If his mom was suggesting calling Julian Stone for help, they hadn’t heard of the latest trouble with the Gargoyles.With Lucy and Tamian in the mix, he didn’t want to worry his mother.“I’ll ask Bishop if he can handle it.If not, I’ll call her.”
“Sounds good.You stay safe.Both of you.”The line went dead, and Kyllian glanced over to check on his mate.She’d gone still when Rory told her she could call her “mom.”
“You okay, Pretty Lady?”
“Y-yeah.”Quinn cleared her throat.“They both sound really nice.I can see why my dad thinks so highly of yours.”
“They’re the best.I was thinking once we rescue Nikita and you and she have a chance to talk, we should bring her back here to finish out the school year.If she wasn’t getting ready to graduate, it would be different, but I want her life to be as easy as possible going forward.We can stay in one of those hotels for people who need long-term options.It’ll only be for a couple months, then we can head home.”
Quinn moved her fingers again, her nails scratching softly.“Do you think she’ll really be okay moving so far away from Tarryn and her other friends?And what if she misses her siblings?”
“We don’t know where Tarryn is.I could get Bishop to figure it out, but I think she’ll be okay.We’ll promise to let them visit one another if it seems upsetting to her.As for her siblings, you heard how there was no love lost from her little sister.I wanted to shift into my Gryphon and scare the shit out of her.I get being jealous, but that was over the top.”
“I love your fierce heart.I’ve only met Ryker, but I bet all your brothers are built the same.How can you not be with the parents you have?”
“I’ve met some shitty people who have great parents.I’ve also met some great folks whose parents aren’t worth spitting on.We were all raised that being kind and caring is more important than the size of the house we live in or how much money we did or didn’t have.It’s why Pop’s so adamant about bringing down The Ministry.Those fuckers tout Godliness, but they wouldn’t know a god if one punched them in the face.I don’t know how Nikita was raised, but somehow, she turned out good.”He’d only spent about an hour with Nikita, but the girl had claimed his heart with her easy smile, her sass, and her strength.“Our girl is smart.We exchanged numbers, but considering Mercy took Nikita’s phone, she had to have memorized my number since she called from a stranger’s phone.She’s got a good head on her shoulders considering what she’s going through.I want to give her the best life going forward.”
“It’s going to be a big change for all of us.”Quinn propped her elbow on the door and cradled her head in her hand.“I won’t lie to you; I’m nervous.I get being mates.I understand the goddess or fates chose you for me, but I’m worried about moving in together.I’m worried about Nikita accepting not only me as her mother but the new living arrangements.I’m worried you’ll resent me when I might not be able to handle you being a Master.It’s a lot of change in a short time.”
“I get it, Pretty Lady.I do.I’m nervous too.I’m pretty sure Nikita’s going to surprise you.We had a good, if short, conversation after I rescued her.We’ll ask her what she wants.Listen to her concerns, and we’ll do what’s best for her.She might not want to live with us, and if that’s the case, we’ll have to accept it for now, but I honestly don’t see that happening.She ran away to find you.She wants you in her life.As for you and me?We’ll be fine.Will there be learning curves?Of course.Will it take time to figure out what the other wants and needs?Yes.I wouldn’t have mated with you if I wasn’t willing to put in the work.I’ve never been in a relationship, and I’ve never been a father figure, but I’ve observed my parents over the years.I can’t say I’d be okay with us living apart.I want you with me.I want to get to know you and vice versa.I’ve already told you I’ll give up being a Master if that’s what you need because your happiness comes first.”
Quinn sighed.“But you shouldn’t have to.I should be willing to make compromises too.If you promise me nothing sexual will happen, I trust you mean it.”
“You could always come to the club with me.Watch what it is I do so you can see for yourself what it’s about.If you still aren’t comfortable, I’ll hand off my female subs to someone else.My friend Gunnar is handling things while I’m away.Hell, I might get back and have no subs left.They might decide he’s a better fit.Everyone except Brandon.I’m not ready to hand him off.He’s going through some shit right now, and I’d feel better keeping him with me.I can make sure Charlie and Wynter are going to be there on those nights so you’ll have other females to talk to.”
“Wynter’s the wolf, right?”
“Yes.It might be cool for the two of you to compare notes.Find out what her pack is like.Your dad might like to meet up with others of your kind too.Speaking of, if he’s half wolf, does his family not have a pack?”
