Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Viraat
I don't mean to kiss her.
Not really. And definitely not like this... with so much heat.
But her lips are soft and parted and tasting of courage and the lemon tarts I know she favors.
When I lean in, it's instinct more than thought that makes me shut her up with a kiss.
Her breath catches—just once—and then she's kissing me back, her fingers clutching at the front of my chest, trying to gain purchase against the hard muscle she finds there.
It's almost as if she doesn't care that I'm a creature of stone.
Hell, maybe she doesn't.
But it's more likely the fragile human doesn't know how dangerous it is to want someone like us. Like me.
The kiss turns molten before I can stop it. I growl low in my throat, trying to keep my claws from curling too tight, trying to remind myself she's soft. Human. Breakable.
But she makes the tiniest sound into my mouth—a needy, happy sigh—and my restraint cracks.
My hand moves to her hip, then her waist. She's so small. So bloody fragile. One wrong move and I could shatter her. A wing twitches behind me, aching to wrap around her, shield her from everything. Including myself.
Her hands dig into my hair and touch my horns.
Shit.
Her thumbs brush the ridges at the base, and my hips jerk forward against the settee before I can stop it. I'm humping the air like a youngling. Goddess be damned.
I hear Jodrick curse under his breath, but I can't look away from her.
Her lips are red and kiss-bitten, and she's staring at me like I hung the moon.
"Avalon," I warn, voice rough as broken gravel. "This shouldn't be happening. We're not good for you."
She smiles like I've handed her a bouquet of freshly picked wildflowers instead of telling her that we can't be with her. "Don't you think I should be the judge of that?"
I don't have a response for that. I should pull away. I should get up, jump out of the damn window, fly to the roof and cool off.
Instead, I lean in again.
And then she says it.
"So... now that your identities have been revealed, and you're no longer hiding in the shadows, can I stop calling you my fairy godmothers and instead just go with Daddy?"
My blood turns to lava. Until I saw this girl, this beautiful, delicate human, I didn't even know things like Daddies existed, and now she's turning me on by referring to us as her Daddy Doms.
I'm so lost to my lust-filled brain, it takes me a moment to realize that Jodrick has tensed.
I pull back, stunned and confused. He wants this just as much as I do, even more than I do, I'd wager.
I look at him, my brow raised in question, but he focuses his attention on Avalon.
Jodrick gently eases her out of his arms, not angry, not hurt—just quiet. He settles her next to him, his touch reverent.
"Avalon..." he says softly. "Little human, I... We—" He scrubs a hand over his face, clearly struggling. "You're already in a relationship. We shouldn't have made any moves, but I couldn't stay away. I'm so sorry I forgot about your Daddy."
Well, fuck. He's right. We took advantage of the mate bond and muddled her brain.
Avalon blinks up at him, confusion creasing her brow.
"My Daddy?" And then her face lights as she comes to some conclusion. "Daddy Drè?" she asks again.
Jodrick nods, careful. Still wary.
She giggles.
Actually giggles.
"Oh! You're both so adorable!" she says brightly, and I nearly choke.
Adorable? Is she blind? Has her mind been addled?
Jodrick groans.
"Daddy Drè isn't my boyfriend or anything like that," she rushes to explain when she catches sight of what is probably a murderous expression on my face. "It's like... super platonic. We've been friends online for years. It's more a comfort thing. For both of us."
She giggles again, drawing another groan from Jodrick, and an annoyed rumble from me.
"Oh my goodness, he'd have such a laugh at hearing someone thought there was anything romantic going on between us."
"So you're not together?" I ask, already hating how much hope leaks into my voice. When did I start caring? How did I get from being completely opposed to the idea to being hopeful we might stand a chance with her?
Was the girl a damn witch?
The witch in question leans over and pokes my chest. "Nope. Just friends. And honestly? I haven't kissed anyone in forever. What a way to break a dry streak, making out with a grumpy gorgeous gargoyle and his charming companion."
Her words hit like a stone to my chest.
Warm. Solid. Undeniable.
She could be ours.
The thought terrifies me.
Not because I'm worried about losing my freedom again.
But because we might lose her.
We will.
Her life is but a fleeting one.
Jodrick and I aren't meant to have things like this. Like her. A soft, living, breathing girl with laughter in her bones and stars in her eyes.
Jodrick must feel it too, because he glances over at me, then at Avalon, like he's weighing something heavy in his heart.
She catches the look and tilts her head, that ever-present sunshine in her smile dimming just a smidge with concern. "Is something the matter?"
Jodrick clears his throat. "No, little human, but there are things you should know, as we've been fated. And not all of them are pleasant."
Her smile doesn't falter. If anything, she leans forward eagerly, like she's desperate for us to share more with her.
I huff a breath and rub at the back of my neck. "It's quite clear you know we're the gargoyles that have been keeping watch on your roof," I say gruffly. "But what you might not be aware of is... during daylight hours, we're trapped in that state. Literal, immovable stone."
Her eyes widen, and for once, she's quiet.
Jodrick picks up the thread. "It's not so bad, we used to be cursed. Forced to guard the manor due to one of your ancestors trapping us. But your mother and great-uncle freed us from servitude. So now we guard for honor."
Her face is a mix of emotions. Such a wide range, and all running across her features so quickly I can't get a handle on them. Not that I've ever really understood human emotions.
"So... you're just stuck?" she finally asks. "Like statues?"
"Exactly like statues," I mutter. "We're not dead, or asleep or anything, but it's damn close to it."
Her gaze shifts between us, thoughtful, serious in a way I hadn't expected. "So every morning... I'll lose you both." There's sorrow in her expression.
Jodrick nods.
Even though she looks sad, there's no fear, no disgust, no horror.
But more than anything, I sense determination.
"Well then," she says, voice brightening as she tucks her legs beneath her and grins. "I'll just have to be twice as bright for you when you're awake with me at night, wouldn't I? So you don't have to miss the sunshine anymore."
I blink.
Jodrick coughs.
That wasn't what I expected.
Well, if I'm being perfectly honest, I hadn't allowed myself to expect anything.
From the beginning, this tiny human hasn't met any of my expectations for her kind.
She's sweet, kind, generous and naive to the point it's painful to observe.
She's impossible.
Infuriating.
And absolutely radiant.
I look at her, this bright little thing curled up like she belongs between two ancient monsters, and something deep inside me shifts.
Not the mate bond. That's been tugging at me since the moment I realized what she was.
No, this is worse.
This is need.
Not just for her body, though every part of me aches for it. But I need to hear her laughter. To have her light shine down on me. To just be in her presence.
"You're not afraid of us? How we can hurt you?" I ask, my voice low, gritty.
Her gaze meets mine, steady and unflinching. "You'd never hurt me," she says with such conviction I almost believe her.
Almost.
I can't speak. There's a tightness in my throat I've never experienced before. And a war waging inside me. Do I push and convince this sweet creature that we're very, very bad for her, or do I take what she can give me, for however long that might be?
Before I can make a choice either way, Jodrick interrupts my thoughts.
"Now, it's growing late, and from what I've gathered, little girls need loads of sleep."
The groan that escapes from that small creature almost rivals my own.
For the first time in what has to be decades, I laugh.