When A Gargoyle Flies (Gargoyles Book 3) (9 page)

Chapter Sixteen

Chris looked up as he heard someone coming, the telltale claws confirming it was a gargoyle.  He let out a long breath and sank back into his chair as Twenty-Six sashayed into the room.  She started impatiently sifting through piles of books.

“What are you looking for?” sighed Gracchus as she started grumbling.

“My magazines.”

“If you mean those garish publications filled with nonsense and gossip, I threw them away.”

Twenty-Six bared her teeth, and she put her hands on her hips as her wings flapped menacingly behind her.  “You better not have.”

Gracchus gave her a grim smile, and her eyes narrowed.  He chuckled.  “No, I did not, but I probably should have.  Look in the library, although while you are there, perhaps you can find something more interesting to read.”

Twenty-Six stuck out her tongue and flounced away, tail whipping behind her.

Chris looked at his watch again.  “Any idea how much longer he’s going to be?”

“Gargoyles aren’t much for timekeeping,” Gracchus said, rubbing his jaw and eyeing the timepiece on Chris’ wrist.  “Although I can see how it would be useful.”

“I have a spare watch at home.  You can have it.”

“Yes, I believe I would like that.”

Gracchus carefully flipped through the local newspaper Chris brought for him.  The male gargoyle while not that big on reading, was interested in news and finding out what humans considered important.  He was grateful for the selection of newspapers Chris occasionally brought him.

Chris held his breath as he heard the distinctive claws again.  His eyes sought the entrance, and he deflated as one of the new gargoyles, Lief appeared.  The male caught his eye and looked away almost guiltily before scurrying away.  He thought nothing of the male’s behavior.  Lief was probably unused to humans.  Despite fighting alongside humans, the two species did not appear to be very integrated.

He stood and started pacing.  Chris didn’t much care for being summoned by Luc – who did not particularly like phones and preferred to speak in person.  But he came, and he was not relishing being made to sit and wait for Luc to appear and tell him what the hell he wanted now.  All the while he was jumping at every noise, expecting to see Annis at any moment.  Part of him was excited at the prospect.  The other dreaded it.  It had been hard enough to tear himself away from her huge, sad eyes last time.  If she looked at him like that again, he wasn’t sure what he’d do.

When Luc finally arrived after what felt like an age – but was actually more like five minutes – he was tugging Kylie with him.  A huge arm encircled her waist, with a large, clawed hand resting on her waist.  She was tucked against his body in such an intimate way that Chris almost felt like an intruder for seeing them like this.  Seeing Kylie and Luc together stirred up something strange inside him.  He realized it was the first time he had really witnessed a moment of intimacy between a human and a gargoyle.  He had seen Ric and Brenda hug, but then that had not seemed much more tender than when Brenda hugged Kylie – and he certainly did not want to see Brenda doing anything more intimate. 

Distracted by his mate, it took Luc a few moments to notice Chris.  When he did, he let out a perfunctory growl and tried to shield Kylie with his wings.

Kylie in turn chuckled and smiled at Chris.  “You got here quickly.”

Chris folded his arms, feeling a wave of peevishness.  “I’m pretty busy right now; I don’t have time to spare.”  A barefaced lie.  He was technically on call, but his plans involved vegging in front of the TV with a six-pack of root beer and an extra-large pizza.

Luc grunted in acknowledgment while Kylie deflated a little.  “Then you’re probably not going to be able to help us.”

Chris cocked his head.  “With what?”

“You know that we’re collecting the gargoyles and bringing them back here,” she stated.

He nodded.  He had wondered why Kylie simply could not travel to them, but apparently the logistics of traveling with a live gargoyle were much thornier than traveling with a stone one.  Besides, when they woke, they were apparently very agitated and prone to attack.  Luc needed to be there when they did.  That would mean getting Luc to them, and then getting Luc and the new gargoyle home again – too much of a headache.

“Well, we’re kind of running out of people to do it.  We’re on a deadline, and we want to get as many here as possible, but Maggie, Andrew, Bea, and Gustave are kind of running themselves ragged and since I’m not allowed to go…”

“No, you are to stay here,” Luc boomed.

