Stone Solitude (22 page)

Roman woke with a start, the ramifications of taking Daisy’s virginity hitting him all at once. A smile started to curve his lips until he realized he was still the same monster who had just had his mind blown by a virgin.

Had Set lied to him about a virgin freeing him from his curse? Or maybe he had misunderstood and a virgin had freed him ten years before, when Daisy touched him and he came back to life. Set never said that fucking a virgin would return him to normal, just that such a virgin would be valuable. He had assumed the rest because he wanted to be free of being a monster. Oh, gods, he gave up everything, even the possibility of returning to his normal form. The familiar rage was back but it was mixed with despair because he had hoped to have a life as a man and not a monster. It didn’t matter that Daisy loved him as he was, not when he wasn’t able to look at himself in the mirror.

He had to get out of there before she awoke because he wasn’t sure what he would do if she saw him like this. It wasn’t her fault he was stuck in his inhuman form but if she woke up and looked at him with all of that love in her silver eyes he would lose it; he’d fucking lose it.

His hands trembled as he pulled the lightweight blanket over her gloriously naked body, the stain of her innocence. She had given him her virginity and even with the feel of her still lingering on his body, he couldn’t fathom such a gift. He was unworthy of her. Even if she was a courtesan with hundreds of lovers, she would be too good for the likes of him and self-loathing bubbled over his skin.

Her eyes opened and he froze, trying desperately to hold onto his façade of calm. Her lips curled into a sultry, sleepy smile as she purred, “Hey, you.”

“My little flower,” he managed, grateful his voice came out almost normal. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he brushed a strand of her silky hair away from her face. “I have to go.”

Her lower lip pushed out and he wanted to nibble it but he couldn’t because he was still a fucking monster. Clenching his other fist against his stone thigh, feeling his self-control rapidly fading, he managed, “It’s only for a few days but I promise I’ll return.”

“I don’t want you to go,” she murmured, reaching up and running her hand over his chest, the touch burning through him, fueling the desperate fire that was boiling up within him.

“I have… things to do,” he said, unable to come up with an acceptable lie and unable to tell her the truth. “But I’ll have Xerec keep an eye on you.”

“Don’t you need him to run errands?” she asked, starting to sit up.

Gently, he pushed her back onto the bed. “I’d rather he protect you.”

Her eyes moved over his face and after a moment, she nodded her head. “You’ll be back before Friday, though, right?”

His brows drew together, “What’s Friday?”

“The anniversary,” she said, misery in her voice, which he understood. Her entire life had changed that day and people were celebrating it.

Despite the agony clawing at his guts, he managed a smile, vowing to himself that he’d get his shit together before Friday so she wouldn’t have to be alone. “I’ll be here.”

Evading his hand, she managed to sit up and wrap her arms around his neck. His arms automatically went around her waist and he closed his eyes and breathed her in. “I’ll miss you, Roman.”

“I’ll miss you,” he managed. With one last squeeze, he pushed her back to the bed. “Go back to sleep, my little flower.”

Her eyes were already shut before he stood up. Hastily, he wrapped the cloak around his body and let himself out of the pool house, grateful that it was late enough that all of the Tremains had gone to bed. Dawn was less than an hour away and he hoped he had time to return to the hovel he occupied. If not, he’d find shelter in some other abandoned building. It didn’t matter because when the sun rose, he’d be stuck in his gargoyle form with nothing but thoughts and recriminations to fill his stone head.

When he woke at night, he was going to have to learn how to adapt to being a beast. The familiar rage was back but this time there was no outlet because he willingly chose Daisy. It would be wise to take a few days to get his head on straight so he didn’t take his anger out on her. She deserved so much more than a surly beast and the least he could do was spare her his fury and sorrow.

Daisy’s stomach clenched in anxiety as she looked around the crowded bar. She hadn’t wanted to have anything to do with any celebration commemorating the Rapture but her brother had dragged her out to
Skin
anyway. All summer long she had been dreading this day, this celebration, but it had come anyway. It didn’t help that she had spent the last few days on pins and needles counting down the minutes until Roman returned to her. And still he failed to appear.

The doubts that had been whispering in the back of her head, the doubts that she had purposefully ignored, started screaming when he wasn’t at her doorstep as soon as the sun set. Her rational mind said to calm down, that it took nearly half an hour to fly to her place from Saint Paul. That worked until forty-five minutes had passed and there was still no Roman.

Of course, Dominic had shown up nearly an hour and a half after the sun had set to find her pacing back and forth in the room she had commandeered after she had disappeared with Roman the first time. Her thoughts were all jumbled together and he pounced, telling her it would be good to get out and try to have some fun, that she shouldn’t allow some guy to have so much power over her happiness. But he didn’t understand because he wasn’t mated or imprinted or whatever it was she was. She was worried about Roman because he had promised to return and he hadn’t.

