Her Knight in Shining Stone (The Gargoyles of New York Book 1) Read online

Oh my God, oh my God. What the fuck am I doing?

  I reach for the photo albums my parents left me when they died. Three generations of family in two albums. Priceless.

  I keep packing, using the few suitcases I have.

  What am I doing? Packing up my whole life to move out with a man I barely know. Not that staying was an option now. Fear ripples through me like a storm, taking over my arms and legs and making me move faster.

  Greg has always been violent, and I’ve had more than a few black eyes over the past few years. But it’s been manageable, until tonight. He’ll never let me forget this.

  What had I been thinking, flirting with a stranger like that in front of him?

  Not that I had a choice. Not really. Something magical has been encouraging me from the very start. I haven’t been able to control any of it. Not that that is really any excuse. Greg is going to freak!

  He is probably on his way here now to kill me. A whimper rises in my throat as my eyes burned with unshed tears. What have I done?

  Back at the restaurant, I couldn’t stop looking at him. At the man taking me away from Greg. And when he’d kissed me, it was like my heart had clicked into place for the first time in my whole life, and I was home.

  Tears well in my eyes, hot and stinging, and I blink them away.

  Focus! What else do I need?

  I grab my beloved black jeans, my old jumper, and some of my best underwear. I didn’t have much room for anything else.

  I zip up the suitcases and stand up, blowing out a deep breath, and saying goodbye to the only home I’ve known in recent years.

  I chuckle out a laugh. “Yeah, goodbye, shithole. You were home for too long … but I…”

  My courage runs out, as do my words. Hurry! Before Greg comes.

  I turn towards the front door and pull the suitcases to the stairs, pulling them down one, loud step, before he’s there, taking them from me.

  “I’ll carry them.”

  I smile my thanks and follow the hunky angel down the stairs. Why me? Not that I should ask such a thing. I know I should shut my mouth, say thank you, and hope to hell I haven’t just jumped from the frying pan and into the fire.

  I shake my head. I don’t have a choice. If Greg finds me, the beatings I’ve had in the past will pale into distant memory. I know that. He is possessive, and he is mean. A part of me had liked that about him. The bad boy that wanted me, and wasn’t afraid to show me who was boss.

  But then it had gotten out of hand, and I was trapped. For years.

  They say better the devil you know, but what if you had an angel offer you a home instead?

  We step out into the cool night air, and I glance around, half expecting Greg to show up, guns blazing yet again. My eyes dart back and forth, my throat clogging with fear once again.

  Stop. Just stop. He won’t hurt you with the angel looking over you. What sort of man pulls a gun in a restaurant?

  Dickhead. I still can’t believe he did that.

  “So, Roman, where are we going?”

  To heaven maybe?

  He grins at me, his teeth unusually sharp.

  The better to eat you with, my dear.

  “We’re going back to my family’s apartment. We own a few floors on Park Street.”

  I almost fall flat on my face, stumbling along the sidewalk. Only the richest part of New York City.

  “Ah, okay.”

  I follow him through the city, my tired legs screaming for a rest. I’ve already pulled a hundred hours of work this week. Running through New York at midnight was a bit past me this week.

  “Here we are,” he announces as I puff to keep up with him.

  I nod, unable to speak through my panting as we walk inside a huge, new apartment building. I stop, the brightness of the glamorous foyer making me blink.

  Roman moves towards the elevators, swiping a card to be allowed entry. I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere that needs one of those.

  We step into the carriage and effortlessly float up into the heavens.

  Am I dreaming? Or did I die walking across the street tonight? This cannot be real.

  “Wow. How high are we going?” I ask as the number on the elevator wall climbs and climbs.

  “The penthouse. Of course.” Roman smiles at me as the elevator slows, and then the doors ting open.

  Brothers. He said brothers, right?

  There is a beautiful white door with a guard beside it.

  I know he is a guard because he wears a dark suit and a gun strapped to his belt. Why do they need guards?

