“Let me clean this,” I say, pulling the rest of the gauze off Jac’s chest. I half expect him to protest, but he nods and gets up, following me into the kitchen. I get the first aid supplies from the bathroom down the hall, and motion to the table. He pulls out a chair and sits.
“I don’t want you to worry,” he says, watching me tear open an alcohol swab. I clean the wound from the center out, and then cover it with antibiotic cream.
“I care, so that’s not possible.” I open up another bandage and press it to his chest. “I do think you’ll be fine. Healing while you sleep is incredible. Maybe I can work it so that aspect of the curse stays with you.”
Jacques doesn’t laugh, doesn’t even smile. He waits until I finish tending to his wound to take my hand and pull me into his lap. Straddling him, I wrap my arms around his shoulders and tip my head down to his, looking him right in the eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he says, and runs his hands up my back.
“Bullshit. I can tell.”
He presses his lips together and looks away, then brings his gaze up to my breasts, admiring them for a second before inhaling. “Hasan and I are in agreement about this,” he starts, and slides one hand under my shirt, needing to feel my bare skin on his palm.
“About what?”
“You are in danger, Ace.” A line forms between his eyes, and his jaw tenses. “There is someone or something out there who has gone through great lengths to hurt you. We’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
“I know you will.” I bring my arms up and run my hands through Jacques’s hair. “What are you getting at?”
“We’re strong as gargoyles. Able to heal from lethal wounds.” He closes his eyes in a long blink. “Even though we can’t be with you during the day, we both feel we’re better able to offer protection in the form we are.”
“Are you saying you don’t want me to break the curse?”
“Not yet. Hasan is a great warrior, and even he would have struggled against the ghouls as a human. We don’t have magic. Once the curse is removed, our powers will go along with it.”
“You’d rather stay like this than be human again?”
“For you, Ace, yes.” He puts his lips to mine, and the emotion I was holding back spills out. A tear rolls down my cheek, landing on Jacques’s chest.
“I can’t ask you to do that,” I say, lips still against Jac’s. “I know how much you want to be human.”
“You’re not asking anything. Let us stay as we are so we can keep you safe, at least for now. I love you,” he says, so softly I almost don’t hear him. “I failed before to protect the ones I loved. You asked why I became a priest: that is why. I won’t fail again, Ace. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
Another tear falls, mixing in with our kisses. I feel so much for him right now, for all the guys. They’re so good to me, I almost feel like I don’t deserve any of their affection. Jacques stands, cradling me in his arms as he crosses the kitchen and goes into the library.
Using his foot to close the door behind us, he pushes me up against a bookshelf and kisses me hard.
“My whole life,” he pants between kisses, “I wanted to find someone like you. I wanted to believe in the concept of love and soulmates and husbands and wives. I looked and hoped until my heart became tainted through the sins of those closest to me. And then I gave up.”
He sets me down and unbuttons my pants. My body is reacting to his touch and I’m craving more of it. But my heart wants him as much as the rest of me. I don’t want to just have sex. I want to make love to him, to join together and transcend what we feel.
“And then I met you,” he continues, slowly inching down my pants and underwear at the same time. His fingers brush over my clit and I bring my mouth to his neck, sucking at his skin as he fingers me. I step out of my pants, kicking them aside.
“I gave up on love too,” I moan. “I didn’t let myself get close to anyone because I was scared of getting hurt. You gave me no choice,” I say, tipping my head to his.
“Should I be sorry about that?” He pushes his fingers deeper inside, and my knees weaken.
“Not. At. All.”
I grab Jac’s pants, pulling them down, and drop to my knees. I take his cock in my mouth, sucking him hard. His hand lands on my head, fingers tangling in my hair, and he groans as I run my tongue up and down his shaft. I cup his balls, stopping only when I feel them begin to tighten.
Jacques picks me up and my legs go around him. The wet tip of his cock pushes against my entrance, and in one swift movement, he pushes inside me, pinning my back to the wall. My feet rest against his wings as he thrusts in and out, holding me with ease. I cling to him, overtaken with everything said and done tonight.
He comes only seconds after I do, and we fall back on the couch, both panting. We stay there, wrapped in each other’s arms, and my eyes grow heavy.
“Let me carry you upstairs,” he murmurs. “You have some time before sunrise to sleep.”
