Trouble with Gargoyles: an Urban Fantasy (Moonlight Dragon Book 3)

by Tricia Owens

  I pictured his gargoyle in Paris, perched on rooftops, and I smiled. I found it endearing that it had substituted the Stratosphere for the Notre Dame cathedral.

  "There's no chance anyone will spot you up here?" I asked his gargoyle. "People have zoom lenses. And what about maintenance workers and window washers?"

  I only come up here after dark. During the day, when I'm in my statue form, I usually use the home I showed you.

  "That's why there wasn't any furniture. You don't need any when you're a statue."

  Bingo. I created a small space beneath the carpet and floorboards in the bedroom. Even if someone breaks in, they'll never find me.

  I studied the gargoyle. "But you said 'usually'. Do you sometimes stay up here after sunrise?"

  The gargoyle flicked its tail and fluttered its wings. I had learned that these were tells when it was uncomfortable.

  I don't stay up here, no. I'd be unable to defend myself in my stone form. If I'm not in my home...I'm at yours.

  I blinked. "What do you mean at mine? You always leave before the sky lightens."

  I leave your bed, yes. But I don't go far. I like being close to you. The gargoyle huffed and snapped its whip-like tail almost angrily. I sit in your backyard, near the air conditioning unit.

  I pictured it, his statue sitting there all alone like a garden gnome. I grinned like a buffoon.

  "You're clingy!" I was delighted. "That's so adorable, Vale. Melanie's going to flip out."

  Don't you dare tell her, Moody! I mean it. I'll leave you up here!

  "I might need a bribe to keep silent," I purred. Oh, how I wished Vale were in his human form right then. I would have tackled him and kissed him until he fainted.

  The gargoyle flared its wings. I thought I saw its topaz eyes flash, though I knew it couldn't be from anger.

  Didn't anyone ever warn you not to taunt a gargoyle? We're vicious, sneaky monsters.

  He was joking, but it was a splash of cold water on my ardor.

  "Yeah, I've heard that quite a lot recently," I admitted grimly.

  You know I would never hurt you. Or anyone who didn't deserve it.

  "That leaves the door open for some judgment calls, though, don't you think?"

  If someone or a creature attacks those who are close to me, I will retaliate, Moody. I won't apologize for that. Just like Gareth tonight. He's lucky he got off easy.

  "That's fair. It's just cruelty I'm having a lot of problems with. But that doesn't apply to you." I smiled at the gargoyle, a bit wistfully. "You and I are a real pair, huh? No one wants to invite us to their parties. We're too scary."

  We don't need them. We only need each other.

  "Who knew sneaky gargoyles could be so romantic," I murmured. I gazed out at the city again. Normally, I could've gotten lost in the view, spending hours admiring the lights against the craggy shadows of the mountains around us. But I'd had my fill. "Take me down now, please. I want to be with Vale the man."

  I won't ever complain about hearing--

  I saw the dark form in the corner of my eye half a second before I felt claws curl around my arms and yank me off the platform. I screamed instinctually, thinking I had been knocked off. But whatever had me didn't release me; it was carrying me. I heard another scream, somewhat distant: it was one of the jumpers on the other side. Hopefully my own scream would be attributed to just another thrill-seeker.

  I looked above my outstretched arms. A gargoyle beat its wings furiously above me. It was slightly larger than Vale's gargoyle, but was otherwise similar in build and coloring with the exception of a long, jagged scar that ran diagonally across its face, just missing eyes that were the exact same shade of topaz as Vale's.

  "Xaran!" I gasped.

  It startled the gargoyle, prompting it to look down at me. When Vale's gargoyle barreled hard into it the two gargoyles went spinning—

  —and I dropped like a stone.

  I was too terrified to scream again. My lungs were rising up beneath my collarbones. My only chance was Lucky, even though I knew that potentially hundreds of people below and farther down the Strip would see him. But what choice did I have? Die to keep my secret? I wasn't that noble…

  Before I could call him out I was snatched up in firm claws again.

  No dragon! They'll see.