  “Ah, are your brothers home?”

  Have I come home with a man who is planning on gang raping me?

  Not likely. Remember the wings?

  My heart is racing in my chest as I force my feet to move forward, following Roman into the foyer.

  Has my impulsive nature gotten me into another ridiculous situation?

  “Bill, this is Christiana. She is to be protected at all times.”

  The man nodded once. “Of course, sir.”

  I gape at him, but he doesn’t pay me too much mind.

  Roman opens the front door and drags my old suitcases inside.

  “Come on in. This is your new home. Unless of course, it doesn’t suit you.”

  My eyes can’t seem to process everything I see all at once. This is the sort of home you see in the movies. Perfection, on every surface. Wow.

  I cling tight to myself, hoping I don’t touch anything I’m not meant to.

  I tend to muck up everything around me without even meaning to.

  “I, ah … it’s all beautiful.”

  Roman doesn’t seem moved by my words, but I couldn’t get over the place. Every surface is glistening with cleanliness, and the minimalist furniture is huge and designer quality.

  “Ah, where can I put my things?”

  He looks at me, those incredibly surreal silver eyes shimmering with purpose. “I’d like you to sleep in my room tonight.”

  I swallow hard, not sure how I should handle this one.

  “I barely know you. I’m sorry, I’m not sure that I can…”

  He marches forward. My breath catches as he pulls me in close and kisses me. Those hot, perfect lips press into mine and steal away any rational thought.

  I grab for his huge biceps, the muscles flexing and bulging beneath my hands.

  My knees are weak, and as I begin to fall against him, his hands grab my ass and lift me up, my legs wrapping around his thin waist.

  He groans loudly, and I cling to him, his tongue ravishing my mouth. His taste is as close to dark chocolate as I can imagine a man tasting.

  He begins to walk, and I don’t care where we are going, as long as he doesn’t stop kissing me.

  Heat travels through my body like it’s on fire, but in the best possible way. My nipples are tight and achy, and as he moves me on him, my pussy throbs with need.

  Wow. These are not feelings I’m used to.

  He stops and untangles me, breaking our lips apart to pull at my clothes. My heart sings out in despair at our separation. I need to get closer to him again.

  I step back and rip at my clothes, needing to get out of my horrible uniform. I pull off my blouse and tight skirt, stepping out of my flat black shoes and ripping off my pantyhose.

  I’m left in my underwear wondering if he’d like to take it off himself.

  A growl rolls through him that sounds animal.

  “What are you?” I ask for the tenth time tonight. Part of me knows he isn’t an angel. Angels surely don’t have teeth like that.

  But I knew one thing for certain. Roman and I are meant to be together. And he obviously isn’t fully human.

  And I don’t care. After the life I’ve been dealt, I deserve a bit of happiness, and a hot angel, devil or vampire, whatever he is, is just what the doctor ordered.

  I stare at him, and his clothes melt off his body, leaving him standing completely naked.

  He certainly looks
like a god.

  His muscles bulge with strength. His body is so cut that I can see all eight of his abs, and my mouth begins to water as my gaze travels along his cock.

  “You are so beautiful,” I say, unable to stop myself.

  He steps forward and picks me up, swinging me into his arms like I weigh nothing.

  “If this is a dream I never want to wake up.” I didn’t mean to say that aloud either, but nothing about tonight seems real.

  What’s the bet, I really am asleep and dreaming? About a white knight swooping in to save me from my life.

  “You’re not dreaming.” He growls as he lays me down and jumps on top of me, his hot, hard body pressing me into the mattress.

  I wind my arms around his strong neck and lift my lips for his kiss.

  He presses his lips to mine for a moment, then moves down my body, licking at the flesh above my breasts, before grabbing the bra joiner with his teeth, and with a few tugs, shredding the lace.

  I gasp and arch my back, wanting to get closer to him, despite the power and leashed violence I sense in him. Maybe he is a warrior angel, like Gabriel.

