Stone Passions Trilogy (Stone Passion 1, 2, & 3)

by A C Warneke

  Suddenly, she didn’t want tomorrow to come. Pressing her hand against her belly, she tried to ignore the butterflies that had suddenly taken flight. Had she been in such a cloud of euphoria that she missed something that had been staring her right in the face? Pasting a smile on her face, she tried to enjoy the rest of the festival but there was now a shadow looming over everything.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The brilliant blue sky over head made the freshly fallen snow on the frozen world around her even more dazzling. It was bitterly cold and yet Melanie was outside in a summer dress and not freezing to death. She was living a fairy tale about a curious girl who finds an enchanted castle that had been hidden in plain sight, guarded by a trio of powerful gargoyles. If she was patient enough, all of its secrets would slowly be revealed to her,

  With her hair tumbling down her back in loose waves and a lightweight, pale ivory sundress flowing around her, she felt like she was a princess in that fairy world and her prince loved her. Hugging her knees to her chest, she gazed at Vaughn and smiled serenely. She had never expected to find contentment in the silence but with Vaughn she was happy just being with him doing nothing. As much fun as it was going to carnivals and malls, it was so much more peaceful in Vaughn’s sphere.

  He was laying on his back with his hands behind his head his biceps bulging, his eyes closed in blissful rapture, as he soaked up the warmth of the sun. His shirt was unbuttoned, showcasing his ripped abdomen and golden flesh, and he wore low slung khakis, the top button undone. He was a feast for the senses and Melanie was happily drinking him in, finding bliss in the silence.

  With a grin, she lightly ran her index finger over Vaughn’s sensuously carved lips, enjoying the feel of the warm, firm flesh. “It’s time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”

  Vaughn’s lips curved into a half-smile but kept his eyes closed, his body relaxed. Feeling reckless and daring, she lightly kissed his lips, his jaw. She trailed a line of kisses over her chest and down his ridged stomach, loving the taste of his satiny skin, the scent of his masculine musk. His stomach muscles flexed when she swirled her tongue around his navel but he still didn’t open his eyes.

  Slowly, she unzipped his pants and slid her hand inside, finding the warm weight of his penis. As she stroked, it swelled in size, warming her with its heat. His spicy musk filled her senses and she closed her eyes for a moment to breathe him in before she ran her tongue along his thick length. His breath hitched in his throat but he kept his eyes closed as he groaned, “You don’t play fair, my temptress.”

  “I want to make love to you,” she whispered, pressing soft kisses against his shaft as she looked up at him with her wide, blue eyes.

  “Come here, you,” he rumbled, grabbing her beneath the armpits and dragging her up his body, claiming her lips in a passionate kiss.

  Reaching between their bodies, the two of them managed to tug his pants down enough to free his erection, never letting their lips part. Straddling his hips, Melanie moved the folds of her dress out of the way as she positioned her body, sliding onto the length of his cock and sighing in heavenly relief. His hands came down on her hips as he looked at her he swallowed convulsively, “You’ve been out here without any underwear on the entire time?”

  “Mmm,” she murmured, rolling her hips and basking in the sensations of having sex with Vaughn beneath the winter sun. Sitting up, she gazed down at him, smoothing her hands over the hard muscles of his chest. With a sleepy, sultry smile, she let the straps of her dress fall, exposing her full breasts to his lustful stare. His eyes darkened to burnished gold and he was so beautiful it hurt to look at him for too long. The pain was worth it because she couldn’t not look and she didn’t think she’d ever grow tired of looking at him, of being with him.

  With a low growl, he sat up, enfolding her in his arms and drawing one succulent nipple between his lips. Suckling it deep into his mouth, he continued to gently undulate his hips. His hands were on her bare back, the heat of his touch sinking deep into her skin and making her burn. He filled her completely until he left nothing untouched.

  She slid her fingers into the golden silk of his hair and held him to her breast, tilting her head back as her eyes closed in pleasure. As peaceful as it was to sit in silence with him, it was just as wonderful to be making love with him. In such a short time, she had fallen completely, wildly and irrevocably in love with him.

