Stone Destiny (Stone Passion #3)

by Warneke, A. C.

  With a start, he looked at her and color burnished his cheek bones as he admitted, “I want you naked.”

  Bending forward, she ran her tongue along his jaw until her lips were next to his ear. Biting down gently, she whispered, “Rip it.”

  Without waiting until she was sitting fully upright, he had the material of her dress clutched in two hands and he ripped it asunder. In the next moment his hands were cupping her breasts as his thumbs thrummed her nipples. Covering his hands with hers, she reveled in the pleasure of being with Armand. She refused to worry about the future, about possible heartbreak, until she sated her desire, which could very well take a million years.

  “Why are you smiling?” he asked and she could hear the smile in his voice even if he didn’t smile. He was so controlled and she loved that about him. Of course, she loved it when he lost that control as well.

  “I’m just happy you’re here,” she said, leaving out the fear that lingered on the edge of her brain. She was going to accept the gift of Armand for as long as it lasted.

  His hands slid around her back as he sat up, bringing them belly to belly, pushing him deeper into her body. “I’ll never let you go again, my love.”

  Her brows drew together at the ardent promise that slipped so easily past his beautiful lips. For the first time since he appeared she questioned whether or not he was truly Armand, her Armand. He smelled like him, tasted like him, God knew he felt like him, but his words weren’t something she expected to hear out of his mouth.

  His large hands curled around her bottom, hauling her pelvis even closer to his, pulling her harder onto his penis. His jaw tensed and his eyes blazed with fiery conviction as he pushed her body up and then slammed it back down, stealing her breath with each powerful thrust. Tendrils of pleasure twined throughout her body and with a smile she mirrored his psychic touches. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open as ecstasy surged through their souls. Heat and pleasure ripped through her veins and she exploded, feeling him fall over the edge into oblivion with her.

  Breathing heavily, she took the time to gaze at his beloved face and drink him in. If possible, he was even more devastatingly gorgeous beneath the faerie sun. His black hair gleamed in the warm light and his skin glowed with health and vitality. Despite being a creature of the night, Armand was made for the sun. Brushing his hair back, luxuriating in the black silk, she took great pleasure in the simple act of staring at him.

  “Ferris,” he rasped, bending his head forward and placing a gentle kiss on her left cheek. “Listen to me,” he murmured, kissing her right cheek. Pulling back, he looked at her with repentant eyes, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  Tears welled in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him as he tightly held her even closer. She wasn’t sure why she was crying, if they were tears of joy at finally hearing the words she longed to hear or tears of despair because there was so much he didn’t know. She had interfered with his life and was the reason for so much of his sorrow. How could he not leave her once he discovered the truth?

  Maybe it would have been better had he stayed away from her time bubble… How the hell did he even find her? There was no conceivable way he could be here with her because he should never have known she had ever left. No, she was planning to be on top of the roof at the moment of her departure so no one would ever know she had gone to the past. It was just going to be one more secret she kept from those she loved.

  Now that her power had simmered down she could think clearly and nothing added up. “How are you even here?”

  His lips quirked upwards in a half-smile, “I watched you jump.”

  “I didn’t jump,” she quickly countered, her frown deepening with even more confusion. Shaking her head in bewilderment, she asked, “Why were you on the roof?”

  “I fucked up.”

  “Oh.” His words were painful to hear but she should have expected them. After all, he probably felt bad and wanted to make sure she was okay so he followed her… somehow. Struggling to get off his hateful lap, she growled when his grip on her ass tightened and she couldn’t move at all.

  “Ferris,” he smiled, bending forward and brushing a kiss over her brow. “I fucked up when I told you I didn’t love you. I fucked up when I said goodbye.”

  Her struggle to get free ceased and she simply stared at him as he talked to her, peppering words with tender kisses. All the while his hands were stroking up and down her back, lulling her to relax. His smile widened when she sagged against him, “Almost as soon as you walked away I realized I was an ass and I would have come after you immediately but Michael stopped me.”

