When Fiona woke, she glanced at barren white walls in an unfamiliar room. A small light on an end table cast a dim glow. She was in a twin bed covered by white sheets and a brown throw blanket. An open door revealed a small room with a toilet and sink.

Where was she?

The black van! Mark. The hands that had grabbed her. It all rushed back. Her flat had been broken into. She pieced together her current situation. It rolled through her mind with as much devastation as an avalanche. She’d been kidnapped.

She pushed the bed coverings off of her and rubbed her abdomen. “It’s going to be okay,” she reassured the baby, although she had no clue if that was the case. Stress wasn’t good for them, and she had to do whatever she could to reduce the anxiety. The instinct to protect her child from the world had already kicked in.

After searching the room for a means to escape, she started with the most likely one—the closed door. She turned the doorknob and as expected, it was locked. An urge to pound on the door and swear at her captors swelled within, but what would that accomplish? She doubted it would lead to a favorable outcome. Besides, she needed time to understand where she was and figure out her options.

The room had no windows. What kind of bedroom didn’t have windows?

One that was to be used as a jail cell.

She used the toilet. As she washed her hands, she glanced at herself in the small mirror over the sink. A pink mark high on her right cheek indicated some impact there. Had she fallen or had somebody done that to her? She’d been zapped. Did it happen during the fall? She touched it and winced.

She paced and went over the events that led to being here. Shite! She’d left the pregnancy test on the counter as a reminder that her pregnancy was real. And, Gavin’s note was with the roses. Aargh.

A man who had an unnatural interest in her lover’s background had now kidnapped her.

What about Gavin? Was he all right? He’d been on the way to meet her. Had her warning about the break-in led him to a greater threat?

She sat on the bed and rocked. How the hell was she going to get herself and her baby out of there?

After about forty-five minutes, the sound of the doorknob turning jarred her. She slid back toward the wall. Mark entered, as she’d expected.

“What do you want with me?” she demanded. “Why am I here? You have no right holding me against my will.”

He closed the door behind him and leered at her. “Here’s a sandwich and a bottle of water.” He handed her a brown bag.

Her mouth watered, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of revealing how she craved to see what he’d brought her. “Leave it on the table.”

While he did, she eyed the closed door. Would she have enough time to run, open the door, and get away before he reached her? Hardly. Plus, she had no idea who was on the other side of the door.

“Make sure you eat it,” he said. “After all, you’re eating for two.”

Fuck! She recoiled but tried to keep her expression neutral

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said with disdain. “However, I do want to know why you think you can kidnap me, bring me here and lock me up? Who the hell are you?”

He snorted. “I can easily find out that you are indeed pregnant—and with his child.”

Oh God. She blanched.

Keep him talking. The more you know, the better off you are.

For what? She snorted in her head. To know the details of their potential destruction?

“What is this place? What are you doing here?”

He tapped a long finger on his desk. “Ensuring that monsters like the one you sleep with can’t harm anyone again, like your friend or me. That’s the big, bad secret you wanted to know, right? Who killed her? Why don’t you take a closer look at your lover?”

No, no, no. That couldn’t be the truth. Oxygen surrounded her, but she couldn’t breathe it in. Her lungs were too constricted.

Gavin had said gargoyles were the protectors of the earth, so they wouldn’t attack innocent girls, right? What would be the purpose? Although she didn’t understand his kind, it didn’t fit.

Unless one had gone rogue…

Forcing herself to slow the short, panicked breaths through long, deep inhales, she found enough calm to continue the conversation. After all, the fate of her baby and lover could depend on it.

“You must be mistaken. He hasn’t hurt anyone. You’ve gotten the wrong idea about him.”

Mark raised his brows. “Do I?” He snorted. “Don’t you know what he is by now?”

She almost answered, “Gargoyle,” but figured it was better not to dig a deeper trench. It was already at a dangerous depth. Any deeper and it could be a grave.

“Cat got your tongue?” Mark taunted. “Fine. I know what I need to know for the moment. And I’ll learn more with time. If you’d been more forthcoming with the information I requested, you might have avoided being in this situation. After all, I wouldn’t have had to break into your flat and discover your secret. So, it looks like you brought this on yourself.”

Was he seriously trying to blame his actions on her? Talk about victim blaming. Well, he couldn’t be reasoned with since he was a nut job. She had to stick to the goal of getting information. It was one thing she’d been good at in her career—getting people to talk about their passions. In this case, it was rather dark, but she’d have to run with it.

She tilted her head. “What type of creatures do you think attacked them?”

He replied with a taunting laugh. “Typical journalist. The information you seek is one-sided. Why should I tell you anything since you kept information from me?”

She clucked her tongue. If he was going to answer her questions with more questions, she wouldn’t get far. She had to give him something, while not providing any information about gargoyles.

“The creature that attacked my friend moved like a dark shadow across the land. It had wings and glowing red eyes. It had claws that it used to maul her.” She glanced at his scar.

