Stone Solitude (20 page)

“Yes,” she nodded.

“I don’t approve,” he grumbled, his hands tightening into fists. His eyes filled with tumultuous emotion and his lips curled as he added, “You’re too young.”

“I won’t argue with that,” she said, giving her dad a nod of agreement without saying the words out loud. “But I don’t really have a choice in the matter. I knew that the first time I laid eyes on him.”

“It’s Fate,” her mom whispered softly with a measure of sympathy in her green and gold eyes. Smoothing the furious frown between her husband’s eyes, she met Daisy’s gaze and continued, “You have to release them.”

Daisy cocked her head to the side in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“You have to release the wolves who fell under your spell,” she said, not really clarifying anything. Her dad must have understood because his lips pressed into an ever firmer line as he looked out the windows and away from Daisy. Taking a deep breath, Lexi continued, “You think about the time you shared, which shouldn’t be hard since it was just a song – it was just a song, right?” At Daisy’s disgruntled frown, her mom held up her hands and laughed, “Okay, okay, just the one song. Um, remember the song and give it back to them with a kiss.”

Daisy stared at her mother with her mouth hanging open. “I can’t do that.”

“I’m afraid you must,” Lexi said, steel underlying her sympathetic tone.

“I’m not kissing a dozen wolves,” she ground out, just as stubborn as her mother. Her mom had twenty some years to perfect her stubbornness and simply stared at Daisy until Daisy crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, “I’m not.”

“If you don’t, you’ll have a dozen wolves stalking after you until one of them claims you,” her father murmured, liking the situation about as much as Daisy. With grim resolution, he said, “We’ll take you to the bar tonight and you can start… releasing them.”

“I don’t want to kiss anyone that’s not Roman,” she sulked.

“I don’t want you kissing anyone
including
Roman,” her father rumbled. “Unfortunately, your mother’s right. You sang when you were told what would happen and now you have to deal with the consequences.”

“It’s not fair,” Daisy pouted, knowing she sounded like a three year old but not able to help it. Her heart was racing, thoughts were tumbling over themselves in her head, and she was going to puke. She had to kiss a dozen wolves, a dozen wolves who weren’t Roman. A shudder racked her body at the thought.

“I know, sweetie,” her mom crooned, scooting over to Daisy’s seat and taking Daisy into her arms. Stroking her hair, she continued, “All you have to do is pucker up, close your eyes, and kiss the wolves free.”

Chewing on her lower lip, she sulked lower in the chair, away from her mother. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to put me in the middle of a whole bunch of wolves who think they want me as their mate?”

“No, but I will be there and I’ll call in a few of your uncles to prevent anything bad from happening to you.” His tight lips curled as he continued, “It’s better to deal with this now and get it over with rather than be taken by surprise. As much as I wish I could, I can’t watch over you all of the time and it’s only going to be a matter of time before one of the enchanted wolves grow bold enough to snatch you up, with or without your consent.”

Her lips parted to offer an automatic protest but she remembered Jon’s behavior at the mall. If Xerec hadn’t been there, she was almost certain Jon would have done something desperate. But as she thought about it, about singing and how men responded to it, she frowned, “I didn’t have to kiss any of the humans when I sang at the frat party.”

“No, but you did inspire an orgy,” her mom said, her eyes sparkling with carefully concealed mirth. “I guess things are different when you’re a wolf who happens to be a Siren and not just a Siren.”

With a single nod agreeing to their plan, she added, “But I want to talk to Roman first, to explain what I have to do and why I have to do it. Afterwards, I am going to want a very strong drink.”

“You’re not legal yet,” her father growled.

“Besides, you don’t drink,” her mom chuckled.

“I know,” she grimaced, already dreaming about the drink that would wash away the taste of a dozen wolves. “But I don’t care. Crap, I don’t know how to get ahold of Roman.”

“Daisy,” her father’s voice held a wealth of warning. “We can’t put this off.”

Pushing herself to her feet, she figured she’d just have to explain to Roman why she had kissed a dozen wolves when he was the only one she wanted to kiss. Looking at her mom, she asked dubiously, “Just a quick peck, right?”

“Just long enough to return the memory of your song,” Lexi answered, which wasn’t helpful. Running her tongue along her lower lip, she paused, “And whatever happened afterwards.”

