Stone Destiny (Stone Passion #3)

by Warneke, A. C.

  She knew she passed several people on her headlong rush to get to Armand but she didn’t stop to chat or explain why she was running around in nothing more than a simple chemise and robe. There was no time. In moments the sun would be setting and Armand…. She smiled to herself: Armand would be changing back to a man and she had one more chance to see the transformation.

  Skidding to a halt, she picked her way through the garden and all of the statues in it. Really, there was little wonder Armand thought he would pass by unnoticed in the extensive statue garden. With all of the fantastical beasts that took up residence there, a mythological griffin could easily belong because who in their right mind would think a statue could simply appear?

  Further back, where the statues were covered in vines, she saw him, the proud griffin that was Armand. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the magnificent gargoyle, his gray stone skin nearly golden beneath the setting sun. His eyes kept glaring at her and if she were anyone else she wouldn’t have noticed and her brain would have automatically assumed he was as he always was. But she was Ferris, Dragon-Mate of Fray, mother of gods, and a little bit of a goddess. She saw him as he truly was and it took everything in her power to keep from wrapping her arms around him and hugging him and never letting him go.

  Tentatively, she reached out her hand and ran it across the hard, marble thigh, loving the warmth of his stone skin. A sound hissed out from between his stone lips as he tried to will her away. She felt the tendrils wrapping around her and she almost melted as Armand’s phantom fingers urged her away. He wasn’t as powerful as he was in the future but she knew that it would only be a matter of time. Also, spending sixty some years as a statue would make him stronger since a gargoyle who gave up his nights received a surge of power in return.

  Ignoring the pleasurable ache, she kept her eyes on his face, waiting for the moment the sun set completely and he was a man once more. The last time she watched him change she had been up close and very personal. And then everything went to Hell and she ended up back in the late 1500’s as Katrina.

  How did she know what era it was? Or, for that matter, how to navigate the house?

  The last of the light flared briefly as the sun set and then the magic moment came and she held her breath as cold gray stone became warm living flesh. The bulky muscles of the gargoyle became the sleek muscles of the man and as her eyes drifted downwards over his hard body she remembered she was supposed to be a virginal miss.

  Blushing, she could only stare as she held the wool blanket up, offering it to the incredibly young Armand. He wore an expression of panic as he gaped at her with wide, beautiful green eyes, as heightened color stained his cheeks. None of the jaded-ness was there in those green depths, just youthful mischief and embarrassment. He looked the same age he did in her time but she knew he couldn’t be more than forty or fifty, maybe a little older. Quickly, he grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around his lean hips, covering the very masculine part of his anatomy.

  “You’re magnificent,” Ferris breathed, unable to tear her gaze away from the younger version of the man she had loved for so long. There was no darkness in his eyes, no coldness. He was simply Armand in all of his exuberant youth and her heart ached a little bit in her chest.

  Despite his initial embarrassment, his cockiness asserted itself in no time and he gave her a smile that melted her panties, had she been wearing any. “So, aren’t you a little bit curious about me, about what you just saw?”

  Her blush deepened, moving down her throat as she lowered her lashes and tried to act demure, “Of course. It’s not every day one sees a statue become a man.”

  “You should really forget what you just saw,” he murmured, stepping closer and brushing his forefinger along her jaw. Heat sizzled along her skin and it took all of her will power to not lean into the caress and sigh in pleasure. Even five hundred years in the past his touch still affected her profoundly. She would never grow tired of such a simple yet powerful act.

  “I have no desire to forget,” she whispered, daring to lift her lashes and catching the surprise and hint of something more in his laughing green eyes.

  He grinned at her, “My brothers are going to kill me for being discovered by a human.”

  Cocking her head to the side, she wondered if he was talking about Vaughn and Rhys. But then she remembered how the younger gargoyles were fostered by older gargoyles. That meant he had to be talking about the London gargoyles, a triad that Ferris had only met once, and only briefly at that. As gorgeous as they had been they had been even more world-weary than Armand and their ingrained apathy made her pity them.

