Stone Lover Read online

  Jenna’s words pinged off something within her, but Melanie wasn’t sure what it was, or what it even meant. Had her memories been tampered with? She turned her head and looked at the griffin; he didn’t seem to like her very much. He just seemed to… glower at her as if all of the troubles in the universe were caused by her. It was a strange feeling, being disliked by an inanimate object. She stuck her tongue out at him and let her eyes close, determined to ignore the taciturn gargoyle.

  “Maybe.” Letting the uncertainty go, she let out a long, lusty sigh, enjoying the feel of the sun on her bare skin. “Isn’t this perfect? It’s like my own private paradise in the middle of winter.”

  “It is pretty cool.” Rolling over and stretching her arms above her head, Jenna exhaled, releasing the stress of her conversation with Melanie. “I don’t know when I was able to merely stretch out and enjoy the sun. Whenever we go to the beach it’s with Ferris, I spend more time running around then relaxing.”

  Melanie smiled, not bothering to open her eyes. “I can’t wait to bring Ferris here; she’s going to love pretending to be a princess in an enchanted castle.

  Jenna laughed, “Sometimes I think she was meant to be your child, Lenni. She’s exactly like you, with her head stuck in the clouds and believing in magic.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with that.” With a sleepy smile, she murmured, “Nothing at all.”

  * * * * *

  “Un. Fucking. Believable,” Armand swore as the three brothers entered their apartment. He grabbed a robe and yanked it on, tying it and pulling it tight. Crossing his arms over his chest, he glared at Vaughn, “What the fuck is she still doing here?”

  Since Armand rarely swore, it was obvious he was extremely pissed off. His fury wasn’t enough to wipe the smile from Vaughn’s face, though, as he donned his own robe. He grinned, “You erased the memory of the wrong girl.” With a relieved laugh, he added, “It wasn’t Melanie you seduced last night.”

  “Get rid of her.”

  “No,” Vaughn rebelled. Tightening his jaw, he glanced at his brother, a wry smile curling his lips; he was not going to let Armand, or anyone, take her away from him. He had existed for too many years to give up something so precious. “I will not.”

  “You would bring about our ruin just to satisfy your cock?” Armand asked incredulously, spreading his arms out in aggravation. “There are plenty of women out there, Vaughn; you don’t have to court disaster because this one is a good fuck.”

  “It’s more than that,” Vaughn growled, seeing her in her peach bikini, her flesh warming to pale bronze before his eyes. The bikini only emphasized her lush curves, the body he had feasted upon the night before. “There’s something different about her….”

  Armand snorted, nodding his head to Vaughn’s burgeoning erection, which was tenting the robe. “It would be easier to believe that if you didn’t get a cock-stand every time you thought about her.”

  “So, she’s an amazing fuck,” Vaughn shrugged his broad shoulders, “I can’t help that she makes my body burn but there’s far more to her than what meets the eyes, Armand. She won’t betray us.”

  “Get rid of her.”

  “I already told you I will not.”

  “Trying to defuse the tension, Rhys said, “We should have invited women up there a long time ago to sunbathe; I don’t remember enjoying myself so much during the day for quite some time.”

  “Shove it, Rhys,” Armand growled, still glaring at Vaughn.

  “I don’t like it,” Armand said through clenched teeth. A muscle ticked in his jaw and his nostrils flared. “If you refuse to consider the danger to us, at least think about her, since you claim to want her so much.”

  “She has the protection of someone very powerful,” Vaughn said slowly, putting into words what he had only thought the night before. “A wizard or a sorcerer; possibly even a fairy, though that is unlikely.”

  “How the fuck did that happen?” Armand asked with just as much disbelief as Vaughn had felt when she had shown him the pendant. His hands curled into fists of impotent rage. “When did that happen?”

  “Yesterday afternoon, I guess,” Vaughn said with a slight shrug. “We didn’t do a lot of talking when I went to her room last night and found her still there.”

  “Obviously you asked a few questions since you know I cast the memory spell on the wrong girl,” Armand ground out.

