Stone Solitude (16 page)

After a moment’s hesitation, he slid off the cloak and lay down next to the beguiling beauty that had far more power over him than she would ever know. He tugged at the kilt so it wouldn’t twist around his legs as he whispered, “Sleep, Daisy.”

Instead of staying on her side of the bed, she moved over and put her head on his shoulder, her arm across his chest, and let out a little sigh of contentment. “This is much better.”

He grumbled something but put his arm around her slender body and held her to him as she fell asleep, her breathing even and steady. He should have realized that the fates weren’t going to make his life easy; from the moment he was born until now nothing had gone as planned. Had he been created for Isis’s pleasure, his sole purpose her amusement?

Set had told him a virgin would set him free but the god never mentioned she would bind him to her first. He should extract himself from her life now and just let Isis do what she will to him. Yet the thought of giving up this life, giving up Daisy, no longer held any appeal, if it ever did. Sweet Zeus, he just didn’t want to go on as he had been these past ten years or the two thousand years before that.

Staring up at the ceiling, breathing in Daisy’s sun warmed scent, Roman’s heart thudded in his chest, the stone organ pumping molten blood through his hard body. Despite the heat burning within him, he had been cold for so long he had forgotten what it was like to be warm. What the hell did Daisy see in him?

He thought he had chosen Daisy because she was the one who had woken him up from his eternal prison but it was so much more than that. She was bringing him back to life but he could still feel his soul slipping away and he knew that there was no happy ending for them. Maybe he should have focused on a different virgin, one who didn’t make him feel so much. It didn’t matter that no other touch had ever affected him, he could have kept searching. Or he could have just accepted his fate and left all of the virgins alone, left Daisy alone.

It was only a matter of time before Isis found the final piece of Osiris and she returned for him. If he had sex with Daisy and returned to his original state, it would give him the element of surprise. Isis wouldn’t expect him to be living and she sure as hell wouldn’t expect him to be as he was, a man at night, a living gargoyle during the day. Unless having sex with Daisy was the incident that set the final events into motion and his fate was inevitable. Gods, he wanted more time with her but he didn’t know which choice would make that happen. Either way he was going to lose her.

The thoughts twisted and twirled together until he was dizzy with questions and no answers, at least none that ended in a happily ever after for him with Daisy.

Dozing on and off, he was abruptly awakened when the door slammed open and Daisy’s brother crashed into the room, looking worse for the wear. “Where’s Da....”

“Shh,” Roman interrupted, tightening his hold on her to keep her from waking up. “She’s sleeping.”

The boy slumped against the wall, dragging his fingers through his dark hair, his eyes holding a wealth of guilt and fear and relief. “Thank god.”

“What happened?” Roman asked in a tight voice, pushing down the fury that was bubbling up within him at the boy’s foolishness. The boy had obviously suffered and it wasn’t his place to rage at him. No, it
was
his place because Daisy was his. It just wasn’t the time because she was sleeping.

“She sang and the next thing I knew, the entire bar had shifted.” He shook his head in bewilderment, his eyes a little unfocused as they stared at nothing in the darkened room. A shudder worked its way through his body as he rasped, “Had Daisy remained, she would have been claimed by any number of the unmated males and it would have been…. God, it would have been brutal.”

Roman could imagine all too clearly what could have happened: she was a latent wolf but a male in a frenzy of lust wouldn’t have cared that she hadn’t shifted. Automatically, his arms tightened around Daisy and he pulled her further into his body, as if he could save her from the evils of the world when he was the one who was going to destroy her. When it became apparent that the boy was losing himself in the possibilities of what could have happened, Roman urged, “Go on, what happened after I flew off with her?”

Dominic blinked his eyes, returning to the present and the awareness that Daisy was safe and sound. Licking his lips, he spoke in a broken voice, “As soon as her scent vanished – thank you for that, by the way – the males chased down the unmated females, much the same as any other run under the full moon.” He let out a harsh laugh, “There were some unexpected matings but they all made sense, if that makes any sense? I don’t even know what I’m saying. Geeze, I didn’t know she was so powerful. And here I told her that her song wouldn’t have any effect on wolves.”

