by Faith Gibson
It didn’t take long for Marley to figure out he wasn’t the man for her, and she’d broken things off with him. When she tried to give the ring back, he sneered at her, telling her to pawn it and buy some new clothes. Instead, she shoved it in her jewelry box as a reminder of the type of man she didn’t want.
“I just wanted to stop and say hello and ask if you wanted to go out sometime. Now that you’re making an effort, I think we can get back what we had.”
Marley pulled her hand away from his and scooted her chair over, trying to put some distance between them. Brandt didn’t take the hint and stretched his arm across the back of her chair, rubbing his hand across her back.
She found enough of her voice to say, “No.”
“No what?”
“No, we can’t go out sometime.”
Brandt frowned and leaned away, taking a good look at her face, leaving his hand on the back of her chair. “You think you can do better than me?”
Marley felt a shift in the air. The temperature in the room dropped several degrees. Rubbing her hands up and down her arms, she responded, “I know I can. Now, if you’re done—”
“Is everything okay here?” Dane growled from behind Marley.
She hadn’t heard Dane return to the table, but she had sensed him. It was something she still hadn’t gotten used to about the man. No, not man – a half-blood. The fact that her fiancé was something more than human made her insides tingle. For such a large being, he was silent on his feet. It was something she figured he’d learned being in the military. Stealth would be important to a Marine. Now she knew the reason behind it. He had a shifter inside helping him be stronger, faster, quieter. Sexier. She found it sexy except for those times he snuck up behind her and scared the crap out of her.
“Everything’s fine. You can move along,” Brandt said without looking at Dane. Marley knew her ex was full of false bravado. It was something she’d seen more than once.
“Actually, you can move along. You’re in my seat,” Dane responded, placing his hands on Marley’s arms, rubbing them the way she had been. She leaned back into his touch, doing her best not to purr. The tone of Dane’s voice both scared Marley and turned her on at the same time. When his hands landed on her shoulders, Marley placed her left hand on top of his. Brandt looked up at Dane, and his frown deepened. He was probably trying to figure out how Marley had snagged someone so handsome as well as intimidating. She really couldn’t blame him.
“Who are you?” Brandt asked.
“Dane Abbott. Who are you?”
“Brandt Standifer. Marley and I are old friends.”
Dane growled, Brandt sucked in a breath, and Marley laughed. “Well, Brandt, as you can see, Marley has a new friend now, so you can move along.”
“Marley.” Brandt froze when he finally eyed the ring on her left hand. “You—”
“You have three seconds to remove your ass from my seat,” Dane lowered his voice so the other patrons couldn’t hear him.
“Threaten me again, and I’ll call the cops,” Brandt huffed.
Dane stood up to his full height, pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, and flipped it open, showing his credentials. “Let me reintroduce myself – Dane Abbott, Chief of Police.” Brandt snarled at Dane and opened his mouth to say something. Before he got the first word out, Dane leaned closer. “Only one of us is smart enough to know the kind of woman Marley is both on the inside as well as out, and that man is not you. Since you obviously know nothing about Marley’s life now, I’ll fill you in; she’s mine, and I don’t plan on letting her go. Ever. So run along back to whatever hole you crawled out of.” Dane emphasized his point by flicking his fingers at Brandt for him to leave.
Marley’s smile widened as Dane claimed her in front of her ex. The butterflies in her stomach were doing somersaults of exultation. Brandt scooted the chair back and stood, adjusting his tie. Dane took a step closer, his large body dwarfing Brandt’s. Her ex had the intelligence to let it go. He didn’t bother saying goodbye. Instead, he turned on his heel and strode away without looking back.
Dane shoved his wallet back in his pocket before he pulled the vacated chair close to Marley and sat down. Leaning in, he whispered against her ear, “I happen to love the red on your lips. I love it even more when it’s smeared after I’ve kissed you. I can’t wait to see what it looks like later tonight.”
Marley shivered again. It was something she did often around Dane. “Is it too soon to ask for the check?” she stammered.
