by Price, E A
They were sitting at Kylie’s tiny kitchen table. Luc had dragged his stool in, and they were talking.
Kylie explained about waking Luc up and trying to find the other gargoyles. Bea looked at Luc in wonder. “I knew Edwin… but I never thought I’d live to see one of you.”
“Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa,” Kylie threw up her hands. “You knew about the gargoyles?”
Bea nodded, still transfixed by Luc. Kylie felt a twang of irritation at Bea’s fascination with her man – yes, he was most certainly her man.
“How come you never told me?” asked Kylie, thoroughly irked.
Bea smiled benignly. “Would you have believed me?”
“Well, I… no.” It took her long enough to believe it even after she saw a gargoyle come to life. “So you’re telling me you knew what Edwin was doing? You knew about Luc?”
“I knew about gargoyles since I was a child. It was a story passed down by my family. Edwin recognized me for what I am, and he confided in me. I knew Edwin was the caretaker of… Luc and others.”
“Do you know where my brethren are?” asked Luc, in a soft, non-threatening tone.
“No,” she admitted sadly. “Edwin was always very cagey about it. He only admitted it to me because he knew I had magic, but he wouldn’t tell me any more.”
Kylie frowned at her aunt. “Yeah, since when do you have magic?”
“Since birth. I’m a healer.”
“You are descended from the Mercier family,” said Luc.
Bea looked delighted. “Yes, I can trace my line all the way back. After Edwin realized, he took me into his confidence. He spent most of his life searching for a way to wake you, a lot of the caretakers did. Some had more success than others.”
“You mean some have been successful?” said Luc, keenly.
Bea paused. “I’ve heard stories about some of the gargoyles being awoken, but I never knew if they were all true.”
“But you know something?” he persisted. His tail flicked impatiently and wrapped itself around Kylie’s ankle – more for something to do.
Her aunt flashed a glance at Gustave. “Fifty years ago, I know that a caretaker living in France managed to wake a male gargoyle.” Bea traced patterns on the table. “I don’t know how he did it. But the male was angry when he woke, all that time in his stone state must have had a terrible effect on him. He killed his caretaker. He tried to hurt others, too, and he was… terminated.”
Luc closed his eyes and breathed in and out for a few seconds. Kylie squeezed his hand under the table.
“I suppose that was to be expected. Being stone for that long takes a toll on the mind and body.”
“The way he was woken may have played a part. If it was too traumatic… how did you wake Luc?”
Luc looked at Kylie, and she rolled her eyes. “He thinks I did it, too, but I have no clue.”
Bea smiled. “I knew your magic was strong, but just hiding.”
“Wait, what?! You think I have magic, too?” Was this a conspiracy?
“Well, I assumed you knew because you woke Luc up.”
Luc looked at her with affectionate sufferance. “Kylie does not seem to believe me.”
“It’s just so hard to believe…” she grumbled. She was the girl who was voted must likely to own a cat in her senior year of high school – she wasn’t an interesting person. She didn’t have hidden depths. She had shallow pools that apparently said cat owner at the bottom of them.
“You still don’t remember?” said Bea.
“Remember what?”
“You were born with magic, dear. But after your parents died… you just stopped using it.”
“No, I’d remember.”
“You were very young. I remember you were very talented, though. You could create flames from age two. I believe that caused a lot of concern for your parents. But after your parents… your abilities just seemed to flutter away.”
Luc gripped her shoulder, silently adding his support.
Bea looked at Luc. “Kylie’s family is distantly related to the Somneri Clan.”
Luc looked taken aback. “I was very familiar with the Somneri Clan,” he murmured.
“My parents did die in a car accident, right? Bea?” said Kylie in a small voice.
Bea seemed surprised. “Of course, dear. There isn’t some big conspiracy going on here. This isn’t a Harry Potter book.”
“Except where you wouldn’t tell me about me having magic.”
“We were all kind of hoping you would remember by yourself.”
