Into the paranormal world: Sometimes giving in to temptation
can lead to unexpected rewards.

Martin Marty Beakman finds himself entranced by a bearded,
cloaked stranger in a coffee shop, Raymond. Although he feels
like a stalker, he returns again and again until he eventually
figures out a pattern. When Marty is confronted by his brother
Matthew regarding his actions, he admits his attraction to
someone he’s never even spoken to. After his brother
encourages him to change that, Marty follows Raymond in an
attempt to do just that. Instead, he sees something almost
unbelievable…Raymond removes his cloak, spreads wings, and
flies into the night. When Raymond, out of the blue, contacts
Marty online, will he give in to his desire to learn more about
the guy? Or, will the strange sight the evening before keep him
from seizing the opportunity?

The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement,
including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated
by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison
and a fine of $250,000.

Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do
not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of
copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is
appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are
used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or
persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Removing the Gargoyle’s Mask

Copyright © 2013 Charlie Richards

ISBN: 978-1-77111-755-5

Cover art by Scott Carpenter

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in
any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written
permission of the publisher.

Published by eXtasy Books

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Removing the Gargoyle’s Mask

A Paranormal’s Love: Book Five

By

Charlie Richards

Dedication

To fellow tea drinkers everywhere…you know what I’m talking about!

Chapter One

Martin Beakman, Marty to his friends, lounged on the sofa at
the coffee bar. He bounced his leg, tapping a soft rhythm with
his heel. It wasn’t caffeine that had him all hopped up, but
nerves. Marty felt certain he’d figured out the stranger’s
schedule.

Why he’d felt drawn to learn when the man came in for

coffee, even after almost five weeks, Marty still couldn’t say. He
even felt a bit stalkerish, but that didn’t stop his compulsion to
come to the café every evening, order a decaf cup of joe, then sit
and wait.

So far, the odd man who’d caught Marty’s eye had come

every other Thursday at around ten o’clock or so. He wore a calf
length trench coat, a wide brimmed hat, large sunglasses, and
sported a bushy beard. He even wore black leather gloves. The
dress effectively hid just about every inch of the man.

Marty should have dismissed him immediately, but he

couldn’t. For some reason, he wanted to see the stranger’s eyes.
Were they dull and weary, having seen too much harshness in
the world? Maybe, the guy hid scars behind those big frames
and facial hair.

The first time Marty had seen the man, he’d been there for a

late night meeting with his buddy and business partner Logan.
After Marty graduated college with a business management
degree, he’d teamed up with his best friend, who’d had several
years of construction experience, and opened a renovation
company.

Logan had been explaining the changes a client had requested

that afternoon, so Marty could figure out how that would
impact their budget.

When the stranger walked by and Marty had caught a whiff

of his cologne, it’d shocked the hell out of him. He’d found
himself drawn in by the earthy masculine scent of the smaller
male, even aroused by it, his cock thickening in his jeans.

It’d been extremely distracting while trying to formulate

strategy for getting the requested changes completed under
budget. Logan, finally fed up with continually having to redraw
his attention to their discussion, called it a night.

The breeze of cool evening air over Marty’s heated face drew

him from his thoughts. Looking toward the door, a rush of
anticipation flooded him. Disappointment stabbed through
Marty just as quickly when he spotted his brother, Matthew,
enter the coffee bar.

So much for getting up enough courage to talk to the guy tonight.

No way am I gonna approach someone in front of Matthew.

When Matthew spotted him, Marty lifted his chin. His

brother flopped onto the sofa next to him and looked around
the place. “So, this is where you’ve been hiding, huh?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Marty replied,

scowling. “I haven’t been hiding.”

Matthew shrugged, not meeting his gaze. “I haven’t seen you

in weeks unless we work the same job. When you didn’t answer
your phone, I called Logan, thinking you were working long
hours.” Matthew’s gaze flicked toward him for a second, then
back to his pants where his finger rubbed over the seam, giving
away his unease. “He said you’ve been hanging out here.”

Marty wasn’t certain how Logan knew where he was, but

should have known his buddy would notice his preoccupation.
Since he hadn’t seen Matthew outside work in nearly four
weeks, he should have known his brother would come looking.
He, Logan, Matthew, and a few other friends often hung out
and BBQed several times a week and he’d bailed on more than
one invitation.

He knew he had to come up with some explanation, but

damned if he could explain when he didn’t completely
understand it himself.

“I’m sorry,” Marty started. He paused and frowned,

uncertain. Damn, what could he say?

Obviously sensing his unease, Matthew swept his hazel-eyed

gaze around the coffee bar. Marty watched a myriad of
emotions drift across his brother’s features. He knew from
other’s comments that they were both expressive, having little
ability to hide their thoughts. That seemed to be where their

similarities ended, though.

While Marty stood six foot four and sported broad shoulders

and plenty of muscle from lifting drywall, lumber, and wielding
heavy tools, his brother stood six foot one and retained more
lean muscle definition from years of working electrical. To put
them even further apart, while Marty kept his blond hair almost
buzz-cut short—easier to clean after a day of cutting drywall or
painting—Matthew tended to wear his light brown hair
hanging in shaggy waves around his neck.

Suddenly, Matthew’s sharp hiss drew Marty from his

thoughts. Leaning close, his brother asked, “Are you meeting a
girl here? Are you dating someone and that’s why you’ve
become so scarce?”

Ah, hell.

Of course, his brother would assume that. While no

one would guess his brother was gay, Matthew had actually
come out at age fifteen. Marty, however, had never actually
admitted to his bisexuality, having only ever dated women.

“No,” Marty replied. “No girl.”
Matthew looked around again. “Okay, I can get behind the

ambiance, but to spend most of your evenings here? You
develop a coffee fetish I should be aware of?”

“No,” Marty immediately denied. He held up his mug. “This

is decaf,” he admitted. He’d learned damn early in his wannabe
stake-out never to order anything with caffeine this late or he’d
have trouble sleeping…which created problems at work the
next day.

Since he’d never acted on his occasional attraction to men,

Marty had never bothered telling Matthew—or anyone, for that
matter—that he found certain males physically desirable. Now,
he knew he didn’t have a choice, because this man—as odd as
he seemed—would definitely make him consider going that
next step.

Matthew scowled, his hazel eyes narrowing. “You gonna

make me keep guessin’, bro?”

Screwing up his courage, Marty softly admitted, “It’s actually

a guy.”

“A guy?” Matthew blanched, his expression quickly turning

hurt and confused. “You’re dating a guy? Why would you hide

this from me?”

Marty leaned close, then explained further, “I haven’t

actually spoken to him.”

“Huh?”
Yeah, Marty felt just as confused as his brother looked.

Grimacing, he sucked in a deep breath before sharing, “I can’t
figure out why I’m interested in him. You wouldn’t think—”

Once again, a cool breeze wafted across his face. The hair on

his arms stood on end and he fought back a shiver that had
nothing to do with the cold. The object of his obsession strode
inside.

The man seemed to pause in the doorway and sweep his gaze

over the interior of the café. For several seconds, his sunglass
covered face seemed to peer straight at him. Unable to help
himself, Marty licked his lips and smiled at the man.

Marty’s heart thudded rapidly in his chest as the stranger

continued to peer their way, although it was tough to tell with
his dark features hidden behind the sunglasses and beard. Then,
the new arrival ducked his head, but not before Marty thought
he saw the man’s lips twitch just a bit.

Hell, yeah! Could he be coming here so often just because of me?
Sure, it might be arrogant to think so, but Marty had heard

the barista talk about the increased frequency of their resident
hobo’s visits. For some reason, having the man called that had
raised Marty’s hackles. It’d taken a hell of a lot of self-control to
keep from saying something.

“Holy shit!” Matthew hissed, drawing his attention.
Marty turned to his brother. Matthew’s eyes were wide,

clearly expressing his shock.

“That’s who you’re, uh, interested in?”
His brother’s dubious—hell, shocked—muttered words drew

Marty’s attention away from…him. He frowned and murmured,
“He’s a not a homeless bum, you know.”

“No,” Matthew responded softly. “I don’t know. He looks

like it. How can you think not?”

“He smells damn fantastic,” Marty admitted, his gaze once

more straying to the strange man.

Matthew drew out his next word, “O-Okaaaay.”

Marty glared at his brother. “You wanted to know what has

had me so distracted of late,” he quietly snapped. “Well, now
you know. So if you don’t have anything productive to say, feel
free to move along.”

Matthew’s brows arched high as he lifted both hands in

placation, even as he stood. Marty instantly felt bad. He knew
it’d been stress causing his harsh words. He hated fighting with
his brother, especially since the man was the only family he had
left. Well, besides some second cousins living in Santa Barbara
that he hadn’t seen since he was maybe three.

Rising, Marty opened his mouth to call Matthew back, but

then he realized his brother wasn’t heading toward the door.
“Oh, shit,” he mumbled as he saw Matthew stop directly
behind the man.

Seeing the object of his infatuation beside his muscular, toned

brother only accentuated the bearded man’s leanness. His long
trench coat couldn’t hide how slender the frame was beneath
the fabric. Marty had an odd desire to sit behind the man, tilt
his head back so it rested against Marty’s chest, then take a
straight razor to the man’s scruffy beard and shave it off. To his
shock, his cock thickened at the idea of holding the man,
touching his skin, seeing and feeling the man submit to his
ministrations, to trust him.

Marty fought back a moan. Shaking his head, he moved his

coffee cup over his crotch as a shield while discreetly adjusting
himself with his other hand. He shifted in his seat, trying to
find a comfortable position. His untimely erection confused the
shit out of him. Never had he gotten so hard, so fast from just
his imagination.

The soft shuffle of the bearded stranger’s steps drew Marty’s

attention. He watched the guy move closer toward him,
stopping to stand at the pick-up counter. Marty really wanted
to hear the man’s voice and swiftly struggled to find something
to say.

“Hey, man,” Marty finally called. “Nice trench. Is it

waterproof?”

A dark pink, kinda pointy tongue swept over the man’s

bottom lip as he turned to face him. Marty’s cock twitched in

his slacks. Damn, when was the last time he wanted to suck
someone’s tongue? Not to mention, never, never had he ever
been attracted to a lean male with a beard…but here, he was
practically panting for the stranger.

“Thanks,” the stranger responded. “And, yeah. It’s

waterproof.”

The man’s soft tenor belied his rough exterior…and caused a

bead of pre-cum to ooze from Marty’s shaft. The stranger’s wide
nostrils flared slightly. He reached up and slid his sunglasses
down his nose just enough to reveal dark, dark brown eyes.
There was no mistaking the lust filling the man’s gaze.

Marty found himself responding to that look. He started to

rise. Ideas of where he could take the smaller man to peel off
that coat and explore the body underneath flipped through his
quickly lust-fogging mind. How would the man’s mouth taste?
How would his beard feel against his own chin?

“Here’s your double caramel macchiato, sir,” chirped the

barista, setting the drink on the counter near the man’s elbow.

The man started, parting their gazes. After a soft thank you,

the stranger grabbed his cup, flicked his once again sunglass
covered gaze toward Marty, and hustled from the room.

A stab of disappointment swept over him. What the hell just

happened?

His brother settled next to him, a cup of coffee in hand,

drawing his attention. “His name is Raymond Patterson,” he
revealed. “And you’re right. He paid with an American Express
black card. I hear ya gotta be loaded to qualify for one of those.”

“Then, why the hell does he dress like that?” Marty

wondered out loud.

Matthew shrugged. “Ya got me.” Bumping his shoulder, he

suggested, “Why don’t you go find out?”

“That’s a damn good idea,” Marty stated. He rose.

Determination to figure out this attraction between them mixed
with hope that he wasn’t too late to figure out where the guy
went.

His brother followed him out the door. Once outside,

Matthew gave him an encouraging pat on the back. “Once you
track the man down and fuck him through the nearest mattress,

get some rest.” He winked. “You can tell me and Logan all
about it in the morning. I’ll be at the Cranston job to fix the
electrical.”

Marty smiled and nodded. He knew he owed his brother an

explanation and tomorrow would be soon enough to figure out
what to tell him. Right now, he wanted to track down the man
who piqued his—and his cock’s—interest.

Tossing his nearly empty cup in the garbage, Marty started

jogging in the direction he thought the man—Raymond,
according to Matthew—had gone. He peered down each alley
as he passed them, his gaze searching the gloom for the shape of
a man.

He’d just about given up hope when a figure in the distance

caught his attention. He was already across a field at the far end
of the alley. As he watched, he disappeared into the trees.

Confused about why Raymond would be heading into the

forest in the middle of the night, Marty hesitated a few seconds
to follow. Deciding he didn’t want to wait two weeks to get
another chance to talk to the stranger, he booked it after the
man. The long stride of his six foot four frame ate up the
distance.

Marty squinted, peering through the gloom. Thinking he

spotted movement through the trees, he hurried on. When he
saw the flap of a cloak between trees, Marty knew he was on
the right track.

Drawing close, Marty saw the man had stopped. Relieved, he

slowed to a walk and sucked in great lungfuls of air, trying to
catch his breath. He swallowed a couple times, working
moisture back into his throat so he could call out a greeting. He
didn’t want to startle the man.

To Marty’s surprise, just as he was about to shout, Raymond

slid out of his trench coat. His jaw sagged in shock at the black
body revealed to him. Just as he’d imagined, the man’s body
was leanly muscled, shown off to great perfection by the
loincloth the…man…wore.

A loincloth?
Continuing to watch, Marty just held in his gasp of shock

when Raymond spread his arms. Skin—attached all along the

underside of his arms—stretched in voluminous folds down the
sides of his torso suddenly stretched taut by…ribs? A pair of
skin covered ribs, jutting out along the man’s torso? The man’s
legs were far shorter than any person’s Marty had ever seen,
making Raymond look shockingly disproportionate.

Wait? Is that a tail?
Marty squinted through the gloom, trying to confirm what he

thought he saw.

With his coffee mug clutched in one gloved hand and the

cloak tossed almost carelessly over his shoulder, Raymond
lunged forward and up…and he went up and up. His arms
moved, making the folds of skin flap and catch the air like…
wings!

Marty leaned heavily against a tree as he watched the man

he’d been lusting after fly—fucking fly!—away. He had no idea
how long he stood there, the tree supporting him, staring at
where the man—Oh God, he’s not really a man, is he?—had
disappeared.

Finally, the evening chill snapped Marty out of his stupor. He

turned away and started back through the trees but not before
he glanced once more over his shoulder.

Chapter Two

Raymond flew through the trees, dipping and lifting his arms to
control the angle of his wingskins in between flaps. He kept just
above the treetops, maneuvering around some of the taller
ones. If he hurried, he’d be back to the manor by midnight. He
could make an appearance at the gargoyle lunch hour—which
was about one in the morning—and no one would know he’d
gone.

He knew he shouldn’t have visited the coffee bar, but he

couldn’t resist the allure of seeing his mate. He’d needed to see
the human, smell him, assure himself that he still lived and
seemed well.

And tonight—oh, Gods above, the risk he’d taken—lowering

his sunglasses and meeting the man’s gaze. What if he’d noticed
how his pupils were slightly vertical, like a cat’s eyes? Not all
gargoyles had pupils like his. In fact, it was very rare, and it was
just one more attribute that set him apart from his human mate.

As if he needed any more differences than he already had—

turning to stone during the day, wingskins and bone-spurs
giving him the ability to fly, claws and talons, protruding
canines, pointed ears, and a leathery black hide.

So many differences. If Raymond actually ever got the

opportunity to have a conversation with his mate, would the
human be able to accept him?

Martin Beakman. Marty.
Just thinking his mate’s name caused his cock to swell under

his loincloth.

Damn, walking away sure had been tough. If fact, it got

harder each time he saw him. He wanted the chance to run his
claws over the man’s big, broad shoulders, well-defined pecks,
and cut abs. Raymond licked his lips, remembering the time
he’d seen his mate without a coat on. Gods, the t-shirt he’d
worn had fit him like a second skin.

Raymond hadn’t imagined the blaze of lust he’d seen in

Marty’s beautiful blue eyes this evening. He knew his

handsome human felt the mate-pull, too.

Gods, I hope it’s enough to help him get past my differences.
Arriving back on his gargoyle clutch’s property, Raymond

paused at the camera he’d disabled to hide his secret trip to the
nearby town. He fixed the camera. After pulling his trench back
on, he slipped the fake beard from his chin and shoved it into a
pocket before heading toward the gardens. Slipping between a
hedge, Raymond strolled casually along the garden path,
heading back toward the manor.

“Hey, Raymond!”
The moment Raymond stepped inside the manor, he heard

Cornelius’s call. Turning, he smiled at the slender rhino shifter.
“Hey.”

Cornelius sidled up to him and draped an arm around his

shoulders. Together they started walking toward the dining
hall. “You’re smelling a little horny there, my friend,” the
shifter teased, his green eyes sparkling. “What have you been
up to?”

Raymond appreciated his marbled black hide, which

effectively hid any blush that might stain his cheeks. He also
knew his buddy didn’t mean anything by his teasing or his
touchy feely-ness. Cornelius, happily mated with the clutch
enforcer, Einan, was still an insatiable flirt…well, with some
people. The cute shifter had managed to curb his flirting a tad
since bonding with the jealous gargoyle.

“Just took a walk and flew around a bit,” Raymond replied,

being honest and evasive at the same time.

Cornelius snorted, a winning smile creasing his lips. “And

that turns you on, huh?”

Raymond glanced around, making certain no one else was in

the hall with them. Leaning close, he admitted, “I met my
mate.”

Squealing, Cornelius wrapped him in a tight hug. “Oh, my

God! That’s wonderful! Who is he? Is he a paranormal?”

“Quiet!” Raymond snapped, scowling at his exuberant friend.
Cornelius released him and blushed lightly. “Sorry, just

happy for you.” Then, he cocked his head. “Oh, I just assumed.
Is it a woman? You know I’d be happy for you either way.”

“No, it’s a guy,” he admitted. “He’s a human, so he doesn’t

know about us.”

At that, Cornelius’s brows drew together. “Uh, you know I

don’t have anything against humans, but, um…” He nibbled his
lip for a second, then asked, “When and where did you meet
him?”

Swallowing hard, Raymond glanced around again. Guilt

flooded him, but he wasn’t sorry for what he’d done. Well, if he
hadn’t met his mate, maybe he would be, but—

Shaking his head, he cut off that train of thought and

answered his friend. “You know that night Bobby bought lattes
for everyone?”

Cornelius’s eyes narrowed. “You mean that time two month

ago when I was craving coffee so bad but couldn’t have any
because I’m pregnant?” he asked, his hand coming to rest on
the protruding bump that indicated an egg grew inside him.
The rhino shifter loved kids and—since gargoyles could
impregnate a male mate—couldn’t have been more ecstatic to
learn he carried Einan’s child—although, even after two
months, Raymond still thought the big enforcer remained shell-
shocked by his impending fatherhood. Still, that didn’t mean
Cornelius enjoyed the mood swings or pain that accompanied
pregnancy.

Raymond nodded.
Bobby had brought a frustrated and whiny Cornelius a decaf

cappuccino, helping ease the shifter’s craving. “Right. I ended
up with a double caramel macchiato that blew away my taste
buds. I, uh, put on a disguise and snuck to the coffee bar a week
later,” he admitted. “Marty was there.”

He moaned quietly at the memory, licking his lips and

swallowing as saliva pooled in his mouth. When he’d walked
past the two humans sitting at the table and realized one of
them was his mate, he’d just about fallen over in shock. It had
taken every ounce of self-control he had to carry out his plan.
Namely, buy his drink and get the hell out of there.

Two weeks later, he’d given in to his desire to see and smell

his mate again. Now, it’d become an every other week thing.

“Oh…oh, honey,” Cornelius murmured. He shook his head

and grimaced. “I’m so happy for you and so worried all at the
same time,” he admitted.

“Me, too,” he whispered.
His appetite gone, Raymond sighed with frustration. “I’m

gonna go do some research on him,” he said. “I’ll see you later.”

“You, uh, you want me to bring you some food later?”

Cornelius offered.

Forcing a smile, Raymond nodded. “Sure, yeah. That’d be

great.” Giving his friend a hug, he added, “Thanks.”

Cornelius smiled and nodded, sympathy filling his

expression. “See you later.”

Raymond made his way to his office. Shutting the door

behind him, he swept his gaze over his computers and
monitors. He smiled. “Just as I left you.” He hated people
messing with his computers and knew a couple of gargoyles
liked to screw with his stuff just to piss him off.

Settling behind his computer, he booted up his systems.
For the next couple of hours, Raymond searched the internet

for the information on Marty. He’d learned at least one of his
mate’s login names weeks before, but had been hesitant to use
it. Except, now that he knew the human was just as attracted to
him—well, when Marty thought Raymond was a human
anyway—he needed to learn more about the human.

Maybe I could sneak into Marty’s home and seduce him.
Raymond snorted at that idea.
Right. As If I know anything about seduction.
Rolling his eyes at his own ridiculousness, Raymond went

back to his search. He discovered the man occasionally enjoyed
playing online poker. Texas hold ’em seemed to be a favorite.
As far as Raymond could see, the man didn’t actually play for
money…only for fun at several free sites.