  It scared her how much she loved him. It was an all-consuming fire, even if he kept so much from her. She was okay with the secrets he kept because she knew with absolute certainty that he loved her and would tell her everything if he could. But what was he keeping from her that made him so sad?

  What if he regretted giving up his nights to be with her and he wanted to become a gargoyle once more? Maybe love wasn’t enough to make him want to remain a man and he was struggling with how to tell her he couldn’t be with her any longer. It had to be something because as the weeks passed, he was growing increasingly melancholy and his love making was becoming almost desperate, frantic in his need for her.

  She tried to have faith that Vaughn wouldn’t abandon her but the dark thoughts kept niggling away at her brain. Even now, when she was in his arms, nearly lost in the heat of the moment, the thoughts were there, taunting her, because everything with Vaughn was so incredible. She was terrified of having it all fall apart and it was going to drive her insane if she kept dwelling on the what-ifs.

  She was most likely making mountains out of molehills and when he finally unburdened himself to her, she would feel nothing but relief. As that thought wriggled around, a small smile bowed her lips because it didn’t matter if he wanted to be a gargoyle again, they would make it work. They loved one another and would be able to overcome anything.

  The sensation of being surveyed made her open her eyes. Seeing two pairs of stone eyes watching them, she pressed her lips against Vaughn’s ear and breathed, “Your brothers are watching us.”

  Lifting his head, he met her gaze and a slow, hot smile curved his lips. “Then let’s give them something to enjoy.”

  At her questioning look, he pulled the dress from her body a heartbeat before he stood up with her in his arms. With a gasp, she wrapped her legs around his waist, impressed despite already knowing Vaughn was unnaturally strong. He took a step towards Armand and her eyes widened in her head, “What are you doing?”

  “Claiming you,” he growled, placing her in Armand’s stone lap and straightening his body. With those words, he set a punishing rhythm, slamming into her body, slamming her against the gargoyle. The sounds of their mating were getting louder as he thrust harder and harder, as their breathing grew ragged and harsh.

  Stone claws dug into her waist, holding her in place as Vaughn thrust almost violently into the depths of her body. Leaning back against the gargoyle, she tilted her hips slightly, taking him deeper. Vaughn paused for just a moment, letting his eyes slide shut to savor the wet heat of her sex, before he lost control and fucked her harder. Everything in her tightened a split second before she exploded, crying out even as he slammed into her one final time and roared his own completion.

  “I’m already yours,” she whispered, still trying to catch her breath, leaning back and looking at him with solemn, blue eyes. “I’ve always been yours.”

  “Yes, but my brother doesn’t understand,” Vaughn said, his eyes locked on the gray stone of Armand’s, his breathing still frayed. “It seems he once tried to use sex to make you forget.”

  “But it didn’t work,” Melanie reminded him, caressing his cheek, willing him to look at her. “It was the wrong girl, remember?”

  Vaughn’s gaze shifted to hers and her breath caught in her throat, her heart skipped a beat in her chest. “I’m talking about the second time, when he came into your room and tried to seduce you.”

  Her eyes widened in her head but she was unable to look away from the fierceness in Vaughn’s gaze. In a soft voice, she asked, “How did you know?”

  �
��I’ve always known,” he answered in grim resignation. At her panicked expression, he smiled ruefully, “I also knew that you refused him because you are mine. You have always been mine, no matter what.”

  Melanie relaxed, relief flooding her system. The dark cloud wasn’t nearly as bad as she had thought it was going to be. With a bright smile, she wrapped her arms around Vaughn’s neck, no longer caring that Armand’s stone fingers dug into her hips and his stone erection pressed against her back. “His only crime was trying to protect you and I can hardly blame him for that. I would do anything to protect you.”

  Vaughn’s smile was still tinged with sadness, which made her frown. Did he think she wasn’t serious? Cupping his beloved face in her hands, she willed him to believe her, “I love you, Vaughn. I love you.”

