Sixx (The Stone Society, #7) (15 page)

“Are you thirsty?” she blurted out. She needed a distraction. Seeing Michael do something as sweet as getting rid of the flowers she hated was softening her resolve. That one small act reminded her why she’d fallen in love with him in the first place. He was as beautiful on the inside as he was on the outside. She couldn’t have that. Desirae needed to keep those walls in place. He was here to talk, nothing more. She would listen and send him on his merry hot-as-frick shapeshifter way. “I know it’s early in the day, but it’s five o’clock somewhere, right?” Now she was rambling. It was something she did when she was nervous. She shouldn’t be nervous, but then again she’d just been told – no, shown – that her ex-lover, the father of her child, was a five-hundred-year-old shapeshifter.

And he was still as sweet as ever.

Frick.

“I’ll have a beer,” he said from across the room. He was keeping his distance. That was probably for the best. Being close hadn’t worked out so well. She pulled two longnecks out of the fridge and started rummaging through the utensil drawer for her bottle opener. “Here, I’ll get them,” Michael said, twisting the caps off the bottles as if they weren’t hermetically sealed.

“So I take it your superhero body comes with special powers?” Desirae had meant it as a joke, but Michael nodded.

“Yes. Males of our species have extra-thick skin that is, for all intents and purposes, impenetrable. Hearing, sight, smell, those senses are heightened. Most Gargoyles have the ability to read someone’s emotions just by being in close proximity. I can tell by your heart rate whether you’re excited, nervous, agitated, turned on.” He paused and took a pull off his beer. The way his throat moved as he swallowed was so fricking sexy.

“Rae,” he chastised.

“Sorry. You were saying?” She wasn’t sorry. It wasn’t her fault he was a fricking god.

“We are extra fast and super strong as well.”

“You have wings, so I take it you can fly?” That’s something she’d love to see.

“Yes. We don’t get to take to the skies as often as we used to. Before technology advanced as far as it has, we were able to fly during the day under cover of clouds. If someone saw us, we could explain it away as being a large bird or an airplane in the distance. Now, we have to be careful.”

“Will you live forever?” Desirae didn’t want to think about growing old without him. It kind of made sense why he stayed away. He’d continue on in his superhero body, and she’d fade away, leaving him alone.

“We can only be killed a couple of ways. As for dying, it is possible for Gargoyles to will themselves to pass on to the other side. Females of our kind are almost extinct. They don’t have the special skin or wings, so they are more susceptible to human conditions. Once a male has lost his female, he might also lose the will to live without her. So, unless I lose my head, am poisoned, or my mate passes before I do, I’ll be around quite a while.”

His mate. She was his mate, if he was telling her the truth. “But I’m human, so won’t I die sooner or later?”

“Everyone dies eventually, but you will live a long life. Even if you don’t accept the mate bond, I stopped the aging process when I bit you. Don’t get me wrong; you can be killed.  But you will not die of old age for an extremely long time.”

Rae didn’t know how to feel about that. Not that she was going to let Michael back into her life, but hypothetically, if she did, she would want to be with him as long as possible. On the other hand, she wouldn’t want to go on if something were to happen to Desi. “What about Desi?”

“He’s a half-blood. When he meets his mate, he will transition into a Gargoyle and will have an extended lifespan as well.”

“Say what?” Her son was going to be one of those... not monsters. That was the wrong word. Michael Gentry might shift into something else, but he was no monster. When he... what had he called it? Phasing? Yes, when he phased, his appearance changed somewhat, but it was still clearly him and not some furry animal. He had called it being a shifter, so she’d stick with that. “Desi’s going to be a shifter?”

“Yes. It’s why I need to talk to him. Explain what will happen when he finds his mate. Let him know what changes he will go through. He’ll be brought into the Clan as one of us.”

“Huh.” Desirae tossed back her beer, downing most of it. She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and sat down at the kitchen table. Hard. She slid down in the seat and closed her eyes. Maybe if she sat there long enough, she’d wake up and realize this was all another crazy-assed dream.

“Rae.”

