Stone Guardian (30 page)

“I never will. Now, come into me.”

He entwined his fingers with hers as he settled between her legs. His skin was warm and rough, fine sandpaper against hers, and he squeezed her fingers as his hips pushed into hers.

It was fullness more than pain, a stretching no fingers or other use could duplicate. His pace was slow, coming into her in small degrees until he seated himself fully in her.

“Larissa?”

It was only after they opened that she realized she closed her eyes. “I’m fine. It feels nice and strange, but nice.”

“I am not sure
nice
is the word most males wish to hear at this moment.”

Her laughter bubbled forth, her gargoyle’s sense of humor becoming ever more prominent and showing up at the most unusual times. She squeezed his hand harder, loving that he was here with her and that he was hers.

She raised her head and brushed her mouth against his, needing connection with him in every place her body would allow it.

Terak deepened the kiss and started to move within her, the pace slow at first but rapidly speeding up.

Nice
was also falling by the wayside, being forced aside by the rekindling of the fire they shared earlier, a fire which had been banked by nervousness and the interruption of reality.

His moan told her he was experiencing the same. Their entwined hands he brought to rest on the bed by her head. His other hand he used to wrap her leg around his hip, giving him leverage and providing a different angle to thrust.

“
Holy hell.
” Dear gods, what was that
spot
he was hitting now, the one that had every pleasure center in her body sit up and start singing hallelujah?

His mouth went to her neck, kissing under her ear while his hips kept a steady rhythm to her moaning pleas. Those hips bucking into her were relentless.

The pressure was building in her, the same pattern Terak forced from her earlier in the evening. “Terak, I’m coming. Move, faster, move faster by
gods
move faster.”

His mouth covered hers, his hand coming to bury itself in her hair as he did as he was instructed, burying himself to the hilt in her over and over in ever-quickening thrusts.

White was all she saw behind her eyelids while her body pulsed around him. She could feel every vein of his shaft as she squeezed him with the force of her orgasm.

Terak’s low, pained groans sounded in her ear as he joined her, binding them together.

She was dozing on his chest, her hair splayed over his chest in a cascade he could not stop running his fingers through.

She stirred, her eyes opening to show him that glorious blue. After taking a moment to focus, a small smile played over her lips. “Hi,” she said.

“Never have I seen anything more perfect than you at this moment.”

She blushed deep red at those words, her head ducking down and her eyes refusing to meet his. “I think you are beautiful as well.”

“My human form or my gargoyle self?

His tone was more hesitant than he would have wished. At his words, her eyes came back to his, all signs of embarrassment gone from her expression. She clasped his face between her two small hands. Such a soft prison. “Don’t you know? Both. I find both so beautiful.”

He kissed her, and everything – his love, his devotion, his
soul
– was in that kiss, hers for the taking.

They strained against each other, their bodies eager for a continuation of the pleasure of the night before. He stroked his hands over her round, firm bottom and squeezed. She broke the kiss, laughing and blushing. “I’m a little too sore for anything right now.”

Instantly he sat up. “What do you need?”

She grabbed his arm, bringing him down. “I need you to cuddle me. Unless gargoyle males have as much a problem with that as human males are purported to have.”

“I do not ask my fellow warriors such things, but I always wish to be surrounded with you.”

She cuddled against his shoulder. “Tell me a secret.”

You are my queen, you are my love, and I gladly leave my Clan for you
. He said, “My parents loved each other.”

She raised her eyes to his. “That’s a secret?”

“Remember I told you that the Clan Leader does not marry for love, he marries the strongest female for the sake of the Clan?”

She nodded. “And you told me the first night that you inherited from your father your title.”

“In the Magic Realm, gargoyles were not one great Clan. There were several smaller Clans who were allies but did not answer to each other. My father was a great warrior, the Clan Leader of the largest and strongest of these scattered Clans. His Intended was the strongest, as was our custom.”

“And your mother?”