  He arched his arrogant eyebrow and she realized that he expected her to say something. Or do something, possibly faint. With a coquettish smile, she said, “They’ll only kill you if you tell them.”

  He threw his head back and laughed, a deep, rumbling belly laugh that washed over her and through her, leaving a melted pile of Ferris in its wake. “Then I must be off before my brothers discover my transgressions. Thanks for the blanket, Miss?”

  “Fe….” She was about to give him her name before she stopped herself just in time. Slowly, the name coming to her as she spoke it, she murmured, “Featherstone. Miss Katrina Featherstone.”

  Her brows pulled together as the name spilled from her lips. How had she known Katrina’s familial name? Her thoughts were interrupted when he took her hand in his and kissed her fingertips. As his hot breath moved over her skin, she didn’t even remember her own name. His eyes smiled as he warmly murmured, “It’s an honor, Miss Featherstone.”

  The heat of his lips spread through her body and all the way to her toes. Catching her lower lip between her teeth and trying not to squirm, Ferris tried for seductive and squeaked instead, “And you are?”

  His smile was back and his green eyes danced with laughter, making her breath hitch almost painfully in her throat. A dark and brooding Armand was deadly; a light-hearted and teasing Armand was catastrophic, and she wasn’t sure if it was in a good way or a bad way. His lips moved and she forced herself to listen to his words, smiling as he said, “Armand Nosuntres, at your service.”

  “You're a gargoyle," she hurriedly stated, desperate to keep him near and never let him out of her sight again. At his single nod, she racked her brain trying to figure out what she could say that would make him stay. When he smiled and turned to leave, she blurted, "What do gargoyles do?"

  “We are the guardians between this world and the world beneath,” he explained quickly, his cheeks washed with color. He looked like he would rather be anywhere but in that garden but she didn't want him to go, not yet. “We protect humans from the dangers that lurk beyond their understanding and we erase the memories of those that stumble upon our world."

  "Oh, don't erase my memories," she quickly pleaded.

  Startled, he looked at her, truly looked at her. Gently, almost kindly, he said, "It would be better for you if I did."

  "It wouldn't," she protested fiercely. "I know it wouldn't."

  A slight smile quirked his lips as he touched her cheek with the tip of his fingers. "You're not afraid of me, are you?"

  "No," she whispered, staring at him with her heart in his eyes.

  He chuckled, the sound warm and carefree. Shaking his head, he winked at her and said, "I really must be off.”

  "I'll see you again, won't I?" Hope swelled in her chest at the possibility of having a different life with Armand. Maybe he was her destiny in the past.

  "Maybe." He ducked around another statue and picked up a bundle of clothes before he bounded out of sight, leaving Ferris staring after him with her heart in her throat and a smile on her lips.

  Suddenly, the air rushed over her and she was surrounded by the white fog once more and she cried out, “No!”

  “Relax, Dragon-Mate,” Fray’s voice said calmly, the heat of his body wrapping around her thigh. “We’re just moving a little further along.”

  Before Ferris could pr
ocess his words, the room solidified and she found herself in a dark room with another person pressing hot, passionate kisses along her throat. She would recognize his scent anywhere and before she could think better of it, she clutched his shoulders and moaned, “Armand.”

  She felt the smile against her skin as his hand moved along her breast, the hot palm burning her skin. Why were they in the dark? She would give anything to see his beautiful face, to look into his eyes as they made love. Would it be different making love to Armand when he didn’t hold such darkness, such loneliness, in his soul?

  “Shh,” he murmured, his breath hot against her ear as his fingers slipped the chemise from her shoulder, as his hand palmed her breast. “We’ve got to be quiet or we’ll wake the house.”

  She nodded her head in understanding, losing herself in the heat of his tender kisses. His thumb brushed over her nipple and she gasped, curling her fingers over his hand to hold it in place and thrusting her breast more fully against his palm. His teeth captured her earlobe for a moment before he rasped, “Are you sure this is what you want?”

