Gregor (Stone Society Book 2) (6 page)

Gregor
was alerted the moment Tessa pulled up to the guard shack. Less than a minute
later the rumble of her Harley sounded outside the building. It had been her
bike he heard the day before. Now that he had kissed her, she was imbedded in
his senses. He knew the minute she entered the building. He wanted nothing more
than to confront her and demand answers, but at the last minute a plan sprang
to his mind. As soon as she was within earshot, he pretended to be on a phone
call.
Let’s just see how creepy I am now, Brat.

Her
footsteps stopped just outside his door. At the mention of a blonde, the sharp
intake of breath was loud and Tessa’s pulse sped up. Yep, she was pissed.
Gregor laughed out loud as she stomped off toward Isabelle’s office. After
giving her a few steps head start, he followed her. It was rather easy
considering her mind was on his words. She didn’t bother knocking on Isabelle’s
door; she just barged right on in and shut the door behind her. No problem, he
would just listen from the supply closet. He slipped into the small room and
waited.

Isabelle
told her cousin, “You know, you really shouldn’t just show up here without
calling. What if I wasn’t here? Would you just go through my office like you go
through my home?”  Then nothing. Silence.
What the hell?
He stuck his
ear to the wall, but he still heard nothing. That was odd. Even if they were
whispering he would be able to detect it. After about twenty minutes the door
opened, and Tessa told Isabelle, “Don’t hesitate to call Sophia.”

Gregor
listened for Tessa’s footsteps to pass by. When they went the other way, he
quietly opened the closet door and followed. Where was she going? She had been
there enough to know the way out of the building. She stopped at the door to
the stairs that led to the first floor. She couldn’t get through there; she
didn’t have access. Tessa surprised him when she pulled a keycard out of her
back pocket and swiped it over the sensor, peering around the corner before entering
the doorway that led to solitary confinement. What the fuck was she doing?

Gregor
grabbed the door Tessa entered just before it closed and gave her time to get
to the bottom of the steps. He quietly called to the guards on duty using the
radio. Almost all of the men who worked in the prison were shifters, so he knew
they would hear his whispered command. “There is a redheaded woman wandering
the halls. I want you all to back off and allow her passage. Do not follow and
do not let her see you. I want to see where she goes.” Gregor followed her,
staying far enough behind that she couldn’t hear him. Nikolas thought it was
possible she and Isabelle both had shifter blood. If that were true, her
hearing could be enhanced as well. He took extra precautions, just in case.

He
stopped at the door to the first floor and listened. He could tell by her
footsteps she was stopping at each cell. Was she searching for someone? Why
else would she be down here? The mating bond called to him. It had been ever
since she walked into the building. Now that she was on the first level around
the criminals, his beast was clawing to get out. It recognized his mate and the
fact that she was around dangerous men.

When
he got close enough to see her without being seen himself, he noticed she was standing
outside St. Claire’s cell. She was staring in, but she wasn’t saying anything. She
stood quietly for a few minutes then whispered, “And I love you.”

Gregor’s
heart shredded. Why would he think a woman as gorgeous as Tessa wouldn’t have a
man in her life? But St. Claire? Geoffrey assured him that Tamian had no family
in the area. What if she was his girlfriend and he had lied to Frey? Tessa’s
footsteps alerted him that she was now jogging. This time he directed his
command to the guard in the control room. “Quickly, override the system so the
only door her key card will work on is the one leading to the roof. I am going
to trap our little trespasser.” He followed quietly up the steps, hearing her
softly swear when she was denied access to the door leading to the exit. He
grinned inwardly. Had it dawned on her yet that she was screwed?

Tessa
stepped out into the brisk October night air, holding the door until it quietly
clicked shut behind her. She stepped over to the ledge, gauging the height.

The
door opened behind her. She turned to see Gregor with his gun drawn and aimed
at her. The ledge was only a few steps away.

