Gregor (Stone Society Book 2)

by Faith Gibson

  The first swipe of his tongue on her clit had her fangs coming out. “Stop.”

  The second flick in her wet folds had her claws bursting forth. “You need to stop.” Her pleas were weak, even to her own ears. Her hips pushing up into his face told him her words were lies.

  The nip of skin on the inside of her thigh had her ready to throw him on his back and fuck him into oblivion. There was no way she could say no to this man. Gregor licked her folds again then inserted a thick finger, plunging in then retreating, hitting her g-spot on the way out. He added a second one then finger fucked her while he tortured her clit with his tongue. Tessa’s claws found purchase in her bedding while her body writhed under Gregor’s face, wanting more.

  “More, oh gods, I need more.” Her climax was so close. He fucked her faster, harder. His tongue gave way to his mouth as he sucked her clit hard. With his free hand, he grabbed a fistful of her long red hair and pulled. That was the catalyst she needed to finally come apart. The sparks shooting from her core matched those she saw behind closed eyes. Gregor was right. She screamed.

  If she had not been somewhere else mentally, she would have heard the car pull up in the drive. As it were, she was oblivious to the person moving through her house until she heard, “Freeze. Don’t move.”

  She felt Gregor stiffen as the cop drew back the hammer on his gun. Tessa quickly phased back, hoping the officer hadn’t seen her claws.

  “Son of a bitch. You wanna get the fuck out of here so she can put some clothes on?” Gregor was talking to the cop, but his eyes were on her as he slid his body up hers to shield her nakedness from the other man.

  The cop laughed, “Yeah, I’ll give you two a minute.” Why the hell was he laughing?

  She expected Gregor to move off the bed. Instead he pushed her hair away from her face and kissed her softly. Well fuck.

  Merrick ignored the ringing phone. The woman lying under him was too delectable to stop fucking. Red hair was splayed across white pillows; the contrast was almost blinding. Her wrists were bound with rope, and her arms were stretched over her head, putting her breasts on full display. Her creamy smooth skin was taunting him. There was not one blemish on her anywhere. No birthmark, no freckle, no tattoo, nothing. He needed to rectify that.

  So far, he had been fairly gentle. Her moans filled the air as he thrust in and out of her wet pussy. When he pulled his cock out, her green eyes widened. He decided for his next trick she would need to be completely immobile. He grabbed more rope and bound her ankles tightly to the bed. When she started to complain, he rolled up an old t-shirt and gagged her mouth. Even though they were far away from civilization, he wasn’t taking any chances.

  Merrick caressed the pale skin but offered no words of comfort or accolades of beauty. No, this was the part he enjoyed the most. When a woman who had so easily offered her body to a stranger figured out she had fucked up. When the fear shone brightly in those green eyes, and she pissed herself knowing she was going to die. That was the biggest turn on Merrick had ever known.

  He climbed back onto the bed and situated himself between her legs, licking her bare mound, sucking on her clit. Her body was betraying her. The pleasure overrode the pain and the fright, up until that moment she realized what was happening. Then, it was too late. He sucked on the tender flesh at the juncture of her thigh and cunt. He pulled the blood to the surface, the skin turning red then purple. As she wiggled and squirmed as best she could while being tied up, he marked a colorful path up her white skin until he got to her neck. He didn’t bother lubing the condom. He thrust his cock into her still wet pussy. As with the other victims, he wrapped his large hand around her small neck and squeezed. As his orgasm neared, he gripped harder. Her life leaving her body was simultaneous with his seed leaving his. As the woman gasped her last breath, Merrick expelled his last stream of cum.

  Needing to remove the smell of sex from his body, Merrick took a quick shower. As he turned the water off, he heard his phone ringing again. He wrapped a towel around his hips and looked at the caller I.D. Fuck.

  “Mr. Flanagan, what can I do for you?” Gordon Flanagan rarely called unless he was pissed.

  “You can tell me why you haven’t flushed her out.”

  “Sir, I have another body ready to dump. If she doesn’t come forward after this one, I will up my game. I was thinking I need to branch out to surrounding states.”

