Stone In Love

Chapter 51

The Atlantic took on the sheen of black onyx, which added to the creep factor as my demon escort walked me to the beach. My new wings commanded my full attention as they messed with my equilibrium, but I also had to focus on my taloned feet, which had me stumbling like a drunk. