When a Gargoyle Awakens

by Price, E A

  The gargoyle moved closer to her, and Kylie resisted the urge to back away. Ophelia put a clawed hand on her shoulder. “I don’t say this to be cruel, but for your own sake, you must realize that the two of you cannot really hope for a future.”

  Kylie met her gaze. “Let me know if you need anything. Luc and I want to make sure you are as comfortable as possible.”

  The female’s cheek twitched slightly; probably annoyed that her speech didn’t quite have the desired effect.

  Kylie ducked out of her grip and walked away, her back ramrod straight. She didn’t let anyone see the worry festering inside her.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Kylie stretched out on the bed.

  “Good morning, little one.” Luc pressed his lips to hers.

  “Good evening,” she giggled.

  Luc slipped into the bed beside her. It was certainly a step up from her tiny apartment. The enormous bed was actually large enough to accommodate them both with room to spare.

  The new gargoyle had arrived – it was another male – smaller than Luc, but no less fearsome looking.

  He wasn’t a member of Luc’s clan, but Luc believed him to be a male called Amalric. They had the spell to awaken him, found amongst Holling’s possessions. But Luc insisted that Kylie try and practice her magic more before she did anything else. It wasn’t going well, and Ophelia’s catty comments that she may never wake them at all were not helping

  Kylie had taken to sleeping more during the day so she could be awake at night. They had already fallen into a routine whereby Luc awoke her and climbed into bed with her, they enjoyed a bit of alone time and then they got to work. No one begrudged them that. Except for Ophelia, maybe.

  It had been a few days since Kylie’s confrontation with Ophelia, and Kylie’s increasing worries about waking the gargoyles were starting to get to her. These moments alone with Luc calmed her.

  She sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. He was naked against her, and Kylie buzzed with arousal as she felt his growing need pressing against her.

  Luc kissed her ear. “I believe it would be better if I started to sleep outside again.” He nibbled on the lobe, and she mewled, contentedly.

  “Why?” He had been sleeping in the study or their bedroom since they moved into the house. She liked having him near.

  One of his hands slid under her t-shirt, cupping her breast. She arched against his touch, pressing her ass against his hardening manhood. “I believe that Ophelia would be happier if I did. It is usual for all the clan to sleep out in the open together.”

  “I see.” Her ardor cooled, and her body became a little less pliable in his arms.

  His tail crept up her leg and sought entrance to her sex. Her legs remained firmly shut. He growled, crossly.

  “Are you unhappy about that?”

  “No, it’s fine, whatever Ophelia wants,” she said, prissily, echoing a bratty child.

  “Something is wrong,” her rumbled. His chest vibrated against her back, and he held her more tightly, perhaps fearing she may run away.

  “No.”

  “Yes.” With an impatient grunt, he pulled her onto her back, half pinning her beneath him. His tail snaked around her leg, anchoring her in place. As if she could throw him off anyway. A mouse would have more luck in wrestling an elephant. “You are unhappy.”

  “You don’t play fair,” she grumbled, squirming beneath him.

  He half-smiled before his mouth set in a tight line. “Now, tell me what is wrong. Do not lie to me, little one.”

  “I just can’t help worrying.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You will have to be more specific.”

  “About us,” she admitted in a small voice.

  “You worry that people won’t accept us,” he stated, cautiously.

  Kylie looked away from him. “You don’t have to stay with me; it’s okay. A few weeks ago you didn’t have any choice but to be with me, but now there’s one of your own kind and soon there’ll be more – you don’t have to settle for me.”

  Luc let out an angry growl. “Kylie, you are my mate. I will not have you speak to me this way. If you believe we have mated in error, you must tell me to my face.”

  “No!” cried Kylie in shock. “I don’t think that. It’s just… I can never be like a female gargoyle. I’ll always be small and weak. You wouldn’t have to worry about hurting her or always protecting her if you had a gargoyle for a mate. Surely a gargoyle would be more attractive to you than me.”

  Luc looked sorrowful. His grip loosened on her slightly, and he stroked her hair as his tail caressed her calf. “You don’t understand, little one. I told you before that I had developed feelings for a female before I turned to stone.”