“Yes. You’re going to need your strength.” Dane nipped her earlobe before moving his chair a respectable distance away. Picking up his tumbler, he gestured toward Marley’s wine glass, and she picked it up. “Here’s to the beginning of a beautiful life together.” Tapping his drink against hers, Dane kept his eyes on Marley as he sipped his whiskey. She took a sip of sangria, and her insides fluttered again. She let her imagination run wild with thoughts of a future that included the possibility of little blond-haired Danes running around.
Dane had only walked far enough away so he wasn’t a distraction to other patrons. He had his eye on Marley while hitting Frey’s number. When the Goyle answered and began explaining the situation, Dane’s attention was divided between Frey’s update on the Unholy and the man who had taken up residence in the chair next to Marley. Dane had rudely asked Frey to hang on while he used his shifter hearing to eavesdrop on the conversation at his table. It was her fucking ex. The father of her child. Dane saw red, and it wasn’t the same red on Marley’s lips. The asshat had the audacity to make Marley feel bad for looking good, and Dane told Frey he’d have to call him back.
The beast demanded Dane take Brandt outside and show him who Marley belonged to. He was used to the shifter inside trying to take over when he fought against the Unholy, but this was the first time it had really pushed against him around his mate. It wanted to get her naked so they could claim her, but whenever she was around, that was more of a nudge than a hard shove. He and the beast had yet to have a conversation that blew up, but Dane had a feeling it was coming and soon.
As badly as Dane wanted to follow Marley’s ex, he calmed the rage and made a toast to their future instead. He wouldn’t ruin the rest of their meal by allowing the spirit of the human to remain at the table after he’d walked off. Their food soon arrived, and Dane used his shifter strength as well as the task of eating and enjoying his mate’s company to further calm his beast. The candlelight flickered, and the rest of the world fell away as the two of them shared their meal, offering the other a taste of what they’d ordered.
The waiter never let their glasses get empty, and by the time they had cleaned their plates, Marley’s face was flush. Being part Gargoyle, Dane no longer felt the effects of alcohol. Sometimes that was a good thing, and sometimes he missed getting wasted to forget about life for a while. Now that he’d found Marley, he no longer wanted to forget. Now, he couldn’t wait to spend more time with her and remember every second of those moments.
“Would you like dessert?” Dane asked as he pushed his plate back.
“What I want isn’t on the menu.” Marley licked her lips, and her nostrils flared. His girl wanted him, and Dane wasn’t going to make her wait any longer. As he motioned for the waiter, Marley asked, “Do you think I could get a job here?”
“No,” he said abruptly, not thinking about how it sounded. When he caught the hurt on Marley’s face, he reached across the table and took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. “I don’t mean you couldn’t, I mean you shouldn’t. They’re only open for lunch and dinner. If you got a job here, you’d be working nights. When would I see you?”
“You barely see me now.”
“I see you every morning, and now that you’ve agreed to be mine, I’ll be seeing you every night as well.”
“You want me to move in with you?”
“Of course, Sweetness. After I have a taste of you later tonight, it won’t be enough. I’ll need you
in my bed every night. As a matter of fact, why don’t you go ahead and call that boss of yours and tell him you need some time off.”
“I can’t do that. Roberta’s on vacation.”
“Then I suggest we get going. I’m going to keep you naked until six-fifteen Monday morning.”
“Where’s that waiter?” Marley asked.
Dane laughed again, his insides warm at the beauty sitting next to him. “Have I told you how stunning you look tonight?”
“You might have mentioned it. Or drooled when I opened the door, but honestly, Dane, don’t get used to it. This isn’t the real me wearing all this make-up.” Marley tried to pull her hand away, but Dane held on tighter.
