Chapter 17 – Rokad
ROKAD
When I saw Narath take off, I knew I had to go and find him before he did something stupid.
Conley and Lucas agreed to grab food for everyone, and I followed my emotional brother.
Fortunately for me, Narath’s huge body didn’t move quite as quickly as mine, and I caught up to him in no time.
He agreed to talk, if only for a little while, so we settled on the edge of a building, silence between us.
I glance at the big man, debating about the right direction to go with this.
He’d upset all of us earlier because he’d upset Em.
Some deep instinct inside me wanted to fight anyone and everyone to keep her safe, which apparently extended to my brother.
But now that things have cooled down, I regret being so hard on him.
“I’m thinking it might be best if I went back to sleep.”
Every muscle in my body tenses, and I glance over at him. His face has fallen, and his gaze is filled with sadness. He’s serious. He actually wants to go back to a state of undeath when we have a chance at being with a beautiful mate and a child soon to come.
“Narath…”
“No, you’re all right. I’m still too unstable. I’m dangerous. My behavior is pushing her away. And I’m going to ruin all our lives. Again.”
Ah, that’s what this is about. I look out over the skyline and I think of my brother as a child. The three of us may have been triplets, but I always seemed to understand the world in a way they didn’t. While Lucas was silly and brought fun and laughter, I brought rules and a deep desire to fit in.
Narath brought none of those things, but he was still important to us.
He was fierce, loyal, and protective. The first time another gargoyle muttered about me under his breath, Narath bit him in the leg.
As a five-year-old, he clamped on while the adult male screamed, but he didn’t care.
He just saw the look of pain on my face and acted.
I smile at the memory. “You, Lucas, and I are different. But we’re a Brotherhood.
We’re a family. And even though you were bespelled before because I didn’t know what else to do, I regretted it every day of my life.
I wished with all my heart that I’d stood up against our grandfather and found another place for you in this world. ”
“But I still don’t have a place in this world,” he mumbles, staring down over the city.
“Yes, you do. Your job is to be there to protect Em and our child…as much as she wants you to. Right now, you’re still figuring out what that looks like and what she wants, but you’ll get it soon, and then our child will have the biggest, badest dads to kick the crap out of anyone who bothers him or her. ”
“You really think I can do that? That I can keep them safe?”
“Narath, would you ever hurt Em or our baby, even at your angriest, at your most lost?”
His face hardens. “Never.”
“So.” I shrug. “You’re just learning how to be with Em, just like the rest of us. So give her a little space, follow her lead, and hopefully, we’ll all have it down by the time the baby comes.”
Narath smiles. “You really believe I can do that?”
“Absolutely. I’ve never seen you with more of a purpose than since Em came into our lives, so just focus on that.”
Narath and I hug, and I sense in him a peace that I only ever imagined he’d feel. Em may have been the catalyst for his changes, for the changes in all of us, but I have a feeling it’s deeper than that for us. That we’re no longer the same gargoyles she met months ago.
“Should we go back and apologize to her?”
Narath gives a small smile. “Absolutely.”
We fly back to the hotel, but we don’t make it all the way there before we see the lights from a police vehicle.
Instantly, my stomach twists. Narath and I exchange a look, and then we duck into a nearby alley and shift, so that our wings are no longer visible.
We walk toward the hotel, my heart racing, and see Conley and Lucas to one side.
Rushing toward them, I hope that this isn’t as bad as I think it is. I hope that Em is okay, and they’re just avoiding the police scene.
Maybe there was a car accident. Or someone was getting a ticket. Maybe this has nothing to do with us.
But when I get closer, I know that I’m wrong. Lucas and Conley look to be in shock, their faces pale, their gazes far away.
“Where’s Em?” I ask, even though my gut already knows the answer.
Lucas answers after a long moment. “A motel employee saw a woman being taken. He tried to fight the guy, and witnesses saw him get burned alive. We don’t know anything else.”
“Ceuthonymus took her?” My words come out shaky.
Lucas nods.
It’s strange. At that moment, the demon within me roars to life, and I don’t see anything. I don’t hear anything. All I’m aware of is a deep sense that I will get my woman and child back.
And that there will be hell to pay.