Gregor (Stone Society Book 2) (15 page)

Tessa
finished her coffee and helped Gladys clear the breakfast dishes. Gladys had
drilled her about her handsome cousin, and Tessa had lied her ass off, making
shit up on the fly. She had to laugh at her older neighbor gushing so hard on
her mate. She knew how gorgeous he was, but to hear her old friend go on and on
about him was quite amusing. They said their goodbyes, and Tessa hopped the
streetcar on St. Charles and headed to the Quarter. She was excited about
seeing Lilly. She just hoped they had enough privacy this early in the morning
where they could speak freely.

The
early morning crowd was sparse. Tessa loved this time of day in the city. She
could enjoy her town without the throngs of drunk tourists marring her morning
walk. Jackson Square came into view and Tessa felt her breath hitch. The fence
along St. Peter Street where Lilly showcased her artwork was bare. The black
iron bars were void of the colorful masterpieces that normally brightened the
dull walkway. She knew she was early, but any other time she had visited, Lilly
was already setting up her display.

One
of the tarot readers, John, according to his sign, was unfolding his table and
chair. Tessa decided to ask him about her cousin. “Excuse me, I’m looking for
Lilly. Does she not set up along the fence anymore?”

“Good
morning. Yes, she does, but she’s been sick the last few days. She is supposed
to be back today, but I guess she’s running late. Would you like a reading
while you wait?”

Tessa
had never let anyone read her cards. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in the
occult, quite the opposite. She knew better than most there were those among
the humans who were more than they appeared to be with just a glance. She,
herself, was much more than just a red haired biker. Sure, there were
charlatans among those with true abilities, but the vibe coming from this man
indicated he was the real deal. “No, thank you. I have a feeling I know exactly
what my future holds for me, but I do appreciate the offer. I’m going to grab a
coffee. Would you like one?”

“I
would love one. Black, please.” John smiled and continued setting up his area.

Tessa
walked down around the square until she came to a lesser known beignet stand. Café
du Monde was still thriving after almost two hundred years. Several other shops
used the same recipe and served the same coffee, they just didn’t have the
historical name nailed to their door. By the time she had the coffees and returned,
Lilly was setting up her artwork. She handed John his coffee, and as she did,
he told her, “Listen to your heart. Your mind is reeling with doing the right
thing, but always listen to your heart.”

Tessa
should have been shocked, but she wasn’t. She just nodded and turned toward her
cousin. “Lilly!  I was afraid I had missed you. John said you have been sick. Are
you all right now?”

Lilly’s
wavy blonde hair was tied back away from her face. Her long flowing skirt was
as colorful as the artwork she painted. “Tabitha! Oh, it’s so good to see you
again.” She set down the painting she was affixing to the fence and pulled
Tessa in for a hug. Her usually sunny smile was absent from her beautiful face.
Tessa knew it was more than sickness.

“Please
tell me, are you okay? You look… different.” Tessa stepped back but kept her free
hand on Lilly’s arm. Her eyes were pleading with her cousin to confide in her.
Lilly didn’t know they were related, she just thought of Tessa as a very good
customer.

“I
am still under the weather, that’s all.” Lilly was looking around as if she
were searching for someone.

“What’s
going on?  You seem very distracted”

“I…
Tabitha, I…” She grabbed the picture she had been hanging and strung it along
the fence. Tessa offered her the next picture to hang next to it. All of a
sudden, Lilly stiffened. She jerked her head around as if she were expecting a
monster to be behind her.

“What
is it?  What has you so spooked?” Tessa didn’t know who or what to search for.
The air held an unusual quality, now that she was concentrating. If she didn’t
know better, she would swear Gregor was close by. Shit. Had he followed her? 
Of fucking course he had. Scanning the area was futile. Her mate wasn’t out in
the open. “Is this about a man? Has someone hurt you?”

“No,
it’s nothing like that, I’m just… honestly, I don’t know what I am. There are
just some things that can’t be explained, and if I told you, I doubt you would
believe me anyway.”

Holy
shit, had Lilly transitioned?  Was this why she was so freaked out? “I have a
very open mind. As a matter of fact, I believe I know what has you so jittery. Something
happened to you recently that you can’t explain and you don’t understand.”
Tessa lowered her voice. “You weren’t sick, were you? You experienced something
that you should have been prepared for. Dammit, I should have been here for
you.”

Lilly’s
brown eyes were wide now. She placed her hand over her mouth, and Tessa knew
there were fangs behind her lips. “Lilly, I can explain everything. I should
have told you a long time ago about what was going to happen, but the family
thought it best to keep things quiet. I am so sorry you had to transition
alone.”

Tears
were slowly leaking from her cousin’s eyes. “So I’m not a freak?”

“No,
gods, no. What you are is special. And my cousin. We have so much to talk about,
but I don’t want to do it out here in the open.”  Tessa wanted to tell Lilly
all about the shifters, but she couldn’t do it where prying ears could possibly
overhear something.

“I
can get John to watch my stuff. I really need your assurance that I’m not
crazy.” The tears had stopped, but wet eyes held a look of optimism.

“If
there is somewhere private we can talk, it would be great.”

“Help
me hang the rest of the pictures, then we can go to my studio. It’s not far
from here.” Tessa helped Lilly, and before long, they were crossing the street
and entering a small art gallery.

