Although he was nowhere near her, Shane felt her every emotion. He felt her pain, her sorrow, but also her strength. All the while, Shane’s heart ached with hers, and he allowed his own emotions to flood through him—to finally feel again.
He cherished every song she sang, every move she made on stage, and every word she said to her fans. Near the end of her concert, Samantha announced she had a special guest who would be helping her sing couple of songs.
“I have a surprise for you all. I know nobody will complain. Please help me welcome Justin Manning!” she announced.
The crowd went crazy as Justin walked across the stage, waving at everybody. When he kissed Samantha’s cheek, Shane almost leaped toward the stage to let Justin have it. Instead, he forced himself to calm down because that wouldn’t be a wise move at all.
Justin Manning was a well-known singer nationwide, and several of his songs had even made the top ten list. Justin was in the limelight quite a bit because of his fame and good looks. Apparently, the ladies seemed to love him.
Watching Samantha and Justin sing together, Shane instantly sensed there was something going on between them. He could feel their chemistry, and witnessing Samantha smile at Justin shyly made his insides churn. He could see that Justin was taken in by her, but more importantly, it was obvious that she didn’t seem to mind.
Unable to watch their chemistry unfold on stage, Shane bolted out of the concert hall. It was simply too painful for him to remain in there and torture himself. He lingered around outside to find out what she was doing after the concert. He hadn’t decided yet whether he’d speak with her or not.
Half an hour after the concert had ended, he saw her getting into the back of a black sedan with Justin. When it raced off, Shane followed, unable to resist. He was well aware of the location of her apartment since he’d gotten the address from Kelsey. A part of him didn’t want to know if she was going to end up with Justin tonight, but another part had to know. Maintaining his gargoyle form, it was easy for him to keep up with the car.
Relieved to see them pull in front of Samantha’s apartment, he watched through the darkness as Justin opened the door to help her out. Pulling her into his embrace, he said, “Did I already tell you how fabulous you were tonight?”
Samantha wrapped her arms around his neck and said, “Thank you for singing with me. It really helped with my confidence. And the crowd went wild when they saw you.”
“They were screaming for you, sweetheart,” he teased, planting a kiss on her forehead.
Samantha giggled. “It was a pretty amazing night, wasn’t it? You better go. Your poor driver is still waiting.”
“Mmm,” Justin said, burying his head into her neck. “I’d love to stay over tonight.”
Samantha sighed, “I know. Thanks for being so patient with me.”
“You already know how I feel about you, love. I’m ready to move our relationship to the next level. Just let me know when you’re ready.”
“Thanks, Justin. I’m so lucky to have you in my life. If it weren’t for you, I would be totally lost in this city.”
“Hey, I was new to this entertainment world at one point, too. I know how scary and intimidating it can be. But I’m here for you, baby. I’m not going anywhere.” With that, Justin leaned into her and began to kiss her.
Shane couldn’t even watch as their kiss deepened. It was killing him inside, and like he had done numerous times in the past, he wanted to create a diversion. He could just bang on something and the noise would at least make them investigate. But he stopped himself. It wasn’t his right to control her life any longer. Truth be told, he never had that right.
“Mmm, you feel good,” Justin said.
“You too,” Samantha said. “But it’s time for me to say goodnight. See you tomorrow?”
“You bet.”
Shane finally was able to turn his head toward them and saw Samantha slip out of Justin’s arms and head up the steps to her fifth story apartment. As soon as Samantha opened her door, Justin waved one last time before jumping back into the sedan.
As Shane watched the driver pull away, he contemplated whether he should talk with Samantha before leaving. On one hand, he didn’t want to upset her. On the other hand, the selfish part of him had to meet with her face-to-face. There was no way he could leave without asking her directly how she was truly doing.