“It’s been over twenty-five years!” she snapped. Luc rubbed a thumb over her neck.
Bea watched him curiously but didn’t say anything. “You did manage to wake a gargoyle – clearly your talents are still there.”
“Yeah, well that wasn’t on purpose.” She threw an apologetic glance at Luc, but he didn’t mind. He knew the story of how she woke him.
A gargle sounded from the couch, and Bea rushed to him. Kylie and Luc held back, fearful of his reaction to the gargoyle.
“Gustave, do you know where you are?” asked Bea.
Kylie shook her head and pushed forward. “That’s a terrible question, Gustave, what happened to you?”
Bea tut-tutted. “Let’s just establish that he knows what he’s doing before we give him any hard questions. I was a nurse.”
“Yeah, but you have natural healing talents – isn’t that cheating?”
“Kylie?” gasped Gustave.
“I’m here.”
His eyes flickered over to Luc, and he smiled. “Edwin was right about you. You are special.” He coughed and spluttered, and Bea brought him a glass of water. He didn’t take his eyes off Kylie. And although Luc was relieved that Gustave wasn’t concerned about his presence, Kylie could tell that he didn’t like the attention that Gustave was paying her.
“Where have you been, Gustave?”
Gustave, although lying down, seemed to be swaying somewhat. He reached out to touch Kylie’s hand. Luc intervened. With firm, but not crushing pressure he took hold of Gustave’s wrist and directed him away from Kylie.
“I’m sorry, I’m just pleased that Edwin was right. He hoped that you’d be able to help him find a way to wake the gargoyles. After he saw you with, uh, the statue, he knew you would be the right person for the job. Although I don’t think that even he realized that you would be capable of this.” He looked at Luc in wonderment.
“Gustave…”
He nodded and took another sip of water. “Edwin was getting older, but he wasn’t sick. I don’t believe for a second that his death was natural. I suspected that Holling, that oily bastard, had something to do with it. Maybe even that woman, Lara. I didn’t know whether I could trust Andrew; he was the one who brought them here, after all. So I left. I wanted to see what I could find out about them.”
Luc grunted; Holling was not his favorite topic of discussion. “And did you find anything?”
“No, even in this day and age, information on Holling is sparse. He seems to run some kind of private security firm, but it’s not clear what they do. They don’t seem to have any customers. I tried to break into one of their offices…”
“What?” chuckled Kylie. “Don’t tell me you’ve turned into a cat burglar.”
Gustave didn’t seem offended. “You don’t think that Edwin hired me for my tea making skills, did you? If you need something doing, I’ll do it. I’m very capable with a gun, a lock-pick or a feather duster.”
Kylie looked the middle-aged man up and down. He looked like a bland butler. But then, she guessed, he was supposed to.
“I couldn’t get past the security system. I’m no expert, but I believe that it was guarded by magic. Giving that up as a lost cause, I tried to come back into town to see what had become of you.” He nodded at Luc. “But, I no sooner set foot in the town, and I was being hauled into the back of a van.”
Bea gasped. “You think Holling abducted you?”
“I d
on’t see who else would have. They tried to persuade me to tell them everything I knew about the gargoyles.”
By 'persuade' Kylie guessed he meant something a little more vicious than some light cajoling.
“I didn’t say anything,” he said, proudly. “Not that I know much. I managed to get away. Cocky bastards didn’t even see me coming.”
While this new side of Gustave was fascinating, Kylie decided to mull it over later. “And you came to me? I thought you didn’t know about Luc.”
“I came to tell you that the professor hid all of the locations of the gargoyles in his study.” He reached out for Kylie and once again, with a growl, Luc repelled him. “He spent his life caring for the gargoyles and searching for a way to wake them. If he couldn’t continue his work, I know he wanted you to follow in his footsteps.”
“Don’t you know where they are?”
“No, he thought it was safer that way. He feared they were in danger.”
Kylie bit her lip. “Did he hide the locations in one of his books?”
