When A Gargoyle Flies (Gargoyles Book 3) (14 page)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

To hunt you.  Yes, this was the kind of human she was used to.  Chris was horrified, but she was not.  It was because of men like this that her clan shied away from the humans.

“I am not an animal,” she said softly.

“You looked in the mirror lately, little darlin’?” Carlton asked in a heavy drawl.

“Watch your damn mouth!” roared Chris.

Annis put a hand on his arm.  One of the other men who had not spoken curled his lip.  He rightly assumed Chris’ vehemence was due to their closeness… whatever that closeness meant at that moment.  Probably best if she tried not to think about that issue right now.

Carlton walked a few steps to the right, then to the left, scrutinizing her.  Her wings ruffled uneasily.

“You’re much smaller than expected.”

“I am sorry.”

Carlton chuckled.  “Now where on earth did you come from?”

“England, originally.”

“You kidnapped a law enforcement officer,” snarled Chris, tiring of the small talk.  “You’re going to fucking prison.”

Carlton cocked an eyebrow at him.  “Really?  And how would you explain what you were doing with her?”  He shook his head.  “Naw, when you get out of here, you won’t say a word.  I know she’s not the only one.”

Chris’ fists were clenched, and he was about ready to go for the man’s throat, but nothing would be served by shows of anger.  Butterflies appeared to be invading her stomach, but she needed to stay calm – for Chris’ sake.  He was already tired and injured, and despite trying to hide it, shivering from the brisk night air.  She did not want him to suffer more than he already had.  Her main concern had to be in protecting him.

“You abducted Chris to hunt him as well?”

Carlton’s eyebrows climbed his forehead.  “No, I draw the line at hunting humans.  He just got in the way when my boys were acquiring you.  They were a little overzealous, especially after he shot Zeke.”

The two quiet men bristled.  They looked like they would happily return the favor at that moment.

“But Mr. Wyatt will come with us while… well, while you have a little adventure.”

“The hell I will!” yelled Chris.

“You will release him immediately,” Annis said, forcing herself not to quaver.

“Now hold on…”

“Can’t do that.  Can’t risk him returning and ruining the hunt.  After it’s over, he’ll be sent on his way.  Although, he better bear in mind that I have four airtight alibis lined up for tonight.  He comes after me; he won’t be able to make any of this stick.”

“Then you will promise me his safety, and you will ensure that he receives the medical attention he requires.”

Carlton flicked the ash away from his cigar.  “I’ll agree to that.”

Chris looked like he was about to burst in fury.  “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Chris…”

He turned to her, his fury ebbing but the fire shining in his eyes.  His voice was low and husky, reminding her of the sultry, tender tones he used the night before.  “I’m not leaving you alone out here.  Don’t try and sacrifice yourself for me.”

Chris was not going to budge.  He thought she was trying to be a hero.  She wasn’t.  She didn’t have a hero inside her, and she wasn’t about to grow one.  Annis spent most of her life suffering from fear.  She was not brave, but she knew from the look in Carlton Hunter’s eyes that she was not leaving this place.  Annis may not know too much about the new world she found herself in, but she could see cruelty – she had lived with it for long enough.  The man had brought her there to hunt her – he was not going just to let her walk out the door.  There was no need for Chris to die, too.

Annis was only managing not to curl up on the ground and cry because of her worries about Chris.  She needed him to be safe.  Whatever was about to happen, she did not want it to happen with a broken heart.

“They want me not you,” she tried to reason.

“I’m not leaving you alone.”

Carlton cleared his throat.  “I don’t have all night, and this is getting old, real fast.  He doesn’t want to go; I’m not going to force him.  You’ll have a half hour head start and after that…”  He grinned.  “You better run fast.”

“Asshole,” hissed Chris.  “Why the hell are you doing this?”

The man shrugged like Annis’ life was nothing.  “My clients want to hunt.  They want to prove they are masters above all animals.  She’s a new animal.”

“She’s a person.”

