Isaac’s hand rested on her hip. He guided her through the tables. White umbrellas, trimmed with blue, shaded the tables and the guests using them. He found an empty table. He pulled out a chair and waited until she sat.
Other people sat around them enjoying a gorgeous Saturday. She wished Neil had come with them, but he’d insisted on working. He’d been off for three full days with his injuries, and he’d wanted to get back to the accumulated work.
“What’s good here?” She glanced over at Isaac.
“Everything. It depends on what you’re in the mood for.” Isaac reached across the table and squeezed her hand.
“Well, that’s no help.” She shook her head and smiled as a waitress brought over menus.
She looked down, skipping over the salads. She wasn’t in the mood for a salad. Her eyes kept coming back to the chicken. She lifted her head and started to ask Isaac if he’d decided what he wanted when she caught a glimpse of a gaunt, pale face. She frowned and looked more carefully, thinking her mind played tricks on her.
The first scream wiped that thought away. She jumped to her feet and reached for her purse. The dagger nestled in the confines. Now, that she’d been out on her own she could see the usefulness of keeping a dagger with her. Not just for the beast she would soon confront. It would be handy as a deterrent.
Another scream ripped through the warm afternoon air, sending a chill up her spine. She spun, turning toward the noise. Her eyes widened as she took in the horrifying sight. Three more Appari stalked toward the warriors trying to get the women and children out of the area.
“There are more than those three. There are two more over near the pool, and I think at least one on the side of the building. I hear fighting coming from that direction.” Isaac put his hand on her shoulder. “If things go bad, I’m getting you out of here.”
“No, you’re not. You guys might be able to do enough damage to discourage them. How many of you will they get before that happens? If I get into trouble, I’ll call for help.” She bit her lip. The Agali might not come, but she’d give it a try. She hadn’t been cooperative the last time the woman tried to talk to her.
Isaac frowned. “You’re not with the Branal any longer.”
“No, but I remember her saying that as long as we weren’t enemies of hers, she’d come to help her people. I hope she meant it.” She clenched the dagger in her fist.
Right now, she didn’t know if she’d need help, but five would be a tough take down. Even with the other Gargoyle distracting them, she’d get swarmed at some point. They would try to take out the biggest threat. Once she started taking them down, that would be her.
“You be careful. I’ll do what I need to do to keep you safe. I’m not losing you.” He stepped back from her.
She rushed toward the closest Appari. It faced away from her, swiping at a Gargoyle who was fighting to keep it close and unable to follow the women and children. She focused fire into the blade and stabbed it into the thin being.
It shrieked and tried to lunge forward off the blade. Naomi stepped forward, keeping the metal in the creature. Her hand pressed against its back as she began to syphon the energy from the spirit creature.
This Appari didn’t have any spirit within it. She drew the energy into her. The creature shrieked and became wild. She pulled the energy until it disintegrated, the small ash-like pieces falling to the ground. She took a deep breath and turned her head to see which of her opponents was closest. With a slight squaring of her shoulders, she raced across the space separating her from it. It fought with a Gargoyle.
This one wouldn’t be as easy as the last one. This Appari faced her. She sent a ball of fire straight into the being’s side to get its attention. It screamed and came at her.
She swiped her blade at it hoping to keep some distance between them until she could find an opening to plunge her blade into it. She wanted it weakened before she started drawing the energy into her. The Gargoyle slipped away. She saw him run over to another man fighting one of the spirit stealing hags.
It swiped at her, catching her arm with its claws. Pain sliced up her arm, but it hadn’t hit the arm she held her dagger with. Her arm throbbed.
Fuck, that hurt.
She could have lost her knife. She didn’t want to chance losing that. That dagger gave her the ability to weaken it enough to take the energy.
She lunged forward, pricking the Appari’s abdomen before it jumped back. With her fingers clasping the hilt, she swept it back and forth, searching for an opening. She needed to start burning it and get the energy from it before the other started over here.
