Chapter Twenty-Six

Deacon and Jasper ran down the hallway and up the stairs to the sanctuary. Lor was battling the males single-handedly. The Unholy didn’t stand a chance against his sword, but Lorenzo was having a hard time against two armed Gargoyles. They had Lor boxed in, but when Deacon and Jasper stepped in, the two opposing males couldn’t hold off the three of them working together. The sound of metal clashing echoed in the cavernous sanctuary. The two they were fighting must have been Greeks leftover from Alistair’s army. Their fighting skills were fresh.

Deacon was glad their Clan had trained with swords over the last year, if not happy for the reason. As a Gargoyle, wielding a sword was something taught as soon as their initial transition kicked in, but for most, war was something they didn’t think about. Their kind rarely fought each other. Their duties were to keep humans safe and live peaceful lives. Fighting against others of their kind wasn’t quick. It wasn’t easy. Their stamina was on equal footing, and the only reason they were able to get the upper hand was because they outnumbered their opponents.

The fighting continued for what seemed like hours when a roar sounded, and Paxton charged down the middle aisle. With Paxton adding his sword, they were at a two-to-one advantage. When one of the males turned his attention to Paxton, Deacon swung his sword against his opponent’s neck. Beside him, Lorenzo waited until Jasper clashed with his opponent and took the challenger’s head from behind. It wasn’t a fair fight, but the end result had been inevitable. Blood spilled across the dirty floor as the two Gargoyles fell, their heads landing beside their lifeless bodies.

“Fuck! ” Paxton yelled. “I lost the human. There was an SUV waiting, and I couldn’t use my shifter speed to catch them. There were too many people watching, ” he said as he bent at the waist. He wasn’t winded, just pissed. Deacon felt the other male’s disappointment wash over him. As Lorenzo tried to calm the cop down, Deacon reached out to Julian on his comm.

“It’s over. Frey has the child, and we’re going to need cleanup. ”

“Remy is already en route. ”

“Jules, please call Dante and tell him I’m bringing the child to his house. There’s no way we can take him to the hospital, ” Frey said. “Please tell him we need clothes. Rain is about a size eight. ”

“On it, Brother. ”

“Thank you. Deacon, is there a way out of there without me walking through the sanctuary? ”

Paxton answered, “Yes. When you come up the steps, there’s a door that leads behind the choir, and there’s an exit out the back. I’ll go get the car and pull it around so we can get the hell out of here. ”

Deacon and the others sheathed their swords before heading to the door where Frey would come out with Rain. Before they got to the back exit, Remy and Kai walked inside with Caleb and Aldredge, two guards from the Pen who helped with cleanup when necessary.

“Daddy? ” Rain cried out. All the males turned to see who the boy was talking to.

“Rainier? Oh, Gods. Rain? My son! ” Remy cried, dragging the boy out of Frey’s arms, hugging him close. Rain’s little arms closed around Remy’s neck as the two held on for all they were worth.

“Wait. I thought Isabelle said the child had Original blood, ” Deacon muttered.

With tears streaking down his face, Remy said, “Yes. He does. His mother, my mate, she was from an Original line out of Australia. She went back to visit last year. Her brother and I don’t get along, so I told her to take Rain and go for a holiday. I got a call…” Remy choked up. “Her brother called and told me there’d been an accident. Said…”

Frey put his hand on Remy’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Brother. We get it. But Rain told us he didn’t have a home. ”

Remy looked at his son, frowning. “Let’s go get you cleaned up and we’ll talk, yeah? ” Rain nodded then laid his head back down on his father’s shoulder.

“Come on. We’ll take him to Dante so he and Isabelle can check him over. They should have clothes for him by the time we get there. ” Frey gestured toward the back door.

“Thanks, Brother, ” Remy said, his smile speaking of the joy at finding his son alive.

“I’ll stay here and help with cleanup, ” Paxton, who was back inside, offered.

Lorenzo looked around at the mess. “I’ll help as well. The sooner these bodies are out of here, the better. ”

Once outside, Frey and Jasper climbed into the front of the SUV after Deacon helped Remy and Rain get settled into the backseat. Deacon sat in the back with them. He couldn’t take his eyes off the boy. He never believed in miracles before that moment, but seeing Remy and his son reunited was nothing short of something supernatural.

The mood on the ride was joyous all around. Rain still emitted fear, but not nearly as much as he had when Deacon first encountered the boy. As much as he wanted to get home to Sabrina, Deacon’s need to make sure the child was okay was greater. Dante and Isabelle were waiting outside their home when Frey parked in the driveway. Even though it was late, Connor was standing with them.

Remy carried Rain, and the others followed them into the house. Isabelle directed Remy to follow her to Connor’s bedroom where he would be comfortable while she checked him over. Deacon and the others waited downstairs to give them privacy. Connor sat on Dante’s lap, his young face fraught with worry.

