Chapter Nineteen

 

Tired of waiting, Lucy went into her apartment and changed out of her street clothes into one of her suits. She didn’t have her government-issued weapon to wear on her hip, but hopefully this late, everyone else would be gone, and she wouldn’t need it. If push came to shove, she’d call on her lion to get past anyone standing between her and the door. Using her claws on humans was a risk she was willing to take. She’d turned off all the lights in the lab, using her eagle to guide her in the darkness.

Placing her ear against the door, Lucy listened for any indication of life outside. When she heard no voices or footsteps, she eased the door open and stepped through. The hallway was dark. The only illumination was the single button on the elevator. Having already decided to take the stairs, Lucy edged down the hall to the only other door she could find. Finding it locked, Lucy pulled a bobby pin from her hair and attempted to pick it in the darkness. It took a couple of minutes and a lot of silent cursing, but the tumblers finally gave way.

Lucy’s heart was beating wildly against her chest, and her lion was gearing for a fight. She’d never fought anyone in either animal form, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t ready. The stairwell was dark, and for that she was grateful. It gave her an added advantage if she were to meet anyone on the way up. When Ramey led her to the basement, she hadn’t paid attention to how many floors they descended. That didn’t really matter; Lucy was in shape, and if she hadn’t been, she was a shifter. Their stamina was enhanced, and climbing the steps quietly was no problem. After ten floors with no doorways, Lucy came to what she assumed was the first floor.

Dim lighting came through the small window, and Lucy peeked through before trying the knob. When she didn’t see signs of life, she twisted the knob, praying it wasn’t locked. It wasn’t, but as soon as she stepped foot into the hallway, sirens blared, alerting anyone in the building of her presence. Not knowing which way to go, Lucy hauled ass to her right. Shouts and footsteps were heading her way, so she did a one-eighty and retreated back toward the staircase. A bank of windows stretched across the far wall, approximately twenty-five yards in the distance. Lucy raced forward, calling on her lion for extra speed.

A gunshot rent the air, and pain exploded in her shoulder. Lucy lost count of the shots fired and the number of voices yelling for someone to stop her. Not hesitating, Lucy dove for the window, praying to any god or goddess who would listen it was regular glass and not some hi-tech polycarbonate she’d bounce off of. Her prayer was answered, and Lucy busted through, not worrying about the cuts to her exposed skin. She had other things to worry about, like not being on the ground floor. Lucy found herself falling through the air. Before she had time to shift into her eagle, her body jolted to a stop as sharp talons grabbed hold of her clothes.

The flap of wings alerted her to her savior. She’d seen Tamian’s wings, and they were gray leather-looking. The ones in her peripheral vision were made of feathers. Whoever had her was a Hound. While she would have preferred it to be Tamian, she was still thankful someone had been close enough to catch her. She’d have to thank him whenever he shifted – whoever he was.

Lucy wanted to shift into her own eagle, but the pain in her shoulder had her hesitant. If the damage matched the pain, she would be hard-pressed to fly well enough to keep from crashing to the ground. When the voices and gunshots subsided, the Hound made his descent and gently set her on her feet. Still, Lucy slumped down on her ass, afraid her legs wouldn’t hold her. Lucy looked over her shoulder in time to see Monk changing from his eagle to his human form. Not trying to hide his nakedness, the Hound knelt by Lucy, running his hands over her, checking for injury. When his fingers touched the bullet wound, Lucy hissed.

Monk signed to her, but his hands moved faster than she could comprehend their meaning. She’d learned a little sign language, but not enough to follow. “I can’t follow that fast. Where’s your phone?” she asked. More often than not, he typed out messages in text. Monk huffed and shook his head. Looking around, he studied the area. Holding up a finger, he took off toward the woods, leaving her alone. Lucy closed her eyes, breathing through the pain. She wasn’t out in the open, but she wasn’t far enough in the woods to consider herself out of sight, either. Twigs snapped, and Lucy knee-crawled to a tree, doing her best to shield herself from anyone heading her way. Monk reappeared, now clothed and holding his phone in his hand.

He held the device out, showing her the message he’d typed. “I have to get you out of here. Can you shift?”

“I can try, but I’m not sure I can fly.” He held out his hand and helped her to stand. Lucy took a deep breath and called on her eagle. For a split second, she thought she would be able to pull it off, but nausea overtook her stomach, and her vision dimmed. Pitching forward, everything faded to black.

