Alone.
Frowning, Leroy opened his other eye and peered around the room. He didn’t see Caladon. Then, he heard the rattle of dishes and the soft scuff of footsteps. Easing to a sitting position, Leroy realized he didn’t lie under his comforter. Instead, the blanket that he kept at the end of the bed, for decoration, was spread across him. Smiling, he rubbed his hand over the blue and green quilt.
“How are you feeling?”
Leroy pulled his gaze from the quilt and focused on the man standing in the doorframe. He greedily drank in the sight of the tall, slender African American. Caladon wore only a pair of cutoff sweat shorts, showing off his eight pack abs and leanly muscled limbs.
“Hey,” Leroy murmured. He spotted the tray Caladon held. “That for me?”
“It is,” he responded, moving into the room. “I did not know how you take your coffee, so brought milk and sugar. I could not find creamer.”
Leroy grinned, touched by the shifter’s thoughtfulness. “I actually take it black,” he admitted.
Caladon grinned. “I thought doctors and nurses drowned their coffee in sugar and cream.” He shrugged. “You know, because hospital drinks are so horrible.”
Laughing, Leroy shook his head. “Not all of us,” he responded as Caladon placed the tray over his lap. That was when he spotted the water glass full of pale purple lilies. Next to that rested a small stuffed snake. “Oh,” he murmured. Reaching out, he touched the vibrant petals of one flower, feeling its softness, before lifting a questioning gaze to Cadalon, confused at the sweet gesture.
Settling next to him on the bed, Caladon offered him a smile and a shrug.
“I’m your mate,” Leroy mumbled. “I didn’t think wooing was required.”
“You deserve to be wooed,” Caladon replied without hesitation. He leaned toward him and pressed a soft kiss to Leroy’s lips. When he pulled away, Leroy almost chased his lover’s lips, but Caladon’s light touch to his jaw stayed the action. “I will woo you as you deserve, sweet mate,” he whispered.
Leroy felt his heart constrict in his chest. First breakfast in bed, even if it was just toast and eggs, along with gifts and sweet words—he tried to figure out if any past lovers had ever been so kind. He came up blank.
I’ll have to figure out a way to accept his animal, just as I accept him as a man.
Returning Caladon’s smile, Leroy offered, “Thank you so much.”
Caladon nodded. “Eat. I have news,” he urged as he repositioned himself to rest his back against the headboard. Crossing his legs at the ankle, Caladon folded his hands on his lap.
Cocking his head, Leroy lifted the coffee mug from the tray and brought it under his nose. He inhaled, enjoying the scent of the bitter brew. “Yeah?”
“Sapian called earlier and I had to leave, so I originally left a note,” Caladon admitted.
Leroy’s rumbling stomach couldn’t be denied. He’d always needed food with his morning coffee for it to settle properly…and for him to really feel awake. It’d been tough to always meet that demand of his body and he’d had more than a number of queasy, dragging days while in medical school. He’d learned to always properly regulate his time.
After taking a sip of coffee, Leroy nodded and set his cup down. He picked up the fork and toast and scooped the scrambled eggs onto the buttered bread. “Was it something else about Gloria? Or your son?” After asking, he took a big bite, humming his appreciation. As he chewed the food and watched Caladon formulate an answer, Leroy found, to his surprise, he no longer felt jealousy over the woman.
Who knew bonding would settle my turbulent emotions.
“Sapian had Raymond show me divorce documents. My signatures were forged, but they were made so Gloria could marry Dewain.” He smiled sadly. “My wife, uh, ex-wife, married a good man. I know he raised my son as his own.”
Leroy chewed and swallowed. He reached out and touched his lover’s hand. “At least you know he was well taken care of.”
Caladon nodded. “I suppose Dewain raising Taolma was the next best thing, since I was not there to do it,” he told him. Then, he grimaced. “Too bad he did not plan ahead as he should have. When Gloria died, the state did not recognize his claim as Taolma’s guardian because he had never actually adopted him. He ended up faking his own death and reinventing himself as a person looking to adopt.” Caladon rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Not so original, I am afraid, but it worked. His name is now Golren Rabenau. Raymond was able to piece it together.” He met Leroy’s gaze and told him, “I had him send Golren a message from me, telling him what happened to me and asking if Taolma would be willing to meet me.”
