Chapter 9 – Evangeline
X ander’s long, thick tongue licks up my pussy lips, and I moan my appreciation. He takes my clit in his mouth and sucks hard, forcing me to arch off the marble countertop. His wings swoop in, pushing me back down.
He’s done that before, and the move heightens my pleasure in a way I can’t explain.
I need more. I reach down to grab Xander’s horns and pull him closer. He must sense what I’m asking for because his tongue dips inside me, and I groan as it expands to fit my pussy.
What the hell? His tongue grows?
“Yes, Kitten, it grows.”
Oops. Didn’t realize I asked that out loud. Why didn’t he do that the first time he went down on me? I suppose last night was already…overwhelming .
He’s thrusting his meaty tongue in and out of me at a casual pace. He loves savoring me—my taste . I tug on his horns again, needing him to go faster.
“Patience, Evangeline,” he mumbles, then gets back to work.
Xander’s wings somehow peel my hands off his horns and pins them above my head.
Oh. OH. I like this.
I squirm beneath him, and the wings press down harder, making sure I’m not going anywhere.
While Xander’s tongue works my greedy cunt, his bulbous tail presses on the sensitive bundle of nerves and starts vibrating.
“Oh, fuck, Xander, please.”
His hands slip underneath my shirt to my tits—I’m not wearing a bra—and he takes both nipples between his fingers, twisting and pinching and nearly sending me over the edge.
It feels like I’m being fucked by more than one person. The overstimulation is euphoric, sending me into a state of ecstasy.
No other man—being—will ever be good enough.
His mouth ravages me. His hands worship me. And that vibrating tail applies the perfect amount of pressure, as if he’s able to read my thoughts and know what I want .
Come for me, Kitten.
It was Xander’s voice, but he didn’t speak those words out loud, because he never took his mouth off my cunt.
Still, the command is my undoing. My back arches off the countertop, and my entire body shakes as I climax.
Once I’m done, Xander removes his tongue, and his wings release my arms. He crawls up my body and hovers over me, making sure to keep his weight off me.
He smiles, his fangs showing. Did he have them out the entire time while eating me out? If so, I never felt them scrape against me.
I watch, eyes wide, as the pointed teeth slowly retract.
Oh. So he can control them?
“They like to slide out when I’m…turned on.”
He must have seen the confusion on my face.
“When you’re ready, I can use them on you to enhance your pleasure.”
“Use them on me? Do you mean...bite me? Like a vampire?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll drink my blood?”
“I keep telling you I’m a beast, Evangeline. I consume blood.”
Why am I not disgusted by this? “Have you ever killed... um...”
“A human? Yes, but no one who was innocent. Did I eat them? No. Flesh is not my taste. But the fangs are there for a reason, and I’ve used them to kill and devour blood.
“Now,” he continues. “I’m going to kiss you, because I never want you to forget how fucking good you taste, okay?”
I nod.
His mouth crashes with mine. His tongue slips past my lips and massages my own. I whimper because I taste just as good as I did last night.
A subtle sweetness. It’s a different taste from Xander’s cum. He’s sweeter and saltier.
How is this possible?
I have a lot of questions, but Xander’s being cautious about answering some of them. I want to push him to tell me, but at the same time, I’m hesitant. I’m having so much fun with this gargoyle king. What if his secrets scare me away?
Nothing’s scared me away yet.
I signed up for Kiss-meet because I wanted a fling. Not a commitment.
Yet, here I am, desperately needing more of this supernatural hottie despite us meeting only last night. It feels like it’s been weeks .
Xander breaks off the kiss and cups my cheek. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Did he sense my mood change? Can he see the doubt on my face?
“I’m fine.”
I move to sit up, and he jumps off the countertop and helps me get down.
“Evangeline—”
“Xander, I...” I take a deep breath because I’m not sure what I’m trying to say...or where this is suddenly coming from. Everything was fine, but my overactive brain decided to make an appearance. “I’m just freaking out a little.”
He smiles, his silver eyes softening. It’s a strange thing to see on such an intimidating creature.
“I understand how rushed this all may seem. We will go as fast or slow as you want. You will find us gargoyles are patient. We are trained to stand still for hours upon hours.”
My heart warms with his words. He always says the right things. He has all the green flags.
“I want to do everything with you,” I begin, “but at the same time, it scares me how much I need you. This was only supposed to be a one-night stand, and here we are, on night two. I mean, you moved my cat in. Locheran brought over my clothes and some personal belongings. ”
I bend over to grab my pants that fell to the floor, and Xander helps me put them on because he’s a good man who likes taking care of me.
Yet another thing that scares me because I’ve never felt so...appreciated in my life. A part of my brain is convincing me I don’t deserve it, which confuses me because that’s my old life speaking. That’s not who I am anymore.
“I know you’re protecting me from whatever thing approached your shield. I’m hoping my mom can help answer questions about that...but as for everything else that’s happening between us...you’re going to need to explain.”
I hold up my hand when he opens his mouth.