 

 

Ryker took Spyder’s bike, leaving the male at the hotel to wait in case Monk returned. Never before had the silent Hound refused to answer Ryker’s texts, so either something had happened to him, or he’d gone rogue. If that was the case, there would be hell to pay. As he followed his younger brother, Ryker thought over his conversation with the Gargoyle King. Rafael Stone came across as a reasonable male, and if Lucy chose to be with St. Claire, their lives would be entwined, at least on the periphery. Ryker wasn’t so narrow-minded as to not accept help from the Gargoyles when it came to taking down the Ministry.

They both had a common goal – protect humans. There were no rules set in place stating they couldn’t aid each other in doing so. The Gryphons went about things differently, but Rafael had seemed to accept their ways without calling them out for being mercenaries. The Hounds didn’t kill for the sake of killing, but they didn’t hesitate to take the head of the snake when the opportunity presented itself. For the last thirty-two years, the Hounds had searched for the cult far and wide. New ones were forever popping up when one was taken out, but that just made him and his family more determined to seek and destroy.

Instead of taking Ryker directly to the building where Lucy was being held, Maveryck drove to a small park and pulled his bike up alongside an abandoned one. “Why are we here?” Ryker asked.

“Monk’s post is just through those trees. From up there” – Hawke pointed to a clump of tall trees – “you can see the road leading to the building. If you get high enough, you can see the building itself. Since his bike is here, he has to be in the area.” Ryker and Mav followed behind Hawke as he led the way to the tree where they kept watch over the area. Monk was nowhere to be found.

“You don’t think he did something stupid, like going after Lucy—” 

“Shhh,” Ryker cut Mav off. “Godsdamnit,” he seethed at the sound of gunfire, and the three of them ran toward the sound. At the edge of the woods, they stopped to try and establish what was going on. They were far enough away to remain hidden from the humans, but their eagle eyes allowed them to see without having to get close. Several men were yelling and looking out a window on the second floor. A broken window. Either someone had been pushed through, or they’d jumped.

“Surely to Zeus Lucy didn’t jump,” Hawke said, staring at the broken glass on the side of the building when they heard yelling.

“I need to call St. Claire,” Maveryck whispered.

“Somebody better find her! You don’t need to worry about losing your jobs, because if she isn’t found, I’ll see to it every one of you ends up on a fucking slab!” A man in a dark suit was pacing the ground where more men were searching the area. Those who had been looking out the window disappeared back inside.

“I can’t imagine there would be more than one she brave enough to jump from a second-story window. Why the fuck didn’t she wait on us?” Mav asked.

Ryker stroked his beard as he scanned the area. “Lucy probably saw an opportunity and took it.”

“I thought the Gargoyle said Lucy was locked in,” Hawke said.

“He did, but Lucy’s a trained agent, plus she’s a Gryphon. She’s not without skills. If she was able to get away, she probably took to her eagle,” Ryker reminded them.

“That still doesn’t explain where Monk is. He must have heard the commotion and took off after her.”

“Then why isn’t he answering my fucking texts? Even if they both shifted, he knows better than to leave his phone and clothes behind. Otherwise, he’s dead in the water when he shifts back.”

“We didn’t plan on shifting and leaving the area. None of us have our packs with us,” Hawke said. Over the years, the Hounds had devised a small pouch with a strap they could carry in their talons or beaks when they needed to store their clothes while in Gryphon form. Walking around naked when they shifted back wasn’t conducive to staying out of trouble.

“I’ve got blood, but the trail ends here,” one of the men called out to the others. These humans weren’t dressed like agents. Some wore street clothes while others dressed in military fatigues.

“Shit! That has to be Lucy’s blood.” Ryker’s own blood boiled at the thought of his niece being injured at the hands of these humans.

“Calm down, Ryot. You know as well as I do that shifting will take care of her injuries.” Maveryck’s use of Ryker’s biker name reminded him of who he was. What his role was. The male who was in charge. The one the Hounds counted on to keep a level head in all situations.

“If there’s enough blood for them to detect in the dark, her injuries aren’t small. What if she was shot?” Ryker began pacing, his lion begging to be turned loose. “Fucking Monk,” Ryker cursed as he pulled out his phone and texted the male again. When the message was delivered but there was no indication it had been read, Ryker told Mav, “Call Spyder and have him track Lucy’s ring.”

“On it.”

