Granite Kiss (12 page)

Glancing down, he watched her sleep. A moment later, her body shivered. Zander reached beside him, gripped the sheet and pulled it over Elena.

The warm breath from a gentle sigh caressed his flesh as she settled in.

Chapter 6

The following night as they sat down to dinner, Elena was unable to control her enthusiasm. Tomorrow was Halloween, and she was beside herself with excitement and anticipation. She loved to dress up in costume and sit on the porch of the old house where she lived, to greet the ‘trick or treaters’. She wondered if the guys would be interested in sitting around her place tomorrow night to enjoy the festivities.

Elena’s mind wandered to the scene people would come upon when they walked up to her porch to find six hulking gargoyles lurking in the darkness. The porch would be dark, and the old oak tree on the front lawn would offer extra shadowing. She’d light a couple of candles, and the flickering of the flame would help to cast eerie shadows around the porch. The beasts could growl, and perhaps aid in handing out the bags of candy she’d purchased.

Wouldn’t the kids love it!

Halloween would certainly be the one day of the year when the beasts could roam around and no one would give them a second glance.

“Hey, with tomorrow being the biggest spook day of the year, do you think we could wander the streets a while to check out the kids in costumes?” she asked. “It would be really cool.”

No one answered her immediately, so Elena continued to push her proposal.

“Then maybe we could swing by my apartment, because I have bags upon bags of Halloween treats to give out.” She grinned. When the six beasts exchanged glances, she decided to put her earlier thought into words. “Come on, it’ll be tons of fun. I promise you will blend right in with everyone else, no will even notice you guys are real gargoyles. Your ready-made costumes are truly amazing, you know.” She nodded appreciatively.

“I don’t see why not,” Adan replied with a shrug. “It sounds like fun.”

“I agree,” Magnus said. “It would be neat to experience the Halloween fun, up close and personal.”

“I don’t know,” Zander said. “We still do not know what the king is up to, and I am not comfortable with you being out in the open where he can get to you, Elena.”

“Come on, Zander,” she said. “He wouldn’t dare approach me with the six of you around. He might be a prick, but somehow, I doubt he’s an idiot. No one in their right mind would try something with me, when I have you guys for protection.”

“She is right,” Henrik said. “We will be there with Elena. What harm would there be in spending some time getting into the Halloween spirit?”

“All right,” Zander agreed after several moments. “We will spend some time tomorrow evening at Elena’s so she can hand out candy, and when finished, we will come back here to the penthouse.”

“Yippee!” she squealed and wrapped her arms around Zander’s neck. “It’s going to be so awesome! You’ll see. Tomorrow is going to be something truly special. Thanks, guys.” After racing to the kitchen to collect several bags of popcorn, she came back and plunked herself in the middle of the sofa. “Okay, it’s movie time.”

The group settled in the sitting area to watch
Nosferatu
, the 1922 silent film adaptation of Bram Stoker’s
Dracula
. It was Halloween Eve and watching the relic horror flick had been a tradition for Elena ever since her thirteenth birthday. Besides her love of the paranormal, Elena also enjoyed an interest in old castles. The manner in which the Orava Castle was depicted in the film always fascinated her.

The beasts seemed all for indulging themselves with her and her silly tradition. Henrik even disappeared for an hour and returned carrying an antique candelabra for added ambience.

When the movie ended, Elena stretched and tried to stifle the big yawn that snuck up on her. Since her arrival to the penthouse, she hadn’t gotten much sleep. Through the day, she stayed alert, spending much of her time on the terrace with the statues of the beasts. At night she grabbed a couple of hours here and there, because she didn’t want to miss a single moment of time with Zander and the others in their semi-human like forms.

“You are tired,” Zander said quietly.

“Yes, I am,” Elena agreed with a nod. “Will you tuck me in?” she asked with a grin.

“Of course, milady.” He chuckled.

“
Pul-eeez
,” Adan called over his shoulder as he walked through the open doorway to the terrace. “Will you two get a room?”

“Gladly,” Zander agreed as he scooped Elena up in his arms.

* * * *

Once in the privacy of her room, Zander wasted no time ridding Elena of her clothing. As he lay back against the pillows, he pulled her on top of him.

Settled astride Zander’s groin, Elena positioned herself so his length nestled between the plump lips of her pussy. The hardened tip of her clit stroked sensually along the underside of his shaft. In teasing circles, her full hips seemed to take on a mind of their own.

Her naked breasts bounced as she moved. Cupping them, he massaged and caressed, reshaping their ampleness as his need escalated.

“Mmm,” Elena purred as she rubbed the heat of her pussy along the firm length of his cock. “There are many ways to bring each other pleasure without penetration.” Her voice grew husky as she leaned back to settle her hands behind her on Zander’s thighs, pressing her breasts against the palms of his hands. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to feel you inside me, but I’m willing to wait until you’re ready.”

Oh the gods, Elena, I am ready. But I will cause you great pain if I enter your body.

“That is nonsense, Zander,” she moaned, as the motion of her hips grew more insistent. “My body is designed to give birth to a baby. I’m not saying this monster won’t cause a little discomfort at first,” she purred, as she wrapped her right hand around the head of his cock and began to pull on his flesh. “But it will be only temporary, I assure you.”

He tugged on the puckered rose-colored tips of Elena’s nipples while he continued to massage the supple globes with his palms.

