by Faith Gibson
Sabrina lifted her face, and Deacon met her for a sweet kiss. She could kiss him for hours and never get tired of it. Whether it was the soft brushes of their lips or the more passionate mating of their mouths and tongues, she’d never get enough. Already, he had ruined her for other men, and she was okay with that. Sabrina knew in her heart this was it. He was her one.
When the movie credits played, Deacon kissed her temple. “You ready to turn in?”
Sabrina was excited. It had been years since she’d slept in the same bed with a man, and Garrison hadn’t been one to hold her during the night. Would Deacon be the same way? Turning his back to her? Or would he wrap her in his arms? “Yes. I need to brush my teeth.”
“I put your bags in the spare bedroom across the hall from my room.”
Did that mean he didn’t want them to sleep together? “Okay.”
“I’m going to lock up. I’ll be upstairs to check on you in a few.”
Sabrina didn’t respond. Instead, she silently padded barefoot up to the second floor. She found her things in the bedroom like Deacon said. Grabbing her toiletries, she closed herself into the attached bathroom and sat down on the closed toilet lid. After a few minutes of thinking back on their day together, she made herself get up and get ready to turn in. If he didn’t want to share a bed, that was fine. First, she brushed out her hair and wrapped it in her favorite silk scarf. Once that was done, she brushed her teeth. When she was rinsing the foam from her mouth, Deacon knocked.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes. I’ll be out in a second.”
She wiped her mouth with the hand towel and hung it back up. When she opened the door, Deacon was sitting on the edge of the bed. “I didn’t want to assume or pressure you, but you’re welcome to sleep with me.”
Yes! She’d read the situation wrong. And that was okay. She should have known better, but instead of communicating, she had assumed the worst. Again. “I’d like that.”
Deacon stood and reached for her hand. He touched her scarf and whispered, “Beautiful.” Sabrina’s heart melted a little. When they reached his room, he asked, “Which side do you sleep on?”
“The right, but if that’s your side, I don’t mind taking the left.”
“I don’t think it’s going to matter, because I plan on holding you all night, and we’ll probably end up in the middle.” And her heart melted a little more. Deacon pulled the covers back for her. “Go ahead and climb in. I need to brush my teeth.”
Sabrina did as he said, and she scooted toward the middle. That way he could choose whichever side he wanted.
DEACON LEANED AGAINST the bathroom counter, breathing deep to get his beast under control. His mate was in his bed, but he couldn’t take her the way he needed. If he did, the fangs would come out, and she deserved to know what he was. Sabrina should know the truth and make the choice of whether they mated or not. She wasn’t dressed to seduce him. She had gotten ready to sleep, and that’s what they were going to do if it killed him.
Taking one last breath, he turned off the bathroom light and stopped at the door. Sabrina was in the middle of the bed. Deacon grinned. She was giving him the choice of which side of the bed to sleep on, so he chose the side closest to the hallway. Sliding under the covers, he rolled to his back, trying not to crowd her. Sabrina has other ideas as she turned on her side and wrapped an arm over his stomach, placing her silk covered head to his chest. Deacon pulled her closer, kissing her temple. “Goodnight, Pretty Lady.”
“Night,” she whispered. Sabrina’s thigh snaked over his, too close to his dick. He held his breath, praying she settled in to sleep. After a few minutes, she said, “Deacon?”
“Hmm?”
Instead of speaking, she rolled until she was on top of him and kissed his jaw. Deacon grabbed her hips to keep her from squirming.
“I don’t think I can do this,” he admitted. Her mood changed from turned on to embarrassed, and she tried to climb off the bed. He didn’t let her go far. “You misunderstood. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life, but there are things you don’t know. I’m not just a man, Sabrina. I’m not someone who wants you for a night. If you and I are together, to me, it’s not random or temporary. With you on top of me, I want to make love to you. If you and I make love, that will be it for me. But you don’t know the truth of what I am, and until you know, we can’t do this.”
“Then tell me.” Sabrina ran a fingertip down his jaw. “Unless you’re some psychopath or murderer...”
Deacon sat up so he could prop against the headboard, juggling Sabrina off his lap. “Nothing like that, but what I am is not to be taken lightly. It’s not just my secret to tell, either. If you know the truth, I will be exposing all of my kind.”
Sabrina sat up next to him and laced their fingers together. “What do you mean ‘your kind’? I know from talking to Joseph you belong to a Clan of sorts. He assured me you are one of the good guys.”
“That we are. We are good, for the most part. Just like humans, there are good and bad in every species, but my Clan – my family – we are the good of our kind.”
Sabrina laughed, but it wasn’t from humor. “Human? Species? You make it sound like you’re some type of creature.” She turned to face him. “Are you trying to tell me you aren’t human? I’m a doctor. I think I would recognize if you were something else. Wouldn’t I?”
“Not unless I wanted you to. My kind was made to look human so we blend in. We were created to protect humans without being detected. Are you sure you want to hear this? Because if you know the truth, you will be holding our safety in your hands. If you think what I tell you will be too much, you can walk away now. I will still keep you safe, because as your mate, that’s my job.”
