Glacier Read online

  “Don’t ever return to our territory!” some guy shouted.

  “Fuck you,” Glacier yelled back. He lowered his voice. “Hold on tight to me.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist and found the pegs for her feet. His bike didn’t have a bar at her back. Pest started his own bike and that’s when Glacier took off. Pest drove behind them down the alley.

  Warm sun caressed her skin. It still tingled a little but there was no pain. The sheer shock of being out in daylight made the experience feel surreal. It was something she never would have expected to happen again in her life after being turned into a Vampire. They stopped for traffic and merged when they could leave the alley. She squinted a little, but her eyesight improved after they’d made it a few blocks. Humans were out and about, walking around, living their lives in the daylight.

  She looked up to glance at the sun but it instantly blinded her. She lowered her chin, seeing spots. It didn’t hurt, but she wasn’t ready to do that again anytime soon. She tightened her arms around Glacier.

  He released the hand grip and gently cupped her hand over his waist at a red light. “It’s going to be fine. How are you doing?”

  She realized since she could hear him so well that there must be a speaker inside the helmet. She hadn’t noticed when she’d first climbed on the bike. “I’m good.”

  “Can you see anything?”

  “Things are a bit blurry but it’s getting better. It’s so…bright.”

  He chuckled. “Get used to it. You’re my mate. This is how it will be from now on.”

  He’d stunned her again.

  “Did you hear me?”

  “Yes.”

  “I won’t risk losing you. Now let’s have this conversation later, in more detail. I don’t know if these headsets are secure.”

  “I had no idea this was possible.”

  “That’s the point. The highway is coming up.”

  They merged with traffic and Pest drove up beside them, both bikes sharing the lane. Mandy just enjoyed the view. Her vision became clearer, helping her make out every detail around her. She couldn’t see as far as usual but it was beautiful and breathtaking to see sunlight glinting off all the vehicles.

  She glanced down at the part of her arm that was exposed. Her flesh wasn’t blackened, or even red. It still tingled from time to time but the sensation was so faint it wasn’t alarming. She adjusted her hold on Glacier, using his body and clothes to help her shield some of her skin from the sun.

  “Are you alright?”

  “I’m tingling a bit where the sun is on me. Is that normal?”

  “I don’t know. No pain though?”

  “No.”

  “Slide your hands under my shirt.”

  She did it, enjoying feeling his bare skin under her palms.

  “Better? You tell me if something starts to go wrong. It shouldn’t though.”

  That didn’t reassure her. He seemed to read her mind, or guess what she was thinking about, considering his next words.

  “I’ll tell you why that law was made. I have to put this carefully, remember.” He paused. “I know that once, both of them got along. They didn’t always hate each other. Then the ones like you wanted what my kind had. They called it a cure. Which is pretty fucking dumb, because it’s not like you take it once and it lasts forever.”

  She nodded against him. “But it will last for the day?”

  “It should. That’s what the historical accounts we have say. Sometimes a few days with regular, um, doses.”

  Feedings, she supplemented silently.

  “They wanted to use us.”

  Again, she could translate. Vampires had wanted to enslave Gargoyles, in order to drink their blood. But she’d seen Glacier shell. She’d probably break her fangs if she attempted to bite him when he became dark gray. “I bet that didn’t go over well.”

  “No, it didn’t. Anyone who came after us died. And it lasted for a long damn time.”

  “You said that.” Thousands of years.

  “Eventually, anyone who had known and tried to get what they called the cure just wasn’t around anymore. The battles stopped. Laws were made to keep it from restarting.”

  “But you broke that law today.”

  “I got permission. We’re also here, and nowhere near where those battles took place. It would still be a disaster if anyone found out. Do you understand?”

  She could just imagine. If the council found out drinking Gargoyle blood could give them the ability to walk in the sun, to not burn. They’d do anything to obtain a Gargoyle. Every nest might join together to start a new war. Rumor had it that there weren’t all that many GarLycans and Gargoyles in the United States. The Vampires would attempt it. They might lose thousands of lives in the process, but it would be worth it if they caught anyone with Gargoyle blood to feed from.

  “Shit. It would be horrible.”

  “Yeah, baby.”

  “They can never find out.” She held him a little tighter. Glacier would be in danger.

  “They won’t.”

  “What about when the ones we just left enter the shop? They’re expecting to find something that isn’t there.”

  “Took care of that. I had Pest burn something.”

  She closed her eyes and snuggled into his back, hoping the Werewolves bought that the ashes they found used to be her.

  “Why’d he tell them that you left me unchained?”

  He chuckled. “To stall for time. They’re a bunch of pussies. I want us long gone before they work up the nerve to go in and find what we really left behind.”

  * * * * *

  Glacier didn’t like how quiet Mandy had become after their talk. He knew she wasn’t in pain though, since she occasionally rubbed his stomach with her hand. It was a form of torture, since he’d had a constant hard-on after she’d bitten him.

  They had left the Lycan territory hours ago. He drew his brother’s attention and motioned at his tank. Pest gave him a hand signal to indicate he understood. They changed lanes, getting off the highway at the next gas station.

  “We’re pulling off for a bit. I need to refill the tank and eat something.”

  “Okay.”

  “How are you doing?”

  “I’m great.”

  “Is your skin hurting at all?”

  “No.”

  “Talk to me. I’m starting to worry.”

  Mandy hesitated. “I just keep thinking about how much you’ve risked for me. Why did you do this?”

  “Because you’re mine.”

  He pulled into the gas station and parked in front of a pump. Pest took the spot on the other side. Glacier tapped her hand as he put the kickstand down and killed the engine. “You might feel stiff from riding for hours. Stand up and stretch.”

  “I’ll keep the helmet on.”

  “Is your skin okay? Don’t hide anything from me.”

  She released him and climbed off. He missed the slight weight of her pressed against his back. She did as he asked, lifting her arms above her head. His gaze locked on her breasts, which were pushed out in the process, and he wished she weren’t wearing clothes.

  “Enough of that shit,” Pest chuckled. “I can’t see your face but there’s nothing wrong with my sense of smell. Think about sex later. Public bathrooms are nasty. No family of mine is going to lower themselves to screw in one. In a few more hours, we’ll settle in before dark at some hotel.”

  “Motel,” Glacier corrected.

  “Hotel. They have cameras and better security. We want to keep short stack completely off the supernatural radar. Motels are buffets to her kind. Plus, while I don’t think we’re being followed, that was a crowded highway. We also didn’t have time to look over our bikes when we left. Which I plan to do now, to see if they’re tracking us. I’ll fill the tanks. You go inside to grab us grub and something to drink. Short stack will be in my company, since we want to keep her helmet on. It would look weird if she walked inside with it o