Page 40

CHARLOTTE

We have three days of relative peace before Eloise comes knocking with an enormous book that seems to be bound in human leather. Julius, Marcus, and Atlas, who have become planets orbiting around me, lead us into the sitting room with promises of snacks and space so that we can talk.

Eloise gives Atlas, in particular, a strange look as he leaves us alone.

“That one has always been a lot to handle. It’s good to see you’ve taken him in hand.”

I sputter at Eloise’s choice of words and give her a “what did you just say” look, to which she replies with a shrug.

“I’ve found something I think is interesting. These are records of magic users born on the Isles from the eighteenth century forward. I believe I’ve found your parents,” she says, opening the book.

My stomach sinks.

“My parents weren’t that old when they passed or when they had me.” I fiddle with my fingers. I’ve gotten a little better with the biting, but the urge still hits hard when stress mounts.

“Witches don’t age in the same ways that mortals do.

We are not immortal creatures, but we can come damn close if we have potent enough lineage.

” She lays the book on a small side table that groans under the weight of the tome.

“I’ve found the marriage record of one Collum Ryan and Gwyneth Hawthorn.

Your parents had similar names, if I’m not wrong. ”

“Cal Ryan and Gwen Ryan.” I bite my lip, a flush of annoyance rising up and making my cheeks pink. I feel like an idiot.

“I knew it.” Eloise tuts, pointing to the crossing of two heavy red lines on a twisted tree that seems to span many pages.

“It was a grand marriage, quite the thing back in the day. I didn’t bother to attend.

Other shit needed to get done, but it was a big to-do,” she says with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“So my parents were hundreds of years old when they had me?” I blanch.

“Apparently so. There is little record after the marriage, but I don’t see it as out of the realm of possibility for them to move to America and birth a child. Seems par for the course for those of the old blood, planting roots on new lands and all.”

I wilt back into my seat, a groan slipping out of my lips with my heavy exhale.

“Not what I expected,” I admit.

“With the powers you seem to possess, it seems like just the thing.” Eloise nods, looking over me appraisingly. “And it seems you have strong mates. They will be a good temper to your magic.”

“I’m really…confused.” I let out a shaky laugh.

“Don’t be, Charlotte. You have your entire life to look through this damned book if you’d like. It’s of no use to me anymore.” She pats the heavy cream pages of the strange book. “It will be of much more use to you, seeing as I don’t have powers to control the weather.”

“I can’t really control the weather,” I grumble.

“Those lightning hearts in the sky some days back weren’t you?” Eloise crosses her arms over her chest, smirking at me.

My face burns instantly, the tips of my ears growing hot in the same breath. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Even so”—she gestures to the book—“this will help you learn, and you can always come and ask us old witches questions, but this is all on the lot of you now.”

The door creaks open slowly, and I whip my head toward it to see who is coming in. I’m startled to see the one gargoyle who has been actively avoiding all of us far more successfully than I would like to admit.

“Darius.” I shoot out of my seat and rush over to him. I grab one of his hands, hoping that if I have hold of him, he won’t run. “We need to talk.”

Darius glances past me into the room at Eloise. He gives her a small nod of acknowledgment before meeting my eyes. He looks paler than normal, and my stomach twists in knots. His expression is not impassive in the slightest. He looks sick at the prospect of speaking with me.

“What can I help you with, Charlotte?” he asks, voice all calm, cool, and collected.

Behind us, Eloise rises and leaves the sitting room through a small side door, leaving me alone with my alpha mate.

“Eloise told me a bit about my parents. Apparently they were old too.” I laugh, the sound once again mildly hysterical. “And they had a lot of power, and my mates are supposed to help me temper the power.”

He stiffens at the words but pulls me deeper into the room, sitting me in the same tall wingback chair I’ve since learned he prefers. He doesn’t speak again until he has tucked me in with a blanket Julius made for me.

“I can’t.”

“Why can’t you?”

“I’m not a good alpha.” His voice goes soft, eyes turning glassy.

“I’ve abused my powers as the alpha and made my nest-mates distrust me.

I won’t allow the same thing to happen with you.

” He takes both of my hands and kisses each of my knuckles.

“My sweet mate, I won’t ever have you believe I’ve taken advantage of you. ”

My mouth flaps open and closed, unable to form words as my mind races. I repeat his words over and over in my head. I can see it, just the barest bit, and he’s being way too shitty to himself.

“Stop that,” I finally say.

“Stop?” Darius asks, sinking to his knees beside my chair, still holding my hands reverently. “I’m doing this for you, for us .”

“No, I don’t think you are. You’re running away because someone pointed out a mistake you made,” I say, shocked by my brazenness. “Have you tried apologizing? Showing them it won’t happen again?”

Darius pauses, shifting his eyes down to my hands. He grazes his fingertips over each of my fingers as he mulls over what I said.

I huff out a breath, trying to loosen some of the tension in the room.

“You are so wise, little mate,” Darius chuckles, pressing delicate and sensual kisses against my fingers.

I can’t help but get a little hot under the collar of my new sweater. Julius made it for me, and the green is the same as his stone form. I’ve been wearing it any chance I get, but it’s not the most breathable piece of clothing I own. I tug at the neck, blushing deeply.