“I know the real you, Sweetness. I see you every morning. Don’t think I only come in for the lattes, because I don’t. If you never put on make-up again or did your hair up in a fancy twist, I’d be fine with that. The only reason I brought you here tonight is to show you I’m not just some loser cop who doesn’t know how to treat his lady. I don’t want all our dates being at my apartment or at the local steakhouse. Why don’t we continue this discussion at home?” He signed the receipt and pulled his mate to her feet, escorting her through the restaurant and out the front door.
Marley didn’t wait until they got to Dane’s to continue their talk. While they were waiting on the valet to bring the car around, she looped her arm through his and said, “I don’t think you’re a loser cop. I don’t think they let the losers be in charge of the rest of the bunch, do they? I’ve watched you for a long time, and you’ve changed. Now that I know about… you know… I can understand the difference, like why you want me instead of the pretty redheaded reporter you used to chase after. But you’ve gone from being a smug detective to a confident leader. I rather like this new you.”
Dane didn’t want to think about, much less discuss, Katherine Fox. He’d made quite the fool of himself where she was concerned thinking she was his mate. It’s a wonder Julian hadn’t taken his head. “My life has changed quite a bit over the last year, and some of these changes made me realize I’m not ‘all that and a bag of chips’ like I used to think. In the shifter world, I’m not the one in charge. I’m basically the one at the bottom, working his way up.”
Dane helped Marley into the Boxster, and once they were buckled in, he eased out of the parking lot and onto the side streets leading away from downtown.
“Since you’re going to spend the night, we need to—”
“Dane, watch out!”
Chapter Five
Dane slammed on the brakes, grateful for their seatbelts.
“Oh my God! Are those Unholy?” Marley asked. Thankfully, she had been looking out the window while Dane was focused on her, or he’d have driven into the middle of what could only be considered Unholy chaos. “Can you drive a stick?”
“What?”
“Can you drive a stick shift?”
“Yes but—”
“I need you to take the car and go back to my apartment,” Dane instructed as he pulled the Boxster to the side of the road and found a place to park away from the mayhem.
“What are you going to do?” Marley asked.
“My job. Please, Sweetness. Take the car.” Dane punched two on speed dial and waited for Frey to pick up.
“Are you done being a dick?” Frey asked when he answered.
“Yeah, sorry about that, Brother. I was out with my mate and had to take care of something. Listen, I’m at the corner of Mitchell and Dunlop downtown, and there are Unholy everywhere. I need you to call Jasper and get him out here as police presence.” Dane loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt.
“That’s why I was calling earlier, to let you know the fuckers are doing double-time tonight. They’re everywhere. I don’t have anyone close to you. Hang back, Abbott. Don’t do anything stupid until reinforcements get there. Hang on.” Frey barked orders into the comm system telling one of the patrol teams to head to Dane. “I’m serious about this. Don’t go all cowboy on me, Dane. Stay put until backup comes.”
“No can do, Frey. I cannot sit idly by and watch these bastards kill innocent people. Just hurry the fuck up.” Dane disconnected and removed his coat, tie, and shirt. It was hard to do in such close quarters, but he managed.
“What the hell are you taking your shirt off for?” Marley asked, taking his clothes when he handed them over.
“It’s one of my favorites. I don’t want to get blood all over it. When I get out, take the car to my apartment and lock the door. Do not open it for anyone you don’t know. Promise me.”
“I promise, but Dane…” Marley didn’t finish. She pulled him to her and kissed him. Desperately. Passionately. It was her begging him to be safe.
“I’ll be fine. Now, go. I don’t want to worry about you while I’m fighting them,” he said.
“I love you, Chief.”
Dane responded with a fierce kiss of his own before climbing out of the car. It said something about the seriousness of the situation that he would turn over his “baby” to his female. He had never let anyone drive the Boxster, and he never thought he would. Marley was more important to him than a pile of plastic, metal, chrome, and leather.
Dane didn’t have his comm unit with him. He kept it in the glove box of his patrol car since that was the vehicle he drove every day. Frey would kick his ass for going up against the Unholy without backup, but it was a chance he would have to take.