“So, I’m a job to you?” Sabrina tried to pull her hand away, but Deacon held tighter.
“I’m not explaining this correctly. You are more than a job to me. You are my intended. My mate. Our kind has one being chosen for them by the fates, and I will never love another. I will never take someone else into my bed now that I’ve found you. You, however, aren’t bound the same way. If you decide all this is too much, I will release you and let you live your life without interference. Yes, I will still watch over you, because to me, you’re everything. But I’ll do it from a distance once your stalker is found and dealt with.”
“I’m your mate. Is that why I felt drawn to you the first time I saw you in Jonathan’s room?”
“Yes. Our bond is strong, but if you aren’t ready for all it entails, you can walk away. Or if you would like to figure out if I’m someone you could see spending your life with, we can take it slow. Go on dates. Spend time together getting to know each other.”
“I think I would like to know what you are, if not human, before making that decision.”
Deacon couldn’t believe how calm she was. He hadn’t said the word Gargoyle or mentioned fangs, wings, or claws. How calm would she be the first time he phased in front of her?
“I promise whatever you tell me will be our secret. For whatever reason, I do trust you’re a good man. Wait... male. You and Joseph used that term, so I’m assuming either my boss is one of your kind, or he at least knows the truth. I have known Joseph for years, and I trust him. He trusts you, so... tell me.”
Deacon searched Sabrina’s eyes, reaching out with his senses for any distrust or trepidation. When he found none, he decided he would trust her with the truth. He wouldn’t admit to anyone else in the Clan being Goyle. That way, if she happened to tell someone, she would sound crazy.
“I’m what is now known as a Gargoyle. We were created by the gods to protect humans. Our kind has been around for millennia, living among you. In the past, we had females of our kind as mates, but they weren’t given the same structure as the males, and most of them have died off. It has only been in the past couple hundred years that we have been given humans for mates. Our mate is the other part of us. We have our shifter inside, but that’s what we
are at our core. I look human, but if the beast comes out, my body transforms into something else. My face will look the same, but... I don’t want to scare you.”
“I thought Gargoyles were those stone creatures on buildings.”
“Those were created by humans many years ago as a symbol for our kind. Humans who know about us have lived among us, offering sanctuary when we need it. The symbols were to make us aware of the humans who would work with us. With our numbers being a fraction of that of humans, it was necessary to share our existence with a handful of humankind.”
“And you have to trust who knows. I get that. So, you tell me your secret, and I decide what to do with the knowledge?”
“Pretty much. It’s a huge responsibility. Not only do you discover there are nonhumans, but you find out one of them wants you for an eternity. And that’s what it would be. If you were to decide you want me, there would be no divorce later. Mating with me isn’t like dating or marrying a human. It’s an unbreakable bond which lasts forever. There’s another thing you need to consider. If you were to mate with me, you will stop aging. At whatever age a human bonds with their Gargoyle, that is the age they look for the rest of their life.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“It can be. If you remain in New Atlanta, how will you explain to your colleagues ten, fifteen years down the road why you still look like you’re in your mid-thirties? We manage it by moving around and reinventing ourselves or hiding from the public. I’ve met humans who age more gracefully because of good genetics and how they take care of themselves. So, it wouldn’t be a stretch for you to remain here for twenty years or so.”
“And how do Gargoyles age? You don’t look any older than I do.”
Deacon grinned and gripped her hand tighter. “We transform into our shifter in our early teens and we stop aging in our mid-thirties. I’m four hundred years old.”
“Get out of town. Really?”
“Really. Male Gargoyles can live to be over a thousand. If we aren’t killed – and there’s only one sure-fire way to kill males, and that’s by taking our head – we are virtually indestructible.”
“But if I’m your mate, won’t you get lonely when I pass on in fifty years should my health hold out?”
“If you accept the mate bond, your body becomes less susceptible to human disease. You could die from say a plane crash or a stray bullet. Those are hypothetical situations, of course. But I do know a human mate who is over two hundred.”
“Do I know any human mates?”
Deacon hesitated. If he told her the truth, he was putting his Clan at risk even more than he already had.
“Deacon, your secret is safe with me. What do you think would happen if I told someone what you’ve shared? They’d think I lost my marbles.”
She had a point, and he did trust her, so he admitted, “Yes. As a matter of fact, you’ve met several of them.”
Chapter Sixteen
SABRINA COULDN’T BELIEVE the conversation they were having. Well, she could, and she did. As far-fetched as it all sounded, she knew in her soul Deacon was telling the truth. “I’m going to venture a guess that all the men coming and going from Jonathan’s room are part of your Clan. You said they were family, so that would make sense. And their women have accepted this bond? Joseph said I was already considered part of the family. That’s why, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Once we find our mate, they automatically become part of the Clan as do their family. You will find the men and women who are mates are a tight-knit group, and you’ll have a new set of friends whether you want one or not.”
“Men too?”
“Yes. There are gay Gargoyles. Is that a problem?”
