Page 13 of A Highland Gargoyle’s Lucky Star (Tales from the Tarot)

Chapter thirteen

Elryk

While those entrusted with protecting the ancient ley line in Scotland are primarily the gargoyles of the DarkWing clan, they have been known to have some powerful allies to help in their endeavors. In the 1800s, the Loch Ness Monster—more commonly known as “Nessie”—took over as Guardian of the Loch, which contains an access point for the ley line. Not much is known about this creature besides the fact that it enjoys taunting humans with its existence. Many have sought to capture Nessie, but all have failed. Yet this creature continues to make occasional appearances to keep its existence fresh in the minds of others. One can only assume that “Nessie” has a bit of a mischievous personality. Then again, perhaps guarding a loch gets rather tedious after a while, and Nessie just needs some fun and games to alleviate the boredom?

—Guardians of the Line: A Hidden History , by Dr. Targan Wildethorne

I know that Nasser’s an outrageous flirt, and he’s just trying to get a rise out of me, but dammit, it’s working.

The kraken likes to tease his friends, just like Braewyn. Normally, it rolls off me without any effect. But now when it comes to Noah I’m feeling… territorial.

He’s special to me in a way no one has ever been. I don’t want him to be interested in other men.

It’s impossible to miss him checking out Nasser’s nude body appreciatively. The kraken is very attractive in his human form, and he’s got a charismatic personality that I can’t hope to compete with. I’ve always been the boring, stoic type, unable to express my feelings.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. The Oracle told me to trust in the Goddess. These insecurities are foolish. For better or worse, Noah’s my fated mate and I’m his.

I know that Nasser doesn’t mean anything with his flirting, that he just gets lonely here in the loch. There aren’t many krakens still around in the world. They used to live and prosper in the seas, but over time the encroachment of humans—along with their pollution—forced most of them to retreat to the deepest, darkest depths of the oceans.

Now, his species tends to eschew contact with land and the people on it entirely. Some have chosen, like Nasser, to take up residence in natural bodies of water that remain cleaner and less dangerous for them. But as a whole, they have been disappearing from this realm for a long time.

Members of the DarkWing clan try to visit Nasser as often as possible, and he is able to spend time on land, but to keep the loch safe, he cannot travel far from it. I’m thankful the Goddess recognized the limitations of gargoyles and chose him to protect this part of the ley line. We do not do water well.

I know he yearns to find his own fated mate. He’s certainly waited longer than I, having been alone here in the loch many decades more than I’ve even been alive.

“Come on, you two,” Nasser says, walking along the shore with casual grace and no compunctions about remaining nude. “I’ve got a small rowboat hidden here in the forest for our purposes.”

Noah gapes at him. “Did you know we were coming? Are you psychic?”

Nasser winks. “I had an inkling that I’d be getting a new visitor, let’s just put it that way.”

Even I don’t know as much as I’d like to about Nasser’s powers, which are unique and mysterious even among Otherkind. Originally from a much warmer part of the world, he was called here by our Goddess more than a century ago. Long before I was even born. Over time, I’m told, he developed a Scottish accent, but every now and then I hear traces of his original home in his voice.

We quickly find the rowboat, and I pick it up in one arm to move it to the water.

Noah raises the back of a hand to his forehead and sighs dreamily. “Goddess have mercy! You’re giving me hotter-than-Goliath realness right now.” He fans himself. “So damn sexy. Every time you use those amazing muscles of yours, I think I might swoon.”

My skin gets warm and tingly all over from his words, and my insecurity from earlier fades into nothingness.

I flex my muscles as I heave the boat into the water, putting on a bit of a show for Noah.

“Yeah, baby, yeah!” he cheers from the shore.

I can’t hold back a satisfied smirk and a rumble of pleasure. Noah likes my body, and as our interlude earlier made blatantly obvious, we have intense sexual chemistry. It’s downright combustible, and a good place to start as mates.

However, I yearn for us to connect on a deeper, more intimate level. I want to discover what we share in common, find out what Noah likes so I can indulge him as much as possible. Already, I’ve begun dreaming of taking him on romantic dates and spending private time with each other. Part of me dares to hope we can truly build a life together at DarkWing Castle.

