Giddy for the Gargoyle (Manhattan Monsters #3)

Chapter 1 – Farrah

My best friend is marrying a gargoyle.

Nope. Not human.

Monster.

And a king at that!

Most monsters mask their true forms to the human world. Humans aren’t supposed to be able to see what they truly look like, but I’m cursed with special abilities. A destiny, you could say.

I come from a long line of monster hunters, dating back centuries. People who capture and kill evil and dangerous creatures who have no place in our world. At least that’s what I was taught when my lessons on how to kill monsters began at just five years old.

Vampires die with a stake to the heart, decapitation, or direct sunlight. Ultraviolet rays work as well, though it takes longer and is extremely painful. Technology has advanced enough that we’ve adapted our weapons, creating wooden bullets or infusing ammo and knives with UV rays.

The urban legends about silver bullets killing werewolves are true for the most part. It’s toxic to them, and they can survive getting shot with a silver bullet anywhere on their body except the head and heart. Decapitation and ripping their hearts out are most effective.

The fae are the hardest to kill as they’re extremely deceitful and most are centuries old.

They’re believed to come from another realm; therefore, things in our world do little to incapacitate them.

I’ve yet to meet a fae and no hunter has ever killed one.

Though we believe ending a fae’s existence can only happen if they fall in love and their mate is killed.

A difficult task since the fae are heartless creatures.

Or so I’ve been told.

Then we have gargoyles. Their horns are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, believed to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck and fortune to those who come to own them.

Gargoyles can die by warspear, which is just a fancy name for a weapon that’s made of iron and is extremely toxic to them. Decapitation works as well.

It’s all so violent, and I want no part of it.

To say my father was disappointed is an understatement.

Think of your mother and the creature who killed her.

My mother was killed by a vampire. She had him bound and tortured in a basement, aiming to get the locations of vampire dens in the state.

The vampire held off, staying silent despite the torture, and when Mom thought he was weak enough to move outside to burn in the sun’s rays, the vampire attacked and ripped out her throat.

The so-called monster was only trying to defend himself. He killed my mother to survive. How can I defend one death for another?

I was heartbroken, of course. I was only seven when it happened, and she was my mother.

The woman who raised and loved me. She taught me to love myself no matter what the world thought about my body.

I’m a big girl. I’ve always been a big girl, even as a child.

The other kids bullied me for my size, yet my mother always told me to ignore their cruel words and know my worth.

She always said love is stronger than hate.

Yet hate is what defines our family. Hate for monsters.

I was never convinced they were bad. Not all of them, at least. It took me years to find the courage to tell my father that I no longer wanted to continue my training.

Fifteen years old and he all but disowned me.

My older brother too. My younger brother is the only one who still speaks to me.

He’s the only reason I stomach visiting the family, which is limited to the holidays.

When my bestie, Evangeline, introduced me to Xander, I recognized his name. I first heard it when I began my lessons. Xander Basque is well known to the hunter community as king of New York City gargoyles.

He’s also untouchable. Even hunters aren’t dumb enough to kill a gargoyle king. At least, that was the unspoken rule: leave royals alone. Target lesser beings.

Now things have changed. My family is becoming greedy. They’ve moved their operations to New York City. It’s idiotic. There are too many supernatural beings here. Powerful ones, including Xander.

I was devastated when I found out that Evangeline was marrying him.

Not because she found love while I’m still single and alone, but because I fear for her life.

She’s now just as much a target as Xander.

It’s possible my family doesn’t know the gargoyle king is getting married. But when they find out…

Tears fall down my cheeks as I watch Evangeline recite her vows to her soon-to-be husband.

Her king.

He’s in his human form as are all the monsters here tonight. I assume that’s for me since I’m technically not supposed to know they exist.

Evangeline glows as she smiles up at Xander. She deserves this. She deserves to be happy after the hell her asshole ex put her through.

I’ve missed her so much. We barely see each other anymore now that she’s living in the Big Apple. It’s one of the reasons I’m moving here. Another reason? I need to keep her safe from my family.

