Let Go My Gargoyle (Taming the Dragon Book 5)

by Tami Lund

  “Trennon,” Antoinette said, “I’d like you to meet Sofia and her daughter, Penelope.”

  Chapter Nine

  Sofia and Darius shared the same father.

  It was right there on Sofia’s face as Antoinette introduced them, and a wide-eyed Sofia stumbled while trying to walk forward to shake the man’s hand.

  Did they have the same mother as well? Sofia hadn’t clarified whether they were full or half siblings. Although Antoinette had stated that Darius’s mother had found her fated mate and essentially abandoned him when he was a child, so that didn’t seem likely.

  Not that it mattered. Even though he did not know the terms of the contract she signed with Darius, he could guess.

  Darius very likely did not want to share his inheritance. And according to Antoinette, before she’d taken over as reeve, Darius had assumed he eventually would get the title when his father died. Having a sibling meant potential competition for the honor.

  And yet Sofia probably didn’t even care about the position. Sure, she would no doubt like to have more money, but it was obvious—to him, at least—that she didn’t let her income level affect her happiness or Penelope’s wellbeing.

  So why was she so frightened of Darius? She’d done as he asked and she’d obviously not broken the terms, so what did she have to worry about?

  Trennon shook her hand and offered a jovial smile but gave no indication that he recognized her or knew anything at all about her.

  “Sofia and her daughter, Penelope, are going to be staying here for a while,” Antoinette explained.

  It was possible it would be for only a few hours. Now that he’d decided to loop in Oliver, Griffin suspected the leader of his new brethren would whisk them off to some safe house or hidden lair or wherever it was that his gargoyles protected their assignments.

  Although it was tempting to encourage them to stay here. They would be protected, both by gargoyles and dragons. Plus, there was the added bonus that Griffin could stop by every once in a while to check on them, see how Penelope was progressing with her training. Ensure that Sofia wasn’t falling for another dragon while she was here, surrounded by her own kind.

  Maybe he didn’t want them to stay here after all. He wasn’t keen on the idea of Sofia hooking up with another dragon.

  Or anyone, for that matter.

  “And this is Griffin,” Antoinette added, spurring him out of his internal worry loop. He nodded at the older dragon.

  “Another gargoyle,” Trennon said. “And what in blazes is this one?” He stared down at Penelope, who looked back with nothing but mild curiosity in her eyes.

  “She’s a witch,” another newcomer announced, stepping out of the house and joining the welcome party. This one was a tall, willowy witch with jet black, pin-straight hair that draped to her waist. She wore heavy eye makeup and black lipstick and a black romper. “How do you not recognize witches by now?”

  “That’s Delilah,” Antoinette said. She sounded reluctant.

  Trennon shrugged. “She’s a kid. They all look alike at that age.”

  “Come here,” Delilah said, curling two fingers at Penelope, who looked up at her mother for approval.

  “It’s fine,” Antoinette said. “She shouldn’t do anything overt while we’re all standing here, although I’d advise not leaving Penelope alone with her unless you want the child to pick up very adult and very bad habits.”

  “She let me try beer,” Henri announced. “And she let me jump off the carport roof!”

  Sofia’s mouth dropped open.

  “He said he wanted to be a superhero,” Delilah defended. “I used my magic to ensure he had a soft landing.” She shrugged.

  “See what I mean?” Antoinette said.

  Trennon snorted and Delilah rolled her eyes. Griffin had a feeling this was the witch who had kept Argyle and his fellow gargoyles in forced servitude.

  “Come here, child,” Delilah said again.

  Penelope walked toward her until she was within arms’ reach, and then Delilah touched her face with black-tipped nails. She canted her head and studied Penelope for long moments.

  “This one has a great deal of magic,” she finally announced. “Don’t tell me you found yourselves another Daughter of Light?”

  Apparently, the secret was out. Griffin reached out and grasped Sofia’s hand, silently offering his reassurance that they were in this together. Whatever this may be.

