“Kai, it’s Dante. Can you hear me?” The male didn’t respond, and Dante motioned Frey closer. “Put your hands on his neck.” Frey did as told and waited. Dante closed his eyes again and pushed happy feelings into Kai through his touch. Frey has been on the receiving end of Dante’s special abilities more times than he could count, but never had it been this intense. Kai mumbled, and Dante asked again, “Can you hear me?”
“She rejected me,” Malakai whispered.
Dante looked to Frey, silently asking if he knew who she was.
“He had a date last night with his mate.”
Dante’s eyes glistened, and it was then Frey understood. Dante was feeling Kai’s pain.
“Can you tell us what happened?” Dante asked.
“There was someone snooping around the gate. I went to check it out. Josie saw me running fast. I told her the truth. Phased. She passed out. Said it was a trick. I told her to call Kaya. She took my Jeep and left.”
“That explains why she was searching for Kaya on the internet. Malakai, don’t give up hope. You know it’s a lot for a human to take in.”
“Curse of Sevens,” Kai muttered.
“What’s the Curse of Sevens?” Frey asked, but Dante shook his head.
Dante stood and motioned Frey to follow. They went inside where Dante poured a glass of water. “I’ve heard of the Auspice of Sevens, but I thought it was a myth. I need to speak to Nikolas. Find out a little more about Malakai’s family.”
“What is the auspice?”
“I’m not sure what it entails exactly, but an auspice is a prophecy resulting from a sign, usually by birds. In our case, Gargoyles. The Auspice of Sevens has to do with being the seventh son of a seventh son. Here, see if you can get him to drink this while I call Nik.”
Frey took the glass outside and squatted next to the male. “Here. Drink this for me.” Kai opened his mouth, and Frey put the glass to his lips. Kai obediently drank, but he didn’t otherwise acknowledge Frey’s presence. “Kai, don’t lose hope, Brother. Joselynn tried to figure out how to contact Kaya. That means she wants to talk to her. She is feeling your bond, and you know that will bring her back to you.”
“Too late,” Kai whispered.
“It’s never too late. Not for our kind. The mate bond never goes away.”
Kai turned his head away, but not before Frey saw the tears rolling down his face. Frey’s chest spasmed with a pain he hadn’t felt since he thought he had lost Abbi.
Dante called for Frey, and he rose, squeezing Kai’s shoulder. When he reached his cousin, Dante was pacing the living room. “Nikolas confirmed that Malakai is the youngest of seven brothers. He’s on his way home now to search the archives for anything relating to this curse or auspice. He wasn’t familiar with it, but he didn’t discount it either since Malakai is from Samoa. He said their culture could be different because of the islands.”
“What do we do in the meantime?”
“Find his mate and convince her Gargoyles are real. Since Joselynn was searching for Kaya, Julian gave her the female’s address. Tessa and Gregor are going with Kaya and Rafael to talk to her.”
“Do you think Tessa’s the best female for the job?” Frey loved his cousin’s mate. The half-blood was a force to be reckoned with, but tact wasn’t her strong suit.
“I do. Kaya’s human and can explain things from her perspective, and Tessa can show the shifter side of being a mate. In the meantime, we need to keep an eye on Malakai. I know you feel his despair, but it’s so much worse than you understand. His beast is trying to separate from him. Not merely slink to the background of his mind, but completely sever itself from Kai’s essence.”
“Fuck!” Frey didn’t know that was possible. “What does that mean for Kai if the beast succeeds?”
“Kai will cross over. Without his Gargoyle, he will have no reason to live.”
In the two months since his birth, Kaya had yet to leave Sebastian. The manor was full of Gargoyles and mates, and she knew he was safe, but still…
“Hey, pretty lady,” Trevor said, coming to stand in front of her. “I can’t imagine having a son of my own. Actually, I can. It’s one of my biggest dreams to be a father with Jasper. If there’s one thing I know, this family will protect Sebastian with our lives. I’m not a badass like everyone else, but I would die before I let anything happen to this little guy. So, you go do your Queen thing knowing our Prince is not only guarded but loved.”
“It’s okay, Mama.”
Kaya gasped. It had been a long time since she heard Sebastian in her mind. It was his little voice that convinced her to hand her child over to Trevor. She and the quirky young man had gotten off to a rocky start back when she was working cases and before either one of them knew about Gargoyles, but he had become one of her favorite people in the world. Trevor cradled Sebastian to his chest and kissed the baby’s soft hair. Jasper stepped up behind Trevor and wrapped both his mate and her baby in his strong arms. Kaya could envision them with a child of their own. With them both being male, their road to a family would be harder than most, but she knew in her heart it would happen, and the child or children would be some of the luckiest ever.
Rafael, who had been watching from the doorway, didn’t say a word. He strode to where Trevor was holding Sebastian, placed a kiss on the