“Not really.They decided to live as humans.Like Dad, they only shift and let the beast out whenever their animal gets too restless.I’ve only seen Dad in his fur a handful of times.As far as I know, it’s been years since he shifted.Then again, he might shift and sleep in his fur.We don’t talk about it.”
Kyllian couldn’t imagine suppressing his Gryphon.“Maybe once we find our balance, he will too.I have a feeling he’s going to want to be in Nikita’s life.You know how much money I make because you pay me for the mercenary jobs.I haven’t been doing that as long as Ryker and Mav, but another thing Pop taught us all was about investing.I worked construction during high school.I love being outside, so it was the ideal job for me.Pop helped me open a checking and savings account.I had to put at least half my paycheck in savings.When I had several thousand dollars, he showed me how to invest in both stocks and crypto.By the time I was old enough, I knew I didn’t want to go to college.Since I planned on joining my older brothers in the merc business, I didn’t see the need in wasting the money.Mercy said Nikita’s top in her class, so if she wants to go on to college, there’s plenty of money to ensure she doesn’t need student loans if she doesn’t get enough in scholarships or grants.”
Quinn gripped the strands of Kyllian’s hair and tugged.“I appreciate that, but you have to know that I’m not without money.I’ve lived with my father and we split the income from the company.The house is paid for.He refuses to let me pay for groceries, and I don’t have a car.What little I do spend is on books, music, and clothes.Considering I never go anywhere, my wardrobe isn’t much.”
“So, what you’re saying is you’re loaded?That I got me a sugar momma?”Kyllian winked.
Quinn laughed and shook his head side to side using the grip on his hair.“I’m saying we’ll never have to worry about money.Like if we want to build that house you mentioned with two wings?We could pay cash.”
“In that case, I think we should look for some land as soon as we get our girl graduated.You’ll both need somewhere to run.”
“What about you?Don’t you need to let the Lion out every once in a while?”
“Being able to take to my Eagle and fly is usually enough to appease the beast.I do like to let the Lion out and lie in the sun though.And if we buy some property, I’ll be able to let him run more than in the past.”Kyllian thought back to when they chased each other outside her home.He wanted more of that.He’d never considered frolicking to be something he’d find fun because come on; he was a badass Gryphon.But another thing he’d learned from his pop was that when you found your mate, you’d find the badassery took a back seat to the gentleness.“I can’t wait to run with you every chance I get.Let me call Bishop and see about Nikita’s birth certificate.”
Bishop was good at hacking into phones and security cameras, but his skill set did not include getting his hands on a birth certificate, so Kyllian called Lucy.She was distracted but wouldn’t tell him with what.She assured him she was fine and would take the time to get Nikita’s birth certificate.After speaking with Quinn to get the correct time and date of birth, Lucy told them to be safe and hung up.Kyllian trusted the Gargoyle to keep his niece safe, but he still worried about her.She was important to their family in more ways than one.
By the time they arrived in New Tulsa, Kyllian was pretty sure Quinn was ready for their future.He assured her more than once he would do whatever it took to make theirs the best relationship ever.She agreed to come with him to the club before she asked him to give up being a Master.She was looking forward to seeing Spyder do a Shibari scene with Charlie and to meet a fellow she-wolf in Wynter.But first, they had to find Nikita.
Bishop forwarded all the messages that Kinsley received.He also sent them her location, which was a downtown hotel.Instead of driving around looking for Nikita, Kyllian came up with a plan.According to the texts, Mercy and Jeremy were still chasing Nikita, but they didn’t say where they were.New Tulsa was a large city, so they could be anywhere.Kyllian parked down the street from the hotel, and he and Quinn entered the hotel and bypassed the front desk and headed to the elevator, going up to the sixth floor where Kinsley’s room was.
Quinn knocked on the door and called out, “Room service,” standing off to the side in case Kinsley looked through the peephole.
Kinsley opened the door.“I didn’t—” Kyllian pushed past the female with Quinn on his heels.“What are you doing?Get out of my room!”
“Quiet,” Kyllian commanded, and Kinsley clamped her mouth shut.“Why did your mate and Mercy kidnap Nikita?”
“How do you know...”Kinsley peered over his shoulder, and her eyes widened.“Goddess, you look just like her.”