“We need more people.  I know it’s an imposition…”

Chris grunted in agreement, his crankiness growing by the second.  Here he was trying to distance himself from a certain gargoyle, and he kept getting swept back into her world.

“But we wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t desperate.”  She gave him a puppy dog pout and added, “We are talking about saving gargoyles’ lives.  Unless you don’t value them as highly as humans…”

Gracchus and Luc both shuffled in irritation while Kylie flicked him a calculated look.

Chris scowled at her.  “You’re more ruthless than I gave you credit.”

She positively beamed like it was a compliment.  “We don’t want to interfere too much with your job, so we were thinking you and Brenda could collect the gargoyles who are only a drive away.”

He held up a hand.  “I have plenty of vacation days I can use,” the last time he took any time off was when Mara died, “but I won’t allow Brenda to miss School.”  Although the thought of peeling her away from Ric for a few days was enticing.

“It can be at the weekend, but we also thought that perhaps you might be able to take one of the gargoyles with you.”

Annis jumped to the forefront of his mind, and he dismissed her quickly.

“Is that wise?”

“Kylie needs to be here to wake the others, and to gather her strength,” said Luc, clutching his mate a little closer.  From what Brenda told him that was true.  Apparently, after each waking, she was nearly wiped out.  “But I see no reason why one of my gargoyles need not go with you.”

“You can take one of the vans,” piped up Kylie.  Andrew had purchased two new ones for the purpose of transporting gargoyles.  “The gargoyle can ride in back, and they can help with moving the new gargoyle.  If you need to stay anywhere, they can sleep in the van.”

“When Brenda cannot travel with you, Gracchus will,” said Luc.

Chris looked over at the large male.  Gracchus put his newspaper down and gave him a toothy smile.  Although not as alluring as Annis, Chris couldn’t help but like the male.  Gargoyle age was hard to pinpoint, but he put Gracchus at maybe just a few years older than him.  Briefly, he wondered how old Annis was.  She still seemed so young.  Twenty-five, maybe?  Too young for him.  Another reason to stay away.

“Road trip?” quipped Chris.

“Indeed,” chuckled Gracchus.

Chris reflected that his chosen partner could have been a lot worse.  Or a lot better hissed a voice inside him.

“So, you’re okay with this?” asked Kylie uncertainly.

“Sure,” sighed Chris.  It wasn’t like he had any life to speak of anyway, and he could imagine the hell Brenda would bring down on him if he said no.  Teenagers were the worst.

“Great, because we actually have two new ones – one is only a five-hour drive away and the other a two-hour drive and…”

“Whoa, already?”

“We thought you could go tomorrow night.  Since it will not be a school night, we thought maybe Brenda and Ric could collect the gargoyle two hours away and that you could get the other one.”

Kylie whipped out the puppy dog pout again, and he groaned.

“Okay, fine, but are you sure you trust Ric and Brenda?”

Luc grinned.  “We trust Brenda to keep Ric in line.”

Gracchus carefully folded the newspaper and ambled over to Chris.  The male gave him a sound slap on the back he was sure to feel for the next three months at least.

“As you say, road trip,” said the gargoyle.

“Okay, I’ll talk to my deputies and get them to cover.”

It probably wouldn’t be too bad.  His day off was approaching and in dire circumstances, he could always deputize someone in town to cover for him.  He used to use Gary, the fishmonger – but he was currently out of town.  The poor guy had a bit of a breakdown after he thought he saw Kylie being abducted by a monster.  It was Luc, naturally, and Chris felt bad for Gary, but the guy had always been a little off to begin with.

“Chief!” called a sweet yet agitated voice.

Chris inhaled and found his senses drowning in a soft, floral scent.

Annis padded into the room; her forehead creased in worry.  Her eyes sought Luc but when she saw Chris, her cheeks turned a dark crimson, and she looked at her feet.

“What is it?” demanded Luc impatiently.

