Let Go My Gargoyle (Taming the Dragon Book 5) Page 6

  Even Griffin was on Antoinette’s side. “It’s a good idea,” he said. “The two of you will be safe there.”

  The first time her mother had moved without Sofia letting Darius know in advance, he’d shown up in their new living room while Sofia was home alone. She was fourteen and he’d already been bullying her for years.

  He’d informed her that they weren’t allowed to make decisions without running them past him first, and then he’d shifted, right there in the middle of the house, his wings shattering windows and crashing through plaster and brick, the horns curled over his head pressing against the ceiling until the rafters cracked.

  He’d returned to his human form, swiped plaster dust from his shirt, and meandered out the front door without so much as a backward glance.

  The house had been rendered uninhabitable, and Sofia had been too afraid to tell her mother the truth, that the brother she wasn’t supposed to know about had paid a visit, and she’d been grounded for the entire summer because Mom had believed she’d been the one to change forms inside the house.

  “Are you still planning to speak to Oliver?” she asked Griffin. Gods, she sounded like a frightened woman, which she hated, but she was also honest enough to admit that Darius scared her. That demonstration when he’d destroyed her mother’s house wasn’t the only time he’d tormented her because he didn’t like something she or her mother did—or didn’t do.

  During her junior year in high school, he’d decided he wanted Sofia to help expand his dragon’s blood trade. He figured getting a bunch of teenagers addicted was a surefire way to ensure he had lifetime customers.

  When she refused, he’d left without arguing or threatening her, but then, over the course of the next several weeks, he’d snuck into her bedroom and shredded all of her posters of her favorite boy bands, added something to her shampoo so that her hair started to fall out, somehow managed to download a virus onto her school-assigned laptop, which then spread throughout the building’s infrastructure, and started rumors about her sexual preferences, making sure all of her classmates were informed.

  And she hadn’t even had sex yet!

  Finally, she’d had enough, and, in a fit of fury, she threatened to go to Trennon Redd if he didn’t leave her alone.

  He backed off and didn’t press her about dealing drugs again, but he still continued to torment her, and she’d been too afraid to use that threat again, mostly because she couldn’t imagine actually speaking to the man who was her father and didn’t even know it.

  Griffin shook his head. “I don’t think it’s necessary anymore. Leaving you in the protection of a very capable colony of dragons is perfect.”

  How the hell did he know they were “very capable?” Even Sofia knew precious little about them. Her mother hadn’t been part of the Rojo colony, and Darius had ensured that both mother and daughter maintained a healthy distance from the reeve while still keeping them close enough to be under his thumb.

  She should have left New Orleans when he’d agreed to sign that contract. That’s what her mother had done. Except if Sofia had, what would have happened to Penelope? She had no idea how many gargoyles were in the world and whether they were stationed in every city; nor did she have any concept of where warlocks lived and how soon they might have become aware of Penelope’s existence.

  At least now, Penelope would be trained appropriately to protect herself. Except this turn of events also meant Sofia was putting herself into danger. If Darius found out she was moving into the reeve’s mansion…

  Hell, since Antoinette became reeve back in January, Sofia had deliberately avoided her. The women had been co-workers bordering on friends; two single mothers bonding over their shared desire to do right by their children.

  Antoinette had been one of the first people Sofia had told when Griffin left Penelope with her. Antoinette had been a new mother herself, and Sofia had turned to her for guidance with figuring out what in the world to do with an infant.

  Not that Antoinette had anything to do with Sofia’s relationship with the previous reeve, but it had struck Sofia as smart to keep her distance from anything associated with that position in the colony.

  Antoinette relaxed her hold on Sofia’s arm. “We have plenty of room. And Henri will love having a friend around. Plus, there’s a half-witch living there, and as much of a pain in the ass as she is, she’s also extremely knowledgeable about her own kind, so she can answer any questions you have.”

