Chapter 16 – Xander
E vangeline and I spend the next few days in bed, giving ourselves to each other until our bodies could no longer physically function. We’d sleep then wake and fuck, then shower and eat and fuck some more. It was a beautiful cycle, one that is coming to an end now that the fated mate bond has been satiated.
Locheran has been keeping me updated on battle plans. He said there’s been no sightings of Magnus. When I do find him, the Council of Gargoyle Elders has given me permission to end his life for violating the most coveted law of our kind.
Do no harm to gargoyles or their potential and bonded mates .
Elara is in custody after turning herself in and confessing everything. She said Magnus forced her to help him and threatened to kill her fated mate if she refused. I’ll let the Elders and my parents decide what to do with her.
“So basically, sex saved his life,” Locheran says as we sit around the dining room table having dinner.
Mira declined our invitation saying she’s still not used to socializing after all her years in the psychiatric hospital. Evangeline was worried about her being lonely, so Birdie has been staying with the witch in one of my guest apartments in the building for the past few days. It worked out perfectly because we’ve been a bit too preoccupied lately to worry about taking care of anyone or anything besides ourselves.
“My pussy saved his life,” Evangeline giggles.
Okay, I clearly missed a lot of their conversation.
“I’ve been wondering,” Evangeline begins, “that night we met, how did you not know it was your brother who breached the barrier?”
I fist my hands on the table. “The asshole likely had a cloaking spell from a witch, or he could have masked his scent with one from another creature.”
Evangeline nods while considering this explanation. “I can’t believe the big evil hunting me my entire life was your brother. ”
“Actually,” Locheran says, holding up a clawed finger, “I asked your mother about this. There have been many evil beings hunting you since the day you were born, all of them aiming to get rid of Xander so they could claim New York City. Magnus was the only one to succeed at kidnapping you.”
“Yet he failed at the rest of his plan,” I seethe, still furious he hasn’t been caught.
“That reminds me,” Evangeline says. “Magnus said something about a vampire’s failed plan. What did he mean?”
“A rogue vampire recently went on a killing spree,” I begin. “His plan was to out our kind and rule over the human world.”
“Just like Magnus,” Evangeline hums.
“Yep,” I agree.
“Speaking of plans...what are we doing for the big one-oh-oh-oh, Xanny?” Locheran asks with a mouthful of coq au vin.
Evangeline begged me to make her my favorite meal. She’s devouring it, and pride swells in my chest. She loves a lot of the things I love, like gritty crime documentaries and reality TV shows.
It’s a guilty pleasure. They’re fun to watch. Humans are so ridiculous.
I pause with a forkful of food halfway to my mouth, and I realize I haven’t thought about how I’d celebrate my birthday because I convinced myself I wouldn’t live to see it.
I was preparing myself to die.
Evangeline must see the anguish on my face, or she likely feels my despair now that we’re bonded. She understands that I had lost hope and forgot to plan a simple celebration. She places her palm on my forearm and a wave of calm courses through my body.
Evangeline can naturally calm anyone she touches. It’s a little trick she inherited from her mother.
I asked Mira why I couldn’t sense this magic the night Evangeline and I met. The witch said it’s such a minor power that no supernatural being would have been able to detect it. She also believes the ability was dormant, and I was the one to wake it up.
As if the magic within my own body called to Evangeline’s.
Mira also warned us that her daughter may have other gifts emerge over the next few decades, activated by the mystical force of the fated mate bond.
I’m eager to uncover them.
“Why don’t we plan a rooftop party?” Evangeline says, her voice bringing me back to the present .
“In October?” Locheran asks, scrunching up his nose.
“It might be a little chilly on October 25 th , but as you know, Locheran , gargoyles don’t get cold.”
My best friend rolls his eyes at me.
“Besides,” Evangeline adds. “We could get those portable heaters for the humans, which would be me and maybe my bestie, Farrah. And I bet my mom would come too! It’ll be a personal and chill party. We could have barbecue, play some music and dance, and maybe we can get a projector up there and watch The Godfather. ”
A smile tugs at my lips. She remembered my favorite movie. Of course she did.
“I love this idea,” I say.
“Damn. So no strippers?” Locheran whines. “What about a nightclub at least? We could rent out the place and dance and get wasted off top shelf liquor.”
Evangeline snorts, not even phased by the man child gargoyle commander.
“When it’s your 1,000 th birthday,” she says, “we’ll do all those things, Loch.”
