Little Sophie had one more trick to try out on me.
As I watched her, she turned to leave. Then she hesitated, hovering at the door. Slowly, she turned back to face me.
I gave her a blunt questioning look.
She pushed back her shoulders and took a deep breath. Then she marched across the room, grabbed my face in her hands and planted a kiss on my lips.
At first, I didn't react. I was just so startled. Because—in my mind—Sophie was like this really sweet little girl. Not the kind of lass to force a kiss on an innocent, unsuspecting guy like me. Then she moved her mouth against mine and the kiss started getting bad. Like really bad.
And I reacted.
A deep growl rumbled in my chest as I fisted my hand in her hair and tilted her head back, my mouth moving restlessly across hers as she leaned backward and I followed. She leaned farther but I wasn't letting go of that sweet, luscious mouth. My tongue shot past her lips and found paradise as she fell backward onto my bed. I crashed on top of her, still ravaging her mouth, my breaths ragged and torn as I groaned against her lips, the sounds I was making matching her own needy moans as we tangled together on the mattress.
"Oh Havoc," she gasped. "I always thought you were more…metro."
"Not feeling very metro right now," I growled.
"Need you," she whispered against my mouth. "Need you, now."
"Need you too," I panted, nipping at her soft lower lip. "Need you and love you and got to have you."
"And wh-what about the rune business?" she asked between shallow breaths.
"Screw my rune," I growled, and devoured her mouth with mine. "Rune or no rune, I love you, Sophie Kowalski. And…HOLY HELLHOUNDS," I shouted, jumping away from her and staring down at the mess on the sheets, at the blue stains right there on either side of her hair where I'd been holding her head. "D-don't move. Don't move, Sophie."
"Why?" she asked, her cheeks flushed as she pushed her elbows beneath her and raised her head.
"J-just be careful," I told her, reaching for her then snapping my hand out of her reach when I saw the venom streaming from my barbs. Slowly, I lifted my hands and stared at my hackles. "This shouldn't be happening," I whispered. "I gave my rune to Mitch. My instincts shouldn't be urging me to mark you."
She pushed herself into a sitting position, carefully avoiding the puddles of blue venom on the sheets. "Maybe…it didn't take," she suggested delicately. "I know you wanted to give Mitch your rune but…maybe you couldn't give it to a female who had already died."
Defiance's voice lifted from the living room downstairs. "That's what I've been trying to tell you," he called.
I stared at Sophie and whispered, "That's what he was telling me?"
Sophie whispered back, "They…can hear us?"
"Sorry," I said, staring at her. "Gargoyles have no secrets."
"Ohhh," she breathed, her beautiful eyes wide with surprise.
And as I stared at her on the bed, I wondered how I could have been such an idiot. "How could I have thought I could do this without you?" I murmured.
"Do what?" she asked softly.
"Anything," I murmured. "Everything. The rest of my life."
"The rest of your life?" she questioned.
"I can't do it unless you're in it," I told her.
Sophie just smiled and gave me a come-hither look.
I went thither.
Epilogue
Light footsteps on the attic stairs woke me. Normally, when I want to sleep in, I ignore the everyday household noises that rattle through the walls. But this morning I was ready to wake up and get on with my day. So I pretended to be asleep when my bedroom door creaked open and the quiet footsteps crept across the hardwood floor.
Someone cleared his throat right next to my ear.
I opened my eyes and saw a serious little face with brilliant blue eyes and a thick mop of black hair. The little gargoyle was dressed in striped pajamas, not unlike my own. I glanced at the time on my phone; it was late morning.
Six years after Rafe's harpies had attacked our garden party, I had quite a few nieces and nephews…but Willful was a bit of a favorite. Partly because he lived with me in the Boulder house and partly because we had all spent so many years worrying about him. He didn't talk at one year of age, like most kids. He didn't talk when he was two. Willful didn't talk at all for the first three years of his life. But when he did finally start talking, he got every word perfect. No baby talk for our little Willful.