  Sofia knew next to nothing about witches. She remembered learning an overview about all the various magical beings in school, but that had been a long time ago. And she needed more than an overview if she was going to guide Penelope as she grew into her role as someone who would eventually help save the world.

  Damn, this was a lot to take in. She ought to resent Griffin for inadvertently handing over this responsibility to her.

  But she didn’t. Oh, she was still angry at the way he’d seduced her and left, but she loved Penelope far too much to resent the fact that she was responsible for the child’s wellbeing. As challenging as it had been to balance the agreement with Darius and raising a little girl to the best of her ability, Penelope’s fate could have been much, much worse.

  Not to mention her own. Had she not become a mother overnight, Sofia might never have gotten brave enough to approach Darius with the idea of a contract. And while she wasn’t entirely free of him, after they’d signed the document, he’d left her alone for the first time in her life.

  Until today.

  “Are you cold?” Antoinette asked.

  Sofia glanced down at her arm, which had erupted with gooseflesh despite the balmy temperature. Griffin wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and Sofia’s dragon purred like a damn cat. Seriously, had the beast forgotten what happened the last time she’d hooked up with the guy?

  “I’m fine,” Sofia said. “Listen, if we’re going to do this, can we make sure as few people as possible know about it? You know, for Penelope’s protection.”

  “Absolutely,” Antoinette said with a nod.

  Griffin watched her with a steady gaze, no doubt trying to read between the lines of what she’d said.

  She turned away. “I, um, have bags upstairs. I’ll just go get them.”

  Antoinette arched her brows but said nothing. Griffin said, “I’ll go with you.”

  As soon as they hit the top of the stairs, she placed Penelope on her feet and instructed her to repack the toys and books she’d pulled out of her backpack.

  Griffin put his hands on her shoulders and gently massaged. Her dragon was inside her head, trying to headbutt him like a cat demanding a back scratch. When had her dragon become a feline?

  “I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do,” Griffin said.

  She let out a hollow laugh. “Little late for that, isn’t it?”

  He frowned, and she twisted out of his grip, wandering over to peer out the windows overlooking the street below.

  “I will do whatever I must to ensure Penelope is safe and gets the training she needs. Even if those decisions aren’t exactly in my own best interest.”

  He strode over to stand next to her. “What does that mean?”

  “Nothing.” She’d already said too much. She really needed to figure out how to stop doing that. She’d been a closed book for nearly her entire life, rarely letting anyone in, keeping her head down in an attempt to avoid her brother’s wrath. Why now, all of a sudden, was she telling a virtual stranger things she wasn’t supposed to speak of to anyone at all?

  Because he’s not a virtual stranger, her dragon said.

  Okay, yeah, I realize we slept with him and—

  And it was amazing. And we want to do it again.

  She shook her head. No, we most certainly do not.

  Do too.

  Do not.

  “Are you okay?”

  Sofia cleared her throat. “Sorry. My dragon is talking to me. Do gargoyles do that? Does your inner gargoy
le talk to you sometimes?”

  He chuckled. “No. Our magic is not the same as yours. Whereas for dragons there are two beings sharing one body, for gargoyles, it is simply magic possessed by one being. My gargoyle forms aren’t separate entities; they are simply shapes my body takes. If that makes sense.”

  “It does, actually.”

  She caught sight of movement across the street, and panic rushed through her veins like a cheetah chasing its dinner. When the person she suspected had been hiding in the shadows stepped out onto the sidewalk, she jumped to the side and pressed her back against the wall next to the window, her heart racing approximately a thousand beats a second.

  Griffin moved so that he was not standing directly in front of the glass. “What is it? What do you see?” His gaze swept the scene outside and then his lips compressed into a thin line. “It’s him, isn’t it?”

  She nodded. “He’s never come into the bar before, though. At least, not for as long as I’ve worked here.” In truth, that was one of the reasons she’d stayed on as a waitress instead of trying to find employment somewhere with hours that might make it easier to raise a child by herself. This was one place she’d always felt safe.