Hiding in the shadows, Dane assessed how to take on the monsters and do the most damage. It was a well-lit area where plenty of humans were driving by and could see what was going on. Thankfully, any pedestrians had run away, and all he had to worry about was keeping his wings from unfurling. As he formulated a game plan in his mind, movement from farther down the street caught his eye. Two large males moved back away from the Unholy. Instead of fighting them off, the two were watching with amused expressions.
Dane bet the title to his Porsche they were two of the three Greeks Kallisto had sent before her world had fallen apart. There was no way he could go up against two Gargoyles and come out unscathed, so he veered right at the corner, hoping to take out as many Unholy as he could until the others arrived. Unleashing his beast, Dane ran into the melee with claws bared.
Over the past few months, Dane had gotten accustomed to how the Unholy moved. How they fought. How they didn’t think about what they were doing. They merely went into the fray like mindless puppets swinging at anything that got in their way. Having spent hours at the gym with Frey after he got off work had done wonders for Dane’s fighting skills. Being able to take down the meatheads with roundhouse kicks, sweeps, and other martial arts moves saved his hands from getting torn to shreds. Where the Unholy used their brute strength against their opponents, Dane and the Stone Society were able to use their brains as well as their shifter strength and speed.
His beast was itching to be turned loose, but Dane kept it at bay even though he was getting tired. Just when he thought he was going to be taken out by a couple of the Unholy, the cavalry arrived in the form of several Gargoyles dropping from the rooftops onto the ground surrounding him. “Take a breather,” Jasper instructed. Dane didn’t hesitate to find a brick wall of one of the local businesses to lean against while letting his muscles rest. A spare comm was tossed his way, and he stuck it in his ear so he would be connected to the rest of the group.
“Abbott, talk to me,” Frey growled.
“There’s approximately thirty I can see. There are also two large males watching from the sidelines. I’d bet money they belong to Kallisto.”
“Do you still have eyes on them?”
“No, hang on.” Dane returned to the corner where he’d seen the males hovering. He moved closer to the area, keeping his eyes and ears open for talking instead of the sounds of flesh over bone pounding against flesh. “I’m looking,” he updated Frey as he jogged up and down several one-way streets of downtown New Atlanta. “Dammit, if we could phase, it would level
the playing field.”
“And wreak havoc with the humans.”
“I don’t see the males anywhere, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still around. I’m going topside.” As badly as Dane wanted to unfurl his wings and launch into the sky, he couldn’t risk being seen, so he found a fire escape ladder and scaled it quickly, landing on the roof of the building. He scanned the other rooftops before searching the sea of bodies below. When he didn’t find what he was looking for, Dane backed up, took a running start, and leapt across to the next roof so he could scan the street on the other side of the building. After several minutes of searching and coming up short, he dropped down into a dark alley and headed back to help his Clan. As he turned the corner, Dane caught the taillights of his Boxster speeding away from the scene. The two males he’d noticed earlier jumped in an SUV and took off after her. “Fuck!”
Marley should have done as Dane said. After she removed her heels and slid over into the driver’s seat, she should have clicked on the seatbelt, put the car in first, and eased off the clutch. Instead, she sat frozen as Dane took off into the middle of the monsters known as Unholy. It was the first time she’d ever seen them in real life, and she was scared shitless, yet here Dane was fighting them by himself. Shirtless. Why the hell had he taken off his shirt? Yeah, he was probably going to get bloody, but still.
One by one, Dane took down monster after hulking monster. His movements were synchronized like a ballet dancer’s, all graceful and smooth. He took a few strikes of his own when several Unholy ganged up on him, and it was all she could do to sit there and watch. But watch she did.
Instead of calling for police backup, Dane had called Frey, the owner of the gym where she and Cammie worked out. He had told Frey to contact Jasper, a detective. Why hadn’t he called the other police for backup? Because he’d called the Gargoyles. They were better equipped to fight the Unholy, thus keeping the human police safe. Marley had seen Frey sparring at the gym, and the man was a beast in the ring. Dane was no slouch.