by Faith Gibson
“Wait. You said she worked for the GIA. How old is she? Because you don’t look old enough to have a grown daughter.”
Warryck brought their joined hands up to his mouth and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “She’s twenty-four. Gryphons don’t age the same way humans do. Once we reach maturity, the process slows down. I’m forty-four. My parents don’t look much older than I do, so when you meet my father, don’t be surprised.”
“Warryck, I’m sorry if you rescuing me brings back sad memories for you. I can’t imagine what you went through losing Harlow.”
“It was a long time ago. At the time, I thought I was doing what was best for my daughter, because it was what her mother wanted. When I see her around my family now, though, I’m not so sure.”
“So, you went on to become a psychology professor instead of opening an office and treating people. What did your students think of having a hot biker for a teacher? I bet you had students begging for extra credit.”
Warryck laughed and shook his head. “I didn’t ride my bike to campus. I was the epitome of the nerdy professor. Khakis and button-up shirts. I even have a hybrid SUV back home in my garage.”
“Are you serious? I so cannot see you all geeked out. Besides, I like this leather look on you. You wear it well.”
Warryck snuck a glance at her, grinning. “You’re good for my ego, Sweetheart. I’ve missed dressing this way all the time. Like I said back at the tent, I go camping there at least once a year during spring break. Hitting the road on my bike is like a balm to my soul.”
“I can see that. I only got to ride with you one time, but even that short trip was exhilarating.”
“Would you like to do it again? Ride with me?”
“Let me think. Sit snuggled up to your back, my arms around your hard body, while the world passes by with no metal around us? Wind tangling my hair? Uh, yeah. I’d love it. Besides, some hot guy bought me these really kickass motorcycle boots.”
“Then as soon as I take care of Gideon and his band of merry sheep, I’ll make that happen.”
Kerrigan couldn’t wait.
Chapter Twenty-Three
War
KERRIGAN was too good to be true. Warryck told her about his past, not because he wanted to test her, but to get it out there so she could see what kind of male he was. Or at least the kind he had been. He liked to think he had grown and matured since he left Lucy with Vera and Lucius. If he had it to do over, he would have raised her himself with his parents’ help. “We’re almost to the new hotel. Lucy booked it under her name. Gideon shouldn’t be able to track me since he doesn’t know my name, but if his men got the tag number off my bike, it’s possible they have someone who could run it. She’s trying to cover all our bases for us.”
“She sounds like a good daughter.”
“She is. She only booked one room. I hope that’s okay.” Mav had convinced Lucy to do that saying Warryck needed help in the dating department. Not that he and Kerrigan were dating, but if spending the rest of the night alone with her meant keeping her in his arms until morning, who was he to object?
“More than. I know we just met, but I like you. Oh, shit. I need to let my parents know we moved.”
“About that. Lucy’s mate has a jet and has offered it to you and your parents.”
“He has his own plane?” Kerrigan’s eyes were wide, and Warryck grinned at her.
“Uh, yeah. He might be a prince or something like that.” Warryck wouldn’t share the fact that Tamian was a Gargoyle prince. Kerrigan was still getting used to there being Gryphons, plus it wasn’t his place to share the truth of the other shifters.
“Damn. First Gryphons, then bikers, and now royalty. I feel like I woke up in another dimension. And I’m just an unemployed bartender.”
“Is that something you always wanted to do?”
“Don’t laugh, but when I was young, I wanted to be a ballerina. Turns out I have two left feet and no rhythm.”
“I’m not laughing, because I’m not very graceful either. But, for what it’s worth, I think you would look stunning in a tutu.”
“Riiight. I’m not exactly the pencil-thin type, but I’m okay with that. You can’t drink beer every night and keep a dancer’s figure. Anyway, I got the job at Harper’s Point in my second year of college. I really had no plans with what I wanted to do when I graduated, and I loved working behind the bar. It was a good fit for me, so I dropped out of school and stayed with Brooks. I hated leaving him the way I did, but at the time, I didn’t think I had a choice.”
