GargoylesEmbrace (4 page)

“I understand completely,” Danton said with a solemn nod. “That
is why I didn’t mention it last night. The vow is not something to be taken
lightly.”

Guilt crept across her face. He knew it was risky to mention
it to her. She was the first human he’d felt connected to in a way that made
him even consider taking the bond after all these centuries. He wasn’t sure
what it was that entranced him so, but once he’d set his eyes on her, he knew
she was the one he both wanted to protect and love. Making love to her as a
man—something he’d longed to do for an eternity, it had seemed—had reinforced
that.

She fumbled around for something in her freezer and he used
the moment to admire her figure from the back, from her sexy pink hair down to
her narrow waist. He loved how her hips flared to a rounded rear end, almost
the shape of an upside-down heart.

“I have some banana bread in here. Let me heat it up real
quick.”

While she defrosted a few slices in the microwave, he
scanned her body from the front. Her generous breasts and rounded hips were
curves he’d coveted night after night, as had dozens of other men at the bar.
As both stone and man, his eyes sought her out, wanting to ensure she was safe
and also to fill a more lustful need. He could never tire of this vision.

“Your kind is quite remarkable, isn’t it?”

“We think so.”

Tracy put yellow sunflower plates on the table and brought
the banana bread over. He found her decorating style both uplifting and
amusing—lots of primary colors and flowers.

“You don’t fear me?” he asked.

“No,” Tracy replied. “Even though I saw you almost stomp
Brian’s head in, I don’t think you’d ever hurt me. And you said it yourself,
you feel like you have to protect me.”

“Good. Humans often fear those who are different.” He leaned
across the table and brushed a tendril of hair off her cheek. “They close their
eyes to them, not wanting to see.” He took a piece of banana bread and devoured
half of it in one bite.

Tracy nibbled her slice while she appeared to think about
something.

“Since this is your one day as a man, what would you like to
do today?”

“I’ve already done it twice with you.” He rose from his
chair. “I’d also like to spend it outdoors. See the ocean.”

Her eyes followed him as he stood, and then she giggled.

“What is it?”

“When you stood I remembered how big you are. And then I
remembered one part in particular I especially liked from last night.”

“Glad you liked it.” He pulled her up.

“First I need to take a quick shower.”

He grinned. “Oh no you don’t. You need to take a long, hot
shower. And you need someone to wash your back.”

They left a trail of the towel and her clothing from her
kitchen to bathroom. Within minutes, their naked bodies pressed against each
other under the hot stream of the water, their tongues dancing together in a
hungry kiss. With his time with her so limited, he wanted to explore every inch
of her and lock it in memory.

Danton bent down to kiss her and she stood on her tiptoes to
reach his lips. He loved how her head just reached the perfect spot on his
chest. He poured some of her lavender body wash onto a yellow poofy sponge and
used it to run a soapy trail from her shoulders down over her arms and back.
That was the scent he caught on her earlier, a floral scent so light and
feminine it reminded him of summers in Provence. He administered a tender touch
while lathering her breasts, anticipating how he’d inhale the scent on her skin
as he kissed her all over as soon as possible. He loved watching the soap and
water trail over and between her breasts and how her lips parted as she let him
wash her.

As he moved farther down, he thought she might lose her
footing as she seemed unsteady for a moment. And then he slowly washed her
thighs, up and over them. Then in between. Right at the apex of her thighs.

He teased her by moving back to wash her buttocks.

“You have such a splendid ass.” He used one hand to wash
while the other squeezed and kneaded her feminine rear.

Tracy pressed against him, encouraging him to explore her
most sensitive parts. Then he returned to her inner thighs. He glanced up to
see she had let her head fall back. He traveled the sponge over her folds, back
and forth, making sure she was not only clean but also on the brink of ecstasy.
He replaced the sponge with his fingers, rubbing over and then into her. One
finger and then two, sliding in and out, fucking her with his fingers as she
rubbed her clit against his hand.

She let out a throaty moan. “Mmm, yesss.”

