Removing the Gargoyle’s Mask Read online

  He knew he shouldn’t have visited the coffee bar, but he couldn’t resist the allure of seeing his mate. He’d needed to see the human, smell him, assure himself that he still lived and seemed well.

  And tonight—oh, Gods above, the risk he’d taken—lowering his sunglasses and meeting the man’s gaze. What if he’d noticed how his pupils were slightly vertical, like a cat’s eyes? Not all gargoyles had pupils like his. In fact, it was very rare, and it was just one more attribute that set him apart from his human mate.

  As if he needed any more differences than he already had—turning to stone during the day, wingskins and bone-spurs giving him the ability to fly, claws and talons, protruding canines, pointed ears, and a leathery black hide.

  So many differences. If Raymond actually ever got the opportunity to have a conversation with his mate, would the human be able to accept him?

  Martin Beakman. Marty.

  Just thinking his mate’s name caused his cock to swell under his loincloth.

  Damn, walking away sure had been tough. If fact, it got harder each time he saw him. He wanted the chance to run his claws over the man’s big, broad shoulders, well-defined pecks, and cut abs. Raymond licked his lips, remembering the time he’d seen his mate without a coat on. Gods, the t-shirt he’d worn had fit him like a second skin.

  Raymond hadn’t imagined the blaze of lust he’d seen in Marty’s beautiful blue eyes this evening. He knew his handsome human felt the mate-pull, too.

  Gods, I hope it’s enough to help him get past my differences.

  Arriving back on his gargoyle clutch’s property, Raymond paused at the camera he’d disabled to hide his secret trip to the nearby town. He fixed the camera. After pulling his trench back on, he slipped the fake beard from his chin and shoved it into a pocket before heading toward the gardens. Slipping between a hedge, Raymond strolled casually along the garden path, heading back toward the manor.

  “Hey, Raymond!”

  The moment Raymond stepped inside the manor, he heard Cornelius’s call. Turning, he smiled at the slender rhino shifter. “Hey.”

  Cornelius sidled up to him and draped an arm around his shoulders. Together they started walking toward the dining hall. “You’re smelling a little horny there, my friend,” the shifter teased, his green eyes sparkling. “What have you been up to?”

  Raymond appreciated his marbled black hide, which effectively hid any blush that might stain his cheeks. He also knew his buddy didn’t mean anything by his teasing or his touchy feely-ness. Cornelius, happily mated with the clutch enforcer, Einan, was still an insatiable flirt…well, with some people. The cute shifter had managed to curb his flirting a tad since bonding with the jealous gargoyle.

  “Just took a walk and flew around a bit,” Raymond replied, being honest and evasive at the same time.

  Cornelius snorted, a winning smile creasing his lips. “And that turns you on, huh?”

  Raymond glanced around, making certain no one else was in the hall with them. Leaning close, he admitted, “I met my mate.”

  Squealing, Cornelius wrapped him in a tight hug. “Oh, my God! That’s wonderful! Who is he? Is he a paranormal?”

  “Quiet!” Raymond snapped, scowling at his exuberant friend.

  Cornelius released him and blushed lightly. “Sorry, just happy for you.” Then, he cocked his head. “Oh, I just assumed. Is it a woman? You know I’d be happy for you either way.”

  “No, it’s a guy,” he admitted. “He’s a human, so he doesn’t know about us.”

  At that, Cornelius’s brows drew together. “Uh, you know I don’t have anything against humans, but, um…” He nibbled his lip for a second, then asked, “When and where did you meet him?”

  Swallowing hard, Raymond glanced around again. Guilt flooded him, but he wasn’t sorry for what he’d done. Well, if he hadn’t met his mate, maybe he would be, but—

  Shaking his head, he cut off that train of thought and answered his friend. “You know that night Bobby bought lattes for everyone?”

  Cornelius’s eyes narrowed. “You mean that time two month ago when I was craving coffee so bad but couldn’t have any because I’m pregnant?” he asked, his hand coming to rest on the protruding bump that indicated an egg grew inside him. The rhino shifter loved kids and—since gargoyles could impregnate a male mate—couldn’t have been more ecstatic to learn he carried Einan’s child—although, even after two months, Raymond still thought the big enforcer remained shell-shocked by his impending fatherhood. Still, that didn’t mean Cornelius enjoyed the mood swings or pain that accompanied pregnancy.

