Stone Romance (Stone Passion #2)

by A C Warneke

  “You and your brothers were just the same,” Medusa said with chuckle, wrapping her arms around Michael’s shoulders. “In fact, the three of you were worse; these three never tried to go cliff diving from the north shore.”

  Jenna sucked in a breath as she stared at Rhys in horror, “Where the jagged rocks are?”

  He blushed, “We were young and apparently very stupid.”

  “It’s a wonder any of you made it out of your childhood in one piece,” Medusa reminisced. “The most stress these three have caused was wandering down to the tide pools and trying to capture a mermaid. Lilaila’s mother was not pleased when she found her daughter playing tag with three gargoyles.”

  “There are mermaids?” Jenna asked, her lips parted in surprise, though why she would be surprised at this point she didn’t know; it did make Rhys chuckle though.

  Bending forward, he placed a quick kiss on her opened mouth, “Yes, love; there are mermaids.”

  She shook her head and made a face, “Of course there are mermaids. Of course there are.”

  “Come,” Medusa said, holding her arm out. “Let us gather on the veranda for dinner. You can tell me more about your life, Jenna, and I can tell you a little bit more about mine.”

  Jenna’s eyes widened in anticipation; she was eager to learn as much as she could about the gorgeous Medusa. The elegant beauty watched her boys closely, absorbing every detail as the four of them teased one another, rough housing only a little. Jenna imagined that if they were alone they would be wrestling on the ground, Rhys in the middle of all of it.

  After they ate, the four boys wandered off somewhere, leaving Jenna alone with Medusa once more. “You said that most choose the other path; how many have come back?”

  Medusa looked at her over the rim of her delicate tea cup, her dark eyes sparkling with laughter. They were so similar to Rhys’s dancing eyes that it was a sharp reminder that this woman was Rhys’s mother. Jenna still had difficulties wrapping her mind around that one simply because Medusa appeared so young. Except when Jenna looked into the other woman’s eyes and saw the sorrow of a thousand lifetimes staring back. “Other than you?”

  At Jenna’s nod, Medusa set her tea cup down and leaned back in her chair, stretching luxuriously until the material of her sheer gown was stretched taut over her breasts. Jenna felt the heat rise in her cheeks but she tried to act normal; if Medusa was comfortable than she would at least pretend to be. Medusa’s grin was mischievous as she finally answered, “There was one other; a man whose destiny was always to leave.”

  She vaguely remembered Medusa saying that there had only been one other but at the time Jenna had been not altogether lucid. Giddy with the knowledge that she was discovering the truth behind the myth, she asked softly, “Perseus?”

  “Yes,” Medusa answered with a pleased smile. Pulling her legs up beneath her bottom, she grinned, looking heart-achingly young. “He was a stunning boy and quite surprised when he discovered that this island was not inhabited by a fearsome creature. At least, not during the night.”

  Jenna lowered her lashes, not willing to see the self-loathing in Medusa’s eyes over her stone form. She couldn’t imagine that Medusa could be that hideous during the day, not when Rhys was so beautiful in his gargoyle form. Slender fingers touched her chin and she tilted her head back to find Medusa looking at her in bewilderment, “My form during the day is as the myths describe me: I have the torso of a woman and the lower body of a reptile; serpents writhe on my head passing for hair and I have deadly claws for hands and my skin is covered in scaly armored, everywhere but upon my breasts and wings.

  “I am a hideous beast,” she finished with a sad smile. Running her hands over her exquisite body, molding the gown to her firm breasts and flat belly, she beamed, “But at night I return to my human form and it is most pleasing, especially when I do not have to entertain my petrifying humans. At least during the day I do not burn with the need to fuck; the gods were not that cruel.”

  Jenna inhaled slowly as tears welled in her eyes. Medusa brushed her thumbs over Jenna’s cheeks and smiled softly, “Do not cry for me, child; I am at peace. Now, where was I? Ah, yes; Perseus.

  “He arrived just after the sun set, a glorious man in his prime,” she sighed, looking out across the water as if she could see the boat he had arrived on. “He took one look at me and declared his undying love, promising me the world if I would run away with him.”

