Frey (44 page)

The little girl in his arms was quiet, her
body going slack. Her soft, sleeping breaths were puffing against
his skin. Frey had always wanted children. Even when he was flying
a helicopter in the worst parts of the world, seeing humans
decimate each other, his mind was never far from the future family
he secretly dreamed of. Back then, it had been nothing but a
fantasy. Females were nearly extinct, and the chance at finding a
mate was dwindling closer to zero. Still, he longed to have a
female to share his life with, fill his home with children. The
fates, it seemed, had other ideas for him.

When Abbi came out of her coma, he would
allow her all the time she needed to fall in love with him. If she
never did, he would live with it, but the little girl in his arms
was his. He had already called Victoria and put the paperwork in
motion. Even if relatives of the mother were found, Frey was going
to make it worth their while to allow him to adopt Amelia. Abbi
might hate him for keeping Troy’s child. She might not be able to
handle being around such a harsh reminder of her husband’s
infidelity, but it was something he had to do.

Matthew came into the room, quietly leaning
against the wall as he stared at his sister. Frey loved the boy;
not because he was Abbi’s brother, but because of what type of
person he was. He might still be a teen, but the person inside the
young body had the heart of a good man. He had wanted to protect
his sister against someone older, tougher, and meaner. He didn’t
let his age or size stop him from trying. Frey respected the hell
out of the kid. He would love to adopt him too, but since he was
older, Frey would simply remain in his life as a father figure and
provide for him as if he were his own son.

They had spoken about all the things Matt
had seen when they rescued Abbi. He had promised he would show Matt
the truth of the Gargoyles, he just thought it would have been in a
planned setting. The kid took it all in stride and listened
intently when Frey told him about the Clan. From what Dante told
Frey, Trevor was having a harder time with the truth. Not because
of what they were, but because Jasper hadn’t told him. Jasper was
still on administrative leave which was a blessing for Frey. He had
saved Matthew’s life, and Frey was indebted to him. While Frey was
at the hospital with Abbi, he trusted no one more with Matthew’s
well-being than Jasper.

Matthew pushed off the wall and came to
stand on the other side of Abbi’s bed. “Any change?” he
whispered.

“
Not yet. We have to keep
talking to her and encouraging her.”

“
Can… I know you don’t
want to leave her, but can I have a minute alone with her? I have
something I need to tell her.” Matthew’s voice cracked as he looked
down. Frey could see the tears rolling down his cheeks.

“
Of course. I’ll be right
outside.” Frey stood with Amelia in his arms and stepped into the
hallway.

Frey didn’t use his enhanced hearing to
listen in on their private conversation. Whatever Matthew needed to
say was between him and his sister. Instead, Frey focused on the
little girl in his arms. He could envision her in Abbi’s dance
studio, wearing a little pink tutu, twirling in circles while
giggling. At least he hoped the child could overcome her trauma and
one day laugh again. The way Troy had used Amelia set Frey’s soul
on fire. If he could dive into the human’s hell, he would go after
Troy Quinn and rip the motherfucker to shreds.

“
Frey, get in here!”
Matthew yelled. Isabelle ran out of the waiting area and took the
sleeping child from his arms.

He hurried into Abbi’s room. The beautiful
sight before him came close to knocking him to his knees. Abbi was
awake and smiling at him.

Chapter Forty

Abbi’s heart hurt. She was the one who
failed Matty, yet here he was pouring his heart out to her. He told
her everything that happened from the time the helicopter landed up
until this moment. At first, she thought she was dead. Her eyes had
flickered momentarily, and she’d seen Matthew standing by her bed.
She was in the hospital, and she was in a whole lot of pain. Pain
that radiated from her heart. Didn’t they give patients morphine or
something? Maybe she had been given drugs, because she had heard
Frey say he loved her. Now, Matty was going on about how much he
missed her and needed her. He told her she’d been a great mom to
him, but now there was a little girl who needed a mother. As much
as he wanted her to come back for him and for Frey, if she couldn’t
do it for them, could she please come back for Amelia.

Troy was dead. He would never bother either
one of them again. It was time to start healing for both of them.
Time to put the past behind them, and look to the future. With Frey
in their lives, the future looked really good. Matthew loved Frey
and wanted them all to be a family. Not just for his sake, but for
all their sakes. Frey loved Abbi and needed her.

God, she loved her brother. She could do
this. She could wake up for him, for Amelia, and for Frey. And yes,
she would wake up for herself, too. She willed her eyes to open.
The lights weren’t too bright, so after a few blinks, she was awake
and focused on the beautiful, bruised face of her sunshine.
“Matty.”

“
Frey, get in here!” he
yelled. Ouch, that hurt. “Oh, god, Abs, oh god…” Matthew leaned his
head on the side of her bed and wept. She reached her hand out and
ran it through his hair.

Abbi was aware of Frey before she saw him.
Her big, strong man. Her savior. She smiled at him, “You bit me,”
she whispered. Matthew’s head popped up, and he looked from Abbi to
Frey.

“
I’ll just leave you two
alone,” he said, blushing. Abbi wondered what that was
about.

“
What exactly do you
remember?” Frey asked as he sat on the bed next to her leg, taking
her hand in his.

“
I was at Debbie’s and
Troy…” Abbi couldn’t say the words. Not to Frey. She turned her
head and let the tears fall.

“
Hey, look at me.” Frey
touched his index finger to her chin and gently directed her face
back to his. “You don’t have to tell me what you went through. I
already know. I’m not talking about that, anyway. I want to know
what you remember about me.” He brushed the tears off her cheek and
placed kisses where his thumbs had wiped.

“
You can fly. I was
falling but you caught me. And you bit me. Is what Matthew said
true? Are you special?”