  Raymond nodded.

  Bobby had brought a frustrated and whiny Cornelius a decaf cappuccino, helping ease the shifter’s craving. “Right. I ended up with a double caramel macchiato that blew away my taste buds. I, uh, put on a disguise and snuck to the coffee bar a week later,” he admitted. “Marty was there.”

  He moaned quietly at the memory, licking his lips and swallowing as saliva pooled in his mouth. When he’d walked past the two humans sitting at the table and realized one of them was his mate, he’d just about fallen over in shock. It had taken every ounce of self-control he had to carry out his plan. Namely, buy his drink and get the hell out of there.

  Two weeks later, he’d given in to his desire to see and smell his mate again. Now, it’d become an every other week thing.

  “Oh…oh, honey,” Cornelius murmured. He shook his head and grimaced. “I’m so happy for you and so worried all at the same time,” he admitted.

  “Me, too,” he whispered.

  His appetite gone, Raymond sighed with frustration. “I’m gonna go do some research on him,” he said. “I’ll see you later.”

  “You, uh, you want me to bring you some food later?” Cornelius offered.

  Forcing a smile, Raymond nodded. “Sure, yeah. That’d be great.” Giving his friend a hug, he added, “Thanks.”

  Cornelius smiled and nodded, sympathy filling his expression. “See you later.”

  Raymond made his way to his office. Shutting the door behind him, he swept his gaze over his computers and monitors. He smiled. “Just as I left you.” He hated people messing with his computers and knew a couple of gargoyles liked to screw with his stuff just to piss him off.

  Settling behind his computer, he booted up his systems.

  For the next couple of hours, Raymond searched the internet for the information on Marty. He’d learned at least one of his mate’s login names weeks before, but had been hesitant to use it. Except, now that he knew the human was just as attracted to him—well, when Marty thought Raymond was a human anyway—he needed to learn more about the human.

  Maybe I could sneak into Marty’s home and seduce him.

  Raymond snorted at that idea.

  Right. As If I know anything about seduction.

  Rolling his eyes at his own ridiculousness, Raymond went back to his search. He discovered the man occasionally enjoyed playing online poker. Texas hold ’em seemed to be a favorite. As far as Raymond could see, the man didn’t actually play for money…only for fun at several free sites.

  Before he could decide, his computer chimed softly. Looking at the corner of his lower right monitor, he noticed he had an IM. After double checking his firewalls, he opened the window and read the text.

  Sulu87: Hey handsome. U on?

  Raymond flushed. Several months before, he’d started cyber-sex with this contact. When he’d discovered his mate almost two months ago, he’d stopped, feeling as if it were cheating. Indecision surged through him.

  Sulu87: Miss U. Did I do something wrong?

  Damn. Raymond realized he should have given Sulu87 some explanation. Sighing, his fingers hovered over the keys as he tried to figure out how to answer.

  I’m here.

  Seconds later, the moving pencil icon indicated Sulu87 was writing a response.

  Sulu87: Busy w/ work?

  Yes and no.

>   Sulu87: What are you wearing?

  Raymond sighed. Yeah, that was why he’d liked this contact. He’d had a one track mind, not making small talk, just looking for release.

  I’m sorry. I’m seeing someone. I don’t feel right doing this with you.

  Although that wasn’t technically true, yet, somehow it was. He didn’t feel right getting off with anyone else now that he’d found his mate. Even if it was an anonymous online hook-up.

  Sulu87: Oh. I’m happy 4 U. =)

  Relieved, Raymond smiled.

  Thanks. After a second, he added, You looking for someone special?

  Sulu87: Thought I’d found him. He hasn’t agreed yet. Working on him, tho.

  Raymond let out a relieved sigh. At least he hadn’t really hurt the person’s feelings. That was good.

  I wish you all the best with that.

  Sulu87: Thanks. <3

  Shaking his head, Raymond closed the window and logged off that chat site. Next, he changed his boot-up settings to make certain he no longer logged into it automatically. Raymond knew he shouldn’t have started such regular correspondence with Sulu87 in the first place, but he’d been so lonely and Sulu87 always seemed happy to chat with him. It made him feel not so alone.