I’m not sure how I’ll keep her safe since I know nothing about my family’s hunting operations.

They don’t tell me anything. I only hear about the aftermath.

To the world, hunter deaths are blamed on tragic accidents: a house fire, a car crash, a gunshot while hunting deer.

Like my cousin, Beau. He didn't die after falling while hiking.

I was told he was captured by monsters, and like all hunters, he had a kill pill in his mouth that he bit down on and ended his life before the monsters were able to extract information from him.

That’s all I know. That’s all they’d tell me.

I would be sad, but I didn’t know Beau that well since most of my family disowned me for my decision to leave the hunt.

A sniffle to my right pulls my attention from the happy couple. I extract a tissue from my clutch and hand it to Evangeline’s mother, Mira. I wonder if Evangeline knows—I mean, certainly she does—that her mom is a witch.

A powerful one.

The curse of having hunter DNA is being able to identify supernatural beings.

I don’t come across monsters often, but when I do, there’s a physical tell; a feeling.

Goosebumps when it’s not cold. The hairs on my arms and neck standing tall.

It’s as if they give off more energy than humans.

Gargoyles must be different because I not only feel their monstrous presence, but their human forms glitch around me.

My skin has been buzzing all night around these monsters.

I’ve been anxious sitting next to Evangeline’s mother.

Being a witch, Mira has the magical capabilities to dip into my head.

As a child, I learned how to implement shields to protect my thoughts.

I have them in place now but depending on how strong of a witch she is, she might be able to push past them and find out my family is full of horrible humans.

If you’re listening, Mira, I swear I’m not one of them.

I never sensed Mira's magical abilities as a child, but I was just a kid and still learning.

I first met her when we moved to Upstate New York in second grade, and I became friends with Evangeline who lived next door.

Mira barely spoke then and hardly left her bedroom when I was at their house.

Then three years later, Evangeline told me her mother got sick and was being treated at a psychiatric hospital for undisclosed mental health issues.

I first realized she was a witch last year while dress shopping with Evangeline. Most witches have an aura around them. Mira’s is a shade of pink. My best friend’s aura is purple. Her magical powers only recently emerged; otherwise, I would have been able to sense them when we were younger.

Same with my family. If my father had known our neighbors were witches, he never mentioned it to me. Though, most hunters don’t fuck with witches. Their magic is too unpredictable.

I wish Evangeline would have confided in me about this new part of her life.

I suppose there’s still a lot I don’t know about my best friend, especially when it comes to her mother.

She rarely spoke of her after her hospitalization, but to be fair, I kept secrets from Evangeline too.

I didn’t tell her my family hunts monsters or that I spent nearly ten years training to follow in their footsteps.

Now there’s no way I can tell her. She would hate me. She would never want to speak to me again.

I’ll just have to keep pretending I believe she’s getting married to a human until she’s ready to tell me monsters exist.

If she ever does.

The ceremony is held on the rooftop of Xander’s penthouse. Despite the pleasant late May breeze, the night is warm. Decorations glitter against the dark sky and my best friend looks stunning in her yellow sun dress that hugs her thick body like a second skin.

Evangeline is a big girl like me. We’re the same age too. Well, I’m older by a few months. I just turned forty-two last month, and I’m not sure how I feel about this getting older thing.

Forty-two and I’ve been single my entire life. No long-term relationships and a lot of horrible one-night stands. Dating is exhausting for fat people and at this point, I want to give up on finding my one true love.

Not to mention that sex just isn’t good for me.

I must be broken.

I know who could help fix me.

I turn my head to find Locheran sitting in the aisle chair in the row directly across from me. He pays me no attention as the chaplain leads the ceremony.

Of course Locheran’s not looking at me. Why would he be interested in some short, big bellied, human?

The first time we met, he avoided me like I was a fucking disease. The look he gave me when Evangeline introduced us was a mix of what appeared to be pain and disinterest.

Asshole.