“Not right now. I don’t think my stress will allow it. Tomorrow, after I get back from visiting my mother. Until then...can we slow down?”
He takes my face between his hands and nuzzles his nose with mine. Ugh. Why is he so cute?
“Anything for you. Anything you want. You’re in charge here.”
I laugh. “I am?”
“Absolutely.”
His tail whips back and forth behind him. I’ve noticed it does that when he’s happy, or excited...or turned on.
Xander’s phone rings, interrupting our moment. He sees the name on the screen, and his face immediately drops into a regal mask. Damn, why is that sexy? Okay, I’m horny as hell, despite Xander making me come just minutes ago.
I have no doubt that there’s something magical bringing us together. It’s the only explanation as to why our connection is so... intense . I still can’t get over the fact that a king could be mine. A king.
“I have business to take care of. I’ll likely be gone for the rest of the night. Make yourself at home. I’ll have two soldiers, Thorne and Elara, stationed outside the penthouse doors. If you need anything, anything at all, let them know. I have patrols sweeping the area outside as well.”
He’s thought of everything to protect me from the thing that wants to kidnap me. Or kill me. I still can’t understand why me. I’m really not special.
Unless...it’s less about hurting me and more about going through me to harm the gargoyle king.
X ander was gone the rest of the night.
I killed time by catching up on TV shows while cuddling with Birdie. That got boring after a while, so I tried chatting with Thorne and Elara stationed outside the penthouse door.
Neither one is the chatty type.
Thorne at least attempted to be friendly when I asked the two about their lives and what it’s like working for Xander. Elara, however, kept huffing and rolling her eyes.
“You’re distracting us from our jobs, human,” she said.
Rude.
Giving up trying to charm the stern soldiers, I went back inside the penthouse.
I vaguely remember Xander returning minutes before sunrise to find me asleep in his bed, taking me in his arms, and kissing my neck before his loud chainsaw snores filled the room.
My sleep is restless, which tends to happen the night before visiting my mother, and I wake up a few hours before sunset. I’m tempted to wake Xander to keep me company, but he looks too peaceful right now.
I keep myself busy by making breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. Xander’s fridge stays stocked, and I’m wondering if he knows how to cook...as if he could get any sexier.
After eating, I shower and dress for the day, then Birdie and I hang out on the couch while I doom scroll social media for half an hour .
Locheran finally knocks on the door right at seven p.m.
“Hey,” he says, rubbing his eyes. He yawns, flashing his white fangs and stretching his long wings. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah. I was hoping Xander would be awake by now so I can say goodbye—”
“Or kiss him goodbye?” he teases.
“Or fuck him goodbye?” I counter, making Locheran blush. “Does he usually sleep this much? Did he have a long night?”
Locheran pauses at my questions.
“Is he sleeping longer because of what you told me about him weakening?”
“Always asking me questions that Xander should be answering.” He waves me toward the door. “Come on. The sooner we leave, the faster you can return to your king.”
Now I’m the one to blush, and I bite my lip, staring longingly at the hallway toward Xander’s room. I must stand there longer than I realize because Locheran sighs and pulls on my arm, forcing me out of the penthouse.
“I have a question.”
It’s barely five minutes into the car ride, and I’m already bored. Locheran doesn’t respond, maybe because he hates it when I ask him questions .
“The fangs. Yours seem to stay out all the time. Xander keeps his hidden unless he’s turned on. Why is that?”
“Maybe I’m always turned on and that’s why mine stay down.”
I fake a gag. “Gross.”
He sighs dramatically.
“Every gargoyle is different. Some keep them sheathed, others do not. I think mine are sexy, therefore I keep mine out.” He smiles, flashing his fangs to solidify his point. “Any more questions?”
I open my mouth, because I do have more questions, but Locheran’s phone interrupts me. For the next few minutes, I watch him juggle between texting someone nonstop and making phone calls to bark out orders to the team of gargoyles escorting us out of the city. They’re relaying information back to him that I’ve tuned out because if I hear them talking about their mission of protecting me, I might just stress out more than I already am.
Xander texts me a few times, checking in. He’s mad I didn’t wake him to say goodbye and made me promise to make it up to him when I get back.
I know he’s worried since he couldn’t come with us.
“So, Xander is tethered to the city, but you and the rest of his army are not?” I ask once Locheran is done with all his calls .
“Correct.”
“How long has he been stranded here?”
“He’s not stranded—” Locheran pinches his nose and sighs. “He’s been here since the early 1600s.”
“Seriously? Damn.” I stare out the window, watching the city skyline disappear into the night the further we drive. “What was his deal yesterday at breakfast?”
“Are you going to ask me questions this entire trip? Because I will launch myself out of the car into traffic.”
“Rude.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just...when Xander is weak, we can all feel his exhaustion.”
“Does that affect your ability to protect the city?”
“Not yet, but...”
“But you worry it will only get worse the closer he gets to his birthday.”
He nods and leans his head back on the headrest.
