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“The EA don’t have him anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“He claimed to not have any control over his shifts, and since they have a record of his grandfather losing it, they kept him overnight. They had him shift from form to form, but he had complete control, so they told him to go home and stop wasting their time.”
“But he didn’tgohome.” I was losing my patience.
“No. He insisted he was a danger and refused. The EA can’t entertain a delusional shifter, so they sent him to the Reserve.”
The Reserve was a large piece of land the agency used for training and rehabilitation. It was kept mostly natural, except for a few bunkers and buildings near the entrance. It was the perfect place for a giant serpent to roam. For bonus points, I knew exactly where it was.
“Who’s up for a road trip?” I asked.
“Can’t,” Eamon said. “I’m supposed to be working right now. I’ve got paperwork up the wazoo.”
I eyed the drink in his hand skeptically. “You’re drinking a beer even as we speak.”
“This is how I prepare for paperwork.” He brought the can to his mouth and took a big sip.
“It’s true,” Tansy said, nodding. “He hates paperwork.”
“I think Gunnar’s free though. Let me grab him.” Eamon went to one of the doors leading out of the common area, made his head immaterial, and stuck it through the glass pane, yelling, “Gunnar! Sybil wants you.”
I rolled my eyes. Why did he have to put it that way? Gunnar and I had spent some time together when I’d stayed at the penthouse while I dealt with the WEC pricks messing with my wards, and I knew he liked me. Now I was going to have to tell him that I was officially off the market.
A few minutes later, the door opened, and a massive gargoyle ducked through it, wearing only pants. His broad shoulders and rock-hard pecs were on display in all their stony, blue-gray glory. His hair was damp, like he’d just gotten out of the shower. I used to wonder how the gargoyle brothers fit into a shower until I saw Gunnar’s custom-made walk-in unit. It looked like a waterfall, and he had no problem fitting under it.
“Hello, Beautiful. You wanted me?” Gunnar sent me a playful grin.
Oh, boy. I shot Eamon a nasty look. Now I had to explain to Gunnar that this was not, in fact, a booty call.
Eamon took pity on me and explained, “Sybil needs help finding her naga mate.”
Gunnar’s wings drooped. “Mate?”
“Yeah.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Sorry. It all happened really fast.”
“These things usually do.” Eamon pulled Tansy into his arms and looked at her like she’d hung the sun and the moon. “One moment you’re free as a bird, and the next you’re stuck in bondage—”
Tansy wrinkled her nose at him and wiggled her fingers, like she was threatening to cast a spell.
“And deliriously happy!” Eamon added quickly.
Yep. Smart man.
I explained to Gunnar what was going on.
“Of course, I can get you to the Reserve. Just let me throw on some clothes and get a glamour on.” He disappeared back into his portion of the penthouse.
“I should bring the babies home,” I said, looking around for my ratties. I found them cuddled in the corner of one of the couches with Nugget.
“Aww, look. I guess they’re friends now,” Tansy said.
“Guess so,” I agreed.
I packed them up, made a quick portal, and brought them home. Just in case it took us longer than expected to find Zayn, I refilled their water bottles and food bowls before stepping back through the magical door just as Gunnar returned.
With the glamour on, he was much smaller and looked very much like a human, though I could see the glimmer of magic that surrounded him. Since the fall of The Wall, many magical folks walked around in public without a stitch of illusion or glamour. But some, like the Redrock brothers, preferred to wear a disguise. Not everyone liked to be gawked at, and the general public still found certain monsters hard to accept.