The beast yelled sharply twice and darted forward. Her clawed hand swiped at Naomi’s face. Naomi jerked her head back, but drove the blade forward. It pierced, and she pushed heat through the steel. The smell of burning flesh rose, smelling acrid. The Appari shrieked and swung her hand in a vicious arc.
Naomi caught it. Her hand became slick with her blood. She hoped she could hold on to the arm long enough. The Appari swung her free hand, slashing Naomi’s shoulder. Naomi shoved forward and sent more fire through the blade. She focused on pulling more energy from the thing, struggling to maintain the skin contact necessary.
The Appari wrenched, trying to pull away, but the tug wasn’t as strong. Energy poured into Naomi. She could feel it pumping through her as well as the presence of another spirit.
Fuck. She hoped the others didn’t carry a soul as well. What the hell would she do with more than one spirit within them? Would they stay separate?
The Appari ceased struggling a moment before she turned to dust. With energy bounding through her, she turned to see where the next creature was. She spotted two coming toward her. A movement caught her eye and she saw two more. She glanced in the other direction and saw two more.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Oh, shit.
Six or more at close to the same time. Naomi couldn’t do that many. She needed help. She hoped that she was right about Agali Callista.
“Agali Callista, please come help me!” She yelled the words. If the things Isaac and Neil had said were true, Callista had a tie here. Perhaps, she’d help because of that if for no other reason.
Light exploded to her right. She saw Callista appear. The woman took no more than a moment to assess the situation before rushing for one of the Appari. Naomi couldn’t savor the relief. She hurried forward to confront one of the creatures herself.
“Whatever you do, Naomi. Don’t quit. Keep pushing until the last one falls.” Callista’s voice floated back to her.
Naomi didn’t have time to respond. She stabbed at the Appari in front of her. The creature shrieked as the blade swiped across it. Naomi gritted her teeth. She hadn’t managed to get a clean thrust into the flesh.
She stumbled back from a swipe at her face, but quickly found her balance and edged closer again. The Appari circled away from her. When movement caught her eyes, she realized the creature tried to trap her between it and another Appari.
She raised a brow. Before this, she hadn’t seen evidence that those things thought that much. She countered, driving her blade at the Appari to turn it back.
Her blade thrust into the creature’s arm. She sent fire pouring through the blade. It screamed and jerked back. Naomi darted forward, driving her blade into its stomach this time. It swung its arm.
Naomi pushed forward, taking the female creature to the ground and following it down. She pinned one arm with her knee and caught the other to establish the contact she needed to destroy the created creature. She pulled the energy into her. The Appari dissolved right underneath her.
She stood and went after the next Appari. By now, the routine became familiar to her. Try to avoid being struck by the claws, stab or slice at it until an opening appeared, and then thrust the blade deep before establishing the necessary skin to skin contact. She dispatched that one, and took on a third Appari. She had no idea if one had run away, but when she confronted hers, two remai
ned. Hers, and the last one Callista fought. The Agali had defeated at least two others.
Naomi winced as the creature’s claws dug into her arm, but drove the blade in and gripped the other wrist before it to could do damage to her. She let the fire within her flow and began to draw the energy while the pain from the burning heat helped weaken it.
The Appari began sinking in and collapsed as the last of its energy poured into Naomi. It cracked into a dry husk and blew away with the breeze. Naomi looked around and turned in a circle to make sure no other Appari waited to confront someone. She didn’t want to let any of them escape. No Appari, but many Gargoyles surrounded them. The Cim stood there, as well as Dante, and at least one of his partners.
Agali Callista walked across the grass separating them. “Good work, Naomi. You need some practice and some tutoring in tactics, but you’re on your way.”
Callista nodded and then disappeared again without saying a word to the gathered Gargoyle. Naomi exhaled and looked around for Isaac. She smiled as she saw him striding over to her. He drew her into his arms for a hug.
