by Kali Willows
“Yes?” She shrugged her shoulders, and then it occurred to her. “Daylight?”
“The sun will rise at 6:13 a.m.”
“You have to get back to the ledge before morning when you turn to stone?” She sat up and put her drink on the coffee table. “No problem. We can be there in ten minutes, and we still have a few more hours. We can talk more when night comes again.”
“I’m afraid not.” He held her.
“I thought we discussed this already? I’m not expecting a marriage proposal, Roark. We can take it one night at a time and see if we can make this work.”
“I’m sorry, but we can’t.” His somber exterior tugged at her heart.
“Is it me?”
“Not at all.”
“Because I can work on my temper.” Her throat grew thick.
“Your temper doesn’t bother me.”
“I’m sure we can get past this. We’re a match. Can’t you feel it?”
“I can, but—”
“But what?” An ominous cloud permeated her thoughts. “Why can’t we be together?”
“I didn’t tell you everything about the curse.”
“Curses don’t work if you don’t believe in them, and I don’t, so everything is going to be fine.”
“Kaida?”
“No, I don’t want to hear it, all this time; you’ve been with me, all this time.” Tears welled up. “Now that I know you, you want to walk away?”
“I won’t be walking anywhere, I’m afraid.” Roark outlined her brow with his forefinger.
Whimpers built in the back of her throat again.
“Please, don’t cry.”
“I never cry.” She glared at him. Anger rolled through her. “No, you’re not leaving me.”
“Not by choice.”
Desperate not to lose control of her emotions, she fought back the pricking tears. He got up and went to the sputtering fireplace across from the couch.
“Roark?” Her chest grew tight. “Please?”
Roark came back and knelt on the floor in front of her.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “What’s wrong?”
“I accepted the price I had to pay, to have one night with you.” He rested his forehead on her knee.
“Say it.”
“In order to live this way, I had to remain celibate.”
“You have to spell it out for me.”
“My night with you has been the most fulfilling, the most beautiful of my three hundred year existence.” He lifted his face to her. “It is also my last.”
“So, what, at sunrise, you’ll turn to stone, forever?”
“I’m not quite sure, but I will never have this form, ever again.”
“How would you know for sure, if you’ve waited all this time?”
“The witch told me, in her final moments.”
“She told you what?”
“I could never bed another. If I did, that would be the end of me.”
“I’m sorry, but it sounds like an idle threat.”
“I knew her well enough to know her hatred for me. After she killed herself, many stories littered my village of the vindictive mad witch.”
“Rumors? You’re basing this on rumors?”
“An older woman spoke to me about her evil daughter, who stabbed her own father in the heart.”
“But still….”
“The old woman sought me out when I gathered the courage to venture into the village at night, in my human form. She said her daughter wouldn’t think twice about killing a man in his sleep, but when she was scorned, she spoke of nothing for days, but how she planned her revenge, to cause suffering for eternity.”
“The ramblings of a crazy person.” She scoffed.
“She knew of my curse and warned me. She was Deidra’s mother.”
Kaida grabbed at the silver around his neck and yanked him toward her.
“It won’t come off.” Jerking forward, he gripped her arm. “We’ve tried everything—saws, torches, tools of every kind.”
“We, who?”
“My clan members, Gershom, my friend.”
“Gershom?” Her head was spinning. “You mean my neighbor next door? The sweet old man?”
“That would be him.”
“I can’t believe I’ve been there all these years, and never known about either of you. How could I have been so blind?”
“Gargoyles base their survival on blending in and not bringing any attention on themselves, beyond being the hideous statues people expect to see.”
“I thought they were fables. You mean there are more?”
“Our numbers have dwindled over the centuries, but there are still established clans all around the world.”
“Were they all cursed too?”
“I don’t know about other curses, but most are born into this race, born to guard against evil.”
“Protector, that’s what you meant when I asked about your work?”
“Yes, gargoyles perch on the ledges of buildings to safeguard those who reside there and shield them from harm. We sense evil, and by night, when danger is at its greatest, we can take form to defend our charges. In our daytime slumber of stone, we remain a reminder to those who would harm.”
“So, I’m your charge, and you’ve been watching over me?”
“I do keep watch over the other tenants. But guarding you has been my reason for living, and my pleasure.” Roark cradled her face in his palms.
“What kind of crazy psycho bitch was she? Why a gargoyle? Why not just kill you in your sleep?”
“She said she wanted me to suffer for an eternity without tasting lust ever again.”
“She hated you that much? Wow.” She crinkled her brows at him. “But, a gargoyle? Did she know about the dragon?”
“I think she did; she knew of many supernatural things that I can’t even begin to comprehend, I heard endless stories of her escapades, but only after she cursed me. I believe she knew once her spell had worn off, I would never be with her again because dragons mate for life, and she could never be my mate.”
