Betty held up her cell phone and took a picture of the spectacle. “He’s cute. Did you sleep with him yet?”
Ruby pushed her phone back to the table top. “What are you doing?” Ken, her huge werewolf husband—uh, soul mate—would kick everyone’s ass in the coffee shop if Betty had a crush on anyone here.
Betty waggled her eyebrows. “I was assigned a mission from your sister. She wants to know about your new job. Since this place is closed at night, she can’t visit. It’s driving her nuts.”
Ruby bent over, resting her head on the table top. She hated that Betty assumed she would sleep with Nick. She wasn’t wrong though. She had.
Was she repeating past mistakes with him?
Someone cleared his gravelly throat.
She raised her head.
Nick grinned at her and Betty as he set coffees in front of them and a plate of cookies. “I’m Nick.” He reached across the table and shook Betty’s hand. She introduced herself since Ruby was caught speechless. He had brought them drinks and snacks. “Any friend of Ruby’s is a friend of mine.” He glanced over his shoulder at the counter. “I better help Peter. Nice meeting you, Betty.”
Her werewolf buddy leaned in closer. “Soooooo cute,” she whispered, then crammed a whole cookie in her mouth.
Chapter Nineteen
Nick spilled the contents of the tip jar onto the counter while Ruby locked the coffee shop doors.
“It felt like Peter was giving me a job interview.” A frown marred Ruby’s pretty face. “I don’t think I did well.” She pulled out the cash from the register. After counting the money, she placed it in a deposit bag and locked it closed.
He looked up from separating the change into countable piles. “Why don’t you think you did well?”
“He caught me off guard.”
“Tiger shifter tactic.” Who gave pennies in a tip jar?
“I was brutally honest.” She shrugged. “Well, mostly honest.”
“Peter will appreciate your honesty. Shifters can smell lies, remember?”
She gasped. “I’d forgotten that nasty quirk. Betty is the only shifter I know and I don’t hang out with her as often as I’d like.” She tilted her head as if in thought. “Do you think I did well then?”
“You’re still here.” He grinned at her confusion. “If he didn’t like you, he would’ve fired you on the spot.” Ruby had come across as a confident, strong woman when he first met her, but slowly she was revealing the hidden layers of her personality. Under that tough and sexy exterior was an uncertain woman. She only needed a little encouragement. Someone to have faith in her and she’d bloom.
“Another tiger trait?”
Nick chuckled and shook his head. “No, I think I would class that as a Peter trait.” He finished the last of his coffee before adding the cup into the dishwasher. “Are you finished with yours?”
She handed him her empty cup before crossing the shop to Peter’s office. “I’m going to lock up the money and then we can leave.”
“You ever tempted to steal it?” He turned the clean cycle on the dishwasher.
Ruby had stopped and turned to face him. “Sometimes.” She rubbed her forehead. “When I was younger and had two mouths to feed, the temptation was much stronger. But I’ve changed since then.” She jangled the money pouch. “You?”
“Before coming to New Port? No doubt about it.” What he really wanted to say was before he’d had met her. Ruby made him want to be a better person. He saw how hard she worked to scrounge a meager living and yet she still had the most generous heart. With her looks and her mind, she could have made a killing in the criminal world. Or maybe, found a sugar daddy to take care of her. She had chosen a difficult path even if she wasn’t aware of it. “I’ve changed too.”
Her smile lit up his evening. “I’ll be right back.” She flounced to Peter’s office and he finished counting the tip jar. She returned quickly and leaned over his shoulder. “How did we do?”
Nick handed her the jar, minus a few dollars. “We made a nice bounty.” He waved the money he had taken in front of her. “We even have enough for hot dogs in the park and ice cream.”
She clapped her hands. “I love ice cream.” She kept the rest of the money in her purse and slung it over her shoulder.
They left the coffee shop and crossed the street to the park. He wove their fingers together and took a deep breath. “It was a good day.” He couldn’t recall the last time he had felt so satisfied. Granted, they had been busy and he looked forward to curling up on the couch with Ruby this evening. Waking up tomorrow and repeating the process over and over? As long as she was at his side, he could do it.
