Souls of the Night Vol 3

by Quinn Taxon

Souls of The Night Book 1 and 2 included in the normal Souls of the Night. Lexington and Nathaniel's relationship is only superficial from a strong foundation even after Nate has overcome his "illness". Can the clan and new and old allies and "enemies" help him decide whether to live as a human or a gargoyle and come to terms with his past?

11. 11 - The new trainee

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Souls of the Night Vol 3.

11.

Tonight, I took over the mission coordination again.

Heather and Tachi had classes and I had so much to think about that I would have been an even worse temporary Guardian Citizen of New York than I normally was. I'd sent the patrol teams from A to B and I felt comfortable and safe enough in front of the screens in the surveillance room to finally, after hours, force myself to take the first step into my old human and yet hopefully very different human life. With or without Lexington's help, I had to get back in touch with my family. My stomach grumbled at the thought. Not from hunger, but from discomfort and mental nausea.

"It's fine. Don't panic," I grumbled as I turned the tiny screws back into my cell phone on the control panel shelf with the large New York City map above. The phone Lex had given me - Prussian blue like my gargoyle skin hue - was a high-end device that he had upgraded and improved. No artificial wear and tear and repairable in every way and (although I wouldn't need it for much longer) Gargoyle-claw proof too. Just like he said months ago, I could slide the memory chip from my old phone into an extra slot inside and have all my old apps and data, numbers and messages in addition to everything Lex had put on my new phone. With a pounding heart, I booted up the cell phone. Then it made a few updates, during which I sweated even more and didn't know whether I was really sweating or whether it was the magical fire of the entities inside me. I now almost affectionately called them my inner demons, even though I hadn't dreamt about the palm grove and them since that last night when I thought I would turn to stone forever. But I felt that they were inside me. Not even in an unpleasant way. Just in a familiar way.

Finally, the updates were complete. I could feel myself nervously chewing my lower lip. The sound of my claw on the touchscreen only seemed to increase my anxiety. I stood up. Then I sat down again. Tensely, I opened Whatsapp and looked at my few contacts. No Lexington, no Tachi, no Manhattan Clan group because all the Gargoyles and their human familiars used was an app developed by Lex that was supposedly difficult to hack into. Lex just laughed at Whatapp. Now I saw my own contacts and not one of them made me feel good. Was it strange that I had only saved my family members by name? Hila instead of Mother, Mom, Umm. No Father, Dad or Abu - but Baz. I made a helplessly chirping gargoyle noise as I saw the number of messages light up behind each name. Even behind those of my siblings, who had never written to me in years. I took a deep breath because I suddenly felt dizzy. My hands were damp - had they been so sweaty the whole time?

"Nathaniel!" Katana's voice came over my headphone, making me flinch as if I had done something forbidden. Grateful for the delay, I put the sweaty phone aside.

"Yes, Katana?" I said, my voice sounding shrill. I cleared my throat and then it sounded a little better.

My second was silent for a moment on the other end of the line, unspoken asking if everything was okay. But she didn't ask with words and had she done so, I would have only replied with "Of course!". Something that would have been true and yet somehow dishonest.

"Nathaniel," she said again. "We'll probably have to close the canals for an hour. We're about to smoke out these hackers who've been tampering with the insurance accounts for weeks."

"You've got them? Great!" I said with real vigor, because Lex was annoyed with these guys who were milking the health systems and somehow took it personally when someone manipulated private or national files for no benefit to the greater good but just to siphon off money or to stir up chaos. I'd like to be there, I thought as Katana spoke again.

"-must Lexington turn off our Two Ways so those naughty fiends can't get in there... or hear us coming ... I honestly don't know why or how he does it. He just says it's necessary."

I grinned broadly at my favorite trying to explain such a thing to his Second from Feudal Japan.

"It's all right, Katana. One hour of radio silence. You'll contact me when you're back on."

"Sure. ON. Yes."

