Nikolas Read online

  Nikolas

  Stone Society Book 5

  By Faith Gibson

  The following is a fictional story set in a post-apocalyptic world. While some of the historical names, places, and events are real, the author created events for the book. It is intended to be read for entertainment purposes only.

  All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the copyrighted or trademarked status and trademark owners of the wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction.

  Copyright © 2015 by Faith Gibson

  Published by Faith Gibson

  Editor: Jagged Rose Wordsmithing

  First print edition: November 2015

  Cover design by: Elm Street Design Studio

  Photography: 123RF

  ISBN: 978-0996366434

  This book is intended for mature audiences only.

  Dedication

  To my family, whether by blood or by choice - because family really is everything. To my adoptive parents who chose me when no one else did - thank you for giving me a great life.

  Acknowledgements

  My writing posse: Alex, Kendall, Jen, and Nikki – thank you for continually swimming both downstream and up river with me. You are my oars, my lifejackets, and my anchors.

  My beta readers: Sharon B, Shannon P, Tanya R, and Lita T

  The ladies at TaSTy WordGasms, and all the bloggers out there helping to get not just my books, but all the author’s books out to the readers.

  To everyone who pimps for an author. Thank you. You give us time to do what we love to do… write.

  To those faithful readers who leave reviews – every.single.book… You are precious.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Epilogue

  Cast of Characters

  Coming Soon

  About the Author

  Other Works by Faith Gibson

  Prologue

  2035

  The dirty man’s cold eyes never left Sophia. He was sitting with his back against the window, turned so he could watch her. Why hadn’t she sat behind the bus driver instead of toward the rear? She was going to move closer to the front, but the seats remained occupied for most of the trip. She had planned on sleeping since they were traveling at night, but with the looks she was getting from the man, there was no way she was closing her eyes. The bus rolled up to one of the sketchier stops, and the woman sitting directly across from her exited the bus. The man took the vacated seat and once again placed himself so his body was turned towards hers. Sophia faced forward, keeping him in her peripheral vision. Instead of focusing on the waves of discomfort, she returned her mind to the future and the note she left for her mom.

  Tired of being coddled by an overprotective mother, Sophia decided to take matters into her own hands. Her father was out of the country, checking on one of his siblings who had yet to transition from human to half-blood Gargoyle. She waited until her mother was asleep and slipped quietly out of the house, keeping to the shadows of the neighbors’ yards as she made her way to the bus terminal.

  The conversation with her mother earlier that evening replayed in her mind. “You are only sixteen. You need to wait a couple more years, Sophia. I’m not going to lose you, too.”

  “What do you mean, lose me too? Who did you lose?”

  “Nobody. You’re father’s gone all the time. That’s all I meant. Now, stop asking. You’re not going.”

  “But, Mom! Tessa started her training with Grandpa when she was younger than I am.” Sophia jumped up on the kitchen island where her mother was looking at a map.

  “Yes, she did. But you are not Tessa, no matter how much you idolize your cousin.” Monica sighed as she did every time her daughter brought up the subject of moving to New Atlanta.

  “No, I’m Sophia Brooks, daughter of Samuel Brooks, the greatest Watcher ever to live. How can I follow in his footsteps if I don’t learn from the best, too?” Ever since Sophia found out her grandparents were moving south, she had begged her mother to let her go with them. She loved her parents. Really loved her father, but it was time for her mother to finally cut the umbilical cord.

  Her grandfather, Jonas Montague, was an infamous doctor and scientist, one who the world thought was dead. More importantly than that, he was a shapeshifter from the original line of Gargouille. He had taken Tessa under his wing and taught her the ways of their kind. Now it was Sophia’s turn to learn, but she couldn’t do that if JoJo, as she affectionately called Jonas, was almost a thousand miles away.

  “We will discuss this more when your father gets home. Now get off the island. I need to look at something.”

  Before she got down, Sophia glanced at the map her mother was studying so intently. Ancient Egypt? Maybe she wanted to visit the Pyramids of Giza. When her mother caught her looking, she folded up the map and glared at her daughter.

  “Fine, I’m going.” Sophia slid off the cabinet. I’m going all right, and you can’t stop me, she thought to herself. It didn’t take Sophia long to write the note. It was a message she had rehearsed in her head numerous times in her own defense:

  Mom,

  I know you have my best interest at heart, but this is something I have to do. If I am going to follow in Dad’s footsteps, I need to learn all I can about our family, about Gargoyles. I’m going to live with JoJo. I’ll call you when I get there. I love you.