  Kylie nodded.

  “I should have told you that she was a human.”

  “What?”

  “It was Faylinn, who later became my caretaker. We grew very close, and I believe she felt the same way. At the time, the idea of a gargoyle and a human was considered abominable. But I could not deny how I felt. I was the leader of my clan; I had many offers from gargoyle females – I could have taken a mate anytime I wanted. But I did not. Not while my feelings for Faylinn remained constant. I may have been with female gargoyles to slake a need, but their form was not overly attractive to me. I am not romantic by nature, but you are attractive to me. I find myself drawn to the softness of your body, to your full pink lips and your silken hair. I cannot tell you what it means to me that you would take me as a mate.”

  Kylie let out a garbled ‘I love you’ and buried her head in his neck. It was the first time she had said it, and she realized that it was true.

  “I love you, too, little one.”

  “I shouldn’t have doubted you,” she sniffled when she came up for air.

  “No, you should not,” he agreed, harshly, but softened on seeing her frown. “But we are newly mated, and we are coming to terms with the differences between our two species. It is forgotten, and we will move on. Just know that I would not have mated with you if I did not wish to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  “I feel the same way.”

  He pressed his need against her, and she cooed in response. “And this body is the only one I wish to feel against mine. The only one I wish to see swollen with my young.”

  “Ah ha.” Panic stations!

  Luc chuckled at the alarm on her face. “Fear not, little one. We are still young there is no rush.”

  Kylie nipped his neck. “Well, I’m still young, remind me how old you are again?”

  Luc chortled and flipped onto his back, bringing Kylie with him. She frowned at him as she sat on his stomach. “Forgive me, little one. I am so old; I am not sure I am able to satisfy my mate. You must take your satisfaction from my old and weary body.” He flung his arm over his face in a theatrical pose and Kylie burst into laughter.

  Although joking, she certainly enjoyed her vantage point. She kissed her way up his chest as he watched her with ill-concealed desire.

  She stopped and chewed on her cheek. “You know, we may not be able to have kids.”

  “I do not believe fate would be unkind to us.”

  “Fate had you asleep for almost a thousand years. Fate can be a bit of a dick.” She traced her fingers over his smooth, red skin. “What if I can’t, you know, give birth to a gargoyle baby, you guys are kind of large.”

  His hands massaged her buttocks. “You have beautiful, child-bearing hips, little one, it will happen.”

  She tried to frown and smile at that same time as she thought about that compliment/insult. “Are you trying to say my hips are wide?” She ground her apparently massive hips down on his stomach.

  “Yes, they are very attractive,” he told her, unabashedly and clearly oblivious to the potential danger he was in. “I also very much enjoy the roundness of your posterior.” He slapped her butt lightly

  “You saucy gargoyle!” she said in mock outrage.

  “No, just a ga
rgoyle who enjoys beautiful things.” He leaned up and took one of her breasts into his mouth, his tongue circled the puckered nub.

  His hard manhood rested against her ass, and she rubbed herself against him. He moaned around her flesh as she ground her hips backward and forwards. She scooted back allowing the shaft to slip between her legs and tease her quivering sex. His hands clasped her hips, but he made no move to hurry her or take her too quickly.

  Kylie closed her eyes and delighted in the tantalizing sensations. It was enough to excite her, to make her desire surge, but not enough to make her come. She enjoyed the slow build, the delicious friction as the heat bloomed inside her.

  Finally, Luc could no longer take it. He pulled her hips up and centered her over his shaft, already wet from her juices. He guided her over him, impatient to be inside her. She moaned and clutched at him to slow down. He groaned an apology, and she kissed him as she lowered herself onto him. The sweetness of the kiss distracted her from the almost painful fullness.

  Unable to take any more of him, she panted and clung to him. He bucked his hips into her, gently as first, but as she adjusted to his size, he began lifting her and pulling her down him with more force.

  She whimpered and shook, and her body clutched at him in orgasm. With a snarl and without losing their connection, he rolled her onto her back and began thrusting inside her, eager for his completion.

