Hard as Rock

by Stephanie West

  “Thanks. And I’ve still got the moves, too.” Roc gave her a cocky grin as he rolled, pinning her beneath him. He rocked his hips, grinding his cock against her stomach.

  “Well, old man, this explains you calling me doll when we first met. You’re the ginchiest daddy-o,” she giggled as she shoved at his chest.

  “Very funny. I do have a little trouble keeping up with slang.” He relented and rolled off her.

  “I’m just teasing you. You’re not doing that bad,” she commented, recalling how sexy he looked in his suit when they first met, and he called her that.

  James Bond eat your heart out. She bit her lip.

  “What?” Roc asked, seeing the expression on her face.

  “Nothing.” Meline traced a circle around his nipple. “I’ve felt your skin harden a bit, but can you actually become stone?”

  Roc suddenly froze, the texture of his skin turning course like sand and unforgivingly hard. She reared back, her mouth dropping open as she looked him up and down. He had turned entirely to stone, like the statue David. His usually black hair, bright gray eyes and pink lips were the same beige tone as the rest of him. But the eeriest part was how cold he was.

  “Okay, that answers my question. Nice demonstration.”

  Meline waited but Roc didn’t respond.

  “Hey. You can stop now.” She patted his stiff, rough arm, but he didn’t change back.

  He was starting to unnerve her. Meline stuck her finger beneath his nose to feel if he was breathing.

  “Boo!” Roc sprung alive.

  “Dammit, Roc!” she screeched as she grabbed a pillow and swatted him over the head.

  “I’m sorry,” he snorted, way too pleased with himself.

  “Mmm hmm,” she smirked. He thought he was so funny spooking her like she’d accused his father doing to her ancestor.

  Her frown broadened as she was again reminded of Nicolas.

  “Nicolas never mentioned you, your mom or the family heirloom. Maybe that’s not even his journal.” She hoped. The idea someone in her family wronged Roc was hard to swallow.

  “It’s possible, but the description of Petronus was spot on. No one else but Nicolas would’ve been able to give that kind of detail.”

  “So then the part about imprisoning the demon in stone could be true, too.” Meline frowned, recalling Nicolas relating how he vanquished Petronus.

  “Yes.” He nodded. “Nicolas actually wrote that?”

  “He did. Are you seriously telling me my ancestor pretended to befriend your family then imprisoned your dad? Where were you and your mother?”

  “My mum died trying to give me a sibling.”

  “Oh God, I’m sorry. I lost my parents a year ago in a car wreck. I know how much it hurts.” She tried not to tear up.

  “Both at the same time? I can’t imagine how hard that must’ve been.” Roc cupped the back of her head and kissed her forehead, genuine compassion reflecting in his eyes. His fingers aimlessly stroked the bite mark on her neck as his sympathetic frown shifted to a wistful smile. “My mum was the most beautiful person I had ever known, patient and kind. How she put up with my sire is a wonder. She’s the reason I gave humans a chance. Like you, I was already of age when she passed, so I should feel lucky, but still it was hard. And we couldn’t even attend her funeral.”

  Meline bit her lip to keep from apologizing again and interrupting him. She couldn’t fathom not going to her parents’ funeral. As different as they were, some things were common no matter what your heritage is, like the loss of a loved one.

  “After she was laid to rest, I couldn’t put up with my sire alone, we just kept butting horns. So, I decided to see the world and try to find others of my kind. Time passed so quickly that when I finally returned, my sire was nowhere to be found. Nicolas’ grandson was a senile old man and all I could get from him was the rumor Petronus was entombed in the foundations of the governor’s mansion. I didn’t expect Petronus to retreat into the duramna, but I wasn’t really shocked either, since he always acted like living on Earth was a chore. I assumed he passed the medallion onto your family since they had other trivial things he’d left behind.”

  “Wait, are you saying your dad was willingly buried alive?” Her eyes widened in horror.

