by Tigertalez
Evernight Publishing ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2015 Tigertalez
ISBN: 978-1-77233-201-8
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Karyn White
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
The heroine was inspired by a friend of mine, Leslie. This story has a lot of personal meaning for me. Though I didn’t focus too greatly on the disease, it has had a huge influence on my life. I have lost family to it, I have suffered through it twice, I have friends who have battled it, and have friends like Leslie and Katt, who are currently battling it.
For all who are touched by this affliction, I’d like share a quote:
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Keep up the good fight, my friends.
SLATE’S MISTAKE
Kaska Pack, 2
Tigertalez
Copyright © 2015
Chapter One
Just over a week ago
The dust and airborne sediment from the stalls Slate was cleaning mixed with the sweat on his neck and forehead, making him itch. He didn’t mind the smell of horses. He actually liked their smell. It didn’t bother his sensitive shifter nose. But the heat was unpleasant, and the other ranch hands on this ranch weren’t worthy of his respect, to put it nicely. He welcomed the break when the sound of his cell phone howled. He recognized that ring tone as Enzo’s, a buddy from his former military days and mutual friend of Alphy’s. Sliding his finger across the screen, he answered it.
“Hi, Enzo, it’s good to hear from you. What’s goin’ on?” Slate used his free hand to lift up his cowboy hat and wipe his forehead on his wrist where he kept large handkerchief tied for this very reason.
“Alphy needs us. He’s putting a pack together and wants us to join. But he also found his mate. She and her family are in danger, and he needs us now. Can you make it?”
“Tell me where to fly to and I’ll leave on the next flight out.” Slate didn’t really need to hear the whys to join his friends. He was more than eager to pack up what he had and jump on the first flight out. These friends meant that much to him.
“Good, I hope you have your passport current. It’s in Canada. You’ll need to fly to Toronto.”
“That won’t take me too long. I’m not that far away. Let me call a friend in the local pack to make some arrangements and I’ll be there.”
“I thought you weren’t in a pride or pack.”
“I’m not. The territory I’m staying in belongs to a wolf pack, but I’m not a member. Some of them aren’t too bad. I even made a couple of friends. Nothing much, just some drinking buddies. Not enough to really appease my lion.”
“You and I have a lot in common, Slate. I know most feline breeds are independent from family and communities, but lions, like you, crave to be part of that pack dynamic. But for one reason or other, have been denied like myself. The whole family is gathering. We’ll both be a real part of it.”
“That would be great. I’ll text you my traveling info.”
“All right, see you there.”
After hanging up, Slate dialed the number of one of his buddies. After a few rings, a cheerful voice toned through the line. “Hey, pussycat, this is a little early for beers. What’s up?”
“Hi, Grey. I just got a call from someone I consider family. They’re putting a pack together and want me to join. They also need help with a bit of trouble, so I need to head out on the next flight. Can you help?”
“Wow, congrats. Of course I’ll help. I know you try to hide it, but I can tell it’s been hard for you to not belong to any community. I’m happy for ya. Whatch’ya need?”
“I’ll need my stuff packed up. I’ll only be able to take a couple of bags on the flight, and since I need to head out now…”
“No probs. I’ll head over to your place and you can give me the keys. I’ll organize everyone to pack your shit up and when you’re ready, we’ll ship it to ya. You at home now?”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it. No, I’m still at work. As soon as I hang up with you, I’m gonna give my resignation to the boss and head out.”
“Boy, would I love to be a fly on the wall for that little event. All right, I’ll meet ya at your place. And again, congrats.”
“Thanks. See you there.”
After using his cell to book a flight, Slate texted the info to Enzo and hurried to find his current employer. The man wasn’t as tall as Slate’s six foot four, but he was a stocky hard-working man. The man also cheated on his wife and didn’t pay his employees what they deserved, so Slate had no troubles telling him he quit.
Slate saw the man standing by a pickup truck, ordering another ranch hand, who bullied anyone smaller than he was, to unload the supplies. Yeah, no shed tears over any goodbyes.
“What is it you want, Slate?” The boss was belligerent.
“I’m informing you that you are a piece of shit and the horses smell better than you. I quit.”
Slate didn’t wait for his response. He turned his back on the now sputtering ex-boss, giving the finger as he trotted over to his pickup, climbed in and sped home. No sooner did he get out his bags than the doorbell rang. Answering the door, he let in his friend. “Thanks for coming, Grey.”
“No problem, man. You can thank me by telling me how you told off your boss when you quit.”
Slate chuckled. “Not much to tell. I just told him he was a piece of shit, and that he smelt bad. I didn’t wait for any dramatics.”
“Ha! Still would’ve loved to have seen that. I bet he turned all sorts of different colors. So when’s your flight?”
“My flight leaves in two hours, and I’m just over an hour away.”
“Well, shit! What do you need me to do?”
Slate was stuffing his bags as he talked. “I would appreciate it if you could drive me to the airport.”
