Gargoyle Rising

by Meraki P. Lyhne

  Since leaving class so suddenly, Nathan had talked about needing to read the chain again, and Lucien was excited to see what he’d found. All of Nathan’s notes and drawings of the chain were spread out among the books, but the new one from Gershman was apparently a key of some sort. One Nathan had needed. Lucien had already memorized the title and edition of the lexicon and would go to Mr. Severin to see if the Order had it. If not, Lucien would find somewhere to steal it if necessary. Lucien hadn’t seen Nathan that excited about news on the chain since he babbled about mushrooms on a pizza back when the Order dusted his way to be initiated in Italy.

  “I found it, baby,” Nathan suddenly said and sat back on his haunches to look up.

  Lucien glided into his field of vision, imagining being there with him.

  The sun was setting, and Lucien longed to be there with him so Nathan could continue his train of thought.

  “Identifying it is half the battle,” Nathan continued, picking up a piece of paper. “It’s gonna help me read it. It’s dead. According to this book, it’s a dead language. Manmade, not evolved. It’s made... there’s more of it. This gives me enough to begin deciphering it. It’s one of the occult languages used in older orders. I read about it in the book Lars came by with, the one I had tried to get my hands on. The one that pointed me to the manuscript in the Order that no one has been able to translate. This might be the key.”

  Finally, the shadow released Lucien right outside the radius of books. Nathan looked up, flashing a brilliant smile.

  “So, mon coeur. Where do you want me?” Lucien asked.

  “Naked and close to me, and I’m so sorry for having to say that without having hotter things on my mind.”

  “You sound like Jenny.”

  Nathan snorted, but Lucien put his bag down and pulled off his shirt. He noticed that the only thing not covered in notes and books was the bed. Was that planned? Either way, Lucien’s only way to the bed was through the shadows, or he’d have to tread carefully to not step on a book. He went into the shadows and let himself drop from it and land on the bed.

  Nathan pulled at Lucien’s belt. “So handy when I fill up the floor.”

  Lucien helped and ended up naked on the bed. Nathan straddled his lower legs with paper in one hand, a book in the other, and a fountain pen between his lips.

  Nathan placed the book on Lucien’s chest before counting the links from his thigh.

  “Do you need me to turn the chain?”

  “No, it’s here. More are. This link, too, has it.”

  “What does it mean?”

  “A... contract.” Nathan furrowed his brows and ran his finger along the chain. He then looked at some of his notes. “A blood contract. This one talks of a yellow river.”

  “We’re not talking blood and urine here, right?”

  “Urine?” Nathan asked, sitting up.

  “Yeah, you know... yellow water.”

  Nathan scoffed but then looked like he was considering it. “I once read something about a new-age philosopher, and I use that term very loosely, because this guy figured the Philosopher’s Stone theory of gold to be piss, and he drank his own piss to live forever. The story says nothing about whether that panned out or not.”

  Lucien laughed, but his mind quickly found its way back to the part about a blood contract. “They smeared my blood on the bracelet.”

  “Yeah, I remember your very thorough outlining. I only wish I knew more about alchemy and herbs and that you knew what they used.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be, baby, we’ll figure it out. We’ll get the materials at some point. Blake had important info to add when I asked the other Shadows.”

  “Oh?”

  “The moon.”

  “And the important info?”

  “Its position,” Nathan said, following more links. “You weren’t all made under the same moon. Severin said the positions of the heavenly bodies are very important while doing a spell. I’m figuring that unbinding it would have to be done under the same or complete opposite moon. Maybe even other planets.”

  Lucien thought back to lying on the raised stone platform and staring out the window. He’d seen the sun go down through that window. Had he seen the moon? There was a glimpse of something out the corner of his eye after the change, when he’d stood in the bathroom and only thought about hurrying up so he wouldn’t be separated from his new master. “I remember the moon. But I’m not sure which way it turned. I don’t remember if I saw it in the mirror or out the window.”

  Nathan looked up. “You forgetting a detail?”

  “It was before my training and right after I had been marked by the shadow.”