“I, well, I…”

Chris could hear the nervousness in her tone and fought the urge to try and comfort her.

Kylie placed a hand on Annis’ arm.  “What’s wrong?”

Annis breathed in and out and fixed her gaze on Luc.  “Castor, Brom and Grey left the grounds to go hunting.”

Gracchus snorted angrily.  Luc’s wings grew and quivered behind him.  “And you did not try and stop them?” he snarled, eyes flashing.

Annis’ orb-like eyes widened, and she placed an arm over her face protectively.  Chris gave in to instinct and placed himself in front of Annis, daring Luc to try anything.  He balled his fists and glowered at the male.  He may not be able to stop him, but he wasn’t going to stand around and allow him to work out his anger on Annis.

Luc stared at them both in surprise, as if seeing them for the first time.  Clearly, he hadn’t expected either to behave in such a way.

“I do not see that she could have stopped them,” said Gracchus carefully.

“Not many of us could,” murmured Kylie uneasily.

Luc huffed, which was as close as any of them were going to get to an apology.  “Gracchus, fetch Cai.  We will bring the males back.”

The two males marched away with Kylie following.

“You okay?” asked Chris.  He turned to look at her.

“Yes, I… for a moment I thought…”  Her face clouded, and she looked away again.

A flash of Annis’ life before now came to him.  Ric mentioned in passing that other gargoyles would look down on Annis for her small frame and damaged wing, but he had not considered that being unlike other gargoyles might have been very dangerous.

“I should go.”

Annis nodded sadly.

A surge of protectiveness rose in him.  “If any of them hurt you, let me know.”

If possible, her eyes widened even further.  “What would you do?” she asked curiously.

His jaw ticked at the thought of anyone touching Annis with malicious intentions.  “I’d make sure they couldn’t hurt you again.”

Chapter Seventeen

The argument between Castor and Luc waged from the moment he, Brom and Grey had been forced back from their hunting expedition right until an hour before sunrise when Luc decided he would not listen to Castor ranting anymore.  All of the clan had been listening to the argument.  Annis feared too many of them might agree with Castor.  Given their precarious position in the world, the last thing they needed was a war within their new clan.

Luc stormed away followed by Kylie.  The others soon trickled away, including the furious Grey and grumpy Brom.  Annis waited until it was just her and Castor.  His mood could perhaps be best described as volcanic, but she did not fear him.  Although she considered Luc to be a good leader, she did not trust him not to strike her or punish her if the mood took him.  But in spite of everything, Castor had never done anything physically harmful to her.  The other younglings had taken delight in tormenting her, picking fights she could not hope to win, but Castor stopped them, forced them to show her mercy.  It was no wonder she had mistaken his behavior for affection – it was the only kindness she had ever been shown.

Castor may have his faults, but he was loyal to all gargoyles.  Well, maybe up to a point.  He had little love for humans, and if a gargoyle fraternized with a human, Annis considered he might see that as a betrayal of their kind.

The way Castor viewed Kylie was perhaps a little worrying.  If Annis could see his disgust, there was no doubt Luc could as well.  Although she credited Castor with enough honor that he would not hurt someone so physically inferior, and with enough sense that he would not be foolish enough to harm the one person capable of waking the other gargoyles, his attitude was not particularly encouraging.

Annis stood with folded hands, waiting for Castor to stop snarling and growling.

“How dare he?” snapped Castor.

Very easily she thought.

“How dare he act as if we are errant younglings?!”

Because you behaved as such, she argued silently.

“Gargoyles were made for hunting.  Who is he to say we cannot?”  Veins were pulsing on Castor’s forehead, and his wings were flapping so hard she thought he might actually fly away.  “He spends all his time coupling with his human and dares to give me orders!”

“It is not safe for us to be seen.  If our existence is known, we may be in danger.”

“It is not the gargoyle way to hide.”

Annis sighed inwardly.  They were going around in circles so much she was starting to get dizzy.