"Over and out - from now on," I said and heard her close the channel - and a short time later I was shown on one of the screens that Lexington's, Katana's, Nashville's and Goliath's signals were off. Brooklyn, Broadway and Angela's dots were still hovering over another part of Manhattan but not far away in case the others needed help. But even I couldn't imagine the four of them getting much resistance. Lex suspected that the perpetrators were computer-savvy college kids with enough talent to infiltrate the national systems. They were greedy and used their skills to get a lot of money in the easiest way possible - but they certainly weren't criminals armed to the teeth. I leaned back with a sigh. And grabbed my damn cell phone again. I swallowed a lump of bile.

"Pull yourself together. It's just messages. They'll be mean and upset you but any conflict your sudden disappearance has caused, you'll be able to iron out. Somehow. In whatever way." God, I would have to brainstorm with Lexington over the next few days about how to face my family without mentally breaking down and how to explain to them that I wasn't crazy, not malicious, not morally depraved and trying to drive a wedge through the family by accusing my sister's fiancé of torturing and repeatedly raping me for years.

I groaned in agony. Just the summary in my head sounded crazy, malicious and morally depraved - not because of Jussuf's actions but because I knew they were already assuming all this about me. I took several deep breaths because my skin was smoking again. I couldn't risk bursting into flames in here and destroying the whole system with the water from the sprinkler system on the ceiling.

Again I spoke into the silence of the room. "Everything's fine. Okay. Everything's cool. I am cool. Coolcoolcool. I'm just going through old messages. It's just words."

I clicked on the contact I least expected reproach, disappointment, venom and bile from. My younger brother Hassan. Five messages from him. More than in the last five years combined, but okay.

First message - the day after I became a gargoyle. I automatically translated the pragmatically short cell phone youth slang full of abbreviations and emojis.

Is it true that you and Lex Eyrie made a big fuss at Jussuf's company and then you ran away? The cops took Jussuf away because he told a totally crazy story and tackled one of the cops because they didn't believe him.

I grumbled. Okay, Jussuf was telling lies. That was clear - he could hardly be telling the truth. But the fact that he'd been so upset that he'd had to spend a few hours in police custody was music to my ears.

The next message two days later.

I don't want to be in your shoes. Umm is stomping around here all angry because Eyrie's letter said that you're having a good time in Switzerland. Cell phone detox? Sounds like you're a poor bastard. But if it helps ...

I actually had to smile at that.

"I haven't worn shoes for months but you'd be freaking out about being a gargoyle, Hassan," I mumbled and scrolled down.

Four days later: You're really not reading any of your messages, the app says. Cell phone detox- you're probably climbing the walls.

I grinned wider - I had actually been practicing climbing at the time. With messages like that, you'd think my relationship with my brother just needed a Jussuf detox and we could be on friendly terms.

Then a month later: Mother threw the basket with the selected Swiss specialties in the bin. Said it's a cheek to send it to Ramadan and she doesn't want anything that comes from your crazy lover (she didn't say lover but I don't want to write what she said - I only understood half of it anyway because it was full of Arabic curses). Dad had me pick up the basket again because it would be a waste to throw away such good products. The stuff was really great. At night I caught mom eating it after all.

And then two weeks ago: Mom's still mad but I guess she's gotten tired of ranting about Lex Eyrie's bad influence on you - the last gift basket was even more lavish than the one before but she didn't say anything. Instead, she throws herself into the wedding preparations. Jussuf's been quite a bitch since you left. I'm beginning to understand why you never felt quite comfortable around him. Must be because the new accountant is a zero. Or he really misses you. I won a comic drawing contest - that's cool and I imagine you might have thought it was cool too. It's weird that you've been gone for so long even though we haven't had much to do with each other. It's just weird. I hope you come back healthier. The wedding is in June. If you come, that would be ... well - good/swag/you know.

I wiped away a tear. I didn't even know why I was crying again. Was it the mention of Jussuf and that my brother thought he would miss me? Jussuf was a good actor. Of course, no one would ever realize that he wasn't just my boss. Or was I crying because my brother wrote that he would like to see me again? I couldn't think too much about it. I didn't want to let any hope germinate that would be unfounded and premature.

