Stone Solitude

by A C Warneke

  With a wave, she started off towards her car, already planning what she was going to do for the next four weeks before the fall term started and she was officially a junior. Dominic wanted her to spend more time with the wolves in the hopes that it would nudge her inner wolf into action. Daisy wasn’t sure what good that would do since she spent most of her free nights with the pack and so far nothing had happened. She had pretty much chalked up the scent of her mom’s pregnancy to a fluke since she hadn’t smelled anything that strongly since.

  There were several friends that she could call up if she just wanted to hang out or she could go to either Skin or The Black Wolf to check out any local action. There were a few bands lined up to play at her dad’s bar but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to drive an hour on the off chance they might be decent. Of course, knowing the manager, the bands were probably all fantastic. And non-human.

  Realistically, the only thing she really wanted to do was find Roman.

  “Are you going to say hello or are you just going to walk right past me?” a low, seductive voice whispered from the edge of the building, a voice that she knew very well.

  With a gasp, she spun around and watched as Roman peeled himself away from the shadows and stepped into the light of the parking lot lamps, the hooded cloak covering him from head to toe. Pressing her hand over her racing heart, she rasped, “Roman.”

  Roman watched as she walked out of the building with some sorry excuse of humanity, a smile on her pretty face as the two of them talked. It hurt to see her but Xerec had told him that she had been at the building looking for him, probably to apologize and ease the guilt that was no doubt eating away at her petty, little heart. Then she’d tell him she never wanted to see him again because she was frightened. Hardening his heart to withstand her tender smiles and enchanting eyes, he figured it was time to re-insert himself into her life before she had the chance to say goodbye. Even if he had to accept Xerec’s offer to give her a demon aphrodisiac, he would seduce her and break the damn curse. He would do whatever was necessary.

  “Roman,” she breathed, his name coming out on a gasp. He could see her pulse fluttering madly along her neck, probably out of fear, and he wanted to see if he could make it race even faster. Stepping closer, he refused to cringe when she took a step back, a step away from him.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, noting that she was heading towards her car and not her dorm room.

  With a shaky smile, she answered, “I’m going home.”

  Fury swelled in him because she was running away again, running to the protective arms of her family, and she’d be beyond his reach. Grinding his teeth together, he bit out, “Because of something I’ve done? Because I’ve stayed away to give you time to… adapt to my face?”

  Her brows pulled together as she shook her head. “Noooo. I’m going home because summer term is done and fall term doesn’t start for a couple of weeks.”

  Shit, she was leaving and he had lost his chance to ever be free. By the time school started back up, she’d realize she deserved more than an ugly gargoyle and he’d lose her before he ever had her. His stone heart thundered in his chest as he blurted, “What are your plans?”

  She avoided his face as she shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll probably run with my family.”

  He inhaled sharply at that bit of surprising news. Gods, she was slipping further and further away from him and he was starting to panic at losing something that was never his. “You’ve bonded with your wolf.”

  Her shoulders stiffened and she suddenly became very interested in smoothing the front of her shirt. “No, she’s still ignoring me. I’ll run with them in this form, in my human form.”

  His brows drew together in unwanted concern. Damn it, he had hardened his heart and he shouldn’t give a fuck but he did. “Aren’t you afraid of getting hurt?”

  “Why?” she asked with amusement. “They’re my family, Roman, they won’t hurt me. Besides, all of the younglings will be there, too. It’s perfectly safe.”

  “For them,” he ground out. “They’ll all be wolves.”

  She shook her head as a smile still played at her lips. “Wolves don’t shift until puberty or shortly after and bonding can come even later. I swear it’s safe. Where have you been?”

  “I told you,” he said, taken aback as she finally looked at him with a steady gaze. “I’ve kept my distance because I frightened you.”

  Regret and remorse filled her eyes as darker color stained her cheeks and she looked away. “You didn’t have to stay away for so long. That wasn’t necessary.”