  “Yeah, don’t blame you then.” Nathan returned his focus to the chain, and Lucien stayed quiet, letting him work. Even though he wasn’t the one being studied, but the chain around his torso, he spent his time studying Nathan. He loved Nathan’s nose. The shape of it. The curve of his eyebrows, his cheek bones, the dip of his upper lip... and with that, came a mental image of Nathan’s lips wrapped around Lucien’s dick.

  Lucien scoffed at himself as he felt himself harden.

  “Wow, you’re focused today,” Nathan said, grinning.

  “Yeah, on you.”

  Nathan’s tongue snuck out to wet his lips. It looked so subconscious, but it still ramped up Lucien’s little daydream.

  “Would you hold this book right here?” Nathan placed the lexicon open on Lucien’s chest so he couldn’t see Nathan.

  “Sure.” Lucien grabbed it with both hands, grumbling to himself as the dusty old thing took his view of the gorgeous man he was fantasizing about. “Why?”

  “So I have a hand free.”

  Lucien jerked and gasped as Nathan wrapped a hand around his erection and palmed it slowly.

  “Are you expecting me to lie still as a book support and be tortured while you read and jack me off?”

  “I could stop.”

  “Reading?”

  “No.”

  “Oh, fuck.” Lucien tightened his grip on the edges of the book. Okay, so that was a new kind of research sex. A torturous kind, but he kinda liked it, hoping he’d get to fuck Nathan silly afterward. He could make plans. Yeah, it called for making plans. And he had time.

  A shiver tore through him, as he envisioned taking Nathan on the desk. That had to be a place to fuck if it was during research. Or homework.

  “How’s your focus on reading?” Lucien asked, hearing Nathan snicker.

  “Better than yours at holding the book still.”

  Lucien growled, getting another snicker in response.

  “I’m practicing multitasking,” Nathan announced.

  Lucien joined the snickering. “And this assignment was to write up your thoughts about the book.”

  “Oh, you’re so ruining this for me. I’m so gonna think of sexing you up every time I look at this book now.”

  Lucien lifted the book so he could see Nathan. “Then maybe we should forego the book and skip to the sexing me up part?”

  “Not yet.” Nathan put a finger on the book and pushed it back down to stand on Lucien’s chest, covering his view.

  Lucien gave up his attempts at getting Nathan to drop reading and just relished his touches. They were slow and gentle, and as his pleasure slowly built, Lucien fantasized about Nathan at the beach. In his fantasies, he could be there in the sun with him. They could make out on a picnic blanket, enjoy fruit and wine, and watch the sunset together.

  Another five minutes went by, but they felt like much longer, and Lucien’s skin became more and more sensitive. When Nathan ran a finger along the chain to count or keep focused on a link, his finger left a trail of fire that went right to Lucien’s groin.

  “You’re mean,” Lucien whispered.

  “Another few minutes,” Nathan said, one hand still slowly working Lucien’s dick. The comment did earn him a little squeeze and a thumb
ghosting over the glans of his cock, spreading pre-cum. Lucien groaned in response.

  Nathan removed his hand, and Lucien perked up, listening to see if he could guess what Nathan was doing. Paper rustled. Then the book disappeared, and Nathan smirked at him as he closed the book and collected it with his papers.

  “Oh, poor thing.” Nathan leaned over the edge of the bed to place the book on the floor. He then stood, nudged Lucien’s legs apart, and settled between them to lick up the length of Lucien’s hard on.

  “Oh, thank God,” Lucien whispered. But Nathan was definitely not in a hurry yet, and he laved slowly before he gently sucked the tip of Lucien into his mouth. Lucien closed his eyes and leaned back to enjoy it. “Torture. You are mean.”

  Nathan chuckled and released Lucien’s dick. Lucien was practically shivering from pent up lust, but he was going to let Nathan finish. At least for selfish reasons. Until Nathan did good things, Lucien wouldn’t give him anything. Two could play at that game.

  That resolve faltered the lower Nathan and his mouth went, and the feeling of Nathan’s tongue lapping at his ass opening made Lucien draw his legs further apart and back to make room for the delicious feeling. As Nathan ate him out more vigorously, Lucien’s need rose, and he writhed on the bed, panting.

