Deacon

by Faith Gibson

  “As I told you, take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere. We can use these next few days to get to know one another better. I want you to become comfortable in my home and with me.”

  Sabrina dug into her food, like she was using the movements to give herself time. Whether to think or what, Deacon didn’t know. They ate their meal and drank the wine, neither saying anything else. Sabrina wiped her mouth with her napkin and placed it atop her empty plate. Holding the glass in her hand, she swirled the red liquid.

  “If we’re getting to know one another, there’s something I should tell you. I dated a man a few years ago. He is a policeman, and he’s built similar to you. Things weren’t going the way I wanted in the relationship, and when I told him to pack his things, he got violent.”

  Deacon growled low in his chest, his fangs popping out. Sabrina’s eyes widened, and Deacon took a deep breath, calming the beast. He retracted his fangs, apologizing. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, but the thought of any man putting his hands on you in anger, well, it makes me a little crazy. What’s this cop’s name?”

  Sabrina shook her head. “Oh, no. What happened is in the past. It won’t do any good for you to go after him now.”

  “It’ll do me a world of good to punish him. Please tell me you filed charges.”

  Sabrina briefly dropped her gaze. When she looked back up, she sighed. “No, I didn’t. He’s a cop, and it was his word against mine. Sure, I had the marks, but I couldn’t prove he did it. I stayed home, healed, and then I went back to work. He left me alone afterward.”

  “So, you lived with this man?”

  “Not really. He wanted to move in with me, but I didn’t love him enough to make that commitment. After it was over, I realized I didn’t love him at all. He brought clothes to spend the night, and more and more of his things found their way into my home. I wouldn’t give him a key, and that was one of the things we fought about. You told me you mostly went on first dates, so does that mean you haven’t ever lived with someone?”

  “No, I haven’t. I’ve spent my life waiting for my mate. I haven’t been celibate for the last four hundred years, but...” Deacon took a deep breath. “The last time I tried dating someone, it didn’t go well.” Deacon downed the last of his wine and poured another glassful.

  “What happened? You have that look in your eye.”

  “The last time I went out with someone more than once, she tried to trap me. Told me she was pregnant. I knew she was lying. For one thing, I used protection, and besides, Gargoyles can only get their mate pregnant.”

  “And you knew she wasn’t your mate?”

  “There was no pull to her. Did I find her attractive? Yes. At first, she was kind. Charming. But if I didn’t see her for days on end, it didn’t bother me. She wanted more from me than I did her, and she wasn’t satisfied with something casual. I never led her to believe we would be serious, because I wouldn’t do that to someone. There are Gargoyles who have dated and even married humans while waiting for their mate just because they didn’t want to be alone, but that’s not me. I ended it with her, and I’ve been alone since.”

  “That’s kind of sad. I mean, I’m not upset that you haven’t really played the field, but weren’t you lonely?”

  “Were you? Did you miss having someone to come home to?”

  “Honestly? No. My ex was all about what I could do for him. Some days, I just want to come home and decompress after dealing with the heartache of what my patients are going through. Instead of being supportive and helpful, he expected me to cook for him. Not once did he offer to help clean the kitchen afterward. Said it was the woman’s job. I only dated a couple times after that, but I couldn’t bring myself to do anything more than go to dinner. And then I met you, but if it wasn’t for the mate pull, I doubt I’d have agreed to going out with you.”

  “I appreciate your honesty. I happen to like cooking, and I have no problem cleaning the kitchen, whether you or I cook. I’ve taken care of myself all these years, so I’m happy to continue doing so. Your job is stressful, and I want to help alleviate as much of your stress as possible. Not only is that helping you, but it will help me as well. Being empathic means I want everyone around me happy. I want you to feel comfortable around me and the other Gargoyles as well since they’ll become part of your life. If you’d like to meet up with other mates to pick their brains, we can set that up. I think you’ll find hearing their stories to be fascinating. You’ve already seen how accepting Sophia and Katherine were. And Kaya, well, we both know how our Queen was meddling,” Deacon said, grinning.