“Well, start planning. My birthday is January 10 th .”
One second, we’re laughing and the next, an explosion rips through my living room. I’m knocked to the ground a few feet away. I push debris off me, violently coughing after inhaling clouds of dust. My ears ring, mixed with the muffled wail of the building’s fire alarm.
“Evangeline!”
Splinters of glass and wood embed in my palms as I crawl around on the ground, searching for my mate.
“Xander? Where are you?” her tiny voice croaks out, followed by a cough.
I use the bond to locate her amid the smoke-filled room and find her underneath part of a collapsed wall.
I lift it as if it weighs nothing.
“Are you hurt?” I ask, scanning her body.
“I have a cut on my head, and I think my leg is broken.”
I help her stand, and she hisses when she tries to take a step.
“Yeah. Definitely broken.”
I scoop her up in my arms. “It’ll heal within a day.”
“Really? Oh, right. The bond.”
“Yes, you will heal from injuries faster now, just like gargoyles.”
I move through the ruined dining nook into the kitchen and clear the island of debris before setting her down.
“Well, hello, little brother.”
The sound of Magnus’s voice has me moving in front of Evangeline to shield her .
He stands just inside the penthouse, where a massive hole replaces the wall of windows. The wind whips his long hair around his face. Behind him outside, dozens of creatures hover: gargoyles, a rogue angel, a handful of harpies, and I think I see a griffin too.
He’s acquired a small but mighty army.
Mine is mightier.
My soldiers can sense my alarm, and they are already gathering to implement Locheran’s battle plan. My commander still hasn’t emerged from the debris and worry nips at my nerves.
“I’ll go find him,” Evangeline whispers.
I must have unknowingly broadcast my thoughts to her. It’s a part of the bond I’m not yet used to.
“No. Stay here so I can protect you.”
She slides off the island, avoiding putting pressure on her injured leg. I want to hold her, steal her away, but I can’t take my eyes off my brother.
“You handle this. Let me find Locheran.”
“Your leg–”
“It’s fine. I’ll use whatever I can find along the way as crutches.”
She hobbles away before I can argue.
I slowly walk into what used to be the living room, now a pile of debris. I’m surprised the floor hasn’t collapsed yet .
Police and fire sirens sound from a distance. Some of my soldiers should be there ready to intercept the first responders to stop them from coming up here.
They’ll also need to do damage control on the ground. I doubt Magnus and his small army are masked. He wants our kind to be discovered.
“Brave of you to show your face here after attempting to kill my mate.”
“You mean after a human attempted to kill your mate?” He tosses up his hands. “I’m innocent.”
He smiles wide enough to show off his fangs, the cocky bastard.
“You, however, owe me a kingdom.”
“I don’t owe you shit.”
He paces casually, his hands behind his back.
“How did you fake the transfer of power? Was it your mate’s witch mother?”
I shrug.
“That’s fine, Xander. My soldiers will find her. They’re already in your building. I could use another witch to do my bidding.”
I vaguely hear Evangeline behind me, searching the debris. She’s yelling Locheran’s name, but her voice is nearly swallowed by the wind filtering into the penthouse sixty floors above ground .
I mentally check in with her, making sure she’s staying off her broken leg. When she assures me she’s fine, I walk further into the destroyed living room toward a long, narrow cabinet where I keep one of my warspears hidden. I hope it’s still locked in place and not lost in the destruction.
“What I still haven’t figured out is why you’re doing this. You have a coveted role as father’s second. You are heir to the Paris throne. He’s got to be, what, a few hundred years from retirement?”
My brother scoffs, his wings expanding, and he fists his hands at his side. He’s preparing to fight.
When I finally get to the spot where I’ve hidden my weapon, I reveal my own wings. It blocks his view, and I use my tail to extract the warspear.
“Father won’t allow me to rule Paris and you know it. I may be first born, but too much responsibility was put on me as a child. I grew up too fast and rebelled. I was young and stupid, but I learned my lesson. I changed, yet he doesn’t care. He will always see me as a fuck up.”
I got him, I hear Evangeline say in my head.
I answer back.
Tell him to take you to your mother. He must protect the both of you until this is over. Magnus wants to kidnap Mira for her powers.
Before she can answer, Magnus lunges for me. I move out of the way just in time, and he falls into a pile of glass and wood.
The battle begins.
