Page 17 of Dance in the Stones

“…think I’m completely insane for even suggesting…”

“Damon!” Redford’s voice finally broke through, and then he started laughing. Deep, genuine belly laughs that shook his shoulders, creased the corners of his eyes, and made absolutely no sense given the situation.

“I’m pouring my heart out here,” Damon said, somewhere between offended and confused. “What the hell is so funny?”

“I’m sorry.” Redford pressed his hand to his chest, still chuckling. “I’m truly sorry, I’m not…it’s not funny, it’s just…” He took a breath, getting himself under control. “I’ve known since we shook hands.”

The words didn’t compute at first. “You’ve known what?”

“That you and I are mates.” Redford’s smile was so bright. “The stones sang when you walked toward me. That’s how gargoyles know. Through touch and through singing stones.”

Damon stared at him, blinking twice before the words made sense. “You’ve known for just over a week?”

“I’ve known since the first moment.”

“And you didn’t say anything?”

“I was trying to court you properly.” Redford’s laugh bubbled up again. “I thought you didn’t know. That you were just being kind because your hound liked me. I wanted to give you time, let you get to know me before I dropped the mate bomb on you.”

“You…” Damon couldn’t form a coherent sentence. “You were courting me? By having me lug rocks around?”

“Well, not that exactly, and you did offer to help, but why do you think I kept watching you? Why do you think I memorized how you take your coffee? Why do you think…” Redford gestured helplessly. “I’ve been trying to show you I could be what you needed without pushing too hard.”

“I thought you were just being polite.”

“I thought you were just being kind to a stranger.”

They stared at each other for a long moment, and then Damon started laughing too. Because it was either that or scream at the absurdity of it all. They could’ve been mated a week before, but instead they’d spent that week tiptoeing around each other like idiots.

“We’re both idiots,” Redford said, echoing Damon’s thoughts.

“Complete idiots,” Damon agreed. “I’ve been losing my mind trying to figure out how to bring this up. I was really wondering what was wrong with my hound, because he couldn’t know for sure either.”

“I haven’t slept properly in days trying to plan the perfect way to tell you.”

“And all this time…”

“We’ve been dancing around each other unnecessarily.” Redford stepped closer, his dark eyes warm. “So, are you going to let me open that box, or are we going to waste more time?”

Damon’s breath caught. “You really want to?”

“Damon.” Redford’s voice dropped, serious now. “I stopped hoping for a mate centuries ago. Then you walked up to me, and my entire world shifted. So yes, I want to. If you’ll have me.”

His hound surged with joy so intense that Damon nearly shifted right there. Yes, yes, yes, finally yes…

“Yeah,” Damon managed. “Yeah, I’ll have you.”

He held out the box with shaking hands. Redford reached for it slowly, his fingers brushing Damon’s as he took it. The box was heavier than it looked, but from the moment Redford put a finger on it, the box started to glow around the middle. Setting it down on the counter, Redford pressed against the sides, and the lid came open – a lid that didn’t appear to have been there seconds before.

Inside, nestled on black silk, lay a thick leather collar encrusted with brightly colored gems of every color. The collar itself had no visible clasp or catch of any kind, but Damon knew from talking with his mated packmates that the collar would stay on with magic.

“It’s stunningly beautiful.” Redford’s fingers hovered above it as if he was afraid it would disappear if he touched it.

“It goes on my hound,” Damon explained, his heart racing. “When I shift back, it’ll look like a necklace. But right now…” He swallowed hard. “Right now, I really need to shift. Things might get a bit crowded in here for a moment.”

“Just do it. I can’t wait to meet your hound.”

With his mate standing in front of him within touching distance of the collar that would bind them forever, the shift happened almost without thought. One moment Damon was human, the next he was on four massive paws, his black coat gleaming as he shook out his fur.