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

by A C Warneke

He brushed his thumb over her nipple and grinned lasciviously, “Well, just so long as your breasts remain perky.”

  Her laughter caught on a broken sob and she was crying once more. Armand squeezed his eyes shut, pulling her towards him, hugging her as if he could hold onto her forever. “I am so sorry, Ferris, please forgive me.”

  “Shh,” she whispered, the sound jerking past her lips as she placed wet kisses along his jaw, his neck. Her body was sore, her heart battered and broken, but she needed one last time with him. "Make love to me one last time, Armand. Please."

  “Ferris, there isn’t time,” he panted, his hands pushing the material of her skirt up her thighs, his fingers brushing over the damp curls of her sex. “If I’m in you when the sun comes up it will tear you apart.”

  “We’ll be quick,” she breathed, reaching between their bodies and wrapping her hand around his erection, positioning it at the entrance of her body. Tears streamed unheeded down her face and she was sure her body was going to protest another intrusion but she didn’t care, she needed this. Ignoring the screaming twinge of discomfort between her thighs, she held his gaze as she lowered herself onto his erection.

  “Everyone is going to be coming up here soon,” he whispered, slowly moving his hips to minimize the pain. Softly, lovingly, he moved the fingers of one hand along her cheek, her jaw, over her lips as he held her tighter.

  “Do you think I care?” she rasped in a pained growl, moving her body against his, trying to climb into his heart and find comfort there. “This is my last moment with you, Armand. I’m not giving it up.”

  “Ferris.”

  “Shut up,” she growled, covering his mouth with hers and kissing him as if it were the end of the world. His fingers curled into the flesh of her waist and his erection slowly began to swell inside of her. She knew that it meant their time was almost over but she couldn’t let go and her tears fell faster.

  “It’s time, Ferris,” he whispered, pulling her off his expanding erection. She clung tighter to him, burying her face against his neck and trying to breathe. “Ferris.”

  His lips pressed gently against her head as he held her against his body, as the warmth drained away from his graying skin and his erection melted into his body. “I hate you, Armand.”

  “I know.” His voice was rough, gravelly and she cried out, throwing her arms around his neck, pressing her body against his, desperate to hold on.

  “Oh, God,” she wailed, pressing kisses against the stone column of his throat. “I could never hate you. I love you.”

  “I know,” he said softly, chuckling darkly. She tilted her head back and he was already mostly gargoyle as he gazed at her with stone eyes. Reaching up one last time, he brushed the hair from her face, the tears from her eyes, and whispered, “I love you.”

  The life faded from his gaze and the world shattered around her. It was deadly silent for a heartbeat and then she let out a long, sorrowful wail, tightening her arms around the thick stone neck of the frozen gargoyle, begging him to come back to her. Her voice was raw as she screamed at him to come back, the words broken and incomprehensible. Darkness threatened to swallow her whole as he sat there no longer animate, a frozen gargoyle.

  Hands and arms were attempting to pull her away from her beloved Armand but she fought like a madwoman to remain with the man she loved, no matter his form. “Ferris… Ferris, let go, love. Let go.”

  They were calling her name from a million miles away but she wasn’t going to let go. If she let go then it was going to be real and she couldn’t let it be real. Scrambling to hold on, she was blinded by her tears, her agony. How could he do this to her? How could he make her fall so deeply in love with him and then leave her? “Come back, Armand. God, please come back.”

  “Ferris,” her mother’s soft voice broke through the wall of her misery. Jenna’s gentle touch moved down her spine. “Sweetheart, there’s nothing you can do if you don’t let go.”

  “Mommy,” she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut as every muscle in her body went limp. Suddenly she was in her mother’s arms, hugging Jenna as the world turned to black. Jenna’s fingers brushed through the wild strands of Ferris’s hair, comforting and soothing as she murmured soft words of nonsense but Ferris was too far gone to understand or care.