“Thanks to you, Rain is safe, ” Dante told his son.

“I’m glad, Da. I’ll be his friend. He needs one, ” Connor replied.

Dante hugged Connor, a proud smile gracing his usually stoic face.

They waited in silence until Isabelle returned downstairs. “Connor, will you please join Rain and his father in your bathroom? ”

“Yes, ma’am. ” When Connor reached the staircase, he turned back to his mother. “Is he okay? ”

Isabelle forced a smile. “He will be. ”

When Connor was up the stairs, Isabelle’s face was twisted in fury as she walked to Dante and sat down on his lap. “I’ll need to run bloodwork, but physically, he’s okay. Remy wants to wait until the morning so Rain can get some sleep. Dante, when you all capture Craven, I want a go at him before anyone else. No one, but especially not a child, should be used in such a way. ”

“Did he say anything about how he ended up with Craven? ”

“Just that one day his uncle took him for a ride to get ice cream, but instead, he handed him over to a stranger. Remy was getting upset, which was in turn upsetting Rain, so I suggested he get Rain a bath and offered for them to stay the night. ”

“We’ll get to the bottom of it on Remy and Rain’s time. When Remy’s ready, we’ll go after the uncle, ” Frey said. Deacon already knew the male was a dead man. Nobody messed with the Clan, but when it came to children? Deacon shook his head. It was another mark in the negative column of why he shouldn’t have kids.

He stood, as did Jasper and Frey. After saying their goodbyes, the three walked out to the porch. “Come on. I’ll drop you at your homes, ” Frey said.

“I think I’ll fly, ” Jasper countered. Deacon didn’t have to look at the sky to know it was the perfect night for it. Both their houses were close by, so he agreed to fly with him. Before they removed their shirts and unfurled their wings, they texted their mates to let them know they were on their way.

Sabrina was sitting on the back patio sipping a glass of wine when she heard a car pull up. Thinking it was Deacon, she hurried to the front door. When she opened it, Trevor was walking up the steps. His grin was sheepish. “I should have called first, but I don’t have your number. ” He held up a bottle of wine. “I brought a peace offering. ”

“How did you get in the gate? ” she asked, holding the door open so he could enter.

“Oh. All the gates are programmed so family can get in. I hope I’m not bothering you; it’s just when Jasper and I first got together, I remember how lonely it was when he went on patrols or had to do Clan stuff, and I didn’t like sitting home alone. Since he’s off with Deacon and the others, I thought I’d keep you company and answer any questions you have about being a mate. Well, not any question, because I’m a guy, and I don’t get some of the hetero stuff, but anything else…” He shrugged, and Sabrina couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re not bothering me, and I would love to chat. I was sitting on the patio enjoying the peacefulness of the evening. ”

“Oh, then you probably don’t want me here, because I’m anything but peaceful. I tend to ramble, but you probably already know that. ”

“I do want you here. Can I get you a glass? ” She took the bottle of offered wine and inspected the label, wondering if it was a brand Deacon had stashed in his wine room.

“I’d prefer a beer, if you have it. ”

“One beer, coming up. ” Sabrina put the wine on the counter and grabbed a bottle of ale out of the refrigerator, handing it over to the colorful young man. Trevor followed her outside and sat down next to her, popping the cap.

“Ahh, that’s good, ” he said after taking a long pull. “I love what Deacon’s done with his yard. He’s very domesticated with all the flowers. I love the hummingbirds, too. ” Several swooped around the feeders, diving in and out before chasing each other off. “I’m sort of surprised they show up. Most critters won’t come around the Gargoyles. Except for Tamian. He’s like the animal whisperer or something. We’re neighbors, if you didn’t know. Not like next door or anything, but next acre? Next property? ” Trevor pointed to the trees, and said, “About one hundred acres that way. You can either walk through the woods, or Deacon could fly you. ”

“Fly me? ”

“Oh, yes. It’s exhilarating. You have to try it sometime. ”

“I haven’t seen Deacon fly. I’ve only seen his wings a couple times. And here I thought riding on his bike was going to be an experience. Anyway, tell me about yourself. ” Sabrina lifted her glass and took a sip, watching Trevor over the rim.

“Let’s see. I think you met my brother, Travis. I’m his clone. He had a heart condition when he was born, and I was created in case he needed a spare one. You already know I work in the morgue, and I’m studying to become a doctor so I can take over for Dante one day. I figure it’ll take me about ten years since I’m in no hurry, but now that I’m mated to a Goyle, time really isn’t the same as it was before. That still blows my mind. That whole living hundreds of years thing. Anyway, our start was rough. Has Deacon told you about Alistair? ”

“Some of it. We really haven’t talked about much, ” Sabrina admitted, blushing.

