by Stormy Glenn
His blood began to pump with heat that burned right before his wings shot out their full expansion of six feet. He could feel his fangs growing longer, his anger burning deeper.
“Yannis?” Nikos glanced up at him, fear and trepidation in his blue eyes. “What are you doing?” He started to grab Yannis, but Sahm pulled Nikos back.
“Let him go,” Sahm whispered softly.
Yannis tilted his head in appreciation before taking flight. His nails lengthened into long, deadly claws as he set his sight on his first victim. He knew for a fact these men were not the true Brotherhood. They were nothing more than hired lackeys.
What he wouldn’t give to get a hold of the real ones.
Landing on his feet, Yannis stalked toward the man he had zeroed in on, both hands outstretched, his claws gleaming from the fire burning brightly in the night sky. He knew his eyes looked like the fires burning in hell. That was what made him such an effective guardian. As they said on television, he took no prisoners, killed first, and left the questioning to the Gods.
A thick coat of stone began to form over the first epidermal layer of his skin, giving him a protective covering as he charged the man, ramming his shoulder into the guy’s body before he could shoot his gun.
“There will be none of that,” he said with a feral growl, slamming the man into the ground. “You have brought harm to my Beloved and the things he cherishes. For that, you shall pay with your life!”
The man rolled, trying to get away, crawling on his stomach like the vermin that he truly was. Yannis picked the man up from the ground with one clawed hand, slicing the guy’s throat with a single, sharp talon.
The man fell lifeless to the ground, his blood spilling to the earth as his head snapped to the side. There, off to his left, stood a man whose smile was sinister and dark, a challenge in his dark and evil eyes.
“I was hoping you would show up,” the man said as he rolled his shoulders, his vertebrae cracking before he lifted his gun, holding it steady and aiming it at Yannis’s chest. “I’m going to cash in when I haul your dead carcass in front of the Brotherhood. The bounty on your head is astronomical.”
Yannis bared his fangs as the two circled around each other. Anger, hate, and madness were suddenly alive in the air, so thick the emotions were nearly tangible. He had sacrificed too much, fought for too long, and revered the Gods of Olympus.
There was no way Yannis was letting a mere human destroy anything that belonged to his Beloved. He might as well just hand over his manhood to these marauding cutthroats.
“Make my day, punk.” Okay, so watching television was having an effect on him, but Yannis would be damned if he was going to lay his nuts down to be walked all over.
The guy cocked his head to the side, a look of bewilderment on his face. Yannis could tell the man wasn’t sure if he was joking or not.
Yannis was far from joking. He was lethally serious.
The trigger of the gun was pulled. Yannis took flight, his wings expanding before he dove straight for the bastard. He landed hard, taking the guy down. But he didn’t stay down for long. He did something with his legs, twisting them around Yannis’s chest before he jerked and Yannis found himself on his back.
A chest-vibrating growl ripped from Yannis before he was back on his feet. The guy got up, aimed his gun, and shot Yannis square in his chest.
A demonic laugh escaped Yannis’s lips when the bullet simply bounced off of the hard shell covering him. “Your human weapons are no match for me.”
He wasn’t sure if that was true, but so far the thick layer of stone over his skin was holding up against the human’s gun. Yannis stalked forward, wrapping his beefy hand around the man’s neck, squeezing tightly.
“Why are you here?” Yannis snapped. The man kicked out, his booted foot connecting with Yannis’s abdomen, but Yannis didn’t even flinch. Instead, his hold became tighter. “Answer me!”
The tips of his claws began to sink into soft flesh. The stranger was turning a crimson shade of red, but Yannis still didn’t let up. He wanted answers. Yannis was tired of guessing, and he was tired of his Beloved being in danger.
This was going to end. Maybe not tonight, but he was going to send a clear message to the Brotherhood that he was no one to trifle with. Maybe they would rethink attacking his Beloved in the future.
The man slapped at Yannis’s arms, trying to break the hold. That was not going to happen. Anger was a fine tremor over his skin, his muscles held in savage check. Yannis was ready to end this man’s life, but not before he had some answers.
