by Anna Santos
“But I don’t want to be your friend if you keep me here without talking to my parents!”
I motioned for her to calm down. “Not that type of mate. We are mates. You know, soul-mates.”
She paused and looked at me with a puzzled expression. I waited patiently for her to speak again.
Placing her hands on her waist, she declared, “I’m sorry, but I’ve already had this conversation with another guy, and it didn’t turn out that good. I ended up in a river, so…forgive me if I don’t believe it, and I’m not that eager to be rejected again.”
“I won’t reject you,” I firmly declared. “I have no intentions of doing that. I want you. I’ve been waiting for you for decades. There is no chance in hell that I’ll let you go.”
“Hum? Was that supposed to reassure me or scare the crap out of me?” she asked as she pushed me back again because I was trying to grab her by her arms.
I grinned at her sarcasm as my eyes locked on her pouting lips. Her breathing was erratic, and she seemed scared and upset at the same time. I just wanted her to believe me and understand my reasons to keep her with me.
“It was supposed to come out a bit more romantic,” I whispered as I offered my hand for her to hold. “I don’t have any intention of harming you. I just want a chance to make you fall in love with me.”
“Fall in love?”
I nodded with hopeful eyes.
“Why would I want that?”
“Because we are a match,” I explained, hoping it was enough to convince her.
“Right! You believe that angels cast a binding spell on us when I looked into your eyes.”
I nodded as my mate puckered her lips. “Well, that isn’t going to happen if you decide to keep me away from my family,” she replied, concealing her fisted hands under the blanket.
A ray of hope warmed my heart with her words. “That means I can hope of making you love me if I bring your parents to us?”
She breathed deeply. “Do you have any idea of how crazy insane you seem right now?”
“No.”
“Just for the record, you do,” she added with an exasperated sigh. “So, I’m trapped here.” She looked around and sighed again. “You claim we are soul-mates. My parents think I’m dead. Vampires exist. I was rejected by one. Gargoyles exist and can fly. I flew yesterday and fainted in the process. That will look good on my wall of bravery.”
“Are you always this funny?”
Shaking her head, she declared, “Not really. I don’t normally get kidnapped by hot blond guys with a serious mental problem. So, I’ve never had to try to sound positive while talking with someone like that.”
I smirked at her words. She thought I was hot. That was a good thing, right?
Aria arched an eyebrow as she asked, “What is troubling you more, the fact that I’m trying to be funny or that I think you have a mental problem?”
I answered, “The part where you think I’m hot.”
She blushed intensely and averted her eyes. “As if you didn’t know that,” she voiced between her teeth.
My smile widened. “I didn’t. I’m glad I please you. You also please me a lot.”
She snapped her head at me, really fast, confusion spreading inside her eyes. “Really?”
“Oh, yes. I think you are adorable.”
“Adorable?”
Somehow that word didn’t please her. I detected a hint of rage in her squinted eyes.
She tensed as she spoke next, “Puppies are adorable. Cats are adorable. Women are stunning, gorgeous, okay, or plain ugly. Maybe they can be something else, but for men, there are like three categories of women: the ones who they would just sleep with, the ones they would marry, and the ones they would not even look twice at. I belong to the last category. So, pardon me if I would rather not be called adorable.”
I scratched my head as I frowned at her speech. For a moment there, I thought she was going to hit me with something. It wasn’t my intention to offend her. “I believe someone didn’t tell you enough times that you are gorgeous. Therefore, you seem to have a low self-esteem.”
“Really?” she asked with tons of sarcasm between the lines. She really liked to use that word and tone to state the ridiculousness of my affirmations.
“You are beautiful,” I said with a straight face. “I’m proud to have you as my soul-mate. I could never imagine someone as perfect as you. You are…stunning,” I added, thinking in the adjectives she used to classify women and using them to make my point prevail. “I’m proud to be your husband.”
“Wait, what?” she asked, almost screaming.
I stared at her unsure why she was reacting like that. What did I say wrong this time?
“What do you mean by husband? I don’t remember us getting married!”
“When we looked into each other’s eyes and our hands were together, the angels bonded our souls. They married us. You are my wife now and the future queen of my people.”
“Get out!”
“I can’t. I need to tell you something else.”
She waved her hands in front of my face. “No! I don’t mean for you to really get out. It’s an expression, it means that… Wow. This is not happening. I don’t remember anything you are saying. You are mad if you think I’m going to let you trick me. I’m not stupid, you know? I’m barely of age to get married. There are papers to sign, people to witness. There are rules. And I don’t recall any of what you are saying.”
“By the river, when I pulled you out.”
“A gargoyle pulled me out. I need to thank him because he was really patient with me, and I was really scared. But I don’t know who you are. I have never seen you until this day.”
“I already told you, Aria. I’m the gargoyle who saved you. I have a human form. I can morph into a gargoyle, but this is my primary form. I was born a Nephilim, so I’m half human and half angel. The curse makes us turn into a gargoyle when we reach our eighteenth anniversary.”