Roman considered Dominic’s words, realizing the truth at once, “She’s a wolf, an unmated wolf. Her voice is…modulated to resonate with a wolf’s chemistry. I imagine it’s the same for regular Sirens and the humans they lure to their graves.”

“My mom never lured anyone to his grave,” Dominic bit out defensively. “And neither has my sister.”

“Relax, Dominic, I never implied they did,” Roman murmured. “In fact, it seems your sister, and probably your mother, inspire lust. Just good, old-fashioned lust.”

Dominic let out a hollow chuckle, sliding down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. “Wouldn’t it be just my luck that my sister inspires lust and I can’t take advantage of it?”

“It’s not like you need a lot of help with attracting females,” Roman murmured wryly.

“Oh, god,” Dominic suddenly groaned and Roman was almost certain the boy was going to be sick. With a stricken expression, he gasped, “What if it’s my
mom’s
song that gets me laid? I mean, she sings beneath the moon as a wolf and everyone…. Oh, god. I feel so dirty now. I don’t think I’ll ever be clean.”

Roman chuckled, almost feeling sorry for the young wolf.

Daisy stirred in his arms and any pity he felt disappeared as he gazed down at a sleep-tousled beauty. Her eyes slowly opened and when she saw his face in the darkness, she gave him a lazy smile, “Roman.”

“Daisy!” Dominic gasped, scrambling off the floor and onto the side of the bed. Grabbing Daisy’s hand, he asked, “Are you okay? I swear if a single wolf laid a paw on you I’ll rip him apart.”

Daisy chuckled as she tugged her hand out of his. Brushing her hair out of her face, she shook her head, “I’m fine, Dominic, but now you know why I don’t sing.”

Dominic reached for the light on the nightstand and Roman growled, “Leave the light off.”

Even though there was some ambient light that allowed them to see, especially the wolf, it wasn’t enough to make out Roman’s features. If Dominic turned the light on, then the boy would see Roman’s face and he’d know that something was wrong with him. At least, if the boy knew anything about gargoyles. Wolves had little reason to deal with gargoyles since they were more capable of protecting themselves from humans and other supernatural creatures. But it didn’t mean they were completely ignorant of gargoyles. It didn’t hurt that wolves were able to blend into both worlds with relative ease while keeping their dual nature secret.

It was strange that a wolf fell in love with a Siren all of those years ago but then the world was growing increasingly strange.

“Are the wolves okay?” Daisy asked, bringing Roman back to the present.

“Yeah, of course,” Dominic answered, shaking his head and dismissing the wolves. “I’m so sorry, Daisy.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she murmured. Glancing at Roman, she looked back at her brother and admitted softly, “I probably would have sung sooner or later. At least this time Roman was there.”

Dominic swallowed, his throat working as emotion emanated off him in waves. “You need to mark him so this doesn’t happen again.”

Roman felt Daisy’s body heat as she managed to say, “I can’t shift, Dominic, and he’s made of stone. It’s impossible.”

“He’s your mate,” he said in such a matter-of-fact tone that Roman was momentarily stunned.

“Of course he’s my mate,” Daisy grumbled as if there was any question. “But we’ll have to be happy with a Siren’s imprint rather than a wolf’s mark. It’s just as strong… except when it comes to wolves.”

“Wolves are definitely a different breed,” Dominic agreed sagely, the pride apparent in his voice despite his earlier fears.

Roman could feel the devotion between brother and sister as they discussed him and he almost felt like a part of their circle, which bothered him in a way he couldn’t explain. It made him uneasy, like acid was burning in his gut and there was no way to neutralize it. Sliding out of the bed, away from Daisy, he pressed his hand against his sternum while grabbing the material of his cloak. He was too exposed and if he had his cloak on he might be able to think.

“Maybe he could bite you,” Dominic suggested, tightening the band around Roman’s chest.