While his brother did as instructed, Ryker scanned the area. With the humans spreading out, some of them had started making their way toward the Hounds. “Fuck. We need to get out of here. It won’t do to have to explain why we’re hiding in the shadows. Let’s get back to the bikes, and we’ll come back when the area is clear of —”

“You’re not going anywhere,” a voice barked from behind them. Ryker turned around, coming face-to-face with an average-looking man.

“St. Claire? I was just going to call you. How did you find us?” Mav asked, still holding his phone.

So, this was Lucy’s mate. Her very pissed-off mate. And he wasn’t alone. Standing behind him was Rafael Stone, another man who was larger than both Gargoyles, and a red-headed female. The anger on her face did nothing to detract from her beauty, nor did the clothes she wore. She looked like she belonged on the back of a bike. She reminded him of… Nope. Not going there.

“How I found you doesn’t matter,” Tamian seethed, bringing Ryker’s attention back to the Gargoyle. “What does matter is my mate could be injured, and you have no godsdamn clue where she is.”

“I know you’re upset, my boy, but we do need to get out of the area until the agents clear out,” the tall male urged. Was this his father, the Italian King? They looked nothing alike, so it was possible he took after his mother.

“I’m not going anywhere until I get some answers,” Tamian countered.

The female stepped in front of Tamian and pulled his head down so she could rest their foreheads together. “Tam, we’ll find her,” she whispered. Who was this woman who felt brazen enough to touch St. Claire intimately? If Lucy was supposed to be his mate, shouldn’t he be pushing this woman away? Did he feel it was okay to have other female lovers until he and Lucy were together? If so, that shit wasn’t going to fly.

Tamian gripped her upper arms and kissed her cheek before he stepped away. “You’re godsdamn right I’ll find her,” he vowed as he pulled his T-shirt over his head. She held out her hand and took his shirt, twisting the cotton in her hands. With that, a large set of wings spread out behind the Gargoyle, and he launched himself into the air.

Hawke whistled low. “Well, that was impressive.”

“Come on. Let’s get back to the hotel and come up with a plan,” Rafael encouraged. By the look on his face, he was no less upset than the others, but it appeared being King had taught him how to rein in his emotions better. No one argued with Rafael, and they all followed him to the parking lot where a large SUV was parked by the bikes. The redhead handed the keys to the larger male, with Rafael climbing in back where Kaya, his Queen, sat waiting for him.

The female straddled one of the bikes and said, “We’ll follow you back to the hotel.” Long claws extended from her fingertips, and she pointed one in their direction. “Don’t even think about trying to ditch us, because if you do, I will follow you to the ends of the earth, and when I catch you, I’ll slice your nuts off.”

After she strapped on the waiting helmet and started the motorcycle, Maveryck mumbled, “I think I’m in love.”

The Hounds mounted their own bikes and rode straight to the hotel with the SUV following at a safe distance. The female rode the large bike like she’d been born to it. When they arrived and had all parked, Ryker waited for Rafael and the others to exit the vehicle.

“Follow me,” the redhead instructed, not bothering to wait for a reply. No one else spoke until they were in a suite similar to the one where Ryker had met his brother and the other Hounds.

As soon as the door was closed, Rafael led Kaya to the sofa where they sat next to one another. The larger male stood next to the door with his arms crossed over his chest. The female headed to the counter where several bottles of liquor were stored. She didn’t offer them a drink. Instead, she took a long swig then wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. “Why the fuck didn’t you call us?” she asked.

Ryker narrowed his eyes at her, but instead of being intimidated, she glared back at him.

“Gentlemen, would you care to fill us in on what you know?” Rafael asked, attempting to break the tension.

Ryker smoothed his beard before settling in the armchair opposite Rafael and his mate. “I swear to you, we didn’t know what we were walking up on in the woods. When I got to the hotel, Monk wasn’t answering my texts. I honestly thought he was being an ass and ignoring me, so I went to deal with it in person. Not long after we arrived, we heard the last gunshot and the shouting began. The plan was to return here with him in tow, and that’s when you walked up. If Monk sensed Lucy was in danger, he would have done whatever he needed to get her out of the area. Beyond that, you know as much as we do.”

“This is the fucker who has the hots for Lucy?” the redhead asked.

“Andrea,” the man by the door chastised.

“No, Vitto. This is my brother’s mate we’re talking about. You know as well as I do how shit like this gets all convoluted, and everyone takes sides until we’re bickering back and forth and not accomplishing anything. The way I see it, we need to get to Lucy before Tam does. If he finds her with Monk, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”

“Are you saying your brother will kill Monk?” Ryker hissed.

