Stone

by Linda Mooney

  He found her clit, rubbing it provocatively and making her squirm. What she didn’t anticipate was when he slid a finger inside her as he continued to attack that tiny bundle of nerves. The heat ramped up, and she arched her body in response. She was being overwhelmed by his presence and his strength, and she didn’t care. There was no hesitation in her as she surrendered herself to him.

  His lovemaking was intense, yet curious. Every now and then he would stop whatever he was doing, as if to judge her reactions. At those times she would smile and caress him, silently letting him know she was open to whatever he wanted to do. Reassured, Garenth proceeded to explore every inch of her.

  Flipping her onto her stomach, he spread her legs, insinuating his erection between her thighs as he worked his way down her back. Cupping his hands around her breasts, he gradually moved downward, kissing the length of her spine until he reached her buttocks. Spreading her cheeks, he hoisted her hips slightly and pressed his fingers inside her again. She started to squirm, when he lifted her thighs once more, and this time slowly slid his hard length within her.

  Brielle rose up on her hands and knees, when he shoved her face back onto the mattress. With one hand keeping her cheek to the sheets, his other hand held her by one thigh, and the onslaught began.

  She had never been seduced this way before. She had never screwed anyone in any position other than missionary. This was all new to her. New, exciting, and for a fleeting moment, frightening. He wasn’t hurting her, but he was dominating her. She couldn’t move or reciprocate, or do anything other than to lie there and let him take her as his groin slammed into her lower lips.

  Somehow she managed to reach underneath them and cup her hand to where her nails skimmed the surface of his erection. Every time he penetrated her and withdrew, she dragged them over the sensitive skin. He groaned at the sensation, picking up his pace as they both spiraled toward completion.

  Suddenly, he released her shoulder and used his thumbs to spread her butt cheeks for the final assault. Brielle was barely aware of herself being hammered into the mattress. Her orgasm rose like a giant beast within her, breathing smoke and fire as it roared awake. She cried out, gripping the sheets with both hands as Garenth ground himself deep within her.

  For a long minute they remained unmoving—he on his knees behind her, and she lying face-down. She felt his erection quiver slightly, and her body shivered. She’d just had one hell of an orgasm, but she was still hungry. She wanted more. More of him and more of that phenomenal loss of self she’d sustained.

  Unconsciously, she wriggled her hips, as if to entice him. He pulled out of her, then flipped her onto her back. Before she could say anything, he opened her lower lips with his hands and dove face-first for her clit.

  His mouth was relentless, teasing and tonguing and sucking on it like it was a tiny teat. Another intense release blossomed within her, and Brielle shrieked as her body arched above the covers.

  Pure and total exhaustion covered her sweat-covered skin. She felt herself coming down from her two releases, her mind sinking into unconsciousness. She started to fight it when Garenth stretched out beside her and gathered her into his arms. He spoke her name and added a few more words both of them knew she wouldn’t understand, but that was all right. His tone and actions conveyed everything.

  The last thing she was aware of before she fell asleep was him kissing her temple, then the top of her shoulder, before pressing his face to her neck to join her in sleep.

  Chapter 28

  Prayer

  Garenth moved his hips slightly to get more comfortable and hoped his movement didn’t awaken Brielle. He listened intently to her steady breathing, which reassured him she was still asleep. Smiling, he lay his head on the bolster as he listened to the sounds of this strange city filter in through the open section in the wall.

  I am content.

  He never thought he would be able to say that again. To be content meant he was happy. It meant he was ready to face whatever future the gods had planned for him.

  I am content because of Brielle.

  As if she’d heard his thoughts, she moved in her sleep. Unconsciously, she snuggled closer to his side. His wounded side, supposedly. Garenth ran a hand over the unmarked skin. He hadn’t had a chance to check his back and buttocks, but he could almost guarantee his skin there was as unblemished as his arms and chest.

  He rubbed his hairless crown. There was no hair on him anywhere. He was as bald and bare as a newborn babe. No scars, no calluses. He was starting fresh. His past no longer mattered, and would never haunt him again.

  My past.

  That great city among the sands where he’d once lived was a long distance away. Although this place was strange and potentially dangerous, he oddly felt more comfortable here. Here was where Brielle lived, and at this moment he wanted nothing more than to spend whatever time he could with her.

  His previous plans had washed away, along with the stone exterior that used to encase him. He no longer wanted to go back to his home lands. There was no reason for him to return. Not anymore. There was nothing back there for him. He was a man again, not a monstrosity. He could walk among the others without fear, and without initiating fear.

  However, before he could stay he had to find a purpose to his new life. He couldn’t live in this city without providing for his own bed and board.

  But what could I do?

  Up until his imprisonment, his life had centered exclusively around the military. As far back as he could remember, he’d wanted nothing more than to become a soldier. His ultimate goal, to become a commander of a legion under the auspices of the pharaoh. He’d fought and suffered to become an expert with the Khopesh and dagger. He’d endured beatings meant to strengthen his endurance and make him stronger. He’d worked his way up the ranks with repeated offerings of his sweat and blood. He knew no other way to survive.

