“Templeton let go. Elise is the only one holding on to who she truly is. It’s going to be lonely for her,” I said, pulling off my ankle boots. I shimmied out of my fishnet stockings and draped them over the back of my vanity chair. “I feel so guilty. I’ve tried so hard, but...”
Kipa wrapped his arms around my waist, leaning against me as he kissed the back of my head. “Is it possible there is no curse-breaker? Are some curses irrevocable?”
I rested my head against his chest. “I don’t know. I suppose there are some that can’t be reversed. I feel so bad for them—especially for Elise. Should I just tell her that I found out it can’t be reversed? Give her closure and let her go into her ferret? Is it wrong to keep hope alive? It’s been so long.”
“I can’t answer that,” Kipa said, spinning me around. “I can’t make that choice. All I can do is support you in whatever way you need. I’ll back you in whatever you choose to do.”
I thought about it for a moment, then slowly shook my head. “I can’t lie to her, not even to give her some sense of closure. I can’t stop looking until I know it’s too late.” My sight blurred as tears welled up. I could handle the nastiest of monsters. I could handle death. But when it came to the innocent—to those who didn’t deserve the shit that happened to them—it always hit home and made me want to cry.
Kipa gathered me up in his arms and carried me to the bed, where he laid me down. I let out a soft breath as he slid off his shirt, then his jeans. His cock rose erect as he watched me. He closed his fist around his shaft and squeezed, and I shuddered, leaning back to spread my legs.
“I want you,” I whispered. “I need you now.” I slid my hands over my breasts, squeezing them and then pushing them together as Kipa’s breath quickened. I was such a tangle of sorrow and desire that it was hard to separate the two.
“Close your eyes,” Kipa ordered. “Stay still.”
I did, welcoming the velvet darkness that surrounded me when I obeyed. As I lay there, he began to stroke me with his tongue. I caught my breath, trying to keep from moving. Ripples of desire raced through me, sparking the fire between my legs. It raced through my body, from head to toe, awakening every fiber of my being. Shivering, I let out a soft moan.
“Quiet,” he said, his voice strong and commanding.
I held my cries in, trying not to break the growing silence. I jumped as he lowered his head between my thighs and began to lick, circling my sex, playfully nipping. Before I could sink into the sensation, he slid his fingers inside me, and I tightened around them, gasping as he began to thrust with them, teasing me higher.
“You’re wet,” he whispered. “Do you want me?”
I nodded, biting my lip, trying to keep from crying out.
“Then speak. You want my cock deep inside you, girl?”
“Yes,” I tried to control my breathing. His musk filled my senses. All I could think about was Kipa and his cock, I wanted to ride the wolf.
“Come inside me,” I whispered. “Please. Please come inside.”
“You need a good fuck?” Again, his voice bordered on the feral, and I could feel his inner wolf breaking through to claim me. “Tell me, should I fuck you? Should I mark you as mine?”
I opened my eyes to find him staring at me with ragged lust. He let out a growl as a wicked smile crossed his lips.
“Fuck me, my Lord of the Wolves. I need you.” I threw my arms around his waist, trying to pull him down into me. “I’m yours—only yours.”
Kipa laughed, feral and wild. “Then open yourself to me—body and soul.”
I thrust upward as he plunged, driving himself deep inside me, filling me with every inch. Squirming, I groaned, grinding against him as he lowered his head to take my breast in his mouth. Every touch was fire. Every touch was a spark, lighting the kindling until it caught hold, eclipsing everything else. As he penetrated every corner of my being, I let go and began to soar. And together, we blazed through the night, my sadness vanishing in a sea of passion.
Morning came, and Kipa was already up and making breakfast when I woke. I took a shower, then—after a glance at the weather forecast—found a simple knit dress that was still goth-cute. Black with grommets and buckles on the shoulders and sides below the bust, the dress also had a corset-top with laces. But it was cool and lightweight, and I wouldn’t fry in it. We were supposed to hit the mid-eighties today, which I wasn’t looking forward to.
I put on my makeup—heavy eyeliner and shadow, and pale lips—and brushed my hair back. But it was so warm, I decided to pull it up into a high ponytail. It fell to my waist, a deep brunette with purple streaks. My birthmarks on my arms were showing, but they were beautiful and I seldom ever tried to hide them.
Raj was waiting for me to turn on the TV. I had the feeling his former addiction was two shakes away from returning, but right now I didn’t have the heart to squash his excitement. He so loved his ‘TV friends’ and, even though we’d had several discussions about how they were make-believe, and that it was okay to love them but we needed to understand the difference between fiction and reality, it never seemed to fully click. To him, they were real, and he laughed when they had fun, and he mourned when they were hurt or got into trouble.
Raj had several powers, but they seldom emerged. I had thought being around Väinämöinen might help them emerge. But the ancient bard had told me that—with gargoyles—their powers couldn’t be rushed. Eventually, Raj might gain some control over them, but that was a long way off.
“Raven and Kipa have to go to work. If Raj is a good gargoyle, Raven will take him for a walk in the UnderLake Park when she gets home,” I said.
Raj danced around, almost knocking over an end table. “Raj loves walks. Raj loves the park. Will Kipa come too?” Raj had become bonded to Kipa over the past few years, though not anywhere as strongly as he was bonded to me.
“Kipa might,” Kipa said. “It depends on how work goes for Kipa today—but he’ll try. Now, Raj should eat his breakfast while Raven and Kipa get ready for work.”
With a butt wiggle, Raj obligingly headed over to his bowl and began to eat.
“You look ready for the weather,” Kipa said, giving me a kiss. “Enjoy last night?” he whispered.
