that the mind is the most
powerful weapon, much more so than fists.

“
I guess. So, which one of
those are you going to teach me first?”

“
None. You will learn
meditation first.” Frey knew the reaction before it happened. It
was the same response everyone had when he told them they would be
sitting quietly in the lotus position.

“
I don’t get it. I thought
you were going to teach me how to fight.” Matt was frowning, but he
wasn’t being disrespectful. He was shifting from foot to foot, as
if he was ready to bolt.

“
I am. Remember, I just
said you have to open your mind in the ring. You must learn how to
properly do that. Believe me, it’s harder than you think. When was
the last time you sat and concentrated on nothing?” Over the years,
Geoffrey had taught all his brothers and cousins the art of
meditation.

“
Honestly, I don’t sit.
Drives Abbi crazy. My parents used to call me Bean. You know, after
those Mexican jumping beans? It’s probably why I can eat what I
want and not gain weight. I can’t sit still.”

That explained his constant moving. Frey
asked, “Do you play sports?”

“
I played basketball when
I was younger, but now I have to work. Abbi does the best she can,
but I don’t ask her for anything if I can help it.”

“
Is Abbi your
sister?”

“
Yes, sir.”

“
I tell you what, why
don’t we get you signed up? That way when Abbi does give
permission, you can start right away.” The kid would have to list
his sister’s name on the paperwork, and he could figure out the
husband’s name from there. He took Matt to the front, grabbed a
clipboard and sign-up sheet. Matt sat quietly filling out the form,
his knee bouncing the whole time. He hadn’t been
kidding.

When Matt finished, Frey took the clipboard
and said, “We’ll let you try things out for a week, see what you
think. If you’re still interested, we’ll discuss payment at that
time. For now, just have your sister come sign the consent form,
and you’ll be good to go.”

“
Thank you, I will.” Matt
reached out his hand and Frey carefully shook it.

“
I’ll see you
soon.”

The kid’s demeanor was totally different
leaving than it had been coming. Now he seemed hopeful. Frey’s eyes
followed Matt until he was out of sight. He picked up the clipboard
and scanned over the information. The address had them living not
too far away from the high school. The area was filled with lower
income families, mostly those who worked blue collar jobs.

Frey continued looking at the form until he
came upon the sister’s name. Abbi Quinn. Hopefully there wasn’t
more than one Quinn working on the police force. He knew better
than to get involved personally, but he was a sucker for the
underdog. And when that underdog was a skinny kid? Frey was
hooked.

Most nights, the gym was going full force
until around midnight. Since Frey didn’t have much of a life
outside his gym and patrolling for Unholy, he stayed late just to
be around people. Being only a couple of years younger than Rafael,
Frey was one of the oldest in their Clan. He had spent his life
protecting others, reinventing himself every so often so he could
reenlist in the military. Having Julian as a brother helped when he
needed a new identity.

Frey might be the largest, fiercest Gargoyle
in their Clan, but he loved humans. He’d spent over five hundred
years living among them, interacting with them, learning their
ways. To him, there was very little difference in humans and
Gargoyles. Both wanted love and acceptance. Both had good and evil.
Each had those who were leaders and followers. There were those who
wanted complete control over the lives of those around them. Frey
was a born leader, but he would follow Rafael to the ends of the
earth. He loved his King, but more than that, he loved his cousin.
Being two years apart, they had been raised together. Even though
they had different parents, Rafael was more like a brother.

Wanting to speak with Kaya before it got too
late, Frey left Urijah in charge and headed out early. He arrived
to an eerily dark manor. He really should have called first, but it
was the middle of the week. Even if Rafe and Kaya weren’t home,
Jonathan and Priscilla should be there. Frey parked his Jeep and
shut the engine off. He reached out with his shifter senses.
Nothing. That was more than odd. He dialed the house phone first.
No answer. Frey couldn’t remember the last time both of the
siblings had gone out at the same time. It was usually Priscilla
who remained behind. Now that they were getting on in age, neither
of them left the manor often. Next he called Rafael.