Stone Lover

by A C Warneke

  “Do you need my help with anything?”

  Turning around she was pleasantly surprised at how close he was standing but she glanced over at the table and Rhys’s expectant expression and realized that there was no room at the table for the both the food and their plates. “Could you bring me the plates so I can serve the food from here?”

  “No problem.” He kissed the tip of her nose and went about gathering up the plates, shoving Rhys on the way. Melanie smiled at the display of affection between the two brothers; it was so normal and that was strangely comforting considering the two men in her kitchen weren’t human. It probably should have worried her that she wasn’t freaking out about that fact but she wasn’t worried; maybe because she had only seen his human face.

  “Are your other forms as beautiful as your human forms?” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and she blushed. Pretending she hadn’t just stuck her foot in her mouth, she served up the food then sat down at the table to join the two of them, who were now staring at her in something akin to horror. “Um, dig in?”

  “Um, some people find our… other forms beautiful,” Rhys said awkwardly, taking his glass and draining the apple juice in one gulp, his cheeks red and his eyes sparkling. Did he laugh at everything?

  “I’m so sorry for just blurting it out like that,” she apologized sincerely. “I am just so curious about what you guys are; is there a reason why you can’t just tell me?”

  “We are bound by magic,” Rhys explained, a wry grin on his lips. “Otherwise I am sure Vaughn would have spilled his guts the first time you asked him.”

  Melanie looked at Vaughn and he shrugged his shoulders and grinned, “I’m oddly vulnerable to you.”

  She didn’t have to say anything; she simply slid her hand into his and smiled at him, enjoying the warm, sunny feelings he stirred in her. Holding Vaughn’s eyes, her voice became flirtatious, “But if I guess correctly can you tell me?”

  Vaughn shook his head no but it was Rhys who answered, “I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way. It is really a matter of fate; once the gods or elders or whatever decide you are ready our natures will be revealed. Until that time….” He shrugged his broad shoulders and let the words trail off as he shoved a mouthful of food into his mouth.

  “So I could have seen your other form a thousand times but I wouldn’t remember because I’m not ready for it?” she asked, just to clarify. At Vaughn’s nod, she frowned, “So, have I seen you?”

  Rhys choked on the bread he was eating and started hacking up a lung. Without a second thought, Melanie was out of her chair and pounding him on the back while Vaughn got up to pour him another cup of juice. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he struggled to catch his breath.

  “Are you all right?” Melanie asked after he took a rattling breath and pressed his fist against his chest. At his nod, she held up the cup to his mouth, “Here; drink this; it’ll help.”

  After that, she didn’t ask any more questions about what they were though their words and actions gave her a lot to consider. It all made sense, of course; how else were magical beings to remain secret if they couldn’t go about their lives without fear of humans discovering their existence? Of course, her brain whirled with the possibilities, trying to come up with all sorts of possibilities. Maybe they could lie if they were confronted directly, which would mean the Nosuntres brothers were fairies, but not the children’s fairies that were all that was sweet and dainty and light.

  No, the Nosuntres brothers would be the mischievous fairies of the Old World; the fairies of Oberon and Titania, of merciless cruelty and shameless passions, without remorse or guilt. But, no, not even Armand had been mercilessly cruel; he only wished to protect his brothers. They couldn’t be fairies. But what else could they be?

  Rhys chuckled, nudging her chin with his knuckle, “Let it rest, Lenni; you’re never going to figure it out.”

  Her eyes widen in her head as she stared at the long-haired man in wonder, “You called me Lenni; only my close friends and family call me that. How do you know that name?”

  “I’m sure I must have heard it at the club.” He had the good grace to blush and look away. And Vaughn kicked him beneath the table.

  Melanie looked from one brother to the other, missing something. “Not that I mind, of course; I would love to call you a friend; it’s just weird, is all. How long do you think it will be before the fates decide I’m worthy, or whatever?”

  “Well, humans are a tricky business,” Rhys answered slowly, thoughtfully. “Usually, they are much happier not knowing what is going on right beneath their noses. When someone like you comes along, it gets… complicated.”

