Page 8 of Taken By the Gargoyle King

Then I glanced back at Amaza and noticed the clenched fists in her long gown. She was always quite rigid and cool, with perfect poise and tightly closed wings, unless she was using them to emphasize her presence or a point. I could not figure out what her tension meant; it could just as easily be for Sera, an expression of relief rather than anger. Amaza had been like an aunt to Sera; she’d always made time for my heart-daughter for visits or play.

My mate caught my attention through the window when she tilted her head over her shoulder and waved rapidly with her hand. I had told her of my plan, and she’d laughed out loud. “You want to use me as bait?” she’d said, not in accusation but rather incredulously. I’d been a little distracted because we’d had the conversation while she was shrugging a soft blouse over her pale skin, the rest of her nude except for a pair of high-riding pink panties. My mate was both the sexiest female I’d ever laid eyes on, and the bravest, smartest woman I’d ever met.

“Excuse me,” I said to the gathered courtiers, “It appears the scientist needs my help.” My wings tingled as I tucked them along my spine; there were too many eyes on me as I exited the room. This was part of the plan too, to listen in on their gossip when they thought I could not hear. A covert earpiece would let me listen to whatever the hidden microphones would pick up as they watched me interact with Caitlyn.

The door had only just closed when the first one dared to speak. “Rumor has it that scientist was in the King’s private chambers.” That was hardly a rumor; the servants would have confirmed that to anyone who wanted to hear, it was so unheard of. Indeed, that speaker was laughed at as though he’d said something funny.

“That’s old news,” said a female voice that I was certain came from Somar. I had to force my shoulders to relax as I stepped into the lab; it would not do if I gave away that I could hear them. “He’s sleeping with her, thinks she’s his mate, probably.” The note of bitterness in her tone was very poorly disguised, and the rustling noises that greeted her declaration indicated that her audience was uncomfortable.

“Kal!” Caitlyn said when she spotted me, her expression radiant at the sight of me. “This lab is amazing! It’s got everything I need! I can’t believe you managed to put it all together on such short notice!” My heart fluttered at her excitement, and I felt a hint of pride at being able to provide this for her. It was delightful to see her in her element.

Then her expression shuttered and her eyes darted to the glass window behind her, from which a dozen Tarkan faces were peering at her every move. “I’m sorry, uh, your majesty?” She was concerned about protocol now? That made me grin, and I decided on the spot to push some more, and to have fun in the process.

I waved my hand, “Oh, no! Never that, please. Come here, Caitlyn.” Her spine straightened delightfully as I made the last a command, but she closed the distance between us at a jog, her mouth already tilting into a smile once again.

“No? Then what should I call you? What’s appropriate?” she asked as she reached me. Heedless of the audience we had, I slid my hands around her waist. They were watching us with bated breath. No remarks or gossip left their lips now; they were completely engrossed in what we were doing.

“My name works for me,” I told my mate, and then I dipped my head and kissed her. I gave our audience only a brief glimpse before I shut my wings around Caitlyn and shielded her from their greedy eyes. She surrendered beautifully, a little breathy moan, her small hands on my chest, and her mouth opened at the slightest brush of my tongue.

I could get lost in her this way and probably would have if not for the sudden voices piping up through my earpiece. “I told you so,” Somar drawled in a bored tone. “He’s sleeping with her.” I could picture her fluttering gold-painted wings behind her shoulders and a sneer on her face that made beautiful features turn ugly. She was not bright enough to be behind the assassinations on her own. If she was part of this, she had a partner.

“That’s not attractive, dear. He is the acting king in Sera’s stead, you must not talk about him that way.” That was Amaza who scolded the female. She sounded tired and put upon for even having to express the sentiment. Her words were quickly echoed by several others around the room, as if nobody dared to give of the impression that they were criticizing my actions.

“They say anything good?” Caitlyn whispered against my chin. She’d frozen in place when I pulled back, her brown eyes on mine as she waited for our next move. The kiss hadn’t been part of the plan; we were improvising now. Silence had settled over our audience again, which drew my attention back to the soft curves of my mate, pressed against my body. Each point of contact made my blood grow hot and heat pooled in my groin. If we had no audience, I would have lifted her onto the nearest counter and driven her mad with desire. I’d have fucked her right there.

“No,” I groaned. “Nothing worthwhile yet. We’ll have to rely on the watchers.” That was not my favorite part of this plan; I did not like relying on others for the safety of my mate. Caitlyn rolled a shoulder as if to say that she didn’t mind, but I saw a hint of worry in her eyes.

