He kissed her, and everything – his love, his devotion, his soul – was in that kiss, hers for the taking.
They strained against each other, their bodies eager for a continuation of the pleasure of the night before. He stroked over her round, firm bottom and squeezed. She broke off the kiss, laughing and blushing. “I’m a little too sore for anything right now.”
Instantly he sat up. “What do you need?”
She grabbed his arm, bringing him down. “I need you to cuddle me. Unless gargoyle males have as much a problem with that as human males apparently do.”
“I do not ask my fellow warriors such things, but I always wish to be surrounded with you.”
She cuddled against his shoulder. “Tell me a secret.”
You are my queen, you are my love, and I gladly leave my Clan for you. He said, “My parents loved each other.”
She raised her eyes to his. “That’s a secret?”
“Remember I told you that the Clan Leader does not marry for love, he marries the strongest female for the sake of the Clan?”
She nodded. “And you told me the first night that you inherited from your father your title.”
“In the Magic Realm, gargoyles were not one great Clan. There were several smaller Clans who were allies but did not answer to each other. My father was a great warrior, the Clan Leader of the largest and strongest of these scattered Clans. His Intended was the strongest, as was our custom.”
“And your mother?”
“My mother’s Clan was one of the smallest Clans. They were also a Clan with a greedy and unjust leader. His avarice caused the downfall of that Clan and the loss of many lives. The survivors sought my father to ask for admittance into his Clan.”
Larissa went up on one elbow to look down at him. “What happened?”
“My father told me he took one look at her and knew he wanted no other female. But she was not deemed suitable.”
“Why not?”
“Her mother was human.”
Larissa’s eyes went saucer wide. “Your mother was half-human?”
“Gargoyles can mate with humans, as well you should know,” he added, leaning up to kiss her where neck met shoulder.
She giggled, squirming under his mouth. “Yes, but I didn’t realize that there could be children.”
“Perhaps there is more to our origin myth than merely a story to tell around the fire. Any child created in such a union is born a gargoyle. While not common, it is also not unheard of for a gargoyle to take a human mate.”
The last humor left her face, and she worried her lower lip between her teeth. “But are such union s frowned on?”
“No more than a gargoyle taking as mate a gargoyle from another Clan. Until they prove themselves loyal to the Clan, they are regarded with suspicion.”
“But you said that your mother was not accepted as worthy.”
He brushed her long hair back, the multiple hues of blonde caressing his fingers. “What is acceptable for an ordinary Clan member is not always acceptable for the Leader of all. Is it not the same for humans?”
Her gaze lowered, her generous mouth turning down. “Yeah, I guess it is.”
He lifted her chin so she would meet his gaze. “My father defied his Clan and married my mother.”
Her expression could not settle on one emotion and flickered between hope and trepidation. “Were there any consequences?”
“My father was too strong for anyone in the Clan to take his title, but he was never seen in the same light again. When my mother died, he lost himself, for she was his world. That led to more talk about how he had been weak to mate with her. He died not long after.”
Larissa stroked his face. “I’m so sorry.”
He accepted her gentle caring and pushed his face into her hand. “It was long ago. But while I planned to return to my Clan’s tradition and mate with the strongest female, I never once believed when they said loving my mother made my father weak. I saw him with her. I knew better than anyone – loving her only gave him strength. I always envied that he could mate with the female he loved while I could not.”
“Then why go back to the old ways?”
“After the Great Collision, the various Clans needed to band together if we were to survive in this new world. This was not an easy process. While the Clans had always been allies, this did not mean the various factions were friends. In order to bring some stability to the Clans, I needed to make clear my intention of honoring the old ways.”
She stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers. “Like I said, a good leader.”
He rolled her over underneath him, kissing her. “Terak-”