“Would you go back there if you could?”
“I think I’d rather keep my options open.”
Warryck wanted to pump his fist but decided to play it cool. They arrived at the hotel a few minutes later, and his heart thumped wildly for a different reason. It had been years since he’d spent any time with either his brother or father, yet here they were, ready to help him. They were waiting near the back of the lot, so he drove up and parked next to them. Ryker was grim as always, but Sutton was grinning like he had a secret.
After getting out, War went around and helped Kerrigan out of the car and placed a hand on her lower back. She didn’t shy away from his touch. If anything, she leaned a little closer. Whether it was because she wanted to be near him or from getting her first look at Ryker, he didn’t know. Sutton closed the distance and wrapped War in a tight hug, pounding him on the back.
“War, it’s good to see you, Son. And who’s this beauty?” Sutton held out his hand to Kerrigan and brought her knuckles to his lips.
“Kerrigan, I’d like you to meet my father, Sutton. And this is my oldest brother, Ryker.”
When Ryker pushed off his bike, his features softened. He shook Kerrigan’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances. When Maveryck called and told us what was going on, we headed out to help War.” Ryker held out a set of keys and a plastic hotel room card. “I went ahead and signed you in so Kerrigan wouldn’t have to wait to get into your room.”
“Thanks, Ry. I’ll just—” Thumping came from the trunk, and all four turned toward the car. “Ah, our guests are awake. Let me get Kerrigan settled in our room, and then we’ll discuss next steps.”
“I took the liberty of getting the room next to yours, Son. We’ll wait for you in there.” Sutton held out his arm for Kerrigan. “Shall we?”
Kerrigan looped her arm through Sutton’s. “We shall.” She looked over her shoulder at War and winked.
“Bags?” Ryker asked, gesturing toward the car.
“Yeah.” War opened the car and pulled out their things, handing his duffel to Ryker before grabbing the rest of their bags. “Listen, Ry. Thanks for coming out to help. I know I’m not involved in this part of what the family does, but I’d like to be. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking now that I’ve had nothing but time, and I’m ready to do my part. Starting with this Gideon fucker. I want to make him pay for what he and those two put Kerrigan through.” He kicked the side of the trunk hard enough to put a dent in it.
“Glad to hear it. I’m also glad you’re making things right with Lucy.”
“I’m trying. I have a lot of years to make up for, but she and I have been talking a lot, and it seems to be going well.”
Ryker strode across the parking lot without waiting for War. When he caught up with his brother, Ryker kept his face forward, but War didn’t need to be looking at him to know his eyes were glacial when he spoke. “I’m glad to hear that as well, because that girl means the world to me, but if you ever hurt her again, you’ll answer to me.” Ryker used his own key card to enter the side entrance of the hotel.
War bristled at his words, but instead of getting into an argument, he kept his mouth shut. He already knew how Ryker felt about Lucy and the fact that the family felt he’d abandoned his daughter. War would just have to prove he was ready to put the past behind him and be the better son, brother, father, and Hound.
When they we
re both secure in the elevator, Ryker turned to him. “Nothing to say?”
“No. I’ve made my peace with Lucy, and I figure actions speak louder than words.”
Ryker was only a few years older, but he made War feel like a teenager at times. More so than their father ever did. War always admired his oldest brother, especially when he’d suffered his own great loss early on. War handled Harlow’s death on his own, never accepting help from anyone. He left Lucy with Vera and Lucius then lost himself in school. He didn’t allow himself time to grieve. He found the bottom of a whiskey bottle a couple times, but that was it. Ryker endured his own suffering by taking to the road with Sutton, just the two of them on their bikes. He’d been a strong male before, but he seemed to mature overnight. War understood why Ryker latched on to Lucy, and he wasn’t going to open old wounds just to get his digs in.
When they reached the door to the room, Sutton stepped out, grinning. “For all she’s been through, that one’s feisty. I like her.”
