by A C Warneke
“I keep seeing Isis,” he blurted, turning his head and looking at her fully. There was stark fear in his blue eyes and she understood why he had been distracting her with kisses for the past week. Roman’s entire world was topsy-turvy and there was so much he had to deal with and there was only so much she could do. With the appearance of Isis…. She had never felt so young and powerless in her life. “I’m worried she plans on destroying what we have.”
“Never,” she vowed vehemently, her heart pounding heavily in her chest. If she could only alleviate his fears maybe he wouldn’t be so desperate to wring every moment of pleasure out of their time together. They could slow down and… savor one another. Of course, fiery passion was marvelous and she spent most of her time away from Roman wishing she were with him. Maybe they’d drive out to her parents’ estate this weekend and hang out with the family. The kids would absolutely adore Roman and her family could be his surrogate family. Maybe if he realized how much he was loved, he wouldn’t look for trouble where it wasn’t going to be found.
“She keeps… smiling at me,” he continued in a distracted voice. “And I don’t trust that smile.”
“Why haven’t you said anything before now?” she asked, trying to remember if she had seen anyone that could have been an Egyptian goddess but nothing came to mind.
“At first, I thought she was just gloating,” he answered slowly. At Daisy’s complete look of incomprehension, he smiled, “I figured she must have taken what she needed from me the month I was… gone. But it’s not that.”
“How do you know it’s not that?” Despite the anxiety that was pressing against the edges of her consciousness, she was fascinated by the conversation because they were talking about Isis, about the freaking goddess Isis.
“Other than being a man at night,” he said with a light in his eyes and a smile on his lips. “I’m not.... missing anything. I’m still who I was before.”
“What if she altered your memory, too, and you only think you’re the same?”
Arching an eyebrow, he asked, “Have you noticed a difference? Other than the obvious?”
Mirroring his expression, she asked, “Obvious?”
“Daisy,” he chuckled, grabbing her and twisting them until she was beneath his hard body. As he loomed over her, the levity left his expression and he asked again, “Have you noticed a difference?”
“Well,” she said, trying to alleviate his worries and make him smile once again. Resting her hands on his shoulders, toying with the ends of his hair, she pursed her lips as she considered his question. “You’re not afraid to show me your face and you’re hornier.”
“Oh, trust me, my little flower,” he growled, thrusting his hips against her and letting her feel his arousal. “I was plenty horny before. I just didn’t want to frighten you.”
Tears filled her eyes as she pictured him as he had been, bothered that his craggy face had caused him so much suffering. People were frequently cruel to things they feared but if they had taken the chance to get to know him, they would have realized he was a beautiful man, despite his smooshed face. It didn’t help that he had isolated himself so completely as to not exist at all. Stroking her fingers over his masculine jaw, his sensuous lips, she whispered, “I haven’t noticed any differences, Roman. You are the man I fell in love with, even with this pretty face.”
His lips quirked up into a quick smile before he was serious again as he shook his head, “See? So that begs the question: what is she planning?”
“Maybe she’s not planning anything,” Daisy offered, knowing her words were going to fall on deaf ears. But Roman knew Isis better than she did. He had been under her spell for two thousand years, and he knew what he was talking about. If he was worried, then she should worry, too. Drawing her tongue over her bottom lip, she said, “Maybe we should stay at my parents’ place until we figure out what she’s planning. Dad has put tons of wards into place to keep people out….”
“I was able to slip in,” he interrupted.
“You were never unwanted,” she quickly returned, rubbing her thumb over his lower lip. “If we explain what is happening, I’m sure he could put something up to keep Isis out.”
“I doubt there is much of anything that could keep a goddess out.”
“At least we’d have the pack to help keep an eye on things,” she added. “Plus, we can ask your dad if he has any spells or incantations that will keep a goddess out.”
“Perhaps.”
“I just think we’d be safer on my parents’ estate.”
“Daisy, sweetheart,” he said, taking a breath. Pressing his lips together, he managed another breath before he said, “I don’t think your parents would welcome me if they even suspected I was sleeping with you.”
“After that kiss at the bar, I don’t think there are any doubts in their minds that we are sleeping together,” she said, feeling the heat of color in her cheeks. “But you’re my mate so my dad won’t be too pissed. Plus, they’re wolves. Most of them are very promiscuous until they’re mated and then all of that sexual fervor is focused on the mate.”
He huffed a laugh, “Ah, but you’re also a Siren. What would your mom think?”
“That you’re my One True Love,” she grinned, purposefully emphasizing One True Love to make him smile. “And since her line is destined to have only One True Love, I’m sure she’d be disappointed if we weren’t sleeping together.” At his look of disbelief, she laughed, “We’re not human, Roman. The bond between wolves and their mates is nearly unbreakable even without the benefit of marriage. It’s even stronger between a Siren and her One True Love.”
His eyes moved over her face as he contemplated her words. Framing her face with his hands, he asked, “Would you marry me, Daisy?”
