I grinned at that. “I think you’ll grow on him.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, you’ve grown on me.” I looked over at him. “Despite the fact that you’re sometimes a jerk.”
Zayne shook his head. “I don’t know. I think he’d still have a problem with me.”
“Because of the soul thing?” I pointed out, and I wished he wasn’t wearing his sunglasses so I could see his eyes. “Misha will get over that. I think you two would get along. You both like to try to boss me around.”
“And you don’t listen to either of us, so we do have that in common.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. So, what am I supposed to say if they ask me who I am?”
“Nicolai has already told them that you’re here, from the regional seat, and that you’re looking for a friend. That is all they need to know.”
My brows lifted. “That explanation doesn’t sound suspicious at all.”
“Well, they can be as suspicious as they want, it doesn’t matter.” He hung a right, entering a heavily wooded area, and I finally felt like I could take a deep breath as the constant presence of demons eased off. “The clan members are good people, though. They could be trusted with knowledge of what you are.”
Mom and I had thought Ryker was good people, but good people did bad things.
We neared a gate that opened as we approached. Up ahead, I saw the massive several-story brick building. It reminded me so much of Thierry’s home that my chest ached.
I let out a rough exhale as Zayne followed the driveway and parked in front of wide steps. Nervousness filled me as I unhooked my seat belt and glanced over at Zayne.
He’d pulled his sunglasses off and placed them in the sun visor. “You look like you’re about to puke.”
“Do I really?”
One side of his lips kicked up. “Maybe not vomit, but you look extremely nervous.”
“I am.” I clasped my hands together. “I don’t even really know why. I mean, you were right earlier. Everyone in there could hate me, but who cares?”
“They’re not going to hate you,” he said, and I saw him lift his hand. I stilled as he reached over, catching a few strands of my hair and smoothing the strands. “But you’re wearing flip-flops. I probably should’ve told you not to do that.”
Oh, no. “Why?”
“Because Izzy is going through this stage where she likes to nibble on toes.”
“What?” I laughed, my toes curled. “For real.”
“For real.” He chuckled under his breath. “Come on, let’s head in.”
Deciding I was acting like a freak for no reason, I opened the door, stepped out and immediately tripped over the curb. Pitching forward, I caught myself with my hands before I ate cement. My sunglasses slipped down my nose.
“Oh my God, are you okay?” a female voice asked, ringing out from somewhere above me.
I cursed under my breath. Of course someone saw me. “I’m okay,” I called out, feeling my cheeks heat.
Zayne was suddenly by my side, gripping my upper arms and lifting me up onto my feet. “You all right?” he asked, voice low.
“Peachy,” I muttered, glancing down at my palms. The skin was red, but not scraped open. I became aware of someone joining us at the bottom of the steps. I looked up, eyes widening behind my sunglasses as I stared up at a beautiful dark-haired female Warden who couldn’t be more than a few years older than me. “You’re really pretty,” I blurted out.
She smiled as she glanced at Zayne, who was still behind me, still holding on to my arms as if he feared I’d fall again. “I like her, Zayne.”
“I’m sure you do,” he said wryly. “Danika, this is Trinity.”
“Hi!” The girl thrust her hand forward. “I was wondering when I was going to get to meet you.”
Zayne let go then as I went to take her hand, shaking it. “Usually I try to make a better first impression,” I said.
Danika laughed as she waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it.” She squeezed my hand before letting go. “I’m really sorry to hear about your friend. I hope you find him.”
“Thank you,” I said, meaning it.
“How have you’ve been?” Zayne asked as he stepped around me, and I wasn’t sure who went to whom first, but they were hugging, and it was a real one, full of affection. My heart squeezed again, because it was the kind of hug Jada and I gave each other—the kind of hug Misha and I shared.
“Good.” Danika pulled back, clasping his arms. “You?”
“Perfect.”
She tilted her head as if to suggest she knew better, but then she turned to me. “I hope you’re keeping Zayne out of trouble.”
“Uh, well, probably the other way around.”