Maybe he had gotten what he wanted and it had all been a game to him. That thought was enough to turn her stomach inside out and make her sick. Pressing her hand against her rebelling tummy, she refused to allow the doubts to take root in her head. There was a valid reason Roman hadn’t shown up and she was looking forward to hearing it the next time they met.

“Daisy, you okay?” Dominic asked, touching her elbow and bringing her back to the noisy bar.

Forcing a smile, she looked at her brother and murmured, “I am. I still don’t know why we couldn’t have gone to
The Black Wolf
but I’m fine.”

“We needed a change of scenery,” he said looking around the bar as if he expected to see someone – or he was hoping to
not
see someone, as the case may be. “All of that lovey-dovey crap has gotten on my last nerve and it’s all your fault.”

“I’m pretty sure you can take some of the blame,” she muttered, her smile a little less forced. “Especially since you didn’t have to suffer any of the consequences.”

“As if kissing a bunch of wolves was that much of a punishment,” he scoffed. “Anyway, I see a couple of the guys; you wanna join us?”

Standing up on her toes, straining her neck to see who was there, she glanced around the busy area and cringed. Nearly all of the guys she had kissed the week before were there and she still felt uneasy. “Uh, no. I think I’ll park it at the bar and bug the bartenders.”

“I’m sure they’re going to be incredibly busy tonight,” he said, his attention already on the pack of wolves near the back. “Everyone is going to be drinking to celebrate.”

“Or drinking to forget,” she added, standing back up on her toes and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Be careful tonight, Dom. There’s something weird in the air.”

“That’s just you missing Roman,” he said with an easy grin though she could see the concern in his eyes. He gave her hand one last squeeze before he made his way to the pack.

With a sigh, she slowly made her way to the bar, fairly certain several fire codes were being violated by all of the bodies pressing together. There were far too many humans in there and she was no longer comfortable walking among them, not without knowing any of them. Going to college was fine because she wasn’t the only paranormal taking classes and she knew most of her classmates, including the human ones. No, she was no longer comfortable because humans were so fragile and they didn’t even realize it. Or maybe they did.

A familiar wave of sadness washed over her as she thought about Mandy and the Rothmans. The sadness was tinged with guilt now because she was forgetting them, forgetting what they looked like and forgetting what they used to do together. Claiming a stool as soon as one was vacated, she waited until the bartender saw her then she smiled.

“What can I get for you tonight?” Kevin the bartender asked with a twinkle in his eyes. “And don’t say something with alcohol because your uncle reamed me a new one the last time.”

A soft chuckled slipped out in spite of her melancholy. “No, no alcohol tonight. I just want a lemon-lime pop.”

“Coming right up,” he grinned, the smile not quite reaching his charcoal eyes. Great, he was still pissed. Well, she wasn’t going to let it bother her. There were far more important things on her mind like where the hell was Roman. As he slid the glass in front of her, she pulled out her wallet but he waved it away. “You’re related to the boss. I assume there’s no charge.”

Technically, she was related to the co-owner of the bar – her mother – but that didn’t matter. She felt weird if she didn’t pay for the drinks, at least at
Skin
, because it wasn’t a strictly paranormal bar. Instead of giving him the money, she stuffed it into the tip jar and gave him a slight smile. “Thanks, Kevin, but I find it’s best not to piss off the bartenders. They might spit in my drink.”

With a grin, he winked at her and turned his attention to the other patrons bellowing out their orders. Grabbing the drink, she spun around in her seat to watch the festivities. The wolves were probably the loudest ones in the bar, of course, drawing the attention of every single female in the vicinity. Humans were drawn to the gorgeous, sensual wolves and it was almost as much fun watching the humans watch the wolves as it was to watch the pack. They were loud and boisterous and the life of the party. Everyone wanted to be as close to them as possible, a few were even willing to risk getting burned to experience the rush of being among the stars.

Where was Roman? Occasionally, she caught glimpses of his companion, the odd and powerful Xerec, but only out of the corner of her eye. She had tried to approach him to ask him if he knew anything but he always widened his eyes in alarm and quickly vanished, almost as if he didn’t want her asking any questions. Was he just a distraction to make her think Roman was coming back when he really wasn’t?

“Hey there, sexy,” a low baritone murmured next to her ear. Turning her head, she found herself staring into a pair of brilliant green eyes. Jerking back, she took in the rest of his appearance, from the short white-blond hair to the perfect teeth. In a word, he was breathtaking and in a strange way reminded her of Roman, though she couldn’t put a finger on what it was that made it so. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“I don’t accept drinks from men I don’t know,” she said with a grin, ignoring the way her blood raced through her veins as he watched her. She had had men look at her with interest, with lust and with friendship, but she had never had one look at her with the strange intensity of this handsome stranger. Even though it wasn’t lust, it
was
unsettling and she wasn’t sure she liked it.

