Sixx (The Stone Society, #7) (18 page)

Desi kept quiet for the most part. He only interrupted when he had a question pertaining to the Gargoyles and how it affected him. A couple of times, Michael paused to refill his glass. He held out the bottle to Desi, and he allowed his father to serve him. For over two hours, Desi listened to and watched the man he’d dreamt of meeting all his life. He never admitted to Desirae how much he wanted a father figure or how badly he wanted to meet his own dad. Watching his friends grow up with a man in the house was hard for Desi. He felt like he was missing out on so much, but he would never let her know that. She already had enough on her plate, dealing with her “condition,” as she called it.

Right now, he wasn’t as interested in the man as a father figure but more of a giver of knowledge.
Yeah, right. Keep telling yourself that.

His mother didn’t say a word the whole time Michael was speaking, but it was clear by her biometrics she was not mad at the man. Male. Gargoyles were not men. They were referred to as males. Men were human. Desi was now half-human, half-blooded Gargoyle. He supposed he always had been, even though his shifter half had lain dormant until a year ago. As hard as it was to sit there and try to ignore, his mother was turned on by the male. Michael explained the mating process, and since Desirae was Michael’s mate, it made sense she was affected by him, even if he was doing nothing more than standing across the room talking. The mate pull was some powerful shit. It was during that point in the conversation when Desi finally spoke up. He had transitioned because he met his mate, only he didn’t know who she was. “So let me get this straight – I bumped into some random person, and they’re my mate?”

“Yes. If you could remember anyone you came in contact with around the time you phased who made you nauseous, or jealous, or crazy, you might be able to pinpoint who it was. You don’t have to physically touch someone for them to trigger the transition. You only have to be in their presence. It could have been a fan at an after party or one of the girls you brought up on stage during your show. It could be the teller at the bank or the girl at the check-out counter of the local grocery store. If you are around her, you’ll definitely know it. All others pale in comparison to her.”

“Well that explains a lot.” It explained why he was the only band member band not looking to get laid every night. He chalked it up to his hormones being tamped down by whatever was inside of him. Desi tried to think back to the time before he turned. Michael remained quiet as if he knew Desi was trying to concentrate.

The last show they played had been physically demanding. He felt as if he were coming down with the flu. He’d not been well for a few days, but there was no way he would cancel the last show of the year. He had transitioned right after Christmas. The band was on break for the holidays, but instead of spending time with his mom ringing in the New Year, he begged her forgiveness for leaving her alone. Luckily, Desi had remained at the hotel to try to sleep off whatever he’d come down with while the rest of the band returned to their families. While he was there, his body transformed into the monster he thought he was. The half-blood he now knew himself to be. Chalking his symptoms up to the flu, he didn’t pay attention to when he first started feeling bad.

“Fuck! This is so frustrating. I can’t think of a single moment when I knew something was wrong. I’m around so many people on a daily basis. There’s no one woman that stands out in my mind. Only...”

“What is it, Son?” Michael asked. Desi let the endearment slide. If he were being honest, it felt good having his dad claim him. More than once while he was talking about the past had Michael’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. It was clear to Desi his father was remorseful. He truly believed if he had known he could mate with Desirae, he would never have left. The love for his mate was evident in his voice. The way his eyes lit up when he talked about watching her surf. He even mentioned how they would have made Desi a big brother many times over. He couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to grow up with not only a father but several siblings running around the house as well. The honesty in Michael’s words made it hard to stay mad at him.

Getting back to the question, he replied, “I have a recurring dream. The same woman is in it. In the dream, she means something to me. Even though we don’t get physical, I somehow know she’s my lover. Do you think my subconscious could be conjuring my mate?”

“I think it’s a real possibility. As Gargoyles, we have special gifts of awareness. Some even have stronger affinities at reading others. Our medical examiner’s adopted son, Connor, was able to communicate with Dante telepathically before they ever met. Connor had drawn a picture of Dante without ever laying eyes on him.”

“How is that possible?”

“Dante’s mate, Isabelle, is the daughter of Jonas Montague.”

“The scientist who caused the apocalypse?”

