Stone Solitude

by A C Warneke

  “Daisy!” he gasped in a scandalized-almost-to-the-point-of-pain voice. “A man has needs and a wolf has a great many needs. You can’t ask me for the impossible.”

  “Whore,” she grumbled, turning her head and glaring at him over the top of her sunglasses. He was grinning from ear to ear, looking far too handsome for his own good. “You’re very lucky wolves are immune to the diseases that plague humans. Fine, a week. Abstain from sex for a week.”

  “What if I meet my soul mate and I have to fuck her?” His eyes sparkled with laughter and she wanted to smack him.

  “Dominic, if you met your soul mate, you’d probably run in the other direction,” she said as gently as possible. With a sigh, she conceded another factor. “But, fine, if you meet your soul mate, you can do whatever. However, you can’t just claim some pretty girl is your soul mate just so you can have sex with her before the week is out…. Jesus, Dominic, no, you can’t have sex for a whole week whether or not you meet your damn soul mate.”

  He laughed, a deep rumbly sound that made her laugh as well. Closing her eyes, she settled back in the chair with a smile on her face. She heard her brother’s chair squeak and figured he was going to jump into the pool. What she didn’t expect was to be scooped up into his arms and tossed into the cool water. With a screech, she splashed into the water, losing her sunglasses in the process. Coming up sputtering, pushing her wet hair out of her eyes, she glared at her laughing brother, who stood dry as can be on the edge of the pool. “A month, Dominic. An entire month!”

  For a response, he leapt up into the air, grabbed his knees and cannonballed into the pool, sending a wave of water over her head. As they were splashing each other, Daisy getting far more water in her face than her brother, the French doors opened and a heard of children came screaming out of the house, jumping into the pool and joining the fun. Okay, her eighteen-year old brother was technically an adult now but he was just as exuberant as the others.

  Since there were so many more boys, Daisy, Roxie and Lila were far outnumbered. Daisy was even more hampered because Lila insisted on being held since she was just a little thing and yet she wanted to be a part of the fun as well. And there was no way Daisy could resist her youngest sister.

  “She spent the day playing in the pool with her family,” Xerec said the moment the sun went down and Roman once again regained his mobility and his gruesome face. Now that he and Daisy were speaking again, Xerec had resumed with his spying reports. As much as the Wayfarer demon annoyed him, he was grateful for the little bastard. Xerec had made his existence almost tolerable. “I’ve also learned that instead of staying in her bedroom in the mansion she is staying in the pool house.”

  Roman nodded his head in acknowledgement, plans already whirling in his head. He could fly to her and abscond with her again. Only, he didn’t think that was a very good idea because her parents would freak out even more if she disappeared from the safety of their property. They’d probably put a missile defense system in place to shoot down any flying gargoyles that might want to steal away their eldest daughter.

  But he could go to the pool house and spend time with her. Because he was stone, he didn’t have much of a scent and the wolves wouldn’t think twice of him being there. He could spend the night giving her such pleasure that she would beg him to fuck her and then he’d be a real gargoyle once again, not this hideous beast. As long as he flew away before the sun rose, it was a decent plan.

  “I’ll go tonight,” he said out loud, running his hands over his bumpy, lumpy head.

  “Are you going to seduce her?” At Roman’s shrug, Xerec asked excitedly, “Can I watch?”

  And that’s why he disliked the little creep. Xerec was a voyeur, always had been, always would be. But there were some things Roman wanted to keep private, even if it was Xerec’s ability to spy on people that Roman had utilized to the utmost advantage. With a glare at the demon, Roman stood up and threw his kilt on and then his cloak. He had nearly an hour long flight in front of him and figured it was a good idea to keep his cock covered. Not that anyone was going to pay attention to a dark creature flying against the night sky but he still had a smidgen of modesty. Before Daisy, he hadn’t cared enough to bother.

  With his hand on the door, Roman paused, “Why is she staying in the pool house?”

  Xerec shrugged his scrawny shoulders, “She told her parents she needed some space to think.”