Why did he only have twenty-four hours as a human? He’d
never minded having to return back to his gargoyle form in the past as that was
the way it always was. But he’d never spent his time as a man with someone like
Tracy. And the more time he spent with her in this form, the harder he knew it
would be to turn back.

“You like that?” he said, bending down to kiss her neck.

He forced brooding thoughts of how this might be the last
time making love to her out of his mind. If this was going to be their only
shower together, he’d make it one she’d never forget.

“Uh huh.”

Without any warning, he lifted her up, holding her by the
buttocks and pressing her against the warmed tiles. She yelped, then wrapped
her arms around his massive back, clinging to him for support.

“I want to fuck you so badly,” Danton said, pressing his
cock against her clit.

“Yes. Now. Yes.” She melted against him, encouraging him.

His cock explored the now-familiar folds of her entry before
he impaled her flesh. His girth made it seem unlikely that he’d ever make it
in, but like the past couple of times, her tight, slick channel welcomed him in
after the initial resistance.

He fucked her hard against the wall and she held on to him,
grinding up and down against his cock. She responded to him so well that in no
time at all she was climbing to her peak.

“Yes, Danton. Oh god, I’m there.”

She wrapped her arms and legs tighter around him as she
rocketed higher and then shattered over him. As her limbs slackened, Danton
pumped into her more furiously, fucking her so hard against the shower wall she
squealed. He held nothing back during the last furious thrusts before an orgasm
shook through him from the core and he pulled out, emptying his seed down her
shower. A throaty moan escaped him as he dropped his head back, the hot stream
from the shower nozzle dripping down his face.

Tracey ran out to pick up clothes for Danton, but then
wondered what style he’d prefer. Jeans? No, he wasn’t an ordinary man, he
needed something more striking. A smile crept across her face as she drove to
her favorite boutique store where she picked up her work clothes. Figuring he
was used to all the black duds and fetish wear by now, she hoped he would be
okay with wearing what she had in mind. It would cost much more, but this was a
one-time opportunity and she wanted to splurge.

Back at her apartment, she asked, “What do you think?” She
handed him black leather pants and a matching jacket and put down a bag of
other clothes and boots.

He held the pants up. “I like it.”

While he put them on, her eyes traveled up his legs to his
crotch. It was a shame he had to wear clothing at all.

“Err, there’s underwear in the bag if you want to wear
them.”

He buttoned the pants. “It’s fine like this.”

She scanned his torso. “In a yummy way. I can see your abs.”

They stopped by Vamps so Danton could retrieve some personal
items he had stashed. He handed her some money.

“What’s this for?”

“The clothes you bought.”

“Oh you don’t have to do that,” she said. ”Consider them a
gift.”

“Thank you.” He beamed. “It is I who should be getting you
gifts.”

Tracy drove to Gloucester and they walked along the
waterfront. Danton took her hand as they passed the famed fisherman statue
dedicated to those who lost their lives to the sea. A moment of hesitation ran
through her, unsure if being affectionate now would make their parting later
more difficult. But then she shrugged. Life was too short anyway.

Danton inhaled. “I love the scent of the ocean. Nothing like
it.” Although the eons in stone form didn’t bother him, when he was human, he
realized all there was outside and he wanted to experience all he could while
he had the time.

“Mmm,” Tracy agreed. She glanced around the walkway. “We
must look the pair. Do you see all the eyes we keep catching?”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Danton said.

“Well, you are quite striking—the tall, badass physique in
leather and long blond hair. It’s not often we have someone looking like you
walking around here.”

“And your pink hair and tattoos. I see that in the club, but
not here. Is that common?”

“Not around here.”

He turned to her. “You look even prettier under the
sunlight. Your face glows. Your hair sparkles.”

“Thank you.” She raised an eyebrow. “Might be afterglow from
all the sex.”

“It will be difficult to leave this form tonight.”

Tracy’s smile vanished and he regretted mentioning leaving.
Would she be sad when he changed? She put on such a tough exterior, she was
difficult to read, but at times he glimpsed a softer, more vulnerable side.
Especially when she let down her guard in the bedroom and melted into his arms,
letting him take care of her the way he wanted.