  Turning to Jenna, her eyes dancing with laughter, she murmured, “I don’t think he was very smart; he never thought to question why I was on this accursed island all alone. He simply ignored anything that didn’t make sense to him; he ignored quite a bit.”

  Jenna put her fingers over her smile, not wanting to disrupt the flow of Medusa’s tale. Heaving a voluptuous sigh, Medusa’s smile faded, “He was in love with love, with beauty and romantic ideals. We were lovers for a few weeks before he finally became curious as to why I disappeared during the day. He followed me but he wasn’t very discreet; I knew he was there but I let him see. I had hoped….”

  Her words trailed off and the sadness that had abated returned, burnishing her dark eyes until they were endless pools of night. Shaking the mood away, she curved her lips upwards in a sensuous smile, “I was a fool. When he saw me, he grabbed his sword and swung, slicing one of my snakes off in the process. He grabbed the severed snake and fled and when the night came I had a chunk of hair that was much shorter than the rest.”

  “How did he escape the trap?” Jenna asked softly.

  “As I said,” she murmured with a smile. “It was his destiny to leave this island; he only had the one path and for a few weeks I had a lover that was neither Apollo nor a human slowly turning to stone. And from that union I had one child, neither imp nor gargoyle, simply… mine.

  “Of course, the fates took him away from me and I do not know what happened to him,” she closed her eyes and breathed through her delicate nostrils, fighting for composure, something Jenna understood far too well. Reaching out, she simply took Medusa’s hand in her own, offering silent comfort, knowing words would be inadequate. “I don’t know if he even survived; he was an anomaly and the Fates are quite odd when it comes to anomalies. I think perhaps they kept him to themselves. Or they killed him; I try not to dwell on it since it has been so very long.”

  Medusa squeezed Jenna’s hand and smiled in gratitude, “Of course, I could have asked my lover to search for him but that just seems… crass. He knows all of my darkest secrets but that one and it is the only one that matters.”

  “What is the child’s name?” Jenna asked softly, her heart racing in her chest at the thought of bringing Medusa her long lost son.

  “He is lost to me, Jenna,” she murmured softly. With a gentle smile, she added, “Please do not open old wounds.”

  Jenna’s eyes widened in her face at Medusa’s perceptiveness, making the beautiful woman laugh. Reaching forward, Medusa ran her fingers lightly along Jenna’s jaw, “I have been around for many years and your thoughts are clearly written in your eyes. At this point I am simply grateful that two of my boys have found love and happiness; it is all a mother could ask for.

  “Now, come; let me show you the rest of my home,” Medusa grinned, standing up and smoothing the front of her diaphanous gown before holding a hand out for Jenna to take.

  As Jenna slid her hand in Medusa’s she slowly came to her feet, eager to see the rest of the place but apprehensive. “Will I fall into another trap?”

  Medusa looked at her with wide, dark eyes, her expression blank for a heartbeat before it melted into a breath taking smile, “No, my dear; you have already been tested and you have passed. There are no more traps.”

  Jenna breathed a sigh in relief; she had no desire to go through the rabbit hole again and discover another life she would have to turn her back on. Silently, she followed Medusa as she gave a tour of her home, pointing out the various works of art and telling the stories behind a few of the pieces.
She explained that every creature comfort was provided to her, courtesy of Apollo and a few of the gods who had taken pity on her, though they did not break the rules by joining her on the island. Except for Poseidon, who used to use the water to visit her upon occasion, though it had been many, many years since he had been there.

  She let out a long sigh, “So many of the old gods have grown weary of this place and have returned to Olympus. Only Apollo remains and I think the only reason he stays is his desire to fuck a human.”

  Jenna’s brows pulled together in a frown, “I have always thought Apollo had taken many human lovers, and not just females.”

  Medusa laughed her light, tinkling laugh, “No; he has bedded mortals, not humans. Do you see the difference?”

