He picked the pocketknife off the nightstand and sliced a small x on his palm. Then he reached for hers. “Give me your hand.”
With no hesitation she did and he kissed her palm before making the same cut on it, keeping the incision as shallow as he could while still drawing blood. He interlaced their fingers so the two wounds pressed together, mingling their blood. Then he took one of her fishnet stockings and used it to bind their wrists together, ensuring the impromptu transfusion.
“Our blood combines at the same time as our bodies join. I hope to hell you know what you’re doing, my love. But know I want this more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my miserable life.”
She rocked up and down on his cock, riding him slowly and easily as her fingers gripped hard on his. “I love you, Damien. I know this is the right path. I’ve waited thirty-two years for you and I don’t intend to waste a day now that I’ve finally found you.”
She bent down and kissed him as she rocked, the taste of her warm and sweet on his lips. He pumped into her, mimicking her gentle pace, savoring the movement. He felt the magic flowing from his body to hers and from hers to his.
By the time they both came in another glorious burst of pleasure, he knew the transformation was complete. Katie was now a gargoyle. Now they only had to wait and see if she survived the coming dawn.
“So what will happen now?” She lay limp and sated on his chest while he unbound their wrists and pressed a kiss against the cut that was already closing on her hand. Goddess, she loved this man. She could feel the magic pulsing through her body and she was excited about what was to come.
“Now we wait. When the sun rises, we both transform. The first time can be…difficult. I’m sorry, mon coeur. I’d spare you that if I could.” He sounded so worried, she couldn’t help trying to tease him out of it.
“Well, they say the first time is always painful,” she joked. “Then what?”
“Then your body will try to recover, by sending you into the stone state. You will be conscious, aware of your surroundings, but unable to move or speak. You will remain a statue until your body recovers.”
She kissed his neck. “Okay. So when I transform, will I look like you?”
He shook his head. “We each have our own unique shape. There is no way of knowing what form the magic will choose for you.”
“Will I be gray?”
“I have no idea, my love. We shall have to wait and see.”
They didn’t have to wait very long. When the first rays of dawn began to peek through the blinds, Damien stood and helped Katie to her feet. He gathered her close in his arms and stood near the window, his face buried in her hair.
“Don’t worry so much,” she told him, as she felt something like a thousand needles begin to penetrate her skin. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I love you.” He held her tightly as her body began to change.
It hurt. He hadn’t been kidding about that. Katie clung to Damien’s arms as she felt every bone and muscle in her body shift and pop. She tried to keep silent, but she couldn’t stifle a cry when she felt something burst from the skin of her back. When the racking agony finally stopped, she panted, trying to catch her breath. Without Damien’s strength, she would have fallen.
“You are beautiful, cherie!” His awed whisper soothed the worst of her fears. Slowly she allowed him to help her pivot toward her full-length mirror. When she saw what she’d become, it was all she could do not to laugh.
“Catwoman.” The word sounded strange coming from lips that were now feline in shape. She still looked like a woman from the neck down, except for the fine dusting of auburn fur that now covered her skin. Since Damien was stroking it with a look of intense desire, she decided that fur was okay. Her ears were pointed and furry, poking just above her normal mane of red hair which hadn’t changed a bit. But her face was an almost Hollywood-style blend of human and cat. She tried to smile and was glad to see it worked.
“You have wings and a tail, just like me.” Damien turned her to the side so she could see. Sure enough, she had a pair of dainty pointed wings in what looked like grass-green leather. The tail was feline though, twitching and furry and red. She laughed, then felt herself stagger. Her feet were suddenly leaden. She was unable to move.
“Shh. You are entering stoneshape now so that your body can recover. I will be right here with you, my love. Do not be afraid.” He feathered tiny kisses on her cheeks. His tail wrapped around her legs to stroke hers. “Here.”
He sat her in the chair by the window as the paralysis crept up her legs to her hips. She leaned forward, her tail draped over her lap, her hands on her knees. Damien continued to touch and stroke and soothe.
“I love you, Kathleen Calhoun, soon to be St. Pierre. Right now you need to rest. In time, you will adapt and think nothing of this. If you can sleep, the time will pass more quickly. It is something we all learn to do sooner or later. Meanwhile, I will be right here by your side until you can move again.”