“My mother’s Clan was one of the smallest Clans. They were also a Clan that had a greedy and unjust leader. His avarice caused the downfall of the Clan and the loss of many lives. The survivors sought my father to ask for admittance into his Clan.”

Larissa went up on one elbow to look down at him. “What happened?”

“My father told me he took one look at her and knew he wanted no other female. But she was not deemed suitable.”

“Why not?”

“Her mother was human.”

Larissa’s eyes went saucer wide. “Your mother was half-human?”

“Gargoyles can mate with humans, as well you should know,” he added, leaning up to kiss her where neck met shoulder.

She giggled, squirming under his mouth. “Yes, but I didn’t realize that there could be children.”

“Perhaps there is more to our origin myth than merely a story to tell around the fire. Any child created in such a union is born a gargoyle. While not common, it is also not unheard of for a gargoyle to take a human mate.”

The last humor left her face, and she worried her lower lip between her teeth. “But are such unions frowned on?”

“No more than a gargoyle taking as mate a gargoyle from another Clan. Until they prove themselves loyal to the Clan, they are regarded with suspicion.”

“But you said that your mother was not accepted as worthy.”

He brushed her long hair back, the multiple hues of blonde caressing his fingers. “What is acceptable for an ordinary Clan member is not always acceptable for the Leader of all. Is it not the same for humans?”

Her gaze flicked downward, her generous mouth turning down. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

He lifted her chin so she would meet his gaze. “My father defied his Clan and married my mother.”

Her expression could not settle on one emotion and flickered between hope and trepidation. “Where there any consequences?”

“My father was too strong for anyone in the Clan to take his title, but he was never seen in the same light again. When my mother died, he lost himself, for she was his world. That led to more talk on how he had been weak to mate with her. He died not long after.”

Larissa stroked his face. “I’m so sorry.”

He accepted her gentle caring and pushed his face into her hand. “It was long ago. But while I planned to return to my Clan’s tradition and mate with the strongest female, I never once believed when they said loving my mother made my father weak. I saw him with her. I knew better than anyone – loving her only gave him strength. I always envied that he could mate with the female he loved while I could not.”

“Then why go back to the old ways?”

“After the Great Collision, the various Clans needed to band together if we were to survive in this new world. This was not an easy process. While the Clans had always been allies, this did not mean the various factions were friends. I felt in order to bring some stability to the Clans, I needed to make clear my intention of honoring the old ways.”

She stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers. “Like I said, a good leader.”

He rolled her over underneath him, kissing her. “Terak-”

“You are still sore, little human. This does not mean I cannot kiss it to make it better.”

She was sighing as he kissed down her body. “Tell me secrets of yours,” he said, before licking a nipple.

“Mmmm,” she groaned in appreciation. “Let’s see. I’m allergic to peanut butter.”

“I’m very sorry to hear it.”

“I’m double jointed in a lot of areas.”

“This explains much of what you did last night,” he said, spreading her legs and anchoring his shoulders between them.

“And I was… oh
gods,
Terak. Do that again.”

“I am yours to command.”

Terak leaned her over the bed. The sheet was cool as it slid over her nipples but behind her, Terak was an inferno, his thighs behind her, his cock rubbing the valley between her thighs…

A knock sounded at the entrance of the teacher’s lounge and Taneasha Jackson stuck her head in. “Miss Miller?”

Maybe fantasizing about her sex life during the school day
wasn’t
the best idea ever, even if she was on a break. Larissa drew in a deep breath and hoped her voice was steady when she said, “Yes?”

Taneasha looked nervous, her eyes darting to the side before coming to meet hers again. “I was wondering if I could talk to you?”

The girl’s worried tone was enough to shake off any vestiges of embarrassment. Larissa motioned with her hand. “Of course, come in.”

Taneasha made sure the door was closed before walked to stand before Larissa and started talking again. “Miss Miller, I need to talk to you about something important. But before we start, I need you to promise you won’t get upset with me.”