Nope. Not a dream. That voice was too good to be a dream. She cracked her eyes open and found Sixx frowning. Not a good look on him. Actually, any look on her ex-lover was a good look, but she didn’t want to see him frowning. “This is all just a little much to deal with, you know? I guess I need to get in touch with Desi and find out when he can come home.”

“Speaking of home, I don’t want to rush you or put any pressure on you, but I’d really like for you to considering moving into my home.”

“I’m not moving across the country.” She’d lived in California her whole life. She wasn’t going to move away from the ocean now.

“I have a house here, Doll. Up in New Malibu. It has a great view of the ocean. We can strap our boards on the Jeep and be surfing in fifteen minutes. Or, there’s a smaller house for sale right on the beach. Whichever you prefer.”

“How long have you had a house here?” Desirae wasn’t sure why that mattered, but for some reason it did. Had he been living here all along but hadn’t reached out to her? If he loved her as much as he said he did, he would have at least been curious.

“I bought it several years ago when it was listed under foreclosure. Like I mentioned earlier, I purchase properties for the Clan, so when I see a bargain, I go for it. This house happened to be in a great location overlooking Broad Beach, so I kept it for myself. I’ve always hoped to move back here, and now, let’s just say if things go the way I hope they do, I’ll be living there for the next thirty years or so.”

“If you’re immortal, why only thirty years?”

“It’s hard to stay in one place and remain young-looking without someone eventually noticing. Thirty years is about as long as any of us have managed, outside of our King. He has been able to keep himself fairly hidden until recently.”

Rae knew all too well how hard it was to stay in one place. At least now she knew she didn’t really have a condition. There was nothing wrong with her other than she had a non-human ex-lover who was claiming her as his mate. Her son was one of these non-humans. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He was still human until he met his mate. “How will Desi know when he meets his own mate? How does that work?”

“When you’re in the presence of your mate, you want them with a need that surpasses anything you’ve ever felt before. You have no choice but to heed the call. Like when I bit you. He will need to be aware of anytime he feels out of sorts. Sick for no apparent reason. The obvious way will be when he transitions for the first time. For full-bloods, it’s painful, but we are taught from birth what to expect. I’ve heard from another half-blood that the pain for them is excruciating. Desi will want to be aware of the signs, the all-out lust, the nausea, the jealousy. When he feels those things, even if he isn’t sure who has caused it, he’ll need to get somewhere safe. I’d prefer it be with me so I can help him through his phasing.”

“Crap. I really need to call him. I saw your picture from the restaurant. I’m sure by now, Desi has, too. Cynthia, the band’s publicist, monitors social media closely.”

“I’m sorry if my actions have caused any hardship for our son, Rae.”

Desirae knew Michael was sincere. When they were together before, he’d been the kindest, most gentle man she’d ever met. Outside the bedroom. Inside, now that was another story. He rocked her fricking world. She doubted if he’d changed much over the years. The kind of goodness he had inside him didn’t just go away. “We’ve talked about you. Over the years, he’s asked questions that I couldn’t answer. I don’t think he’s going to accept you into his life right away.”

“What exactly have you told him?”

“The truth. You left. Cut all ties, and I had no way of getting in touch with you.”

Michael bowed his head and closed his eyes. His fists were clenching at his side. Desirae left him alone. If he was pissed for her telling Desi the truth as she knew it, he would just have to get over it. When he raised his head, she could swear his eyes were wet. Did big alpha non-humans cry?

“Rae.”

Oh, god. There was so much torment in that one word. She wanted so badly to go to him, but she couldn’t allow it. If she did, she had no doubt they’d end up in her bed. She could not go there. She pushed away from the table. “I’m going to call him. I’ll be right back.” Desirae left Michael standing in the kitchen to deal with his emotions. She couldn’t help him get them in check, because nothing she could say would change the past. Sure, she could tell him it was okay, but it wasn’t. Not by a longshot.

Rae hit the preprogrammed button for Desi’s number and paced the living room while it rang.

“Hey, Pretty Momma. What’s shaking? Everything okay?”

“Hey, Baby. I’m fine. I just wanted to see when you’ll have a break and can come home.”

“Mom, what’s going on? Are you sick?”