“Not at all. I believe everyone should be able to love whom they choose without prejudice. And having a group of friends sounds nice. Especially if they’re who I think they are. Kaya, if she’s one of them, has already sang your praises and offered her friendship. It’s been a long time since I’ve had that type of closeness, and I’ve missed it. My life has been filled with work and not much else.” Sabrina was excited at the prospect of having people in her life who were more than colleagues. She was nervous about Deacon being something other than human, but it also gave her hope for the future if what he said was true. Did she believe in the whole fated-mate concept? She wasn’t sure, but she really had nothing to lose by giving their relationship a chance and everything to gain. He was handsome and kind. He had shown her nothing but goodness so far. Both Kaya and Joseph had put in a good word for him. Kaya, the former chief of police, had to be a good judge of character, and Joseph... it was probable her boss was also a Gargoyle, and Sabrina held him in the highest regard. First, though, she wanted to see Deacon in his true form.
“Will you show me?”
Deacon frowned. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
Deacon slid off the bed. “First, I’ll start with my hands.” He held his hands out in front of him, and razor-sharp claws extended from his fingertips. As quickly as the appeared, they were gone. “Now, my teeth.” Deacon opened his mouth and fangs protruded over his bottom lip. “Just so you know, if we complete the bond, I will bite your shoulder with these.” He tapped one of them with his finger. “It will happen during sex, and I’ve heard it only makes the orgasm that much stronger.” He retracted the sharp canines. “Now for my wings.”
“You have wings?” Holy crap. Those she had to see.
Grinning, Deacon rolled his shoulders, and a pair of leathery wings spread out behind him. Sabrina scooted to the end of the bed on her knees, wanting to get a closer look. She stretched out a hand, but Deacon took a step back, his wings disappearing. “Sorry, but we need to be mated first before you touch them. Let’s just say that’s more intimate than having sex.”
“No one else has ever touched them?”
“Besides my Clanmates, no one has seen them.”
“You said you protect humans. From themselves? Or what? Who?”
“I know you’ve heard of the Unholy.” Sabrina nodded, staring at Deacon in his human form. “We patrol the city, making sure the Unholy keep to themselves. If we can, we arrest them and take them to the penitentiary. We have a special area we call The Basement where they are kept away from human inmates.”
“And if you can’t?”
Deacon looked at his feet. He didn’t have to tell her what happened to the rest of them. As a doctor, she’d taken an oath to save lives, but she’d seen the Unholy on the news. They looked like a science experiment gone wrong. Not wanting Deacon to have to admit to killing, she changed the subject. “I can’t imagine it’s easy to fly without being seen.”
“It’s not. But living out in the middle of forty acres gives me the opportunity to do so.”
That made sense. If Sabrina decided to become his mate, this house and all that came with it would become her home. It was farther away from the hospital than her own house, but living here with this exquisite male would be worth the extra drive time. Sabrina reached out her hand, and Deacon took it. “Nothing you’ve told me or shown me has scared me off. I’d like the chance to get to know you better before I let you bite me, if that’s okay.”
“It’s more than okay. It’s not a decision to be made lightly.”
“Then let’s get some sleep. If you need me to go back to the other room, I understand.”
“I would love to hold you all night, but I’ll leave that decision up to you.”
Sabrina patted the space next to her. She trusted Deacon to not bite her in her sleep. He said he would only bite her during sex, so she had to keep her libido in check and not give him a reason to attack her. Why was the thought of him doing so more exciting than it should be? Deacon returned to his original position. Instead of draping herself across his body like she wanted, she pressed her lips to his softly before rolling over away from him. He turned the lamp off and scooted so they were almost spooning. He didn’t touch her,
but she could feel the heat from his large body. She should have been scared at having this creature at her back, but Sabrina felt safer than she ever had. Sleep didn’t come quickly. She replayed their conversation over and over. Images of his fangs, claws, and wings played out on repeat. Sabrina never would have believed he was something other than human had she not seen proof.
She thought about the other couples she’d met in Jonathan’s room. Those women had accepted their males weren’t human. At some point, they’d all had this same conversation, or probably one close to it. Deacon explained how his kind couldn’t be killed easily. Jonathan was an older man. One who was dying, so that meant he must be one of the humans who knew about Gargoyles. She had so many questions, but they could wait.
Deacon’s voice woke Sabrina the next morning. When she opened her eyes, he was standing beside the bed with his phone to his ear and a cup of coffee in his other hand. The smile he gave her warmed her inside. Garrison had never brought her coffee. He had expected her to wait on him, but here was Deacon. Their first morning together, and he was proving how different he was. Sabrina sat up and took the mug. “Thank you,” she mouthed, not wanting to interrupt.
“Was there a card with your flowers?” he asked her.
“Not that I could find.” Deacon relayed her answer to whoever was on the phone. She took a sip of coffee and found it was fixed exactly the way she liked. How had he managed that?
Deacon stared at Sabrina while he listened, his face etched in concern. “I’ll check when I drop her off and let you know. Okay, thanks, Brother.” Deacon disconnected the call. “That was Julian. He’s our expert on anything to do with computers and forensics. Paxton took the photo you found to him. He’s running the prints he got off it, but so far there hasn’t been a match. Did you notice the words on the back?”
“Words? No. I kind of freaked out. What did they say?”