  “My patience is wearing thin.” The phone disconnected. Merrick knew going outside Flanagan’s game plan was risky, but his daughter wasn’t taking the bait. For all he knew, she wasn’t even in New Atlanta. An idea had formed while he was in the shower. He opened his duffle and pulled out a hunting knife. Before cutting the ropes loose from the bed, Merrick decided to leave a different type of calling card.

  Thirty

  “What the fuck are you doing here, Jenkins?” Gregor knew Jasper played for the other team, but gay or not, he didn’t want anyone seeing Tessa naked.

  “That’s Detective Jenkins to you, and I’m answering a 911 break-in call.”

  “Since when do detectives answer those types of calls?” Gregor walked into the kitchen, removing his shredded shirt. He stopped just inside the doorway with his back to the hall. He was pissed at himself for not hearing Jasper come into the house. Gregor couldn’t say anything to Tessa about not setting the alarm. He hadn’t even locked the fucking door.

  “Since I was in the vicinity. It’s a good thing I did, too, considering the fangs were out. Seriously, I wouldn’t want sharp teeth so close to my junk.”

  “You couldn’t see my fangs.”

  “No, but I could see hers.” He was pointing at Tessa who had just walked into the room, now fully clothed.

  Gregor opened his mouth, but Tessa cut him off. “Out. Both of you out, now.”

  “I’m not going anywhere until I get some answers. Jenkins, I’ll see you at the manor.” Jasper grinned then gave him a two-fingered salute.

  Before he could reach the door, his cell phone rang. “Jenkins. Fuck, where? I’m on my way.” His shit-eating grin was gone. He pointed at Tessa, “You need to watch yourself.”

  Gregor waited until Jasper was pulling out of the driveway before speaking. He was pretty sure another redhead had just been found. He needed to lighten the mood, not darken it. “You taste so fucking good.” He ran his tongue over his lips, savoring the last bit of her juices.

  Tessa rolled her eyes at him and leaned against the kitchen island. “What do I have to do to get you to leave? I can’t bully you out; you’re a bigger bully. I can’t shoot you; it doesn’t penetrate. I can’t tell you I hate you; you’re too pig-headed to believe any woman wouldn’t fall down at your feet worshiping at the Stone altar.”

  Gods, did she really hate him? The pain he felt earlier in his heart just increased a hundred-fold. “You can give me some answers. You tell me what I want to know, and then I’ll go.”

  “Stone, I don’t have time for your games or your questions.”

  “Then make time. It seems you are the all-knowing when it comes to bonding. How is that? How did you, Tessa-Trixie-Tabitha-Andrea-Flanagan-Blackmore become the mating Dalai Lama?”

  “Wow, I’m impressed. How long did you spend practicing that one? You know what? Ask me your questions. The sooner I answer, the sooner I can be alone.” She jumped up on the island, crossing her ankles. “What’s your first question?”

  “Do you really hate me?” Gregor shouldn’t let her know she was getting to him. He shouldn’t care as much as he did, but she was crushing his heart.

  “No, I don’t hate you. I just don’t like you very much. Next question.” She leaned back on her hands, her breasts jutting out in front of her.

  “Are you going out of town again?”

  “Yes, next.”

  “Where are you going this time?”

  “I don’t see how it’s any of your business, but to speed this shit along, I’m going to Egypt. One of the other watchers has gone missing. His dau
ghter has set out to find him, and she has no experience in that sort of thing. I’m the only one who can go after her and keep her safe.”

  “Who’s supposed to keep you safe?” Gregor knew she wouldn’t allow it, but he was going to either go with her, or at the least, follow her.

  “I’ve been doing this a long time now. I don’t need anyone watching my back.” Her beautiful green eyes were dull. She truly believed she was alone in all this.

  “Who is your father?”

  She flinched. “Not up for discussion. I thought you wanted to know about mating.”

  “Okay, if Jonas was ostracized for mating with a human, why didn’t he change his name? I mean, yeah, he modernized it, but he’s been hiding out for hundreds of years. Why not change to an alias like you have?”