  “Queen?”

  “Yes. Each territory has a King. Rafael is the King of our Clan here in the Americas, and that makes Kaya our Queen. Tessa’s father, Xavier, is King of the Italians. He’s ready to step down and pass the crown to Tessa’s brother, Tamian. Brynna’s brother, Banyan, is King of the Norse Clan. He and Urijah have a home here, and Travis is designing them a new home in Norway.”

  “Wow. There’s a lot I need to learn about your culture. And I would love to spend more time with the other mates. Not that I don’t trust you to tell me what I need to know, but I think it will help me navigate the waters of being with a shifter if I can learn from those who are already mated to a Gargoyle.”

  “You’ve met Kaya, Sophia, and Katherine. You know Isabelle. She’s Joseph’s daughter and is a half-blood. She and Dante are mates. Connor is their son. Trevor, Dante’s assistant, is mates with Jasper who is a police officer. Trevor is also Travis’s brother. We have Sunday dinner at Rafael’s manor every week, and you can meet all the mates, or if you’d rather do it here away from the Gargoyles, we can make that happen.”

  “I know of Isabelle, but we’ve never met. Can I ask you about Connor?”

  “Of course.”

  “It’s just, I met him a couple days ago, and he had the strangest reaction when we shook hands.”

  Deacon had forgotten about Connor’s drawing. “I’m glad you mentioned that. Connor is a very special boy. He is wise beyond his years, is a genius, and is a talented artist. He also has visions. I need to show you something.” Deacon pulled up the photo of the drawing and held it out for Sabrina. “This is why he reacted strangely when you shook his hand.”

  “Oh, my god. This is the man I saw outside my office. But, wait. Why doesn’t he have a face?”

  “That’s a good question. This has never happened before. Connor’s drawings are always specific, so we don’t know why he couldn’t see the man more clearly. You didn’t see his face either, so it might have something to do with that.”

  “Poor child. I would hate to have visions as an adult. I can’t imagine what it does to him being so young.”

  “He has a good support system. Dante and —” Deacon’s phone rang, cutting him off. “Speak of the devil. Excuse me, please.” He connected the call. “Dante?”

  “Hello, Brother. I know you’re supposed to be on your date with Sabrina, but Connor had another vision. I was hoping you could stop by here on your way home.”

  “We got our food to go, so we’re already home. We can leave now, if that’s convenient.”

  “If you don’t mind. Have you spoken to Sabrina about the first drawing?”

  “Yes. Just now, as a matter of fact.”

  “If it won’t disturb her too much, we’d love to see you both. I was going to snap a photo of it, but Isabelle asked if you could see it in person. It has to do with your conversation earlier.”

  “We’ll be right there.” They said their goodbyes, and Deacon turned to Sabrina. “I apologize. I should have asked your opinion before I spoke for both of us, but Dante and Isabelle have something to show us. Another drawing. Do you mind going to their house? They don’t live far.”

  “I don’t mind. I’d love the chance to visit with one of the mates, even if she is a half-blood.”

  “Excellent. Leave the dishes. I’ll get them when we get home.” Deacon stood and reached out for Sabrina’s
hand. “I need to get you a helmet so we can ride the bike together.”

  “I’d like that. What kind of drawing is this one? Does it relate to me?”

  “I’m not sure. Dante said it pertained to a conversation Isabelle and I had, and we spoke about an adolescent Gargoyle’s DNA. I guess we’ll have to wait until we get there to find out for certain.”

  Five minutes later, Deacon pulled up to Dante’s gate, rolled down the window, and spoke into the security box. The gate opened, and he drove slowly down the paved drive. Dante and Isabelle were waiting for them on the front porch. Deacon walked around the truck and helped Sabrina out of the cab. When they stepped onto the porch, Dante said, “Sabrina, good to see you again. I’m not sure if you’ve met my mate, Isabelle.”