  Tilting his head to the side, she saw the faint bruise along his jaw and she sucked in a lungful of air. Tenderly, she touched the discolored area, sending a burst of heat to finish the healing process. His eyes widened in surprise but he didn’t freak out, which she appreciated. “Go on.”

  His eyes sparkled with laughter at her words and he continued, “I tore through the suite looking for you but it was Raphe who told me where you were.

  “I just about died when I saw you leap off the roof.”

  “I didn’t leap,” she once again correctly automatically. At his knowing grin, she felt the heat of a blush and bit her tongue to let him continue.

  But he didn’t speak. Instead, he kissed her softly, with love and adoration. His breath entered her mouth, filling all of the empty spaces in her soul and she fell into the kiss. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she hugged him with her entire body, knowing that there would come a time she would have to tell him everything but wanting to put it off for a little while. If she only had a few more minutes of having Armand in her arms she wasn’t going to waste them with the ugly truth.

  When he stopped kissing her, she chased his lips with hers until he chuckled. Resting his forehead against hers, he whispered, “Forgive me, my love, for not trusting you, for being afraid of love, for being afraid of you.”

  “Of me?” she squeaked, sitting up straight and looking at him, seeing the devilish sparkle in his eyes.

  “Yes, you,” he grinned, snipping playfully at her lower lip. “You’re terrifying and I love you.”

  A giggle slipped past her lips and she slammed her hand over her mouth to stop the girly sound. But she was unable to prevent the smile from lighting her eyes. He leaned forward, his breath hot against her skin, as he pressed tender kisses along her jaw, the curve of her neck, the shell of her ear. With a rough voice, he whispered, “I know everything, love. I know it was you I fell in love with, not Katrina. It's always been you.”

  With a gasp, she pulled back and looked at him, searching for condemnation or anger in his eyes and finding only love and admiration. “And you don’t hate me?”

  With a soft smile, he shook his head, “I think if it’s possible, I love you even more. You’re my destiny, love. You’re my everything. I love you.”

  This time the tears that fell were indescribably happy tears.

  Chapter 22

  A Gift of Nights

  “Ferris,” Armand whispered frantically, shaking her out of her drowsy slumber. He still had moments of doubt but he was finally letting go of the darkness that had been his cloak for so long. His smiles came more frequently and he began to laugh more freely. And he loved her completely and absolutely.

  Opening her eyes, she looked up at him with a lazy grin. She never got tired of waking up to his beautiful face. “Hey, you.”

  “I want to give you my nights,” he said, urgency pulsing in the words. Impatience hardened the line of his jaw and he pressed his lips together, “And the only way to do it is to step out of this bubble.”

  “We only have a few more weeks left, love,” she murmured, drifting back to sleep, snuggling further into his warm chest. She felt Fray stir but he simply moved from her belly to her back, stretching out before going back to sleep. Letting out a jaw cracking yawn, she sighed, “We’ll do it when we get home.”

  “No,” h
e denied and her eyes shot open to see the determination burning in his green gaze. Standing, he pulled her to her feet, a loopy smile making him look silly and adorable and she was unable to refuse him anything. He was the Armand she had fallen in love with as Katrina, he was the Armand she had always loved. After all of this time, he was finally whole. “Let’s do it now. We’ll preform the ritual and get married. Then we’ll use the rest of our time in this bubble as our honeymoon.”

  She laughed at the eagerness and excitement that laced his voice but she shook her head, cupping his cheek in the palm of her hand, “Love, we’d have to stay in the world for a month to do the ritual, remember? Sunset on the new moon to sunset on the next new moon….”

  “I know,” he grinned, wagging his eyebrows suggestively. “We’ll find a quiet little place and spend our days lounging about in bed.”

  She looked around the paradise where they had spent so much time wrapped in each other’s arms, making love, talking about everything, falling in love over and over. They didn’t need to find some hovel in the real world to hide out in, they were living in a secret paradise. Returning her attention back to him, she arched an eyebrow in wry amusement, making him throw his head back in laughter.

