If she wanted him.
“Raina,” he called and loped her way. “Wait.”
Both she and Ian turned. “What is it?” she asked.
Damn, he had her father to face. An alpha wolf. He didn’t know the courting aspects when it came to wolf shifters, but he knew wolves’ pride ran deep. He lowered his head and asked, “Ian, I know our kinds haven’t interacted much in the past, but I hope that will change. I’ve gotten to know Raina. I know she is remarkable, so helpful and generous—one of a kind.”
Ian squinted at Lachlan. “Where are you going with this, Lachlan?”
“I know this might not follow the rules in your pack, but I’m asking for your permission to spend some time with Raina. Maybe go for a walk.”
Ian stared at him without blinking. “It sounds like you’re asking her on what humans call a date.”
“Aye. I’d like to take Raina on a…date.”
The human term sounded strange coming out of either of their mouths. Wolf shifters didn’t date, they mated. And when they found the right one, they mated for life. Gargoyles weren’t as exclusive. Some relationships failed, and the partners moved on. The lucky ones found their partner they took on as their lifelong mate.
Lachlan had never pictured settling down with a mate no matter how many times his parents had harped at him to do so.
Raina stared at him wide-eyed and speechless. In the depths of her eyes, he found she was the one for him. He’d been wrong about many things. Love didn’t make him weak; it inspired him to strive to be better. To be deserving of her love. To be a better leader. To care for others the way she’d cared for him. To believe in others the way she’d believed in him.
Ian’s gaze turned from Lachlan to Raina before settling on his daughter’s face.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned about my daughter, it’s that I should trust her judgment. It’s not what I nor the pack think what’s right for her, it’s up to her to decide. So I appreciate you for asking me, but the decision is up to her.”
Lachlan turned to her. “Would you like to come with me, Raina?”
She blinked a few times, as if processing what was going on. “And go where?”
Anywhere, as long as I’m with you. “Why don’t we walk the shore?”
She scanned him and his heart pounded out the time in slow motion. His muscles all tightened as he awaited her reply.
“I’d love to.” She turned and kissed her father on the cheek. “Thank you, Papa. I’ll be safe with him.”
Ian closed his eyes and reopened them slowly. “I know you will, Raina.”
When she hugged her father, Lachlan overheard Ian whisper, “Remember, I just want you to be happy.”
When Lachlan and Raina walked away from the others, she said, “That was an excellent suggestion about the celebration, tomorrow.”
“Hope so.” Lachlan replied. “I was a little out of it.”
As soon as they traversed far enough away from the others into the dense forest, he turned to her and flashed an impish grin.
“What are you smiling about?”
“You,” he replied. “Getting you alone.” He still couldn’t believe the alpha of the wolf shifters would let his daughter go with a gargoyle—a sure sign that times had changed on the Isle of Stone. Then again, Mason and Kayla had ignited that spark with interspecies relationships, forging a new era.
He ran his fingers down Raina’s bare arm, as soft and satiny as he’d imprinted on his memory. After having a taste of how soft the rest of her body was, he couldn’t wait to continue the exploration.
She raised an eyebrow with speculation. “And now that you have me here all to yourself, what do you want to do with me?”
Her sassy tone made his cock twitch with excitement. “So many things.” He pulled her close and bent down to kiss her. “Starting with your lips.”
The way she melted into his arms without holding back spoke all he needed in response. A sign she wanted him—and trusted him.
“I’m done for, Raina,” he admitted.
“What do you mean?” She pulled back with surprise.
“All others. I don’t want anyone else but you.”
She raised a brow. “Surely, there’s a hot little female human out there who’d spark your interest,” she teased.
“No.”
“Or a sexy gargoyle shifter.”
“Wrong again.”
“So just me?”
“All I want.” He kissed her again. “Or need.”
“For how long?”
He grinned and entangled his fingers with hers. “How about fur-ever.”
A small laugh escaped her. “You’re too much.”
An unwanted image flashed before him. She couldn’t be his. She was supposed to be with Seth. “What about Seth?”
She shook her head. “I told him it would never work. Trying to force it would lead to strife in the pack.”
“What about you being with a gargoyle?”
She shrugged. “I doubt everyone will accept it, but we’ll manage.” She searched his eyes. “Because you’re the one, Lachlan. The only one.”
He kissed her hand. “There’s so much I admire about you. Your sense of right and wrong. Your devotion to the pack.”
She glanced away as a blush rose in her cheeks, but then she raised her eyes to his and rewarded him with a luminous smile.
“I’ve never felt this much for someone before,” he admitted. “Do you think it’s possible we can be mates?”
“Aye. It all became so clear when you were unconscious. I finally understood what my wolf knew from the start. We’re meant to be together.”
For a moment, filled with a sense of awe, he had no words. Warmth spread through his chest, such an uplifting sensation. For a gargoyle rock star who’d aimed to bed a different woman every night, the concept was new. But he’d changed, and he knew it to be true. Raina was part of his life now, and he couldn’t imagine not being around her.