“Then this hunt should be interesting.  She makes it ‘til daybreak; I’ll let her go.  You…”  He looked Chris up and down.  “I’m not sure you’ll make it to that tree over there, but who knows.  So, a few ground rules, the whole place is surrounded by an electrified fence.  Don’t touch it, trust me, it’s not a mistake you’ll be able to make twice.  As for our little honey’s wings, I wouldn’t advise an aerial escape route.  When my boys captured her, they put a chip in her – she gets too high, and she’ll trigger the sensors and get a shock.”

Annis pressed her fingers against the wound on her stomach.  No wonder it itched like crazy.  Not that there was any danger of her flying anywhere.

“That it?” sneered Chris.

“Pretty much.  The hunters don’t have GPS or night vision – it’s all old school hunting.  Apart from the fences, pretty much anything goes.”  He looked over Annis again and shook his head.  “Didn’t really believe you existed until I saw you in the flesh.  I’ll be damned – gargoyles.  Good luck, darlin’.  You’ll need it.”

He took out his camera, snapping a picture of Annis before swaggering back to the jeep, leaning heavily as he clambered inside.  The two other men followed, although not before one of them gave Chris a throat slitting motion.

When they finally sped away, Annis allowed herself to crumple to the ground.  “You should have left.  Now we are both doomed.”

“The hell we are.  I’ll be damned if I’m letting that insane bastard kill us.”  Chris held out a hand to her and reluctantly she took it and climbed to her feet, making sure she didn’t allow him to take too much of her weight.  “One way or another, we’re getting out of here.”

Annis wished she could believe him.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“She’s a bit small,” whined one of Carlton’s clients as he squinted at the photo of the gargoyle.

“We were expecting some kind of massive beast-like animal,” complained another.

Carlton retained his easy smile.  At short notice, he hadn’t exactly been able to procure the cream of the crop.  The five hunters before him were a bit… well, useless.  They’d have trouble hitting the side of a barn, even if it were painted with a huge bullseye.  He would have to help them along a little.

“Small maybe, but she is fierce – you should see the teeth on her.”  He wasn’t lying about her teeth, they did look pretty sharp, but he couldn’t dredge up much fear for the small pink female with huge purple eyes.

“Who is this man in the picture?” asked another, pointing to the half-clad police officer.

“Her boyfriend,” replied Carlton mockingly.

There was shocked silence.  “But he’s human,” said one.

“Yes, he is,” agreed Carlton – no denying the obvious.

A couple chuckled, but most of them were outraged.

“And he has sex with that… that thing?!” cried one.

“Indeed he does,” Carlton confirmed, although he had no real knowledge of what their relationship was, he just assumed lovers given the cop’s fury.  “Unfortunately, he has refused to leave her.  He may have to die, too,” he added in a quieter tone.  “Does anyone think they will have a problem with that?”

There was silence, then a few coughs, then a few shrugs.  They were fine with it.  Huh.  Maybe there was a market for hunting humans.

“Now, gentlemen, you know the rules.  Old school hunting and whoever bags her will get a discount and use of my taxidermist free of charge.”

“Is she the only one you have?”

“She is just the first of many,” said Carlton soothingly.  “I have big plans for my gargoyle hunts.”

*

Chris was shivering, but he wouldn’t let that stop him.  He was still thundering through the woods like there was no tomorrow.  Because if they got caught, there really would be no tomorrow.

“Annis, come on,” he growled.  “We can’t stop.”

“Where are we going?” she panted, struggling to keep up with his breakneck speed.  Perhaps gargoyles were not really built to be cross-country runners.

“Just… I don’t know.”

The place appeared huge.  The more they ran, the bigger it seemed.  There didn’t seem to be an end in sight.

“Chris, stop,” she pleaded.

On hearing her tone, he did.

“Damnit, Annis – don’t you want to live?”

She caught up to him, and he saw her eyes were huge with fear.  “Of course I do, but we face insurmountable odds.”

“Yeah, well, sometimes you gotta fight insurmountable odds.”

