Let Go My Gargoyle (Taming the Dragon Book 5) Page 4

  “But I need to wait until dusk, when the City of the Dead will be closed to the humans.”

  Sofia nodded. “I need to call Mitch and see if someone can cover my shift.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m going with you.”

  Griffin shook his head. He had no idea how this conversation with his new boss would go, so he’d much rather have it alone. “You don’t need to. I can—”

  “If it involves my daughter, I expect to be privy to whatever plans are made on her behalf.” She shook her head. “Besides, I won’t be able to concentrate if I go into work, and I’ll probably spill another full tray of drinks.”

  “I am truly sorry for that. I don’t know if your boss told you, but I left money to pay for the damages.”

  “He told me.” Her voice had gone sharp. “And I told him to keep it all. I don’t want anything from you. Except for help determining Penelope’s training and protection. But that’s it.”

  “Fair enough,” he said with a curt nod. Her words should not hurt, since he’d only just vowed to be nothing more than her and Penelope’s protector. And that would likely only be for another few hours.

  As soon as they could speak to Oliver, he figured his new boss would assign a better, more experienced gargoyle to ensure their protection. Griffin was not yet prepared to be held responsible for these two highly precious beings.

  ***

  Sofia made grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch, which Griffin learned was Penelope’s favorite meal. He had to admit, she had good taste. Or maybe Sofia was an excellent cook.

  After Sofia brushed the snarls out of the little girl’s hair and watched to ensure she properly cleaned her teeth, and finally showered and dressed herself, Penelope asked to go to the park.

  Sofia glanced at Griffin, a question in her eye. “Is it safe?”

  He didn’t know, of course, since he’d only been back in the city for one full day and hadn’t even known of the danger to Penelope until this morning. But he hadn’t sensed any warlocks while he’d been out wandering the streets yesterday, and surely Oliver would have mentioned it if a coven of them had relocated here.

  His boss had given him precious little information about this assignment, which he suspected was because it was a test, but he still had to believe the head gargoyle would not have knowingly allowed Penelope to be placed in the face of danger.

  The reality was, Oliver had likely discovered the Daughter of Light was living in his city, and he knew she needed to be made aware of her legacy, to start her training soon, so that she could go in search of warlocks to destroy. Given Oliver’s crew’s reputation, it was highly unlikely that warlocks would settle here. They would not be able to wreak havoc in peace.

  “It’s a nice day,” he said. “I don’t see why we can’t go to the park.”

  And so they set out down the sidewalk. Little Penelope walked between them, holding hands with both of them and chattering about the playground and the “splash zone” at the park, which she explained was the perfect way to pass the time on a hot afternoon.

  “That sounds like fun,” Griffin said. “Are adults not allowed to play as well?”

  Penelope giggled. “You’re too big. You might hurt yourself.”

  He glanced at Sofia and noted her lips twitching. Good. She was far too beautiful when she smiled not to do it as often as possible.

  As soon as they reached their destination, Penelope rushed away, heading toward a cluster of playground equipment that was already occupied by dozens of other children, dragons and witches and humans alike. Griffin had a moment of panic when she released his hand and ran, and he almost chased after her but caught himself when he noted that Sofia was calmly watching her rush away.

  “I admire you,” he said quietly while they stood side by side and watched Penelope scurry up onto a wooden platform and impatiently wait for her turn to speed down the slide.

  “Why?” Sofia asked.

  He nodded at the playground area. “I have only known her for a few hours and already I feel protective of her. I’m worried that she’ll injure herself or be put in danger.”

  She lifted one shoulder, let it drop. “You don’t learn to curb the fear; you just learn how not to let it show. I don’t want her to not try new things just because I’m afraid she’ll get hurt.”

  “I chose you to raise her before we slept together. Thought you’d like to know that.”

  Sofia turned to face him. “Why hook up with me then? Why didn’t you just dump her and leave?”

  He stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his shorts and didn’t respond. His gargoyle tendencies to always speak the truth would not allow him to say it had been purely for a physical release, and he didn’t know how to articulate what, exactly, it had meant.

  “Was it some sort of insurance? Payment?” she persisted.

  “What are you talking about?”

  She waved her finger back and forth between them. “You and me. We didn’t even know each other, and yet you decided you’d drop an orphaned child on my doorstep, expecting me to raise her—alone, by the way. So, in order to ensure I willingly went along with your plan, you slept with me? Was that it?”

  He cupped the back of his neck. “That’s not—”

  “Well, I have news for you, buddy. If you knew anything at all about me, you would not have left her. Trust me.”

  “I disagree.”

  “Do you not see my house? How small it is? How old everything is? All of my and Penelope’s clothes are second-hand. I’ve never bought her a single thing brand new. I’m a waitress at a small bar that isn’t even on the main drag. I’m barely scraping by.”

  “It isn’t about your finances, although had I realized, I certainly would have figured out a way to help in that respect, and I will be sure to point it out to Oliver—”

  “Don’t you dare. I will accept this Oliver guy’s help with the whole Daughter of Light aspect, but other than that, she’s my child, and I will handle raising her on my own terms.”