  He moves lower, kissing my belly before baring his teeth and shredding my favorite pair of knickers.

  Like I care at the moment.

  I gasp, and a groan rolls through me as he swipes my clitoris with his tongue.

  “You don’t need to do that…” I try to protest, too many horrible memories swimming up inside my mind, reminding me of how unworthy I am of such attention.

  Roman doesn’t listen, simply widens my legs with his huge, muscled shoulders, and begins to eat my pussy.

  I cry out at the first licks at my swollen bud, the ecstasy of such a movement, flowing down my legs and tightening my belly.

  He moves lower, dipping into my core and fucking me with his tongue until I am crying out, needing more, wanting him inside of me.

  He jumps up and lands on top of me, his heavy cock resting against my belly.

  “I don’t know what’s going to happen. How this will change you, or me. I ... should stop.”

  He sounds so uncertain, and yet everything I feel is telling me this is so right. I wrap my arms around his neck and cling to him, lifting my pelvis up to him in offer.

  “No, please don’t stop. I need you.”

  Roman’s eyes widen. Then he clenches his jaw, whatever decision he’s made settling in.

  He pushes up with both arms on either side of me and shifts his hips until the head of his cock rests against my entrance.

  “You’re mine.”

  I only have time to nod once before he drops his head and kisses me again, his tongue spearing my mouth open as he drives his thick, hard cock into me.

  I scream, an orgasm slamming straight into me like a truck. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It picks me up and dumps me like a wave.

  The tremors keep on going as he thrusts into me, again and again. I cling tightly as he rides my body, his own strangled gasps and groans turning me on like nothing else.

  He starts to cry out, and I grab onto his tight ass, my own body beginning to sing.

  He thrusts once more, pouring heat inside of me. I scream again as my body milks his cock with pulsating, tight squeezes that coincide with the biggest orgasm of my life.

  I cling to him as long as I can, tears leaking down my face as I cry out again and again.

  Then I’m falling into the darkness, and I don’t fight it.

  Chapter Three

  Roman

  As I lie panting next to my Beloved, staring down at her, passed out, my heart feels like it has literally been ripped out of my chest.

  I glance down. No. No blood.

  I can still hear it, too, pounding away like an anvil against my sternum.

  What the hell was that?

  Not sex. Sex doesn’t take your soul and rip it out, giving it to the person whose body you are sharing.

  I lie down to try to still the racing of my heart, pulling Christiana in to me.

  I am almost certain that I have completed the union without meaning to. So much for speaking to the elders about the best way to do it. It seemed all it takes is finding the right person and joining your body with theirs.

  I stroke her creamy skin, wishing she’d wake up again, so we can do it all over.

  But she sleeps on, her magnificent hair sprawled all over my pillow.

  I have a Beloved. A true soul mate. A person who is going to keep me grounded, sane and happy for the rest of my days.

  So long as I can stay alive.

  I hug Christiana tighter to my chest, a voice in the lounge room signaling the return of my brothers. I glance at the clock. They are earlier than expected.

  I kiss my Beloved on the forehead, roll out of bed, and make sure she was covered with the warm blankets. She is nestled under the covers with a contented look on her face that makes my body ache to get back into the bed with her.

  But I want to know what is going on with my brothers, so I grab a pair of black jeans and tugged them on, the worry from the past months coming back to haunt me.

  We are a rare breed, and someone is killing off our kinsmen. The bastards, whoever they are, don’t appear to have made it to New York yet, but it is only a matter of time, I am certain.

  What their problem is with us, I don’t know. We exist with the humans well. We don’t feed off them, nor hurt them. Why some group has decided that it is time for us to die, I am still confused by.

  But that isn’t going to happen to me. I have more to live for now. We will have to double the security. For all of us.

  “Roman!”

  I walk through the archway, gently closing my bedroom door behind me.

  The most handsome of my brothers turns towards me. Rafael’s smile is dirty. “Got some company, brother? No wonder you didn’t join us at Nova.”

