The Truth is even Stranger

by Charlie Richards

  A fresh wave of arousal perfumed the air, originating from Tian. It caused Roman’s mouth to water, and his prick throbbed. His eyes nearly crossed as his own balls tingled in response.

  Unable to help himself, Roman scraped his nails over Tian’s nape. He heard his human gasp and shudder. Humming, he bent close and inhaled deeply, a moan slipping out of his throat.

  “Focus, Roman,” Maelgwn ordered gruffly. “We need to finish first. Tian needs the facts before he can make an educated decision.”

  Roman groaned low in his throat as he straightened. He offered Tian a rueful smile as he reminded him, “I told you it’d been a couple of centuries.”

  “Shit,” Tian mumbled, adjusting himself as his cheeks darkened. “Can’t imagine going that long without sex.”

  “Anyway,” Tobias once again cut in. “After you complete your bond with Roman, he will go through a process called molt. That allows him to take on a human form, like you see we are in.” Tobias spread his arms dramatically, obviously indicating his own human form. “On the other hand, you, Tian, will gain a few enhancements, such as swifter healing, harder bones, enhanced senses, and yes, even increased strength.”

  Maelgwn obviously spotted the shell-shocked expression on Tian’s face, just as Roman did. The chieftain told him, “We warn our mates about being careful, about not causing a stir or showing off their abilities, but with college football players, we understand it can be difficult.” Resting his forearms on his thighs, he cradled his plate in his palms. “That’s why we need to know who has been careless. Who is referenced in your rumors and who called in the report?”

  “F-From what I was told, it was anonymous,” Tian whispered, his tone completely shell-shocked. Clearing his throat, he added roughly, “We chalked it up to someone in the area who was concerned about a gang moving into their town, and he wanted to make certain that didn’t happen. Said he thought a bad group had infiltrated the college and a local diner. Goldy’s Burgers and Bites.” Tian shrugged as he shook his head. “I’ve eaten there a couple of times but couldn’t pin-point anything odd other than the overtly gay-friendliness of the place. The owner should hang a rainbow flag above his door.”

  Roman bit back a laugh at the description. He was glad Perseus had left. The restaurant was owned and operated by the doctor’s mate, Wren Cleaver. Roman wasn’t entirely certain the big male would appreciate Tian’s description. He’d overheard that Wren prided himself on the family friendly atmosphere of the place.

  While that, technically, would be true, if a family knew it was a gay-friendly establishment, they might hesitate to take young children there. Roman didn’t think they’d do it to be malicious, but because they were ignorant. There were still so many misperceptions out there... like someone could turn someone gay just by being around a homosexual.

  Utter foolishness.

  “A he?” Maelgwn pressed, exchanging a look with Tobias. Roman refocused on his chieftain just as he asked, “Think you could get us a copy of the recording? I’d be interested in hearing it.”

  Tian shook his head. “Probably not without a good reason. I haven’t even heard it.”

  Rubbing his claws lightly down the tendon of Tian’s neck, Roman asked, “Then how do you know it was a he?”

  “It was the pronoun my handler used.”

  “Handler?” Roman cocked his head. “What is that?”

  Tian turned, pressing his shoulder into Roman’s touch, probably unconsciously. “My handler is the cop I report to,” he explained. “I can’t be seen calling the police station, so I have a go-between. Someone who I can call, who I can share information with. We use burner phones and never meet in the open.”

  “Who is it?” Tobias asked bluntly.

  “Why?” Tian’s voice turned wary.

  “Because we have friends in the department,” Maelgwn answered soothingly. “We would speak with our contact and find out if he could get ahold of the complaints.”

  “What are you thinking?” Tobias asked quietly, his eyes narrowing. “Hunters?”

  “Don’t know. Could be.” Maelgwn’s tone turned speculative as he once again focused on Tian. “Did your assignment start the fall semester? They put you on the football team a little before that, over the summer? About seven or eight months ago?”

  Tian nodded slowly. “Yeah. How did you know that?”

