Stone Destiny (Stone Passion #3) (10 page)

His hands hovered uselessly over her body lying in repose, desperate to touch her and make sure she was okay and knowing that if he touched her he would be lost. Deliberately, he stepped away from her, ignoring the siren’s call of her very passionate soul. He had succumbed to lust because they had spent so many hours together talking, laughing
. He had been all-but-naked and she had worn those sexy tank tops that hugged her feminine body and shorts that showcased her gorgeous legs. It was no excuse, of course, because he was far older and more worldly than an innocent like Ferris. He should have kept his dick to himself.

Fuck
! He just screwed up big time. He was a lecherous fool to give in to his baser instincts. She was a fucking virgin! He should have been able to withstand her charms. Hating the weakness that had struck him dumb, he scrubbed his hands through his hair and stalked towards the door, grabbing the robe and pulling it onto his naked and paint-splattered body. He knew that if he was thinking rationally he would have pulled a blanket over her delectable nubile body. Hell, if he was thinking rationally he never would have succumbed to the madness of Ferris.

Fuck.

Ferris heard the door slam shut and blinked her eyes open. When she had felt him stir, a smile tipped her lips because she knew he was going to kiss her awake and make love to her one more time before the sun rose and he became a gargoyle for the day. But he had stiffened almost immediately and she knew that something was wrong. He wasn’t acting the way he was supposed to act.

At first she thought it was because it was much closer to dawn than he had
expected, that he wasn’t going to be able to wake her up in a way that cemented their new relationship. But then she had felt the heat from his hands as he held them over her body but refused to touch her. Despite his peculiar behavior she made excuses for him. It was close to dawn and if anyone discovered them together….

Abruptly, she sat up as horror dawned and her eyes widened in alarm
. They could have been discovered! No wonder he was so freaked out. While she was a grown woman, nearly the same age her mother and aunt were when they met their gargoyle mates, she was still a child in their eyes. Armand was only putting space between them until they could sit down and figure out how to tell everyone that they were together now.

That was going to be an awkward conversation.

Smoothing her hands over her thighs, she looked down and giggled a bit hysterically. She was still smeared with paint, even more so now that she had Armand’s paint on her body, too. There was a twinge of pain between her legs and she winced as she shakily rose to her feet. Numb in body but not in thought, she mindlessly picked up her ruined clothes and got dressed. The tank top had survived, albeit stained, but her bra, panties and shorts were victims of last night’s passion and a slight smile curved her lips in memory.

Languidly, she wandered over to her painting, smiling fully as she looked into the passion glazed eyes of her Armand, her warrior
, her lover. Together they would be able to ease any ruffled feathers. After all, he was her destiny and destinies always had a way of working out.

With a giddy laugh, she covered the painting and headed to her room. She was going to soak
for at least an hour in the Jacuzzi tub and then she was going to head off to class. Everything was going to work out. She had absolute faith in Armand and their love.

Another Battle is
Waged

The sun had set nearly an hour before Ferris was able to get out of the art supply store. She worked there a few hours a week to pick up a little extra cash and art supplies. And after last night she needed to replenish several tubes of paint. While she had grown up surrounded by the wealth of gargoyles, she still enjoyed earning her own spending money. It wasn’t a lot but it was hers and it gave her a little bit of pride that if necessary she’d be able to survive on her own.

With a frown, Ferris looked around the living room. It was strange that everyone was still at the Castle since the trio usually headed out as soon as the sun set. Maybe it was a family meeting, or something because everyone was there: her mother and Rhys, her aunt and Vaughn and their two children, fourteen-year-old Alex and the adventurous toddler, Georgia, in Melanie’s arms, Michael, Leo and Raphe. Everyone was there except for… “Where’s Armand?”

All of them looked at her, one with a knowing smirk. Of course, Michael thought everything was one giant lark and didn’t take much of anything seriously. Smacking Michael’s leg to get him to scoot over, she sat down on the couch, her heart racing a million miles an hour in her chest. Did something happen to him? But, no
, if there was something wrong with Armand they wouldn’t be hanging out in the living room talking and laughing, and in the case of the three young gargoyles, getting ready to head out for the night.

“He’s on the roof,” Raphe answered softly, watching her with compassionate violet eyes, making her stomach clench in dread that somehow he knew about her and Armand. She was being silly
. Raphe looked at her with compassion because he loved her and they were friends. There was no hidden meaning in his expression. After all, she was the one keeping a secret, a deliciously wonderful secret.

“Oh.” She knew it was a lame response but she was trying to figure out a way to excuse herself so she could head up to the roof without appearing too eager to see her lover. God, she loved the sound of that
! Armand was her lover. They were lovers. A silly, loopy smile started to curve her lips but she pulled it back so it was just sort of a crooked half-grin. She glanced at the clock that hung on the wall and wondered how long she would have to wait before she could leave.