  “Is this one Argyle’s too?” Delilah asked.

  What did she mean by that? And why were Antoinette and Ketu suddenly acting fidgety?

  “Nah,” the witch said. “She’s lily white, and Argyle’s dark as ebony. No way he sired this kid.”

  Griffin flung himself around to stare at Antoinette. “Argyle sired a child?”

  Rule number one in Oliver’s brethren: no emotional attachments.

  Rule number two: do not produce offspring.

  “It gets better,” Delilah said. “He did it with the sister of the woman he’s secretly in love with.”

  Argyle was Oliver’s favorite of his entire brethren, and he’d broken the leader’s two most important rules?

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Ketu demanded.

  Delilah flapped her hand. “Don’t even pretend you haven’t noticed. He and Pacey? Come on, seriously?” She looked around expectantly. “No one else can see it? That man is carrying a massive torch for the woman.”

  Ketu and Antoinette stared at each other. Griffin glanced at Sofia and shrugged. He had no idea who the witch was talking about.

  After a moment, Antoinette tilted her head. “I guess it’s possible. He’s just so hard to read. Always so stoic.”

  Delilah snorted.

  “Anyway.” Antoinette shook it off. “It doesn’t matter. What does is that Sofia and Penelope are staying here for a while, and I need you two to promise not to tell anyone about them.”

  “Who we gonna tell?” Delilah wanted to know. “The bartender at the only bar in town that hasn’t banned us? I don’t think humans care about these two and what they are hiding from.”

  “Who said they were hiding?” Antoinette asked.

  “Oh come on, sweetie,” Delilah said. “You need to work on your delivery. And your poker face. It’s as obvious that they are in trouble as it is that Argyle wants to bury himself inside that witch named Pacey and never let her go again.”

  Antoinette pursed her lips. Sofia inched closer to Griffin. Which he didn’t mind at all. Hey, if Argyle could fall in love…

  “Well, we’re off,” Delilah said, waving at the group and then grabbing Trennon’s hand and tugging him toward the driveway. “Hopefully, we won’t get kicked out of this bar. The bartenders are hot and fun to watch.”

  They disappeared around the side of the house. Antoinette sighed and said, “Those are our troublemakers. I can’t kick them out because Trennon was the previous reeve and that’s an ethical no-no. Not to mention, I feel like they’d get into far more mischief if left entirely on their own. But gods, what I wouldn’t give for a household devoid of their drama.”

  “I think they’re funny,” Henri announced, and then he stepped up next to Penelope and dropped his voice to a whisper. “And she sneaks me cookies when Manman says I can’t have anymore.”

  Penelope giggled. Antoinette rolled her gaze to the sky.

  “Does anyone else want a drink?” Antoinette asked as she headed for the house. “I could certainly use one right now.”

  They stepped into a massive, wide-open area with hardwood floors and beige furniture arranged into several different seating areas, including one that crowded around a stone fireplace framed by floor-to-ceiling windows.

  This room opened into a dining area with a huge table and at least twenty chairs, and the kitchen. A granite peninsula separated the food prep area from the rest of the space.

  “It’s beautiful,” Sofia said, her voice breathy. Griffin liked the way it sounded. Sexy.

  “Thanks,”
Antoinette said, leading them to a staircase next to the kitchen. “We haven’t changed much since we moved in back in January. Ketu and I kind of made a pact that we’d redecorate once we capture Darius.”

  Griffin felt a tremor run through Sofia’s body. “You’re trying to capture Darius?” she asked.

  Antoinette nodded. “He took off the night we discovered that he’d been using a concoction of herbs to keep his father in a near comatose state for a decade. I don’t know if you knew this, but Darius had been running the colony, claiming to do it on his father’s behalf when really he was just waiting for the man to die so that he could take over as reeve.”

  “Why didn’t he kill him and be done with it?” Griffin asked.

  “If it had been discovered that he was behind the reeve’s death, the colony would never have allowed him to be the successor. As it was, with him manufacturing dragon’s blood and getting half the colony addicted, he might have been voted out even if Trennon had died of natural causes. The way Darius handled the situation was, I hate to admit, brilliant.”

