Julian (The Stone Society Book 9)

by Faith Gibson

  “So, Trevor. You and Jasper?” she asked, changing the subject.

  Trevor grinned, holding up his left hand. “Oh yes, and he’s going to make an honest human out of me if he survives the war.”

  Jasper was standing at the door when he snapped his head toward Trevor and growled, “Trev.” What was it with these men growling? Then again, Jasper gave off the same vibe as did the others.

  Instead of answering Jasper, Trevor turned his attention to her. “Now, let’s see what we have.” Julian turned Kat so she was facing him and pulled her hair up, holding it out of the way for Trevor to see her neck. Trevor gently touched her skin and said, “Katherine, if you’ll have a seat on the table, I’m going to have to shave a small section of your hair. Isabelle will deaden the area around the tracker before she removes it.” The table in question appeared to be a slab where autopsies were performed. Uh, that wasn’t creepy. At all. Nor was the way Trevor spoke of himself as a human, and he mentioned war? What the hell was that about?

  Julian lifted her onto the table and settled next to her legs. He kept her hair out of the way while Trevor got busy. “I’m going to cut the smallest section of hair I can get away with.”

  “It’s okay,” Kat said. She’d shave her whole head if it meant keeping the Feds from finding her again. The snip of scissors sounded, and less than a minute later, she had a shaved patch of skin.

  While Trevor was doing his thing, Kat asked Julian, “What war? Or is that another one of those things we’ll talk about later?” Before he could answer, Dante entered the interior room accompanied by a stunning brunette and a small boy.

  Dante inclined his head in greeting. It wasn’t as though they didn’t know each other, but it was his wife who spoke. “Katherine, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I only wish it was under better circumstances,” Isabelle said, placing a hand on Kat’s upper arm. “Let’s see what we’re dealing with.” Julian continued to hold her long hair out of the way. While Isabelle was inspecting Katherine’s neck, the boy walked up to where she was sitting. He had to be Isabelle’s son, because their coloring was the same, and he had her kind eyes.

  He made a fist and put it over his heart. “Miss Fox, I’m glad you’re okay. I’m Connor.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Connor.”

  While Isabelle was digging in her purse, Connor said, “Da, can I please stay and watch?”

  “Of course, Son.”

  Isabelle had found a hair clip and piled Kat’s hair on top of her head to keep it out of the way. “I’m going to scrub, and we’ll get you all numbed up.” Julian stood next to Kat’s leg and picked up the hand closest to him. Connor mimicked Julian, holding her other hand. He smiled up at her, and her heart melted a little. None of the adults seemed to think his actions were strange, but Kat thought it was sweet the way he was being attentive.

  Isabelle scrubbed her hands and pulled on a pair of latex gloves. Trevor had been busy getting things ready for Isabelle, and with little conversation, they moved in tandem, working well together. When Isabelle was ready, she held up the syringe and pushed the plunger in slightly, a small stream of liquid shooting out. “This is going to sting,” she warned before she pricked Kat’s neck. Not being a fan of needles, she was thankful for the two men holding her hands. Kat had been around a lot of kids when she went to live with the Praters, but none were as well-behaved or as sweet as Connor. He watched his mother intently, and right before she stuck Kat, Connor squeezed Kat’s hand. The gesture surprised her so much she forgot about the needle until after Isabelle was finished injecting the deadening agent.

  “We’ll give this a few minutes,” Isabelle said. Before she stepped away, she frowned, looking at the side of Kat’s head. “Has your ear been bothering you?” she asked.

  “Yes, the prison guard stabbed me in the ear. I can’t hear out of it,” Kat responded, bringing her fingers up to the bad ear only for them to come away wet and sticky.

  “Are you taking anything for it? You need an antibiotic.”

  “No, I thought it was something I was going to have to live with.”

  “I’ll need to look at it more closely. If it isn’t punctured too badly, it will heal itself, but you still need medicine to fight off infection. You also need to keep water out of it until it heals.”

  “So I’ll get my hearing back?”

  “More than likely, yes, but I will need to take a closer look before I can know for sure. Trevor, do you have any sterile cotton?”