"Good morning," I said, and packed the pillow more firmly beneath my head.
"Good morning, Uncle Havoc."
"Where are your brothers?" I asked with a smile.
"Downstairs in the kitchen with Mother and Father. Mother needs your help."
"Did she ask for my help?"
"No, but she's ruining everything," he said solemnly. "Can you come?"
The sharp scent of burnt pancakes wafted in through my open bedroom door. "I'm sure she's not ruining everything. Only breakfast."
"Can you come?" he repeated.
I sat up and threw my legs over the edge of the bed, yawning as I pulled my hand through my hair. I'd left it short. Well, short on the sides and longer on top; those were the directions I gave my hairdresser once a month.
Hitching my pajama pants upward, I scooped the little gargoyle into my arms.
"I'm too old to be carried," he pointed out.
"Just this once, then," I said, and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"I'm too old for kisses," he said, rubbing his palm into his skin.
"If you don't want one, then why are you rubbing it in?"
"I'm not rubbing it in," he protested. "I'm rubbing it off!"
I lifted an eyebrow. "That's not what it looks like to me."
He gave me an uncertain look.
"Never too old for kisses," I advised him as I carried him through the door. "Trust your Uncle Havoc on that one."
The old polished wood was cool beneath my bare feet as we made our way down the stairs.
"Do you know what today is?" I asked him.
"Saturday," he answered.
"Do you know what else today is?"
"June eleventh," he said.
"Clever lad. Do you know what else—"
"Today is the day you're marrying Sophie Kowalski," he sang.
"The lovely Sophie Kowalski," I corrected him.
"The lovely Sophie Kowalski," he echoed with a small smile. "Why are you getting married, Uncle Havoc?"
"Well, the girl has my rune and my heart. I figured she might as well have my name as well…and a huge diamond ring."
Will grinned back at me.
Our life was quiet at the Boulder house nowadays, most of the pack having moved out to the ranch. Only Reason and Elaina had chosen to stay in town. That's because they're arty. Arty people always live in cities.
We'd sold the gold pieces Malarkey had given me and used the money to buy a large acreage not too far up I-70, a long stretch of land next to Chicago Creek. It had been advertised as a dude ranch so it came with a lot of buildings including a big barn, a sprawling main residence, a huge bunkhouse and several comfortable cabins. The property was ideal for eight couples…some of which had started families.
The pack was growing…although we had suffered the loss of one of our members.
Hooligan had left us two years earlier, traveling on to a more heavenly destination. I hoped he was in a place where there were lots of rabbits to chase because we sure as hell missed him. But he'd been kind enough to leave two pups behind at the ranch, having met a neighbor's dog that he was very fond of. She was, by good fortune, another wolfhound like him. Hooligan's tall rangy pups adored the pack children and made a great fuss over Reason's boys when they visited the ranch.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Elaina was indeed ruining breakfast. But to be fair, she was a bit frazzled. It was my wedding day and she had three children to feed before dressing for the big event out at the ranch. Reason grinned
up at me from his chair. His markers were scattered across the table and he was working on the place cards for the afternoon meal. He bounced little blond Rebel on his knee while the family's latest addition hung from a sling on Elaina's chest.
I elbowed Elaina aside and took over breakfast while Will climbed onto a chair and waited with a fork in his small fist.
"You shouldn't have to cook on your wedding day," Elaina argued half-heartedly.
I added a little milk to the batter and pulled the whisk from the drawer. "This is the only thing I have to do today," I pointed out. "The rest of the day is on everyone else."
"And that's only fair," Elaina said. "After all, you took care of the first eight weddings. I think the rest of the pack can manage one."
"They'll be okay," I said bracingly as I poured batter onto the griddle. "I just hope they haven't forgotten the ice for the drink tubs."
"I'm sure they haven't," Reason said, then quickly disappeared with his phone, no doubt calling Victor to remind him about the ice.
"Will Sophie be there?" Will asked, looking worried.
"It will be hard to get married without a bride," I pointed out as I flipped a pancake.