  Circling her waist with his arms, he picked her up and spun around, “I want to claim you completely, Ferris. I want the world to know that you are mine and I am yours.”

  Her cheeks hurt from smiling. “Okay.”

  With a vibrant grin, he held her in his arms as he sprinted through the trees to the door. Refusing to set her down, he swung the door opened and waited through the first cycle of the moon, watching it fly by in fast forward. As the sun still hung in the sky on the eve of the new moon, he stepped out of the bubble, bringing her with him. He inhaled deeply, letting the modern air fill his lungs as he looked down at her and grinned, “It’s cold.”

  She hadn’t noticed for she had been too busy staring at the way Armand’s eyes crinkled in the corners when he smiled, the dimple that appeared in his cheek, his perfect white teeth. Plus, he emitted so much heat she could find herself in the middle of the blizzard and not feel a single snowflake so long as she was wrapped in his arms. Running the tips of her fingers over his cheek, his nose, his lips, she kissed him adoringly, “I love you.”

  As she drank in the sight of him, he transformed into the griffin gargoyle she hadn’t seen in over a year. He was just as beautiful in his gargoyle form as in his human form and she was looking forward to being his mate in all ways. Kissing the tip of his stone beak, she beamed, “Let’s find a room and get this ritual started.”

  He chuckled, low and rocky, as his arms around her tightened, “I’m afraid that the people of this time are still unaware of the supernatural world around them. You’ll have to find a room, preferably on a higher floor, and let me in.”

  Glancing around, she realized that they were in an alley in London. It was fairly close to their own time but not quite. It was probably closer to the time her mom and aunt were children. Her mind raced with possibilities before she decided it was probably best just to find a discreet hotel and get a room. Of course, most discreet hotels didn’t boast more than two floors. “You’ll have to put me down. And as soon as you’re human beneath this sun you’re taking me to a quaint little inn where I’ll let you have your wicked way with me.”

  “Only if you return the favor,” he graveled, his stone eyes somehow managing to laugh without color.

  “Always,” she grinned, kissing his beak once again before sliding down his hard, stone body and landing on the sidewalk several feet further down than it had been when they arrived. Cautiously, she looked out at the streets to see if anyone noticed the sudden appearance of an eight and a half foot tall gargoyle and sighed when no one was paying them any attention at all. Humans may not have had the distractions of cellphones and MP3 players but they were still busy with their everyday lives.

  With a final glance at her beloved Armand, she slipped out from between the buildings and absorbed the London air, loving the pulse of the city that ran through everyone’s veins. As wonderful as her time bubble was, and it was, especially since Armand joined her, it didn’t quite compare to the excitement that hummed in the air when thousands of people lived in such close proximity.

  You don’t have much time to gawk, Dragon-Mate, Fray’s low voice murmured in her head, startling her out of her reverie. Get a room here and sneak your gargoyle in through the back door.

  Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, she saw the quaint hostel not fifteen feet from where their time bubble sat. With a delighted laugh, she went in, got the key to a room and snuck Armand in through the kitchen with no one the wiser. And as soon as the sun set, he entered her, joining their bodies and beginning the ritual of giving her his nights.

  Smiling up at him, feeling him in her, she still couldn’t quite believe he was finally giving her his nights. Her nerves were vibrating in excitement and her heart was racing in her chest. He was finally giving her his nights!

  “I want you to promise me something, love,” he murmured, his eyes moving over her face as if to memorize her features.

  “Anything,” she agreed easily. She would promise him the world.

  Licking his lips and then swallowing, he let out a breath, “If you change your mind before we complete the ritual….”

  She slammed her hand over his mouth to stop him from saying such foolish words. “I’m not going to change my mind, love. Wild zombies couldn’t keep me from making love to you in one month’s time to become yours completely.”

  He smiled against her lips but his eyes were still troubled and she knew that this was important to him. Reluctantly, her body trembling with emotion, she pulled her hand away and let him speak. Clearing his throat, he continued, “Will you spend my last night with me instead of leaving me to face it on my own?”