I send the silent command for my soldiers to fight, and chaos erupts outside. Gargoyles collide with Magnus’s army. My soldiers are carrying weapons to maim and kill: battle axes, spears, swords, and war scythes, to name a few. Some of my soldiers use their fangs to tear holes into throats while others slice open stomachs with their claws.
My attention turns back to my brother.
He’s holding his own warspear now.
“What’s more important, little brother? Killing me or saving your mate?”
Another explosion blows down the front door of the penthouse and a gargoyle who I recognize as one of my father’s soldiers enters, dragging Evangeline in by the neck.
Traitor.
“No!”
I move to kill this asshole, but Magnus tsks at me.
“Take one more step, and he will end her life.”
A roar erupts from my chest, and I hurl the warspear at my brother. He dodges it, and I use the diversion to run for him, grabbing him by the neck and catapulting us outside like a cannonball .
We thrash our wings to keep us airborne as we brawl. He uses his tail to try and stab me with his warspear, but I’m stronger now that I’ve mated with Evangeline. I’m faster. He misses with every jab, allowing me to pummel his face with punches, and I don’t hold back. I hit him square in the nose, and blood pours out. I extract my claws and slice them down his chest, peeling open his marble-like skin.
All he does is laugh.
“These injuries will be healed before the night is over.”
His knee makes contact with my groin, forcing me to let go as I lean over in pain. I fall a few feet in the air before I manage to compose myself.
The small distraction is all Magnus needs to grab Evangeline from my father’s traitorous soldier.
“Now you have to make a choice, Xander. Hand over your royal duties to me, or your mate gets stabbed in the heart.”
Magnus wraps his hand around her neck and holds her out as if he’s about to drop her to the ground. She frantically claws at his arms as her air supply is slowly cut off.
“What will it be, little brother? Make your choice fast or I’ll stab her with my warspear and drop her to the ground.”
“I’m afraid you’re done, Magnus. You’ve lost.”
He laughs like a maniac.
“Did you not hear me? I said I’ll drop her—”
“Now, Evangeline!”
She takes her palm with the hexafoil mark and slams it into his chest. Light pours into his heart and spreads over his body.
This will give you light.
The mark of protection not only brought Evangeline back to life, but it gave her the power of the sun. She can use it as a weapon, permanently turning any rogue gargoyle to stone.
We’ve yet to discover how she can use this against other evil beings.
What we do know is my kitten is powerful, and I’m eager to have her fight by my side as my queen.
If only she had wings.
But she doesn’t, and the moment my brother’s body petrifies, Evangeline falls with his solidified form.
I dive towards her like a speeding bullet and reach her halfway down the building.
I tuck her to my body, and she buries her face into my chest.
“Am I dead?”
I chuckle. “No, Kitten. I’ve got you. I’m so proud of you. Fuck, you were brave.”
“I never knew how much I needed your praise until now. ”
I fly us back up to the destroyed penthouse. The battle is all but over. Magnus’s army was no match for my soldiers. I sent in hundreds and had thousands more on standby.
Locheran stands just inside the debris of the living room, holding his head.
“Sorry, boss. They ambushed us.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“Have you checked on my mom and Birdie?” Evangeline asks.
“I just got a text from Thorne,” Locheran says, holding up his phone. “They’re both good. Magnus and his soldiers weren’t able to find her. She had a very powerful cloaking ward up around the apartment.”
“Thank goodness,” Evangeline says, breathing out a sigh of relief.
“Locheran, check with the soldiers on the ground. Make sure they don’t need help cleaning up this mess.”
The battle was masked, but it’s possible some humans witnessed the beginning of the fight. We have a process of questioning humans who stumble upon our existence. We assess their reaction and decide whether to confirm what they saw—for the believers of the strange and unusual—or delude them.
The mind is a tricky thing. Most people can blame unexplained occurrences on exhaustion or simply not wanting to admit they saw something strange and unusual because no one will believe them. The skeptics will always find any explanation other than the truth.
“You got it. What are you two about to do?”
“I need to make love to my mate since I almost lost her again.”
“You know you weren’t going to lose me,” she giggles.
It’s true. We had a plan in place in case Magnus attacked. Evangeline’s mother taught her how to communicate with the protection spells marking her body. She was able to essentially pause the magic of the heather tattoos and the hexafoil, which allowed Magnus and his soldiers to grab her.
He was so consumed by his need for power, he didn’t realize he shouldn’t have been able to touch her in the first place.
“Where are we going to make love? The penthouse is destroyed.”
I lean in and kiss her gently.
“Tonight? The sky is our bedroom.”