Brooklyn stood waiting tensely. Clenching and unclenching his claws as he stood awkwardly in someone else's house that really didn't like him. His clan being attacked and him not being there to do anything about it made him angry and frustrated. This freaking woman has made it very clear that she does not want him around. Patrick seemed ok. But Cordelia didn't trust him and clearly was only putting up with him because She was forced by both the circumstances and her leader. Looking around the small stone house to distract himself it seemed very human at first. But little things. Certain rocks on the shelf. Some painting and photographs on the walls. Places and times that didn't seem to make any sense to him. She said this was one of her favorite safe places. And the pictures on the walls seemed to prove it.
Stopping in his tracks he saw a set of pictures hanging. Cordeila and an lovely human looking woman he didn't recognize. Cordeila and Patrick with several tiny younglings, all three looked human. But the one had ginger hair and the other two had Cordelia's dark hair. In another picture he saw several more beings that looked to be gargoyles. An adult male, with Patrick's coloring, a younger male with the same. And an exquisitely beautiful female Gargoyle. There was a similarity to her face that Patrick had. And Brooklyn stared harder at it until he heard Cordeila clear her throat. Brooklyn wanted to jump but he forced himself to turn and look slowly at her. She had gotten changed quickly and was wearing boots, heavy dark jeans, another fitted jacket that covered her from neck to wrist and was carrying a small bag.
"That is, or was our parents and family. My mother and I. Patrick and Collin's parents and his older brother. And then that's our younglings a few years ago. Colin, Gio and Antoni." She explained softly.
"And they all are?" Brooklyn asked. Guessing he already knew the answer.
"Both Patrick and Colins parents and his older brother are dead. My mother, her little sister and brother in law, Gio and Antoni's parents as well but they aren't pictured. My mother and Patrick and Colin's were best friends. She was the one that introduced Patrick's parents to each other." She answered before pointing to another set of pictures. This of a younger looking woman and the stunning female Gargoyle and a second of them during the day light when the female Gargoyle was stone and Cordelia's mother sat near her reading a book.
"Your kind, well Patrick's can turn to stone during the day?" Brooklyn asked in confusion.
"Yes if they are injured. But Patrick's father was our kind, his mother was all Gargoyle and turned to stone every day. She was the most beautiful Gargoyle in existence. I mean my mother was beautiful, but Patrick's mother could put a fairy queen to shame with her looks" Cordelia said touching the edge of the photo.
"Your mother was also a succubus?" Brooklen asked. Watching Cordelia tense.
"Yes" was the one word reply Cordeila gave him.
"Are there a lot of them around?" Brooklyn asked. Pushing his luck.
"Do you really fucking care?" she snapped before turning and limping out of the house.
Brooklyn followed her out. Snapping his tail out of the way of the door as Cordelia waved her hand and it shut with a snap.
"It was just a question. Also why if you can do magic use the fire?" Brooklyn questioned.
"You are full of really annoying questions" Cordelia told him as she walked off into the woods. As Brooklyn followed her they passed the invisible barrier again. He could sense the place was still there, but could no longer see it.
"Just asking, you don't have to be a bitch about it" Brooklyn snapped at her.
"The fireballs are a self defense mechanism. Magic requires thought and planning. Fire does not. And considering I have no fangs, claws or wings as a female succubus I have to defend myself somehow" she hissed back at him.
Turning to look at him she stopped.
"What?" He asked.
"Are we going to go? I would rather not walk the whole way." She answered sourly.
With a growl he looked around, there were trees tall enough that he could get lift to fly off and some rock out croppings that would work. Then wondered how awkward it was going to be to carry her injured.
"Well hold still" He told her uncomfortably.
She did not look like she wanted to be picked up and carried off. Much less by him. She tensed but held still. Scooping her up with an arm supporting her back and one under the bend of her knees. He could feel the sharp intake of breath as the movement put pressure on her injury. And in that instant he felt his heart start to race. Looking down at her face. She had the most perfect hazel eyes, bright green and brown in a swirl. With the softest fullest looking pink lips. Her body was warm and just the right amount of soft yet firm. And he wondered how it would feel under him with no clothing in the way. He was about to dip his face down to kiss her when she reached up quickly and snatched his beak like mouth in her hand pinching it shut.
