“Does that have anything to do with what he stole from her?” asked the dragon.
She glanced at a chagrined Nick. He must have spilled everything to Eoin. So, the dragon knew they weren’t totally blameless, but she was as much involved as Nick was.
“Does it make a difference if I told you she wants to destroy the grimoire?” Nick offered Eoin. “It’s not like I was stealing it so I could turn you into a rat.” How was he going to explain his deal to Ruby? Possibly forever.
The dragon gave Nick a sharp look. Angie, his mate, had a phobia of rats. She had almost set the castle aflame trying to destroy a nest. Nick’s joke wasn’t lost on the dragon but he didn’t laugh.
“I appreciate the gesture.” Eoin’s tone said otherwise. He stared at the lockbox then tossed Nick another daggered look. Nick could almost see him counting the amount of years he was going to keep him chained. “You’ve placed me in a predicament. I won’t take this anywhere near my pregnant mate and I’m not returning it to a werewolf pack who can’t even guard it from a bunch of bumbling gargoyles.”
Armand waved his arm.
Eoin stared harder at the vampire. “And whoever you are.” The dragon beat his wings harder and moved forward once more toward New Port. “My only choice is to remain at your side and speak to Nikita. Whatever happens after that, I’m holding you personally responsible, Nick.”
Of course, he would.
Chapter Thirty-One
The dragon circled the witch’s shop on the warm air currents. Nick leaned in for a better look. “Are you sure that roof can hold your weight?”
“No.” Eoin seemed to examine the other roof tops and sighed. “Okay, here’s how we’re doing this. As I come in for a landing, I’m going to shift.”
“What?” Ruby’s voice rose an octave. Her nails dug into Nick’s forearms.
“I’ll wait until the last minute then you’ll have to brace yourself to land on your feet. Or your ass, which ever you prefer.” Eoin dove.
“Hang on to me.” Nick swung Ruby into his arms and calculated the angle of their dive. His brothers all wore the same expression of shock as they watched the dragon coming straight at them. If Nick wasn’t so worried for Ruby’s safety, he would have laughed his ass off.
The huge dragon body suddenly vanished and they fell the last few feet. Nick pulled Ruby against him tight and landed on his feet at a run. He came to a stop by his brothers. “We’re down.” He pried her death grip around his neck. “I need to breathe, Ruby.”
She lifted her head and blinked. “We’re not dead. How nice.”
He smirked at her snarky tone.
The dragon gracefully followed them, completely naked and carrying the lock box.
Nick blocked Ruby’s curious gaze and tossed the backpack the dragon used to carry his clothes.
She chuckled and ran a possessive hand down his spine. “He’s got nothing on you, baby.” She patted his behind and went to examine Armand’s injuries.
Nick joined Eoin as he dressed. “You moved very well between the buildings in Riverbend. How did you manage that so quietly with your size?”
“I was an advanced scout for my clan before moving here.” He stated it as if that explained everything. Nick had wished for more details since such skill could prove handy in the future.
“Armand, you’re in no shape to walk. I think your leg is broken.” Ruby gasped then gagged. “Did they use it as a chew toy?” She visibly paled.
“Your bedside manner leaves something to be desired.” Armand’s garbled words were barely discernible.
“Stop, please stop, trying to talk. Neil, just take him home and pour some blood in him so he can heal. I can’t watch you suffer anymore, Armand.”
They found the rooftop door unlocked as Neil flew Armand back to the lighthouse. They then entered the witch’s lair and a chime rang.
Nikita waited for them in the back room of her shop. Nick recognized the shelves of questionable ingredients and the tidy little kitchen. The witch looked immaculate as always, not a hair out of place.
“Do you ever close shop?” He glanced at the clock and the hour was late.
She gave him a sly grin and held out her hands. “Do you have what I want?”
“That and more…” Nick grimaced as Eoin pushed his way to the front of the group, still holding the dented lockbox.
Nikita dropped her arms. “I wasn’t aware you were involved in this mess.”
