Chapter 14 – Locheran
Iwatch Farrah sleep soundly, except for a quiet snore that I find as adorable as her tiny features. A button nose. Pouty pink lips. Breasts that fit perfectly in my hands.
She implied imperfection earlier, waving a hand down her body, over soft curves that are decorated with lovely marks.
I’m sure this modern world has taught her to hate her so-called imperfections, but what she considers wrong or bad, I consider made just for me.
My mate. Like her thick thighs that wave when she walks, her stomach that jiggles wonderfully when I’m fucking her, her plump pussy that she hates the most.
She thought pointing out the things that make her naturally beautiful would deter me. Would make me, what? Want her less?
It took one thousand years to find her, and I’m never letting her go.
The sun will rise in an hour, but Farrah’s apartment can’t keep me safe from UV rays. Not yet. We’ll work on getting specialized shades installed.
Unless I can convince her to move in with me.
I place a soft kiss on her forehead, causing her to mumble incoherent words, and slip out of bed.
After dressing, I head into the kitchen to grab her a glass of water and some pain medicine. She will ache upon waking. From sex, from the mating bond, from my bite.
It’s already healed faster than expected.
I’m sure she’ll have a million questions, and I’ll return tonight once the sun sets to answer them.
I briefly mentioned that my immortality has been shared with her.
She can still get sick and be injured, but my healing properties have also been shared with her.
Though I have no doubt she already had her own fast healing abilities as an O’Hern hunter.
She can also still die like me but only by decapitation or warspear to the heart. They were named warspears centuries ago because they were originally long weapons with speared ends. Now, any weapon made of iron, which is toxic to gargoyles, can kill us.
We also discussed hearing each other’s thoughts and shared pleasure, which I will elaborate further for her if needed.
I’m eager to explore both. I’ve been able to put up shields so not to overwhelm her with my thoughts inside her head.
I’ve had a thousand years of practice to protect myself from supernatural beings who have mind-bending abilities.
She likely has experience protecting her thoughts because of her family, but it’s different with a mate. Our thoughts are meant to be entwined.
I jerk at an ear-piercing wail from the floor.
“Bro!” I hiss at Potato. The cat’s ears fall back in airplane mode. “Your mom is sleeping.”
Potato lets out a softer trill-like noise, clearly understanding my concern, and rubs himself on my legs.
Hmm. I bet he’s hungry again.
How often do these things eat?
He could be lying to me again, since he’s most definitely a trickster demon.
I don’t want him to wake Farrah, so I find a can of wet food in the cabinets.
After washing the cat-themed bowl that I used earlier, I dump the food into it.
I sprinkle some dry food in there, then walk his meal over to the paw-shaped mat on the floor in the living room.
Potato continues to make the trilling noise but at least he’s not being loud anymore.
I turn in circles to find his water and spot a fountain a few feet away against another wall. It’s full so my work here is done.
“Satisfied, French fry?” I ask the cat, who ignores me while scarfing down his food.
I shrug and return to the kitchen for Farrah’s water.
I take the glass and pills to the room, setting both on the bedside table. Finding a piece of paper from the desk in her living room, I write a note explaining why I had to go and place it next to the water and medicine.
My body already revolts at the idea of leaving her, but I can’t stay in this apartment with its large windows and nothing to cover them to block out the sun.
A sheet or blinds might work, but we don’t like to take chances. Any sliver of daylight will temporarily turn us to stone. In that form, we’re vulnerable to attacks. Someone could smash us to the ground, and we’ll break into pieces, trapping us in stone until we’re put back together.
After placing a gentle kiss on Farrah’s forehead, I implement my human form and leave, making sure the door is locked.
The apartment has also been warded with a protection spell, thanks to Evangeline’s mother.
Xander texted me shortly after they left last night, letting me know the spell had been put in place.
I stand staring at the shiny numbers on the door for at least a minute, convincing the mating bond to let me leave.
It takes a full minute before I’m able to walk away.
I nod at the bear shifter who will stand guard outside Farrah’s apartment while the sun’s out. He’ll be behind a cloaking shield to avoid suspicion from her neighbors.
Then I make my way up to the roof, drop my human form, spread my wings, and take off.
