Authors: Jennifer Cole
The three remaining standing gargoyles nodded and rushed the man and woman on either side and from behind. Zander took a position in front of the wrestling pair, effectively boxing in the duo.
Despite his large size, the man must have realized he would not be able to take on all four beasts at the same time, and shoved the woman forward roughly.
“Oh the gods,” Zander gasped as he caught a glimpse of the man’s face, while catching the woman in his arms.
Following a sudden flash of brilliant white light, the man disappeared into thin air.
The woman Zander held against his chest radiated intense anger, but appeared to be composed.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
A shudder moved through her. Though it had been a very long time, he easily identified the unmistakable pressure from her erect nipples pressing against his abdomen.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” she said, pulling away from him. “I’m just really pissed. That son-of-a-bitch attacked me.” Her body shivered again. “I knew the air felt funny tonight. I shouldn’t have been walking alone.” She shook her head.
“You felt malevolence in the air?” Zander asked her.
“Well... Um, I don’t know if I’d call it...that,” she said, confusion heavy in her voice. And then she shrugged. “But there’s definitely something.”
The braid holding her dark hair in place had worked its way loose in the scuffle, and the front of her t-shirt was torn. As she took a couple of steps back from him to brush the hair from her face and straighten her clothes, Zander’s eyes caught the pale swell of her left breast.
For the first time in centuries, he found himself unable to control the hardening of the flesh between his legs. The loincloth tied around his hips began to stir, and he prayed to the gods no one would notice, especially not the woman standing in front of him.
“Did you recognize the male?” Adan snarled low as he walked toward them.
After Mabon and Kenyon collected their bearings, they joined the group.
“Yes,” Zander replied with a frown.
“You know who attacked me?” the woman asked, and then she appeared to take in the men, or rather the beasts, which had come to her aid.
“King Xavier,” Zander said.
How could it be? And why?
“Are you certain?” Mabon asked.
Zander nodded.
“Impossible,” Kenyon retorted in a clipped tone. “We watched him die at your hand the year after we awoke.”
A vision of that day flickered in Zander’s mind. A vivid image of his hands wrapped around the king’s throat.
“Uh, what’s that?” the woman muttered, raising a brow.
“
Not in front of the innocent,
” Zander projected to the others.
“Who is King Xavier?”
“
Fine,
” Henrik said. “
Kenyon is right, Zander. We each witnessed the king draw the final breath of his life.
”
“
I do not know how it is possible,
” Magnus added. “
But I too saw the king with my own eyes, holding the woman.
”
From the corner of his eye, Zander watched the young woman studying each of them. The expression on her face revealed her curiosity. He wondered what thoughts raced through her mind as she looked them over. Each of the beasts stood no less than seven feet in height, and Adan being the smallest of the six weighed in around four-hundred-twenty pounds.
With little effort, Zander could slip into her thoughts if he chose to. However, he never invaded another’s mind without consent. He’d always considered the ‘ability’ an invasion of one’s privacy, and never used it as a means to gain the upper hand.
When her gaze settled upon him, for the second time in as many moments, Zander lost the ability to control his body’s reaction. Her eyes were the most brilliant blue he’d ever seen. The pure innocence within the sparkling orbs triggered something primal in him. As they traveled over every inch of his enormous frame, his flesh felt singed.
“
The woman felt the king’s presence,
” Mabon interjected into Zander’s thoughts. “
Do you think he is after her specifically?
”
“
I believe it’s a possibility which should not be ignored,
” Adan replied.
The woman’s studious examination of him and his fellow beasts did not make Zander feel at all violated. He found her innocence and curiosity intriguing. With a slight tilt of her head, she appeared to seek a better look at the wings protruding from his back. Without thought, Zander spread them, providing her an exceptional view of them fully expanded. An appreciative smile curled her lips, and her eyes flickered with excitement.
“Hmm, I have a sneaking suspicion you guys aren’t from around here, are you?”
The six gargoyles were engaged in their mental conversation, and not one of them acknowledged her question.
Her gaze roamed down the length of his body, coming to a brief stop just below his waist. The sight of her teeth sinking into her lower lip had the blood flowing straight to his cock. Zander cringed inwardly as he thought of his loincloth coming to life before her eyes.
For what he felt was the first time in his long existence, the gods must have been smiling down on him. Her eyes continued on their journey to settle on his feet, where long talons dug into the earth.
Shifting his tail between his parted legs, Zander flicked the tip as if waving to her. A soft giggle slipped past her lips.
It was evident the woman felt no fear, and Zander couldn’t help but wonder why that was. From all sides towering, mythological creatures of ancient folklore surrounded her. Living, breathing beasts. She should be terrified.
“
All right then,
” Henrik said. “
What do we do with the woman?
”
“
We will see that she gets home safely,”
Mabon said.
“And then we will–
”
“
I believe the king has her in his sights,
” Adan stated with firmness that would not be ignored. “
Until we know why, she should stay with us. We will be able to keep her safe.
