The Goat Farmer’s Guardian Read online

  Catching up just before he reached the back porch, Geoffrey stated, “I’ll wait out here.”

  Zander climbed the stairs and crossed to the door before responding. His hand on the knob, he told him, “I’ll be right out with some coffee.”

  “Thank you.”

  Once the door closed, Geoffrey tried to squelch the feeling that Zander wouldn’t come back out. He prayed he could trust his mate to follow through with his promise. Climbing the several steps two at a time, Geoffrey headed toward the chairs and moved to the one furthest from the windows and deepest in the shadows. He curled his tail around his left leg and, keeping his wings around his shoulders, he settled onto the chair.

  After a few minutes, where Geoffrey felt as if he could barely take a breath, he heard the creak of the door. He watched Zander exit his home and glance around the porch. Zander stared at him for a few seconds, then headed his way.

  “I, uh, realized I didn’t know how you took it,” Zander mumbled, holding up both mugs. “One is black. The other has a bit of milk. I like either, so.” He lifted his right shoulder in an uncertain half-shrug.

  Geoffrey smiled and reached for the mug in Zander’s left hand. He didn’t know which was which, and truthfully, it didn’t matter. He’d never really acquired a taste for the beverage, but he’d suggested it since he’d seen his mate sit on the porch and drink coffee more than once in the past few days.

  “Thank you.” When Zander nodded, then just stood there uncertainly, Geoffrey waved toward the chair closest to his own. “Please, sit. I’ll tell you anything you wish to know.”

  “Right, right,” Zander muttered. He sat, staring into the darkness for several seconds, then turned in his chair and frowned at Geoffrey. “Logan sent you to protect me from Juarez. Why would you do that?”

  Geoffrey felt his brow ridges lift as surprise filled him. What is the best way to answer that question? He took a sip of coffee to buy himself time and just managed to keep from wrinkling his nose at the bitter taste of the beverage. Not able to discern any milk taste, he figured he’d ended up with the black coffee.

  Finally, he went for blunt.

  “Well, my ex-lover asked me to look in on his friend, because he couldn’t say no to his vampire lover,” Geoffrey told him. Holding Zander’s gaze, he added, “A vampire has the ability to place a sort of trance on most humans, that way they can feed from a human without them knowing it.”

  Zander cringed. “Most humans?”

  “Yes, most,” Geoffrey confirmed, thinking of a police detective back in his home town. A rogue vampire had tried to put Detective DeSoto in a trance so he could drink his blood, but he’d failed. One of their clutch’s enforcers, Sapian, had rescued the human and explained paranormals to him. “There are exceptions to everything.”

  “Too bad I couldn’t have been one of them,” Zander mumbled irritably.

  “It’s rare,” Geoffrey assured gently. Then, he decided to add, “Besides, if you hadn’t met him, you probably wouldn’t have invited Logan up, then I never would have met you.”

  Funny how Fate works.

  “Why is that so important to you?” Zander asked, staring at him, confusion clear in his eyes. “Why are you even here, hiding out in my woods? Are you on watch for the wolf shifter pack?”

  “On watch?” Geoffrey asked, confused. “What do you mean?”

  Zander scoffed. “Please. I know the wolf shifters are watching me.” He frowned into his coffee, his tone turning cold. “Making sure I don’t tell anyone their secret. As if I want to end up in a padded room,” he grumbled before taking a sip of his coffee.

  “It’s the government we worry about,” Geoffrey admitted. “They know about us.”

  “What?” Zander gaped at him, his eyes large in his face. “Th-They know?”

  Geoffrey bit back a grimace, realizing he probably shouldn’t have shared that information this early in their relationship—hell, he couldn’t even call it that, yet. While Logan trusted the man, Geoffrey knew the shifter pack did not.

  “Yes,” Geoffrey replied. “At the moment, there’s a loose agreement that, as long as we stay in the shadows, keep our presence hidden, they will leave us alone.” He gave Zander a reassuring smile. “For the safety of everyone, human masses and paranormals, we’ve agreed to do our best to not reveal ourselves.”

  Seeing Zander’s frown, Geoffrey decided to get potential problems out of the way quickly. “I do, actually, give an occasional update to Abbott or his mate, Richard,” Geoffrey admitted. “And I know they don’t yet trust you. I’m sorry if that offends you.”