  “Yes. I know that’s odd to wrap your head around but Petronus isn’t dead. I guess the best description is that he’s hibernating.” Roc paused, his brow furrowing. “Shit, I hope the surly bastard isn’t dead. Maybe he is. Never once has he stirred in all the visits I’ve made to that damn mansion. For the longest time I gave up. I just assumed he was being stubborn, but maybe…” He stopped and frowned.

  I hope his dad’s not dead. She kissed Roc’s chest.

  From the sound of it, Roc’s relationship with his father wasn’t stellar, but it was clear he’d been very hurt to discover his father went into hibernation when he returned home. It was a hard concept for her to fathom, not so much the gargoyle being buried alive part, but because neither of her parents would do that to her. No loving parent would. The fact Petronus hadn’t woken up after all this time didn’t bode well. But if he wanted to believe his father still lived, she wouldn’t dash those hopes. Roc had already suffered enough. If she had any say in it, those days were over.

  roc

  Roc shook off his morose thoughts. He was making Meline sad and that was the last thing he wanted, since being here with her was anything but sad. He was still floored by her reaction when she finally had a chance to calm down. He thought he’d lost her for sure, then Meline did the last thing he expected. The way she showered him with affection filled a void he never realized was so vast till she showed up in his life.

  He hated they were having this discussion and were faced with this bull shit. All he wanted to do was make love to Meline till they both passed out, then wake up and do it again. Whenever he wasn’t kissing her, he salivated, and his canines itched, desperate to taste her some more. She was an addiction he’d never get enough of, and now that she knew who he was the need had only deepened.

  Roc hugged Meline close and sighed as he forged ahead. “My sire aside, we still must find the sigil.”

  “Why do I have a feeling you’re not just being sentimental about the family heirloom?”

  “Because you’re as smart as you are gorgeous.” He kissed her forehead. “From what little I gleaned from Petronus, our people were exploring for resources to aid them in a war back home. When they passed through the wormhole into this system, there was a bit of trouble and they crashed. To add insult to injury, their distress beacon malfunctioned.”

  “So, your people didn’t know where to rescue you from.”

  “Exactly. But according to my friend Zaek, this beacon has gone live after all these years, which means the cavalry is coming to pick up its soldiers.”

  “Well that’s good news.” Meline smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

  If he had doubts before about going to Duras, Meline’s worried expression cemented his resolve to stay. There was no way he’d leave now.

  “I see what you’re thinking, angel.” He grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles, reveling in her sweet scent. “I have no intention of going to Duras. I was born here. This is my home.”

  “Oh.” She smiled sheepishly at him.

  Lar, I love that smile. How did I get so lucky? He smiled back at her.

  “But you’re right, it’s good news for many like my sire. Except there’s a catch. The only way the mothership can locate him is if he has that family heirloom. The sigil is a bit like the communicator insignias on Star Trek.”

  “Oh, well shit.”

  He hesitated to tell her the rest. She’d been so brave, he didn’t want to frighten her further.

  No, I promised there’d be no more secrets.

  “Unfortunately, it gets worse. Apparently bad things happen if we don’t find all the sigils.”

  “What do you mean by bad things?” she asked slowly.

&n
bsp; “They self-destruct.” He made an explosive gesture with his hands.

  “Oh God. Well of course we have to find it then.” She suddenly looked frantic, her fingers fluttering over his chest.

  “Yes, I know. I don’t mean to make excuses for myself, but that’s why I followed you to begin with.”

  “And now those nut jobs are looking for it, too.” Meline gripped his arm tight. “Do you think they know it’s more than a fancy medallion?”

  “Probably, and I just confirmed they were on the right path,” he growled in frustration.

  The bastards might have arrived at his penthouse thinking he was merely a smuggler or art dealer Meline sought out to sell the sigil to, but his dramatic getaway exposed who he really was. The assholes threatened her, what else was he supposed to do?

  “So, where do we look? Like I told you, Nicolas didn’t write about a medallion or jewel.” She bit her lip, looking worried.

