by Faith Gibson
“What are you doing?” she hissed over her shoulder.
“Until he’s fully awake, we don’t know how he’s going to react.”
“He would never hurt me.” Sabrina struggled to get loose, but Deacon tightened his grip. “Let go of me.”
“Pretty Lady, I just—”
“I said let go!”
“Let her go!” Jerrick yelled, struggling against his restraints. All of a sudden, the room was filled with Gargoyles. Fangs and claws bared. Sabrina felt a whoosh behind her, and when she turned, Deacon had unfurled his wings. The next thing she knew, she was cocooned within the wings, her face smashed against Deacon’s broad chest.
“Deacon, if you don’t release me right this second, we’re finished!” Sabrina stumbled backwards at being released so abruptly. She glared at Deacon before turning to check on her brother. “Stop it! Jerrick!”
“Bree?” Jerrick stopped fighting against the Gargoyles and settled back against the pillow.
“I’m here,” she cried, rushing to the side of the bed. She placed her hand on his marred cheek as gently as possible. “Oh, Jerrick. What did they do to you?”
“Nothing I didn’t deserve,” he whispered.
“No. You didn’t deserve this. You were trying to help. Weren’t you? Get these restraints off him. Now.”
Tears welled up in her brother’s eyes as he nodded. “Yes, but it was too little too late. I couldn’t save the boy.”
“What do you mean? I thought you wanted us to help him.” When none of the others moved to undo the bands strapped across his body, Sabrina began releasing them herself. Deacon stepped up beside Sabrina, but when he placed his hand on her shoulder, she shrugged it off. They were going to talk about his high-handedness later.
“I’ll release him,” Deacon said.
Sabrina moved over, giving Deacon room to work. As he released the straps, he asked Jerrick, “Did something happen to the child?”
“While I was getting my ass handed to me, I heard one of Drago’s men yelling orders about the boy and Craven. I’m sure they’re gone by now. I’m sorry. Bree, I should have just come to you, but I couldn’t face you. I was so ashamed.”
“Hey, you have nothing to be ashamed of. Yes, you could have come to me instead of leaving clues, but you were trying to help in your own way. This isn’t your fault. None of it is. Why don’t you let me give you something for pain, and you get some rest? I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
Jerrick shook his head. “I don’t need anything. But what’s going to happen to me now? Am I going to jail?”
“No.” Sabrina leveled a gaze at Deacon. She remembered what he said about taking Jerrick to the Pen to keep him safe.
“Once you’re stable, we may need to keep you somewhere safe while we figure out how to get Drago off your back. I had mentioned keeping you at the penitentiary but not locked in a cell. It’s the safest place for you for the time being.”
“We’ll figure out something else. I promise,” Sabrina said, overriding Deacon’s decision. She felt him bristle at her side, but she didn’t care. If she had to, she would use all her savings and find somewhere far away to take her baby brother. She wouldn’t fail him again.
“Deacon, may I speak to you outside?” Dante asked. Deacon inclined his head and followed the ME out the door. Isabelle and the others went with them, leaving Sabrina alone with Jerrick. She didn’t have to be psychic to know they were discussing the situation without her.
“Bree, it’s okay. If they want to take me to the Pen, that’s fine. I’m sure the accommodations will be better than what I’m used to.”
“No. I will take you home with me. Deacon’s friend promised to upgrade the security, so I’m sure we’ll be safe there.”
“I won’t put you in danger. I would say you have no idea what I’m up against, but seeing as you’re surrounded by Gargoyles, I guess you do. You mind telling me why you’re with him?”
“I’m his mate.” Sabrina pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat down, taking her brother’s hand in hers. “One of my patients is the caretaker for one of their kind, and I met Deacon through him. It all sounded ridiculous at first, but seeing is believing. What about you? How did you end up...?” Sabrina couldn’t bring herself to say the words.
