Tiny Treasure (Eternal Flames Maddox Book 4) Read online

  Timmy's eyes widened. "I thought your kind was as extinct as mine is becoming, since the war."

  Nodding, Pascal said, "All that is left is my brothers and myself."

  Timmy sniffled, saying, "There are only eight gargoyles left, besides myself. It's sad thinking that our entire race will soon be no more."

  "You're a gargoyle? Holy smoke, I thought you guys were a complete myth," Pascal replied.

  "Crap. I did it again. I wasn't supposed to say that," Timmy muttered, then looked at Pascal with hope in his eyes. "Can we just forget I said that?"

  Pascal giggled. "Timmy, I can't pretend I didn't hear you."

  Timmy sighed and dropped his head, down, mumbling, "I figured."

  Pascal patted Timmy's knee, saying, "But I can promise not to tell anyone. However, even if you did tell what you were, no one would try and hurt you because of it."

  "Fallon would," Timmy grumbled.

  Pascal gasped, "You know Fallon?"

  Nodding, Timmy replied, "He was threatening my chimera. King Suneth said that he would locate the dragon leader if Fallon didn't back down."

  "Wait, your King was willing to fight against Fallon and his armies?" Pascal gasped.

  Timmy shrugged. "That's what he said. I don't know if he ever did contact the dragon king."

  "Timmy, do you know who the leader of the dragons is, by chance?" Pascal questioned with a smirk.

  Shaking his head, Timmy replied, "No, but even if I did, I should stay out of it. I always screw things up when I want to help someone."

  Pascal scoffed, "That can't be true."

  Nodding, Timmy replied, "Oh, it is very true. One time I wanted to show my King how thankful I was to have him for a King. I waited for him to leave and went in and painted his entire suite. Ozcog walked in and scared me to the point I moved. The paint bucket wobbled, then fell on his head. Sparkling Fuchsia Wonder covered his hair and body. He tried to wash it off, but had to shave his head."

  Timmy looked up with widened eyes, saying, "Hey, something good did kind of come out of it. He discovered he liked no hair instead of the long grey like I have and he kept it that way."

  Pascal snickered, "Sparkling Fuchsia? What did your king say when he saw his new room?"

  Timmy let out a loud breath, saying, "He said that he would never be able to get any work done with so much beauty surrounding him and asked if I could change it back, but while I was painting it back to its original dull light brown, Canuz came in and hit my ladder and―"

  Pascal burst out laughing, stammering, "A-and it fe-fell on him."

  Nodding, Timmy replied, "He and Ozcog were so upset with me, they refused to talk to me. I tried to apologize and went and got a bunch of really pretty vines. I made a sweet design and hung them in their quarters. How was I to know it was poison Ivy?"

  Pascal laughed even harder and almost fell off the lift. Smacking his leg, Pascal tried to draw in a breath saying, "That is bad."

  "There have been other things. Like when I accidently caused a girl to bust out in hives because I gave her my chocolate cupcake not knowing she was allergic. Or the time I accidently grabbed the salt instead of sugar when I made Qavex's birthday cake. Or the time―"

  "S-Stop! Oh by the Gods, please!" Pascal rasped through his laughter. "That is so funny."

  "It wasn't funny, Pascal. I screw up so much and others always pay for it. First all of them, and now my mate. Why am I cursed?" Timmy asked tearfully.

  Pascal's laughter subsided at the sound of Timmy's pain, and he quickly sat up, and wiped his eyes, saying, "Timmy, none of what you said was really your fault. I mean, you didn't mean to hurt anyone."

  Timmy looked at Pascal in wonder. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

  Sighing, Pascal replied, "Regent Dain has me setting up the paranormal law library and it's connected to your cell. I've heard you talking to York every day since being brought in here. I'm sorry if I eavesdropped, but it wasn't intentional. You sing beautifully, by the way. However, I don't think you deserve to be segregated from everyone and the council refuses to allow Rune to come and visit."

  "They do?"

