“No. There were no injuries on either side, and everything went according to plan.” Malek looked uneasy then, his head dropping a few inches. “The Oracle came up behind me. She told me you had the woman and asked if I could retreat because she wished to get her nails done.”
“She is indeed a being unlike any other.”
“That is one way to phrase it.”
“Mennak.” Krikus’s voice cut through the low rumble of the remaining crowd.
Terak looked away from Malek. Krikus was striding through the crowd in battle armaments that gave reminder to his days as a great warrior before he became a Council member.
“Yes, Councilor?”
Krikus came to stand before him, metal bracers reflecting the light around them. “Was there any truth in Nalith’s words?”
His people stood silent as they witnessed the second great clash of the evening. “Let us be plain. What is it you wish to know, Krikus?”
“Your Clan deserves to know the truth of the situation regarding the human.”
The crowd had grown around him, wave upon wave of his people. There could be no more subterfuge. He would be the leader that would make his father – make Larissa – proud, or he would not be leader at all.
“I have only always wished for the good of my people. It has been what has guided me from the moment I have been born. However, Nalith has spoken some truth. I am lost without my little human. She is my mate, my Meyja,” Terak said, ignoring the gasps that surrounded him. “And I proclaim her so in front of all of you. I will live at her side, and if the Clan cannot accept her as my mate, then I will leave the Clan.”
Krikus alone seemed unsurprised by Terak’s proclamation. “And to accept the human is to accept living among the other races of the realms, is that not true?”
“We no longer have the luxury of isolating ourselves.”
Krikus stared him down, something the older gargoyle had not done since Terak was a boy. “You have given the Clan much to consider. You must allow Council and Clan time to discuss.”
Krikus’s words might say consider, but Terak knew. He had lost his Clan this night. They would not follow Nalith or Valry, but damage had been done and they would follow him no longer. He was strong enough he could hold on through sheer force, but no, that was not the leader he wished to be. If the Clan no longer wished to follow him, he would honor that wish.
Surprising, he thought it would hurt more. But Larissa’s face blazed bright in dark places, and this decision was the easiest he had ever made. Terak nodded at Krikus and watched the older gargoyle depart, leaving him alone except for Malek. There was nothing more for him here, and he spread his wings for flight.
“Mennak.” Malek stopped him. The younger gargoyle looked vulnerable at that moment, a rare expression from Terak’s second-in-command.
Terak gripped Malek’s shoulder hard. “Calm, Malek. We both know how this will play out. You are ready for this role. I would not have selected you otherwise.”
“I am not capable of being half the leader you have been, Terak.”
“No, you will be greater. I will always be there if you have need of me. Be a good leader for our people. Guide them well. I am sorry I am leaving you with such a heavy burden, but none I have more faith in than you.” With a final squeeze, Terak opened his wings to their full span and he took flight.
Malek’s voice followed him. “Is she worth the loss of the Clan?”
She is worth everything.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
‡
She was sleeping, his little human, her eyelashes soft shades under closed eyelids. Her lips made a little pout as she slept, as if she was waiting for a kiss. That was one request he would always grant.
He ghosted his lips over hers, bit by bit applying more pressure with each pass, until she woke. Those eyes opened, the room too dark to see their full color, but after the focused on him they relaxed, losing the lines of confusion and settling into happiness. “I’m sorry I fell asleep. It’s been a long day.”
He pushed her hair back from her cheek, the petal-soft skin sensitizing the nerve endings in his fingers. “Yes, it has. I wish I had the willpower to let you sleep as you need, but I could not wait that long to hear your voice again.”
“You need to be careful saying things like that. A girl could get used to them.”
“I am afraid I am unable to speak anything but the truth. I hope you can forgive me my bluntness.”
She pushed herself up with one hand while her other hand stroked over the contours of his human face. “I guess I’ll have to learn to manage.”
He gathered her into his arms and laid her head against his chest. “You are very good to me, thank you.”
For several minutes she stayed still in his arms, resting against him and occasionally rubbing her cheek against the spot over his heart.
She broke the silence. “Your heartbeat is different than a human’s.”
“Gargoyles have two hearts. No matter my outside appearance, I am not human.”
She pushed back against his arms, giving herself enough space that she could look up into his face and meet his eyes. “Even looking at you now, seeing you in your shifted form, I’m very aware you are not human. I am here with a gargoyle, and I would have it no other way.”
A weight he had not been aware of broke free inside him at her words. He swallowed hard to tamp down the shout of joy that threatened to escape. “In our creation myths, it is said gargoyles began as creatures created of magic. The first of us were created by wizards to be companions to humans, to be used however the humans desired. But the wizards made us too strong, and soon we overcame our masters and created the first of the Clans.”
Her eyes widened, and he saw the scholarly part of her nature come to the fore. “Is that true?”
“How can anyone know the truth when magic is involved?” He could not help but smile at her chastened look. She was adorable, and brave, and sensual, and all his.
And he would wait no longer to make her his mate.