“Unholy? I was medically released from the Army. Shrapnel from a bomb tore me apart. The doctors put me back together best they could, but I was no longer able to serve in the same capacity I did before. I was lost, Bree. The army had been my whole life, and when I got back stateside, I felt like a loser. I was approached by a man named Gordon Flanagan who promised I could still be of use even if the US government thought otherwise. He offered me a job and a place to live. When I went in for a physical, I was given a shot that was supposed to be some type of immunization in case I’d brought something back with me. It didn’t make sense, because I’d spent the last three months in a military hospital.”
Jerrick tried to push himself up, but he struggled with his injuries. Sabrina jumped up to help, and carefully, she helped him to sit up, propping pillows behind his head. When he leaned back, he blew out a shaky breath.
“Let me get you something for pain. You need to rest, and when you wake up, you can tell me the rest.” Sabrina had heard all she could stomach for the moment. She knew what her brother had endured was going to break her heart more than it already was. Besides that, she needed to have a chat with Deacon.
“Yeah, okay. I’m sorry, Bree. So sorry.”
Sabrina bent over and kissed his forehead. “None of that. I’ve already told you, you have nothing to be sorry for. We’re going to figure this out, I promise.”
Jerrick nodded, and Sabrina went to find Jonas. When she reached the door, Deacon’s words stopped her from stepping into the hallway. “He’s a threat, and I’m not going to let him get in the way of having my mate.”
Chapter Twenty-One
DEACON KEPT ONE ear on Sabrina’s conversation with her brother, while he and Dante discussed how to proceed. Isabelle had taken Connor down to the morgue, and Jonas was standing guard at the end of the hallway.
“She’s a stubborn one, and if her reaction earlier was any indication, I would say you haven’t completed the bond,” Dante said.
“No. When you called, we were discussing it, and I promised to give her time to get to know me before we made it official. Now, that might not happen.” And if it didn’t, Deacon knew he would have to leave town. Being around her without claiming Sabrina was harder than anything he’d ever endured. Now that she was feeling the sadness from what her brother had been through, being near her was close to crippling. His beast was doing its best to help, but it wasn’t working.
“Have faith, Brother. It will happen, but you need to tread carefully where Jerrick is concerned. If I can see how badly Sabrina feels she let her brother down, I can’t imagine what you’re going through. But if you play your cards right, you will have your mate. We have options considering Julian is the best at what he does. We’ll need to get Jerrick’s opinion, but Julian could easily give the male a new identity. If Drago sent those males to kill Jerrick, the threat isn’t over if he thinks Jerrick is still alive.”
“I was hoping once Alistair was taken out, the threat to our Clan would be over, at least for a while. I know Rafael has a lot on his plate with Kaya close to giving birth and Jonathan close to the end of his life, but we should be doubling our efforts on finding Drago. He’s a threat, and I’m not going to let him get in the way of having my mate.”
Dante inclined his head, indicating they should step away from the door. They walked down the hallway, away from where Jonas was. Away from where Sabrina was now talking to her boss. He kept an eye on her until she returned to the room a few minutes later.
“I agree. We need to decide which is better – find what Craven is giving the Unholy to make them Reborn or going up against the Unholy as they are. Having met Evan and Jerrick and hearing their stories makes it harder to want to fight D
rago’s army and take those men down. If all the Unholy have similar stories, that makes them seem more human. Fighting the Reborn, well, I guess if they’re still willing to serve under Drago, then that’s their choice.”
“But what if it isn’t? You see what they did to Jerrick when he decided what was happening wasn’t right. He was probably used as an example. If Jasper and Mason hadn’t stepped in, Jerrick would probably have been killed. We need to step up our efforts against Drago, but I need to first help Sabrina get Jerrick somewhere safe. I’ll talk to them about a new identity. If he agrees, we’ll need to find a way to let Drago know the male’s ‘dead’, or else he’ll probably come after him again.”
Dante clapped Deacon on the shoulder. “You work on that. If he agrees, I have an idea of where you can take him. I’ll check on that now.”
“Thanks, Brother. I’m going to get back to Jerrick’s room and see if I can convince Sabrina to come home.”
“Good luck with that.” Dante turned and strode down the hallway where he stopped and spoke to Jonas.