  Nodding, Pascal replied, "They're afraid that he will pop you out of this joint. I, on the other hand, convinced them that you shouldn't be alone at a time like this. My size being what it is, I would represent no threat to you. It's not like you're a criminal. The council just doesn't know what to do about your inability to control your gift."

  "This is no gift, Pascal. And you're wrong, I am a criminal. Well kind of, but I fixed it," Timmy said with a sharp nod.

  Pascal's lips tilted to the side as his brows drew together in confusion. "What are you talking about."

  "It's the reason I'm no longer with my chimera. I accidentally took my king’s crown," Timmy said.

  Pascal scoffed, "How do you accidentally steal your king’s crown?"

  "It was after a small flambé incident. Asbuth had been talking about a desert he had tried while in town. Cherries-Jubilee. He wished everyone could try it, so I looked it up on the king’s computer. It seemed easy enough. We had all the ingredients, so I put it together like they asked and poured in the brandy. Asbuth was smiling and I didn't see him looking down at the pan when I lit it and well―"

  "Oh, Timmy!" Pascal gasped biting his lip hard enough that Timmy thought the man might bleed.

  "I knew that the king was as tired of my mishaps as the others. What none of them understood was that I was even more sick of them then they could ever be. So, I went to talk to the king about my situation, hoping maybe he might be able to help me be more in control of myself. Maybe help me show our Chimera that I am more than a bumbling idiot. He was in the shower and told me to wait. I saw his crown on the bed and I just wanted to try it on. So I placed it on my head and while I was looking in the mirror, Juddan walked in and I panicked. He demanded to know what I was doing, I knew my eyes were turning because of the panicked look on Juddan's face, so I took off running. By the time I realized how far I had gone, I also felt the crown. I never took it off. King Suneth might forgive me many things, but even I knew that everyone would demand my head for taking it. So I kept running."

  "You didn't return it?" Pascal asked in horror.

  Timmy gasped, "Oh yes, I did return it. Well, kind of. I put it in the one place I knew he would find it."

  "And did he?" Pascal asked.

  "I would think so. He was going there to talk to the leader in hopes of getting help with Fallon," Timmy replied.

  "How long ago was this?" Pascal asked.

  Just as Timmy was about to answer, the sound of footsteps had him getting up and moving closer to York. His mate may not be able to help him, but Timmy still felt a sense of safety when close to the man.

  Neil walked in, saying, "The council wants to see Timmy now."

  Pascal sighed, "Okay, but I'm going with him"

  "I don't―"

  "Don't you dare tell me I can't. York is not able to protect his mate right now, and I am going to do what I can for him until York is back to normal. So, just lead the way," Pascal said trying to be tough.

  Timmy could see the larger man trying not to laugh at Pascal. Neil even went as far as to clear his throat before speaking, "I was going to say I don't think that the council will mind."

  Pascal's cheeks turned pink as he muttered, "Oh. Sorry." Then lowered them down.

  Timmy hated leaving York, but he knew he had no choice. Slowly, they made their way through one hall and into another. Timmy knew what it must have felt like all those years ago when men were led to the tree for a hanging.

  The closer they got, the more fearful Timmy became. Would they hang him? Shoot him? Put him on a large spit and cook him, then celebrate the death of a menace to their society? Pascal said that the council wouldn't hurt him, but he also knew that the powerful feared what he could do.

  Just before entering the large room, Timmy could hear arguing. Rune was in the face of a very large man, yelling, "How could you in
vade his privacy like that, Illan? He is an innocent being that just needs to learn control. I told you that my mates and I were working on a way to help him."

  Pascal leaned in saying, "From far left to right, is Ezra, the vampire leader, Nick, the representative of the shifters, the one snarling is Illan, and next to him is his mate Justice. You already know Rune, and the men next to him are Kerrick and Dain. The man standing next to Dain is the king of the pixies, King Destrain."

  "I did what needed to be done for the safety of all our people," Illan argued.

  "And again, you had no right. Timmy was discovered on Maddox lands, and although we all share ownership of the town, we also have a mutual respect of territory, Illan. We have discussed this in the past. You should have discussed what you were doing with the council," Destrain said calmly.

