Nikolas (26 page)

“I can understand that. When we first came to the States and Jules and I lived apart, it was like part of my soul was missing.”

Gregor nodded. “Same with me and Dante. Even though we’ve found our mates, we still talk to each other every day. I can’t imagine if he up and moved with no contact whatsoever. Hopefully, Tamian will come back around. Tessa needs her brother.”

Nik was ready to get inside to his mate, but first he placed his hands on Gregor’s shoulders. “I wanted to thank you for being here. It means a lot to me.”

Gregor placed his hand on one of Nik’s and bowed his head, “Always, Brother.”

Once inside, they went to their separate ends of the house. The women had already turned out the lights and gone to bed. Nik was ready to give his mate that spanking.

Nik hung up from speaking with Julian. He and Zeke found the area Xenia sent them to. Rebels were still in the area, but it wasn’t as heavily inhabited as it had been in times past. He suggested they contact Brock Tyson and purchase weapons. The Stone Society wasn’t in the habit of doing business with arms dealers, but this was for their protection as well as keeping their true nature under wraps. It wouldn’t do for the world to find out about the Gargoyles. Having Unholy running around was bad enough.

He returned to the bedroom where his beautiful bunny was sprawled out over the king-size bed, taking her half in the middle. The shredded bedding was a glorious reminder of the way his mate reacted to him the night before. She admitted she had occasionally watched porn to learn what to do once they were finally together. To have been a virgin, Sophia was a quick learner. Nik was normally the aggressor in the bedroom, but with Sophia, he was enjoying lying back and watching his mate work him over. She had enjoyed receiving her spanking, but she hadn’t hesitated in giving Nik a taste of his own medicine. At one point, his wings came out because she had him turned on so much. If they continued ruining the linens, he probably wouldn’t get his security deposit back. Then again, he would buy stock in cotton if it meant they always had such an exciting sex life.

He hated to wake her up, but they had a rescue to plan. Julian wasn’t able to get close enough to the hidden entrance to do any real recon, but the rebels were guarding something. The bed dipped down as he sat next to Sophia. He ran his hand along her spine until it reached her panties. One more day, she assured him. Her periods only lasted three days at the most since she became a half-blood. He was ready for it to be over. As much as making love to her soothed his soul and fucking like rabbits soothed his beast, he couldn’t wait to feast on her beautiful pussy. Speaking of rabbits, he remembered the gift he bought his first day there. He rose from the bed and opened the top dresser drawer.

“Soph, Baby, wake up.” She rolled over onto her back, exposing her smooth, pale skin and her perky breasts. Nik adjusted his inflating cock and moved his eyes to her face. “I got you something.”

She pushed her crazy bed hair out of her face and propped up on her elbows. “When did you go shopping?”

“When I first arrived, before I ran into Beatrice. I saw this in a shop, and it reminded me of you.”

He placed the trinket in her hand. “It’s not as cute as a bunny, but I thought it was pretty. Like you. Happy birthday, Baby.”

Sophia’s eyes misted as she stared at the figurine in her hand. “How did you know?”

“I have my ways,” he said with a grin.

“Julian,” Sophia said before she sat up and scooted into Nik’s lap. “I don’t care how you did it, I’ll treasure it forever.” Nik leaned in for a kiss, and she turned her cheek to him. “Ugh, let me brush my teeth.”

“Nope. You’re my woman, my mate. I don’t care if you have morning breath, coffee breath, or cum breath. I’ll always want to kiss you.” He pushed her backwards onto the bed, took her gift from her hand, and placed it on the nightstand. He slid his tongue into her mouth and gave her a proper good morning-birthday kiss.

“We’ll celebrate your birthday the right way when we get home. For now, we have work to do.”

After kissing her again, Nik left his mate to shower and dress while he whipped up a quick breakfast for everyone. When he heard the shower turn off, he waited four minutes before pouring a cup of coffee precisely the way Sophia liked it. As he was putting the milk back in the fridge, she padded into the kitchen. “Here you go,” he said as he handed her coffee to her. Sophia’s eyes lit up like he’d given her another present.

“Happy birthday, Sophia,” Tessa said as she and Gregor entered the room.

“Yes, happy birthday. Hopefully, we can give you a good present and get your parents back soon,” Gregor added.

