Chapter Six
Archibald
We land in the center of the garrison, several buildings surrounding a grassy square. Ben works in the brick building on the edge of Beech Bluff Government Garrison. I have an office, and attend sessions in the stately pillared building in front of me.
My bonded stand slightly behind me, on either side. My bond mates are strong alphas and I trust them with my life. I shake the tiny drops of condensation off my wings before folding them in. The sky is dimming and the moon is full.
A scientist whose name escapes me paces up, nodding politely to me and dropping his eyes—as he should as a beta—before slapping Ben on the back in a familiar manner. Ben scowls at him silently as the gargoyle laughs.
“I’d have thought you’d be in a better mood,” he chuckles kindly.
“What number did we end up, Erik?” Ben asks, face shuttered.
I look at Ben harder as some thought escapes me.
The scientist smiles, tilting his tall horns down to speak quietly to Ben, “Number one. Put these on your shirts, please,” he directs as he hands us each a small white button screen.
I see both Ben and Theo relax slightly. Shit, do they have a specific woman in mind?
Ben edges closer and Theo and I both lean in as we walk slowly towards the facility.
“The women are in rooms and their information is displayed electronically. We’ll be within the space with nine other chimes, but we’ll get first choice.
We can have the guards deactivate lights on the screens of the women we know we are not interested in.
Then we can wander and activate the screens on any we may want.
The next set of chimes won’t be able to view the women until our selections are made. ”
I raise an eyebrow as Ben’s hand lands on my forearm. “What is it Ebenezer?”
“We must choose well. We’re the highest ranked chime to be allowed a human female from our treaty program. If this goes poorly...” He trails off. Theo’s face sobers.
But I had already thought this through. There were two gargoyles ‘above’ me in the New United power structure. Both had gargoyle omegas at the center of their chimes. If the most powerful unbonded chime can’t control, master, and breed a human, how will others?
Ben’s been very cagey, even with us, on the ‘results’ from the first year of the program.
I know that he is worried that leaked data could taint the validity of their results so I haven’t pushed him.
But there’s something he’s not telling me and that makes me nervous.
I can only lead well if I have all the information.
Unfortunately, now is not the time to question him. I frown.
Damn my fool wings, making me leave last night in search of the peace of flying, instead of insisting on helping my bonded.
We follow Ben into a small entry room. The other chimes, numbers two - ten, based on their combined personnel rankings, are already there. I recognize two groups but the others are from foreign leaderships.
When the wee Fae died in the late 2010’s, our rulers were outraged. The fairies, the sprites, the kiln- and hearth-spirits, the nixies, the leprechauns, the kobolds. All dead. Suffocated on the pollution the idiot humans put into our air, our water, our earth.
The humans had to be stopped. Curtailed. Controlled. For their own good.
In a move that ended up being rather devastating for them, the vampires sided with the humans. I suppose it makes sense; vamps always said the blood tasted best from willing prey. And how willing would the humans be if their vampires kept them chained up like junkyard dogs?
The BloodStone War lasted from 2024 to 2030. The last vampire ashed out, tied to a stake, here, outside this very building. His capture and execution was what bumped my rank to A.
The Lunar Battles started soon after. The damn humans bribed the largest werewolf packs to fight for them. Mercenaries in fur.
Now the weres are gone too.
It’s unfortunate that we had to lose the only two other large species of magical creatures, but we won’t stand by idly while our home, our planet is destroyed. For once that happens, we’re all dead anyway.
“Ranger Archibald!” a pinkish grey gargoyle with big horns and small wings calls. I manage not to roll my eyes.
“It’s Earl Archibald, now, actually, Frederick,” I rumble, the scent of the human women laying heavy in my throat.
“Yes, yes, of course. And are you excited to choose a bride?” He grins in a way that is not kind.
I snort. A bride. What utter bullshit. A human concept we latched onto to make this more palatable.
Our female would be the center of our chime.
But she would not be a gargoyle omega, making it impossible for her to help make our family decisions given her lack of understanding of our culture.
That job will not be hers; though the rest of the female’s responsibilities will be the same as an omega of our species: she will be a brood mare, there to take our seed, settle our beasts and bring us through our ruts, ease the ache in our balls, to submit prettily and beg for more.
In return, she'll be pleasured, spoiled, taken care of, a member of our society. After she’s trained that is.
I turn my attention back to ranking member of the Quorum. He’s probably upset his chime wasn’t chosen. “Yes, very, Freddy. If you’ll excuse us?” I tilt my head towards the scientist Erik at the front of the room. Frederick nods brusquely and slips outside.
Erik clears his throat. “Alphas. You’ll notice that your button screens are glowing.
Green is for the highest ranked chime, then blue, then purple, then red, then yellow.
When we open the doors, all the screens attached to the rooms will have each color glowing on them.
You can use the touch screen to read more about the human woman in the room if you wish, or deactivate your chime’s color if you are not interested in her.
” Erik shifts awkwardly from foot to foot.
“We... er... had a situation last year. Please note that any physical violence between chimes will remove you from the bride selection process for an undetermined amount of years.”
Hmm, that hadn’t made sector news. I glance at Ben. He quickly looks away. I frown yet again. Our human might not be the only one getting some training tonight.
“If you have the numbers of the human women you know you are not interested in, you can hand them to me and I will deactivate your color from their screen now.”
Ben steps forward, handing Erik a slip of paper. I’m suddenly torn. Those are women I won’t even bother to view, to smell, to consider, now. Perhaps I fucked up in letting my bonded handle this.