  “I know,” he murmured unhappily, pressing a kiss to her palm. Closing his eyes as if in pain, he whispered, “I know.”

  “It’ll be all right,” she tried to reassure him. With one hand still on his cheek, she stroked his hair with her other hand. “I know that giving up your nights has been… difficult for you but I promise that it will be worth it. I'll make it worth it.”

  “You already have,” he vowed, bending his head forward and resting it against her shoulder. His body heaved as he took a deep breath and shakily exhaled.

  “We’ll take a trip this summer…” she began but stopped abruptly when a low, mournful sound came from the back of Vaughn's throat and a rumble of anger vibrated against her back. The stone fingers clenched tighter, pinching the soft flesh of her hips and she flinched. “What is it? What am I missing?”

  “There aren’t going to be any trips this summer,” Vaughn choked out, keeping his head pressed against her shoulder. “In a few days, there isn’t going to be anything.”

  “I don’t understand,” Melanie frowned, her hands stilling in Vaughn’s hair as her heart trembled in her chest. It was becoming difficult to breathe and she knew that she wasn’t going to like what was coming. Letting her know about Armand had only been the warm up act.

  He stepped back, his spent cock sliding from her body. It glistened with her fluids but Vaughn didn’t seem to care as he pushed the thick organ back into his pants and fastened the closure. Turning his back to her, leaving her alone in her nakedness, he scrubbed his hands through his hair. Suddenly uncomfortable, feeling horribly exposed, she slid off the gargoyle’s lap and awkwardly picked up the lightweight dress. She slid the dress over her head, letting it fall around her body as she kept her eyes on Vaughn’s back.

  When he remained mute, she looked at the two gargoyles for answers but they remained silent as well, staring back at her with vacant stone expressions. Panicking, she reached out to Vaughn even though he was too far away for her to touch. “Tell me what it is, Vaughn, please. Have I done something….”

  “No!” he said adamantly, turning around and closing the distance between them, taking her hands in his as he shook his head. Squeezing her fingers, misery swimming in his eyes, he vowed, “You haven’t done anything – anything – wrong.”

  “Then what is it?” Her heart was racing as she silently pleaded with him to tell her it was all right.

  “God, I’ve fucked up,” he swore, dropping her hands and once again turning away from her.

  “You’re scaring me, Vaughn.” Her voice quavered as she gently laid her hand on his back, willing him her love, her strength. “Talk to me, tell me what’s wrong.”

  “It’s temporary, Melanie,” he ground out desolately. Turning around to face her, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, he repeated, “It’s only temporary.”

  “Temporary – you mean giving up your nights?” she asked slowly, desperate to understand. At his nod, she asked, “When you say temporary, what do you mean? Twenty years? A hundred?”

  “A month,” he broke. “One lunar month.”

  She inhaled sharply as what he said sank in; “You have less than a week.”

  “Yes,” he confirmed.

  She processed this new information, trying to figure out what it meant. Slowly, she nodded, “Okay, so we go back to dating at night….”

  He let out a harsh laugh, “No, Melanie, we don’t. You remain human and I become a gargoyle… permanently. Until….”

  “Until when?’ she asked, a kernel of hope digging its claws into her chest. If his state as a gargoyle was only until something happened, she would just make sure that whatever needed to happen would happen quickly so he could return to her, so they could be together.

  Swallowing, he squeezed his eyes shut, “Until you die.”

  Her mouth fell open and she was at a loss for words. Vaughn moved quickly, taking her in his arms and cupping her cheek, “You needn’t fear, Melanie. Part of being bound to a gargoyle is the protection we offer. When I’m stone, you’ll be safe.”

  “How will you be able to keep me safe if you’re a fucking statue?” she growled, pushing away from him. Unable to bear being apart from him, she quickly returned and took his hand in hers, needing to touch him. “Tell me, Vaughn.”

  “It’s the nature of the gargoyle, love,” he told her helplessly. Putting his hand over the pendant that lay between her breasts, he held her gaze, “Much like this amulet protects you – magic.”

