Chapter Six
Len woke to the sound of faint arguing. She found herself on a twin mattress with a blanket covering her. She got up, grateful that someone had left the light on in the storage room. She opened the door, and the voices grew louder. A group of about a dozen men were with Kevin and Fray in the center of the large room.
“Enough,” Kevin snarled. “Fray is the expert.”
“Cars, not motorcycles,” Fray announced.
“But we’d be faster,” Fred argued. “We could go off-road while we flee to draw them away.”
“You’d also be damn easy to snatch off that bike.” Fray got into the shorter man’s face. “They are going to be flying if they come after you. Do you know what’s easy? Grabbing you off a bike, taking you thousands of feet up, and letting go. You’d be a stain on whatever surface you land on. Do you know what’s harder? Getting to someone encased inside metal. Cars are too heavy for one of us to lift into the air and fly off with. I’d have to land on it to tear through the roof to get at you, all the while it’s in motion. That’d be tough to do quickly. Have your spotter shoot at their face. Eyes and ears on a Gargoyle are soft spots. They’ll flinch away. That means you’d be able to swerve to try to break their holds. Hit the breaks to send one hurdling off. The heavier the car, the better. No convertibles or soft tops. Nothing with rollbars for them to get a good hold of either. None of those tiny economy cars humans love. They are too easy to flip over by ramming into.”
“You heard him.” Kevin hesitated. “It makes sense. Fray knows what he’s talking about.”
Mitch nodded. “We get their attention. Make sure the Gargoyles are following us before driving in different directions.”
“Exactly. You guys can do this.” Fray sounded confident. “Hit them with a flame thrower if one takes out a vehicle you’re in and you can’t get away. It won’t burn them, but they’d have to keep their eyes closed to protect them from being damaged. That means they’ll be blinded, so you can easily dodge their claws and wings. It will give you enough time for me or my brother to reach you.”
“I’m here.”
Len startled at the deep voice and turned, happy to see the man who looked very much like Fray. Chaz wore dark sunglasses over his eyes, his hair was cut short, and he sported a black tank top that revealed his tan, broad shoulders, and muscled arms. He wore faded jeans and black boots. She watched as he approached his brother. They hugged, slapping each other on the backs.
“You made good time.” Fray grinned.
“I broke every human speed law in my rental car.” Chaz turned his head her way. “Shit. I mean…”
“She knows.” Fray released him. “Remember? She was taken with me.”
Chaz cleared his throat. “Does she know it all?”
“That we’re Werewolves?” Kevin nodded. “I had to tell her. Moe gave me permission to share the truth with her in case of emergency.”
“Shit.” Chaz gave Len his back. “What have I missed? Get me up to speed.”
Gina came out of one of the side rooms and caught Len’s gaze, motioning her over. Len went to her without hesitation. Gina grabbed her hand and tugged her into another storage room, but this one had been set up to be a kind of kitchen with four fridges, a sink, two microwaves, and two of those rolling islands on wheels. Stuff to make sandwiches covered the surface of one.
“You’re awake. How about giving me some help?”
“Sure. I need to find a bathroom first.”
Gina pointed toward the corner. “Right there.”
Len excused herself. It was a compact bathroom with a tiny sink, toilet, and shower. She peed and then washed her hands. The mirror over the sink revealed her messy hair and that her eyes were a tiny bit swollen. It wasn’t her best look. She opened the door.
“Any hope for toothbrushes and toothpaste?”
“Under the sink. There are some buckets filled with supplies down there. There’s also a marker in the drawer. Write your name on the one you use, and you can keep it in the lower drawer.”
Len turned around, keeping the door open, and bent over to yank open the cupboards. There were four buckets under the sink. One held dozens of toothbrush kits with travel-sized mini toothpastes. Another had travel-sized shampoos and conditioners from various brands. The third had sample-sized deodorants. The fourth overflowed with medical supplies. She brushed her teeth, did as Gina had said by storing the toothbrush in the lower drawer, washed her hands again, and left the bathroom.
“Ham and turkey are all we managed to get. Do some with cheese, some without. We need as many as we can make. Be heavy on the meat.”
“Sure.” Len opened a loaf of bread and grabbed a paper plate and a plastic knife. “How are you doing?”
“Keeping busy. I ran to the store to stock up the fridges down here and the one above. We won’t starve tonight.”
“That’s good.”
“If you love sandwiches.” Gina flashed a smile. “Werewolves can eat half a dozen each, so I’m not joking about making plenty. Just stack them according to what’s inside.”
