“Ah, Castiel. Yes. I need to see you and Garin. Is he available as well?”
Castiel, as it were, tilted his head to the side. “He’s in the office, drinking tea.”
“Great. We need a few…tea?”
Castiel shook his head. “Just breakfast tea. He is not pregnant. Otto is about to turn two though, and we are going to try. Just to give you a heads-up.” Castiel stepped to the side and gestured to the back of the hallway. “I assume you’re not going to bother to introduce me to the person you seem possessive over. Which leads me to believe you’ve met your One. Congratulations.”
I looked up at Maxwell. “How’d he know that?”
“Camden, meet Dr. Castiel Bennett. He also works for the council. He’s a psychologist. In fact, all four here are.”
As we walked closer, it didn’t go unnoticed that Maxwell had wrapped his arm around my back and was holding me close to his side. When we were standing directly in front of Castiel, I realized just how tall he was. I looked way up and became confused. He scented of dragon—the whole place did. But also, of…dirt? No, that wasn’t it.
Another person came out of a room in the back, this one also incredibly tall. “Is that Garin?”
“No, that’s Hawthorne,” Castiel said. “Garin is still drinking his tea and eating breakfast.”
“Maxwell, it’s good to see you again.” Hawthorne scented similar to Castiel, but not quite the same.
“Is one of them a dragon?” I asked Maxwell quietly. “I’ve only scented dragons on the mountain, and one of these two scent somewhat like one.”
Maxwell chuckled. “Neither. But Castiel is mated to a dragon, which is why you scent one.”
I looked back at Castiel. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“You weren’t. It can be a common question when one hasn’t been around dragons or gargoyles much.”
“Gargoyles. That’s what the two of you are?”
That earned me chuckles from both.
“Yes,” Castiel said.
“Camden, this is Dr. Hawthorne Brauer. He’s the council’s child psychologist,” Maxwell said. “Gentlemen, this is the council’s newest doctor, Dr. Camden Kennedy. He’s also my One, as Castiel already ascertained.”
“I have to wonder what it is that Thomas is up to,” Castiel said. “First Constantine, then me, and now you.” Castiel looked over at Hawthorne. “Do you think that you will be next?”
Hawthorne shook his head. “No. That is quite all right. He can choose someone else. I’m perfectly happy as I am.” Hawthorne nodded toward us. “Congratulations to the both of you though. And it is nice to meet you, Camden.”
“Likewise,” I said as he walked past us. I glanced back at Maxwell. “Did we say something wrong?”
Maxwell shook his head, and Castiel chuckled. “No. He’s just…set in his ways,” Maxwell said.
“What your mate is saying is that we gargoyles can tend to be a bit boring until we actually find our fated mates. Unfortunately, a lot of us don’t put in enough effort to actually seek them out.” Castiel gestured down the hallway, where another man was poking his head out of a doorway. “Garin would very much like to meet you.”
I gazed back down the hallway because I didn’t know what to say or do. I’d not implied that gargoyles were boring. Until thismoment, I’d never even met one! I looked up at Maxwell, hoping he would rescue me. “Umm…”
Maxwell chuckled. “Come on. I want you to meet Garin. Hopefully, you will understand shortly why it is that I brought you here.”
Maxwell and I walked down the hallway, where we were met by a smiling man. He seemed as if he couldn’t contain his excitement, and when he stepped back into the office, he opened his arms but then pulled them back. “He’s your One, right? That’s why you’re here?”
“Yes.”
Garin made a noise I honestly never would have expected from a man of his size. He quickly pulled me into a hug and then did a little wiggle before letting me go. “Congratulations. We’ve all been waiting for it to be Maxwell’s turn. I’m so happy he’s found his One. You probably figured out I’m Garin.”
I nodded. “Yes. And thank you.”
Garin focused on Maxwell. “Does he know he looks a whole lot like Luc?” Garin glanced back down at me.