“We’re heading over to mom and
dad's for the weekend,” Melanie said, her free arm wrapped around Vaughn’s waist. He had one arm wrapped around her and the other protectively on Alex’s shoulder. The four of them made a picture perfect family and even after fifteen years Melanie and Vaughn couldn’t stand being apart from one another for more than a few minutes. “Do you want to join us?”

Ferris loved spending time at her grandparent's but she needed to talk with Armand. With a regretful smile, she shook her head no, “I'd love to
, but I have to work this weekend and I also plan on finishing up my painting.”

Jenna kneeled in front of her and gave her a hug, which was only a little awkward since Ferris was still sitting. “If you change your mind we’d love to have you join us. Mom and dad would love to see you.”

“If I get a chance I'll stop by, Jenna,” Ferris murmured, returning her mother’s hug, breathing in the warm, familiar scent and closing her eyes in contentment.

Jenna let out an almost painful sigh, “I wish you’d call me mom when we’re at home.”

Ferris offered a conciliatory smile, “When you stopped aging we agreed that this was for the best. If I call you mom at home I’ll screw up and call you mom in public.”

Jenna heaved another pained sigh, sorrow filling her eyes as she looked at her daughter. Brushing a strand of dark hair from her face, she cupped Ferris’s cheek in her slender palm, “You are an amazing woman, Ferris
. Do you know how much I love you?”

“I love you, too, Jenna,” Ferris murmured, blushing slightly. Jenna pulled her into another quick hug before the four adults and two kids made their exit.

After they were gone, Ferris let out a long breath and tried to decide how much time she needed to spend with the three remaining gargoyles before she could escape to the roof. They usually spent their nights out on the town, keeping an eye on everything, even though the dynamics between all of the species had changed dramatically when the veil had been lifted just a few years prior. The change hadn’t affected Ferris much since she had been immersed in magic her entire life. It also hadn’t given her the vindication for the virulent teasing from her childhood since so many of her former tormentors had so much to deal with when the creatures of mythology stepped out into their world. She doubted any of them even made the connection between what they perceived as her odd behavior and their new reality.

“Hey, Ferris,” Michael taunted. Turning her head she met his sparkling green eyes. His eyes were darker than Armand’s, there were no shadows in the emerald depths and they stood out in a face surround by white blond hair. He was exotically beautiful, like a wild cat prowling the pride lands, which made sense since he was a white lion in his gargoyle form.
Even though he was only four years older than her, he had always been most insistent that he was a white lion and not a regular lion,

Because they were so close in age, Michael, Leo, Raphe and herself, their relationship was more akin to that of siblings than play mates. The three boys loved to tease her and plague her and generally make her life as miserable as possible but she knew that they would defend her against anyone who tried to abuse her in any way. It was just unfortunate that they were marble statues during the day
; the three of them could have made her aforementioned school days bearable. Of course they never knew the extent of her difficulties. That honor was saved for Armand and Ajreis. To them, she was simply Ferris, the lone human in a castle full of supernatural beings.

“What, Michael?” she asked in exasperation. Even though they had barely spoken more than a few words she was already wary
. He just brought that out in her.

“If you’re going to sneak lovers into you
r studio you should really clean up after yourself,” he whispered for her ears alone, covertly putting a piece of silky material into her hand. Flames engulfed her skin as she curled her fingers around her ruined panties and Michael’s wicked laughter only made it worse. Leaning closer so his breath fanned over her skin, he added softly, “I’m dying to know how you were able to sneak a lover into your studio without any of the grouches discovering it. You have some sterling silver balls, Ferris.”

Brazening it out, she glared at him, “What were you doing in my studio, Michael? You know you’re not supposed to go in there, especially when I am working on a project.”

His wicked smile grew, “I didn't go in. These were outside the door."

She thought about the mess she hadn't had time to clean up and she held her breath as she asked, "You didn't go in there, did you?"

He gave her a funny look but shook his head no, “Your little imp wouldn’t let me. He is very protective of your privacy, you know. He wouldn’t even tell me the name of your lover.”

Her breath had caught in her throat
. It had never occurred to her that Ajreis wouldn’t tell though it should have come as no surprise. After all, he was the one who helped plan the seduction. If she had been thinking straight she would have realized that he was probably the one who kept everyone away from the studio while she had been, er, working. “Of course he protects me. He was assigned that task when I was a child.”

Michael shook his head and gazed at her with pity, “I think he’s in love with you.”

Ferris stared at him for a long moment, wondering at the bizarre workings of his mind, before she burst out in laughter. Ajreis was as much a brother to her as Michael and the other two. The thought of any feelings of romance was ludicrous. Michael’s frown only made her laugh harder, which made him huffier.

“What’s so funny?” Leo asked, gazing at the laughing Ferris and the scowling Michael with sparkling and curious golden eyes. Because his form was a liger when the sun was
up, or maybe just because he won the genetic lottery, he was the largest of all of the Nostuntres brothers, standing close to six foot eight in his human form and weighing two hundred and forty pounds, all of it pure muscle. He was massive and fierce looking and the sweetest kitty cat in the world unless provoked. Then he was frighteningly powerful and lethal.