  Vaughn’s lips curled up in a superior smile as he said, “When I saw her sleeping on her bed wearing nothing but her bra and panties I didn’t think to ask any questions; just enough to know you fucked up, Armand, and that she has a powerful guardian.”

  “Then what the hell did you do all night?” Armand asked in disbelief, wanting to hit himself as soon as the words were out of his mouth. It was painfully obvious that Vaughn had spent the entire night fucking the girl and learning nothing of any consequence about her motives or how much trouble she was going to be. Judging by his brother’s besotted expression, it was going to be a vast amount.

  Vaughn arched an eye brow, “I held her as she slept. And when she woke up, we….”

  “I don’t want to know.”

  “You’re the one who asked.”

  “I wouldn’t mind hearing a little more,” Rhys interjected.

  “Shove it, Rhys,” Vaughn and Armand said in unison, still glaring daggers at one another.

  “I thought her sister was beautiful.” Rhys ignored the growled warning. Leaning against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest, he smiled, “I think she kind of fancied me as well.”

  “You were a goddamned gargoyle, Rhys,” Armand said, not taking his eyes off Vaughn. “I doubt she fancied you at all.”

  “At least I have some appreciation of how Vaughn felt when Melanie touches him during the day,” Rhys grinned. “It’s indescribable erotic.”

  “Thank you,” Vaughn murmured, holding Armand’s eyes, not willing to be the one to blink first. “I had no idea that our stone bodies were so sensitive until she touched me.”

  “They’re not,” growled Armand with absolute conviction.

  “You’re wrong,” Rhys countered before Vaughn could. “I swear, when Jenna touched my face, I could feel it in my soul.”

  “Maybe it’s the girl,” Vaughn murmured thoughtfully, catching the thunderous expression on Armand’s face.

  “You’re both idiots,” Armand hissed. “You’re imagining things that aren’t there to justify your own loss of control.”

  “Melanie sees us, Armand.” He half-smiled at his brother, “I nearly laughed out loud when she stuck her tongue out at you, Armand.”

  Armand’s lips twitched but he didn’t give in to the urge to grin; it would only encourage Vaughn and his brother didn’t need any more encouragement. Instead, he turned his glare on Rhys, “And what the fuck do you think you were doing, growling because she said you weren’t totally ugly?”

  Rhys offered a sheepish grin, “It just sort of slipped out.”

  “Make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Armand warned, resigned to the fact that he wasn’t going to win this round. The best he could do was to determine how to contain the fall out when Melanie crushed Vaughn’s heart beneath the heel of her foot.

  “I can’t make any promises,” Rhys grinned, winking at Vaughn. Vaughn simply shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

  “If you insist on following this foolish path, we need to discover the name of her protector,” Armand ground out, ideas and contingency plans forming in his head. “We need to put a few more wards up to shield her humanness from the others and we need to be very careful to keep our… unique natures from her.”

  Vaughn flushed, “Um, she already suspects that we aren’t exactly what we pretend to be, that we’re not human.”

  Armand closed his eyes and took a deep breath, counting to ten before he could even figure out what to say to this latest disaster. His jaw ached from pressing his molars together. “What, exactly, did you talk about last night?” />
  “Like I said,” Vaughn looked away. “There wasn’t a lot of talking at all.”

  “I am finding that very difficult to believe since in the last few minutes you have made several rather startling statements,” Armand ground out. “First of all, I erased the memory of the wrong girl; second, she is under the protection of a powerful wizard or sorcerer, you’re not sure which; and now this. The few words you exchanged were pretty significant.”

  Moistening his lips with his tongue, Vaughn swallowed self-consciously, “And she saw me in my gargoyle form this morning.”

  Armand opened his mouth to scream but he was so furious no sound came out. Vaughn held up his hand to stem whatever admonishments Armand was trying to spew. “I’m pretty sure she believed she was still dreaming because she said, ‘Goodnight, Vaughn, love you.’”

  “She called you by name?” Armand managed to say through a constricted throat. “While you were a fucking gargoyle? Jesus Christ, this just keeps getting better and better; why don’t you just invite her to the roof while we’re changing, erase all doubt from her mind!”