“Oh hell! That’s no sweat. You having me drive you will get you to there in half the time.”
“I’ll give you the keys to my truck and apartment so you can pack my shit up. Once I’ve settled, I’ll give you a call and let you in what’s going on. I’ll repay you for this”
“Sounds good.”
****
Present Day
Slate’s perspiring form glistened in the warm and soon to be setting sun as he leaned against the medical equipment Seamus, their pack doctor, was insisting on bringing with them on their new mission. His eyes were sure to be sparkling with mirth and entertainment as he watched their uber-powerful and lethal Kodiak bear alpha go rounds with the average height, lightly built vampire (and pack doctor) over what should and shouldn’t be taken with them.
“How on earth do you expect us to fit your portable x-ray machine into the plane? It’s a Cessna, for crying out loud!” Alphy’s voice was raised, but Seamus didn’t appear to be the least bit afraid of him. Slate wouldn’t have been so brazen, but Seamus knew Alphy better than anyone other than his twin, Ryker. The brothers had grown up in a coven that neighbored Alphy’s birth sleuth. “Where are the rest of us supposed to put our bags, or hell, even our bodies?”
Seamus had been “directing” Alphy, Slate, and Kace with helping him “pack” for the journey
to British Columbia. Alphy growled, something he did quite often around Seamus. Slate smirked and tried to smother his laughs as he watched the bickering duo.
“It is extremely likely I will need this. There’s no telling what those poor shifters have endured at the hands of Alpha David. If you hadn’t have killed him in that challenge, we would never have learned about the abused and neglected that are likely in his herd,” Seamus stated.
Slate noticed Kace, who was standing next to him on the other side of the device, rolling forward from his heels to his toes and back again. Everyone knew how much Kace complained about having to pack all the doctor’s medical equipment in a fourteen foot U-Haul truck when he first came to Canada to join the pack. Come to think of it, Slate did, too, so he was right there with Kace, silently rooting for their alpha.
Alphy crossed his hands in the air and swung them out, “No, then use their local hospital’s machine. We are flying out tonight, and you are not bringing it.” He whipped around to face him and Kace with a thunderous look on his face, “Take it back upstairs.”
Slate inwardly sighed. He may have shifter strength, but it was no picnic hauling the thousand fifty pound device back up small stairs and into the apartment over the garage that was currently being used for the doctor. Turning his head, he caught the look of feral glee on Kace’s face. “What are you so happy about? We still have to lug the thing back up those lousy-ass stairs.”
“Yeah, but at least we don’t have to lug it across the country.”
The rumbling sound of an approaching truck got Slate’s attention.
He watched Kace close his eyes and lean his head back, “Please be our new pack members and not more medical supplies,” he grumbled.
Seamus puffed out with an irritated breath and rolled his eyes. “Honestly, you would think I was asking you to donate a kidney!”
“If only it were that easy.” Kace made an exaggerated face. Slate kept his face passive, even though inside he was laughing his butt off as the two bantered.
“Slate, with me. Seamus, you get to help Kace return the machine.” Alphy pointed towards the garage while giving Seamus a look of warning. Vampires were deceptively strong so Slate had no doubts they would be able to do it without him. Slate made his way to his alpha’s side.
Slate was beside his alpha when the U-Haul hummed its way into the clearing. Movement caught his eye, and turning his head, he saw the alpha’s mate, Gale, and the rest of the pack gather on the front of the wraparound deck of the main house. Slate put his focus back on the slowly advancing vehicle. Beside him, Alphy held out his arm and pointed to a spot, indicating to the truck where to park.
The truck’s engine whirred when it pulled up and parked in front of the garage, then silenced when it was turned off. He and Alphy approached as the men exited the truck. The passenger bent his neck slightly, in proper greeting to his new alpha. The other man, who had been driving, walked around the truck and stood beside the other, and also exposed his neck.
Alphy touched their necks in response to formal outward sign of compliance. “Welcome to the Kaska pack.” Alphy reached his hand out to the first vampire.
The vamp took his hand. “Thank you, I’m Peter Anand.”
Alphy gave a brusque nod. “Peter.” Then he slightly turned to the other vampire and held his hand out to him.
The vampire took it. “Marek Presper.”
“Marek.” Giving another brisk nod, Alphy pulled his mate, who had joined them during the introductions, against his side. “This is my mate, Gale.” Alphy nodded his head to the man who accompanied her. “And my beta, Enzo.” Alphy turned to Slate. “And my lead enforcer, Slate.” Slate stood up straighter at being introduced. It was the first time he was officially introduced to any outsiders as lead enforcer since he’d won the enforcer challenge just days ago. A zing of pride warmed his chest.
Alphy gestured to the van. “Let’s take a look, shall we?”
Walking to the back of the van, Slate could see and smell the excitement emitting from Gale. She and her brother were eager to see the gargoyles. Everyone knew that Gale, her brother Paul, and her mother, Connie, hadn’t been told until recently that there were other paranormals.