Swinging his arm out, the man tried to drive a short blade into Yannis’s neck, but he gripped the man’s wrist, making him not only drop his knife, but hearing bones crunch as well. “Answer me!”
“The prophecy,” the man said in a strained and raspy tone.
Yannis knew nothing about a prophecy. Could this human be lying? Before he could get any more answers, the guy went limp in his hand. Yannis breathed out a sigh of disgust, releasing his hold before going to find his next victim.
There were three more men, none of them having satisfying answers for him. They weren’t aware of any prophecy. They were just sheep, following orders. Yannis made quick work of them before he stood there, gazing into the growing flames.
He threw his head back and let out an enraged howl, his wings shooting out, his mind going to his Beloved.
No more!
Yannis was not going to let one more person near Nikos. Anyone who tried, well, they were signing their own death warrants.
Because Yannis was playing for keeps now.
Yannis was worried. Nikos had grown despondent over the last couple of days. They were safe once again, having flown to Nikos’s estate on Lake Como. Sahm had hired extra security, men he had worked with in the past, men that he trusted. The villa was being repaired, with extra security measures being put into place.
And yet, Nikos was still depressed.
Yannis didn’t know what to do or how to make his Beloved happy once again. No words he spoke seemed to be getting through to Nikos. He just sat there day in and day out, pouring over his research from the early morning hours until late into the night, looking for anything that pertained to the prophecy.
It seemed like the more research he did, the more despondent he became.
Yannis wasn’t even sure what the man was looking for anymore. Nikos wouldn’t discuss it, not even with Sahm. He was shutting out the world around him, building a wall between him and everyone else—even Yannis.
And after the heartfelt words he had heard from Nikos’s own lips just days before, not having his Beloved with him, even if it was just in spirit, was slowly destroying Yannis. He couldn’t live without Nikos, and he wasn’t sure his Beloved understood that.
Without Nikos in his life, he was nothing but stone.
Yannis walked into the study to find Nikos standing at the open window, his arms braced on the window frame. It was the first time that Yannis had seen Nikos anywhere except bent over his books in days. He hoped that meant Nikos was finally coming back to him.
His fingers nervously smoothed down the fabric of his newest blue tunic Nikos had given Yannis to wear. He had ordered several, all in different colors and all larger than he really needed so that they could accommodate his wings. Yannis had to keep them folded against his back and he hated that, but Althea had altered the shirts so that the seams would easily separate if he needed to suddenly expand his wings.
“Beloved.”
Nikos’s hands tightened on the window frame. That was his only reaction.
“Please talk to me, Beloved.” Yannis was at his wit’s end. He didn’t know how to get through to Nikos, or even if he should. “Are you afraid of me now?”
“What?” Nikos asked as he swung around. “What would ever give you that insane idea?”
“I killed those men, Beloved, and I’m not sorry that I did. They tried to harm you. I would kill them again if I could. But I
did not mean to drive you from my side in my pursuit of justice.”
“I’m not afraid of you, Yannis.”
Yannis wasn’t sure he believed that. It was the only explanation he could come up with as to why Nikos no longer wanted him. “I’ve been trying to figure out why you will no longer look at me.”
Yannis turned to look out the window on the same walls as Nikos. He felt like his heart was breaking. “You won’t sleep. You won’t eat. You won’t even allow me to comfort you. You are consumed with this prophecy.” His fingers dug into the wooden window frame, his anguish nearly consuming him. “Is it because you want to know more about the Brotherhood or because you are looking for a way to send me back?”
Nikos’s shaky inhale was audible. “Is that what you think?”
“What else am I supposed to—Nikos!” Yannis shouted as the man grabbed him and swung him around. The back of Yannis’s head smacked into the wall behind him as Nikos pushed him, his finger shaking in Yannis’s face.
“I love you, you stupid son of a bitch,” Nikos snapped as he tapped his finger on Yannis’s chest over and over again. “I’m trying to find a way to save you, to make sure that the Brotherhood can’t kill you or send you back to your time period. I need you to stay here with me, damn it.”