“Alright. I saw the enforcers out there. What’s the plan?”
“They are going to split up tonight, watch locations we think the Gargoyles might target, and then they are going to become bait to lead them away from humans if they show up. Fray is going to attack them from the sky.”
She didn’t like that plan. “Chaz, too. He just arrived.”
“I saw. Part of me hates that Kevin is going to be out of there, but I knew when I mated him that he wasn’t the type to stay at home when shit hit the fan. He was going to be right in the middle of any trouble that came into our territory.”
“You guys have been together for as long as I can remember.”
“Just over two decades.” Gina smiled, but it looked strained. “You’d think I’d get used to this, but I guess it’s been too many years since our pack was in danger.”
“Fray and Chaz won’t let anything happen to Kevin.” She hoped that was true.
Gina nodded, avoiding her gaze. “GarLycans aren’t at the top of the food chain, though. Closer than Werewolves are, but there’s only two of them against at least six Gargoyles.”
“Food chain?”
“Gargoyles, then GarLycans, VampLycans, and it’s a tie between Vampires and Werewolves. It depends on their ranking and strength.”
“Humans below that,” Len guessed.
Gina lifted her head and held her gaze. “Yes. Sorry.”
“What’s a VampLycan?”
“Just what it sounds like. Half Vampire and Lycan. Werewolf. They don’t use the W word either.”
That disturbed Len. “So Vampires and Werewolves hook up together, huh?”
“Not usually. It’s a long story, and it depends on what you heard about how that happened. It’s law, though, that Vampires can’t force us to breed their children. The VampLycans and GarLycans have gone after any nest who attempted it. They were killed for that crime. That’s all I know for sure.”
“Have I met a VampLycan?”
She shook her head. “They don’t visit our pack. Just Chaz and Fray come here regularly. I’ve met Hawk twice.”
“Who?”
“Their father. He’s all Gargoyle. I can’t say it was a pleasant experience.”
That piqued her interest. “Why? Is he a jerk or something?”
Gina shook her head. “Hawk is just big, scary-looking, and he didn’t talk much. He has the same eyes as his sons. He’s got a presence, though, you know?”
Len shook her head, not certain what that meant.
“Have you ever been near someone, and they made you nervous? Like you wanted to inch away, and deep down, you could tell they were dangerous? As if every instinct inside you screamed to get away. That’s Hawk. I guess another full Gargoyle is coming with him. Last I heard, they should arrive sometime in the morning.”
“They are coming from Alaska?”
Gina nodded. “That’s where the clan lives. Fray told Kevin they put out a call for any close guardians to come here too.”
“Guardians?”
“GarLycans and Gargoyles who protect certain packs and live near them. Having rogue Gargoyles in this country is alarming to everyone.”
That was a lot of information to take in. “So these guardians protect packs from Gargoyles, like what’s happening here?”
“Guardians usually protect packs who are in danger from large Vampire nests that don’t play nice with others and sometimes if there’s a severe human poacher problem. Being shot can kill a Werewolf if it hits the brain right or does extensive damage to the heart. We can also die from extreme blood loss. This is the first time I’ve heard of Gargoyles trying something like this. Lord Aveoth, the one who rules the clan, doesn’t want a colony to set up either. He kind of claimed the entire United States and tries to keep other Gargoyles from moving here.”
“The ones I met did seem terrifying and crazy mean.”
“Gargoyles are bad news. Not all, but most.” Gina sighed. “I get it, though. European Werewolves are different from the ones living here. I met a German one once who was traveling around, staying with packs that would welcome him for a few days at a time. They are raised completely differently than we are here in the States.”
“Do you want to fill me in?” Len was curious.
“Sergey wasn’t human-friendly, you know? We try hard to fit in here. To be good neighbors. We keep a low profile, but we mingle. They don’t. I got the impression that European packs completely separate themselves from humans. Sergey said we’re crazy for doing it in the first place. He one hundred percent mistrusted all humans.”
“Why was he here?”
“He hadn’t found his true mate and was searching for her. I guess he’d looked in other packs across Europe and a few other continents.”
“Werewolves are all over the world?”
“Of course.”
“So, like China?”
“Has Werewolves, Vampires, and probably Gargoyles too. VampLycans and GarLycans all live in Alaska, but they travel across the US and parts of Canada.”
“Are Werewolves the only shifters?”
Gina shook her head. “I’ve never met any, but I’ve heard there are cat and bear shifters.”
“Shit.” That made her feel shocked.