Before he could decide, his computer chimed softly. Looking

at the corner of his lower right monitor, he noticed he had an
IM. After double checking his firewalls, he opened the window
and read the text.

Sulu87: Hey handsome. U on?
Raymond flushed. Several months before, he’d started cyber-

sex with this contact. When he’d discovered his mate almost

two months ago, he’d stopped, feeling as if it were cheating.
Indecision surged through him.

Sulu87: Miss U. Did I do something wrong?
Damn. Raymond realized he should have given Sulu87 some

explanation. Sighing, his fingers hovered over the keys as he
tried to figure out how to answer.

I’m here.
Seconds later, the moving pencil icon indicated Sulu87 was

writing a response.

Sulu87: Busy w/ work?
Yes and no.
Sulu87: What are you wearing?
Raymond sighed. Yeah, that was why he’d liked this contact.

He’d had a one track mind, not making small talk, just looking
for release.

I’m sorry. I’m seeing someone. I don’t feel right doing this with

you.

Although that wasn’t technically true, yet, somehow it was.

He didn’t feel right getting off with anyone else now that he’d
found his mate. Even if it was an anonymous online hook-up.

Sulu87: Oh. I’m happy 4 U. =)
Relieved, Raymond smiled.
Thanks.

After a second, he added, You looking for someone

special?

Sulu87: Thought I’d found him. He hasn’t agreed yet. Working on

him, tho.

Raymond let out a relieved sigh. At least he hadn’t really hurt

the person’s feelings. That was good.

I wish you all the best with that.
Sulu87: Thanks. <3
Shaking his head, Raymond closed the window and logged

off that chat site. Next, he changed his boot-up settings to make
certain he no longer logged into it automatically. Raymond
knew he shouldn’t have started such regular correspondence
with Sulu87 in the first place, but he’d been so lonely and
Sulu87 always seemed happy to chat with him. It made him feel
not so alone.

A knock at the door had Raymond minimizing the windows

he’d been using in his search for info on his mate before he
called, “Come in.”

Cornelius poked his head in through the opening. “Hey, how

ya doing?”

The door swung wider, revealing Bobby, the human mate of

their clutch leader, the gargoyle Maelgwn. Giving him a
concerned look, Bobby stepped into the room. “Are you not
well or something?”

The pair of men entered, and Cornelius gave Raymond an

apologetic look. Raymond smiled back. He liked Bobby, but
because he was their chieftain’s mate, worried if he could trust
him not to tell about his potentially dangerous nocturnal
activities. On second thought, maybe Maelgwn’s advice was
exactly what he needed. After all, Bobby was human. He hadn’t
known about paranormals until Maelgwn discovered they were
mates.

Wait, Bobby could probably give him great advice, too.
“Come in and shut the door,” he ordered, waving his black-

clawed hand.

Between the two men, they spread out four plates and several

tall, frosty mugs. When he took the mug handed to him and
smelled beer, he lifted a brow when he saw Cornelius take a
deep swallow of his own beverage. The rhino shifter rolled his
eyes. “I’m drinking root beer. Relax.”

Bobby snickered and Raymond chuckled.
Raymond’s stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t

eaten since right after waking from roost. After ten minutes of
eating in silence, Bobby swallowed his bite of chicken salad and
asked, “So, what’s up with you? Normally you join us for lunch
these days,” he pointed out.

Raymond nodded. Deciding not to beat around the bush, he

blurted, “I found my mate. He’s human and I wanted to see
what I could find out about him online.”

Bobby shrieked excitedly, kinda like Cornelius had earlier.

Yeah, finding a mate was a big deal for a paranormal. Since a
gargoyle lived so long—sometimes even up to a thousand years
—Fate granted each of them a soul mate. Although they could

bond with anyone, only a fated mate’s life would extend to
match theirs, allowing them to live as long as the gargoyle did
—meaning they wouldn’t have to watch their lover grow old
and die.

“Calm down,” Raymond urged even as he accepted the hug

from Bobby.

Releasing him, Bobby sat back in his seat and grinned. “So,

who is he?”

“His name is Martin. His friend called him Marty.” Raymond

sighed as he thought about the big, blond-haired, blue eyed
man. Sighing again, this time with sadness, he told Bobby, “But
he’s human and doesn’t know anything about paranormals.”
He looked hopefully at his human friend. “You didn’t know
about humans and you accepted Maelgwn. Was it…” He paused
and shrugged. “What can I do to make it easier for him?”

Bobby cocked his head and scowled, obviously deep in

thought. Raymond let him think and felt grateful Cornelius—a
normally chatty man—did the same. Finally, Bobby gave him a
hesitant smile. “I think the biggest thing is that I had friends,
people I trusted, that helped talk me through it,” he admitted.
“I mean, Maelgwn saved my life from muggers, then we had
this strange date where I didn’t actually see him but he took the
time to figure out my favorite foods.” One side of his lip curled
up sardonically. “Knowing I could go to my buddies for info on
my mysterious savior helped a lot. Do you know if any of
Marty’s friends are aware of the paranormal world?”

Raymond grimaced. “Not that I’m aware of. I mean, maybe,

but…how would I know?”

“Well, then,” Cornelius piped up. “We need to figure it out.”
“How?” Raymond glanced between the two men.
Bobby nodded emphatically. “Can you hack into his credit

card records? Where does he normally eat during the week?”
Grinning, Bobby announced, “Cornelius and I will find a way to
meet him.”

At Raymond’s dubious look, Cornelius’s eyes lit up.

“Absolutely. Even if we only know him for a few days or weeks,
it’s better than not knowing anyone, right?”

“Y-Yeah,” Raymond stuttered, not certain what to really

think of his friend’s plan.

“And in the meantime,” Bobby stated, “you should figure out

his email address and contact him. If he’s been at the coffee bar
each time you turned up, he must feel the mate-pull, too. Talk
to him online. Tell him you’re reclusive or shy or whatever you
think is close enough to the truth so you won’t feel guilty about
it later.”

“You think that’s wise?” Raymond asked. He’d toyed with

the idea more times than he could count but had never found
the nerve.

“Absolutely,” Cornelius confirmed.
Bobby nodded once. “Do it.”

An hour later, at nearly five o’clock in the morning, Raymond

stared at his computer cursor. Slowly, haltingly, he began to
construct a simple message.

Chapter Three

By morning, Marty had convinced himself that he’d imagined
the whole thing. It had all been a hallucination caused by too
much stress, fatigue, and excessive horniness…yeah, that was it.

Bullshit! You saw that man had wings and a tail and flew the fuck

away!

“Yeah, and that’s why I’ve had second, third, and fourth

thoughts this morning, too,” he grumbled under his breath as
he pulled on his t-shirt. “Damn it.” He rubbed his eyes, then ran
a hand over his jaw.

With a shake of his head, Marty grabbed his jacket and

headed out the door. Time for work.

A fifteen minute drive put him at the job site. He sat in the

truck for a few minutes and stared at the two trucks parked
nearby. Groaning, he slammed the palm of his hand on the top
of his steering wheel, then climbed out of his truck.

“Hey, morning, Marty!” Logan McByrne called from the

porch. “Glad you could join us!” He grinned and winked.
“Good night?”

Shaking his head, Marty strode up the walk toward his best

friend. “No,” he growled. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

Logan’s brows shot up. The move tightened the scarring on

his friend’s face. Normally, Marty hardly noticed the almost T-
shaped scar stretched across his friend’s right cheek, from ear to
eye, and up from the corner of his jaw. However, the way
Logan’s brows drew up, then down, so quickly—his friend
sweeping his gaze down over Marty—drew his attention to it.

Marty also knew what his best friend saw—blood-shot, blue

eyes and fatigue lines around his mouth. He hadn’t been able to
do more than doze for a few minutes at a time before dreams of
bearded men and winged creatures jerked him a wake. That fact
left him both hard as nails and mildly disturbed.

His friend’s hand on his shoulder drew Marty from his

thoughts. Lifting his gaze, Marty took in his buddy’s concerned
expression. “So, what the hell happened, man?” he asked. “Matt

said—” Logan cut himself off for a second, a look of confusion
crossing his features. It quickly cleared. Logan’s hand squeezed
Marty’s shoulder once. “If this is because you were with a guy,
you know I don’t care about that shit.” He shrugged, then
added in a soft, yet harsh, tone, “It’s not like you don’t know
I’ve done the same a time or two.”

Heaving a sigh, Marty met his friend’s gaze squarely. “It’s not

that, Logan. I really did just have a sleepless night.” He
grimaced, then lied through his teeth, saying, “After leaving the
coffee bar with Matthew, he went one way and I tried to find
Raymond, but I couldn’t.”

Logan scowled. “Raymond? Who’s that? The guy you’ve been

meeting up with?”

“Well, I haven’t really been meeting up with him as much as

I’ve been stalking him,” Marty admitted. “I figured out his
coffee schedule.” He shrugged. “I’ve been watching for him
there every night since we had that meeting that one time.”

“That meeting…” Logan cocked his head. “Wait, the one at

almost ten PM about two months ago?”

Marty nodded.
“Did I see him?”
Shrugging, Marty admitted, “Possibly. Probably.” At his

buddy’s questioning look, Marty elaborated. “If you saw him,
you’d remember him. He was the slender, bearded fellow in the
black trench coat.”

Logan rested his hands on his hips, lifted his gaze to the porch

roof, and narrowed his eyes. Marty knew his buddy was really
looking at nothing as he struggled to put a face to Raymond.
When his jaw sagged open and his eyes widened, Marty knew
Logan had figured it out. His suspicions were confirmed when
the redhead incredulously asked, “Trench coat and a bushy
black beard? Sunglasses?”

“Yeah, that’d be him,” Marty affirmed, shrugging.
Frowning, Logan muttered, “Look, I’m not one to judge, so

—” He lifted his hand, then dropped it. “You haven’t been in a
relationship in a long time, man, so if this dude makes ya
happy, I say go for it.”

“Thanks,” Marty replied. He wondered if his friend would

say that if he’d seen what Marty had seen in that little clearing
in the woods.

“Okay.” Logan thumped him on the shoulder. “Let’s get to

work.”

That sounded like a fantastic idea to Marty.

Marty accepted a dinner invitation from Logan. Matthew

joined them and they BBQed steaks, drank beer, and watched a
ball game on TV. They groaned when their team made bad
plays, booed the ref at bad calls, and screamed wildly when
things went their way.

He had fun and by the time he got home, he felt more relaxed

than he had in ages.

Deciding a little poker was in order—and another couple

beers—he grabbed a couple bud lights from the fridge and
settled on the couch with his laptop. As the computer booted
up, he popped the cap off the first and took a quick swallow.
Seeing he had a few new unopened emails, he clicked the link.

Most were spam. One was a signed contract from a client.

Two were bids from subcontractors. The final email gave Marty
pause. He didn’t recognize the gmail address—GRay397—with
a title of Coffee Bar Friend.

Marty’s jaw dropped open. His breathing sped up. His finger

hovered over the mouse as he debated whether he should open
it or not. Could it really be from Raymond? How had the…
man...gotten his email address?

Deciding there was only one way to find out, Marty screwed

up his courage and clicked the link.

He quickly scanned the email. It was only a few lines, but

they still made his heart beat faster in his chest.

Hi, Marty,
I hope you don’t mind me calling you Marty. We haven’t really

spoken, but we’ve seen each other several times over the last couple of
months. If you want to change that, log into yahoo chat and accept my
friend request. I sent it a few seconds before this email. I hope to hear
from you.

Raymond

P.S. I liked the heat in your eyes last night.

Marty swallowed hard. Did he dare? He couldn’t deny he

found himself extremely attracted to Raymond. Except, what
about what he’d seen last night? He didn’t have anyone to ask
about that. What could it mean? Maybe if he chatted with the
guy, he could subtly find a way to broach the subject of birth
defects?

At the very idea of some sort of communication with the

other male, Marty’s cock throbbed in his jeans. Okay, so his dick
didn’t give a shit what Raymond looked like. Marty was man
enough to realize he wanted the slender…male. If he chatted
with him and got to know him, would that change? For some
reason, Marty sure hoped not.

Only one way to find out.
Marty logged into Yahoo chat. The platform wasn't one he

used often, so he wondered how the guy knew he had an ID for
it. When he spotted the friend request from GRay397, he
decided to find out. GRay. Ray. I like that. He accepted the friend
request. After about fifteen seconds, where his computer
processed the request and updated his contact list, Marty saw
GRay397 appear under the available category.

After a few seconds of indecision, Marty clicked on the name,

opening up a new chat box. After clenching his fingers once,
twice, he typed How’d you know my ID?

Marty gasped when, almost immediately, the little message

saying GRay397 is typing a message appeared above the message
box. Had Ray been waiting for him? Seconds later, a message
appeared on the screen.

GRay397: I’m a reclusive hacker. I don’t like to go out much.
Snorting, Marty actually had to admit that made sense.

Smiling, he typed back, But you love double caramel macchiatos?

GRay397: My friend, Bobby, got me hooked on them. I can’t seem to

get the flavor the same at home. =) Gotta get my fix somehow!

Marty couldn’t help it. He barked out a laugh at that. You get

your caffeine fix at ten and eleven o’clock at night?

When he didn’t see a response right away, he thought he’d

offended the other man. His fingers twitched. Lowering his
hand to his hard cock, he absently stroked himself through his
jeans, searching for some relief, as he wondered what he could
say to fix…whatever he seemed to have said wrong.

Fortunately, after a couple of minutes, a new message

appeared.

GRay397: I’m a night owl. I sleep during the day & stay up at

night. Always been that way.

Okay, Marty could understand that. Lifting both hands back

to the keyboard, he typed Ah, so when I see you at ten PM, you’re
just starting your day?

GRay397: Yep. ;-)
Knowing he couldn’t just ask what he wanted to know—

namely, I thought I saw you with wings and flying away last
night—he decided to go with something a little more
circumspect.

You a big gamer? Don’t all hackers like online gaming?
GRay397: LOL! Total myth. I could dispel a ton of myths for you.

I’ve got a PhD in mythology.

Oh, what a perfect opening!
Really? What kinds of myths? We talking ancient Greek? Roman?

Or do you mean the werewolf and vampire type myths?

Hey, after seeing what he thought he saw last night, he

wasn’t sure what myths Ray might be talking about.

GRay397: I don’t know how much I should say. I don’t want to

scare you on our first date… ;-) Maybe we should talk about how much
I wish I had the confidence to stick around last night, instead.

Sighing, Marty rested his head against the back of his couch

and let out a slow sigh. Maybe Ray was right. Surely it wouldn’t
be appropriate to ask about wings and a tail on their first…date.
He smiled at the idea of a cyber-date.

He’d never been on one before. Once again, the aching in his

cock drew his attention. His dick sure didn’t give a shit what
Ray might or might not look like. Just the memory of the male’s
smell—coupled with the smoldering of the guy’s dark eyes—
just damn!

GRay397: You still there?

Taking a second, Marty cracked his beer and took big swig,

getting moisture back into his suddenly dry mouth. He
swallowed, licked his lips, and swallowed again. What to say?

Just got a beer. You could be right. Don’t want to be too deep on a

first date, huh? =)

GRay397: You got that right. ;-)
There was only a few seconds before the next message, telling

of his…Ray’s skill with the keyboard.

GRay397: Let’s talk about something else…like maybe, how sexy I

find you. Those broad shoulders. Those defined pecs and abs. So easy to
make out under that green t-shirt you had on a couple of weeks ago. So
sexy. Wish I could see and touch for real…

Oh! Oh, damn. Licking his lips, Marty’s fingers hovered over

his keys. God, it felt good to have confirmation that the
attraction wasn’t one sided. What should he say to that?

After swallowing once, Marty typed—I’d let you, ya know.

Touch me. When you lowered your sunglasses and I saw the lust in
your eyes. Just…damn! So hot! And your soft, sexy tenor? Got my
cock so damn hard.

Okay, so maybe sex hadn’t been in the immediate plan, but

with his dick already aching in his jeans, he couldn’t seem to
think with anything else.

GRay397: What if I want to strip you down and suck your cock?

Would you like that? I’ll nibble your sacks, press my fingers against
that soft, sensitive spot behind your balls, and lick my way up the
underside of your shaft.

GRay397: Can you imagine that?
Fucking hell!

Groaning, Marty shifted in his seat. His cock

pressed insistently against his fly. Just imagining Ray kneeling
between his thighs, his dark eyes smoldering, his bearded face
rubbing against his balls, his pink tongue flicking out, sliding up
his shaft…Shit! He felt a bead of pre-cum ooze from his
throbbing prick.

God, yes. Got me so hard!
GRay397: Take your cock out, Marty. Let me see it.
Yeah.

Even though Marty knew the other man couldn’t actually see

it, he yanked his jeans open as quickly as possible. His cock head
caught on the elastic of his boxer-briefs as he struggled to shove
them down. His dick bent at an awkward angle, and he hissed
when a spark of pain shot through his cock. Even that didn’t
soften him in the slightest.

When he finally freed his shaft, the cool air of his living room

on his hot flesh caused his balls to tighten. With his dick aching,
he gave in to his need for pressure and wrapped his fingers
around himself and jacked slowly. He hissed softly upon feeling
his callouses rasp over the smooth skin of his rock-hard
erection.

GRay397: You stroking yourself? You imagining it’s my hand on

your cock?

The ping of his computer drew his attention away from his

ever tightening balls and oozing prick.

He rubbed the tips of his fingers together as he stared at the

computer screen. Finally, he wrote I struggle with what to say.
I’ve never done this before.

For several seconds, he awaited a response. Finally, one came.
GRay397: We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I just

thought...

Ray left the thought unfinished.
Marty sighed. He looked down at his prick. Fuck it.
Are you as hard as I am? I’m a pretty big guy, almost ten inches.

Nice and thick. My balls feel hard, pulled tight to my body. I bet if you
licked the pre-cum from my sensitive head, I’d blow. I’d paint your
beard with cream. Would you like that?

I was hard from just thinking about you when I logged in. Your

eyes. Your voice. Wanna explore that lean body I know you must be
hiding under your cloak. You do this to me. You gonna make me
come? You gonna come with me?

Marty waited, slowly stroking himself, trying to control his

body’s rising need to come, as he watched for a response.

GRay397: Oh Gods – you sound so hot – If I were there, I’d be on

my knees for you. I’d suck your dick so hard you’d see stars. I’d
massage your balls. Are they pulling tight? Mine are.

Groaning, Marty reached down with his free hand and

cupped his testicles, squeezing lightly. His chest heaved as
tingles settled in the base of his spine. He felt his balls roll in his
grip, drawing closer to his body. Yanking his hands away from
his body, he managed to type.

Fuck yeah! Gonna come!
Marty gripped his shaft and jacked harshly. With his other

hand he massaged the sensitive patch of skin behind his balls.

GRay397: Yeah, do it! Come for me, Marty!
Seeing those last few words tipped Marty over the edge. He

roared with pleasure as he came, hard, painting his t-shirt and
fingers with cum. One strand even managed to hit his chin.
Panting, and grinning like a loon, he rested his head against the
back of the couch and stared at the ceiling.

After several minutes, he pulled himself together and let out

a slow breath.

Damn that was good. Can’t remember when I came so hard.
He frowned, realizing it was true and extremely odd at the

same time.

Why the fuck is that?
Then, he realized how insensitive that sounded.
Shit, did you come? Do you still need me to get you off?
It took nearly a minute to get a response, and Marty worried

he’d offended the man. Finally, a response came and he heaved
a sigh of relief even as he once again grinned.

GRay397: Yeah. I got off. ;-) Thanks, tho.
Marty nodded, even though he knew Ray couldn’t see it. He

poised his fingers over his keyboard again, but paused,
uncertain what to say now. Fortunately, it seemed Ray didn’t
have that problem.

GRay397: So, now that we’re both relaxed, tell me about yourself.

What kind of music do you like? =)

Snorting, Marty found he didn’t have any trouble answering.

For the next several hours, he and Ray chatted about…stuff.

Chapter Four

“Well, someone had a good night,” Matthew teased.

Marty returned his brother’s grin with a shrug as he flopped

onto the booth seat opposite him. “Yeah, this time I did.”

Matthew rested his arms on the table and leaned toward him.

“So, what happened? You head to the bar last night and pick up
a chick or something?”

“No,” Marty scowled, feeling offended. Odd, since he’d never

had a problem admitting to pick-ups in the past.

His brother’s brows shot up. “Whoa, dude. You all right?”
Realizing he scowled at his menu, Marty blinked and eased

the expression. “Yeah, just…not sure why I got upset, actually,”
he admitted.

Punching him in the arm, Matthew smirked, “Well, you were

in a good mood when you came in, so why don’t you tell me
what has you so happy on a Saturday afternoon?”

“Raymond’s a hacker. He contacted me last night,” Marty

blurted.

This time, it was Matthew who scowled. “Uh, really? How’d

he do that?”

“He sent me an email and asked to chat. So—” He shrugged.

“We did. For hours.”