Before stepping back into the room, Deacon reached out with his senses. Jerrick was calm, but Sabrina was both sad and pissed off. He knew an apology was in order, but he needed to phrase it carefully or she’d be even more upset. Deacon eased in the room, pausing to get Sabrina’s eye. When she glanced up at him, her hands were gripping the chair so tight he thought she might break it. Okay, it was worse than he thought. He didn’t wait for her to say anything. Instead, Deacon walked around to where she was seated and squatted in front of her.
“I’m sorry for how I reacted. You have to understand that a mate is the most precious gift a Gargoyle can receive. We haven’t completed the bond, but I don’t count you as less because of it. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect you. My beast took over when my wings came out. It detected a threat, and when our mate is threatened, the shifter can be hard to control. You have to know, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for you. That means there is nothing I wouldn’t do for your brother as well. He is now my family, just as the Clan is yours.”
Sabrina narrowed her eyes as she stared at him. Was she searching his face for a sign of deception? Because that was the vibe he was getting from her. “I don’t want him going to the prison. He’s done nothing wrong, and putting him there won’t be good for his mental health.”
“Before I left the room, he was agreeable. What changed? Not that anything is definite. Dante and I were discussing the best way to keep him safe from Drago, and we have an idea, but I will need to speak with Jerrick about it.”
“Why would Drago still be after him?”
“Because he’s not dead,” Deacon said honestly. Sabrina flinched, and Deacon reached out for her hand. She pulled away, and his heart shredded. He had to fix this for her. For them. “I’m sorry to put it so bluntly, but Drago was trained under Alistair. From what we’ve heard, there was no mercy.”
“Drago isn’t any different,” Jerrick muttered. Sabrina stood, going to her brother’s side.
“You’re supposed to be resting.”
“It’s kind of hard to with the two of you whispering so loudly about me. But he’s right, Bree. Drago is building an army, and you don’t win wars by being nice. If he knew I was here, talking to the enemy, he’d find a way to cut me down.” Jerrick turned his eyes to Deacon. “Deacon, was it?”
“Yes. In all the chaos, we weren’t properly introduced. My name is Deacon Wright. It is a pleasure to meet one of my mate’s siblings; I just wish it was under different circumstances. I’m glad you’re awake. There’s something I need to speak to you about.”
“The Pen, right? I already agreed to go with you.”
“Jerrick—”
“No, Sabrina. I’ve already put you in danger by coming around. If I stay in New Atlanta, the Pen is the only place where I’ll be safe from Drago’s reach, and I can’t go anywhere else. When I became Unholy, my information was wiped. At least I was told it would be. It was one of the things I had to agree to when I signed up to join Flanagan.”
“That explains a lot, but that’s sort of what I want to talk to you about. One of our Clan is the best when it comes to all things related to computers. He can create a new identity for you as well as a back story to go with it.”
“Can he do anything about my face? Because even if I have a new name, there are too many Unholy and Reborn alike who know what I look like. I would still need to disappear.”
“I just got you back. Please, Jerrick. I can’t lose you again.”
“Bree, I love you, but we haven’t been together in so long you won’t miss me any more than you have these last twenty years.”
“That’s not true. You can ask Jasmine. Oh, crap. I need to call Jasmine and Terrence. You might not believe it, but we have missed you.”
“You should probably wait about that,” Deacon said. “Until we figure out the best way to keep Jerrick safe, we need to be cautious of who we talk to about him. His identity might have been stricken from official records, but we don’t know what kind of information Drago has at his disposal. If he knows about your siblings, he might go after them to get to Jerrick.”
“It really is true when they say no good deed goes unpunished. When I got my mental faculties back, the first thing I thought was to run as far away as possible, but I couldn’t do that knowing a child was in danger,” Jerrick said.
“I promise we will find a way out of this for you. It might not be what you envisioned when you got out of the service, but even if we have to get one of Jonas’s prosthetics for you to wear, we’ll make sure you aren’t at risk,” Deacon said.
