“A mate can’t cheat on you, Wren,” Penelope stated softly. She bit her bottom lip for a few seconds as her face turned an interesting shade of pink, then she stated, “A paranormal male can’t even get an erection for someone else.”
Wren felt his eyes widen and he realized he had no desire to talk about sex with his goddaughter. He actually felt damn grateful that when Penelope had come to live with him, she’d already known about the birds and the bees. He’d never had to have the safe sex talk with her...not really.
More than ready to change the subject, he stated gruffly, “I’m old and set in my ways, Pen. I don’t know how to change. I’m—”
“Alone, Wren,” Penelope cut in. “You are alone and you shouldn’t be. You’re a good man. Perseus is a good man, well, gargoyle. What would be so wrong in talking with him?”
As Wren lay in bed that night, alone in the dark, he couldn’t think of a single damn reason.
Chapter Six
Perseus wandered into the dining hall. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, telling him that he was being watched by a number of people. Trying to ignore the fact that he was the center of attention, he made his way to the breakfast buffet.
Having just woken from roost—the time when a gargoyle sleeps as living stone during the day—Perseus’ stomach rumbled softly. The smell of steak, bacon, sausage, and eggs permeated the large room. Perseus would have loved to awaken to another kind of meat, but he knew his mate would need some time to accept him.
While Perseus planned to fly to Wren’s home later that evening, he still had duties to complete. Knowing his body needed fuel for that, he headed toward the tables laden with heaping mounds of meat. Perseus looked forward to breaking his fast.
Perseus picked up a plate and a roll of silverware. He slid the lid back on a heated silver container, picked up the serving tine, and stabbed at a large t-bone steak. After placing the juicy, rare piece of beef on his plate, he replaced the tine and closed the lid, then moved on to the next item.
Adding a half dozen honey-soaked sausage links, an equal amount of thick, apple-wood smoked bacon, and a heaping helping of cheesy scrambled eggs, Perseus spotted the hash brown casserole. He hummed softly as he saw the little bits of ham, the flecks of onions and green and red peppers. Smiling in anticipation, he realized Kort must be in the kitchen. Only he could get the right amount of vegetables in the casserole.
Grabbing the large serving spoon, Perseus placed several heaping spoonfuls of the stuff on his plate. He even piled an extra scoop on his stack of bacon and sausage links. Perseus had once gone so far as to ask Kort to teach him how to make the stuff.
“Still in love with my casserole, I see.”
Perseus lifted his gaze from his nearly overflowing plate and took in Kort’s grin. The average sized—well, six and a half feet tall was average for a gargoyle—male held a fresh tray of the casserole. Wren couldn’t help eyeing it and licking his lips.
Kort laughed. “How about I give you a dish of this to take to your mate a few hours before dawn?” Winking, Kort added, “A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and all that.”
Perseus hummed. “Even if he ends up hating it, I won’t tell you. I’ll eat it all myself.”
Snorting, Kort lifted one brow ridge. “I can certainly believe that.” Then he sobered. “Word is your mate wasn’t too calm when he left last night. You doing okay?”
Kort was known as the biggest playboy in their clutch. Still, he was always compassionate and understanding toward other gargoyle’s mates. The male, while he teased and flirted, truly had a heart of gold.
A few of their fellow gargoyles had had a somewhat easier time, finding their mates amongst shifters. Others, like Perseus, had human mates. Those were a bit harder to claim, since they had to be introduced to the paranormal world. Having watched his clutch-mates woo and claim their mates, Perseus knew that even what should have been the simplest of bonding could have the rockiest starts.
As of yet, Perseus didn’t know how difficult convincing Wren to give them a chance would be. He shrugged. “I’m fine. Wren hasn’t rejected me, at least.” He forced a smile. “That’s something.”
Kort grinned widely. “Aww, you just need a little something to tempt that big bear of yours,” he said with a wink. “I’ll make you something extra.”
“Big bear?” Perseus growled, scowling. He’d thought of Wren the same way. With his big, broad-shouldered and thick-limbed build, add in the facial hair that he liked to run his claws through, and the human definitely epitomized a bear. Perseus just didn’t like others in his clutch voicing his term of endearment for the man. “My bear,” he snapped.
