Stone Solitude (27 page)

Damn, he really needed to deal with his jealousy.

Her tongue darted out as she licked her lips and asked softly, “Are you sure you’ll be okay with that?”

“With being forgotten, you mean,” he said, the bitterness almost gone from his voice. During the night, holding her in his arms, he had told her about the rest of the curse and being the tender-hearted girl she was, she had cried for him. Her tears eased the ache within him and for the first time in forever, he truly believed it was going to be okay. Nodding once, he explained, “If we live here, we’re bound to run into them at some point in the future. It’s best to build up an immunity to the… discomfort.”

“I wish there was another way,” she said, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. Standing up, she wrapped her arms around his throat and hugged him. She would never know that there was another way, that he could be a part of his brothers’ world once again, their lives. All he had to do was sacrifice her and he’d have them back but that was no longer an option. He wasn’t sure if that had ever been an option.

“I’ve made my peace.” As she pulled back and looked at him in disbelief, he cleared his throat and corrected his statement, “I’m making my peace. Now, eat up. You have to drive out to the bar and get back here and work on your homework. We have a busy night tonight.”

Holding Daisy’s hand, they strolled from her car towards the popular supernatural bar his brothers frequented. Roman felt a conflagration of emotions, from joy at being with Daisy to despair knowing his brothers weren’t going to know him. Earlier, when she had returned to the hotel with her pile of books and homework, she had gotten comfortable on the bed and then she had started to read out loud. He had no idea what she was reading, instead losing himself in the sound of her voice. She could have been reading names and numbers from the phone book and it would have been sexy.

Eventually, she had taken a nap and he had gotten to enjoy watching her while she slept. As young as she was, she looked even younger when she was sleeping, something that made him feel slightly lecherous. But she was all woman, she was his woman, and he was never going to let her go.

Breathing deeply of the fall air, he glanced around at the other pedestrians and realized there were many non-humans among the milling people. Out of the corner of his eye, a flash of gold caught his attention and he paused. There was something familiar and unwelcome about his reaction and he had to discover the source of his unease. Slowly, he scanned the area until his gaze landed upon the one person he never wanted to see again. Isis.

Her thick, black hair hung to her waist, the lustrous mass styled in elegant braids; her black eyes were lined with kohl, emphasizing their size and cat-like shape; and her lush, red lips were spread in a wide smile. Roman’s heart stopped for a moment and then lurched forward in his chest, in fear and in dread. In the month that he was… unaware, she must have found the last piece of Osiris. But why was she smiling when she should have been furious he was no longer a statue?

“What is it?” Daisy’s sweet voice broke through the fog of his contemplation.

Blinking, he looked down at her, at the face that was more precious to him than his own freedom, and he swallowed thickly. When he looked again, Isis was gone but the dread remained. Forcing a smile to his frozen lips, he said, “Nothing.”

She didn’t believe him but she didn’t press it, either, and for that he was grateful. Now was neither the time nor the place to tell her about Isis. Instead, she wrapped her other arm around his as well, hugging his arm and gifting him with her smile, “If I could, I would make them remember you.”

Oh, she thought he was thinking about the meeting with his brothers. “I know.”

“You know what I would do if I were you?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

The tension in his body eased as he looked down at her and asked, “What would you do?”

“I’d play tricks on them,” she said in a conspiratorial whisper. Looking around as if someone might overhear her, she leaned in even closer and said, “I’d knock them out and then draw on their faces with permanent marker and then I’d put them in dresses or some other weird combination. And then I’d take pictures.”

He chuckled. Xerec had often suggested similar scenarios throughout the years but they had never been funny. Now, the idea of screwing with his brothers’ heads was wildly appealing, especially if it brought a smile to Daisy’s face. “I doubt I’d be able to knock them out because they’d probably fight back.”

“I’ll hold their arms behind their backs,” she said teasingly.

“But they’ll remember you,” he returned. There was no point in mentioning the fact that his brothers towered over her by at least a foot and outweighed her by at least eighty pounds, all of it pure muscle.

“Hmm,” she murmured thoughtfully, as if she were seriously contemplating a feasible scenario. “I could lure them to an alley where you could sneak up on them and take them down.”

“I don’t want you alone with any of them,” he growled, making her laugh. There was another flash of gold but he studiously ignored it, holding his smile until it felt like his face was going to crack. Maybe he could explain to Isis that it was over, that he had no intention of interfering with her plans if she promised to leave Daisy alone. Clearing his throat, he realized they were at the bar and he was about to come face to face with one or more of his brothers. “Ah, here we are.”

“Flannigan’s,” she murmured. She caught her lower lip between her teeth as she said, “I’m not twenty-one yet.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he assured her, ignoring the fact that it did matter. He was just going to use a little bit of mind control to get her in if it became an issue. Holding the door, he guided her in, following behind with his hand at the small of her back. The bar was popular amongst the supernatural world, much as
Skin
was, but unlike
Skin
, the rules were a little more… flexible. Hence, gargoyles hung around to keep the innocents safe.

Scanning the bar, he saw the gargoyle who had confronted him a few days ago… no, a few weeks ago. Leaning down so his lips were against Daisy’s ear, he pointed him out, “Over there.”

Her eyes narrowed as she saw the behemoth, “I’ve seen him around.”

“Not surprising,” Roman muttered, wrapping his hand around hers and pushing through the crowd to his brother. His heart was in his throat and he wanted to turn around and leave but he wasn’t a coward. After all of this time, he would have thought he’d have grown used to the anxiety that accompanied seeing his brothers, the agony of knowing what was going to happen once they turned away from him.

