Page 33 of Evil Hearts

Idris’s phone buzzed. “That’s Reed. He’s waiting for us out front.”

Before she could say anything, Idris gathered her in his arms and stood up, cradling her against his broad chest.

“I’m going to carry you,” Idris said. It sounded final so she didn’t protest.

Silas had left the door to the meeting room open, so Idris was able to talk right out and down the hall to the open stairs. Feeling the cooler air reminded Cassi of all the ruined clothing on the floor behind them.

“You’re n-n-naked!” she reminded him, wiggling a little in his arms. Then she realized that wasn’t the most shocking thing going on. “And you’re a gar-gar-gargoyle! We can’t go outside l-l-l-like th-th-this.”

He didn’t loosen his hold on her. “No one will see me. Vampires and gargoyles have magic that naturally obscures our shifted forms. I won’t be noticed.”

“Does that mean th-th-they’re going to see me floating in th-th-the air?” she asked, calming down.

“They won’t see you either,” he explained. “My aura is enveloping you.”

By now, they were at the glass doors at the front of the quiet office building. There was a security guard sitting behind a desk, but he didn’t even look up from his phone. The automatic doors slid open and beyond them was Reed standing next to a large SUV holding a back door open. Silas was already in the front passenger seat talking on his phone.

“Thanks,” Idris said as he climbed in with her still in his arms. She could see the vehicle had been modified so Idris could fit even in his gargoyle form. There seemed to be a row of seats missing, giving the gargoyle plenty of room to stretch out hislegs. He still had to hunch down a little to keep his horns from hitting the ceiling though.

Reed gently closed the door and hurried around the vehicle to the driver side. Silas finished his call as Reed started up the SUV. The vampire didn’t look up and went back to texting with a slight frown.

“We live about fifteen minutes from here,” Reed said as he maneuvered out of the parking lot. “It’s a nice property. Before I found Silas and Idris, I was livin’ in a house with three other pack members. It was fun, but a little crowded. Now I’ve got all the space, but it can get a little quiet when both the guys are busy. It’ll be nice to have another person there.”

“I-I-I-I’m only going to b-b-b-be there for one n-n-night,” Cassie pointed out, frustrated at her stuttering. This was the worst.

Reed wasn’t fazed by her reminder. “We’ll see. I notice you stutter. It doesn’t bother me, but I can tell it upsets you. Is there anything I can do to help besides telling you I don’t think it’s a big deal?”

Cassi blinked, surprised by Reed’s question. Most people got impatient and tried to finish her sentence for her. She’d even had people get annoyed and walk away in the middle of a conversation. She’d been asked if her stuttering was caused by childhood trauma or a blow to the head. No one had simply accepted her and asked what they could do to make her more comfortable.

“I can see you’re surprised by Reed’s question,” Idris said. “That makes me sad that you haven’t been treated with the kindness you deserve. None of us care about the stuttering. Everyone has a unique speech pattern. This is yours.”

“I’ve got a bit of Texas twang,” Reed agreed. “And when Silas gets pissed, he’ll get this really thick accent that reminds me of a Lebanese fellow I knew.”

“It’s true, we don’t mind how you speak,” Silas said, finally looking up from his phone. “The only thing that concerns me is if it’s happening because you’re afraid of us.”

Reed stopped at a red light, then looked over his shoulder at her with a frown. “Are we scarin’ you?”

“Not much,” she said, knowing better than to try and saylittleright now. She had trouble with that word at the best of times. At the moment, words starting with Ls, Ts, and especially Ss weren’t her friends!

“Yeah, I guess that’s not suprisin’,” Reed said, looking upset. “I don’t suppose sayin’ we’d never hurt you would help. We’ll just have to prove it.”

The light turned green, and Reed refocused on driving while keeping up a running commentary about the house and neighborhood. Soon, they pulled up to an intimidating security gate that slowly swung open for them. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but a miniature castle wasn’t it.

It didn’t look like the warm and sociable Reed belonged here, but the place was fitting for Silas and especially Idris. Did he like to stand on the roof looking scary like gargoyles of legend?

“I know what you’re thinking,” Idris said with a sigh. “I don’t need someplace to perch because I turn to stone during the day. I like this place because the crazy guy who built it made the walls of stone two feet thick and even built a massive basement. I asked Silas to buy it because the place is easy to defend and hard to destroy.”

“Don’t feel bad, darlin’,” Reed said with a chuckle as he parked in the front of the castle. “Everyone asks about Idris and perchin’ on the roof!”

Had she species profiled Idris? “S-s-s-sorry,” she whispered.

“No need to be sorry,” he assured her. “Even those who were born into our world ask. I blame the old cartoon.”

She nodded her head as Silas got out and opened the door for her and Idris. He’d finally put away his phone and had a satisfied expression on his face.

“Don’t be intimidated,” he said. “It’s very different on the inside.”

She nodded but didn’t say anything. Idris easily got out of the SUV with her still in his arms. She knew it was probably pointless, but she tried again.

---