Perfect Misfits (11 page)

Ryder’s blood boiled at the sound of her desperation. He bent over and picked her up, holding her so she could see the anger that must be reflected in his eyes. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that again! Do you hear me? Beasts like Fedor thrive on words like yours. I will figure this out, and I will get you off this hell-forsaken mountain and back to Levare.”

Her eyes were wide, perhaps out of fear, or maybe just shock at how harshly he spoke.

After placing her back on the ground, he realized—as did she—that she stood in front of him wearing no top. With a wave of his hand, she stood fully clothed as before. He then turned to Rogue.

What was I thinking? I could have killed her today. It was a stupid move. I should have done more testing, instead of just assuming I could whisk her back to Levare.

Something very powerful seemed to be at work. A true gargoyle had the ability to transform to stone at any given time, but Rogue wasn’t a true gargoyle. Why or who had placed such a wicked spell on the creature. He closed his eyes, concentrating on removing the spell the animal seemed to be under, but deep down, he knew it was useless.

Could this be the way Fedor planned on keeping them under control? If it is, how does he manage to wield such power?

“I hate to ask you this, Tempest, but what else can you tell me about this Fedor? You said he told you leaving here wouldn’t be possible. Do you know why?”

Her shoulders slumped.

His heart was heavy, as he imagined the pain she would feel drudging up memories of the decrepit old slime ball.

“I don’t know. He would just remind me that I would never leave here and that he would be the best thing I’d ever have.” She paused, staring at the ground. “I preferred death to that.”

He pushed a bit harder. “I hate to ask you this, but when he touched you, do you remember anything that stood out at all?”

Sucking in a deep breath she nodded. “I remember his thoughts…he wanted to marry me…to own me…and to…”

Ryder reached for her hand, which she quickly pulled out of his reach. “This is me, not Fedor,” he reminded. Again, he reached for her hand, and this time, met only minimal resistance.

“I’m wondering about anything else you might have seen—anything that struck you as odd?”

She smiled. “I like your touch, but sometimes, I’m still scared.” Slowly, she pulled away from him and moved to Rogue’s side, then slumped down beside him.

“There’s a woman and a horrid looking creature. I don’t understand. One minute he seems to be with the beauty, but then I see him with the creature. She does things to him.”

“I think I know who you are referring to,” he ground out with clenched fists.

“You do?” Her eyes went wide. “How is that possible?”

“I decided to follow Fedor the night I left you in the cave.

“What else? Anything you remember.”

“Oh. He likes to drink. He’s really mean to the sneers. I don’t think they’re bad, they’re just trying to survive…like Rogue and I. I often wonder what they were before they came here.

“Sorry. I’m wandering. He stares at a cabinet where the alcohol is kept. I see it often in his thoughts. It’s how I know he likes his alcohol. The drinks are kept in an ice cabinet, and there are beautiful ice crystals illuminating everything. I’ve never seen anything like them. They really are wonderful. He picks these icicles up and stares at them frequently—one in particular. I don’t know why.”

Ryder remembered the way Fedor insisted the women show him the “stone”. Somehow, the two had to be linked.

How am I going to get them out of this mess? Can I leave the fucked-up mountain, or am I stuck, too? And what do the pixies have to do with all of this?

He knew what he had to do.

“Tempest, I know what I’m about to say won’t go over well.” He bent down, kneeling on the ground in front of her. “I have to see if I can leave here and get some answers.”

She held her breath and swallowed, and then shook her head slowly. “You won’t come back,” she said softly.

“I will come back.”

“What if you can’t?”

He held her tiny face between his giant paws. “Nothing will keep me from coming back.”

Her misty green eyes held him captive. She moved closer and pressed her lips to his. Instantly, the fire inside him built. With one arm, he scooped her against his body, letting her consume his senses. The kiss turned to a raging inferno.

Her tongue traced the outline of his lips, and he pulled her harder into him, kissing her with a ferocity that almost scared him. Her yelp startled him, and he pushed back to see a small trail of blood leaving her lower lip.