The smoke pouring from Eoin formed a small thundercloud over his head. He shook the lockbox. “You know the rules. No black magic in New Port.”
She crossed her arms. “Rules were made to be broken. What did you want? For me to move my whole coven to Riverbend just to destroy this thing. I’d have the pack and the vampire clan to fight off all alone.” She smirked. “This way, I have you and Ryota to protect us.”
The dragon snarled. “I hate black magic. It makes me itch.” He shuddered and Nick could see his skin ripple as if fighting off a shift. “It would have been courteous if you would have consulted me first.”
“You would have denied my request. Besides, I was under the impression you were looking for the gargoyles. I needed them free from your bondage games.” She held out her hands. “Please, we require the book to gauge its energy to complete the preparation for the ceremony. It will take days as is.”
“You’re not going to blow up half the city again?” Eoin still held onto the lockbox.
“You’re exaggerating. It was only one building and nobody died. Stop being such a drama llama.” She gestured with her fingers for the box again. “You know this has to be done. I hate this stuff as much as you do. Can you imagine what would happen if it fell in the wrong hands? Some of these grimoires even develop links to people, draining their life force. The sooner it’s destroyed the better.”
“Why not let me just flame it? It would save everyone time.”
“Why not jump into an active volcano? Because you don’t know if you will survive. Dragon magic versus black magic? I haven’t a clue what would happen and your mate is tiny for a dragon, but I bet she could lay the city flat if you died.” She shook her head. “Pregnant dragons are very unstable.”
Eoin handed over the lockbox. “Tell me about it. The big gargoyle will remain at your side until the ceremony and I will be present when the book is destroyed.” Just like that, Eoin turned his back on them. “Nick, I expect you home once she removes the curse.” And the dragon strode out the front door.
“Who’s the big gargoyle? Me or Norm?” Nate called after Eoin.
Norm slapped the back of Nate’s head. “I’m the biggest.”
Nate breathed a sigh of relief. “No offense, lady, but you give me the creeps.”
Nikita eyed Norm from head to toe as if assessing a prize bull. “What about you? Do you find me creepy?”
Norm crossed his arms. “Definitely.”
Ruby cleared her throat. “Are you forgetting something?”
Nick removed the charm. His flesh itched from being compressed so long. “One could say that a good thing came out of my bad choices.” He offered her a weak smile. Nobody had asked him about his deal with Eoin yet. Though the witch was returning his wings, he wouldn’t be flying while chained to the castle. Nor did he really expect Ruby to wait for him until he was freed. All in all, it had all been for nothing except they got to destroy something evil.
The witch raised her hand and uttered a spell. The tight pressure over his skin released as if something invisible had popped.
With a tear of seams, Nick changed shape. His wings expanded and he groaned at the deep ache of cramped muscles finally stretching. “Oh, that feels so good.” He took a deep breath and returned Ruby’s hug.
She plucked the charm from his hand and held it out to the witch. “Here you go.” Nick didn’t even try to stop her. He’d have no use for it as a prisoner, but one of his brothers could have used it instead. What a waste.
The witch shook her head. “It
’s useless to me. Nick’s worn the charm long enough that a bond has formed. The spell is locked on a gargoyle/human change. No one will want it now.”
Nate slapped Nick on the shoulder as he guided him and Ruby toward the exit. “Let’s get out of here before she changes her mind,” muttered under his breath.
Nick glanced over his shoulder. “Norm?”
His stoic brother shrugged. “I’ll be fine. See you in a few days.” But his brother didn’t see how Nikita licked her lips behind him as she measured his wings span with her eyes.
Nick laughed quietly.
Once outside, free of the witch and dragon and Riverbend wolf pack, Ruby spun in Nick’s arms. “Let’s go home.” They had a ton of celebrating to do and she had a few ideas on where to start. She would begin at the top of Nick’s body and work her way down. Ruby had had him as a human and now she would explore him all over again as a gargoyle. How lucky was she? Walking her fingers up his bare, well-muscled chest, she sighed. “I’m sure I own some lingerie you could tear me out of.”