Oh no.
Was Taneasha pregnant? On drugs? Larissa took her hand. “I promise I’ll never get upset. I always want you to feel like you can come to me.”

Taneasha nodded, licking her lips. “Miss Miller… I’m studying magic.”

It was so far from what she was expecting that full comprehension took several long moments. “Excuse me?”

“My mom forbade it, but I love it so much. I have a gift for it, my Master – that’s what you call your magic teacher – he told me so.”

This was not good. This was very not good, and Larissa’s stomach dropped as negative possibilities for the girl in front of her flitted through her mind. “Taneasha, this is serious. You can’t practice without the proper guidance. Magic is regulated for a reason, and it is always forbidden within the city.”

“I know, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to learn. My family would never have permitted it if I asked them.”

No, Larissa knew enough about Taneasha’s family to know it was not even the remotest possibility. Larissa ran her hands through her hair. She was bound by oath to report this, but if she did, this girl would be severely punished. “Taneasha-”

Before Larissa could complete the sentence, Taneasha broke in. “Miss Miller, I told you this because something bad is happening to you.”

That caught Larissa’s attention. “What?”

“My Master says that once you start learning magic, you begin to feel when things aren’t right with the people you care about, and…well…” Taneasha blushed and looked away, then brought her attention back to Larissa. “Anyway, I’ve been having a bad feeling about you, so I’ve been casting spells, on my own and with my Master’s help. They are meant for your protection and your welfare. And I’ve discovered some things.”

Taneasha looked around. From her backpack, she brought forward a globe. “Don’t touch this, just look.”

Larissa looked into the ball. She was looking from someone’s point of view, though whose eyes she was seeing through was anyone’s guess.

The mystery person walked into a large grove. From the looks of the grounds it had to be sometime in Summer, early Autumn at the latest.

As soon as the mystery person laid eyes on the female in the distance, he stopped.

It was the Oracle. She was wearing more than what she wore at the club, but not by much. A diaphanous white gown, with a square neck but high slits running along both thighs. She wore a gold collar and large gold cuff bracelets.

“Very punctual, Clan Leader of the Gargoyles.”

And Terak’s voice answered back, “I am grateful I can say the same for you, Oracle.”

Larissa was seeing through Terak’s eyes.

She wasn’t going to invade Terak’s mind like this. About to pick up the globe and give it back to Taneasha, her hand paused when she heard the Oracle say, “Her name is Larissa Miller.”

“And what care I about a human woman? Gargoyles are not bodyguards, nor are we your lackeys.”

“I am not asking you to watch the woman for my sake, Clan Leader, but for you and for your Clan.”

“What do you mean?”

“She is connected the future of your Clan. Guard her well.” With that pronouncement, the Oracle turned to leave.

“What do you mean?” Terak called after her. “How is she important? What am I to guard her against? I demand answers.”

The Oracle looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Feel free to make an appointment then. I believe I’m free in a few years.”

The scene shifted, and now as Terak Larissa was looking upon many arguing Gargoyles. Valry stood. “Have we sunk so low as to bow before the Oracle?”

“The Oracle has never been wrong,” called a voice from the back.

“How can she be, when she makes such vague pronouncements? Merely by the act of being observed, this human becomes important to our Clan as she has taken our
Mennak
away from us for long periods of time. We have no use for the outside world, especially for a woman such as this, one who lives in the confines of the
human
-only city. Think she cares about Gargoyles?”

A large sound of agreement followed the words, shouts and stomping of feet. Malek stood. “While I will not say I am in complete disagreement with Valry’s words, I am not so eager to cast off the words of the Oracle. I would wish to observe the human for a period of time. What can that hurt?”

Larissa-as-Terak stood. “I have heard all your words. All of it wise council, but I must choose a path. I choose to watch the human. While I do not trust the Oracle, I will not ignore her for no reason other than pride.”