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I dropped some bills on the table to pay for our meal and took her hand. With a gentle tug, I slid my arm around her and hurried out through the side door. I didn’t know what or who was bothering her, but I knew I had to keep her safe. My mate.
Toni
I’d spied Jules in the mirror, and I’d been afraid of a confrontation. But he and his friends went to the bar, and I was glad enough to take Gideon up on his offer to leave. We slipped out the side door, unseen by Jules, and I let out a sigh of relief. The spring night was cool, but not uncomfortable especially with Gideon’s huge arm wrapped around me. For a gargoyle, he seemed to run hot, and I found I didn’t mind at all. There was something comfortable about Gideon, as if we were meant to be. I chuckled to myself. Witches marry witches, Nevaeh’s voice echoed in my head, and I pushed it away. I wasn’t marrying anyone. This was just fun. At least for tonight, I’d put all the witch politics out of my mind.
The moon glowed brightly above us, competing with the street lights. The buildings rose around us, and the street was full of people. Several bars were open late, and the college students took advantage. Gideon and I strolled down the sidewalk.
A group of guys, singing a drunken song, stumbled toward us. They leered at me, and I scowled back at them. One tripped over his own feet and barrelled toward me. Gideon pulled me away, spinning so that the drunk guy hit his back instead.
“Are you okay?” He gazed down at me intently, his eyes dark pools in his face.
I ducked my chin. “I’m fine.”
“Okay,” he breathed but he didn’t let me go.
I nibbled at my lip. “Shall we go to the park? It’ll be quieter.”
The paths were lit by small lamps, but there weren’t many others out for a stroll. Most were couples like us, just looking for some privacy. I supposed I should have been more careful. We barely knew one another, but now that I’d escaped my ex twice in one day, I was feeling brave.
Once we were alone, I took his hand and pulled him off the path into the trees. No one could see us from the path, but there was enough light that we could still see each other clearly. I turned to him, butterflies rolling in my stomach. I shouldn’t ask, I knew that it wasn’t polite, but I couldn’t help myself. Intrigue was claiming me.
I met his gray eyes. “Can I see your form?”
His eyebrow lifted. “My true form?” He hadn’t let go of my hand but kept his arm wrapped around it.
I nibbled at my lip and nodded. I couldn’t help being curious. I’d never seen a gargoyle before, and I had a feeling he’d be even more devastatingly good-looking than he was in his glamour.
“Okay,” he said.
My breath caught in my throat as he shimmered and changed. The jeans and tee disappeared. Huge wings appeared and curled around us, shielding us from the rest of the world. He wore a cloth vest and gray sweatpants, but his feet were bare in the budding spring grass. The sweatpants didn’t leave much to the imagination about the size of his cock, and I swallowed nervously. I’d never been with anyone so large. Forcing my gaze up, I ran it over his chest, which was massive, nearly bursting from his clothes, with muscles that made me want to touch them. Warmth curled in my gut.
I couldn’t resist stepping closer and running my hand along his chin. His head was the same with the same face structure and hair, but there was a slightly grayer tone to his skin. “You’re beautiful,” I whispered.
He chuckled, warm and low in his throat.
My cheeks heated. I was the one who’d wanted a one-night-stand to help me forget Jules and my stupid family, and I was acting like I’d never done it before.
He leaned down, brushing his lips across my forehead. “As are you.”
I leaned in and lay my cheek against his muscled chest. His arms came around me, and I could feel the connection unfurling between us. I’d never felt so safe before. Especially after the incident with Jules, I had a hard time trusting guys, but I trusted Gideon instinctively. He’d protect me no matter what. Was this part of him being a bodyguard? He just had the right aura. I smiled.
“I always wondered what it’d be like to fly,” I murmured, and reaching up, I stroked my fingers along the edge of his wing and he groaned into my hair. A sensitive spot I guessed, and did it again.
“Don’t witches have brooms?” Gideon asked, his voice husky.
“Not all of us,” I said. My coven didn’t allow the use of brooms until after a witch turned twenty-five. I swore it was just a method of control, but they claimed it was for our safety. I shook away thoughts of the coven again. I wanted to be here, now, with this fabulous beast. “And anyway, it's not the same.”
He spun me around, and held me against the length of him, facing out. The length of him nestled against my ass and I let out a breath.
Then he leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Well, let’s go then.”
Before I could get out a word, we were lifting off the ground, his great wings flapping around us. We soared straight up, and I gazed down at the park’s lights that became smaller and smaller below. Wispy clouds tugged at my clothes, but the heat of him at my back kept me warm. Around us, the sky sparkled with a million stars.
He turned, and we were soaring across the town. The air flowed through my hair. I could feel the power of his great wings shuddering through me. The world was so pretty from up here, full of newly blooming flowers and sparkling lights. I was giddy with amazement. We crossed back to the campus and around the clock tower. I reached out a hand as if I would touch it. My heart hammered against my chest, and a gasp slipped from my lips.
Gideon spun us around and landed on the top of a building. He released me, and I hurried to the edge to peer over. A familiar yard stretched out before me with its arrangement of benches and statues. The science building stood across the way. We were on the library roof.
“I’ve never been up here,” I said, leaning over the edge. “Everything looks so small.”