  “I think it was.”

  “I dream about you, you know,” she murmured so softly he wasn’t sure the words were meant for him to hear. But then she looked at him with those mesmerizing eyes and he had to remind himself to breathe. All thoughts ceased when she reached up and pushed the hood off his head, making him freeze in place. His heart pulsed sluggishly in his chest as he expected the worse. Instead, her eyes moved over his face in a caress that was almost loving. He felt her gaze in his gut as her eyes moved over his rugged brow, his stubbed nose, his thick lips. Her throat became taut as she swallowed and rasped, “Your face has become very dear to me in my dreams.”

  There was a band around his chest, squeezing until it felt like his blood was too thick to move through his veins. He started to speak and found his voice was non-existent. Clearing his throat, he tried again, “And when you’re awake?”

  “It haunts me,” she said softly, drawing her fingers over his lips, making him tremble beneath her tender touch. But her words tightened the band around his chest until he didn’t think he would survive the pain. Apparently, Daisy retained the ability to hurt him despite his hardened heart. Licking her lips with the tip of her tongue, unaware of the knife sticking out of his chest, she continued, “It haunts me because I’ve searched everywhere for it for nearly two weeks but I haven’t seen it until now. Have you forgiven me?”

  Before he could process her words, she put her hands on his shoulders and stood up on her tip toes. Pressing her lips against the corner of his twisted lips, she breathed into his mouth, “Forgive me, Roman.”

  Unsteady on his feet, he grasped her elbows, still feeling the heat of her kiss as she stared up at him with those silver eyes. He could almost believe she was sincere if he didn’t look into those eyes and see the trace of fear she tried so desperately to hide. As long as he focused on that fear he would be able to keep her at a distance and do what needed to be done. Forcing his lips into a smile, he nodded, “Of course.”

  Her smile lit the night and he barely had time to catch his breath before she threw herself into his arms. With no other choice, he wrapped his arms around her slender body and returned the hug. Her scent danced over him and he closed his eyes to breathe her in, the scent of moonlight and sunshine and warmth and her. How could a girl smell of moonlight and sunshine? Gods, she was dangerous.

  Pulling out of his arms before he was ready to let her go, she beamed up at him, “I want you to come home with me, Roman. I want to learn everything there is to learn about you.”

  “I can’t,” he said, forcing his legs to take a step away from her. Struggling to regain his armor, he pulled the hood back and retreated into the shadows. “I’ll not be your charity.”

  Her lips pursed in displeasure as she frowned at him. “You can’t keep living in a condemned building, Roman. I’ve been to a couple these past few days and no one should have to live like that.”

  “Some of us choose to live like that,” he countered defensively. “Some of us would rather live like that than be beholden to a society that looks down upon us.”

  “Roman, I don’t want to pick a fight with you,” she said gently, running her hand along his arm until her palm settled against his and her fingers curled around his. “I just want to help.”

  He took a breath to calm the rage that was boiling up within him. He wasn’t even sure why he was so angry, especially since he loathed l
iving in such squalor. Instead of wasting the opportunity she gave him by asking for forgiveness, he should move forward with his plans. Her hand was in his and she was looking at him with true affection. Forcing his lips into a smile, he managed, “I know but I do not require your help, only your love.”

  A blush stained her cheeks a deeper gray as she ducked her head but not before he saw the smile on her lips. “You’re a good man, Roman.”

  A sliver of guilt slid into his heart but he ignored it. Brushing a strand of silky hair from her face, he murmured, “We should probably go somewhere that we can talk in private.”

  She blinked her eyes and then jumped, as if just realizing they were standing at the edge of the mostly empty parking lot. Granted, they were alone at the moment but that could change if one of the other students decided they needed something from their car. “Where do you want to go?”

