Aimee's Destiny: Valley of Whispers

By Trinity Blacio

Forget Diamonds! A hammer is Aimee's best friend...
Aimee Koor has always considered herself a fighter. After all, she had grown up with a dad who would have fit in during the Stone Age, literally. Aimee just never expected to be using her trust hammer as a weapon instead of a gun.
Trey Joinster is on the hunt for those responsible for trying to murder his beloved Queen. He can't believe it when he makes a rookie Gargoyle mistake and reveals himself to a human-even if she is his mate!
In a world where statues shouldn't move and Gargoyles are just for tourists to photograph, Aimee learns there is more to one amazing statue than she expected. If she doesn't kill him first, can Trey convince Aimee that stone really can have a beating heart if touched by the right woman?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trinity Blacio
• Release date: Feb 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386973010

Trinity Blacio

Trinity Blacio is an established romance writer of best-selling Running in Fear series, as well as a number of dark fantasy, erotic romance, erotic horror and ménage titles. She is the mother of two children and lives in Ohio. Her work can be found at Freya’s Bower and Ravenous Romance, as well as the work of her alter-egos Maria Moonstar and Selene Noreen.

Book preview

Dedication

To Aimee Vance, a friend throughout my life. Someone who is always so strong no matter what she faces. Billy Joel playing on the radio and playing pool at your house will always be our footprint of life’s memories no matter where you go, my friend.

Chapter One

Tears rolled down Aimee’s cheeks as she stared out the window. The moon was bright and full, but her heart was breaking, and she felt empty inside.

At the age of thirty, Aimee had her Master’s in criminal psychology and a great job with the local police station. But right now, it felt as if her whole world was in pieces. She had just buried her mother. Her father had died two years before in a car accident, which her mother never really did get over, claiming her father had been her mother’s soul mate, that there was no one else and never could be.

Aimee tucked her keys and phone into her pocket and moved to the door of her condo, needing some fresh air. It was finally cool enough she wouldn’t pass out from the heat, the high temps breaking just a few days before.

Locking her condo door, Aimee smiled, remembering her mother complaining about how hot it was for the middle of September, especially for her hometown of Southfield, Michigan, where she had lived all of her life, only leaving to go away to college for the four years to finish her degree.

The cool, fall air felt great on her skin as Aimee stepped outside, making her way out of her complex and down the road. She headed straight toward the cemetery, where her mother now lay. Glad her boss had given her a few weeks off, Aimee knew it would take her that long to go through their family home with her sisters Dee and Pam.

Two of her younger sisters had flown in two weeks prior to be with Mom in her last few days, with Jan still overseas, having said her goodbyes on her last visit.

Aimee scanned around her, seeing the changes in her town since she was a child. Diners, stores, businesses now lined the streets that used to be the woods she and her sisters used to play in as children.

The same question kept coming up, was it time to move? All of her sisters had left town years ago. Aimee had refused to leave her mother alone, but now that her mother was gone, was it time? So many questions. Her life, right now, was at a standstill.

She turned down Ten Mile Road, seeing the cemetery on her right. Both her mother and father were buried there, together, next to each other under the big willow tree near the pond her father had loved to visit before his death, fishing illegally.

Only you, Daddy. I hope you have Momma there in your arms because I sure miss her already, Aimee said, moving down the little road where her parents were buried. She smiled, seeing all the ducks and geese lined up along the pond, sleeping. Yes, they had picked a perfect spot, but...

Aimee frowned, moving closer to her parents’ resting place, confused. What the hell? she whispered, walking around a five-foot gargoyle statue near her folks’ graves.

Who sent you, guy? she asked, running her hand over the stone head. Will you protect them? She snorted and went to move to the graves when Aimee could have sworn something to her right ran by her, yet, as she did a complete circle, there was no one.

Okay, Aimee, it’s obvious you need some sleep, she mumbled and knelt down on the freshly upturned dirt. Well, Daddy, you were right, this place is perfect for you and Mom, ghosts and all. She laughed, knowing her father had always believed in such things.

Remember when we were playing pool, Daddy? I swear you got so excited when Momma told you that she got tickets to tour that prison. Lucky for me, it was the only time I beat you at pool, too. She laughed.

A branch snapped behind her; she jumped and scanned her surroundings again, the police training she did have coming to the surface, cussing the fact that she forgot her damn pepper spray. But what had her staring in shock was the fact said gargoyle statue had moved at least ten feet.