“I’m all bloody.” She pushed on his chest not wanting to ruin his clothes. One of the wounds might need stitches. The others should be all right. Not that she knew how she’d explain them to anyone who might ask how she got them.
“I don’t care, baby. I need to hold you. Fuck. I’m glad your Agali came. I have no idea where all of those things came from.” Isaac pulled her tight against his chest, and his head rested on top of her head.
“Yeah, I’m glad. I couldn’t have taken all of those. They would have swarmed me.” She savored the warmth of his body and the strength of his arms.
“You did well, Naomi.” Cim Bram smiled at her. He handed Isaac some pads for her wounds. “We will find out who is behind these attacks. You and the rest of the community won’t have to face this type of threat indefinitely.”
“Whoever it is has a lot of money, or at least knows how to get it. Those things aren’t cheap to have made as far as I know. That was a lot of them.” Naomi looked around. “I think one of these might need stitches, and I’ll have to go to the hospital again. There’s another spirit, a male Gargoyle.”
“We’ll take you to the clinic for the stitches. That’s run and staffed completely by Gargoyle. We won’t have to worry about any messy forms or unnecessary questions when we all know what happened.” Cim Sinclair stepped up beside Bram. “I sent someone for your car.”
She frowned. How would they get it without keys? Of course, that could have changed hands before she finished fighting. She felt a little lost.
“They asked for my keys after you got hurt that first time. Knew that I would want to get you taken care of as quickly as possible.” Isaac drew his hand over her cheek.
She closed her eyes, enjoying the light contact. He was sweet. She’d like this taken care of as soon as possible. After she returned that soul, she wanted some time alone with both her men. Some of the energy she’d taken in would fade if she waited long enough, but she wanted the chance to burn it. She always had such a delicious time with them.
“Thank you for keeping them off me enough that I could get as far as I did without being overwhelmed.” She looked at Isaac and a few of the other warriors nearby. She knew that she’d been able to do that much because they helped.
“You’re welcome, baby. Hold this pad. It’s the wound with the worst bleeding. We’ll get you to the clinic before we go to the hospital to let you get rid of that spirit you have within you.” Isaac glanced over as his car pulled to a stop at the corner.
She walked with him, holding the pad on the wound. After they visited the clinic, he’d better not go all protective on her. She didn’t need coddling.
Isaac helped her into the car. He pressed pads onto the wounds and drew her seatbelt across her. She couldn’t hold them all, but if she stayed still, they should remain in place.
He began driving. “We’ll have to go to the other community. That’s where the clinic is. It’s not far.”
Now that her adrenaline began to fade, the wounds started to throb. She hoped they could give her something that would take the edge off. She didn’t want to let a few minor wounds prevent her from enjoying one of the benefits of taking in all that energy. It didn’t hype up her sexuality, but the extra energy did turn her thoughts of pleasurable ways she could burn it.
“That’s okay. You’ve mentioned Callista a few times in reference to the Cim. Were you serious or teasing me?” She glanced over at him.
Naomi could understand if it was the latter. She hadn’t asked much about their leaders. She knew more about the beta position than she did the Cim.
“I wasn’t teasing you. The Cim have recognized her, but they need to complete the triad before they claim her. Mating with her before could cause some territorial issues later with the third.” Isaac glanced over at her.
“Do they know where this third is?” She raised an eyebrow. “Does Callista know they belong with her? She hardly said anything to them both times I’ve seen her in the same location as they are.”
“She recognized them as they did her, but she’d also know that they didn’t have a complete bond. They have no idea where he is. They’ve been looking, searching for a male who didn’t form a bond with others. It’s odd for a single Gargoyle to find a mate.” Isaac shrugged. “It’s not an easy search. The Gargoyle are everywhere.”
“Why is it odd for a Gargoyle to be part of a couple versus a triad or quartet?” Naomi frowned. She had wondered why she’d seen many group marriages here.
