Chapter Nineteen
Neith
I share a look with the others. What now?
Casting my gaze to the ceiling briefly, I say a silent plea to anyone who may be listening, asking them to just let it be a good thing and not a bad, life-threatening thing again. Nothing super complicated.
“Ah, here it is,” he mutters as he pulls out a book that looks far older than even the ones that the Elders gave us.
Huh, that reminds me that we were supposed to be called to some sort of meeting.
I hope they procrastinate on that for a bit longer.
I don’t want to meet them. Although hopefully they’ll decide to snub us or something since I haven’t taken their so-called advice at all, and I’m doing my own thing.
To be honest, they are so far down the list that I’m not even remotely concerned.
“I’m guessing that you have an idea of what is going on?” Raiden asks curiously.
Michael looks up, his eyebrows furrowed, “I’m still not sure, but I can’t not mention it because if it’s true, then it’s a big deal.”
“Awesome,” I mutter accidentally out loud, and Coen hides his laugh in a cough.
I scratch my cheek with my middle finger, making him smirk.
“So this is not common knowledge, but a long time ago, gargoyles had true mates. We’re not really sure what happened, but eventually the bond just stopped happening.
True mates just don’t exist anymore. The signs of a true mate were that gargoyles sensed when their mate was in danger, saw visions of the danger even if visions weren’t a part of their usual magic, and could even telepathically warn them.
Their magic would also change. There are a couple of other things, but they weren’t written down.
It literally just says, and other changes in every single book that I’ve read about it. ”
“So, you think we’re true mates?” Griff asks thoughtfully.
“There’s only one way to find out for certain,” Michael says.
Sex? No, it can’t be that we’ve already done that. Although maybe that means that we aren’t? Maybe we should do it again, repeatedly, just to make sure.
Focus.
Fight something? I don’t know what that would prove, but I’m always up for a little bloodshed unless of course I have to fight against Griff, in which case it’s not fucking happening.
Before my misplaced anger can grow to ridiculous heights, Michael thankfully carries on talking.
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing crazy. You don’t even have to leave the island.
There’s a ceremonial altar in a cave on the far side of the island, near the cliffs.
” He writes something down on a piece of paper and then hands it to Griff, “To figure out if you really are true mates, then you need to go there, add a small drop of blood from each of you, and say these words,” he nods to the piece of paper in Griff’s hand.
He continues, “If you are true mates, then the blood will form into a bloodstone, and your bond will be cemented. I would suggest that you go first thing in the morning, before the sun rises. It’s quite a trek, and it’s going to take a day or so for us to gather the ingredients that you need for the wards anyway, so you have some time to kill.
Don’t worry, it is a very private thing.
You can either go just the two of you or your whole family.
” He looks over at us, “The only thing that I ask is that if it's true and you really are true mates, please could you let me know? It means that things are changing, and the old ways may be coming back. I will be able to keep a closer eye out for other potential true mates and send them to do the ceremony as well.”
“Of course we can do that,” I reply before anyone else can. It really won’t negatively affect us in any way and could potentially help other true mates find each other. “Since it hasn’t happened for so long though, don’t get your hopes up too much that true mates are back.”
Michael smiles, “Don’t worry, I am more than aware that it’s a long shot. Now, I am going to assume that everyone is getting antsy waiting for us by now, and by everyone, I mean your mother, Griff. Let’s get going.”
The others all smile and follow Michael out of the door, but once we’re in the hallway, Griff pulls me back slightly.
“Are you okay with this?” He asks with concern.
I smile, “I’m assuming that you’re talking about the true mate thing, in which case of course I am.
However, if you’re talking about meeting your mother, then, erm, I’m definitely not nearly as sure about that because it’s terrifying.
Wait, are you okay with it? The true mates thing, not seeing your mother. ”
Griff smiles as he pulls me toward him and wraps me in his arms, his heartbeat immediately calming my panic. Which admittedly has more to do with meeting his mom than anything else.
“To have you as my true mate, which I didn’t even know was a thing until a few moments ago, would be an honor,” Griff mutters into my hair. “And my mom is going to love you.”
I shift, looking up at him, and then stand on my tiptoes and pull him down for a kiss. When I pull back, I mutter, “Aw, and to think I used to call you my big grumpy friend.”
Griff chuckles as he threads his fingers through mine and we walk after the guys, “Yeah, you’ve totally ruined my reputation.”
I burst out laughing.
We all head back through the house and then out of the front door. The guys all slip into casual conversation with Michael, and I’m glad that they do because I’m trying to stop myself from spiraling back into a pit of panic.
Griff said it would be fine.
I trust Griff, so it’s going to be fine.
I’m so glad that he is holding my hand because I’ll admit that I briefly considered turning back around the moment that we make it through the trees and into a clearing full of gargoyles, all of whom turn to look at us when we walk past the final row of trees.
Thankfully, they don’t stare for too long, and most of them go back to what they’re doing, giving me a chance to look around.
It kind of reminds me of the way that Calia and Eamon do their big meals at the compound, and the familiarity of it instantly puts me at ease.
There are a couple of big fire pits that they’re using to cook a couple of pigs, and they’ve got some BBQs going as well.
Several tables have been pushed together to make a ‘u’ shape with even more food spread out all along it, and there’s a big bonfire, and several outdoor heaters keeping everyone warm.