That was an entertaining meeting.
Just as he thought of Gale’s brother, Slate spotted the sixteen-year-old slowly make his way to the van. Paul was still recuperating from the beating his former alpha’s enforcers had given him. He still had splints on his arms, bandages around his ribs, and one over his left eye, which he had permanently lost.
A metallic echo sounded as the back door was rolled up. Everyone peered into the revealed space. Inside were a few bags and three giant mounds wrapped in thick, blanket padding. While the men took out their bags and set them on the ground, Slate heard Gale as she leaned into her mate and whispered, “Where are the giant statues?”
Slate suppressed his chuckle.
The two men hopped up into the back of the truck, and Alphy signaled for him to join them. Obeying his alpha, Slate swung a foot up into the truck and heaved himself inside. Each of the two vampires had taken to one of the mounds to unwrap, so he made his way to the third form and started stripping it of the blanketed padding. More of the light grey form was revealed with each blanket he removed. Slate glanced over at the tail end of the truck to see Paul had finally reached them and was standing by his sister’s side. They were both very curious.
“Is this another false myth? I thought gargoyles turned into fierce statues.” Paul asked.
“Not always,” Peter replied. “They don’t need a bed, but they usually curl up on the floor when they roost.”
“Roost?” Gale slightly tilted her head, and she and her brother both shared the same look of confusion. Slate grabbed his bundle of blankets and walked to the end of the truck, dropping them in a pile with the others.
Marek spoke up as he walked with this bundle of blankets to the edge of the truck. “That’s what they call it when they turn to stone.”
“There’s not a lot of stuff in here, thought you guys were gonna stay for a while.” Her brother looked around.
“Oh we are, but we were told space was limited and we would be rooming with each other.” Marek smiled wide enough to show his fangs. The vampire continued, “We only brought some clothes. The rest we left back in Toronto until houses could be built. And the gargoyles don’t amass much of anything at all. They only wear loin cloths because that is the only thing that will turn to stone with them when they roost.”
Peter added, “And they hold their fated mates above anything, so they only gather things for their mates, when they mate. And since these guys are unmated…” He let the rest of the sentence hang.
Alphy urged his mate along. “Let’s head inside and get some supper. I’m sure they’ll join us when they come out of their roost.” Everyone started following the alpha making their way into the house. After folding the blankets and stacking them in the bed of the truck, Slate followed, joined by Kace and Seamus, who were just coming out of the garage.
Inside, most everyone settled around the dining room table getting acquainted with the new members. Aunt Betty was directing Connie, Gale, and Havana in the kitchen, preparing supper, inundating the air with the scent of the richly seasoned meal. The twins ran around chasing Reese, and all three were getting scolded for snitching into the bowl of rolls. Slate’s lion relaxed inside his head as he kept an eye on the scene. It was warm, happy and inviting.
Just as the food was being arranged on the kitchen island for serving, an unusual earthy scent tickled his nose. He stood up and watched a half-dressed Nix lead in three giant gargoyles. Slate had worked with gargoyles before, so he wasn’t surprised by their appearance, but Gale, Paul, and Connie hadn’t, and from the scent of surprise Slate detected, some of the others hadn’t either. Silence deadened the space. Even the tots were standing still with big eyes, looking up at them.
All three stood no shorter than the alpha, who was six foot si
x. The one in the lead was the largest, and he had to be pushing seven foot. Vibrant tattoos stretched over the bulking muscles of his dark blue skin. They adorned his arms, chests and a little bit on the forearms of his black wings. On his forehead, just above his larger ridged brow, he had a natural crown of four small black horns. His black, wavy medium length hair looked like it had been combed back.
The one to his right stood just a few inches shorter and was a deep, almost electric, blue with white shoulder length hair. He had six small white horns crowning his head with blue tips and blue on his winged forearms and fingers that veined through the webbing of his white wings.
On his left was the shortest gargoyle, who stood about as tall as Alphy. His deep red wing-forearms and fingers stretched through the yellow and orange shading of his membrane. He didn’t sport any horns on his short spiked orange-haired head, but his claws were the same shading as his wings and his ridged brow was pierced with small gold loops. All of the gargoyles’ wings were folded and held closely to their backs.
One of the tots, Abigail, ran up to the largest paranormal and held her arms up in the universal sign of “pick me up”. Slate heard Connie let out a gasp and start to move, but her mate placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. He looked back over to the giant gargoyle and witnessed him bend down onto his knees and gently pick up the child. Abigail wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a hug, and her light brown, almost auburn, curly hair brushed over his shocked smile.
Little Abigail sat back a little and smiled at him. “Hi, I’m Abby.” Her little voice carried around the silenced room.
The low timbre of the gargoyle rumbled gently, “Hello, Abby. I’m Dultyn. Thank you for that special hug.”