  Isabelle held out her hand. “We haven’t had the pleasure, but I’ve heard so much about you. Welcome to our home.”

  Sabrina thanked them both, and when they turned to head inside, she paused. Connor was standing in the doorway. He didn’t hesitate to come forward and hold out his hand. “Miss Bailey,” he said when she placed her palm against his smaller one. There was no vision this time that Deacon could ascertain. Just a little boy with impeccable manners.

  Once they were inside and seated in the living room, Dante said, “Connor had another vision. I wanted you to see the drawing in case you recognize the man.” Connor came forward with a piece of paper and held it out to Sabrina.

  “Oh, my god. That’s Jerrick. That’s my brother.” Her hands were shaking, and Deacon took the picture from her, placing it on the coffee table so he could pull her into his arms.

  “This is a good thing. It means he’s most likely the one leaving you the notes.”

  “How is that good? If what you said was true, he allowed himself to be turned into one of the Unholy.”

  “Look at the picture. His features are normal. Maybe he was Unholy at one point, but if he knows about Craven and this boy, more than likely he’s now one of the Reborn. Your brother might not be exactly as you remember him, but I have a feeling he’s trying to do the right thing here. He’s asking for help.”

  “But I don’t know how to help him,” she whispered.

  Dante stepped forward. “No, but we do.”

  Chapter Twenty

  SABRINA COULDN’T STOP shaking. Her baby brother had been an Unholy. How could that have happened? Sure, they were separated when they were younger, but he had to know he could come to her when he got out of the Army instead of turning to the man in charge of the monsters. “I failed him.”

  “You didn’t even know he was home. Let’s listen to what Dante found out.”

  “If you’ll look closely at the drawing, Connor was able to see where they were in his vision.”

  Deacon picked the paper back up and studied it. Sure enough, there was a building in the background with distinct markings on it. “You think this is where Craven is treating the Unholy?”

  “I know it is. As soon as Connor showed it to me, I snapped a picture of it and sent it to Remy. He showed it to Evan who confirmed that was where he and the others were taken. I’ve already spoken to Rafael and Frey. Frey is gathering a team to do recon so they can pick up Craven and rescue the child.”

  “What about Jerrick?” Sabrina asked. “I don’t want him harmed.”

  “Now that you’ve identified him as your brother, I’ll ask Julian to distribute the photo to all Clan phones. He’ll be detained but not harmed. We may have to take him to the Pen for safe keeping, same as Evan, because by now, Drago has to know more than one of his men are missing,” Deacon said.

  “How are you going to find him, though? He’s been hanging around the hospital and my house, not this place,” Sabrina said, pointing to the drawing. Dante looked at Deacon, and something passed between them. “What is it?” she asked.

  “Brother?” Deacon said.

  Isabelle came around the coffee table and sat down next to Sabrina. “We needed you to identify the drawing before we told you what has happened. Jerrick’s already been found. Sabrina, it’s not good. He was found earlier by some of the Gargoyles who were patrolling. Normally, when they find Unholy who’ve been injured, they take them to the Pen where Dante or I see to them, but with Jerrick being Reborn, they reached out to my father. Jonas has Jerrick in a private wing of the hospital.”

  “Jonas? I thought your father was Joseph.” Sabrina knew Deacon had told her that.

  “You didn’t tell her?” Isabelle asked Deacon.

  “No. I was going to let Jonas tell her himself.”

  “Tell me what? You know what? It doesn’t matter. I need to get to the hospital and see my brother.” Sabrina stood from the sofa and headed for the door.

  “We’ll be right behind you,” Isabelle said.

  Sabrina jogged to the truck, but somehow, Deacon got there before she did and had the door open for her. “How did you do that?” she asked when he was seated next to her.

  “Shifter speed. We have exceptional eyesight and hearing as well. About Joseph. His real name is Jonas Montague. To remain in New Atlanta for so long, he had to reinvent himself.”

  “Jonas Montague? As in the scientist who cloned the world’s first baby? The man who brought the world to its knees, Jonas Montague?”