  A few hours later she was huddled up on the couch, wrapped in a thick blanket and drinking a cup of hot chocolate liberally laced with Irish cream. Her mother sat with her, watching her with concerned eyes, making her feel so foolish for having thrown such a fit earlier. Facing her mom but not quite meeting her eyes, she huffed out a pathetic little laugh and tried to smile but it fell flat. Her face hurt too much, her throat was scraped raw, and she felt hollow. “I’m guessing this isn’t what you expected to find when you got home, is it?”

  “Hush,” Jenna murmured, stroking her fingers through Ferris’s hair, as if she needed to touch her daughter to keep Ferris grounded. Perhaps she did. “Rhys and Vaughn could kill Armand for doing this to you.”

  “No.” Ferris shook her head in sad resignation. Tears continued to leak from her eyes but she no longer bothered wiping them away. There would only be more. “No. If he hadn’t done it than I never would have had this month with him and had the chance to fall even more in love with him. God, mom, I love him so much. He’s incredible, simply incredible.”

  “Ferris, sweetie,” she murmured, still stroking Ferris’s hair. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going through all of this?”

  Ferris felt the heat seep into her cheeks as she blushed for no reason, “Mom, you were on a long-awaited adventure with Rhys. Do you really think I would burden you with something like this?”

  “I’m your mother, Ferris,” Jenna said sternly, sadness simmering in the depths of her summer blue eyes. “I have only ever wanted your happiness and because of the choices I’ve made I think I have caused you nothing but pain.”

  “Mother, no,” Ferris denied vehemently, grabbing her mother’s hands in her own, holding her mother’s gaze as she spoke. “I never wanted a different life, mom, not ever. Being here, surrounded by magic… I can’t imagine a more amazing life. I wouldn't trade it for anything.”

  Jenna was silent for a long time, her eyes searching Ferris’s, looking for something. With a sigh, her shoulders slumped a little and she whispered, “I know that it hasn’t always been easy, that your classmates weren’t always so kind….”

  Ferris let out an incredulous laugh, “Mom, kids are cruel but I got to live in a magic castle. Besides, that was ages ago. Why are you bringing it up now?”

  Jenna moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, not quite able to meet Ferris’s gaze any longer, “Because I fear it’s the reason you fell in love with Armand in the first place.”

  “How do you figure?” she asked, dumbfounded by her mother’s convoluted reasoning.

  Jenna was silent for a long time, her thoughts warring on her beautiful face. After a long moment, she let out a long sigh and forced her eyes to Ferris’s. “He has always been the one you turned to for comfort, Ferris, ever since you were a little girl. You would smile at me and tell me that everything was fine, that you were fine, but then you would seek out Armand and tell him the truth.”

  A small, almost horrified, giggle escaped Ferris’s lips and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, stopping the betraying laugh before she lost it completely. Her mother continued, “Do you know how hard it is to be a mother and see your child suffering and being unable to do anything to help? Knowing you are the reason she suffers? Did you hate me for doing this to you?”

  “Mother,” Ferris breathed, the last pieces of her heart shattering to dust in her chest at the hurt in her mother’s face. Wrapping her arms around Jenna, she hugged her mother tight and closed her eyes “I’ve never hated you, not ever.”

  “Why?” Jenna choked, biting back her own tears and failing to prevent them from falling.

  “Because you were so sad before you met Rhys,” Ferris expl
ained softly, using her thumbs to brush the tears from beneath her mother’s eyes. “And I never wanted to see you sad again.”

  “You are my child, Ferris,” Jenna protested. “You’re not supposed to be protecting me. I’m the one who is supposed to be protecting you.”

  “And you did, mom,” Ferris vowed passionately. “You gave me magic.”

  Raphael heard Ferris moving around in her room that night and a rage unlike anything he had ever known before burned through him. Methodically, he went to the workshop and dug out a chisel and hammer, ignoring his two brothers as he made his way to the roof. His muscles ached with fury as he pushed through the door and saw the griffin gargoyle standing there in all of his damnable pride and glory.

  Without a second thought, he crossed over to the marble bastard and pressed the edge of the chisel against Armand’s stone chest. Tears burned his eyes, making his vision waver as he pulled his arm back, the hammer heavy in his grip.