  While Isabelle and Trevor found cotton to put in Kat’s ear, Connor and his father were having a side conversation. “Da, why aren’t you removing the tracker instead of Momma?” Connor asked. Kat wondered the same thing since he was also a doctor.

  “Your momma has a softer touch,” Dante explained. Connor cocked his head to the side as if he was contemplating his father’s answer. Kat wasn’t sure she believed the man’s excuse. She chalked it up to him not wanting to touch her for some reason.

  Julian’s phone rang, and he answered it with the hand not holding Kat’s. “Nik?” Julian listened for a few seconds and cut his eyes to Dante. Without a word, Dante left the room. “Thank you, Brother. Isabelle’s working on that now.” When he disconnected, Julian said, “You need to –”

  “I’m on it.” Isabelle said, cutting him off.

  Trevor moved a cart toward the table where he’d placed several cutting utensils. Isabelle chose one of the smaller scalpels and said, “We need to get this out now.” Connor returned to Kat’s side but kept his body angled so he could watch what his mother was doing. The air in the room had changed with the phone call from Julian’s brother, but Kat didn’t understand why since he was the only one who heard the conversation. Isabelle made quick work of removing the tracker from under Kat’s skin. When she had the small black speck out, Isabelle placed it in a stainless bowl before stitching the area back together.

  “How are you, Sweetheart?” Julian asked, rubbing his hand up and down her thigh.

  “I’m fine,” she answered, giving him a smile. He leaned in and placed his lips to hers softly. When he stepped back, he picked up the bowl and took the tracker over to the counter where he smashed the small device before flushing it down the drain.

  Dante called out, “We have company.”

  “What are we going to do?” Kat asked. “I never should have taken off the disguise.”

  “I have an idea, but you might not like it,” Trevor said, looking between Kat and the drawers.

  “Will I be able to breathe?” Kat asked. She didn’t have a problem with enclosed spaces, but she did have a problem running out of oxygen.

  “Yes, but it will be extremely cold.”

  “I’ll do it,” she said, holding her arms out so Julian could help her off the table.

  “Sweetheart, are you sure?”

  “Yes, this is all my fault,” Kat said. “I never meant to bring my troubles to your family.” Julian kissed her quickly, but instead of helping her onto the cold stainless slab, he crawled on first before pulling her down on top of him. Once they were situated, Trevor shoved the table back in and closed the door, cutting off the light and most of the noise. Kat closed her eyes and pretended she wasn’t lying where countless dead bodies had been. She wasn’t frightened by the thought, probably because she was wrapped up tight in Julian’s arms. Instead of thinking about where she was, Julian’s hard cock pressing against her thigh reminded Kat of where she’d much rather be – his bed.

  Urijah sat on his back deck staring out over the yard. When he first arrived in New Atlanta, things had been easy. He and Finley became fast friends as well as lovers. Uri knew it wouldn’t last once the other Gargoyles began finding their mates. It was only a matter of time before Finley was among those the fates chose a human for. He should never have let himself believe what they had could last.

  We have our own mate.

  Shut it.

  We could be with Banyan right now.

  I said shut
it. You know why we can’t–

  I know you’re being a stubborn ass.

  Urijah sighed, closing his eyes. The conversation with his beast was as tiring as it was old. His shifter didn’t understand anything beyond the carnal. Beyond the pull to Banyan’s beast. It didn’t care what happened all those years ago that forever changed the way Urijah saw the boy he’d grown up with. The male he’d fought alongside. The Goyle he had vowed to spend eternity with. None of that mattered, though. His King had given him a job to do, and Uri would put his feelings aside for Rafael. For the Clan. He stared at his phone, wishing he could forget about Banyan and their past. He would never forget it, nor would he ever forgive his mate, but he had a duty to the others. Dialing Banyan’s number, he prayed the male didn’t answer so he could leave a message.

  “Uri, is everything okay? Are you hurt?” The concern in Banyan’s voice did strange things to Uri. Things he couldn’t dwell on.