  Maelgwn scoffed softly. “That’s about the time we took out one of their warehouses. They probably didn’t appreciate the loss of data, since over half their stuff about paranormals was on paper.” He chuckled softly. “Good to keep online information from getting into the wrong hands, like paranormal sympathizers or environmentalists, bad for them since they might not have copies squirreled away.”

  “I’m sorry. What?” Tian asked, his brows furrowing as he glanced between them. “Hunters?”

  “Not everyone who learns of paranormals are accepting, or even find out the truth,” Tobias stated coldly. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Sometimes, they’re manipulated and lied to, told we’re crazed killers or mindless animals or monsters.”

  “Not nice things, obviously,” Roman cut in, needing to make certain that wasn’t what Tian believed. “Paranormals are very similar to humans, just with a few differences... obviously.” Once his mate peered up at him, he smiled and stated, “We are born. We search for companionship. We have friends and family, have hobbies, work, and even play games.”

  “Just not football?”

  Roman grinned lasciviously. “I was thinking of other types of games.”

  Tian looked confused for all of a couple of seconds. Then his eyes widened, and he shifted in his seat. He swallowed hard enough to cause his Adam’s apple to bob.

  Yep, his mate knew exactly the kinds of games he wanted to play.

  “There is one other thing you need to consider before sex,” Maelgwn stated bluntly, redrawing their attention. “Once you decide to bond with Roman, you can’t do undercover work anymore. You being sent away for long stretches and being put in constant danger wouldn’t work... for either of you.”

  Tian grimaced and stared at the floor.

  “Oh, don’t forget the child thing,” Tobias added, snapping his fingers. “That’s kind of important, too.” He pointed at the cinnamon toast Roman added to every tray he made up for mated couples. “You should probably eat a slice... just in case.”

  “I-In case of what?” Tian asked, staring at the toast.

  Tobias grinned widely and didn’t bother to sugar coat it... at all. “All gargoyles are male, and we can bond with a male or a female,” he claimed. “Even when we bond with males, we can still reproduce.” Waggling his eyebrows, he told him, “Gargoyles can impregnate a male mate.”

  Tian’s jaw sagged open in obvious shock. His eyes appeared as big as saucers. While the scent of arousal still perfumed the air, it was soon tempered by shock and disbelief.

  “Are you fucking with me?” Tian whispered. “Is this a joke you guys play on the—” he paused and waved his hand between himself and the gargoyles filling the room—”outsider?”

  “No,” Maelgwn quickly responded. “Absolutely not. We’d never lie about such a thing.” His smile turned soft, and a second later, Roman understood why. “My mate, his name is Bobby. He’s a great guy, and after several years together, he finally bore me a son. He’s due to hatch soon. Next week, we think.”

  “S-Son? H-Hatch?” Tian glanced around them again. “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Ah, forgot that, didn’t I?” Tobias began.

  Roman cut him off before he could say more and shock the shit out of Tian some more. The second seemed to be having a little too much fun sharing information.

  “Tobias is telling the truth in his usual blunt fashion,” Roman stated as he gently gripped Tian’s nape and squeezed lightly. “Most of us would have eased into the subject in a more... delicate fashion.”

  Tian scowled incredulousl
y at him. “How the hell can you ease into something like that?”

  Chapter Five

  Tian sat on a park bench. The place wasn’t on the college campus. Instead, he’d headed for somewhere more secluded, a park at the edge of town. He needed a quiet place to sit and think.

  He’d been sitting there for a good eight hours, minus the two trips to the public restroom and the one to the food vendor near the park’s entrance. He’d also ignored two phone calls from Misha. He’d have some explaining to do, but he decided to worry about that later. Enough was going on in his head.

  His ass was beginning to chill, even through the thick blanket he’d brought to sit on. Also, his stomach was beginning to growl again.

  After downing the last several swallows of water in his bottle, Tian tapped the empty against the outside of his thigh. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt more conflicted. Staring at the trees, he let his mind wander back to the prior evening’s revelations once more.

