Gregor (Stone Society Book 2) (11 page)

The
warden and some of the guards came and talked to the prisoner in the next cell
over. Why were they so nice to him? The warden even let him out of his cell
every once in a while. Maybe he gave the warden information he wanted, and he
got to go out in the sunlight. Vincent was cold. So cold. He just needed the
sun on his face for a few minutes. Sunlight. Rebekah.

Tessa’s
plane landed at LaGuardia as scheduled. While it wasn’t the closest airport to
her destination, she preferred the larger, busier hub where she had a greater
chance of being lost in the crowd. She wove her way through the throngs of
passengers rushing to make their flights on time. Since she wouldn't be
staying, she had no luggage to wait for at the busy carousel. Instead, she
headed for the passenger pick-up area where her ride would be waiting.

Even
though it wasn’t necessary, her driver held up a sign that said “Greystone”. Manny
had been driving Tessa around as long as she could remember. He was one of her
best friends in the world. Actually, he was one of her only friends. She loved
the man as much as she loved her own father and would usually stay at his home
when she was in town. Soon after she transitioned, Tessa went to visit Manny
and his husband, Lawrence. Both men were longtime employees of her family, and
they knew the truth of the Gargoyles. When Tessa told the men who her mate was,
she had cried. And laughed. And cried some more. They dubbed Gregor “Greystone”
as a codename. Since Tessa wouldn’t tell her family she was mated to a
full-blood, it was their secret.

Manny
was smiling, his beautiful face almost cracking. “My girl, how I’ve missed
you.” The older man pulled Tessa in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “No
luggage? I’m hurt. I was hoping you would be staying with us a while.”

Tessa
snaked her arm through her friend’s as they walked. “Sorry, Man, but this is a
quick brief with the fam and then I’m headed to New Orleans. I have a lot to
tell you, so let’s get to the car.” They strolled arm-in-arm looking like
father and daughter instead of driver and passenger. Tessa hated coming to New
York for these short meetings. While she loved her mother, Tessa preferred the
times when she was staying with Manny and Larry. She had long ago asked that
Manny not drive the limo when picking her up. She wanted to be able to sit next
to him and chat, not be separated to the back of the lonely monstrosity that
shouted, “Look at me, I’m somebody.”

Tessa
couldn’t help but smile when Manny opened the passenger door to his personal
vehicle. He may appear refined, but he was as much of a speed freak as she was.
While she preferred the Chevrolet, Manny was a Dodge man. The Challenger was
sleek and bad-ass, and she knew there was a hemi under the hood. Even with
technology finally getting back to where it had once been, there was nothing
like these classic muscle cars.

Tessa
pulled her seatbelt across her body, clicking it in place, all while enjoying
the rumble of the engine. Now that the weather was getting colder, she would be
pulling her own car out of the garage and parking her bike. Manny got as far as
heading north on the 678 before he couldn’t wait any longer. “Okay, Missy,
spill it. You look different than the last time you were here. Does this have
anything to do with Greystone?”

Even
though it had everything to do with her mate, she still had to grin. “Manny,
you know me too well. Actually, it does.” She sighed then continued. “He knows.
I screwed up, and now he knows. Not only does he know I’m his mate, but he
knows about half-bloods.”  Tessa started at the beginning and told him about
Isabelle taking the job at the Pen, about finding Tamian, and about flying off
the roof.

“Why
is your brother in jail?” Manny knew Tamian well and was shocked to hear of him
being behind bars.

“The
do-gooder put himself there on purpose, but I can’t really fault him for it. He’s
trying to find Gordon’s location just like we are. Hopefully, he’ll be able to
accomplish this without anyone else dying.” Tessa filled Manny in on the ruse
at the World Council Delegation that had gone horribly wrong. “Right now, he’s
in solitary. I’m not sure how he expects to gain any information from the
general population when he’s stuck in a hole.”

“So
you jumped off the roof. I always miss the good stuff.”  Manny was chuckling.

“Yeah,
well, it was good until Gregor phased and came after me. He was
pissed
.
He knew at the bar that I was his mate, he just didn’t know who I was exactly. Now
he knows, and I have a feeling he’s going to be a pain in my ass. Manny, the
Gargoyle King has found his mate, and she’s a human. I need to tell him that
Goyles have been mating with humans for a long time now. He needs to know.”