 “Stop.”
Gregor wasn’t moving. He was probably feeling the bond and trying to keep it in
check. She was most definitely being drawn to him. If she had been paying
attention, she would have known it was him she was connecting with and not
Tamian. She peered over the edge then grinned at the warden.

“Don’t
make me shoot you, Red.”

“You
won’t shoot me.”  She couldn’t help goading the Gargoyle.

“And
why’s that?” He cocked the hammer.

She
shrugged. “Because I’m a girl?” She crept closer to the edge of the roof.

“You’re
out of your pretty little head.” At least he didn’t shoot her. Yet.

“You
think I’m pretty?”  She had been called cute her whole life. She really liked
pretty.

“You
know you are, now come over here. Don’t make me have to drag you down the
stairs.”

Tessa
momentarily imagined Gregor grabbing a handful of her hair and dragging her,
caveman style, down the steps. Why did that turn her on?  Oh, maybe because he
was her mate, and anything he said to her would cause her body to want his.

“You
want me? Come and get me.”  She freefell into nothing, opening the wings of her
flight jacket. This was crazy, even for her. The building wasn’t exactly high
enough for her to fly from. She just had to make sure she dropped slow enough
that she didn’t break any bones upon impact. Landing would probably hurt like a
bitch. Mate or not, he was going to be pissed.

When
Jonas found out Tessa was BASE jumping, he equipped her with the best and most
technologically advanced suits there were. He even designed a jacket that could
be worn without the pants for shorter distances. At that moment, she was glad
she had put it on instead of her leather jacket she normally rode in.

If
Gregor wanted her, he would have to phase and come get her. She didn’t think he
would risk that. The ground came up quickly, and she tucked and rolled. She
continued rolling a few feet before she finally stopped. It wasn’t the graceful
landing she had hoped for, but at least she was unharmed for the most part.
Gregor cursed at the same time he phased and flew right for her.
Holy shit.

She
didn’t have time to move before he was on her. “Holy hell, are you okay? Talk
to me, Red.” He was on his knees beside her, his beautiful wings unfurled. When
Tessa grinned at him, Gregor lost it. “What in the FUCK did you think you were
doing? You could have been killed!”  Yep, pissed.

Tessa
figured her best option was to just keep quiet. What could she say, really? She
was caught, red-handed. Gregor’s wings disappeared behind his back, but his
fangs were still out. His uniform shirt was shredded. He didn’t wait for her to
answer. He grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. Definitely pissed. This
was awkward since her flight jacket was bulky, but obviously it didn’t bother
him.

She
beat on his back with her fists, “Put me down you overgrown beast.”  He did not
put her down. He took her, kicking and hitting, into the prison. Several guards
backed against the wall, allowing them to pass. When they got to his office, he
put her on her feet.

“Sit.” 
He pointed to a chair. She did not sit. What she did do was calm herself so her
own fangs and claws would not make a showing.

Gregor
was furious. What the hell was Tessa thinking jumping off the roof? She could
have been killed. Okay, maybe not killed, but hurt. Badly. And he phased. With
no thought to anything other than her safety, his wings opened of their own
volition, and he dove after her. Gods, was that how Rafael felt when Vincent
Alexander took a shot at Kaya? His heart stopped momentarily as his mate jumped
off the roof. Had he realized she was wearing a flight jacket, he probably
could have kept his emotions in check. Seeing her plummet to the ground filled
him with an emotion he had never known in his five hundred and sixty-seven
years. Fear.

Gregor
picked up the phone and dialed Isabelle’s number. “Can you come to my office
immediately? We have a situation.” He didn’t wait for her to respond, he just
slammed the receiver down on the base. Tessa was removing her jacket when he
yelled, “Do you want to tell me why you think you have a right to walk around
this prison, to floors that are secure for a very good reason, and then try to
run from me?”

He
waited for an answer that wasn’t coming. Isabelle ran into the office and
stopped short when she saw Tessa. “What are you doing? I thought you had to go
home and pack.”