  Zander took another sip of his coffee and stared out at the dark expanse of his goat pens. He shook his head. “I understand why they’d feel that way. Are the wolves coming around? I’ve noticed my goats get worked up from time to time.”

  Appreciating that they’d moved past the human government issue, Geoffrey nodded and rested his coffee mug on his knee. “A couple of times when I’ve woken from roost, I’ve caught the scent of a shifter around. Pogue I recognize, since he’s the one who was watching you the night the vampire visited,” Geoffrey told him. “I don’t know the other I smelled, though. I’ve not really met too many of them.”

  When Geoffrey had told Alpha Abbott that Zander was his mate, Jimmy had grumbled, “Are you sure, this time?” Geoffrey had needed to explain to the alpha that he’d followed Logan to Oregon because he had thought the human was his mate. As it was, he’d just been infatuated with the handsome man. When he’d caught Zander’s scent, it’d been an eye-opening experience.

  “Right,” Zander whispered. Then, he looked Geoffrey’s way, his brows furrowed. “What’s roost?”

  “Huh?” Geoffrey’s eyes widened as he recalled what he’d admitted. Fuck! Finally sitting next to my mate is screwing up my common sense. Sighing, unwilling to lie to his mate, even if telling the truth revealed a gargoyle’s largest vulnerability, he murmured, “If you were anyone other than my mate, I wouldn’t answer that, Zan.” From the way Zander’s brows shot up, Geoffrey figured his own smile probably came across as a little pained. “I’m a gargoyle. Just as in the myths, we are stone by day and come to life at night. At least, until we’ve bonded.” In for a penny… “With our mate.”

  Zander cocked his head, his eyes narrowing as he peered at Geoffrey. “Mate? You mean, like Jimmy says Logan’s his mate?”

  “Yes,” Geoffrey confirmed, glad Zander remembered the conversation Logan said he’d had with the man. “Just like that.”

  Geoffrey watched Zander nod almost absently. He even took a sip of coffee. Then, his brows shot up and his eyes widened. Zander gaped at him. “You think-You think I’m your mate?”

  In for a pound…

  “Yes,” Geoffrey again confirmed. He’d mentioned it once before, but he’d figured the knowledge hadn’t sunk in. He’d startled the handsome human with his appearance, and Geoffrey didn’t know how much Zander would actually remember from their conversation in the goat pen. “You are my mate, Zander,” he stated, keeping his voice soft and firm. “It’s why I stay in the forest and keep an eye on your farm. I was waiting for, well…” He paused for an instant. Sweeping his gaze over the darkened yard, he searched for the right words.

  “For me to calm down, right?” Zander mumbled. He met Geoffrey’s gaze, a corner of his lip curving up into a smirk. “For me to get my head out of my ass?”

  “Uh, I wouldn’t put it that way,” Geoffrey quickly responded.

  His cock, which had never softened to less than half mast after removing his wings from around his mate, thickened at the thought of Zander’s ass. Geoffrey had watched his mate bend over and push the wheelbarrow on many an evening, his heightened eyesight giving him a clear view of his mate’s delectable ass. So many evenings, after watching Zander finish his chores, Geoffrey had had to jack off before continuing his nighttime vigil.

  “Then, how exactly would you put it?” Zander pressed.
/>   Geoffrey gulped, searching for words. “Uh, praying to Fate that I’d get an opportunity to speak with you.”

  “So, have you, uh, been keeping the coyotes away?”

  “I’ve killed a few,” Geoffrey admitted, surprised at the subject change. “Used the meat for stew and the hide for blankets.” Hell, he didn’t have anything else to do. Tanning the hides had kept his hands and mind occupied.

  “Are they any good?”

  Geoffrey rubbed his tail over his shin as he shrugged. “Not the worst thing I’ve eaten, but certainly not the best,” he told him. Focusing on Zander, he decided to continue the light conversation and grinned widely. “I traveled to Romania once with a few other gargoyles, so we could offer sanctuary to some gargoyles we heard were using a condemned monastery as their home. In thanks, they made their greatest delicacy for everyone in our group.”

  “I’m almost afraid to ask,” Zander murmured, a smile toying around his features as he lifted his coffee and tipped his head back.

  Grinning, for just a second, Geoffrey watched his mate drain the last of his coffee. “Well,” he drawled. “I’m never returning there because I don’t think I could down a second helping of bat brains.”