“I’m sorry, Locheran.”
I place my hand on his forearm, and his eyes pop open.
“Whoa. That was weird.”
“What?”
“You, like, sent a dose of calm throughout my body.”
I pull my hand back and open my palms, staring down at them. “I did? How?”
“You sure you’re human?”
“Yes?”
“It must be the fate—”
He clears his throat and takes out his phone, pretending to answer a call.
“The what!?”
He points at the phone and starts talking, but I know he’s faking it to avoid answering my question. Fine. I’ll just add it to the list of things to ask Xander.
Now I’m mad at the commander, so I cross my arms and stare out the window for the rest of the trip. He tries to start a conversation with me a few times, but I only shrug or give him one-word answers.
Locheran has quickly become the sibling I never had. He’s a handsome gargoyle, but I have no attraction to him whatsoever. He feels more like a brother to me.
It takes us a little over an hour to get to the town of Montgomery, where my mother’s psychiatric hospital is located.
I’m never here this late, and it’s creepy as hell. The hallways are empty, as most patients are already in bed for the night. I called ahead to schedule a special visitation, making sure they wouldn’t let my mom fall asleep before we got here.
Locheran and I sit in the visitor’s room, which reminds me of a prison. There are cafeteria style tables set up throughout. Bars cover all the windows. The walls are bland, and it smells like a mix of pee, bleach, and death.
“Well, this is depressing,” Locheran murmurs out of the side of his mouth.
“Yep.”
I freaked out a little when we walked in, forgetting that only I can see the gargoyles in their true form. Locheran assured me he’s masked as a six-foot-three human with short black hair, blue eyes, and a smile that could charm the panties off any woman.
Unnecessary comment, but in the short time I’ve known Locheran, I’ve learned he’s a bit of a playboy. I’m determined to find him someone to settle down with. I wonder if he’d be into a gorgeous plus-size baddie named Farrah aka my bestie.
After a few minutes of waiting, two guards enter with my mother, holding her up by both of her arms. I almost expected her to be in cuffs with the way this place is run. Instead, she looks drugged out and that’s why they’re basically dragging her in here.
My mother, Mira, has always been a large woman like me. Now she’s wasted away. She’s been wasting away since the day my father threw her in here. We used to look identical. Our brown hair and blue eyes, chubby cheeks and round bodies. Now, she’s lost at least seventy-five pounds .
The guards sit her down in the seat across from us and walk away to stand guard against the wall. Well, I say they’re standing guard, but both men pull out their phones, paying us no attention.
“Mom, it’s me. Evangeline.”
She slowly raises her head at the sound of my voice, her dull eyes lighting up when she sees me.
“Brownie,” she whispers.
Brownie was her nickname for me because I was born with a head full of dark brown hair.
“I’ve missed you. How’ve you been?”
She doesn’t answer. Instead, her blue eyes move to Locheran and widen. “Gargoyle,” she gasps.
I glance at the guards, but they didn’t hear her.
“You can see him?” I ask, and she turns her attention back to me.
“I see a man, but he is not human.”
“How?” Locheran asks. “What are you?”
She ignores his question and takes my hands in hers. “Brownie, remember the stories I told you?”
I nod.
“My visions are coming true. They are coming for you.”
“Who?”
“Here.” She takes a journal out of the back of her pants and hands it over to me. “I left out details in the stories I told you because I couldn’t let you stray from your destiny, but everything you need to know is in here. They want your soul so it cannot be claimed by the one who owns your heart. They want to invade his kingdom and start a war. They’re evil, and they plan to kill every human they come across.”
“What? Mom, I don’t understand. Who is after me?”
“He will protect you. Do not leave his side.”
“Who? Locheran?”
“The king. He is your mate. With you, he is stronger. With him, you are invincible.”
Still holding my hands, she begins chanting in a language I don’t recognize. A pain pierces through my palm, and the smell of burning skin fills the air.
Locheran makes a move to intervene. “Wait,” I say.
I hold back my agony because one, I don’t want the guards to interrupt and take her away, and two, I have no doubt she’s doing some sort of spell meant to protect me.
“Are you okay?” Locheran asks, concerned as tears fall down my cheeks.
“Yes,” I manage to croak out.
I’m seconds from pulling my hand back, no longer able to tolerate the stinging ache, before my mother stops chanting .
She looks me dead in the eyes and says, “This will give you life,” before slumping over.
“Mom?” I stand, clutching my marked palm and walking to her side to shake her shoulder.
That’s when the guards decide to do their job and march over to our table.
“Times up.”
“We still have an hour.”
“She’s useless. Look at her.”
One of the guards, a man in his sixties with stark white hair, waves his hand in front of her face.
“See? She does this. She won’t be lucid for another couple days. Come back Wednesday.”
With that, the men grab my mom by the arms and leave.
“Well, shit,” Locheran says.
He takes my hand to inspect my palm.
“Well, shit,” he repeats. “She gave you a witch’s mark.”
“Excuse me?”
“Your mother’s a witch.”