  Tears welled in her eyes at the desolation in his words. Sliding her arms around his neck, she held him to her, hugging him and loving him and silently promising him that she was never going to leave him. Turning her head, she kissed his neck, tasting his salty, male skin with her tongue before nipping the tender flesh and marking him.

  His body twitched as he raised himself over her and chuckled. “Careful, love, I might take it upon myself to mark you as well.”

  “Oh, do,” she begged, tilting her head back to expose her throat to his hungry gaze. Instead of biting her, he covered her with his body and kissed her with his lips. As he trailed kisses along her jaw, she murmured, “Or this is nice, too.”

  She felt Fray flow over her skin of her belly until suddenly he wasn’t there. Panicking at the loss, she nudged Armand’s torso off her at the same time he suddenly sat straight up, carefully keeping their bodies locked together.

  “What the hell?” he swore, gazing down at his chest where a golden Fray was tattooed. Armand’s face contorted in pain and he ground his teeth together as the dragon made himself comfortable on Armand's hard belly. “It burns.”

  Not knowing what to do, Ferris was going to soothe his burning flesh but stopped when Fray glared at her from a single eye. Helplessly, she watched as Fray peeled away from Armand, as Armand squeezed his eyes shut in torment. As soon as Fray was detached from Armand’s body, he seemed to wilt, falling to the bed in a completely boneless mass.

  “He’s flayed me alive, love, and I’m afraid to look,” Armand ground out, his fingers curling into the flesh of her ass, bruising her tender skin.

  But Ferris barely felt it as she stared at the gorgeous white dragon tattooed on Armand’s chest. Her stunned gaze moved towards Fray, whose exhausted body was sprawled out on the bed next to them He opened a jeweled eye and looked at her in exhausted satisfaction, “It is my mate Zilahr.”

  “She’s beautiful,” Ferris breathed, sitting up and running a finger along the curve of Zilahr’s form, feeling Armand’s skin beneath her touch. His stomach caved in as she traced the white dragon’s tail and she smiled, remembering how
ticklish he got, especially during sex. “Look, love.

  Almost hesitantly, Armand looked down and she knew the moment he saw Zilahr: his entire body became incredibly still. His breath rushed past his lips as he ran a trembling hand over the tattoo of the white dragon, who shivered in pleasure, her lips curling up in a smile. She opened an emerald green eye and stared back at her new Dragon-Mate. Armand’s eyes closed in painful joy and he whispered, “She’s talking to me.”

  Emotions played out over Armand’s face as he got to know his dragon but he never removed his hand from Ferris’s hip, touching her as if she would disappear if he let go. The thought made her smile because they were intimately joined and even if they weren’t she had no intention of ever leaving him.

  Falling back onto the bed, Ferris grinned until her face hurt, so madly in love with Armand and so excited that he had his own dragon. She turned her head to face Fray and held her hand out to him so he didn’t have to move very far to settle back onto her skin. As he slowly climbed onto her arm, she murmured, “I didn’t know you carried your mate with you all of this time.”

  “It is a gift that not all dragons get to experience,” he rumbled, fusing to the skin of her arm, covering her from wrist to shoulder. I am most fortunate my Dragon-Mate found her True Love.

  “Why didn’t you reveal her sooner?” Ferris asked as she simply watched Armand, loving him so much it was almost painful.

  It hadn’t been the time, he said on a sigh and Ferris felt a little guilty for keeping him from his slumber but she wanted to know. Now, the two of you are bound no matter what. Even imps cannot keep you apart.

  Ferris’s breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t even considered the imps who had been instrumental in almost keeping her aunt from a lifetime with her gargoyle mate. In Ferris’s time, the imps were her friends, or rather, they weren’t her enemies, and Ajreis was her best friend. Here, now in the past, Ajreis didn’t even know who she was. Clearing her throat, she murmured, “Thank you, Fray.”