by Faith Gibson
The conversation stayed on the younger couple for the rest of the meal. If Yvonne tried to interrupt, Sophia managed to steer talk back their way. She felt sorry for them. Having an overprotective mother-in-law couldn’t be easy. That’s one thing she’d never have to worry about, at least she didn’t think so. Having studied the Stone Society for many years, Sophia knew Nik’s father, Roberto, was no longer living. It only made sense that his mother wouldn’t be, either. Her own mother might not be ecstatic when she found out Nikolas was Sophia’s mate, especially since she’d kept her transitioning from her parents, but, she’d get over it. Their relationship was much better now that Sophia was grown. Sighing, she remembered the disk and the real reason she was in Egypt.
“If you’ll excuse me. It was a pleasure meeting you all, and I’m sure we’ll dine together again.” Sophia pushed her chair away from the table and stood. Everyone stood with her except Yvonne. She was obviously miffed at being dismissed during dinner.
Millicent squeezed her hand. “Beatrice, you are a peach. I hope you have the opportunity to complete your bucket list.”
“Thank you. I don’t plan on leaving this world anytime soon. I plan on adding to my list,” she told her with a wink. Sophia patted the young woman’s hand and headed upstairs. There was some arguing at the table regarding Fred not taking up for Yvonne. Sophia shook her head. It took all kinds.
Once in her room, she stripped out of her disguise. The prosthetic was light, but it still itched after several hours. Sophia washed her face and changed into pajamas before opening her laptop and settling in to do some research.
“The disk is in place. Now we wait for Miss Brooks to show up,” the blonde told her partner on the phone. “Sergei, do you have eyes on the ferries?”
“Yes, Kallisto. I have men set up at each port, and they all have a photo of the woman.”
“Good. Drago has a team ready at the zoo. Remember, we do not want to capture her. We only want to ensure she complies with our demands. We need to keep her on this, as the Americans say, ‘wild goose chase’ as long as possible.”
“What is the purpose of this charade if not to kill the woman?”
“I am merely following my father’s orders. Now, don’t stay away too long. I might get lonely.”
“I will see you soon.” Sergei disconnected.
Kallisto Verga was the adopted daughter of one of the most powerful men in all of Greece. She had no idea why her father was targeting this American family. He had the power to take them out discreetly, yet he was toying with them. She hated these cat and mouse games. Kallisto would rather shoot the girl and get it over with.
Chapter Three
As a watcher for the family, Ezekiel was in New Mexico putting out a fire when he got a phone call from his cousin’s mate. Elizabeth Flanagan would not be calling unless it was an emergency, and emergency it was. Zeke’s brother, Sam, and his wife had been kidnapped. Sam’s daughter, Sophia, had already left for Egypt after receiving a note from the kidnappers. While Sophia was training to be a watcher, she was still young and inexperienced. Tessa was another watcher, and she was planning on going after Sophia. Elizabeth was intervening, as mothers often do, begging Zeke to go look for Sam and Monica so Tessa wouldn’t head off to Egypt alone.
Zeke was currently listening to his sister Cordelia rant and rave about being a half-blood shifter with no prior knowledge or warning. It was a complaint Zeke was used to as well as tired of. She had transitioned, and he was helping her come to terms with what she now was and why the family had kept the truth from her. This wasn’t the first time he’d gone to check on a sibling only to find they had already met their mate. Cordelia was pissed off, to say the least. She didn’t have a boyfriend, so she had no idea who her mate was.
All of the older brothers and sisters had already transitioned. There were only a couple of the younger ones who were still unaware. Tessa had recently helped Dane through his initial change. She had also talked to Lilly almost immediately after she went through hers. Tessa had confided in both him and Sam what caused the transition. Why Jonas wanted to keep the trigger a secret was a mystery.
Zeke had no idea who his own mate was. He had transitioned almost thirty years ago and had spent those same years without a woman by his side. When Tessa told him the trigger, he went through a myriad of emotions - anger, betrayal, and sadness were on top of the list. How could he have been so close to his mate only to lose her? Since they didn’t make the bond official, his mate had continued to age while he looked to be in his thirties.