Manny
grabbed Tessa’s hand. “You’ll do the right thing, sweet girl. You always do.”
He released her hand as they pulled up to the entrance to her parents’ estate. Manny
waited until he got the all-clear from the security patrol that had followed
them for the last hour. He placed his forefinger on the scanner, and the gate
opened. He and Tessa often joked about “keeping their digits” intact. If either
one ever lost a finger, whoever took it would have access to the compound.

Elizabeth
was waiting at the front door when the car pulled into the circle. Tessa leaned
over and kissed Manny on the cheek. “Thanks, Man. I’ll come back soon when I
can stay awhile.”

“You
do that. At least call me. I want to hear more about you and Greystone.” His
eyes were wet with unshed tears as Tessa got out of the car.

“Andrea!”
Elizabeth was now down the steps and welcoming her daughter into her arms. With
the aging process having stopped, Elizabeth didn’t look any older than Tessa
did. They held each other in a tight hug then Tessa pulled back. “I know you
called me here, but we have problems. Full-blooded ones.”

“And
what might those be?” Tessa’s head jerked at the sound of her father’s voice.
Well
shit.
Why had her mother not warned her they wouldn’t be alone? She left
the warmth of her mother’s embrace and went to Xavier. “Dad! I can’t believe
you’re here!” She hugged the man she rarely saw anymore and looked around his
shoulder at her mother who was shrugging.

“Tessa,
my girl. How are you?” her father asked.

 Xavier
was smart and very adept at reading body rhythms. She had to get hers under
control. She smiled her best smile and turned to her mom. “With the exception
of being extremely tired, I’m great. I’ve been up with Isabelle. She finally
transitioned.”

“Let’s
get in out of the cold.” Elizabeth made her way into the massive home Tessa had
partially grown up in. The housekeeper, Cassandra, was standing just inside the
door. As soon as Tessa crossed the threshold, she was in the older woman’s arms.
It had been a while since Tessa visited, so it didn’t surprise her she was
being smushed by everyone.

“Cassandra,
how are you?”  She loved the older woman like a grandmother. Having been whisked
away when she was a baby, Tessa never knew her biological grandmother. She felt
the tears falling down the older woman’s cheeks. “Hey, now, what’s up with the
waterworks?”  Tessa wiped away the tears with her thumbs and searched her
eyes?  “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve
just missed you is all,” she whispered.

Tessa
patted her on the shoulder and responded, “Well, I’m here now. After I speak
with the ‘rents I will come see you in the kitchen, okay?” Cassandra nodded
then excused herself.

“What
was that about?” Tessa asked when the housekeeper was out of earshot. Her mom
gave a slight shake of her head. Whatever it was, Elizabeth obviously didn’t
want to discuss it in front of Xavier.

“Let’s
go have a seat.” Xavier ushered the women to the lounge at the side of the
house. The room was a sunken area with four sofas surrounding a fire pit in the
middle of the room. Both Tessa and Elizabeth loved a fire. Once they were
seated, Xavier asked, “Now, what is this about the Gargoyles?”

Tessa
didn’t miss that her father eluded her question. He had questions of his own
and she had to answer them. She didn’t dare look at her mother. That would give
away that she was omitting some of the truth from what she was telling. “It
appears the King has found his mate. A human.”

“Yes,
Rafael said as much when he all but threatened me at the Elder Council. Why do
you feel this is a problem?” Xavier may be leaning back, seeming relaxed, but
he was not shielding his own vitals. He knew about Rafael?

“Because
he and his Clan are searching for answers. Answers that Isabelle and I both
have. Answers that Rafael and his mate need. Nikolas Stone found one of Jonas’
journals at the library. It was the first one where he talks of meeting
Caroline. Nikolas came calling, asking if Isabelle had the other journals. His
timing couldn’t have been worse. She had just found out what she is, about
Gargoyles, and the news Jonas is alive. Hell, she even came face to face with
Caroline. Imagine Belle’s shock at not only watching a brother she didn’t know
she had transition, but seeing her mother for the first time in probably twenty
years. A mother who looks as young as she does. Dad, Isabelle has taken a job
at the Penitentiary working for Gregor Stone. He was there when she began her
transition. He knows about us. Therefore, Rafael knows about us. It’s just a
matter of time before they start demanding answers.”

Elizabeth,
who had been quiet until then, turned to her mate. “My darling, you have to
tell her.”