I didn't even skim the 22 messages from my sister. As I scrolled, I saw words like asshole, disgrace, kuffar-fucker. Yes - she probably really had reason to hate me. She thought of Jussuf Massoud as her dream man. Strong, financially independent. A catch. And she regarded me as a lunatic. As a disruptive factor for her happiness. She would hate me even more when I somehow revealed the truth about Jussuf - if she believed me. Would anyone even believe me?

I shook my head as I went over the three messages from my father. Disappointed, worried, alienated. Very chilly messages. But then, my father was a mostly cold man. Even before September eleventh, before my parents had turned to the more traditional Muslim way (or what diaspora societies thought it was), I could only remember a few occasions where he had cuddled and kissed me as a child. I had received more warmth from the Gargoyles in the last three months than I had from my real family in the last few decades. Or when had he ever had an open, warm-hearted conversation with me. Or explained anything to me without sounding disillusioned. Uncle Murshid had a grasp of that. I still fondly recalled his "learning sessions" in his workshop long after his employees had left. He had been able to talk about motorcycles with the same wise, world-illuminating serenity as he spoke about the fabric that held the universe together. Without expecting me to have the slightest prior knowledge or opinion. My father, on the other hand, had always expected me to know how to behave and handle something. And it was probably because of this expectation that I had always felt so insecure that I was constantly behaving 'wrong'. With the Sharifs, "love" was a duty. With the Wywerns, it was a given. I didn't want to think too much about that either. I skipped the 29 messages from my mother (the last one a month ago) altogether. And finally ... Jussuf Massoud.

Three months. Two messages. Just two. Was that supposed to be a relief? Or scare me? I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. It was still the heart of the human Nathaniel Sharif. Fear. Fear at the name, fear at the thought of him. Three months of Gargoyle, preventing my death, gliding hundreds of feet above the ground, fighting crime, embracing the night, the clan, my beloved. Everything crumbled to dust when I thought of him. I took another deep, shuddering breath. I touched my horns, which were swinging out backwards, just to make sure I still had them. I was a gargoyle. I was safe in the castle. I had claws and fangs. What was I afraid of? It was only in my head. Jussuf wouldn't write me a message steeped in hate. He would not reveal what he really was to me, what I had been to him. Nothing that would reflect negatively on him.

"Just words," I whispered. Jussuf no longer had any power over me. I had been able to shake off the leech that had sucked at my body and soul thanks to Lexington. Even if I was human again, he would never hurt me again. Lex would protect me. Maybe... I could even protect myself. I might tear my family apart with this - but I would somehow bring Jussuf's crimes to light. They might loathe me. But I wouldn't let Jussuf Massoud worm his way into my family forever, pretending to be the golden boy bringing blessings where he was really a monster. My sister wouldn't believe me. Until Jussuf unpacked his belt to her for the first time. And even then she wouldn't flee. Not because she was braver than me. But because she would be too proud to let this "catch" go again. She would bear him a few children and hope every year that it would get better - which it never would. She hated me - but I would save her from that fate. I knew this urge wasn't just gargoyle spirit. It was simply the right thing to do.

I opened the messages. The first - three days after my and Lexington's broken bodies had disappeared from the alley where Jussuf had left us to die. It had taken him three days to sort out his thoughts enough to write this: Nasser. No matter what happened with you and Lex Eyrie, I want you to know that you can always come to me. I truly fear for your well-being if you stay with him. I forgive you for your outburst. The family will forgive you too, I'll make sure of that. When you come back and together we make sure he gets what he deserves, then everything can go back to the way it was. Take care of yourself, Jussuf.

I wrinkled my nose and a rumbling gargoyle growl erupted from my throat. That fucking asshole. I could picture his smug yet malicious grin as he typed those words. They sounded warm, loving - like he really wanted to care in a positive way. But behind the words lay the threats. Everything would go back to the way it was - but probably a lot worse in terms of psychological and physical violence. And he wanted to punish Lex Eyrie - for whatever.

