Page 9 of Forsaken Dream
Chapter Four
Tylor
“Hold on big guy,” the incubus drawled from behind me, tugging on my belt to keep me in place. “It doesn’t look like she’s in trouble. If you barge in now, you’ll fuck us both over when she kicks us out.”
My body was vibrating in anger as I kept my eyes glued on the damn human male doing his best to enter my mate’s home. The second she came into view, my entire world shifted on its axis, lodging her so deep in my soul I felt like I’d shatter into million pieces. Then the human appeared and I was seeing red.
“I have no intention on barging in on her, demon. I’ll just break all his bones and remove him from her property.” If I was sure it wouldn’t hurt my mate, I would’ve killed Vaser earlier in the night. Like a pest, he didn’t know how to talk without mocking me.
“She’s a tough cookie, look at her. She’s putting him in his place.” Stepping up shoulder to shoulder with me in the thick of the orchard where we were hiding and had a clear view of her front door, the incubus bumped me with his elbow. “I could almost hear the human grinding his teeth from here.”
“I want to grind his bones for daring to approach my mate.” My skin was tightening, and without looking down, I knew I was shifting and changing into a stone because of my anger. Nostrils flaring, I reined it down before it could turn me into a mindless beast. “If I crush his skull, he’ll never dare lay eyes on her again.”
“Neither will we if we start killing everyone who approaches her. I told you she’s a feisty one, and she’ll kick our asses out of here if she sees us. Calm down.” Grumbling in annoyance, the demon didn’t look away from our mate either, regardless of his words.
The female was everything I could’ve hoped for and more. Shocked to see she wasn’t one of my kind, I still couldn’t say it bothered me. Just because I’d never heard of a gargoyle mating with another breed didn’t mean it never happened. We were solitary creatures, keeping to ourselves unless we were in heat. When the mating season hit, we sought out a matching female to procreate, but we went on our way as soon as it was over.
Unless we found our fated mate.
I’d managed to stay in control of my mind and keep to myself even in those times. It wasn’t easy to deal with the fevers that made my mind work against me until I saw things that weren’t there, but I persevered. The idea of having younglings that I’d never see didn’t sit well with me. It was the way of things for my kind, though, so I guessed I was the oddball. It never bothered me until that moment when I was looking at my mate.
I had no idea how to handle a female.
She was like the most beautiful flower I had ever seen. A lot smaller than a female of my kind would be, my mate was all lean muscle covered in smooth, porcelain skin. Her long lavender hair was brushing the small of her back as she took a threatening step toward the human, her body poising as if ready to spring into action at any moment. She might look delicate, but the fire flashing in her eyes I could see even from this far away kindled a burning in my loins. My feet shuffled as I gave the incubus a side-eyed glance. I bet he knew how to handle a female. That only made me want to grind his bones along with the human’s.
“If you are plotting my death, I’ll have you know I might not be as strong as a gargoyle, but I’m fast as fuck. I’ll rip you limb from limb before you have time to shift,” Vaser growled and that’s when I noticed his body was rigid despite his nonchalant appearance. “And stop snarling. You sound like a rabid dog.”
Startled, I stepped away from him.
My control was slipping, and fear racked my insides, forcing me to turn my back so the incubus didn’t see how disturbed I was. Nearing the age of five hundred without a mate was a death sentence to my kind, and I was four hundred and ninety-nine years of age. The madness was creeping in at the edges of my mind, reminding me how precious the soft-looking female truly was to me. Not simply for the honor to be her mate, but for the fact that she was the reason I would live for many more years. Something not many gargoyles could say.
“Tyler,” Vaser muttered, jabbing me with a finger. “Look, man.”
My gaze darted in the direction he pointed just in time to see the female slam the door in the human’s face, making him yelp like a wounded dog and stumble back holding his nose. After spewing a string of profanities in one breath, he stormed off leaving her land. Despite my gloomy mood, I felt the corners of my mouth curl up. The demon had been correct; our mate was a feisty little thing.
With the human pest leaving her alone, I leaned a shoulder on the closest apple tree, reaching up to pluck one fruit before taking a bite of it. As sweet nectar coated the inside of my mouth, I could finally relax and wait the night out until it was time to go for the interview the incubus had secured for us. Begrudgingly, I had to admit while crunching on the apple that it was a brilliant idea to approach our mate that way, so we didn’t overwhelm her. Especially if she didn’t understand the mate bond like Vaser suggested. Being around her would assure that she succumbed to it sooner rather than later.