“No, I don’t know where he hid them, he was too paranoid to tell me, but I don’t think he wrote them down in a book. The professor didn’t have magic, but he owned magical items. He collected many over the years to try and wake the gargoyles. He could have hidden the locations in one of them.”
Luc looked at her with a flicker of hope, but Kylie couldn’t help but worry about the professor’s paranoia. Most people didn’t even know that a race of gargoyles ever existed, so why all the secrecy about where they were hidden? “Are there really people still after the gargoyles?”
Gustave looked at Luc, warily. “I’m afraid so. Before Edwin became your caretaker, some gargoyles were discovered in Italy. A powerful sorcerer managed to wake them. The poor creatures were hunted and killed.”
Kylie gasped. “What, like for fun?”
“I believe so. There are people in the world with far too much money and time on their hands.”
“This will not be borne!” snarled Luc.
“We need to get Kylie into the professor’s study,” said Gustave. “She needs to find whatever it is the professor hid. Maybe she could use a finder’s spell.”
Kylie held up her hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” This was all moving like an out of control freight train.
“Out of the question!” snarled Luc.
“Wait, what?”
“It is not safe,” declared Luc. “I will not permit it.”
Kylie bristled as she felt the subject of obeying rearing its ugly and monstrous head again. “I’ve been up there a thousand times.”
“That does not seem likely.”
Ugh, it was like talking to Captain Literal. “Fine, I’ve been up there a lot – what’s changed?”
She poked him in the chest, and he raised an eyebrow, before drawing himself to his full and impressive height. The effect was only marred slightly as his horns jangled against the overhead lamp. Still, Gustave and Bea shrank away from him.
“Before, you did not believe the professor had been murdered. I will not risk your safety.”
Kylie pouted. “I can take care of myself.” She wasn’t altogether sure that was true, but her hackles were raised.
“I do not understand why you are arguing, you objected to this idea, too.”
Bea watched their exchange with increasing interest.
“I objected to the idea of me doing a finder’s spell, whatever the hell that is.”
“I forbid you to go back to that house!”
“You forbid me?”
“Sshhh, Gustave is sleeping.” Bea motioned to the man who apparently managed to both fall asleep and start snoring during their argument.
“You forbid me?” repeated Kylie in a whisper.
Bea ignored her. “You know, I think I should stay with Gustave – just in case. He’s been through a lot. I don’t think we should disturb him. Perhaps the two of you should stay at my house. There will be more room for you to… there’ll be more room.” She blushed with the full ferocity of a nineteenth-century spinster and looked away.
Yep, they had only really been together for a few hours, but they were already arguing like a real couple. They glared at one another until Kylie gave in and said that it would be a good idea.
“The guest room is already made up,” said Bea.
She looked questioningly at Luc, but he looked coolly back before smiling. “Thank you, are you sure you will be okay here with Gustave. I fear that the people who took him will be looking for him.”
“I believe I will be okay here. And I have a gun in my purse…”
“Bea!” exclaimed Kylie in shock. She was beginning to question just how much she actually knew about Bea. She was not your average antiques dealer.
“And I have the chief of police on speed-dial, I’ll be fine, thank you, Luc.”
“Perhaps Gustave would be more comfortable in the bed,” suggested Kylie.
“No,” said Luc, firmly. “No.”
“Okay… I’ll get dressed and grab an overnight bag.” She flushed as she realized she had been wearing nothing more than a thin robe the whole time. No wonder Bea had been giving her some odd looks. She wondered if she also had sex hair.
When Bea bid them goodnight, Kylie stepped outside, she looked around to make sure no one was around. It was 3am, and the world was pretty dead.
Luc followed her outside. “Why not the bed?” she asked.
“I would not want another male’s scent tainting the site of our first coupling. You are my mate; I could not tolerate any other male’s scent on you or anywhere near you.” He sniffed her and growled. “I do not like that his blood is still on you.”
She yawned. “Yes, but let’s not hold it against him.” She looked him up and down. “I’m not sure you’re going to fit in my caarrrrrrrr!”
