Chapter Sixteen

Sabrina couldn’t believe the conversation they were having. Well, she could, and she did. As far-fetched as it all sounded, she knew in her soul Deacon was telling the truth. “I’m going to venture a guess that all the men coming and going from Jonathan’s room are part of your Clan. You said they were family, so that would make sense. And their women have accepted this bond? Joseph said I was already considered part of the family. That’s why, isn’t it? ”

“Yes. Once we find our mate, they automatically become part of the Clan as do their family. You will find the men and women who are mates are a tight-knit group, and you’ll have a new set of friends whether you want one or not. ”

“Men too? ”

“Yes. There are gay Gargoyles. Is that a problem? ”

“Not at all. I believe everyone should be able to love whom they choose without prejudice. And having a group of friends sounds nice. Especially if they’re who I think they are. Kaya, if she’s one of them, has already sang your praises and offered her friendship. It’s been a long time since I’ve had that type of closeness, and I’ve missed it. My life has been filled with work and not much else. ” Sabrina was excited at the prospect of having people in her life who were more than colleagues. She was nervous about Deacon being something other than human, but it also gave her hope for the future if what he said was true. Did she believe in the whole fated-mate concept? She wasn’t sure, but she really had nothing to lose by giving their relationship a chance and everything to gain. He was handsome and kind. He had shown her nothing but goodness so far. Both Kaya and Joseph had put in a good word for him. Kaya, the former chief of police, had to be a good judge of character, and Joseph... it was probable her boss was also a Gargoyle, and Sabrina held him in the highest regard. First, though, she wanted to see Deacon in his true form.

“Will you show me? ”

Deacon frowned. “Are you sure you’re ready? ”

“As I’ll ever be. ”

Deacon slid off the bed. “First, I’ll start with my hands. ” He held his hands out in front of him, and razor-sharp claws extended from his fingertips. As quickly as the appeared, they were gone. “Now, my teeth. ” Deacon opened his mouth and fangs protruded over his bottom lip. “Just so you know, if we complete the bond, I will bite your shoulder with these. ” He tapped one of them with his finger. “It will happen during sex, and I’ve heard it only makes the orgasm that much stronger. ” He retracted the sharp canines. “Now for my wings. ”

“You have wings? ” Holy crap. Those she had to see.

Grinning, Deacon rolled his shoulders, and a pair of leathery wings spread out behind him. Sabrina scooted to the end of the bed on her knees, wanting to get a closer look. She stretched out a hand, but Deacon took a step back, his wings disappearing. “Sorry, but we need to be mated first before you touch them. Let’s just say that’s more intimate than having sex. ”

“No one else has ever touched them? ”

“Besides my Clanmates, no one has seen them. ”

“You said you protect humans. From themselves? Or what? Who? ”

“I know you’ve heard of the Unholy. ” Sabrina nodded, staring at Deacon in his human form. “We patrol the city, making sure the Unholy keep to themselves. If we can, we arrest them and take them to the penitentiary. We have a special area we call The Basement where they are kept away from human inmates. ”

“And if you can’t? ”

Deacon looked at his feet. He didn’t have to tell her what happened to the rest of them. As a doctor, she’d taken an oath to save lives, but she’d seen the Unholy on the news. They looked like a science experiment gone wrong. Not wanting Deacon to have to admit to killing, she changed the subject. “I can’t imagine it’s easy to fly without being seen. ”

“It’s not. But living out in the middle of forty acres gives me the opportunity to do so. ”

That made sense. If Sabrina decided to become his mate, this house and all that came with it would become her home. It was farther away from the hospital than her own house, but living here with this exquisite male would be worth the extra drive time. Sabrina reached out her hand, and Deacon took it. “Nothing you’ve told me or shown me has scared me off. I’d like the chance to get to know you better before I let you bite me, if that’s okay. ”

“It’s more than okay. It’s not a decision to be made lightly. ”

“Then let’s get some sleep. If you need me to go back to the other room, I understand. ”

“I would love to hold you all night, but I’ll leave that decision up to you. ”