  “My aliases are to keep Flanagan from finding me. Society believes Jonas to be dead. If the Gargoyles want to find him, they will, no matter what he calls himself.”

  “How many humans have mated with Goyles?”

  “Honestly? I don’t know the exact number. In our family the only ones I am certain of are Jonas and my father. If Rafael has mated with the chief, that would be three. As far as the half-bloods, I’m guessing around twelve.” Tessa shifted so she was no longer leaning on her arms. Gregor was glad. While he might be an ass man, any part of his mate turned him on.

  “How many children does Jonas have?”

  “Seventeen. Well, sixteen now.” Tessa hopped down and went to the refrigerator, pulling out two beers. She unscrewed the top off both and handed him one. This was getting to be a habit.

  “Why sixteen? Do half-bloods die the same way Gargoyles do?”

  “Because one was killed before he transitioned.” Hmm, that was a conversation for another time.

  “How many siblings do you have?”

  “Just Tamian. My mother wanted more children, but my father wouldn’t hear of it. She is going to remain young forever, and he will not risk her having another child.”

  “What do you mean remain young forever?”

  “Just like the Gargoyles stop aging, when a human mates with a full-blood and has a child, the aging process stops. My mom looks as young as I do. As a matter of fact, we could almost pass for twins.”

  “Interesting. Are there any other side effects of the mating process?”

  “None that we’re aware of.” Tessa leaned a hip against the counter and drank her beer, waiting on the next question.

  “What happens when the half-bloods have children? Do those children shift as well?”

  “We don’t know yet; we are still waiting to find out. Now, I’ve answered your questions. I would like for you to go.”

  “One more question.” Gregor knew the answer before he asked, but what the hell.

  “What?” Her annoyed look was back.

  “Will you have dinner with me?”

  It took her almost a full minute to answer. “On one condition.”

  “Anything.” He would promise her the moon if she would just spend some time getting to know him.

  “I will have dinner with you if you promise to forget about us. I will give you tonight. After that, I’m out of your life. For good.”

  “Anything but that.”

  “Then the answer is no. Look, Stone, I’m sorry. Really, I am. If I were anyone other than who I am, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But I cannot be your mate.”

  “Okay. One night. But you have to give me all night. Not just dinner. I want you at my table then in my bed… all night. Afterwards, if you still feel the same, I will let you go.”

  “Really?” Tessa didn’t look convinced.

  “Really. One night is better than nothing. At least I will have the memories to keep me company.” Gods, he knew he sounded like a sappy woman. He was going all in, counting on the bond to kick in and Tessa changing her mind.

  Sighing, she relented. “Okay, one night. Then you have to let me go and not interfere.”

  “Deal.”

  Jasper and Dane arrived within minutes of each other. The dumping site was in a wooded area on the south side of the city. CSU was on the scene, taping off the area. Jasper had been in his new job a few days and was already tired of seeing the yellow barriers. He couldn’t swallow the knowledge that a human life could mean absolutely nothing to someone.

  Dante was at the scene, standing over the victim. He motioned them both over to where he was. Pointing at the body, he said “This is new.” Instead of the victim being fully clothed, this one was naked from the waste up. Purple marks that resembled hickies dotted her torso, and words had been carved into her chest: Andrea, where are you?

  “Who the hell is Andrea?” Jasper asked no one in particular.

  “My guess would be Flanagan’s daughter. If I remember correctly, that was her name. Dante, did the DNA evidence on the last victim give us any leads?” Dane asked, staring at the body.

  “It did. Trevor called as I was driving over here. The DNA belongs to one Richard Merrick. He was dishonorably discharged from the Army several years ago. I have Julian searching for his whereabouts. I’m going to call him back and add the name Andrea to his list of searches for anything to do with Flanagan, just to be sure. If we are right, he is trying to flush his daughter out using lookalikes. There is also something off about the DNA of the victims, and I have Trevor looking into it. If he can’t figure it out, I’ll throw that to Julian as well.” Dante walked off to where the victim was being placed in a body bag. Without another word to either of them, he left the scene.