“I wish, I’m just…Charlotte.”

“Charlotte, Charlotte Ryan. Beautiful witch, excellent painter, with a beautiful heart and a clever mind,” he whispers, gazing up at me with lust pooling in his dark eyes.

My center instantly grows wet, soaking my underwear and possibly the crotch of my overalls.

“I have to say, I’ve had all my mate’s cocks, but not yours. My alpha has been staying away.” I tease him gently, pulling him closer by our joined hands.

He chuckles, breath shaking as his eyes rove hungrily over me all tucked up in his chair. “I’ve been wallowing in self-pity, I suppose. How can I ever make you forgive me?”

I pause and purse my lips, making a brief show of slipping one hand from his and tapping my index finger against my chin. “I think if you dick me down, then I’ll think about forgiving you.”

Darius’ eyes shine, and he grins at me, showing off more teeth than is polite. “Anything for my mate.”

In one swift move, Darius takes me into his arms, throws the blanket that was wrapped around me into a far corner, and shuts the book that Eloise had left open, pushing the table far away from us.

I gasp and clutch his neat dress shirt, ruining the perfect press of it with my sweaty hands.

Surprising me further, Darius takes a seat in his favorite chair and sits me on his lap, facing him.

“I think this is going to be fun.” He undoes the straps of my overalls with deft fingers and tugs them down to my waist. He lifts my sweater and T-shirt before ogling my breasts clad in a lace bra.

I’ve upped my game a bit at Kennedy’s recommendation. Now that someone actually looks at my underwear, I want to make it worth looking at. Kennedy nearly burst my eardrum when I told her about my mates before giving me a variety of websites that ship to the middle of nowhere in Ireland.

“Perfection in the flesh,” he breathes, pulling me close and kissing the daylights out of me.

His mouth is so hungry on mine that it takes a heartbeat for my mind to catch up. His desire melts me. I press against him, wanting every inch of him against me, inside me.

I groan.

“So needy.” He tuts, lifting me easily with one hand and jerking my overalls clean off my body.

My mouth pops open, forming a surprised O .

“Let me give you something, then.”

His dark promise makes me shiver and then moan as he lifts me all the way up so my pussy is level with his face. His tongue lashes across my sensitive flesh through the matching lace.

“Fuck!” I yelp, gripping the back of the high chair, nearly lurching forward and tossing myself over it.

His mouth doesn’t let up. He sucks on my lower lips, tonguing my clit roughly and making me wish I knew a spell to make the rest of my clothes vanish.

“Tastes like mana, the most heavenly dew,” he purrs against my clit, pulling another moan from me.

“Please don’t call it dew. I’ll take so many other words, but dew makes me feel like a leaf or something,” I pant, my brain cells trying desperately to get to work.

Darius chuckles and draws back from my pussy, glancing up at me. His mouth is wet with my juices, and his scruff glistens. Something possessive inside me roars in triumph.

My mate has my pussy juices all over his face, as he should.

“I didn’t mean to offend you.” He presses kisses to the insides of my thighs. “As distracted as you are, I think I’m doubly so.” He growls softly and drops me into his lap.

His hard cock jabs me in the ass immediately. He’s thicker than any of my other gargoyles, with a length that falls somewhere in the middle of the nest’s impressive endowments.

I lick my lips and grind against his slacks, leaving a huge wet spot as I leak all over him.

He grips my ass, rocking my hips over his length. His eyes lock onto the spot where we’re almost connected and shine brighter. His horns seem to lengthen, and his wing tips sharpen into clawlike hooks, his face taking on sharper and more monstrous angles.

He’s still hot as sin but much more gargoyle than before.

“Whoa,” I moan.

“You make me want to lose all my control. You are everything,” Darius growls, tearing my panties away with a flick of his lengthened claws.

He jerks his zipper down and frees his impressive cock.

I have one second to gape at the twisting pattern that makes up the shaft of his cock before he plunges inside me. My eyes roll to the back of my head, and a desperate, wanting moan punches out of me.

My alpha pounds into me from below, owning my pussy with his monstrous cock. His claws dig into the flesh of my ass, and the prick of pain makes my skin break out in goose bumps.

“Yes, Darius, so good,” I cry, trying to move my hips with him, to ride his cock as much as he’s fucking into me.

“My mate, my delicious little witch.” He nips at my collarbones, canine teeth sharp and pricking at my tender skin.

“Yours, I belong to your nest,” I gasp, knowing what words really set my gargoyles off now.

Darius grunts, fucking me harder, his cock swelling with his approaching climax.

I slip my hand between our bodies and rub my clit harshly, trying to build myself up faster. My breaths come out in ragged pants as my alpha uses me so well.

“You may belong to the nest, but it’s my cum as the alpha that will let our magic claim you as our mate,” he purrs, the darkness of his tone only making the words sexier.

“Please, harder. Darius, fuck me harder,” I beg, my hand finding the perfect tempo to match his pounding.

He bares his sharp teeth at me, eyes flashing, and my whole body tingles as he uses magic to fuck me faster and harder.

I explode on his cock, and the scream that tears out of me rattles the windows of the castle. My magic lashes out and is met by him, them . Their magic tangles around mine like cords.