  “The one and only, but the apocalypse wasn’t his fault. A cult who calls themselves the Ministry took credit for that. Jonas is a genius. He came up with prosthetic masks for those who need to hang around a city far longer than their looks allow. The man you know – Joseph Mooneyham – is really a nine-hundred-plus-year-old Gargoyle. When he isn’t posing as Joseph, Jonas looks as young as I do.”

  Sabrina didn’t respond. Her thoughts volleyed between that new information about her boss and the fact that her baby brother was in the hospital. Why hadn’t she asked Isabelle about his injuries? She said it wasn’t good, but how not good was it? Was he critical? In a coma?

  What felt like hours later, Deacon parked at the back of the hospital where he led Sabrina into the hallway leading to the morgue. “Why are we going this way?”

  “This is where Jonas will have your brother.”

  Sabrina had never ventured to this level of the building. She never had reason to. After meandering down several corridors, they reached a section of the hospital that appeared abandoned. Deacon knocked on a door, and a few seconds later, Joseph opened it, only sticking his head out. “Dante called ahead. Sabrina, your brother’s in bad shape, but with time, he should make a full recovery.” He held the door open. It was only then she noticed Dante, Isabelle, and Connor were behind them.

  She didn’t understand why they were allowing the child to come along, but she wasn’t his parent. Her only concern was Jerrick.

  “I need to see him.”

  “Of course. Right this way.”

  As she followed her boss, she tried to imagine what the older man looked like without his mask. It had to be the work of a genius, because she’d known him for years, and she’d never seen him look any way other than he did now.

  The room he led them to was set up like any other patient room with the exception of two large men standing guard. She recognized both from having been in Mr. Holt’s room, but they’d never been introduced. As Sabrina reached them, they both placed a fist over their hearts and bowed their heads. “On my honor,” they said in unison.

  Deacon shook both their hands before escorting Sabrina inside. When she caught sight of Jerrick, her knees threatened to give out, but Deacon was there to support her. Her brother wasn’t hooked up to any type of life support nor did he have an IV attached. His face and arms were marred with deep gashes. “Why isn’t he hooked up?” Sabrina asked.

  “All his wounds are external. He took one hell of a beating, but Mason and Jasper got to him before any internal damage was done.”

  “Then why isn’t he awake?” Sabrina stepped up to the bed and placed her hand on the only patch of skin not split open.

  “I gave him a strong sedative t
o keep him still.” It was then she noticed he was strapped down. “Until Dante called, I didn’t know he was your brother. The straps were necessary for his safety as well as mine. As soon as he awakens and you assure him he’s safe, we will remove his bindings.”

  “Thank you, Joseph. Or should I say Jonas?”

  Her boss gave her a sheepish smile. “Down here, Jonas is fine, but around those who aren’t aware of my true identity, I’m afraid Joseph is necessary.”

  “I understand,” she responded, her eyes still on her brother. “Oh, Jerrick, I’m so sorry,” she whispered as tears streamed down her face. Deacon stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her. She leaned against his body for comfort.

  When Connor stepped up to the other side of the bed, Sabrina narrowed her eyes at the boy, wondering again why he was there. He placed his small hand on Jerrick’s arm and closed his eyes. The boy smiled when he looked at Sabrina. “He started to bring you dandelions, but he figured you would prefer something prettier like roses.” Sabrina gasped.

  Connor returned to his parents who were standing by the door. If Deacon hadn’t already told her the child had special abilities, she would worry his words had been a trick of sorts.

  “I take it that means something to you?” Deacon asked against her cheek.

  Sabrina nodded. “He would pick dandelions whenever he found them and give them to me. He never saw them as weeds. Just pretty flowers growing wild and free.”

  “Bree...” Jerrick’s voice was weak, and his eyes were closed, but it was the best sound Sabrina had heard in a long time.

  “I’m here Jerrick. I’m right here.”

  Deacon’s hands tightened around her waist, and he stepped away from the bed, taking Sabrina with him.