He purchased the promised hot dogs from a cart and followed Ruby to a bench on the far side of the fountain. “The vendor smells like werewolf. You know what that means?”
Tilting her head, she frowned. “No…”
“These will be really good sausages.” He took a bite and moaned. They tasted homemade. One thing he could say about werewolves, they knew how to cook. Like that sandwich place in Riverbend where he’d had to fly off after eating since he had no money. Best sandwich ever. Then again, he had been starving. The werewolf could have served him garbage and it might have tasted as good.
Ruby nibbled at her meal. “Why would Peter care that I knew Betty?” The anxiety he had seen growing inside her since they met wasn’t healthy. Living like this would destroy the Ruby he’d grown attached to.
He swallowed a mouthful. “The girl I met today?” Helpless, he nudged her to take another bite of food. She’d barely eaten. If she kept this up, she’d waste away. He’d thought paying her owed rent would have relieved her of worry, but it was only one of her many problems.
“Betty is mated to Ken, the pack’s second-in-command and the alpha’s son.”
“Really? Ken’s the alpha’s son and second in command? He doesn’t seem the type.”
“You know Ken but not Betty?”
“He and Viktor helped Eoin decorate the castle over the holidays. Ken climbed the castle wall and brought me some hot cocoa.” He gave her a smug grin. “He enjoyed my caroling.”
She blinked rapidly. “You live an interesting life, Nick. I think I envy you.”
He kissed her cheek. “I promise you’ll never be bored with me. As to your question about Peter, Betty is in a position of power within the pack. By being her friend, that places you higher in his esteem. If you hadn’t noticed, werewolves are not the friendliest of shifters. Peter is new to the city and there are not many large cat shifters here.”
She stared. “How did you learn all this shit when you were chained to a castle wall for weeks?”
“Big ears.” He tugged on one. “And Eoin is a loud talker.” At a young age, Nick discovered that he could learn a lot by just listening. People tended not to notice gargoyles and said things they probably shouldn’t. “Oh look, a street musician.”
Ruby glanced at where Nick pointed. An older man spread a blanket on the grass and was opening his violin case. Stomach upset, she forced another bite down. It tasted good, but stress tended to kill her appetite. In other similar moments in her life, she’d learned the hard way that if she skipped too many meals, she’d grow sick. That was something she couldn’t afford, literally, so she forced the food down.
Plinking sounds hit her already tight nerves as the musician tuned his violin like he was plucking the strings of tension in her body.
The only silver lining that had come out of this mess was meeting Nick. There was so much she didn’t know about him, but the one thing she knew for sure, he was sticking around. Unlike all the men in her life, he hadn’t abandoned her. Yet. “Where do you come from? You’re obviously not from New Port.”
“Eastern Europe.” He finished his third hot dog while she still worked her first one. Closing his eyes, he appeared to savor every bite. Nick caught her watching and gave her a roguish smile.
She envied his ability to live in the now. “That’
s a big territory. Can you narrow it down?” Up until the present, it sounded like he’d lived day to day. Going where the wind took him. Traveling and having adventures. He never worried about rent or jobs or alarm clocks. Well, now he did since he’d met her. Was she destroying the thing she found so beautiful about him?
He leaned back, almost tottering into the fountain. Catching the edge at the last minute, he prevented public humiliation, his laugh infectious. “I have to get used to this body.”
Mmm, so did she. The musician finally stopped torturing her well-being and she forced her shoulders to relax.
“My balance is all screwy. It’s weird not having wings to offset my movements.” Amusement sparkled in his eyes as if he’d heard her thought. “My family never stayed in one place long. Budapest is my favorite city though. Especially at night when the Citadel is lit up and glitters on the Danube River.” He sighed.
“Sounds romantic.”
“I’ll take you there one day, if you’d like.”