He shivered and lifted her off her feet. His nose felt cold as he buried it against her throat and inhaled deeply. “I can’t.” He spoke as if he had to force the words out. “There’s nothing I would love more than to follow you home, Ruby, but…see, I made this deal with Eoin.” He crushed her against him and set her next to Nate.
Cold seeped into her bones. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Nick?” Her fucking voice shook. Was he breaking up with her? He’d said he loved her and she believed him.
“I made a deal with Eoin.” he repeated, then more confidently. “If he saved you, I agreed I would return to the castle as his…prisoner.”
Nate was the one to gasp.
She was too busy forcing herself to breathe. He sacrificed his freedom for her. Thought her worth that much.
“You’re going back to the wall? No fucking way.” Nick’s brother said it as if his word were law. She really admired how loyal the four of them were to each other. She had a similar relationship with Trixie.
“We don’t break deals with dragons.” Nick only had eyes for her.
She shrank away, her arms wrapped around her body and her gaze pointed to the ground. The pain in her chest was too hard to bear. Abandoned. He’d promised to never leave her. She couldn’t take someone else she loved leaving.
“Since when?” asked Nate.
Nick visibly ground his teeth. “Since he can harm any of you in retaliation of my disobedience. As long as any of us live in New Port, we have to follow his rules.”
“It’s Eoin’s fault that I ended up on the side of the building in the first place,” whispered Ruby. “If he hadn’t buggered up the plan, I never would have needed his rescue.” Her heart broke. She was a fool to think he didn’t love her.
“Playing the blame game won’t solve this problem.” He pressed the charm into Ruby’s hand. “I won’t need this anymore.” Then took wing, heading to the mountains.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Playing rock, paper, and scissors by himself was difficult. Once again scissors cut paper. Nick’s right hand always seemed to know what his left was going to do. The trees in the forest below swayed. Flashes of white snaked between the trunks. He leaned forward and the chain linking him to the castle scraped over the stone ledge, the sound a constant reminder of his lack of freedom.
From the dark forest exited a small white dragon carrying a mouthful of trees. Her feathered wings folded neatly along her spine. It was like a dragon and an angel had a baby. She pranced over the grass toward home. Her belly bulged a little as her pregnancy began to show.
“Hey pretty lady, what are you doing?” Finally, somebody to talk to. Angie might not be the most pleasant person he’d ever met, but she wasn’t boring and had a wicked sense of humor below the scales. One he appreciated.
She dropped her mouthful and took a step back. “Nick, what are doing here?” Using her long sharp claws, she climbed the stone walls to the ledge where he lived. She huffed a frustrated noise. “I told Eoin to leave you alone. When that dragon decides to do something, he becomes obsessed.”
Nick shrugged. “I kind of deserve it.” If he’d deserved it the previous time was still up for debate.
Angie’s thin feathered eyebrows furrowed. “Who did you kill this time?”
He pressed his hand to his heart. “No one.”
Those eyebrows quirked.
“I brought a black magic grimoire into the city.” He raised a finger to stall her response, her mouth hung open. “It’s for a good cause.” They were going to destroy the thing. That had to be better than leaving it alone for someone to misuse.
She groaned and shook her head. “How can it be for a good cause? Never mind, I don’t want to know. It’s better if I don’t.”
“Why?” Nick didn’t understand why but he wanted Angie to like him. To know he wasn’t a bad guy. Maybe because Trixie’s death had caused Angie so much guilt. The human had been under her protection at the time.
“Because I’m a terrible liar.” She leaned closer and examined his collar. “I can see the spell around the lock. How did you open it last time?”
He blew his claws and shined them on his chest. “A master of escape does not reveal his secrets.”
“Whatever, just do it again.” She winked. “I won’t tell.”
“Eoin will eat me.” Nick shuddered as he imagined the dragon discovering his second escape.
“No, he won’t. He finds gargoyles stringy and it’s difficult to floss dragon teeth.” She waggled her claws in the air. “The thread keeps breaking. One of us has to be in human form and crawl into the others mouth. It’s pretty gross.”