He shifted into his human form and put the blue jeans and white button-down shirt back on. He waited several more minutes before finally approaching her door. After contemplating what he’d say to her during his entire travel to LA, he had finally given up and decided he would just wing it and let the chips fall as they may. Like Kelsey said, he really had nothing to lose at this point.
Samantha swung the door open as soon as she heard the knock. Shane saw her smile disappear when she saw him standing before her. Placing her hand on her heart, she took a step backward.
“Hi, Sammy. Expecting somebody else?” Shane asked, strolling into her apartment and closing the door behind him. “Nice place you got here.” The oversized, loft style apartment was surrounded by wall-to-wall windows and modern décor.
“Shane,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “What’s…what are you doing here?”
“I was in the area, so I thought I’d check in with you.” Shane wandered around her place, inspecting the details of her decorations. ‘I hope you don’t mind.”
“I do mind, actually,” she said, her voice stronger. “I thought we had an agreement.”
“Did we? I couldn’t remember.” Shane shrugged his shoulders, arching one of his eyebrows. “Tell me, who was that guy downstairs?”
“Are you serious? Are you spying on me?” she asked incredulously.
“Like I said, I was in the area. Of course I saw him drop you off and kiss you. Who is he?”
“Not your business! How’s your fiancé? Camille, was it? Or, is she your wife nowadays?”
“Nope, not yet married. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get the wedding invitation,” Shane said, knowing she was becoming more and more furious.
“Save your postage. I will not be attending the wedding,” she hissed.
Shane smirked as he folded his arms across his chest. “Okay, duly noted. You sounded beautiful on stage tonight, by the way. Congratulations. I knew you’d make it big one day.”
Looking surprised, Samantha asked, “You were there?”
“Yeah, I was in the area like I said, and since it was your big performance, shame on me if I’d missed it.”
Samantha sighed, walking away from him. “I’m still confused why you’re here. I thought I told you I wanted you to leave me alone.”
“Do you really want me to leave you alone? I know your words are saying that, but I’m having a hard time believing it—especially when your heart starts beating faster, you begin to perspire, and your whole scent changes when I’m around you.” Shane approached her so he was only a foot away from her.
Keeping her back to him, she whispered, “Maybe because I’m still scared of you.”
Shane placed his hand on her shoulder. “I don’t think so, Sammy. That’s the beauty about being a gargoyle. I can pick out the different scents, and that means I can differentiate various scents with emotions. You see, I know the scent of fear.”
When he heard her gasp, he turned her around to face him. Samantha stepped away until her back was against the wall. Shane continued to advance on her, and within seconds, he had her trapped. He placed both of his arms on either side of her, bracing them against the wall.
“Stop,” she begged.
Leaning his face to her neck, he inhaled deeply. “No, your scent is different. I don’t scare you; I make you nervous. And there’s something else…” He inhaled again. “Ahh, yes. It’s excitement. I excite you, Sammy,” he whispered in her ear.
“Get away from me.” Sammy tried to shove him, but it got her nowhere.
“Not until you tell me about your new frien
d. Who is he to you?”
“Damn you! He’s my boyfriend, okay? And yes, I care about him a lot. He’s one guy I can trust.”
Shane didn’t miss the jab under his belt. He studied her face, and on impulse, his finger brushed down her cheek, caressing it. He deliberately slid his hand down her arm until it stopped at the bracelet. Slowly, he played with the jewels, letting her know that he noticed she still had his bracelet on.
“The other thing about gargoyles is that we’re very protective creatures by nature.” His voice was soft—dangerously soft. “And you see, Sammy, I’m very protective and possessive of you. Maybe it’s because of our history, maybe it’s because you grew up in front of me. I don’t know, but whether you like it or not, no matter where our paths take us in life, I promise you, you will always be mine.” He sealed his promise by playing with her lips with his own. It was a possessive kiss, and he gloated in sick satisfaction that she was affected by it as much as he. When he pulled away, he couldn’t help but watch her face for several more seconds as the crimson color crept up her cheeks. “And if this new friend of yours hurts you in any way, mark my words, I will kill him.”
