“Yes, Sir. I need just a few more minutes.”
“No. Whatever it is you’re working on can wait until morning. I want you to shower, then get a good night’s sleep. I don’t want to see you out of your room before nine.” Drago should take his own advice. Being a Gargoyle meant he didn’t require much sleep, but Drago had been getting none. His whole operation was going up in flames, and he was losing too much ground. He had been on track to take on the Stone Clan by the end of the year, but now…
Hagen blew out a sigh and scrubbed his hands over his face. The normally put-together hacker was disheveled, and he needed to bathe badly. Drago might have noticed it more because of his shifter senses, but regardless, it was time to put his foot down.
“Now, Hagen. Shower. When you get up, you will sit down and eat a full meal. One you haven’t fixed yourself. I’ll order in. Then and only then will you get back to whatever it is you’re working on.” Drago hadn’t bothered to ask what had the male losing hours of time sitting in front of the screen. Hagen would tell him whenever he had something to share. Hagen was taking Arden’s capture harder than Drago was.
“Yes, Sir.” Hagen pushed back from the table, taking a few seconds before standing. He glanced over at Drago with so much weariness in his eyes Drago felt sorry for the male. With drooped shoulders, Hagen shuffled out of the room. Drago didn’t move until he heard the shower turn on. Then he rose, walking to where various bottles of liquor were spread out. He wished he could get drunk. He would down enough alcohol to drown out his thoughts for at least one night.
Thoughts of giving up. Of moving on. Of saying to hell with all the work he’d done since coming to the States and hiding out for the rest of his long life. His mate was dead. His plan to get Kallisto out of the penitentiary died when Arden lost their bargaining chip. The women they had kidnapped to sell had been rescued, and most of the Greeks in Florida had been rounded up. A few managed to get away, but they had scattered. Craven was gone with Drago’s money. Whatever Hagen was working on didn’t matter at this point.
“I can’t believe we’re going to have a baby.”
What the hell? Drago looked around the room for the voice.
“It still doesn’t seem real.”
Drago walked over to Hagen’s computer. His mouth dropped open at what he saw on the screen. Had Hagen somehow hacked into the male’s security system? Was this what he’d been waiting on? If he could get into this property, it was possible he could…
“Whoop!” Drago pumped his fist in the air. This! This was how he was going to win the war.
A giggle escaped Josie when she opened her eyes. “I had the strangest dream.” When she looked around, she noticed she was lying on the sofa. “Shit, I didn’t think I drank that much. Was there something in the fish that made me sleepy?”
Malakai was rubbing the back of his neck. “No, and you weren’t dreaming, Sunshine.”
Josie sat up, eyeing Kai. “I am being Punk’d. Men don’t have wings.”
“No, but Gargoyles do. I hoped to have this conversation much later, but you need the truth.”
“You turn into a little stone creature? And what? I’m the heroine in the story who breaks the curse?”
Kai blew out a breath. “No little stone creature, and it’s not a curse. Gargoyles were created by the gods to watch over humans. Over time, our nemeses have changed, while our role remains the same. Right now, we fight and capture the Unholy. I am the seventh son of a seventh son, seventh generation Palamo. Only our generations are thousands of years. I’m four hundred twenty-eight years old, and you are my mate.”
Josie looked around the room for a camera.
“Please don’t run,” Malakai begged.
“Run? No. I’m looking for a camera. You’re trying to make a fool of me.”
“Sunshine, I promise I’m not joking. Gargoyles are real. You saw my wings. I also have fangs and claws.”
“Show me.”
Kai held out his hands, and sharp claws extended from his fingertips. He raised a hand and pointed to his mouth. His canines extend over his bottom lip. Josie shook her head. This was crazy. She didn’t know how he was doing these tricks or why he was trying to pull one over on her. Josie stood and looked around for her purse. When she found it, she pulled out her phone, but Kai was there in an instant, taking it from her. She stumbled, her leg hitting the coffee table, sending her to the floor. She landed hard on her ass. Kai was on his knees in front of her.
“Shit, Baby. Are you hurt?” The man before her looked normal. Had he put something in her food? Was she feeling the effect of some psychotropic drug? Kai reached down to help her up, but Josie shook off his hand. She pushed up from the floor as gracefully as possible. “I’m leaving now, and I’d appreciate if you lose my number.”
“Sunshine, no. I’m sorry I sprang the truth on you. But you’re my mate, and I needed you to know. Look, I can prove it.” Malakai took his shirt off and pointed to his chest.
“It’s a chest. All men have them.”
“No. My birthmark. It’s in the shape of a seven. You have one too.”
“How…?” No. There was absolutely no way he knew about her birthmark. Especially since it was somewhere he couldn’t have seen.
“Are you telling me you don’t have a birthmark?”
“What I’m telling you is I don’t believe in men