Chuckling, Kort nodded. “Yep. Your bear, Doc.” He grinned as he set his tray down and crossed his arms over his chest. Lifting one brow ridge, he pointed out, “It sure didn’t take you long to get all possessive.”
Perseus sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Wow. Yeah, sorry.”
Kort laughed again and shook his head. He lowered one arm as he waved the other between them. “Don’t worry about it. However,” he added. “I do stand by my claim that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. So, I’ll make you something special to go along with the casserole. You can serve him breakfast in bed.” With a cheeky grin and a wink, Kort grabbed the nearly empty tray and spun around to head into the kitchen.
Shaking his head, Perseus turned to head toward the table, so he could enjoy his own breakfast. He swept his gaze over the room’s occupants, noting a number of them turned their heads away from him. Knowing he’d been the center of attention didn’t make him feel any better about it. Perseus didn’t enjoy being the clutch doctor just because he liked medicine. He preferred the relative serenity of his medical wing.
Perseus spotted Raymond seated by himself and headed that way. The small, black gargoyle held a tablet in one hand and stared at it as he ate absently. Raymond was one of the few gargoyles who enjoyed solitude with his computers almost as much as Perseus preferred his medical journals. Also, Raymond was mated to a human.
“Evening, Raymond,” Perseus greeted softly as he settled across from him. He didn’t want to startle him if he was completely engrossed in whatever he was reading and hadn’t noticed Perseus’ approach.
Raymond hummed around a bite of food, not looking away from the electronic device.
For several seconds, that was all the acknowledgement Perseus received, so he started eating. He’d made his way through his entire steak, two slices of bacon, three sausage links, half his eggs, and nearly all of his hash brown casserole—at one point he glanced up at the table to check to see if there would be enough for him to get seconds—before Raymond finally put down his device. Picking up another piece of bacon, Perseus smiled at the gargoyle so he knew he wasn’t offended.
“Heard you found your mate yesterday,” Raymond stated without preamble. “Penelope’s godfather, right? Wren Cleaver?”
Perseus nodded, uncertain what he should add to that.
“Wren owns a restaurant in town. Goldy’s Burgers and Bites. It’s really good food,” Raymond continued. “How’d he take learning about paranormals?”
Swallowing his bite of bacon, Wren put the rest of it down on his plate. He pushed his half-finished plate forward a couple of inches and clasped his hands together. Wren thought about that, really thought about it, as he’d been doing for every last minute while awake.
“I don’t know what freaked him out more,” Perseus stated. “The idea of gargoyles and shifters or the idea of loving and caring for one person for the rest of his life.”
Perseus frowned at this food, no longer interested in finishing it. After running over what they’d spoken of and what they’d shared, he realized that had been what caused Wren to run. Perseus had said the word love and Wren had run faster than a rabbit from a fox.
“Maybe we should have Vane kidnap him and lock him up like he did Marty,” Raymond said.
Jerking his head up, Perseus met Raymond’s gaze. He noted the twinkle in the small gargoyle’s dark eyes and he smiled. When Raymond had met Marty, the small gargoyle had been sneaking off the gargoyle estate to get a coffee from an exclusive coffee shop in town. When Maelgwn had heard about it, he’d ordered their enforcer, Vane, to kidnap the human. Their leader had needed to know if their security had been compromised.
Fortunately, Raymond and Marty had been dancing around each other long enough for the mate-pull to really kick into high gear. The sexual tension must have been intense, for they’d quickly started the mating bond. Meshing their lives was a bit more difficult, since Marty owned a construction company, but they made it work.
Perseus chuckled. “Have you seen Wren? I think kidnapping would infuriate him, causing more problems.” He cocked his head. “Huh. You said he works at a restaurant?”
“Owns it, actually,” Raymond corrected. “He’s the chef. Really good food,” he said again, using his fork to pile cheesy eggs onto a piece of cinnamon toast. “Maelgwn used home cooked food to woo his mate. I bet Wren would love it if someone else cooked him a meal.”