He had the pleasure of seeing the surprise on Leo’s face when he saw Daisy, when he saw her hand wrapped in Roman’s. Leo tried to act casual by leaning on the bar and watching as she approached, but his posture was too stiff, his smile too forced. Barely sparing a glance at Roman, he said, “Hey.”

“Hey,” Daisy returned, her eyes moving between Roman and Leo with concern and wonder. Yeah, Roman knew he looked a lot like his brothers. “I’ve seen you around. Did my dad pay you to follow me?”

Leo’s cheekbones turned red even as he denied Daisy’s allegation, “I don’t need to be bribed to keep track of a beautiful woman.”

“So you’re following me around because you’re a creepy stalker?” she asked, narrowing her eyes as she glared at the massive gargoyle.

Leo choked on his drink and turned even redder, “No! Of course not! Um, who’s your friend?”

For the first time that evening, Leo looked at him and recognition lit his eyes. “Remus! What are you doing in Saint Paul?”

And just like that, the burst of hope splintered apart. “I’m Roman, er, Romulus.”

“Are you playing some sort of game?” Leo asked, a smile playing at his lips as he looked between Roman and Daisy, obviously unsure what was going on.

“No,” Roman bit out through clenched teeth. “I’m Roman.”

“Can you get me a drink?” Daisy asked him softly, compassion in her silver eyes. With a nod, Roman turned towards the bartender while keeping one ear on their conversation.

“Are you here alone?” Leo asked, his tone annoyingly flirtatious, Roman already forgotten.

“Nooo,” Daisy drawled out. “I’m here with my boyfriend, my
gargoyle
boyfriend.”

In the mirror, Roman saw Leo tilt his head to the side in confusion as he tried to figure out which gargoyle Daisy was talking about. Slowly, he shook his head no and said, “You don’t belong to any of the gargoyles, Daisy.”

“Creepy stalker much?” she asked, her voice quavering a little at the evidence Roman was so easily forgotten. At Leo’s raised eyebrow, she explained, “I never told you my name.”

Before he could sputter out an excuse, Daisy asked, “How much is my dad paying you to spy on me?”

“He’s not paying me,” Leo repeated, no longer denying he had been hired by Mr. Tremain. “I’m doing it as a favor since you seem to be under the delusion you’re dating a gargoyle.”

“You’re an ass,” Daisy growled, reaching out and putting her hand on Roman’s back as the bartender slid two bottles across the bar. “Just because you can’t remember him doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist.”

“We’ve scoured the city for this man, Daisy,” Leo explained slowly, as if he thought Daisy was an idiot, or worse, insane. “There’s no trace of him.”

“Did you listen to my words?” she bit out, her silver eyes flashing with fury. “He exists but you never remember him.”

“Daisy,” Roman whispered against her ear as he handed her one of the beers. “He’s not going to remember.”

“Remus!” Leo said, delighted surprise in his voice as he held out his arm and shook Roman’s hand. “It’s good to see you, man. What are you doing in Saint Paul?”

Daisy’s jaw had dropped to her chest as she stared at Leo in horror. Gently, Roman pushed her mouth shut and grunted, “Leo. I was just leaving.”

“Wait!” Leo called out. “Why don’t you come up to the castle and say hello to everyone.”

“Tomorrow,” Roman said, sad even though he had known what to expect. No, it was worse because he looked like Remus and the recognition made the forgetting that much more painful. Wrapping his arm around Daisy’s shoulders, he led her away from Leo, knowing he was already forgotten.

Absently, Daisy took a drink of the beer and quickly spit it back into the bottle. Coming out of the daze, she looked at the bottle she held in her hand and scowled, “Yuck.”

Despite the misery eating at his gut, Roman chuckled, “Sorry. I didn’t know you don’t like beer.”

“It’s an acquired taste,” she said, setting the bottle down on a table that looked like it was ready to be cleared. “One that I’ve yet to acquire. But when I do, it’s going to be beer that the pack brews and nothing else.”

“Ah, so you’re a beer snob despite the fact you don’t drink beer,” he grinned, the tightness in his chest easing as he sat down in a booth and pulled Daisy in after him.

“And proud of it,” she grinned. Leaning against him, pressing her lips against his ear, she asked, “Do you want to get out of here?”

He was sorely tempted to throw the beer, toss her over his shoulder, and bolt. Turning his head so he was looking at her, he murmured, “No. We’ll stay a little longer.”

Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she asked, “Does anyone else forget you or is it just your brothers?”

“It’s only my brothers,” he answered. The disappointment in her eyes worried him and so cautiously, he asked, “Why?”

“Well, if everyone else forgot you, I was thinking….” Her words trailed off as a blush stole over her face and she looked away. Subtly, she dragged her hand down the front of his body, over the length of his erection, and cupped his heavy sac. “But if you’re not forgettable, it’s probably not a good idea.”

He put his hand over hers and thrust against the heavenly touch, basking in the bliss that was pulsing along his cock. Prying her hand away, he had to clear his throat several times before he was able to say, “Yeah, that’s probably a bad idea.”

“A very bad idea,” she exhaled theatrically, her eyes sparkling as she pressed her breasts against his arm and placed her hand on his stomach, threatening to unman him in the booth.

Having been starved for attention for nearly two thousand years, his cock was more than eager to play along. Unfortunately, while his brothers wouldn’t remember him, they
would
remember Daisy. Even now, Leo’s eyes were on Daisy. Roman wondered what it had to be like to see a girl flirting with someone and then only remembering the girl. They probably thought Daisy was insane with an imaginary boyfriend.