  “Oh, fuck, mon coeur, I need more.”

  Nathan pulled back. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah!”

  “God, you look hot like this. I want to fuck you.”

  “Top me?” Lucien opened his eyes and looked at his overly sexy boyfriend, and the hungry look in his eyes made Lucien’s body twitch and his ass snap. “Yeah, just... don’t tease me anymore.”

  Nathan pouted, not hiding a wicked grin successfully. “Hand me the lube.”

  Lucien reached for the drawer, stopping short when Nathan’s tongue found his sensitive pucker again. “Oh, fuck!”

  Nathan purred against him, his tongue never stopping. Lucien got over the initial shock of sudden pleasure and managed to open the drawer and find what they needed. Seconds later, he heard the cap, and a slick finger found its way to replacing Nathan’s tongue.

  Lucien whimpered in pleasure as the chilled finger pressed in further and warmth enveloped his cock again. Nathan worked him open slowly, and Lucien loved him for being so gentle. It wasn’t often Lucien wanted to be topped, but sometimes, especially when really fucking horny, he almost craved feeling completely enveloped by love, lust, and all the powerful emotions the two of them could share during lovemaking.

  “Oh, God, you look hot.”

  “And you feel hot.” Lucien grabbed Nathan’s shoulders and pulled him to lie between his legs. He then pulled Nathan in for a deep, hungry kiss, thrusting his tongue in and shuddering when Nathan groaned into his mouth.

  Nathan reached between them, and Lucien gasped when he felt the head of Nathan’s cock press against his hole. They locked gazes, and the determined and hungry look almost made Lucien lose himself to an orgasm. The sting of being penetrated saved him, and Nathan stopped, drawing back a bit before gently working himself inside.

  The sting finally faded, and pleasure spread from the feeling of being filled.

  Once Nathan had sheathed himself completely, he leaned over Lucien, his eyes intense and his mouth opened in a silent moan.

  Oh, yeah, there was that one hundred percent focus, and it was most evident when Nathan topped. Usually, Nathan liked floating away in what pleasure Lucien manipulated in his body, and Lucien loved watching his lover shiver and twitch under his hands and on his cock.

  Being topped made for a completely different kind of lovemaking, and the rarity made it that more special. Coming to think of it, Lucien only agreed to being topped after Nathan had tortured him with huge amounts of slow building pleasure beforehand, and the memory of the first time made Lucien’s dick leak a copious amount of pre-cum.

  It had been right after they’d arrived at Mr. Severin’s mansion, and Lucien remembered feeling so damn vulnerable when Nathan pushed inside. He felt vulnerable now, too, but he loved Nathan with all his being, and the vulnerability made it all stand so much clearer.

  Nathan set a pace of long and slow thrusts, his gaze locked on Lucien and a hand roaming his chest, ghosting over erect nipples, and finding all the erogenous zones.

  Lucien basked in the attention and moaned each time Nathan bottomed out inside of him, causing a burst of pleasure to explode. He reached to pull Nathan closer for a kiss and reveled in the intimacy. Pleasure intensified, and he clutched at Nathan as his orgasm built.

  “Oh, shit, mon coeur, you’re gonna make me come,” he gasped.

  Nathan pulled back from the kiss and propped himself up on his hands to look down on Lucien, his eyes going wide as he snapped his hips harder. “Yeah, yeah, you look so gorgeous when you come,” Nathan whispered.

  The orgasm claimed Lucien, and he quaked while Nathan rode him through it.

  “I’m close, oh fuck, I’m close too,” Nathan gasped.

  “Go on, go on!”

  A strangled cry escaped Nathan, and he slammed into Lucien before going rigid and shuddering, his cock pulsating inside Lucien’s sensitive and slightly sore ass.

  Nathan collapsed on Lucien, still inside him, and held him close, peppering kisses along his shoulder and neck. “That was fucking hot,” Nathan whispered.

  Lucien smiled and stroked the back of his head. “Yeah. Research sex usually gets pretty intense.”