  He regretted she was involved in this mess.

  “I’m starting to think Nicolas might have taken the secret to his grave,” he huffed, his tail slapping the bed in agitation.

  Meline bolted upright. “That’s it.” She excitedly smacked his chest.

  “Ow, hey.” He reflexively hardened his skin. “For a little thing you’re awfully strong.”

  He wasn’t exaggerating, she was surprisingly strong, although he kinda liked the way she rough-housed with him. Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time for play.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” Meline gently massaged the spot she slapped, and his skin returned to its fleshy texture. “You gave me an idea. Nicolas and several of his direct decedents are buried in Three Rivers. People often bury sentimental things with the dead, maybe the sigil is there.”

  “That’s as good a place to look as any.” He tugged her hand and she toppled onto his chest. “I knew following this sweet little tail was a good idea,” he growled seductively, grabbing both her butt cheeks.

  “Mmmhhhmmm.” Meline kissed him.

  He growled as his tongue delved into her mouth. Meline tasted amazing. Kissing had never been so satisfying. She both caused and eased his restless hunger.

  Things were just getting good when there was a knock on the door.

  “I’m going to tell them to take a hike,” Roc groused as he pulled away.

  “Mmm, something meaty and creamy,” Meline moaned and he heard her stomach growl.

  “You smelled that from here?” His eyes widened in surprise. Few humans had that good a sense of smell, although from the sound of it she was very hungry. “I hope you like tourtière. It’s a meat and potato dish. They make a good one here.”

  “Well it certainly smells good.” She climbed off his chest, taking the sheet with her, leaving him entirely exposed.

  Roc wasn’t embarrassed by his nudity, then he glanced down at his cock. But this probably isn’t the tip the porter is looking for.

  “I’m starting to think you aren’t as angelic as you look.” He hustled out of view of the door.

  “I tried to tell you,” Meline giggled as she wrapped herself in the sheet and headed for the door.

  “Don’t tempt me to test that theory. If you behave yourself, we might get to Three Rivers by nightfall.”

  Meline grinned over her shoulder and wagged her brows before opening the door. Roc shook his head incredulously. She’d learned she was sleeping with an alien and there was dangerous technology that had to be found before some crazy secret society used it to do god knows what, and yet she was teasing him, and he was deliriously happy for once in his life.

  Life is crazy!

  11

  Meline

  “There, I think that’s the church.” Meline pointed as she caught a glimpse of the old church in the dark.

  “That’s what the phone says.” Roc drove to the back of the lot.

  The headlights lit up the gravestones, casting long, ominous shadows over the cemetery.

  “Roc, exactly how do you expect to find this thing?” she asked, suddenly feeling nervous.

  “We’re going to have to dig.”

  “I had a feeling you were going to say that,” she groaned.

  I just had to have the bright idea Nicolas took the medallion to his grave.

  “It’ll be okay. I’ll do all the digging.” He shut off the SUV and everything went dark.

  Him doing all the work really didn’t make this lunacy any better. She gave him a sideways glance.

  “Okay, if it helps, when we get done, we’ll go straight to my place in Montreal. It’s only an hour from here.” He pulled up the satellite image on his phone.

  “Is that a freaking castle?!”

  “No, my castle is in Scotland.” He snickered, but she had a feeling he wasn’t joking about having a castle.

  “Of course it is.” Meline rolled her eyes at him.

  “You can wash all the dirt off in the hot tub and you’ll have your pick of any bottle of wine from the cellar. I’ll wait on you hand and foot,” he coaxed.

  The man drove a hard bargain. She begrudgingly got out of the SUV and trudged after Roc. A car passed on the road and she ducked.

  “We’re going to get arrested! I can already see the mugshot,” she hissed.

  “No one will see a thing, it’s too dark. And if anyone does come nosing around, I’ll get us out of here.”

  “Fine, but I want two bottles of wine,” she huffed and continued walking.

  “Deal,” Roc chuckled.