“About what?”
Marty had no desire to admit to the first part of

their...discussion, even though his nearly mind-numbing
orgasm was what first came to mind. In fact, his cock even
perked up, plumping in his jeans at the memory. He felt
grateful the waitress arrived right then to take their order. Once
she’d taken their orders and left, he took a swallow of his water
to buy another few seconds.

Finally, he answered, “Things in general. Music interests. TV

interests. Hobbies. Date shit.”

“You had a, uh, a cyber-date?” Matthew asked hesitantly.
Marty nodded.
“Huh, must have been a good date.” Matthew smirked, eying

him knowingly.

Refusing to admit to anything—although Marty couldn’t stop

smiling—instead, he asked, “So, the electrical will be done on
Monday, then?”

Matthew snorted, knowing exactly what Marty was doing.

Still, he let him get away with it and answered the question.

Their food arrived and they remained quiet for a couple of

minutes, chowing down. During those few moments, Marty
became aware of a pair of men sitting in the booth behind his
brother…one with black hair and one a blond. Both were very
obviously out and proud, given away by their dress, light eye
make-up, and even the way they leaned together and chatted,
the blond’s hands flying a mile a minute as he talked.

Marty suddenly held up his hand to stop his brother’s flow of

words. Matthew’s brows shot up in surprise, but he obeyed. The
blond’s words carried to them. “No, Raymond didn’t tell me
that,” the man stated, sounding surprised. “Our bearded friend
found someone who caught his eye?”

“Yup,” the black-haired man answered. “He said they chatted

last night, but you know how shy he is when not on the
computer.” The dude shook his head. “I hope he doesn’t make
this Marty guy wait too long to really meet, ya know? From
what he said, he sounds pretty nice.”

His eyes wide, Marty’s gaze found his brother’s own stare.

Matthew looked just as shocked. What were the odds that there
were two bearded men named Raymond who chatted with a
Marty last night? Yep, zilch.

Deciding he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn more

about the man who consumed his thoughts, Marty tilted his
head toward the other booth. Matthew shrugged and started
moving, sliding out of the booth.

Marty also stood, then led the way to the next booth. The

blond paused in mid-sentence and both men peered up at them.
The black-haired man’s brow lifted in silent question. After his
initial second of apparent shock, the blond crossed his arms
over his chest and stated, “If you try to beat us up, our
boyfriends will totally kick your asses.”

Unable to help himself, Marty barked out a laugh and

bumped shoulders with his brother.

“What?” The dark-haired man’s green eyes flashed with

obvious indignation. “Don’t think they can? You’d be wrong.”

“I apologize,” Marty stated, finding his tongue. “I couldn’t

help overhearing your conversation.” He held out his hand to
the dark-haired stranger. “I’m Martin Beakman. Marty. I’m
wondering if I can talk to you about why Raymond is so
reclusive.”

For a second, the man just stared at him. Then, his lips curved

into a smile that lit his green eyes. He grabbed Marty’s hand
and held on, sweeping his gaze over him while grinning and
saying. “You’re Marty? Mmm, yummy. Ray-Ray is gonna be one
lucky gar—uh, guy.” He tugged the hand he held while saying,
“I’m Bobby. That’s Cornelius. Come sit with us. Tell us all about
yourself.”

As he sat next to Bobby, Marty nodded toward his brother,

who was retrieving their food. “That’s my brother, Matthew.
Thanks for letting me interrupt your lunch and talking with
me.”

“Of course,” Cornelius stated. The man slid over, allowing

Matthew to join them, too. “He’s a great guy. Super smart with
a computer.” He shrugged.

Marty nodded, chuckling. “I caught on to that when he

emailed me out of the blue yesterday. I didn’t even know he
knew my name.”

Bobby and Cornelius exchanged a look before Bobby stated

softly, “Well, he’s struggled a bit with being social, so he’s great
at people watching. He picks up info others would most likely
miss.”

Nodding again, more slowly this time, Marty bought some

time by taking a bite of his burger. Once he swallowed, he
asked, “Is that why he wears the beard?”

“Ah,” Bobby’s brows drew together and he picked at his…it

looked like quiche, something Marty knew was a veggie option
on the menu.

Interesting.
Cornelius stated, “The beard is actually a recent addition. I

doubt he’ll keep it.”

Before he could ask more questions, Bobby’s eyes widened.

“Oh, shit.”

Cornelius cranked his head and peered over his shoulder. He

actually paled, which seemed tough considering his already fair
complexion. Following the men’s gazes, Marty spotted two
large men—two very large scowling men—striding toward their
booth. The larger of the two—a light-skinned African American
with long black hair—led the way toward them, followed
closely by the big, bronzed black-haired Caucasian.

Marty glanced between their two lunch companions again

and could describe their expressions in one word—guilty.
Realization hit him. “Damn. Those are your boyfriends?”

Matthew turned to look and chuckled as he immediately

stood…just in time to stand shoulder to chest with the massive
Caucasian. Following his brother’s example, Marty did the
same. He lifted his hands in placation. “I’m really sorry, guys.
These your men?”

“Yes,” the taller of the two stated gruffly, his dark eyes

narrowed. The African American crossed his arms over his
chest. “I’m Maelgwn.”

Deciding the best way to not get the shit beat out of him was

to prove that he wasn’t trying to poach the massive man’s
boyfriend—because, yeah, Cornelius had been speaking the
truth earlier—these men could totally kick his and Matthew’s
asses—Marty stuck out his hand. “I’m Marty Beakman. This is
my brother, Matthew. We were just discussing a mutual friend
with Bobby and Cornelius. Do you know Raymond, too?”

At the mention of Ray’s name, Marty noticed the man’s eyes

widen just a bit, and he didn’t know if the guy would shake his
hand. Finally, Maelgwn uncrossed his arms and gripped his
hand in what kinda felt like a very careful handshake.

“I do know Raymond,” Maelgwn rumbled. When he released

Marty’s hand his gaze slid to the other big man who stood
much closer to Marty’s six foot four inch height. Returning
focus to him, he asked, “Where did you meet Raymond?”

A niggle of unease trickled up Marty’s spine. Pushing it

down, he answered, “At that coffee bar over on Salz Street.”

“Huh,” Maelgwn grunted. He looked at his companion again.

“You ever been there, Einan?”

The man named Einan shook his head. “Can’t say as I have.”
Cornelius slipped from the booth and wrapped his arm

around Einan. The big man didn’t even hesitate, just wrapped
his arm around Cornelius, and palmed the slender fellow’s
surprisingly large belly. If Marty had seen a tummy like that on
a woman, he’d have pegged it as a baby’s bump.

Very strange. In fact, just about everything about these guys

seemed a bit…odd.

Bobby slid from the booth as well and wrapped his arms

around Maelgwn. His boyfriend dipped his head and captured
Bobby’s mouth in a proprietary kiss, making it obvious to whom
the man belonged. Bobby sank into his boyfriend’s embrace,
garnering a number of amused looks and even a couple scowls
and snide comments.

Matthew actually chuckled. “Now, you two are a hot item.

Either of you got a brother you can set me up with?” He
winked.

Surprisingly, a chuckle rumbled from Einan. It seemed, now

that the pair of big men had their boyfriends in their arms, they
were pretty easy going. Maelgwn finally brought the lip-lock to
an end. He smirked at Matthew. “Sorry, no.”

“Story of my life,” Matthew quipped, sighing dramatically.
“Well, I apologize for the misunderstanding,” Marty stated.

“It was nice to meet you all.”

Bobby grinned up at him. “Our pleasure, and I’m sure we’ll

be seeing plenty more of you,” he added, smirking.

Marty nodded. “You all like BBQs?”
“Yes,” Einan stated, drawing the word out as if he wasn’t

completely certain.

Deciding to run with it anyway, Marty stated, “My buddies

and I do it often. You like steaks?”

Maelgwn nodded once. “Yes.”
“Maelgwn loves them, don’t-cha, big boy?” Bobby quipped,

patting Maelgwn’s flat stomach. He waved a hand carelessly at
Einan. “His motto is never met a steak I didn’t like, right?”

Einan smirked, scoffing. “Yep.”
Grinning, Marty offered, “Okay. I got a freezer full of elk

steaks from last hunting season. I’d be happy to throw on some

extra for you and your friends if you’ll bring Raymond with
you.” He saw the look exchanged between the group, so he
leveled his look on Bobby. “I’d like the chance to talk to him
face to face for longer than thirty seconds.”

Bobby grabbed his man’s neck and yanked his head down so

he could whisper into his ear. The fact that he didn’t have any
trouble doing that to the huge guy told of how close they were.

Whatever Bobby said to the man caused Maelgwn’s eyes to

narrow, then widen. While straightening, he glanced from
Marty to Einan, then cleared his throat. “I’ll have to check my
schedule. When were you thinking?”

Marty shrugged. “Let me give you my number. Give me a

call. We’ll work something out.”

Maelgwn nodded. “Fair enough.”
As they exchanged numbers, a spark lit in his belly. A slow

burn he recognized as anticipation. After shaking the hands of
the men, he headed outside with Matthew.

“That was nice of Maelgwn to pay our bill,” Matthew

commented even as he shot a quizzical look over his shoulder at
the door of the restaurant they’d just left.

“Yeah.”
Pausing at Marty’s side, Matthew crossed his arms and

scowled. “Men that stand out like that? You’d think you’d have
seen them around town before, you know?”

Leaning against his truck, Marty’s brows drew together in

thought. “You know, now that you mention it, yeah. Where do
you think they’re from?”

Matthew shrugged. “Not real sure.” He lifted a hand and

rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, I know you’re a grown man,
but you’re my brother. You’re the only family I got. I don’t
want anything to happen to you.”

Touched, Marty smiled. “Showing your sentimental side?” he

teased, although he did appreciate it.

Scowling, Matthew gripped his shoulder. “We don’t know

anything about these guys. Maybe we should find out where
they live, what they do, stuff like that? Ya know? I mean, if
they’re friends of your computer hacker, they could know
everything about you,” he pointed out.

Marty knew his brother had never been a paranoid man, and

because he’d come out years earlier, had a better sense of self-
preservation. Nodding his agreement, he wrapped Matthew in
a brief, back-pounding hug.

“I get what you’re saying, man,” he mumbled, drawing back.

“Thanks.”

Besides, he still wanted to know what the hell could give a

man wings and a tail. Maybe he did need to do a little research.

“I’m gonna head home and relax…do some searching on the

internet. Maybe see what I can dig up, eh?”

“You want help?”
Marty hesitated for a split second, then realized, if he couldn’t

trust his family, who could he trust?

He nodded once.

An hour later, a beer dangling between his fingers, Matthew

gaped at him. “Are you shitting me?”

Shaking his head, Marty grimaced. “Afraid not.”
“So, you’re saying, you did catch up with Raymond. He

stripped down and showed off a pair of odd wing thingies, a
tail, and flew away?”

Sighing, Marty scrubbed a hand over his face. He lifted a

hand, then dropped it, not bothering to answer.

“And you still happily chatted with him the next night?”
“Maybe I was wrong about what I saw?” Marty softly offered.
Matthew leaped to his feet and started pacing. Once he made

two crosses over the floor, he spun and pointed his finger at
Marty. “No way in hell did you imagine something like that. I
know you, brother.”

Marty lounged back in his chair and frowned at Matthew.

“Well? What do you think Raymond is then?” God, he couldn’t
believe he’d actually voiced that thought out loud.

Matthew grabbed the laptop, flopped onto the couch, and

started typing furiously. Marty let him at it. His brother had
always been better at internet research than him. Probably why
he understood electrical and Marty didn’t. Not that he
considered himself a dumb jock or anything, because it took
plenty of smarts to get his business management degree and

run a reconstruction company. The only things he and Logan
couldn’t do were electrical and plumbing, so he hired his
brother for one and another buddy, Paco, for the other. His
company even had four full time employees.

“Would you say Raymond looked like this?”
Marty scowled at the screen and leaned closer. The picture

showed a creature flying across a full moon. Its arms were
outstretched and what appeared to be wings connected to the
bottom of them and down its torso to just below the waist. The
legs were short and ended in talons. The hands were actually
claws. In the bottom left corner was a blown up picture of the
creature’s head, which sported a very orangutan-like extended
jaw with prominent canines.

While some of the creature’s features definitely reminded

him of what he thought he’d seen the other night, not all of
them did. Curious, Marty asked, “What is it?” surprised to
discover his voice came out a whisper.

Matthew cocked his head and met his gaze. “A gargoyle.”
“A g-gargoyle?”
Matthew shrugged. “Closest thing I can find to what you

described.”

Marty sat back and shook his head. “Gargoyles aren’t real.

They’re myths.”

Suddenly, words Ray had written last night came back as if to

haunt him. I’m an expert on myths. No, that was too ridiculous.

“Look, whatever I saw, that wasn’t it,” Marty stated firmly.

“Those things don’t exist.”

Matthew grinned and shrugged. “Well, hey, look on the

bright side,” he quipped. “Gargoyles were originally known as
protectors for the church. You’d have your own personal
guardian.”

Marty’s lips twisted in wry amusement. “Ha, ha.”

One minute he was asleep, the next, awake. Lying in bed,

Marty tried to figure out what had woken him. He heard the
soft ticks of the house, noises he recognized as the house
settling and the heating system warming up. Suddenly, he
heard it again…a quiet scrape, scrape noise, like a cat

sharpening its claws on wood.

Marty eased from the bed. He grabbed the bat he kept beside

his bed in his left hand and stalked across his room toward the
door. Hearing a whiny creak, Marty froze. He recognized it as
the squeaky board in the hallway.

As he watched, his bedroom door slowly swung open. A

massive silhouette filled the doorway.

Shocked, Marty dropped the bat and stumbled backward. If

Raymond was a gargoyle, then this creature must be a demon. It
stood at least seven feet tall with curved horns protruding from
its head and large wings billowing around him.

“Holy shit.” He couldn’t help the squeak in his voice.
“Oh, good. You’re awake,” a deep rumbling voice came from

the creature. “Maelgwn wants to see you.”

“Maelgwn?” he gasped.
That was the last thing he remembered before his eyes rolled

to the back of his head and he collapsed on the bedroom floor.

Chapter Five

Raymond jerked his head up at the slamming of his office door
against the wall. He watched Bobby rush into the room,
wringing his hands. Upon seeing the chieftain’s mate so upset,
he jumped to his feet.

“Bobby! What’s wrong?”
He gripped his friend’s shoulders and discovered tears in the

man’s green eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Raymond. We botched up everything!”
Confused, Raymond cocked his head. “Hey, relax,” he tried to

soothe his friend. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it can be fixed.” He
forced a smile. “Tell your buddy Ray-Ray all about it.”

“Maelgwn sent Vane to kidnap your mate.”
For a second, Raymond knew he must be mistaken in what he

heard. “Wh-What did you say?”

“Cornelius and I went to Paula’s Diner, just like we talked

about. Except, we weren’t nearly as stealthy as we thought
when we left the manor.” Bobby grimaced. “We’d just started
chatting with Marty when Maelgwn and Einan showed up.
Marty started talking about you and…” Groaning, Bobby
wrapped his arms around his waist. “I’m so sorry. When Marty
said he met you at the coffee bar, and you’d talked, Maelgwn
must have thought the man was a risk. I had to tell him that
you’re mates, but—” Bobby actually whimpered, and not in a
good way. He finished on a whisper. “I think that made it
worse.” Sad green eyes met his own. “He sent Vane to get him
this evening.”

“Oh shit,” Raymond hissed. “It’s my fault. I should have told

my chieftain about my mate.” He stumbled back a step, fell into
his chair, and rested his head in his hand. “What am I going to
do? After being kidnapped by Vane, he’s gonna think we’re
monsters!”

Raymond had no illusions. He knew how Vane looked to

humans, and the massive, blood-red gargoyle had no
compulsion to lessen the fearful affect his presence might cause.
Sure, Raymond liked the other gargoyle—well, for the most

part, since Vane tended to be just as reclusive as Raymond often
was—but the guy was like a bull in a china shop…no finesse
what-so-ever.

“Damn it, Ray-Ray!” Bobby nearly shouted in his ear. “You’re

going to fight for your damn mate! I’ll take you to where he’s
being held and distract the guard,” he stated, hands on his hips.
“You go in, and hopefully the mate-pull and your charm will do
the rest.”

Snorting, Raymond rolled his eyes. “Right. My charm? What

the hell makes you think I have any?”

Bobby’s jaw dropped open. His eyes widened in obvious

surprise. “What the hell? Are you just going to give up on your
mate?” he shrieked.

Bobby smacked him upside the back of his head…hard.

Lifting his hand to his head, he rubbed his offended scalp.
“Fuck, man? What the hell?”

“Well?” Bobby snapped. “Are you giving up on your mate?”
Fear constricted in Raymond’s chest. Give up on his mate?

Never! “No,” he growled. “Hell, no.”

“Then let’s go, dammit!”
Leaping to his feet, Raymond nodded. “Y-yeah. Okay.”
“That’s better,” Bobby muttered. “Only one of us is allowed

to panic.”

With that, the chieftain’s mate hustled from his office. Even

though it meant leaving his duties behind, Raymond hurried
after him. Nothing was more important than helping his mate.

As he followed Bobby down first one corridor, then another,

Raymond realized they were in the older section of the manor.
While most of the manor had been redecorated, this was the
final area to be renovated. This area hadn’t been used in ages…
which meant it would be a perfect place to hide a wayward
human.

Damn it!
“Okay, hide in here,” Bobby ordered, pointing to the door on

his left.

When Raymond slipped inside, he realized it must have been

a bedroom from the fading on the walls, outlining where a bed
must have been at one time, as well as a nightstand and dresser.

Closing his eyes, he listened to the alpha-mate talk to

whoever the hell stood outside what must have been Marty’s
room. He pressed the point that Marty was a gargoyle’s mate
and said gargoyle just needed some time to be alone with the
human and explain the situation. From the deep rumbling
responses, Raymond guessed the guard was Sapian, an already
mated gargoyle who could most likely sympathize with him.

“I’ll be down the hall,” Sapian finally stated. “Tell Raymond

to holler if he needs me.”

Listening to the gargoyle stride down the hall, Raymond

nearly leaped out of his skin when the door he hid behind
opened and Sapian stuck his head in. Chuckling, the much
older gargoyle shook his head. “I understand the mate-pull and
I understand our chieftain’s reasons. Explain things to your
mate. It’ll go better than you expect.”

Sighing, Raymond swallowed hard and nodded once. “I hope

you’re right.”

Sapian shrugged his massive golden shoulders. “From what I

hear, you’ve been fighting this for months. Soothe your mate.
The mate-pull will take care of the rest.” He smiled and winked.

The other man shooed him out of the room with a wave of his

clawed hand. Raymond nodded and obeyed. He found Bobby
standing in front of a door and holding up a key. Raymond took
it, the weight of the old-style brass key in his hand felt kind of
symbolic—with one turn of this key, his life would change, for
better or worse.

Bobby gave him a quick hug, offering, “Good luck.” With an

impish grin, his friend held up—of all things—a tube of lube.

Raymond’s breathing hitched as he gingerly took the slick. He

nodded. “Thanks.”

Stepping back, Bobby grinned at him. “All right. Go get ’em,

tiger.”

“Right.” Turning toward the door, Raymond stopped wasting

time and inserted the key. His mate needed him and it was time
to step up. After easing inside, he relocked the door, then swept
his gaze over the room.

Since this section hadn’t been remodeled yet, this floor plan

appeared more like a hotel suite, with the front section

fashioned as a sitting area with a large bed in the back, along
with a desk and chair. He knew that through the door on the
left would be an attached bathroom. The doors to the balcony
were—of all things—barred.

Raymond’s gaze returned to the bed and he spotted the large

form of his human sprawled out on it. After placing the key on
the desk, he moved closer. Marty lay on his side, facing away
from him. Unwinding his fingers from the lube—and he would
not admit he clutched the object like a lifeline—he set it on the
nightstand, then rounded the bed. Marty grimaced when he
saw his mate’s hands were bound together and a blindfold
covered his eyes.

Shaking his head, knowing that must have been Vane’s

concept of going overboard with an untrustworthy human,
Raymond rounded the bed again, searching his mate for marks.
Relief flooded him when he couldn’t find anything visible and
the man seemed to be sleeping easily. At least, it didn’t seem
like Vane had hurt him.

Crawling onto the bed behind Marty, he sat on his knees and

reached out toward his mate. With his fingers hovering over his
human’s shoulder, he paused. Raymond screwed up his courage
and finished the move. When his clawed fingers slid over the
man’s t-shirt covered skin, he fought back a shiver. Finally, after
weeks of seeing, he was touching his mate.

Raymond gently shook Marty’s shoulder, jostling him. Marty

grunted, then started moving restlessly. The rope around his
wrists held his hands together tightly. That woke Marty up real
quick.

With a shout, Marty began to struggle.
“Wait, Marty,” Raymond cried. He leaned closer and gripped

his human’s shoulders. “Please, stop!”

To Raymond’s shock—and relief—Marty obeyed. His mouth

opened and closed for several seconds. His brows drew down
until Raymond could hardly see them beneath the blindfold.
Slowly, Marty lifted his bound hands toward the cloth covering
his face.