“Yes. Jonas is from the Original line of shifters. His bloodline is powerful. Isabelle’s son, Connor, even though young, inherited the blood and is extremely gifted. When he was kidnapped, he used drawings to tell Dante where he was.”

“Kidnapped? That poor boy,” Rae whispered.

“That’s another thing we need to discuss. But I’ll save that for later. Right now, I have an idea. Can you describe the female from your dreams in detail?”

“Yeah, I can. Her features are so vivid. I can still see them when I wake up.” Desi’s heart sped up. He’d always thought he’d never settle down because of his touring, but if there was a woman out there made specifically for him? The thought excited him. He wasn’t a player. He didn’t take random groupies to the tour bus for a quick fuck. While it might be because he didn’t want his mom disappointed at him being a man whore, he just didn’t feel the urge. On stage, he was Desmond Rothchild, rock ‘n roll’s vampire god. Off stage, he was just Desi.

“Rae, how do you feel about sketching Desi’s dream woman? If you can manage a close enough likeness, I can get Julian to run the picture through a facial recognition program. We might locate Desi’s mate for him.”

Desi fully expected his mother to say no. When she finally spoke up, it was to agree. “Yes, if you think it will work. Desi?”

“You can draw?” He had seen what his mom could do with a computer, but he’d never seen her pick up a pencil for anything other than to work her crossword puzzles.

“I dabble,” she admitted.

Michael coughed out a “bullshit,” obviously disagreeing with her.

“Whatever. You ready to do this now?” She waited for him to nod before she disappeared down the hall.  He expected the silence between him and Michael to be uncomfortable, but his father didn’t allow it.

“Are you hungry? I can either order in or run out to grab us all something while I give you and your mom some privacy.”

“You’d do that?” Desi was surprised that Michael would leave him alone with his mom after way the he’d acted all alpha protective earlier.

“Of course I would. I’d do anything for you and your mom. Desi, I know you just met me, but I am going to spend the rest of my unnaturally long life making it all up to you. To both of you. I don’t expect you to accept me as your father right away. We may never get to that point. I’ll take friendship. Honestly, I’ll take any crumb you throw at my feet. I’ve missed out on so much of your life, and I’m ready to make amends. Whatever it takes. So yes, I’ll give you alone time with Rae. I’ll give you space, or I’ll sit and listen while you talk. I’ll take you surfing. I’ll sit and drink beer with you. I’ll come to your concerts and yell louder than anyone. What I won’t do is try to buy your love, so I won’t offer my Bugatti, but I will let you drive it.”

“You’ve got a fucking Bugatti? Don’t dismiss the bribery just yet. Everyone has a price,” he joked. It felt good to be able to banter with this man. His father. Desi never realized the extent to which he desired meeting Michael until that moment. He might be a grown man, but fuck it. Desi Rothchild had a father.

S
ixx scribbled down Rae and Desi’s food order even though he had it memorized. As much as he wanted to stay and watch Rae draw their son’s dream woman, he had to give them time alone to discuss everything they’d heard and witnessed that day, without him there to interfere. Rae had to deal with Sixx returning after all these years, and Desi had to absorb the fact he was a half-blood Gargoyle. Desi was right about one thing – they had done without him this long. Even Desi had lived for a year after transitioning without help from anyone. Sixx needed to give them both time to come to terms with his return into their lives and what it meant going forward.

“Where’d the board come from?” Desi asked, running his fingers over the sunburst pattern.

“It’s my birthday present from Michael,” Rae explained.

“Nice. But you don’t surf anymore.” Desi frowned at his mom.

“I’m hoping to remedy that, and soon. I took my board out yesterday, and I can’t wait for your mom to join me. Now, anything else you need while I’m out? Groceries? More liquor or beer?” Sixx was ready to get his little trip over with. The sooner he left, the sooner he could return. He’d already missed so much time being around his son, he didn’t want to lose anymore.

Rae gave him a funny look. She opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it.

“Doll, if you need something, I’ll get it for you. I promise I don’t mind.”

“I don’t want to put you out,” she explained.

“It won’t put me out. It will help you, plus it will give you and Desi more alone time. Now, what do you need?”