With a groan, Daisy walked out of the solarium knowing her parents were following behind. Maybe she could find Dominic and ask him to try to find Roman and give him a heads up.

Roman watched from the shadows as Daisy stomped out to one of the SUVs sitting in the driveway, her father following after her with his phone pressed to his ear. He decided he would follow them from a discreet distance and keep an eye on Daisy as she kissed the wolves, just to make sure nothing happened to her. Even though he knew it was necessary for her to do it, he still had to push down the jealous beast that wanted to swoop in and steal Daisy away before her lips touched anyone else’s lips.

Instead of leaving as he said he would, he had flown until he was off the Tremain property to release the demon. After sending Xerec home with a warning of what would happen if the little prick butted into affairs that didn’t concern him, Roman went back and perched in a tree to watch Daisy. So intent, he had barely tasted the food she had given him as she showered and dressed and eventually crossed the grounds and entered the mansion.

Stealthily, he tracked her until she ended up in the sun room with her parents, her nervousness apparent. He was proud of her, her courage and strength of character. She would have made a fine priestess in his time, a worthy ally. A worthy bed partner.

Thank the gods for the interfering prick Xerec. If the little demon hadn’t been misbehaving, Roman would have lost control and taken her before she was truly ready. Even though she looked at him and no longer flinched, he didn’t want to scare her. Having sex for the first time was scary enough for anyone, male or female, and he was asking her to have sex with a malformed gargoyle who was more monster than man. If he had been in his natural state, he probably would have had her the first night they met.

Had he been in his natural state, he doubted he ever would have met her. He would have spent his life as a gargoyle, probably living the majority of it in Rome. Instead of being an observer of history, he would have been an active participant. Hell, he might have given up his nights a number of times over like his Greek brothers or maybe he would have given up his nights once and become too cynical to ever do it again. It hardly mattered because that wasn’t the life he was given and for the first time since he was cursed, he almost felt gratitude to the bitch who cursed him because it brought Daisy into his life.

It was dangerous, these feelings he had for her. Did he truly wish to give up his vengeance for the chance to live a life with her, even if it meant giving up the chance of ever having a relationship with his brothers? His belly was twisted in knots thinking about the possibility that he had already made his decision. Silently, he flew through the night sky, keeping the SUV in his sight at all times. He knew where the bar was located, of course, but he didn’t want to let Daisy out of his sight, not until the very end.

Daisy stood with her hands in her pockets as her dad waited at the bar for her uncles to arrive so he could discuss the night’s events with them. The bar was busy and she was more or less happy to realize most of the wolves from the night before were there. It would make it a whole lot easier to get the kissing out of the way all at once rather than try to track everyone down. But then she saw her Aunt Jillian all wrapped up in Uncle Cole’s arms and color flooded her cheeks. She turned around just in time to see her dad’s jaw drop. His silver eyes flashed to her before he turned back to his little sister.

“Jillian,” he murmured, his eyes darting between Jillian, Cole, and Daisy, his expression darkening in understanding. “I gather you were here last night?”

Jillian’s husky laugh answered the question as she snuggled further into Cole’s embrace. “We were.”

“Daisy,” her father managed to say through a tight smile. “Did you forget to mention something?”

“I told you about couples having sex,” she said, her face on fire as she realized she actually
hadn’t
told her parents certain details, such as the multitude of matings. Her father closed his eyes as if in pain. For a wolf, for an
Alpha
, he was willfully ignorant about his sister having sex even though she was a healthy, fully bonded wolf. Daisy couldn’t stop the smile from forming, though she ducked her head to keep from alienating her dad any further.

“Hey, Daisy,” her old friend Miles said, suddenly appearing in front of her. Bouncing like an overeager puppy in love with his master, he was obviously enchanted. Her smile turned downwards as she realized he was going to be the first wolf she had to kiss.

“Miles,” she murmured, picturing the song in her mind before grabbing his head and pressing her lips against his and giving the brief memory back. When she pulled away, he was staring at her in stunned silence. Wiping her mouth off with the back of her arm, she asked, “Well?”

