Page 45 of Dragon's Golden Mate
“Did we miss a piece?” Griffin suggested.
Ewan and Beck began looking around, but Lilith had another idea. “Let me try.” She laid her hand on top of the gargoyle’s head. A warm gold light that matched the color of her dragon flooded down through the cracks in the stone guardian.
Kendrick recalled that same light through his own body, right here in this cathedral. He’d damaged himself to the point that even the naturally quick healing powers of a shifter simply weren’t enough. Lilith had managed to save him, but would it work for a hunk of granite?
When she lifted her hand away, the cracks were gone. The goblin stretched and turned. He fluttered his wings, and bounded to the floor when he saw his friends. Kendrick thought he might’ve even seen a hint of a smile on his sad little face.
“There, now.” He dusted off his hands and grinned, thrilled to see the gargoyles investigating each other. “I hated knowing he was here in pieces. Now we just have to wait and see if there are any problems when someone buys this building. I’d be happy to bring the gargoyles to the clanhouse, but those little guys have been here for centuries. This is their home.”
Another look was exchanged among the dragons.
“What?” Kendrick demanded.
“You don’t have to worry about what will happen to them,” Ewan told him, putting his hand on Kendrick’s shoulder. “There’s already a new owner, and it turns out they’re just fine with letting the current occupants stay here.”
“New owners already? Who?” Despite that news, Kendrick still worried. He’d grown rather fond of those creatures.
“Us!” Beck clapped his other shoulder. “The Alexander clan now owns this cathedral.”
Kendrick was floored. “You’re kidding! Surely, we didn’t have enough money for that!”
Beck held out his hands to encompass the whole church. “With all the damage, plus the fact that it’d been sitting empty for quite a few years, plus a few horror stories about it being haunted, plus the dissolution of Deegan Enterprises, we actually did have enough money.”
“Now we don’t have to worry about what might happen if someone else discovered that freaky portal in the basement,” Griffin explained. “The gargoyles can stay here with it, as they were meant to, and no one will be the wiser.”
Kendrick’s laugh filled the cathedral. “You all think you’re pretty slick, don’t you? Doing all of thatbehind my back! Is there anything else you haven’t told me about?”
Beck checked his watch. “The historical society is probably here right about now.”
“Not to protest?”
“No,” Beck confirmed. “They’re designating the cathedral as an official historical site. It’s kind of like it’s doubly protected now, between us and them. Well, triple if you count the gargoyles.”
“I definitely do!” Kendrick replied with another laugh.
They headed out to meet them just as several more cars pulled up. A small crowd was forming, and Kendrick immediately felt a tickle at the base of his neck. His dragon, which had been forced to rest, lurched to life inside him.
Lucille was the first to walk up to Kendrick. She was all professional in her role with the historical society. “Congratulations on your purchase, Mr. Alexander. The historical society looks forward to working with you on any future renovations.”
He chuckled at her businesslike manner. “And I look forward to working with you, as well. I have some ideas about how the place can be brought back to its original charm.” With, of course, four gargoyles and a portal to another dimension inside it.
“Mr. Alexander.”
Kendrick recognized James, the skinny man who’d tried to get assertive with him when the historical society was protesting the demolition of this building. Kendrick raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
James extended his hand. “I’d like to formally apologize for my behavior a few weeks ago. I had no idea that you were a patron of history and architecture. I shouldn’t have assumed that, simply because you were speaking with someone who had such a reputation for tearing things down, that you wanted the same thing.”
“It’s quite all right.” Kendrick shook the other man’s hand firmly, using the steady grip of his fingers to let him know who was in charge of the situation. “I can understand, and I admire your commitment to remarkable old buildings such as this one.”
James swallowed and nodded, shaking his hand a little when he took it back. “If you don’t mind, we’ll be saying a few words to commemorate the church’s designation as a historical site.”
“As you wish.” Kendrick gestured toward the front double doors, with a couple of steps leading up to them. “That seems like as good of a place as any.”
“Thank you.” James also gestured at the frontdoor. “Please, you should come up there with us. It’s only right, since you’re the new owner.”
“Well,” Kendrick hesitated, “it’s really my whole family who owns the place.”
“Go.” Beck pushed the center of Kendrick’s back. “It wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for you.”