Raymond released Marty’s shoulders and gripped his

human’s wrists, stopping the motion. “Wait, Marty,” he said

again.

“R-Raymond?” Marty whispered.
“Yeah.” He couldn’t help but smile, knowing his mate

recognized his voice even though they’d only spoken a few
words. “It’s me.”

Marty didn’t fight his hold, but Raymond could feel the

tension in the thick forearms he held. Instead, Marty asked,
“What’s going on, Raymond? Why am I tied up?”

“I’ll untie you,” Raymond promised. “But will you leave the

blindfold on, please? I have some things to tell you.”

“Your friends said you were shy,” Marty commented

absently. He nodded, then asked, “Was I really kidnapped by a
demon?”

Raymond grimaced. “Uh, not exactly,” he stated while sliding

a claw through the rope binding his mate’s hands.

Once the rope fell away, Marty rubbed his wrists. Raymond

released him and sat back. Marty propped his back against the
headboard, then held out his hand, palm up. For a few seconds,
Raymond just stared. Marty crooked his fingers.

Confused, Raymond asked, “What?”
“Your hand, Ray,” Marty requested. “I can’t see you. At least,

let me touch you, so I know where you are.”

“I’m not like you,” Raymond warned, even as the fact that his

mate wanted to touch him thrilled him.

“I kinda figured that out,” Marty murmured. His wide mouth

twisted into a wry smile and he offered his hand again. “I
followed you Thursday night. I, uh, I thought I saw you fly,” he
admitted. “Was I wrong?”

Raymond gasped. “You-I-No—” He snapped his jaw shut,

uncertain and concerned. His mouth gaped as he listened to
Marty chuckle low in his throat while waggling his fingers
again.

“Come on, Ray. Take my hand and tell me about yourself. The

truth this time.”

Maybe Sapian was right. Maybe the mate-pull really would

do the rest. Reaching out, Raymond slid his fingers along
Marty’s palm. He shivered at the feel of the man’s work-
roughened hand, marveling at how the calloused fingers slid

over his palm, wanting to feel them moving over other parts of
his leathery hide.

Marty laid his other hand over the back of Raymond’s hand,

feeling his skin, then hesitantly tracing his claws. Even as
Raymond’s cock thickened under his loincloth at his mate’s
caresses, he feared his human would shy away at the feel of
him.

Instead, Marty cupped Raymond’s hand in both of his,

holding him loosely, and settled their joined hands on his lap.
He rested his head against the head board and sighed. “Okay,
Ray. Tell me about yourself. What are you? And where am I?”
After a second, he added, “Am I in danger?”

Although the man appeared relaxed, Raymond could still feel

and scent Marty’s tension. Trying to soothe the other male, he
rested his second hand on top of their other hands and rubbed.
“You’re not in danger,” Raymond assured. “You were brought
here by Vane, who gets a little, um…overzealous,” he decided
to finish with.

“Overzealous? Is that why I was tied up and blindfolded?”
“Uh, yeah. Maelgwn probably didn’t order those things.”
“Wait, Maelgwn? The big African American?”
Raymond nodded, then realized his human couldn’t actually

see it. “Right. He’s not really an African American. That’s just
what he looks like in human form.”

“I’m sorry?”
Figuring the rip off the Band-Aid approach would work best,

Raymond softly stated, “We’re gargoyles. Me and Vane and
Maelgwn and Einan. There are more of us here, but those are
the ones you’ve…seen. Maelgwn is our leader and oversees our
safety. He had you brought here because of your contact with
me.” He paused, then explained, “We’re what are called
paranormals. There are shifters and vampires, too, but most of
the myths about us aren’t true.”

The more Raymond spoke, the more Marty’s hands tightened

around his, betraying his tension. Continuing to massage
Marty’s hand, he kept talking. “As a paranormal, we live much
longer than humans. Centuries. To offset the possibility of
living a long, lonely existence, Fate grants each paranormal a

mate…a soul mate, if you will,” he explained. “The reason
you’re so drawn to me is because you’re my mate.”

“Your mate,” Marty asked, uncertainly. His chest rose as he

inhaled deeply, the broad pecks expanding then contracting
under his t-shirt.

Raymond’s breathing hitched, his cock jerking at how sexy

that looked. He really, really wanted to see and touch. “Y-Yeah,”
he replied almost absently.

As if reading his mind, Marty’s hands tightened just a bit

before releasing. “I can use my imagination about what being a
mate is. I don’t think I need further explanation on that right
now. I do have a couple questions about you and gargoyles
specifically, though.”

“I’ll tell you anything.” He realized he meant it, too. No

matter what, he wanted to share everything with his mate.

“It sure looked like Maelgwn and Einan were pretty

affectionate with their, uh, boyfriends. Can I kiss you like that?
Touch you?” His lips tightened just a bit and his jaw worked, as
if he struggled to get his next few words out. “I’ve never been
tempted to do anything with a man, although I’ve been
attracted to a few over the years. Sitting here with you, smelling
you. You’re telling me some important shit but all I can think
about is pulling you close and…” He paused, his jaw clenched
for a second. Then, Marty blurted, “And you’re a, uh, a
gargoyle, so I don’t know what’s appropriate.”

Raymond’s belly clenched, anticipation thrumming through

him. He pushed to his knees and shuffled forward, careful with
his talons so he didn’t tear the sheets. Gently, he tugged his
hands free from Marty’s grip. Excitement coursed through him,
causing his words to come out barely on a moan.

“Can I sit on your lap? Then, you can touch me however you

want.”

“Okay,” Marty replied, licking his lips.
Elation flooded Raymond when he heard the breathy quality

of his human, the man he hoped soon to be his lover.

Carefully, Raymond swung his legs over Marty’s thick thighs.

With his short legs, he had to stretch them wide to
accommodate, and he just knew his balls would nestle perfectly

into the valley formed by his human’s legs. He hoped he could
control himself in the face of that stimulation.

Raymond pulled Marty’s hands toward him and told him, “I

don’t know if you want to start with the blindfold on or take it
off now. I don’t look anything like you,” he couldn’t help but
warn. “I don’t feel like you, either.”

“Hmm,” Marty rumbled, resting his fingertips against

Raymond’s skin lightly. “We’ll start like this and go from
there.” Raymond could just see a smile toying at the corners of
Marty’s lips, almost hidden by the edge of the blindfold. “Just
so you know, I plan to see your face when I get around to
kissing you.”

His heart tripped in his chest, thudding so loudly, he didn’t

know how Marty didn’t hear it. Gods, he wanted that so much.
“J-Just please don’t freak out,” he all but pleaded.

Marty nodded once as he slowly began rubbing his hands

over Raymond’s chest. “I’ll do my best,” he assured.

Knowing his mate could offer nothing else, Raymond found

himself getting lost in sensation as Marty slowly explored his
leathery hide.

Chapter Six

Marty hadn’t really known what to expect when Ray told him
he didn’t feel the same. He’d already known about not looking
the same, but feeling? Well, he should have realized it when
he’d seen the man—no gargoyle—spread wings and fly.

Damn. That’s something to wrap my mind around…but later, much

later.

When he didn’t have the sexy-sounding, amazing-smelling

male on his lap, hovering oh-so-close to his aching cock, he’d
worry about the logistics of getting involved with something…
other.

When Marty had woken and felt the bonds around his wrists,

the massive creature that’d appeared in his bedroom had
flashed through his mind. Then, he hadn’t been able to see and
he’d started scrambling. Finally, Ray’s sweet, sweet tones
reached his ears, pulling him from his panic.

After hearing Ray’s explanation, Marty still didn’t totally get

it, but he was willing to cut Ray some slack. After all, he wasn’t
the one who’d taken him and he’d assured him that he was
safe.

Marty decided all that could take a back seat. He had the male

he’d been obsessing over in his arms…well, not technically in
them, but he’d rectify that soon. Now, he gently swiped the
pads of his fingers over the man’s chest.

Shit, Ray’s a fucking gargoyle, not a man.
Marty figured he’d get that through his head soon enough.
Once again pushing that thought to the back burner, Marty

swept his hands slowly up and down, exploring the firm flesh
of Ray’s pecks, down to the ridges of his abs. The hard hide
under his fingers felt so different than his own flesh, almost
bumpy, like he imagined an elephant or maybe a rhinoceros,
perhaps.

Still, it was warm and seemed to ripple beneath his touch.

Ray’s breathing hitched, his chest heaving beneath Marty’s
touch.

Damn, that response felt amazing, swelling Marty with pride,

to know someone was so affected by his touch.

Marty felt lean hands rest on his shoulders, massaging his

tendons through his t-shirt. He didn’t want that…he wanted to
feel Ray’s hands on him, too. “Hold on,” he grumbled.

Lowering his hands to the hem of his t-shirt, Marty whipped

the fabric over his head. Along with his shirt, came the
blindfold. He blinked in surprise as he acclimated from near
darkness to the low lighting given off by the lamp beside the
bed.

Once his vision cleared, Marty gasped upon his first sight of

the…creature…sitting on his lap. His heart hammered in his
chest and he just knew he gaped like a fish. Ray’s hide swirled
between shades of deep, dark gray and black, making it difficult
to pinpoint what color he actually was. He wore a dark-brown,
leather loincloth around slender hips. Above that, the ridged
abs he’d touched appeared to be a twelve-pack…only because
the man’s lean torso seemed disproportionately long as it led up
to firm pecks.

The hunching of Ray’s shoulders and the shifting of his

weight on Marty’s lap snapped him out of his shocked stupor.
“Wait. Stop,” he snapped, almost harshly. He grabbed the
gargoyle’s arms, just below his shoulders and held him in place.

Marty’s gaze swept over the creature’s face, noting the male’s

clean, square jaw and the protruding upper canines. Even as
some relief hit him that the gargoyle’s face appeared far more
humanoid than that of the orangutan he’d mentally compared
the picture his brother had found, Marty reached out and traced
the gargoyle’s jaw line.

The leathery hide slid smoothly across Marty’s fingers and he

cupped the gargoyle’s jaw. It fit perfectly in his big hand.
Holding the male’s head steady with his grip, he lifted his other
hand and boldly explored, sliding his thumb along Ray’s thick
lower lip, over first one canine, then another, until he traced
one side of his thin upper lip. Next he moved up Ray’s broad
nose and over a thick boney ridge where a human’s eyebrow
would have been.

Finally, Marty reached Ray’s ear, brushing over the

appendage’s sweeping point. Ray began to pant, his jaw
opening just a bit. The move drew Marty out of his blatant
exploration and to Ray’s dark eyes, half-mast and full of arousal.

“Feels good when you touch me,” Ray almost hissed the

admission.

Marty lowered his gaze to Ray’s mouth and licked his own

lips. “You don’t have a beard,” he commented softly, even as he
brushed his forefingers over Ray’s hairless pate. “No hair at all.”

Slowly, as if in a trance, Ray shook his head.
Unable to help himself, Marty glanced down at Ray’s

loincloth covered groin, wondering what he’d find beneath that
scrap of fabric. Was Ray hairless everywhere?

“M-Marty?”
Ray’s breathless moan went straight through Marty to his

dick. His cock flexed in his boxer-briefs. If he wasn’t mistaken,
as he watched, he thought he spotted an answering movement
beneath the other male’s loincloth.

Returning his gaze to Ray’s face, Marty admitted, “I want to

kiss you. I’ve never kissed a guy before. Do gargoyles kiss?” He
snapped his jaw shut, forcing back any more inane words.

“Please, kiss me,” Ray pleaded.
Marty didn’t need to be asked twice. Using his hold on the

other man’s jaw, he tilted Ray’s head back a bit. Leaning
forward, he placed a soft kiss to the corner of the male’s jaw. He
brushed his lips against Ray’s, finding them smooth and warm,
opening and giving to his slow exploration as he worked his
way gently to the other corner of Ray’s mouth. Marty even
licked his way around the gargoyle’s canines, liking the sharp
hiss that escaped the creature.

The fact that he kissed something not human tried to push

into his mind, but he beat it back. It helped that that was about
the time Ray slid his arms around Marty’s neck and massaged
his shoulder blades.

Sharp points sent tendrils of sensation through his system.

Goose bumps broke out over his skin. Marty gasped and lifted
his head as he realized those weren’t just fingernails he felt. The
pointed nails he’d felt while blindfolded were claws…and,
damn, they felt good touching him, kneading his muscles.

Marty took in the slightly vertical pupils of Ray’s lust blown

gaze…sexy and foreign, all at the same time. Staring into the
male’s eyes he noted something else. It took him a second to
figure it out—fear—and when he did, the need to banish that
look flooded him hard and fast.

Leaning forward again, Marty licked his way between Ray’s

lips and into his mouth. Even while mindful of the male’s
canines, he still thrust his tongue deep. The more he tasted of
Ray’s dark, masculine flavors, like the finest rum, the more he
wanted.

He growled low in his throat. Marty used his hold on the

other male to tilt his head back and deepen the kiss even as he
wrapped his other arm around Ray’s torso and pulled him close.
A hard erection pressed against his own, the sensation
unfamiliar and exciting all at the same time.

Sparks shot through him, pleased to discover the other male

just as aroused as him. Groaning, Marty tightened his hold and
rocked against that heady pressure. He thrust his tongue deep,
and moaned when Ray wrapped his tongue around his own,
stroking and sliding their appendages together.

Marty’s balls rolled in their sacks as Ray met him thrust for

thrust. He bucked harder, tingles settled in his balls and he
chased the delicious feeling. The friction, the stimulation,
caused the tell-tale tingles of his encroaching orgasm to settle in
the base of his spine.

Yanking his mouth away, Marty thumped his head against

the headboard behind him. He groaned and froze, just
managing to hold his orgasm at bay. He scrambled with the
hem of his boxers, shoving them down a bit to free his cockhead
and part of his shaft.

Gasping for breath, Marty watched a slender, claw-tipped

hand reach for his exposed prick. His eyes widened as he
watched one short black claw gently touch his red, blood-
engorged glans. His breathing sped up at the exploration of his
sensitive flesh by the lethal-looking appendage. His cock jerked,
oozing, giving away how much he enjoyed seeing and feeling
the light scrape over flesh.

“F-Fuck, Ray. God, that’s—” Cutting himself off, Marty

gritted his teeth. His balls pulled tighter to his body and he
struggled against the urge to grab himself, give himself the
friction his prick so desperately ached for. “Ray!”

“Like that, do you?” Ray crooned. His dark eyes almost

seemed to glow with feral satisfaction. “Just need a bit more?”

Panting hard, Marty’s fingers clenched where they held Ray’s

waist. When he’d settled them there, he wasn’t certain, but he
couldn’t seem to peel them off the other male for anything.

Ray smiled, showing off sharp teeth that should have scared

the shit out of Marty, but for some reason made him want to
offer his neck and urge the gargoyle to take a bite. Marty
followed Ray’s line of sight as he lowered his gaze back to his
cock.

Marty watched as Ray swirled two claw-tipped fingers

around and around his swollen head. The light scrape, scrape
caused him to grit his teeth. His balls ached, harder and more
swollen than he could ever remember feeling. Ray hummed
and dipped one claw into his oozing slit. The sharp bite of pain
sent a spark into his testicles.

Shouting in shock, Marty lost it. His abs tightened, his body

curling, as an orgasm unlike anything he’d felt before rolled
through his body, making him convulse, the pleasure nearly
painful with its intensity. Marty thumped his forehead against
Ray’s shoulder as he watched spurts of semen shoot past the
claw that still gently worked his slit. Fire unlike anything he’d
ever experienced before coursed through his veins as his balls
unloaded again and again, forcing more cum out than he
thought his body contained.

He grinned almost drunkenly as he watched a wet spot

appear on the loincloth still covering Ray’s groin. Unable to
help himself, he peeled an unsteady hand from his new lover’s
hip and reached between them to run a thumb over that moist
fabric. Even as he rubbed, Ray groaned in his ear and the spot
grew.

“Wanna see you next time,” he murmured, almost slurring

his words.

Holy hell, when was the last time I came that hard? Orgasms with

Ray just got better and better. What would it feel like if we actually

fucked?

Ray sighed, almost sagging against him. “Wow.”
Marty smiled and slid his hands around the other male’s

body. Gently, he stroked his hands over the strong lines of Ray’s
back, liking the firm, slightly bumpy skin under his fingertips.
As his breathing settled, the desire to explore this creature in his
arms grew.

Sliding his hands up higher, Marty felt an odd ridge about

two-thirds of the way down Ray’s back. Tracing it, he realized it
banded around his torso, kinda like a rib would, except more
prominent. Seconds later, he found a second ridge a few inches
higher.

“What are these?” Marty couldn’t contain his curiosity.
Sighing, Ray nuzzled his neck a bit before answering, licking

and nipping gently. Finally, he lifted his head and mumbled,
“Wingskin bone-spurs.”

That got Marty’s full attention. Lifting his head a bit, he

peered down the other male’s back. That’s when he noted Ray’s
shorter than normal legs. Following the black lines of one leg,
he noticed the way it ended in claws so sharp they more
resembled talons. His grip tightened involuntarily at the sight.

After several deep breaths, Marty became aware of an odd

vibration thrumming through him, accompanied by a soft
chitter coming from Ray. Marty’s tension eased. Even as he
cuddled the other man closer, wanting to feel and hear more of
the odd noise, his brows drew down in confusion at his
response.

“Relax,” Ray crooned, petting his arms, sides, and shoulders.

“It’s okay. It’s okay.”

Humming quietly as his tension eased, Marty once again

started petting the other man’s back. “Okay, tell me what the
hell that was and why I like it so much,” he muttered.

“It’s called trilling,” Ray told him softly. “It’s a vibration

gargoyles can create and use to soothe people they care for.”
Pressing a soft kiss to Marty’s neck, he added, “It’s especially
useful for calming a panicking mate.”

Scoffing, Marty nodded against the other male’s shoulder.

“I’ll say.”

They remained silent for a few minutes, just enjoying each

other’s touch and company. Finally, Marty sighed and pulled
back again. He gripped Ray’s shoulders and eased him off his
lap. Ray appeared confused and almost hurt, until Marty smiled
encouragingly.

Marty found it kinda sexy how Ray allowed him to

manhandle him until he lay across the bed. Swallowing hard,
Marty took in the creature spread out before him. He couldn’t
put his finger on why he found Ray so sexy and why he wanted
to touch him and explore him everywhere.

Evidently, Ray guessed his confusion. For, even as Marty

reached out and traced several fingertips over the skin of Ray’s
thigh, his lover roughly explained, “You’re attracted to me
because of the mate-pull.”

Frowning at that, an idea gave him pause. “Would I not be

attracted to you otherwise?” He wasn’t certain how he felt
about having his attraction to someone manipulated by some
force beyond him.

“Yeah, but you might not act on it otherwise,” Ray explained.

“The pull provided by you being my mate gives you that extra
push to go after what you want, even if you don’t understand
it.”

“Ah,” Marty murmured. That sounded better. Just as he’d

been attracted to other men in the past, he hadn’t done
anything about it, always finding it easier to date women. If
he’d allowed his own narrow-mindedness to cloud his
judgment, he never would have experienced the amazing—
albeit brief—bliss of going to pieces in Ray’s arms. An event he
really, really wanted to feel again. Just thinking about it caused
his cock to begin thickening anew.

Marty decided he’d appreciate the creature before him now

and worry about everything else later. Was his prick doing the
thinking? Probably, but for now, he didn’t give a shit. He
couldn’t remember the last regular lover he’d had and planned
to take complete advantage of the sensations Ray created in
him…for however long the gargoyle would give him.

He’d worry about everything else later…much later.
Taking in the sprawled male before him, Marty licked his lips

and reached for the ties of the soiled loincloth. “I want to see all
of you. Explore you. Take this off.”

Chapter Seven

Raymond shivered at the feral lust flooding his mate’s eyes. He
couldn’t believe his human wanted to see him, touch him,
explore him even. He knew he had a hell of a lot to explain, like
bonding and how Marty’s life would be extended and molting
and…

Marty’s hand caressing his half-hard prick interrupted his

train of thought.

Gods, when had Marty opened his loincloth?
Raymond spread his legs wider, staring down at the lightly

bronzed, work-roughened hand slowly tracing over his shaft,
making it swell to full arousal. Marty wrapped his hand around
his cock, half-jacking his shaft. Raymond gasped as the move
pulled his foreskin forward and back, his wide slit winking at
him.

When a thick dollop of pre-cum oozed from him, Marty made

a noise like a growl, low in his throat. He dipped the tip of his
finger halfway under Raymond’s foreskin, scooped it up, then
spread the translucent fluid down the throbbing vein running
the underside of his dick.

Raymond moaned and clutched the comforter, just retaining

enough control to keep from rending the fabric. His tail
twitched where he had it wrapped around his leg. He struggled
to control the appendage, when all he wanted to do was allow
it to writhe in his enjoyment.

Evidently, Raymond hadn’t been completely successful, for

Marty spread his palms over his upper thighs. Marty grinned as
he slowly caressed his way down the firm flesh until he came to
where his tail wrapped around his leg, just below his knee.
Instead of moving past it and continuing down his leg, Marty
brushed his fingertips lightly along the appendage.

