by Faith Gibson
Tessa just nodded. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by his breath. Gods the man knew how to kiss. Whether it was soft and sensual or hard and sexual, she wanted him to never stop breathing his soul into hers. She managed to reach up and cup the side of his head with one hand. Feeling his flaccid dick coming to life, she slid her hand down his neck, down his chest, across his ridged abs, until she found what she was looking for. His cock hardened in her hand, pulsing under her fingers. She wanted him in her mouth but couldn’t make her body obey for more than a hand job.
As Tessa continued to stroke Gregor, she kept her eyes locked on his face. He rose up and situated himself between her legs, holding his body aloft with his hands. He kept his eyes locked on her hand that was stroking him. When he finally looked up, Tessa saw lust staring back at her. His normally crystal blue orbs were dark with desire. He rocked his cock into her hand, never taking his eyes off hers. She needed him. Tessa had to have him in her, on her, surrounding her with the strength of the Gargoyle he was. “Need you,” she managed to whisper.
Just like that, her wish was his command. Using only his cock, he persuaded her body to open for him. With no foreplay, no teasing, just one swift movement, he was once again seated in her core. This time she would get to watch his face when he came.
This Gregor was completely different than the one in the bedroom. This man was slow and tender. The look in his eyes was a mixture of lust and wonderment. If she had to guess, she would say he was learning every inch of her from the inside out. He was going to memorize this moment in time so he could relive it once she was gone. At least that’s what she was doing. She never realized someone could make love so slowly. Oh gods, he was making love to her. She felt the tears wet the back of her eyes. Fucking Alistair. Why did his fucking uncle have to be such a prick?
“Tessa.” Gregor stopped moving. The tip of his cock was still inside her entrance, but Gregor remained motionless. “What’s wrong, Baby? Talk to me.”
When he called her Baby, the flood gates opened. The tears rolled down her cheeks, and she told him the truth. “We can’t do this. As much as I want this with you, we can’t have it. It’s not safe. We have to stay away from each other.”
“Why isn’t it safe? Who are you scared of?” Gregor was down on one forearm. He used his free hand to gently swipe the tears from her cheeks. His face was so close. Too close. Oh shit, she’d already said too much. Tessa’s brain was slowly beginning to function properly.
“Nobody, never mind. Please, make love to me.” When he still didn’t move, Tessa pulled her feet closer to her hips so she could thrust up, burying his cock inside of her. “Please, I need you.”
The doubt was still there on his face, but he did as she asked. Gregor Stone made slow, sweet love to her on a bear skin rug in front of a crackling fire.
Thirty-Three
Tessa woke to the aroma of coffee and bacon wafting up the stairs, and the sound of Gregor singing a sexy Anthony Hamilton number. He loved to sing and wasn’t shy about singing in front of her. Last night had been the single best experience of her life. After her mini-meltdown, Gregor backed off with the questions of why they couldn’t be together. Instead he asked her about her life, her travels, her cousins. Gregor wanted to know everything about her, and she found it easy to talk to him about it all. What would it hurt? There was nothing he could find out that would ruin it for them. His uncle had already seen to that.
She in turn asked questions about his life, begging him to leave out his sexual conquests. Neither wanted to hear about the other’s love life. Tessa found it interesting he and his brothers had paired up along the way. He and Dante were close, just like Rafael was close with Sinclair. He talked about the Clan and his parents. Anything she asked, he answered.
When he asked about all her aliases, she explained that she changed her name everywhere she went to keep Flanagan from getting any closer. Gordon was the one to name her Andrea, and she loathed anything to do with him. She went on to talk about her time with Jonas and how he had called her his little Nikola Tesla, saying she was going to grow up to be brilliant, too. She couldn’t say Tesla, instead it came out Tessa. Jonas had called her that ever since. What Gregor didn’t ask her was why she sometimes used his last name. For that she was grateful.
