Stone In Love

Chapter 23

Despite our close proximity to Johns Hopkins, we didn't stop to see Colin and Vincent. Jonathan's objective was to get me home pronto, which was Vincent's objective. So, once we said goodbye to Ward, Jonathan and I were in the air making up for time lost on the battlefield.

Apparently, a gargoyle was required to rest every fifty miles, more often if a passenger was involved. In our case, this added an hour of non-flying time, so the pit stops were quick and efficient. By our last stop, my arms were cramping, and I attempted to prolong our stay on the ground by asking Jonathan questions.

"Do you play the stock market?"

"No. I let Vincent invest my money. He's been at it since he was ten."

"He started playing the market at ten? That's young."

"It was something he took on when our dad died. Someone had to take the lead, and Vincent is a born leader."

"Vincent's word is law in the Valentino domus, isnt it?"

"He's the magister, but that doesn't mean the rest of us don't have input."

Jonathan's answer came with no undertone of resentment. The opposite, actually. He seemed to look up to Vincent.

"You're the youngest brother?"

"No, Colin is the youngest."

"Ah, you're the middle child."

"And the only father."

I smiled, acknowledging his accomplishment. I could hear the pride in his voice. "Vincent told me you have a daughter and that you and Amelia are married. That's sweet."

"Marriage is not a tradition among gollums, but we are mated."

"How many gollum families are in New York City?"

"Three. We are twenty-two gollums strong in the boroughs, but only fourteen engage in combat."

"How many of the fourteen are females?"

"Two."

"Only two? I don't know why, but I pictured more female fighters. Just give a girl muscles and she doesn't need testosterone. We've got plenty of hormones to keep us engaged."

Jonathan laughed. "I'm not touching that one, but I will say females are fierce in battle. My Amelia, for example."

"How often do you and Amelia fight side by side? That's probably an adrenaline rush, huh?"

"We haven't fought together since Griffin was born. Amelia will continue to play the role of civilian until Griffin is sixteen. Night patrol can get ugly, and the females are the main caregivers, traditionally." 

"I want to say that's sexist, but I'm not touching it. So, how many domi are there in the country? No. In the world?"

"You are barking up the wrong tree with that question. I'm better with tactical details."

"Okay. Here's one I bet you can answer. How do gollums find mates? Do you throw parties? Is there a gollum dating service? If there is, I want that link."

He chuckled but I could tell it was forced. My questions were probably sailing dangerously close to the no-fly zone.

"We have opportunities to interact with other gollums, but our species still faces difficulties. Females are required to leave their domus to be with their mate, so many try to stay within close proximity. My mother is from a domus in Chicago, which she left to be with my dad."

Jonathan's tone had become contemplative. I figured he was torn between helping me understand his world and not revealing more than Vincent wanted him to. But now that I knew the Valentino's big secret, I wanted to learn everything about them. It wasn't every day you ran into a living gargoyle.