  “Antoinette and Ketu can keep you safe from him. Why have you never asked for their help?”

  She shook her head. “I couldn’t.”

  “Because of this contract you signed.”

  “Yes.”

  “And this contract is the reason you do not seem eager to take up residence at the reeve’s home.”

  She swallowed. “Yes.”

  He glanced out the window again and dragged his hand through his hair. “I cannot protect you by myself. We need help.”

  “I know,” she said miserably. “Putting Penelope under the colony’s protection makes sense.”

  “I will speak to Oliver after all.”

  “What do you mean? Why?”

  “Because despite my initial reluctance, Penelope should be under the gargoyles’ protection. It’s just that I cannot speak to them until sundown. And now that Darius is wandering about right out there, I think securing you with the Rojo colony is our best option but only for the short term. Once I’ve spoken with Oliver, we can make other arrangements. Something that will keep you from feeling so frightened and yet still protect you.”

  “Will you be involved in this protection?”

  He cut his gaze to the side. “Likely not.”

  She reached out and snagged his hand, giving it a squeeze. “You did a great job protecting Penelope. And you still are.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Clearly, dragons are not held to the same inability to lie as gargoyles are. Stay here. I will go speak to Antoinette about the best way to leave the bar and get to her home without that dragon out there noticing.”

  “Thank you.”

  He hesitated, and for a fleeting moment, she wondered if he would lean forward and press his lips to her own, and gods help her, she wanted him to with a desperation that made no sense.

  Her dragon huffed. Makes total sense.

  He turned away and hurried down the stairs.

  By the time he returned, she and Penelope had their bags—including his—on their shoulders and were ready to go.

  “Antoinette and Ketu drove here, which makes our task infinitely easier. Ketu is pulling around to the employee entrance out back, while Antoinette has gone outside to speak to Darius.”

  “What?” Sofia yelped and rushed over to the window, but no one was out there. “You told them? I told you—”

  Griffin shook his head. “I pretended to notice something outside while Ketu was talking, which caused Antoinette to look as well. She saw movement and became curious. I will never divulge your secrets, Sofia. I swear it on my life.”

  “That’s an impressive oath, considering you’re immortal.”

  He smiled that charming smile that had hooked her in the first place.

  She lowered her lids. “Well, let’s get moving.”

  “If you do not want to do this, say it, Sofia. We will figure something else out. However, given Darius was just standing twenty feet away, I am not comfortable staying here any longer.”

  “No, you’re right. I don’t want Mitch or Bebé to be in danger. We should go. I’m just nervous, that’s all.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ve never been to the reeve’s mansion before.”

  ***

  As Ketu drove down a boulevard in the lower Garden District with huge oak trees shading the road on either side, he pointed at a white on white mansion the size of a small hotel. A wide front porch lined with bright green ferns in wicker baskets ran the entire length of the residence.

  “That’s where we live,” he said, and then kept driving to the end of the block, where he turned the corner and then turned again, down an alley that stretched out behind the homes.

  The backyard was much larger than Sofia expected, surrounded by a ten-foot tall, white wooden fence, which she supposed made sense given the inhabitants were dragons. They could have meetings and shift back here without any of the neighbors becoming aware. Although flying away, unless it was dark, was a whole other issue.

  A porch ran the length of the back of the house as well, and there were four sets of French doors that opened into the backyard. A deck with a gazebo sat underneath a massive tree draped with Spanish moss, and there was a good-sized garden claiming a sunny spot off to the side.

  “Swings,” Penelope said, pointing as they stepped out from underneath the carport and headed toward the nearest set of French doors.

  “Why don’t we show you to your room and then I’m sure Henri will want to play on the swings with you,” Antoinette said.

  “Manman!” A little boy rushed out of the house and threw himself into Antoinette’s arms and then quickly untangled himself and hurried to hug Ketu. “Dad!”