  Luc growled and trembled as he neared his end. Kylie whispered that she loved him, and he roared, pushing inside her almost violently as he found his release.

  Kylie wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him close. His softening member pulsed inside her and she delighted in the warm afterglow.

  He moved as if to leave her, but she held him tightly. “Not yet, this is nice,” she murmured, kissing his neck.

  Luc settled into her arms, careful not to put too much weight on her. “Tell me if I am hurting you.”

  He rubbed a hand up and down one of her things. “You cannot doubt that I would want another, surely.”

  “No, I guess Ophelia just freaked me out…”

  Luc looked at her sharply, and Kylie cursed her loose tongue. She hadn’t meant to say anything about the female, and she certainly hadn’t meant to ruin their afterglow. “Ophelia? What did she say?”

  “It’s not important.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “It upset you, so it is.”

  “She’s just having trouble accepting me and you, that’s all. I’m sure others will feel the same.”

  Kylie held her breath as she waited to see what he would do. She let out an inner breath as he relaxed back into her body. “Ophelia and I were younglings together. There was a time when she hoped the two of us would be together, but I did not feel the same. Back in our time she was promised to the chief of another clan.”

  “She was?”

  “Yes, I thought that would make her happy. I believe she coveted the role of chief’s mate more than me. I will speak to her.”

  “No,” she said, quickly. Kylie had dealt with enough bullies to know that having someone else talk to them wasn’t going to work. The time she came out of the gym to find her clothes had been swapped with a Halloween bunny costume were a testament to that. Not just any bunny – a playboy bunny, and it was two sizes too small. “I’ll speak to her – I can’t have you fighting all my battles.”

  “I would like to fight them all, you are my mate, I must protect you.”

  “Thank you, but I’ve got this one.”

  Luc rubbed his chin over her neck. He told her his kind did it to spread their scent on their mates. “I will allow it, but do not let anything anyone says concern you. You are mine, and no one will tell me otherwise.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Kylie stepped into the kitchen and on seeing who was in there, she tried to turn and silently make her escape. Sadly, she was too late.

  “Chief’s mate,” said Ophelia.

  Kylie stopped in her tracks and turned back to find Ophelia grinning. It was terrifying.

  “Ophelia,” murmured Kylie.

  “Are you well, Chief’s mate? Can I get you something, Chief’s mate?”

  Technically, Kylie couldn’t find anything wrong with Ophelia’s behavior, but it bothered her. She had a talk with Ophelia a couple of nights ago, and it seemed to go okay. Ophelia had quietly listened while Kylie had politely told her to back off her man and dial it down.

  Ophelia had taken it gracefully, and she was actually more civil to Kylie. Perhaps, too civil. It was the way she smiled at Kylie and called her ‘Chief’s mate’ over and over. Luc couldn’t see what the problem was. He thought Ophelia was being deferential. Kylie thought she was mocking her, and it sent a chill up her spine.

  “I’m fine, thank you,” said Kylie, forcing a smile. She wondered how long it would take to become comfortable with Ophelia’s presence.

  Kylie watched mesmerized as the gargoyle heated some cocoa in the microwave. Seeing her doing something so mundane and human was strange. Kylie couldn’t force Luc to use the microwave. It was still a sorcerer’s box to him. But Ophelia didn’t seem to have any trouble with modern technology.

  “I’m surprised you like that,” commented Kylie. “I’ve tried to get Luc to drink hot things, but he says he can’t stomach them.”

  “In time he will.”

  Kylie drummed her fingers on the table. As soon as she was sure she had stayed long enough to be polite, she excused herself.

  “Perhaps you will take a walk with me, Chief’s mate.”

  “I…” Her mind reached for an excuse. Anything would do. She could say she was washing her hair…

  “You’re having trouble with your magic; perhaps I might be able to help. I worked with magical practitioners back in my time; I can give you some, as you say, pointers. No offence to your aunt, but she is hardly a strong practitioner.”