Raymond shuddered, hard, hissing through clenched teeth.

Another drop of pre-cum oozed from his prick. Even his
wingskin’s bone-spurs began to extend from his back.

Marty glanced up. His eyes gleamed as he took in the

changes. “You like that, don’t you, babe?”

Raymond jerked a nod, unable to find his tongue because,

right then, Marty gently grasped his tail and pulled it free of his
leg, only to slide his hand up and down the leathery appendage.

“Oh, fuck,” Raymond groaned as tendrils of sensation

peppered up his tail to center in his groin. It spread over his
chest like fire dancing across his skin, making his nipples bead
and his breath come in harsh pants.

“Good God, Ray,” Marty muttered. “You’re stunning. Could I

get you to come just like this?” he asked just as he moved his
second hand to Raymond’s jutting shaft and jacked in time with
his strokes to his tail.

Raymond’s balls pulled up so fast it took his breath away.

Unable to answer, he bucked helplessly in his mate’s grip.
Incoherent whines and moans escaped him. Seconds later, his
balls lifted and he spurted, painting his chest and abs as the
second orgasm of the evening rolled through him hard and fast.
Roaring his pleasure, his canines ached with the desire to sink
them into his mate’s shoulder. It was a good thing Marty wasn’t
close enough for him to reach, because he didn’t think he’d be
able to resist the urge a second time.

As he slowly came down off the natural endorphin high, a

shiver worked through him. Cracking open his eyelids, he
watched Marty trace his fingers along the extra folds of skin.
Then, he stroked along his wingskin’s bone-spurs where they
were halfway extended from his back, stretching the skin that
bunched around them. Tingles broke out over his skin, making
his breathing hitch even as trepidation worked through him.

What if my mate decides I’m too different?
“You are so fascinating,” Marty muttered, continuing to rub

along his bone-spurs, then sweeping over the folds of skin that
made up his wings when they were fully extended.

Raymond couldn’t help but pant at his mate’s touch. Even his

prick had returned to hard and throbbing. His wings had
always been sensitive to touch not his own…but this was his
mate touching him. Just that knowledge seemed to amplify
every caress and stroke by ten-fold.

Looking up and capturing Raymond’s gaze, Marty’s lips

curved into a sexy, satisfied grin. “Oh, you do respond like a

dream. Never met anyone who loved my touch so much.” As he
continued to stroke Raymond’s now fully extended bone-spurs
and caress the attached folds of wingskin, now almost stretched
taught. “Go ahead and grab the headboard, babe,” Marty
rumbled, satisfaction flooding his tone. “I want to see you all
spread out.”

Whimpering, Raymond couldn’t help but obey his mate’s

command. He lifted his arms over his head and tucked his
hands between the headboard and mattress, gripping the wood.
The move effectively showed off the extent of his wingskin.

Marty hummed his approval. He stroked Raymond’s sensitive

flesh, then trailed his fingers over his ribcage, down his abs, and
along the grooves of his groin. Raymond moaned, his jutting
cock twitching. Marty grinned smugly. He slid his hands
between Raymond’s legs and encouraged them up and open,
revealing every inch of his groin.

“So sexy,” Marty muttered. He lowered his hand and used

the pad of his thumb to caress Raymond’s taint. Marty’s gaze
seemed riveted to his small hole as he gently massaged the
opening. “Never been with a guy, but seen plenty of porn.”
Marty lifted his gaze to Raymond’s. Swallowing hard, he
admitted, “Know I need lube. You got any?” Suddenly, Marty
flushed, blood flooding his cheeks and neck. “Shit, should I ask
if I’m allowed to fuck you?” He grimaced, admitting, “I don’t
know if there are rules for this sort of thing.”

Realizing his mate was confused about fucking, not about

fuckin g him, Raymond smiled encouragingly and nodded
toward the nightstand where he’d placed the lube. “There,”
Raymond instructed. “Use plenty of it.”

Marty leaned and grabbed the tube resting beside the lamp.

Holding it up, he opened it and poured a liberal amount onto
his fingers. He swirled it around a bit. Marty glanced at
Raymond’s groin, then met Raymond’s gaze.

Sensing his mate’s trepidation, Raymond clenched his abs and

rocked his legs higher. “Come on, Marty. Need you. Fill me up.”

Marty’s eyes widened as he peered at him in shock. The scent

of his mate’s arousal thickened the air. “Ray?”

Raymond slowly curved his lips into a grin. “Come on, sexy

man. Show me what ya got.”

For several long seconds, Marty just stared at him. Raymond

wondered what the holdup was…until he saw the uncertainty
in his lover’s eyes. Oh, right, never been with a man. Shit, was
he pushing?

Lowering his legs, Raymond smiled encouragingly. “We don’t

have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. I could just
suck you off, if you want,” he offered.

“Just tell me what to do,” Marty snapped back, a scowl

creasing his brow.

Raymond reached up and touched Marty’s forearm, then

spread his legs as wide as he could. “Use plenty of lube. Have
you seen stretching in those pornos you watched?”

Marty flushed, but he still nodded.
“Good. Just do what they did,” he encouraged.
Marty gave him a funny look, then, without preamble, slid

one lubed finger into his chute as deep as it would go. Raymond
gasped, then moaned when Marty rubbed over his prostate
while withdrawing his finger. Grunting, Raymond rocked,
chasing that finger and the fullness it represented.

A large palm settled on Raymond’s belly just as that thick

finger slid back into his rectum. The digit stilled and the thumb
on his belly rubbed the skin of his groin, touching and rubbing
just the base of his shaft lightly.

Raymond hissed at the dual sensation.
“Easy, Ray,” Marty crooned. “It’s all right. I got ya.”
Forcing himself to take two long slow deep breaths, Raymond

got hold of himself. Still, he wanted, needed more, and with his
mate’s finger in his ass and his other hand on his belly, playing
with his prick, he didn’t feel too shy to tell him. “Give me
another finger, mate. Need another now.”

Marty nodded. Without hesitation, he slid another into him.
Raymond sighed and nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I need.” He

rolled his hips, accepting his lover’s digit. Moaning at the
feeling of slowly being stretched, he gasped, “More. Fuck, put
another one in me.”

“You sure?”
Even with Marty sounding worried, Raymond could do little

to assure his lover except nod his head vigorously. He needed
too badly. The sight of his mate’s thick pulsing cock, hanging
just below his opening caused his mouth to go dry with
anticipation. If he couldn’t suck his human’s cock, he wanted
that long fat prick in his ass.

A third finger speared him. Even slicked with lube, his mate’s

fingers were thick. Gods, what they said about big hands meant
big pricks was true, at least in his mate’s case. The burn and
slide, push and pull, never felt better than anything in his life.
His mate’s scent surrounded him, pushed his desire and
excitement higher.

“Now, oh fuck, now,” Raymond couldn’t help but plead. “Do

it now.”

Marty nodded quickly, his blue eyes ablaze with lust. “Y-

Yeah, okay.”

Taking a chance, Raymond released the headboard so he

could reach up and gently cup his lover’s cheek. “You won’t
hurt me. I want to feel you. Please, let me feel you.”

A wide smile curved Marty’s deeply tanned features. “Yeah,”

he rumbled, his voice dropping low and deep. “I can do that.”

Marty’s fingers slipped from his rectum, and it took

everything in Raymond to keep from moaning in frustration.
Only the look of utter concentration on his mate’s face as he
gripped his cock and pressed the head against his hole stopped
him.

Suddenly, Marty’s brows creased. He blinked, as if coming

out of a lust-filled haze. He frowned and muttered, “Condom.
Shouldn’t we be using a condom?”

Shit, nothing like being smacked upside the head by being a

paranormal at the worst moment.

Raymond slid his hand around his mate’s head, and feathered

his fingers up the back of his neck, feeling his shortly cropped
blond hair. When Marty peered up at him with creased brows
and a confused expression on his face, Raymond did his best to
look understanding.

“I’m not human, Marty,” Raymond crooned, trying his best

attempt at soothing. “Even if you carry something you don’t
know about, I can’t catch it.” With a smile curving his lips, he

gave a slight shrug. “No condom needed with me.”

Marty blinked once, twice as if processing those words. Then

a big grin lit up his features and he thrust—hard—breaching
Raymond’s guardian ring of muscle. Raymond gasped, then
pushed out, helping his sexy human slide deeper inside him.
Marty’s thick shaft pressed against him from the inside out.

Raymond moaned, returned his grip to the headboard, and

rocked into the sensation of his lover filling him. Wrapping his
legs around his mate’s waist, ever mindful of his claws, he
watched his human’s body shudder, gleaming with sweat.
Then, the man started pulling slowly out, the creases around his
eyes expressing his struggle to remain in control.

Deciding he needed to prove to Marty that he didn’t need

that control with him, that his human could take anything he
needed, Raymond clenched his chute around his lover’s cock.
He wanted to feel his man, feel the sexy human’s shaft spearing
him over and over.

Marty seemed to freeze above him. Raymond noted the

clenched jaw, giving away his tension. Need to drive his lover
out of his mind, give him a reason never to question his decision
to couple with him, to share his body with him, filled Raymond.
He started rocking his hips, forcing his mate to sink just a
smidge deeper into him. As he released his abs and sank back
on the mattress, he clenched his chute.

It took four repetitions, but finally, with a hoarse shout,

Marty seemed to lose it. Letting out a low, feral growl, he
dropped to his elbows and began ramming his hips. Marty
drove into Raymond again and again. He grunted above him
with each thrust, the sound distinctly masculine.

Raymond did his best to meet his mate thrust for thrust.

Desire to plunge his canines into his man’s neck flooded
through him. When his lover shuddered and sank his prick into
his channel one last time—semen soaking his channel with
warm heat—Raymond lost all command over his body. He
roared his release, his prick spurting jet after jet of cum between
their bodies.

As Marty’s warm release soaked his channel, Raymond could

think of only one thing. An urge that had lain dormant for

nearly two centuries roared to life, becoming undeniable.

Raymond sank his canines into his mate’s shoulder. Blood

poured over his tongue, metallic and delicious. He hummed as
he drank down his mate’s life-giving essence, beginning the
bonding process, sucking lightly on the wound to gain another
heady swallow.

Somewhere in the peripheral of his mind, Raymond heard his

lover, his mate, cry out with pleasure. Wrapped in the
beginnings of a peace and contentment he’d never known
possible, all he could do was smile as he clung to his mate.

Chapter Eight

Marty squeezed his eyes shut tighter, hating how the sun
always seemed to manage to cast that perfect stream of light
through the curtains and right into his eyes. It never ceased to
piss him off. Flopping over, Marty cast an arm over his eyes. He
knew he wasn’t a morning person.

Never have been. Never will be.
The movement sent a twinge through his shoulder. His brows

scrunched together even more. Um, ow! Flashes of the evening
before popped through his memory, reminding him of the
unexpected events. Getting kidnapped. Waking in darkness.
Panicking. Raymond’s sweet sultry voice. Then exploring the
sexy gargoyle’s body.

Arm still over his eyes, Marty smiled. God, what a night. So

much pleasure. When his little lover had bitten him, it’d been a
shock. What had been even more surprising was the bliss-
inducing orgasm that had completely blind-sided him. While
Raymond sucked on the wound, the sensation had transferred
straight to his cock, making him explode and fill his lover all
over again.

Hot damn, I can’t wait to do that again!
He trailed the fingers of his free hand over the sheets. Finding

them empty and cold, he scowled. Concern flooded him as an
off

chord reverberated through him. When he’d passed out

shortly after cleaning them both up, Ray had been tucked safely
in his arms.

Okay. So where the fuck is my gargoyle?
Rolling over again, Marty swung his legs to the side and

swept his gaze over the area. He spotted a lump of…
something…over near the window. Marty pushed off the bed
and headed that way. Dropping to his knees beside the stone
form, he brushed a hand over it, trying to figure out what the
hell he was looking at.

“Just like in the myths, gargoyles do turn to stone during the

daylight hours.”

Marty started at the masculine voice. Losing his balance, he

landed hard on his ass. Jerking around, Marty scowled as he
took in the big, darkly tanned fellow seated on an ottoman on
the other side of the room.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” He looked over his

shoulder at the black stone that looked an awful lot like his
lover, curled up in a ball and sleeping. He ran his fingers over
what should have been Ray’s bald pate. “How is this possible?”

“Come here and I’ll explain,” the man said, beckoning him.
After one more confused look, and giving in to the urge to

lean down and brush his lips over the warm stone cheek, Marty
stood and headed warily toward the stranger. He spotted the
sweats on the chair the guy pointed at and it suddenly hit him
that he was naked.

Fighting a losing battle against a flush of embarrassment,

Marty grabbed the sweats and yanked them on. Once at least
half dressed, he settled into the chair and peered at the other
man through narrowed eyes.

Marty took in the fellow across from him. Obviously tall,

heavily built with plenty of muscle, the man had light brown
hair and darkly tanned skin. He rested one naked ankle over an
equally naked knee. That’s when Marty realized the stranger
also wore a loincloth. What was it with these guys and
loincloths? Did that mean this man was something other than
human, too?

Well, may as well ask.

“So, are you something other than

human, too?”

Grinning widely, showing off even white teeth, the man

leaned forward and held out his hand. “I’m Sapian. I’m also a
gargoyle. It’s a pleasure to meet Raymond’s mate.”

Confusion flooded Marty, but he took the man’s hand and

shook it on reflex. He looked over at his, uh, lover then back at
Sapian. “Wait, if you are a gargoyle, and it is daylight, why
aren’t you stone, too?” His brows drew down as another
thought struck. “Come to think of it, I met Maelgwn and Einan
during the day, but Ray says they’re gargoyles, as well? What
the hell is going on? Where’s Ray?”

Sapian chuckled low in his throat, which confused Marty

about as much as it pissed him off.

“What the fuck?” he snapped.
Lifting a hand in placation, Sapian continued grinning as he

said, “I’m not surprised Raymond didn’t get around to
explaining too much. After putting off direct contact with you
for so long, I’m sure neither of you had much more on your
mind than, uh—” He cleared his throat, his gaze sliding to
Marty’s shoulder. “Than getting relief.”

That had Marty flushing again, but he forged again anyhow.

“So…explain?”

“Me and those other gargoyles you mentioned are bonded,”

Sapian stated.

“What’s that?”
“The morning after a gargoyle completes the mate-bond with

his mate, he goes through molt,” Sapian explained. He held up
his hand and continued speaking before Marty needed to ask.
“Unlike most paranormals, who can pass as humans, gargoyles
cannot until after they’ve bonded. Molt is a fairly painful, but
fortunately brief, process. Once complete, we have the ability to
take on human form.” He spread his arms wide. “Like you see
here.”

“So, what do you look like in your, uh, as a gargoyle?” Marty

couldn’t help but ask.

Sapian grinned. “You sure you’re ready for that?”
Marty scowled. “Why not?”
Shrugging, Sapian told him, “Because you fainted when Vane

showed up at your place.”

Rolling his eyes, Marty sneered. “He came in the middle of

the night and broke into my house. I wasn’t ready.” Pressing his
lips into a firm line, he claimed, “Now I am.”

Sapian nodded. “Fair enough. You’ll need to get used to us

anyway.”

“I do?”
“Of course. You’re Raymond’s mate. You’ll move in here with

us eventually,” Sapian said, as if it were already a done deal.

Before Marty could come up with a response to that, Sapian

started to…change. His tanned body appeared to thicken even
as his bone structure broadened. White wings appeared,

spreading behind him. Gold mottled hide replaced the bronzed
skin. His jaw lengthened and canines peeked through his lips.

Marty’s jaw sagged open and his heart raced in his chest. His

hands tightened on the arms of the chair. Swallowing hard, he
took in the huge gargoyle lounging in the chair before him. The
creature had the audacity to wink.

“Sapian, stop trying to scare the poor man,” a female voice

called from the doorway.

Unable to look away from the gargoyle, Marty didn’t see who

it was until a short, slightly overweight brunette appeared in
his peripheral vision. Sapian looked toward the woman and
held out a white-clawed hand. “Awe, Missy, babe, I’m not
trying to freak Marty out. He asked me to change for him.”

Rolling her eyes, the brunette leaned down and pressed a soft

kiss to the corner of Sapian’s mouth. The gargoyle wrapped his
arm around Missy and pulled her into his lap. The woman
giggled. “Stop it. You’ll make me spill breakfast.”

The fact that Missy carried a tray laden with covered plates,

upside down mugs, and a couple jugs finally registered to
Marty.

Sapian pressed a kiss to the side of Missy’s neck. “I got a hand

on it, babe. I won’t let it spill.” Sapian looked at Marty, then the
tray. “Why don’t you take your breakfast to the table,” he
suggested. “That way I can greet my mate properly.”

“S-She’s your mate?” Marty couldn’t help but whisper even

as he started moving. His stomach growled, reminding him it’d
been a while since he’d eaten.

“Yep,” Sapian replied happily. “This is Melissa.”
Once Marty took the tray from her, she held out her hand.

“Everyone calls me Missy.”

Balancing the tray, Marty shook Missy’s hand. “Uh, Marty.”
“Welcome to the family,” Missy stated, grinning.
“Thanks,” Marty murmured.
Not certain how else to respond to that, he headed toward

the small round table situated on the other side of the room.
Ignoring the soft giggles and masculine rumbles sounding
behind him, he removed the lid off several trays. He discovered
scrambled eggs, cheesy hash browns, bacon, sausage, and toast.

After a quick sniff, he discovered the brown powder on it was
cinnamon.

Interesting.
Pulling an empty plate toward him, Marty spooned eggs onto

his plate, covered it with a liberal amount of hash browns, then
sliced up several sausages. He layered that with a hefty dose of
ketchup, then mixed it all up. After placing a heaping forkful
into his mouth, Marty hummed in appreciation. Delicious.
Within moments, he’d cleared his plate and taken a small
amount of seconds.

As he slowly ate that, Missy and Sapian joined him at the

small table. Sapian picked up a slice of bacon and took a bite.
Once he’d swallowed, he stated, “I know you’re gonna have
questions, so fire away when you’re ready. I’ll tell you whatever
you want to know.”

Marty nodded and swallowed his own bite of food. “How

does a gargoyle bond?”

Missy lifted her hand to her mouth, snickering. She glanced

toward Sapian, then picked up a piece of toast and ate, probably
just for something to do. Sapian cleared his throat and ran a
clawed hand through his thick brown hair. “Uh, fucking, biting,
and blood,” he stated bluntly. “Sorry, babe,” he added, glancing
at his mate.

She just shrugged. “It is what it is.”
Sapian leaned closer and lifted a hand. Marty froze, just

barely managing to keep from pulling away when the gargoyle
touched his shoulder, right below the bite wound Ray had left.
Sighing, Sapian murmured, “Raymond should have explained
before starting the process.” He lowered his hand, a concerned
expression creasing his brows.

“What are you talking about?” Wariness flooded Marty.
“He’s already started the process,” Sapian told him. “He bit

you, claiming you,” he stated, touching the joint of the shoulder
on Missy. She tilted her head, showing off the faint scarring
caused by what must have been Sapian’s claiming bite. Sapian
pressed a kiss to the mark, earning a smile from his woman.
“Will you give us a few minutes, love?”

Missy smiled. “Of course.” She picked up her cup of coffee

and stood. “It was nice to meet you, Marty,” she said.

Marty absently responded in kind, then she left, leaving him

alone with her mate.

Sapian leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and

clasping his hands together. “I can tell from your scent that
Raymond didn’t fuck you. If he had, the first half of the bond
would be complete, changing your scent.”

Marty’s brows shot up. “Uh—”
“Don’t say anything,” Sapian cut in, holding up his hand. “He

needs to spill his seed inside you and bite you, claiming you
inside and out. That’s the first half of the bond. To complete the
second, you’d switch.” His tone remained steady and firm.
“You’d need to fuck him, assuming you haven’t done that.”

Even while damning his fair complexion, Marty tightened his

jaw, refusing to comment.

Sapian finally cracked, a smile curving his broad mouth,

showing off more of his canines. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
Just as quickly, he sobered. “Did you drink his blood?”

Marty’s eyes widened at that comment. He quickly shook his

head. “No.”

Holding up his hand, Sapian waved his clawed hand between

them, seeming to dismiss Marty’s growing unease. “You’ll need
to. Normally for a human, a gargoyle would slice his wrist a bit
so you can drink a little of his blood.” He shrugged. “That’s it.
Like I said. Blood, fucking, and biting.”

Marty lowered his gaze, focusing on his nearly empty plate as

he processed Sapian’s words. His ass clenched at the idea of
allowing Ray to fuck him. Sure, he’d loved fucking Ray, and the
male had seemed to like it, but would he? Then he realized, he
shouldn’t expect Ray to be the bottom all the time. Wouldn’t
they need to be equals in a partnership?

Damn, partnership? How could I think of the gargoyle as my

partner already?

“Anyway, once the bond is complete, Raymond will be able

to go through molt, as I mentioned. However, there will be
some changes you’ll notice in yourself,” Sapian added.

Wait, what?

He really needed to focus. “What changes?”

Sapian lowered his voice to an almost gentle tone when he

asked, “Did Raymond mention that gargoyles live for
centuries?”