Danika’s grin was sly as she slid Zayne a long look I couldn’t decipher. We started up the steps. “Nicolai said you guys were coming over, and I got ridiculously excited.”
“You’re that bored?” Zayne asked as I carefully followed them up the steps, making sure I didn’t fall again.
“Hell, yeah, I am.” She laughed as she tossed glossy black hair over her shoulder. “Plus Izzy and Drake are teething, so I’m ready to throw myself out a window.”
Baby gargoyles were a handful. Teething baby gargoyles were probably a nightmare.
Zayne stepped ahead and opened the door as Danika looked over her shoulder at me. “What do you think of the city so far?”
“It’s nice, from what I’ve seen,” I said, and then promptly ran out of anything else to say. Normally, I wasn’t this awkward, but I was in rare form today. “I mean, I’d like to eventually see more though.”
“You should take her out, Zayne.” Danika shoved him as she strolled past him. “Do you just have her locked up in your place?”
I lifted a brow as I took in the wide, circular foyer. There were a lot of doorways.
“All day and night,” he replied.
“Sounds like a good time actually?” She giggled when he shook his head. “I think Dez and Nicolai are—”
A gray blur was suddenly coming straight for my face. Gasping. I stumbling back a step and lifted my arms out of reflex as someone shouted, “Izzy, no!”
Hands and wings smacked into me, and the next thing I knew, I was holding a squirming little gargoyle in my hands. She was a tiny thing but as heavy as a truck as she pounded her little fists on my arms. Her features took shape, and she was in her Warden form, her chubby face a slate gray and small horns parting a riot of red curls. She threw her arms around me and hugged me as tightly as a long lost friend would.
I was shocked into immobility as she murmured incomprehensible things and rocked in my arms, holding on to me for dear life. I stared over a small, flapping wing at Danika and Zayne. Both were gaping at us as I awkwardly patted the little girl on the back, between her wings.
“Hi there,” I said, tightening my arms around the little girl as she kicked her head back and let out a wild giggle. I looked around her to Zayne and Danika. Both were staring openmouthed at us. “I’m guessing this is Izzy?”
Zayne nodded.
“Yep,” Danika said. “That would be her...and this would be my sister, Jasmine.”
A moment later, a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Danika came rushing forward. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. She was actually napping, and the next thing I knew, she took off and here she is.” Jasmine reached for her daughter, grasping her by the waist, but Izzy held on. “Oh! I’m sorry. Izzy, let go.”
Izzy did not let go, and she now had fistfuls of my hair. “I think she likes me.”
“I think so, too,” Jasmine agreed.
I glanced down and noticed that there was a small boy the same age as Izzy attached to the back of Jasmine’s leg. He was peering out from behind his mother with big, blue eyes. “Hi.”
He jerked back behind her. A second later, I saw one big blue eye appear behind her leg.
I grinned.
“Izzy, if you don’t let go of this poor girl, you will not get any pudding for your afternoon snack.”
The little girl immediately let go, wrapping her arms around her mother’s neck.
“Wow, that worked remarkably fast.”
Jasmine grinned. “This child will actually behave for pudding and that’s about all. Again, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I smiled. “It was a nice greeting.”
“Glad you think so.” Jasmine turned toward where Danika and Zayne stood. “Danika, can you do me a huge favor and grab Drake so I don’t trip over him.”
“Of course.” She pulled away from Zayne and easily scooped up the boy, who promptly buried his face in her neck. “Drake is a little shy.”
“And as you can see, Izzy is not.” Jasmine grinned as she stepped back. “These two could not be any more different.”
“Are they both shifting now?” I asked.
“Izzy can fully shift and hold it, but Drake can only partially shift so far,” their mother answered as the girl twisted in her mother’s arms toward me. “Izzy prefers to be in her Warden form.”
“Drake just overthinks it, isn’t that right?” Danika ruffled the little boy’s hair and he lifted his head, sharing a tiny grin before shoving his face back down. “Izzy doesn’t think twice about anything. She wants to do something, she just does it.”