“Right! Is the Easter bunny also real? And Santa Claus?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered, realizing after that she was being sarcastic once again. I would have to get used to that. “I just know that you are mine, and we need to fall in love.”
Fisting her hands to the blanket, she asked, “We need to? Love is not something someone just needs to do, it’s…difficult.”
“Yes, real love is really hard to find. But the angels chose you to be my other half. I chose you. I’m hoping that I can make you choose me, too. I want you to believe me, Aria.”
“About what?”
“That we are meant to be together.”
Pointing at me and her, she asked, “We, the two of us, together like…a couple. Are you kidding me?”
“No.” I shook my head, unsure why she was finding it so hard to believe me. Didn’t I please her?
“You want to date me?”
“We are married, but we still need to fall in love.”
“We are not married! My Mom and Dad weren’t there to see it. I don’t remember it… Okay, I remember something.” She sighed and looked at her left hand where the symbols were hidden. They only glowed at night under the moon. She couldn’t see them. “I remember the symbols. They were beautiful. And now you are saying it was a blessing that angels cast on us. The angels chose me as your mate. Were they crazy?” she asked, out of breath, lifting her eyes to stare at my face. I smiled at her and shrugged my shoulders, making her purse her lips. “Right, you think I’m adorable. You have probably drunk too much poisoned water when you got me out of the river.”
“I wanted you to be mine the moment I saw you,” I explained to her.
“And if I wasn’t yours?”
“You would belong to some other gargoyle. But you are mine. No one will ever do you wrong. You don’t need to be afraid. What’s wrong?” I asked, aware that she was thinking about something that was making her hands grab the blanket intensely.
“And the other, the vampire? The one who
rejected me?” Her voice came out fragile.
Thinking about him made me mad and passionate at the same time. His rejection led to my chance in finding love with Aria. I should be less exuberant with my feelings. I didn’t want to scare her more than she already was.
“He is dead, and he rejected you. You don’t owe him anything. He condemned his soul to hell, and I saved yours from it. I’m your second chance at love. And I can promise you that I won’t reject you. I’ll love you more than anything in the world if you let me.”
“You…need to calm down. I need to think about all this. It’s too much to handle. It’s…difficult. This is crazy! Is he really dead?” she asked, with her eyes shining like hypnotizing stars in the dark sky. Her red mouth was enticing. I wanted to touch her lower lip with my finger and grabbed her chin with my hand to bring her face close to mine. I wanted to kiss her, so bad, it hurt when I breathed.
“Didn’t you want him dead?” I questioned, trying to understand her facial expressions. Her heart began to beat faster, and I detected a hint of sadness in her eyes. “He rejected you. He tried to hurt you.”
“I know. Then it was real? We… He was supposed to be the true love…of my life?”
“Yes.”
She gasped and closed her eyes in pain.
CHAPTER NINE
CEDRIC
My voice sounded calm, but I was restless. She seemed sad and hurt. I wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be okay. However, I wasn’t sure why she was hurting. Did her former mate’s death make her feel good or bad? I was betting on bad. If she had any type of feelings for him, his death would only create a crack in our new bond, since she would fantasize about him and not fully commit to our relationship.
I voiced my fears, “Do you feel anything for him? Did you know him before he rejected you?”
“No. I just met him that night. I feel fear, rage...for all the evil things he told me. Apparently, I wasn’t what he expected his mate to be. He didn’t want me… I remember now,” she whispered sadly, and I could perceive that he had hurt her pride.
“You have a beautiful soul, Aria. Now that you evolved…”
She widened her eyes and asked, “What do you mean with evolve?”
“You are no longer human. You’ll become an angel. Your body is experiencing a transformation. Your appearance changed. Do you want to see it?”
“Yeah,” she replied, pulling the blanket back and heading to the mirror over the dresser. “Wow, what happened to my hair? Why is it dark red? And when did I apply make-up? My eyes are...different. I can see clearly without glasses. Damn,” she complained, staring down at her chest.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, behind her.
“They still didn’t grow,” she complained and huffed as she pouted.
I had no idea what she was talking about. “Don’t you like how you look? It’s not that different, but your skin will always look perfect. Your lips are redder and your hair is...amazing. I love your new color.”
Sighing, she explained as she indicated with her hand over her chest, “I didn’t grow up in any significant place. I’m still short and have a flat board in front.”
I smirked and placed my hands on her shoulders. “I think you look beautiful. I don’t see anywhere else you could look better. I like you just the way you are.”
“Thanks...I guess,” she whispered and bit her lower lip. She proceeded to play with her hair, trying on different hairstyles. “I love my new hair. I didn’t know I would look this good with this color.”
“It’s perfect for the paleness of your skin.”
“It’s crazy how different I look. I’m...hot!”
She seemed honestly surprised. I smirked as I lowered my lips to speak against her ear. “You are extremely hot. You look gorgeous, and I’m betting you are going to look even better when you get your wings.”
Pinching her cheek, she whispered to herself, “It’s amazing.”
“You looked beautiful when you were human. You didn’t change that much.”