Nick felt the blood drain from his face, which was saying a lot for a gargoyle. If she was trying to comfort him, he wished she would stop. “Please, tell me you’re joking.” Had they really eaten one of his kind?
“A female dragon never reveals her secrets.”
Picking the lock was tempting. It crossed his mind every five minutes. He missed Ruby. However, he suspected the harbinger of smoke and darkness, otherwise known as Eoin, left him an even nastier surprise with his magic. Nick suspected he might go poof if he triggered the spell. He needed to stop this train of thought. Being dead would suck. He pointed to the ground. “Why are you gathering trees?” From his previous stay on the wall, he hadn’t witnessed Angie gardening.
“Saplings. The wood is green and they’re more pliable than trees. I’m nesting,” she whispered as if embarrassed. “I can’t ignore the instinct anymore. Everyone says I’m crazy to try so I’m going with it.” Her voice grew more chipper as she explained.
“Do you need help?” He got to his feet. “We can bring the chain along like a leash.” He flinched. “So, I don’t escape. Anything you want as long as I get off this wall.” And keep from losing his mind.
“You want to help me build a nest?” She deadpanned. “Not even Eoin is that crazy.”
Nick threw himself against the castle ledge, legs and arms splayed. “I’m bored.” Playing prisoner had been fun the first few weeks the last time he’d been here, but what he wanted was to see Ruby. Talk to her, plot with her, and other enjoyable things. She had mentioned lingerie…
“Well, next time think twice before playing with magic.”
Ruby leaned on her elbows, resting them on the counter behind her back. She balanced a cup of coffee between her hands. The morning rush at the coffee shop was over. Working without Nick had left her feeling hollow. She’d come here this morning in hopes of distraction but the scent of coffee, the sound of milk steaming, and the line of disappointed women reminded her that Nick was no longer her gargoyle.
What was he doing right this minute? Did the dragons feed him? Did they let him inside at night?
A hand passed in front of her face. “Earth to Ruby.”
She blinked and straightened.
Peter stood next to her, scanning the shop. “Where’s Nick?”
She didn’t want to have this conversation. The pain too fresh and her tears too close to the surface. She took a sip of coffee and grimaced. Cold. How long had she been leaning here daydreaming? “He won’t be coming back.”
The tiger shifter growled. “I thought he’d stick around. He gave me the impression he wanted to make this work. Dammit, I’m usually a better judge of character.” He scratched his head. “I guess I shouldn’t expect so much from a gargoyle.”
The words a hot knife in her stomach. “What do you mean by that? Wait…” She straightened. “You knew Nick wasn’t human?” It had never occurred to her that Peter was aware of Nick’s true nature. He’d been hiding it from everyone else. She closed her eyes at her own stupidity. Peter was a shifter. He’d smell that Nick wasn’t human so the gargoyle had been honest with their boss from the start.
Peter nodded. “I should have said something to you before. I didn’t feel it was any of my business to interfere. Sorry, it’s hard sometimes as a supernatural to admit what they really are when they first meet a pretty girl.” He stuck his hands in his pockets. “How did you find out?”
Ruby blinked slowly. “He didn’t lie to me, if that’s what you are implying. I knew what he was from the first time we met.” Which hadn’t been at the coffee shop. She took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to ignore the memory of Nick saving her from her sister. He’d been so sweet and gentle. A tear spilled along her cheek and she wiped it away quickly.
“It’s quiet right now. Why don’t you take a break?” Peter gave her a little push. “I’ll watch the counter. When you get back you can explain what happened.”
She shook her head. The last thing she wanted was to be alone. Ruby couldn’t believe she had any tears left to shed after last night. “Nick won’t be coming back.” She repeated it. Maybe this time she’d believe it.
Peter hugged her. Shifters were touchers and she sure could use the comfort. Who did she have to lean on now? Once again, she was alone. “Are you sure?”
Not Her Gargoyle: Shifter Romance (Not This Series Book 4) Page 21