He shoved himself away from her.

Shit! What was I thinking?

He was still in gargoyle form. His fanged canine teeth had hurt her. He quickly turned away from her shocked stare.

“I’m sorry, Tempest. I forgot I was in this form.”

He heard her footfalls coming closer, and then felt her fingertips trace over a portion of his wings. The beast inside him roared at her seductive touch as she traced the webbed area of his wings. He spun around, putting her an arm’s length away.

She provocatively licked the blood from her lip. “You have sharp teeth,” she purred, rubbing her cheek on his hand, which still held her away from him.

“Tempest, we can’t do this.”

“Why not?” she cooed, kissing one of his long claws.

“Because I’m far to large and dangerous like this.”

“What if I never see you again?”

He closed his eyes and jumped away from her again. He’d never let any female touch him physically while he was in gargoyle form. He could hurt her. She barely came up to his torso in height.

“You will see me again. I promise.”

“You don’t even want me. I am a misfit after all. What kind of life will I have if I ever do leave here?”

He let out a big breath and approached her. “You are nothing but perfect.”

She slumped to the ground and sat. “But you don’t want me.”

The sadness in her voice sliced through him like a blade. He sank down in front of her. “I do want you.”

She looked up at him with a weak smile, and then over to Rogue. “I wish I could have Rogue back while you’re gone.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I wish the same.”

She lifted her chin. “I’ll be okay.”

Every little move she made drove him insane with desire. “I know you’ll be okay. I won’t be gone long. Maybe I’ll dream of you again,” he teased with a smirk.

She swatted at him. “I hope you do.”

He stood and reached down for her to take his hand. “I want you to stay in the cabin. And don’t leave it to go anywhere. Is that clear?”

“Now you’re giving me orders,” she protested.

“Only for your safety. I can place a spell to keep everything out, but I can’t keep you in.”

“Can you keep the Vemlers out?”

“I hope so.”

“Ryder, can you put Rogue by the cabin so I can watch him?”

“Yes, of course. It might be better to place his figure outside the cabin so he can keep watch. It is what gargoyles do, you know. I bet he’s keeping watch even though he’s in this state.”

Tempest moved toward the gargdog. “Do you really think so?” She petted his stone head.

Ryder wasn’t sure what had happened to the creature but his thoughts put a smile on her face, and that was good. “Yes, I do think he’ll be watching you.”

She did smile. “I’ll feel better believing that thought.”

“Let’s get you back to the cabin.” He gently bent and picked up Rogue before making his way ahead of Tempest through the trees to the sanctuary.

Please let this protect her while I’m away.

Chapter Twelve

“Telling me you can’t find her is not what I want to hear,” Fedor yelled, striking out at the snow troop. “You’re all fucking morons. What did she do, just fly away?” he motioned violently, throwing his arms up in the air.

“I want to know exactly what you found. Cash, spill it now, and don’t leave anything out.”

The hairy beast cowered as it moved forward. Fedor felt the anger inside him bottling up like a raging storm. “Hurry up, Cash. I don’t have all day.” He tapped his foot on the ground.

“We followed her tracks, as much as we could make out. Then we followed the gargdog. His were easier to follow. There seemed to be a scuffle in the snow. It was all trampled down, but then there was a clear path where it appears she must have slid. The creature followed, we saw his tracks. But then…there was the ledge. We can see where she went off the ledge and held on to a branch. She had to have fallen to her death.”

Fedor saw red.

What the hell happened? She couldn’t have fallen to her death.

He ran to the ice cabinet and opened the doors, holding his breath. Many of the colored ice crystals had lost their sparkle, but the one he wanted was in the back. Air left his lungs. Tempest was alive—if she wasn’t, the crystal and stones would also have lost their glimmer.

“She is not dead, you fucking idiots!” He placed the priceless icicle. Vicasha had said somebody had been watching them. Something was up, and he needed to find out what. The smaller icicle beside Tempest’s glowed blue. It was Rogue’s.