"What if she forgets?"
"Sophie will be there," I assured the little boy. "Because she's in love with Havoc."
"And Havoc's in love with Sophie."
"Copy that," I answered and stepped across the floor to slide a pancake onto his plate.
"The next one's for you," I promised Elaina, who was struggling with the little handful on her chest. The boy wanted out of the sling and he was letting everyone know.
"Somebody should have told me that gargoyles always come in sets of three," she sighed while smiling down at the squirming young lad.
"Sorry," I laughed. "But you should have been able to figure that one out on your own."
"I guess so," she agreed.
"Why don't you let the little one down so he can toddle around?" I asked her. "Toddling is what toddlers are supposed to do."
"He'll make a beeline for the table," Elaina muttered. "Then he'll hoist himself up and grab a fistful of markers. So unless you want to wash the walls…"
"Which makes me wonder why you haven't named him yet," I murmured.
"Can't find anything that fits," Reason explained, sounding a little defensive as he returned to the room and reclaimed his chair.
"Are you serious?" I laughed. "I'd have thought it was obvious what the lad should be named."
"Obvious," Willful echoed around a mouthful of pancake. As usual, he'd chosen to repeat the biggest word I'd used.
"What are you talking about?" Rees grunted.
"Are you kidding? The little one clearly takes after you."
"But his hair is black like Lainey's. And his eyes—"
"I'm not talking about his looks," I cut in with a dismissive wave of my hand.
"We're not naming him Reason," he rumbled.
"No," Lainey agreed. "If we did, he'd always be Little Reason while his father would be—"
"Aye, Big Reason," I said. "I get it. But I'm not suggesting you name him Reason."
"What are you suggesting?" Rees asked, looking puzzled.
"Art," I said. "The little one's name has to be Art."
Elaina and Reason just stared at each other for the next few seconds. Then they started laughing. Elaina lifted the little guy down to the floor. "Art it is, then."
We finished up breakfast, and I got the dishes out of the way. Then it was time to help Reason with the boys. We got them bathed and dressed while Elaina disappeared to make herself beautiful.
"I don't know why it takes her so long," Reason mused thoughtfully. "When she comes out of the bathroom, she looks exactly the same as when she went in."
"You mean she looks beautiful?' I asked.
"Aye, that's exactly what I mean," he answered with a grin.
And when the boys were all polished up, it was time for Reason and me to get ready. The males in the wedding party (which included my entire family in one way or another) were wearing white jackets over charcoal slacks and shirts. The ties were white.
So to sum things up, we washed and dressed the kids, got ourselves ready…and were waiting in the living room at least twenty minutes before Elaina reappeared. She stepped into the room looking fabulous in a sparkly teal dress with an A-line skirt, a snug bodice, and a boat neckline.
"There she is," I said, elbowing Reason. "Lovely as ever."
"Aye," he answered softly, his eyes getting all mushy and warm. "She's perfect."
He was still kissing her on the way out the door.
I grinned at Will as I lifted him into his car seat. "Are they always like that?" I asked.
"They're incurable," Will answered on cue, cleverly repeating what I'd said about his parents only a few days earlier.
Inside the minivan, I sat in the back seat with Will. Reason steered the car out onto the road and headed south.
"Maybe we should stop by the restaurant on the way there," I suggested. "Just for a minute. Make sure everything's on track to be delivered on time."
The wedding reception was being catered by my restaurant, The Croft. (I'd skipped college and had opened a restaurant instead.) The venture was a huge success with full bookings every evening and a month-long waiting list for Friday night. We served a mixture of the best dishes from around the world served up with my own variations. The British bangers with jalapeno and cheese were a favorite at the Sunday brunch; we could hardly keep the chafers stocked. The dinner menu offered a couple of curry dishes that couldn't be beat and a French Canadian tourtiere that was to-die-for. (The secret ingredient was cinnamon.)
Elaina shared a smile with Reason. "I'm sure Leo has everything under control."
"Aye. But—"
Reason laughed. "Let it go, Havoc."