Iwake up with a start and gasp for air. My chest aches, my stomach turning enough that a wave of nausea washes over me. Gargoyles can still get ill, but I have no doubt this feeling is the fated mate bond.
It misses Farrah.
I miss Farrah.
My mate.
It’s still so strange to me. I never imagined I’d get to use the word in my lifetime. After a thousand years of living, I’d given up.
My hand falls to the bedside table to grab my phone while my vision adjusts to being awake. I slept like shit, not that lack of sleep is anything new.
In my hand, my phone vibrates with a text.
Not one text. Many. Clearly word of being mated to Farrah has spread amongst my friends.
Thorne
I heard you bonded. Congrats, friend
Thorne knows exactly how I’m feeling right now. He’s just as new to having a mating bond as I am.
I scroll to the next unread text.
Vara
It’s about time someone took that dick off the market
I shake my head at the bossy sphinx.
Vara
Oops. Didn’t mean to send that to you
She adds a smirking emoji.
Vara
But, alas, my words still ring true. Congrats, I suppose
She knew exactly who she was texting. Honestly, this might be the nicest thing she’s ever said to me. I doubt she’d ever vocalize it, so I’ll gladly accept a text with the backhanded compliment.
The next message is from the vampire queen.
Layla
I’m so so happy for you, Loch. We must plan a double date!
Or would it be a quadruple date since there’d be five of us?
I’ve known Layla forever. She’s sweet and always happy, unlike her best friend and the former vampire queen, Millie. A grumpy vamp who also texted me.
Millie
A mate! So awesome, Loch
Even though I haven’t officially met Farrah, she’s best friends with Evangeline and now that I’m friends with Evangeline, I will end you if you hurt that human. XOXO
Millie’s as intense as ever. We briefly dated in the late 1800s, but it was more to scratch an itch than anything serious.
Millie is also new to the world of mates. She met Teddy, a human she turned into a vampire. He’s her complete opposite; always happy, and you’d think he was a surfer from California with his golden retriever personality.
The sunshine man sent me a text as well.
Teddy
Dude! Congrats! Having a mate is amazing. And mate sex is the fucking best
I can’t deny the smile that spreads across my face. I’m absolutely looking forward to more mate sex. As much as I wanted to sink deep inside Farrah last night, I knew she was still sore.
I couldn’t resist tasting her though.
My phone is still in my hand when it vibrates with another text. My heart dances inside my chest at the name on the screen.
Yet another strange sensation since no one has ever caused butterflies to stir deep within my stomach. No one has ever caused my heart to beat so frantically that I’m convinced I will topple over in arrest.
I open Farrah’s message.
Mouse
I woke up and you were gone
She adds a sad face emoji.
Mouse
But I got your note. I can get black-out shades or UV blocking ones. Or I could always come to your place
My heart flutters. Most humans love a bright and sunny apartment. Yet she offers to keep out the light for me? She would sacrifice leaving the comfort of her apartment to spend time with me in mine?
Mouse
Are you busy tonight? No worries if you are. I have to go to bed early anyway because of work tomorrow
She stops typing, then starts up again. The little three dots appear and disappear as if she’s struggling to turn her thoughts into words.
The hairs along my arms rise as a faint sense of hesitation coats my skin. I have no doubt it’s the bond. Both of our emotions are heightened and while I shouldn’t be able to sense her feelings and emotions while so far apart, it’s still possible.
I wonder if what she told me about her dating history has anything to do with this hesitation. She’s experienced too much disappointment in her life, so she’s preparing herself for the same with me.
That’s not going to happen.
I quickly type out my message.
Me
I just woke up, and I would LOVE to see you. Give me ten minutes?
I don’t wait for her answer and jump out of bed to strip off my clothes and hop into the shower.
We should really sit down and talk about things.
I need to answer any questions she might have.
She didn’t seem to know much about mating bonds despite coming from a hunter family.
I’m not surprised, though. Mating bonds are well-kept secrets within the supernatural community.
Mates can be used as weapons against supes.
We try our best to keep information about mates and fated mate bonds secret.
However, there’s always the chance hunters can extract this information through torture.