Terak lowered his voice, and was rewarded by her eyes half closing and her breathing becoming labored. “I know not. What I do know is gargoyles and humans are compatible.”
He covered her mouth with his, a deep invasion that gave no mercy. She would have no doubt to the meaning of his words.
She met him stroke for stroke, his little warrior. She rose up on her knees so their mouths were level and brought her arms around his shoulders as she dug her nails into his back.
She was wearing a flimsy shirt and the same underwear she wore before. Her scent, that same scent that made his mouth water in desperation, wafted around their sanctuary and held him in thrall.
She was aggressive, crawling up his body for better leverage. She pushed into him, her tongue attacking his mouth. As she dominated him from above her hips worked on him, moving in the sensual rhythm he had seen her use many times as she danced while he watched from afar.
His hands wrapped around her hips, not to stop the little movements she made, but to encourage her to bring them closer, let him feel every delicious torment her body delivered to his. She obliged, and that sweet warmth between her thighs settled over his cock. At the desired sensation his hips shot forward in instinctive reaction. Without the fabric of her panties, he would have been inside her.
This unseated her, and she fell forward, her momentum startling him enough that he fell backward on the bed while she landed atop of him.
Her head picked up, embarrassment clear in the lines of her open mouth and wide eyes. But after a few moments she started laughing.
No sound was more dear to him, save her moans and cries when she came. “What is so funny, Meyja?”
Still chuckling, she ducked her head, discomfiture still evident. “We’re both virgins. This situation might be hopeless.”
He rolled her over so she was now on her back while he loomed above her. He nuzzled her behind her ear, making small moans erupt from her throat.
“I may not have done anything yet, but I have imagined you naked and beneath me too many times to count.” He leaned up and took off the shirt that hid her from his view, her bare breasts now visible to him. Her shocked gasp ended on a low moan, and her lower body started moving again.
With one finger he circled her tight nipple, the skin there pebbled and rougher than other areas of her body. But would she taste the same here, at this little pink area? His tongue laved over her, dampening the peak and tightening it further.
His teeth scraped over the nipple and he was rewarded with a low wail. He rolled it in his mouth, loving her taste here as everywhere else.
The only place she tasted better was between her legs.
One hand wandered over the gentle slope of her belly to delve into those little curls. She was panting, her legs coming apart to give him complete access. “Believe me when I say this, little human – I might not be perfect this night, but I won’t stop until I have you coming apart in my arms.”
She was wet and warm and perfect, as she had been earlier. “Terak, take off our clothing. I need skin.”
Never would he deny her anything. Her undergarments were pulled from her body, followed by his pants, pulled with such haste he heard a rip as they came off him.
What did it matter? It didn’t, not when she lay bare before him. “Spread your legs, Meyja. Spread your legs and let me feast.”
Meyja. There was something so intimate, so sensual about the word. It rolled off Terak’s tongue in a deep rumble, and her body went hot at the sound of it.
She had been half-serious in her conversation before about their experience, but the heat and conviction radiating from Terak indicated there was nothing to worry about.
His body was stunning, almost seven feet of thick, hard male, all hers for the taking.
She ran her tongue over her bottom lip. He seemed to like that, if the bobbing of his already hard cock was any indication. Gods, he was huge, as big as her imagination supplied that long-ago day.
It might take a little getting used to, but she was sure she was up for the task.
He climbed onto the bed, lowering himself between her legs. “There will not be any more interruptions from your family, will there?”
Poor Terak. What he suffered for her. “No. Michael has no desire to come anywhere near this place for quite a while.”
He ran his fingernails up and down her thighs, raising goosebumps in his path. “Good. Because I do not think I could stop myself from killing the next person who interrupts me, a member of your Clan or no.”
“I won’t stop you. If I had a gun, I’d shoot him myself.”
His fingers kept up their lazy glide until he grabbed her between her thighs and spread her legs, using his shoulders to hold them apart as he settled between them. “I am glad we are in agreement. Now, I wish to put my mouth to other uses.”
Her hand shot down to push back on his head. “But you’ve already done that. Don’t you want me to return the favor and do things to you?”
Not moving from where he rested, Terak grabbed her hand and gave each finger a kiss, nipping the littlest finger when he reached it. It was a quick pain, sharp but quickly forgotten. “I wish that very much, but not tonight. Tonight I want to gorge myself on you to convince myself this is not another dream.”
“Well, how can I refuse?”
His mouth gave a quick curl into one of his almost smiles, but this one was different than others, the sensual cast reserved for this intimacy. “You are most generous. I thank you.”
Those stormy grey eyes locked onto hers as his head lowered, his heated breath covering the damp flesh between her legs. His tongue peeked out, broad and flat and oh-so-talented. Oh yes, she would never forget how talented he was.
He gave a long swipe over her clit, the zing of sensation racing up her spine with only that little movement. “I wish to drink you down, but it would be best for you to remain wet. Therefore, I will only play here to make you come.”
That sounded like a reasonable plan…and then thought processes ceased as his firm lips closed over her clit and with soft, sucking motions he brought her deeper into his mouth.
