Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
She grabbed Broken Sue’s arm and attempted to move it out of the way. It didn’t budge, so she ducked under it, but he immediately grabbed her to him to keep from going anywhere.
“Wait, let me—you’re going to crease the dress, man!”
Broken Sue’s arm came away, but he angled his body to keep up a solid barrier between the stranger and her.
Sighing in annoyance, she hooked her arm around his and stepped a little closer.
“Gimerel’s invitation only went out two days ago,” she told the stranger, looking up at him. Her low heels weren’t doing much to close the gap between their faces. “You can’t have gotten it so quickly.”
“We are always prepared, miss…”
“Nessa.” She put out her hand to shake.
His hand was large, scarred, and rough, and his entrancing eyes held hers. “Nessa. Short for?”
“Natasha.”
“Beautiful,” he said in that whisky voice. “It suits you, that name. I’m Tristan.”
“Why are you here early, Tristan?” Broken Sue asked, his voice cutting through the handshake. “You shouldn’t be here for over a month at the earliest.”
“How’d you even know you were invited?” Nessa asked, suddenly nervous their security had been breached. In addition to hacking into the cairn’s systems, they’d created—what she’d thought, at least—was an ironclad cybersecurity system.
“To put your mind at ease, beautiful Natasha…” Tristan’s eyes twinkled, and Broken Sue tensed. “Certain news travels quickly in the gargoyle community. In a historic situation such as this? It travels at light speed. All the cairns are anxious to meet the only living female gargoyle, regardless of how that came to be. The moment we heard of a possible meeting from a reliable source, I flew out.” His gaze shifted to Broken Sue, and a little smile flitted across his lips. “I am in this neighborhood to check out a home for sale. I figured you’d ask. We don’t know how long we’ll be here. Real estate is competitive here, though. These small homes are selling for a pretty penny.”
“Homes cost more when they’re in a desirable location, yes,” Broken Sue replied, his tone even and face a hard, unreadable mask. “You should leave your lonely mountain more often.”
One of the stranger’s dark eyebrows arched. “I am within my twenty-four-hour window. Isn’t that the time frame I have in which to declare myself to the alpha?”
“In a routine situation, yes,” Broken Sue replied. “You are well aware that this is not a routine situation.”
“Isn’t it?” Tristan spread his arms. “There were no stipulations barring entry before the planned meeting.”
“How would you know?” Broken Sue countered. “You’re going off hearsay. You haven’t gotten your invitation yet.”
Tristan stilled. Broken Sue had him there.
“Go to the Paddy Wagon bar downtown,” Broken Sue said. “You’ll find it easily. Wait there until either of the alphas or their people show up to speak with you. It shouldn’t be long.”
He pulled his arm from Nessa’s and draped it around her, directing her toward the street.
As they walked away, they heard, “Yes, Daddy.”
Nessa burst out laughing, turning within Broken Sue’s grasp to look back. Tristan stood in the center of the sidewalk, facing them as they walked back the way she’d come. He had a charming smile, and those entrancing eyes tracked her progress.
“I’ll see you soon, beautiful Natasha,” he said, his voice low and smooth.
Broken Sue pulled his phone from the pocket of his black slacks. She remembered the call of hers that was still live.
“Hello?” she said, lifting the phone to her ear.
“Hey,” Sebastian replied. “I’m nearly to Broken Sue’s. I stopped running when I heard him show up. Was that really the lead enforcer?”
“First of all…you have a car. Why were you running?”
Silence. Then, “I’m an idiot, I guess. I’ve gotten so used to only using the car when I go shopping or to another town that I forgot it was an option. Good thing you didn’t get gruesomely murdered.”
“I know. I would’ve haunted you. Anyway, the gargoyle was intense,” she said as Broken Sue pulled his arm from around her to tap his phone screen. “Not too intense, though. Like, at first I was worried as all hell, I’ll admit it. I felt like I definitely needed a knife, which wasn’t great, since I don’t have one.”
“Why don’t you have a knife?”
“I forgot it. Don’t ask. Anyway, there was no real reason for my wariness, just a feeling. I felt like I should be ready to brawl at any moment, you know? Except I didn’t have the tools. Regardless, he wasn’t actually as stoic as I was expecting. He joked and smiled and taunted Broken Sue a little.”
“Yeah, but why is he here?”
“Scouting, I think. Broken Sue sent him to the bar. Go listen in. And try to keep Jessie from meeting him. I think we should leave her a mystery until the official meeting. Otherwise her weird team will crowd her, and it’ll set the wrong precedent. Try to keep her gargoyles away, too. I don’t think they’re going to stack up to this guy.”