Daisy huffed out a laugh at that, “Roman is going to think we’re a blood thirsty lot, Dominic.”

“I don’t,” Roman said roughly, sliding his arms into his cloak and backing away from the duo on the bed. If he didn’t get out of there he was fairly certain he was going to have a heart attack. And gargoyles didn’t have heart attacks. “It’s almost dawn. I should get going.”

He could feel two sets of eyes on him but he didn’t care. What he said had been the truth, though he probably had another thirty minutes before he absolutely had to leave. No, he had to get out of there. He’d spend the day in the hovel he called home and when he saw Daisy the next night he’d have his shit together and he’d be able to ignore the acid in his stomach.

Daisy stumbled out of bed and he almost went to her but he couldn’t get his legs to move. He could only stare at her as she closed the distance between them, as she put her hands on his shoulders and lifted herself up onto her toes. “Goodbye, Roman. I’ll see you later?”

At his awkward nod, she smiled and then pressed a soft kiss against the corner of his mouth. “I promise to stay awake tomorrow night.”

“Good,” he muttered absently. The feel of her in his arms was soothing the fire in his stomach and he released the breath that had gotten stuck in his throat. Closing his eyes, he breathed in her tempting scent as he rested his hands on her hips. As suddenly as the need to escape hit, it disappeared and he wanted to stay and the back and forth of his emotions was making him dizzy. His fingers tightened as he pulled Daisy against his body, making her squeak. Bending down, he rested his forehead against hers. “That’s good.”

“Um, I’m going to go grab some food. Do either of you want anything?” Dominic offered, sidling over to the door as unobtrusively as possible. No one stopped him. “Okay. I’ll be back soon.”

“Hey,” Roman murmured once they were alone. The panic was gone and he didn’t know what had gotten into him in the first place. He wasn’t going to have a happy ending with Daisy but that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy every single moment they had left, no matter how much or little time that may be.

“Hey,” she said shyly, lowering her lashes as she smiled. Resting her hands against his chest, she watched her fingers as they drew circles on his skin. “I wish we could fly somewhere.”

“I wish there was time,” he murmured. “But it’s an hour before dawn and I have to get back to the city.”

“The sun will rise in about ten minutes,” she told him, her silver eyes sparkling.

“Shit,” he swore, closing his eyes in self-recrimination. How had time slipped away from him so completely?

“You could stay here,” she whispered, her finger moving along the throbbing vein of his throat. Looking at him through her lashes, bringing him to his knees, she added, “I wouldn’t mind.”

“There is a reason I leave, Daisy,” he murmured, moving his thumbs along her back. At her questioning look, he clenched his jaw, “I… change.”

“How so?”

“I… the part of me that’s me sort of goes away.” Her eyes widened and she made a move to step away from him but, of course, he held her tightly.

“I thought you said you were a statue during the day.”

“I am.” As she pushed away from him, he realized he was explaining himself poorly. “I don’t… I’m aware of what’s going on around me when I’m trapped in stone but I’m in a different form.”

Her muscles relaxed and she stared up at him in wide-eyed wonder. “I want to see”

Sliding his hands up her back, enjoying the way a shiver moved over her skin, he hesitated only a moment before he murmured, “Are you sure? Because I don’t want to frighten you.”

“More than anything,” she breathed. “I want to know everything about you Roman, including why you’re so eager to abandon me in the morning.”

He smiled at her playful words. “Just don’t freak out.”

She made a strangled sound before she burst out laughing. “I’m around people who change into wolves on a regular basis. I think I can handle it.”

“I’ll be lifeless,” he murmured, wanting to make sure she understood. “A statue in every meaning of the word.”

“But you’ll be aware of me.”

“I’ll always be aware of you,” he growled, the words escaping before he could stop them. Glancing behind her and out the windows at the brightening sky, he murmured, “It’s almost time. Where do you want me?” At her blush, he had to smile. “I meant, where would a statue be least intrusive? I have to warn you that my day time form is quite large.”