  Roman’s brows drew together as he wondered what Daisy was thinking about. Did she regret going flying with him? With a frown, he absently walked through the door, not caring if Xerec followed or not. His thoughts were already on the night ahead and the things he was going to do to Daisy to coax a sweet response from her body. He knew he could probably press his advantage and fuck her tonight but he didn’t want to rush her. If he was being honest, he just wanted to spend time with her doing whatever she wanted to do, though he wouldn’t say no to sex.

  But he was nearly out of time and she wasn’t in the city at the moment.

  As he walked out, his eyes automatically went in the direction where his brothers lived. Soon he would be able to join them on the roof of the castle and get reacquainted with what it was to be a gargoyle. Adjusting the hood around his head, making sure his face was hidden in the shadows of the folds, he almost walked past the hulking man coming up the stairs. But then Roman recognized the fair haired man as Leo, one of his brothers and quite possibly the biggest gargoyle he had ever seen. As the gargoyle looked up and saw him standing there, he froze where he stood and held his breath.

  Leo cocked his head to the side, his clear eyes assessing Roman with the scrutiny of a gargoyle assessing a potential threat. Clearing his throat, the man murmured in a deep voice, “Excuse me but I’m searching for someone… something and I’m hoping you might be able to help me.”

  Roman’s chest ached with the breath that he couldn’t release. “I doubt I could help,” Roman finally managed, his voice rocky rough as he carefully kept his face hidden while trying to steal glimpses of his brother. “I tend to keep to myself.”

  “Are you quite certain you cannot help?” Leo pushed. “We fear a young girl could be in grave danger and any help you give would be much appreciated. We’ve tracked him to the area and then lost his trail. Perhaps you might have seen him?”

  Oh, sweet Zeus, the gargoyle was tracking down the creature that had flown off with Daisy. They were tracking him. Even if she explained that it had been a gargoyle, his brothers would still hunt the creature down to determine its threat. No, they would scour the city for this creature, because Daisy was the daughter of a prominent wolf and no avenue was going to remain unexplored in their search for the beast who had stolen Daisy for a few hours. But Daisy wasn’t a girl and she wasn’t in danger. Well, not the kind of danger his brother was worried about. Grinding his teeth together, trying to keep his wings from stiffening in anger, Roman growled, “I haven’t seen anything. Now let me pass.”

  “A creature pretending to be a gargoyle took her flying last night,” his brother continued, undeterred by Roman’s unwillingness to help. Crossing his arms over his enormous chest, he narrowed his eyes, “But gargoyles can’t fly at night; we don’t have wings when the sun is down.”

  “I am aware,” Roman bit out, feeling his wings twitching beneath the cloak. He saw the suspicion in Leo’s eyes as the man’s gaze moved to the uneven material near Roman’s shoulders. “I’m running late so if that is all?”

  Leo bowed his head and let Roman pass. In the next moment, the cloak was ripped from his upper body, exposing the gargoyle wings on his back and his twisted face. Leo stumbled back a step and looked at Roman in surprised horror, “What the hell are you?”

  “I’m your fucking brother,” Roman growled, pulling his cloak back onto his shoulders and the hood over his head. Pushing past the behemoth, Roman stormed down the stairs, fury and confusion making his limbs shake. How had they tracked him to this dump? Who had seen him?

  A lar
ge hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. Leo was staring at him in bewilderment and anger as he worked his mouth a few times before growling, “What do you mean you’re my brother? I’ve never seen you before and you’re sure as hell not an imp.”

  He didn’t say anything about Roman’s fucked up face so there was that. Shaking the hand off his arm, Roman scowled, “It doesn’t matter. You’ll forget me the moment I’m out of your sight.” He huffed out a desolate laugh, “I might as well admit that I’m the one chasing after Daisy. She’s mine.”

  A thunderous expression twisted the man’s handsome face, “Leave the little wolf alone.”

  A mocking smile curled Roman’s lips, “I will not. Oh, and good luck tracking down a ghost.”