The last word lasted as long as it took for Luc to take her and her suitcase in his arms, and launch into the sky.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Holling had the look of a rabid dog about him as he snarled into his phone. Lara watched, silently as he howled and hollered at the unfortunate idiot on the other end of the line. Still, the unfortunate idiot was just lucky that Holling wasn’t talking to them in person. The only thing that could be thrown over a phone line was insults.
Gustave had slipped away the previous night. Holling was furious that Gustave had escaped in the first place, but he was out and out livid that they still hadn’t found him again. Since the moment they picked him up, it was clear that Gustave couldn’t be let loose. Now, Holling feared what Gustave knew and who he might be telling it to. Holling had some of his trusted lackeys all over town watching for him.
His bad mood had completely obliterated Lara’s good news. She was mighty pleased with herself that she had managed to get rid of Maggie. She didn’t know what was said, but Andrew had been very forlorn that afternoon after meeting with the little bitch. She couldn’t even celebrate that. No, everything was about the Gustave situation.
“You morons! Must I do everything myself?” he howled into his phone before hurling it across the room. It landed harmlessly on an armchair.
Lara was grateful for the distraction of a phone call when her cell rang. She could see that Holling was eager for a reason to hit something. She definitely didn’t want to get in the way of his fists. “What? Gary, slow down.” She listened for a few beats before her lips curled up. “Look Gary just get a paper bag and breathe in and out, okay? Okay, I’ll call you back.” She hung up and declared, “That was Gary.”
“The fishmonger? Why the fuck should I care?”
“Because I asked Gary to watch over your darling, little Kylie.”
Holling’s eyes bulged. “Why? How could you be so stupid? If she found out, you’ve been spying on her…”
“And he just called to say that Kylie apparently came out of her apartment a few moments ago with someone, and then flew away.”
He stilled. “What?” Yes, she knew t
hat would get his attention.
She leaned back, thoroughly enjoying herself. “Yes, Gary, the poor dear, is in quite a state about it. He’d returned to his shop because his silent alarm had tripped and saw that her lights were still on. Then he happened to notice them fly away.”
“The… thing she was with, did he get a good look?”
“Not really, he just said it was big and had wings. He didn’t use the word gargoyle – he thinks he was hallucinating. But what else could it be?”
“She did wake one up. She did do it,” murmured Holling to himself.
“If she is that talented we can have her find the others, and we can forget about that fool Gustave. With any luck he’s dying in a ditch somewhere, anyway.”
“Yes!” cried Holling, a manic gleam in his eyes. “If we have Kylie, we’ll have them all!”
Chapter Thirty-Four
“Bea, wake up.” Kylie tapped her aunt on the shoulder, and slowly, Bea yawned and squinted at Kylie. Kylie passed her a cup of coffee and waited for Bea to become human again.
Last night, after she and Luc arrived at Bea’s house – after a few false turns because it was really difficult to navigate from the air, Luc went out hunting for food while Kylie had a shower.
When he arrived back, she fell asleep in his arms. She was somewhat relieved that he didn’t press her for sex again. She was willing but her body was screaming for some rest. He was an incredible lover – there was no denying it. But larger than she was used to, and a little recovery time couldn’t hurt. Being with him was like a pleasurable battering.
Before she fell asleep, he once again told her that she was not to go to the professor’s house, and she garbled something that probably sounded affirmative to him before drifting off. When she woke, it was alone and in a cold bed.
She felt a pang at his absence and regretted that she would probably never know what it would feel like to wake up together, to watch the sunrise together. Then she gave herself a mental slap. She’d never done either of those things with her ex-fiancé. Brian suffered from insomnia, so he usually started in their bed and ended up either falling asleep on the couch, the toilet – not very attractive - or in the spare bedroom so that his white noise machine wouldn’t disturb her. She didn’t need to wake up together or watch sunrises with Brian, so she didn’t need them with Luc either.