Page 9 of Kiss the Dawn (Order of Helsing #4)

I rushed to the exit, but Rodney called out to stop me.

“They’re helping! They’re fighting with Mr Crescent.”

The newcomers were indeed attacking the hunters, working with Lorenzo not against him.

One had blue hair; the other had a neck tattoo. Both were powerfully built and delivered knockout blows to the hunters, allowing Lorenzo to finish them off with his neck twist move.

The attackers fell quickly, and one tried to escape, but the blue-haired guy ran and tackled him around the waist, bringing him to the ground, where he pummeled him into the earth, his fist like a battering ram to the bastard’s face.

The aggression in that move had my stomach tightening with caution. These men were dangerous .

The fight was over in a couple of minutes, and the three men stood chatting amidst the strewn bodies of the half-blood fae hunters as if they’d met on a fucking stroll.

What were they talking about? “Open the door, Rodney.”

He obliged, and I jumped out then jogged toward them.

They turned as I approached.

“Ah, Orina,” Lorenzo said. “It seems our friends are headed in the same direction as us. Down the Gateway Road.”

I smiled and nodded in their direction. “Thanks for the assist.”

“No problem,” Neck Tatts said. “Name’s Levi, and this is Curi.” He jerked a thumb toward the blue-haired, angry-looking guy responsible for all the face pummeling.

“So what’s on the Gateway Road for you two?”

They exchanged glances. “A new beginning,” Levi said.

“I’m assuming you have a vehicle?” Lorenzo asked.

“Broke down,” Curi said.

Levi continued. “In hindsight, we probably shouldn’t have done so much sightseeing before heading to our destination, but we had time to kill.”

“And your destination is on the Gateway Road?” Lorenzo asked.

“You ask a lot of questions,” Curi growled .

“How else can I gather information?” Lorenzo’s disarming smile didn’t seem to work on Curi, who responded with a narrow-eyed glare.

“Why d’you need information on us?” he demanded.

“Curi, relax,” Levi said. “Yes. We’re headed up the road.”

“Then you’re either stopping at Wista settlement or heading farther to the coast.”

“The coast,” Levi said.

“The coast also,” Lorenzo replied.

They eyed each other up, both holding back information. Could it be that they were headed to the guard house too? And if so, why? They’d saved our asses, but was it a trick? What if they were hunters too? Or wait…hadn’t Lorenzo said that there was already a door opening scheduled for other travelers, and that we’d been added to it? Could these guys be those travelers?

“Well,” Lorenzo said, “as we’re headed in the same direction, would you like a lift?”

What the…I shot him a pointed look which he studiously ignored.

“We’re ex-guardian,” Levi said. “Just so you’re aware that we won’t hesitate to take you down if you turn out to be an enemy.”

Ex-guardian? Wait…as in the gargoyle guardians Lorenzo had been telling me about?

Lorenzo relaxed. “Good to know. And you’ve seen what I’m capable of, so if you turn out not to be who you say you are, then I will use lethal force.”

If they were gargoyles, didn’t they have other forms? “Why can’t they just show us their other form to prove that they’re ex-guardians?”

Curi looked offended, but Levi merely shrugged and looked at Lorenzo to answer.

“They can’t shift until the sun is down,” Lorenzo said.

Levi smiled. “That’s correct.”

“Well, are we doing this or not?” Curi demanded.

Levi nodded at Lorenzo. “We’d love to accept a ride.”

As Lorenzo led the way to the mobile home, I hurried to catch up. “They could still be hunters.”

“Yes, and better to have them with us where we can keep an eye on them.”

“Good point.”

“We’re not hunters,” Curi called out from behind us. “But I am wondering why you have hunters on your tail.”

Lorenzo opened the door. “I forgot how good your hearing is. How about I make some coffee and I’ll tell you all about it.”

The mobile home was huge, but with the gargoyle males in residence, it felt like a box. I squished up on the bench next to Lorenzo, and Curi took up the other side while Levi stood, his back against the kitchen counter. My knees kept bumping Curi’s, and he glanced at me a few times, his dark eyes scrutinizing me. His hair was a deep, luscious blue, pulled back in a knot, and he had the kind of face that could easily have been hewn from rock. What did he look like in his gargoyle form? The other guy, Levi, had more of an athletic build, but once again, he was extremely good-looking.

Was it a gargoyle trait to be hot?

All they had with them was a backpack each. No weapons. Nothing that screamed hunter, so I relaxed.

Lorenzo somehow managed to get the gargoyle males talking about themselves, about some place called Stonehaven where they’d been stationed. Most of it went over my head, but I gleaned that there’d been some kind of world-ending event, one which got Lorenzo all excited, then they all spoke superfast for several minutes, connecting over their understanding of whatever had happened.

Names were dropped, and by the time coffee cups had been refilled, it was clear that Lorenzo had no doubt that these males were who they said they were.

The conversation turned to us.