  A knock at the door had Raymond minimizing the windows he’d been using in his search for info on his mate before he called, “Come in.”

  Cornelius poked his head in through the opening. “Hey, how ya doing?”

  The door swung wider, revealing Bobby, the human mate of their clutch leader, the gargoyle Maelgwn. Giving him a concerned look, Bobby stepped into the room. “Are you not well or something?”

  The pair of men entered, and Cornelius gave Raymond an apologetic look. Raymond smiled back. He liked Bobby, but because he was their chieftain’s mate, worried if he could trust him not to tell about his potentially dangerous nocturnal activities. On second thought, maybe Maelgwn’s advice was exactly what he needed. After all, Bobby was human. He hadn’t known about paranormals until Maelgwn discovered they were mates.

  Wait, Bobby could probably give him great advice, too.

  “Come in and shut the door,” he ordered, waving his black-clawed hand.

  Between the two men, they spread out four plates and several tall, frosty mugs. When he took the mug handed to him and smelled beer, he lifted a brow when he saw Cornelius take a deep swallow of his own beverage. The rhino shifter rolled his eyes. “I’m drinking root beer. Relax.”

  Bobby snickered and Raymond chuckled.

  Raymond’s stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since right after waking from roost. After ten minutes of eating in silence, Bobby swallowed his bite of chicken salad and asked, “So, what’s up with you? Normally you join us for lunch these days,” he pointed out.

  Raymond nodded. Deciding not to beat around the bush, he blurted, “I found my mate. He’s human and I wanted to see what I could find out about him online.”

  Bobby shrieked excitedly, kinda like Cornelius had earlier. Yeah, finding a mate was a big deal for a paranormal. Since a gargoyle lived so long—sometimes even up to a thousand years—Fate granted each of them a soul mate. Although they could bond with anyone, only a fated mate’s life would extend to match theirs, allowing them to live as long as the gargoyle did—meaning they wouldn’t have to watch their lover grow old and die.

  “Calm down,” Raymond urged even as he accepted the hug from Bobby.

  Releasing him, Bobby sat back in his seat and grinned. “So, who is he?”

  “His name is Martin. His friend called him Marty.” Raymond sighed as he thought about the big, blond-haired, blue eyed man. Sighing again, this time with sadness, he told Bobby, “But he’s human and doesn’t know anything about paranormals.” He looked hopefully at his human friend. “You didn’t know about humans and you accepted Maelgwn. Was it…” He paused and shrugged. “What can I do to make it easier for him?”

  Bobby cocked his head and scowled, obviously deep in thought. Raymond let him think and felt grateful Cornelius—a normally chatty man—did the same. Finally, Bobby gave him a hesitant smile. “I think the biggest thing is that I had friends, people I trusted, that helped talk me through it,” he admitted. “I mean, Maelgwn saved my life from muggers, then we had this strange date where I didn’t actually see him but he took the time to figure out my favorite foods.” One side of his lip curled up sardonically. “Knowing I could go to my buddies for info on my mysterious savior helped a lot. Do you know if any of Marty’s friends are aware of the paranormal world?”

  Raymond grimaced. “Not that I’m aware of. I mean, maybe, but…how would I know?”

  “Well, then,” Cornelius piped up. “We need to figure it out.”

  “How?” Raymond glanced between the two men.

  Bobby nodded emphatically. “Can you hack into his credit card records? Where does he normally eat during the week?” Grinning, Bobby announced, “Cornelius and I will find a way to meet him.”

  At Raymond’s dubious look, Cornelius’s eyes lit up. “Absolutely. Even if we only know him for a few days or weeks, it’s better than not knowing anyone, right?”

  “Y-Yeah,” Raymond stuttered, not certain what to really think of his friend’s plan.

  “And in the meantime,” Bobby stated, “you should figure out his email address and contact him. If he’s been at the coffee bar each time you turned up, he must feel the mate-pull, too. Talk to him online. Tell him you’re reclusive or shy or whatever you think is close enough to the truth so you won’t feel guilty about it later.”