Gregor had shown her several sides, all different, but all good in their own way. He was tender when she needed it, but he was also wild when she wanted it. Gregor could probably open up a whole new sexual world to her if she would let him. Were things different, she would turn her body over to him and let him have his way. Last night had been a small sampling of what he would do. When he told her that her ass was his, he hadn’t lied. When she agreed to spend the night, he drove straight to the adult store and purchased a new anal plug for her. He stretched her out with the plug while he fucked her. Later, when her body was ready, he replaced the plug with his cock. He rubbed her clit while fucking her ass. It was the most intense orgasm she had ever had.
She grabbed her backpack and headed to the shower. She would prefer to keep his scent on her skin for the rest of her life, but Tessa had to wash the last couple of rounds of sex off her body. After the anal play, they had taken a shower together. They intended to bathe only, but Tessa had insisted on soaping his body so she could feel every inch of his skin under her fingers. When she started sliding her hand up and down his dick, Gregor lifted Tessa up, wrapped his arms under her thighs, and impaled her on his cock. Eventually they bathed and wrapped themselves in a couple of thick robes. They found some leftovers to refuel their bodies before having sex on the kitchen table. The sofa was used for a blowjob and the stairs for eating her pussy. The hot tub had been talked about but they just never made it out there. At some point she had given out and fallen asleep draped over Gregor’s body.
Now, reality was setting into her psyche. The ache she felt in her chest was of her own doing. All she had to do was walk down those steps and tell Gregor to bite her, make the bond official. She had come close when she had spaced out. No, she was doing the right thing for him. She had to keep him safe from his uncle and from her freak of a stalker. She needed to move away, put some distance between them. That would make the hurt less for both of them. Eventually.
She turned the shower off and grabbed a towel, wrapping her wet hair in it. She dried off and pulled on clean clothes she had brought with her. Instead of her standard jeans, she opted for more comfortable yoga pants. She slid a t-shirt over her head and put socks on her feet. She might be part shifter, but her feet still got cold. She found her comb and quickly detangled her long hair. She twisted it up, securing it with a clip, holding it away from her face.
Tessa padded down the stairs, stopping at the bottom to take in all that was Gregor. The man was standing in flannel sleep pants and nothing else. The muscles in his back bunched and snaked under his skin. He was singing a different song now, some Marilyn Manson tune.
“I can’t decide if you wear me out or wear me well…” he sang then hummed the chorus. He had a beautiful voice.
“I think I wear you well.” Tessa crossed the kitchen, closing the distance between them. She didn’t hesitate to walk into his open arms. Wrapping himself around her, he breathed in her clean scent. She enjoyed the feeling of being safe, cherished, wanted. Loved? Maybe not yet, it was probably too soon. If she stayed with Gregor, he no doubt would grow to love her.
“Coffee?” Gregor released her and opened the cabinet for an extra mug. He didn’t wait for her to answer, just poured the liquid and pushed the milk toward her. He remembered how she took her coffee from their conversation during the night.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to go to all this trouble for me.” She poured milk in her coffee and stirred it around with a spoon.
“No trouble, I have to eat, so I just cooked a little extra.” Gregor dumped scrambled eggs and bacon on two plates, popped some bread in the toaster, then sat down across from her. His mood was somber. She could change it w
ith one word. She didn’t. When neither one ate much, just pushed their food around, Tessa decided it was time to say goodbye. For good.
She stood to clear her plate but Gregor stopped her. “Don’t worry about it. I will clean the kitchen later.”
“Okay. Well, thank you for everything. I wish…”
Gregor cut her off. “Don’t, Tessa. Just go.” Gregor turned away from her and walked out the back door. She knew this would be hard, but she didn’t think he would be so cold about it. She took one last look around at what she was letting go.
Gregor’s heart was shredded. Completely ripped into tiny fucking pieces that would never mend. The last thing he wanted to do was go to the manor and be around his brothers, much less a happy Rafael and Kaya. Duty called, and he would bear it, because he had to. He was already late, but he didn’t care. There was no way he could watch Tessa get in her car and drive off, so he had taken off through the woods at a dead run. When enough time had passed, he returned to his house and showered. The t-shirt Tessa had been wearing when she arrived was on the floor of the bathroom. It must have fallen out of her backpack when she was grabbing her things. Gregor lifted the soft cotton to his nose and inhaled. Tears pricked the back of his eyes, and he lost it. His fist found the wall-length mirror, shattering it into thousands of shards.