“In a heartbeat,” she answered without hesitation even if she didn’t need a piece of paper. Unlike humans, her interests and her children’s interests were always protected because a wolf mate couldn’t stray. A wolf bond was relatively easy and involved sex, mutual biting, and the exchange of blood. Sometimes, like with Dominic and Jeanette, the bond was put off because only mated wolves could have children. Some wolves chose their mates and sometimes their mates were chosen for them, something Daisy would have had a better understanding of if her wolf ever spoke to her again.
Suddenly, she stilled. She hadn’t even considered children and she didn’t know if it was a possibility, since she had gone back to that book of mythology and read that all gargoyles – all living gargoyles – had come from the union of Medusa and Apollo. “Roman? Can a gargoyle have children?”
“I knew this question was coming,” he said on a long sigh. Falling onto his back, taking his heat with him, he stared up at the ceiling once more. “Can a gargoyle have children? It’s a complicated answer, Daisy.”
Rolling onto her belly, she rested her chin back on his chest, trying not to think about the children that might never exist. “How is it complicated? Either they can or they can’t…. Roman?”
Turning his head slightly, he met her eyes. Before he answered, he reached up and twirled a piece of her hair between his fingers. Staring at the strand of hair as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world, he slowly explained, “It is a possibility but the risks are… extraordinary and I don’t know if it would even work since you’re a Siren and the others were human.”
“Is this something every gargoyle knows?” she asked.
“No,” he said with a sad smile, meeting her eyes for just a moment before he concentrated on her hair once more. “Or at least it wasn’t. Actually, my father has been stopping by while you’ve been at class and he’s been telling me a lot of things that have been happening recently. A lot of things.”
Even with the threat of Isis hanging over their heads, she was mad with curiosity, wishing she could have been a fly on the wall when Roman was talking with his father. “Like what?”
“Well….” He drew out the word before he said, “There are only two w
omen who have ever born gargoyle children, sisters that drank the blood of Medusa and Apollo, died for a moment, and then fucked their gargoyle mates in their gargoyle forms.”
Daisy winced, picturing the mammoth erection Roman sported while in his gargoyle form. It was the size of a freaking baseball bat and it would tear a girl in two. “Ouch.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “It’s not easy but it’s the only way for them to have children.”
“But only after they die,” Daisy said to clarify.
“Only after they drink the toxic blend of Medusa’s and Apollo’s blood and survive.” Pushing the strand of hair behind her ear, he cupped the back of her head and finally met her eyes, “I don’t think it would work on you since you already have a bit of the goddess in you and I’m not willing to risk your life.”
“Roman,” she said, the sound sticking in her throat.
“If you want children, we’ll adopt,” he continued, his eyes full of regret and sorrow and the fear he had been hiding that he finally allowed her to see.
“I’m twenty,” she rasped, holding his eyes while she kissed his palm. “I’d like a few years with you before we start planning a family.”
His lips curved into a half-smile but she feared she only made matters worse. He didn’t need to worry about children when he was still agonizing over what Isis might or might not do. “I will do anything to keep you safe and make you happy, my little flower.”
“You make me happy,” she told him, pressing a kiss over his heart. Crawling over his hard body, straddling his hips, she took his erection into her body, holding his eyes as she slowly made love to him. How was it possible to love someone so much and not burst with it? Entwining her fingers with his, she leaned forward until their hands were on either side of his head and she was only a breath away from his lips. She could see into his soul, the love he had for her, and it filled her with such joy it couldn’t be contained. “I love you, Roman.”
“I love you, too,” he said gruffly, the words pushing her over the edge into ecstasy.
“It’s beautiful here,” Roman murmured as they walked through the midnight woods, hearing the occasional howl in the distance. Despite his reservations, he realized it was a good idea to have as many eyes on the lookout for Isis as possible, and wolves’ eyes were even better. Daisy’s pack was amazing and he couldn’t have found a better group of wolves if he had tried. They welcomed him with open arms, making him an honorary member of the pack without hesitation or uncertainty simply because he was Daisy’s mate. It was extraordinary.
Earlier, she had taken her parents aside and together they had explained to them the situation, from Isis to the curse to the loss of his family due to the curse. Mr. Tremain was quietly furious about Roman sleeping with his daughter but his wife whispered something in his ear that made his cheeks go up in flames and he never said a word. By the end of his story, Roman knew he had gained a true ally in Mr. Tremain, a man who loved his family to distraction and by extension those his family loved. Of course, since there was a threat, the younger kids were being kept close to the house until the danger passed.
“I love it here,” Daisy said wistfully. “When I was a little girl, I looked forward to the day I could shift and run through these woods as a wolf. There’s a lake that can only be accessed by a wolf and I still dream about that secret haven, wondering what it’s like. My brothers tell me it’s the most amazing place in the world, with a lake that is so clear you can count the pebbles at the bottom of it and water so warm you never want to leave. They say it’s a little slice of paradise right here in Minnesota.