I know I don’t have the same kind of bright and joyful personality that Noah has. In comparison, I can be a bit gloomy and too focused on my duty to the clan. But I’m strong, and I’m loyal and loving and will protect him with my very last breath.

I just hope that I can be enough for him because he’s far more than I ever expected I might have to call my own.

Once Noah’s seated in the boat, I push it deeper into the water and climb in with him. I take charge of the oars while Nasser simply walks into the water and swims alongside us, at home in the loch.

Noah shivers in his bulky coat and glances over at Nasser with concern. “Aren’t you cold? It’s bloody freezing out here, and I say that as somebody born and raised in Chicago.”

Nasser laughs. “Even in this form, my body possesses the ability to adapt to any aquatic temperature. I don’t feel the cold like you do. Winter’s a wee bit different, but thankfully this loch is so deep that it never freezes over. However, when it gets considerably colder outside, I tend to hibernate at the bottom of the loch near the access point of the ley line. I can still protect the line should anyone be foolish enough to try to get to it.”

Noah looks around and frowns. “Is it just you here in the loch?”

Nasser turns his face away. “Aye.”

“I’m so sorry. That must be awfully lonely.”

Nasser favors him with a soft smile. “I’m not surprised to find that Elryk’s mate is such a sweet and tender-hearted person.” He nods to himself. “You’re well suited to one another. Elryk can seem a bit gruff and stone-faced—no pun intended—on the outside, but he’s a kind, caring man on the inside.” He shoots me a wry grin. “He also takes too much responsibility onto himself sometimes. I hope you’ll help him work on that problem, Noah.”

Before I can protest, Noah leans closer to Nasser, his face full of determination. “Oh, my God, you’re so right. I will do my very best to help him let go a little.” He beams at me. “Elryk’s super fucking awesome, and I’m excited to get to know him even better now that we’re mates.”

Warmth floods my chest, and the tips of my wings tingle. No one’s praise of me has ever filled me with such joy and gratitude as Noah’s words do.

I am indebted to you, my Goddess. I shall guard my precious treasure of a mate with my life.

Nasser sighs wistfully. “Seeing you two makes me question if I’ll ever find my fated mate.”

Wanting to give him some positive encouragement, I hurriedly explain the Oracle’s latest vision, and Nasser’s eyes kindle with genuine hope.

“I’ve waited over a century for my fated mate and was starting to despair that the Goddess had forgotten me. But perhaps my moment is near. I’ll keep all my tentacles crossed that my mate will be among those coming soon.”

Noah’s face shines brighter than the moon as he beams at Nasser. “I’m sure they will. My mom always likes to say, don’t stop believing!”

The kraken gapes at him for a long moment before laughing with his whole body, raising his tentacles in the air to wiggle merrily.

“Ta, Noah. I’ll remember that,” he finally manages to say.

A syrupy sweet sentiment I’ve never known overwhelms me as I study Noah with a mixture of pride and heartfelt longing. He’s the most captivating man I’ve ever met—and he’s my mate. I wish we weren’t facing the threat of the Sluagh so early in our courtship. If only we could have more time to strengthen our bond, perhaps then I wouldn’t be so worried about what lies ahead.

Right now, though, all we can do is provide Noah with a crash course on becoming a Conduit.

When we reach a point in the loch that only Nasser fully knows, he stops and I pull up the oars. From deep below the water’s surface, I feel the faint but unmistakable pulse of the ley line.

“What do you know about ley lines?” Nasser asks.

Noah shrugs. “Not much. My mom talked about them being like magical fault lines deep within the earth.”

“That’s a good analogy. Much remains unknown about the ley lines in this realm, but they’ve been acknowledged by most magic scholars as the source of all magical energy in our world. The specific ley line we protect is considered the oldest and most powerful,” Nasser explains.

Noah shivers in his coat again, and I wish I could take him into my arms, but I don’t want to risk capsizing the rowboat, which is a bit small for me to move around in.

“Okay, so how does one access this power? If the lines run all over the place, that seems like anyone could tap into it from somewhere along one of them.”

Nasser shakes his head. “An analogy might be that a ley line is like a deep vein of magical energy that’s hard for most to draw power from. Rather, one needs to find a major artery where ley lines connect in order to be able to tap into it. We call these points nodes.”

Noah considers this for a moment. “So, DarkWing Castle and Loch Ness both contain nodes along the line you protect?”