“Maybe not,” she acquiesced, “but it is the gargoyle way to adapt and to survive.  Which is what we must do now.  I know this is hard, but it is hard for all of us.  You are not the only gargoyle struggling, but you are strong, and the others should look to you and Luc for guidance.”

Castor stirred a little, pleased at her comment.

“But how can they when the two of you are at one another’s throats?”  Surprised and pleased at the attention he paid her, Annis felt emboldened.  “You may not like humans, but we must find a way to live with them.  If there are truly so few of us, then members of the clan may have no choice but to mate with humans.”

A low rumble reverberated through his chest.  “I have hated humans for so long; I cannot imagine touching one in such a way.  I cannot imagine how any gargoyle can.”

He was lucky, then.  Annis could think of little else.

She froze as Castor raised a hand and touched her cheek.

“What are you doing?” she breathed.

“In our old life, you wished to be my mate.”

Every instinct urged her to run, run, run, but her limbs would not co-operate.  Her wings twitched nervously, but her feet felt rooted to the ground.

“That was a long time ago now, and I thought… I was mistaken of your intentions.”

The pad of his thumb dragged along her skin; it was rough and scraped against her.  “Things are different now.”

She looked into his dark eyes, trying for once to really understand his emotions.  “Are they?  Castor, you do not love me.”

He stared at her as if she had grown another head.  “Since when does that matter?  The only thing that matters is the good of the clan.  I always knew I would mate for the good of the clan.  Back then, that was Danya, but now, I have no other choice but to…”

“You have no other choice?” she interrupted in a faint voice.  Her feelings for Castor were not as they once were, but his acknowledgment that he would only mate her because he had no other option was like a sharp stab to her heart.

Castor’s hand dropped from her cheek.  “We have no other choice,” he told her bluntly.  “Surely you would not see our race die out entirely?”

“I thought you did not wish to sully your line with my defects.”

His eyes moved to her damaged wing, and it ticked automatically sending a shimmer of pain through her body.

“Your mother and father were strong warriors.  There is no reason to suggest our younglings will not inherit their characteristics.”

Annis’ fists tightened so hard her claws pressed painfully into her palms.  He had no idea how insulting he was being.  He honestly did not know.  He could not understand that she would not agree with him.  She was ready to give him a piece of her mind when he said, “I will be a good mate, Annis.  I will fight for you.  I will protect you.  I will give you younglings.”

Things gargoyle females should seek in a mate.

“And what would happen if another female awakened that you decided would make a better mate than me?”

He paused thinking the matter over.  “I will be true to you.”

“You were not prepared to be true to Danya,” she countered, embarrassment coursing through her as she recalled his proposition nearly a thousand years ago.

Castor surprised her with a wry smile.  “Danya hated me for challenging her brothers for leadership.  She was prepared to mate me to ensure she regained her place as highest ranked female in the clan, but she found no joy in out mating or our couplings.  Being with a female who did not loathe the sight of me was appealing.”

“I… I do not know what to say,” she stammered.

Castor was no longer her leader; he could not force her submission on this matter, nor did she really believe Luc would push for the match.

“Think on this, Annis,” he said in a nearly gentle voice.  “Our mating may not have been possible in our past life, but it is important now.”

With that, he turned and strode away, unaware of the turmoil he left her in.

Her pride, what little she had left, felt like it had taken a savage beating.  He did not try and honey coat his words or intentions – he was only interested in mating her because he could not find anyone better.  He admitted he would never have considered mating her before now.

What a lovely sentiment.  However, she did not think ill of him.  Sure, she was irritated and angry at him, but he was a product of his time and upbringing.  He was not trying to hurt or injure.

There really was no place for love in Castor’s world.  There was only duty, pride, and honor.  He would not tell her he loved her, he would not compliment her, he would indirectly insult her – by being truthful, he would not look at her as if she were the only creature in the world that mattered…  But he was right; he would be a good gargoyle mate.  But was that enough?

Her thoughts turned to Chris – as they increasingly did.  As quickly as his image arrived, she banished it.  He was not an option.  He was too busy dating human women she thought sadly.

Really, if she did not mate Castor, what other option would she have?