  Tian couldn’t help but chuckle a little. Roman was something else, openly propositioning him. Hell, the huge male had had sex on the brain. Tian couldn’t say he’d been thinking of much else, either.

  Still, the interruption had been for the best. He’d learned enough information to close his case, except he couldn’t share any of it. He’d given his word, which had gained him his freedom, at least.

  Tian had also been told to call Detective Collin DeSoto. The man was on the local force and was mated to a shifter.

  Yep, holy shit, were-creatures are real, too.

  Oh, so are vampires.

  Shifting his weight on his ass, Tian rolled his head on his neck. He knew he needed to get moving. Otherwise, his muscles would end up beyond stiff.

  Tian spotted a trailhead five hundred paces to his left. Heaving to his feet, he made a quick stop at the restroom to piss, then another at the vending machines. With a fresh bottle of water in hand, he headed across the expanse of lawn and into the woods.

  Strolling slowly, Tian felt his aching muscles loosen. The air was chilly, but he didn’t mind. He had always enjoyed places where winters were chilly and summers hot. A place ought to have four seasons, in his opinion. Plus, the fresh pine smell on the breeze was truly wonderful.

  He knew he needed to come up with a viable excuse for ignoring his handler’s calls, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. What did that mean? Was he just tired of college classes? Or was he tired of undercover work in general?

  A picture of Roman flashed through his mind. The gargoyle was big, probably six-foot-six. He had odd marble-orange skin and black wings. Shoulder-length black hair that begged to be pulled out of the small tail he’d had it tied in at his nape. Black claws, too.

  His eyes, though. That’s what Tian found himself drawn to the most—his pale-purple eyes. They were so exotic, so unique, and so full of pain and wariness that his heart went out to the male.

  At least, when they aren’t filled with lust.

  Just the memory of Roman’s hungry gaze caused goose bumps to break out on his arms and his blood to heat. Shaking his head, Tian couldn’t believe how much the male affected him. If there wasn’t the whole—you are my mate thing—hanging over his head, he would have bent over for the sexy gargoyle in a heartbeat.

  That thought rushing in and out of Tian’s head almost caused him to stumble. He frowned as he peered around the forest, slowing his pace. When had he decided he was against having a relationship?

  Stopping at a tree, Tian grabbed a low-hanging branch and started doing pull-ups. He focused on a knot on a tree across the trail and let his mind drift in memory. It took him three pull-ups to remember when he’d had what could be considered a relationship—loosely at that.

  It’d been four years before, and the man had been older by eight years. Tian had met him while on a job. Caden Washington. The guy had thought Tian was a college student and had loved the idea of banging a young stud. It had lasted for four months until Tian had finished his assignment and had needed to come in.

  Tian had thought—well, hoped really—that what they had would survive his explaining who he really was—an undercover police officer. It wasn’t until after Caden had dropped his ass—promising, of course, that he’d never tell—that Tian had realized the truth of him. The reason Caden was happy never to reveal to a soul that Tian was an undercover cop was because he had a wife and two kids at home.

  Not his proudest moment, but Tian had gotten even. He’d sent pictures of Caden with his next conquest to his wife. She’d divorced his ass, taking over half his fortune with her... along with custody of the kids and additional child support payments. Tian had apologized to the young college student after the fact, but to his surprise, the man had totally agreed with his course of action.

  Go figure. I’m not the only vindictive asshole.

  Tian had stopped trying after that. One night stands, pick-ups in bars, and wham-bams in bathrooms had become his MO. He’d just stopped looking.

  Yet, an opportunity had been dropped in his lap.

  As Grigoris had escorted him from the mansion the evening before, Tian had apologized to him for sneaking away from him in the infirmary. While Perseus had gone to get the portable x-ray machine, Grigoris had taken a cell phone call from Aaden. It’d given Tian a chance to slip away from the huge African American—or more to the point, the dark-gray gargoyle. Tian had seen him change—mind blown.