“Michael,” he said, sitting down in a seat that had suddenly become available. Not taking his eyes off her, he ordered a beer and smiled, “Now you know me. What are you drinking?”

“Just pop,” she said, trying to keep her tone light so he didn’t realize how uncomfortable she was. “But it’s really not necessary. As Kevin pointed out earlier, I’m related to the boss so I don’t actually have to pay for my drinks.”

Great, now she was babbling.

He pursed his lips, nodding his head in thanks as Kevin slid a beer in front of him and another pop in front of her. Heaving out an exaggerated sigh, he murmured, “It figures that my efforts to impress the prettiest girl in the bar should fall so short.”

“I’m flattered but I have a boyfriend,” she blurted, leaning back in her seat, unconsciously putting space between them.

“And yet you’re sitting alone in a bar on tonight of all nights,” he countered, taking a sip of his beer, his eyes never leaving hers.

“As are you.”

“I’m not the one who claimed to have a significant other,” he said, his eyes sparkling with laughter and that… something that unnerved her. “If you were mine, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight.”

“That’s very creepy,” she managed to squeak out, taking a sip of her pop. It tasted a little off but it gave her something to do with her mouth so she’d stop insulting the weird guy flirting with her.

“If I was your boyfriend, you’d think it was romantic,” he teased and, damn it, he was right. If Roman said he’d never wanted to let her out of his sight… it’d still be a little creepy because she didn’t like the idea of going to the bathroom in front of him. Still the notion was a little romantic.

“Perhaps,” she finally conceded, drinking more of the off-tasting pop. Running her tongue along her lips, she wondered if it was normal for them to be numb. Glancing at the glass, she looked up, “Did you put something in my drink?”

He chuckled, genuine amusement lighting his obscenely green eyes, “When would I have had the opportunity?”

“Just so you know,” she said, her words sounding off to her ears. “My brother is just over there. And he’s a wolf.”

“Good,” the man grinned, leaning back in his seat and taking another sip of his beer. “Because you need a keeper, Daisy. You’re far too trusting.”

Her brows pulled together as she stood up and tried to ignore the way the bar spun and the man wavered. “I never told you my name.”

His eyes widened in surprise as he stood up as well and reached for her. Luckily, she evaded his grasp, ducking into the crowd as everything flowed in and out of focus. Shit, what had he put into her drink? Everything blurred for a moment and when it cleared, her hand was in Xerec’s and he was tugging her through the crowd. In the next moment, she was standing in front of Dominic wondering how she had gotten there and what had happened to the strange man at the bar.

“Daisy?” Dominic asked, concern in his voice as she tried to figure out how to make the words move from her brain to her mouth. Warm hands wrapped around her shoulders and when she blinked again she was staring into her brother’s warm hazel eyes. “Daisy, what’s wrong?”

Helplessly, she shook her head, wondering where Xerec had wandered off to, if he was going to scare the bastard who had drugged her drink. Her knees decided it was time to turn into jelly and she collapsed against Dominic. With a low growl, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her through the crowded bar, shoving anyone who got in his way to the side.

Time was acting all wonky as she found herself in the office, lying on the plush couch that Uncle Dima kept back there for nights he and Ashley were too tired to drive home. She was fairly certain they used it to have sex on when there was a lull in the crowd but she didn’t want to consider that now that she was laying on it.

“I’m going to go out back and call dad,” Dominic said, his voice wavering with panic. His hair was all mussy, too, as if he’d been dragging his fingers through it. It took her a moment to realize that he was holding onto his phone. “There’s no damn signal in here.”

“Don’t go,” she pleaded, a niggling fear breaking through the fog. If he left, he’d never come back and she didn’t want to lose him, too, not after she lost Mandy and Roman.

He took her hand in his, “You’ll be safe here, Daisy, I promise. I’m going to lock the door and after I make the call, I’ll be right back.”

She opened her mouth to say something but he was already gone and the overhead lights were off. The only light in the room came from the lamp on the desk, which left most of the room in darkness. With her brain still muddled, she knew that she wasn’t alone and the fear that shot through her was almost enough to make her pass out. It was made worse because her body wouldn’t obey her brain’s command to get up and move, to find a weapon, to get the hell out of there.

“Ah, my sweet, little wolf is awake,” a vaguely familiar voice rasped from the darkness. She opened her mouth to ask him what he did to her but the words weren’t cooperating, making the man laugh. “You’re a wolf, bitch. Do you really think I wouldn’t take measures to keep you from attacking me?”

Tears welled in her eyes because she was completely helpless and at the mercy of a monster. A pair of brilliant green eyes flashed in her head but the image was wrong. The green eyes had been full of strength and protectiveness and not loathing or darkness. It had just been strange seeing that amount of protectiveness from someone not her family. Perhaps that was what had reminded her of Roman, that sense of guardianship.