Page 26 of A Highland Gargoyle's Lucky Star
I wince. That probably won’t go over well. Forced captivity isn’t many people’s idea of fun.
During all of this, Noah doesn’t even stir, and Kelwyn frowns. “Is he all right?”
I snort with amusement. “He’s sloshed.”
Kelwyn steps closer and sniffs the air again, laughing in relief. “Beer?”
I nod. “He’s just a wee thing and evidently a lightweight.”
We step back as Darghan and Zar land in the courtyard and rejoin us.
“Report?” I ask.
“We dropped off the other man at the hospital in Perth. From what we can tell, whatever was in that needle was a strong sedative but nothing deadly.”
“Of course not,” I growl, trying not to grit my teeth. “They wanted him alive.”
I just don’t like to think about what they would have done if the man’s plan had worked.
Almost against my volition, one of my hands strokes Noah’s hair as if to reassure myself he’s here and safe.
And that’s when it hits me.
When we were flying, I couldn’t distinguish between all the scents the wind blew my way. The two strongest and most in my face were the beer he’d drunk and his newly awakened Conduit power, which has an astringent ozone-like tinge to it.
But now I catch a whiff of the subtle hint of cedar and… heather. And with it comes a dawning realization.
“It cannae be,” I mutter in protest.
I lean closer and inhale deeply, drawing Noah’s scent all the way inside my lungs, where it spreads throughout me and warms me from the tips of my wings all the way down to my toes. This is accompanied by a low-grade hum of awareness that tingles my skin.
I gape in shock at the small human in my arms. “Bloody fucking hell,” I whisper.
“What is it?” Kelwyn asks, immediately alarmed.
I swallow hard. “He’s my fated mate.”
Never thought I’d say those words.Fuck.
Kelwyn’s eyes go wide and he grins, stepping forward to wrap an arm around my shoulders. “That’s perfect, Elryk. Now we won’t have any trouble getting him to stay and help our clan.”
I’m not as optimistic.
While I don’t know much of anything about this tiny human, I can’t imagine he’ll be happy as one of the only ones living in a hidden castle in the Highlands, far away from his family and friends. I wouldn’t be surprised if he runs screaming.
But I decide to push away those concerns for the moment.
What he needs right now is medical attention for his head wound and then a comfortable rest.
Much as I’d like to join him—damn if the mate bond isn’t already messing with my head—I still have some things to take care of.
With obvious reluctance I can’t even attempt to hide, I hand Noah off to Kelwyn to get the wee human situated in one of our guest rooms in the castle, where a doctor can tend to him.
Meanwhile, I regroup with my men to try and track down who exactly tried to attack Noah, and more importantly, who hired the scumbag.
Darghan and Zar took a picture of his ID, but when we run it through the system, it comes up as bogus.
“Damn and blast,” I mutter.
