Page 22 of The Stone and the Star

“Will you dance with me, princess?” Colossus moves in front of me, clawed hand extended as he bends at the waist in a low bow, playing out the part of lord to my lady.

We’ve made it to the other end of the street fair, and a small stage is set up with a live band, playing jaunty instrumental versions of Halloween-themed music. It’s an unusual set list, but the dance floor is packed.

“Of course, my…uh, lord?” I laugh as I poorly execute a curtsy before taking his claw.

Colossus pulls me into his chest, lifting me so my breasts press into his heated, leathery skin, my eyes in line with his fangs. My heavy skirt is long enough to cover up the fact that my feet are no longer touching the floor.

He moves us across the dance floor in slow, tight circles. We are being watched by the surrounding crowd, but we appear no different than any other dressed-up human couple.

“Are you all right, my star?” Colossus asks with a small frown.

“Yes, I…” I don’t want to ruin the moment—it all feels so right—but I can’t stop thinking about how he smiled with the child. He seemed so amazed to be talking to another human. I need to say something. “I should be doing more to help you find out about your past… to find another gargoyle… if they exist. Here I am, living my goals, and—”

“Astra,” he cuts me off, “you’ve done more than enough. I’ve sensed plenty of Strange since we moved here. Gods, even before coming here tonight, I flew over a bar on the east side of town packed with Strange creatures.”

“Did you go in?” I ask eagerly, my pulse racing as he picks up speed with the music. “Did you talk to them? Were there any gargoyles there?”

“No gargoyles that I could see.” Colossus shakes his head. “I didn’t make contact, just watched from a distance.”

“Do you want to go there tonight?” I ask, starting to pull away, preparing to ditch our plans and go to the Strange bar, if that’s what he needs.

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” He chuckles and grips me tighter to him, holding me firmly to him so that no matter how hard I tug, I know I won’t get free.

“What? Of course not…” I sputter. “You spent the last year supporting my goals, listening to me talk about my work nonstop and moving with me to a whole new city. I took you away from the only home you knew. I don’t want you to feel obligated to—”

“Astra, stop.” Colossus pulls us off the dance floor and into a dark corner next to the stage.

With one arm around my waist, he holds me aloft, brushing back the blond tendrils from my cheek and tucking them behind my ear. He looks down at me as if I am not just a single star in the sky—his star—but the entire galaxy.

“I spent hundreds of years alone, getting used to the idea that I would never meet another gargoyle like myself, that I would certainly never find my mate. But then, you arrived in my courtyard, and my entire world shifted.”

I swallow hard, unsure of what to say or even how to breathe as he brushes his thumb over my mouth. Instinctually, my lips part, ready to take him into me, but he simply strokes over the bottom lip.

“Let me go slow, my star. I will make contact in my own time. Tonight was already a lot for me. I’ve never spoken to a human child before.”

“I’m sorry. I should’ve realized how overwhelming this might be for you. I’m an asshole,” I blurt out, shaking my head just enough to make sure his talon doesn’t leave my lips.

“You are not an asshole,” Colossus murmurs, applying the tiniest amount of pressure to my lip. I take the opportunity and gently suck him into me, lapping at the sharp tip with my tongue before he pulls his claw back out. He brushes his finger over my lips, wetting them with my own saliva. “Just my very sweet, very concerned little human.”

My tightly-laced corset and heavy layers of skirts give me the sensation of being bound to my monster, being reliant on how he holds me and where he places me. My movements are restricted by my costume, and my low-cut top puts me on display. Beneath my dress, my thighs slip against one another as I imagine how easily he can control me.

“I can stand on my own,” I say in an unsteady whisper.

“I know.” Still, he doesn’t put me down. Instead, he pulls me back onto the dance floor.

We spin, surrounded by humans dressed up as ghouls and vampires, fairies and witches, on a street made up for Halloween with movie magic. No one is the wiser about Colossus, and I’ve never been prouder to be seen with my monster, to be held in his arms for all the world to see.

“Let me take you home,” he says when the song ends, and the band announces they’re taking a short break.

“Please,” I agree, desire humming across my flesh.

Colossus flies us out from the same darkened alleyway he arrived in. Hours have passed since he landed at the street fair, so the night sky is nearly black, and no one sees us depart. We are high above the clouds in seconds, and I am cradled in his arms as he flies us towards our home by the ocean.

“I have been pushing you too much to find another gargoyle, haven’t I?” I ask as we land on the terrace of our Santa Monica apartment.

The apartment is provided to the artist in residence, donated by a wealthy patron of the museum. There would be no other way we could afford a two-bedroom in the area with a large terrace and views of the ocean. The top-floor apartment also gives us privacy we wouldn’t find anywhere else.

“I love you,” Colossus says gently, ignoring my question. He smiles as he sets me on the tiled floor and cups my face with both his claws.

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