  "Vale," I choked out in relief. I tipped my head back to look up at my familiar, beloved gargoyle. "Let me down. Please!"

  I shut my eyes as his gargoyle raced through the air at top speed again so nobody would be able to make out what we were.

  When the toes of my shoes dragged on asphalt again, Vale's gargoyle released me. I staggered up against the retaining wall, clinging to it with my fingertips like Spider-Man. I didn't have a fear of heights, but another experience like that and I'd think seriously about changing my stance. I gasped for breath and willed my heart rate to go down. Behind me, I heard Vale's gargoyle launch itself into the air again.

  I craned my neck back to watch the blur of the aerial battle between the two gargoyles. I doubted any non-magickal, seeing them, would have understood what they were. From this distance they resembled fighting bats.

  Knowing the truth, I clutched my hands to my chest, shocked that two brothers could fight each other like this. The two dark figures moved too swiftly for me to tell who was winning or if either of them was hurt. Surely as brothers they wouldn't draw blood?

  Then again, I knew pretty much nothing about Vale's relationship with Xaran. They might very well be enemies. Maybe Xaran resented Vale for not joining him in overthrowing the demon who sat on the Gargoyle Throne. Maybe Vale was territorial, and would treat Xaran like he would any other interloper on his turf. I wished that Uncle James had included gargoyles in the guide he'd written for me. I could have used some information about the species.

  I can't even call up Orlaton for help. The kid doesn't trust me.

  That was a punch to the gut, a reminder that my date with Vale tonight hadn't changed a fundamental truth: the magickal community of Las Vegas believed I was the champion of the Oddsmakers, and the Oddsmakers themselves were horrible beings. As I watched the gargoyles race after each other, collide, break apart, and resume the cycle, I had to question whether what was going on up there had something to do with me. What if Xaran believed, like Kleure, that I was a danger?

  I kept an eye on the streets, but none of the passersby looked up. Or if they did, it was only briefly, to admire the Stratosphere itself or on the occasions when another jumper took a brave leap and was vocal about it. I crossed my fingers that the situation was the same inside the restaurant where the diners had a closer view of the gargoyles. Hopefully the rotation of the restaurant made it difficult for them to get a good look.

  The fight lasted for nearly five minutes before I saw one dark figure race west. I had no way of knowing who had been left behind, so I waited tensely as the remaining gargoyle zoomed to where I stood against the wall. Even when it landed heavily, it took me a few panicked seconds to notice the lack of scar on the gargoyle's face.

  "Vale, thank god," I breathed.

  Questions bubbled inside me as Vale transformed.

  "That was your brother!"

  He nodded grimly and began yanking his clothes on. "I nearly killed him for grabbing you like that."

  "Why did he do that?" I pushed my hair back out of my face. I felt like I'd been dangling beneath a 747. "Was he trying to hurt me?"

  Vale grimaced. "He wants to meet with you. He won't take no for an answer."

  I straightened. "That's fine. I want to meet that jerk, too!"

  Vale just shook his head. He was sweating and his hair was a riot of dark waves. He was more than a little fierce, and it was a good reminder that for as sweet and romantic as he'd been, he was still an ancient creatures that had survived numerous attacks throughout his life. "I told him to meet us at my place. But if you don't feel comfortable there, he'll know where to find us."

  "It has to be Moonlight," I said.
That he didn't argue told me that he'd anticipated my answer. "Your bossy brother is going to meet me on my turf."

  Vale glanced at the sky again. "I'm not sure it'll make any difference."

  Chapter 8

  Someone was waiting for us at Moonlight.

  When I saw the silhouette, I told the car service driver to drop us off a half a block away. Vale tried to lead the way but I grabbed his hand and pulled him back so we approached together.

  Had it been darker, I might have mistaken the man on the sidewalk for Vale. But there was enough starlight for me to see that this man was slightly broader across the shoulders and thicker in the waist. He wasn't quite a bruiser type, but he looked like he wouldn't shy from a physical confrontation. When I drew close enough to see his face, I was torn: he shared Vale's somber, dark-eyed look, the one that had hooked me when I'd seen Vale through the magick mirror. But Xaran differed from his brother in two significant ways: where Vale always seemed thoughtful and brooding, like a man wrestling with important decisions, Xaran appeared to be a man who had already made up his mind and was willing to fight to defend those opinions. He also shared the pale scar on his face that had adorned his gargoyle form. It was a battle scar or I'd eat my shoe.