“Sounds like she had some serious issues with men.” Kaida shook her head, mind saturated with fairy tales and folklore. “There are more pressing issues at the moment.” She lifted the cylinder charm. “What about the paper inside?”
“It won’t open. It’s sealed with magic. Impenetrable.”
“There has to be a way.”
“I’m sorry Kaida, there isn’t.” Roark leaned forward and collected her in his arms.
“This can’t be all. We have to fix this—”
“I only ever wanted to protect you. I’m sorry to cause you so much pain.”
“Then why tonight? Why a one-night stand? And why in the hell would you sleep with me if you knew you would die?” Enraged, she shoved him away, searching for answers in his eyes.
“This seemed like the only way. When you said you signed up with the 1Night Stand service, that you had given up on love, I thought this would be my one chance to be with you without hurting you in the end. If you expected nothing more, you would never have known about what came next. You would have gone on with your life. I hoped you would be a little happier and have faith in finding love.”
“That’s why everything needed to be perfect for me?”
“It is, all I want for you, is your happiness. I—”
She covered his mouth with shaky fingers. “Don’t say it.”
Roark pulled her hand away and held it. “I love you, Kaida. I always have.” She sat on the edge of the couch, melting under his stare, under his touch. Glancing away, she focused on the dancing flames in the fireplace, and her clarity returned.
Studying his expression again, she hauled off and slapped his face.
“You selfish son of a bitch.”
He gasped.
“Did it ever occur to you, feeling the connection you did to me, that I might feel the same? Or that, maybe, I would want more of you when it happened?”
>
“No, it didn’t.” He rubbed his reddened cheek with a grimace.
“I’m so messed up right now; I don’t even know what I’m feeling.”
“Many things, I imagine.”
“Half of me wants to punch you in the face, the other half is being torn apart.” She choked on her words.
“My heart aches for you, too.”
“It’s not fair.”
“I know it’s not.” He sat on the couch beside her and she straddled his lap and sank into his embrace. He held her for the longest time while she fought back sobs.
“Roark?” She whispered.
“Yes?”
“Can we be together, one last time?”
“I would like that.”
Kaida tilted back and held his gorgeous face in her hands. Hungry for the taste of his lips, she kissed him with desperation.
Easing her back, he gave her a seductive grin. “Can your gargoyle lover have a final request?”
“Anything.”
“Will you do your performance for me, just once?”
“My fire show?”
Nodding, he lifted her to her feet. “But not here.” He pointed upward, and Kaida nodded. “We can’t be leaving scorch marks on the ceiling in the hotel.”
“Shall we?”
Chapter Six
Roark slung her duffle bag over his shoulder and held her hand. They strolled along in the dark before dawn and he counted the moments they had left.
“I wish I had the power to freeze time.” Kaida squeezed his fingers.
“You and me both, sweetheart.”
“I feel like I need to know everything about you, before morning comes.”
“You can ask anything.”
“Will Gershom know that I found out about him?”
“I imagine he already does.” He strides were long but slow.
“Will he be upset?”
“Not at all, he’s very fond of you.”
“I think he’s wonderful.” Kaida smiled and rested her head against his arm.
“He is also very protective of you, and I’m confident he knows you would always keep the secret.”
“Of course, I’ve gotten pretty good living with secrets. Being a dragon isn’t something I advertise.” She tipped her head back and laughed. “How did you meet him?”
“I left Ireland after the last member of my family died from old age. The town, the whole country had changed so much, it held nothing for me anymore.”
“How did you end up here?”
“I did a lot of wandering. Going from town to town, country to county. I suppose I was searching for something but I didn’t know what. About two hundred years ago, I went through, let’s say, a bit of a rebellious stage.” He shrugged, unable to think of a better way to express it.
“I can imagine.”
“Scaring humans, being reckless and destructive, I brought a great deal of attention to my new race. Gershom sought me out, and took me under his wing. I guess you could say he became a mentor to a rambunctious menace.”
“How did he help you?”
“He taught me about the honor code among gargoyles and how to seek out charges to watch over.”
“What is the code?”
“To serve, protect our charges, and keep our race hidden from humans.”
“Hide from humans, but you watch over them?”
“It’s in our DNA.” He scanned from side to side, careful of her safety.
“How do you find them? Your charges?”
“We are drawn to them. We sense innocence or a lack thereof. Some, we are compelled to shield. Sitting atop the buildings lets us blend in. It is unlikely humans would notice a statue up so high missing in the dark, while we hunt or feed.” A distant pinging of cans from down the alley caught his attention and he paused, listening.
The sound was overtaken by the whoosh of a cloud of steam pouring out of a sidewalk grate. The street was dark and vacant, except for the piles of garbage that lined the sidewalk.
But the earlier noise had his guard up.
“I never thought about feeding?”
“We can eat most human food, but for sustenance, we must have red meat.”
“Your crack about being a carnivore at dinner?”