“Are you kidding? Look at this skin! I look as though I’m wearing an incredible foundation. And these eyelashes! I have deep and gorgeous eyes, now. They are still brown, but I’m not wearing any glasses nor am I concealing my dull and dry hair in a ponytail.”
She seems to like her reflection in the mirror. She was making the most adorable faces while noticing the changes. “Does this mean that you are happier for being my mate?” I questioned.
Aria stopped what she was doing and turned around to face me. She looked at me from head to toe as if she was analyzing. Furrowing my brows, I let her take a good look, yet, doubt clawed at my heart.
After a moment, she replied, “Yes, you are adorable.”
I widened my eyes because of the use of the adjective. She was probably being facetious since I had been the one who had called her adorable in the first place. “Weren’t cats adorable?”
Aria shrugged only to smile mischievously at me as she walked to the bed and sat down. She played with the sleeves of her pajama.
Walking to her side, I sat beside her. “Aria, we need to have a serious conversation. You need to understand how important this is for the both of us and what will happen if we don’t fall in love.”
My mate sighed as she spared me a look. “What will happen? Enlighten me.”
“I’ll be turned into a statue, and you will end up alone in the world, mateless and wingless. The transformation won’t be permanent. You will lose your wings and your powers. I’ll be gone...forever.”
Aria pursed her lips. “What do you mean by you will turn into a statue?”
“Well, my curse will be activated again, but, this time, I’ll cease to exist.”
“And what will happen to me?”
“Our bond will disappear.”
“So, I’ll be free to leave.”
“Yes.”
“But you’ll be gone?”
I nodded. “I won’t be able to ascend, but worse than that, I won’t be complete. I won’t have someone to love nor anybody to love me back.”
Aria seemed to ponder for a moment as she looked at her feet and then at the door.
Finally, she spoke, “I’m sure there are plenty of other girls around who would jump at the chance of being your...princess, mate, whatever.”
“Maybe, but you are the only one who is suitable for it. And I think you are perfect for me. You are smart, a really nice person, and funny. My life is in your hands.”
“Hmm,” she replied, staring at me with brooding eyes.
“I’m not lying. I can prove that all I’m saying is true. You noticed your transformations. You remember what happened last night.” I was panicking right about then. I was depending on the kindness of a stranger to keep living. I know her soul is pure but is she willing to give up her freedom for me?
“It’s a lot to cope with right now. I never believed… This is overwhelming.”
“I know.”
Aria tilted her head to face me. “I don’t think you know. You’ve lived with this all your life. I’ve just found out about the existence of this world...of magic!”
I put my hand over hers. “I’ll be here to explain everything and to protect you.”
Aria gulped and then looked at our hands. “I’m really sorry about your condition. I really am. But I have a life to return to.”
“Our life completely changed the moment we were bound together. Don’t you want to have love in your life?”
She shrugged. “I never thought much about… I’m just eighteen. I...”
“You need to love me. Not feel pity,” I clarified.
Aria bit her lower lip. “Am I a prisoner?”
“No, you are not.”
“Are you going to try to do anything to me that I don’t want to?”
“Of course not!”
“But I can’t leave?”
“I would rather that you stay with me and give us a try.”
“But can I go ou
t and explore?”
“Of course you can. We can do a lot of things together. You can ask me anything, and I’ll do it.”
“Seriously? I just need to ask?”
“Yes, I’m here to please you.”
She played with her fingers as she looked at the balcony. I have no idea why she got so shy all of a sudden.
Her voice sounded sad when she spoke, “I never got to visit Paris. I just arrived yesterday. I’ve dreamed of coming here all my life. It’s so unfair that I’ll be stuck here.”
I narrowed the space between us and placed my fingers under her chin, making her stare at me. I whispered softly near her mouth. “I have thirty days and a couple of hours to please you. Your wishes are my commands. You ask anything, and I'll move heaven and earth to get that for you or take you there.”
My eyes were on her lustful lips as she nipped her lower lip, making my mouth get extremely dry as my limbs tensed. I experienced crazy butterflies in my stomach.
“I’ve always wanted a genie,” she whispered with a soft smile, which sent happiness to my face. “Are you really a prince?”
“I am.”
“And you are cursed?”
“Yes.”
“Like the Beauty and the Beast’s story?”
“More or less like that,” I whispered, happy by the way her eyes were shining intensely. She looked so surprised. I loved the sound of her voice when it was all girly and sweet. “But I’m a nice beast. I won’t make you work or clean my palace.”
“Good, because I suck at cleaning.”
“We have maids for that.”
“All we need is to get along and the curse is gone?”
I explained to her with a serious expression, “Not just get along, Aria. We need to love each other. Only pure and unselfish love can break my curse. It is also the only chance you get to save your soul.”
“Save my soul,” she whispered, moving away from me and sitting down on one of the armchairs.
Walking to her, I sat at her side. “Your soul is also at stake. If you die, you will go to hell because your former soul-mate refused to bond himself to you. He rejected the greatest gift that God gave to us all—love.”