“Yeah.”
“Well, since you would be the only person he could be with

sexually,” he stated, “Your life would extend to match his.”

Holy shit!
Marty sat in silence for several minutes, absorbing that

information. A soft knock on the door drew him from his near-
shocked state.

“Come on in, baby,” Sapian called.
Missy returned to the room, holding a carafe of coffee. She

smiled as she moved to her mate’s side. “I brought some more
coffee.”

After she refilled their mugs, Sapian tugged her onto his lap.

For the next little while, Marty kept his mouth shut and listened
while the pair slowly explained things. How a clutch worked
with Maelgwn as the chieftain, a gargoyle named Tobias as the
second in command, along with several enforcers, Sapian being
one of them and Einan another. He learned his own health
would be impacted, rarely getting sick, increased immunity, so
no need for condoms. How important secrecy was, since
humans tended to fear, hate, and persecute those they didn’t
understand or who were different.

Then, Missy pointed at the cinnamon toast that he hadn’t

touched, insisting he eat it. When Marty asked why, she
dropped another bombshell. Gargoyles could make their male
partners pregnant.

Marty’s jaw sagged open in shock. “What the fuck?”
Sapian chuckled and shrugged. “And on that note, I think I’m

going to take you home. You’ve had enough info dumped on
you by now, haven’t you?”

“Y-Yeah,” Marty mumbled. His stomach rolled, and now he

wished he hadn’t eaten quite so much. He wasn’t certain he
was gonna be able to keep it all down. “I think I need to, uh, I
need a day or two to assimilate all that.”

Missy reached across the small table, rested her hand on his

arm and squeezed gently. “It’s a lot to take in. Sapian will drive
you home.” She looked over to where Ray lay curled up in the

corner. “Should I tell Raymond you’ll be back this evening?”

Marty followed her gaze. God, why do I want to lie down and

curl around the gargoyle…watch him sleep until he wakes again?
Then start the fucking all over again?

His prick thickened a bit at

that idea.

Even with all the information he knew he needed time to

wrap his mind around, Marty realized he wouldn’t be able to
stay away. “Yeah,” he assured. “I’ll be back.”

He could see the relief in Sapian’s eyes when the male stood.

“Good. Raymond will appreciate that knowledge when he
wakes from roost.”

“Roost?” God, so many new terms to learn.
Sapian nodded. “Roosting is what we do when we turn to

stone. It’s essentially our sleep cycle,” he explained. “Even after
completing molt we still have to sleep a couple times a week. If
we go too long, our body will force the issue, which could be
dangerous if we end up turning to stone in the wrong place or
at the wrong time.”

Marty nodded absently. That he could believe.

Hours later, Marty’s perusal of the changes he needed to

confirm for the Grossman job was interrupted by a knock on his
door. Sighing, he threw down his pen and watched the back
door open and his brother enter. He smiled at the slightly
shorter, more slender man.

Marty hadn’t been making any headway anyway, his mind

too busy turning over and over all the information Sapian and
Missy had dumped on him.

“Hey, man,” Marty greeted. “What’s up?”
Matthew shrugged. He rooted in Marty’s fridge and brought

out two beers. Marty took one as he watched his brother flop
onto a dining room chair. After popping the cap, Matthew took
a swig.

Lifting a brow, Marty gave his brother a questioning look.

“Matthew?”

“I swung by here last night about ten,” Matthew admitted,

surprising him.

“Oh, yeah? Why?”

Shrugging again, Matthew admitted, “I wanted to talk to you

about those guys we met at the diner. I did some digging and
found out they own this huge estate thirty miles north of the
city.”

Marty already knew that, since he’d spent the night there.

Not that he could tell his brother that. Instead, he nodded.
“Yeah?”

Matthew nodded back. “From what I can gather, there’s a

good two and a half dozen people there. A couple of them work
here in town, but it’s for funzies.”

At that, Marty’s brows shot up and he couldn’t help but

smirk. “I’m sorry. Funzies?”

“Yep.” Matthew took another swig. “The estate is owned by a

company called Night Wingers, Inc.” He plunked the now
empty bottle on the table. “You wanna know who the president
of the company is?”

Marty lifted one brow and nodded once.
Matthew crossed his arms over his chest. “Maelgwn

D’Montron. That’s who.” Rubbing his chin, his brother
appeared thoughtful. “I drove up there yesterday and they have
massive security. I wonder what they’re hiding in there.”

“How the hell did you find all that shit out?” Marty asked. He

knew from experience that once his brother got curious about
something, he was like a dog with a bone. For Matthew’s sake,
he needed to figure out how to get him to back off. “And what’s
it matter anyway? You looking to bid a job for them?” he
teased.

Snorting, Matthew rolled his eyes. “Come on, bro. You were

planning on having them over for a BBQ. I bet that’s where
your reclusive boyfriend hides out.” He punched Marty’s arm.
“Somebody’s gotta look out for ya.”

Marty rubbed a hand over his jaw, trying to find something,

anything to say. Heaving a sigh, Marty smiled at Matthew.
“Thanks, man. Love you, too,” he quipped, punching his
brother’s arm.

Matthew snorted, his gaze dropping to the open laptop in

front of him. His brows creased as he stared at the screen, the
mirth disappearing from his eyes. “Hey, what’s this?”

“What’s what?” Marty asked, coming around behind his

brother.

He’d left the screen open on his email.
“Who sent that?” Matthew pointed.
Marty frowned at the screen, reading the heading of an email.
Stay away from GRay397
Not recognizing the return address, Chekov87, Marty

mumbled, “No idea.” Clicking it open, he saw the body
consisted of one line.

Raymond is mine.
“Well, damn.” Matthew looked up at him. “What the fuck is

going on, brother?”

“I’m not sure,” Marty shook his head. “Maybe my new

interest has a jealous ex. I’ll ask him the next time I chat with
him.”

Marty never got the chance. The glass of the sliding glass door

shattered. Pain spiked through his torso. He felt himself falling,
heard his brother shouting, but couldn’t seem to force himself
to answer. It took every ounce of energy he had just to force air
into his lungs over the pain coursing through him.

Matthew’s face appeared above him. Marty tried to smile.

Then, a fresh spike of pain burst through him and he roared in
pain until darkness converged.

Chapter Nine

Raymond unfurled from the ball he’d curled up in before
sinking into roost. He’d been so comfortable in his mate’s arms,
he’d waited until the last possible minute. Not wanting his
brand new lover to wake up to a lump of stone, he’d slipped off
the bed and curled up in the corner, instead.

Thinking of Marty, an oddly queasy feeling filled his

stomach…which only intensified when he looked up and saw
the room was empty. Raymond rose and headed toward the
door, trying not to inhale too deeply. The room still smelled of
Marty and sex, with a little bit of Sapian and Missy thrown in.
The scents were wreaking havoc on his cock, and since
experience proved walking around with a hard-on was both
uncomfortable and embarrassing, he preferred not to.

Leaving the room and pausing in the hallway, Raymond

breathed deeply for a few seconds. He thought about lines of
code until he got his randy dick under control. Raymond sighed
and headed toward the mess hall, more than ready for some
steak and eggs.

Raymond strode into the large room and headed straight for

the buffet. After loading his plate with food, he glanced around.
When he spotted Sapian, he headed that way. Placing his plate
on the table a couple seats down, he nodded to the other
gargoyle.

“Thanks for taking care of Marty for me,” he offered.
Sapian smiled. “No problem, Raymond. He said he’d be back

this evening.”

Relief filled Raymond, although it didn’t quite dissipate the

odd sensation in his gut. He ate quickly, then hustled to his
office, wanting to get online so he could see if Marty left him a
message saying when he’d be by.

As soon as he booted up his computers, Raymond pressed the

intercom button. “Hey, Cooper. I’m on,” he called, knowing the
gargoyle that shared the security day shift would be more than
happy to head back to his mate.

“Sounds good. Holler when you need a lunch break,” Cooper

called back, then with a snicker, he added, “Or when your mate
shows up. Me and a few other guys will spot you for the next
few days while you get to know him.”

Raymond’s brow ridges shot up at the unexpected offer.

“Thanks.”

“Hey, I know how distracting the mate-pull can be. Talk to ya

later.”

Cooper disconnected and Raymond started going through his

emails. He’d deleted a half a dozen emails before he spotted it.
Frowning at the headline—You’ll be mine again soon—he
hesitated to open the message. Staring at the email address,
Raymond felt certain he’d seen it before…or at least, something
similar. Scotty87? Why did he feel like he should know it?

Curious, Raymond clicked the message. The words made his

blood run cold.

Don’t worry. I took care of Martin. Now, you’re mine again.
Grabbing his phone, Raymond called Marty’s phone. “Come

on, pick up,” he hissed. When the line clicked, he heaved a sigh
and without waiting for the man to answer cried, “Marty, thank
the Gods. I got this message and, fuck, I know it was stupid, but
I got so worried.”

“You should be worried, you asshole,” snarled a male voice

he didn’t recognize. “My brother is in the hospital because of
something you’re mixed up in! You stay the hell away from
him!”

“What?” Raymond squeaked, but he didn’t get an answer.

The line was dead. Raymond dialed Marty’s number again,
praying the stranger—who he guessed must have been
Matthew judging by the brother reference—would pick up and
tell him what the hell was going on.

It went to voicemail.
He tried again, but got the same result.
“Fuck!” Leaping to his feet, he took a step away from his

computer before common sense prevailed. He couldn’t just go
running into the night and to the hospital. He didn’t even know
which one Marty was at. Dropping back in his chair, he picked
up the handset again and dialed his chieftain. Waiting for the
gargoyle to pick up, he tucked the phone between shoulder and

ear and started typing. He’d just managed to figure out which
hospital was closest to Marty’s residence when Maelgwn picked
up.

“What’s up, Raymond? Is Marty here? Need a break?”
“My mate is in the hospital. I need help,” Raymond blurted.
“What? How’d you find that out?” Maelgwn snapped.
Distracted by trying to hack into the hospital’s records,

Raymond had just opened his mouth to respond when his
chieftain cut him off.

“Forget it. I’ll be right there with a few others.”
Once again, his line went dead.
This time, Raymond didn’t care. He didn’t even bother

returning the handset to the cradle, just lifted his head and
allowed it to drop…wherever. Typing swiftly, he glared at his
computer screen, willing it to give him the damn information
he needed. “Where the fuck are you, Marty?” he whispered
harshly.

He couldn’t find any trace of his man at the first hospital, or

the second. By that time, Maelgwn, Tobias, Sapian, and Einan
had poured into his office. He tried not to let it distract him,
lifting one clawed finger to indicate his request for silence, then
returned his focus to his keyboard and monitors.

“Gotcha,” Raymond hissed. “He’s at Lindle Memorial on

Juniper Street.” It felt like his heart stuttered in his as he read
the prognosis. “Oh, Gods, he was shot. He’s in critical
condition.”

“Relax, Raymond. You claimed him. You started the bonding

process,” Sapian immediately pointed out. “He can heal from a
gunshot wound.”

Even as Maelgwn stated, “We’ll get him out and bring him

here. We can help him.”

Tobias turned to Einan. “Notify Perseus we’ll be bringing in a

critically injured human, then find someone to take over for
Raymond.”

Einan quickly left while Maelgwn rounded the desk and

gripped Raymond’s shoulder. “What happened?”

Raymond shook his head slowly. “I have no idea. I spotted

this email,” he said, pointing. “Worried, I called Marty’s phone,

but his brother picked up. He,” he paused, his voice hitching as
frustration, stress, and anguish flooded him. “He told me—he
told me Marty was in the hospital because of me. He told me to
stay away from him.”

Maelgwn squeezed his shoulder again. “Relax. We’ll get him

out,” his chieftain assured. “This isn’t your fault. We’ll find who
did this.”

Sighing, Raymond tilted his head, baring his neck, and leaned

into his chieftain’s touch. He still felt jittery and his stomach
rolled, making him regret the steak and eggs he’d eaten only a
bit ago.

“I know you don’t want to be left behind, but trust in your

fellow gargoyles, Raymond,” Maelgwn rumbled. “We’ll get
Marty here safely, then we’ll use your blood to stabilize his
condition.”

“But that will start finalizing the bonding process,” Raymond

murmured. He knew, at this point, him marking Marty
wouldn’t stop the human from walking away from him if that
was what he really wanted. Raymond still wanted to give him
that chance, but if he did this, shared his blood, that would take
the choice away from his mate. Raymond turned his concerned
gaze on first his chieftain, then on Sapian. “You spoke with him.
What if he doesn’t really want me?”

Sapian chuckled. “Oh, your young human wants you,

Raymond. Don’t you worry about that.” He gave Raymond an
encouraging smile. “Finishing the bonding process without
confirmation may not be the best choice, but under the
circumstances, I think your mate will understand.”

“Gods, I hope so,” Raymond whispered.
“Head to the infirmary,” Maelgwn ordered as he strode

toward the door. “I’ll have a couple of the guys meet you
there.”

As his chieftain headed out, motioning for Sapian to follow

him, Tobias stepped close and wrapped an arm around his
shoulders. “Come on, buddy,” he urged, showing more
tenderness than Raymond could ever remember the second
expressing before. “Let’s get you to the infirmary.”

Raymond nodded almost absently as he allowed their clutch’s

second to lead him from the room.

Pacing the small front room of the suite used at the hospital

wing, Raymond tried to remain calm. Instead, all he could think
about was the fact that three gargoyles Marty didn’t know were
probably even then marching into a hospital to kidnap him…
again. Would his mate ever forgive him?

Suddenly, Raymond found himself wrapped in the arms of

several people. Glancing around, he noted Missy to his left,
Bobby on his right, and—from the scent—Cornelius was behind
him. Raymond sank into his friends’ embraces, letting their
kind words and stroking hands soothe him.

* * * *

The beeping cut through the haze engulfing Marty’s mind,
flooding him with pain. Fucking hell, what happened? Suddenly,
he felt like he was choking. Marty struggled to breathe, but
there was an obstruction in his throat. Beeping to the left of his
head went wild as he tried to lift his hands to his face. Only his
right arm responded, while fresh pain stabbed through him and
attempts to move his left proved futile.

“Easy now, Martin,” a female voice stated firmly, drawing his

attention. He pried open his eyelids to see a pretty…man
standing over him. “Just focus on breathing through your nose
for me, okay?”

Marty’s brows shot up, but he focused on the extremely

feminine male nurse’s words. He forced himself to inhale
through his nose, then exhale the same way. After doing that
twice, his lungs no longer burned and his panic started to ease.

“There you go, cutie,” the male nurse crooned. The dirty-

blond haired fellow smiled encouragingly, nodding all the
while. “Good. That’s it. Now just relax and I’m going to remove
the throat tube. Just relax.”

Caring brown eyes peered down at him with warmth. “You

ready?”

Blinking once, Marty hoped that conveyed his agreement. It

wasn’t like he could speak with the damn tube down his throat.

“Okay.” The man kept talking as he worked. “I’m Nurse

Leroy Wilde. You just keep breathing for me tough guy. This is
gonna feel a little weird,” he stated as he began tugging…
something…from his throat.

Weird was an understatement.
Marty tried to keep breathing, really he did, but by the time

the last of the tube was pulled out, his gag reflex was working
overtime and the urge to puke overrode almost every other
sensation.

Slender hands gripped Marty’s shoulder and a deceptively

strong arm slid under him as he was rolled to his right. “Let it
out,” Leroy’s soft croon urged as he slid a bed pan near Marty’s
mouth.

So, Marty did. He heaved, emptying stomach acid mixed with

a little extra. Closing his eyes, Marty focused on breathing
through his nose—again—and swallowed convulsively.

“Fuck,” he grumbled.
“Oh, not on the first date, honey,” Leroy purred into his ear.

“And until you brush your teeth, no kissing either. Doesn’t
matter how sexy you are.”

Marty snorted at the man’s queen-like teasing. He turned his

head just a bit and muttered hoarsely, “Sorry, cutie. I’m taken.”

Nurse Leroy sighed dramatically as he eased Marty back into

a reclining position. “Story of my life. All the big, sexy men are
taken.” He winked. “She must be quite a lady.”

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he thought of his

special someone. “Raymond. His name is Raymond. And,
yeah,” he murmured hoarsely. “He’s all that.”

Leroy affected another dramatic sigh, complete with his

hands over his heart. “Be still my heart. Big, sexy, gay, and
taken. Sigh.” Leaning close, he used a pen light to inspect
Marty’s eyesight, then he checked his other vitals. “If anything
happens between you and sweet Raymond, you look me up,
huh?” Leroy added with a wink.

Marty couldn’t help but smile at the insatiable flirt. “I’ll do

that,” he mumbled. Fatigue flooded him as he laid back against
the pillow. “Damn, what happened to me?”

“You don’t remember?” the nurse cocked his head. “Your

brother is still waiting for news. Poor guy has been alternating

between pacing and resting his head in his hands for the past
eight hours.”

“Damn.” Marty felt bad he hadn’t even thought of his

brother, his thoughts too consumed with his sexy lover. Wait,
eight hours? “Shit, what time is it?”

Lifting his watch, Leroy showed him the time even as he said,

“Almost two in the morning. Visiting hours are long past, so we
sent your bro home,” Leroy explained, misunderstanding.
“Don’t worry. I’m gonna call the doc in here to check you out,
then you should try to get a few more hours sleep. We’ll call
him in the morning.” Leroy assured, rubbing his arm
encouragingly.

“Need to call Raymond.” Shit, what did it say about him that

he wanted to call his brand new lover before his brother? He’d
feel bad, except, he’d been shot. He suddenly remembered that.
Was Raymond in danger, too?

Leroy gave him a concerned look, but he nodded slowly. “If

you give me his number, I’ll call him for you.”

“No need to call him,” stated a deep voice.
Marty’s eyes widened upon seeing the huge African

American enter his room. “Maelgwn?”

The massive gargoyle in human skin swept his gaze over

Marty. “Damn, Raymond’s going out of his mind with worry,
Marty. Let’s get you to your mate, hmm?”

“Who the hell are you people?” Nurse Leroy asked

indignantly. The small nurse placed one hand on his hip and
pointed the other toward the door. “You three need to get out
of here.”

Einan looked the nurse up and down. “Little spitfire, aren’t

you?” he stated with a smirk. He looked at Maelgwn and
grinned. “Can we take him with us? Cornelius will love him.”

The third guy, a slender, wiry redhead who Marty didn’t

recognize, snorted. “Einan, he’s a human, not a pet. You can’t
just adopt him.”

At that, Leroy’s jaw sagged open, only to be snapped closed.

“That’s it. I’m calling security.” The nurse tried to shove past
the wiry…gargoyle? Human?

Marty had no idea.

“Hey, whoa, there, cutie,” Einan called, wrapping his arms

around the charging nurse before he could get out the door.

At the same time, the stranger closed the bedroom door.

When Leroy tried to cry out—either in rage or indignation,
Marty’s head was starting to get real fuzzy and he couldn’t tell
—the big redhead grabbed the nurse and clapped a hand over
the nurse’s mouth, pulling him close.

The man grinned at Einan, saying, “Don’t let Cornelius hear

you say that. He’s pregnant and will totally kick your ass for
complimenting a non-pregnant male.” The guy actually
winked, then added, “Trust me. I know. You’ve never dealt
with pregnancy hormones until you’ve seen Stacey angry at
me.”

Einan smirked. “And yet, Greg, there you stand.”
Greg snorted and shrugged. Then, the redhead leaned down

and murmured into Leroy’s ear, “You are Marty’s nurse, right?
So, you’re gonna help us smuggle him outa here while keeping
him out of harm’s way. Aren’t ’cha?”

Leroy actually had the audacity to glare and growl low in his

throat.

While Einan still seemed to be fighting back laughter,

Maelgwn shook his head and rolled his eyes. After a second,
Maelgwn lowered his head a few inches and frowned at Leroy.
“We can do a better job healing Marty than this hospital can.
You will help us.”

When Leroy still looked mutinous, Marty lifted his right hand

just a smidge to get everyone’s attention. He turned pleading
eyes on Leroy. “Please,” he gasped. “Please help them. I was
shot by someone. I don’t know who. I trust these guys. They’ll
keep me safe.” Even as he said the words—and noted the
surprised lift of both Maelgwn and Einan’s brows—he forced
his body to nod. “P-Please.”

God, his head hurt so badly. His vision swam, but he could

still make out Leroy’s frown, hear him huff in frustration as he
snapped, “Fine. Marty can’t be taken off the IV, yet. He needs
the fluids.” He bit his lip, looking somewhat hesitant before
adding, “If you want to move him, you need an ambulance.”

Maelgwn eyed Leroy for a few seconds, then jerked a nod at

Greg. “Secure an ambulance. Meet us in the alley in twenty
minutes.”

Greg nodded, then slipped from the room.
That was the last thing Marty remembered before sleep

swamped him again.

Chapter Ten

Raymond’s sensitive hearing picked up the sound of a heavy
vehicle rumbling down the driveway. His heartbeat picked up,
and some sixth sense told him his mate neared. Brakes
squeaked. Unable to wait a second longer, Raymond leaped to
his feet, pulled away from his friend’s comforting embrace, and
headed toward the door.