  Illan looked around the room then pointed to Timmy. "That man you all are defending turned one of my clutch members to stone! You all can be as pissed as you want, but none of you would have done any differently than I did to find out what he was hiding from."

  Timmy felt his body trembling in complete terror. There was no way Illan found out about his transgression against his King. Oh, by the Gods, he was going to die. He only prayed that Rune and his mates found a way to transfer York back to his flesh self.

  "So, what is he hiding from?" Dain asked curiously.

  Illan looked to his side as a door opened. "Not what, who."

  Timmy had to grasp the back of the seat in front of where he stood so he didn't fall when his knees gave out.

  "Hello, Timmy," King Suneth softly said.

  Timmy looked around, needing an escape. He didn't want to die. He wanted to save his mate and live his life in a lifetime of honeymoon bliss. Neil shouted, "His eyes are turning."

  Timmy looked around the room frantically for a way out, and suddenly gasped, as no sound was heard except for Pascal's breathing next to him.

  "You turned them all to stone," Pascal gasped.

  CHAPTER 3

  “No! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. Please, come back,” Timmy cried as he frantically ran around the room to each man standing frozen like a granite statue. Going to Rune, Timmy touched his face gently as he looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. “You were my only friend and look what I did to you. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

  “Timmy, we need to find a way to reverse this. If it’s possible. Is there anyone you know who would know about this?” Pas asked.

  Timmy sniffled and turned toward Pas, tears running down his cheeks. “King Suneth might know, but he stands there just like the rest of them,” Timmy whispered, despondent.

  “What about others like you? Aren’t there more of you?” Pas asked as he moved around the room, stopping before each of the frozen men and studying their faces.

  “No, I could not call on them. Please don’t call them. They are already angry with me for taking the king’s crown, but if they see what I have done here, then they’ll cook my goose.”

  “We need help, Timmy. I am a Santorini Fox and have many powers, but even I can’t fix this.”

  Just then, the door in the front of the courtroom opened and Ollie walked in carrying a stack of papers. “I think I found something in your old tomes, Dain, but I…” Ollie stopped short, his mouth hanging open and eyes wide as he looked around the room.

  “He didn’t mean to do it, Ollie. They were all arguing when we came in, then Timmy’s king walked in and he got really scared, and…yeah. Please, Ollie, we need to help him.”

  Ollie closed his mouth and blinked a few times, then looked to Pas. “Help him? I think he’s pretty good at defending himself already. Hence the whole paranormal council being turned into resting places for birds,” he scoffed.

  “There has to be a way to reverse this. We need to help him, Ollie. Timmy doesn’t mean any harm, he’s just scared.”

  Ollie looked to Timmy as if studying him, and Timmy was starting to get uncomfortable. His body began to tremble and he could feel his anxiety rising. “Oh no, little cutie pie, don’t you dare turn those wicked eyes on me. First things first, you stay calm,” Ollie ordered. “Second, hold on.” Ollie dropped the papers on the nearest table then ran from the room.

  Timmy looked to Pas, confused. He wasn’t sure who the guy was, but he looked a little like his new friend, and Pas seemed to know him and called him Ollie. Just then, the door opened again and Ollie came running back in carrying something. Without hesitation, Ollie ran right up to him and Timmy began to panic. He could feel his eyes changing again. Ollie raised his hands and Timmy flinched back, closing his eyes, waiting for the pain to come when Ollie struck him, but the hit didn’t come. Timmy was afraid to open his eyes and see that he had turned another into stone.

  Timmy felt something slid against his temples, then something metal settled on his nose. “Open your eyes, little man,” Ollie said.

  Relief filled Timmy that he hadn’t been hurt and he didn’t change Ollie, too. Slowly, Timmy opened his eyes, but then they flew open wide when he found himself looking at a darkened room, realizing there was something covering his eyes. Timmy lifted his hand to touch the item, but Ollie grabbed his hand gently, stopping him. “Let’s leave them right where they are until we see if they will actually help to stop you from turning more of us into pigeon litter boxes.”

  “That’s brilliant, Ollie, mirrored sunglasses,” Pas praised.

