by Faith Gibson
Drago punched the Unholy he was fighting in the jaw. The beasts he had commandeered for his army were brutes, but they had lost most of their common sense during their transition. He couldn’t imagine going from human to half a shifter. And most of them had signed up for this shit on purpose. Gordon Flanagan must have been one hell of a salesman to convince an ordinary human to lie down on the table and have their brains scrambled.
Kavin and Burk, the two Goyles Kallisto sent to help him, had managed to locate him early that morning. One of his army had given up his location, thus leading him to the beat down he was giving the freak at his feet. Neither Kavin nor Burk could tell him who had ratted him out, because they all looked so similar. The two males were standing at the gate to the compound making sure no one tried to leave. If Drago was going to command this army, he was going to first command their respect.
Being able to communicate once again with Kallisto made Drago feel better about his decision to take over the Unholy in New Atlanta. Together, they could formulate a plan to get Sergei out of the pen while wreaking havoc on the Stone Society.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rocky woke up alone in her hospital room. So much for Sin not leaving me alone. When she noticed a tray of food on the rolling cart, she raised her bed into a sitting position. The door to the bathroom opened, and the man she’d been silently cursing peeked around the door, smiling when he saw she was awake. “Good morning, Bella Ragazza. I hope you don’t mind, but I took a quick shower.” Rocky couldn’t help but smile back at him even though she had no idea what he’d just said to her.
His shower was evident by the damp hair curling around the collar of his button-up shirt. Rocky loved Sin’s hair. Loved running her fingers through the long locks. She understood him shaving his beard to portray his brother, but she really hoped Rafael never cut his hair. Everything Sin had told Rocky about his family had come back to her during the night. Her subconscious had helped her catch up. Her brain was foggy while she was awake, making it hard to concentrate. It bothered her thinking she might not recover completely from what Tommy did to her. Sin told her those responsible were being taken care of.
Rocky took the lid off her breakfast. Broth? Great. Her stomach growled, but she was grateful for the sustenance going into her mouth and not her arm. It meant she was getting better. Sin helped her push the tray closer so she wouldn’t spill it. “Where’s Tommy?” she asked
Sin handed her the spoon as he answered, “Somewhere he can’t hurt you.”
“Is he dead?” Rocky searched Sin’s face for the truth. He told her he’d never lie to her, but what if there was something he didn’t want her to know about?
“Not yet,” Sin admitted. He pulled the towel from around his shoulders and hung it over the door, but he didn’t come to her on the bed. Sin kept the distance between them while she slurped the broth. “I made a vow to protect you, and I intend to honor my vow.”
Rocky needed him close. She needed to feel his skin on hers, even if they were holding hands or sitting next to one another. He’d explained a little of the mate pull, and she chalked her neediness up to that. Whatever the reason, she needed him. “Please come over here and sit with me.”
Sin sat down in the chair next to her bed. He leaned close and settled his arm against her leg, letting his thumb graze back and forth over her skin. “This mate pull – you can’t ignore it, can you?” she asked.
“No, I can’t.”
“Would…” Rocky cleared her throat, embarrassed at her question, but she needed to know. “Would you have found me desirable even without the mate pull?”
“Absolutely. You must see the way men look at you. The way they desire you. Please do not ever think our bond is the only reason I want you, Raquel.” Sin kissed the back of her hand.
“Are you going to kill Tommy?” Rocky knew her mind was ping-ponging back and forth, but she had to ask the questions when they came to her for fear she’d forget them.
“Would it bother you if I did?”
“No,” she whispered. “It wouldn’t bother me if I did it either. He’s a piece of shit rat bastard who doesn’t deserve to live. However, if I knew he would be someone’s bitch in prison, that might be just as good a punishment.”
Sin barked out a short laugh. When Rocky moved the tray away from her body, Sin moved to sit next to her on the bed. She wasn’t full by any means, but having been through detox before, she knew she had to start slow. Since he took up most of the space with his large frame, Sin pulled her onto his lap. “You amaze me,” he said against her ear. He kissed her temple, but she wanted more. She wanted his lips on hers. His hands sliding over her skin. His cock inside her core, filling her up. “Rocky,” he growled. His cock grew hard against her ass, and she wiggled letting him know she felt it.
“You are killing me, beautiful girl. I want nothing more than to sink into the sweetness of your wet heat, but we are going to have to wait until we get home.”
“Then I want to go home now.” Rocky turned so she could kiss him.
“Ahem.” Dr. Mercato cleared his throat. “I knocked, but you didn’t hear me.” He didn’t have the blood cart with him, so Rocky took that as a good sign. He had a metal clipboard in his hands, but he didn’t look at it. Instead, he smiled at them. “I have some good news. Your blood is free from contaminants, which means you are well on your way to being back to your old self. I will release you into Sin’s care, but you have to promise to take it easy for the next week.”
Something passed between the doctor and Sin. Rocky knew Sin could talk to her telepathically, or at least he’d done it once. She didn’t know if the Gargoyles had that ability between them. “Can you read each other’s minds?” she asked.