“I want to be with you, Raina. No matter what obstacles we’ll face. I’m falling in love with you.”
She ran her hand over his chest, making him groan. “I feel the same way.” She rose on her tiptoes and gave him that sweet, but saucy smile that drove him wild. “Now, shut me up by kissing me again.”
He backed her up against an oak tree, raising her arms over her head and pinning her wrists against it. She didn’t pull away, letting him take charge, moaning when he kissed her exposed neck. Within seconds, he was hard, pressed against her body. Her scent made his beast claw, itching to claim her. Rip off her clothes and drive deep inside her.
Lachlan released her wrists and pulled back. She wasn’t just another female, like one of the many lasses he’d seduce after shows. She was something more—much more, and he wanted her to know that.
“Why did you stop?” She panted. Her mussed hair made her look even more irresistible.
He turned away. “Trying to regain some self-control.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want to rush things with you.”
“Rush?” Her half-hooded eyes had darkened with lust. “That near-death experience proves time is short. It seems like I’ve been waiting for you my entire life.” She ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him down to her face. “Don’t make me wait any longer.”
Her warm breath fanned his lips. Her mouth was only inches away, and her invitation made it more difficult to restrain himself.
She slid her hand down his torso. “I need you. Now.”
Her admission did him in. He couldn’t hold back any longer. He pulled down her dress to expose her breasts. His hands roamed over them while he alternated filling his mouth with each full, delectable mound. Her low moans spurred him to continue his exploration.
Gods, he wanted her. He continued to touch her satin skin, finding his way under her dress. The warmth coming from her had him raging hard. When he stroked her moist silk folds, she dropped her head back and moaned, whispe
ring, “Aye, Lachlan.”
He didn’t need any more encouragement. Her channel was so wet and tight, he yearned to be inside her. He pushed his kilt out of the way, freeing his aching erection, to sink himself into her.
He paused, stifling a groan. “Do I need to find protection?” He always sheathed himself with human females. With Raina, it was different. Shifters weren’t susceptible to human diseases, but they could conceive a child.
“No, I drink an herbal brew,” she said. “Besides I’m not fertile, right now.”
“How do you know?”
“Wolves are in tune with their bodies. We’re in sync with the moon.”
He gazed at her with fascination. Wolves had such a mystical connection to the moon. Some good, others not so good. In this case, he had no complaints.
“Now, Lachlan,” she said, backing herself against the tree and pulling him closer to her. “Right here.”
As if he could stop himself. He lifted her legs, and she wrapped them around him, clinging to him. When he drove into her slick heat, she cried out with pleasure. He gripped her hips as he penetrated her deeper with each thrust until she accommodated him. Buried to the hilt, he groaned in ecstasy like he’d never known. This was it, his paradise. No place else he wanted to be.
Her expression turned rapturous, as she filled his ears with ragged pants and soft moans. Her scent, now tinged with perspiration, wrapped around him and intoxicated him with a heady need for more. Atop the physical bliss, a world of new emotions surged through him. She was the one. He’d do anything to protect her.
She gripped his shoulder blades tighter as she clung to him and their frantic pace increased. Her moans escalated, and she clamped around him so tight, indicating she was on the brink. She cried out when she climaxed. Her face, her sounds, and her tightness pulsing around him enveloped him in exquisite, tortuous pleasure, making him unable to hold back any longer. He crashed over the edge, surging deep inside her.
After a few idyllic moments, he pulled out and released his possessive hold on her. He sat on the tree stump, pulling her onto his lap, and she rested her head against his chest. Both bliss and relaxation swept through him. He was enraptured with the connection to her, body and soul. She was his. She was home.
Mine.
He caressed her back. When he reached a scrape, she winced. He came to his senses. “Your back. The tree. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she replied.
He glanced over her shoulder. “You’re all scratched up.” Raising his hand to his forehead, he said, “What was I thinking.”
“I’ll be fine,” she reassured him. “I’m a shifter, remember? It’ll heal in no time.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Besides I liked it. A lot.”
Many minutes later, with her head resting on his chest and their legs intertwined, Lachlan said. “I still owe you a date.”
“Sounds like a good idea.” She turned to face him and traced down his torso. “I can’t go back to my pack and tell them what exactly we did, now can I?”
“No. We walked together. That’s all they need to know. The rest is for us. But I would like to give you an experience.”
She raised an eyebrow in that cheeky way that did him in. “I thought you just did.”
He chortled at her suggestive reply. “You know what I mean.” He glanced around the island. “There’s the concert tomorrow night. Say you’ll come.”
She smiled in a way that made his entire soul beam with a new sense of lightness. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
They meandered down to the shore, walking along the water’s edge. The seas had calmed and no signs of approaching humans marred the view. A couple of dolphins breached the surface. They appeared to be a mother and her young. The youth reminded him of when he’d brought up protection.
“You said you’re in tune with your body and know when you’re fertile. But I don’t know if we could reproduce if we wanted to. Gargoyles were cursed by the tree witches many years ago.”