“So are you going to tell us what the hunters wanted from you?” Levi asked .

“Maybe,” Lorenzo said. “If you tell us where you’re truly headed.”

Tension spiked for several seconds.

“You don’t trust us,” Curi said. “I get it. That’s fine.”

“All I can tell you is that we too are in the midst of averting a world-altering and potentially ending event.”

The males exchanged another look, and Levi spoke. “I think we’ll know whether we can trust each other soon enough.”

“Agreed,” Lorenzo said. “Now, is anyone hungry?”

“Starving,” Curi growled. “What you got?”

“I have pasta, chicken, and steak?—”

“Steaks,” they said in unison.

Lorenzo looked to me to check if that was okay. We’d already had steaks, but I could never say no to a decent steak. “Sounds good to me.”

“And I’ll cook,” Curi said. “As a thank you for the ride.”

I polished off my meal and sat back with a hand on my stomach. “Sorry, Lorenzo, but that is the best steak I have ever tasted.”

Curi winked at me. “One of my many skills.”

“Well, whatever those skills are, lead with this one, and I’m sure any woman you pursue will fall at your feet.”

Shadows filled his eyes, and his smile dimmed a little. “Thanks.”

The vehicle hit a pothole, rocking me in my seat a little. Rodney was driving fast, making up for the time he’d taken to eat his meal, which had been barely ten minutes. We’d fed him first because he’d skipped lunch, and by the time the rest of us had our food, Rodney had been back in the driver’s seat. The man was dedicated to keeping to a schedule.

Levi peered out the window. “Sun will go down soon.”

“Yeah,” Curi said. “I might get out and fly a little.”

“What about you?” Lorenzo asked Levi.

Levi smiled wryly. “I’m a half-blood. No wings.”

And there was so much more to learn about these males. Rodney stopped the vehicle to let Curi out. We watched from the window as he walked a little way into the field and tipped his head up to the darkening sky. He stretched, and his body morphed, expanding into a massive stone form with mighty wings and a thick, powerful tail, but his clothes stretched with him.

How the fuck?

His powerful thighs bunched in a crouch, then he shot up into the air, wings catching the night to propel him into the sky.

Rodney started the engine, and we set off once more, crawling along on the road, tracking the monolith that was Curi as he cut a path across the night sky.

Lorenzo pulled a pack of cards from a drawer. “It’s a long journey. Shall we play?”

Levi claimed Curi’s vacated seat. “Sure. But I warn you, I rarely lose at card games.”

“Oh?” Lorenzo arched a brow. “Well, there’s a first time for everything.”

Curi returned a half hour into our card games bringing the scent of the elements with him. He looked brighter and more relaxed. The flight must have helped. We chatted and played for an hour or so until a yawn ripped through me.

“You should get some rest,” Lorenzo said. “It’ll be a long day tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I leaned my head on his shoulder without thinking because it felt natural to do so, then pulled away. “Sorry.”

He smiled down at me. “Don’t be.”

“Wait,” Curi said. “You two aren’t a couple?”

“No, we’re not,” Lorenzo said.

Yet. I wasn’t sure why that popped into my head, but it did, and my cheeks burned because I wanted him. Had wanted him for the longest time. Lorenzo Crescent was the first man who’d stirred and intrigued me in a I-want-to-curl-up-and-watch-the-stars-with-you way. I’d kept my distance because of my vow and my blessing, but those things weren’t obstacles any longer, and…What was I thinking?

This was no time to speculate on romance.

Wow, there was an awkward silence now. “I should get some sleep.”

Lorenzo slid off the bench so I could get out.

“I’ll show you to the bedroom,” he said.

I followed him down the length of the vehicle to the back where a sliding door opened onto a large room with a king-size bed that took up most of it.

Lorenzo closed the door behind us, shutting us into the intimate gloom, and my pulse quickened at his proximity. My calves hit the bed as I backed up to give him room, and I almost lost my balance, but he grabbed my hips to steady me, and my hands came up, palms against his chest. He was warm through his shirt, taut beneath the fabric. I should lift my head and look at him, smile lightly or something, but the pulse in my throat and between my thighs were going crazy.

“It’s a little cramped in here.” His voice was deeper, huskier.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Yeah, it is.”

“But you’ll have the bed to yourself. I’ll keep the gargoyles company.” His fingers flexed on my hip, and I resisted the urge to press the tips of mine into his taut pectorals. “I think we can trust them. ”

“Yes, so do I. But we should hold off for a little longer.”

“To make sure?”

“Yes, to make sure we’ve gauged it correctly.”

Why did it feel like we were no longer talking about the gargoyles? “Don’t you think we’ve given it enough time?” I searched his face, and he smiled, a soft smile filled with tomorrows before dropping a soft kiss on my forehead.

“Sleep well. I’ll wake you in a few hours.”

He left, and I fell back onto the bed. Lorenzo Crescent was the one I always let get away.

Maybe this time would be different.