Despite our close proximity to Johns Hopkins, we didn't stop to see Colin and Vincent. Jonathan's objective was to get me home pronto, which was Vincent's objective. So, once we said goodbye to Ward, Jonathan and I were in the air making up for time lost on the battlefield.

Apparently, a gargoyle was required to rest every fifty miles, more often if a passenger was involved. In our case, this added an hour of non-flying time, so the pit stops were quick and efficient. By our last stop, my arms were cramping, and I attempted to prolong our stay on the ground by asking Jonathan questions.

"Do you play the stock market?"

"No. I let Vincent invest my money. He's been at it since he was ten."

"He started playing the market at ten? That's young."

"It was something he took on when our dad died. Someone had to take the lead, and Vincent is a born leader."

"Vincent's word is law in the Valentino domus, isnt it?"

"He's the magister, but that doesn't mean the rest of us don't have input."

Jonathan's answer came with no undertone of resentment. The opposite, actually. He seemed to look up to Vincent.

"You're the youngest brother?"

"No, Colin is the youngest."

"Ah, you're the middle child."

"And the only father."

I smiled, acknowledging his accomplishment. I could hear the pride in his voice. "Vincent told me you have a daughter and that you and Amelia are married. That's sweet."

"Marriage is not a tradition among gollums, but we are mated."

"How many gollum families are in New York City?"

"Three. We are twenty-two gollums strong in the boroughs, but only fourteen engage in combat."

"How many of the fourteen are females?"

"Two."

"Only two? I don't know why, but I pictured more female fighters. Just give a girl muscles and she doesn't need testosterone. We've got plenty of hormones to keep us engaged."

Jonathan laughed. "I'm not touching that one, but I will say females are fierce in battle. My Amelia, for example."

"How often do you and Amelia fight side by side? That's probably an adrenaline rush, huh?"

"We haven't fought together since Griffin was born. Amelia will continue to play the role of civilian until Griffin is sixteen. Night patrol can get ugly, and the females are the main caregivers, traditionally." 

"I want to say that's sexist, but I'm not touching it. So, how many domi are there in the country? No. In the world?"

"You are barking up the wrong tree with that question. I'm better with tactical details."

"Okay. Here's one I bet you can answer. How do gollums find mates? Do you throw parties? Is there a gollum dating service? If there is, I want that link."

He chuckled but I could tell it was forced. My questions were probably sailing dangerously close to the no-fly zone.

"We have opportunities to interact with other gollums, but our species still faces difficulties. Females are required to leave their domus to be with their mate, so many try to stay within close proximity. My mother is from a domus in Chicago, which she left to be with my dad."

Jonathan's tone had become contemplative. I figured he was torn between helping me understand his world and not revealing more than Vincent wanted him to. But now that I knew the Valentino's big secret, I wanted to learn everything about them. It wasn't every day you ran into a living gargoyle.

"Has a gollum ever taken a human as a mate?" I asked the question because it seemed appropriate to the topic, since Vincent was trying his damnedest to claim me. Not that I was complaining.

"There are records of gollums and humans becoming sexually involved, but a domus frowns on one of their own giving up their rights to partner with a human."

"What do you mean by giving up their rights? Are you saying they would be kicked out of the family?"

"They would not be kicked out physically, but they would be scorned for failing to contribute to the legacy of the domus. A gollum must procreate with another gollum in order to keep the race pure."

"Oh."

I decided to end my questioning there, and Jonathan didn't seem eager to continue. What was Vincent thinking? Did his family know what he was thinking? Had it already been worked out that he would abdicate his rights so he could spend the rest of his life with me? Or, did Vincent really believe I was this missing female gollum? How crazy was that? Surely, if I could sprout wings and fangs I would have figured it out by now.

By the time we reached Manhattan, my mind and body were exhausted. Jonathan landed on the balcony of his family home, aka Twenty Exchange Place, and we were greeted by gargoyles, the ones made of granite. I recognized them from the photograph on my wall. It felt surreal to reach out and touch them. Unfortunately, my arms were too sore to even attempt it. 

When Jonathan ushered me inside the apartment,  Amelia hurried over to greet us, kissing Jonathan on his blood-stained cheek. "Thank goodness you're both home safe. Look at your face, Jonathan. It's going to need tending. Are you okay, Reese? Did you receive any injuries?"

"Just a scrape on my leg."

"Let's take a look under the florescent light." Amelia hauled me toward the kitchen, speaking over her shoulder to Jonathan. "When was the last time you called Vincent? He's been out of his mind because nobody has bothered to contact him since three-thirty."

Jonathan's face paled. "Shit, I forgot. He's going to rip my head off." He quickly glanced at me with bulging eyes. "That's just a figure of speech, Reese. He won't really rip my head off. I'm his best sparring partner."

Amelia shook her head and waved Jonathan away as she pulled a first aid kit out of a cupboard. "It might be best if you took off your jeans. We're not modest around here."

I did as she asked, stripping down to my underwear before climbing onto a barstool. Amelia listened to the highlights of my abduction and subsequent rescue as she sterilized my battle wound, which turned out to be a one-inch laceration on the back of my calf.

"Vincent is not going to be happy about this," she said when I finished my story. "Heads are going to roll, for sure."