“Tell
me what?” Tessa wasn’t used to being kept in the dark.

Xavier
stood and began pacing the room. Tessa had never seen her father appear
anything less than calm and collected. The version of the man before her was
anything but calm. “Rafael’s uncle, Alistair, is the one who convinced Jonas’
Clan to ostracize him. Alistair was at the meeting when Rafael announced to the
room that he had found his mate and he suspected Jonas was really a shifter. I’m
afraid Rafael has opened a can of worms that could lead to another Clan war.”

“Gargoyles
were put on earth to protect humans. Why did Alistair want Jonas banished?”
Tessa stood and walked over to the window, taking in the vastness of their
property.

“Because
Alistair is a prejudiced old fool. He felt the line should be kept pure. In his
opinion, mixing with humans is an affront to the species.” Xavier leaned his
backside against the bar, crossing his arms over his chest. “I shut down the
meeting as quickly as I could. Alistair not only loathes humans, he also holds
a sore spot for his sister as well as his nephew. He despised his
brother-in-law because he was of Italian descent, not Greek. He didn’t care
that Athena had found her mate. When Edmondo was slain, Rafael should have
taken his place on the Council. He refuses to do so. Therefore Athena still has
the family vote, and it pisses her brother off.”

“So
this is why Jonas is so hell bent on keeping the mate bond from everyone. It
makes sense now.” She turned to her mother and asked, “Is this the problem you
wanted to tell me about?”

Elizabeth
joined her at the window and took Tessa’s hands in her own. “No, but the other
can wait for now. This is more important, Sweetheart. Your safety and
well-being are more important to me than anything else we need to discuss.”

“I’m
not worried about me, Mom. You know I can take care of myself. Dad, I
understand why Jonas wants to keep the human bonding info secret, but after
what you just told me, shouldn’t the King be told the truth? Wouldn’t it be
better if he had all ammunition at his disposal?”

“Better
for whom? If Rafael knows the truth about bonding with humans, he will mate
with his woman and have children. His brothers and cousins will do the same
thing. Not only will the Goyles be at risk, but their families as well.”

Tessa
didn’t want to hear this. She had enough to worry about with her cousins
transitioning and having children. Now she had to watch out for the full-bloods,
too. “I’m afraid we might be too late. I think they are already mated. Fully.”

“How
do you know this?” Her father knew she and Elizabeth were very close and told
each other almost everything.

Elizabeth
squeezed her daughter’s hands. “Tell him the rest. Tell your father who your
mate is.”

Gregor’s
phone pinged with a text notification. “Your woman is on her way to New Orleans.
If you care.”

 He
replied to Julian: “I would appreciate a background check.”

His
phone pinged again. “I knew you’d say that. Already on it. Either she doesn’t
exist, or someone as good as I am has covered her tracks.”

“Search
for everything on Andrea Flanagan.”

“WTF?
Are you serious?”

“Just
keep it quiet for now.”

“Ten-four.”

Gregor
wasn’t ready to accuse his mate of being the Montague baby, not that accuse was
the right word to use. She couldn’t help if she was part of the destruction of
the world thirty-three years earlier, but he knew in his gut it was true. How
he knew was beyond him. Dante was the one with the voodoo-like feelings. It
could have something to do with the mate bond. Gregor had never studied or
asked anyone about the bond, because he thought his chances of finding his were
slim to none.

First
New York and now Louisiana. He couldn’t stand it. Gregor had to have more
information on Tessa, and Tamian was going to give it to him. He headed to the
lower level, stopping to talk with Deacon when he passed him in the corridor.

“Deacon,
anything happening?” Like ninety-nine percent of the guards, Deacon was a
shifter.

Deacon
held out his hand for a fist bump. “Good morning, Brother. All’s quiet except
for the albino. He must have been having a nightmare. I was going to take St.
Claire’s breakfast to him when I heard Alexander yelling. I looked in and he
was fully phased. He was pale; well, paler than usual. He yelled out, “Rebekah,
I’m so sorry.”  I don’t know who she is or what he did to her, but the dude can
talk, obviously. When he saw me at the door, he asked for a cigarette. I slid
him a patch, but you and I both know that will only help him for about two
point five seconds. I did tell him that if he would give up Flanagan, you would
get him a carton of smokes.”