Gregor
needed answers. Did Isabelle not know about Tessa’s plan to find Tamian? “Isabelle,
it seems your cousin, Trixie, decided to take a walk around the prison, to the
first floor no less. Did I not make it clear the first level was off limits? And
why would you think it’s okay for her to go down there unescorted if I told you
it was unsafe for you?”

Isabelle
sputtered and her face reddened. “Warden, I assure you I have no idea what my
cousin is up to. And her name is Tessa, not Trixie. Tessa, what were you doing
on the first level? How did you even get down there?”

Tessa
pulled the key card from her back pocket. “Here, this is yours.” She handed the
security badge to her cousin, unapologetically.

“What
the hell? You’ve done some screwed up stuff but stealing my security card? Are
you trying to get me fired?”  Gregor could tell that Isabelle was furious with
her cousin.

“Yes,
Tessa
, please tell us what you were doing on the first level, and why
were you at Tamian St. Claire’s cell?”

Gregor
would have missed it if he hadn’t been a shifter. There was something that
passed quickly between the two ladies.

Tessa
glared at him but she did not answer. “Isabelle, I put my trust in you when I
hired you. I hope you don’t allow the antics of your younger cousin to cost you
your job. I want answers and nobody is leaving here until I get them.”

 Isabelle
gasped and by the look on her face, he had said the wrong thing. “Why do you
think I’m older than she is?” She asked Gregor while pointing at Tessa.

“Because,
you’re so much more mature.
She’s
a brat.”  Gregor sneered at Tessa.

“Wait
a fucking minute! Just because I don’t have a stick up my ass all the time does
not make me a brat.”  Tessa jabbed her fists on her hips, leaving Isabelle with
her mouth hanging open.

“Mr.
Stone, I do apologize for my cousin’s behavior. She’s rather sensitive.” 

“Pot,
kettle,” Tessa muttered under her breath.

This
was getting them nowhere. “Miss Blackmore, I want to know what you were doing
on the first level and I want to know now.”  Tessa looked to Isabelle who was
not offering any help. Before she could say anything, Isabelle grabbed her
stomach.

“Oh
god.”  She doubled over and groaned. “Oh shit, Tessa. Tell me this is just a
stomach bug.” 

Gregor
didn’t understand what was happening. One minute he was questioning Tessa, the
next, Isabelle was lying on the floor.

“What’s
wrong with her?”

“Just
help me get her to her car. I need to get her home.”  Tessa grabbed her stuff
off the floor. “Isabelle, where are your keys?” 

“In
my office. Oh god, Tessa. It hurts.”

“Shh,
I know. Just hang on.”  Tessa turned to Gregor, “Please. I need to get her keys
and get her home. Help me?”

“Of
course. Go get her stuff, and I’ll meet you outside.”  He lifted a writhing
Isabelle off the floor. Tessa frowned at the sight of him holding her cousin.
She did
not
like seeing another woman in Gregor’s arms.

Barely
a few seconds passed before Tessa was there. “What are you doing?” Gregor was
putting Belle in his Hummer instead of her own car.

“I’ll
drive, you sit in the back with her.”  He opened the back door to his vehicle
and gently laid the doctor down.

Tessa
climbed in the backseat with her cousin. “You’re a pain in the ass.” 

Gregor
started the engine. “I’m trying to help, and you’re calling me names. Now, I
need an address.”  He studied his mate in the rearview mirror. She was doing
her best to soothe Isabelle. When she told him where Isabelle lived, he spoke
the address into his GPS that, after calculating, told him which way to go. It
was hard to keep his eyes on the road when Tessa sat so close behind. His heart
warred between the feeling of kissing her and watching her jump from the roof. Two
totally distinct emotions, neither one less powerful.

Isabelle
was moaning and struggling. He split his attention between the road and Tessa.
They arrived at Isabelle’s home, and Tessa told him to pull around back. He
opened the door and she slid out, grabbing her cousin in her arms. Tessa carried
Isabelle as if she weighed nothing. “Here, let me take her.” 

