Page 24 of Hearts of Stone

“Or?”

Her hands twitched, smoothing over my skin restlessly now.

“Or I could carry you in my arms, my wings working hard as I lowered you down on my—”

“Carrick!”

The door slammed open and Graven ruined all the progress I’d made, as our mistress jumped back, snatching her hands away. I could feel the hot trace of them still on my skin, like the shadow of the sun, but that pleasure of the day was nothing compared to the feel of her. Graven burst into the room, taking in me, our mate and the pools of water on the floor with a look of concern, before focussing solely on her.

“There’s two of you…” Gods, she was back to babbling again and looking scared, damn Graven’s eyes. “I dreamt up two demon—”

“Gargoyle,” I corrected patiently.

“—lovers.”

Lovers. Both Graven and I jerked to attention at that, but I was the one moving closer.

“That you did, lass. Now.” I smiled slowly, flashing my fangs. “What’re you going to do with us?”

Chapter 15

Jade

“What’re you going to do with us?”

OK, I revised my theory on what was happening. Inheriting the house, meeting James and Harry and the lawyer in the city, that was all a fever dream, culminating in not one but two massive gargoyles in my dream bathroom. They were inside my dream house, one looking at me like he was willing to do all the things I liked, with the way his eyes raked across my naked body. And the other? He looked concerned, protective, as he rushed forward, flaring his wings to prevent the first gargoyle from giving me the fuck-me eyes.

“Mistress, I apologise for this interruption to your bath,” he said in a low, rumbly voice. “Carrick is a reckless and foolhardy beast.”

“If you can gaze on such beauty and remain unaffected, Graven,” Carrick snarked, “then I don’t know what is wrong with you.”

“I am not… unaffected.”

All three of us, the new gargoyle, Carrick, and I all looked down and saw exactly what he meant.

Dear god, they were both huge. Like comically so. After my break-up, Daniel had taken me to a sex shop, trying to make sure I had a battery operated boyfriend who’d look after my needs far more than my ex had. We’d had sword fights with some of the massive dongs, until the shop attendant had forced us out, but even those anal intruders seemed like nothing compared to him. If this was real, I wouldn’t have stared at a stranger’s erect cock, but it wasn’t. I was having hot, hot dreams that made clear I needed to google gargoyle porn when I woke up, but that’s not what had me reaching out now.

I was sheltered from the rest of the room by a wall of his wings, the breeze no longer forcing my skin to prickle into goosebumps, and that made me feel safe. And his gaze, it held mine as I went to touch him. His full lips fell open, revealing two sharp fangs and those black eyes, they felt like pools I could fall right into.

And I wanted to.

It was obvious what all this was. A very intense, all too real bout of the most glorious escapism, taking me away from my dreary life and putting me here.

“If this is a dream…” I whispered and Graven leaned in closer to listen, “then I can do this.” I spanned my hand across his rock hard abs, feeling that curiously cool flesh, the way the muscles shifted as he took a breath. “And it has no consequences.”

“You’ll never suffer repercussions for touching me, mistress,” he rasped, then dared to cover my hand with his. He felt like sun-warmed stone, reminding me of the pebbles I’d collected and left in my pocket, yet another part of this complex delusion. “I am yours to command in every way. I live to serve you.”

And that was the most seductive thing of all. My eyes jerked up, searching his face, clinging so hard to this dream I was sure to wake up, but I didn’t. I could live without the fancy house and the massive bank account. What the hell would I do with suchthings? But to have beautiful beasts like this at my beck and call…

“Really?” I sounded like a child and that had me flushing, my head ducking down, but Graven reached down to tilt my chin up again.

“Really. I am Graven of Wildfyre.” His wings flicked back with a flourish, making me jump. “And this is my brother in stone, Carrick.” Graven dropped down onto one knee then, bowing his head. Carrick shook his head and performed the same gesture, though much less solemnly, shooting me a wink before forcing his head down. “You are mistress of The Eyrie. We are yours to command whenever the sun sets. We will keep you and your land safe. No one shall be allowed to trespass on the grounds without your say so. Whatever it is you desire, we will make it so.”

“Anything?”

I reached out with one foot, toes pointed, somehow making the movement elegant in my dream, whereas in real life I’d be teetering around, losing my balance and falling flat on my fat arse.

“Anything…”

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