  “It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Vaughn protested. If he could hold her in his arms he would know it was going to be all right. But being here, not having her near, he wasn’t so sure. Swallowing against the uncertainty in his throat, he murmured, “I am willing to give up my nights to keep her safe. To keep all of us safe.”

  “No, I will not allow it,” Armand adamantly refused. Forcefully shaking his head no, he walked across the room to the bar. Grabbing the amaretto, he poured himself a glass and took a long drink, letting the alcohol warm his blood as he closed his eyes, “You’re not going to make that sacrifice, Vaughn, not for a human, not for any human.”

  “It’s my decision to make,” Vaughn protested.

  “No,” Armand said with finality. Looking at Vaughn, then Rhys, then back at Vaughn, he said, “There will be no more talk about giving up your nights, either one of you. I am going to get dressed and hunt down this wizard. Don’t make things worse.”

  Armand left the room, leaving Rhys and Vaughn to stare at one another. Rhys smiled crookedly, “Well, that went well.”

  “Better than I expected,” Vaughn admitted, falling back onto the couch and letting out the breath he had been holding. It was difficult to shake the feelings of guilt that took hold during that brief conversation. He was an idiot, but he couldn’t give her up. Looking at Rhys, he asked, “Do you think I’m being a fool?”

  “Hell, yeah,” Rhys grinned, sitting down on the couch across from him and crossing his long legs. “But I saw her today and I think being a fool is the only way to go.”

  Vaughn narrowed his eyes at his younger brother, “Don’t get any ideas….”

  Rhys held up his hands in surrender, laughing, “I’m not, at least not about Melanie.”

  “That’s all right then,” Vaughn smiled slightly. “Did you find out anything about how she got a room here?”

  Rhys shook his head no, “Nobody I talked to knows anything.”

  Vaughn let out a long sigh, “Or one of them is lying; unfortunately we can’t go about accusing our guests of lying. Some of them might not take it so well.”

  “True,” Rhys chuckled. Wiping the humor from his face, he leaned forward and clasped his hands between his knees. “Do you think we should go after Armand, maybe ask him if he wants our help?” “He’s pretty upset.”

  “I know.” And that bothered Vaughn. He remembered the time when Armand had sacrificed his nights for some human and he remembered how it had turned out. He didn’t want to be a painful reminder of that time in Armand’s life but his brother had to know that Vaughn was going to keep the option open. Hopefully, he wasn’t going to have to resort to giving up his nights; after all, Melanie had the protection of a powerful wizard. Yet if it came down to it, he knew he would not hesitate; he would protect her no matter what the cost.

  Rhys studied Vaughn, the serious look so foreign to his usual expression Vaughn stiffened. “What is it, Rhys?”

  “I want you to be careful, Vaughn,” Rhys said softly, eerily echoing his own thoughts. “I remember what Armand went through and that girl didn’t have nearly the power over him that Melanie seems to have over you. What if you’re wrong about her?”

  Vaughn did not want to think about that possibility; the suffering Armand endured would be nothing compared to what Vaughn would suffer if Melanie proved fickle. Meeting Rhys’s eyes, he lifted his shoulders and let them drop. “I hope I’m not wrong.”

  The corner of Rhys’s mouth lifted up in a half smile. “I think that is what we all hope. You know Armand just wants what is best for us.”

  “I know,” Vaughn grinned. “But he is such a pain in the ass about it. Do you have any idea how thrilled I was when I learned he seduced the wrong girl?”

  Rhys laughed out loud, “I can imagine. I’m sure there was a great deal of relief as well; I know I wouldn’t want that bastard seducing the girl I was fucking. In truth, I’m surprised any girl looks at either one of us with Armand around.”

  Vaughn smiled in spite of himself, “I just thank the gods that Melanie saw me first.”

  * * * * *

  Armand leaned against the door of his room, listening to his brothers talking about him. He had to get his emotions back under control; Melanie wasn’t the same as Katrina. And Vaughn had to be allowed to make his own mistakes even if she was. If Vaughn gave up his nights for the girl and Melanie didn’t accept his gift it would be devastating but Vaughn would survive.