Dr. Mercato’s eyebrows shot up, and Sin laughed. “No, not like you’re talking about. We have the ability to gauge moods, but unless one is our mate, we cannot communicate mind to mind. Dante and his son are the only exceptions we are aware of.”
“She knows?” Dr. Mercato asked.
“Most of it. I had to come clean when I phased in front of her.”
“So, you’re one too? That makes sense,” Rocky said. She’d already thought he was hot, but knowing he was a Gargoyle put him in the superhero column with Sin and his other friends.
“Yes, I’m one too. I hope you’re okay with that.”
“I sure am. I’ve encountered enough villains to last me a lifetime. I’m ready to be surrounded by the superheroes.”
Both Sinclair and the doctor laughed. When the doctor sobered, he asked, “Rocky, how are you feeling? Anything going on you want to ask me about?”
“I was just thinking to myself my brain feels foggy, and I have trouble remembering certain things. Is that normal?”
“Yes. You’ve been through a traumatic experience. You were as close to death as one can be without actually passing over. Between the drugs you were injected with and the blood loss, some mental slowness is to be expected. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you or you can’t live a full life. I’m saying there could be moments of non-clarity or fogginess as you called it. Try not to get frustrated with yourself. Be thankful you’re alive and you have someone like Sinclair looking out for you.”
“Thank you for your honesty.”
“You’re welcome. I’ve already signed your discharge papers, so whenever you’re ready to go, call the nurse and she’ll wheel you down.”
Rocky turned to Sin. “Do I have clothes here?”
“No. I wasn’t expecting you to be released today. I will call Finley and have him pick some up.”
“I could call Vivian. She’s supposed to come see me.”
“Why don’t you call Vivian and have her meet us at home later this afternoon? There is something I need to take care of tonight, so she can keep you company while I am gone. Don’t worry, sweetheart. The house will be surrounded by Gargoyles, all of whom would lay down their lives for you. You never have to worry about your safety again.�
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Wow. Sin was taking this seriously, but Rocky was glad. At least for now. As long as Tommy and Blake were alive, she would always fear one of them coming after her. Rocky snuggled into the warmth of Sin’s arms as he called Finley and asked him to bring her some clothes. When he started rattling off sizes, she pulled back and looked at him. Sin grinned and told Finley he’d see him soon.
“I don’t need new clothes,” Rocky fussed.
“No, but your clothes are in our bedroom, and nobody but the two of us will ever step foot in there. That is our room. Our sanctuary.”
“Oh.” A warm feeling flowed through Rocky. Something akin to love. She’d never been in love with a man before, but she’d seen it through the eyes of her parents. She was pretty sure she was seeing it in the eyes of the man holding her, too. Rocky knew it was too soon to declare her feelings, and with her brain not always clear, she was going to wait a while before she told him what she was thinking. Waiting wouldn’t be bad. If anything, it would give her time for her feelings to grow and make sure Sin felt the same way.
When he held the phone out to her, Rocky took it and called Vivian, even though it was early Sunday morning, and her best friend would be asleep. “Rocky, are you okay?” Vivian asked when she picked up her phone.
“Yes, ma’am. I even get to go home today.”
“Oh, honey, that’s great news. Do you want to stay with me for a while?”
“No, I’m going home, Viv. Home with Sin. But I did want to ask you to stop by later. Maybe we can watch a movie and talk about your co-workers? You know, something normal.”
“I’d love that. I’ll call you when I get close so someone can open the gate for me.”
“Sounds good. See you later.” Rocky disconnected the call. “She said…”
Sin cut Rocky off. “I heard her, sweetheart.”
“Oh yeah, you have that superhero hearing.”
“Yes, and your friend talks loud,” he said, grinning. He wasn’t wrong.
“While we wait on Finley to bring my clothes, tell me more about being a Gargoyle. I want to know everything, like how old you are. Where you grew up. What you were like as a child.”
Sin pulled her closer to him and obliged. The first thing he said was, “I was born in the little town of Otranto, Italy, in the year 1478. I am the second…”
“Hold up. My brain’s foggy, but did you say 1478? Like almost six hundred years ago?”
“I did. I am five hundred seventy to be precise.”
“Whoa. How long will you live?”
“Until someone removes my head from my shoulders or I will my body to pass on to the other side.”
“So you’re going to look the way you do now practically forever, and I’m going to grow old and gray and…”
“Stop. I told you there is more to being a Gargoyle, and there is. There is also more to being a mate. I didn’t want to tell you this until you had time to get to know me, get to know us together, but here is the deal. When the day comes you decide you want me as your mate, I can make our bond permanent. When that happens, you will stop aging and will live a long life by my side.”
“You mean I’ll look like this forever?”
“You will look the same as you do at whatever age you are when the bond is sealed. Should you wait until you’re fifty to decide, you will look fifty for the rest of your life.”
“How do you seal the bond?” Rocky asked. She had never thought about living forever. Hell, she’d never thought she would make it past twenty-five, and she almost hadn’t.
“I have to bite you.”
Rocky gasped. “Is that why you told the doctor you wanted to bite me? You wanted to seal the deal?”
“I was willing to bite you to help you heal faster. It is thought that whatever makes us Gargoyles has healing powers for our mates. It is also what stops the aging process.”