“Prosthetics?”
“It’s a type of realistic-looking mask which can be worn long term. I’ve never worn one myself, but I’ve seen them. Unless you know the person is wearing one, you can’t tell it.”
Sabrina nodded. “It’s true. My bo—”
“How do you feel about dying?” Deacon asked, cutting Sabrina off. He didn’t know Jerrick well enough to trust him to keep Jonas’s identity safe.
“Dying? I’ve faced it on many occasions. If it’s my time to go, I’m ready.”
“I don’t mean literally. Dante and I were discussing faking your death. That would go along with the new identity. If we put it out there you were killed in the attack, it would hopefully take Drago off your scent. You could go anywhere. Be anyone.”
“While that sounds good in theory, just because I have a new name or face doesn’t mean my brain becomes someone else’s. I’m still me at my core, and I can’t just waltz into a hospital and say I’m a doctor.”
“No, but you can go to school if you’d like. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?”
Jerrick hesitated before he answered. Sabrina took his hand in hers. “It’s okay. You can be honest.”
A tear rolled down Jerrick’s cheek. “I wanted to be someone else’s kid. Don’t get me wrong. The Wilsons treated Terrence and me like we were their own grandkids, but money was tight. We weren’t much better off than when Momma was alive. I know I sound ungrateful, because we could have gone into the system, and that would have been so much worse. It’s... being poor sucked. I’d see other kids at school who didn’t wear secondhand clothes. They had a mom who wasn’t dead and a dad who wasn’t in prison. He died, you know. It was two months before he was set to be released, and instead of keeping his head down, he mouthed off to the wrong inmate. Shivved in the shower.”
Sabrina wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Jasmine and Terrence went to college. Was that not what you wanted? Did you want to go into the army?”
“Jasmine was smart, so she was able to get scholarships. Terry went to the community college on grants. Then he met a girl whose father got him a job at his company in California. I figured I’d join the military and have them pay for my education, but one tour turned into two. When I was discharged, I was so screwed in the head there was no way I could think about school.”
Deacon bowed
his head and called on his beast to help with the heartache. When he looked at Jerrick, he said, “I’m sorry for bringing up such a painful subject. I only want to help you with your future. But don’t worry about that now. Let’s concentrate on keeping you safe from Drago, and the rest will fall into place.”
“How? I have no money. Nowhere to go. I mean, I could get a job at a fast food restaurant, but that’s not going to get me an apartment. I’m back where I was when I returned home.”
“No, you aren’t. When you returned home, you didn’t have your sister and me to help get you on your feet. I don’t want you worrying about money or a place to stay. If we get you a new identity, I’ll help you find a job and a place to live.”
“Why would you do that?” Jerrick choked back a sob.
“Because we’re family. How much do you know about Gargoyles?”
“Not much. Only what I’ve seen from Drago and the other Greeks who’ve come to help take over the Unholy.”
“Gargoyles have one mate for life, and Sabrina is mine. My family became hers, and hers mine. We take care of our own, and I will take care of you. However long it takes, whatever you need.”
“But you don’t know me. Neither one of you do. I’ve done things...” Jerrick turned his head away, tears flowing down his face.
“Jerrick, as an Unholy, did you harm innocent humans?”
He hesitated then shook his head. “No. At least, not that I recall. Being Unholy was like being in a fog. We ate, slept, and fought whenever we were told to. I didn’t sign up to hurt people, and I can’t imagine even in my transformed state I would harm innocent people.” Jerrick closed his eyes. “I only wanted somewhere to belong.”
“If you didn’t harm anyone, not counting your time in the military, you and I have no problems. There’s another Reborn who told me much the same story of why he agreed to work with Flanagan. He’s in the same position as you. He didn’t run; we captured him to get answers. But now that he’s out of Drago’s clutches, he needs the same type of help.” Deacon had thought about Evan’s situation ever since meeting the male. He’d always wondered why someone would agree to working for Flanagan and allow themselves to be turned into an Unholy. Now he knew their situations, and he wanted to rescue them all.