Sabrina patted the space next to her. She trusted Deacon to not bite her in her sleep. He said he would only bite her during sex, so she had to keep her libido in check and not give him a reason to attack her. Why was the thought of him doing so more exciting than it should be? Deacon returned to his original position. Instead of draping herself across his body like she wanted, she pressed her lips to his softly before rolling over away from him. He turned the lamp off and scooted so they were almost spooning. He didn’t touch her, but she could feel the heat from his large body. She should have been scared at having this creature at her back, but Sabrina felt safer than she ever had. Sleep didn’t come quickly. She replayed their conversation over and over. Images of his fangs, claws, and wings played out on repeat. Sabrina never would have believed he was something other than human had she not seen proof.

She thought about the other couples she’d met in Jonathan’s room. Those women had accepted their males weren’t human. At some point, they’d all had this same conversation, or probably one close to it. Deacon explained how his kind couldn’t be killed easily. Jonathan was an older man. One who was dying, so that meant he must be one of the humans who knew about Gargoyles. She had so many questions, but they could wait.

Deacon’s voice woke Sabrina the next morning. When she opened her eyes, he was standing beside the bed with his phone to his ear and a cup of coffee in his other hand. The smile he gave her warmed her inside. Garrison had never brought her coffee. He had expected her to wait on him, but here was Deacon. Their first morning together, and he was proving how different he was. Sabrina sat up and took the mug. “Thank you, ” she mouthed, not wanting to interrupt.

“Was there a card with your flowers? ” he asked her.

“Not that I could find. ” Deacon relayed her answer to whoever was on the phone. She took a sip of coffee and found it was fixed exactly the way she liked. How had he managed that?

Deacon stared at Sabrina while he listened, his face etched in concern. “I’ll check when I drop her off and let you know. Okay, thanks, Brother. ” Deacon disconnected the call. “That was Julian. He’s our expert on anything to do with computers and forensics. Paxton took the photo you found to him. He’s running the prints he got off it, but so far there hasn’t been a match. Did you notice the words on the back? ”

“Words? No. I kind of freaked out. What did they say? ”

“Find Crave. ” Deacon ran a hand over his short hair. “There was another letter at the end, but it was smeared. It could have been an R, but he’s not sure. Julian thought if the same person who left the picture was the one who left the flowers, there might have been a message on the card as well. ”

“The flowers should still be at the nurses’ station. We can check when we get there. ”

“I’m going to fix breakfast while you get ready. Anything you don’t particularly care for? ”

“You’re cooking for me. I’ll eat whatever you make. ”

Deacon closed the distance and kissed her softly. She hated that she had both morning and coffee breath, but he didn’t seem to mind. When he pulled away, Deacon ran a finger down her cheek. “I could get used to seeing you in my bed. ” Deacon didn’t give her a chance to respond. He quickly left the room, and his footsteps were loud on the stairs. She could get used to it, too. Did she really need time to decide whether or not she wanted a life with him?

Thirty minutes later, Sabrina, dressed for work, walked into the kitchen to find the table set with a full breakfast laid out for them. “Biscuits and gravy? Will you marry me? ”

“Any day. Any time. ”

Sabrina had said it as a joke, but the tone of Deacon’s voice was serious. He rounded the table and pulled her chair out. Taking her empty cup, he placed a fresh coffee in front of her before sitting next to her. She couldn’t remember the last time someone cooked for her. Probably when she was a teen living with her grandmother, and then it had never been anything as elaborate as what Deacon had whipped together in half an hour.

Sabrina felt a bit self-conscious about devouring so much food, but it was the best breakfast she could ever remember eating. Deacon continued to surprise her, and she was having a hard time keeping her hands to herself. Asking him to make the bond official then and there. Not only was he handsome and sweet, but he cooked for her. Brought her coffee in bed. Did things Garrison never thought of doing. It sucked that she continually compared Deacon to her ex, but she couldn’t help it.