  Large fingers wrapped around his wrist, stopping him from swinging the hammer before he could even start. He struggled against the hold, the chisel scratching fine lines into Armand’s chest. To his dismay he knew the lines would disappear in a few days and the ungrateful bastard would bear no scars.

  “What are you doing?” Leo growled, squeezing Raphe’s wrist until his fingers went numb and the hammer dropped to the ground.

  “I’m carving the ice cold heart out of his chest,” Raphael seethed through clamped teeth, his chest rising and falling as he panted in impotent anger. “He doesn’t use it so I figured I could cut the damn thing out and give it to Ferris.”

  “You can’t do that,” Leo said softly, pulling the chisel out of his other hand. “Ferris would never forgive you if you hurt him.”

  Raphael swallowed thickly, the moisture in his eyes spilling over as he stared at the griffin. “She was supposed to be a gargoyle with us! She was going to accept Armand’s gift and be with us forever. He fucked it up by giving his nights to someone not Ferris.”

  “We know,” Michael breathed, putting an arm around Raphe’s shoulders and leading him over to the ledge where the three of them sat down. Three sets of shoulders slumped in unison, each of the gargoyles lost in thought.

  Raphe choked, “I have never felt as powerless as I did this morning when he changed. Ferris was… she’s never been overly emotional and seeing her lose it completely was… it was heartbreaking. I just want to wrap her up in my arms and tell her everything is going to be okay but we all know it won’t be.”

  “We don’t know that,” Leo protested softly. “Maybe she will fall in love with another immortal that will be able to grant her eternal life. It sure as hell would serve Armand right if he woke up and she was still here but no longer his.”

  “Right,” Raphael snorted. “Which immortal won’t destroy what is Ferris? It would be better to lose her than to see her become a monster.”

  “We’ll keep her grounded,” Leo said feebly, his words trailing off at the hopelessness.

  Lifting his head, Raphe looked at his brothers with his tender violet eyes. “What are we going to do?”

  “For now, nothing,” Leo grunted half-heartedly. “She’ll be okay. Eventually.”

  Chapter 9

  Retreat

  Ferris looked around the room, smiling on the outside and feeling nothing on the inside. For three weeks she tried to force herself to return to normal, knowing that every day that passed was another day without Armand. Numbness began to invade her soul on the fourth day and it only hurt when she breathed. By the tenth day she no longer cried. She could also no longer paint. Everything reminded her of Armand. He was everywhere she looked and living at the castle was becoming suffocating.

  The only bright spot was her little dragon that refused to be around other people just yet and so she spent most of her time in her bedroom, lying on her bed and stroking the dragon’s smooth, golden scales. Unfortunately, her family worried if she didn’t spend time with them and so she made a point of spending at least a few minutes with them, putting on a mask and pretending she was getting better.

  Sitting in the living room with the people she loved the most in the world was a dagger to her soul and she had to leave, she couldn’t stay there any longer. Everyone was so careful around her. Even the trinity of terror was even being kind to her and she hated it. She hated being treated as if she was made of glass and was going to fall apart at any moment if someone said or did the wrong thing. It didn’t matter that there were a couple of moments when she had fallen apart but that had been weeks ago. She was a big girl, she could handle it.

  Even Ajreis was being too kind, foregoing his own pursuits and sticking to her like glue, giving up the few nights a month he got to enjoy as a man to stay at home and comfort her. He was the only imp who had the ability to become a man at night and it had only been a few years since he discovered this ability and he was wasting his nights trying to comfort her. She was grateful to him for doing it but it made her feel even worse.

  When there was a lull in the conversation she stood up and brushed her damp palms against her thighs, “I’m going to move into Grandma and Grandpa’s for a few weeks, I think.”

  The room was silent for several long, drawn out heartbeats, before Vaughn cleared his throat, “When do you plan on leaving?”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Ferris fudged, glancing at her wrist and the non-existent watch. “I’m thinking in about fifteen minutes.” Before anyone could freak out or say anything, she gave them a crooked grin. “It’s only for the rest of summer. I’m hoping Grandma will finally share her secret to making the best, most decadent fudge in the world.”