After another gulp of coffee to wash down the last of the toast and eggs, Leroy set the mug down. He wiped his hands on a napkin, then reached for Caladon’s hand. “Did you want to go to him?” He frowned as he tried to remember what they’d talked about the prior day. “Are they still in the Caribbean?”
“Florida,” Caladon replied. He squeezed and smiled at Leroy. “And thank you for being so understanding, but no. I will be patient. I will wait until I hear back from them.” Then, he smirked. “At least, for a little while. I have waited seventeen years. What is another week or two?”
Leroy downed the last of his coffee, set it on the tray, then set the whole ensemble aside. Offering a shy smile, he murmured, “If you don’t mind coffee breath, I’m sure I can come up with something to take your mind off the waiting.”
Caladon’s eyes narrowed and his grin appeared feral. “Oh, I do want to take you up on that,” he growled. He stretched out on the bed and reached for Leroy, pulling him on top of Caladon in one smooth move. “But I need to warn you that your father found me at the flower shop.”
His blood instantly cooling, Leroy propped himself up on his elbow and peered down at Caladon. “What?”
Already?
“What happened?”
Reaching up, Caladon threaded his hands through Leroy’s hair. He massaged his scalp gently as he offered a concerned smile. “I am sorry, sweet mate. I should have approached this differently.” He leaned up and pecked a kiss to Leroy’s lips. “Just relax. He did as you said. Told me to stay away from you, and when I refused, he offered to buy me off. I told him to fuck off and gave him the finger.”
Leroy felt his brows shoot up as he barked a laugh. “You actually did that? You told my dad to fuck off and gave him the finger?”
Caladon nodded. “I did. He disrespects you, telling someone he does not know to stay away from you. If I were a drug dealer or had a record of abuse or violence, then I could understand the protectiveness, but Raymond would have told me if your father had looked into my past.” He shook his head and scowled. “The man is not a gentleman.”
Snorting, Leroy shook his head. “Don’t let him hear you say that,” he warned. “He thinks he’s the epitome of southern gentility.”
“I am not certain I know what that means,” Caladon murmured, his brows furrowing. Then, he offered Leroy a crooked smile. “Did I tell you that English is not my first language?”
“Oh, no? What is?”
“French…well, a dialect of it. I learned some English to trade with tourists.” Caladon rolled his eyes and offered a wry smile. “Being trapped in a cage for years did have its advantages. I understand almost everything, but must work harder to speak.”
Leroy nodded. “Now your accent makes sense.”
A look of uncertainty crossed Caladon’s face. “Is my accent too much?”
“Not at all,” Leroy assured. “I find it quite sexy.”
Caladon’s grin could have rivaled the brightest sun. “Good.”
He leaned up and, right as he claimed Leroy’s lips and thrust his tongue into Leroy’s mouth, Leroy’s alarm sounded. Groaning, Leroy pulled back. He leaned over and slapped the machine, silencing the annoying noise.
“Shit, I’m sorry, Cal. I gotta work.”
Nodding, Caladon leaned up and p
ecked a kiss to his lips before urging him sideways. “I noted the time your alarm was set for. I am pleased you woke with enough time to eat a bite of breakfast.”
“And I’m very grateful for that,” Leroy told him. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had made him breakfast in bed. “And the flowers are gorgeous and super sweet and the stuffed animal—” At that, he paused and rolled off the bed to pick up the stuffed green and brown snake. “It really does look like you. I saw you once, you know. From a distance,” he admitted, his unease surfacing just at the memory of the massive snake through the glass of the arboretum wall.
Leroy had been on his way back from checking up on Tristan, the albino alligator that currently lived in the gargoyle’s pond, and had seen the snake through the glass wall. Caladon’s long, heavy body had been draped over a branch, sun shining on his green and brown scales.
“My animal form makes you nervous,” Caladon commented, his voice gentle.
Seeing no reason to lie, Leroy nodded. “Yeah, sorry. A bit.” He watched Caladon round the bed, seeing understanding in his eyes. “Sorry,” he repeated. “You’re, uh, kinda big.”