Before she could react, he released her and disappeared out of her front door.
Eighteen
It had been almost two months since Shane had last seen Samantha, and now his need to see her again magnified. He had left Los Angeles soon after leaving Samantha’s apartment, but not before investigating Justin Manning. As much as it killed him that Justin was Samantha’s boyfriend, Shane still wanted to make sure Justin wasn’t some crazy man who could potentially hurt her. Maybe a part of him wished he’d find something on Justin. At least it would give Shane a good excuse to do what he really wanted. But, Justin checked out clean. His talent with his singing got him recognized in the entertainment world, and he was just trying to stay afloat.
Now, seven weeks after seeing Samantha, Shane was even more withdrawn. The only time he truly felt alive was when he was with her. Kelsey and Damien had asked how it all had gone, but Shane had refused to talk about it. The time with Samantha was his and his alone. He wasn’t willing to share it with anybody.
Camille was not helping at all, and Shane was becoming more and more distant from her. She finally confronted him one night when he said he was going hunting.
“What the hell is wrong with you lately? Ever since you’ve returned from your little trip, you’ve been a total ass,” she complained.
“Nothing is wrong, Camille. Stop making a mountain out of a molehill.” Shane frowned, having no desire to hear her nagging.
“We haven’t even had sex since you returned,” she whined. “Every time I try, you refuse.”
“That’s all you care about?” Shane asked.
“Well, that’s one place where we used to be able to connect,” Camille said, folding her arms in front of her.
“And you think that’s enough for a lasting relationship?” Shane was done playing her games.
“What’s going on, Shane? Are you trying to back out of The Oath?”
“No, dearest Camille,” he answered, with a sigh. “I wouldn’t dare.”
“Wise move. I’ve put up with a lot from you in the past, and I will make sure you stay true to The Oath,” Camille threatened.
“Oh, I don’t put anything past you, believe me,” Shane said. “You saw my weakness, and you jumped on it.”
“Hmm, your weakness. Yes, the human female. Don’t push me, Shane.”
“And I told you, don’t ever threaten me again.”
Shane started to leave when Camille leaped up to block his path. “Where are you going?”
“Out of here. Suddenly, I’m having a hard time breathing.” Shane grabbed her by her arms and physically moved her out of the way. He ignored her when she winced dramatically. Flying out of there, he headed to see his nephew and niece. Lately, the only thing that seemed to give him a peace of mind was spending time with them.
Luckily, it was Friday night, so both kids were wide awake and excited to see their uncle.
“Dad and I are gonna go hunting soon. Are you coming with us, Uncle Shane?” Ryan asked.
“Yeah, why don’t you come?” Damien encouraged. “We’d love to have you join us.”
“Sure, why not? Let me hang out with my beautiful niece first. The tickle monster is looking for her.”
Tori released a scream before running around the house while Shane chased her. She loved the game where her uncle was the tickle monster, and when she was caught, he would tickle her until she begged for mercy. Tom, their cat, also seemed to enjoy the game because he’d run around with Tori and Shane, meowing at the top of his lungs. Finally, after Shane chased her for a while, letting her believe she’s way too fast for her uncle, he caught her. She giggled until she could giggle no more. She then collapsed, begging him to stop the tickles.
“Okay, my job is done here. Now, let’s go, nephew.” Shane grabbed Ryan and placed him on his shoulders before exiting the house with Damien. Once in a dark corner, they shifted into gargoyles. Within the last several months, Ryan had learned to shift himself and was embracing his gargoyle form.
When Damien and Shane were younger, it was completely opposite. They were born as gargoyles, and eventually learned to shift into humans. Shane was proud of his nephew for taking it all with courage. Although it had not been long since Ryan had begun to use his wings, he was surprisingly doing very well. The boy had no fear of taking that leap of faith.