  Zander snorted and choked, his eyes wide. He managed to swallow his mouthful of coffee, then began hacking harshly. Lunging from his chair, Geoffrey patted him on the back lightly, ever aware of his gargoyle strength.

  “Damn, I’m sorry, Zan,” Geoffrey muttered. “I thought you’d swallowed.”

  Zander sucked in a gasping lungful of air before wheezing it back out again. His eyes watered as he looked at Geoffrey. “Y-You really—” He paused and hacked again. “Bat brains?” he squeaked.

  Geoffrey stopped tapping Zander’s back and left his hand on his mate’s shoulder. He rested on one knee beside the chair as he watched Zander struggle to suck in one breath after another. Guilt plagued him. He should have been more careful.

  “I’m so sorry,” Geoffrey repeated.

  “N-No,” Zander panted. “It’s okay. I, uh—” He paused and cleared his throat. After heaving in a couple more gasps of air, he grimaced. Finally, he rasped, “Got a sensitive gag reflex. Not my finest quality.”

  “Right, so no fucking your throat. Got it.” The random thought zipped into his brain and out of his mouth before he could stop it. Geoffrey’s eyes widened and he felt the blood drain from his face. “Shit,” he hissed. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  Zander shook his head as he cleared his throat once again. A snicker even escaped him, the sound, rough, but still joyful. “Geez, Geoffrey,” Zander muttered “Are you trying to kill me?”

  Geoffrey’s breath caught in his throat at the surprising sound. Still, he quickly shook his head at his mate’s words. “No, of course not!”

  Even more surprising, Zander leaned over, reached out his left hand, and rested his fingertips on Geoffrey’s knee. “It’s just something I’ve always had a problem with.” He grimaced. “You should have seen me trying to choke down medicine when I was a kid. Not a pretty experience.”

  Nodding, Geoffrey just managed to fight back a shiver at the feel of his mate touching him. He lifted his free hand and gently rested his fingertips on Zander’s hand, ever-so-careful to keep his claws away from his human’s skin.

  “Then we’re back to supper,” Geoffrey murmured, barely resisting the urge to rub Zander’s skin. He couldn’t pull his gaze way from where his mate’s thick, blunt fingers touched his own deep blue hide. “I’d like to feed you.”

  Tearing his gaze away from where his knee warmed under Zander’s touch, Geoffrey focused on Zander. “Will you allow me to cook for you?”

  Zander’s brows drew together. “You want to cook in my kitchen?”

  Geoffrey felt Zander’s fingers tense under his touch. There was a line here, something he hadn’t anticipated, but what was it? Just as quickly as the question flashed across his mind, Geoffrey remembered how he’d met his mate. Zander had been hiding in his own bathroom, hiding from a vampire.

  He isn’t ready for another paranormal in his home.

  “No, actually,” Geoffrey responded, hoping his ex-lover’s mate would allow him to invade his home. “I was thinking we could continue getting to know each other at Logan and Jimmy’s place,” he hedged. If he had to, he’d beg Jimmy. Hell, he’d promise the damn wolf shifter a boon, if all else failed. “That way we’re in a neutral environment with people you trust.” He took a risk and gently rubbed the back of Zander’s hand. “We can eat among friends, relax, and get to know each other.”

  Zander glanced down at his hand, as if just realizing Geoffrey rubbed his skin. He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing, then lifted his gaze to peer into Geoffrey’s eyes. “You, uh, you’ll cook us all supper?”

  Geoffrey gave a slow nod. “I will cook for you and our friends.”

  With the hand he still rested on Zander’s shoulder, Geoffrey squeezed gently. “Are you available tomorrow night? Will you say yes?”

  After hesitating for an instant, Zander jerked a nod. “Y-Yeah,” he whispered. “Yeah, I’ll meet up with you. What time?”

  “Well, sunset is at about seven this time of year, so how about eight thirty?”

  “Okay,” Zander whispered.

  Relief and hope slammed through Geoffrey. “Great,” he managed to whisper, his tongue tying, ceasing any other hope of speaking. Nodding, Geoffrey took a chance and slid his fingers around the hand resting on his knee. He lifted the hand slowly to his lips and kissed his mate’s palm gently. For just an instant, he gave in to desire and flicked out his tongue, tasting Zander’s skin with the tip of his tongue.