  “You think that’s wise?” Raymond asked. He’d toyed with the idea more times than he could count but had never found the nerve.

  “Absolutely,” Cornelius confirmed.

  Bobby nodded once. “Do it.”

  An hour later, at nearly five o’clock in the morning, Raymond stared at his computer cursor. Slowly, haltingly, he began to construct a simple message.

  Chapter Three

  By morning, Marty had convinced himself that he’d imagined the whole thing. It had all been a hallucination caused by too much stress, fatigue, and excessive horniness…yeah, that was it.

  Bullshit! You saw that man had wings and a tail and flew the fuck away!

  “Yeah, and that’s why I’ve had second, third, and fourth thoughts this morning, too,” he grumbled under his breath as he pulled on his t-shirt. “Damn it.” He rubbed his eyes, then ran a hand over his jaw.

  With a shake of his head, Marty grabbed his jacket and headed out the door. Time for work.

  A fifteen minute drive put him at the job site. He sat in the truck for a few minutes and stared at the two trucks parked nearby. Groaning, he slammed the palm of his hand on the top of his steering wheel, then climbed out of his truck.

  “Hey, morning, Marty!” Logan McByrne called from the porch. “Glad you could join us!” He grinned and winked. “Good night?”

  Shaking his head, Marty strode up the walk toward his best friend. “No,” he growled. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

  Logan’s brows shot up. The move tightened the scarring on his friend’s face. Normally, Marty hardly noticed the almost T-shaped scar stretched across his friend’s right cheek, from ear to eye, and up from the corner of his jaw. However, the way Logan’s brows drew up, then down, so quickly—his friend sweeping his gaze down over Marty—drew his attention to it.

  Marty also knew what his best friend saw—blood-shot, blue eyes and fatigue lines around his mouth. He hadn’t been able to do more than doze for a few minutes at a time before dreams of bearded men and winged creatures jerked him a wake. That fact left him both hard as nails and mildly disturbed.

  His friend’s hand on his shoulder drew Marty from his thoughts. Lifting his gaze, Marty took in his buddy’s concerned expression. “So, what the hell happened, man?” he asked. “Matt said—” Logan cut himself off for a second, a look of confusion crossing h
is features. It quickly cleared. Logan’s hand squeezed Marty’s shoulder once. “If this is because you were with a guy, you know I don’t care about that shit.” He shrugged, then added in a soft, yet harsh, tone, “It’s not like you don’t know I’ve done the same a time or two.”

  Heaving a sigh, Marty met his friend’s gaze squarely. “It’s not that, Logan. I really did just have a sleepless night.” He grimaced, then lied through his teeth, saying, “After leaving the coffee bar with Matthew, he went one way and I tried to find Raymond, but I couldn’t.”

  Logan scowled. “Raymond? Who’s that? The guy you’ve been meeting up with?”

  “Well, I haven’t really been meeting up with him as much as I’ve been stalking him,” Marty admitted. “I figured out his coffee schedule.” He shrugged. “I’ve been watching for him there every night since we had that meeting that one time.”

  “That meeting…” Logan cocked his head. “Wait, the one at almost ten PM about two months ago?”

  Marty nodded.

  “Did I see him?”

  Shrugging, Marty admitted, “Possibly. Probably.” At his buddy’s questioning look, Marty elaborated. “If you saw him, you’d remember him. He was the slender, bearded fellow in the black trench coat.”

  Logan rested his hands on his hips, lifted his gaze to the porch roof, and narrowed his eyes. Marty knew his buddy was really looking at nothing as he struggled to put a face to Raymond. When his jaw sagged open and his eyes widened, Marty knew Logan had figured it out. His suspicions were confirmed when the redhead incredulously asked, “Trench coat and a bushy black beard? Sunglasses?”

  “Yeah, that’d be him,” Marty affirmed, shrugging.

  Frowning, Logan muttered, “Look, I’m not one to judge, so—” He lifted his hand, then dropped it. “You haven’t been in a relationship in a long time, man, so if this dude makes ya happy, I say go for it.”

  “Thanks,” Marty replied. He wondered if his friend would say that if he’d seen what Marty had seen in that little clearing in the woods.