Chapter 18 – Layla #2
“Gargoyles quickly learned how to kill vampires—by process of elimination or maybe they had witnessed me ripping heads off bodies or tearing hearts from chests. Brynn had me on the ground, a stake to my heart. She sunk it down. Any normal vampire would have turned to dust. Not me. I simply cannot die.”
“What?” I gasp, hand to my heart.
Rorik shrugs. “I can walk in the sun as well. I don’t understand it, and the witches couldn’t figure it out either.”
His eyes return to the painting.
“Brynn was confused when I didn’t die, she froze while straddling me—as still as stone.
Her scent overwhelmed me, honey and vanilla.
I couldn’t stop my cock from hardening underneath her.
She snapped out of her shock that I hadn’t died, fury battling with her lust. She was the first to make a move, pulling my cock from my pants and riding me while using the knife’s handle—still embedded in my chest—like the horn of a saddle. ”
Okay… that sounds hot as fuck.
“It was hot,” Rory says, seemingly echoing my thoughts.
“We spent several days together, but I needed to feed. That’s when I met a human named Eden.
A beautiful, curvy little thing. Her blood smelled magnificent.
Nothing like I ever tasted before. I nearly drained her of every last drop, but Brynn was there to stop me.
Brynn could sense that this human was different. ”
“Fascinating,” Vara whispers. “A human, a vampire, and a gargoyle. So how did you complete the bond?”
“We had no idea we were fated mates at the time. Brynn knew soulmates existed for gargoyles and other creatures, but cross-species soulmates? It was unheard of. So, we didn’t know a bond needed to be completed.
We just knew we were always horny for each other.
Always needing to be near each other. Always needing to protect one another.
“Bonding happened by accident. We were having a lot of sex and one night, maybe a month after we found each other, the three of us reached orgasm at the same time while feeding off each other. A bright light filled the room, and we all passed out.”
“So, it’s not any different from vampires completing their bonds,” I say.
“And gargoyles,” Thorne adds.
“I assume it will be a similar experience for you three. Remember, I had a human for a mate, not a sphinx.” Rorik says and gestures to Thorne.
“And with you being a male gargoyle, knotting will likely need to be involved. Just know your orgasms and feeding off each other have to be exact. Not a second off.”
He narrows his eyes at us.
“The bond desperately wants to be completed. I’m surprised you didn’t think of shared orgasms and feeding before now.”
I wince. “Well, we suspected this was the way it was done, but Vara and I have been busy with the Supernatural Unveiling Committee. We had events and meetings to attend, and we didn’t have weeks or months to dedicate to the so-called hibernation period that comes after bonding.”
“Speaking of…” Vara says, leaning forward slightly. “How long did it take for the bond to strengthen?”
“We spent nearly five weeks in bed, emerging only because I turned my human mate, and we needed to find her someone to feed off of.”
“What about other things?” I ask. “Like my friend Millie. After she bonded with her blood mate, she was able to withstand the sun, and her tears no longer bled.”
“Yes, all those things happened with Eden. She was also highly desirable to other supernatural beings. I believe that only applies to humans who are destined to be a vampire’s mate. Something in their blood makes it more potent.”
Okay, so I don’t have to worry about that happening to Vara and Thorne. They’re my mates but not technically blood mates.
“As for me, nothing changed. My tears still bleed, my heart does not beat, and I’m still able to walk in the sun as I always have.
Brynn also did not experience any outrageous changes.
However, you’ll be able to sense where your mates are at all times.
You will know when they’re in danger. Your thoughts can be shared. ”
“So, what’s the purpose?” Vara asks. She winces at how hostile the words sounded. “I just mean why, after all these years, did we find each other now? Layla and Thorne are both over 700 years old. I’ve always sensed my mates, but why did it take so long to find them?”
Rorik shrugs, spreading his palms open in front of him.
“There might not be a reason. Or there is something bigger on the horizon. You very well know that supernatural beings are stronger with a mate.”
Vara frowns, and Thorne places his palm on her thigh. Her tense shoulders sag slightly at his touch. Her tail, however, doesn’t calm down, and it jerks around beside her.
“I’m sorry I do not have better answers. But think about the day you met.” Rorik looks at Vara. “And I’m not talking about the brief meeting at your club with Layla.”
What the fuck? How did he know? Was he watching from the shadows? Does he have spies?
“What was happening the first time the three of you were in the same room?”
“I held a ball, and Thorne agreed to be my head of security. The Supernatural Unveiling Plan was coming to fruition,” I whisper.
“You think something’s going to happen?” Thorne asks, his wings unlatching from his back. It happens anytime he senses danger or the urge to defend us, as if preparing for takeoff... preparing to attack.
Rorik shakes his head. “I’ve sought a few seers to ask that very question.
Unfortunately, there are too many unknown variables.
They’ve seen war, but they’ve also seen a unified world between humans and supes.
Whatever the outcome, I believe that this unveiling plan is why destiny brought you three together.
The reason could be as simple as protecting each other if it comes down to war.
Or maybe it’s just to provide each other pleasure and happiness in this new life. ”
Rorik’s watch beeps, and he sighs.
“I’m afraid I must go. Let me walk you out.”
When we get to the door, I turn to the elder vamp. “What happened to your mates?”
He smiles sadly. “I had one hundred glorious years with them.”
It’s all he says, and I don’t push the topic. It’s clear he’s still mourning them, even after all these years. I can’t imagine how he was able to live on after losing two pieces of his heart. How painful it must have been.
Which is why we must complete the bond tonight, because destiny brought us together for a reason, and I’m not about to tempt fate.