  Flavors burst across his tongue, his mate’s heady essence combined with musk and sweat.

  Knowing he needed to remain in control, Geoffrey released Zander’s hand and pulled away from his mate. Smiling, he managed to peel his tongue from the room of his mouth, so he could say, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Then, Geoffrey did the hardest thing he’d ever had to do…he walked away from his mate.

  Chapter Three

  Zander stopped his range rover in front of the home Logan shared with Jimmy. For a moment, he just stared at the small home. With the porch illuminated by iron sconces on either side of the door and the light shining from the windows, the place looked warm and inviting. Unfortunately, all Zander could think about was that he was going to have dinner with not one, but two paranormals.

  Sighing, Zander scrubbed a hand over his face. He didn’t know if he believed Geoffrey when the gargoyle said they were mates, but he couldn’t deny the odd fascination he felt for the creature. When he’d touched Geoffrey’s blue hide, it’d felt thick and a bit bumpy. He’d wanted to slide his fingers over it and explore.

  I’m so fucked.

  With that thought, Zander pushed his door open and slid from his vehicle. He made his way to the door, struggling to calm the beating of his heart. While Logan had visited Zander a couple of times, bringing Jimmy with him, he knew he still wasn’t what he’d call comfortable in the wolf shifter’s presence.

  Still, Zander had to admit, at least to himself, he wanted to see if Geoffrey really could cook.

  Before Zander even reached the door, it opened. Logan stood silhouetted in the doorway. “Hey, Zan!” his buddy greeted. “Glad you could make it.”

  “Thanks for having me,” Zander responded.

  When Logan stepped back, allowing Zander entrance, he moved slowly into the home. Logan gripped his upper arm lightly, gaining his attention. “How are you holding up? You okay?”

  Zander thought about that for a split second, then nodded as he shrugged. “Sure. Still, uh, acclimating, but if you can’t roll with the punches, you shouldn’t get in the ring, right?”

  Logan scowled. “Except you were dragged into the ring, kicking and screaming,” he pointed out.

  “Weren’t you at some point?” Zander asked. “And you see
m to be doing okay.”

  Lifting one brow, Logan tilted his head, conceding the point. “Geoffrey’s a good guy. Give him a chance,” he encouraged, releasing Zander’s arm.

  Suddenly, something Geoffrey had said flashed across Zander’s memory. “Don’t you mean a good fuck?” he muttered. Why hadn’t he put it together before that when Geoffrey said an ex-lover had asked for his assistance, he’d meant Logan? And why the fuck did jealousy rage through him?

  “So we fucked,” Logan growled, his green eyes narrowing. “So the fuck what? You ain’t no virgin. You don’t have room to talk.”

  Grimacing, Zander blew out a noisy breath. “Damn, I’m sorry, man,” he said, getting his odd reaction under control. “I have no idea where that came from.”

  To Zander’s surprise, Logan grinned widely and slapped him on the shoulder. “It’s because you’re mates and you haven’t bonded, yet,” Logan told him. “Jimmy had the same problem until he claimed me. Jealous as fuck.”

  “But I’m not a shifter,” Zander protested.

  Logan smirked, the twist to his lips pulling at the T-shaped scar on his cheek. “Doesn’t really matter who’s the paranormal. I was jealous when I found out that James had slept with Juarez.” His lips widened into a grin. “Being with your mate also makes sex great.” He slapped him on the shoulder again and waggled his brows. “Once you get your head out of your ass and you can look past the fact that Geoffrey’s something other, you’ll love it.”

  Zander growled, his jealousy flaring again.

  Throwing his head back, Logan laughed loudly. “Come on, tiger,” he teased, walking toward the back of the home. “Chows probably about ready.”

  His brows high on his forehead, Zander gaped as his friend. He struggled with his thoughts and his emotions. Instead, when he thought about how out of control he felt, rage quickly flooded him. Geoffrey had said he wouldn’t manipulate him, control him.

  Gritting his teeth, Zander strode through the home. He bypassed the living space and ignored Jimmy’s greeting when he called from the dining room. Instead, Zander spotted Geoffrey in the kitchen and stalked toward him. Even taking in the creature’s massive blue frame, folded black wings, and clawed hands where he held a spoon and stirred something on the stovetop didn’t slow him. Geoffrey opened his mouth, probably to greet him, but then he just stared.