  With that, Roman walked out, leaving his brother behind, knowing that the man would wonder what had just happened. In a few minutes, he wouldn’t remember anything at all. This was the only time Roman was grateful he was so forgettable though it gave him pause to realize they were able to track him to the dive he was living in. Eventually, they would send someone who wouldn’t forget him and he’d be screwed.

  There was even less time to secure Daisy’s affections…. No, her affections were secure. It was her virginity that he needed and he was certain he could have it that night if he wished it. Strangely, that didn’t appeal to him and he wasn’t sure why. Oh, he meant to have her but he didn’t want it to be desperation that drove him. Hell, he was desperate but he didn’t want…. Fuck, he didn’t know what he didn’t want.

  He didn’t want to lose Daisy.

  “Fuck,” he growled, pressing his hand against his inexplicably aching chest. Wait, where was Xerec? Shit, the demon probably got waylaid by his brother. Shit shit shit. Turning around, he stomped back to the building. Clenching his jaw, he prepared himself for the unrecognition in his brother’s eyes as he saved his demon from an unwanted interrogation. The little bastard would probably break within seconds and the gargoyles would have their culprit even if they didn’t remember him.

  Just as he suspected, Leo had the demon cornered. Poor Xerec was looking wildly about the corridor, looking for escape. He practically sighed in relief when he noticed Roman. Ignoring the gargoyle, Roman grabbed the demon by the shoulder and hauled him out of Leo’s grasp. Plopping Xerec down in front of him but keeping a hand on his shoulder to steer him forward, Roman pushed onwards, trying to get out of there before anything else happened.

  “Hey!” the massive gargoyle shouted a moment after he realized his suspect was no longer there. “We were having a discussion. Who the fuck do you think you are?”

  Grinning, enjoying himself in spite of the circumstances, Roman turned around and said, “We’ve discussed this. I’m your brother.”

  He watched as the confusion washed over the other man’s face but the satisfaction was short lived. It hurt to be so easily forgotten no matter how opportune the forgetting was. Keeping a tight grip on Xerec, Roman barreled out of the building once more. Luckily, Leo had forgotten him the moment they turned the corner so they were able to escape further questioning. When they were safely away, Roman bit out, “How much did you tell him, Xerec?”

  “Nothing,” the twerp said quickly, too quickly. At Roman’s glare, he cowered. “I might have mentioned a curse. And the girl being the key to breaking it.”

  Roman swore under his breath. There was no way they were ever going to let Daisy out of their sight again. They were going to lock her in the highest tower and throw away the key…. With a grim smile, Roman reminded himself that he could fly and should they lock her up in a tower he’d be the only monster that could get to her. “Anything else?”

  “Not really,” Xerec muttered, a sheepish expression making him look even more pathetic. “Well, I might have mentioned you’ve fallen in love with the girl but I can’t be sure.”

  “I haven’t fallen in love with her,” Roman bit out, ignoring the worthless little voice in his head that called him a liar. He’d be a fool to fall in love with her because she wasn’t meant for him, not for all eternity at any rate. She was just the poor girl who woke a cursed gargoyle. “Now, I’m flying to Daisy’s and you’re going with so I can keep you out of the gargoyles’ path.”

  With obvious relish, Xerec grinned maniacally as they flew through the night to Daisy’s side. Even if he wanted to take Daisy’s virginity, he couldn’t very well do it with the Wayfarer demon hanging out close by. Roman knew that Xerec would have no qualms about hiding in the bushes and spying on the couple. The next time he flew out, Roman was going to have to leave Xerec behind and hope the demon managed to avoid further interaction with the gargoyles. When Roman took Daisy’s virginity, there weren’t going to be any demon witnesses.

  Chapter 10

  Daisy paged through the magazine, not really paying attention to any of the articles. It could have been a fashion magazine or a gardening magazine or a treatise on the nature of a quark, it hardly mattered. Her thoughts were a million miles away and there was nothing she could do about it. Despite the fact that she wasn’t actually grounded or under house arrest, she didn’t want to worry her parents so soon after her latest adventure. It was unfortunate that Dominic hadn’t been lying when he said she didn’t get into trouble and she finally realized why. Every time she tried something new or daring, she got smacked down in the worst way possible, starting when she was ten and went on vacation with her best friend.