  If Sophia couldn’t make this trip successfully, her mother would insist she had been correct and demand Sophia return to New York. Movement to her left brought her attention back to the dirty man. The intermittent flash of street lamps every thirty seconds was the only light on the bus. Regardless, Sophia was well aware of what was going on across the aisle. As inconspicuously as possible, she looked around at the other passengers, only to find them all asleep. She looked in the wide rearview mirror hoping to get the driver’s attention. The older man was focused on the road ahead of him and not those seated behind him.

  The dirty man had his pants unzipped, his cock in his hand. Sophia wasn’t a prude. She and her friends had looked at porn online, so she knew all about masturbation. When it was directed at her, it was an entirely different matter. She didn’t dare look his way, but Sophia could see the movement of his hand, hear his heav
y breathing over the hum of the diesel engines. When he shot his load, he didn’t bother covering himself. He allowed the white ejaculate to shoot onto the seat toward her. He tucked his dick back into his pants and licked his hand.

  Sophia sat stone still. She made no indication she had observed his lewdness. There was no way she was staying on the bus a minute longer than she had to, though. At the next major stop, she would exit the bus and take a taxi the rest of the way to New Atlanta. She felt as though she held her breath the twenty minutes or so it took them to reach the next stop. As soon as the driver began slowing down, she stood from her seat. A hand reached out and grabbed her, preventing her from walking.

  Sophia glanced down at the hand circling her wrist then looked into the eyes of the man she would never forget as long as she lived. “Let go of me,” she told him, barely above a whisper. When he tightened his grip, she found her voice. “I said, let go.”

  “Is there a problem back there?” The driver was standing in the aisle, hands on his hips. The other passengers were now stirring, her voice waking them from their sleep. The man scowled at Sophia and released her arm. She grabbed her bag and practically ran to the front of the bus. “I need my luggage,” she told the driver. He followed her to the side of the bus and opened the outside compartment where baggage was stored. Once she had her suitcases, Sophia didn’t hesitate to go inside where it was well lit. Not wanting to take a chance on getting a taxi driver who would possibly take advantage of a young girl, Sophia called her grandfather to come get her.

  An hour later, Jonas walked into the bus stop. Sophia smiled and ran to him. Her happiness was short lived when she felt JoJo tense in her arms. She glanced up to see him looking over her shoulder. She turned around to see the creep from the bus standing in the corner of the room, eyes hooded. Sophia shivered.

  Jonas asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, let’s get out of here,” she lied.

  Her grandfather wasn’t having it. “Sophia, I just drove an hour to pick you up and am going to have to deal with your mother when we get home. Do not lie to me.”

  Sophia turned her back on the man and whispered, “That dirty man standing in the corner behind me was creeping me out on the bus. I didn’t realize he had gotten off at this stop. That’s all. Now, can we go?”

  Jonas released his cell phone from its holder and snapped a picture of the man.

  “What are you doing?” Sophia whispered.

  “Taking his picture, just in case. Now, let’s get you home.” Jonas grabbed one suitcase while she took the other. She gave the man in the corner one last look, but he was nowhere to be seen.

  An hour later, they arrived at Jonas and Caroline’s new home where Sophia would start the next chapter of her life. She had made it those hundreds of miles on that bus, coming away mostly unscathed. She thanked the gods for that huge favor. Her mother had been scared until Sophia arrived safely. Then she’d been livid. After he made sure she was okay, Jonas was ecstatic. With Tessa off doing the family’s business, he now had someone else to teach. Her father was caught between a rock and a hard place. He loved his wife, yet he knew Sophia would not be deterred. When Sam wasn’t out of the country, he split his time between New York and New Atlanta, aiding his father in her training.

  Sophia graduated Valedictorian from New Atlanta High School and went on to study at UGA. Athens, Georgia had been one of the cities that refused to change its name after the world fell apart and began rebuilding. The people of Athens prided themselves in maintaining somewhat of a status quo during the last thirty years. Sophia was certain they just didn’t want their mascot’s name to be Ugna. While at the university, she majored in history and minored in anthropology. Most of what she learned, however, came from her grandfather. She worked part-time at the library so she could study on the job, and she continued to work there after she graduated college. What better job to have than being surrounded by knowledge when she herself was the keeper of knowledge for her kind?

  As long as she could remember, Sophia had studied all she could about the half-blood shapeshifters in her family as well as the full-blood Gargoyles who lived in the States. When she moved to New Atlanta, she focused on those who lived in and around the city. Sophia knew they would someday be one big Clan whether JoJo wanted them to be or not. She knew this, because one of them was her mate. She loved her family and was loyal to them as much as she could be, but as soon as she figured out the reason she had transitioned to a half-blood, Sophia made it her mission to bring them all together.