“Thank you. That would be a great present. When are Julian and Zeke getting back?”

Nik put everyone’s plates on the table and said, “In a couple of hours. They were getting ready to board the jet when I talked to him.” Nik relayed Julian’s phone call, and he and Gregor talked about contacting Keene. The Gargoyles were used to their own appendages keeping them safe. In the past, they used swords against other Gargoyles, and in light of Alistair causing trouble for the Clan, they had recently taken up training again. Nik hadn’t wielded a sword in a very long time, but he preferred it to an automatic weapon. He was old fashioned that way.

By the time Julian and Zeke returned, Nik had reached out to Keene who in turn contacted his father. Nik made it clear there was to be no favor owed by Keene, this was all on him. For the right amount of money, Brock agreed. He didn’t ask questions about why they needed the weapons. Nik wouldn’t have told him anyway. The fewer
people who knew what they were up to, the better.

They spent the rest of the day going over maps and gathering supplies they would need for the trip. Each one would take a backpack with a flashlight, flares, a change of clothing, food, water, medical supplies, and a bedroll in case they needed to sleep. While the men were gathering supplies and retrieving the weapons, Sophia and Tessa put the food items together before cooking supper.

While they ate, Julian explained about the small town right outside Luxor where they would begin their journey. He had already rented a small house so they would have somewhere to convene should they get separated. They debated whether to go in during the daylight hours or wait until the cover of night. All of them had advanced eyesight, and night time would give them the element of surprise. The only drawback was the noise the vehicles would make. Tessa argued the vehicles would be heard during the day as well. Either way, they were going to have to park and walk approximately a mile. They finally compromised and agreed on going in right before the sun came up. They would fly into Luxor during the early morning hours and begin before first light.

They called it an early night so they could attempt to get some rest. Nikolas, however, got little sleep. He spent most of the night holding Sophia, watching her. Having his mate in his arms was a dream come true. The Gargoyles had all but given up hope on finding the one they would spend their lives with, but now that the fates had smiled on them, hope was restored. He thought back to all the women he’d bedded over his five hundred years, and he could no longer see any of their faces. They didn’t matter. The only female who mattered was lying next to him.

What also mattered was how she was holding up mentally. Over the years, Nik had killed. Most of his victims were the Unholy who threatened the lives of humans. Unfortunately, he’d also had to take out humans who were just as bad as the Unholy. Humans without souls who were hell bent on killing as many innocents as they could. He knew what it felt like to watch as the life bled out of someone, knowing he’d been the one to do it. Was Sophia really okay with the fact that she was responsible for ending someone’s existence even if they’d tried to end hers? Or was she keeping it all bottled up inside, and one day it would come hurtling out when something triggered the memory? He would monitor her behavior without hovering. She probably wouldn’t appreciate that.

He kissed Sophia on the cheek and rolled out of bed. Nik took his shower and headed to the kitchen to make coffee. Julian was standing at the counter, already sipping a cup. Nik said, “Good morning, Brother. I take it you couldn’t sleep either?”

Julian shook his head. “No. I’ve been going over different scenarios and outcomes. The probabilities of this being the actual location where Sophia’s parents are being kept are high. The likelihood of us getting them out with no casualties is low. My only concern is the women. Both of them have already been through a traumatic ordeal. I do not wish for this one to turn out the same, or worse.”

Nik clapped his brother on the shoulder. “How well do you know Katherine?” Julian had spoken briefly to the female he now knew to be his mate before coming to Egypt.

“Not well, why?”

“I have a feeling she’s going to be just as tough as Sophia and Tessa. She might not be a half-blood, but the fates are choosing females for us who are worthy of being our mates.”

“Except for Frey. Abigail is a married, battered woman. I cannot wrap my head around that. Why would she be chosen for Frey? He’s the toughest of us all, yet he was given someone he cannot have.”

Nik refilled his coffee and sat down, cradling the cup between his hands. “Who says he can’t have her? If she is being abused, he may be the one to save her. It might not be immediately, but I have a feeling they’ll end up together. Somehow. We both know our brother has demons. Who better to help him face them than someone with demons of their own?”

“Truth. I hope it works out for them. All of them. Abbi’s brother is caught in the middle of it as well.”