Yannis grinned as he wrapped a hand around the nape of Nikos’s neck and pulled him closer until their foreheads rested together. His worries were being relieved with every shouted word out of Nikos’s mouth.
“I am not going anywhere, Beloved. The fates decided that we were soul mates, and they insured we had the chance to be together. They would not let anything separate us now that we have found each other.”
Nikos’s fingers curled into the soft fabric of the blue tunic. “I can’t rely on that, Yannis. I don’t know your Gods. I only know what I’ve read in books and seen on television. I have no concept of what your Gods can do. If this prophecy is intended to tear us apart—”
“I know what my Gods can do, Beloved. I trust in them and their belief that you and I are meant to be together. There may be something to this prophecy the man spoke of, but I do not believe it is a bad thing. The Gods would not have worked so hard to bring us together if the prophecy was going to rip us apart.”
Nikos leaned closer, pressing his face into Yannis’s throat. “I need you, Yannis. I need you to show me that this is real.”
Yannis needed to claim Nikos again and renew their bond just as much as Nikos needed to be claimed. His arms slid down Nikos’s back until his hand rested at Nikos’s waist.
Yannis didn’t protest when Nikos pushed his tunic up, trying to remove the fabric. Yannis lifted his arms, allowing his Beloved to undress him. His fingers threaded through Nikos’s mocha-brown hair as the man dropped to his knees, pulling at Yannis’s pants. Once his clothes were gone, Nikos stood and undressed himself. Yannis pulled Nikos back into his arms the second he was naked.
Yannis cocooned them with his wings and walked them to the large wooden desk in the center of the room. He gently lowered Nikos to the hard flat surface, keeping Nikos secure against him as he whispered kisses along his warm skin.
He moaned in satisfaction at the exquisite taste of his Beloved as his tongue ran the length of Nikos’s leg from ankle to knee then along the inner thigh of first one leg then the other, lifting them one at a time over his shoulders.
Sweat broke out on Yannis’s body as his limbs shook. Taking his time, savoring his Beloved’s body took every ounce of self-control he possessed. He may be the one with the wings, but Nikos was the true angel.
Yannis pulled back, his hands landing on Nikos’s thighs, spreading them apart as he gazed down at the man’s beautiful body. He ran his tongue up one thigh and then down the other, leaving behind a trail of moisture before he straightened.
“I want you to claim me, Nikos.”
Nikos’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
Yannis was still hesitant, but he had been thinking about Nikos taking him for weeks. As apprehensive as he was, he wanted to feel Nikos more. Yannis’s cock was as hard as steel and weeping pre-cum just thinking about it. Yannis had a feeling this was turning his mate on.
Big time.
“You are my Beloved.” It was as simple as that.
Nikos quickly jumped up off the desk, Yannis taking his place. Yannis couldn’t help but tremble as he watched Nikos reach for the lube they kept in the desk drawer just for occasions like this. Nikos poured the lube onto his fingers, his eyes boring into Yannis’s as he set the container aside and then lowered his hand.
Yannis bit his lower lip, waiting for Nikos’s fingers to enter him, but instead, his mate just rimmed around his puckered entrance. Yannis tried to bear down on the digit, but that only made Nikos pull his hand away.
“If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it my way.”
Yannis grunted his frustration as his legs fell to the side, opening wider in anticipation. His hole was pulsing to be filled as Nikos continued to play at his back entrance, but not entering him.
“Please,” Yannis begged as he panted. “Please, Beloved.”
A slight smile lifted Nikos’s lip as the tip of his finger pressed inside. “Soon, Yannis.”
Yannis’s heart thudded behind his chest as he licked his dry lips. He knew Nikos was going to take his sweet time torturing him. He gasped when more than one finger slid inside his ass and then growled when they stilled.
Yannis tried to wiggle, but Nikos’s fingers pulled back, his thick, black brow rising. Yannis stilled. “Beloved, please.”
Yannis grabbed Nikos’s shoulders, trying his best not to move as his Beloved’s large fingers stretched him. He moaned, biting his bottom lip, suppressing the urge to fuck Nikos’s thick fingers.
“Does that feel good, Yannis?” Nikos asked as he nipped at Yannis’s ear shoulder. “Do my fingers please you?”