Tobias gripped his arm, stopping him. “Hold up, Raymond.

They’ll be here in a second.”

Unable to help himself, Raymond hissed at the bigger

gargoyle and tried to pull away.

His hand tightening, Tobias growled low.
Raymond stilled at the sound, struggling to reign in his

desire, his need, to go to his mate. Especially in the face of the
second’s displeasure.

“I know you’re not trying to challenge me,” Tobias rumbled

softly. “Just be patient. Maelgwn is bringing your mate.”

A shiver worked down his spine at the reminder of why his

chieftain needed to retrieve his mate from a hospital in the
middle of the night. “I’m so worried,” he whispered. “I-I just
need to see him. Reassure myself—” He gulped back a sob,
unable to keep talking without breaking down.

Once more, his friends crowded around him. This time, even

Tobias wrapped an arm around him. The usually stand-off-ish
gargoyle offered him support. Maelgwn was relaxed and
resolute in his belief that where he led, his people would follow. He
guided with a kind yet firm hand.

Tobias, on the other hand, maintained a cool aloof attitude

and carried out his chieftain’s orders with strict and swift
precision. Those who resisted or refused ended up with a very
aggressive gargoyle in their face. One look at Tobias’s angry,
narrowed eyes, or hearing his low warning growl quickly
brought anyone to heel.

Raymond took advantage of Tobias’s uncharacteristic offer of

comfort, and sank into the second’s embrace. Tobias gently

rubbed his back—even trilling for a few seconds—before he
eased his grip. Moving away, Raymond offered his friends a
forced smile.

The sound of doors opening and voices drawing nearer

reached them.

Stiffening again, Raymond clenched his hands and spun to

eye the double doors. His breathing picked up and he opened
his mouth to scent the air better where it flowed across the
extra sensors on his tongue.

My mate is coming.
When a high pitched beeping started up on the opposite side

of the door, Raymond heard a voice he didn’t recognize snap,
“Son of a bitch! Where the fuck is your hospital in this place?”

“Through here,” Maelgwn shouted over the noise. “Hurry,

Greg.”

“Damn it. Come on, Martin,” the stranger pled. “Stay with

me.”

At the sounds, their clutch doctor, Perseus—a six foot seven,

pale green gargoyle—rushed through an archway leading from
the other side of the room toward the now swinging doors.
“Report!” Perseus shouted, his black-tipped, clawed hands
reaching toward his patient even as Sapian held the swinging
doors open and Maelgwn and Greg wheeled the stretcher
through the room. A slender human Raymond didn’t recognize
hustled alongside, inserting a fluid into the plunger of the IV
inserted into Marty’s arm.

The human glanced up to meet Perseus’s gaze, his mouth

open—probably to answer—then his eyes widened and he
squealed. Sapian nabbed the man before he could topple over
backward.

Raymond ignored the guy’s cries and rushed to Marty’s side.

His mate looked pale, even gray. Ashen skinned, they called it,
right? His eyes were closed. Bandages covered his torso…and he
appeared to be struggling to breathe.

“Oh, Marty,” Raymond crooned. “I’m so sorry.”
“Pull yourself together, man,” Perseus roared. “And give me

a goddamned report on our patient!”

That finally seemed to cut through the human’s fear—who

must have been a nurse or doctor from the hospital, judging by
his clothes—and he started spouting off a string of words that
Raymond had no clue how to decipher.

So, he didn’t.
Instead, Raymond acted on instinct—the one that told him to

aide his mate the only way he knew how—and sliced open his
wrist. Even as he moved along with the stretcher, he scooped
up a large dollop of his blood and painted his man’s lips.

“Come on, Marty,” he urged. “Swallow for me.”
Raymond scooped up several more beads and, this time, slid

two of his blood-coated fingers into Marty’s mouth. He rubbed
his gums, then his tongue. To his relief, Marty swallowed
convulsively.

“Yeah, there you go,” Raymond whispered as he felt the

tendrils of their mating bond strengthen. “Don’t hate me for
doing this without permission.”

“Hey! What are you doing?” the human—whose name he still

didn’t know—called.

Ignoring him, Raymond lowered his mouth to Marty’s neck

and sank his teeth in just enough to break skin. He knew his
saliva would help. Even if he couldn’t lick his human’s actual
wounds, by mixing it into his mate’s bloodstream, it’d still aide
in the healing process. Plus, being his mate, it’d release plenty
of endorphins.

Marty’s body jolted slightly and a soft moan escaped his lips.
Raymond sucked lightly at the wound, drinking down a

couple small mouthfuls of his man’s blood while licking around
the marks. Marty shuddered and grunted. The scent of spent
seed flooded the room. The smell inflamed Raymond’s blood,
and it was all he could do not to follow his lover over the edge.

Shoving his own need to the side, Raymond eased his teeth

out of his human’s neck, then licked the mark clean, sending it
well on its way to healing. A hand came down on his shoulder.
Raymond turned and found Perseus giving him an
understanding smile.

“Okay, you’ve done what you can, Raymond, now let me do

the rest, hmm?”

Although loath to put any distance between himself and his

injured mate, Raymond knew the necessity of it. He nodded
and—after pressing a soft kiss to Marty’s lips—stepped back. He
crossed his arms, hugging his torso, and watched Perseus open
his mate’s mouth and slide a tube down his throat. The human
nurse—or doctor or whatever the hell he was—aided him,
although the man continued to cast distrustful looks between
Perseus and Raymond. At least he continued to help. Perseus
would ask him curt questions, and Nurse Leroy—he heard their
doctor call him—answered, even as he obeyed the gargoyle
doctor’s instructions.

Maelgwn settled a hand on Raymond’s shoulder, gaining his

attention. “I’ve sent Sapian and Tobias to Marty’s home to see if
they can figure out where the shooter stood and where he went.
Hopefully, they’ll be able to track whoever is after your mate.”

“Gods, I hope so,” Raymond muttered. Just the idea that

Marty’s association with him put him in harm’s way made him
sick to his stomach.

“In the meantime, try to figure out who sent you that

message,” Maelgwn ordered.

Shit, why didn’t I think of that?
Even as the question popped into his head, Raymond knew

the answer. He’d been too busy freaking out over his mate.
“Right, right,” he mumbled, nodding absently even as ideas to
figure out the origin of the sender’s ID popped in and out of his
mind.

“Raymond.”
Turning toward Perseus’s call, Raymond’s blood ran cold at

the other gargoyle’s grim expression. “Marty’s gonna be okay,
right?”

Perseus rubbed a hand over his pale green face once, then

stated, “I’m optimistic, Raymond, and you should be, too.” He
glanced back toward the bed where Greg stood speaking with
Leroy, obviously trying to explain something, well, gargoyles
probably. Returning his focus back to Raymond, Perseus stated,
“The addition of your blood and saliva, along with the bonding
you’ve already done, it will help stabilize him faster, which
means a much better chance at a full recovery.”

“Full recovering? What does that mean?” Raymond couldn’t

help but ask.

Sighing, Perseus placed his hands on his hips and stated,

“Essentially, the bullet tore through his back, nicked a lung, and
lodged in his rib, cracking it. His lung collapsed on the way to
the hospital. Surgery removed the bullet and repaired the lung.
They inserted a breathing tube until he could breathe on his
own again.” He narrowed his eyes and scowled at Maelgwn.
“The tube had just been removed when bossy here decided to
barge in and move him.”

Even as Maelgwn growled softly, Perseus shook his head and

continued, “He shouldn’t have been moved for a good twenty-
four hours. If it were me, I would have kept him sedated for at
least that long to give the human time to heal. Since that didn’t
happen, on the trip over his weak lung collapsed again.”

“Oh, Gods,” Raymond murmured.
Perseus rested a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, offering

comfort. “If he hadn’t had the blessing of bonding with you,
then he wouldn’t have been moved, and he would have
eventually recovered, though the scarring would have limited
his mobility a bit.” He smiled reassuringly. “As it is, as soon as
he can breathe on his own again, I want to give him more of
your blood. It’ll help him heal faster and increase his chances of
no long term damage.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Raymond quickly agreed. “Anything to help

Marty.”

Patting him on the back, the doc nodded. “I knew you’d feel

that way.”

“Of course.” He shrugged even as he crossed to Marty’s side.

“He’s my mate.”

Relief filled him as he took in his man’s improved color. He

lifted a hand and gently traced the big human’s brow. Although
Raymond felt like Marty might not be getting the best deal with
him—he knew he was reclusive, had trouble interacting with
others, and generally liked his computers better than most
people—Raymond knew he wouldn’t give his mate up for
anything. It just meant he’d work to be a better man for his
mate.

“He’s sleeping right now. I’m gonna keep him asleep for the

next few hours,” Perseus told him. “If there’s any change, I’ll
contact you.”

Raymond recognized a dismissal when he heard one. He

didn’t like it, but he knew he had other duties. Leaning down,
he kissed Marty one more time, then turned away and strode
from the room.

Stopping outside, he took a deep, fortifying breath. His mate

was in good hands. Now, he needed to figure out who the hell
was after him.

Returning to his office, Raymond woke his computer from

sleep mode and pulled up his emails again. He reopened the
email from his stalker and glared at it. Rage unlike anything
he’d ever felt swept through him, making him almost vibrate.

Without stopping to think of the consequences, Raymond hit

the reply button, typed a few words—You missed, fucker—and
hit send. Then, he started reviewing every saved contact in
every chat room he’d ever visited.

Nothing matched, but he noticed a pattern, a theme, that he

couldn’t overlook. He yanked open a drawer and pulled out a
locked metal case. Spinning around, he opened another drawer,
then pressed gently against a soft section of wood under the lip.
The drawer’s back wall popped forward, revealing a very
narrow hidden compartment…and a key.

Raymond used the key to open the metal box, revealing row

upon row of flash drives. Gliding his finger over them, he
checked the labels. When he found the date he wanted, he
pulled it out and shoved it into his laptop.

Slowly, methodically, he scanned through every conversation

he had with every User ID that was even remotely close to a
Star Trek

theme. Three hours later, his jaw sagged open even as

guilt flooded him.

It couldn’t be.
He’d never even met the man. Unfortunately, his occasional

online fuck buddy was the only one who made the short list. He
hadn’t even come close to sharing personal information with
anyone else. Only with Sulu87 had Raymond shared how lonely
he’d felt, how he’d spent most of his time online because he
understood computers better than people. And only Sulu87

knew how much he longed for a real relationship.

Since Raymond had enjoyed the anonymity of online

correspondence, he hadn’t ever looked into who the contact
actually might be. Now, he realized he should have. Maelgwn
always warned about what could happen if the wrong person
found out about them. Except, if Sulu87 figured out about
gargoyles, wouldn’t it make more sense to come after him
rather than Marty?

Shaking his head, Raymond grabbed the handset and dialed

for his chieftain.

Maelgwn didn’t bother with a greeting. “You got anything?”
“Maybe, I—” He paused and bit his lip. Gods, admitting this is

so fucking embarrassing.

“Raymond?”
“Will you come up here, please?” he finally whispered.
“Be right there.”
Heaving a sigh, Raymond rested his elbows on his desk and

his forehead in his palms. He heard the door open, but didn’t
bother looking up. His sense of smell told him Sapian and Greg
accompanied his chieftain.

“What’d you find?” Maelgwn asked, his tone soft and

soothing.

Rubbing his face with one palm, Raymond lifted his head to

peer at the gargoyles now sitting across from him. “Did Einan
tell you I’d gone on a couple anonymous cyber dates?”

Maelgwn nodded, a smile curving one corner of his mouth.

“He mentioned it. Said that was why you were banished from
chat rooms for two weeks and why you were on kitchen duty
for one.”

“Well, I’d gone on several dates,” he lifted his hands and

made quotation marks. “That just happened to be the time it
interfered with my work,” he admitted. “We didn’t share our
real names or anything, but I told him how much I appreciated
getting to chat with him, how I felt he understood me better
than—” He paused and flushed, unable to meet any of the
men’s gazes. He shrugged. “Well, although we never discussed
meeting, now that I reread our conversations, he’d begun
hinting toward it.” Finally, Raymond forced himself to meet his

chieftain’s gaze. “I didn’t realize that, and I scented Marty at
the coffee shop, so I cut off contact.” His cheeks heated. “He
sent me a message a few days ago and I told him I was seeing
someone and couldn’t continue our…relationship.”

Raymond shrugged, figuring that was close enough. Guilt

swamped him. If he’d remembered to cancel the auto login
before then…or if he’d found a more tactful way to break up. If
only—

“That’s enough, Raymond,” Sapian stated gruffly. “You

didn’t know the guy would go stalker on you. Stop dwelling
and blaming yourself.”

“How certain are you that this is our guy?” Einan asked.
Raymond turned his laptop around and pointed at the picture

of a dark-haired, skinny man with glasses. “Meet Simon Lowell.
Until a month ago, he lived in San Diego, California. Guess
where he lives now?”

Sapian shook his head. “Durango, Colorado,” he muttered.
“Well, it looks like we have one advantage,” Maelgwn

commented.

Raymond lifted a brow ridge, confused by the feral smile

curving his chieftain’s lips.

Maelgwn leaned back in his chair, his palms resting on his

thighs. He grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. “We have
Marty here. If he plans to take another pot shot at our boy, he’ll
have to come to us.”

Chapter Eleven

Marty gagged and tried to wrench his chin up, anything to get
away from the metallic fluid someone poured into his mouth.
When he felt the hand under his nape, he wanted to turn his
head and spit it out. Unfortunately, the hand holding him
tightened, not allowing him to move. He choked, spitting some
onto his chin.

Gentle fingers stroked his neck, massaging the muscles.

“Please, Marty. Please, swallow. You need it to get well.”

Recognizing the voice of his lover, Marty tried to obey. His

sweet gargoyle wouldn’t steer him wrong. Some ingrained
instinct assured him of that. He fought his body’s response to
reject the foul liquid. Somehow, he managed to choke it down,
sputtering and gasping when he finally managed it.

“There ya go,” Ray crooned. “That’s the way. I’m gonna give

you a little more.”

Marty wanted to object, but opening his mouth only earned

him another small mouthful of…whatever the hell his lover was
feeding him. It tasted suspiciously like blood, but why the hell
would Ray have him drink blood? Even as he swallowed, the
memory of various conversations about bonding floated hazily
through his mind.

His brows drew together as he struggled to get a grasp on

where he was and why he hurt. Then he remembered he’d
woken in the hospital, been tended by a cute nurse, then the
gargoyles had arrived. So, where was he now?

“Ray?” Marty called.
“I’m here,” Ray murmured. “Open again. I have something

that will taste better.”

Marty felt a spoon prod his lips. He opened, accepting it, and

a couple small ice chips slid across his tongue. Sighing with
appreciation, he rolled the tiny blocks of frozen water around
on his tongue. They melted quickly, clearing away some of the
metallic taste coating his tongue.

Prying an eyelid open, Marty peered blearily around the

room. He blinked and blinked again, working things into focus.

It looked like a hospital…sort of. Instead of the standard sterile
white, things were decorated in warm earth tones, greens and
browns. Even the painting on the wall depicted a forest in the
throes of fall, with colorful leaves, some still on the trees and
others half covering the dark red covered bridge.

“Where am I?” Marty mumbled as he struggled to turn his

head.

Semi-rough fingers cupped his cheek, helping him turn his

head. Even before Marty saw Ray’s concerned black face, he
knew the touch belonged to his lover.

“Hey,” he managed to get out, unable to stop the smile that

curved his lips.

Ray smiled back and gently rubbed his thumb over Marty’s

bottom lip. “Hi there. You sure know how to worry a guy.”

“Not on purpose,” Marty rasped. “Throat’s sore.”
“You had a breathing tube in there until a half an hour ago,”

Ray explained. Then, he grimaced. “And it wasn’t the first time
today, either.”

Marty nodded slightly. “I ’member.” He forced another smile

even as he felt his lids droop as a wave of fatigue rolled over
him. His gaze swept over the room as he settled his head back
on the pillow. “Someone fuckin’ shot me,” he slurred.
Swallowing, he asked, “Who the fuck—?”

Evidently, Ray didn’t need him to finish the thought. His

lover leaned forward, so he was once more in Marty’s line of
sight, and answered, “I’m afraid that’s partly my fault.”

Marty’s brows shot up. He wanted to ask how the hell Ray

figured that, but between his fatigue and his dry throat, he
couldn’t seem to work up the energy to speak.

Ray—God bless him—kept speaking. “It seems I was unaware

that I had a jealous ex-boyfriend.” Shaking his head, Ray traced
a couple fingers over Marty’s brow. “He took exception to me
ceasing our online communication. I didn’t even know he felt
that way. All we’d done was—” Ray flushed. “Well, it was a bit
more than talking, but we’d never even exchanged names.”

A rush of jealousy stabbed through Marty. Frowning, he

found his voice, “You’re mine.” He even managed to move his
hand enough to grab his lover’s wrist where it rested on the bed

beside his hip.

The hand on his face gently massaged his brow. “Yes, I am.

All yours,” Ray assured.

Marty’s grip loosened and his eyelids slid to half-mast.

“Yeah,” he whispered. God, I’m tired. “What’s wrong with me?
How long do I have to lie in this bed?”

“I’m glad you’re coherent enough to ask,” a deep voice said,

the sound getting closer with each word spoken.

Marty just bit back a gasp as the speaker came into view. If

the pointed ears, protruding canines, and thick brow ridges
didn’t give away that the male was a gargoyle, the pale green
mottled skin would have done it. So would the black claws
tipping his green fingers.

“Just relax,” the gargoyle crooned. “My name is Perseus. I’m

the clutch doctor. Leroy filled me in on your injuries.”

Leroy? Oh, right.

“The nurse. Is he okay? I hope he didn’t get

into trouble for letting me leave the hospital,” he mumbled
absently. His mind began to drift.

Perseus chuckled lightly. “We’ll make certain Leroy is well

taken care of,” he assured. “As for you, the gunshot wound was
a bad one. You ended up in surgery to repair your lung and a
shattered rib. It’ll be a while, but with the aid of Raymond’s
blood, you’ll make a full recovery, in time.”

“B-Blood?” Okay, that pulled Marty out of his stupor. His

brows shot up and he fixed his gaze on his lover. “Y-You fed me
blood?”

Ray’s smile appeared strained…and maybe a bit sad and

worried. It certainly didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m sorry. I know we
didn’t talk about bonding, but it was necessary to help you heal.
I know I did it without permission. I hope, in time, you’ll be
able to forgive me for that.” He started to reach toward Marty’s
face again, then seemed to think better of it, allowing his fingers
to clench into a fist that he rested on the side of the bed. “I’ll
make it worth your while,” he said, almost pleaded. “Do
anything to make you happy.”

Marty blinked, trying to wrap his mind around what he’d just

learned. He knew Ray had bitten him, taken his blood, and
now, it seemed that he’d drank his lover’s blood, too.

Essentially, Ray had bonded them without Marty’s consent.
From the nervous way Ray’s eyes darted from him, then around
the room, to Perseus, and back to him, Marty knew his lover
worried he’d be pissed.

Except, Marty wasn’t pissed. He wasn’t upset at all. He was

flattered, excited, and the idea of fucking his sweet gargoyle for
centuries turned him on. There were so many things he wanted
to try, to do, to share with his cute gargoyle lover. If he hadn’t
been in so much pain, he just knew his cock would be tenting
the sheet embarrassingly.

“I-I’m sorry.”
Ray’s squeaked words jump-started Marty’s brain. Gritting

his teeth against the pain, he once again grabbed his lover, this
time Ray’s hand instead of his wrist. Sweat beaded on his
forehead as he threaded their fingers together.

“Stop,” he rasped. “Don’t apologize.”
He squeezed Ray’s hand, hoping to keep him quiet as he

gathered his thoughts.

Ray’s brow ridges pulled down a bit, but he waited patiently.
“Would have—” Marty paused and cleared his throat.

“Would have said yes. Want to be with you.”

Ray’s smile split his face, radiating his relief and pleasure.

Leaning down, Ray settled his lips over Marty’s, brushing from
side to side in a soft caress.

Marty sighed his pleasure at the sensation, flicking his tongue

out to slide over the seam of Ray’s mouth. Even though he
knew it was for the best, Marty still felt disappointed when his
lover pulled back.

“I’ve gotta go,” Ray told him softly. “It’s time for my roost.”
Sighing, Marty felt a stab of disappointment. “What do we

need to do to cause you to go through molt?” He knew he’d
been told, but his foggy brain just didn’t remember.

Ray’s eyes widened a bit, obviously surprised by his question.

At least, he was quick to answer. “We have to complete the
bonding process,” he stated. “We’ve already shared blood, so all
that’s left is me spilling in you. I, uh, I’d have to top you.”

“Top me,” Marty mumbled. “Right. ’Member now.”
Yeah, that’d been mentioned. Marty had to allow Ray to

finish claiming him since he’d evidently already claimed the
gargoyle.

He could feel his mind shutting down, the pull of sleep

drawing him. For all his days, Marty would blame his next
words on the meds coursing through his system. Fixing his gaze
on Perseus, he smirked and asked, “Well, doc? When will I be
well enough for sex?”

