Aveoth Read online

  “I didn’t hurt him. He’s taking a shower.” She pointed at the rock ceiling. “Somewhere up there.”

  The man’s expression softened. “You’re safe. I’m a friend.”

  “Not one of mine, unless you want to fly me home.”

  He smiled. “I can’t do that.”

  “Do you have wings?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you could but you won’t. That’s what I figured, but it was worth a shot to at least ask.”

  “You’ll adjust to life at the cliffs. I understand you were unaware of our kind until last evening. Aveoth is a good man who will treat you extremely well. There’s no reason for you to fear any form of abuse.”

  “That’s comforting, as opposed to you warning me that I’m in for some hurt.”

  His eyebrows arched.

  She decided to change the subject. He wasn’t human and probably didn’t have a sense of humor. “Do you own a television?”

  “Of course.”

  “Your buddy doesn’t.”

  “I’m certain he’ll order you one if you just ask. Aveoth will want you to be happy.”

  Kelzeb studied her. “I feel badly for you, Jill. I do. This must be difficult.”

  “Badly enough to take me home?” She’d take pity if it worked.

  “Aveoth needs you.”

  “Right. To have bat babies. No thanks.”

  Shock showed on his face.

  “Sorry.” She glanced at his sword. It wasn’t a good idea to piss off the muscular, weapon-carrying stranger. He probably wanted some woman to have his bat babies too and wouldn’t appreciate her calling them that. “I’m out of my element big time.”

  “You’ll adjust to life here.”

  She highly doubted that. “So, what do you do? Besides being Aveoth’s friend?”

  “I’m his advisor and lead enforcer.”

  “And that means what?”

  “He looks out for me and helps me stay alive.” Aveoth walked into the room. His hair was wet and he’d changed clothes. He wore leather pants and a black short-sleeved shirt that showed off his biceps. His feet were bare. “You’ve met Jill.”

  “I have.” Kelzeb turned to face his friend. “An issue has arisen. I apologize. I attempted to call you but you weren’t answering your phone. You’re needed immediately in the judging chambers.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Delbius and Paltos are having a dispute and are demanding to see you. It can’t wait. They need you to settle the matter for them.”

  “Fuck. What’s the problem?”

  “Delbius is starting a new training group this afternoon, and Paltos insists his son join. Delbius refused, stating the boy is too young. The father disagrees. They couldn’t come to terms so they want you to assess the boy yourself.”

  “What skill is being taught?” Aveoth glanced at Jill but then regarded Kelzeb. “Do you know the boy?”

  “No. The group will focus on daggers and small-blade fighting.” Kelzeb sighed. “Nothing too dangerous.”

  “How old is the boy?”

  “Six.”

  Jill listened quietly but that got a response. “Wait. What?”

  Aveoth inched closer, his gaze fixing on her. “What’s wrong?”

  “If I’m following this right, some six-year-old’s dad wants this kid to learn how to use sharp weapons and the instructor is saying no, right?”

  “That sums it up.” Aveoth turned away. “I’ll be right back. I need to put on my boots and change shirts.”

  Jill stared at Kelzeb after he left. “This is actually an issue?”

  “Aveoth will listen to both father and instructor, hear their concerns and opinions, and then make a decision.”

  “It sounds like a no-brainer. The kid is six. That’s a baby. Who in their right mind would want their little boy to play with anything dangerous?”

  “It’s not that simple, Jill. These are not human children and they need to learn how to fight. The point of conflict is the child’s age. That’s two years younger than normal for that training skill.”

  “You people are nuts.”

  Kelzeb grinned. “We’re not people. We’re GarLycans.”

  He probably had a point. “Why do you need daggers and small blades anyway? Can’t this kid grow claws like Aveoth showed me last night?”

  “He can, but they would only be effective on other races.”

  “And in layman’s terms that means what?”

  Kelzeb explained, “Claws hurt in a fight against, say, a human, Vampire, or Lycan. They don’t when we fight our own kind. Have you seen Aveoth shell his body?”

  She shook her head. “He’s got more extras? Great. What does that mean?”

  “We’re mostly Gargoyle-blooded. Watch, but don’t be frightened. I’ll slightly shell my skin. Are you prepared?”

  She braced herself to see whatever freaky trick he planned to perform. It couldn’t be more shocking than growing wings. “I’m ready.”

  Kelzeb’s skin began to darken. The texture of it changed, seeming to harden. He started out tan and normal looking but ended up a light gray.

  She managed to keep her mouth from falling open and the curse words that sprang to mind from spilling out. She hesitantly approached him. He looked like a rock mannequin someone had dressed in badass clothes and strapped a sword to the waist. She reached out, her hand trembling a little, and pressed a finger to his exposed arm. What should have felt like flesh now had transformed to a hard, almost smooth, cool marble feel.

  “Wow,” she whispered.

  She lifted her chin, staring at his face. His eyes were alive but the rest of his face seemed frozen, gray, and it gave her the chills. He really looked like a stony mannequin or a life-size garden statue, but with a real person trapped inside that body staring back at her. She pulled her finger away and pressed her entire hand around the curve of his arm, giving it a squeeze. He felt solid and real.

  The color of him started to lighten, and she felt heat against her skin. She let him go and backed up fast. It took him only seconds to appear normal again. He shrugged.

  “That’s what we call mild shelling. Claws couldn’t break my skin if I were to fight in that form. It’s why weapons training is so important.”

  “How can you fight when you’re frozen in place? Do you just stand there while someone tries to hurt you until they wear themselves out and give up?”

  He laughed. “That was just partial shelling. I could have moved if I’d wanted to but you already looked spooked. I didn’t want you to scream or try to flee from me.”

  “I probably would have,” she admitted. “It’s like something right out of a horror movie. Do you guys impersonate statues and then scare the shit out of people just for the fun of it by moving?”

  “No. It’s forbidden to allow humans to know what we are.”

  “So why am I so special?”

  “You now belong to Aveoth, and you’re not completely human.”

  “I would point out that it’s illegal to own someone these days, but I highly doubt that would matter to people who still live in caves. I don’t have fangs, and I can’t even grow my fingernails to a decent length, so that makes me a shitty non-human, doesn’t it? I’m usually sporting acrylic ones, but it’s been a while since I could afford to have them done.”

  “Acrylic?”

  “Fake nails. My real ones are thin and break. In other words, I don’t have claws. Not even close.”

  He glanced at her hand, then held her gaze. “What is the point of fake nails?”

  “They’re pretty and makes me feel girly. Don’t judge, Stone Garden.”

  One of his eyebrows arched. “Stone Garden?”

  “I like to stick people with nicknames. That’s how I’m going to think of you from now on. You looked like you belonged in someone’s backyard with the other garden statues when you were gray.”

  “Statues are harmless. I’m not. Do you know how youngling GarLycans learn how