Her cries of arousal were music to his ears.

“Oh, Zander,” she moaned. The pressure of her grinding against his throbbing cock grew harder as she used shorter strokes.

The attention he paid to her breasts rivaled the gyrating of her hips. To help his Elena over the edge to her release, Zander released her right breast and slid his hand down the soft skin of her belly to the hardened nubbin between her legs. Using the pad of his thumb, he pressed against her clit, and the movements of her hips grew jerky.

Zander held his breath, watching Elena’s eyes squeeze shut as her body began to tremble. A keening cry burst from her lips at the same moment his groin became wet. Hunching forward, she grabbed his forearm of the hand between her legs and rocked harder, drawing out the pleasure of her orgasm.

“Zander,” she whimpered breathlessly.

With little effort, he switched their positions so Elena lay beneath him, her legs spread wide as he settled his large frame between her thighs. Using a similar stroke to the ones she’d just pleasured him with, Zander slid his cock between her plump, damp folds, caressing the swollen knot of her clit.

It took only a handful of strokes before Zander felt his balls pull up tight under his shaft and begin to pulse. Jets of warm cum spurted from the tip of his cock to cover Elena’s belly and breasts.

She released her grip on his forearms and slid her hand between their bodies. Elena used her fingers to smear the milky residue of his passion over her flesh. Bringing a glistening digit to her lips, she licked her finger clean. Another finger took the place of the first, and then she sucked a third clean.

“I love your taste, Zander,” she purred. “You are more delicious than I’d imagined.”

Dipping his head, he captured her lips with his and tasted himself mixed with Elena’s flavor.

“Your taste is the nectar from the gods,” he said in a ragged voice.

* * * *

After their lovemaking, Elena and Zander lay snuggled in each other’s arms. Elena lost track of time and was pleased it was still very dark outside the window. Beside her, a soft snore from Zander made her smile. She found some humor in the fact that she tired him, as he did her. Exhaling a contented sigh, she laid her head on his chest and felt herself begin to drift off again.

“Aceline,” he whispered against the top of Elena’s head.

Opening her eyes, Elena lay frozen in place for a moment. Had she heard what she thought she’d just heard?

Damn right she had.

How could he? After what they’d shared?

Pulling away from the comfort of Zander’s body, Elena scooted to the other side of the bed. “My name is Elena,” she snapped.

Zander jumped as she flipped on the lamp on the bedside table. Confusion flickered in his eyes as he seemed to search her face. “I know who you are,” he said, reaching for her. “Come back here and get some rest, you are tired.”

“I need some air.” She jumped up from the bed and pulled her jeans on.

“Then we will go out to the terrace.”

“No,
we
won’t. I’m leaving.” She tugged her t-shirt over her head.

“Why?” he asked, leaping up from the bed.

“You called me ‘Aceline.’”

Zander stood quietly, appearing to be lost in deep thought. “Elena, it isn’t what you think. Please let me explain.”

“What’s to explain? You spoke her name in your sleep. Seems pretty clear to me. After all these hundreds of years, you are still hung up on a woman who didn’t even love you.”

“Aceline did love me,” Zander snarled, taking a step forward.

“No, she didn’t,” Elena stated in a firm tone. “When a woman loves a man, truly loves him, she doesn’t string him along–”

“You do not understand.” He continued to stalk toward her. “It was a different time then. She was a princess, royalty, and I was a lowly farm boy–”

“Oh, don’t give me that bullshit, Zander!” Now he stood directly in front of her and she felt herself shrinking against his threatening presence. Pulling herself up tall, Elena poked her finger in the middle of his chest. “A woman who truly loves a man will move heaven and earth to be with him. No matter the cost.”

“It was a different time–”

“You’ve been around a hell of a lot longer than I have, pal, and you know as well as I do, throughout history many a member of royalty has married outside of their class. Nothing stands in the way of true love, Zander. Nothing.”

* * * *

Zander knew Elena spoke the truth. He’d had a great many years to remember his brief courtship with Princess Aceline, and he had come to realize what they shared was not ‘true love’.

Unlike now, when Zander was first turned, his sight had remained intact during his stone state throughout the daylight hours, a cruelty inflicted upon him. The morning he’d been cursed, the king had placed Zander’s gargoyle statue form facing the garden which was Aceline’s favorite spot around the castle grounds. From his perch on the turret, he had been forced to watch his former beloved as she frolicked with the many suitors who had come seeking her hand.

For several months, Zander had been tortured during the daylight hours as Aceline and her gentlemen callers canoodled and groped one another, assuming they were hidden from watching eyes.

Zander came to the realization the princess had been using him all along as a means to rebel against her overbearing father.

The end of a piece of his torture finally came the day the princess married a prince from across the seas and Zander never laid eyes on her again. Only when Princess Aceline moved away from the castle, did the king have Zander’s sight taken from him.

Standing before him now, Elena stared back at him through the most beautiful cobalt blue eyes he had ever seen. They were more beautiful than those of Aceline’s, because within the shimmering depths of Elena’s, Zander realized Elena only had eyes for him.

Unfortunately, cursed to live his life as a gargoyle, he realized there could be no future between Elena and him. Physically, he could never love her as a man should love a woman. In his cursed form, his cock was so enormous it would surely split her in two if he entered her.

Zander needed to find a way to break the curse.