Born of Magic: Gargoyle Masters, Book 2

by Missy Jane

  The return trip to the wizard’s castle seemed endless. Images of Zephara as he’d last seen her played through his mind. They’d only been apart two days but it felt like weeks. His arms ached to hold her again.

  As soon as he landed the door to the castle flew open. Zephara ran into his open arms without hesitation. Peace and soul-deep satisfaction filled him as he inhaled her fragrance and held her close. He never wanted to let her go, but finally loosened his grip enough to look into her eyes.

  “I’ve missed you more than I thought possible,” he whispered.

  She smiled and kissed him. Perhaps she meant it as a quick greeting, but he deepened it until they were both hungry for more. She pulled away first. “I’ve missed you as well. My brother woke and is improving. Come.”

  She grasped his hand and pulled him inside. He followed her to a guest bedroom where Zephyr lay resting beneath a mound of blankets. He looked frail and even paler than his usual pallor.

  “He is well?” Wynn asked skeptically.

  Zephara gave him a reassuring smile before releasing his hand and going to her brother’s side.

  “Better,” she said. “Though not hale and hearty yet. He woke for a bit this morning and asked for Steinn.”

  She sat on the bed and Zeph stirred. He opened his eyes but seemed to take a few seconds to focus on her. He gave a weak smile. “Sœur. Tout va bien?”

  She glanced at Wynn before replying in English. “Yes, brother. All is well. How are you feeling?”

  He groaned and closed his eyes. “Better but still…bad.”

  She made a soothing noise as she smoothed the blankets over his chest. “Rest. Your body will heal with time.”

  “Time and careful tending.” He opened his eyes and finally noticed Wynn in the doorway. “Master Wynnston. You’ve returned.”

  Wynn noticed Zeph’s attention remained on the doorway. A sense of unease filled him. “Yes. I returned as soon as I could. I’m glad you’re awake, and better.”

  Zeph nodded, then his jaw hardened and he looked at Wynn. “Your brother is well?”

  Wynn hid his grimace. “Yes. It took two days lying beside the Wizard Stone for him to heal enough to stand, but he is better now.”

  “Still in the castle healing then?” Zephara asked.

  “He was when I left, yes.”

  Wynn didn’t want to lie to her, and perhaps he would tell her later he suspected his brother didn’t remain home for long. But since he didn’t know for certain there was no sense in mentioning it in front of her brother.

  “I’m glad he is well,” Zeph said. “Perhaps we will see each other again and I can apologize for getting him into danger in the first place.”

  Zephara immediately tried to comfort her brother, but Wynn voiced his denial as well. “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “No?” Zeph asked.

  The challenge in his gaze told Wynn much. “No. My brother told me the details of what happened. It wasn’t the fault of either of you to be attacked that way. No matter what was happening between you.”

  If anything Zeph seemed to grow paler at Wynn’s words. He swallowed loudly in the silence that followed. Zephara looked between them but her expression told Wynn she knew the whole story too.

  “Does he blame me?” Zeph finally asked.

  Wynn ran a hand through his hair in agitation. He shouldn’t be the one answering these questions. Damn his brother. “I don’t believe so. I think he blames himself more than anything.”

  “For all of it,” Zeph agreed. “I’m certain I’ve confused him and possibly angered him as well. I will not visit your home after all.”

  “Frère,” Zephara said in protest.

  “Ne. It is for the best if I stay away from him.”

  “He didn’t appear angry to me,” Wynn conceded. “But confused…yes. Definitely confused. Perhaps just give him time, Zeph. This is new to him. None of us have ever…” It took him a moment to find the words. “The wizards explained sex to us early on so the urges coursing through us would make sense. But we’ve always gone to Keva and stayed within the human realm. None of us have ever been to Pastelle.”

  Zeph looked at him skeptically. “So I’m the only homosexual male you’ve ever met?”

  “That I know of, yes. We knew such existed, of course. But to my knowledge I’ve never met one.”

  “The humans hide their preferences well. The king’s castle alone holds a number.”

  Wynn couldn’t help but chuckle as he shook his head at the thought. “I never would’ve guessed. I’ve never had reason to wonder.”

  Zeph shrugged, then grimaced as if it pained him. “I understand. Still, I will leave Steinn alone. He can find me if he wishes.”

  Zephara frowned and Wynn wanted to soothe her, but he decided not to be demonstrative of his feelings for her in front of Zeph while he felt abandoned by Steinn. Damn his brother again.

  After a few more minutes of soothing Zeph and ensuring he needed nothing for the moment, Zephara finally led Wynn to the bedroom they shared in Gregori’s castle. The wizard had put her training on hold so she could tend to her brother, a concession she hadn’t expected but was grateful to have. Despite their strict rules and serious demeanors, she was learning the wizards had hearts of gold. They treated her as an equal at every turn, despite her being both the youngest and a woman.

  Wynn pulled her into his arms the moment their door was closed. Despite the urgings of her body after being away from him for so long, she halted his hands when he tried to peel off her clothes.