  “Yeah, well, just because they block UVB and UVA rays from the sun doesn’t mean they’ll block Timmy’s mojo from coming out. They may just block others from knowing they are about to be hit with the granite whammy because they can’t see Timmy’s eyes. But, let’s go with this for now, until we call in the Calvary and have a chance to really test the theory. And no changing anyone else, Timmy. If you feel yourself getting scared and your eyes going all stone cold, pun intended, then close your eyes. It worked in my favor when you just did it.”

  “So, what now?” Pas asked.

  “Now we make a few calls and lock down this room until they get here,” Ollie replied and pulled the cell that Dain had given him from his back pocket.

  * * * *

  “I can’t help but want to laugh and poke them,” Jett said as he snickered.

  “Are you sure there is nothing you know of that will reverse this, Timmy?” Day asked.

  Timmy was feeling really scared with all these men around. And most of them were really big. But this man was freaking huge. Timmy shyly looked at him through his long lashes and sunglasses, surprised to see a friendly smile on his handsome face. Timmy twisted his hands together nervously. He missed his eggs and just wanted to hold his nest so he could be there for his little birdies should they hatch.

  “Timmy?” Pas said softly and touched his arm. Timmy looked up and met his new friend’s pretty eyes. “Are you okay, sweetie?”

  “I…I don’t know how to change them back. I’m sorry,” Timmy whispered, as he felt a fresh wave of tears fill his eyes.

  “Hey, it’s okay, Timmy. Pas has explained everything to us and we know you didn’t mean to do this,” a cute blond-haired man said and put his arm over Timmy’s shoulders. He thought he would panic when the man touched him, but he found himself relaxing and enjoying the comfort.

  The pretty man then introduced himself and everyone else who had shown up as he pointed to each of them. “I’m Ethan, and that’s one of my mates, Day. That’s Jett and his mate Zev. Then, over there is my best friend Angelo, who is mated to the big guy there, Morgan. That’s Finn and his mates, Marco and Twix, and as you can see, Finn and Jett are twins. Then we have Manny and Frankie, Manny is Angelo and Morgan’s adopted son and Rune’s real son. And next to Manny is Avery. He’s mated to two of the council members. Mine and Day’s fathers, Illan and Justice.”

  “I froze your daddies? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Timmy began to panic and cry again.

  “It’s okay, Timmy, we know that. Please, don’t get upset. We’ll all figure t
his out,” Ethan said softly, and his voice soothed Timmy a little.

  “He’s right, Timmy. As much as I am worried about my mates being like this, I know you didn’t mean to do it,” Avery said as he came closer.

  “So, what are we going to do, Day? With the council all on ice, or stone as it may be, you’re in charge. Well, I would say you, Ethan, Manny, Twix, and Rhys,” Morgan said.

  “Why the hell are we in charge? I don’t want to be in charge. That’s one of the reasons I left the pixie realm,” Twix replied in a panic.

  Timmy watched as both the pixie’s mates went to him and wrapped their arms around him. Timmy wanted that. He wanted someone who would be there to hold him and make him feel better when he was sad or upset. These thoughts made him think of York. His mate was down in that cold cell all alone. Even though York couldn’t hold him, he could be there with his mate so he wasn’t alone. Timmy stepped away from Ethan and moved toward the door.

  “Where are you going, Timmy?” Pas asked.

  He looked back to his new friend and whispered sadly, “My mate is all alone. He’s probably sad and confused. I think I should be with him and not cause more problems for all of you.”

  “I know you feel bad about all of this, little one, but we can all tell you didn’t mean what happened. As Pas explained to us, when you get scared or nervous, this is what happens, so it really isn’t your fault. I understand you want to go to your mate and you’re probably nervous with all of us here, and scared about what will happen, but if you could please stay with us for a little longer, maybe together we can find a way to fix this,” Day said gently.

  Timmy felt himself relax again. He really liked the large man, and wanted to help fix his screw up if he could. He nodded at Day and turned back, joining the group.

  “Are we even sure we want to change them back?” Jett said as he stood before Illan looking over the lead dragon’s face, while poking his cheeks.