So I hoped anyway.
“We need to keep an eye on the human.” Talking around a mouthful of fruit, I had to wipe the juice trickling down my face with the back of my hand. Ignoring the way his face twisted in a grimace, I took another bite before continuing. “I don’t feel the danger anymore after he left. If he dares try something, I want to be there to crush his skull.”
“Everything has to be gory and bloody with you, doesn’t it? Try to keep talking to a minimum around our mate before you doom us for eternity.” Vaser spoke sluggishly, and it was like talking to a mind-addled person. Seeing my narrowed gaze, he backtracked really fast, shoving his foot further in his mouth, as the humans loved to say. “Females want sweet words and wooing in this day and age. The time where you had to bring them the heads of your enemies as a prize to show you were a worthy protector died a few centuries ago.”
Using this as the opening I needed, I pretended like I didn’t see his comments for the insult they were. “Is that so, demon? And how would you, pray do tell, woo our sweet mate? By showing her the long list of lovers you’ve had so she can call for references?” At his sharp glare, I grinned like a fiend. “Or add medical records that clear you from any known diseases, perhaps?”
“We don’t have a problem with human diseases, you fuck. We are not human, and neither is our mate … in case you haven’t noticed.” A red glow entered his gaze, and his hands kept clenching and unclenching, sharp black claws peeking from underneath his fingernails. “I’ll make sure she can turn to me for anything she needs. When she knows I’m reliable and will do anything for her without asking for anything in return, she’ll allow her heart to guide her to me.”
For the first time in long centuries, I felt excitement replacing the dread that had been gnawing at my gut. The demon might’ve been a pain in the ass, but he was proving useful when I needed him. I stayed where I was when he stomped away disappearing in the orchard, no doubt to take control of his anger without me seeing him lose his grip on his control. The male was all calm and cocky smiles, but there was a viciousness in him that set my teeth on edge. If we didn’t have the same mate, I would’ve steered clear from him without blinking an eye. He would make a worthy adversary but an even better ally when it came to protecting our female. Sharing her didn’t sit well with me, but looking at it from the perspective of her safety, I could see the advantage of having him around. I didn’t like it, but I’d accepted it.
Alone with the riffling leaves breaking the stillness of the night when the summer breeze grazed over the tops of the trees, I scanned the house my mate calledhome. The roof tiles had broken in a few places, leaving gaping holes where anyone could take advantage and enter uninvited. The wooden wraparound porch needed strengthening in a couple of corners, and the paint was peeling where the sun has baked it for too long. The land around me and the trees were very well looked after, and if I didn’t know she was alone, I would’ve thought she had workers helping her with it. According to Vaser, she was looking for said help, so this must be all her doing. To say I was impressed would be the understatement of the century. My mate took pride in her land, so I had every intention of assuring her that her home was an impenetrable fortress if she allowed me to do it. Determination burned like lava in my chest. I’d make sure she saw that she needed me in her life, too. Vaser might be all smooth talk and soft smiles to brighten her day, but I would be the literal rock that she could lean on in her time of need.
Mind made up, I almost smiled like the fool I was becoming when I heard the scuffing noise coming from across the land. Stiffening, I pushed off the tree, taking one step before my feet froze, gluing to the hard-packed soil. Brightness burst like a flash of a light before vanishing into the darkness. A moment later, a large male as tall as my six feet five stumbled forward, his head hanging low on his neck. Matted hair obscured his face from me, but I clearly saw the pair of golden wings that he pulled into his back as he took another step.
An angel.
What in the fates name was this feathered fuck doing on my mate’s property? The little female needed protection, not just from human males but other supernaturals, too, it seemed. Fist clenching, I struggled to move before realizing it wasn’t me preventing my body to remove the threat. The angel was casting a wide field of powers, no doubt to keep anyone from attacking him while he was weakened. Blood poured from everywhere in his body and I watched him crawl up the few rickety stairs to the porch as impotent as a lump. Muscles straining, I kept pushing with everything in me but couldn’t shake off the effect of his magic. Not just any angel then. An Archangel. The worst of his kind.
Panic squeezed my throat.