“Ancient instinct. We can provide better for our mates if there are multiple males to take care of her.” Isaac shrugged.
“Why did you ask about Callista and the Cim?” Isaac guided the car through the gates of the second walled community.
“Well, her time as Agali will soon come to an end if things haven’t changed since I came here.” Naomi frowned. Could they be unaware of the politics involved in transferring power, even between family members who helped each other out?
“As far as we know, they haven’t. The Cim look forward to the time when she’s free of her responsibilities. They have talked to her enough to know it was important to her to finish this task.” Isaac lifted a shoulder.
“Well, I don’t know if your Cim are aware, but once she passes the power over to her brother, she’ll have to leave the area, at least for six months.” She bit her lip. She didn’t know what his reaction to the information would be.
“What?” Isaac’s head snapped around and he stared at her.
“It’s based on old politics when temporary rulers were appointed for someone who was too young to rule, although that’s not the case. Her brother is fully grown and has been taking care of his young nephew’s holding. The old ruler has to leave the area for at least six months to prevent confusion and a division among the people.” She bit her lip.
“Fuck, I’d bet the Cim have no idea about that. When will she leave? Will she have time to put everything in order? Some kind of ceremony?” He focused on the road.
“There’s a ceremony, but she’ll be escorted off the territory. She’ll have arranged a destination, but she can’t go to any place the family of the ruler that replaces her has holdings, which does give her some limitations. She can’t go to her family.” Naomi sighed. Callista had some hard choices. Naomi wouldn’t want to face that choice.
“Damn, I’ve never heard of that.” Isaac’s fingers tightened, but loosened as he turned into a parking lot. Three buildings sat near the back of the area and she saw a sign declaring a medical clinic on one.
She exhaled and relaxed a little. Now, maybe she could find a little ease from the throb that had built into an ache. It had grown to the point that she couldn’t sit quiet and still. If she started moaning, it would draw a protective reaction from Isaac. She didn’t want him going into that “she’s got to be taken care of” mode. They’d never get to the interesting part of the evening if th
at happened.
When Isaac parked and got out of the car, she took a few moments to breathe and gather herself. She opened the door and slid out of the car before he reached her. She didn’t want to waste time. The discomfort had increased to the point where she had difficulty hiding it from him.
He escorted her inside. At the sight of a nurse standing in the waiting room with gauze pads, Naomi knew someone had called ahead. The nurse escorted them back to a room as soon as they walked through the door.
Once inside the examination room, she sat down on the bed to wait. Isaac stood next to the wall. His fingers flew over the surface of his phone. She knew he texted the Cim about what he’d learned. If they hadn’t been close to the clinic, she’d bet he’d have used the voice function on his phone to send the message to his Cim.
The doctor came in along with the nurse. She didn’t yell, but had a few moments when the air locked in her throat, especially when they started cleaning the wounds. The feel of the sterile water pouring over the wounds had her clenching her jaw. Then they started stitching.
She balled one fist and held onto the bed with the other. It hurt, far more than she expected considering the numbing shots. Either they didn’t wait long enough, or the medicine didn’t work right.
It hurt damn bad. She breathed through it. The muscles in her jaw clenched tight. She feared she’d crack a tooth.
Isaac texted, looking over at her every once in a while, but he seemed occupied for which she was grateful. By the time the doctor finished her work, she had one set gashes with stitches, a few slashes bandaged with butterfly bandages, and another set covered. They covered everything with sterile bandages.
The doctor had given her some medicine to take for the pain. She hoped it did a better job than the stuff they’d injected. It would ruin her night to have to put off time with her two men.
After the clinic, Isaac pulled a shirt out of a bag in his trunk. She glanced at him in question. Before she could ask, he explained he carried the bag for sudden out of town trips he sometimes made for his work. She put it on to cover the fact that she looked as if she’d been in a battle. It might be the truth, but she didn’t want to advertise it.
Capturing Their Flame [Stone Passions 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 19