“Really?” She had never left the city, let alone the country. “I don’t have a passport.” Not to mention couldn’t afford to pay for one.
“No passports needed.” He scratched his chin. “Well, unless we get in trouble. Humans are strange about having identification. They seem to want everything in nice, tidy boxes.”
Ruby rolled her eyes. “I know. We humans and our international laws.”
“I’m just saying I’m a creature of the air and we tend to move around a lot. Borders don’t apply to me. It’s not like they are painted on the land so I can see when I cross one.”
“It must be easy to travel with wings.” She stared at the darkening sky, not daring to dream. The weight of the world settled on her shoulders and anchored her to the ground. “I can’t even pay rent on my own. How am I supposed to buy a plane ticket?”
“Air gargoyle?” He tilted his head, confusion clouding his eyes. “I mean, we wouldn’t be staying at any five-star hotels.” He cleared his throat. “More like abandoned buildings…Maybe it’s not such a great idea. You deserve better. It’s a stupid suggestion.”
But it hadn’t been. He was offering her a way out. Something she’d been wanting forever and couldn’t seem to accomplish on her own. Abruptly, the world seemed like a huge, foreboding place. New Port was her home, familiar, and she knew the rules, how to survive. Beyond this city, she didn’t know if she could say the same. Her envy turned to doubt.
Nick grinned suddenly and glanced over his shoulder. “I have to admit that it’s easier to fit in within a crowd in this body. I haven’t knocked anyone over all day.” Rolling his massive shoulders, he drew the attention of every female in the vicinity. “I do miss the wings though. It feels like a piece of myself is missing.” He saw her watching and lowered his gaze. “Do you mind if I don’t wear the charm at home?”
The bottom went out of her stomach. “Oh, Nick.” She cupped his chin and raised his gaze to meet hers. “I never asked you to get that charm in the first place. I’m perfectly happy with you as a gargoyle.”
The sparkle returned in his eyes. “I know.” He ran his hand over his chest. “But I’m so hot in this form, I thought you would want to keep me this way.”
She covered his face with her hand and gave him a playful shove. “You have no shame.”
His gaze narrowed. “What is this thing you speak of called shame?”
Her cheeks ached from smiling so hard. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d enjoyed somebody’s company as much as she did Nick’s. He treated her so well. It was difficult to know what you’re missing until someone gave it to you. Nick showed her how mistreated she had been her whole life. How could she go back? He had raised the bar and she didn’t think she’d ever find a man who could fit his gargoyle-sized shoes.
Music called out to the crowd. Wild and loud, the violinist stood by his blanket, his instrument case open to the public for generosity.
Nick jumped to his feet and bowed while offering his hand. “May I have this dance?”
Her hand fluttered to her throat. “Umm, okay.” Shaky voice. Dancing in a nightclub surrounded by strangers crushed together with nobody really watching was one thing. Everyone in the park could observe. Slowly, she stood and placed her hands on his shoulders. “I’m not used to dancing with a partner,” she whispered.
“Trust me.” He rested his hands on her waist and gracefully led her away from the fountain. “That’s because you’ve never had the right partner.” It was uncanny how close he came to reading her mind.
He swung her high in the air, her feet dangling. She landed only to be spun to the fast-paced song. Her head swam as he led her around and around, picking up more speed. Hair flying behind her, Ruby threw back her head and laughed. It didn’t matter that she stepped on his toes or that he had to guide her back into the rhythm of the dance. His grin was pure joy.
The song ended with a spattering of claps and Nick bowed to the crowd.
All the while, Ruby caught her breath and balance. She leaned heavily on him. “Where did you learn to dance like that?”
“My mom.” He hugged her against him. “Gargoyles love a party.”
“I bet.” She ran her fingertip over rounded edge of his ear. “Does that charm contain any other powers besides changing your shape?” Like a love potion, because she was falling for him so fast that if she ever hit rock bottom, she’d shatter into a million pieces.