  Keeping the call professional, Uri replied, “I’m calling on behalf of Rafael. The Clan will be going to war with Alistair soon, and I have been tasked with pulling together fifty of our best fighters. I will email a list to you of those I believe to be the best from the West Coast. Since you have worked and trained with them longer than I, feel free to make changes as you see fit. Each male will need to be ready to travel within the week.”

  “Have you called Dominic? He’s been train–”

  Urijah hit the “end” button so quickly he was afraid he’d damaged his phone. “Fuck you,” he hissed into the air. Uri had called Banyan because he had to. There was no way he would call the pirate he despised so greatly. They didn’t need him or his males. His phone rang, but he let it go to voicemail. Banyan should know not to mention that bastard. He would conduct the rest of their business via email messages only. Fucker.

  Julian was having a hard time concentrating on the conversation going on in the morgue. With Kat plastered to his chest – and his groin – he wanted nothing more than to sink his cock into her sweetness. Now that he’d gotten a taste of what it was like to be with his mate intimately, he wanted to fly her to an exotic island and hide out for the foreseeable future. There was no way she could miss the erection pressing against her. And the way she was squirming to get comfortable was pure torture. “Kat, Sweetheart,” Julian whispered.

  “Hmm?” she asked, not so innocently. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was doing it on purpose.

  “You are killing me.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s just, well, you’re hard, and I’m…”

  Julian growled low in his throat and crashed their mouths together. There was no way he was going to let her finish her statement with Dante and Jasper in the other room. Their Gargoyle hearing would pick up even the faintest of conversations. Keeping his mate preoccupied, he listened in on the conversation happening several feet away from where he and Kat were hiding.

  “I’m Special Agent Godfrey with the FBI. We have been following a fugitive, and we have reason to believe she’s been in this room.”

  “I’m Dr. Dante Di Pietro, Chief Medical Examiner for the City of New Atlanta. What is the victim’s name?”

  “Victim? I’m afraid you misunderstood. She’s a live fugitive running from the government.”

  “I can assure you, if your fugitive was in this room, she would have been on a slab wearing a toe tag.”

  “I’m going to need everyone’s names,” the agent said.

  “Unless you have a warrant, you are not getting our names. As you can see, there are no fugitives here.”

  “You’re impeding a federal investigation, Dr. Di Pietro.”

  “I am Jasper Jenkins, detective with the New Atlanta Police Department. I can assure you we are not impeding any investigation.”

  “Why are you here then?”

  “My boyfriend is Dr. Di Pietro’s assistant. I stopped by to see if he had a few minutes to spare for lunch.”

  “And the rest of you?”

  “That is enough, Agent Davidson. My wife and son are none of your concern. It is obvious there are no stray women in this room. The way I see it, you are wasting the taxpayers’ dollars by standing around harassing my family and staff.”

  The agent mumbled something, but Julian could no longer concentrate. Kat was driving him crazy. He was going to be embarrassed when Trevor pulled the drawer open. He disengaged their lips and whispered into her ear so there was no possible way the federal agent could hear, “Sweetheart, please stop moving. I promise, when I get you home, you can strip me down and have your wicked way with me. For now, it is going to be embarrassing when Trevor frees us. I do not want all those people out there to see my erection.”

  When she didn’t respond, Julian remembered she couldn’t hear out of that ear. He pushed down the need to kill a human and switched to her other side, repeating what he said.

  Kat whispered, “Okay.” She laid her head on his chest and remained perfectly still. If he didn’t know better, he would swear she had a little shifter blood in her as she was completely motionless save the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. He wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the feel of her melding into him while at the same time calming his libido. He wasn’t an exhibitionist, and by the time Trevor pulled the table out of the drawer, Julian was ready to face his family.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Julian already knew the answer when Kat popped her head up and asked, “Is it clear?” There was no way his family would risk exposing them to the agent. Trevor helped Kat stand so Julian could roll off the platform. Julian didn’t like anyone putting his hands on his mate, even if it was Trevor who was mated to Jasper. As soon as he was on his feet, he pulled Katherine into his arms. He had seen the other males mark their territory the same way, but it wasn’t until that moment that he understood the need.