“Bingo,” Nasser says with a wink.

I clear my throat. “Only larger ley lines possess nodes from where other smaller lines branch out. Because our line is considered the main source line, its nodes are big and are the starting point of many other smaller ones that draw power from it.”

“Is there any specific reason for these two locations?” Noah asks.

Nasser grins. “That’s a very good question. Whoever, or whatever, created the ley line marked these as powerful and important places. But to this day, we dinnae ken why.”

“Well, Loch Ness is pretty deep and mysterious. That seems like a no-brainer to me,” Noah offers.

“Aye.” Nasser waggles his eyebrows. “It’s also how I can keep the legend of ‘Nessie’ alive.”

I sigh and shake my head.

Noah laughs and his eyes shine merrily at me. “Hey, poor guy’s gotta get his kicks somehow. He’s stuck out here, all alone, just hanging in the lake and guarding this line. I say, let him have his fun.”

Nasser bats his eyelashes at my mate. “It’s official. I like you.”

My answering growl makes them both crack up.

I huff. “It’s cold out here. Let’s get on with it, Nasser. Enough flirting with my mate. I dinnae want him to freeze to death.”

“This is a new side of you, Elryk DarkWing. I’m rather enjoying witnessing it firsthand.” Nasser smirks at me and turns his attention back to Noah. “But my grumpy gargoyle friend is right. We need to begin.”

Noah gulps. “Tell me what I need to do.”

“Deep below us is the node, our access point on the ley line.”

“Oh, fucking hell, please tell me I don’t need to get in the water and try to swim to the bottom, because that sure as shit ain’t gonna happen,” Noah warns.

Nasser throws his head back and laughs. “So sassy. I love it. This is the most fun I’ve had in ages. No, young Conduit, what you need to do is send out your magical feelers to try and take hold of the line’s power.”

“What the ever-loving fuck does that mean?” Noah’s voice is full of exasperation.

Nasser chuckles and several of his tentacles undulate around him.

Noah’s eyes widen. “Holy shit. I just realized. You can do a partial shift?”

The smug look on Nasser’s face tells me he is indeed having a good time. “Aye. Tentacles can be handy for all kinds of things. Even in this form, I have access to my other appendages when I need them.”

“Horny hentai fantasies for the win,” Noah whispers in awe.

Nasser waggles his eyebrows, and I fight back yet another growl of irritation.

“My tail can do plenty of fun and sexy things too,” I mutter.

“Are you… sulking?” Nasser asks incredulously.

Noah leans closer to me in the boat. “I have no doubt your tail can give one of his tentacles a run for their money. And I can’t wait to try that out.”

It’s my turn to shiver, and not from the cold.

“Noah, your magical feelers, as I like to call them, are much like my tentacles.” Nasser explains. “Think of them like they’re invisible appendages associated with your magical abilities.”

Noah does a little dance in his seat. “Screw feelers. I have my very own magical tentacles. Love that for me.” He grins at Nasser and extends his hand to him. “I can be your invisible tentacle bro. High five.”

Fuck, my mate is too bloody adorable. And so wonderfully kind.

Nasser’s cocky fa?ade drops away for a moment as he flashes a shy smile and uses one of his tentacles to gently tap Noah’s hand. “I’d love to be your tentacle bro. Thank you, Noah.”

I’ve known Nasser a long time and I can tell he’s truly touched by my mate’s immediate acceptance and offer of friendship.

Nasser clears his throat awkwardly. “Back to the matter at hand. When you awoke to your powers, what did it feel like?”

Noah ponders this for a second. “Well, the very first time, it was a lot like being struck by a bolt of lightning, or at least what I imagine that might feel like. Or maybe being tased at maximum voltage?” He shivers. “It was electrifying, but—not gonna lie—also pretty fucking scary.”

“Aye, until you learn to adjust the flow of magic in and out of your body, it can be overwhelming. That supercharged sensation you mentioned will ease with time, especially as your control improves.”

“I hope so,” Noah says, and the look of worry in his eyes makes my gut clench.

Nasser’s voice becomes soothing and soft. “Close your eyes and focus on your senses. Try to search out that same kind of electrifying energy in the world around you.”

“God, you and my New Ager mom would totally be friends,” Noah whispers to himself and then closes his eyes, scrunching them up in concentration.