The second message: less than two weeks old:

Dear Nasser. I pray to Allah that you are well. I wish I could believe that Lex Eyrie is treating you as you deserve - but my hope is low. Please come back to us. I kept meaning to file a missing person's report, but the director of the spa clinic where the postcards Eyrie wrote came from not only assured us that you were fine, but even sent us a video of you doing exercises during a yoga class.

I gave a short, shrill laugh when I read that. Lex hadn't told me anything about that. Had he found a double for me that twisted and stretched on the recording or was it all CGI? I trusted him to do anything, but I found it cunning and hilarious how he tricked Jussuf and my family. I read on, grinning more than snarling:

I'm not sure if the video was real. But I'm still worried. You're like a brother to me. That's another reason why I'm writing to you and praying you get this message. The date for the wedding is June 24th. You're invited, of course. Alone. We can rebuild our relationship there without any disturbing influences. It would hurt me never to hear from you again. Until then, of course, we have family dinners every Friday evening where everyone would like to see you.

P.S. As Hassan will soon be finishing school and comic book artist is not a profession, I have suggested that he join my company. Hila and Baz approve of me taking him under my wing like I did with you. Maybe I'll get him to study and take his first accountancy courses. He'll never be a replacement for you but I can try and my training should-

I lost sight of the text as the phone fell from my clutches and banged on the floor.

Suddenly the room seemed to spin and before my body made close contact with the floor, I held onto the shelf in front of the control panel, which crunched under my claws. I gasped like a drowning man to stop the fire that wanted to burst out of me.

"No," I whispered. "No. No! NO!"

"Nate? What is it?"

I turned around and saw Tachi and Heather standing in the doorway. Heather had tipped the plate she'd been carrying at the sight of me and now there were two soggy but lovingly made cheese and turkey breast sandwiches on the floor.

"Did someone hurt you? You - you're smoking?" my red-skinned niece said with a worried frown. "And you're shaking - what?" Tachi looked at the control panel. "Is something wrong with the clan?"

I shook my head slowly, forcing back the tears. But ... I didn't really feel like crying. I wasn't even truly angry, though the gargoyle and flame creature in me would have welcomed that. I just had to ... do something. Anything! And I knew what!

"They- they're fine. but ... I have to go!" I said, and I had spoken the last note when a determined restlessness took hold of me. I pulled my headset off my head and gave it to Tachi. "Please take over. Part of the clan is currently encircling a hacker group and that's why their channels are offline. They should be in touch in a few minutes."

"What do you mean, you have to go?" Tachi said as she grabbed the laptop.

"I-I have family stuff to deal with."

"Now?"

"Your human family?" Heather asked, looking up at me anxiously.

I bent down in front of her, stroked her head, felt the three little horns in the center of her head, put the sandwiches back on her plate. They were for me. But I couldn't eat anything. Not because I was sick with fear. I wasn't scared, I didn't have any thoughts of fear. Just this need to do something. Immediately.

"I have to sort this out. I -I have to."

"You want to go to your human family now?"

"Not to them. Just... To my former boss."

"The guy who-" Tachi didn't finish the sentence but the look on her face spoke volumes. Of course, the highly intelligent middle one of the "clan children" hadn't missed it, even if she seemed socially inept.

"YES! He- he has something planned. Or ... he's already doing it. I have to get to him."

I turned around, my gargoyle feet almost making me hop, much farther steps than I could have taken as a human. My wings were already open, my body calling for open skies, for activity.

Heather and Tachi came after me. "Nathaniel, this is not a wise idea. Whether you're human or gargoyle, no one should go into a conflict that excited. You could kill him. You could incinerate him."

I stopped. I put a hand over my mouth to literally wipe the gleefully devilish snarl from my face. That gargoyle body again. He wanted retribution not only for what Masoud had done (to me, but also to my dearest), but also for planned future crimes against the weakest members of my human family. Revenge, blood, pulverizing his body to ashes. Thoughts that could become so dangerous so quickly, even though they were justified.

"I - will only scare him, I ... No, you're right. I have ... another idea."