  Antoinette continued, “He was able to run his drug business completely unencumbered, and he was also able to essentially run the colony, and no one questioned any of it because they assumed the reeve had given his stamp of approval.”

  Griffin glanced at Sofia, but she showed no reaction to Antoinette’s words. Still, she must have felt something. He longed to have a moment in private to talk to her about it, even as he knew damn well she wouldn’t. She was too afraid of Darius.

  Griffin placed his hand on Sofia’s shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze, trying to tell her without words that he would protect her. It may involve giving her over to someone else’s care, but he would ensure that whatever demons she feared did not touch her.

  “Would anyone care for a drink?” Antoinette asked, pausing to stand in front of a section of the counter where an assortment of liquor bottles were lined up in a row. “I can make something, or I have beer in the fridge. Oh, and wine.”

  She pulled two Abitas out of the refrigerator. “I’d like one of those,” Griffin said, so she grabbed a third.

  “Just water,” Sofia said. Antoinette filled a glass with ice and water from the mechanism built into the door of the fridge. She then offered juice boxes to Henri and Penelope, who both eagerly accepted their prizes.

  “Have you had any luck?” Sofia asked as Antoinette led the entourage up the stairs.

  “With capturing Darius?” At Sofia’s nod, Antoinette said, “No. We’ve followed up on lead after lead, and it always results in a dead end. I’m not even sure he’s still in the city at this point.”

  Sofia shot Griffin a look that he assumed was meant to warn him not to say anything.

  “But at least he’s not selling dragon’s blood anymore,” Sofia said as they neared the top of the stairs.

  Antoinette sighed. “You’re right. We’re pretty sure he’s been completely shut down in that regard. The problem now is, we think he’s organizing a coup.”

  Sofia’s shoulder trembled under Griffin’s touch. “H-how?” She cleared her throat. “What makes you think that?”

  Before she could respond, the nearest door opened and a woman stepped out, wearing a towel wrapped around her midsection, water beading on her shoulders and arms, her thick, auburn hair piled onto her head in a messy bun.

  “Oh!” she said, pressing her hand to her chest, her eyes widening.

  Griffin did not believe her surprised act for a hot second.

  “Maria,” Antoinette said, sounding weary. “I know damn well you heard us talking, which means you should have been able to figure out that we had guests. So maybe you could have waited until after we passed to walk out in nothing but a towel?”

  Apparently, Antoinette did not believe the act either.

  Clutching the towel to her ample breast, Maria let her gaze wander over the small gathering while her lips twitched. But when she noticed Sofia, the almost-smile disappeared and her eyes narrowed. “Who is this?” she demanded.

  “Her name is Sofia,” Antoinette supplied. “She’s staying with us for a little while. You are expected to treat her with all the respect due to a friend of your reeve.”

  Maria lifted her chin, turned to the left, and flounced down the hall until she reached the next door and disappeared through it.

  “That was all for show,” Antoinette explained as she led them in the opposite direction. “That bathroom has a door directly to her bedroom. She didn’t need to come out into the hall at all.”

  “Why did she?” Griffin asked.

  Antoinette glanced over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. “You, probably. She has a tendency to throw herself at good-looking men.”

  Was it his imagination, or was Sofia inching closer to him?

  Antoinette paused partway down the hall and opened one of the doors and invited them all to step inside. The room was as large as the apartment above Mitch’s bar and decorated with brilliant blue and green tones. A French door like those downstairs led out onto what appeared to be a balcony that wrapped around the entire house. The bed could easily accommodate him, Sofia, and Penelope all quite comfortably.

  Not that he thought he would be staying here. Okay, maybe he was hoping…

  “Do you want Penelope to have her own room?” Antoinette asked. Griffin almost opened his mouth until he realized she’d directed the question to Sofia. Of course she did; she had no idea of his connection to the woman and child.