Add in the twinkle lights everywhere, and the place really does look magical and inviting.
“There’s my mom and dad,” Griff says.
He squeezes my hand as his mom spots us.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but the huge smile full of warmth probably wasn’t it.
She quickly makes her way over to us, with a big, burly man who must be Griff’s dad following behind her with a serene smile on his face. He looks so much like Griff that he couldn’t be anyone else.
To my utter surprise, Griff’s mom bypasses him completely and pulls me into a tight hug.
“I’m so happy to meet you,” she mutters quietly, and then pulls back. She winces slightly and adds, “I’m sorry, I can get a little overzealous. I tend to forget that some people may prefer to keep their distance and not have me in their personal space.”
Her husband pulls her under his arm with a soft smile and kisses the top of her head.
I grin, “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t mind at all.”
Griff pulls me close again, and I realize that the guys have drifted off and are being introduced to people by Griff’s brother.
“Neith, this is my ma, Lucy, and my dad, Lewis,” Griff introduces us.
“Nice to meet you,” Lewis says with a warm smile.
“Thank you, you too,” I reply.
He’s so laid back and easy-going that it’s almost impossible to feel nervous. At least I thought it was just as I started to relax, the dreaded question was asked.
“So tell us about yourself?” He asks.
Ah, damn it. There are the nerves. What am I supposed to say to that? How much do I share before it becomes oversharing? Where the fuck is the line? I’m thirty-something, and I still haven’t figured out how to not overshare when I’m nervous.
It makes no fucking sense.
Griff pulls me even closer, his hand rubbing soothing circles on my back.
“Neith has just joined our team, Ty has been trying to recruit her for years,” Griff says.
Lucy’s smile widens, “Oh wow, that’s impressive. Ty is picky. How did you get into that line of work?”
And just like that, Griff made it so much easier for me to find a starting point. After that, whenever the conversation stalled slightly, Griff or his dad would start it up again, and I found a whole new appreciation for Griff, and I was already pretty fucking appreciative of him.
He’s amazing.
I’m even happier when Lucy pulls out her phone and shows me some absolutely adorable pictures of Griff when he was little. Griff spends the whole time smiling slightly and rolling his eyes. Not once does he let go of me.
Something I was surprised to know though, was that gargoyles don’t get their shift later on as I thought.
They can shift when they’re newborns.
Honestly, it sounds like a handful, and like it could be absolute chaos as well.
Maybe not when they’re newborns, I imagine that’s just adorable, but I’ve looked after toddlers, human ones, and they’re a handful and try to get into everything.
Don’t get me wrong, they are still utterly adorable and so much fun, but they’re tiny, adorable menaces.
I can only imagine how much more trouble they could get into if they had wings and actual fangs.
I mean, you don’t just have to watch them on the floor, and if they had a playpen, you’d have to put a lid on it or something, and then it really would look like a baby jail.
Although I suppose gargoyle parents have wings too, so that would help, they are at least on an even playing field.
Oh my god, and I have wings, so if I ever needed to babysit a gargoyle toddler, at least I would be able to catch them if they decided to fly off.
I am putting way too much thought into this.
The chances of my babysitting a gargoyle baby are very slim.
Thankfully, while I’ve been spiraling into the realm of make-believe again, Griff has been keeping the conversation going, and it doesn’t take me long to catch back up and understand what they’re talking about.
I have no idea where the spiral about gargoyle babies came from, but I do know that I will most likely be revisiting it at a later date.
After a few more minutes of talking, which is far less nerve-racking than I thought it would be, a loud bell echoes around the clearing, and everyone starts to head toward the tables.
“Shall we eat?” Lucy smiles.
“Absolutely,” I grin.
∞∞∞
One thing that I have learned about gargoyles is that they sure as hell know how to party.
After we had all finished eating the copious amounts of delicious food that had been prepared, I thought that we would be heading back to the house to get some rest and prepare to head out to this cave tomorrow, but instead the tables were cleared within moments, the music turned up, and the bonfires stoked as coolers of drinks were brought out.
It was seamless and awesome.
I’ve spent the last hour dancing with the guys on the makeshift dance floor, and I definitely need a break.
“I’ll be back, I’m just going to get a drink,” I say in Reed’s ear.
He nods, “Alright, beautiful.”
I smile as I tug on the front of his shirt and pull him down so I can kiss him.
As I move through the crowd, I’m greeted by smiles and waves.
Everyone is so friendly, and any nerves that I had before coming here disappeared pretty much as soon as I was introduced to everyone and Griff’s mom gave me a giant hug.
Apparently, she later gave Griff the third degree, asked him loads of questions, and told him that he had better treat me right. Which was so fucking sweet of her.
After I get my drink, I decide to head over to the tree line and just watch for a while, so I can catch my breath and enjoy the view.
My guys can dance, well, mostly, some of their moves are questionable, and honestly, I love it even more.
Doc is fucking talented though, and I’m trying to figure out how I can convince him to give me a private show.
I’m pretty sure all I would have to do is ask.
Something that I’m not too fond of is that several of the women have also noticed how good of a dancer he is, as well as my other guys too.
It doesn’t bother me.
That thought was a direct contradiction to the fact that I just said that it was something I wasn’t too fond of.
The Voices snicker.
I roll my eyes, fine.