“They keep hidden more so than packs. Cat shifters avoid the US entirely. Packs slaughtered them here. They mostly live in other countries. My father ran into a small group of bear shifters in California back during the gold rush when he was a young Wolf.”
Len gaped at her, remembering her history. “That was like the mid-eighteen hundreds, right?”
Gina winked. “We live way longer than humans. My parents are alive and well.”
“Do I know them?”
She shook her head. “They live in Indiana. I met Mitch while I was on vacation here. Some of my human friends liked to travel every summer, and I’d go with them. It gave my dad a serious case of fear for me, but I always contacted the local packs before entering their territories to gain permission first. I could have been mistaken as a rogue otherwise. Most packs kill them on sight. Kevin was the one Moe sent to meet with me to go over the rules I needed to follow while here. It was lust at first sight. I mated him.”
Kevin entered the room, and Gina put down the sandwich she’d just made and walked toward him. He opened his arms, hugged her, and placed a kiss on her lips.
“It’s time,” he mumbled. “Be safe for me, love.”
Gina sniffed, burying her face against his chest, and hugged his waist tight. “Ditto to you. Come back to me.”
“Always.”
Len wiped her hands on a napkin and eased past the hugging couple to enter the main part of the basement. Fray stood about ten feet away, softly talking to his brother. The other enforcers were gone. She hesitated but then strode toward the twins.
“You’re leaving?”
They stopped talking at the sound of her voice, and both faced her. Her gaze locked on Fray’s handsome features, hating those damn dark sunglasses again, wishing she could see his eyes. She stopped a few feet in front of him.
“We are. Remember your promise to me, Len. You stay down here locked in, and you don’t leave.”
She gave Fray a nod. “I swear. Please be very careful.”
“I don’t plan to die.”
She wanted to hug him. Kiss him. Something. The sensation of being watched by Chaz was felt, but she ignored him. “Fuck it.” She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Fray’s waist, pressing her cheek to his chest. “Don’t die. You have your own promise to keep. I’m holding you to it. We have a date I’m not letting you out of. My cabin when this is over.”
Fray put his arms around her and pulled her in tight, resting his chin on the top of her head. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Shit,” Chaz grumbled.
“Shut it.” Fray eased his hold around Len and moved his chin.
She peered up at Fray. “Let me see your eyes.”
He raised his hand and removed the sunglasses. His eyes were amazing and didn’t frighten her anymore. They were beautiful.
She smiled. “There you are. Be careful. I can’t stress it enough. We’re going to finish what was started last night.”
“Moe is going to rip off your nuts,” Chaz softly warned.
Fray glanced at his brother, showing a flash of annoyance, before he gave her his full attention again. “It’s going to be fine. Chaz and I have taken on tough missions before. I’m kind of looking forward to killing those bastards. I’ll see you in the morning. Try to get more sleep.”
“As if I’ll be able to. I’ll make a deal with you.”
Fray arched his eyebrows, waiting for her to finish what she had to say.
“I’ll go to sleep with you in the morning after you return. You do sleep, right?”
He grinned. “Yes, we sleep. Just not as much as humans do.”
Len reached up and cupped his face with both hands, the urge to kiss him still strong. “Keep that pretty head of yours. I like it.”
Fray chuckled. “Pretty?”
“Handsome. Whatever. Come back to me alive. We have plans.”
“We do.”
“Let’s go,” Kevin called.
Fray put his hands over hers, gave them a squeeze, and then stepped back, breaking contact with her. “I’ll see you soon.”
She watched him walk away. The door to the stairwell opened, and the three men left. Moments later, a bunch of women and older men entered, at least twenty of them. She knew them all. They either worked for Moe, went to his parties, or they came to visit her parents sometimes to have dinner. She returned to the makeshift kitchen after washing her hands. Gina’s eyes were teary.
“They are going to be fine.” Len hoped saying it aloud would make it fact.
* * * * *
“What the fuck?” Chaz waited to say anything to Fray until they were in the woods behind Moe’s house. His brother got in his face, almost nose to nose.
“Back off,” Fray warned his twin.
“Lenore is off limits. Moe is going to blow his fucking top.”
“I’ve always been attracted to her.”
Chaz frowned. “I know, but Moe is family. You don’t ignore his wishes. He wants Lenore kept innocent.”
“That’s blown to hell and back after what happened last night when those bastards attacked the motel I was at. She got to see the worst of how Gargoyles can be.”