  Sofia shook her head. “I’d rather she stay with me, actually.”

  Antoinette’s gaze darted to Griffin and jumped away again. “If you change your mind, Henri has bunkbeds, and I’m sure he would not mind if she took over the bottom bunk.”

  “I like sleepovers,” Henri announced.

  Griffin did too.

  “It’s fine,” Sofia said. “I’m not even sure we’ll be here that long.”

  “You’re welcome for however long you feel it’s necessary,” Antoinette assured her. “And you too, Griffin. I know gargoyles can simply turn into their stone form and sleep pretty much anywhere, but the offer stands for you too.”

  He nodded once and murmured his appreciation for her generosity.

  “Okay,” Antoinette said with a clap of her hands. “Kids, why don’t you come with Ketu and I. We’ll go check out that swing set while Sofia and Griffin get settled.”

  Well, hot damn. Were things going Griffin’s way for once? He couldn’t have set up this little scenario better if he’d been actually trying.

  Chapter Ten

  Sofia’s dragon approved of being left alone with Griffin. The damn beast was becoming increasingly louder in her head, making demands such as, take off all his clothes and lick every inch of his body.

  Apparently her dragon was a hussy.

  She placed the bags on the dresser.

  “How are you holding up?” Griffin asked from behind her.

  She shrugged and didn’t bother pretending she didn’t know what he was talking about. “It was a shock.” She glanced at his reflection in the mirror over the dresser. “Did you realize that was the first time I’ve ever seen him?”

  “Yes. If it helps, you obviously favor your mother.”

  She snorted. “Thanks.” Then she lowered her gaze. “You don’t have to stay. We’ll be fine here.”

  “I believe Penelope will be, at least until I make other arrangements, but I am not so sure about you.”

  “Out of the two of us, you’re more worried about me?” She arched her brows. Was he serious?

  “Yes.”

  That was it? No explanation? No reasoning why he’d think a grown woman—a dragon—needed more protection than a four- year-old child?

  “I’m not helpless. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time now.”

  “How long?”

  She glanced up at him, but his face did not register anything beyond basic curiosity. Sighing, she said, “You know I can’t tell you much at a
ll.”

  “Does this contract forbid you from talking about your own past?”

  “My past is the reason for the contract in the first place.”

  “Because he did not want to share his inheritance.”

  She winced. Yes, that was part of it.

  Griffin brushed a lock of hair off her shoulder. “I only want to help you, Sofia. I’ve already sworn to you that I will not reveal your secrets. Gargoyles are a highly stuffy and proper lot; I can assure you that when I give you my word, it is as good as—or more binding, even—than that contract you signed.”

  She chuckled at his description of himself. He didn’t look particularly stuffy or proper. He looked…

  Delicious, her dragon whispered.

  Would you stop?

  Nope.

  “Your dragon talking to you again?” Griffin asked.

  Sofia forced a weak chuckle.

  “What can I do to make you feel more relaxed?” he asked.

  Her dragon started listing the ways. None of them involved she and Griffin wearing clothing.

  She turned away from the temptation. “Why did you sleep with me the night you left Penelope with me? Why didn’t you just drop her on my doorstep and disappear?”

  “I wasn’t quite anticipating the conversation going in this direction.”

  She waited.

  He sighed. “I was being selfish. Story of my life, actually. I’m really amazingly good at reacting before thinking. Which, for the record, is not normal for a gargoyle.”

  “Why do you think you aren’t normal?”

  The air crackled with unspoken emotions. They whispered around the room like fog. Even her dragon simmered down as the silence lengthened, and she finally turned back to face him.

  He stared for a long time at the French doors that led out onto the second-story wraparound deck. “I wasn’t raised as a gargoyle,” he finally said.

  “What do you mean?”

  He lifted both hands, palms up. “I was abandoned as a child. I was about the age Penelope is now. I have vague memories of my mother, so shadowy that I’m not even sure if they are real or pictures I’ve formed in my head based on what I’ve been told.”