Zeke decided right then that after he helped Sophia get Sam and Monica home, he was having a long talk with his father. It was selfish to keep the truth from the remaining siblings who were in the dark, and he was going to inform them of their bloodline and what could happen. For now, though, he had to hop a plane to Egypt.
Nikolas sat in the corner of the dining room as his cousin erupted. Dante phased, knocking shit off the sideboard. He and Isabelle weren’t mated yet, and he was already losing his mind. It was utter chaos. Nik thought of his own mate and the note in his pocket:
Nikolas, I am so sorry to have to leave just when you found me. Yours, Sophia
Nikolas wanted to talk to Julian, but his brother was arguing with the new half-blood, Dane. The maelstrom continued all around him. Rafael roared at Dante to stand down. Gregor walked into the room looking about as low as Nik felt. Kaya let out a loud whistle and chastised them for their behavior. Nik had to grin inwardly at their new Queen. When the mood abated somewhat, Rafael ordered them all outside to continue their meeting.
The conversation turned to Gregor and Dante’s newly found mates and why the half-bloods were afraid of mating with the Gargoyles. When Gregor spoke to Nik, he raised his head. “Nikolas, you look like someone kicked your puppy. What’s wrong?”
Nikolas closed his eyes and sighed. “I have been to the library several times to see Sophia, but she hasn’t been there. Yesterday when I went, someone gave me a note. All it said was she was sorry to leave now that I had found her.”
“Did you say Sophia?” Gregor and Dante asked at the same time.
Nikolas straightened up, staring at both his cousins. “Yes.”
“Hang on a second.” Gregor pulled out his cell phone. He didn’t announce himself, just cut off whoever was speaking on the other end. “Listen, you mentioned someone named Sophia. She wouldn’t happen to be a librarian, would she? Just curious. Gotta go.” He thumbed the phone off and told Nikolas, “I know where your woman is… Egypt.”
“Egypt? Why the fuck is she in Egypt?” Nikolas couldn’t help but raise his voice.
Gregor filled him in, “Her parents are missing. From what I gather, Tessa and two others in their family are called watchers. One of those others is Sophia’s father. They look after the half-bloods who haven’t transitioned yet. Sophia’s parents have allegedly been abducted. Tessa planned on going after them, but her mother called and wanted me to intervene.”
Nikolas didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. His head was spinning with this new information. His mate knew what he was. She knew he was a shifter! Her parents had been abducted, and now she had gone to find them. He had to go after her. Fuck! He looked over at his King.
Rafael didn’t hesitate when he nodded at Nik and said, “Do what you have to do.”
Nikolas didn’t need any more permission than that. He took off running toward his car. He had no idea where to look for Sophia in Egypt, but by the gods, he would find her.
Since Sophia had at least a twenty-four hour head start on him, he didn’t wait on a commercial plane. Instead, Nikolas took the Stone Society jet. He needed all the help he could get finding his mate in such a large country.
Nik should be furious at Sophia. She fucking knew what he was. He thought back to their conversation at the library.
“Are you one of those romantics who wishes she would be swept away by a creature of the night?” Nik asked.
“Cre
ature of the night? Oh my, no! I prefer shifters.” Sophia had blushed. Not because she was shy, but because she was telling him the fucking truth!
“Shifters huh? So if I told you I was a shifter and wanted to steal you away, you’d be okay with that?” Sophia had given him a sideways glance. Had she known then they were mates? Of course she had. That’s what she meant in her note about him finding her. Godsdamn, woman! When he found Sophia he was going to spank her ass. Then kiss her. Then fuck her senseless. Then he would help her find her parents. He just had to find her first.
Nikolas checked in at the Sitela West Hotel in Cairo. Before he’d flown blindly across the pond, he hacked into the flight logs at New Atlanta International and found Sophia’s name. Even though she flew into Cairo, she could have landed and driven somewhere else. She could be staying in the same hotel he was. His first order of business was to set up his computer and check the local hotels to see if he could find her that way. He didn’t want to go door to door, but if he had to, that’s what he’d do to find his mate. Nik also hoped to be able to connect with other Gargoyles.