  “Wait, my love,” she said. “I must ask you about Steinn.”

  He sighed as he released her. Then he sat on the edge of the bed and waited. She wanted to sit beside him but knew the proximity would be a distraction. So she chose a chair nearby instead.

  “Tell me the truth. Do you think he will ever accept my brother as a mate? Even if only for a time?”

  He ran a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture she secretly loved. Then he slowly shook his head. “I’m not certain. As I said, this is a foreign concept to us. As far as I know, none of my brothers have ever attempted to bed a man. But of course, I could be wrong and they’ve simply hidden it from the rest of us, much as those Zephyr noticed in the castle. Steinn admitted he’d never even considered a man as a bed partner before, but also that he’s attracted to Zeph just as he would be to any beautiful woman. Your brother certainly didn’t force him.”

  That made her feel better. She knew Zeph would never force himself on anyone, but he could be stubborn when he wanted something bad enough. The way he’d been calling out for Steinn when in the throes of his worst pain broke her heart. She wanted to drag the idiot gargoyle back to her brother’s bedside herself. But of course, she couldn’t do that.

  “Do you think he’d be willing to visit Zeph, if only for a moment? He’s still in so much pain.”

  Wynn’s frown deepened. “I tried to talk him into coming with me, Zee. He refused. I’m sorry, but I don’t think he’s ready to face your brother yet.”

  She huffed out a breath and crossed her arms, agitated at his easy denial. “Such foolishness. Perhaps I can talk to him.”

  He grimaced. “Perhaps. But I don’t want you to get your hopes up. I’m not sure he’s willing to talk about what happened to anyone else.”

  She stood and paced around the room. Her brother was one of the most important people in her life. They’d been side-by-side their entire lives. They shared nearly every important moment and he had been nothing but supportive of her decision to join the wizards. He had also been encouraging when she’d confessed her eternal-mate was a Gargoyle Master. He’d talked her out of her fears and convinced her to travel with him to Halstrid.

  “We must do something. He’s in so much pain and I know Steinn’s absence only adds to it.”

  She finally faced Wyn
n again and closed the distance. The relief on his face mirrored her own feelings once she set her hands on his shoulders. Touching him eased the low pain in her chest that had bloomed in his absence.

  “I will help you in any way I can, love,” he said. “But please don’t put too much faith in Steinn right now. I truly think he needs time to think things through. Then perhaps he will come back to Zeph on his own.”

  She sighed again and leaned into his strength. Knowing he was right didn’t make his words any easier to hear. She hated waiting for someone else to make things right, especially where her brother was concerned.

  “All right,” she finally conceded. “But we must discover who or what attacked them. Zeph felt magic within the beings, unlike anything he’d ever encountered before. They weren’t a species we’re familiar with, and our knowledge is vast.”

  Wynn nodded his agreement before tightening his arms around her. “We will do all we can to find them…after.”

  Then he started kissing her and thoughts of anything outside their bedroom flew away.

  Chapter Nine

  Theda had never been more embarrassed in her life, but the gargoyle either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He sat on the bed facing away from her, his broad back stiff as stone. She washed quickly in the small tub the innkeeper had delivered. Kephas had insisted it be set before the fire so she wouldn’t grow cold. She silently thanked his thoughtfulness even as she cursed his stubbornness about refusing to leave her alone. She knotted her wet hair at the top of her head to finish washing her body.

  She stood and grabbed the drying cloth she’d set on a nearby chair, wrapping it around her before stepping out of the water. She knotted it between her breasts and cleared her throat.

  “I’m done, but I need to dry for a bit. Plus I have nothing to wear now that you sent my clothes off to be washed.”

  Kephas stood slowly and turned. His gaze roamed over her with an almost physical caress that left her heart hammering. How could a simple look from this man affect her so?

  “Sit by the fire and you should dry quickly,” he said.

  “And you?”

  “Me?”

  “Are you going to bathe?”

  He looked at the ridiculously small tub and grinned. Her face burned as another blush filled her cheeks. Sitting in the tub with her knees drawn up had been almost painful in the cramped space. Of course he wouldn’t fit.

  “Yes, but I’ll kneel beside the tub to wash.”

  “Oh.”

  Her breath quickened at the thought of him naked, kneeling before the roaring fire. She turned her head away in the hopes he wouldn’t guess her thoughts. Then she plopped down in the nearest chair and stared into the fire as if it was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen.

  His low chuckle preceded his footsteps as he crossed to the tub. The rustle of cloth made her close her eyes, but the urge to watch him wouldn’t go away.

  “I’ll be quick,” he said. “No peeking.”

  She nearly turned to glare at him, but caught herself at the last second. “Of course not. Did you?”

  “Much as I wanted to, no. I gave you my word, and I always keep my word.”

  Was that a threat or a promise? Perhaps both. She concentrated on the dancing flame as the sound of him using the water filled the room. What would it be like to watch this strong, virile man wash his tanned skin? She’d seen a naked man before but had never lain with one. Most of the men in the village had stayed away from her and her mother unless something ailed them. Only then was their magic considered anything but suspect.