“Yeah, she seems like she’s got a good head on her shoulders.” War wasn’t going to let on how much he liked Kerrigan. It was too soon for him to have such strong feelings for the female. Sutton would call bullshit, because he and Rory had fallen in love the first day they met and were married a week later. It was about five years before they had the girls as Rory still called War’s six older sisters who were all in their eighties. Sutton kept trying for boys and gave up after three sets of female twins were born. It wasn’t until Ryker came along unexpectedly almost fifty years ago that they decided to try for more boys, and Sutton got his wish. “So, what’s the plan?”
Ryker pushed open the door to the room next to Kerrigan’s. “First thing is to secure those two in the trunk. We need a place we can take them and interrogate them. What we don’t get from them, we’ll need Kerrigan to fill in for us. When are her parents arriving?”
“They’re supposed to be on a flight out in the morning.”
Ryker scrubbed a hand through his beard. “It’s good they’re coming to get her. We need to move on this compound as soon as possible, and we don’t need her getting in the way.”
“You don’t think she could be useful?” Warryck wasn’t ready to let her leave, but maybe his brother had a point.
“With information, yes. We’re going in to take down a cult, not have a tea party.”
Sutton set a hand on War’s shoulder. “You’ll need to focus on taking down Talbert and his guards. If Kerrigan’s there, your mind will be on keeping her safe. It’s nothing against her personally.”
“Okay. I get that. Can you handle the guys in the trunk? It’s been a long damn day for Kerrigan, and I’d rather wait and talk to her in the morning about the compound.” War also wanted more alone time with her before her parents arrived.
“Don’t you want to come with us?” Ryker asked, giving War a knowing look.
“Only if I’m needed. If not, I’d like to stay with Kerrigan. Someone needs to watch over her in case Gideon happened to have us followed somehow. I didn’t check his two goons for trackers or anything before I shoved them in the trunk.”
“Shit. I guess we need to get on that. Sultan, King, and Judge stopped off to pick up your bike. They should be arriving soon. They won’t bother you unless you need them.” Ryker handed War a phone. “Here’s a burner. All our numbers are already programmed into it. If you need them, call King first. If they run into trouble, they’ll call you, so keep it close by. Pop, let’s do this.” Ryker strode toward the door and held it open for their father.
Sutton followed but turned before stepping into the hallway. “This shouldn’t take long. If everything goes as it should, we won’t bother you tonight when we return.” He winked at War and set his hand on Ryker’s back to get him moving. War didn’t miss the way his brother narrowed his eyes. He wondered if Ryker was interested in Kerrigan, or if he just didn’t want War to have her. Not that he had her. Ryker’d had just as much time to find a woman of his own, even though he’d vowed to never get involved again. If he did have his eye on Kerrigan? Tough shit.
Using the extra key card, War knocked on the door to his and Kerrigan’s room before letting himself in. When he didn’t hear her object, he pushed it open and froze. Kerrigan had on the leather jacket he’d bought for her and was admiring it in the mirror.
“Oh, hi.” She blushed a pretty shade of pink. “I hope this was for me.”
“It is yours. Do you like it?” War let the door close behind him, and he stepped into the room, tossing the card on the dresser. Kerrigan nodded, twirling around so he could see it from all sides. “Looks good on you.”
“It fits perfect. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Sorry that took so long. Just making plans. Have you spoken to your parents again?” Warryck sat down on one of the queen beds and removed his boots.
“Yes. I let them know we moved hotels, but I didn’t give them the reason. I went with the radon excuse. No need for them to worry any more than they already are. I need to warn you. My mother is probably going to lose her shit when she meets you. She’ll cry on your shirt and offer to buy you an island or something. She’s a wonderful mom, but she can get a little out there sometimes.”
“You haven’t met ‘out there’ until you meet my mother. If Rory likes you, she’ll love you forever. If she doesn’t? Just watch out for the sharp teeth.”
Kerrigan narrowed her eyes. “Are you serious?”