  "Don't say a word until we're inside, Xaran," Vale warned as soon as we were within earshot of him.

  The other man nodded his head easily, as though he hadn't just been fighting his brother with tooth and claw, as if he'd simply come over for a chat.

  Unnerved by the unpredictability of Xaran, I hurriedly entered the yard and lowered the wards. I snapped the lights on in the shop, though I kept the Open sign turned off and locked the door once both men were inside with me. Then I thought better of it. I reset the yard wards. No point leaving us open for someone to sneak up on us.

  "No interruptions this way," I said as I regarded the two men who seemed to take up eighty percent of the breathing space within Moonlight.

  I remained by the door while Xaran drifted toward the shelves. Vale stood midway between us, not quite blocking his brother's view of me but clearly ready to leap between us.

  "What are you doing here?" Vale demanded. There was an edge to his voice I'd never heard from him before. Being without a brother or sister, I didn't fully appreciate all the nuances that could exist in a sibling relationship, but I was beginning to realize there were numerous strong undercurrents running between these two.

  Xaran crossed his arms in a pose Vale had used often before. Xaran was dressed in a brown leather jacket with jeans and heavy leather boots. He looked like he'd just ridden up on a Harley. His hair was longer than Vale's, pulled back into a short ponytail at his nape with tendrils framing his strong face. I supposed he was sexy in a bad boy biker kind of way, but that just spelled trouble in my book. The bad boy biker might make your girlfriends sigh with lust, but he wasn't going to be there when you needed someone to help you carry three dozen cupcakes to a book club meeting.

  Not that I ever baked cupcakes or attended book clubs, but I could tell that Xaran was one of those untamed magickal beings that were better admired from afar.

  "You know why I'm here, Vale." Xaran's voice sounded like it came from a crack in the earth. It was as deep as magma. "You're overdue, so I thought I'd come by and see if you needed assistance."

  Vale's hands curled into fists. He shot me a quick look that made me stand a little taller. Had that been guilt on his face?

  "What's he overdue for?" I asked warily.

  "Moody..." Vale growled, throwing me a look of consternation.

  "You really think I'd just stand here and be quiet like a good little girl?"

  Under other circumstances I would have found his sigh and the way he closed his eyes to be sort of cute. But once again, it appeared that my boyfriend had been playing fast and loose with the truth.

  He ran a hand over his face, something he usually did when he was frustrated or trying to buy time. Probably both applied at the moment. "Xaran, she doesn't know. Any of it. The time was never right."

  "How long have you been here?" Xaran demanded. He pointed at me. "You think this situation is going to get better on its own?"

  "Listen, buddy, you point that finger at me again and my dragon will bite it off," I said to him.

  Xaran gave me a head to toe look. It was as offensive as a once-over given by any guy on the Strip. "She's just like I thought she'd be. We'd better get this right or we'll be in trouble."

  That was it. I was tired of being referred to as though I wasn't there. I pulled up Lucky in his weaker form, just so his bulk and his brightness filled the shop and caused Xaran's smug smile to fall off his face. He staggered backward into the nearest shelf.

  "What the hell?!"

  Vale just shook his head. "Moody will kick your ass if you keep talking about her that way."

  I feigned innocence. "Who, me? I'm sweet. But Lucky? Yeah, he'll take a bite out of your big, bad self." I banished Lucky in an instant, just so the transition would be more dramatic. "It sounds like you two boys have a lot to tell me. I want to hear all of it. And it better be the truth."

  Frustratingly, that didn't spur either of them to speak first. They just continued glaring at each other.

  "Is headbutting next?" I asked.

  "You shouldn't be here," Vale said to Xaran. "You should never have left Europe."

  "I'm here because time is running short and apparently you lack a sense of urgency. Are you mad? Playing around with this dragon—"

  "Be careful what you say next," I murmured.