Seeing the wisdom in that, Perseus realized he’d need to confirm with Kort a time to pick up the meal. He’d also need to know when his human opened his restaurant. “Do you know the restaurant’s hours? Does he go in early to prep?”
Raymond shrugged. “Not sure. I can find out though.”
“I’d appreciate it,” Perseus stated.
After finishing his food, Perseus took his plate to the drop off area. He leaned through the window and hollered for Kort. The red gargoyle appeared after a moment and Perseus confirmed a time to pick up the meal from him.
Perseus headed to the infirmary. He checked in with Cosmo, a mated gargoyle that handled half the day shift. After confirming that all was quiet, Cosmo left and Perseus switched on his laptop to read a couple of articles in medical journals.
While he had trouble concentrating on the information, Perseus still managed to get through several of them before the outer door opening caught his attention. Perseus rose from his desk and headed to the doorway. He’d left his door open, and he immediately spotted Bobby standing in the middle of the reception area.
“Hey, Bobby,” Perseus greeted. He didn’t miss the way Maelgwn’s human mate nibbled his bottom lip and had his hands shoved into his pockets. “Are you okay?”
“Y-Yeah,” Bobby replied. “I think so.”
“You think so?” Perseus pressed. He frowned and swept his gaze over Bobby again. He couldn’t ever remember the young human acting so nervous. Even right after being attacked by a rogue vampire, Bobby had found comfort in being with Maelgwn and his home. “Where is Maelgwn? Is something wrong?”
Bobby swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Then, he huffed out a breath and met Perseus’ gaze. Still, when he spoke, he nearly whispered, “I’ve been having some pains recently, and I need you to check me out.” He glanced toward the door. “I didn’t want to worry Maelgwn if it was nothing. You know?”
Perseus nodded. “Of course. Come with me,” he urged, settling a hand on Bobby’s shoulder and guiding him into an exam room. There was nothing like a protective gargoyle when he thought his mate was injured, and Maelgwn—as the clutch’s leader—was worse than most. “Let’s take a look.”
Pointing toward the bed, Perseus ordered, “Have a seat and tell me what’s bothering you.”
Bobby wriggled up onto the bed, wincing slightly and gripping his right side. “I, uh, well—”
Narrowing his gaze at the telling movement, Perseus asked, “When did you stop eating cinnamon toast?”
“Two weeks ago,” Bobby whispered. His pale complexion and twisting hands betrayed his nervousness even more than his scent.
Perseus hummed. “And you didn’t tell Maelgwn?” he surmised as he reached out and eased Bobby back off of the bed. He lifted Bobby’s shirt up, helping the small human slide it over his head. “Why is that?” he asked gently.
Perseus rested his hand lightly on Bobby’s shoulder and walked around him. He noted a faint red mark on the right side of his lower back. Touching around the bruising, Perseus felt Bobby wince and Perseus suddenly felt glad the human had come alone.
“When Maelgwn and I first mated, he said he’d give me all the time I wanted,” Bobby murmured. “He even said that we never had to have kids if I didn’t want any, but I do want kids. I just wasn’t ready to be the one that had to carry it, ya know?” he admitted. Then, he hurried on, “Then I wasn’t sure how long it would actually take for me to get pr-pregnant, so I didn’t tell him I stopped putting the cinnamon on my toast and now that I am pregnant I think I’m totally freaking out.”
Perseus lightly rubbed Bobby’s back and trilled softly, trying to calm the clearly panicking human. “Easy now, Bobby,” he soothed. “Maelgwn is going to be ecstatic. You know that. You were already the best gift he could have ever gotten. This is just a bonus.”
“But it’s going to shoot out my ass!”
Snorting, Perseus nodded. “Yes. Yes, it will,” he confirmed gently. “But your body will change to accommodate that. You’ll be in labor just like a woman goes into labor.” He continued rubbing Bobby’s back, pleased to find the human’s trembling was lessening. “It’ll be painful for a few hours, but then you’ll have a little one. Did you know Cornelius is already talking about having a second one? And Matthew is expecting, too. You can raise them together.”