“Not that I’ve discovered.” He tapped his chest where the charm stayed hidden under his shirt. “This type of magic has to be rare, otherwise there would be all sorts of creatures masquerading as humans.” His eyes widened. “Do you think that’s possible? I mean, I’m a gargoyle dancing in the park and nobody suspects it.”
“After meeting you, I think anything is possible.”
His expression softened and he ran the back of his knuckles over her cheek. “Babe, you had me at do you want a beer?” He referred to the first night he had escaped the castle and hidden in her apartment.
Ruby laughed quietly and rested her face against his chest. “You’re so easy to please.” Her heart fluttered, all tension and stress gone for the first time in weeks.
“Nah, but you make it easy. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted rolled into one woman.”
Heart melting, she wanted to climb him like a bean pole and make him hers. Right here, right in front of everyone in the park, but one account of indecent public behavior was already on her record. If she ever wanted to obtain a good paying job, she had to behave like an adult. “Nick, I think we should go home now.”
“After this song.”
She met his gaze and let the heat pour into her eyes.
“Oh, well, then let’s hurry home.” His salacious smile told her he understood her hint quite well. He pulled their last dollar from his pocket and placed it in the violin case. It was money well earned. Nick rested his arm around her shoulders and cuddled her close as they strolled past the hotdog vendor.
A familiar woman stood in line, glaring daggers at them.
Ruby’s throat contracted and she broke eye contact. “Oh shit.”
The witch.
Chapter Twenty
Nick stiffened at the sight of Nikita.
Recognition illuminated the witch’s eyes just before fury ignited in them.
“Shit,” Ruby said under her breath and huddled closer.
He tightened his hold and steered them in a different direction. The witch had only seen him once as a human—maybe he could convince her it was mistaken identity. All the while holding Ruby in his arms. She knew Ruby. They had spent more time together. The witch wasn’t stupid. She’d most likely place two and two together.
The sharp click of heels followed.
“This is where we run,” hissed Ruby.
A hand clawed his shoulder and with, unnatural strength, spun him around. “Nick.” Nikita spat out his name like a curse. “You didn’t think I wouldn’t recognize you?” The witch grasped
his shirt and tore it open, her long nails scratching his chest. She clasped the charm and glared at Ruby. “You.” Her eyes narrowed. “And to think I pitied you. Explain, now, before I lose it and turn both of you into frogs.”
“In front of witnesses?” Ruby asked, hands on hips.
Nikita’s eyes held a dangerous edge. “Yes.”
He glanced at his chest and back at the witch. “You can change my shape without a charm?”
An inhuman snarl escaped her throat. “I can do much worse so don’t push me.” She looked ready to snap the leather cord from his neck.
A crowd was forming. “Not here.” He nodded to the gathering people. “I have a local job that I want to keep.”
Nikita shook her head. “Oh no, this is the perfect place. Being a witch is much more accepted than a monster.” She tugged the charm but didn’t snap the cord. Yet.
Ruby pushed the witch away. “He’s not a monster. I’ve met humans more monstrous than Nick.”
Nikita bared her teeth. “You know what he is?”
Ruby nodded. “He has nothing to hide from me. The charm is for them.” She gestured to their mostly human audience.
The witch finally seemed to notice the amount of attention she was drawing. Her clawed hands relaxed and she tugged at her jacket. “Fine.” She cleared her throat. “You obviously stole my magic.” She crossed her arms. “I’m not sure which branch of authority I should contact first. The police, the Committee of Alphas, or the United Coven of Witches.”
Ruby visibly paled. Those were a lot of charges they were facing.
Of the three, Nick would choose the police. They didn’t believe in using torture as a means of punishment. Eoin was part of the Committee of Alphas. The dragon would want to chain him in his dungeon for eternity.
“Before you make any rash decisions, maybe we can work this out?” Nick poured all the charm he owned in to his smile. Resting his hands on Ruby shoulders, he gently extricated her from between him and the witch. “I’m sure there is some task I can do to make up for my transgression.”
Not Her Gargoyle_Shifter Romance Page 14