“Frey will do the right thing,” Gregor said as he entered the kitchen. He stuck his head in the refrigerator and came out with a carton of juice. He shook it then turned it up and drank it all down. He tossed the empty container in the trash bin before grabbing a coffee cup out of the cabinet. “As for our women, you know as well as I do there’s no way either of them is going to stay behind. Sophia started this journey alone. She was willing to search for her parents with no help from anyone. Tessa was ready to come join her. Alone. They are tough and strong willed, not to mention stubborn.”

“You got that right,” a sleepy Sophia said as she padded to where Nik was sitting. He turned his chair sideways, and she sat in his lap. She took a sip of his black coffee and scrunched up her nose as she swallowed. “This is my fight, and there’s no way I’m not going.”

Nik kissed her on her temple and said, “I wouldn’t ask you to stay behind. I understand how important this is to you. Besides, if I left you behind I wouldn’t be able to concentrate. The last time we separated, things didn’t turn out so well. Now, go take your shower, Baby. We need to leave soon.” Nik urged Sophia out of his lap. If she sat there much longer, he would have to excuse himself to their bedroom. The amount of self-control it took to keep his dick in check around his mate was growing by the day.

He fixed her a cup of coffee the way she liked it and took it to her. Sophia was naked, adjusting the water temperature when he walked into the bathroom. He leaned against the door frame, admiring her body. He would never tell her she wasn’t perfect, because she was, but if she gained a few pounds it wouldn’t hurt his feelings. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled when she saw the coffee.

“You are the best mate ever, Nikolas Stone.” She took the cup from his hand and kissed him softly on the lips. “Thank you.” She took a couple of sips before stepping into the shower. Nik left her to it and returned to the kitchen. He had both their backpacks filled and ready to go.

The men were gathered in the living area, drinking coffee and waiting on the women. Sophia and Tessa joined them a few minutes later. Both had their long hair French-braided and looked like they were ready for an adventure. “Ready?” Julian asked.

They each grabbed a backpack and headed to the large SUV Julian had rented. Nik and Sophia climbed into the back seat, Gregor and Tessa took the middle row, and Julian slipped into the driver’s seat. Zeke drove the van that contained their weapons. The trip to the airport was quiet. Nik put his arm around Sophia’s shoulder and held her close. He wouldn’t offer her false promises of bringing her parents home alive. He prayed to the gods they found them safe and sound.

Sophia had never flown in a private jet before. Plush leather filled the cabin. Sofas lined the left side while fat captain’s chairs filled the right. She couldn’t imagine being rich enough to own something like this. Nik stepped up behind her and whispered, “It’s pretty cool having our own jet, huh?” When she frowned at him, he said, “This is the Clan’s jet. You are now part of the Clan, so technically this is yours, too.” Sophia hadn’t thought of it that way. She had her own money from working at the library, and as a watcher, she had her own account funded by the family.

Nik took her backpack and stowed it in the overhead bin with his. They took their seats so the pilot could take off. Once situated, Nik told her, “What’s mine is yours.”

“Even the Audi?” she asked, kidding.

“Baby, I’ll buy you a brand new Audi or any other car you want.”

Sophia didn’t need a new car, but the idea of him buying her whatever she wanted made her heart swell. She had fairly simple tastes and didn’t spend a lot of money on superfluous things other than books and good electronics. And bright shades of nail polish. One thing she was looking forward to was moving into his home with him. Her house wasn’t small, but it wasn’t suitable for a large family. She hadn’t been kidding when she told him she wanted a bunch of kids. Sophia didn’t want to start having babies just yet, but she didn’t want to wait too long, either.

During the short flight, Julian asked questions about their lives, but mostly, he was interested in Jonas. As a fellow genius, he was curious about the Gargoyle. Zeke spoke about his father, but was more guarded than Sophia and Tessa. They were forthcoming with stories of training with him and learning in his lab. Before she knew it, they were landing. Instead of stopping on the tarmac, the plane rolled into a private hangar so they could unload the weapons without bringing attention to what they were doing. Once they departed the plane, they transferred their equipment into a large van and climbed inside. It amazed Sophia how Julian had arranged everything so quickly in a foreign country.