Chapter 4
Graham
I had expected her to run, but I hadn’t expected the driver behind the vehicle to ram me and the gate.
If this were a smaller car, I could possibly try to stop it.
I was a gargoyle after all, a creature of rock and stone.
But everyone and their grandmothers drove oversized SUVs nowadays, and they weren’t nearly as easy to stop as a sedan.
I dodged the oncoming vehicle instead.
If I were in Darlington, I’d spread my wings and take to the air; it would’ve made following the female much easier. But I’d been instructed to keep a low profile, which was why I was also wearing my glamour. Busting my wings out to fly would break the illusion.
Unlike dragons, I couldn’t actually hide my form when I was in the air unless I had a look-away spell. I only had one of those in my possession, and now was not the time to use it.
By the time I caught up with them, the SUV had boxed her in, and two men were already rounding on the female. A woman still sat in the driver’s seat.
The female stood her ground, despite shaking from fear. She told them the same thing she’d told me, that she didn’t have the egg. Which was technically true; it wasn’t with her. Had someone already taken it off her hands? Or had she hidden it somewhere?
“I don’t even know what egg you’re talking about!”
Now that I knew was a lie.
“Oh yeah, then why are you running?” asked the thug advancing on her.
“Because you’re chasing me with an SUV! What the hell would you do if someone crashed through a fucking gate and tried to run you over?”
“Fuck this shit,” said the second dude. “I want to get paid, and she saw that fucking egg last.”
The man grabbed her arm. She swung at him, but the man moved fast, knocking her arm away. He pulled her toward the SUV.
She twisted, trying to yank free, and managed to smack the heel of her hand against the front of the man’s face.
“You bitch!” he roared.
Blood spurted from his nose, but he held on, dragging her toward the open back door of the SUV. His partner moved in fast, reaching for her other wrist. She struck out with her elbow, catching him in the ribs, but he only grunted.
The woman let out a scream, and something in it woke my protective instincts.
I was moving before I could think. I let out a growl and strode toward them, the gravel shifting under my boots as I closed the distance.
My hand closed around the nearest man’s shoulder.
I yanked him back and he stumbled, losing his grip on her.
She tore free of him, but the second man still had her. He tried to shove her toward the SUV again even as he noticed me, his eyes growing round in recognition.
“Release her!” I roared.
I stepped in, grabbed his wrist, and twisted hard.
He hissed in pain and jerked away, but the first man recovered and lunged at me.
I sidestepped, letting his momentum carry him into the side of the vehicle.
With a swift kick, I knocked the leg out from under him and pushed him down to one knee.
He hit the ground hard, cursing under his breath.
“Leave now,” I told him. “This is your last warning.”
I would’ve loved to show these geniuses just how outmatched they were, but I wasn’t supposed to draw attention to myself. No one should know I was here. They’d link it back to Desmon, and he wanted to keep things under wraps for now.
“It’s one of those fucking monsters!” exclaimed the woman still in the SUV. “I’m calling backup.”
Backup. Great. Just what I needed.
The two men exchanged glances as I placed my body between them and my target. “Don’t,” I warned. “You don’t want to do this.”
They didn’t listen. They never did.
The first one rushed me, thinking speed would make up for stupidity. I met him halfway, slamming into him with enough force to knock him off balance. He staggered, boots scraping across the pavement. He hit the SUV door with a grunt.
The second guy came in from my blind side. A smarter tactic, but still utterly useless. These guys were common grunts. Did they think they could win against someone like me?
I was hyperaware of the woman’s eyes on me as I spun, catching my attacker’s arm before he could land the hit. He yelled when he realized he couldn’t pull free. I tightened my grip just enough to make the point clear.
I turned to the woman I’d been hunting. “We could’ve avoided all of this if you’d just listened to me.”
The asshole tried to knee me, but I saw it coming.
I blocked it before throwing him at the nearest brick wall.
The other guy was suddenly in my face, swinging his fists wildly.
I ducked under it and used my shoulder to knock him off his feet.
These guys just wouldn’t give up, and it was getting annoying. They must be getting paid well.
There was a squeal of brakes as another vehicle approached.
The van’s doors burst open, and more boots hit the ground.
Okay, no more Mr. Nice Guy. The next few minutes were a whirlwind of action.