  “I will never get used to him,” Dane said to the tail lights.

  “Sure you will; he just doesn’t have a reason to smile. All he sees is death, and most of the time it’s useless killings like this one. I was just thinking I’ve been on this job less than a week, and I’m already feeling empty.”

  Dane nodded, “Let’s take a walk.”

  When they were out of earshot of the others, Jasper sighed, “It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact you’ve been seeing shit like this as long as you have. How do you do it?”

  Dane sighed. “I guess the same way Dante has, you eventually get numb.”

  Jasper thought for a minute. “I’ve worked mostly as a firefighter the last half-century, so the trauma I’ve seen has been of a different sort. Very few fire deaths were arson. Most were accidents, not the brutal murder this was.”

  They continued walking, canvassing the area looking for clues as they talked. “I can’t wait to meet Sixx. I hope he can turn my financial situation around the way he has for the rest of you. If you all have so much money, why do you still have day jobs?”

  For Jasper that was an easy one. “If you help me move, you will get to meet him. As for working, have you ever taken a vacation and by the end of it you were so stir crazy you were jonesing to get back to your job?”

  “Yeah, relaxing can be a chore.” Dane laughed now that he thought about it.

  “Imagine relaxing for over four hundred years. That puts a whole new spin on stir crazy.” Jasper had come to the manor during Dane’s meeting with Rafael. After grabbing a beer, he was invited to join the conversation. “What made you decide to open up?”

  Dane stopped and squatted down, looking at a footprint in the dirt. “Kaya. She told me I could continue on the lonely path I was on, or I could have a family, a Clan. I had time to think about what I wanted. My biological family kept this shit from me my whole life. Sure, they may have thought their reasons were legitimate, but I’d rather have known what I was up against from the start. If they are so scared of whoever it is they’re hiding from, I’d rather have all the knowledge of our kind at my disposal, as well as the backing of my Brothers. I may not be a full-blooded Gargoyle, but Rafael said that didn’t matter to him. Jasper, I have felt alone my whole life. If I’m going to live forever, I don’t want to be alone anymore. I think Kaya always thought she’d be alone forever, too. It’s odd, thinking about her being a Queen. I’ve known her a l
ong time, and if anyone can lead a group of Alpha men, it would be her.”

  Jasper understood what Dane was saying. Even though he was nearly five hundred years old, he never felt part of the Clan out west. He had hidden the fact he was gay, and it had been a lonely existence. He finally found a lover in Craig, but he had wanted to hide their relationship. Craig was convinced they couldn’t come out as lovers and not lose their jobs as firemen. When Sin told Jasper it was time he moved, he freaked. He felt alone in his world where he knew people. He couldn’t imagine moving again, starting over. It turned out to be best thing that ever happened to him. Now, he wasn’t flaming, but he sure wasn’t hiding his sexuality, and Rafael’s Clan couldn’t care less.

  Get to know Dane time was up when he pointed at the evidence on the ground. “Let’s get CSU over here.”

  Thirty-One

  Tessa was an idiot. Pure and simple. Why in the name of all that was holy did she agree to this? At least she was driving herself and wouldn’t have to rely on Gregor’s generosity when she decided it was time to go. And go she would. If tonight went the way she was sure it would, Gregor would pour on the Stone charm and seduce her, appealing to her inner shifter to mate with him. She had to be strong, not only for her sake but his as well. She had already let the family down by spilling as much information as she had about the human bonding. So be it. Rafael was King, and as such, he had to make the hard decisions, whether they be about territories, family disputes, or what diapers to put on his little Prince.

  She didn’t need a GPS to tell her where her mate lived. When she first transitioned, she became obsessed with him. She followed Gregor often, sometimes to bars, sometimes to his home. Never did she get up the nerve to get close to him. Maybe it hadn’t been nerves, more like self-preservation. As time went on and she realized she would never be with him in the way they were meant to be, she stopped following. Watching him go out of town to meet other women had been too much. That was when she decided to hook up with Jacques. What a disaster that turned out to be.