Not bothering to clean up the glass or his hand, he quickly dressed and grabbed his helmet then threw it back down. He knew the laws, but right then he didn’t give a fuck. If he got pulled over between home and Rafe’s, he’d just show his identification and tell the police to piss off. Passing the sports cars to get to the bike, he stopped in front of the Camaro. It was his pick of the cars in his collection. He should have known it would be Tessa’s favorite as well.
Gregor rode his bike hard all the way to Rafael’s. He parked in front of the garage and cut the motor. He didn’t need shifter hearing to tell there was something going on. The noise level in the manor would rival a sports arena. Gregor walked in the dining room just in time to see Dante phase. Wings knocked food platters off the sideboard. Rafael got in his face, “Stand down. NOW! That’s a fucking order!”
Gregor cautiously stepped up next to his brother. As soon as he phased back, Gregor placed his hand on Dante’s shoulder. “Brother, what is it? Talk to me.” Dante was shaking with fury.
“These motherfuckers want to throw Isabelle to the wolf. I will not allow it.”
Gregor had obviously missed something important. “Someone care to fill me in?”
Rafael was not happy. “If you bothered to be here on time, we wouldn’t have to fill you in.”
“Well excuse the fuck out of me for having a godsdamn personal problem. Fuck you, Rafe.”
Dante was yelling at Deacon. Nikolas was sitting in the corner staring at the floor. Julian was arguing with Jasper. Some pretty boy he assumed was Dane Abbott was standing in the kitchen door looking like he would rather be anywhere else. The whole lot of them had lost their fucking minds. A shrill whistle rent the air. Kaya stepped into the room and glared.
“I don’t know what the hell is going on in here. What I do know is the way you’re all carrying on isn’t going to solve anything.” She continued on into the kitchen, grabbed a cup of coffee then went back to wherever she had come from.
Rafael tried to hide his grin and failed. “She’s right. Why don’t we take this outside so Priscilla doesn’t have to clean up after anyone else? Just in case.”
The men silently followed Rafael out to the patio. The tension was thick, but no one said a word. Rafael remained standing and addressed them as one. “Gregor needs to be brought up to speed. Julian, please go first.”
“The breach in the computer system a few weeks back came from Jasper’s computer. It has been determined Jasper isn’t smart enough to have hacked into the system. No offense.”
Jasper volleyed, “None taken.”
Julian continued. “I have contacted Sinclair, so he can investigate Jasper’s former boyfriend, Craig. Further, the email from Bartholomew Cromwell originated from somewhere in Greece. This mystery is proving to be a bit more difficult to crack.”
Dante, having calmed down, asked Rafael, “Did you ever respond to the bid request?”
“Yes, the amount was so outrageous that even if it had been a legitimate request, they would have told me to sod off. That’s not important right now. What is important is that Deacon has let us in on the tidbit about Alexander speaking and requesting to talk to Isabelle.”
Dante started to argue, but Gregor put his hands on his chest. “Whoa, Brother. Do you need to tell us something?” Dante would have punched anyone else for touching him, but Gregor’s hands and soft words had a calming effect.
“She is my mate. I needed to speak to her about something I found in the inmate files, so I went to visit her. We had a nice chat.”
“A nice chat? Is she on board with being your mate?” Gregor’s own heart was broken. That didn’t mean he would hold a grudge against his brother if he found happiness.
“Not really. Since she had a less than perfect marriage that ended in tragedy, I can understand her reluctance at another relationship. I have offered to bow out, but I’ve also given her the option to call me, should she wish to see where things go. The chat I was referring to had more to do with the half-bloods than my mating with her.”
All eyes turned to Dane who held up his hands defensively. “Hey, don’t look at me. I’ve already told you everything I know.”
Dante shook his head, frowning. “Isabelle was afraid to speak freely, because Tessa told her not to. Isabelle mentioned that the King’s uncle was the one who ostracized her father. She didn’t know his name, but she said he was the reason Tessa was so hell-bent on staying away from you.”