  Armand’s gut clenched at the thought and he curled his hands into fists, squeezing the blood from his fingers. He wouldn’t allow his brother to get hurt, not if he could prevent it from happening at all.

  When he seduced the name of Melanie’s protector from her, he would find the loophole that would allow a memory spell to be cast. If he could extract her from his brother’s life now, before it was too late, then maybe Vaughn’s suffering wouldn’t be so severe. Because if she was allowed to keep interfering, keep twisting Vaughn around her little finger, there was going to be no salvation for him.

  Determined, Armand left his room, avoiding his brothers as he made his way down the hall. He didn’t want his brother knowing what he had to do, knowing Vaughn would kill him. In time, Vaughn would forgive him; it might take a few years but eventually, Vaughn would forgive him. He just prayed he wasn’t going to make things worse; yet the thought of losing his brother to a… human was unthinkable.

  Eight

  Jenna left around three and immediately after, Melanie had hopped into the shower to get cleaned up. She wanted to look her best when she knocked on Vaughn’s door that evening to ask if he wanted to go out and grab a bite to eat, maybe see a movie or something, anything, just so long as they could spend some time together, with their clothes on. As much as she loved having sex with the man, she was desperate to learn everything there was to know about him.

  With a towel wrapped around her sun-kissed body, Melanie stood in front of the mirror, unable to wipe the foolish grin from her face. Humming to herself, she brushed out her long hair. She was loath to leave the humid warmth of her bathroom but she had to get dressed and all of her clothes were in the bedroom.

  She planned on wearing the outfit she purchased a few weeks ago when she was out with Vanessa and Frankie; a sexy, strappy red dress that hugged her curves. Before New Year’s she would never have dreamed of wearing something so daring but meeting Vaughn changed everything. Now, she knew she was desirable, at least to one über-sexy man, and really, one was all she wanted. With one last giddy smile to her reflection, she opened the door.

  “How did you get an apartment here?” Armand’s deep voice resonated from the entry of her apartment, making Melanie nearly jump out of her skin.

  Looking over her bare shoulder, she saw him leaning against the door, looking dark and brooding, his arms crossed over his broad chest. His eyes flashed green fire and the absurd thought that his eyes w
ere the same color as the stone in her necklace popped into her head. And she realized he really had pretty eyes, or at least they would be if they weren’t practically slaying her where she stood.

  Plus, he was standing inside her apartment and she hadn’t invited him in. And with only a towel wrapped around her body, a towel that barely covered her ass, she felt exposed. Folding her arms over her own chest, mirroring his belligerent pose and hoping her towel didn’t fall, she asked, “How did you get in here?”

  “Key,” he growled, pushing off the door and stalking closer, his huge body moving with predatory grace. He seemed so much larger when he was in her small apartment, so much more… daunting. But she still had that feeling that beneath his hard exterior was a nice, squishy center. Granted, right now it was really, really hard to imagine it, especially with the way he loomed, but it was there. He was trying to intimidate her by his sheer size; if he kept looming, it might actually work.. “Answer my question; how did you get an apartment here?”

  Figuring it wouldn’t hurt to answer his questions, she opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. Her brows pulled together and her lips pursed as she tried to remember. It was less than a week ago, only she had no memory of how she actually came to live there. Oh, crap; someone messed with her memories after all. Helplessly, she looked at Armand. “It’s the strangest thing; I’m… not sure.”

  Armand’s eyes slid close for a moment as a muscle pulsed in his clenched jaw and Melanie took a step away from him. Anger, no fury, emanated off him in waves. His wrath was a sight to behold but she didn’t know why he would be angry with her. She hadn’t done anything. Clutching the towel to her chest, she took a step forward and put a hand on his arm, “Armand?”

  Without warning, he tackled her, pushing her onto the bed and following her down until his body covered hers. Alarmed, she pressed her hands against his solid chest, the weight of him crushing her. With little effort, he grabbed her wrists in one hand and lifted them above her head, bringing his body even closer. She could see his pulse fluttering madly in the strong column of his throat; hear the harsh rasp of his breath. His gaze burned into hers, “Tell me, damn you.”