He knew better than to expect her to take the vow. It was a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And from his observations of humans, they didn’t
jump into these things lightly. But he knew she was the one. He didn’t know if
she’d ever realize it with her guarded nature. And he couldn’t push it upon her
or try to convince her otherwise. So he’d enjoy spending the time as a human
with her before returning to stone.

The day was passing all too quickly. By the time they’d made
it to the beach, it was late afternoon. The hours slipped by as they walked
along the ocean, getting to know each other better. Danton knew so much about
her, but she knew very little about him other than the sublime feel of his body
against hers. Fitting her so right, so completely right.

“Earlier you said something about humans being afraid of
what’s different,” Tracy began. “What are you talking about specifically?”

“They are blind to what’s all around them.”

Tracy scanned the beach filled with people who appeared to
be perfectly normal. What else could he be talking about? “At Vamps?”

With its underground subculture, Vamps had its share of
those who were different. Those exploring an alternative lifestyle or
expressing themselves through unique vinyl outfits or various other types of
eccentric costumes flocked to this venue where they were accepted—even
lauded—for being “freaks”.

“Yes.”

Her heartbeat accelerated, knowing she was on to something. “What
do you mean by different? Their lifestyle?”

“Partly.”

“Why are you being cryptic? What else? You’re not suggesting
some of them aren’t human, are you?”

Danton didn’t answer right away. “Some things are better
understood through discovery rather than what someone tells you.”

Tracy scrunched her face up in confusion.

“If I told you I was a gargoyle without showing you,” Danton
explained, “would you have believed me?”

“Of course not.”

He had a point, Tracy conceded. She would have had him
kicked out of the club, dismissing him as a nut job. Her mind darted to
whatever types of creatures he might be alluding to, but it was too much for
her mind to process. She wouldn’t have believed in gargoyles unless she had
seen him change and even then she had thought it must be unreal, some sort of
drug-induced hallucination.

Approaching another subject, Tracy asked, “How did you end
up in Vamps?”

“Michel Camard brought me over.”

Her mouth dropped open before she could formulate her next
question. Michel Camard was her former boss, the previous owner of Vamps. “Did
he know what you are?”

“Of course.”

Questions swirled in her mind. “Is he—a gargoyle?”

She couldn’t believe she was even having this conversation
about people she knew who might be supernatural beings.

Danton chuckled. “No.”

Something clicked in Tracy’s mind. There was something about
Michel that always attracted her to him. Sure, he was hot as hell and she
thought about jumping his bones more than once, but there was something else
that made him different.

“He’s not human, is he?”

Danton picked up a stone and threw it to the ocean, where it
skipped twice. Tracy suspected he used it as a distraction while he avoided her
question. Or maybe formulated his thoughts. She waited a few moments and was
about to ask again, when he answered.

“I can only share my secret with you. I cannot reveal
others, just like I won’t reveal yours.”

“I respect that,” Tracy said while the gears in her mind
spun ’round, trying to determine what Michel was. “I have a guess,” she began. “But
I won’t put you in an awkward position. Can you tell me at least how the two of
you met?”

Danton nodded. “We were acquainted in Paris.”

“Paris,” she cooed. “How long ago?”

“A long time ago. That’s all I can say.”

Tracy narrowed her eyes while she guesstimated. Years?
Decades? Centuries? Not wanting to press him for something he didn’t want to
tell, she focused on the city where they met. “I’ve always wanted to go to
Paris. Never did I expect it to be filled with gargoyles and with—supernatural
beings.”

“I would love to take you.” Danton picked up another stone
and skipped it. “I haven’t been back to my homeland in too long.”

Tracy beamed like an excited schoolgirl as they resumed
walking the beach. What woman wouldn’t want to go on a romantic trip to Paris?
Let alone with someone who looked—and fucked—like Danton. Then she remembered
one little obstacle. He turned back to stone tonight.