  “More than anything,” Ferris breathed but it was Katrina’s voice that came out. For a split second she wondered how much time had passed between the evening she found him in the garden and the present. But then he bent his head and captured her hard nipple with his teeth and she forgot everything, including her name. Her fingers curled into the silk of his hair and she held him to her breast, feeling the pull of his lips deep in her belly.

  Lost in a haze, she felt like she was floating. Thinking Fray was stealing her away again before she was ready, she panicked until she realized Armand was just bearing her backwards onto a soft bed. Fray wasn’t taking her away from the moment just yet. Thank the gods. Within moments she was divested of her chemise and her naked flesh was covered by a hot, male body. “It’s going to hurt.”

  “I know,” she breathed, turning her head and pressing soft kisses along his jaw, savoring the midnight taste of his skin. Her fingers curled into his ribs as his hand moved down her body to the damp heat between her legs. She flinched as his fingers softly parted the seam of her sex and Ferris wondered who was experiencing this: her or Katrina. A small whimper came out at the thought.

  “Shh,” he soothed, gently rubbing the folds of her sex, dipping a finger in and gathering the moisture that pooled there. Tenderly, he stroked her, encouraging her clit to swell and harden, sending tendrils of pleasure spiraling through her body. Her belly muscles clenched and she could feel the oncoming orgasm. “That’s it, love. Let me make this good for you.”

  “What’s happening to me?” Ferris asked breathlessly, frowning at the words that were asked in Katrina’s voice. “I feel achy inside. I feel like I am going to die.”

  “Just let it go,” he whispered, unrelenting in his caress as he rubbed the hot length of his erection against her belly. He was already skilled in the arts of love making and she was desperate to feel the length and bulk of his erection inside of her. Her hips tilted upwards in silent entreaty but he ignored the invitation and just kept stroking her clit, occasionally dipping down to gather more moisture.

  He nibbled along her neck and then sucked the tender flesh between his teeth and she knew the love bite was going to leave a mark. But she didn’t care because her body tightened for a split second before pleasure exploded outwards and her back bowed in release. He pushed into her at the same moment and she cried out in pain as he tore through her virginity. Only, the pain added to the pleasure and she screamed silently as she lost herself in ecstasy.

  When she came to a lifetime later, he was still gently thrusting, holding back as her body continued to adjust to the intrusion. Now that the orgasm was over, she could feel the pain more acutely and she wanted him to stop. Or continue. Or something.

  She sensed the white cloud long before she felt it and she wanted to cry out, to beg Fray for just a few more minutes. A lifetime. But the cloud enveloped her and she was pulled out of Armand’s embrace and she did cry out in despair. “Why didn’t you let me stay?”

  “It wasn’t your time,” Fray said simply.

  “Bastard,” Ferris growled, feeling the pleasurable ache between her thighs as if it had been her first time with Armand and not Katrina’s. Except, in a way, it had been her. Gods, how many girls got to lose their virginity twice and to the same man?

  Fray’s chuckle filled her head and she reluctantly smiled.

  “I fear for you, Dragon-Mate,” Fray murmured as wisps of the white clouds moved around them.

  "Why?"

  He took a moment before he spoke again, gathering his thoughts. “What you are going to experience will change everything. I don't know if you will be able to handle it."

  With her thoughts racing, Ferris softly asked, “Will you be with me?”

  “I’m always with you.”

  Licking her lips, she lowered her voice to a whisper, “Where is Katrina?”

  “Safe,” Fray said casually. Jerking around to face the dragon, Ferris arched an eyebrow at him, making him smile. “Don’t worry about it, Dragon-Mate. All is as it should be.”

  His reassuring words faded as the world took shape once more and she found herself strolling down a well-worn path through a thick forest, holding Armand’s hand. She wore a simple kirtle over her chemise, leaving off the stomacher, petticoats, over gown, and ruff, since they were on the private grounds of the Nosuntres' estate. He had on a flowing shirt over a pair of silk breeches that ended at the knees, showcasing a pair of silk stockings. Somehow she knew that he had left his doublet and jerkin, or whatever they called the jacket, back at their room.