  Dante replied, “It is clear, but I do not know for how long. Agent Davidson was not convinced. Julian, you should probably steer clear of your home until–”

  “Man, this is crazy!” Sophia exclaimed as she entered the room with Nikolas right behind her. “That agent is a piece of sh–”

  “Sophia, there’s a child in the room,” Nik said, putting his hand over his mate’s mouth. “I swear Lydia’s going to come out of the womb cursing.”

  “Oops, sorry. But that man isn’t very nice.” Sophia turned to Katherine and said, “I brought this for you. Until we’re certain Agent Douchebag is out of the city, you might want to keep a disguise handy.”

  “Thank you,” Katherine said, taking the bag Sophia was offering. She held it in her hands, staring at it. Her mood had darkened, and Julian wasn’t sure why.

  “Are you okay?” he asked in her good ear.

  Shaking her head back and forth, Kat turned in his arms, burying her face in his chest. His mate’s tears seeped through his shirt, and his heart broke for her. Both Sophia and Isabelle stepped up to them and wrapped Kat in their arms, pulling her away from Julian. “Katherine, I’m so sorry,” Isabelle said, rubbing small circles over Kat’s back.

  On a sob, Kat asked, “Why? All of this is my fault.”

  “Oh sweetie, none of this is your fault. You haven’t heard the rest of our stories. We need to have girls’ night.”

  Julian shook his head, but Sophia popped him on the arm. “I think that’s a perfect idea. Maybe Kaya and Rocky would like to join us.”

  “Kaya Kane?” Katherine looked up into Julian’s face. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. She doesn’t like me very much.”

  “She didn’t like me either, but she’s come around,” Trevor said.

  “I don’t know…”

  “Okay, we’ll wait a while before we invite Kaya. I’ll go home and throw some snacks together,” Sophia said.

  “Do you like wine, Katherine?” Isabelle asked.

  “Yes. I’m not picky as to what kind, either.”

  “That settles it. We’ll see you at home around six,” Sophia said as she used her thumbs to wip
e Katherine’s tears. Julian had seen the mates taking care of each other, and it made him proud to see them taking his mate into the fold.

  “Wait, whose home?” Kat asked.

  “Yours,” both females said in unison.

  Nikolas walked over to Julian and clapped him on the shoulder. “Looks like it’s a party at your house. I’ll bring the steaks.”

  Dante shook his head, grinning. “If Nik’s bringing steaks, Connor and I will see you there.”

  Isabelle grabbed Katherine’s hand. “I’ll bring some antibiotics with me and have a look at your ear later.” She squeezed Kat’s hand before moving out the door with her family.

  There was nothing for Julian to do but take his mate home and have some calm before the storm. He didn’t mind his family coming over, but they could have allowed him and Katherine more than one night alone. Katherine grabbed onto Sophia’s arm before she could get out the door. “I’m not opposed to snacks, but steak sounds really good.”

  Sophia grinned. “Don’t worry. There’ll be plenty.”

  Katherine’s mood lightened as the other couples left the room. When Jasper and Trevor remained, Julian asked, “Would you two like to join us? It appears we are hosting a party.”

  “I thought you’d never ask,” Trevor said. “I have a few things to do here. Katherine, if you want to put on the prosthetic before leaving, there’s a restroom through that door,” Trevor said, pointing toward the back wall.

  “I think that would be best,” she said. Ten minutes later, Julian walked out of the hospital with a brunette.

  Julian hadn’t been kidding when he said his family would accept her immediately. One night in, and they were already having company. It felt odd to think of his home as hers, but he’d made it clear she was to think of it that way. It would take time getting comfortable there. She had never lived somewhere so decadent. Her apartment was a one bedroom and had been all she needed as a single woman. The Praters’ home was nice, but it was tiny compared to Julian’s. His was more than a house; it was an estate. Instead of a yard, it had a well-manicured lawn. The area in back of the house contained a flowing fountain, statues, benches, and all types of plants and flowers Katherine had never seen. It was a sanctuary of sorts. One where she could see herself escaping to while Julian was at work.