  Looking around the parking lot trying to buy some time, he thought about where he could take her. There weren’t a lot of options, considering he lived in a condemned building and he didn’t trust any of the other residents to behave themselves around someone as sweet and beautiful as Daisy. Inspiration struck but it was going to take a leap of faith on Daisy’s part. “Do you trust me?”

  She smiled to hide her discomfort though it took her less time than he expected to say, “Yes.”

  In bemused hope, he pulled his arms out of his sleeves and pushed the material off his shoulders. He watched as her eyes widened in alarm and appreciation as he spread his wings to their full ten foot glory. Her pulse fluttered madly along her throat as her pupils dilated, in arousal and in fear. Without giving her a chance to have second thoughts or even change her mind, he gathered her up in his arms and pushed off the ground, sending them soaring into the night sky.

  With a squeal, she buried her face against his throat, her breath hot against his skin, her body trembling in his arms. One of the only good things to come from the curse was being able to fly at night. Before, he had been a man at night, without wings, and he only had the chance to fly during the day where he might be seen by the humans below. He and his brothers had rarely flown because of that, which was a pity since gargoyles loved to fly. In the years that he had lived in the city, he had never seen any of the gargoyles fly during the day. It was almost sad how little things had changed since he had been a true gargoyle.

  The world fell away until they were soaring over the city, the lights twinkling below. Sweet Zeus it felt good to fly, even if Daisy clung to him like a frightened child.

  The girl he held in his arms was definitely no child; she was an alluring woman with a body made to worship. Now that he had her in his arms, he never wanted to return her to her family, her life. He could fly as far as possible during the night and just before the sun rose he could find an isolated cabin to stash her in until the sun set once again. He’d fly for an eternity until she forgot the world she had come from, until all that she knew was him.

  Daisy clung to him, pressing her lithe body all along his until his cock swelled and pushed back. Her gasp fed the dark beast within him and he wanted to push her further. If she sang to him at that moment, he would ravage her in the sky, virginity be damned. Despite his nearly desperate desire to fuck her while in flight he knew he couldn’t. When the spell broke, he’d lose his wings and they’d come tumbling back to the earth and be splattered across the ground. No, he wasn’t going to fuck her until they were on solid ground. However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t torture her with pleasure, bind her to him with desire so strong she no longer remembered his ugly face.

  “Hold on, sweetling,” he crooned.

  “I have no intention of ever letting go,” she cried out on a gasp, tightening her hold as he swooped down before soaring even higher.

  With a wicked grin, he slid his tail down the back of her pants, amazed at how… good it felt. He hadn’t realized his tail could be so sensitive until he used it to tease Daisy’s sweet little pussy in the library all of those weeks ago. It hadn’t registered at the time because her hands had been on his cock and she had just driven him to delirium.

  Her body stiffened at the unexpected touch and a low chuckle came from his belly. Brushing his lips against her ear, he whispered, “Relax.”

  She expelled a nervous laugh as she squirmed against him, “We’re flying over the city and, if I’m not mistaken, your tail is in my pants.”

  “You’re not mistaken,” he growled, sliding the tip of his tail along her damp panties to prove his point. His cock leapt at the sensation and he rocked his hips, rubbing the ravenous beast against her stomach. Nuzzling her neck, breathing in her sunshine and moonlight scent, he whispered, “I’m going to make you feel like you’re freefalling when you come so that when you scream it will wake the dead.”

  Tilting his head back, he watched her face as he rubbed the tip of his tail over her clit. Her eyes were nearly black as her chest heaved with each panted breath. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips and he wanted that tongue in his mouth. Wet heat dampened his tail and he pressed harder, watching her pulse flutter madly along her neck. Gods, he wanted to part her legs and thrust his cock into the swollen flesh of her pussy.

  “Unfasten your pants and put your fingers against your pussy,” he growled.

  “You won’t let go of me?” she asked, still clinging to him with one arm as her other hand shakily unsnapped the snap of her pants.