"You really do not want to try that" She hissed at him. Pulling her hand away.
Brooklyn growled at her. His heart still pounding. His brain thinking of some really stupid things.
Calmly Cordelia explained to him "Its not you. You don't actually want to say or do any of the crazy thoughts running through your head. I am injured. My body acts automatically and it looks for help and protection. Yours is responding. You are not actually attracted to me in the least bit. Think of all the times I annoy you. That helps."
Brooklyn snorted at that.
"Can you turn it off?" He questioned.
"No. I however have enough practice that I don't act on however I feel" she explained calmly again.
Brooklyn thought it might be easier if she was rude about it and told her. She broke out laughing. Smiling in amusement when she was done. That was too much for his hormone addled brain and he crushed his lips down to hers. She arched her back and leaned away from him. Cordelia brought both hands up to his shoulders pushing. Still so much stronger than her she started increasing the heat. Building up to a fireball if she had to. At least getting his attention now and getting him to pull his head up enough to look at her.
"Calm your ass down before I melt your fucking face off" She demanded.
He growled in reply but didn't seem to be able to put words together.
"Find how about this, I am not using you to heal myself. No matter what you do. And you are really hurting my leg" She snapped.
This got enough of his brain working that he looked down at her ashamed of how he was acting. He was in his forty's not a hormone ravaged teen. What is wrong with him. He leapt back away from her and ended up crashing into a tree. Cordeila fell down but popping her head up to see what he had done and breaking out in laughter.
"Goddamit its not funny! I am trying my best not to take you on the fucking dirt. And its funny to you?!" Brooklyn growled at her.
"The face you made is hilarious. Sorry" She said breaking out into a snort of laughter.
"How in the hell do you deal with this? Have normal relationships?" He spat. Sitting up and back into the tree he crashed into.
"I don't date. At all. That's how I deal with it" She answered flatly.
Brooklyn's head shot up in confusion, looking at her still sitting in the dirt and pine needles of the woods floor.
"How are you..?" He gestured to her body, "That and don't date?"
"A shit load of common sense and avoiding males." She told him before bursting out in laughter again.
"Its not godam funny. I could hurt you trying to mate with you. In the fucking woods of all places" Brooklyn growled rubbing his claws over his face roughly.
"One you are a freaking Gargoyle, you wouldn't hurt someone else like that. Its not usually in your nature. And two what is wrong with the woods. They are magical" She said picking up a pinecone and tossing it at him.
"Then how the hell am I suppose to pick you up and fly you anywhere like this" Brooklyn growled again. Loosing his temped and turning and punching the tree behind him.
"I have several suggestions you won't like. However think about this. I can hold back and not borrow any of your life force. Without doing that I won't heal. And if you keep thinking of doing that you might break open this lovely melted patch on my leg and I'll bleed everywhere. Then I'll have to melt it shut again and not only will that hurt but I'll get an even bigger uglier scar to add to my collection" She told him.
"Just how often do you get injured?" Brooklyn asked. Calming himself down at the thought of his behaving like an ass and hurting her. That was a decent turnoff.
"Not as much as most of Clan Harker. They might be more of my kin but they are fucking hardcore nuts" Cordelia said with a snort.
Brooklyn raised and eyebone in question.
"Patrick and I have been tracking and wrecking both the hunters and Clan Orfeo financially for decades. Clan Harker are quite literally hunters of the hunters. They look like these sweet wonderful forest witches. But even a Nonna could twist your head off your shoulders" Cordeila laughed.
Brooklyn looked up at her in confusion.
"A grandmother" She explained.
Pushing himself up he stood and looked down at her.
"We need to get going. Pick me up and think with the brain on your shoulders" she ordered.
Brooklyn huffed in annoyance. Scooping her up he could feel both the biological pull towards her and her grimace in pain. That was a definite turn off and he was able to get a hold of himself. Grabbing onto a tree with one claw she put her arms around his neck to help balance herself. That didn't help his hormones. But he made it up into the air anyways.