“I don’t believe them, of course,” she continued, a tight smile curving her lips, the smile one wore to keep from crying. “I mean, I’m sure it’s beautiful but it’s still Minnesota and the lake must freeze over in the winter, despite my brothers swearing up and down that it remains perfectly warm all year long.”
“During the day, I can fly you to this super-secret hideaway,” he offered, feeling her pain of not being able to shift deep within his soul. She turned her head and smiled up at him, a brilliant smile that stole the breath from his lungs and the beat from his heart. Coming to a stop, he stared down at her, at the luster of her eyes, the lushness of her lips, and he fell in love all over. “Daisy?”
“I would love that above all things,” she beamed. With a happy sigh, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. “Since I’ve met you, it feels as if my life is finally moving forward again. I think I’m at peace with not being able to shift.”
“Someday it might happen,” he murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her face, loving the silky texture of it. “You never know.”
“Yeah but now I’m no longer in any rush,” she returned. “And if the lake is really as spectacular as my brothers say, then you know we’ll be spending a weekend out there.” As he tilted his head to the side in a silent question, her grin grew a little naughty as she answered, “So we can make love in this pristine lake and since you’re really, really big during the day, we’ll have to wait until night. And since you can’t fly at night….”
“A weekend camping trip,” he finished for her, the idea erotically appealing. A naked Daisy, a naked, wet Daisy…. “We can leave in the morning.”
“Tomorrow is Monday,” she laughed, her eyes dancing with mirth. “I have class. But we can make plans to leave Friday morning if you want.”
“Yes, I want,” he growled, grabbing her hips and pressing his erection against her belly, wishing they were in her room so he could peel her clothes off her body and run his tongue all over her soft skin. When they were sexually sated and utterly exhausted, he would coax her wolf from hiding, promising the creature anything it desired if it would only come forward. He would work at it diligently, even if it took years to tempt the beast.
In that moment, he wanted to take her home, to show her where he came from, to introduce her to his brothers even if they wouldn’t remember him. “Daisy?”
“Hmm?” she murmured, looking up at him with a languid expression that spoke of profound love and absolute trust.
“I want to take you to Rome,” he said.
Her eyes lit with excitement but she kept her voice calm as she asked, “When?”
“Over your winter break. We can fly out on Midnight Air as soon as class lets out.” Her eyes widened at the mention of the airlines that catered to nocturnal creatures and he could feel her excitement practically buzzing over her skin. “I’ll be able to show you the sights during the day from overhead and at night we can make love in a palazzo by the sea.”
“Hmm,” she hummed, closing her eyes as if picturing it in her head. “It sounds perfect.”
“There are so many things I want to do with you,” he said, excitement building within him at the realization that they had their whole lives ahead of them, a future waiting to be lived. Stopping, he took both of her hands and grinned down at her, “I want to dance with you on a moonlit beach and make love to you afterwards. I want to take you to the top of the tallest building in the world and then wait until the sun rises and fly with you back to the ground.”
A horrified laugh slipped past her lips as her eyes widened in alarm at that last idea. But she simply said, “I trust you.”
What more could a man or a gargoyle want? Wrapping his arms around her slender body, he held her to him and murmured, “I want to give you the world, Daisy. Tell me what you want and it’s yours.”
She smiled at him, a tender smile that reached into his guts and pulled them out. Placing one hand over his heart and the other hand over hers, she murmured, “As long as you’re with me, the world is right here.”
“When this is all over, we’ll buy a house in the country,” he promised. “Close enough to your family that you’ll be able to visit every day but….”
“Far enough away to have privacy,” she finished, a wicked sparkle in her eyes.
“I’ll take you flying during the day,” he continued. “Wher
e ever you want to go.”
Lowering her lashes, her tongue swept across her lower lip and he groaned. When she looked up, she didn’t quite meet his eyes as she said in a soft voice, “When this thing with Isis is over, I want to bite you.”
Tilting his head to the side, he studied her as he let the words sink in. Color climbed into her cheeks as she rushed on, “I don’t know if it will work because I’m not a real wolf….”
“Yes you are,” he growled.
At that, a slight smile played at her lips but she shook her head and continued, “I want to claim you.”
“Why wait?” he asked. If she wanted to bite him, to claim him, he was more than willing to do it now.
Again her tongue darted out and she swallowed before she finally answered, “I am afraid.”
“Afraid? How?”
“What if my bite weakens you, even temporarily, and that’s when Isis decides to make her move?” she asked and it was obvious that she had spent some time considering the repercussions of biting him. “What if you get sick because my bite is more human than wolf? Or maybe it’s the wolf’s bite that would make you sick.” He opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it as she continued, “I know you’re a gargoyle and traditionally you’re immune to diseases and such, much like wolves, but a gargoyle has never been bit by a wolf. Don’t you think we should tread carefully in case there are some dire consequences of two supernatural creatures biting one another?”
“So you’d have me bite you, too, huh?” he said with a grin, the thought of biting Daisy, marking Daisy, suddenly very, very appealing.