Gregor (Stone Society Book 2) (17 page)

Isabelle continued ringing her hands, so he took a
chance and held them between his own. She flashed her eyes up to his. He
continued, “I am unsure about the whole mate bond as well. Instead of jumping
in with both feet, we can pretend it isn’t there, or if you like, we can take
it slow and see how it goes.” Dante was giving her time to adjust. It would
crush him if she didn’t want to at least explore the possibility of being
together.

 Isabelle bit her bottom lip while thinking of
how to respond. He really wished she wouldn’t do that. It only drew attention
to her mouth, and her mouth was beautiful. Full red lips were enticing enough
without her white teeth making indentions in the lower one. She finally
squeezed his hands and replied, “I think I would like taking it slow. Honestly,
I’ve been in love before. At least I thought it was love. It could have been a
young girl’s infatuation with a confident, older man. When I married Alexi, I
thought it was for life. It wasn’t. I don’t want to screw this up, but at the
same time, I don’t want to withhold the relationship destined to be your one
and only. Does that make sense?”

Dante hated hearing about her love for another
man. While he didn’t want Isabelle to hurt in any way, he was glad the other
man was dead, else he might have to take care of that himself. When Nikolas was
searching for the daughter of Jonas Montague, he had found out the tragic story
behind her husband’s demise.  “Yes, it makes sense. I know I’m not much to look
at, and I’m sure your late husband was probably very handsome. Please don’t lie
to me just to spare my feelings, and definitely don’t pursue our relationship
out of a sense of duty. I’ve been alone over five hundred years. I can handle
going the rest of my life without my mate if she doesn’t find me worthy.”

Isabelle surprised him when she leaned in and
placed her lips to his. It was a simple, chaste kiss, but it was heaven none
the less. “You are definitely worthy,” she whispered against his mouth.

Trying not to think about the tingle on his lips,
he told her, “I will give you some space until you are settled into your new
job and your new body. I will call you and ask you for a date, and we will
proceed as any other couple would. If you need to see me or just want to talk
to me before that time, please give me a call.”

Isabelle gave him a small smile and nodded. “Now,
about those inmates.”

Gregor was feeling empty. He had called Tessa,
offering to fly her back to New Atlanta. When she declined, he asked that she
at least let him drive her to the airport. Again she turned him down. She told him
to move on with his life and find someone else to fulfil his time as well as
his bed. Then she hung up. Being a shifter herself, she knew it didn’t work
that way. Maybe she could find another man to take to bed, but he would not
give up. It would kill him to watch her be with someone else, but he would
never take another woman to his bed, not while there was still a chance with
his mate.

He didn’t bother going home for a uniform before
he headed to the Pen. As soon as he arrived, he called Deacon to his office for
a report. Nothing too traumatic had happened, and Dante’s patient was back in
his cell. Now that Gregor was back in town, he would call Isabelle and have her
return to work as soon as she was ready. The one thing of interest that
happened was Vincent Alexander had changed his note. Now, instead of it reading
cigarette,
it read
Isabelle.
There was no way Gregor would allow
Alexander anywhere near Isabelle without several shifters being right there
with her. If she could get any useful information out of him, he was willing to
try it. At least once.

Deacon left the office to make his rounds, and Gregor
slumped down in his chair with his head leaned back, eyes closed. His thoughts
wouldn’t quieten. The events of New Orleans played in his mind like a movie on
repeat. His desk phone rang several times before he relented and answered.
“Stone.”

“Warden Stone, this is Elizabeth Flanagan. If you
care at all for my daughter, you will stop her from going to Egypt.” The line
went dead, and the dial tone buzzed in his ear. Gregor looked at the receiver
like it was a snake.

“Fuck. FUCK!” He slammed the receiver down in its
cradle and ran his hand through his hair.

He called Deacon on his radio and told him he was
in charge again; Gregor had an emergency. Then he called Isabelle. She didn’t
answer her home phone so he called her cell. “Hello?”

“Isabelle, it’s Gregor. I need Tessa’s address.”
He was already in his Hummer, headed out the gate.