Nikolas tipped the bellman and began unpacking his equipment. He set his computer up on the desk in the living room of his suite. While it was booting up, he tossed his clothes in the drawers of the dresser and put his toiletries in the bathroom. He ordered room service so he could concentrate on finding his woman instead of going out for food. His computer was online, but he needed Julian’s help in setting up the new encryption program. He called his brother but got no answer. “Jules, give me a call when you get this.” He knew Julian would still be at the lab. There was too much going on for him to leave early.
Nik had scarfed down all the food he ordered and was checking the third hotel for any listing that might be Sophia when Julian returned his call. “Nikolas, you’re not going to believe this shit.”
“Whoa, you sound out of breath. You chasing your girl on the TV screen again?” Nik really shouldn’t give Julian shit about his mate. He had a feeling the fates were going to make it hard on all of them when it came to the women in their lives.
“No, asshole. Tessa was in a car chase with the Redhead Killer. They both wrecked, and now she’s in a coma.”
“Oh, gods. What the hell happened after I left?”
“Gregor got a call from Tessa. She was at the fair when she ran into the killer. He followed her, and get this – Gordon Flanagan was in on it. He was in a helicopter chasing her the same time the killer was following behind. After both cars crashed, Frey got into a firefight with the other helo and shot it down. Kaya’s in trouble with the locals for being out of her jurisdiction and not calling for back-up.”
“Holy hell. How’s Gregor holding up?” Nik couldn’t imagine what his cousin was going through. Well, he sort of could. Here he was in the middle of Egypt with no idea where his mate was or if she was okay.
“As well as you’d expect.”
“So, he’s about to tear the hospital apart?”
“Pretty much. Now, what can I do for you? You said something about the encryption program.”
Nik had to admire his baby brother. Next to Rafael, Julian had the most important job in the Clan. “Yes. I want you to remote in and install that new program you’ve been working on. I want to be able to run searches without being traced.”
“I’m glad you’re taking extra precautions. If Alistair is behind our troubles, we cannot be too careful. Okay, I sent you a request to remote in. Click the yes button.”
“Can’t you hack into my computer without asking permission?”
“Of course I can, but this way is faster.” Julian could probably hack the world’s most complex systems if he took the time to try. It was another reason Nikolas admired him. Not because he could be a criminal, but because he was so smart. “Okay, I’m in. Give me a few minutes, and the program will be installed.”
“Thanks, Brother. I doubt if Sophia checked in under her own name. If she’s anything like Tessa, I have a feeling she’s going to be hard to find. Dammit! I wish she’d have confided in me before she left. She knows I’m her mate, yet she didn’t trust me to come with her and help her.”
“More than likely, she didn’t tell you for the same reason Tessa didn’t tell Gregor. She’s protecting you.”
Nikolas knew Julian was probably right, but it still didn’t soothe the sting. “Maybe.” When Nik heard Julian yawn, he did the math in his head. It was almost two in the morning back home. “Shit, Jules, I’m sorry it’s so late.”
“You know that doesn’t matter. I’d rather be there with you.” Julian yawned again as he tapped away at the keys on his computer.
“I have a feeling you’re going to be needed at home. I’ll be fine as long as I can call you.” Nikolas didn’t say he wished Julian was there with him, too. He didn’t want his brother to feel any more conflicted than he already did. It wasn’t often the two of them were separated. Julian was younger by twelve years, but being over five hundred years old, that small gap stopped mattering a long time ago.
“And you can, anytime, night or day. Please, Nik, don’t worry about the time difference. If you need me, I’m here for you. Promise me, Brother.”
“I promise.” Nik just hoped he could find Sophia quickly and help her find her parents.
“Okay. The encryption is running. Even if you turn your computer off, it will automatically run when you boot back up. I’m going to try to locate some Goyles in Cairo and vet them for you. You never know who’s loyal to whom. We don’t need you running into a Clan that is in Alistair’s back pocket.”