“B-But Cornelius just had his egg a couple of months ago. It’s not even hatched,” Bobby whispered, easing away from Perseus. “Can he even do that?”
“No, actually,” Perseus replied. “I was very sorry to be the bearer of bad news.” He smiled down at Bobby as he reached blindly for the tissue box he knew was on the counter. Finding it, he held it out. As Bobby took a couple of the thin bits of fabric, he took a step backward and continued, “I’m afraid I’ve never heard of a male having two hatchlings so close together. I believe the body needs a year to recover and heal internally.”
“Cornelius loves children,” Bobby whispered. “I hear he wants his own whole football team.” He smiled weakly. “Einan is a little blind-sided, but he’ll do anything to make his mate happy.”
Perseus nodded. “That’s very true.” He shrugged. “It’s a paranormal thing.”
“Bobby? You in here?” Maelgwn called from the outer office.
“You ready to tell him?” Perseus asked.
Bobby nodded.
Perseus smiled as he placed his hand on the doorknob. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” Bobby whispered.
After nodding, Perseus opened the door and stepped into the outer room. He smiled at Maelgwn and waved toward the examination room he’d just vacated. “Bobby is waiting in there for you.”
“Why did he come to you?” Maelgwn demanded. “Is there something wrong with him?”
“He’s fine,” Perseus assured. “I’ll let him explain.”
Moving past his leader, Perseus headed back into his office. As he sat behind his desk and started reading again, listening with half an ear in case Maelgwn, Bobby or someone else called for him, a thought hit him. Would Wren want kids?
Chapter Seven
Wren stayed still, listening. He wasn’t certain what had woken him and until he could figure it out, he kept his eyes closed. A thump reached his ears followed by the distinctive squeak of his oven’s door. More than once he’d told himself that he needed to oil the hinges. Somehow, something else always got in the way.
This time, his forgetfulness had worked in his favor. Someone was in his kitchen.
Moving slowly and quietly, Wren pushed off his comforter and sheet and swung his legs off the bed. His feet hit the cool hardwood floor of his bedroom and he swallowed a hiss upon feeling the chill. Prowling to the closet, he reached just inside the door and picked up an old wooden bat.
Wren strode slowly and carefully out of his room and down the hallway. Pau
sing before the archway to the kitchen, he peered around the corner. Wren saw someone clad in a black trench coat standing in his kitchen.
Hefting his bat, Wren stepped into the kitchen and snarled, “Who are you and what the fuck are you doing in my house?”
As the man spun, the cloak opened. Spreading and billowing around him, the black fabric wreathed a massive, pale green body.
“Good morning, Wren,” the male murmured, lifting his hands, palms out in a sign of peace. “Please. I mean you no harm.”
“Perseus?” Wren whispered the name, barely getting it out as his throat closed in shock. “Wh-What are you doing here?”
“I told you I’d visit you, Wren,” Perseus softly reminded him. “I brought you breakfast. I know you work hard in a restaurant all day, and I wanted you to have a good meal before heading there.” He smiled and shrugged. “I was going to bring it to you in bed, but, well, I’m sorry I woke you.”
Wren stared in shock as he realized that Perseus had broken into his kitchen and, if he could be believed, had brought him breakfast. While breakfast in bed would have been preferable to freezing his bare feet, he really couldn’t say how he’d have responded to discovering Perseus in his bedroom. Although, from the way he couldn’t take his gaze off his massive chest, it probably wouldn’t have been all bad.
Licking his lips, Wren yanked his gaze north to Perseus’ face. He met his gaze and even in the dim light—a combination of the light above the stove and the dim moonlight filtering in through the window—Perseus recognized the beseeching look on the gargoyle’s face. Damn, how could he say no when the beast had brought him food?
The sound of the coffee machine percolating caught Wren’s attention. He looked that way and saw how it was even now dispensing the black liquid of the Gods into the carafe. Combined with the scent of something else, his stomach rumbled insistently.
Wren nodded slowly as he set the bat against the wall. “Uh, thanks.” He scratched at his chest hairs as he made his way to a bar stool set next to the island and eased onto it. “How’d you get in?”
Paranormal's Love 12 - Tempting the Bear Page 5