  She was proud, which he admired, although he did think her pride was misplaced in this case. Which meant he’d have to be stealthy about how he helped her financially. No doubt her life would be vastly different if he had not forced her into motherhood with no warning. He could not fix the last four years, but he certainly could make things better for her moving forward.

  He nodded at an empty bench situated in the shade of a massive live oak with sprawling branches reaching out like gigantic fingers. “Would you like to sit?”

  She shrugged again and they made their way to the wooden seat. As soon as she sat down, she frowned and twisted her head to and fro.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, glancing around, searching for anything that might appear out of place. All he saw were a gaggle of screaming and laughing children and small clusters of parents or other adult figures watching over them. He noted plenty of dragons and witches, but no other gargoyles and no warlocks.

  She rolled her shoulders and trained her gaze on Penelope, who was on the swings, kicking her legs, clearly trying to go higher and faster than the child next to her. Griffin did not miss the spark of magic that gave her a spurt of extra speed. Had she done it on purpose?

  “Does she know—?”

  His words were cut off when a dragon in his human form slipped onto the seat next to Sofia. He had slicked back hair with one thatch that fell into his left eye, and as Griffin watched, he flicked his head to toss it back into place. His dark, wide-set eyes were drinking in Sofia like he knew her and hadn’t seen her in a very long time. He draped his arm across the back of the bench, bulging muscles twitching under his tight black T-shirt.

  Griffin immediately bristled, not because he was worried Sofia was in danger, but because he was jealous of the way the man encroached on her personal space, as if they were intimately acquainted.

  Sofia let out a small shriek and twisted, but the guy wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her in
place.

  “Darius,” she blurted. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to see you, little Sofia.”

  “B-but you agreed. You said—”

  “Who’s your friend?”

  She glanced at Griffin before quickly lowering her gaze. In that brief moment, he saw fear, nothing but fear, which was highly out of character for Sofia.

  She was a strong, independent woman, not someone who would normally cower in fear.

  Which meant she needed his help.

  Griffin hopped up and then dropped back down, inserting himself between Sofia and this guy.

  The other man threw his arms into the air, a bewildered look on his face. “What the fuck?”

  Griffin draped his arm around the back of the bench, just like the guy had a moment ago. Sofia stared at him with wide eyes. He wondered why she didn’t jump up and rush over to check on Penelope’s safety, unless… unless she did not want Darius to know about her.

  “Get the hell out of here,” the guy snarled in his ear while Griffin scanned the playground, searching for Penelope. Ah, there she was, once again waiting to go down the slide.

  “This is private business,” Darius added.

  Griffin gave him a humorless smile. “Good thing I’m involved in Sofia’s private business.”

  The dragon narrowed his gaze, and smoke curled from his nostrils. Go ahead and shift in front of all these humans, Griffin mentally dared him. Sofia placed her hand on his thigh and squeezed, and Griffin was distracted because damn, that felt good, even though she was probably doing it as a warning and not because she wanted to reenact the night they’d spent together.

  Something grabbed the back of Griffin’s hair, and when he turned to see what it was, Darius headbutted him, dazing him and causing him to fall forward off the bench. He heard Sofia make a strangled noise, and then she was kneeling next to him, helping him to a seated position on the grass.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  He blinked open his eyes and saw two of her, their gazes scanning his face, concerned.

  “Doubly beautiful,” he slurred.

  “Oh my goodness, I think he concussed you.” She touched his forehead, and he winced and shied away from her fingers. All ten of them. On one hand.

  Griffin reached out and flapped his hand several times until he caught hold of hers, and then he brought it to his lips, kissing each finger and thumb in turn. “Only five,” he murmured, relieved that she hadn’t mutated.

  “Okay, I think it’s time to go,” Sofia said, grunting as she struggled to pull him to his feet. She let out a shrill whistle that made him squawk and press his hands to his ears. “Sorry,” she said. “But it’s the easiest way to get Penelope’s attention.”

  After a few moments, he became aware of another presence, and then Penelope was at his other side, apparently helping her mother guide him away from the playground. “What happened, Mommy?” she asked.

  “He fell,” Sofia said, “and bumped his head.”

  Yeah, he bumped his head on an asshole dragon. “Who was that?” Please don’t say he’s an ex-boyfriend. Or worse, a current one.

  They were a good half a block away from the park by now, and Griffin was pretty sure they were headed back to Sofia’s house.

  After a long moment of silence, she sighed and said, “My brother.”

  Chapter Six

  Darius coming ‘round never boded well for Sofia. That was why she’d seized the opportunity to make a deal with the devil—aka her brother—four years ago. She’d needed to ensure he was out of her life, and Penelope’s, at whatever cost.

  They’d happily co-existed in the same city yet kept a wide berth ever since. Until now.

  She’d heard through the grapevine that Antoinette Dupré, who was the new reeve of the Rojo dragon colony, had cut off his drug trade and ousted him earlier this year. Sofia had been worried he might show up back then, but he hadn’t, and all indications were that he’d left town, so she’d figured he planned to honor their deal and go on about his life.

  Why was he making contact now?