“Um, hi, Daisy,” he murmured, now dazed and bewildered. Glancing around the bar, he said, “Wow, that was a pleasant surprise. Can I, um, get you a drink or anything?”

At least the overeager puppy dog expression was gone and only mild interest remained. With a wry smile, she shook her head no, “Thanks but I’m good.”

She glanced over her shoulder and saw the furious expression on her dad’s face, which perversely made her feel a little better. Plopping down at one of the tables, she let out a sigh as Jillian sat down next to her. Forcing her lips into a smile, she nodded, “Hey.”

“Hey, sweetie,” Jillian said. There was no anger in her eyes about being mated to Cole, so that was good. The older woman draped an arm around Daisy’s shoulders and chuckled, “It’s my guess that Dominic was behind last night’s surprise concert.” As Daisy’s head shot up in worry, Jillian laughed harder, “Don’t worry, Daisy, nobody is that upset about what happened. Well, nobody that matters. I’m sure that there are a few wolves a little… uncertain but they’ll survive.”

Moistening her lips, Daisy lowered her voice as her eyes flicked towards Uncle Cole and back. “Are you sure? I mean, are you and Cole okay?”

With a soft smile, Aunt Jillian looked at her mate and let out a long, lusty sigh, “We’re happy. I mean, I’ve been madly in love with the bastard for nearly twenty years and apparently he’s been in love with me for almost as long. But when we were younger, uh,
something
happened and we let our pride keep us apart.”

“That’s really depressing,” Daisy murmured, thinking about all of that time they wasted.

“Love’s a funny thing that way,” Jillian murmured. “You’ll see when you fall in love.”

Once again, heat prickled her cheeks and Daisy looked down, knowing she had already given everything away. Jillian grinned, looking around the bar as she asked, “So, which wolf is the lucky guy?”

“Actually, he’s not a wolf,” she admitted, blushing even harder, thinking about Roman and what he had done to her just a little earlier.

“Ahhh, I see,” Jillian murmured, sitting back in her chair and studying Daisy with too-knowing eyes. After a moment, she slapped her hand down on her thigh and grinned, “How about we make tonight into a game, Daisy. The wolves affected by your song can compete for your kisses. You know how competitive we can get and it might make the ordeal a little more… bearable.”

“How is that even going to work?” she asked skeptically.

“We’ll just make sure every wolf that was here last night wins something.” Before Daisy could voice her protests, which were many, Jillian stepped up onto the table and let out a whistle that made everyone’s ears bleed. Leave it to Aunt Jillian to take things in hand. When the bar fell silent to look at her, she grinned, “Tonight, we are going to have a little fun, with prizes ranging from free beer to kisses from Daisy Tremain.”

Daisy couldn’t help but notice a dozen wolves perk up in interest at that part. Actually, it looked like more than a dozen pairs of eyes were looking at her. Miles with his overeager puppy dog looks was nothing compared to the heat in at least six of the wolves’ eyes. Her stomach flipped over on itself and as much as it killed her to kiss anyone not Roman, she knew she had to do it. Wolves became very primal when it came to mating, especially when there was competition involved.

Six wolves chasing after the same woman was bound to end in bloodshed.

“I should just kiss them and get it over with,” Daisy muttered, forgetting one very vital fact: wolves have excellent hearing. In the next moment, the six wolves who had the heated look in their eyes were jostling for position at the table while another fifteen or sixteen were quietly making their way over as well. Her eyes widened in alarm as Jeffers pulled her up by the arm, driving the point home as to how dangerous it was for a Siren wolf to sing to a bunch of hormonal and unmated males.

Her father wrapped his hand around Jeffers’s wrist, glaring at the impudent wolf with all of the power and authority of the Alpha, “Release my daughter or I will castrate you.”

Jeffers’s teeth ground together as he looked between the Alpha and the woman he wanted to possess, reluctantly prying his fingers from Daisy’s arms. In a low voice, he growled, “She’s mine.”

“No,” Duncan bit out, pushing his power out until it filled the bar. Daisy knew her dad was powerful – he was the Alpha after all – but she had never witnessed just how powerful. His silver gaze took in all of the wolves waiting to kiss Daisy, touching upon each one until they each bowed his head in deference. With a look of irritation, her dad glanced at Jillian before looking at the wolves once more, “Stand in line and wait your damn turn. Daisy?”