I turned on my heel and sprinted through other corridors of the castle, Heather behind me, Tachi with laptop and head set as well.

"Nate, where are you going?" Heather called out and I heard her little claws on the stone as she switched to the four-footed gait.

I pushed open the doors to the "cosplay room" where I knew they were stored. Lex had shown them me - weeks ago. He had explained to me what had to be prepared without either of us thinking that I would ever use them .

Why should I when I would soon be a normal human being anyway?

I walked to the clothes racks. Although Tachi tailored pretty much everything her clan members wore, there were also brands from some human fashion outlets and labels in this room. And in all sizes of the adult clan members. All the clothes here had one thing in common (as often the clothes that Tachi tailored). And that was that there were inconspicuous strips of fabric that were attached on the inside and could be folded down if a gargoyle had to transform into a human with the magic patches. Lex's clothes worked almost exclusively with magnets and closed or opened automatically with the metamorphosis. A rare advantage as a web-wing. But the others had to fold down these strips of fabric when they transformed into humans and close them using Velcro, magnets or discreet press studs. Yes - New Yorkers were used to all kinds of craziness. But a seemingly normal guy walking around with a shirt that had a wide open cutout in the back, or pants that had a circular hole in the rump for a tail? - No one wanted to take the risk that one human was brighter (or more neurotic) than the others, putting one and one together and backing up the scattered rumors that gargoyles could walk around as humans if they wanted to with photos.

I let the hangers of different sizes scrape over the aluminum bar of the clothes rack. I skipped over Goliaths and Broadway's sizes. Angela's, Katana's and Tachi's sizes hung elsewhere. Heather's "human costumes" were not yet represented. Brooklyns would fit. Nashville was a little bigger than his dad but those would be okay too. After Nashville's, I was stunned to realize that some of the outfits were my size. But I didn't feel able to comment on that at the moment, so I pulled out a pair of normal blue jeans and a plaid button-up shirt and put them on the big table in the room. I also grabbed a pair of black sneakers in my size.

"That's not good," Heather mumbled, because both children had realized by now what I wanted to do.

"You can say that out loud," agreed her sister.

"That's not good at all!" Heather shouted louder. I grinned at them both, but it must have looked desperate.

"Don't panic, girls. I know what I'm doing."

Tachi huffed sarcastically.

"Nate, that idea is worse than showing up at that asshole's house as a gargoyle roaring and smoldering with rage. What- what did you see on your phone that makes you jump into the nettles like that now?" Only now did I see that she had my cell phone in her hand.

I opened the cupboard with the small utensils in a rather agitated state. I pulled out a lancet suitable for Gargoyle fingers for taking blood samples. I ignored the boxes with the names of the individual gargoyle members of the clan. Inside were already prepared patches. I needed a "blank version".

I pulled one out of a box.

I remembered my worrying question at the time about what would happen if a gargoyle lost one of its fake nicotine patches and a human used one of the patches that had been manipulated with magic and gargoyle blood. Supposedly they had tested it (on whoever) and the humans would just get a severe skin irritation. Just like a gargoyle who used a patch prepared with incompatible alien gargoyle blood. But I only needed one patch, not a whole pack.

"It's something I have to take care of. Something family-related. I can't put it off until the clan is back from patrol. I-I if I don't do something now, I'll freak out."

"The bad man who hurt you is doing something bad again?" asked Heather, who had jumped up on the table next to the clothes I was about to put on.

"Yes, that's right, my clever darling."

Her eyes lit up and her snarl looked very cute and terrifying at the same time.

"We'll come with you and finish him off," the little warrior said and Tachi nodded.

"Yes, we'll-"

"No. No. Thank you. Thank you for standing by me. But there should always be sentient clan members here. Protect the clutch and the castle." I pricked my finger with the lancing device and pressed until a drop of blood came out, which I let drip onto the back of the plaster where it was immediately absorbed.

"Don't you come at us now with A gargoyle can no more stop protecting the castle than breathing the air. You want to go after your human nemesis without back-up? With no one to cover for you and no one to save that wanker's pathetic life when you burn him to hash browns or slice him open? Nathaniel, it's not you," Tachi chided me.