  Kylie grudgingly agreed that did sound like a good idea. As patient as Luc was with her, they were actually on the clock when it came to waking the gargoyles. “Yeah, that would be nice, thank you. Maybe I should just tell Luc…”

  Ophelia shrugged. “Don’t worry, we won’t go far – just into the garden.” The gargoyle smiled, and it was a genuine smile for a change. Hopeful mixed with a little insecurity.

  Kylie felt like a heel for even thinking about saying no. “Ummm, sure.”

  They walked through the tangled mess of a garden for what seemed like ages. Although, it was probably more like ten minutes. But that was about five minutes longer than Kylie was used to walking anywhere.

  “Are we going somewhere in particular?” panted Kylie, struggling to keep up with the long, determined strides of the gargoyle.

  Kylie groaned and pulled at her shirt, which had snagged on a tree branch. Jeez, the place was overgrown. She couldn’t actually see the house anymore. Trickles of worry started crawling along her neck.

  “Ophelia?”

  The female gargoyle didn’t answer; she just kept walking. The dread started to move into Kylie’s stomach.

  “Ophelia, maybe we should go back.”

  Kylie stopped as she heard some shuffling and whimpering. Perhaps it was some local wildlife. She caught up to Ophelia. “Did you hear that?”

  Ophelia stepped through a hole in a hedge into a small clearing. Kylie followed and lit up with full on alarm bells. She found the source of the shuffling. It was Lara. She was tied up, gagged and furiously trying to get free.

  The gargoyle smiled, horribly. “Lara tried to sneak back here; luckily I happened to find her before anyone else did.”

  Using the tactic of movie characters everywhere who know when their number’s almost up, Kylie tried to stall. “What’s going on?”

  “It is simple, human,” she sneered. “When Lara sneaked back in here, she killed you, and in retaliation I killed Lara. Or at least, that is what will have happened in about five minutes time. Luc will get over you, and everyone will be a lot happier. Don’t worry, I’m sure
we’ll find someone else to wake my other brothers and sisters.”

  Kylie was sure her heart just about stopped at that moment. “But… why?”

  Ophelia’s eyes flashed with hatred. “I’ve tried to talk to you, and I’ve tried to talk to Luc, but neither of you will listen. You don’t belong together. Gargoyles don’t belong with humans. Humans did this to us – they sent us to stone. If Luc had just listened to me, this never would have happened. Humans cannot be trusted. When the rest are awake, we will have a new clan, and we will ensure that no human ever turns on us. Luc and I will lead the new clan together, and there will be no place for you or any human.”

  “Look, Ophelia,” said Kylie, seriously hoping against hope that they could still have a rational conversation. “Luc doesn’t want to be isolated from humans. He hopes that one day your kind will integrate with humanity again.”

  Ophelia barked out a laugh. “Integrate? We were never integrated! We were their pets. No, we were worse than that. They treated us worse than their dogs. You humans haven’t changed. Given half a chance, you’ll do the same again. You creatures can never accept us.”

  “That’s not true, Luc and I…”

  “Poor Luc,” she sneered. “Always so distracted by you idiot human females. I don’t see it. You’re weak and pitiful. He was the same with Faylinn. At least I managed to put a stop to that…”

  “What do you mean?” interrupted Kylie. “The spell…”

  “He was going to take a human mate. It was going to ruin us!” She paced up and down, her wings jerking in edgy little movements. “He was going to taint our bloodlines. If he took a human for a mate, others would have, too. We would never have gotten away from the humans. I did the only thing I could.”

  Kylie had a flash of worrying understanding. “Please don’t tell me it’s your fault the gargoyles went to sleep.”

  “It is not my fault!” she snarled, throwing her head back and spreading her wings. “Those idiots got the spell wrong. I had a deal with those damn humans. I gave them the spell and they were just supposed to send us to sleep for a day while they defeated the Blanc Clans.” She resumed her pacing, ranting more to herself than at Kylie. “They agreed when we awoke we would be allowed our own land to live as we pleased – we wouldn’t be forced to cower before humans, we wouldn’t be their damn animals anymore!”