"I have a general idea of where we are going. Tell me when we get close" Brooklyn told her loud enough to hear over the wind.
"If you hit jersey and the Merrow you have gone too far" She yelled back.
Brooklyn wasn't sure he wanted to ask what the Merrow was. But he flew south along the coast line. Crisper here with the air off the water. He was afraid she was going to be cold. But could see a heavy sweater under the edge of the jacket. Heavy socks peeking out of the boots. And her tied up hair thickly covered the edges of her ears. At least she knew what to wear and what to do while out flying. However he could feel the need to touch and kiss her building again. Which he could guess meant that she was either in pain or the cold was zapping her strength. He hoped it wasn't much farther for both their sake's. Other wise he was seriously considering just dropping down and trying to seduce her. He shook his head roughly to try and pull that out of his mind.
"Sorry" Cordelia said. Her face going pink with embarrassment.
That is just great. She can tell how I feel by how she feels. This is some bullshit. A gentle tap on his shoulder indicated that they needed to drop down. Brooklyn couldn't see anything. Just ocean, beach and beach woods here. Shorter and bushier than the tall oak and pine forest the other house was in. Then it dawned on him that she and the other witches probably cloaked all their homes. And would be unplotable unless taken there before hand. He landed on the soft sand and went to set her on her feet. Only for her to loose her balance and smash into him. Setting his hormones raging.
"This is so stupid" He growled at her.
"It will go away. Trust me, you don't actually like me and wouldn't set a finger on me if it wasn't for my magic." She told him sourly.
"Now I need to act like an adult. I'm the second in command and the only other parent the younglings have had. They are a little rambunctious yet so I don't know how they are going to act meeting a real Gargoyle. Can you also act like the mature real adult of your own clan?" Cordelia asked.
"I am" Brooklyn grunted at her.
With a wave of her hand she touched some sort of invisible barrier. And this time grabbed his hand and pulled him in along behind her. She stopped dead in her tracks so abruptly that he bumped into her and then grabbed her around the hips to steady her. That would have huge turn on save the wild and chaotic scene in front of them.
"I am the second in command to a fucking frat house" Cordelia growled.
Young men and women rough housed in the yard. Loud rock music blasting from inside the house. A fire was burning in the pit outside and several males were throwing fireworks into it and laughing when they popped and exploded everywhere. And most of them were definitely not human. Brooklyn gasped at some of them. One tall and dark haired male with claws and the blackest feathered wings was dancing with a female with the longest hair he had seen in a long time on a human. Cordeila cleared her throat hoping to get the groups attention. When no one heard or noticed. She brought up a large bright colored fireball and whipped it over the group. Causing several woops and shouts. Many in the group collectively yelling Cora! in greeting.
"Where the hell are your brothers Gio?" Cordeila yelled over the noise. The music cutting out suddenly with a screech.
The tall dark haired male with wings put an arm around the chocolate haired female and grinned nervously. Cordeila stomped in the house then. Forgetting for a second that Brooklyn was behind her. Another male hit Brooklyn like a ton of bricks. A green haired human looking male. But like Cordelia stronger and faster than any human. Brooklyn rolling and throwing the young male with a vicious snarl.
"Where'd ya find the real gargoyle Cora?! Are we taking him hunting?" The green haired male yelled as he pulled himself out of the bushes laughing. Those words got plenty of hoots and yells from the group again.
Cordelia was already in the house by the time Brooklyn made it in behind her. Brooklyn could hear others moving around inside the house both upstairs and downstairs. With the upstairs noises...Cordelia's face was both horrified and embarrassed to realize that the loud music had been covering the noise of someone having sex upstairs. Before she could say or do anything a loud boom came from the basement area below them. It shook the house and rattled the windows in the panes. Dark choking smoke soon followed and a very tall young gargoyle rushed out of the basement hauling a blond female behind him. Her wings feathered and a gold tone like her hair. They were coughing and laughing at their apparent mishap until they caught sight of Cordelia with Brooklyn towering behind her. The outside younglings had come in and then the two who were upstairs having sex ran down wrapped in sheets. The male identical to the other dark haired male with black wings. But the female that came with had brilliant red hair and... a few scales.