Rae walked over to the fridge and pulled a sheet off the top of a magnetic notepad. “It’s my grocery list. I’m not picky about what brand stuff is. Whatever’s on sale is fine.”

“You got it. Desi? Do you need anything?”

“Another bottle of vodka would work.”

Sixx added vodka to the list of groceries, even though he wouldn’t likely forget it. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours. If you think of anything you need, just call my cell. Please lock the door behind me.” He placed a business card on the counter and exited through the back door. Before he was fully outside he turned back around and asked Rae, “May I take your picture? It’s for the mask we spoke of.”

“Sure,” she agreed. Sixx took a close-up of his mate. That beautiful pixie face staring back at him had a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. He’d take it. As soon as he stepped outside, Sixx paused to reach out with his senses. The deadbolt was flipped. That was one less thing he had to worry about. There was something strange in the air. Something he couldn’t put his finger on, but it made him nervous. He wished he’d brought Urijah along as back-up. He hated leaving his mate and son alone with no protection, but they probably wouldn’t appreciate having a babysitter at this point in the game.

As soon as he was seated in the Jeep, he pulled out his cell phone and turned the ringer back on. He had several missed texts and one missed call. The texts were from Uri wanting to know if his balls were still attached. The missed call was from an unknown number, but there was no voice mail, so he dismissed it. After he was on the road, he connected a call to Julian. It was later on the East Coast, but the Goyle worked late every night. He refused to claim his mate while the shit with Alistair was ongoing. Sixx couldn’t really blame him. If he wasn’t such a selfish bastard, he’d have left Rae alone.

“Missing me already?” Julian said when he answered.

“You know it. My self-entertainment only lasts so long until boredom sets in. How are things back there?”

“Let’s see... Nik and Sophia are arguing over what color to paint the nursery. Frey is trying to get Abbi pregnant. Mason is torn between staying away from Willow and losing his virginity over her desk. Gregor has his hands full with Isabelle trying to rehabilitate Vincent. When she’s not sneaking him cigarettes, she’s taunting Kallisto. Travis is finally coming around. I think getting back to work helped with that. Dane finally asked Marley out on a proper date instead of stalking her table at the diner every morning.”

“And what of you and your mate? Change your mind about the cute little reporter?”

“No. Oh, I’ve no doubt I’ll eventually cave, but for now, I’m watching her from afar. How are things with you? Have you confronted Rae yet?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. I did that this morning. It went better than I expected, honestly. I’ve also met my son.”

“The rock star who thinks he’s a vampire?” Julian laughed, but now that Sixx knew the truth, it wasn’t all that funny.

“He has good reason. He transitioned over a year ago and had no idea what he was.”

“Holy shit, that’s awful. I take it if he thinks he’s a vampire, he has no idea who his mate is.”

“No, and that’s the reason I’m calling. Desi has dreams of a woman he’s never met as far as he can remember. I think there’s a possibility the dreams are his shifter’s way of reminding Desi who she is. Right now, he is back at their house describing the woman to Rae who is sketching a photo.”

“And you want me to run her through facial recognition.”

“Yes. It’s been hard enough for Desi to go through being a half-blood for a year without knowing what he was. Both he and Rae took the truth fairly well. It’s going to take time for them to forgive me.”

“You’re staying on the West Coast, aren’t you?” Julian’s fingers were no longer clicking on the keyboard.

“Yes, I am. I’ve been away long enough that I can come back to the ocean. If you miss me that much, you can always come visit. Or better yet, you could move here. You’ve been in New Atlanta for quite a while now.”

“Nikolas and I talked about moving, but that was before he met Sophia.”

“Is she not willing to relocate? Her parents live in New York.”

“Yes, but Jonas and Caroline are here in New Atlanta. The girl followed her grandfather to be with him.”

“How long ago, though? After seeing her and Nikolas together, I have a feeling she’d follow him through the afterlife and back to be with him.”

Julian laughed again and started his fingers running across the keyboard. “If she weren’t pregnant, I think that he’d have an easier time of it. She and Kaya are like two peas in a maternal pod. The other mates are always around now, making sure they’re not taking any risks.”