Chaz gripped his arms. “You said that before, but I thought I had heard you wrong. She was at your motel? How long has this been going on between you two, and why in the fuck didn’t you tell me? We don’t keep secrets.”
“It’s not like that. She came to bring me my backpack. I didn’t invite her to my motel for sex. Fuck, you know that place is a shithole. Do you really think I’d take her on one of those beds?” Fray curled his lip in disgust.
Chaz released him. “You haven’t fucked her?”
“Not yet.”
His brother shoved his sunglasses to the top of his head to peer at him eye to eye, searching his.
“I’m not lying. I wouldn’t do that with you. Len’s visit to the motel was innocent. She showed up there to drop off the backpack I keep at Moe’s. That’s when the attack went down. We had to fool around a little since I protected her by saying she was my breeding vessel. They commented on how they didn’t smell that on her from me. I fixed it by making sure she had semen on her thigh. On her. Not inside.”
Chaz reached up and pulled his glasses down over his eyes. “Shit. Moe loves that little girl as if she’s his kid.”
“Len’s not a little girl anymore. She’s a woman.” Fray resented having to point that out to his twin.
“Moe won’t care. Do you think Lenore is the one for you?”
“She likes to be called Len. After last night, the time we spent together, I think so.”
“Even if Moe doesn’t take it well?”
“Even if.” Fray recoiled inside, though. His uncle was an important person in his life, the only family link left to their mother. “At least he’ll know I’ll take damn good care of Len.”
“He’d ask you to move here.”
“That would never work out.”
His twin snorted. “No shit. That’s why GarLycans are only guardians of packs and live apart from them. It causes major confusion with pack hierarchy if we spend too much time around them. They start feeling drawn to our strengths more so than their alpha, and the enforcers begin to question who should lead them. We don’t want Moe to be challenged. Are you ready to go find a mountain cave to live in to watch over this pack’s territory?” Chaz smirked.
“Fuck you. We both know Moe doesn’t want that. We’ve offered to send a guardian here before. He flat-out refused. He’s too proud. Speaking of, I found out that his pack is under threat from another one. Territory war.”
“Fuck,” Chaz rumbled.
“We’ll deal with that after this mess is cleaned up.”
“We sure as hell will. Which pack?”
“Folsom.”
“Never heard of them.” Chaz flashed a dangerous grin. “They are about to meet us, though.”
“My thoughts exactly. We’ll handle it so Moe never has to know why the threat was eliminated. You know as well as I do that he’d order us to stand down. Not happening.”
“Who is Dad bringing with him?”
“Delbius.”
Chaz grinned. “The swordmaster? I didn’t think he ever left the cliffs.”
“He did for Dad.”
“I’m glad. He’s an amazing fighter.” Chaz removed his shirt and stretched, letting his wings slide out. He looked up. “Let’s prepare.”
Fray stripped off his shirt. “No playing with these bastards.”
His brother snorted. “It’s usually you that likes to fuck around with prey. Not me. Don’t confuse the two of us.”
“I had the Lycans pair up in three car groupings at four different locations tonight. We’ll soon be able to fly high enough to watch them and go after whoever has a sighting.”
“I can’t believe that Kevin allowed you to talk any of the pack into being bait.”
Fray shrugged. “It was the best plan I could come up with. We’re outnumbered. That means divide and conquer. We won’t allow any of Moe’s pack to die.”
Chaz nodded. “Damn straight. How are we going to know who is being bait and who are just humans in the wrong place?”
Fray grinned. “You’ll see.”
“Your amusement worries me. Just tell me.”
“I had them run to a store to buy strobe lights. The pack cars that engage will turn them on. They also have flame throwers in case one of the cars they are driving is taken out of commission. Do you think that will be easy enough for you to spot? Flashing lights means they have engaged the enemy and are leading them off. Two Lycans will be in each of those three cars at different locations, so once they sight the Gargoyles, they can split up. Even if all six Gargoyles that I saw in the mines go after them, they’d have to split up, following each car. At least, I hope that’s how it goes down.” Fray paused. “That means each of us might be fighting two at a time. If you see a flame thrower being used, it means get there fast to kill whatever Gargoyle has them cornered without a working vehicle anymore.”
“That’s a total fucking Fray plan. Crazy as shit.” Chaz chuckled, though. “Yeah. It will shock the fuck out of the dickheads, too, between the strobe lights and flames.”
“That’s all part of my master plan. It will confuse the bastards when they see flashing lights coming out of the cars, and they will be more focused on that than us coming at them from above.”