  Jenna grinned and shook her head no and Medusa laughed harder, “The mortals he bedded were not human, at least not entirely; they were the children of lesser gods. Poor Apollo is the only god whose radiance is too much for humans to endure; most become ill as soon as they enter his aura.”

  “I’m sure a little nausea would be worth it to experience Apollo’s kiss.”

  Medusa snorted, “This is techni-color vomiting, heads exploding, stomachs erupting sick. No; until Melanie, poor Apollo believed no human would be able to get close enough to touch.”

  Jenna scowled slightly as she finally put Medusa’s words together, “But I thought Omari….”

  Medusa smile as realization dawned in Jenna’s head and her jaw dropped, “No.”

  “Yes.”

  “Holy crap,” Jenna breathed, still unable to believe it. They had stopped in a room amassed with soft, luxurious pillows and Jenna’s legs simply gave out; it was perfect timing as the cloud of pillows cushioned her fall.

  “It has always been Omari’s intention to give you and Rhys time to get to know one another,” Medusa murmured, lounging back against another mound of pillows. “He had procured the ambrosia for Melanie days before he sent the two of you off on this little quest. It’s very romantic if you think about it and one of the reasons I fell in love with the scoundrel.”

  “Deus ex machina kind of takes on new meaning when you actually have a god that interferes,” Jenna muttered.

  “He doesn’t solve any insurmountable problems without exacting a high price,” Medusa corrected. “And his interference can sometimes be worse than had he left it alone. It can be a double-edged sword, you know; taking anything from a god is always a risky proposition.”

  Jenna nodded her head in agreement as Medusa sank further into the pillows, a soft smile on her lips, “He has given me some of the happiest years of my life but also so much misery; I will miss him when I am finally able to leave this accursed island.”

  “Won’t you be able to see him?” Jenna asked, disconcerted by the sad smile curving Medusa’s lips. “I mean, once the curse is lifted and you’re able to travel?”

  Medusa shrugged her delicate shoulders and simply smiled.

  Moments later, the room was invaded by three children and Rhys, the noise raucous and exuberant. Raphe curled up next to his mother as the older two stayed by Rhys’s side as he sat down next to Jenna, pulling her into his arms and kissing the top of the head. Jenna had to smile as Michael and Leo continued talking to Rhys, as Medusa wrapped her arms around Raphe and hugged him to her, a gentle, motherly, smile on her face as she held her youngest son.

  Leaning against Rhys, Jenna asked, “I take it the gargoyles age at a normal rate?”

  Medusa’s lips curled up in a smile as she kissed the top of Raphe’s head, “Yes. They age as humans until they reach the age of twenty-five, or so, and then they remain beautiful young men forever after.”

  “Your mother is right,” Jenna breathed later that night as she lay in Rhys arms. Trailing kisses along the strong column of his throat, she purred, “You are a beautiful young man. You’re also a beautiful gargoyle and right now I am torn.”

  “Why is that?” he asked, his hands moving leisurely over her body, stroking the curve of her waist, the flare of her hip.

  “I never want to leave this haven,” she said, punctuating the words with light kisses across his collar bone. “But I’m eager to return home and see my daughter, to hold her in my arms and hug her until my memories of never having her are erased.”

  “Soon enough,” he assured her, pushing the soft material of her gown off her shoulder and kissing the naked skin beneath.

  Pushing herself up until she straddled his waist, she looked down at him, “What’s going to happen when we return to reality?”

  He gently traced the line of her jaw, the length of her throat; his finger hooked into the gown and gently pulled the fabric down further, exposing her breast though his eyes never left hers. Lightly, he brushed his thumb over her sensitive nipple, gazing at her as if she were the sun and the stars, “What do you want to happen?”

  She covered his hand with hers so that they were both cupping her breast, “I never want this to end.”

  He smiled slightly, “But that doesn’t answer my question. Would you consider moving into the castle with me?”

  Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she asked, “What about Ferris?”

  He chuckled, “There is plenty of room for her, even with three additional gargoyles.”

  Her grip on his hand loosened and he resumed gently torturing her nipple. “I’d have to think about it before I made any decisions.”