  Since she had hidden cameras in Tessa’s home, Sophia knew when her cousin transitioned as well as the cause of her changing to a half-blood. Tessa unknowingly confessed the one secret her grandfather had withheld during her studies. Like Tessa, when Sophia phased for the first time, she had been alone. She knew what to expect after watching her cousin writhe around on her kitchen floor. As soon as Sophia had her inner shifter under control, she searched the city for members of the Stone Clan until she found the one who made her want to drag him into a dark alley and screw him senseless.

  Sophia pilfered one of her grandfather’s journals and “hid” it in the library among his published works, anticipating the day her mate figured it all out. Until then, she waited for others of his family to begin finding their mates. She knew it was only a matter of time until he found her. The day he did, her shifter rejoiced. The day Nikolas Stone came into the library and she touched him, Sophia knew her life was going to change irrevocably.

  Chapter One

  Present Day 2047

  Sophia felt someone’s eyes on her when she entered the airport. She wanted to chalk the feeling up to nerves since this was her first international trip, alone or otherwise. Sophia knew better, though. Having Original Gargoyle blood flowing through her veins gave her an advantage over most humans. The fact that she was a half-blood shifter herself? That intensified her gut feeling, and she knew not to dismiss it. Considering she was traveling to Egypt at the behest of an anonymous note to locate her missing parents, why wouldn’t someone be watching?

  New Atlanta International was still a busy hub thirty years after her grandfather brought the city, as well as the world, to its knees. The chairs outside the departure gate were mostly full. Sophia didn’t want to squeeze in between strangers who might strike up a conversation. Instead, she opted to wait in one of the restaurants located on the concourse. She kept her back to the wall and her senses aware. She had almost an hour before her flight began boarding, so she pretended to read a book while sipping on a cocktail. What she was really doing was regretting having to leave the country now that Nikolas had found her. If he’d only found her sooner, they could be taking this trip together. She knew if they were truly mated, Nikolas Stone would never let her make such a dangerous journey alone.

  When it was almost time to board the flight, Sophia made a quick call to Tessa, letting her know she was on her way to Egypt. If her cousin didn’t have her hands full with her watcher duties, Sophia would have welcomed the company. However, Tessa was juggling her time between siblings and was needed in the States. The first class passengers were called to the gate, and Sophia grabbed her carry-on bag, making her way through the throngs of people headed to their own area. While sitting in the restaurant, she hadn’t felt the twinge of being watched again, but that didn’t mean someone wasn’t. Sitting in first class gave Sophia the advantage of observing those who got on the plane after she did. Almost everyone had boarded when goosebumps pimpled on her arms. She tried desperately not to look, but she failed.

  The last group of passengers consisted of several men and only one woman. The female was late twenties, about five-ten, had long blonde hair, and wore cowboy boots and a denim jacket. She could have been a model she was so stunning. Most of the men were forgettable. There was one man, though, who demanded attention. He was broad and tall, reminding Sophia of one of the Stone Clan. If she didn’t know better, she’d say he was a Goyle.

 
As the flight attendants prepared the cabin for takeoff, Sophia’s mind drifted back to the last time she’d taken an impromptu trip alone. She hadn’t thought about the bus ride in a long time, nor the way she left home. Thinking back to that night reminded Sophia of the map her mother had been studying. Egypt. The note she received regarding her parents whereabouts instructed her to travel to Giza. Could it possibly be a coincidence? She thought not. If there was one thing life had taught her so far, it was there were no coincidences.

  During her three-hour layover in France, she figured out which one of the passengers was following her. At first, she thought it was the woman. Sophia found the nearest restroom as soon as she was in the terminal. The woman entered the restroom at the same time Sophia was exiting. Her spine tingled at that moment, but she had to sidestep to miss one of the men. She didn’t have to make eye contact to know which one it was. The testosterone seeping from his pores was a dead giveaway. Thankfully, there was a restaurant a short distance from the restroom. She pretended to look around at her options, making sure the man wasn’t waiting on the woman. The woman exited the restroom and walked down the concourse. The large man never looked her way. He did, however, look Sophia’s. It was amazing to her how obvious the man was being. Whoever was in charge of this kidnapping, abduction, whatever this was called, should have hired someone a little stealthier to follow her.

  Now, they had landed in Cairo. While Sophia was waiting in line to get her tourist visa she didn’t feel anyone else’s presence, but now she was waiting for her luggage at the carousel, and she felt that nagging tingle. Both the woman and one of the regular guys were also waiting on their baggage; however, the large man was nowhere to be seen. Sophia could feel him, though. As soon as she tapped into his energy in France, she was able to continue monitoring his presence with her shifter senses.