  But if I am to live here, I will have to find another way. I will have to learn another profession. He gazed down at the beautiful woman cuddled against him. But before that happens, I will have to learn your language. One day, Brielle, I will be able to tell you, using your words, what you’ve come to mean to me.

  His thoughts suddenly shifted to the man who’d recently been there. The man who called himself Kelling. The man he’d faintly recognized as one of the people who’d found him still chained and bound inside the dungeon. Kelling had taken the bag containing the mother idol with him after he’d reassured Garenth that the vial would be safe.

  Garenth stared, unseeing, at the wall on the other side of the room as Minbar’s prophetic words came back to him. As long as you retain possession of the vial I’ve placed in your hand, you will live. He understood what she meant now. The potion she’d made him drink had turned him into the creature in order to prolong his life. With the vial no longer in his possession, his outer shell had begun to deteriorate, until it reached the point where he could shed it the way the snake sheds its skin. He was no longer protected by the stone orifice. His thousands of years of living was over.

  Because he was human once again, he would eventually grow old and die. That’s what Minbar had meant.

  His gaze dropped to Brielle. The thought of death didn’t frighten him because he’d found this woman. He was more than willing to face the coming years if he was able to do so with her beside him.

  Let me stay with you, Brielle. Allow me to be your protector and your lover. Teach me how to face this strange city, and show me how I can make a life here with you.

  Turning his face to the ceiling, he beseeched the gods. Give me the strength and courage to face this new land. Give me wisdom to find an occupation so that I may provide bread for my table.

  Petbe, you have allowed me to best Serasin. You have allowed me to survive long past his treachery, and thus I have been revenged. But my battle has only begun. The war is not yet over. I am facing my biggest and final foe…this land and this time. So I ask of you, give me guidance so that I may
prevail and conquer. Allow me this victory, and I will forever honor your name.

  Closing his eyes, Garenth waited to see if the god would answer. He didn’t expect to hear anything, or in any way witness some sort of response. He was shocked when a cold gust of air unexpectedly blew into the room through the opening in the wall.

  The wind. Petbe’s realm. A sign, an answer, from the Soul of the Sky.

  A feeling of calm came over him. With it came resolve. Now that he had made a decision about his life and the coming days, and the gods had approved, he could face whatever destiny awaited him.

  And Brielle. Because my destiny is hers, and hers is mine. We are intertwined…our fates and our souls, the same way we had intertwined our bodies.

  At the thought of the way her body had responded to his, the fire in his loins he’d thought had been banked sparked back to life. Fresh hunger surged through him, and he slipped his hand between her warm, vibrant thighs.

  Brielle stirred in her sleep as he pumped his fingers inside her, mimicking what he intended to do to her. She chuckled sleepily, then opened her eyes to give him a look that echoed his own growing need. When she rolled onto her back, spreading her legs as she held out her arm, Garenth accepted her invitation with a gusto that would leave them both drenched in sweat by the time they were finished.

  Chapter 29

  Saturday

  Brielle heard movement coming from the other room. Peeling her eyes open, she found herself staring at the empty other side of the bed. She groaned and rolled onto her back. God, she was sore, but it was a good sore. A happy sore. A sore she wouldn’t hesitate to suffer again.

  Another knocking noise came from beyond. This time it sounded like a cabinet door being closed. Garenth was up and apparently searching for something to eat. It made for a very good excuse to get up, considering it was Saturday, a day she normally didn’t care to get her butt out of bed until almost noon.

  The room was a bit too cool. Closing the window, she retrieved her nightshirt and slipped it on before heading to the bathroom. As she sat on the toilet, she eyed the dried bloodstains and congealed mess in the bottom of the tub, and winced. It was going to take a whole bottle of bleach and several hours of elbow grease to get it clean. After throwing some water on her face to help herself wake up, she padded into the kitchen to check on her houseguest.

  He was standing in front of the open refrigerator, staring at the contents inside. She couldn’t fault him for the look of bewilderment on his face as he stared at the half-dozen take-home containers inside. A seventh was in his hands, the lid open.

  Brielle laughed and took it from him. “I don’t think leftover Moo Goo Gai Pan is proper breakfast food. Let me fix you a bowl of corn flakes for starters, and we’ll work our way from there.”

  She pulled two bowls from the cabinet and handed them to him. Gesturing to the table, she grabbed a couple of spoons and the box of cereal to set next to him, then went for the milk. After showing him what to do, she fetched her phone. She’d barely had the chance to sit down when it went off. Brielle smiled to see the name of the caller.

  “Good morning, Uncle.” She hit the speaker button and set the phone down.

  “Morning, Brie. Did I wake you?”

  “No. Garenth and I were just starting to have something to eat. Did you get any sleep last night?” She knew that sometimes jetlag played havoc on the man.

  “I got enough. Listen, I know it’s the weekend, but I could really use your help. Can you meet me at the museum in a couple of hours? The cargo just cleared customs and is due to arrive around eleven, and I want to be there to accept delivery.”

  She could understand, considering what happened with the robbery. These artifacts were priceless, and Kelling was going to take no chances with this second shipment.