  “Ferris,” Raphe said softly, looking at her with those damnable violet eyes.

  She stretched her lips into a wider smile and started backing towards the exit, forcing a light laugh past her tight throat and waggled her eyebrows, “Don’t worry, guys. I’ll be back in time for the new baby.”

  Jenna gasped and put her hand over her flat stomach, the color draining from her face, “How did you know?”

  “Please! You’ve been puking every morning for a week.” Ferris simply smiled wider until it felt like her face was going to freeze that way and shatter. “Besides, it’s not like I’m moving to another planet. I’ll only be fifteen minutes away.”

  She slipped through the doorway and practically ran to her bedroom where her bags were already packed and waiting for her. When she turned around, Raphe was standing just inside the room, a look of helplessness on his handsome face. Smiling brightly, she murmured, “Raphe.”

  Stepping further into the room, he turned around and closed the door behind him, leaving his hands on the door knob as he took a deep breath. He seemed to be giving himself a pep talk and it almost made her laugh. Almost. Without turning back around, he rasped, “Ferris.”

  “Raphe,” she returned, the smile slipping from her lips. She didn’t have to pretend so hard around Raphe but she still kept herself in check.

  Taking a deep breath, he finally faced her, his face a brilliant crimson as he chewed on his full bottom lip. His violet eyes stared at her in such solemnness and her smile disappeared completely. “Ferris, you’ve always tried to protect me.”

  She smiled at his words and shook her head, “Of course! I love you.”

  His serious expression cracked for a moment and he gave her a half-grin before the moment grew heavy once more. “Let me protect you for a change.”

  Her face twisted in confusion as she watched the young gargoyle awkwardly make his way across the room and take her hands in his. Earnestness came off him in waves as he looked down at her, “Let me give up my nights for you and then you can become a gargoyle and be with Armand when he awakes.”

  Ferris bit her lip to keep the burble of laughter from escaping. He was so grave and she loved him all the more because of it. Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed a soft kiss to his smooth cheek, “Thank you for offering, Raphe, but I can’t. I love you too much
to ask that of you.”

  “You’re not asking,” he murmured, squeezing her hands as relief eased his expression some. “I’m offering. Let me be your savior.”

  Her lips quirked upwards in a smile, “You drew the short straw, didn’t you?”

  His sheepish expression gave him away and she laughed, “Oh, Raphe, for that alone I could kiss you. But I’m not going to allow you to do that. I’ll think of something. Eventually.”

  “Ferris….” He cleared his throat and looked away, taking a few breaths before straightening his spine, letting one of her hands go as he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck. “I am offering because I love you and I just want you to be happy.”

  She cupped his cheek in her hand, her heart swelling with the love she had for him and for all of the gargoyles. “Save your gift for your true love, Raphe. I’m not going to steal my happiness at the expense of yours.”

  “You’re so damn stubborn,” he said with a slight smile, holding her eyes as he pressed a soft kiss to her palm. “I just want to help.”

  “If you really want to help, carry that down to my car,” she said, nodding her head towards a large duffel bag. She hefted another bag up and put her finger in front of her dragon. The dazzling gold creature scurried up her arm and settled on her shoulder, butting his head against her jaw in a show of affection.

  With a sigh, Raphe grabbed the bag from her arms and put the strap over his shoulder, “Ferris, you don’t have to do it all by yourself. You have a household full of gargoyles who would do anything for you.”

  “I know,” she said with a small smile, idly stroking the dragon’s golden scales, finding comfort in the simple action. Heaving a sigh, she looked around her room, wondering when she would be back. If she would be back. She didn’t know if she could handle being there with Armand so close but forever barred from her. “Let’s go.”

  Weeks passed and nothing made her miss Armand less. Lying in the bed that had been hers when she was a child, Ferris had spent hours staring up at the ceiling and trying to remember what it was like to feel anything. In a world filled with magic there had to be some way for her to see Armand once more, to be with Armand in the end. Unfortunately, she knew enough about the world of magic to know that it would be a devil’s bargain to ask for immortality. The cost was always more than one could afford to pay and she wasn’t talking about money.