"What the hell did you blow up now Colin?" The dark haired male started to ask before shutting up quickly at the sight of Cordelia.
Everyone stood in silenced panic save Cordelia. She looked furious.
"Dam you did find real gargoyles Cora" Colin said in amazement. Creeping closer to Brooklyn with the blond and gold winged female. The female jumped forward and snatched a lock of Brooklyn's hair right out of his head. Brooklyn snarling and turning on her. With Colin the tall ginger haired Gargoyle blocking him.
"I regret nothing!" She chirped. Holding the lock of hair out and wiggling it at Colin in triumph.
Cordelia stood in the center of the room, with her back to protect Brooklyn it seemed. So angry that her hands and arms were seconds from bursting into flames.
"Would you all like to explain yourselves? I know Patrick and I have given you permission to have your Harker cousins over at any time. But we never expected... this" Cordelia gestured. Rubbing her face briskly with her hands. Then sighing and pausing before introducing everyone.
"This is Brooklyn, second in command of the Manhatten clan of gargoyles. The more human looking ones are our cousins and their mates from clan Harker" She said gesturing to the wild haired ones. The Green haired one pumping a fist in the air.
"And these three are Colin, Antoni and Gio. The younglings of Clan Macnamara" Cordelia said introducing her family. "However I do not know three of you..." She trailed off.
The gold haired and winged female stood with Colin, her face and body very human looking save the gold wings. The redhead female humanish with scales stood beside Gio with smile and the chocolate haired one stood half behind Antoni, looking very human save her eyes and hair that were extraordinary in color and size.
"I am Gisle, these are my cousins Ciara and Sile, we are...friends of your younglings, we're from clan Merrow" The gold haired one said boldly.
Cordelia brought her hands to her mouth in surprise and she gasped. Apparently that meant something that Brooklyn didn't understand.
"Are your friends going to the next clan gathering with you?" She asked the three males. They didn't answer but smiled sheepishly and nodded.
"Then please call me Cora" She said with the nicest smile Brooklyn had ever seen her give anyone. "If you will excuse me, I need to go call Patrick...make the attempt to keep it down" she told the whole group before walking through a door.
Brooklyn was angry at being jumped on and having his hair pulled. He didn't get what the hell was going on and he wanted nothing more than to get out of this nut house. He followed her into another room and watched her put her head on the counter on her arms for a moment like she was dizzy.
"Can I ask why the fuck you stopped tearing them a new one? And also those aren't younglings. They look older than you are" Brooklyn snapped.
"Those are the younglings Patrick and I raised. We don't age identical to you. Birth to full adulthood is at max 10-15 years. And our ageing then slows to a crawl like the fae or gargoyles I am only 12 human years older than them. But now in our ageing, I am 37 but about 19 and they are 17 and 18 as the human equivalent...I need to sit down." She said struggling to get to a chair at the table.
"Are you that hurt you are going to die" Brooklyn snapped.
"No. I am just very very surprised" Cordelia answered.
"At fucking what?" He snapped again.
"Oh shut the hell up. Our culture is different than yours. We don't... publicly date or have engagements. In fact after they hit adulthood and start looking for mates our young lings don't tell the parents or clan they have met someone until a clan gathering." Cordelia explained.
"What does a clan gathering have to do with that?" Brooklyn asked exasperated.
"Witches only marry or take mates officially at a gathering." She said dead pan.
"So the younglings that you raised, that are now almost as old as you, are finding mates of their own? Without any input or permission from the clan elders "Brooklyn questioned her.
"Yes of course, we never interfere in them choosing in any way. They can pick whomever they want that way" she answered.
"Your culture is fucking pysco" he ground out.
"There's the door asshole" Cordelia snapped at him.
"I can't, I actually listen to orders from my head of my clan leader" Brooklyn growled at her.
Both Cordelia and himself jumping when the rock music came back on with a shrill scream of guitars.
"I swear to god I am sending them all home come morning" Cordelia gritted out.