Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Tristan chuckled. “Exactly. This is something Gerard understands and no one else seems to. He saw the battle. He knows what we’re up against. No one else does, and it is blinding them.”
“How do you think we can enlighten them?” Sue asked, pulling his hand away. I appreciated the gesture. He didn’t often use touch to connect with others.
“We’re going to train,” Tristan said, “and we’re going to dazzle them with a female gargoyle and how natural it feels with her leading. We’re going to make the gargoyles beg to be included in our reindeer games, and we’re going to include the garhettes in our fun. Evan won’t be able to stay practical for long. He’s going to have to take a risk, and he probably already knows it. That is the only way forward in a changing world. We’re going to push him to it. And right now, Niamh is very likely working on that.”
I sighed and leaned into Austin. “All she seems to do is needle people anymore.”
“She is prodding people who need it,” Tristan said. “Aggressive types. They respond well to these tactics. Or so I’m inclined to believe because it’s working.”
“She hardly glanced at John.” Sue shifted in his seat as the van pulled in front of a long two-story structure that lacked the architectural finesse of everywhere else. This seemed like a late addition to the city, and I guessed it was to accommodate more guests. Cheap and cheerful. “She stayed well away from him. She sized him up all right, but the moment he clued in that she was assessing him, she found somewhere else to be and something else to do. She knows what she’s about, even if the way she goes about it can be horribly annoying.”
Tristan barked laughter as we climbed from the van. “Very.” He paused for a second as a gargoyle stepped forward from beside the door. “Why is that do you think? I’ve heard his story, and I know he’s a legend in the shifter community—or was, back in the day—but why would Niamh avoid him?”
Austin put his hands on his hips and turned away from the building, his eyes going distant. “The guy is like a celebrity in the shifter world. The way he was able to hang onto his pack in the beginning is just shy of miraculous. The amount of times he was on death’s doorstep would make your balls shrivel up. He ended up having to be an incredibly brutal alpha to maintain his position—incredibly brutal. Tristan turning people inside-out kind of brutal, but some of those people were his family and friends. His uncle’s people and his dad’s were all trying to pull the rug out from under him and assume control. That territory and all the family’s holdings was—is—worth a fortune.”
He paused for a second, the breeze ruffling his hair. The gargoyle who was clearly trying to lead us to our quarters waited in confusion a few feet away. He probably wondered why our lips were moving but he couldn’t hear any sound.
“I really feel for that guy. I see what my life could’ve been if I was older and felt used up, and it’s not a pretty realization. I had the same realization when a broken alpha gorilla asked if he could squat in my territory.” Austin showed Sue a small grin. “If I had to guess, I bet Niamh knows how fragile John’s situation is. How likely he is to spook. Needling Sue kept Sue focused on her and distracted from his past.” He looked at Sue. “I assume you’ve figured that out by now?”
Sue grunted in acknowledgement.
Austin nodded. “She clearly doesn’t think she’s what John needs.”
“Needs for what?” I asked.
Austin pulled his lips to the side in thought. “I don’t know, exactly. To hang around, maybe.”
“Would he be helpful to your organization if he were to join?” Tristan asked.
Both Austin and Sue blew out breaths, Austin with a sardonic grin.
“Without doubt,” Austin said. “Coming back from perceived death would just make him more of a legend. I would love to see Armendale’s face when he found out.” He lost his humor. “But he’s been through hell. I knew who he was when he burst out of those trees, but my offer stayed the same. He needs a community. He needs peace. We’ve built a safe harbor for people, and I will stand by that. Anything else is up to him.”
Tristan nodded like a riddle had just been solved. “Niamh’s giving you guys room to be altruistic until she can find an angle. Then she’ll move in, just you watch.”
28
Sebastian
Someone rapped at the door to Nessa and Sebastian’s small room in the city’s only hotel. The space had two single beds with night tables for each and two chairs, one on each side of the room. There was a bathroom shared by Jasper and Ulric in the adjoining room.