Frey nodded. “I don’t know about special,
but I am different.”

Abbi knew she’d seen fangs. “I knew it!”

Frey laughed, “What did you know?”

“
I saw your fangs. When
you had your nightmare, then again when we made love. I thought it
was stress playing tricks on my mind, but I saw them, didn’t I? Can
I see them now?” She was curious as to how he looked with
them.

Frey picked up her hand and kissed her
knuckles. When he lowered her hand away from his face, two sharp
fangs protruded over his bottom lip. Abbi reached out to touch
them. “Careful, Sweetheart. They’re really sharp.” Abbi tentatively
touched one, making sure they were real. Before she realized it,
they disappeared into his gums.

“
What else is special? I
want to see it all. The real you. That is the real you, isn’t it?”
Abbi wanted to see Frey for what he really was. The medicine was
probably giving her a little extra courage.

“
Abbi, can it wait until
we’re home? I promise, I’ll show you everything when you’re
stronger,” he said wiggling his eyebrows. She laughed even though
it hurt her face. “Seriously, though, there are things we need to
talk about. Things that you probably aren’t ready for.”

“
Frey, do you love me?”
Abbi blurted out the only thing she needed to know.

“
I do, Sweetheart. I know
it’s soon, but I love you with everything I am.”

“
That’s all I need to
know.” She reached out, grabbing the front of his shirt and drew
him in for a kiss. “Ouch,” she said as their lips touched. “Oh my
god, my face! Frey, how can you look at me?” She covered her face
with her hands.

He pulled her hands away and kissed her on
the forehead. It must be the only spot that wasn’t bruised.
“Because you’re beautiful. Always beautiful.”

“
Mr. Frey!” Amelia’s
little voice came from the door. A woman Abbi didn’t know was
holding the girl’s hand.

“
Come here, Little One.”
Frey held his arms open, and Amelia ran to him. He picked her up
and kissed her cheek. “Look who’s awake.”

The little girl blinked at Abbi. To be
seven, she seemed much younger. Her eyes welled up with tears and
she whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Frey shushed her, “I told you, nothing is
your fault. Abbi’s going to be just fine. Her face looks a little
funny now, just like Matthew’s, right?” Amelia looked from Frey to
Abbi and nodded. “She’s going to come home in a few days, and you
two will be dancing together before you know it.”

Abbi’s heart soared. Frey loved her, and he
obviously loved Amelia. That poor child. Her mother was dead. Abbi
didn’t want to think what would happen to her. If Abbi was in a
better place financially, she’d adopt her.

“
Is she going to come home
with us? I want her to live in your big house, too.”

Abbi was stunned. “Frey, what’s going
on?”

He didn’t answer. He motioned for the woman
standing in the door. “Amelia, can you go with Isabelle so I can
talk to Abbi?” The little girl hugged his neck, and he put her
down. She stopped at the door and turned back, “I love you, Miss
Quinn.”

“
I love you, too, Sweet
Pea.”

Frey’s brow dipped between his eyes.
Whatever he was going to say was serious. “I’m adopting Amelia. I
probably should have waited and talked to you about it, but I
couldn’t wait. I needed to put the process in motion before the
state came in and took her away. Abbi, I’m sorry if that bothers
you. I know she’s Troy’s kid, and she’ll be a reminder of what kind
of man he was every time you look at her. But she needs a good
home, someone to love her and show her what a real family is. I
want to give her that.”

“
Geoffrey Hartley, I love
you.”

“
If it bothers you… wait,
what did you say?”

“
I said I love you. Yes,
Troy brought her into the world, but instead of being a painful
reminder, seeing her with you every day will be a loving reminder
of how there are good men in the world.”

“
Every day? Does that mean
you want me?”

“
Yes. You saved my life,
in more ways than one. Since I can’t adopt her myself, I’d love to
be part of your daughter’s life.”

“
How about if we adopt her
together? Are you willing to accept me for the different kind of
male I am and be tied to me forever?”

The tether connecting them not only drew
their souls together, but it tied itself in a knot she knew would
never come undone. Abbi whispered, “Forever.”

Things around Frey’s house got back to
normal. Not the previous normal he’d endured for almost six hundred
years of living alone, but the normal of having a family and
friends around constantly. Abbi came home from the hospital and
immediately moved into Frey’s bedroom. She had some bad days when
the memory of the rape and Debbie’s death wouldn’t leave her mind
alone. She joined a support group full of those who had been
through the same type of trauma she had.

Matthew’s injuries healed, and he began
working at the gym. Sixx helped him study for his SAT’s which he
passed with almost flying colors. Amelia settled into her new home,
and after a few days, began to smile. She and Connor had play dates
on the weekend. Even though the little boy was borderline genius,
he absolutely adored Amelia and doted on her like crazy. He was
teaching her to draw, and in her own cute way, she was teaching him
to dance.

With Troy dead, all his assets were turned
over to Abbi. He’d had several bank accounts where he’d stashed
money over the years. The amount of cash was close to two-hundred
thousand dollars. Since they were still officially married, it all
went to Abbi. Sixx invested the cash for both Matthew’s and
Amelia’s college fund. Abbi refused to step foot in her old house,
so Frey hired a crew to go in, clean it out, and give all the
belongings to charity. Abbi wanted absolutely nothing that reminded
her of Troy with the exception of Amelia.

The car he had driven to the train yard
belonged to his fellow officer, Grady Pine. Grady confessed that he
arrived at the community center just as Troy abducted Abbi and
texted him when the coast was clear. He was now on the other side
of the badge, having been arrested for accessory to attempted
murder. Being in lock-up at the Pen meant he might have been on the
receiving end of an irate Goyle or two.