Malakai (Stone Society #13) - Faith Gibson Page 0,48
open, and she didn’t hesitate to walk into his strong embrace. Josie tucked her forearms against his chest and turned her cheek so her ear pressed against his heart. She loved hearing the strong beat. It was soothing.
“Let’s eat.” Kai pressed a kiss to her hair, and Josie tipped her head back so he could take her mouth. When he did, it was the sweetest kiss in sweetest kisses ever.
True to his word, Kai took Josie to the patio after they finished eating and told her all the trouble the Clan had encountered over the last year. Josie sipped her coffee while stretched out in what she now considered their chair and listened without interrupting. Her mind took note of those mates who had been kidnapped, thrown in jail, and on one occasion both. Josie couldn’t wait to meet the other mates and hear their stories firsthand.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“I should have shared all this before we mated.” Kai threaded their fingers together.
“Do you think it would have changed my decision about being with you?”
“I’d like to say no, but the threat is serious. These males don’t go after other Gargoyles; they go after our mates.”
“And children.” Josie was in awe of little Connor. For such a young child, the boy was brave and strong. “If this Drago is such a threat, why doesn’t Rafael go on the offensive? I mean, I’m no King, but if someone were threatening my Clan, I’d hunt the bastard down and take him out. With everything you told me, it doesn’t sound like his army is that big, even if they’re mostly Unholy.”
“That’s a great question. I think Rafael is waiting until Isabelle has the antiserum perfected so we can save as many Unholy as possible. From what I’ve been told, the humans who become Unholy are men who feel they have nothing to live for, thus nothing to lose. With Drago’s second-in-command in custody, there will be no one left to lead the army. Yes, there are other Greeks who have joined him, but they are nothing more than foot soldiers. Without a leader, the Unholy would be left to their own devices, and that would endanger the cities where they live – namely, New Atlanta – since this is where they’re the most populous. We already have our hands full patrolling the city for the ones who venture out at night. They’ve been uncommonly quiet over the last month, and I’m afraid Drago is getting ready to make a move. Whether he’s tired of waiting or his army is larger than we’re aware of…”
“Is the plan with the antiserum to return all the Unholy being held in the Basement at the Pen to their human selves and enlist their help?”
“No. Humans are no match for Gargoyles. That would be akin to putting babies in a fence with wolves, for lack of a better analogy. Once they are given the antiserum, they will remain in prison until it can be determined where their minds are. I hate to say it, but most will likely remain incarcerated.”
“Then why turn them back? Why waste the resources on someone you don’t plan on setting free?”
“It’s the humane thing to do. I can’t imagine being trapped inside a monster. If they’re more human, they can be rehabilitated. At least some of them. As they are, they’re no more than unfeeling killing machines.”
Josie couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Joseph Mooneyham was really Jonas Montague, and that Tessa was the baby who had been cloned. Kai had done his best to fill her in on everything he could think regarding the Clan.
“You never did show me you could fly.” Kai telling her about patrolling for Unholy and flying over the city had reminded her of his promise.
“I could do that now, but it’s safer at night. With satellites everywhere, it’s too much of a risk to do so during daylight. Not that we don’t fly during the day, but only if it’s absolutely necessary, or we are in an area we deem safe.”
“I can wait. Man, I can’t believe Sixx’s son is Desmond Rothchild. I listen to Cyanide Sweetness all the time.”
“You do?”
“Don’t sound so surprised. I love hard rock as much as the next girl.”
“I can see it now. You and Trevor are going to be best friends. We’ll have to see when they’re playing close by, and Jasper and I can take you and Trevor to a show. Desi will get us backstage.”