Once they got away from the city and into the remote areas where the wildlife was plentiful, all three sat on the tree, waiting for prey. When Ryan spotted a deer in the distance, he said, “That one is mine.” With that, he dove off the tree and pursued the deer.
“He’s growing very fast. You’ll have to keep a close eye on him, Damien. He’s got that restlessness in him,” Shane said as he watched his nephew catch the deer.
“He reminds me of his uncle,” Damien replied with a grin.
“Exactly! Keep a close eye on him.” Shane laughed. The last thing wanted for his nephew was all the craziness he’d done in his life.
“How are you doing? What’s up with Camille?” Damien changed the subject.
“I can’t even look at her anymore. I swear, I’m sure I hate her.” Shane couldn’t help his resentment and anger toward her. “I literally pushed her out of the way earlier to leave.”
“I know you haven’t brought up Sammy, but was she okay at seeing you? I feel that restlessness in you is surfacing again since you’ve returned. I’m not sure if that’s a good sign, but hey, I kinda missed that side of you.”
“She’s moved on with another guy, Damien.”
“She told you that?”
“Well, first I saw them kissing, and then when I asked her about him, she said he was her boyfriend. A part of me wanted to yell at her, but then again, that would make me the biggest hypocrite of all, wouldn’t it?” Shane laughed sarcastically.
“You know I went to our father about this. I told him how they’d trapped you and asked if there was anything we could do.”
“Yeah? What did he say?” Shane asked, lifting his eyebrow.
“He said his hands were tied. Since you took The Oath, there’s nothing you can do to get out of it,” Damien said, with a heavy sigh.
“I’m not surprised with the answer. I can only hope that Camille herself sees how ridiculous this is. Maybe she will back out herself, although I doubt it.”
“I doubt it as well, Shane. You’ve got just about four months before your year is up.” Damien paused, and when Shane didn’t respond, he continued, “You know when I told you Sammy was off limits? I told you to leave her alone?”
“Yeah, I should have listened,” Shane mumbled.
“No, I was wrong, brother. Whether you’ll admit to yourself or not, you truly love her. And I don’t mean you love her like Kelsey and I love her. You’ve fallen in love with her, bro. You made the ultimate sacrifice for her. You’d nev
er get caught in a trap like that unless it was for a person you’ve fallen hard for.”
Shane stood up on the branch. “I don’t want to talk about this. Why are you saying all this to me?”
“Because when I realized I loved Kelsey, I was willing to give everything up for her. Everything, Shane. I was going to risk it all because it was worth it.”
“It doesn’t matter how I feel about Sammy. It’s too late! Not to mention, she has this deep hatred toward me. I can feel it.”
“She probably doesn’t like the way you make her feel, but it doesn’t matter how she feels about you. When I made a choice to give up everything for Kelsey, including my gargoyle world, I made that decision without her even knowing me. I gambled because it was worth it. It didn’t matter if she didn’t feel the same because I had promised myself I would spend the rest of my life showing her how much she meant to me. There are no guarantees in life, Shane. Sometimes, you just take that leap because it’s worth the fall.”
Shane sighed in frustration. “Is it wrong to feel this way? I’ve had a lot of guilt all these years, so I’ve been denying my feelings…fighting them.”
“You can’t help how you feel, Shane. You can try to control your heart with your mind all you want, but I promise you, it’s a losing battle.”
“What do I do?” Shane was confused, not understanding what his brother was suggesting.
“I want you to look deep inside your heart and listen to it. Whatever you decide, I will stand by your side.”
“Did you guys see my catch?” Ryan yelled as he was flying back to them.
“We sure did, big guy!” his father answered. “You’re gonna be a better hunter than us pretty soon.”
With that, the father and son team flew together to search for more food, leaving Shane lost in thought.
Nineteen
When Shane was alone with Kelsey the following night, he decided to ask her opinion. He had always respected her, and he knew she would be blunt with him.
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