Warryck stretched out on the bed, bunching the pillows behind his head. “I mean, she wouldn’t really bite someone unless they were a threat to one of her kids. Momma lion and her cubs and all that.”
Kerrigan removed the jacket and placed it over the back of the rolling desk chair. She crawled on top of the opposite bed and sat cross-legged facing War. “Tell me about her cubs. I’m an only child, so I have no idea what having siblings would be like.”
War rolled over onto his side so he could see her better. “There’s eleven of us. Three sets of female twins who are in their eighties. Dad wanted boys and kept trying, but finally gave up after Dahlia and Iris were born. Poppy and Holly are the oldest. Aster and Laurel are three years behind them, and Dahlia and Iris are two years behind them. About fifty years ago, Ryker happened. They weren’t planning on having more kids, but once Dad got his first boy, he convinced Mom to keep going. Maveryck and I are four years younger than Ryker. Kyllian came along twelve years later, and Hayden’s the baby at twenty-eight. The girls, Ryker, Mav and I were all born in Texas, but Kyllian and Hayden were born in New York. Since we don’t age like humans, we have to move around before people get suspicious.”
“Did you leave New York at some point?”
“No, but I did move away from the family when I began teaching. They’ve also moved to different parts of the state. Dad and Rory were ready to head south when Lucy found out she was adopted and got in touch. Rory wanted to stay close for her, but now that she’s living with Tamian, I have a feeling they might be packing things up. My sisters all have children, and they have children, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see our parents seek some of them out.”
“It’s all so strange, thinking about your dad, who’s hot by the way, having great-grandkids.”
“Hey, I’m supposed to be the only Lazlo you have eyes for.”
Kerrigan picked up a pillow and tossed it at War. “You’re too easy.”
“I’ll show you easy.” War dove off his bed and tackled Kerrigan, pinning her beneath him. Securing her hands over her head with one of his hands, he tickled her until she gasped. He’d completely forgotten about her injuries. “Shit!” War rolled to his side and sat up, running his hands through his hair.
Kerrigan placed a hand between his shoulders. “Hey, it’s okay. You didn’t hurt me.” Kissing the side of his neck, she set her chin on his shoulder. When he turned his head to apologize, Kerrigan pressed their lips together. Not wanting to hurt her further, he kept his hands in his lap, but she had different ideas. With
their tongues tangled together, Kerrigan straddled his lap.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gideon
GIDEON paced the small area of his office, sliding his fingers through his hair for the hundredth time since Kerrigan escaped. He glanced at the living room where Sparrow was tied to a chair, tears streaming down her face. Deep down, he knew she had nothing to do with Kerrigan running away, but she was McKenzie’s sister, and she had also tried to leave The Sanctuary. Coincidence or not, he couldn’t trust her. Lewis had filled him in about the two women taking a walk to the area around the barn. Either Sparrow or Mac must have mentioned Mac’s attempt at running, since they were the same trails Kerrigan had used.
Kerrigan had lied to him when she said she wanted to be with him, and that knowledge pissed him right the fuck off. He should have known better. She was just like the other redhead in his life. Both beautiful, lying snakes. Fuck! When he got his hands on Kerrigan, and he would get her back, he would teach her the same lesson he’d taught Juliette.
“Gideon.”
The voice was lethal. Making sure his face was indifferent, he turned and faced his older brother.
“Josiah, what brings you here?”
His brother’s laugh was deep. Sinister. “Are you really going to pretend like you don’t know? Like I don’t have the pulse of every one of my compounds?”
It took all Gideon’s self-control not to flinch. The Sanctuary was Gideon’s, but Josiah liked to think all compounds in the Northeast were under his command. They both knew who was in charge. Just because Josiah was married to Abraham’s oldest daughter, it gave him the impression he had more control than the other leaders. Still, Gideon knew to tread lightly.
“I have no illusions where you’re concerned, Brother. But this situation is under control.”
“Is that what you think? If so, you’re less competent than you believe, because Lewis and Steven are now in the hands of a biker gang. The same gang who helped your female escape.”