  Was it any wonder she was so cautious? One moment her best friend had been there and the next she was gone, along with her parents and millions of other humans. Logically, Daisy knew that it wasn’t her fault but her ten-year-old brain had internalized it and afterwards she was the perfect, albeit slightly boring child.

  The second time she did something – singing at the frat party – she had slinked away with her tail between her legs, and not her literal tail because she was still a latent wolf. Maybe that was why her wolf refused to talk to her: she was deadly dull. Whether or not she was responsible for the orgy was irrelevant because she still blamed herself. It didn’t matter how active and slightly lecherous her imagination was if she never acted on it… or, rather, hadn’t acted on it until Roman.

  A naughty smile tilted her lips as she thought about her gargoyle.

  “I would give anything to know what you’re thinking that put that smile on your face,” his low, rough voice came from the shadows.

  With a squeal of delight, Daisy tossed down the magazine, leapt off the bed and jumped into Roman’s arms, knowing he’d catch her. “Roman! What are you doing here?”

  “I wanted to see you,” he murmured with a smile in his voice. Shrugging his broad, broad shoulders, jiggling her in the process, he added, “So here I am.”

  Wrapping her arms around his thick neck, she hugged him, so happy that he was there. “Have you come to take me flying again?”

  “No, my little flower,” he chuckled, freely returning her hug. “I don’t think it would be wise.”

  Hadn’t she just realized how dull she was? With a frown, she pulled back and looked at his face, realizing that he had left his hood down and taking great pleasure in that fact. “It would be better than staying here in my bedroom. I mean, what could we possibly do?”

  Roman’s too-wide mouth spread into a wicked grin, which was quite a feat since it was also terrifying. “I could think of several things we could do.”

  As the meaning of his words sank in, burning color flooded her cheeks and she looked away from him. The trouble was that it wasn’t just embarrassment making her cheeks turn red. A knock on the door saved her from throwing herself at Roman and begging him to keep the promise that was in his words. As she untangled her limbs from his body and crossed the room to the door, she watched as Roman pulled the cloak up and slid into the shadows. Oh, he didn’t actually disappear but if one wasn’t looking for him, they wouldn’t see him.

  Smoothing her hand over her hair, she smiled as she opened the door only to frown when she saw who was
standing there. “Dominic. What do you want?”

  “I want you to rescind our bargain,” he practically panted, leaning against the doorjamb as if the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels. “Please, Daisy.”

  A wicked smile curved her lips as she crossed her arms beneath her breasts and shook her head no, “I don’t think so, Dominic. It’ll do you some good to abstain for a few weeks.”

  “Daisy,” he groaned, closing his eyes as if he was in genuine pain but she knew he wasn’t. “A new wolf just came to town and I want her.”

  “You’re pathetic when you whine,” she taunted.

  “Oh, well,” he sighed, an easy smile curving his lips, all pretense gone. “It was worth the shot. One of the other wolves will probably get her on the ground with her ass in the air before the week is out anyways.”

  “Probably,” she agreed. He made a move to enter her room but she countered him, keeping him out. At his look of suspicion, she tried to act innocent, “I don’t want you to get your dirty paws on my things.”

  He arched a brow at this because she had never barred him from entering her personal space. Ever. Besides, she was staying in the pool house and she didn’t have a lot of personal things with her. Suspicious, he asked, “Daisy, have you gone to the dark side? Are you watching porn?”

  “Yes,” she dead panned. “Yes I am. Now leave before I miss the good parts and I’m not reneging on our bargain. I’ll sing tomorrow and you’ll abstain from sex.”

  “You’re a cruel sister,” he sulked, straining his neck trying to look behind her, which was ridiculous because he towered over her by a foot. “What’s really going on, Daise? What are you hiding?”

  “Nothing,” she ground out, hoping the color in her cheeks wasn’t giving her away. Then she had a brilliant idea. “Actually, I have a favor to ask.”

  “After barring me from sex for an entire month?” he shook his head in mock regret. “I think not.”