“So you didn’t want to seal the deal,” Rocky whispered.
“I absolutely did. I do. But only when you’re ready, beautiful girl. I would never make that choice for you unless it was a life or death situation, and when I said those words, I was certain that was the type of situation we were facing.”
“If you bite me, you’re stuck with me for eternity, right?”
“And you are stuck with me. Don’t forget that point.”
Rocky grinned. “That’s kind of like getting pregnant on purpose. Not that I would or I could. I’m just saying…” Rocky closed her eyes and tried to imagine going through the years with Sin by her side. Watching the world slip by from decade into new decade. Century into new century. “I bet you’ve seen some wild stuff over the years. Going from horses and boats to cars and airplanes. The changes in clothes and the different styles of music. I want to hear all about it, Sin. I want you to share your whole life with me. Will you share your past with me?” Rocky was getting excited, but she couldn’t help herself. She had a walking, talking encyclopedia at her disposal.
A knock on the door sounded, and Rocky’s happiness slipped a little. She wanted to be alone with Sinclair so he could talk to her. The nurse who’d been taking care of Rocky came in. “Dr. Mercato says you’re going home soon. I wanted to take your IV out and make sure you have everything you need.” Sin moved away from Rocky so the nurse had room to maneuver. The gentle way the nurse handled her reminded her of her mother. Before Tommy attacked her, Rocky had planned on becoming a nurse herself, but now she wasn’t so sure. If her brain didn’t recover, Rocky wouldn’t be able to study. To learn. She would be a threat to someone instead of being able to help them. The nurse placed a cotton ball and bandage on the entry point of the needle. “There you go. If you need anything else, just push the button.” The nurse smiled and left them alone.
“Baby, what’s wrong? Did she hurt you?” Sin asked as he dropped to his knees beside the bed. He brushed his thumb over her cheek. Rocky didn’t realize she was crying.
“No, I’m okay. I was thinking about how I can’t be a nurse now.” That hurt Rocky’s heart the more she thought about it.
“Who says you can’t? Sweetheart, you are still healing. You need to give yourself time, okay? If you really want to be a nurse, I will help you study. Together, we will get you through your classes even if you have to take one at a time. I have already told you, whatever you want is yours. If you want the moon and stars, I will find a way to capture them for you. I might have to call Julian and get his help since he is the genius in the family.”
“God, I love you,” Rocky whispered. She didn’t mean to say it out loud, but her emotions were getting the better of her. She’d prayed for a man as kind and loving as her father, and here he was, offering her everything her heart desired.
“I love you, too, Bella Ragazza. More than life itself.” Rocky wrapped her arms around Sinclair’s neck and held on to his words as well as his body.
Sin was flying high. Not literally, but when Rocky claimed to love him, it had his heart soaring. If Dr. Mercato hadn’t assured him the drugs were out of her system, he would have been afraid she was still under the influence, but he was going to go with the assumption she truly loved him. The mate pull had a lot to do with it. He knew that. But her heartbeat was calm, and her eyes glistened with not only the sheen from the tears but also the truth of her words. Sin had learned a long time ago to read someone by looking in their eyes.
Rocky was all over the place with her conversation, going from one topic to the next. This could be her normal behavior. They hadn’t had the opportunity to talk as much as he would have liked, so Sin didn’t know if she always jumped around or if this was something new. In either case, he didn’t care. She was asking questions about him and his life. Rocky wanted to know all about Sinclair, and he was going to spend the next week telling her everything she wanted to know. He knew he would have to head back to Greece sooner rather than later, but he was going to make sure his mate was well enough for the trip. Then, and only then, would he go.
Was he choosing his mate
’s well-being over his mother’s? Absolutely, and Sin had no problem with that. Athena had abandoned her sons over two hundred years ago when their father had been slain. He knew she was grieving, but so were he and his brothers. They lost both parents the day their father lost his head. If Athena was suffering at the hands of her brother, Sin would accept that over his mate suffering any more than she already had. If that made him a bastard, so be it. No one mattered more to him than Raquel.
After they declared their feelings, Sin held Rocky in his arms while she cried herself to sleep. He assured himself they were happy tears when she wrapped her fingers in his hair and kissed his chest. Finley arrived soon after, bringing Rocky’s clothes. He stood at the end of the bed, his expression somber. His sadness reached across the room. Sin didn’t hold his friend responsible, but it was up to Finley to forgive himself for what happened to Rocky. “Vivian is coming over later to sit with Rocky, and they are going to do whatever it is girls do. Watch movies. Eat popcorn. Talk about people.”
Finley merely nodded, and Sin held out his hand. “Brother, come here.” Fin walked to the far side of the bed, and Sin pulled him down beside him. Sin put his hand on the back of Finley’s neck and pulled him forward until their foreheads were touching. “I forgive you, Brother. She is going to be fine. We are all going to be fine. You feel me?”
“I feel you,” Fin whispered.
Sin kissed his friend on the forehead and released the hold he had on his neck. There was nothing romantic or sexual in the kiss. Those days were over now Sin had found his mate. “Here are my keys. If you would, pull the Lambo around to the front door while I get my girl dressed. Yeah?”