Feeling his power wash over her, the overwhelming presence of strength and authority, she trembled. But mixed with the power was the love that was always there, the protectiveness. “Yes, father?”

Concern lit his eyes as his gaze moved over her face. “I wish there was another way, sweetheart.”

“I know.”

“We won’t let anything happen to you,” he vowed, stepping away from her but not leaving her to the hungry wolves.

Facing Jeffers, she did what she had to do. And for the next hour, she worked her way through twenty-two wolves, only taking breaks when testosterone became too much for them and a fight broke out. She took those moments to swish vodka and spit it out to wash away the taste of too many men that weren’t Roman. The only qualm remaining when all was said and done, as all of the disenchanted wolves walked away from her, was the fact that Jon hadn’t been there. Luckily, one wolf was easier to deal with than almost two dozen.

Roman clenched his teeth together, wondering how much he could take before his stone jaw cracked. Watching Daisy kiss all of those men had been absolute torture, it didn’t even matter that she was obviously in distress while she kissed them. She was his and her lips should never touch anyone not him. In the future, when she sang it was going to be for a very private, very exclusive audience: him. He was her mate so her song only enhanced desire that was already there. It didn’t create lust out of nothing.

Watching her through the window as she kissed the last man and sat down, he groaned in frustration because he couldn’t enter the bar and go to her. She looked wrung out as she curved her arms on the table and rested her head on them. Her eyes slid closed and she looked like she could sleep for a week straight. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and fly away with her, take her someplace where there were no wolves or humans so she could sing until her throat was raw. When he got his form back, he was going to have her sing and then he was going to kiss her the way he wanted to kiss her now. He was going to suck that bottom lip into his mouth and draw her blood to the surface until her flesh hummed with pleasure.

Did her song affect him more powerfully than he had originally thought? What if it was her song that made him have less interest in vengeance and more interest in Daisy? What if she was controlling him with her song, albeit unintentionally? What if he threw away his one chance to gain his freedom because of a song?

Forcing his thoughts away from Daisy and his doubts, he glanced around the bar and groaned when he saw who was there. Narrowing his eyes, he studied the three men standing in a darkened corner talking with her father, three men that were almost as familiar to him as his own pod: the behemoth that had confronted him in his hovel, Leo, and his two pod brothers, Michael and Raphael. Mr. Tremain’s forehead was pulled together in a frown as he listened to whatever the gargoyles were telling him, all four pairs of eyes on Daisy.

Roman’s heartbeat slowly increased as he considered what would happen if the gargoyles introduced themselves to Daisy and told her what they were. She would realize something was seriously wrong with him and she’d walk away before she could free him. All of his plans would be destroyed because Daisy would discover gargoyles are supposed to be men at night and not monsters. He needed more time before she discovered the truth. He needed her to fall in love with him, truly and absolutely without the Siren song clouding her head.

But it wasn’t her head that was clouded by the Siren song, it was his.

Ignoring his apprehension, ignoring his brothers, he willed her to look up and see him, keeping his focus on her and her alone. If his brothers approached her, he prayed she would forgive him before he disappeared into the vast nothingness that was waiting for him. Perhaps the despair and fury would devour him whole before Isis returned for the rest of him. Either way his life without Daisy would be brief.

Her head lifted and she looked right at him… through a window that would reflect her image back since it was so dark outside. Her brows drew together as she slowly rose from the chair, as she tilted her head to the side as if she knew he was outside waiting for her. Murmuring something to one of her friends, she grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

Without giving it a second thought, he stalked around the side of the building so he could meet her half way, whether or not she was aware of his presence. He should ask her to give him the Siren’s kiss goodbye because he was feeling more for her than was wise. If he couldn’t separate his feelings for her before Isis found that last piece of her mate, he was completely and utterly screwed.

While still within the shadows, he came to a dead stop and tried to find his breath as she stepped into the light being cast from the streetlamp overhead. She was so beautiful, with her lustrous dark hair and striking silver eyes, her plush lips and elegant lines. It was possible that he was as enchanted as the wolves had been but he had been pathetically drawn to her from the very beginning. Or maybe that was just the Siren’s song and his memory of her and their time together had been affected as well.