“Thank you. That will allow me more time to hunt for my mate. Please give Gregor my love and keep me posted on Tessa. You, dear brother, go get some rest. I will talk to you soon.”
“Be well, Nikolas. I love you.”
“And I love you.” Nikolas disconnected before his emotions got the better of him. He and Julian joked with each other all the time, but their bond was as strong as any in the Clan. Before he started his search for his mate, he sent up a prayer to the gods for Tessa and Gregor.
“Okay, my little bunny, where are you?”
Chapter Four
Sophia spent half the night researching Egyptian hieroglyphics. Singularly, the glyphs on the disk made sense. Grouped together, they were nothing more than a mishmash of symbols. When jet lag finally won out, she had put away her computer and lain down to sleep. As the early morning sun shone through her second-floor window, Sophia stretched and planned her day. Since she already had the disk, she argued with herself about going back to the zoo. If there was to be another clue, would they not give it to her since they didn’t see her actually grab the disk? Or was that the only clue she was supposed to get? Too many decisions and not enough coffee. She didn’t want to bother becoming Beatrice, yet she really needed breakfast.
The bedside clock told her it was already eleven a.m. Her internal clock was still adjusting to the time difference. Taking a risk that no one else would be roaming the halls, she dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt before making her way downstairs. She heard voices as she reached the kitchen door. Sophia paused and listened. When she only heard the cooks speaking about the lunch menu, she continued. Sophia knocked on the doorframe. “Good morning. Could I get some coffee, please?”
The two women smiled back, and one asked, “Would you like a cup or a carafe?”
“A carafe would be wonderful. Thank you. I know it’s late, but is there anything left over from breakfast? A muffin would do if you have one.”
The kitchen was large, decked out with new appliances that would rival most restaurants. A tray loaded with coffee, creamer, sweeteners and an assortment of pastries was presented to Sophia. She took it, thanking the woman. When she turned to go back to her room, footsteps sounded in the hallway. Sophia waited until the person either passed by or came into the doorway in order to avoid dumping the items off her tray. She was greeted with the sight of a grumpy Fred. Sophia smiled and said, “Good morning,
Fred.”
He furrowed his brows and responded, “Good morning, Miss.” He took in the carafe on her tray and asked the women in the room, “May I have a pot of coffee, too?”
Sophia remembered she wasn’t Beatrice. She didn’t make any further small talk. Hopefully, Fred wouldn’t think any more about her. This spy shit was harder than she thought it would be. She had to remember not to be quite so friendly in the future. Back in her room, she poured a cup of coffee and sat down in the oversized chair that faced the window. She wanted to go out on the balcony, but she didn’t want to risk anyone else seeing Sophia and not her “grandmother”.
As she sipped her coffee, Sophia turned the gold disk over in her free hand. She needed to find a local to tell her what the inscription meant, yet she didn’t trust anyone with the object. For all she knew, it could be a stolen priceless artifact, and showing it around could land her in jail. Sophia set her cup down and pulled her computer onto her lap. She opened the files that listed her father’s siblings. One of her aunts lived in South Africa. At forty-seven, Xenia Carmichael was the oldest of her aunts and uncles who had yet to transition. If it were up to Sophia, she would tell every last one of them what they had hidden inside and warn them about their mates.
When Sophia did a search on her aunt, she found the woman was no longer living in South Africa, but Alexandria. How fortuitous. She should have already known that, but her mind had been preoccupied as of late with one tall, handsome Gargoyle. Sometimes she felt like a teenager with her first crush. She might as well be. Sophia hadn’t dated much and was still a virgin. Hopefully, Nikolas wouldn’t be too rough their first time. Then again…
Dammit, she really needed to focus. Tessa had been to Egypt several times over the last decade watching over Xenia. According to her documentation, she had never actually met with the woman, only observed her from a distance. Sophia would need to come up with a good excuse to visit her, especially if she was going to entrust her with the disk. She would probably trust Beatrice at first glance more than a young woman traveling alone, but Sophia didn’t want to chance getting mugged dressed as the older woman. She also didn’t want to risk being noticed as herself, so she chose to become Clara Fort.