  “Complicated.” She repeated the word and made a little moue with her mouth. “I don’t think I like that word anymore.”

  The two males chuckled and Vaughn gave her hand a commiserating squeeze. “It just means that there are certain… creatures out there that are attracted to humans who can see beneath the veil. Usually, once a human gets his first taste of what it is really like, he quickly closes his eyes.”

  “So humans are cowards.”

  Vaughn shook his head, “Not at all; they are simply… human.”

  * * * * *

  “Oh, man,” Rhys leaned back in his chair, resting his hands over his still-flat, rock hard abdomen. “I am so full; I don’t think I could eat another bite.”

  “I told you to save room for dessert,” Melanie scolded teasingly, nudging him with her hip as she carried the empty plates to the sink. “I may not have very impressive skills when it comes to making dinner but my desserts are to die for. You have to find a little bit of room in that stomach of yours.”

  “Sweetheart, my brother is trying to be polite,” Vaughn grinned, gathering up the rest of the dishes and carting them over to the sink. “He could eat an entire elephant and still have room for dessert.”

  “Well, then,” she smiled and went over to the refrigerator where she pulled out the decadent dessert. Turning around, she saw Rhys’s eyes widen in anticipation; he sat up straighter in his chair and Melanie could have sworn she saw drool. “Who wants dessert?”

  She cut two generous slices of the cheesecake, setting a plate in front of each brother, than stood back and watched in excitement and nerves. She wasn’t sure why she was nervous; she knew that her dessert was amazing and nearly everyone loved it. But she had never served it to anyone who wasn’t human before; it was kind of thrilling to see how the other beings of the world would react to her chocolate masterpiece. And they didn’t disappoint.

  “My God, Lenni,” Rhys moaned in pleasure. “I think I’ve fallen in love with you; you should ditch my brother and marry me.”

  “Nyuh uh,” Vaughn denied around a mouthful of the dessert. Sliding his arm around her waist, he pulled her against his side, lifting his loaded fork up to his mouth for another bite. “This one is mine; find your own dessert goddess.”

  He pulled her onto his lap while he continued to eat the chocolate dessert. After a few minutes of silence, as he savored each bite, Vaughn paused and gave Melanie a curious look, “Why aren’t you eating any?”

  She huffed out a little laugh, brushing a thumb over the corner of his lip and wiping the smudge of chocolate from his mouth. She put the thumb in her mouth and savored the small taste before she answered, “I work with candy all day; if I ate everything I made I would weigh a thousand pounds so I only nibble and relish the little bits of flavor.”

  “What kind of candy?” Rhys asked, his voice low and serious.

  “All kinds.” She met his eyes, mimicking the seriousness of his face. “But mostly chocolate.”

  “Oh, God,” he moaned again, his eyes rolling back in ecstasy. “Really, Lenni; dump Vaughn’s sorry ass and say you’ll be mine.”

  She threw her head back and laughed, “Rhys, don’t you know that you’ll get more chocolates if I’m with Vaughn?”

  “How do you figure that?”

  “Wel
l, if Vaughn is going to insist on having a chaperone when we go out on a date,” she grinned, her eyes twinkling. “Then I figure I can just bribe you with some chocolate to look the other way.”

  “Oh, hell, sweetheart, I’ll leave the room if you give me the rest of the cheesecake.”

  “No,” Vaughn shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. “I promised you a real date; we’re going to have a real date.”

  “Even if we have to have a chaperone.” She laughed, kissing Vaughn on the cheek before standing up. “Well, I am going to change into some comfy pants and a tank top if you two wouldn’t mind setting up the movie.”

  “What about the dessert?” Rhys asked, a hopeful note in his voice.

  “It’s yours,” she smiled.

  * * * * *

  Melanie was snuggled up on the couch against Vaughn’s side while Rhys was sitting on the floor in front of them. Her mind kept drifting from the movie, a classic horror that was one of her favorites, to Rhys’s gorgeous auburn hair. It was thick and luxurious and hung to his trim waist; and she just wanted to touch it and see if it was as silky as it looked.