  Xaran glared at me a moment before switching his attention back to his brother. "I heard something about a demon summoning. What makes you think that wouldn't draw me here?"

  "If I'd needed help with Vagasso I would have asked for it," Vale shot back.

  At the mention of Vagasso I swallowed with dread. "How do you know what happened with Vagasso?" I asked Xaran.

  "Because there are a lot of ears in this town, dragon. And they come to me when they hear something juicy. You may have stopped Vagasso, but all you've done is convinced him to try for something more dramatic. That's how dark spirits seem to work."

  "You sound like you know a lot about him. Why is that? And why don't you know more about Vagasso?" I shot at Vale.

  "Because he's stuck his head in the sand, pretending things aren't about to unfold the way we all know they will," Xaran growled, as much as at Vale as at the situation. "He doesn't know anything, but he should. You both should." He advanced on Vale again. "What the hell were you thinking?"

  "What were you thinking showing up here where anyone can see you?"

  Vale was ready to punch his brother. I wasn't in the mood to see them fighting; they might wreck the shop.

  "Enough with the sword fighting," I snapped. "Just say it: why are you here? Oh, and let's not forget you stopping off first in California to terrorize a poor woman!"

  Xaran scoffed at the accusation. "I didn't terrorize her. I'd barely begun questioning her when she fainted and wouldn't wake up. What could I do then? I left."

  "Why question her in the first place?" Vale countered. "You knew that was Christian's mother."

  "Because I wanted to know what you've been up to all this time. Or make that, what you haven't been up to. If she'd told me you were doing what you were supposed to, I would have returned to France and you wouldn't have been the wiser. Instead, I had to come here and see for myself that this place is about to go up in flames." Xaran pointed obnoxiously at me. "And I'm not talking about your dragon."

  I seriously had to restrain myself from having Lucky bite off that finger. "So the first thing you do is attack me and nearly kill me?"

  Xaran shrugged like it was a minor detail. "I wanted your attention and I wanted to see what the situation was like between you two." He gave a pointed look at Vale. "I got my answer."

  "Yeah, he's my boytoy, so what?" I ignored Vale's grunt of annoyance. "You've got my attention. It's the wrong sort of attention but I'm ge
tting the feeling you don't know the difference. Are you responsible for the curse that's been on my shop lately?"

  Xaran didn't quite smile but the twitch of his lips was damning enough. "I wanted to see how you'd react, see if you're just a little girl or someone we can use."

  It was my turn to point. "You're a real asshole."

  "I'm not a delicate flower, no. I'm what I need to be. I'm hoping you're what you need to be."

  His vagaries were getting on my nerves, but I had to break this down one point at a time. "Tell me about Vagasso and this new plan you say he has."

  Xaran began a casual exploration of the shop, running a thick finger along the edges of the shelves as he spoke. "Vagasso is no longer interested in taking over this city with demons. It was a difficult plan to begin with and you two seemed to have driven that point home for him. As you know, I didn't get all the details so I'm merely making assumptions here." He had the gall to smirk at us, like he was a misbehaving little boy who'd tried to tickle the information out of Diana. I was wrong about him and Vale. They were nothing alike.

  "His new plan makes far more sense because it takes advantage of a weakness that's existed here for decades."

  I saw Vale go pale. "You're not talking about the Rift."

  Xaran snorted indelicately. "Of course I'm talking about the Rift. It makes perfect sense. The first experiment didn't work. Now it's time for Plan B. We thought it would happen later. It's happening now. That means your timetable was just shortened significantly." He had reached the monster hunting section and I waited tensely for him to grab one of the weapons there and attack us with it. "You need to do your job, little brother. I'm not leaving until you do."

  "What is he supposed to do?" I asked, narrow-eyed.

  Xaran's smile was a quick slice across his face. "Get on your good side." He dusted his hands as though everything he'd touched had left a residue. "So maybe it'd be best that I leave him to it." He abruptly turned and headed for the front door.

  "You're leaving just like that?" Incredulous, I looked between him and Vale. "There's more to this!"