Gregor
was glad to be out of that damn tree. He would do anything to watch over Tessa
even if it meant spending all night awake, wedged between two branches. It
might have been close to impossible to follow her to the square if she hadn’t
told Gladys where she was going. With her taking the slow-ass trolley, he was
able to get to his rental car and park in a paid lot before she arrived at her
destination. He already had his coffee and was standing next to a column
outside an old museum watching Tessa talk to a blonde. Dominic walked up behind
him, “Which one of those two is causing your bad mood?”

Gregor
took in the Louisiana Clan leader. There was only one way to describe Dominic
Dubois: pirate. His long, black hair was tied at his nape with a leather thong.
His white shirt with the thick, turned-up cuffs would have looked silly on a
lesser man. His leather pants were tight, so tight Gregor wasn’t sure how his
junk was still functional. The tall, leather boots were authentic. The only
thing missing was an eye patch. He grinned at the man, and they shook hands. “The
redhead. She’s my mate.”

Dominic
finally smiled. “It’s a bloody good thing, because I plan to claim the blonde
as my own.”

Gregor
eyed the women and sipped his coffee. “About that, you might want to wait.”

“And
why’s that?” Dominic stood next to Gregor as the women spoke softly to each
other.

“Because
the fates have decided we can mate with humans. If you claim this one and your
mate happens along later, what will you do then? Break her heart?” Gregor
inclined his head toward Lilly.

“Ah,
that’s what I’ve been experiencing. I do not think I will have to break
anyone’s heart, my brother. I do believe she is my intended.”

Gregor
took his eyes off the women. “The blonde’s your mate?”

“Aye,
I do believe she is.  A long time ago, it was foretold to me by a gypsy that my
mate would be a fair-haired witch.  Now that you have told me we can mate with
humans, I have faith Lilly is she. I have had stirrings for the lass. What
about you? How do you know the redhead is your mate?” Dom took a drink of his
own coffee.

“It’s
a long story, but she admitted she is my mate. The short of it is, she is a
half-blood; her father is a Gargoyle, and her mother is human. For some fucked
up reason, she won’t have anything to do with me because I’m full-blooded. I am
still trying to get to the bottom of that one. When we’re together, the mate
bond makes things so fucking good, then she remembers who I am and kicks me to
the godsdamn curb. It is getting annoying. A couple of nights ago she scared
the shit out of me, and I phased with no choice. The beast took over, and there
I was, wings and all.”

Dominic
laughed. “Yes, I can imagine that happening with my Lillian. I would rather die
than to see one strand of her fair hair harmed. Tell me, do you feel the need
to constantly be around her? To touch her in some way?”

“It’s
maddening, but yeah, I do.” Lilly jerked her head in their direction, and Tessa
looked around as well. “I do believe they have caught our scent.” Gregor
pointed his cup in the women’s direction. “I wonder what has Lillian so upset.”

“I
do not know, but I intend to find out. She has not been at her spot by the
fence in several days. I couldn’t just barge into her home and demand to take
care of her, now could I?”

“You
could, but you might’ve gotten a surprise, like a naked man in her bed.”

Dom
growled at Gregor. “Whoa, man. I was just making a statement. Don’t go for the
sword.”

“Why
is it I have never heard of a half-blood or the fact Goyles are mating with
humans?” Dominic crossed his arms over his chest.

“We
just found out about it ourselves. A few weeks back, Rafael was being framed
for a multiple homicide. The police chief, who was investigating the murders,
happened to be his mate. He couldn’t believe it might be possible, so he had
Nikolas search the archives. When he came up empty, Nik went to the public library.
Long story short, he found a journal written by a Gargoyle who has been posing
as human. It appeared to be a work of fiction until Nik actually read it. It
was a diary detailing the Goyle’s mating with a human and being ostracized for
it.

“We
have since found the Gargoyle’s daughter. She is the current physician at the
prison and my mate’s cousin. She was at work when she began her transition. My
mate is called a watcher. She helps the half-bloods go through their initial
change. Dom, I think I know where Lillian was these past few days. I’m pretty
sure being around you set off her transition.”

“Transition?
What makes you think she’s a shifter?” Dominic asked skeptically.

“Because
the change is triggered when the half-bloods meet their mate. At least that’s
what I was told. I think my mate has been watching Lillian all this time,
knowing she would eventually transition.”

“So
you think Lillian is one of these half-bloods?”

“If
my gut is right, yes, and those two are related,” Gregor indicated their women
by inclining his head.

Dominic
was silent. Gregor got it. The knowledge that mating was possible was a stab
through the heart. If this Lillian happened to be a half-blood, that meant she
was more than likely kin to Tessa. However, he didn’t have time to hold Dom’s
hand while he digested the information. He needed to get down to business. “What
do you know about Jacques Dupart?”

Dominic
drank the last of his coffee, tossing the empty cup in a nearby trash
receptacle. “He owns a bar on Ursulines that serves as a front for his little
side business. And by little, I mean his drug slash arms empire.”

“Why
has nothing been done to stop him?” Gregor wasn’t accusing Dom, not yet. Most
of the Gargoyles kept out of human business unless it was absolutely necessary.

“You
know the answer to that question, Brother. We do not step in unless we
absolutely have to. What’s this about?” Dominic’s eyes were trained on Lillian
who was now walking away from her art stand with Tessa in tow. Gregor didn’t
answer the question until the women were out of sight.

“Somehow
my mate got involved with him. She travels the world posing as an archaeologist
while she is really keeping an eye on the half-bloods. He put her in his bed to
get her married to his world. She broke things off, but it seems he is having a
hard time with the word
no
.”