She felt the stone creep up her neck toward her face. She looked at him and smiled one last smile. “I love you.” She barely got the words out before her lips refused to move. Even after she was completely frozen, she felt the touch of his hand on her hair, his tail on her ankles. He spoke to her and assured her that all would be well. Then amazingly, Katie slept.
Damien stared at his petrified mate. He hadn’t expected to be able to tell when she fell asleep, but apparently the link between them was strong enough that even though he couldn’t hear her thoughts, he could sense her mood and state of being. She’d been a little afraid, but not much and the depth of her love and faith overwhelmed him.
That hadn’t been his only surprise. Katie’s feline gargoyle form was beautiful. He couldn’t wait to make love to those lithe, faintly furry limbs and feel that adorable tail intertwine with his own. He was glad she had wings, too. Hopefully they could fly together. But what had shocked him to his core was that her stoneshape wasn’t marble as he’d expected, or granite like his own, but the same red and green of the stones that made up her necklace.
Garnets.
Katie was a garnet gargoyle. And gemstone gargoyles were very, very rare. In fact, the only one he knew was the current matriarch of his tribe. Katie hadn’t been kidding when she’d said they were made for each other. Clearly she’d been born to be a leader among his people.
Another oddity was that her necklace hadn’t changed with her. The golden chain that hung to graze her lap still gleamed and the gems on the clasp between her breasts and the two ends of the chain still sparkled independently of the stone that made up her body. That was odd. Usually only powerful magic items withstood the transformation. Her heirloom must be an important object indeed.
After she fell asleep, he called the mayor and explained that neither Katie nor Damien would be in today, or indeed for the next several days. He desperately needed to take her home to meet his clan. They needed the hope that she would bring when she showed them what she was. And the priestess could marry them in spirit if not by law. Once the gods had blessed their union, they could take their time working out the legal details of an international marriage.
The mayor was not pleased about their absence, but was happy to hear that Damien had decided to remain in Philadelphia. He agreed to the time off and wished the couple well. Damien made a couple more calls then stretched out on the bed with his laptop to wait for Katie’s recovery.
As soon as she was flesh and blood again, he pounced. First he dragged her into his arms for a long, demanding kiss. “You know you are mine now? Forever.”
“Goddess, yes. And you are mine, you understand? Mine alone.”
“All yours, petit chat.” Little cat. He turned her and bent her at the waist so she was leaning on the chair, her gorgeous lightly furred ass pointed up at him. He lifted her tail to the side and licked her once from clit to anus. She was already dripping. He stood and used his hands to hold her in place, then slammed into her snug, hot
pussy. She let out a sound that was not quite a meow, then began to purr as he pounded into her again and again. Her claws ripped at the upholstery of the chair when he reached under her and pinched both of her garnet-colored nipples.
Her tail wrapped around his waist and squeezed, the short velvety fur caressing his skin. The tip of it slithered down around the base of his own tail, into the crack of his ass and between his legs. She toyed with his sac while he fucked her, making him harder and fuller than he’d ever been in his life.
“If you want to play that way,” he growled into her ear. He took the tip of his own tail in his hand and used it to tease her rosebud anus. When she howled and bucked against it, he wet his hand with saliva and lubricated his tail. Then slowly, carefully, he allowed the blunted point to ease inside her puckered hole.
As soon as his tail was all the way in, he began to move, timing those small thrusts to match the furious ones of his cock. In mere seconds, she howled again and spasmed around him, drawing a massive burst of seed from his overloaded balls.
“I love you!” He shouted the words and thought maybe she did too as he spurted inside her. Her muscles gripped him tightly, intent on milking every possible drop, while the muscles of her ass clenched down hard on his sensitive tail. Finally sated, they fell to the floor in a limp tangle of limbs and wings and tails.
“I love you.”
* * * * *
Katie held on tightly to Damien’s hand as they waited in the main reception hall of the matriarch’s mansion. They’d ridden all night to get here, with Katie laughing in glee on the back of the Harley. When they’d reached Montreal, they’d crashed at his parents’ house to rest while this meeting was arranged. Now they stood in gargoyle form, Damien wearing a pair of loose cotton trousers, while Katie wore a short backless robe to accommodate her wings and tail.