Punches were thrown, kicks blocked, and bodies slammed into anything and everything.
They fought dirty, but it was a joke how weak these humans were.
The real challenge was keeping them down without any fatalities.
Soon, the only two left standing were the drivers, a man and a woman.
I didn’t bother with them and instead turned to the woman I just rescued.
Except she wasn’t there. Fuck. She’d snuck off while we were fighting.
I didn’t have the tracking abilities of a wolf or bear shifter, but she couldn’t have gone far.
Ignoring the men groaning on the ground, I took off after her. I followed her around a nearby building, then back to the lot in front of the coffee shop where she’d left her damaged vehicle. The vehicle was gone, leaving the glass on the ground.
I got into my own vehicle. Knowing there would be plenty of people after her, I’d taken one of Redrock Protective Service’s armored SUVs for the trip.
If only I could get her to trust me. Her fear of me had been palpable, and I understood why, especially with everyone else chasing her.
She probably thought I was just another asshole after the egg, and technically, I was. Except I was the right asshole.
I eventually found her vehicle parked around the back of a motel, half-hidden behind an overflowing dumpster. Smart placement. Anyone driving by wouldn’t see it unless they were really looking for it.
The scent of blood was fresh and strong, and impossible to ignore. She’d cut herself while cleaning glass from the front seat. The scent had the monster in me demanding we find her now and care for her wounds. I forced myself to ignore it.
It couldn’t have been that bad of an injury, since she’d done a good job at cleaning the glass and had even duct-taped the smashed passenger side window up neatly.
There was a plastic bag inside the car with the logo of the hardware store just down the street.
How had I missed her visit to the store? She’d definitely been busy.
The motel was old and in need of repair, with long strips of peeling paint and a sagging roof that had seen better days.
The neon sign out front glowed weakly and buzzed as the word VACANCY blinked on and off.
The walls were stained from years of rain and neglect, and the siding, which was probably never a true white to begin with, was now a patchwork of gray and brown.
Rust streaked down from the metal fixtures, and the windows were covered with mismatched curtains that didn’t quite close all the way.
A single security camera sat underneath a blinking light at the corner of the building. That was easy to take care of. I grabbed some dirt from the side of the road, and staying out of sight of the camera, I formed it into a ball and tossed it at the lens.
The mudball hit its mark, dead center. I grinned. I still had it.
I hurried, looking through every single window I could. Most of them had curtains drawn, but there was enough of a crack for me to see inside. It took a few tries, but eventually my eyes landed on a bed with a backpack in the middle. The bag was unzipped, and there inside was the egg.
The woman was nowhere to be seen, but I did hear water running. The bathroom door was closed, with light seeping from the bottom, so perhaps she was taking a shower.
A door at the front of the building opened, and the annoyed grumble of the motel manager filled the air as he complained about teenagers and their stupid pranks going for the cameras again.
Thinking fast, I picked up a stone and tossed it at one of the cars on the opposite end of the lot.
The stone hit its mark, and the alarm went off.
“What now? I bet it’s those kids!” The motel manager turned to investigate the noise.
I could try to pick the lock, but I doubted I had enough time, so I did the next best thing.
I gripped the knob and turned. I felt resistance immediately, but I kept turning, using sheer strength to break the lock.
There was the sound of metal grinding and then a crack before the doorknob turned.
The measly chain did nothing to slow me down.
It snapped almost immediately, and I was inside.
The first thing that caught my attention was the smell of blood. It was strong here. I located the source; there were several bloody towels on the dresser.
I wanted to storm into the bathroom and demand she show me her injuries, but she’d probably scream and make a big fuss and possibly even slip in the shower and make things worse, so I forced myself to check on the egg instead.
It felt warm and seemed to pulse against my palm just like she’d described it.
It shimmered in that iridescent way dragon and wyvern scales did and had the telltale texture.
This was the real deal. Any doubt I had was gone.
No wonder the mystery woman was protecting it with her life.
It also explained the number of people after her.
It wasn’t just the group of humans who found her earlier.
There were several wolf shifters on her tail, and I’d detected some magic too.
Wizards—they were the ones I worried about the most.
I took several pictures of the egg and sent them to Desmon.
The water in the other room turned off with a groan of the pipes. I turned to the door, waiting to finally confront her.