  Nate has two women with him, one under each arm. He gives me a drunken grin before they stagger off to his bedroom. For the first time, I find myself feeling sorry for Nate.

  It wasn’t that long ago that my loneliness had caused me to bury myself in any woman who’d have me. With our fortunate good looks, few women turn my brothers or me down.

  No longer would that be me.

  “I do, Rafe. My Beloved.”

  My brother’s jaw drops, and his eyes open wide. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes.” I rub my chest, still surprised to find there isn’t a gaping hole there. Everything still feels so different, and unusual. “Although, I have to tell you, that the union was more painful than I thought it would be. I feel like I’ve had my heart ripped out.”

  “I want to meet her.” Rafe storms past me, and I grab him by the arm, throwing him backwards.

  “Later. She is asleep and has had a rough night.”

  My brother glares at me, but I stare him down. No one, not even my own brothers, would dare come between me and my Beloved.

  “I only want to meet her,” Rafe complains, finally dropping his challenging gaze.

  I encourage my brother back to the couch with a grip on his shoulder. “I know. You will. Give her a few hours. Tell me, what troubles you?”

  I can read Rafe better than anyone, and he is worried about something. His eyes are darting this way and that like he is on some sort of paranoia drug.

  “Have you been sampling the humans’ marijuana again, brother?”

  Rafe rolls his eyes at me, and relief floods my chest. “No. I hate that shit, makes me feels like a simpleton.”

  “So what’s the problem?”

  Rafe runs a hand through his short, dark hair. “I’ve had word from our cousins in Los Angeles.”

  That is unusual. We rarely have any communication with other Gargoyle families any more. “Really? How come?”

  “The Delacourt brothers are dead.”

  Pain explodes inside my head. “No!”

  I jump up and begin to pace, unable to sit still with the pain coursing through me. That couldn
’t be. Why? Why would someone do this to us?

  “Do you think it’s the same group that killed the Chicago brothers?”

  All Gargoyles are linked from the original maker. We were not sired; we were made.

  “Yes, Thomas, who I spoke to, believes so. It’s all too similar, the pattern of destroying them. These monsters wait until the middle of the day, when we are at our most vulnerable. Kill off the protectors, then push the Gargoyles to their death. Thomas told me that his brothers were shattered into a thousand pieces. He only survived because he got caught on the side of the roof.” Rafael stops to run a shaking hand through his hair. “Can you imagine it, brother? Being able to hear and see your attacker, and yet be frozen, unable to do anything to save yourself.”

  I stop pacing and flex my fingers, the joints cracking and popping as anger vibrates through my body.

  “Who would do this, Rafe? And why? What the hell does anyone have to gain by killing us off?”

  “Who’s trying to kill you off?” Christiana’s sweet voice weaves its magic into the room, relaxing me instantly. I turn to see my Beloved wrapped in a blanket, her untamable hair spilling over the covers.

  “Come over and meet my brother, beautiful.”

  Christiana shuffles over, holding the blanket tight to her body, exposing none of the beauty that she shared with me earlier in the night.

  “Christiana, this is my brother Rafael. Rafe, this is Christiana, my Beloved.”

  She giggles at the name she clearly assumes is only an endearment.

  “Nice to meet you, Rafe.” She leans into me, and I scoop her up, sitting down on the couch with her and cuddling her into my lap.

  “So, brother. How did this happen?” Rafe asks stiffly, indicating the human in my arms, who is nestling into me and purring like a kitten.

  None of us knew much about the Beloved human woman whom we each would unite with. Rafe is suspicious, and probably quite envious as well.

  “I’m not a hundred percent sure, how exactly. I felt a strange tug tonight. Here.” I tapped my chest over my heart. “So I went flying, expecting to find whatever was pulling at me. Then bam, it hit me in the chest again. I landed, saw her, and the rest is history. Pretty amazing actually. Living for over a century with nothing but my love for you three to keep me going, and now, I feel totally different.”