“If
he gives up Flanagan, I’ll buy him a whole fucking truckload. Thanks, man.”

Gregor
stopped at Vincent’s door and peered in. The albino was once again on the floor
doing push-ups. Even though he didn’t work out as much as Frey did, Gregor
couldn’t imagine being a shifter and cooped up in such a small confine. He
opened Tamian’s cell door as quietly as possible. He motioned for Tamian to
follow, and they headed toward his office.

Gregor
poured them both a cup of coffee then motioned for Tamian to take a seat. “I
hear your cell buddy had an outburst this morning.”

“Yeah,
it’s not the first time he’s had nightmares. He mumbles in his sleep, and most
of it isn’t coherent. This Rebekah’s name has been spoken more than once. So
has Flanagan’s. Now that we know he can actually talk, I think it’s time you
bear down on him. I’m no psychologist, but I truly believe if you offer him
cigarettes and sunshine, he’ll give you something. The man is obsessed with
both.”

Gregor
barked out a laugh. “Sunshine? He looks like he hasn’t seen a ray of sun in his
life.”

“Maybe
that’s why he craves it so much. When something you love is taken away, it’s
all you can think about.” Tamian’s pained expression told Gregor the man knew
this from experience.

“I
agree. I want to transfer you out of solitary into gen pop. You up for that?”
The original plan had been to put Tamian in general population to see if any of
the inmates talked about Flanagan. When they captured Vincent, the plan changed.
Now that he had determined the man knew something, his job there was finished,
and he could do what he was originally brought in to do.

“Absolutely.
It will be interesting to listen in on all the crazies.” He laughed before
taking a sip of coffee. “How’s Isabelle? I have never actually witnessed
someone’s first transition, but I hear it can be quite painful.”

Gregor
was confused. If Tamian was a half-blood, surely he had gone through his own
transition. “Are you telling me you haven’t phased yet?”  He knew Tamian wasn’t
comfortable talking about himself, he just didn’t know why. “Look, your sister
and I are mates. Eventually, we
are
going to be together. That means you
and I are going to be brothers. I get you have your secrets, and I also get
you’re probably trying to protect Tessa. I just don’t know why or from whom. I
care about her. Yeah, those emotions stem from the mate bond, but that will
only get stronger. If you know anything at all about the bond, you know she and
I belong together.”

He
could tell Tamian was conflicted by his facial expression. “Like I said before,
mine and Tessa’s story is a little different.”

“I’m
pretty sure I have figured that part out. I know who you are, who she is. You
said you wanted her to be the one to tell me your story, but she’s gone. I
can’t wait for her to return and possibly tell me what I need to know.” Gregor
was getting agitated. Why did the fates think he was capable of dealing with a
hothead like Tessa or her closed lip brother?

“What
do you mean you know who we are?”

“I
may look like a big oaf, as your sister calls me. I actually have a brain
inside this stubby body. When you think about the facts, it doesn’t take a
genius to figure out Tessa is the Montague baby and you are her clone.” Gregor
stopped because Tamian had literally jumped to his feet. “Calm down, man. I’m
not shouting the news from the rooftops. I just put two and two together and
came up with the answer. I figure if you are the clone Jonas created, then you
are probably something even more special than the other clones in the world. I
have a feeling you were given a little extra something during the process. If
I’m right, you are probably one unique shifter.”

Gregor
knew he had hit home. Tamian sat back down and slumped in his chair, leaning
his head against the back. “If you figured this out, who else has? Shit, I need
to talk to Andi. We need to leave, get out of New Atlanta.”

“Whoa,
easy. You don’t need to leave. In fact, you are probably safer here in New
Atlanta than you would be anywhere. Tessa’s my mate, so you know I’ll protect
her. Rafael is King, and he will protect you both. You have a big family now,
whether you want it or not. You and Tessa will become part of our Clan.”

“Do
you know where Andi went? I really need to talk to her before we discuss this
any further.”

“I
heard she was headed to New Orleans.”  Gregor didn’t want to tell him he was
having Tessa investigated.

“Ah,
hell. Andi tends to get in trouble when she goes to Louisiana. I need to get
out of here. She thinks she can take care of herself, but sometimes she gets in
over her head.”

“What
exactly is she doing there?” Gregor was the one getting agitated now. He didn’t
want to hear his mate was in danger.