Deacon offered to drive her to the hospital, but she turned him down so she would have time to think without being tempted to touch him. He parked his truck in the employee lot close to her reserved space and walked with her to her office. She wanted to hold his hand but decided against it. They stopped by the nurses’ station where she’d left the roses. Deacon pulled the flowers out, looking for a card. There was one in the bottom of the vase, but it was soaked from sitting in the water. He replaced the flowers all while the nurses stared at him. Sabrina fought the urge to yell at them for ogling her man. She needn’t have worried, because Deacon only had eyes for her. When he placed his hand on her back as they turned toward her office, she heard more than one sigh. Deacon was that handsome, and if what he said was true, he was all hers.

“I need some paper towels, ” he said when she entered the code at her door before pressing her fingertip to the scanner.

“I’ll get those for you, ” she offered, pulling a roll from her credenza.

Deacon dried the card as best he could. The words were smeared, but there was definitely a note in sloppy handwriting. “I’ll get this over to Julian and see if there’s any way he can clean it up. Lorenzo will be here in a few minutes to watch over you while I check in at work. ”

“Do you really think that’s necessary? ” Sabrina hated taking Deacon and his friends away from their jobs.

“Until we find who’s watching you, yes. ” Deacon closed the door and pulled Sabrina into his arms. “You’re my mate, and the Clan will always have our backs. I’ve watched over other mates and their kids when help was needed. That’s what we do. ” Deacon bent his head and nudged Sabrina’s neck. “Gods, you smell so good. ”

Sabrina suppressed a moan. Being close to Deacon and not stripping him out of his clothes was harder than it should have been. She’d never been a wanton woman, but then she’d never encountered a man as sexy as Deacon. Male. Deacon was a male, not a man, and that made him all the more alluring. How many women could say they were in a relationship with a shifter? “Are we in a relationship? ” she blurted. “What I mean is we only started seeing each other. We haven’t had our first date, but it feels like I’ve known you forever. ”

“That’s the mate bond. We belong together. The fates don’t give us someone random to be with. They choose our perfect partner. Whether we just met or are together years, it will always be this way. And yes, we are in a relationship. One which will transcend time. ”

Deacon brushed his lips against Sabrina’s, and she snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. A knock on the door had them separating, but not before Deacon pressed his hand to her cheek. “You’re mine, Pretty Lady, and I’m yours. I promise on everything holy I will make you happy. ”

Deacon released her to open the door. Sabrina’s heart was still hammering double-time when a man almost as large as Deacon entered the room. Lorenzo, she presumed, made a fist, placed it over his heart, and bowed his head. “Sabrina, on my honor. ”

She wasn’t sure what to make of his words, but she’d seen the chest-thumping before. She chalked it up to a Gargoyle thing.

“You must be Lorenzo. I hope I’m not keeping you from something important. ”

“I assure you, there is nothing more important than your safety. ”

In that moment, Sabrina felt like she belonged. She had her work, which was life-changing and fulfilling when her patients beat the dreaded diseases they were struck with. She was important in the lives of those she helped, but it was short-lived. The patients went about their lives, forgetting their doctors and nurses. She was fine with that. But she was excited at the prospect of belonging to Deacon, and in turn, his family. She wanted the spontaneous lunches with his friends and their mates. Sabrina could see herself living in the woods with Deacon. Opening their home to the others for get-togethers. Adding her things to his and blending their lives. She looked forward to nights cooking together. Sitting wrapped in his arms drinking wine and sharing about their days.

“You okay? ” Deacon asked.

“Sorry. Just lost in thought. ”

“Good thoughts, I hope. ”

Sabrina winked at him. “Yes. Very good thoughts. ”

Lorenzo chuckled. “Do I need to wait in the hallway? ”

Deacon grinned and clapped Lorenzo on the shoulder. “No. I need to get going. I’ll be back later. ” He kissed Sabrina again and left her wanting more.

“Later, ” she muttered, turning her face so Lorenzo couldn’t see how Deacon affected her.

⇐ Предыдущая 16 17 18 19 202122 23 24 25 Следующая ⇒