  “But what you’re saying is that you’ll be dead to me,” she choked out.

  He nodded, “I’ll be a gargoyle in the truest sense of the word: an inanimate statue. That is what is meant when we say we are giving up our nights – we no longer walk as men beneath the moon.”

  She glanced at his brothers, both in their gargoyle forms and both watching them intently. “It also means you give up the ability to move as a gargoyle, too, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  “So I wouldn’t even have you as a gargoyle.” She bit her lip to keep from crying but a tear slipped down her cheek.

  “No.”

  “Is there any way to keep you… alive?” she cried, her heart pounding painfully in her chest as she grabbed his hands.

  “You won’t like it,” he grimaced.

  “I don’t care,” she huffed, her chest hurting from trying to breathe through the fear. “I won’t lose you.”

  “We complete the ritual.”

  “Yes!” she readily agreed. “How do we do that?”

  “On the night of the next new moon, we come together as the sun sets and finish what we began a month ago. You take me into your body….”

  “Yes, all right.”

  “And accept my gift.”

  “You are my gift," she wept. "How can I ask for anything more?”

  “You don’t understand,” he shook his head, his eyes filling with despair as he searched her face. “We mate during the new moon to seal the bargain and the moment you come with me in your body my gift is accepted.”

  “I already said yes.” Desperation strained her voice as she pleaded with him.

  He swallowed thickly, tenderly cupping her cheek in his warm palm. “And when the sun rises, we both become gargoyles.”

  “But we’d be human at night?” Hope lit her eyes, sparkling in the blue depths as she thought about being a gargoyle, about being with Vaughn forever.

  “Yes.”

  “Why is your magic at its height beneath the new moon?” she asked dumbly, trying to figure out the ramifications of becoming a gargoyle. Could she handle being a gargoyle, giving up the sun that she loved so much? A shudder ripped down her spine but then she firmed her resolve. If it meant being with Vaughn, she would manage.

  “The light of the moon is only the reflection of the sun,” he explained. “We remain gargoyles during the day because we cannot walk as men beneath the sun so it only makes sense that we are at our most powerful when there is no sunlight at all.”

  She nodded vaguely as she tried to think beyond the near future. She’d only be able to see her family at night, so she’d have to figure out what she could tell them when they asked why they never saw her during the day. I
t could work, they’d manage it somehow. “Okay.”

  He inhaled sharply and then let the breath out slowly. Moistening his lips with his tongue, he continued, “I spoke of sacrifice, Melanie. You’d have to give up everything.”

  Freaking out, she looked at Vaughn with desperation, “I don’t care! I don’t want to lose you.”

  “Your family, Melanie,” he clarified almost cruelly, willing her to understand. “You’d have to give up your family, Melanie. The moment you turn, you’ll no longer be human, you won’t be allowed to have any ties to the human world.”

  She staggered backwards, only remaining upright when Rhys caught her and held her steady. How could she give up her family? Jenna, who had already suffered so much? Her parents? Her brother? Oh, God! Ferris! How could she give up Ferris, the little girl whom she loved so very, very much? Ferris needed someone who understood her, who would encourage her…. Breathing rapidly, she shook her head in denial as tears slipped unheeded down her cheeks, “I don’t know if I can do that.”

  “I know,” Vaughn murmured compassionately.

  Anger stiffened her spine and she pushed away from the monkey, pushed away from Vaughn. “How do you know this? How do you know about any of this? If it even works….”

  “There are other gargoyles, Melanie, and a few have performed the ritual,” he confessed quietly. At her look of shock, he continued, “Not many, mind you, but a few. This ritual is well known among my kind, as are its results. Only once has a gargoyle’s gift been accepted, Melanie, and that was thousands of years ago, long before I was born."

  She slowly licked her lips, her thoughts warring in her head. "Why didn't you tell me any of this sooner?"

  "I never expected you to accept." At her gasp, he took her hands and pleaded with her with golden eyes. "I couldn’t stand by and do nothing when I have the power to keep you safe. I can’t bear to see you hurt.”