“No!” 
Tessa pushed past him and walked up the back steps.

“Tessa,
I can walk. Put me down. And why are we here?  Why didn’t you take me…”  A pain-filled
moan cut off the rest of her sentence, and Tessa continued toward the house.

“Shit.” 
Tessa stopped moving.

“What’s
wrong?”  He had no idea why she wouldn’t allow him to help her with her cousin,
unless she was jealous. He knew the mating bond could cause extreme possessiveness.
She was shifting her load, attempting to pull the keys from her pocket without
dropping the other woman.

“Tessa,
don’t be obtuse. Let me help you.”  He held his hands out expecting her to hand
over her cousin. Instead, she surprised him when she told him, “Get the keys. They’re
in my right pocket.”

She
thrust her hip toward him, and he slid his fingers in the tight pocket. If
Isabelle didn’t need immediate help, he would put his hand somewhere besides
her hip. He grabbed the keys and unlocked the door. The alarm system beeped. “432867.”
She told him the code as she continued on into Isabelle’s bedroom.

He
stood in the bedroom door as his employee thrashed about, and his mate attempted
to alleviate her discomfort. Tessa turned and instructed him, “I’d prefer if
you leave. I’m pretty sure she won’t want you to watch.”

“Watch
what? Tessa, what’s happening?”  He was helpless, not knowing what to do to assist
her.

“She’s
going through the change.”  Tessa turned in a circle, searching for something.
“Can you turn the thermostat down?  It should be in the hallway.”

Gregor
found the thermostat just outside the bedroom. “How far?” He asked pressing the
buttons on the box.

“Try
fifty for now. She’s burning up.” Gregor returned to the bedroom to see Tessa
placing a wet washcloth to Isabelle’s forehead.

“What
change?” Gregor asked as he stood by, once again helpless.

“The
transition. You know when a shifter changes for the first time?”

“How
do you know?”

“Turn
around. I need to get her down to her underwear.”  Tessa didn’t wait for him to
comply. She undressed her cousin who was calm for the moment. “I just know.”

 Gregor
was floored. Nikolas had said it was possible they had shifter blood, but he
didn’t really believe it. Until now. “She’s one of us?”

“No,
she isn’t one of
you.
” Why did she sound so appalled?

“Then
what is she?”  There was no other explanation. She had to be a shifter. He
glanced behind him, taking care to keep his eyes on Tessa.

She
was searching for something in his eyes. Just when he thought she wasn’t going
to answer, she told him, “She’s a half-blood. Her mother is human.” 

Holy
hell, it was true. It was possible for humans to mate with Gargoyles. This was
the best news he had ever heard.

 Tessa
did her best to soothe her cousin. She got up and rewet the washcloth then
wiped the doctor’s brow as sweat beaded as soon as it was wiped away.

“But
why is she changing so late in life? Why now?”  Being part human must have
something to do with the change. Is that why Dane Abbott had just gone through
his?

“Because
sometime in the past few days, she has been in contact with her mate.”

“What
does that have to do with it? Wait, are you telling me that half-bloods don’t
transition until they meet their mate? What if they never meet them?”

“Then
they remain human.”

“So
the doctor has met her mate.”  Gregor puffed up.

 “Get
your fat head out of the clouds, big guy. It’s not you.” 

Gregor
knew that, he just couldn’t resist taunting her. “How do you know it’s not me?”

 “Do
you get any special feelings when you’re around Belle?”  She wouldn’t look at
him. Tessa didn’t honestly want to know the answer to the question. She was a
pain in his ass, but did he really want to hurt her?

 “What
kind of feelings?”

 “Special,
out of the ordinary emotions you don’t get around any other woman. Like the ones
you get when I’m around.”

“You
mean repulsed?” Shit, that just slipped out. No, his comment didn’t hurt her
feelings, it pissed her off.

 “Fuck
you, Stone,” she muttered under her breath. Yeah, she knew she was his mate, so
why did she dislike him so much?