“Not
what, who. I’m sure you don’t want to hear this, but she has a
friend
she hooks up with when she goes to check on our cousin. That’s what Andi does
for the family: she’s a watcher. She keeps an eye on all of our cousins who are
spread out over the world. Andi has a tendency to attract some pretty unsavory
characters wherever she goes, but this one, he takes first prize.”

“And
just who is this particular unsavory character?” Gregor stood from his chair
and ran his hand through his short hair. He was going to New Orleans and bring
Tessa home, or at the very least, keep her safe and out of the clutches of
another man.

“His
name is Jacques Dupart. He won’t be hard to find. He owns a seedy bar on Ursulines
called Jacques’ Place. If he isn’t with Andi, he’ll be at the bar.”  Tamian was
giving this information freely.

“Why
are you being so forthcoming about all this? Up until now, you’ve been pretty
secretive.”

“Because
I don’t like the guy. Even without Andi being mated to you, I don’t want to see
her with someone like Dupart. I’m not asking you to go after her. I think you
know by now how stubborn she is. She has her mind made up that even though you’re
her mate, she’s not going to give in to the pull. But if you were so inclined
to make a trip to the bayou, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings in the least. I
agreed to stay in here and get information, and that’s what I’m going to do. But
like I told Andi, someone has to watch the watcher.”

“Where
does Tessa stay when she’s there?” Gregor pulled out his cell phone and was
dialing Rafe.

“She
has her own place in the Garden District. Hand me a pen, and I’ll write down
the address.” Gregor slid a pen and paper across his desk. While Tamian was
writing, he spoke to his brother, “I need the jet. Now. New Orleans. Of course
it has to do with a woman. Yes, a particular redhead.”  He hung up and called
Deacon. “Can you come in here?”

Gregor
took the address as Tamian said, “I would rather you not tell Andi where you
got the information. I have kept an eye on her her whole life without her
knowing it, and we have a great relationship. I don’t want her to start hating
me now. She thinks she’s ten feet tall and bulletproof, but we both know that
isn’t the case. ”

“I
will do my best to keep you out of it, but I won’t make you a promise I can’t
keep. I really appreciate all you’re doing, St. Claire.” Gregor stretched
across his desk to shake hands. Deacon knocked and walked in. “You rang?”

“I
did. We are moving forward with our original plans; St. Claire is going to gen
pop. Put him on the D block in one of the empty cells. Also, I am taking a
short trip to Louisiana, and I want you to take over while I’m gone.” Gregor
had been giving Deacon more and more responsibility around the prison so that
one day he could assume the role of warden.

“You
got it, Boss. St. Claire, let’s go get your things and cuff you up. We can’t
have you strolling in to your new home without restraints.”

Tamian
followed Deacon but stopped at the door. “I know you care for Andi, bond or not.
I truly hope she comes around sooner rather than later. You’ll be good for
her.” With that, he followed Deacon down to solitary to get his few belongings.

Gregor
hoped Tamian was right. He wanted to be good for Tessa. Good to her. If her job
was to travel the world and watch over her family, he would be more than happy
to leave New Atlanta and watch over her.

On
the drive home to grab a travel bag, he called Isabelle.

“Hello?”
Isabelle answered the phone almost immediately.

“Isabelle,
this is Gregor. How are you feeling?”

“Hello,
Warden. I’m doing really well. I was actually thinking of returning to work
tomorrow instead of waiting.”

“That’s
why I’m calling. I have to go out of town, and I don’t want you coming to the
Pen without me there. It’s not that I don’t trust you; I would just rather be
there with you while you are getting re-acclimated. I do remember what it’s
like to transition. I hope to be back in a couple of days. You can get back to
it then.”

“What
if someone needs medical attention?” He liked that about Isabelle, ever the
doctor.

“My
cousin is on call. If there are any emergencies, he’ll take care of them. I
tell you what, since you have just changed and Tessa is out of town, why don’t
you take down his number, just in case.” He waited for Isabelle to get a pen
and paper, before giving her Dante’s information. “You take care, and I’ll see
you soon.”  
Dammit.
He realized just as he hung up that he had given her
Dante’s phone number but not his name. Hopefully she wouldn’t need to call him.

Gregor
had mixed emotions about this trip. On one hand, he would be close to his mate.
On the other, if he had to watch her with another man, it would probably crush
him.
Or
, his beast may be the one doing the crushing.