How in the hell was he supposed to answer when Nikos started talking dirty to him? The man was asking for the impossible right now. If he kept up his naughty word play, Yannis was going to explode before Nikos had a chance to fuck him.
Yannis’s length thickened as Nikos began to move his fingers, scissoring them, stretching him until Yannis felt his was going to come. His cock was dripping a river of clear liquid onto his belly as Nikos added a third finger, his eyes fixated on where their bodies were connected.
He whimpered when having Nikos’s thick fingers inside of him was no longer doing the trick. Yannis wanted to feel his mate fill him with his hard cock. “Please, fuck me. I’m begging you to fuck me, Beloved.”
Nikos grinned his approval at Yannis’s words, pulling his fingers free. Yannis felt empty only for a second before Nikos was working his heavily veined cock into Yannis’s ass. Nikos groaned as his cock filled Yannis completely. His mate’s hands reached up, tweaking Yannis’s nipples as Yannis wrapped his legs around Nikos’s thick waist.
Nikos grunted as he shoved his cock in to the root. Yannis cried out from the pleasure. Nikos stilled, leaning close to his pointed ear. “Is this what my Beloved wanted?”
“Gods, yes.”
“How about this?” Nikos asked as he pulled his cock slowly from Yannis’s ass, leaving only the head embedded inside of him. The action made Nikos’s cock slide over every nerve ending, grazing across his sweet spot.
Yannis gasped and panted as he nodded. “Yes,” he whimpered, canting his hips as he begged for more.
“And this?” he asked before slamming his cock back into Yannis’s ass.
“Gods, yes.”
Nikos leaned back, digging his fingers into Yannis’s hips as he thrust into Yannis’s ass, the sound of skin slapping ringing through the room. Yannis’s cock strained for release as he shouted and begged for more.
He was close, so damn close.
“Claim me, Nikos!”
Nikos’s teeth nipped at Yannis’s exposed throat, his hips pumping frantically into Yannis’s depths. Yannis arched his back and met Nikos
thrust for thrust. Nikos’s mouth moved up his throat and closed around the edge of his ear, biting down until he drew blood, sending shivers of pain and pleasure running like cascading water down Yannis’s body.
“Nikos!” Yannis shouted as electricity shot up his spine.
Releasing his tender flesh, Nikos began to pound into Yannis’s ass, his cock sliding over Yannis’s sweet spot repeatedly, and then Yannis’s cock shot his cum so violently that his head began to pound.
Nikos cried out his Beloved’s name as he thrust into Yannis’s aching entrance. Nikos roared as his seed erupted inside of Yannis’s body, flooding his channel to overfilling. Yannis sighed as he laid back, wrapping his arms around Nikos and holding him close.
Yannis knew their life together would be interesting, but he was ready for whatever the fates, the Gods, or some unknown prophecy threw their way. As long as he had Nikos, he was ready for anything.
Chapter 10
Nikos smiled and glanced up, looking toward the double doors leading out onto the patio when he heard Yannis’s deep laughter. He wasn’t exactly sure what his Beloved gargoyle was up to, but he loved hearing the man’s rich laughter.
And he seemed to be hearing it more and more.
Nikos saw that as a good thing. He wasn’t exactly sure what Yannis’s life had been like before, but the life of a soldier wasn’t always a happy one. Guarding a temple couldn’t be easy in any time period. Nikos couldn’t imagine what it would have been like hundreds of years ago.
Nikos also knew that Yannis was missing his brothers in arms terribly. The man didn’t say anything, but Nikos had caught him staring out the window more than once at nothing, his eyes taking on a faraway look. Yannis had made friends with Sahm, but it wasn’t quite the same, and Nikos knew it.
That was half of the reason that Nikos was researching the prophecy so hard. He wanted to make sure he could prevent Yannis from being sent back to his time period, but he also wanted to see if there was a way to bring his brothers to the present.
If the things he had been discovering about the Brotherhood were true, they might need the help of Yannis’s brothers in arms to defeat them. The Brotherhood members were human, but they were evil to the core.