Okay, Dad, this isn’t funny. She slowly moved away from the graves. I’m going home now, but this scaring the crap out of me is not a way to get me to move on with my life, damn it, Aimee grumbled as she slowly moved away from the statue and back onto the road, checking the area as she went.

Before stepping out of the cemetery, Aimee glance back at where her parents’ graves were and froze; it was gone. The statue that Aimee should have been able to see was not there at all. She stumbled backward. That’s it, I’m out of here, Aimee mumbled and took off at a jog toward her home, not stopping until her door was locked and she was sealed inside.

Now what the hell do I do because I know for sure they’d lock me up if I call anyone, she said, sliding down the door to sit on the cool white tile floor.

Well, I could report what I saw and end up in the nut ward. She tapped her fingers on her legs. Or I could admit some things are out there and forget what I saw, Aimee mumbled, getting up and taking a deep breath. Fine, there are others out there, Daddy, but so help me, if one of those things scares me again, I’m going to put a damn bullet in their ass.

Aimee moved to the kitchen, grabbing a wine glass and filling it to the top with her favorite wine. Yep, I’m a believer, she grumbled and took a big swallow while heading toward her bathroom, needing a nice long soak in her tub.

* * * *

Trey perched on his female’s porch, watching as she tried to talk herself into not committing herself to some kind of nut ward. He smiled. Yes, this woman is a strong one but also hurt. He had heard the pain in her words as she visited her parents’ graves. But what had him furious at himself was he’d given himself up to the one he had been tracking. He had exposed his bonded one to his enemy. He hated it, but it would seem that Trey had no choice but to call in his brothers for help. He couldn’t hunt and protect his female at the same time, not to mention he had to figure out a way to meet the short bombshell.

Jumping off the balcony, Trey moved to the top of her building, landing on the same side so he could keep watch over her door while he called in his family. Being the first to find their bonded mate among his brothers, Trey could just hear the ribbing he was about to receive from his brothers.

Sitting on the edge, Trey folded his wings in and stared out at the city below him while opening his link to his brothers, waiting for their response. He didn’t have to wait long, when his little brother, Ladut, responded.

"You have a need?" he asked, serious as his brother always was, ever since he had gotten back from Europe.

"I do. I’ve found my bonded one. Well, she found me, but I’m hunting, and I’m afraid my prey also knows, too, he sighed. First mistake in a hundred years."

"Where are you?" Ladut asked, as his brother Nol, his twin, laughed.

"Mom is going to love this... What is the prey?" Drayer asked.

"The assassin," was all he said as his brothers growled, all serious now.

"I’ll be there tomorrow night, and, Trey, congrats; maybe there is hope for us after all," Ladut said after getting the information on his location. Ladut cut the connection.

"Wow, that was the most he’s said in ages," Drayer said.

"I’ll be there in three hours," Nol said.

As soon as all three of his brothers cut the connection, Trey smiled, feeling his mother and father there.

"What is she like?’ his mother, Kayck, asked.

"I’m going to need your help, Mom, she’s human, and you know how the family looks down upon those who have human mates," Trey snarled. The thought of his Uncle Richa causing problems for his woman set his blood to boil.

"Do not worry about my brother. I will personally take care of that overstuffed egghead, his mother growled. Have you introduced yourself yet?"

Trey sighed, staring down at her balcony door. "No, she was visiting her parents’ graves. I was there hunting."

"Your prey knows?’" his father, Teyl, asked.

Trey didn’t say a word as he slowly stood, watching the sky, the scent of his prey close at hand, and it would seem he also now knew where his bonded lived.

"We will have a place there in her building this night," his father said, knowing they couldn’t lose his woman, or he’d be alone for the rest of his life. Not being able to mate or even have sex. Once your mate touches you, there is no other female, only yours. Hell, already he couldn’t even stand the thought of another female. He just hoped the elders approved, or he would be stuck no matter what.

There to his right, a wing disappeared into the cloud above. Trey stood there waiting, knowing his target would make his move soon. There was no way he would leave his woman open even if it meant allowing his target to get away for now.

Trey rolled as his target sent three iron spears down at him as he flew down toward the balcony of his mate. He growled, running and jumping over the building just as he watched his target throw another spear through her balcony window, marking her. It had just got