I expected her to justify her morbid comment like Jonathan had, but she didn't. Across the living room, a wire-haired girl bounded into view, skidding to a stop in front of my chair. "Hi, Reese. I can't believe I'm finally meeting you. Looks like you got a little scratched up. My mom is excellent at first aid. We all are, really."

"Calm down, Griffin," Amelia said softly.

"Oh, sorry. I hope you didn't have much trouble getting here. My dad is a superb flyer. He can catch up to a Perigrine Falcon. Not at full speed, of course. Gollums can't fly that fast. My name is Griffin. I'm twelve. I've been flying since I was five."

It took me a moment to absorb the energy of this fiery girl. Even her frizzy, blonde hair made it seem like she was carrying a lightning bolt in her pocket. "That's impressive. I'm not fond of flying. I actually puked while Jonathan and I were airborne."

Griffin laughed. "That's funny. I've never heard of a gollum getting sick during flight."

"Griffin, not now." Amelia pinned the girl with a motherly stare, and I felt obliged to offer something.

"I'm not a gollum, Griffin. I don't have wings like you and your family." 

My explanation had Griffin blinking uncertainly at Amelia, who appeared to be fighting back a scowl. "I apologize. I was just so excited to see you, I got carried away."

"Why don't you get Reese a glass of water," Amelia said. "She must be thirsty after her exhausting trip."

"Sure." Griffin dutifully obeyed her mother's wishes, skipping into the kitchen on tiptoes. It was clear she was brimming with things to say. When she came back with my water, she finally realized I wasn't wearing pants. "Do you need clothes? My mom might have something that will fit you."

"I was just going to suggest that," Amelia said, offering Griffin a reassuring smile. "Go into my sweatpants drawer and find something Reese can sleep in. I'm sure she's tired."

As Griffin flitted out of the room, Jonathan walked in with his cellphone extended to me. He looked like he'd just received an ass whipping. "It's Vincent. He wants to talk to you."

"Hi, Vincent."

"Reese, are you okay? Jonathan told me what happened."

"I'm fine. I cut my leg on a broken window when that asshole hauled me out of it. Crap! I have to call my parents. They don't know I'm not dead."

"Calm down, Reese. Jonathan is going to call the police after you two discuss the alibi. He'll get everyone on the same page. Then you can call your parents."

"Do the cops know about... about you and your family being..."

"Yes. It's one of the first things a rookie learns when he finishes academy training. The military knows as well."

"Holy crap. I feel like I'm going to wake up and this will all turn out to be a dream."

"Don't say that. You're more real to me than anything else in my life." Vincent's heartfelt proclamation rendered me speechless. He sure knew how to deliver a message. "Wren and Charleton are here now. And Colin is out of surgery, so I should be home in about three hours, give or take."

"Is Colin awake? How is he doing?"

"He's still groggy, so I haven't heard anything worthwhile come out of him. But that's not unusual."

"C'mon, Vincent. You know you're glad Colin is alright."

"Of course, I'm glad. He's my brother, and like I said before, we're pretty hard to kill. I'll see you soon, Reese. Now that I  know you're home safe, it will make the trip much more pleasant."

Be still my beating heart.

Smiling, I handed the phone back to Jonathan, who was currently receiving first aid from Amelia.

"I need to call my parents, Jonathan. What should I tell them?"

"Did anyone see the demon who abducted you?"

"Yes, my best friend, Sylvie."

"Okay. You're going to tell her and your parents you were abducted by members of a vigilante gang who wear disguises and use fancy gadgetry. They were after you because you caught the eye of a gang member at the show you attended. We'll say you were stuffed into a plain, white van, and Vincent caught up with you on the New Jersey turnpike. I suggested to Vincent that he get credit for your rescue. Your parents already know him, and it will put him in their good graces." 

I nodded, since I didn't have a better alibi. "I'm going to hell for this lie, but I suppose a lie is better than the truth, in this case."

Amelia and Jonathan glanced at each other, and Amelia's mouth hardened into a severe line. She could give Vincent a run for his money. "I'm sorry, Reese. I know this is a difficult time for you, but we are on your side. I want you to feel comfortable while you're here. Mae domus est tuam domus. That's Latin for my home is your home."

Jonathan's phone alarm went off, and he scowled at it. "Damn. Two hours until dawn. Vincent will be cutting it close. He'll need to keep to the tree line, which is a tactical nightmare and slows travel time. Of course, none of us are strangers to that scenario. Flying is almost always faster than the train."

When Amelia had released Jonathan from her care,he stared at his phone some more, and she busied herself with cleaning up thefirst aid supplies. Despite the fact that I was still sitting in my underwear, I felt my body finally relax. Their apartment was warm and inviting, with well-worn furniture, handmade throw pillows, and a huge flat screen TV. The place looked like any normal home, a welcome relief after the long, crazy trip I'd taken through the wild blue yonder. It was something I never wanted to do again. Ever.

"I can't remember if I thanked you for bringing me home safely, Jonathan. I know we're supposed to pretend Vincent rescued me, but I will always know who the credit goes to. Although, if it's all the same to you, I don't think I'll bring it up around Vincent." I offered him an apologetic smile, hoping it came across, and he picked up on it with no problem.

"A shrewd decision."

PLAYLIST SONG: Hang Me Up To Dry by Cold War Kids