“No, I get that. The bond is intense. It was one reason our start was so rough. I had this need to be around Jasper, but there was so much of his past getting in the way. ” Trevor went on to tell Sabrina how both Craig and Theron, two of Jasper’s exes, came into their lives, and how Trevor hadn’t known about Gargoyles until Dante explained it to him while he was on the outs with Jasper. The story had Sabrina enraptured if not mortified. She thought having a stalker was bad, but her experience was nothing compared to what Trevor had been through. Trevor spent the next half hour talking about Alistair and what he’d put the other mates through, and how the Goyles had flown to Greece and battled the male who’d made their lives hell.

“Everyone thought with Alistair out of the picture our lives would find some sense of normalcy, but now that Drago’s here in New Atlanta, we’re still looking over our shoulders. October can’t get here soon enough. ”

“Why’s that? ”

“Jasper and I are getting married. Then we’re going on our honeymoon, and I’m ready to get away from all this for a while. Don’t get me wrong. I love the Clan, and I’d do anything for any one of them, but things have been intense for a while. I’m looking to get away and relax without surprises popping up at every corner. I know the others feel the same way. With Kaya about ready to push out Sebastian, we just want our little part of the world to be a safe place. What about you? You and Deacon gonna add little Goyles to the mix anytime soon? ”

Sabrina smiled at Trevor’s bluntness. Instead of being annoying, it was refreshing. “No. I’m not going to say never, but I doubt it will be anytime soon, if ever. Things are already moving too quickly. I mean, yes, I have seen Deacon in Jonathan’s room for a while now, but we only actually met this week. We were supposed to go on our first date last night, and now we’re mated. If anyone had told me I’d be in a committed relationship and moving into his home after less than a week, I’d have sent them to see a colleague of mine who’s a psychiatrist. Hell, I still think it’s crazy, but I couldn’t deny the pull to be with him. ”

“Believe me, I understand. Not to make you feel bad, but I do think yours is the fastest mating out of all the rest. Most everyone had some type of ordeal to get through to be together, though. I’m not saying that to make you feel bad or worse or… I think you should count yourself lucky you got to where you are so quickly. It means you didn’t go through all the crap the rest of us did. As bad as my story is, some of the others are worse. You’ll get to hear them Sunday when we go to the manor for family day. ”

“I would say I’m looking forward to it, but if what happened to them is worse, I’m not so sure I want them to tell me. Yes, I’m curious, but I don’t want any of them to relive that pain. ”

“You’re a peach, and I’m glad you’re one of us. ” Their phones pinged at the nearly the same time. “Ah, the boys must have saved the day. I’ll see myself out so you can get ready to welcome Deacon home. ” Trevor stood then took Sabrina’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “Until Sunday, My Lady. ”

Sabrina grinned at Trevor’s antics as she opened her text.

Deacon: On my way. Wait for me on the back patio

Sabrina replied simply: Okay

She leaned back in the chair with her wine, crossing her legs. Why would he want her to wait out there? She had just taken a sip when something large floated down, landing in the yard. When she realized what it was, Sabrina dropped her glass, wine splashing her ankle. Thankfully, the glass didn’t break. She jumped to her feet and ran into the yard where her Gargoyle was waiting, wings spread wide, looking like something out of a fantasy. Yeah, her fantasy.

Drago threw the glass against the wall, crystal shards spraying in all directions as the whiskey stained the paint. He ignored Hagen’s footsteps. “I don’t care about the kid. Find the godsdamned doctor! ” he shouted at Trexon before disconnecting. Hagen didn’t look at Drago as he began cleaning up the glass. “Leave it. I made the mess; I’ll clean it up, ” Drago said, surprising himself. Usually he was all for delegating tasks to those he felt were lesser, but with Hagen, he genuinely appreciated the human. The more time he spent with his assistant, the more he liked him. Drago imagined their relationship to be what he would have had with Audrey, minus the sex.

“Why don’t you fix yourself another drink and tell me what happened while I clean this up? ” Hagen continued picking up the glass.

“Somehow, the Stone Society found out where the boy was. Craven assured me no one could find him, but they did. Now, Craven is gone, and I want him returned to me. ”

“Craven or the boy? ”

“Craven. He has my money, but I don’t have the serum. Since we decided to abort the Reborn program, the child is no longer necessary. ”

“And if he talks? ”

“It doesn’t matter. With two of the Reborn already missing, it’s more than likely the Stone Society already knows Craven is the one helping me. And that is another reason I need him found. If they get their hands on him before I do, not only will I have to find another doctor capable and willing to help with the Unholy, but all the money I paid him will be for nothing. ”

“What can I do? ” Hagen asked as he dumped the glass into the garbage can.

“Get into Craven’s accounts and figure out where he’s going. ” And when he was found, Drago would make him wish he’d never run.

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