He flinched almost imperceptibly.

“I think it was some kind of demon,” she added. “Is that what attacked you?”

Mark pursed his lips and gazed off into nothingness with a grim expression. Whatever his memory was, it haunted him. She couldn’t help but feel some empathy for him. He’d been a victim, too. But she couldn’t let that derail her. He’d taken her and meant harm to those she loved.

Loved. Funny how with Gavin and her baby threatened, it jarred her into realizing how much they both meant to her. She wouldn’t let this damn bastard break her. One way or another, she’d get out of here. She would find a way and escape to somewhere safe and protect her precious child.

“Aye.” His voice lowered just above a whisper. “I thought it was a werewolf until it unfurled enormous wings. I believe it was a demon. I’ve discovered many sinister, unnatural creatures live in the shadows and those monsters are the vilest of all. It’s my life’s mission to rid the world of this evil. I was lucky enough to get away, but who knows how many others didn’t.” He nodded at her. “Like your friend.”

Despair crept in like the nondescript white walls closing in on her, threatening to smother her. He was a madman who planned to destroy her baby and Gavin.

Oh God, how her lifelong quest and current desires had come together and clashed in this explosive revelation. She’d been driven to uncover the secrets of the supernatural in her pursuit to reveal the truth and protect others. Now that he’d confirmed it was likely a demon that had killed Angie, it didn’t change anything. It wouldn’t keep her loved ones safe.

Fiona had to be careful with her next words. “You must see the flaw with your logic. Clearly, I’m not going to be with the creature that attacked my friend. Gavin is not a demon.”

His lips twitched, but other than that, there was no reaction. “The exact species doesn’t matter. They come in many forms. He’s not human, of that I’m sure. And we can’t have monsters like his kind running free and terrorizing us all.”

Shite. She wouldn’t gain any ground by revealing that gargoyles were protectors. His single-minded obsession was to destroy non-humans.

“What’s outside this room?” she asked, going for a different tactic.

“Nothing that concerns you.”

“Why not? It’s got to be related to this conversation we’re having.”

“True.” He smirked to himself. “It’s where we’ve caught other—” he tapped his fingers and finished with “—non-humans.”

“And what do you do with them?”

His lips spread wider. “Whatever we like.”

Her heart slammed into her ribs. This warehouse was a jail. Her mind conjured the worst pictures of creatures being tortured in cages.

Mark’s phone vibrated. He picked it up. “Aye.” After a moment, he said, “Where is he?” and then he finished with, “Bring him to a cell with wall restraints.”

Cells. That confirmed her nightmare.

He ended the call. “We have a visitor. Your lover has arrived.”

She gasped. “Gavin!” She covered her heart. “What are you going to do with him? Don’t hurt him. He’s none of those things that you think he is.”

Mark studied her like she was an entertainer on stage there for his sole amusement. “I have a better plan.” He strode to the door and opened it. “Once he hears what I have to say, you’ll learn how dangerous creatures like him are.” Before he closed it, he added with a sneer, “I’m willing to bet that he’ll tear you to pieces.”

Gavin tried to reach for his captors as they dragged him inside, but his muscles were as immovable as if he were in stone form.

“Let go of me,” he seethed. “Or, I’ll fuckin’ kill you when I get the chance.”

“You won’t,” one of the men said with a sneer. “You’re done.”

“Game over,” another declared with a laugh.

The scent of humans and chemicals brought to mind his worst nightmare. He glanced at a long interior space. Tables were covered with microscopes and test tubes. Closed doors lined the walls on either side. He was in some type of laboratory. They dragged Gavin’s dead weight along the tile floor. It was humiliating to be so helpless like this, manhandled by humans, unable to control his body. They hauled him into a white room and restrained him with metal cuffs to a wall. A toilet was a yard or so away. Unable to stand, Gavin sank to the ground, his affected muscles sagging like they were weighted.

He tried to communicate with his brothers, but he couldn’t connect. The damn silver probably blocked his magic.

A man entered and closed the door behind him. It was the one who’d spoken to Fiona at the club. A growl rumbled from deep within Gavin’s chest. If his limbs cooperated, he’d squeeze this monster’s throat.

This close, a scar was visible at the man’s temple—three faint lines. Shite. This was who Roger had warned Gavin about when he’d arrived in Inverness—a bloke asking odd questions. Why hadn’t Gavin examined him closer when he’d seen him talking to Fiona? If Gavin had approached them, he might have noticed the scar and it would have triggered his wariness. He or one of his brothers could have watched the man and prevented her from being taken.

“Hello, Gavin. I’m Mark. Welcome.”

He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. The pungent smoke drifted to Gavin. He turned his head, but to no avail. The odor crept into his nostrils and clung to his skin like a parasite.

“Where am I?”

“My workspace. You see, we like to investigate creatures like you.” Mark walked before Gavin, his boots echoing against the tile floor.