While Perseus barked out a laugh, showing off plenty of teeth

that probably should have freaked Marty out, from the corner
of his eye, he saw his lover’s jaw sag open.

Perseus patted his arm lightly. “Get some more rest,

Casanova. It’ll be at least a couple weeks. You have plenty of
time to work up to that, eh?” he added with a wink. Without
waiting for an answer, Perseus shifted his gaze to Ray. “Let’s
get out of here, Raymond. He’s in good hands with Stacey. Plus,
I’m sure Leroy will be around, too.” Once more, he turned
toward Marty. “Stacey works as the clutch’s doctor during the
day. She’s mated to Greg, the gargoyle who assisted in bringing
you here.”

Marty’s recollection of the event was vague, but he nodded

anyway. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to stay awake much
longer, he looked toward his lover again. “Kiss me, again,” he
demanded. “I’m about to pass out.”

Ray grinned and obeyed, ducking down and sealing their lips

together. Almost before the kiss ended, Marty slid back into
sleep.

Maybe it was the absence of the steady beep, beep so often

heard in a hospital that finally drew him from sleep. More
likely, it was the sound of several people talking quietly that
roused him. Marty kept his breathing steady and even while the
fogginess eased from his mind.

Surprise flooded him when he recognized two of the voices.

Forcing his eyelids partway open, Marty spotted both Matthew
and Logan. The woman they spoke quietly with he figured was
Stacey.

“I know it’s unorthodox,” Stacey was saying earnestly, “but it

really was the best option.”

“He should be under police protection,” Matthew insisted.
Logan snorted, crossing his heavily muscled arms over his

chest. “You really think the fucking police can give him more
protection than the shit we saw set up outside?” Grunting,
Logan shook his head. “Not a damn chance.”

As far as size went, Logan was just as big as Marty was, except

his buddy happened to enjoy working out—a lot—and it
showed in the way his bulging biceps stretched his t-shirt.
Hitting his in-home gym was Logan’s favorite stress reliever. It
was a far better option than the road he’d been headed down at
one point in his life.

When Logan’s father had up and left him and his mother at

the age of seventeen, the teenager had spent the next two years
acting out. A six month stint in the county jail along with lots of
tough love from Marty, Matthew, and both their mothers had
gotten him to straighten himself out. Marty couldn’t help but
smile, thinking maybe it had actually been him and his
brother’s threats to knock some sense into Logan—and then
carrying through on more than one occasion—that really put
him back on the straight and narrow, not that they’d ever
shared those little incidents with their parents.

“Hey,” Marty called gruffly, his voice still a little hoarse from

the tubes he knew had been forced down his throat. “I asked to
be here.”

Matthew spun, since his back had been to Marty. His brows

were drawn up in shock. Logan smirked and lifted a brow.
“Welcome back to the land of the living, Marty,” Logan
rumbled.

Before Marty’s still sleep-slow brain could come up with an

acceptable come back, Matthew stalked toward him and
snapped, “Why the hell would you come here instead of staying
in the hospital?” Stopping by the bed, he leaned close. “It’s
because of these guys that you were injured!”

“It’s because of some asshole with a gun that I ended up

injured,” Marty growled. No way would he allow anyone to
badmouth Ray, not even his brother.

Stacey leveled a cool look at Matthew as she stepped up to

Marty’s other side. “I will not have you upsetting my patient,”

she stated with quiet dignity. “If you cannot conduct yourself in
a civil manner, then I’m going to need you to leave.”

Matthew’s eyes narrowed, and Marty just knew his brother

was gearing up to say something else…uncivilized.

“Matthew,” Marty lifted his good hand and tangled his

fingers in his brother’s open flannel shirt. “Please, brother.” His
brother peered down at him, his brows creased in concern. “Let
this go.”

A pained expression crossed Matthew’s face, but the way he

bowed his head told Marty his brother listened. “You’re the
only family I got, M.” Pain filled Matthew’s hazel eyes, turning
them almost brown. He gently untangled Marty’s fingers from
his shirt and twined them with his own. “Do you have any idea
what it was like to watch your blood flowing from your body
and know I had no way of helping?”

“Ah, but you did help,” Marty assured. “You called the

ambulance, didn’t you?”

Swallowing hard, Matthew jerked a nod.
The glittering of his brother’s eyes told Marty more than the

way his lips pinched at the edges, that his brother was trapped
in those few moments. Marty squeezed Matthew’s hand. “You
saved me, little brother. I can never thank you enough.”

A harsh sob sounded from Matthew, and he lowered his head

to rest his forehead on their joined hands, hiding his face.
“You’re not allowed to leave me alone, Marty,” he gasped.

Marty smiled. Thinking of his gargoyle lover, of how his life

would now be extended, of his increased healing ability and no
longer having to worry about getting sick, he knew that was
one promise he could surely make his brother. Another gift
from Ray, he realized.

Of course, that did mean he’d outlive his brother by centuries,

but he’d dwell on that later.

“Matt,” Marty murmured, squeezing his brother’s hand

harder. When his brother finally lifted his head to meet his
gaze, Marty didn’t comment on the glittering tracks marking
where tears had fallen. Instead, he whispered, “You won’t lose
me. I can assure you of that.” He squeezed again and smiled.
“Trust me on this.”

Matthew sucked in a harsh breath, then nodded once. “Yeah.”

He nodded again and managed a smile. “Yeah.”

Logan came closer and patted him lightly on his sheet-

covered leg. “Well, all right, Marty. Nice digs,” he quipped with
a wink. “You gonna tell us about this rich new boyfriend of
yours?”

Marty smiled widely at that, appreciating Logan’s ability to

interject levity into the situation. “Yep.” For the next couple of
hours, he told his brother and best friend about Ray…well,
everything except that Ray was a gargoyle.

Finally, fatigue took him back under and Marty fell asleep

again.

“We got him! We got him!”
Ray’s excited cry roused Marty from a sound sleep. His

eyelids snapped open and he craned his neck to see his grinning
lover running toward him. Marty smiled back and opened his
mouth to ask about it, except, then his brother shouted, Logan
gasped, and Ray froze, his jaw open and his eyes wide.

Chapter Twelve

Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Oh, shit!

The refrain echoed continually through Raymond’s mind as

he stumbled back a step and swept a panicked gaze over the
strange humans in his mate’s room. Who the hell were these
people?

“Ray, baby. Calm down and come over here,” Marty’s

soothing croon broke through Raymond’s panic. “Focus on me,
baby.”

Raymond slowly turned his head and, finally yanking his

gaze from the startled humans, peered at his mate.

Marty had somehow levered up onto one elbow and he

wiggled his fingers at Raymond. “Please, baby. Please, come
here.”

Never able to resist his mate, Raymond quickly moved

forward. He cringed at the disbelieving, shocked stares from the
strangers in the room. Finally, he reached Marty’s side and
grasped his fingers in one hand. His other hand he rested on his
human’s shoulder and pressed just a bit, wanting to urge him to
lie back down, not hurt him.

Fortunately, Marty sighed and willingly let Raymond ease

him back to the mattress. “Hey, baby,” Marty quietly greeted,
his eyelids sliding closed for a few seconds. Then, they opened
again and his mate smiled up at him. “Hey there, sexy. What
were you hollerin’ about?”

Remembering why he’d come sprinting down to the hospital

wing and into his mate’s room, Raymond once again grinned.
“We got him. Simon. The guy who shot you. He tried to break
in right after sunset and Vane caught him.” Remembering the
scene on the security monitor, Raymond shivered. Damn, he
hoped he never had to see the massive gargoyle snap another
human’s neck. The memory of the completely blank expression
on the gargoyle’s face—as if taking the man’s life meant
absolutely nothing to him—sent shivers down Raymond’s
spine.

Gods, I hope I never see anything like that again.
Remembering his human’s question, Raymond smiled.

“You’re safe, handsome. Vane stopped Simon.” He felt his
cheeks flush as he remembered that mental picture anew.
“You’re safe,” he added lamely.

His relief shone from his expressive blue eyes as Marty smiled

warmly up at him. “I’m glad to hear that.” Marty winked.
“Now I just gotta talk you into fucking me through the mattress
soon.” His voice lowered a smidge, turning throaty. “I’m sure
we can come up with some way that wouldn’t put strain on my
wounds.”

Raymond bit back a moan. He swept his gaze over his lover,

remembering what his injuries were. Even before his brain
could catch up, he started nodding.

“What the fuck is going on?”
The words weren’t loud. In fact, the deep voice didn’t do

much more than hiss them. Still, they cut through the quiet
room like a knife through soft butter.

Raymond couldn’t help but cringe. That is, until Marty

wrapped his right arm around his waist and gently traced up
and down his spine. While doing that, his sweet human looked
toward the clearly shocked humans and smiled. Hell, they must
have been completely stunned to remain quiet for so long.
“Matthew, Logan, I’d like to introduce you to my lover and
partner, Raymond.”

Raymond’s heart pounded at the introduction—partner? Holy

shit!

—but Marty wasn’t done.

“Ray, love, the big, sexy, scarred fellow is Logan. You ever

need help in a bar fight, he’s your man. The smaller fellow is
my brother Matthew.”

Although Raymond didn’t really appreciate hearing his mate

call another man sexy, he knew Marty didn’t mean anything by
it. Knowing what was expected of him, Raymond forced a small
smile and murmured, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Wait a minute,” Matthew muttered. His mouth opened just

a bit and a pink tongue swept over his bottom lip. “You’re
Raymond Patterson?” He snorted even as he slowly shook his
head. “All the security makes sense now. Damn humans and

their prejudices.”

Raymond’s shock couldn’t be more profound. “Wh-What?”
“I’m kinda wonderin’ the same thing, actually,” Logan

rumbled, although his inscrutable gaze gave nothing away.
Logan slid his gaze from Raymond to Marty. “You gonna
explain?”

“No, he won’t,” Perseus stated, sauntering into the room.
The gargoyle doctor smirked at the pair of men as they both

stared in stunned shock at him. Standing six foot seven with a
broad muscular frame, he wasn’t much bigger than Logan or
Marty. In fact, he was actually a bit leaner than the heavily
muscled and tattooed Logan. Still, with his green coloring and
tail, Perseus was easily discernible as not human.

“I want a moment with my patient,” Perseus stated. He

winked at them, then pointed at Maelgwn and Sapian, who had
followed the doctor into the room—both men were in human
form. “These fine gentlemen will explain everything you need
to know.” Then, his grin broadened and he swept his gaze up
and down Logan in obvious appreciation. “Although, if you
have any follow-up questions, stud, feel free to come back and
ask.”

Oh! Was there some measure of attraction there? From

looking at Logan, Raymond couldn’t tell if it was mutual. The
human gave no emotion away whatsoever.

“Go ahead and go with them, Matt,” Marty urged.
That was when Raymond realized Marty’s brother peered at

his lover for guidance.

Matthew sighed and nodded. “You gonna be okay?” he asked,

squeezing his brother’s calf through the sheet.

Marty nodded. “Yeah. Everything will be fine. Give me a few

weeks and I’ll be back to kicking your ass, little bro.”

Snorting, Matthew grinned and shook his head. He turned to

Raymond and held out his hand. “Take good care of my
brother. I’ll swing by later.” His grin widened. “Gotta make
sure you’re good enough for him after all. Brother’s prerogative
and all that.”

After a second’s hesitation, Raymond took Matthew’s hand.

As they shook, he couldn’t help but glance furtively at Marty.

His lover smiled, looking as happy as someone who’d been near
death’s door the day before could be. Now, his color looked
better and as Perseus checked him over, the gargoyle doctor
smiled, nodded, and looked pleased by everything he was
seeing.

“Sorry I yelled on the phone, man,” Matthew said. He

released Raymond’s hand and rubbed the back of his neck. “I
was, uh, was a little—”

“Don’t worry about it,” Raymond hurriedly assured. “I would

probably have done the same in your shoes.”

“All right, gentlemen,” Sapian called, gaining attention. “I’m

sure you have plenty of questions. Come with me. We’ll get
some coffee, and I’ll explain what the hell is really going on in
this world of ours.”

Logan bumped Matthew’s hip, then wrapped a brawny arm

around the shorter human’s shoulders. “Come on, Matty boy. I
gotta funny feeling this will be very, very interesting.”

Matthew went along readily enough.
Once they’d left with Maelgwn and Sapian, Perseus drew

Raymond’s attention, saying, “All right, boys. I know the pull to
complete your bond is probably driving you nuts, but it really
would be best if you waited a few days.”

Raymond grimaced, glad his black skin didn’t show blushes

even if he could feel the heat in his cheeks. However, he
couldn’t do a whole hell of a lot about the aroused scent he
knew his body exuded. Any time he got close to his mate—hell,
any time he even thought about his mate—his body grew hard
and ready, eager to mate.

“This bed is big enough for both of us,” Marty pointed out.

“Can I at least feel his arms around me?”

His brow ridges shot up at his human’s admission.
Marty grinned, “What? You don’t think I’m gonna admit

what I want?” Without even waiting for Perseus to agree, Marty
started wriggling over on the bed. “Come here,” he insisted,
still moving. “Want to feel your heat next to mine.”

Raymond rested his hands on the bed. His body vibrated with

need, wanting to be close to his lover. Perseus threw up his
hands and shook his head. “Just be careful,” he muttered.

“Ripping the stitches inside his stomach would be…life
threatening,” he growled as he stalked from the room.

That made Raymond pause. He peered at his lover, really

looked at him, and his heart clenched in his chest. Marty still
had an IV attached to his left arm. His skin seemed pale,
especially since normally Marty sported a nice bronze tan, and
his cheeks were flushed from the exertion of moving sideways
on the bed.

“Maybe you should just get some rest,” Raymond suggested

softly. When Marty looked like he’d protest, he took his lover’s
hand in his own. “I don’t want to hurt you, Marty. If I did that,
even by accident, it’d kill me.”

Marty’s eyelids slid to half-mast as he breathed out a sigh. “I

really do just want you to hold me, babe,” he told him. “Sure,
I’d love to have you fuck me through the mattress. I’d love to
feel you move inside me, have you spill your seed, mark me
inside and out, but while the spirit’s willing, the flesh—” He
smirked even as fatigue filled his eyes. “Let me sleep in your
arms for a few hours, babe.”

Raymond wasn’t going to make his lover ask a third time. He

could hold his man and keep control of himself. With that plan
firmly in mind, he eased onto the bed, doing his best to avoid
jostling his lover too much. Finally, he settled on his side and
cuddled up to his human. With his left arm under his head as a
pillow, his front pressed to Marty’s good side, Raymond
breathed in his mate’s scent. He let out a quiet sigh.

“You were right,” he whispered. “This was just what I

needed, too.”

Marty turned his head and leaned forward, nipping

Raymond’s lower lip. “I got somethin’ else you need, babe.”

“What?”
Under the sheet, Marty’s hand moved. The tie to Raymond’s

loincloth loosened. Before he could protest, a large calloused
hand wrapped around his aching prick and squeezed once,
twice.

Raymond gasped. “Damn it,” he growled. “You said we’d just

lie here,” he accused, even as he rocked his hips a bit, helpless
against the onslaught of pleasure spreading down his stalk to

his balls, making his entire groin area break out in goose bumps.

“I am just lying here, sexy babe,” Marty rumbled, this time his

smile lit his blue eyes. “And you’ll lie there and take the
pleasure I give you. Just relax and enjoy.”

Not knowing how he could do anything else, Raymond

obeyed. Marty’s strokes were slow and firm, drawing his
pleasure ever-so-slowly to a boil. Pressing his forehead to his
mate’s upper arm, he planted his top leg on the mattress,
opening himself up wider for his lover.

Marty rumbled his pleasure and picked up speed. He began

twisting his wrist and flicking Raymond’s glans each time he
reached the top of his stalk. Groaning, Marty panted through
gritted teeth as sparks shot through him. A tingle settled in the
base of his spine. His balls pulled flush to his body.

“Oh, oh, Gods,” he muttered.
“Look at me,” Marty ordered gruffly, giving away his own

need.

Raymond’s eyelids snapped open. He saw the affection, the

lust, and maybe even the beginnings of love, burning in his
handsome human’s blue eyes. “You gonna come for me, sweet
gargoyle?”

Unable to get his tongue to work, Raymond just held his gaze

and nodded.

“Do it,” Marty urged, punctuating his words by dipping his

thumb nail into Raymond’s slit.

Groaning, Raymond did just that. His balls contracted. His

cock swelled. Cum spurted from his dick, soaking the sheet and
his lover’s hand with stream after stream of his seed. His body
trembled as he floated on waves of bliss. His mate continued to
jack him, slowing his movements, prolonging his orgasm.

“Hmm, I love the sounds you make,” Marty murmured.
Raymond hummed, finally becoming aware of the mewls,

whimpers, and moans escaping him. He’d be embarrassed,
except—judging by his lover’s grin—Marty told the truth. He
loved listening to him. Raymond grinned, making a point to
never hide again.

As his orgasmic haze subsided, Raymond also became aware

of his mate’s arousal tenting the sheet.

Wriggling down the bed, Raymond took the sheet with him

until he was leaning over Marty’s jutting cock. He licked his
lips, then laved the dark purple, glistening head with his long
tongue. His mate’s musky flavor burst across his taste buds.
Marty’s cock jerked before his eyes, making him smile.

Raymond gave Marty a lascivious smile. “Now, now, Marty,”

he pretended to scold. “Just lie back and relax.”

Listening to Marty’s growl, Raymond sucked down his lover’s

cock. He wrapped his long tongue around the base of the stalk,
then dragged it up the shaft, sucking strongly. He tickled the
sensitive, wrinkled folds under the cap, then massaged his glans
with his tongue.

Peering up at his lover, Raymond saw the pleasure-pain

expression on his human’s face, the way he struggled to keep
his breathing even, and how he clenched the sheets with his
good hand.

Not wanting to draw it out too long for fear of reinjuring his

mate, Raymond swallowed his human’s cock to the root and
lodged the broad cap in his throat. He swallowed once, twice.
The hitch in Marty’s breathing, followed by his lover’s breathy
groan was all the warning he got.

Marty’s cum exploded down Raymond’s throat, filling his

mouth. Raymond backed up just a bit, allowing the man’s next
shot to hit his tongue. Flavor burst across his taste buds, mildly
salty and tangy. He swallowed again and again, unwilling to
allow even a bit of his mate’s seed to escape.

When his human’s shaft began to soften, and Marty shifted

his hips restlessly, telling of his discomfort, Raymond allowed
his man’s too-sensitive flesh to slip from his mouth. Crawling
back up to the head of the bed, he once more resumed his
earlier position. Although, this time, he couldn’t stop the
Cheshire cat smile from splitting his lips.

“Ah, Ray,” Marty mumbled, sated and smiling. “Gonna sleep

like a baby, now, love.”

Raymond couldn’t stop his hiss of surprise. “Love?” he

squeaked.

“Mmm, hmm,” Marty replied without missing a beat. He

sighed, looking so content and relaxed. “Think I fell in love with

you weeks ago. Couldn’t get you out of my head and I sure
don’t wanna get you out of my heart.”

Marty cupped Raymond’s jaw with his good hand and traced

his lips. “You’re amazing, perfect, wanna share everything with
you.” He brushed their lips together lightly, before whispering,
“If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.”

Raymond grinned against his human’s firm lips. “Love you,

too, Marty,” he purred, his heart swelling with emotion. “Been
driving myself crazy trying to find a way to have you in my
life.”

“You got me now,” Marty crooned. “Not going anywhere.”
Their next kiss was slow and soothing, sharing the love they

felt between them. When they broke apart, Raymond couldn’t
help the wistfulness in his tone as he said, “Once I can turn
human, we’ll really be able to go do things together.”

“Ah, Ray,” Marty murmured. “I admit I’d love to take a walk

in the sun with you, maybe explore that garden out back, see
how many nooks and crannies we can find to fuck and play in. I
know I’ll love whatever face you have as a human, because I
know it’s you.” Marty smiled again, and there was no mistaking
the love in his expression this time. “My Raymond. You’re
perfect just the way you are.”

“All yours.”
“Yeah.”
After another slow kiss, where Marty took his time exploring

Raymond’s mouth, licking his canines, and nibbling his lips, his
mate sighed and snuggled him close. Moments later, Marty’s
eyelids slid shut and his breathing evened.

As Raymond held his human, he smiled and watched him

sleep, content in the knowledge that no matter what mask he
wore, his mate would love him through them all.

About the Author

Charlie started writing fantasy when she was eight, and after
stumbling onto her first erotic romance at age nineteen, she
realized her true calling. She now focuses on writing gay erotic
romance, normally of the paranormal variety, with heroes of all
kinds. With the help and support of her husband, Charlie finally
fulfilled one of her life-long goals…move to acreage with her
horses. You can often find her curled up with her laptop and a
cup of tea or glass of wine, creating her next adventure. Charlie
enjoys exploring the mountains of her new Oregon home on
horseback, 4-wheeler, or motorcycle.

She can be reached at [e-mail]
Or visit her at www.charlie-richards.com