I faltered with my T-shirt pulled over my head and looked at her with wide eyes.

"Yes," I said carefully. "Yes, that's not me. I'll be me again soon. But now I'm a gargoyle and I won't let Jussuf Masoud do to my brother what he did to me. As soon as the others have their channels open again, Lexington can locate me on my cell phone. I'll try to talk to Masoud out in the open or lure him to a window. They can then cover me but should only intervene if we start fighting." I took off my pants and carefully stuck the plaster on my upper arm.

"Nathaniel, these patches can be dangerous if you're not used to them. You should always have a clan member near you the first few times," Tachi warned.

"Lex used them all the time. I know it hurts a little. And it feels- how did he describe it ... like a wetsuit that's two sizes too tight."

"That's not what I mean," my red niece pointed out. "Every gargoyle reacts differently to them, especially when they're worn for long periods. But always - everyone - has to build up a tolerance to the alien form first. It can damage the body if you use it too often and for too long. Heather isn't even allowed to use them yet. And I've only rarely used them to go to fashion shows with aunt Fox and had to remove them immediately after those two hours because I felt like shit. Nate - you have to practice with them regularly for weeks and months and increase the time a little each session. There are reasons for these rules. This alien form can damage your body."

I laughed. "Tachi! This-." I grabbed my own wing cape. "- this is my alien form. I'm human after all. I'll be fine. In two hours I'll be outside Jussuf's house - as a human or a gargoyle. I'll be fine. And if it escalates, all I have to do is remove the plaster and I can scare him for life. I'll ... I'll tell him to keep his filthy fingers off my brother. That he should break off the engagement with Jasmine."

Eyes blazing and teeth bared, I turned away from the children, my voice dark and ominous, the sound of it alone making me feel stronger and ready for action. "I will make good use of this body once more and terrify Jussuf Massoud so much that he will get on the next plane to Egypt and never come back."

"Please wait for Lexi. Or Brooklyn," I heard Heather plead.

I felt her eyes on my back, my finger hovering over the taped patch. I know their reasoning made sense. But - just the thought of what Jussuf might do to my brother tonight-. Or that he should have an extra night to think about how to "get my brother on track", triggered such horror in me that I was not receptive to any logic. I defiantly pressed my finger onto the plaster and felt the tiny needles digging into my gargoyle skin. And then - nothing happened. Bewildered, I turned to the children and opened my mouth - but instead of asking what I had done wrong, I let out a shrill gargoyle cry at the first sharp wave of pain.

Tachi and Heather flinched as I threw myself to the floor when suddenly a full body cramp shook me. I would forever hear the sounds of my body shifting in my nightmares. Moist as tissue warped, cracking as bones broke, slurping as the overflow of limbs, skin and horns pressed into me. I watched in pain and with spots before my eyes as the glorious velvety blue seeped into my skin and took on a light brown human hue of mixed ethnicities. My middle finger split with a slimy sound and claws retracted into my now little fingers. And then - after three or four seconds, it was all over.

"The first time hurts the most," I heard Tachi say.

I gasped a few times. And then sat up. Saw slender human hands with short fingernails. Which was kind of strange because I hadn't cut my human nails for three months. But maybe it was too much to ask for logic with magic. At least- now that my transformation was complete, it didn't hurt at all. I felt strangely stuffed and tight from head to toe, but if that was the wetsuit feeling Lexington had described, I would be fine. I looked at my feet - they were tiny and that made me laugh.

"How do I look?" I asked the kids with a smile as I felt my forehead and jaw and found no horns. Just a few stubbles.

"You look like the eight billion other humans."

"Dull," Heather added, looking like she was about to cry.

"Hey. Hey, my mentor. You're not going to cry over something like this. I'll be back in three hours and then we'll watch a movie, okay? You know I'm going to be all human soon anyway."

"Yeah, I know," Heather mumbled unhappily.

Tentatively, I reached out for her. She crawled to me, sniffed me and then rubbed her brow against my forehead.