“I’m saying, if you don’t have a mate of your own, you couldn’t possibly understand what it’s like. The force drawing Tamian and Lucy to one another will be strong even though they haven’t officially completed the bond. “

“She’s not wrong,” Kaya said. “When I met Rafael, I couldn’t stay away from him no matter how hard I tried. Even before we completed our bond, I would have gone through hell and back for him.”

“And you did,” Rafael whispered before pulling her hand to his mouth and placing a soft kiss on her knuckles.

“What about the tracker you put on Lucy,” Andrea said, getting them back on task.

“How do you know about the tracker?” Mav asked, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“Lucy told Tamian about it. Have you tried locating it?” she asked.

Maveryck sighed, scrubbing a hand through his long blond hair. “Spyder says it’s static just outside the lab. She must have dropped it when she shifted.”

“If she shifted,” Ryker said. “The agents searching for her found blood. If it was substantial enough they could trace it in the dark, there must have been a lot of it. If that’s the case, Lucy might have been stuck in her human form.”

“Since neither Lucy nor Monk were in the area, we need to go with the assumption he got her to safety. Where would he have taken her?” Rafael asked.

Ryker rolled his head on his shoulders, stopping to stare at the ceiling. “I don’t know.” When he met Rafael’s gaze, he vowed, “But I will find out. One way or another.”

 

 

Drago sat at an oceanside bar with Audrey, the blonde he planned to mate with, and her friend Lacy. Both women laughed and flirted with him, but it was Lacy who blatantly mentioned getting together with Drago later that evening. Audrey cast glances at him, shyly smiling and looking away. He didn’t mind her playing hard to get. He rather enjoyed it. The chase made the hunt all that more interesting. But he needed to get her alone, without her forward friend coming between them. He’d learned over the years how humans tended to take a step back if their friend wanted the same thing they did. Honor was rare, but it seemed Audrey felt it toward the other woman.

Coming up with a plan, he excused himself to the restroom. When the women were out of earshot, Drago called Arden and explained what he needed. Twenty minutes and a fresh round of drinks later, Arden walked out onto the deck of the bar where they were seated. “Mind if I join you?” he asked, sitting in the seat Drago had made sure to leave vacant next to Lacy.

Both women turned their attention to the other male. “Ladies, this is my business partner, Arden. Arden, Lacy and Audrey.”

Arden smiled at Audrey, offering hello, and then he gave his undivided attention to Lacy. He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. The brunette giggled and batted her eyelashes like a bad actress in an even worse romantic film. Not that Drago watched that many bad romances, but living as long as Gargoyles did, they were bound to become bored at some point. With Lacy no longer vying for his affection, Drago ran his fingertips along Audrey’s arm and smiled when she shivered.

“Tell me about yourself,” he encouraged, scooting his chair closer to hers so his bare knee brushed against hers. Drago had never been so drawn to a female before. Sure, he’d bedded hundreds, but none had meant anything more than release. He’d always gone back to their place so he could leave after they fucked.

“Let’s see. I’m from a little town in Alabama. My parents own a nursery, and I run the floral shop. I like to read.” Audrey shrugged, glancing down. “I’m rather boring.”

“I doubt that. What brought you to the beach? Just time for a vacation?”

Audrey squirmed in her seat, running her finger along the rim of the glass, which held some fruity concoction. “Uh, not exactly. My husband texted me that he wanted a divorce. So, I packed his things, set them outside, changed the locks, and decided to get away while he came back to get his stuff.”

Audrey was married? And the idiot texted her he wanted a divorce? What kind of loser did something like that? A coward. Drago’s beast encouraged him to get the guy’s name and beat the shit out of him. It was apparent Audrey felt bad about the situation. He needed to tread carefully. She might be his mate, but if she was an honorable woman, she might not give in to the urge to be with Drago as long as she was married. It had been a long time since Drago had been anything other than the hardened warrior Alistair demanded of all his males.

“What’s your husband’s name?”

“Why?” Audrey asked, looking into his eyes. Her brown ones pulled at him, pulled at a heart he thought was long dead.

“Because I would rather put a name to the man when I curse him for his stupidity.”

“Oh. Well, uh, his name is Burt.” Audrey had already offered her last name in previous conversation, and now Drago had the human’s full name. Burt Hughes. It didn’t matter why he wanted the divorce. Just the way he’d gone about it showed he wasn’t worth breathing the same air as Audrey. Drago would do some digging and find this moronic human. The world would be better off without him.