  “Sure. Not a problem. Can I bring Garenth with me?”

  There was a slight hesitation, and she immediately knew why. Her uncle didn’t know. When he’d been at the apartment last night, Garenth was still an effigy.

  “Uncle Chet, something happened last night that you’re not going to believe,” she hurried to interject.

  She was answered with a chuckle. “An ancient Egyptian gargoyle flies to New York City to retrieve a magical idol, and you think you have something to say that I won’t believe?”

  “He’s not covered in stone anymore.” She waited for the man’s reaction. She didn’t have to wait long.

  “What do you mean he’s not covered in stone anymore?”

  She quickly explained what occurred. How his façade had begun to crumble, so she’d put him in the tub to help wash him off. And as a result, the whole efface literally melted away. “He’s human, Uncle Chet. He’s alive and human.”

  “That’s incredible! By all means, bring Garenth with you. I’m anxious for him to look at what I’ve had sent. He might be able to give me insight as to what we’re looking at.”

  The comment sent a thrill of excitement through her. Of course! Garenth would have first-hand knowledge of everything, including the hieroglyphs. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking of it.

  She eyed the man who appeared to be playing with his corn flakes on the other side of the small dinette. The naked man. With a killer body.

  “That’s an excellent idea,” she told her uncle. “Before then, I’m going to have to get Garenth something to wear.”

  She heard the professor chuckle again. “I won’t argue with you there. See you soon. I’ll be in the warehouse.”

  “Sure thing. ‘Bye.”

  She ended the call and punched open the app, then looked at Garenth. “We’re to meet my uncle at the museum in a little while. But before we leave, I need to get you some clothes to wear. There’s a Housing Works a few blocks away. I’ll run over there to get you a few things.”

  She got to her feet and waved for him to stand. She needed to guesstimate his sizes, since she couldn’t take him with her to try on anything. “Let me see. You’re about a thirty-four, maybe a thirty-six in the waist. You’ll probably need a thirty-four or thirty-six length pant.” She scanned his muscular chest. “I’m definitely going to have to get you an extra-large in a shirt.” She took a stance beside him, hip to hip, and placed her foot next to his to judge the size. “I’m just going to have to wing it, and hope I come up lucky.” She tapped the app. “I shouldn’t be gone too long.”

  She didn’t expect him to grab her by the arm and turn her around to face him. He stared down at her with an uncertain look. She wondered if he was worried about her leaving, when he unexpectedly bent over and kissed her. Unlike his kisses from last night, these weren’t passionate. There was no heat behind them, but there was no mistaking the tenderness. She placed a hand to his jaw to give him a second, shorter kiss when he started to move away.

  “I won’t be long,” she told him again. “Go finish your breakfast.”

  She hurried into the bedroom to pull on a pair of jeans, and slipped on a bra under the oversized t-shirt. A quick brush through her hair, and she hurried to the front door to grab her purse, shoving her feet into a worn pair of loafers she kept in the entryway. Tossing him a smile, she left the apartment to walk the four blocks to the thrift store.

  It took no more than half an hour to get a couple pairs of jeans, two pullover shirts, plus a pair of sneakers and a pair of sandals that looked approximately his size. On her way back to the building, she stopped at a corner bistro for a coffee and a large slice of pound cake that they could share on their ride to the museum.

  The sky was growing cloudy when she exited the store. It looked like a front might be rolling in, a harbinger of fall. A chilly wind blew around her, making her shiver. “Damn, I should have picked up a windbreaker for him.” She debated whether to go back to the shop, but she needed to get back to the apartment. “We’ll pick him something up on the way home from the museum,” she decided. Or, if need be, the museum gift shops always carried outerwear during the colder months.

 
She subconsciously noted the guy in the navy blue hoodie leaning against the Metro pole when she turned the corner. The man was thumbing through his phone, apparently checking to see when the next bus would arrive at the stop. At the sight of him, she considered taking the bus to the museum, rather than hop on the subway. It took the about the same amount of time, either way, but she figured Garenth might like to take in a view of the city from ground level.

  She reached her building and hurried up the short flight of steps. Setting her bags on the stoop, she reached inside her purse for her keys, when a presence came up behind her. A body pressed against her back, and something hard was shoved under her ribs.

  “Nice and easy. Act as if nothing’s wrong,” a male voice whispered in her ear. “Now open the door and let’s go upstairs.”

  “Go ahead and take my money. Here.” She started to reach back into her purse for her wallet, but the guy jammed his weapon harder into her.

  “Shut up and let’s get inside. Try to cry out or scream, and I won’t hesitate to shoot.”

  A coldness went through her. What did this guy want? What did he plan to do?

  Her thoughts went to Garenth. If she was forced to take this guy up to her apartment, she knew Garenth wouldn’t hesitate to defend her. But without his stone exterior, he could be fatally shot, and there was no way she could warn him.

  Should she say something to the man? Should she tell him she had someone waiting for her upstairs?

  “Please, tell me what you want.”

  The guy answered with a push. “Inside. Now, bitch.”

  Not seeing any other option, Brielle unlocked the door, grabbed her bags, and went inside with the man sticking to her like glue.