  “Never,” he growled, the word seizing his throat because in that moment he realized he never wanted to let her go. Tightening his hold on her, keeping her safe, he held her eyes as she slid her hands into her panties. Her fingers brushed over his tail and he had to suck in a sharp breath as pleasure flashed along his tail and up his spine. “Just feel me as I tease you with my tail.”

  Damn, he should have made her open her blouse again so he could see her beautiful breasts as he pleasured her mid-flight. But she was already so wet, so responsive, that there wasn’t time to change anything. Her silver eyes grew glassy as he rubbed against her swollen clit and he knew she was close. She was beautiful as she arched her body and chased after her pleasure, all the while holding his gaze and showing him her soul.

  It would almost be worth fucking her mid-flight but then he wouldn’t have an eternity with her.

  He didn’t have a future with her, but that wasn’t something he was going to think about as her hips rocked and she squeezed her eyes shut. Her thighs trembled as he increased the pressure against her clit. And then he folded his wings against his body and fell just as the first waves of her orgasm crashed over her. He was unable to tear his gaze from her pleasure-swamped face.

  When the powerful orgasm finally broke, he extended his wings to their full spread and halted their downward spiral. As she clung so sweetly to him, panting from the orgasm that he had given her, he could almost forget the feelings of betrayal, almost forget the purpose of pursuing her. He could almost pretend that they had a future, a life time, to fuck, to fly, to love. Pressing his lips against her head, hugging her against his body, he stared out over the vast landscape and tried not to think at all.

  With so little effort, she had him wrapped around her slender fingers and he knew that he was in danger of losing so much more than his only chance for freedom.

  Chapter 8

  Strolling along the dark streets after the most amazing flight of her life, Daisy could barely contain the joy that was bubbling over within her. With her arm wrapped around Roman’s, she felt completely at ease, even when they walked in dark alleys that were barely lit and not altogether safe. The only dark cloud that hung over her was one teeny, tiny little thing. Softly, she asked, “Why don’t I see you during the day?”

  “You have seen me during the day,” he answered simply

  “No,” she disagreed, shaking her head and frowning since she knew for a fact that she had never seen him when the sun was up. His face was not one that was at all forgettable. “I searched a lot of buildings, Roman, and you w
eren’t in any of them. And if you were, it was cruel of you to keep yourself hidden from me.”

  “Sweetling,” he murmured, a smile in his voice. “Had I known, I would have come after you and yelled at you for taking such a risk. But I couldn’t move.” When it was apparent she had no idea what he was talking about, he chuckled, “I’m a statue during the day, Daisy. I can’t move until the sun goes down.”

  Her eyes widened in disbelief. “So, I only have you at night?”

  “Yes.” He took a deep breath and she felt his body shudder, almost as if he was in pain. Squeezing his arm, she remained quiet as he gathered his thoughts. Clearing his throat, he rasped, “My brothers aren’t quite as limited because they can move about during the day, though they generally remain stationary on the tops of tall buildings or old castles.”

  “Because they’re guardians?” she asked. At his grunt of amusement, she added, “The paper I was working on was about gargoyles. It’s believed they were used as protectors, to ward off evil spirits.”

  His cough sounded more like laughter but he only said, “More or less.”

  “I could have used your help on the paper, you know,” she teased, nudging him with her hip and wincing when she bounced off the stone muscle. “You could have given me some insight into what it’s like being a gargoyle.”

  This time, it was definitely a laugh that rumbled from his belly, making Daisy smile. “And how would you have sourced me?”

  “I’m not sure but I’m certain I would have thought of something,” she grinned. “When did I see you during the day?”

  “Gods, you are persistent,” he said, the amusement in his voice removing the sting of his words. Touching the tip of her nose with his finger, he grinned, “You wouldn’t have recognized me.”

  “I’m certain I would recognize you anywhere.”

  “My form during the day is slightly different,” he explained, carefully choosing his words. “I’m much larger and my face is… less fucked up.”