  In response, Grigoris had paused on the estate’s front veranda and told him how, once bonded, a gargoyle—or any paranormal, really—had no ability to cheat. In fact, they couldn’t even get it up for anyone other than their mate. That information had caused him to stop in his tracks and gape at the gargoyle.

  Out of curiosity, Tian had asked if it was the same for the humans. Grigoris’s expression had turned almost feral as he replied, “No, but if you cheat, you’re putting that person’s life in danger.”

  Tian had lifted his hands in placation as he’d assured that he’d never cheated on a lover in his life.

  “That’s good,” Grigoris had responded, giving him a creepy smile. “I’ve never known Roman to be a real understanding guy. I wouldn’t be surprised if he killed any man you cheated with... and I’d help him bury the body.”

  “Uuuuhhhh, good to know,” Tian had replied.

  Damn, and I thought I was vindictive.

  Straightening his legs and returning his feet to the ground, Tian rested his forearms on the branch and arched his body, stretching his arms and back. He could admit, at least to himself, that kind of possessiveness sort of turned him on. The idea that someone wanted to keep him to himself, yeah, he liked that a whole hell of a lot.

  Tian returned to his stroll, swinging his arms slowly, stretching his shoulders. He shook his head at his spinning thoughts. It was beyond crazy.

  “Something you want to get off your chest?”

  Pivoting, Tian realized that someone had caught up to him on the trail. He swept his gaze over the darkly tanned skinned man. Noting his black hair, brown eyes, and confident stance, Tian guessed the man already knew who he was.

  Still, Tian decided to play it cool.

  “I’m sorry?” Tian stepped to the side of the trail, walking slowly backward. The other man kept pace. “Just taking a walk.”

  The stranger held out his hand. “I’m Detective Collin DeSoto.”

  Now it made sense. Maelgwn had recommended talking to the man. Tian shook his hand and, after a discreet look around to make certain they were alone, he offered his real name, “Tian Chavez.”

  “Call me Collin,” the other man told him, releasing his hand.

  Tian turned, and they fell into step together.

  “When I heard there was a young man loitering on a park bench for hours on end, I drove by and saw you.” Collin gave him a wry smile as he added, “That was four hours ago. I came back after my shift, and you hadn’t moved much, but that was too open a place to ap
proach you.”

  Tian peered around the forest, taking in the beauty as he mentally smacked himself upside the head. Collin had been watching him? For how long? He really should have noticed.

  “Yeah, definitely distracted,” Tian responded softly. Sighing, he glanced the other man’s way, taking in his relaxed shoulders, comfortable gait, and the way his hands were shoved into his pockets. Relaxed in his own skin. “Maelgwn gave me your name. I thought about calling you, but had to get some stuff sorted in my head first.”

  Collin nodded. “Understandable.” He glanced around the area, then asked, “Did Maelgwn tell you how I found out about them?”

  Tian shook his head.

  “It wasn’t the best experience.” Collin rubbed his neck, finally displaying some tension. “They told you about vampires?”

  “They said they exist, but there aren’t any around here anymore.”

  Collin grunted, shoving his hands back into his pockets. “Yeah, there used to be a coven south of here, but they moved a few years back.” A twisted smile curved his lips. “Border disputes and problems with rogues, so... anyway, one of those rogues tried to put me in a trance.”

  Collin must have realized Tian didn’t follow, for he elaborated. “They have this ability to mentally push their will on a human, allowing them to wipe their memories of them biting and drinking their blood. They call it trancing or putting someone in a trance.” Clearing his throat, he added, “Well, as it turns out. I’m part of the one percent of the population who are unaffected by a vampire’s mind trickery.”

  Snorting, Collin shook his head. “Imagine my surprise when some guy started giving me odd orders as he attempted to lead me into an alley. Sapian, a gargoyle enforcer, was having lunch with his mate at the restaurant next door and overheard the scuffle. He saved me, took me to the estate and to Doc Perseus, then explained everything to me.”