  Antoinette sniffled and waved her hand in front of her face. “Sorry. He just started calling Ketu Dad a few months ago. I’m still getting used to it.”

  Sofia shot Griffin a look and quickly lowered her lashes without even letting that thought linger. Nope. Penelope had one parent, and that was enough.

  “Who are these people, Manman?” Henri asked.

  “Do you remember Miss Sofia and Penelope?” Antoinette asked. “It’s been almost a year since you’ve seen them.”

  Henri shrugged and Antoinette chuckled. “Well, this is Penelope, and this is Miss Sofia, and that is Mr. Griffin.”

  Henri stood by his mother’s side and waved at the newcomers. “What are you?” he asked, eyeing Griffin.

  “A gargoyle.”

  “Like Mr. Argyle?”

  “Yes.”

  “Cool. What about you?” Henri asked, canting his head and studying Penelope.

  “I’m a god,” she announced, and Henri’s eyes went wide.

  Sofia scooped her into her arms. “Okay, first lesson about being a god: you don’t tell people you are a god. Okay?”

  “Why?” Penelope asked.

  “Is she really a god?” Henri asked.

  Sofia glanced at Griffin, unsure of whether to divulge the truth. Except Antoinette and Ketu already knew, and she should be safe here, right? She sucked in a breath. “Technically, she’s a demigod. She’s also part witch.”

  “Like Becca,” Henri announced.

  Sofia furrowed her brow and glanced at Griffin, who shrugged.

  “Becca is also a Daughter of Light,” Antoinette explained.

  “There is another one?” Griffin asked, but before anyone could respond, Penelope piped up.

  “Cool. Is she four too?”

  Antoinette chuckled. “Nope. She’s a grown up. And she’s off in another country beating up warlocks right now.”

  Penelope looked at Sofia. “Will I do that someday, Mommy?”

  Sofia nodded. As much as she loathed the idea of her daughter being in such danger, she couldn’t very well stop destiny from happening. “Someday, yes. After you’
ve had lots and lots of training, so that you are able to protect yourself.”

  “Can I train too?” Henri wanted to know. He slashed his arms through the air. “I want to beat up the bad guys.”

  Ketu ruffled his course curls. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, little man.”

  Antoinette nodded at the house. “Do you want to go inside?”

  Sofia stared up at the massive structure. “Your house is beautiful. And unless half the colony lives here, I’d say you definitely have room for Penelope and me.”

  “Not half the colony, although some of the inhabitants make it feel that way,” Antoinette said wryly.

  “Speaking of,” Ketu muttered, and Sofia dropped her gaze to watch an older dragon with salt-and-pepper hair and a full beard open one of the French doors and step outside. “That’s our previous reeve. Trennon Redd.”

  Sofia was about to meet her father, for the first time in her life.

  It was something she’d honestly never thought would happen. Partially, she’d always been afraid of what Darius would do to her, but also, her mother had also taught her to stay away from the man.

  Her mother had told her that their relationship had been nothing more than a fling, and they’d never intended for it to be long term. She’d lost her own fated mate at a young age, and she’d had no desire to seek out a replacement. Sofia’s mother had been happy living a quiet, unassuming life, and acknowledging that her only child was also a reeve’s offspring was not part of her life plan.

  How ironic that Darius had spent most of Sofia’s life trying to intimidate her into staying away from her birth father when, had he not done anything at all, she likely never would have considered reaching out.

  And now, here she was, staring at the man whose genes she also carried in her own body.

  She felt a little nauseous, a lot nervous, a bit worried. Would he be able to tell who she was? And if he did recognize himself in her features, what would he do?

  What did she want him to do?

  She couldn’t answer that either.

  Heck, if she could, she would probably turn around and walk away without ever introducing herself. This was a Pandora’s box that, for twenty-five years, she’d been trained to keep closed, locked up tight.