Her hands found themselves in his hair again as she held on while he played with her. His tongue would press into her, only to flick away when she pushed harder into him. She wailed, “Don’t tease me.”
Only for him to do it again.
Amidst this teasing one finger entered her, slow and gentle, a tentative stroke that sensitized her far more than it should. “Another finger.”
He did, and now she was being stretched. She licked her lips, absorbing the newness of his actions, and in response Terak moaned. She opened her eyes to see Terak fixated on her face as he worked her body.
With his monstrous control he could do this to her all night, and that wasn’t the area she wanted him to exert his control in. “Terak, I love this, but I want you in me. Please.”
He let her go, rising above her and bringing his lips back to hers. The kiss was firm but his lips trembled. “You have not come yet.”
“I’ll come with you in me.”
“But I have read it is difficult for a woman to achieve satisfaction that way.”
He was so unsure, her warrior, looking down at her with anxious eyes. All because he wanted to please her. How did she get so lucky? “You read up on human mating habits?” she said, only allowing the most gentle tease into her voice.
Even at that a blush graced his cheeks. “I want you never to regret this.”
“I never will. Now, come into me.”
He entwined his fingers with hers as he settled between her legs. His skin was warm and rough, fine sandpaper against hers, and he squeezed her fingers as his hips pushed into hers.
It was fullness more than pain, a stretching no fingers could duplicate. His pace was slow, coming into her in small degrees until he seated himself fully in her.
“Larissa?”
It was only after they opened that she realized she had closed her eyes. “I’m fine. It feels nice and strange, but nice.”
“I am not sure nice is the word most males wish to hear at this moment.”
Her laughter bubbled forth, her gargoyle’s sense of humor becoming ever more prominent and showing up at the most unusual times. She squeezed his hand harder, loving that he was here with her and that he was hers.
She raised her head and brushed her mouth against his, needing connection with him in every place her body would allow it.
Terak deepened the kiss and started to move within her, the pace slow at first.
Nice was also falling by the wayside, forced aside by the rekindling of the fire they shared earlier, a fire that had been banked by nervousness and the interruption of reality.
His moan told her he was experiencing it too. Their entwined hands he brought to rest on the bed by her head. His other hand he used to wrap her leg around his hip, giving him leverage and providing a different angle to thrust.
“Holy hell!” Dear gods, what was that spot he was hitting now, the one that had every pleasure center in her body sit up and start singing hallelujah?
His mouth went to her neck, kissing under her ear while his hips kept a steady rhythm to her moaning pleas. Those hips bucking into her were relentless.
The pressure was building in her, the same pattern Terak forced from her earlier in the evening. “Terak, I’m coming. Move, faster, move faster by gods move faster.”
His mouth covered hers, his hand coming to bury itself in her hair as he did as he was instructed, burying himself to the hilt in her over and over in ever-quickening thrusts.
White was all she saw behind her eyelids while her body pulsed around him. She could feel every vein of his shaft as she squeezed him with the force of her orgasm.
Terak’s low, pained groans sounded in her ear as he joined her, binding them together.
Chapter Thirty
‡
Larissa was dozing on his chest, her hair
splayed over his chest in a cascade he could not stop running his fingers through.
She stirred, her eyes opening to show him that glorious blue. After taking a moment to focus, a small smile played over her lips. “Hi,” she said.
“Never have I seen anything more perfect than you at this moment.”
She blushed deep red at that, her eyes refusing to meet his. “I think you are beautiful as well.”
“My human form or my gargoyle self?
His tone was more hesitant than he would have wished. At his words, her gaze came back to his, all signs of embarrassment gone. She clasped his face between her two small hands. Such a soft prison. “Don’t you know? Both. I find both so beautiful.”
He kissed her, and everything – his love, his devotion, his soul – was in that kiss, hers for the taking.
They strained against each other, their bodies eager for a continuation of the pleasure of the night before. He stroked over her round, firm bottom and squeezed. She broke off the kiss, laughing and blushing. “I’m a little too sore for anything right now.”
Instantly he sat up. “What do you need?”
She grabbed his arm, bringing him down. “I need you to cuddle me. Unless gargoyle males have as much a problem with that as human males apparently do.”
“I do not ask my fellow warriors such things, but I always wish to be surrounded with you.”
She cuddled against his shoulder. “Tell me a secret.”
You are my queen, you are my love, and I gladly leave my Clan for you. He said, “My parents loved each other.”
She raised her eyes to his. “That’s a secret?”
“Remember I told you that the Clan Leader does not marry for love, he marries the strongest female for the sake of the Clan?”
She nodded. “And you told me the first night that you inherited from your father your title.”
“In the Magic Realm, gargoyles were not one great Clan. There were several smaller Clans who were allies but did not answer to each other. My father was a great warrior, the Clan Leader of the largest and strongest of these scattered Clans. His Intended was the strongest, as was our custom.”
Entwined Realms Volume One Page 23