A wicked smile formed on his face. He knew she’d follow wherever the beast went. Perhaps it was time to use a spell. He rubbed his chin, wondering if he had enough power. He had to try. Tempest would come back to him one way or another.

He removed the icicles devoid of life and dropped the first one on the cold ice surface and watched it shatter into hundreds of shards. The small jewel at its center sparkled brightly, and then disappeared before his eyes.

“Useless pieces of life,” he spat. “Fucked-up misfits…all of you!” He screamed into the cabinet as if they could hear. “None of you are worth shit, with the exception of one, and I will get her back.”

He poured himself a drink and wandered to his throne. “I should kill you, Cash. What good are you to me?”

The creature hung his head and trembled.

“Get the hell out, before I do decide to kill you.”

The sneer turned and awkwardly trotted away.

Figures, if I want something done right I should have done it myself.

He took a swallow, remembering the old days back on Levare. He’d been considered ugly, distasteful, and certainly not trustworthy. But then he’d discovered how to make some of the high-society Levarians want him.

The woman and man had struggled with their child in a prominent downtown area. The boy, apparently disfigured and behaving badly, caused more attention to the couple than they wanted. They left him crying while they continued to bicker. Fedor began to notice this couple didn’t seem to be the only pair who’d ended up with a child not meeting their expectations.

Levare had long since been known for barren women and infertile men. It didn’t seem to matter what species they were; if they remained on Levare, they would likely end up unable to procreate. If they did manage to produce an offspring, the outcome was not good. Desperate for the creation of life, many had sought the wizards and even the witch Astral. The problems had soon begun, and Fedor saw a way out for himself.

He’d approached the man and woman staring down at the disfigured boy. The man and woman had looked at him in horror as he stared down at their own monster, but in no time, he had the couple convinced the best place for the boy would be Misfit Mountain, where a nice home would await him. The babe would never undergo the cruelty of sneering stares and bitter laughter. He would be surrounded by loving individuals who were just like him. The best part about the deal was the parents could forget they’d ever had such a problem. Money transferred hands, and Fedor dealt with their problems. None of them bothered to check to see how their progeny was doing. They swept them under the carpet like specs of dirt.

With the help of a few others to help with his plan, Misfit Mountain had been formed—his mountain. He just needed to ensure Tempest remained under his control. It was time to get her himself. Time to try a spell.

Chapter Thirteen

Ryder’s heart felt heavy with angst and worry as he flew through the air. Cursing, he adjusted the patch over his eye and turned his head to the right to look down at the small patch of green loveliness.

It’ll do me some good to be away from her. Time to clear my head is just what I need. Time to put my feelings back where they should be—gone.

To develop feeling for her would only make things worse. He planned to find the answers, come back for her and Rogue, and his life would go back to the way it was meant to be.

The light diminished as he flew higher. Lifting his head, he could see a small area where he knew the opening would be. The pixies appeared, following alongside him, humming and making tiny little squeaks like they were communicating with one another.

At least they aren’t trying to stop me this time. What’s their part in this whole story?

Increasing resistance pushed against him as he drew nearer to the barrier. He could see a veil of glimmering silver that shone and then disappeared. He halted, battling an unseen force that tried to push him away, and noticed that when the silver veil appeared, the galactic winds ceased, and when it vanished, the resistance grew.

Ah ha!

He held his position, watching and timing the opening and closing. The countdown was on. When the cycle was midway between open and closed, with a mighty thump of his wings and his arms out front balled into fists, Ryder thrust forward, hitting the opening with all his strength. His body slowed enveloped in an invisible force that encompassed every inch of his form like quicksand, and he struggled to be free of the entity wishing to stop his progress.

Ryder thrashed and squirmed, twisting and turning, until his arms broke through, allowing him the ability to push the rest of his body out of the sickening cover and into the dark sky.

I did it!

Much to slowly for his liking, he managed to spread his wings wide, holding his position. He looked at the city in the distance.