“Aye, I’ve heard. What led up to the battles. But, it turned out to be one witch. She’s dead, so the curse must be gone.”
He nodded. His parents had mentioned pregnancies in the clan, but they’d moved away. No guarantee the curse didn’t linger on the isle.
No, the witch was dead and gone and the curse had to be as well.
Odd he was even having these thoughts. He’d scoffed at the idea of having children when pressured by his clan, but his mindset had changed in so many ways since meeting Raina. Would he want to start a family with her? Would she want one? “Do you think it’s even possible for us? We’re different species.”
She furrowed her brows and then relaxed them. “Come what may, Lachlan. No need to worry, now. I’m happy just to be with you.”
As was he. The happiest he’d ever been.
For the first time in what felt like eons, Lachlan breathed easily. With Raina cradled against his chest, he didn’t worry about humans or trouble between those who shared the island or even about the gargoyles in the Highlands. Even when he and Raina had discussed how the events unfolded and his near-death experience, her presence comforted him. Safe with her in his arms.
Hours rushed by like minutes as he spent time with her, and he could scarcely go five minutes without touching a part of her. He pulled her close for an intense kiss, cupping her arse and then exploring what was hidden beneath her dress.
“Lachlan, here?” she asked.
They were far too exposed out in the open where anyone could see them. “You’re right.” He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.
She laughed with surprise. “Where are you taking me?”
“Back to the cave.”
“Sounds about right,” she said, still hoisted on his shoulder, but making no effort to move. “Since you’re going full on caveman on me.”
“Hush, lassie,” he teased. “Or I’ll find some other ways shut you up.”
With a chortle, she said, “Well, then I better keep talking.”
He smacked her arse playfully and carried her to the cave. When they went inside, he kept his promise. With a slow seduction, he kissed and licked every inch of her until she was unable to speak, only moan. He made love to her from every sweet, tantalizing angle until they were both sated and exhausted. Then he spooned her the way he longed to do the night before, wrapped in her heat, her scent.
He’d found his bliss.
The next morning, he woke hungry for her again. He buried himself deep inside her while she wrapped her legs around him. After he collapsed beside her, covered with a sheen of perspiration, she turned to him.
“You’re insatiable,” she said.
When his breathing slowed, he replied, “I can’t help it. You’re too damn sexy. You bring it out in me.”
“Definitely not a complaint.” She raised her brows. “A bonus for me.” She smiled. “Not only did I find my mate, but he turned out to be quite the sex god.”
Lachlan chortled, but went silent when she pulled herself up and reached for her dress.
“What are you doing?”
“I should get back to my pack,” she said. “But we’ll see each other tonight?”
“Right.” Back to reality. He caressed her cheek. “You need to take care of matters with your pack, and we need to prepare for the celebration.”
She kissed him goodbye. Although, he knew she had to leave at some point, watching her walk away made his chest tighten. He searched for her red dress fluttering through trees long after she was gone.
He’d make sure the show tonight was spectacular, one she’d never forget.
Just like he would never forget last night with her.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Raina forced herself to return to her pack after spending a night with Lachlan. She hesitated to leave him after almost losing him.
And the night they’d had—she shivered with the delicious memory. She didn’t know her body could ever feel so good—no, spectacular.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” she began. “But I do know that he’s the one. My mate.”
“Is it as brilliant as you thought it would be?”
Raina chewed her lip as she tried to find words to describe the feeling of recognizing her mate—and the yearning to be with him. The connection to her mate when they made love pulsed through her. Physical, spiritual—beyond words.
“Beyond what I ever imagined.”
One shifter was notably absent—Seth. Her father said Seth had left, saying he needed some time alone.
She joined a small group her father organized to hunt enough meat for the evening’s festivities. Being active would keep her from thinking about Lachlan.
As they prowled through the forests, she tracked the scent of a rabbit. Her singular focus kept her preoccupied for a short time. She’d cornered a meaty rabbit hiding in deeper grass at the forest edge. With the hunt concluded, her wolf’s inner longing took precedence—yearning to be close to her mate.
The seconds crept by until evening fell, and it was finally time to return to the amphitheater—only this time, she returned with her pack.
Eden grabbed her arm and squealed. “This is going to be bloody brilliant!”
In her sheltered world on the island, they’d never been to a rock concert—not even during visits to the mainland. Raina had listened to the gargoyles’ music when they’d played for the humans, but it was muffled from afar. She’d been out hunting during the incident at their last concert and had seen the wounded wolves back in wolf territory.
From the moment she’d arrived to watch the show tonight, she realized the setting promised something spectacular. The five brothers stood motionless, perched in stone form on the stage as sculptures. She identified each one from their instruments or who she’d seen in stone form. The fiery setting sun and massive bonfire behind them cast them as silhouettes—dark, winged angels tasked to protect all. The last time she’d witnessed them in this position, she’d feared Lachlan was dead. Her heart pounded at the memory. Then she exhaled. She knew better; living beings existed in this stone form.
Knights of Stone - Lachlan Page 13