“I am.”
“Are you really over twenty feet?” Leroy asked curiously, moving to his dresser. After pulling out a clean pair of scrubs, he turned to look at his lover. He found Caladon’s gaze riveted to his ass, his eyes narrowed and his hands twitching at his sides. Flushing, Leroy yanked on underwear—a regular pair this time—then his scrub pants. “Sorry,” he muttered.
Once his lower half disappeared from view, Caladon blinked and shook his head. He rolled off of the bed and met Leroy’s gaze, giving him a lopsided smile. “Sorry. It has been many years since I have—” He paused again and cleared his throat. “Well, I am a little over seventeen feet. Not too many men will measure a boa my size.”
Leroy cleared his own throat, trying to avoid popping wood, and shrugged. “Once you hit the fifteen foot mark, it probably doesn’t really matter, huh?”
“Most guards would not have anything to do with me. Correct.” Caladon smirked, appearing not in the least upset by that. “Especially after five guards were brought in to straighten me out so the carnival owner could measure me. It did not go so well for a couple of the guards,” he finished, chuckling.
His eyes widening, his mind working overtime, Leroy asked, “Did you crush them or something?”
Caladon’s brows lowered and he cocked his head. “Of course not.” Then, his eyes twinkled as he grinned crookedly. “I just discouraged future attempts by squeezing a couple of them, and the carnival owner, a little tighter than they may have liked.”
“Geez, that was a stupid thing to ask. I’m sorry,” Leroy stated, snorting at himself. “I didn’t think.” He offered an apologetic smile. “I’m still getting used to shifters and all. Forgot for a second that you guys are, uh—” He searched for the word used by the shifters at the manor. “That you all are cognizant in your animal form.”
Caladon’s eyes narrowed as he peered at him, something obviously on his mind.
Leroy shifted uncertainly from foot to foot, nibbling his lip.
“How long have you known about shifters and gargoyles?” Caladon finally asked quietly.
“Uh, less than six months,” Leroy admitted.
Caladon nodded. “You are still adjusting. I understand.” He grinned. “When you have questions or concerns, we will deal with them together.”
Liking the sound of that, Leroy nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”
Grinning widely, showing off his pearly whites in his dark-skinned face, Caladon stated, “And in the meantime, Sapian drove your car here before Missy picked him up for a breakfast date. When does your shift end?”
Remembering that he was supposed to be getting ready for his shift, Leroy got his rear in gear. “Ends at seven-thirty,” he told him.
Fifteen minutes later, Leroy walked out the door with Caladon. He quickly locked up, Caladon waiting patiently. Then, the shifter escorted him to his car and opened the door for him. He slid into the vehicle behind the wheel.
“I will see you tonight, then?”
Leroy looked up at his lover after inserting the key into the ignition. Caladon rested his forearm across the top of the vehicle and leaned down toward him. Smiling, Leroy nodded. “Yeah. I should get to the manor around eight-thirty. I’ll be all yours.”
Caladon grinned, pleasure lighting his dark eyes. “I do like the sound of that. I will be waiting impatiently.”
Grinning, Leroy reached out and placed his palm on the front of Caladon’s thigh. He stroked his thumb along the shifter’s inner thigh, just nudging his balls. “It’ll be worth the wait,” he assured.
Caladon’s eyes narrowed and he growled softly. He gripped Leroy’s wrist and pulled his hand away and up, leaning down even more so he could kiss Leroy’s fingertips. “I know,” he whispered huskily. “Have a good day at work,” he added, punctuating his words with another kiss.
Then, Caladon straightened and shut the door. Leroy waved, then started up his vehicle. As he drove to work, he knew a stupid grin stretched his features. Leroy didn’t care, though, because the domesticity of the morning had left him nearly giddy and he couldn’t wait to get through his hospital shift.
Chapter Nine
Caladon followed Raymond and his human mate, Marty, down the aisle of the grocery store, straight to the back freezer. He knew, somewhere else in the store, the rhino shifter, Gustav—Gus to his friends—along with his gargoyle mate, Tible, were collecting the goods to make a vat of potato salad. Evidently, Maelgwn loved Tible’s potato salad—something about a secret family recipe—and insisted he make a lot of it.
