Page 106 of Stone Temptation

Careful not to wake him, I got up. He shuffled, moaning gently, then curled up into a ball.

So cute, this tempting human.

I pulled the blanket over him, then slipped outside into the rain with Luke’s spare key in hand, a ‘Finn’ keyring dangling from the ring.

Bitter rain in my face cooled my sexy heat. Softened me up. Gave me some pissing perspective.

You’ve gotta stop this shit.

I went for a walk, filling my lungs with fresh air. I was drenched within seconds but didn’t mind. Walked to the cliff edge behind the lighthouse, the sea roaring below, hidden by darkness.

My sister would love it here, a real lover of coastal areas.

Gods, I missed my family. Family was everything to me because mine were special. I missed them every day, counting down the days until my current rotation ended. Then we’d get to spend three months together before I came back here for another year.

A year on Earth, three months off, then another year kicking ass. And round and round it went.

In six months, I’d be chewing on Dad’s roasted bush hog burgers, exploring coastal ruins with my sister, going on long runs with Mum.

I was lucky by a huge margin.

Having a sibling trapped in a terror house and my parents hating me for it… I couldn’t begin to imagine Luke’s pain. How he got through the days was a miracle to me.

I made a call to Dane on my flip phone, driven to help Luke in all aspects of his life.

I got his voicemail.

“Dane here. Do your thing.”

I left a message for him to call me back.

A mermaid mote spirit swam up to me, her right eyebrow cocked.

“You must be Maren,” I greeted her warmly. “I’m Asher, gargoyle and bodyguard for your friend in here.”

She folded her hands behind her back. “Bodyguard? Have you marked him?”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“Trying to figure that out.”

She huffed, her bristly vibes as cold as the rain. “I see.” She stuck her head through the front door to check on her friend. “Why are there crystals and candles everywhere?”

“My stuff.”

“You have moved in.” Not a question.

“Until things are put right.”

Her scarlet hair billowed behind her hard, silver eyes boring into me. “He looks peaceful.”

“He’s been through a lot.”

“What happened?”

I took a seat on the bench, a strong gust of wind soaking my face with rain. “Best he tells you himself.”

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