  “You can touch it, you know,” Vaughn’s breath warmed her skin as he whispered in her ear. “After that dessert, I’m pretty sure Rhys will let you do whatever you want to him.”

  She turned her head and their noses bumped but neither moved back. Her eyes sparkled as their breath mingled, “I only want to do that with you.”

  He put his hand around the back of her head and held her for a fast and hard kiss, growling possessively. “Good.”

  Rhys cleared his throat, making a production out of it. “You know, if you want some time alone, all it will take is another piece of cheesecake.”

  “You ate all of the cheesecake,” Vaughn reminded him.

  With a grin, Rhys stood up and plopped himself down on the couch between Vaughn and Melanie, squeezing into the tight space and forcing the two lovers apart. “Well, then, no canoodling while in my presence; my delicate sensibilities can’t handle that much excitement.”

  Scooting over a bit to give him more room, Melanie mindlessly ran her hand through the thick hair. When he turned his head and gave her a questioning glance, she smiled wryly, “Can I play with your hair, Rhys? It’s so beautiful and I just want to touch it.”

  “Be my guest,” he grinned. With a squeal of delight, she scrambled off the small couch and got behind Rhys, running her hands through his hair and deciding what to do with it. She adored Rhys; he was everything a brother should be; protective and entertaining. Plus, he loved her cooking and her desserts. And he loved Vaughn; it was obvious in the way the interacted, the good natured ribbing and joking. The two of them were very close and she suspected they shared a similar bond with Armand; it had to be killing Vaughn to know his brother so strongly disapproved of her, even if Vaughn never said anything.

  She would go nuts if Jenna didn’t approve of Vaughn; her sister’s opinion was very important to her. It was one of the reasons she had been reluctant to introduce Vaughn to the rest of her family. While she couldn’t fathom such an outcome, what if they didn’t like him? What if Ferris took one look at him and went screaming the other way?

  Nah, that wasn’t likely to happen. Her family was going to adore Vaughn simply because she adored him. They would take one look at her and see how deliriously happy she was and accept him without question. But how do you introduce your boyfriend to your parents when he wasn’t human? And only came out at night?

  She racked her brain to figure out what other supernatural creatures only came out at night but she was stuck on vampires and she knew he wasn’t a vampire because he didn’t have fangs and he had never, not once, bitten her. Absently, running her hands through Rhys’s hair, she stole a peak at the mirror and was relieved to see their reflections. Of course, she had invited them into her apartment, which nulls a vampire’s weaknesses.

  “Are you guys sure you’re not vampires?” she asked, pulling Rhys’s hair away from his face and wishing her hair was as gorgeous. Dropping most of the heavy weight, she started weaving three strands into a braid. She accidentally pulled his hair when he lurched forward in laughter; he quickly sat back but didn’t stop laughing. “Sorry.”

  “We’re not vampires, Melanie,” Vaughn assured her; she could hear the smile in his voice.

  “Well, how do I know that for sure?” she asked, starting another braid.

  “We were able to consume food,” Vaughn laughed. “My brother ate almost an entire cheesecake; vampires cannot eat food in any circumstance.”

  “So,” Looping the braids together, she twined some of his hair around the loop and started yet another braid. Choosing her words carefully, making sure she understood, she drawled, “You’re saying that vampires do exist; that they’re not just myth.”

  “And you really don’t want to meet one; they’re horrid creatures.” A shudder went through Rhys’s body. “Luckily for you, they mainly keep a low profile, preferring to terrorize the forgotten towns.”

  She shivered at the confirmation that vampires existed. Letting that digest for a few minutes, she silently continued to play with Rhys’s hair, her thoughts flying a million miles an hour, coming up with possible creatures and then just as quickly discarding them. Then inspiration hit. “Ooh! Are you guys shifters? Like, able to transform into a lion or a monkey or something?”

  Rhys sucked in a breath but Vaughn was the one who answered, “Sweetheart, when you’re ready, you’ll know. Don’t force it or you’ll only get frustrated.”