“Is everything okay?” Isabelle was going to
protect Tessa, he knew it.

“No, everything is not okay. I have to stop her
from leaving the country. Where does she live?”

“Gregor, I don’t know if I should…” She was
stopped by another voice in the background. Was that Dante? “Oh, okay, I will
text it to you. But Gregor, she really does need to go to Egypt. One of our
cousins is in trouble.”

“I will work that out with Tessa. Thank you,
Isabelle.”

If someone was in trouble, his mate was not the
cavalry. They could find someone else to ride in and save the day. His cell
phone pinged with a text message from Isabelle. Once he had the address, Gregor
put the pedal down. He arrived at Tessa’s home in record time. He angled out of
the Hummer and strode to the front door. Calming himself, he used his senses to
check the area. The shower was running, and Tessa was singing.

Even though the house sat back off the road, he
didn’t take a chance someone could see him picking the locks. He stole his way
to the back door, and luckily, the alarm was not set. He would have to speak to
Tessa about that. After a quick job on the lock, he let himself in. He looked
around Tessa’s house. It was much larger than he expected. The family must pay
her well for her to have this home as well as the one in New Orleans. The
furnishings were comfortable. Photographs lined the walls. Pictures of exotic
locations as well as random people were scattered throughout. Not one of the
pictures included her though. He sat down in a chair in the living room
admiring the stone hearth. It reminded him of a smaller version of his own
fireplace. He sat back and enjoyed the tunes Tessa was singing with a radio. His
mate had a decent voice. The water turned off. Gregor willed himself to stay
calm.

Tessa
walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. She paused, sensing someone in
her house. As she rounded the corner to the living room she shrieked, “What the
FUCK are you doing here?”  Gregor was sitting in her recliner, ankle crossed
over his knee. “Being an officer of the law, you should know the meaning of
breaking and entering!”

“The
alarm wasn’t on,” Gregor said nonchalantly staring at the unlit fireplace.

“Bullshit.
I locked the doors and set the security. What are you doing here?”  She
seriously didn’t want to know the answer.  

“I
came to ask you about bonding. You seem to be the expert on the subject.”

 “You
have five seconds to clear out, Stone.”  Tessa hitched the towel higher around
her breasts.

“Or
what? You gonna kick me out?” 

“No,
I’m gonna call the police. See how the Chief feels about her mate’s brother
breaking the law.”

“Go
ahead and call her. While you have her on the phone, tell her what you know
about humans mating with Gargoyles.”

“I’m
going to put on some clothes, if you don’t mind.”

“Be
my guest.” Gregor went back to staring at the fireplace.

“
Be
my guest
,” Tessa mumbled as she disappeared into her bedroom. She dropped
the towel as she pulled open her dresser drawers, looking for something,
anything to cover her body.
Son of a fucking bitch. She’d teach him.

“911,
what’s your emergency?”

“This
is Tessa Blackmore. There’s an intruder in my house.”

“What’s
your address Miss Blackmore?”  Before Tessa could respond, a roar came from behind
her.

“What
the fuck do you think you’re doing?”  Gregor was coming at her, fully phased.
His massive wings filled up her room.

“Proving
a point.”  Tessa forgot she was naked. Gregor’s eyes scanned her body. His
nostrils were flaring and his chest heaving.
Oh
s
hit. He’s feeling
the mate pull.

“I’m
sorry, there’s no intruder. It’s just my husband.”  Tessa hung up and threw the
phone on the bed.

“Why
aren’t you screaming?”  Gregor had his head cocked, frowning.

“It’s
not like I’ve never seen a Gargoyle, and besides, I don’t scream.”

He
laughed, “I bet I can make you scream.”

Tessa
rolled her eyes. “You need to get out of here and let me put some clothes on.” 
He wasn’t backing up. No, he was inching forward. “Stone, listen to me. Phase
back. You don’t want to do this, not now.”

He
wasn’t changing. She knew she smelled too good to him. She opened the night
stand drawer and pulled out her gun. “Stop, Stone. Don’t make me shoot you.”

“You
won’t shoot me, Red.” He took a couple more steps in her direction.