“You are certainly agitated,” Annis murmured.  “The only time I have seen you more so was when you discovered that you are my first lover.”

Annis,” exasperation laced his voice.  Not a conversation he wanted to have at that moment, but she did not seem deterred.

“I thought you said that what we did was wonderful.”

“I did.  It was.  Annis...”

“But then it was not special to you.”

“Of course it was!” he exploded.  “It was… wonderful.”  He ground his teeth in frustration.  “Can we talk about this later?  We have more pressing matters right now.”

“I am really starting to dislike the word wonderful.”  Annis straightened and peered at the heavy moon.  “Has thirty minutes passed already?”

“I don’t know; they took my watch.  Why?”

“I think I hear something coming our way.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chris found his head pressed indecently and excitingly close to Annis’ bosom.  The breasts he had caressed less than twenty-four hours ago pillowed his head while thy hid.

Her hearing was impressive.  She heard the guy coming a mile away, not that he was very stealthy.  The guy blundered around with a grace of a weed whacker.  Was he really a hunter?  But then this wasn’t really hunting.  Locking an unsuspecting creature into a compound, with no food or shelter and allowing bozos with guns to hunt it until it probably gave up out of sheer desperation wasn’t really hunting.

Chris had been all for pummeling the bozo, but Annis, fearing the weapons he or she may be toting, begged for a less aggressive option.  They were curled together, hidden in a tree, her wings blanketing them.  If they weren’t focusing too closely, her wings could look like part of the tree.

He just hoped they moved on quickly.  Crouching on a tree branch wasn’t easy.  Pressing against a female who incited x-rated sensations in his body was torture.  Apparently, his manhood hadn’t got the message about mortal peril.  No, that part of him was all for a repeat of last night.

Annis shifted her arm slightly, and one of her soft mounds pushed against his mouth.  Please move on quickly he willed the hunter.

After what seemed like an age, Annis stirred.  “They have gone.”

Chris exhaled as they disentangled.  Hiding for their lives should not be that… interesting.

Annis leaped out of the tree with the grace and agility of a cat.  She landed on her feet and drew her wings around her.  Slowly, and with much more care, Chris clambered down after her.  Not enough care, though.  His foot slipped, and he crashed into her, toppling her and landing on top of her.

“Shit, I’m sorry.”

“It is nothing.  You do not weigh too much for me.”  No, he figured that given the time they spent cuddling the night before.  She seemed content to let him nestle into her body all night long.  “Are you hurt?” she asked, concern marring her features.

“No,” he lied.  His foot, already hurting like hell because he was running around the woods without shoes, now felt agonizing.

He tried to stand and let out a yelp of pain.

Annis rushed to support him and frowned disapprovingly.  “You are hurt.”

“I’ll be fine,” he lied again as sweat broke out on his forehead.

She hooked one of his arms over her shoulders, and her arms encircled his torso.  “You should have gone with that man.”

“Yeah, you probably would be better off without me,” he admitted in despair.  Some protector he was.

“That is not what I meant.  If it came to it, I would much prefer you to be with me, but you could have been safe.”

“I don’t believe for a second they would have let me go.”  He sure as hell would have put up a fight, but from the looks in the eyes of those two goons, all he could expect was a bullet to the head and a shallow grave.

Annis’ shoulders sagged a little.  “You are right; we must keep moving.”

Chris didn’t budge.  “To be clear, I wouldn’t have left you – no matter what.  Even if he promised to fly me to Vegas and give me unlimited funds for a weekend and put me up in the Elvis suite.  Okay?”

“Okay.”  She mulled over his words for a few moments.  “What is the Elvis suite?”

“I’ll explain as we go, let’s try and put some distance between hunter number one and us.”

*

“Do you believe that this Carlton Hunter man really will let us leave if we survive until daybreak?”

“Well, he ah…”

Annis gazed up at him with wide eyes.