“More like blatant honesty.”
“Is your food alive?” She cringed.
“No, it doesn’t need to be.” He chuckled. “The rawer, the more nutrients, but we don’t hunt people or anything.”
“Good to know. Where do you get your food from, or your money? How do you survive?”
“Being immortal has some advantages, including stock markets and real estate.”
“Profits over time, investments? That’s pretty brilliant.”
“Gershom owns our building.” He pointed down the block to their home. “That’s why I first perched here.”
“How long have you been here?”
“About fifty years.”
“I can’t believe you’re three hundred years old.”
“Two hundred, and eighty-nine, give or take a year.” He smiled. “Time passes very slowly for us.”
“I guess immortality gives you lots of time to think?”
“To think about celibacy.”
“If she wanted you to live forever, and suffer, why would she have you die if you slept with someone?”
“I don’t know, maybe she figured it would be enough to deter me.”
“I’ll say.”
“But nothing could keep me from you.”
Kaida paused for a moment while Roark kicked some broken glass to the side, clearing a path of safety for her. How gallant.
“Thank you.” She stood on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek. “Is it hard to protect humans in New York? I mean, this city isn’t known for purity and goodness.”
“Some are very good, but there is a side of humanity that is dark, and easily swayed to evil.”
“Yeah, I have a pretty dark side myself.” She slowed her steps, wanting their walk to last. “But, you’ve already had taste of that tonight.”
“Kaida,” Roark stopped again and faced her. “There is not an evil bone in your entire body. You are one of the purest souls I have ever seen in my existence.”
“I’m not so pure.” She started walking again, faster.
“Having a strong sexual nature, need, and hunger doesn’t make you evil. Neither do your daredevil tendencies.”
“What does it make me?”
“A dragon.”
“You’ve always got the right thing to say, don’t you?”
“I do my best.”
Roark halted, grabbing her wrist, and tilted his chin up; he sniffed at the air.
“What is it?”
“Your friends are back.” He lowered the bag from his shoulder and began to unbutton his coat. “Creeping through alleys again, I might need to ask you to excuse me, love.”
“Um, would you mind if….” Kaida couldn’t bring herself to finish.
“You don’t want me to take care of them?”
“Well, as much as I would enjoy that, I have a debt to repay, including the lump on the back of my head from the other night.”
“What if they have another gun?”
“With you, I’m safe.” Of that she had no doubt.
“Always.”
“Remember how I said, I’m trying to work on my temper?”
“I do.”
“I’ve been taking martial arts for a few years now, learning self-defense.”
“I know. I have been following you.” He winked.
“I didn’t kick their asses myself that night, because when they hit me.” She winced at the recall of the sharp blow to the back of her head.
“They hit you really hard. It enraged me to see it, I can only imagine how furious you got.”
“Yeah, it pissed me off, the dragon kicked in, and I checked out.”
“You think you can control it now?”
“They don’t
have the element of surprise this time, but I do.” She gave a slight grin.
Amusement filling his face, he passed her the duffle bag and bowed, then backed up to the basement entry steps of the neighboring building. “This should be entertaining.”
“It will be, for at least one of us.” Standing still, she clutched the handles of the bag.
Their whispers grew louder and an abrupt shhh made her tense. She paced forward slowly, rolling her neck, priming for action.
“Well, look who we have here?” Sadistic mirth echoed in the street while the three familiar thugs circled her, poking at her bag.
“Hot stuff, where are you off to tonight?” the chunky one goaded.
“Careful, she’s a bit of a firecracker this one.” The lanky, greasy haired fellow held up his bandaged hand. “Payback is gonna be sweet.”
“How did you burn us that night, princess? You have some electric gadget or something up your sleeve?” The bald guy stepped closer, reaching toward her wrist.
“What was that fucking thing that knocked us out?” The first one sneered at her, ready to lunge forward.
“Thing? I don’t remember seeing any—thing? I suppose you boys will never learn, will you?”
“Learn what?” The hairless thug grabbed the bag and tugged against her grip. Kaida steadied herself, letting him strengthen his pull, and then let go. He dropped to the ground with a thud. “Get the bitch.”
The other two stepped closer, hesitating.
“Oh, come on now, I promise, I’ll play nice. No fire tonight, if you don’t want any.”
Glancing behind her, she saw the faint shadow of Roark lurking in the unlit staircase. She backed toward the street, keeping them in her sights and giving herself room. She raised her fists. “Come and get it.”
All three charged her at the same time.
***
Sitting on the couch inside Kaida’s studio apartment, Roark couldn’t relax. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Her voice carried through the closed bedroom door. “Never better, why?”
He ran his finger along the stand with miniature replica Katana swords on her end table. “I’m wondering how your hand is.”
“I’m great.”
“You hit him pretty hard.”
“Well, he did try to tackle me.”
“They all did.”
She popped her head out of the room with a big grin.