“What’s your favorite cut of meat?” Marty asked, tapping Caladon on the upper arm to get his attention.
“Uh,” Caladon stalled, looking over the selections in the freezer case. “I do not recognize the cuts,” he admitted, trying to figure out the labels. While he could understand and speak English, reading it was proving much more difficult for him.
Marty started pointing. “Well, let’s start with cow, pig, chicken, turkey, some other animal or hen?”
Grinning, Caladon replied, “I suppose iguana is out?”
The other two men exchanged looks, glanced at the cases of meat, then Marty responded slowly, “I don’t, well—”
Caladon chuckled. “I am joking,” he told them, smirking. “Do they offer liver or veal?” He turned and looked toward the section with bins of fruits and vegetables. “How about some guava or dragon fruit? It has been so long.”
Marty patted his shoulder. “I’ll find both veal and liver, even if I have to ask the butcher. Why don’t you head over to the produce? I don’t know what those are, but maybe you’ll recognize them on sight.”
Nodding, Caladon gave the man his thanks, then left the mated couple to pick out meat. He’d allowed himself to be roped into this excursion to the grocery store, since it beat the hell out of pacing around and around the manor as he waited for Leroy to finish his shift…as well as a response to Raymond’s query to Golren.
For some reason, Maelgwn had decided he wanted a massive barbeque on the newly finished deck. Caladon had learned that Marty owned a construction company. Originally, it’d been run by him and his buddy, Logan McIntire, but then Logan had gone to Oregon for a vacation and had found his mate in a wolf shifter named Jimmy. Logan had sold his half of the company to Marty’s brother, Matthew, who’d been working independently as an electrician. Now that the deck was finished, the brothers planned to wrap up a few projects and head to Oregon to help their friend build a workshop. This barbeque was kind of a send-off for them and their mates, since they weren’t certain how long they’d be gone.
Caladon noticed a section that seemed to have more exotic fruits and headed that way. Spotting a small carton of dragon fruit, he grinned with pleasure and picked one up. After finding several he wanted, he tore off a plastic bag from the s
pool and placed them inside. He looked forward to sharing the sweet fruit with his mate and hoped Leroy liked them.
“Excuse me. Caladon, right?”
Turning to face the speaker, Caladon’s brows shot up. Standing to his left was Sarina, Leroy’s sister. Behind her stood another woman, this one a bit older, also with blond hair and brown eyes. While Sarina glared, the second woman had her arms crossed over her ample bosom.
Both women looked like they were spoiling for a fight.
Biting back an irritated sigh, he narrowed his eyes and responded, “Yes. I am Caladon. But you knew that already, Sarina.”
Sarina curled her lip. “I didn’t give you permission to use my name, nigger,” she hissed, lifting her hand and pointing at him.
“Such ugly language,” Caladon rumbled, setting his bag of fruit aside to protect it. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “Are you here to tell me to stay away from your brother, too?” he asked, deciding to go on the offensive so he could get this confrontation over with. “Because that will not happen.”
“Yes, it will,” the second woman claimed. “We know you’re new in town. If you don’t leave him alone, we’ll make certain no one will hire you. You’ll never get a job.” She smiled cruelly. “Then, you’ll have to leave. We still win.”
Not liking the woman’s cocky attitude, Caladon focused on her. He forced a low chuckle. “Oh, little girl,” he rumbled. “What makes you think I would not just take Leroy with me?” Smirking, he lowered his voice to a husky rumble and added, “Sexual pleasure can be a hell of a motivator.”
“Bastard!” the sister screeched. She stepped close, lifting her hand. “Don’t you lay your filthy hands on my brother!”
Caladon recognized her intention to strike him, especially with the way she curled her fingers, probably intending to rake her nails across his face. As a shifter, he knew the attack from the human wouldn’t truly cause long-term damage. Still, it wasn’t like Caladon enjoyed allowing another to hit him.
To Caladon’s shock, someone stepped up at his shoulder and caught the woman’s swinging arm in one dark-skinned hand. “Didn’t your parents teach you that hitting isn’t nice?” the guy snapped.
Accepting Caladon’s Scales Page 7