  “Of course.” He raised his head and captured her nipple between his lips, plying it with his tongue until pleasure spiraled outwards, pooling in her lower belly with the need to be filled. He released the hard nub with a soft pop before placing a reverent kiss over her heart.

  Suddenly, she was flying through the air, landing with a soft whoomf on a pile of pillows as Rhys’s hard body covered hers. He gazed down at her with burning chocolate eyes, passion and possession making the brown depths glow. His skin was burnished as he growled, “Put your arms above your head, Jenna.”

  With a sultry smile, she slowly raised her arms until they were stretched out above her. Her eyes widened in surprise as vines twined around her wrists, binding her arms in place. Excitement pulsed in her groin, knowing what was to come. Breathlessly, she murmured, “Don’t blindfold me this time, Rhys; I want to see everything.”

  Rhys’s smile darkened as he slowly drew his fingers up and then down the soft skin of her underarm, “Everything?”

  Uncertain, she nodded slowly and every hard surface became a mirror, reflecting the image of Rhys’s body covering hers into infinity. The warm candle light made Rhys’s skin gleam, made her skin glow, and it was beautiful and erotic and perfect. She wished she could capture the beauty but she knew that her artistic skills were not up to the task and for that she was sorry.

  Tilting her head back, giving Rhys easier access to her sensitive throat, she caught the reflection of his muscled bottom overhead. She followed the sinuous curve of his butt as he flexed and the muscles contracted. In that moment she was grateful that he had cut off his long hair; she wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the perfection of his body had he kept his hair long.

  His movement was slow, fluid, as he kissed and nipped along her shoulders, her ribs, her navel, pulling the dress down as he went. Her breasts were thrust upwards, her nipples pointing towards the reflection, and she swallowed; in that moment she was beautiful. And the contrast between Rhys’s auburn hair against her sun-kissed skin was almost too much; he kissed her softly and she felt his love in each brush of his lips.

  Bending her knees on either side of Rhys’s hard body, she opened her body up to him, trusting him completely. He reached down and grabbed the hem of her dress, leisurely dragging it up her legs. Lifting off her body just enough to slide the material upwards until it was gathered around her waist, until she was exposed on top and below. His fingers continued moving along her thigh, lightly drawing circles on her skin and making goose bumps break out, making her shiver.

  His head moved between h
er legs and she held her breath, unable to tear her eyes from the sensual reflection overhead. Everything had a dreamlike quality to it and when Rhys drew his tongue along the swollen folds of her sex she shivered again. She was stretched out and bared to him, naked and vulnerable, and she had never felt safer or more cherished.

  Warm fingers wrapped around her thighs, holding her in place as Rhys feasted on her sex, torturing her with fingers and tongue. His head moved and his hair brushed against her inner thighs and she couldn’t look away. His large hand slid up her body, his fingers long and elegant as they covered her breast and pulled at her nipple. She was a voyeur in her own seduction.

  Lifting her eyes she caught her own gaze and had to catch her breath: who was that exotic creature whose face was flushed with love and desire? Blue eyes stared back, a knowing look in the liquid depths. Her lips were parted, her skin dewy and blushing; she was fully alive, completely at peace in her own skin and reveling in her sexuality.

  Her body was lost as Rhys found the most exquisite nerve and played it until she broke. Her eyes slid closed as her body tightened and her back arched, as she came with Rhys’s mouth on her sex. As she lay trembling, he smoothly moved up her body, entering her in one powerful thrust, setting off another, deeper orgasm.

  He buried his lips against her next, breathing raggedly as he moved within her, “I love you, Jenna; I’ve always loved you.”

  Tears slipped down her cheeks as his words wrapped around her and entered her soul; she was meant to be with Rhys. Forever.

  Chapter 20

  The plane landed at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport a few days later at one in the morning, plenty of time for Jenna to get home and have Rhys return to the castle with his brothers in tow. Jenna could not believe how much she had lived in just a few short weeks. It was already April, Ferris’s birthday was quickly approaching, and in her time away she had lived a lifetime. Literally, in the case of her trip to the alternate reality.