“No,” sighed Chris.  “I doubt he’d risk us running around telling people what we know.  Even if he said I was nuts and even if you are… a…”

“Nothing more than an animal?”

His face thundered.  “I ought to have broken his jaw for that.”

“Only that?” she laughed.

Chris chuckled ruefully.  “Yeah, the kidnapping, drugging and trying to hunt us have probably earned him a bit more than that.”

He groaned as his ankle throbbed and he was forced to lean more heavily on Annis.  “Tell me if I’m getting too heavy.”

“You are not,” she assured him.  “Your weight is… reassuring.”

He got another flash of lying on top of her warm, welcoming body.  But he snapped himself out of it as he realized Annis was trembling.

“Try not to be scared,” he said soothingly.  For all the good it would do.

“It is a natural state for me,” she admitted sadly.

They slowed as Annis helped him climb over a fallen log.  He tried to avoid grunting too loud as he managed to step on a pinecone.  Jeez, he’d give anything for a pair of shoes right now.

Their slow progress stopped for a moment as they regained their breath.

“Which way?” he asked.

The moon was large and low, illuminating much, but in every direction he looked, eventually it was swallowed by darkness.  Annis peered up at the moon and delicately sniffed.  She pointed.

“This way… maybe.  I do not smell any other humans in this direction.”

“Good enough,” Chris grunted, and they continued their slow progress.  “Do humans really smell so strong?”

“All creatures smell.  It is just that gargoyles have keener senses than humans.”

“I dread to think how I smell at this moment.”

“You always smell nice,” she admitted faintly.

Chris brushed off the compliment.  “What did you mean that being scared is a natural state for you?”

“Just what I said.”

“I thought gargoyles would die before admitting fear.”  The males he had met would certainly consider it an insult if someone accused them of having fear.

Annis shuffled under his shoulder.  “I am not like other gargoyles.”

“You keep saying that, but I don’t see it.”  That was a lie – as far as he was concerned, she was a million miles away from the others.  Probably not for the reasons she thought, but because she was a thousand times more beautiful than any other gargoyle he’d met.  Plus a thousand times more beautiful than any human woman he’d met either.

She sighed.  “It is no secret that I am too small and weak, and I am not strong or fast enough to hunt or fight, and I… I cannot fly.”  She turned her face away from him in shame.

“And you think that makes you less of a gargoyle?”

Annis nodded and hung her head.

“I’m sorry sweetheart, but you are full of crap.”

She flicked her head to him, and her face pinched in annoyance.

Chris laughed, enjoying the spark of fire.  “Well, you are.”

“Gargoyles were made to fight and fly, and I can do neither.  I am a disappointment to my mother and my clan.”

“Maybe gargoyles were originally bred for that, but purposes change, and I don’t think your new clan thinks you’re less than because you can’t fly.  Aren’t Kylie and Maggie and Andrew part of your clan?  You see them doing a Peter Pan?”

“Peter Pan?”

“I think you’re still hung up on what your old clan told you.”

“My mother hated me,” she whispered, a sob catching in her throat.  “It was her fault I cannot fly.  She rushed into battle while heavy with me and was injured, and she hated me for it, she…”

Chris stopped and pulled Annis to face him.  He gripped her shoulders.  “Annis, don’t ever let anyone make you feel like you’re worthless or not good enough.  If someone ever tries, you tell me and I’ll make sure they don’t do it again.”

“What if it is you who makes me feel worthless?” she asked, a little more slyly than he gave her credit for.

Chris froze.  “Then I guess I better beat up myself.”

Annis gave him a half-smile.  “No, I believe you have been through more than enough tonight.”

“I am sorry for the way I reacted.  You just…”

“Scared you?” she teased.

“Very much.  You deserve so much more than me, and…”

“Oh, Chris,” she murmured, stepping back out of his arms.

At that moment there was a loud ‘snikt’ sound and Annis’ eyes and mouth enlarged to comical proportions.  A yelp started in the back of her throat and in an instant, she leaped on him and sank her teeth into his shoulder.