“Tessa admitted as much last night. She wouldn’t give me his name either, but it only makes sense that it’s Alistair. He never shied away from expressing his contempt for our mother when she married outside of the Greek bloodlines. He is a purist. If marrying an Italian had him disowning his sister, imagine how he would feel about one of us hooking up with a human.” Gregor wished Tessa had enough faith in him to keep her safe.
Julian spoke up, “Could he be the Greek who sent the email? Rafe, was he at the Elder Council?”
“He was there, but the email came in before I flew to Italy. Still, it could have come from him. He’s never liked me, so maybe he was trying to flush me out of the office. He had to know I would be at the meeting, though. I need to call our mother. She and Xavier were acting funny, and X explained that not all the Elders were unopposed to humans. I knew he was hiding something. They both were, godsdamnit.”
Gregor chimed in, “I did get some useful information from Tessa about the bonding. Gargoyles have mated with humans and successfully had eighteen children. Caroline had seventeen of those. Elizabeth only had Tessa because whoever the father is wouldn’t take a chance on any more births.”
Rafael frowned. “I thought she said the others were born successfully.”
“She did. Her father is just so protective of her mother, one child was enough for him. And there’s Tamian, so technically they have two children. When I asked, Tessa refused to name her father. She is definitely scared of whoever is behind the threats to the humans. She wouldn’t speak of it, but it’s the reason she gives for us not being together. Nikolas, you look like someone kicked your puppy. What’s wrong?”
Nikolas closed his eyes and sighed. “I have been to the library several times to see Sophia and she hasn’t been there. Yesterday when I went, someone gave me a note. All it said was she was sorry to leave now that I had found her.”
“Did you say Sophia?” Gregor and Dante asked at the same time.
Nikolas straightened up, staring at both his cousins. “Yes.”
“Hang on a second.” Gregor pulled out his cell phone and prayed Tessa would answer his call.
“Gregor, if you’re calling to...”
He cut her off. “Li
sten, you mentioned a Sophia. She wouldn’t happen to be a librarian, would she?”
“Yeah, why? What’s this about?” Tessa was in her car. He could hear the engine idling.
“Just curious. Gotta go.” He thumbed the phone off and told Nikolas, “I know where your woman is. Egypt.”
“Egypt? Why the fuck would she be in Egypt?” Nikolas was nearly shouting.
“Her father is missing. From what I gather, Tessa and two others in their family are called watchers. They look after the half-bloods who haven’t transitioned yet. Sophia’s father is one of the watchers and has allegedly been abducted. Tessa planned on going after them, but her mother called and wanted me to intervene.”
“Hold up. The elusive Elizabeth Flanagan called you?” Dane was the one asking the question.
“Apparently she knows I am her daughter’s mate, and she asked that I stop Tessa from going after Sophia’s father. Tessa will probably still go after them even though someone named Ezekiel has gone.”
“And how do you know that?” Dane again.
“Elizabeth called the Pen and left a message with me,” Deacon confirmed.
Nikolas was bouncing on the balls of his feet. Rafael looked at him, “Do what you have to do.” Nikolas didn’t need further permission. He ran full speed to his car.
“Do we need to send someone with him?” Geoffrey asked.
Gregor wanted to be the one to go after Nikolas. Something tugged at his gut, something sinister regarding the trip. If Tessa was going anywhere near the sand, he wanted to be there for her.
“If he needs help, he’ll ask. Now, back to Isabelle and the inmates. Dante, what did you find that you needed to speak to her about?” Rafael sat down. Tempers had leveled off for the time being.
“I got a call from Deacon when an inmate was having a seizure. I looked into his file for past episodes or allergies and noted that Henshaw had been dosing the patient with Unholy blood. There was a stack of files on Isabelle’s desk. When I skimmed through them, I noticed he was giving all of those particular inmates Unholy blood as well. I wanted to speak to her about it. She had just started going through the files when she transitioned. Since she hasn’t been back to work since, she only knew what little bit she had read. We have agreed to work together to test all the inmates who were being used as Henshaw’s guinea pigs.”