  If this weren’t a dire situation, she wouldn’t be caught dead in this old ass cemetery at night. Meline nearly jumped out of her skin every time the wind rustled through the trees, or a dog barked in the distance.

  Don’t be a chicken shit. It’s not like the bodies are going to spring to life and claw their way out of the earth. She shook off the image of a horde of zombies coming after them. It was such a foolish notion. Meline paused. This morning she thought gargoyles weren’t real, so maybe zombies... Don’t be stupid, she shook her head.

  Meline glanced at Roc’s larger than life silhouette. He didn’t look the least bit ruffled. Tomb raiding was probably old hat for him. Roc was like a mix of Indiana Jones and Batman, except his wings were real. He just forged ahead, doing what had to be done to keep everyone safe from the power-hungry lunatics hell bent on gaining the fancy communicator. She smiled. Having him near was a big comfort. It was silly to worry with her very own superhero by her side.

  “Do you need the mobile’s flashlight to see the names?” he asked.

  “No, it’ll stand out like a beacon.” There weren’t any street lights surrounding the old church and cemetery, but luckily there was enough moonlight to see the headstones.

  “Let’s start down there. It looks like the oldest section.” Roc pointed.

  “I wanted to have an exciting vacation and dig up my family history, but this isn’t quite what I had in mind,” she mumbled under her breath as they traversed the rows.

  Roc chuckled, but wisely didn’t comment. They were on their third row in the older section of the graveyard when she recognized a name.

  “I found Nicolas’ grandson.”

  “And over here is Nicolas.” Roc nodded to the next stone over.

  “Which one do we start with?” She looked at the various plots. There were four generations concentrated right here, and more throughout the cemetery if she remembered correctly.

  “If my sire were here, he’d know. Supposedly the purebreds are connected to the sigils somehow. But he’s not, so, I guess we start with good old Nic.” He shrugged.

  Her eyes widened when sharp claws extended from Roc’s fingers. He knelt and started scraping the grass away from Nicolas’ grave.

  “Neat trick, Wolverine. I’m glad I didn’t notice those things when I let you play with my lady bits.”

  Roc paused as he choked on a laugh.

  “As handy as you are, no pun intended, I think I saw a shed at the back of the church. I’m going to see if I can find a shovel
.”

  “I don’t mind digging.” He scooped up a handful of dirt and tossed it aside.

  “Yeah, but I want to get out of here sooner rather than later, I got a hot tub and two bottles of wine calling my name. And believe me, it’s going to take every drop to forget this.”

  “And you shall have my best.” Roc gave her a deep bow.

  Meline wandered back up to the church. She glanced back down the hill to see Roc digging away like an overgrown groundhog and shook her head.

  I’m officially a grave robber. Jen’s going to either kick my ass or high five me over this one, she mused, but knew full well she couldn’t tell her friend half of what happened on her vacation. She’ll have me locked up in the loony bin if I do.

  Her thoughts were still circling around what she was going to tell Jennifer when she reached the shed. Thankfully it was unlocked, and she walked right in. They probably didn’t bother securing the old shed, since anyone who wanted in could just yank the door off its hinges if they were desperate. Meline fished around in the dark till she felt the long handle of a garden implement, unfortunately it was a rake. The rickety door creaked, and she glanced back.

  “Roc, if you pop out and scare me, I will kick you in the nuts.” It would be just like the man to sneak up and go ‘boo’ again.

  The wind blew, making the door creak again. She laughed at herself and continued the search.

  roc

  The cell rang, halting his digging. Roc brushed the dirt off his hands and glanced at the screen before answering.

  “Little John, I’m glad you called. Did you get my message?”

  “Oh, he got the message all right. And I’ve got a message for you, you fucking abomination. You killed my brother, so I'm going take everything you’ve ever loved."

  Roc instantly recognized the voice, it was the other bastard from his penthouse, the one who’d stalked then mugged Meline in her hotel room.

  If this asshole has his phone then John didn’t make it out of the penthouse to run errands after all.