”
As they carried on with their conversation, Zander noticed her head turning toward each of his comrades as they spoke. Was it possible she could hear them? If such was the case, there was something very extraordinary about the woman in their midst.
“I see a lot of muscle here. Are you guys as hard as you look?”
Zander came to a decision. It would be for the best, and most importantly for her safety. She already knew too much about them, and appeared far too comfortable among them. Using his gift, he would render her unconscious and search through her bag for an address to her home.
Zander didn’t feel completely confident the king’s sights were on this woman specifically. Why would they be? She appeared to be a regular mortal woman. Zander didn’t see a connection.
After they settled her in her home, they would keep surveillance for a few days to be sure she remained safe.
The thought of leaving the woman alone disturbed Zander in a manner causing him some alarm. Yes, she certainly was a feisty one, and appeared to be able to handle herself for the most part. Nevertheless, coming face-to-face with the king after close to two-hundred years had sparked an array of questions for which Zander could not find any answers.
Protectiveness like nothing he remembered experiencing in the past surfaced–this woman was his responsibility. He would personally see to her safety and well-being. He alone would protect her.
Zander would have no trouble watching over the woman after the sun set, however through the day was going to prove a problem. He would have to enlist the assistance of Jeff for the daylight hours.
Zander waved his hand in front of the woman’s eyes to take away her memory of them and send her into a state of deep sleep.
She blinked back, unfazed, and raised an eyebrow.
“What are you doing?” she asked, crossing her arms over her breasts.
The others stopped communicating through thought, and finally glanced down at her.
“Attempting to erase your memory of us.” Zander wiggled his fingers in front of his eyes in confusion. “But you seem to possess an ability to block me.”
“Why the hell would you want to take away my memory?”
“Because you have seen us, and you are unafraid. It will be safer for you with no memory of what you have witnessed this night,” Zander said, still examining his hand. Meeting her speculative glare, he felt the need to add, “And you have quite a mouth for a lady.”
“Bite me,” the woman replied with a challenging grin.
Zander forced a wide smile, displaying the sharp points of his fangs. “Do not tempt me, young one.”
“Oh, now I get it...you’re the big bad bully of this band of merry men?”
The other beasts broke out in laughter.
Zander grinned. She had spirit.
“
Well, taking away her memory of us didn’t work,
” Kenyon said. “
Now what?
”
“
We must eliminate her,
” Magnus replied.
“Eliminate me?” she repeated, turning her head to him and narrowing her eyes. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
“
We don’t kill innocents,
” Adan stated sharply.
“Well, that’s a relief,” the woman said, placing her hands on her hips. “The last I checked ‘innocents’ don’t much like that either.”
“
But she has seen us,
” Henrik reminded them. “
She will reveal us and what we are.
”
“I’m not going to tell anyone about you! Get over yourselves. And stop talking about me like I’m not here.”
“You can hear our thoughts,” Mabon exclaimed in surprise.
“Of course I can hear you,” she answered with an annoyed shake of her head. “I have ‘the gift,’” she added, a hint of defiance in her voice.
Zander nodded. “Then it is a possibility.” The answer to one of his questions now confirmed. “The young one is in danger.”
“Hey, I’m twenty-eight. Watch it with the ‘young one’ stuff.”
“And I am over two-hundred-thirty,” Zander replied, pulling himself to his full height and inhaling a deep breath, expanding his broad chest.
“Wow.” The woman looked at him wide-eyed. “You’re old.”
The five other gargoyles snickered.
“Not as old as some,” he snarled over the top of her head. The chortling died off. “And
you
are a child,” he said, looking down to her again.
“I am
not
a child,” she growled back.
Zander laughed heartily, finding amusement as the woman grew flustered. “You are a youngling.”
The woman stepped forward and poked Zander in the middle of his hard, muscled chest.
“You call me a child one more time, you overgrown beast, and I’ll knock you into the middle of next month.”
Zander took a step back, and his comrades laughed.
Adan chuckled. “Damn, I’d like to see that, babe.”
Zander released a mighty roar, stirring the stray dark curls framing the woman’s pretty face. She didn’t even flinch. Instead, she placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head to one side, a sparkle glinting in her eye.
“Feel better?” she asked with a smile.
“Not by a long shot,” Zander grumbled. “You better not be more effort than you are worth, woman.” Taking a step forward, he scooped her up effortlessly with one arm and launched himself in the air.
Chapter
3
“Hey, you brute!” the woman squealed, pounding clenched fists on his chest. “What the hell are you doing? Where are you taking me?”
“You are not safe on your own,” Zander replied. “At least not until I find out what the king wants with you.”
Higher and higher, Zander and his five friends climbed into the sky. The woman in his arms shifted and looked at the growing distance between them and the ground.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” she choked out, throwing her arms over his shoulders and wrapping her legs around his waist. “I’m sorry I poked you and called you a beast. Please don’t drop me,” she pleaded.