The new com device the head of my guard had issued me vibrated against my flesh then. With a last press of our mouths, I unfolded my wings, but I kept my arm around her waist to hold her to me when she moved to draw away. “Yeah, go,” I said to my com device as the call connected.

“Kal? Glad you made it. I’ve got Sera back in her wing under lock and key. All is quiet, and she’s hanging in there, tough girl.” Iru’s voice settled some of my worry. He’d returned with Sera as agreed, and now I could finally take Caitlyn to her to make her own observations. We could finally attempt to heal my heart-daughter.

“Yes, she is. The toughest. We’re on our way.” I thumbed off the connection and met Caitlyn’s eyes. She had her mouth set in a thin line, a frown on her forehead. She looked determined, and she looked like all the answers to my prayers when she turned to snatch the medical bag off the nearby counter.

“I’m ready, let’s go.”

Chapter 11

Caitlyn

My God. Kal had just kissed me in front of the entire peanut gallery. Were his people that casual about flings, or was he giving them a message, trying to paint a bigger target on my back to draw out the traitor, maybe? I didn’t want to think that, because what was happening between us felt much more special than that. It wasn’t just some tool he was using to locate who was after his throne. He was ruthless, but not that ruthless. I hoped.

My legs still felt a little shaky after that kiss, but it was the nerves that made me feel a little nauseous. I didn’t want to be some plaything in a royal court. I was no good at politics, or at speaking tactfully. And now we were on our way to see Kal’s sick niece, and those promising preliminary tests I’d just done didn’t seem good enough. What if my cure ended up killing her instead? What if it didn’t work? Or what if she was already too weak for it to reverse the damage? So much responsibility. Most of all, it would be so devastating to fail a good male like Kal, to have to see him go through the grief of losing her.

We were almost out of the lab when Kal suddenly halted, pulling me to a stop at his side with his arm. He seemed unwilling to stop touching me, his wing kept possessively cupped around my back and his tail brushed my leg. It even curled around it now that we were standing still. I wasn’t sure if he was doing that to protect me, or just because he wanted me that close. My hopeful, already halfway in love heart wanted to believe that it was mostly the later, I just couldn’t be sure unless I asked him. I found I was too much of a coward for that.

“Amaza, Somar, not content with the view from back there?” Kal drawled, jerking me from my spinning thoughts and back to focus on what was happening around me. The door to the lab had just slid open, but Kal must have sensed them before then. Two Tarkan females glided into the room with the swish of long, silky robes but silent wings. One was older, the same female I’d briefly seen when we’d arrived early this morning. The other was young and probably beautiful by Tarkan standards.

I felt wholly inadequate and tawdry next to that woman. She was tall, with gold swirls painted along her gray wings, but a natural blue hue tinted the edges. Her expression was the perfect blend of haughty and arrogant, and her deep gray eyes held a deep contempt for me as she met my gaze. She made me feel tiny, and I hated that. She looked like the kind of woman that Kal was going to have to marry at some point, a Tarkan female who looked exactly the way a future queen should look.

Maybe Kal sensed my spinning thoughts, or maybe it was just a coincidence, but his arm tightened around my middle in a comforting squeeze. It even looked like he was giving the pretty female a glare, because she fluttered her wings and then settled them snugly behind her back. It diminished her presence, and now she suddenly did not look so tall and imposing, she looked petulant.

A smile rose on my face before I could stop it. Yeah, that’s right. He wasn’t with her right now; he was holding me to his side. It was me he’d kissed in front of all those important people, and me he’d taken to his private rooms. He thought he’d been clever by telling his servants to stay silent, but I’d noticed the male clothes in the wardrobe; they could only be his. Too much purple for it to be anyone else.

“No, sir.” The older woman spoke, and I flicked my eyes to hers. My smile instantly faltered; that was one cold expression, a look that could kill. The royal advisor or something Kal had called her, but he’d said it in a way that made me think he didn’t really want one of those.

There’d been a hint of fondness when he later told me she’d been like his aunt when he grew up, so there was some kind of conflict in his mind about who she was. I didn’t have that. If anyone was the traitor, it was her. My mind was made up on the spot; I had no evidence, and usually I lived for that kind of thing, but not about this. She was bad news.

“But I believe Sera and her guard returned. You must be eager to see her.” My flesh broke out in goosebumps. How had she known that? Kal’s fingers twitched against my hip, and I knew he was concerned too. Iru had just called, but this woman should not have been able to overhear, so who had told her?

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