Several long moments pass as we rock gently in the boat, a chill autumn wind in the air that makes our breath fog.

Like Nasser, I’m not terribly affected by the cold. My body, and my skin in particular, is designed to withstand extreme temperatures. But Noah remains huddled in his oversized coat, shivering. The longer we sit here, the colder he’ll get.

I know this is necessary to help him learn how to use his powers and tap the ley line, but at this moment I also want to say, “Fuck it,” take him into my arms, and give him all of my warmth.

We wait patiently until Noah finally opens his eyes and sighs. “Sorry, I don’t know how to look for what you’re talking about. I’m trying, but it’s all a bit too… abstract.”

To my surprise, Nasser’s much more patient than I would have expected. “Here, touch me,” he says, dangling the tip of one of his enormous tentacles above Noah’s head.

My mate stares at it warily. “Um, you’re not going to yank me into the lake with this bad boy, are you? We might be tentacle bros now, but that’s not a prank that I’d be hip to, just so you know.”

Nasser chuckles. “I swear on the Goddess, I won’t pull you into the lake.”

With a reluctant sigh, Noah reaches up his hand and takes hold of the tentacle tip.

I bristle a little inside. My reaction is ridiculous and I realize that, but watching Noah touch another man isn’t enjoyable in the slightest. Evidently, when it comes to Noah, I’m far more territorial than I’ve ever been with any lover in the past.

I let out a deep rumbling noise of dissatisfaction but bite my tongue. This is for the safety of my clan as well as my mate. I can’t lose focus now.

“Whoa, this is kind of awesome.” The aquatic appendage wriggles in his grip, and Noah giggles.

“One of the reasons Elryk brought you to me is the fact that I can share magic in a fashion similar to a Conduit, but not to the same degree,” Nasser says. “I’ll transfer a bit of my power to you so you can get a better feel as to what you’re looking for.”

Invisible energy fills the air and Noah jolts. “Holy moly, I can feel it. That’s kind of intense.”

“Does it hurt?” I ask, frowning.

“Not at all. It’s actually rather nice. A lot better than what I experienced the first time, when my plane landed in London.” He closes his eyes and smiles. “This is genuinely kind of warm and comforting.”

I’m instantly relieved. Pain isn’t something Noah should ever have to experience.

“Excellent,” Nasser says. “Now, hold on to that feeling and spread your awareness out.”

“With my mental tentacles?” Noah asks, his expression full of mirth.

“Aye.”

Noah closes his eyes again, his brow furrowing in concentration.

Just when I think he’s going to tell us he can’t sense anything, his eyes fly open and his mouth opens in an “O” of surprise.

Nasser grins. “Found it, did you?”

“Holy shit. It’s so strong. I don’t know how I didn’t notice it until now.”

“It’s all about honing your awareness.”

“Right. So I found it, but what do I do next?”

Nasser waves a tentacle airily. “You need to tap into the line.”

Noah does a double take. “Huh? How am I supposed to do that?”

Nasser rolls his eyes as if to say duh . “With your magical feelers.”

“Let me get this right.” Noah blinks at him. “You want me to, what, feel up a magical ley line with my mental tentacles?”

“It’s not quite as pervy as all that, but if you’ve got a dirty mind and that helps you do this, then I say embrace it.”

It’s Noah’s turn to roll his eyes. “Fine. Let me take a stab at it.”

“A wee poke, if you will,” Nasser says, grinning from ear to ear.

Noah turns his glittering gaze on me. “He’s trouble.”

I snort. “Aye, that he is.”

Nasser continues to murmur words of encouragement at Noah as he concentrates on what he’s doing, but my attention starts to drift.

Although we’re a fair distance from the shoreline, my gargoyle senses are warning me that something’s wrong. My eyes scan the trees along the water, searching for any hint of trouble.

“Elryk! I did it!”

Noah reaches over and clasps my hand.

I gasp as he unintentionally channels a rush of raw, overwhelming power from the ley line directly into me.

“Noah, let go of the line!” Nasser shouts. “You’re channeling too much, too fast.”

My nerve endings feel like they’re on fire.

I also have the slightly outlandish thought that I could bench press DarkWing Castle with how powerful this is making me at the moment.

Naturally, when we’re all distracted, is precisely the moment that someone attacks.