"Let it go," Will echoed, and gave me a stern look.
I crossed my arms over my chest and pretended to pout. "Alright," I sighed. "If I must."
"Everything will be perfect," Elaina said reassuringly.
"Everything will be perfect," Will echoed. "Especially the fireworks."
"Fireworks," I exclaimed, unwinding my arms and giving my little nephew a wide-eyed stare. "There are going to be fireworks?"
Elaina turned in her seat and frowned at Willful. "Uncle Havoc wasn't supposed to know about the fireworks. It was meant to be a surprise."
The little boy wilted a bit in his car seat. "Sorry," he said in a small voice.
"Never mind," I told Will. "Uncle Havoc will be surprised. Because fireworks are always a surprise, aren't they? No matter when they happen. Even when you're expecting them."
Will looked a little worried on that score.
"I'll be surprised," I assured him.
"Okay," he answered, and his face cleared.
"Whose idea were the fireworks?" I asked, hoping it wasn't Chaos.
"Chaos's," answered Reason.
I smacked my palm against my forehead. "You let a guy named Chaos be in control of the fireworks?"
"It was his idea," Reason argued.
"It will be fine," Elaina soothed. "Quit worrying."
"Quit worrying," I muttered, and crossed my arms again. "This is the most important day of my life and you tell me to quit worrying."
Will reached out and patted my arm. "Don't worry, Uncle Havoc."
But I couldn't help myself. I spent the rest of the trip imagining everything that could go wrong…before the fireworks. Then there was a whole different set of things to worry about after the fireworks.
On I-70, we turned off on the county road. Not too long after that, we made another turn and headed down the long drive to the ranch house. Even though we'd all made tons of friends in Colorado, it was going to be a small wedding with close friends only; Reason's youngest had only just learned how to wrap his wings without help and we didn't want him giving away the family secret to too many people…not if we could help it.
But Wal
ker was there, standing in front of the home's covered porch, waiting to open the car door for me. I stepped out and shot him a grin.
"Everything's ready," said the tall redhead. "The girls say you mustn't see Sophie before the ceremony. So, you're supposed to head directly to the back of the house. Malarkey's waiting there for you."
Aye. We'd rounded up Mal for the wedding. Chaos and Torrie had crossed the Atlantic on a cruise ship. Chaos had flown to shore one evening and had come back with Malarkey. So I was very envious of my old friend because I'd always fancied being a stowaway. The guy was living out my fantasies.
Out behind the house on the lawn that spread down to the creek, I found Courage and Force. They were my ushers. Force looked uncomfortable stuffed into a white suit jacket. The jacket looked no less uncomfortable. The seams that spanned his wide shoulders looked like they might split at any moment.
"Don't breathe in," I muttered as I passed him.
He grinned back as I strode down the aisle formed by the long benches set out on the grass. But I didn't get far before I was accosted by a bevy of beautiful young girls.
It's not what you think.
Victor's daughter was the first to reach me; Chelsea's gold curls bounced down to her waist. Dare's girls weren't far behind, little Betsy hugging my leg as I lifted her smaller sister into my arms. While I tickled Tia under the chin, I grinned into the seats where Valor held his baby boy in one arm. The little one was wrapped tightly in a small soft blanket to hide his wings.
Eventually, Samantha and Mim rescued me from the girls, rounding them up and herding them back to the house to play their part in the wedding ceremony. And for the next several seconds, I watched the girls dance off with their mothers. Then I was on my way again. When I reached the wide latticed arch at the top of the aisle, I pulled Malarkey into a hug. His wild black hair was a contrast to the formal clothes he was wearing. But he looked damn handsome.
"I'm so glad you're here," I whispered against his ear. "Thanks for coming."
"I wouldn't have missed it," he answered in a rough lilt.
"Do you have the ring?" I asked, just to be sure. I didn't really think he might have forgotten it. I only wanted everything to come off without a hitch.
He pulled the small velvet box from his pocket and snapped it open.
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