  She jumped slightly and Armand chuckled, “What is it, pet?”

  Turning her head, she looked up at him in wonder. How did she know anything about her clothes, about where they were and what had happened between them? Granted, she didn’t know everything but she had the general idea. Realizing that he had spoken, she murmured the very intelligent, “Hmm?”

  His low chuckle caressed her and she wanted to bask in its warmth but she forced herself to pay attention to his words. “I asked what has made you quiet all of a sudden?”

  She was still surprised by the lighthearted tone that came from him. Even though it was only four words she could hear all the difference in the world. Forcing her lips to curl into a smile, she murmured, “I was lost in my thoughts for a moment, that’s all. It’s a beautiful day, is it not?”

  His eyes laughed and his lips quirked but he didn’t quite smile. Bringing their entwined hands up to his lips, he kissed her knuckles, “But not nearly so beautiful as you, Kat.”

  His words were so sweet but they were a dagger to Ferris’s heart because he called her by the wrong name. But it wasn’t the wrong name; Ferris was simply in the wrong body. Determined to keep her smile from slipping, she stretched her lips even further. “You’re too kind.”

  As he looked at her, a puzzled frown marred his forehead for a moment but when she continued grinning at him he shook his head and wiped his expression clean. A warm smile curved his lips as he looked at her and smoothly crooned, “It is not kindness when it is the truth. Never have I seen such loveliness, my dear. Your hair is like honey, your eyes like the richest brandy, your breasts as white as pure cream and your skin like the finest silk.”

  At his glib words, she tilted her head to the side and studied the man she had loved for so long. But he wasn’t the same Armand she knew. This one was lightness and laughter and, she hated to admit, not very deep. He was saying all of the right words but she had the feeling that he was just playing a part. Nonetheless, she felt her lips tilting upwards in a silly, infatuated smile. Love welled in her breast and her belly bubbled in excitement. She just wasn’t sure if they were exclusively her feelings or if Katrina shared her sentiment. Despite his shallowness, this Armand was a very easy man to love.

  As the sun bathed him in its golden light she sighed with unbearable happiness. He was incredibly beautiful, with
his thick, black hair, sculpted face, and sensuous lips and as she continued staring at him, he smiled at her, flashing his teeth. They were strong, straight and brilliantly white, something that must have been greatly prized in an era before orthodontics and rigorous dental cleanings….

  The sun! She realized the sun was shining and her eyes widened as understanding smacked her upside the head with all of the finesse of a solid steel demolition ball. Licking her suddenly dry lips, she hoarsely asked, “How many more days until the new moon?”

  He gave her a knowing, seductive smile as he reached up and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger on her jaw, “Just a few more days, pet.”

  Why did Fray give her this time with him? To show her what she was missing? She already knew what she was missing, had known from the moment she fell in love with him, had it driven home when he turned to stone. It didn’t matter because she was here with him now and she was going to squeeze every drop of enjoyment and pleasure out of it as she could. She was going to create a hundred more memories to hold close to her heart for the long future that stretched out before her.

  Smiling sultrily, she took his hand in both of hers, kissing his knuckles before sucking his forefinger into her mouth. She loved the way his eyes darkened to emerald and his lips parted in lust. The love she felt for him flowed through Katrina’s veins, fortifying the childish crush the girl had on him into something deeper, stronger. Softly, in a thick voice, she whispered, “Make love to me.”

  His chuckle was strained even as his breaths came faster and he shifted slightly to ease the erection that was starting to tent the fine material of his breeches and shirt. “Outside?”

  “Yes,” she said, stepping back and undoing the lacings holding her together. There was no trace of Katrina’s presence as she awkwardly pulled the dress from her body then jerked the chemise over her head. Proudly, she stood naked before him, forgetting for only a moment that it wasn’t her body she was displaying to his hungry gaze but Katrina’s. But then she remembered and regretted her impulsive act.