Rae smiled at her son even though he couldn’t see her face. “Desi, I promise, I’m fine. I just need to talk to you, and it’s kind of important.”

“Mom...”

Desi never hesitated to say what was on his mind. He was secure, and confident, and well, loud. His rock star persona wasn’t a far cry from the real deal. What you saw was what you got. Until it came to her. “Does this have anything to do with the man from the restaurant?”

“I knew you’d have seen those pictures. Yes, Desi. It has everything to do with him.”

“Am I a twin? Do I have a brother you put up for adoption? Mom, what’s going on?”

“Oh, Baby. It’s nothing like that, but I really don’t want to get into this over the phone.”

“I’ll be home tonight. We don’t have a show until tomorrow, and I can be home in about three hours if I leave now. I just have to get a rental car.”

“I hate to ask this of you, but it’s really important.” Desirae wasn’t ready for Desi to meet his father, but he needed to know the truth of what his father was. What he potentially was.

“No worries. I’ll see you soon.”

“Be careful, Dez.”

“Will do.” The phone disconnected and Desirae closed her eyes. She always thought she’d have time to prepare her son for meeting his father someday. Even though he was a grown man, he was still her baby. She would want to protect him from the world until he was old and gray. Now, he’d probably never turn old or gray.

“I could have sent the jet after him.” Michael had moved into the living room at some point during her conversation.

“You have your own jet?” He had a home in the New Malibu hills. He must have a little money.

“Not me personally. It’s the Clan’s, but I can use it whenever I need to. Three hours isn’t too bad. It’ll give me time to pull up my big Gargoyle panties.”

Rae laughed at that. Michael was nervous about meeting his son. She could understand why. He was coming into Desi’s life late in the game. Now, she had to get through the next three hours with her mind and body intact. Her heart was a lost cause.

“W
hat have you found out?” Alistair growled as he grabbed a handful of hair that was bobbing up and down between his legs. The female stopped sucking his dick when he pulled hard enough to elicit pain. Alistair was growing impatient with Sergei. The fool had obviously failed in the first task given to him, and now he refused to answer his phone. The only competent male in Alistair’s employ was Achilles.

“I have tracked Novik’s movements. He visited the office of Stone, Inc. before driving to the penitentiary. Now, he is at a local hotel. He hasn’t left his room since he checked in. He only used his phone once, and that was to order a pizza to be delivered.”

“What about my nephew?” Alistair asked, slapping the female on the cheek. When she opened her mouth, he shoved his cock back in.

“He, his mate, and a couple of other Goyles flew to California. Julian finally broke through my coding, so he has me blocked out of their system. For now. Sinclair’s home is like a fortress, both physically and virtually. I haven’t been able to get anything from that angle, but one of the Gargoyles hasn’t been as careful. I have a man inside and should have access to at least one private conversation.”

“So that’s why Sergei wasn’t able to get Kallisto – Rafael is out of town. We need an incentive for him to return to New Atlanta. I will leave that up to you.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Have you found someone to replace Stavros Sarantos?” The fool who supplied Alistair with women had ended up in jail.

“That’s been a bit of a challenge considering the types of females you prefer. I have two possible candidates, but I am still vetting them.”

“Very well. There’s one more thing I need you to do...”

After giving the male further instruction, Alistair disconnected. Coming across Achilles a few years back had been one of the most fortuitous days of his life. Not only was the Gargoyle brilliant, he hated humans almost as much as Alistair did. With Achilles keeping Julian Stone busy with their computers and security, it left Julian vulnerable where other aspects of his life were concerned.

He was confident Achilles would do as he was told. He’d never failed his King. He was a good candidate to take Alistair’s place. Still holding the long brown hair in his fist, he thrust up from his seat into the human’s mouth. When his cock hit the back of her throat, he stopped moving, holding her head in place, causing her to gag. She squeezed her eyes shut as tears spilled from the sides. Alistair held her there a beat longer before pushing her off. Saliva dripped down her chin, but he didn’t give her the opportunity to wipe it off. “Turn around and bend over,” he commanded. The girl scrambled from her place between his legs and bent over Alistair’s desk, holding on to the other side. With no warning, he drove his cock into her cunt, imagining
her
trussed up like a whore.