  The timing was a crazy coincidence, but surely that was all it was. He didn’t even know about Sofia’s existence, so there was no way he knew what she was. Besides, it was unlikely Darius even knew what a Daughter of Light was, and even so, how could that possibly connect to whatever devious plan he had up his sleeve this time?

  First things first, though; she needed to make sure Griffin was going to be okay. Darius had hit him pretty hard. She’d witnessed him pull that routine on other dragons before, and it had damn near killed them. To be honest, she wasn’t sure he hadn’t killed one or two, but she’d never stuck around long enough to verify, and she certainly never asked after the fact.

  Being Darius Redd’s illegitimate younger sister tended to cause one to be well versed in self-preservation.

  Part of the deal she’d struck with him was that she’d never, ever tell a single soul of their connection, which was why she kept her job as a waitress at Mitch’s bar instead of, oh, going to the reeve’s mansion and demanding she be given her rightful share of Trennon Redd’s fortune. Or at least a job within the colony’s ranks that paid a decent wage.

  Except now she’d told Griffin that he was her brother, which meant she’d broken the terms of the contract. Maybe he wouldn’t remember, given the concussion and all.

  By the time they reached her house and she gently sat Griffin on the couch, the fog in his eyes was already clearing, the goose egg on his forehead receding and turning an ugly shade of yellow. Gargoyles healed as fast as dragons, apparently.

  “Let me get you a glass of water,” she said. Penelope climbed onto the couch and sat down next to him, tucking her purple dragon into the small space between them.

  “Whisky would be better,” Griffin said, gingerly touching the bump on his head. “It’ll dull the pain.”

  “I don’t have any whisky. I have rum and tequila.”

  “Tequila? How did I miss that last night?”

  She shrugged. “It’s in the freezer.”

  “You drink tequila?”

  “I like tequila sunrises. And margaritas.”

  With his eyes closed, he nodded. “That makes way more sense. Had a feeling it had to be fruity. Yes, tequila would be great. Minus the mixers.”

  She hurried to the kitchen, grabbed the bottle and a lowball glass, and poured a couple of fingers before handing it to him.

  He put it back in one swallow and then grimaced before opening one eye. “You have good taste in tequila.” And then he held out the glass, apparently wanting another shot.

  “So what’s the story with you and your brother?” he asked after the second drink.

  “Ahhh…” She cleared her throat. “There isn’t really one to tell.” That was a lie. It was a long, convoluted story, and if she were to ever tell it, she’d better start hoarding the tequila left in that bottle because she would definitely need it.

  “You were clearly surprised by his presence, and equally as scared by it. Which is totally out of character for you. And that headbutt pretty much came out of nowhere. I’d say there is definitely a story there.”

  She poured him another drink. Maybe he’d pass out before he pressured her too much into divulging information she could not share.

  “I’m not a lightweight,” he informed her. “You can hand me the bottle if you want, but I’m still going to demand you tell me what the hell is going on.”

  “The thing is…” She glanced at Penelope, who was still parked on the couch next to him but appeared engrossed in the picture book she was flipping through, one arm wrapped around Pinky. Sofia recognized the signs; the child was due for her nap soon.

  “I need to put her down.” She pointed at the quiet little girl.

  Griffin glanced down at her and his face brightened with a soft smile that stole Sofia’s breath away. If only he’d stayed or, at the very least, made contact sooner than four years later. And on
his own, instead of at the behest of his boss.

  Wait, what was she thinking? He hadn’t confirmed her accusation that he’d slept with her as insurance to make sure she took on the role of parent for Penelope, but neither did he deny it, and based on her experiences whenever her brother came around, a lack of denial was as good as admitting one’s guilt.

  “Can I help?”

  Sofia shook her head. “I’m lucky. She goes down pretty easy.”

  He pushed off the couch, wincing only a little and not wobbling at all. “Then let me do it. You relax.” He pointed at her. “And figure out how you’re going to tell me about your brother.”

  She opened her mouth, but he turned his back and reached for Penelope, who, without hesitation, allowed herself to be scooped into his arms. She rested her cheek on his shoulder and gave Sofia a little wave as Griffin carried her down the hall toward her bedroom.

  Sofia was so distracted by the sweetness of that moment that she totally didn’t prepare for his inevitable return to the living room, and was startled out of her reverie when he said, “Okay, I’m ready to hear the story now.”

  “I can’t.” She headed into the kitchen to retrieve a second lowball glass. Unlike him, she wasn’t accustomed to drinking tequila straight, so she added mixers and ice before turning to return to the living room.

  Except he’d followed her into the kitchen and was now leaning against the wall, arms crossed, eyes glittering with determination. Four years ago, when she’d willingly and happily fallen into bed with him, he’d had that same look on his face, laced with lust. This version was no less compelling, unfortunately.

  “I said I can’t.” She skirted around him so that she could snag the bottle of tequila from the coffee table and then returned to drop into a chair at the kitchen table. “I signed a contract. I’m not allowed to talk about it.”

  He stalked over and sat down across from her. “Well, if that doesn’t provoke serious curiosity, I cannot imagine what would. So, you signed a contract with your own brother, who you are obviously afraid of. What did you get out of this contract?”