  Nathan propped himself up. “Research sex, huh? We have a lot of awesome sex, and do you know why?”

  Lucien smiled at the sex-tousled look meeting him—Nathan’s hair sticking out everywhere. “Why?”

  “Because I love you.”

  Lucien’s heart squeezed, and he reached to cup Nathan’s beautiful face. “I love you, too, mon coeur.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Every night they walked from one cemetery to another, staying in the sheds during the day. Meino’s creep-o-meter had shot into the red several times the past week. They’d managed to find clothes for Burkhart. Well, clothes might not have been the most accurate term. A big trench coat, a scarf, and a pair of wide-legged pants. He couldn’t fit them. so they’d cut off the legs and he wore them like chaps under the trench coat, disguising his animal like hind legs. Were they called hind legs when he was bipedal? He walked a bit funny, like he had a limp on both legs.

  Meino dismissed the question. It was the only thing about Burkhart that didn’t seem human. Except for his wings. And tail. And okay, he had horns too, small horns, but they were there. The thought of being able to get so used to an exterior that he’d overlook what set the Gargoyle so apart gave Meino hope for his future in a world of weird.

  Since they had left everything behind, they had stayed out of sight during the day, waiting for night to fall so Burkhart would awake. Meino’s belongings had been reduced to what he could carry in a backpack—a few sets of clothes, his father’s books, toiletries, and of course, the sleeping bag tied to the front of the pack.

  To make their way to someone in the Order that Burkhart was made to protect was their only chance. It was a daunting trip on foot, as they also had to make sure no one was following them. But Meino saw the need for it—Burkhart was right when he said that going back to take one of the cars would be too risky. First of all, none of them had license plates. He hoped no one touched the Charger. And he’d had to leave his phone, because the fire breathers had his number.

  Crime fiction had never been Meino’s genre, so he didn’t really know if that was what made it possible to track a phone. Or if they had to call it to... he thought the word was triangulate. But that was about all he knew.

  There was no question about it—life would never go back to normal, and Meino was adamant about not thinking about it. He was too scared he’d either end up a blubbering mess, or he’d forget everything he once was and loved as he ventured into a world of magic and got lost on another plane of existence
. It seemed too scary a prospect—too uncertain and too alien to even be possible to think yourself ready for.

  His stomach’s angry growl from hunger saved him from more thoughts of that kind. In a matter of moments, Burkhart would become animated, and they could leave the latest cemetery. Meino had already packed most of his things, but stayed draped in the sleeping bag since he still didn’t have a suitable coat. Plus he couldn’t roll up the sleeping bag anyway because Burkhart had one corner in a tight grip, and the fabric would sooner tear than slip from the Gargoyle’s fist.

  Meino smiled at being protected like that.

  A cracking noise had come from Burkhart before his pitted surface became smooth and skin-like. “Good evening, Meino.” He let go of the sleeping bag, and Meino bundled it up to put it into its bag.

  “Good evening, Burk. Do you know what these are called?” Meino held the flimsy bag up before shoving the sleeping bag into it.

  “A bag?”

  “Yeah, a bag for a sleeping bag, so it would be a sleeping bag bag. That can’t be right.”

  The Gargoyle cocked his head and blinked, making Meino laugh.

  “I got it, it’s a sleeping bag condom,” Meino declared and punched the sausage shape into something less deformed.

  “Are condoms bags?”

  Meino stopped what he was doing and glanced at Burkhart. “We should go.”

  “Okay.” Burkhart picked up the backpack. “Oh, it’s a thing used when copulating.”

  “Burk!” Meino’s ears warmed. “How... how did you know that?”

  “The neighbor’s teenage daughter. And the man in the office building on the next corner watches a lot of movies on his computer while working. They talk about condoms, too.”

  Meino sputtered laughter.

  “And you became shy. I have noticed that humans get shy talking about the sex, but most don’t sound very shy when having the sex.”

  Meino laughed harder. Once his fits cleared up, he looked at Burkhart, who looked utterly unfazed. A stone face. Meino lost it again, holding his stomach. The sound of Burkhart’s throaty laughter joining Meino’s more hysterical fit warmed him.