"You're not THAT ugly," she said softly and I laughed. "Thank you for the compliment."

I stood up, a little unsteady on my human feet, but after four or five steps I felt more confident. I sat down on one of the chairs at the table and started to put on my jeans and shirt. Tachi stood in front of me with her arms crossed, looking down at me like an overprotective mother who disapproved of her eighteen-year-old son wanting to go to the party on a Friday night but couldn't think of an argument. She looked a lot like her father right now.

I stood up, gave her my most sanguine grin and stepped to the mirror.

Where I leaned forward and scrutinized the human version of Nathaniel Sharif.

"Wow. I barely recognize myself," I muttered, looking at the kids. "The patches are very flattering."

Tachi grumbled. "That's just what you look like as a human - now. Broadway fattened you up - remember? And you've been training in the gym for weeks. That's just what Nathaniel, the human, looks like when he's not cachectic, half beaten to death and dead tired. And it's only twenty-five pounds, you're still too skinny."

"Okay... well then. Cool," I looked in the mirror again. Not being a scarecrow anymore might be enough to unsettle Jussuf enough that I wouldn't even have to unwrap the gargoyle. Or maybe I would.

I reached for my arm, but Tachi and Heather suddenly grabbed me.

"What?" I asked.

"What did you want to do?"

"I'm getting a new band-aid ready to put on after I glide down to Brooklyn. I would have landed in a dark corner and walked the last hundred meters as a human."

"Brilliant idea. Lex obviously didn't tell you it wouldn't work that way. Especially not on the first few sessions with the patches."

"How- why doesn't it work like that?"

"Half an hour. Even if it hurts, don't remove the strip for at least half an hour. Your body has to be in the foreign form for at least thirty minutes. Otherwise your original body ... I mean your gargoyle form can go into shock. And the first time you use a patch, you can only use it once a night. So no shifting back and forth."

"You're telling me this now?" I groaned.

"You didn't fucking ask!" Tachi snapped back grumpily, throwing her hands up in the air.

I rubbed my currently unaccustomed hornless jaw. The stubble bugged me, but I wasn't going to shave it now.

"Okay!" I said resolutely. "Change of plan. I'll go as a human. I'll take the subway."

"The subway!," both children shrieked in unison.

"Yes! I rode the subway almost every day as a human. I take the ... uhh N Train to Kings HWY in Brooklyn. The journey is quick - the N Train isn't called the Broadway Express for nothing. Jussuf lives at 1776 W 6th St. A two-unit apartment on the top floor. Perfect for peeking in when the others arrive. Share this as soon as they have the channels open." I took my phone from her and pocketed it.

"No, no, no. We'll call one of the chauffeurs for you," Tachi said firmly and pulled out her own cell phone. I grinned at the matter-of-factness with which she said this and tied my shoes while she typed away on her phone.

"Fuck. The Xanatoses are gone with Owen as driver and the other drivers are at home in their beds, of course. Stupid diurnal humans."

"An Uber then," Heather said, stretching to look at the screen in Tachi's hands.

"Don't worry so much. I'll go to my room and get my wallet," I mumbled, leaving the girls to pore over the phone on their own. The kids, who had known the wind as the best form of transportation all their lives, didn't know that an Uber would take more than an hour to get to Gravesend in Brooklyn. I was so much faster on the subway. I would be at the stop before the Uber they were now calling was at the Eyrie Building.

Nathaniel Sharif was on his way. He was finally dealing with his own shit - as Graziella Dracon and Nashville had so kindly recommended. And the strangest thing was ... I wasn't terror-stricken at all. How it would be if I walked through Jussuf's neighborhood first, or went up to his apartment, or stood outside his door - that was another question entirely. But now, in this moment, I was more Guardian Citizen than ever before. Almost without a plan - but with a clear goal.

I would save my brother and the whole ungrateful Sharif clan. I would bring a truly bad human being to justice and most likely terrify him so much that he would run to the police station himself to confess his misdeeds.

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Thanks for reading, Q.T.