Fuck
this. She cocked the hammer and aimed at his meaty thigh. “Not one more step.”

Gregor
didn’t bat an eyelash. He lunged for Tessa and the gun went off.

“Fucking
hell, you shot me!”  Gregor was staring at the scratch on his leg. “You fucking
shot me!”

“I
told you to stop. Maybe next time you’ll listen.”  She put the gun back in the
night stand and turned toward the closet. At least she could put on her robe.
She didn’t make it two steps before she felt herself being hurled through the
air, landing on her back on the bed. Gregor was on her, his powerful body
keeping hers in place, strong hands holding her arms above her head. His claws
and wings were gone but his fangs, those were front and center. Her eyes
focused on his but she could see the fangs threatening in her peripheral
vision.

“You
shot me, Red. What should I do about that?”  Gregor’s hard cock was pressing
against her bare pussy. His shredded cotton shirt was rubbing against her
nipples as he moved over her. His breath was in her ear as he scraped a fang
along her chin, down her neck, landing on her shoulder.

 “I
think you should get off.” Tessa squirmed under him, not sure if she was trying
to push his big body off hers or get a little friction going.

“Oh,
I’ll get off all right, but not before you do.”  He released her hands as he
kissed her shoulder then slid down her body taking a stiff nipple into his
mouth. He flicked the bud with his tongue then sucked on it causing fire to
shoot through Tessa’s body. He nicked her skin with his fangs. The pain was
sharp, but at the same time so very sensual. He licked the drop of blood he’d
drawn before he continued down her stomach, stopping to take in the tattoo
above her hip bone. If he lingered long enough, he just might figure it out. He
obviously had other things on his mind, because he moved farther down until his
face was between her now spread thighs. She really should have him in a leg
lock, not opening farther for him. Damn mating pull. Her body was fighting with
her brain. It knew the male on top of her belonged there, even if her head was
telling her hell no.

The
first swipe of his tongue on her clit had her fangs coming out. “Stop.” 

The
second flick in her wet folds had her claws bursting forth. “You need to
stop.”  Her pleas were weak, even to her own ears. Her hips pushing up into his
face told him her words were lies.

The
nip of skin on the inside of her thigh had her ready to throw him on his back
and fuck him into oblivion. There was no way she could say no to this man.
Gregor licked her folds again then inserted a thick finger, plunging in then
retreating, hitting her g-spot on the way out. He added a second one then finger
fucked her while he tortured her clit with his tongue. Tessa’s claws found
purchase in her bedding while her body writhed under Gregor’s face, wanting
more.

“More,
oh gods, I need more.” Her climax was so close. He fucked her faster, harder.
His tongue gave way to his mouth as he sucked her clit hard. With his free
hand, he grabbed a fistful of her long red hair and pulled. That was the
catalyst she needed to finally come apart. The sparks shooting from her core
matched those she saw behind closed eyes. Gregor was right. She screamed.

If
she had not been somewhere else mentally, she would have heard the car pull up
in the drive. As it were, she was oblivious to the person moving through her
house until she heard, “Freeze. Don’t move.”

She
felt Gregor stiffen as the cop drew back the hammer on his gun. Tessa quickly
phased back, hoping the officer hadn’t seen her claws.

 “Son
of a bitch. You wanna get the fuck out of here so she can put some clothes
on?”  Gregor was talking to the cop, but his eyes were on her as he slid his
body up hers to shield her nakedness from the other man.

The
cop laughed, “Yeah, I’ll give you two a minute.”  Why the hell was he laughing?

She
expected Gregor to move off the bed. Instead he pushed her hair away from her
face and kissed her softly.
Well fuck.

Merrick
ignored the ringing phone. The woman lying under him was too delectable to stop
fucking. Red hair was splayed across white pillows; the contrast was almost
blinding. Her wrists were bound with rope, and her arms were stretched over her
head, putting her breasts on full display. Her creamy smooth skin was taunting
him. There was not one blemish on her anywhere. No birthmark, no freckle, no
tattoo, nothing. He needed to rectify that.