Creatures. Gavin’s spine straightened.

Mark took a puff from his cigarette and blew it out. A plume of smoke reached out to Gavin like a curled finger.

“Must you?” Gavin asked.

“Heightened sense of smell,” Mark replied. “It doesn’t always come in handy, does it?”

“Why am I here?”

“We’ve heard about your abilities. Showing off at concerts? Now you didn’t think you’d get away with that forever without raising some interest, did you?”

Shite, shite, shite. The worst repercussion was coming to fruition.

“It’s not safe to have beings like you running around unchecked.” Mark waved and scrunched his nose with disgust. “Or wolf shifters.”

Gavin’s heart thundered and crashed. He was fucked.

“Your missing island is peculiar. How have you hidden it?”

Gavin kept his mouth shut. He wouldn’t reveal one damn thing to this human. The gargoyles had combined their magic with the witches and wolves on the isle to cloak the island.

“Where is she?” Gavin demanded.

“Fiona?”

Gavin nodded.

He inhaled again and unleashed the putrid odor. “Oh, don’t worry. She and your child are safe.”

Fuck. He knew about her pregnancy. This was even worse than Gavin had imagined.

“Nice note with the flowers.” Mark sniggered.

“If you touch her…” Gavin warned and strained against the cuffs.

“No need to threaten me. I know what you are and what you’re capable of. The silver in your restraints will prevent that. Funny how superior you supes consider yourselves with your magic, only to be brought down by one of the earth’s natural elements.”

His gaze wandered to Mark’s throat. Gavin pictured wrapping his hands around that slim human neck and squeezing until the man’s eyes bulged and his airway collapsed.

“You can glare at me all you want,” Mark said, pacing. “But, we both know who has the power in this situation. I’ll keep you from hurting anyone else.” He pointed with his cigarette.

“Hurt?” Gavin questioned. “What are you talking about? I haven’t hurt anyone.”

“What you’ve specifically done doesn’t matter, it’s your species as a whole. Your existence has to be obliterated.”

Obliterated? This man wanted to destroy Gavin’s kind? That meant not only was he in danger, but his brothers, his clan, his child… He swallowed the fear constricting his throat.

“Why?” He demanded. “We’ve done nothing to hurt anyone.”

Mark pointed at his scar. “How do you think I got this? It was a monster like you. A damn demon. It’s a miracle I escaped.” The man sneered.

Gavin assessed the situation. Demon. Had he said it as a figure of speech? Or, did he mean that literally?

He had to approach the situation with care. “You think I’m a demon?”

“Your kind take on various forms.”

Shite. Gargoyles had fought demons many times over the years. They were sworn enemies. For the man to think that Gavin was as soulless as a preying immortal exacerbated the injustice of his confinement.

“That’s ridiculous and insulting. What drew you to that conclusion?”

Mark narrowed his gaze. “I had my suspicions that something was off when I heard rumors. Once I heard about your ability to shift to winged form and fly, I knew what you were.”

“Your judgment is flawed,” Gavin countered. “Not all winged beings are demons. I’m not one.”

Mark snorted and then stood. “Eventually, we’ll get you to shift, and then we’ll see.”

“We’ll see what?”

“We’ll see your true monstrous form before we eradicate your existence. And then stomp out the lineage with your child.” The man smirked. “Unless you do it yourself.”

Gavin’s flesh tingled with cool shivers. He leaned back and studied this twisted human. “Why would you say that?”

“Because Fiona has betrayed you. She’s been reporting to me.”

Gavin recoiled. Not his Fiona.

The man sneered. “Oh, women can be so untrustworthy, can’t they? They’ll say or do anything to get what they want.”

That couldn’t be true.

Could it?

“Neither of us are the first man to be betrayed by a woman.”

The room spun. The duplicity stung like poison injected into his heart. He swallowed and focused through the haze clouding his vision. Why was this man trying to find common ground between them? Some sick way of playing on Gavin’s heartbreak to get him to talk?

“She was investigating you,” Mark added. “That’s how she gets her kicks; looking into freaks like you.” The ash from the cigarette hung like a rocky overhang jutting out from a cliff. He tapped it, and it crashed onto the white tile. “Once I discovered your interest in her, I knew she was the key. After all, it’s common knowledge, Gavin, that the best way to reach you is through your dick.”

His stomach hollowed out. Did he deserve this after all his flings? There was a twisted irony. The woman he’d fallen for—the only one he wanted and had been faithful to—had turned on him in the end.

He had to talk to her to find out.

Mark pulled out his phone and made a call. “Bring Gavin to her room for the night.”

What was going on? This didn’t make sense. Gavin assessed Mark for a sign of his motivation.

He fixed his beady eyes on Gavin’s. “She sold you out.” Mark leered with malevolence. “But, don’t worry. I’ll give you until sunrise to let you have your justice. And then I’ll have mine.”