  She hadn’t missed the attention or the act of being with a man. Curiosity had hit her on occasion, but she hadn’t actually missed it. Especially since she knew how to satisfy her own needs. But now, with this man so close and so strong while she felt weak and utterly alone, the temptation proved to be too much. She opened her eyes and turned her head, just enough to see his skin gleaming in the firelight.

  He felt her stare and hid his grin. Embarrassing her wasn’t an option. Her innocence lured him as much as her beauty as some unnamed need burned within him to make her his. A new compulsion but not an unwelcomed one.

  He vaguely thought of his brothers’ descriptions of their wives and suspected he was falling under the same charm. Though surprised by this turn of events, he wasn’t concerned. If anything, he was relieved to be able to name the sudden need to keep this woman at all costs.

  He had removed his shirt and washed his arms and torso. He dunked his head into the cooling water then pulled it out, pushing his wet hair away from his face. He kept his eyes closed, fearing if he saw desire on her face he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from going to her. Unfortunately, he suspected she needed to come to him or he might lose his chance to be with her.

  Water cascaded down his body as he stood. He wiped his eyes but kept his head down and unfastened his trousers. A slight gasp echoed across the room and he ignored it as he revealed the rest of his body to her, ignoring the erection that strained from his body. Had she ever seen such before? An unexpected growl loosed from his chest at the thought of her even viewing another man. He took a deep breath and cupped water in his hands before pouring it over the hardest part of him. It did little to cool his ardor.

  He kept his head bowed as he rubbed a cleaning cloth over his thighs. Then he pushed it between his legs and cupped his sack, both cleaning and teasing himself. Panting breaths sounded from near the fireplace and his cock hardened more. Unable to stand another minute of avoiding her gaze, he dropped the cloth and fisted his length in one hand before raising his head.

  Theda’s heartbeat sounded loudly in her ears. It was a wonder Kephas couldn’t also hear it, but his full attention seemed to be on her now. She couldn’t tear her attention away, despite the flush of embarrassment at being caught looking. At first the bright stone around his neck caught her attention, but the male perfection of his body soon overrode that wonder. He didn’t appear to be angry, though his intense gaze never wavered. His large hand stroked the even larger flesh of him in a sure grip.

  “You’re peeking,” he whispered.

  She found herself short of breath. “Yes… Should I look away?”

  “Not unless you want to.”

  She licked her dry lips and he groaned. His hand continued to move smoothly up and down.

  “Should I…do anything else?”

  His eyes flew open and he didn’t try to hide his surprise. “You want to?”

  She did, despite how foolish it probably was to give this man any power over her. She wanted to touch him so badly her palms itched. Never before had she been so tempted by a man, and this one was more than any she’d ever met. Would being with him just once be such a bad thing? Possibly, but she wouldn’t regret it. This might be her only chance to be with such a man, and she was going to take it.

  She gave him a tentative nod, but didn’t move any closer.

  “Remove the cloth.”

  At first she didn’t react, just continued to watch the slow movement of his strong hand. Then she took a deep breath and loosened the knot between her breasts. The towel slid against her heated skin as it fell to the floor. Kephas’s low growl sent a shiver down her spine. The desire on his face egged her on and made her braver than she remembered ever being before. She stepped over the fallen cloth and crossed the few paces still separating them.

  He watched her come toward him, shoulders back, chin up, strength in every line of her perfect body. Though he’d seen countless naked women in his life, he couldn’t remember one so flawless. Her light skin held a few small scars. Her strong belly held the slightest curve. And still he found her exquisite. When she stood a whisper away he finally released his erection and took her by the shoulders. She flinched then caught herself. He froze with his palms resting lightly on her skin.

  “Have you changed your mind?” he
asked.

  She swallowed uneasily. “No. I just…I don’t know what to do.”

  He nodded as his suspicion was confirmed. “I’ll show you.”

  He ran his hands down her arms and she shivered. Small bumps pebbled on her skin.

  “You’re cold,” he said. “Come.”

  Without waiting for a response, he moved her closer to the fire. She remained pliant and allowed him full control of her movements. It satisfied something deep inside to have such easy acquiescence.

  “I don’t expect to be cold for long,” she said.

  He grinned at her cheek and brushed her hair behind one ear. “You won’t be. But if things grow too hot, let me know and I’ll stop.”

  She shivered again and lifted her chin once more. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”

  He stepped into the miniscule space that separated them so his skin touched hers. She gasped but didn’t move away.

  “Nevertheless. If I do anything you don’t like, you have but to tell me and I’ll stop.”

  “O-okay.”

  That was all he needed to hear. As if of their own accord, his hands began to roam the softness of her body before he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to him.

  His erection rubbed against her belly and he fought the urge to thrust too soon. The knowledge that he would be her first lesson in lovemaking weighed heavily on his mind as he lowered his head to take the first taste of her plump lips.

  Her taste was unexpectedly sweet. Her innocence obvious in the inexperienced movements of her lips and tongue. She tried to mimic him, so he slowed his actions to teach her.