  “Do you know what would be awesome?” she asked after a few minutes of trying not to think about it and failing. Rhys’s hair was looking pretty spectacular, though; if he was a girl, it would be perfect for the Renaissance festival. “If gargoyles were real and they came to life at night to protect the world: I bet the three gargoyles on the roof would look glorious flying around the night sky, with their gorgeous stone bodies and magnificent wings.” She sighed with heartfelt yearning, “I would love to see that.”

  * * * * *

  “You look ridiculous,” Vaughn said after the movie ended. After Melanie had finished styling Rhys’s hair, his brother had slid back to the floor, giving his space back to Melanie. She had promptly curled up against Vaughn’s side and fallen asleep, missing the last hour of the movie. He didn’t mind; he got to hold her in his arms and run his fingers along her soft skin.

  Rhys ran his hand over the many, many braids and grimaced, “It kept her entertained; it was a small price to pay to make your anime coeunt happy.”

  Vaughn couldn’t help but smile at his brother’s words. Anime Coeunt. Soul mate. Were gargoyles even given soul mates, at least allowed to keep them? Of all of the gargoyles who ever gave up their nights, he could think of only one that had had his gift accepted and that was long, long before his time. Granted, not all that many tried; there were very few humans capable of being aware of the world beneath the veil. And of those humans, even fewer wished to love a gargoyle.

  Even Katrina, who had loved Armand to distraction, had difficulty accepting his gargoyle nature. She had known the outcome before Armand gave up his nights for her and she was eager to accept the gift, until it came time to actually accept it. At the last moment, she balked, abandoning Armand and breaking his heart.

  “I like Melanie,” Rhys said, interrupting Vaughn’s contemplations. “She’s something special.”

  “Yeah, she is.”

  “Her subconscious mind knows,” he whispered, glancing back to make sure she was still asleep. “She knows what we are, even what our gargoyles are; what are the fates waiting for?”

  Vaughn shook his head, frustration and anxiety tightening his jaw. “I don’t know.”

  Rhys was quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts, and when he spoke, his voice was hushed, “Have you noticed the increased… activity?”

  Vaughn’s jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed as he stared at nothing in particular. “You mean the imps?” At R
hys’s nod, Vaughn gave a curt nod of his head. “They are drawn to humans who are sensitive and having Melanie living in this building is a beacon to the little bastards. They’ve been keeping their distance but I have put up extra wards none-the-less; her protection charm seems to be an effective deterrent as well.”

  “Good.” Rhys nodded his approval. “Did you ask Armand to create a shield or something, just to have a little extra… oomph?”

  “He did it before I even asked,” Vaughn answered, grateful to his older brother even as he was angry with him for his hardline stance on Melanie. “He’s not happy that she’s here but he won’t let anything happen to her.”

  They fell into a companionable silence. For a long time it had just been the three of them, together against the world. Vaughn couldn’t imagine being without his brothers and he also wanted Melanie to become a part of their lives. Would they be able to accept her if she accepted his gift? Rhys wouldn’t be a problem; he was already putty in Melanie’s hands; but what about Armand?

  Would Melanie even want to spend a lifetime with him? She was already giving up so much of her time to be with him, getting up early to work at her parent’s shop, staying up late to be with him; it was no wonder she was exhausted.

  “Are you going to give up your nights for her?”

  Vaughn was quiet for a long time, contemplating the question that he had been asking himself often of late. “We just met and we’re still getting to know one another; so far, nothing bad has happened to her, the imps are leaving her alone even if they follow her relentlessly. But….”

  He looked down at her sleeping face and swallowed against the knowledge that lodged in his throat. “Yeah; I think I will.”

  Rhys shook his head, a sad smile playing about his lips, “Armand will be furious.”

  “I know.” And Vaughn hated upsetting his brother but Melanie was quickly becoming his everything; he would do anything to keep her safe. To keep her forever. “But it won’t happen anytime soon; we have time. Hell; if she’s willing to accept my gift, I’ll wait until she’s forty before asking her.”