His parents stood beside them and his three closest friends—brothers almost, as they had all grown up together—had also come out to welcome Katie to the clan and to show their support for the mating before the elders. Remy, the clown of the group, had tried to flirt with Katie, but to Damien’s gratification she hadn’t seemed to notice.
Moments later, a young gargoyle showed them into the elders’ private audience chamber. Lady Genevieve, the matriarch, sat tall and proud in gargoyle form in the center, her firebird visage intimidating even to Damien. Lady Helene, the ancient soothsayer who had sent him to Philadelphia, sat in human shape on one side of the matriarch, grinning maniacally. Lord Etienne, the matriarch’s mate, a minotaur gargoyle, sat at her other side, his hand resting possessively on her knee.
“Mesdames, monsieur, I’d like to introduce you to my mate, Katie Calhoun. I plan to change that to St. Pierre as soon as possible.” Damien bowed and Katie dropped an awkward curtsey.
“Bienvenue á Montreal, Ms. Calhoun.” Lady Genevieve spoke warmly and smiled. “I’m delighted to welcome you to our clan.”
“Thank you, Madame.” Katie’s sweetness was sincere and he couldn’t have been prouder. “I promise to do everything I can to help Damien find the missing artifacts.”
“Come closer, child.” Lady Helene crooked her finger at Katie. “That is a lovely jewel you wear about your neck.”
Katie stepped up and touched her necklace with her hand. “Thank you. It’s a family heirloom, associated with my ancestors’ earth magic.”
“Bien sûr, I am sure that it is.” The ancient gargoyle smiled at Katie. “Our tribe is fortunate to have such a powerful earth witch joining us. Welcome, ma fille.”
“Merci beaucoup.” Katie had been practicing her French phrases all the way here. “Damien wanted me to show you my stoneshape.”
Katie closed her eyes and concentrated on the change. Damien had had her practice earlier so she could now transform at will.
“Amazing!”
“Astounding!”
“Mon Dieu!”
Katie heard the excited whispers and cries. The matriarch actually came down to touch Katie’s cheek. “Damien St. Pierre, this is wonderful. Now I am sure she will be able to help you find the belt. She is garnet!”
“Bah!” The seeress cackled and came down as well, unlatching Katie’s necklace and removing it. Katie felt a moment of alarm just before she felt the tingle that indicated a return to flesh. “What do you imbeciles think this is?”
“It is her necklace,” Damien replied. “Some sort of magical talisman, I am sure.”
“Not just a magical talisman, my boy. One of the magical talismans.”
Katie smiled and steadied herself with a hand on Damien’s arm as she resumed breathing. Then she held her breath again as the old lady took the clasp off her necklace and draped the chain around Katie’s waist. When she refastened the clasp, the two jeweled ends hung right above Katie’s lower abdomen. “It’s a belt!”
“The belt,” the soothsayer corrected. “Our symbol of earth magic and feminine fertility. It was given to a witch for safekeeping over a hundred years ago. Garnets green and red for the plant and animal life that shares our mother planet. It has been guarded by your family until it could be brought back to our clan.”
She patted Katie’s abdomen. “This is where the jewels belong. Over your womb. Which will be filled by tomorrow morning, if I am not mistaken. You will give us many children and the magic will spill over and revitalize the entire clan. When the time comes, you will know which of your daughters to pass the belt on to. Thank you, child. You are the first step toward the salvation of our race.”
Katie stared at her waist in shock as Damien’s arms went around her and joyous cries filled the room. Finally she looked up at Damien and saw the tears brimming in his beloved eyes.
“Stone and earth,” he whispered. “The perfect combination.” He wrapped her in his arms and spun her wildly about. “I am the luckiest man alive.”
About the Author
Cindy Spencer Pape has been, among other things, a banker, a teacher, and an elected politician, though she swears she got better. Her degrees are in zoology, and she currently works in environmental education, when she can fit it in around writing. She lives in southern Michigan with her husband, two teenage sons, a dog, a lizard, and various other small creatures, all of which are easier to clean up after than the three male humans.
Cindy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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