Taken for Granite
Page 18
His son. Some days he expected to wake and find himself back in a Rose Syndicate cell, bitterly knowing that every moment from the last three years to be nothing more than a fevered dream. He did not understand how fortune favored such an unworthy male.
“Keisel doesn’t even have wings yet,” Juniper said.
“Thank Lar for that.” Khargal young were born with their tails. Horns sprouted in the first year and the wings grew in slowly, allowing for the musculature to develop. He could not imagine he chaos if infant and toddlers could fly.
Juniper leaned against him and brushed her hand over Keisel’s brows, no doubt feeling the bumps of his budding horns. His slate gray skin rippled into a beige where Juniper touched him, gurgling and cooing at his dame. Tas puffed up with pride that his son, only half a year old, could already utilize his camouflage ability. Keisel would be a powerful warrior when he was grown.
“It doesn’t bother you that I can’t join you?”
“Not at all,” he answered.
Everything about his Hondassa, his pebble was a gift. His fears about rejection from his family and Juniper’s ability to adapt to life on Duras had been baseless. His parents, Yilan and Aris, greeted Juniper with more enthusiasm than they expressed for the return of their missing son. Aris clasped his son on the shoulder, a nod of recognition, as if trying to maintain his dignity. Then his restraint broke and he gave his lost son a crushing hug. Yilan and Aris immediately swooped Juniper into an embrace, cooing at the gift of a daughter.
Not to say that his parents had given him a cold reception. The conditions surrounding their reunion were odd. Tas was now physically older than his parents and his siblings were still adolescents. Arin and Kala were closer to Chloe’s age than Tas’, and everyone accepted her as a younger sibling.
Chloe thrived on Duras. She attended a school that had many off-world students and excelled in her studies. She spent many hours in virtual games with Anic, often shouting and swearing at the tops of their lungs. Both adolescents assured the concerned adults that they were having a blast. The human tendency to equate explosions with enjoyment unnerved Tas, but he said nothing.
Tas retired from the military and received a generous pension for his trouble. Living in relative seclusion in his ancestral aerie suited him perfectly. He tried his best to avoid the media and any government official that wanted to parade him and the other survivors as war heroes.
He did not know what happened to Rhododendron. The last he heard, she had an adverse reaction to Khargal medication, was kept in an induced coma, and sent to a hospital. Where she was now, or even if she remained alive, he could not say and did not care to know.
“Don’t stay out too long. It’s cold,” Juniper said, wrapping the blanket around Keisel. He would work himself free in a moment and the blanket would be lost mid-flight, just as the others had been lost.
“Khargals do not mind the cold.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and let her fuss to her heart’s content.
“Just come back before the snow returns.”
“Understood.” Snow dusted the balcony. The break in the weather would not last long. “Kiss your dame farewell,” he said, holding out Keisel to Juniper.
Keisel dropped Tas’ tail and gave Juniper a slobbery kiss on the cheek.
Adjusting the squirming babe in his arms, Tas dove off the edge of the balcony. He fell for two heartbeats, one for him and one for his son, before his wings snapped opened and caught an updraft of warm air. Keisel cooed in delight and immediately stilled. He loved to fly as much as his father. One day, before Tas’ heart would be ready, Keisel would fly on his own. Until then, he’d take every opportunity possible to enjoy the peace of a perfect violet sky with the wonder of his fledgling.
In the dark years on Earth, he couldn’t imagine life beyond the bars of his cage. He dared not to hope, for anything, let alone finding acceptance and love with his Hondassa and building a family together.
His wings beat against the sky in powerful strokes, gaining altitude. He knew that no matter how high he flew, he’d always return to his pebble.
THE END
The adventure and romance continues! Find out what happened to Frelinray in Etched in Stone. And what about those Khargals left in London? Zara Zenia’s got them in the next book in the series, Rock My World.
And we have a Facebook group! Join us for all the gargoyle fun.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2142525566077146/
Glossary
At-Ukris: aerial Duras animal. Looks like a cross between an eagle and an octopus roughly the size of a whale
Bansial: the Durassian word for sticky
Canikin: the Durassian word for lady parts
Dam: mother
Dassa: mating fluid
Duramna: stone form
Duras: Khargal home planet
Durassian: the Khargal language
Earthian: what Khargals call humans
Fa: the Durassian word for Mrs.
Grack: the Durassian expletive for fuck
Guurlk: Khargal liquor
Hondassa: Mate
Kher: Khargal term for siblings
Khargal: what gargoyles call themselves
Lar: the Durassian word for god
Macero: the Durassian expletive for hell
Maztek: Duras animal similar to an earth whale
Rose Syndicate: clandestine organization that is pursuing gargoyles and their technology
Sartek: a random predatory animal on Duras
Sigil: the device used for contacting the rescue beacon and teleporting to the rescue ship
Sire: father
Tanem: the Durassian word for temporary companion taken before a true mate
Want more sexy Khargals? Check out all the books in the series! You don't want to miss a single one!
https://nanceycummings.com/khargals-of-duras/
Acknowledgements
Thank you for reading!
I hoped you enjoyed Tas and Juniper’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Some books fight me for every word and some just flow. Writing in a contemporary, real-world was new for me but other than a few hiccups, this story was a blast to write.
Will there be more? I have a few ideas. Like what happened to Rhoda? And what’s life like for Chloe? We’ll see.
I want to thank all the Gargoyle Girls for making this a fun, enjoyable project. When you agree to a collaborative project (at least in my experience), you don’t really know what you’re going to get. Is it going to be like a terrible school group project where no one does the work except you? Or is it going to be awesome?
Awesome. This was nothing but awesome.
Everyone brought a strength. Stephanie got all the world building details organized and kept poking us to make decisions. Stacy kept us motivated to keep writing, even on days when I didn’t want to. Regine has such an eye for detail that really helped the project shine. Abigail is a wizard at plot problem fixing. Tamsin is a master at beta reading. Zara is nothing but chill and flexible. World building details kept changing and she rolled with it, even after she already finished her book.
Also by Nancey
Warriors of Sangrin (With Starr Huntress)
Paax
Kalen
Mylomon
Vox
Warlord’s Baby
Seeran
Warlord Bride Index
Snowed in with the Alien Warlord
Alien Warlord’s Passion
Alien Warlord’s Miracle
Delivered to the Aliens
Have Tail, Will Travel: Celestial Mates
Valos of Sonhadra (multi-author series)
Blazing
Inferno
Dragons of Wye (with Juno Wells)
Korven’s Fire
Ragnar
Alpha Aliens of Fremm
Claimed by the Alien Prince
Bride of the Alien Prince
Alien Warrior’s Mate
Alien Rogue’s Pri
ce
About Nancey
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I write fun, flirty and fast stories featuring sassy heroines, out-of-this-world heroes, all the mischief they can managed and plenty of steamy fun. Hopefully you want to read them too.
I live in an old house with my husband and a growing collection of cats.
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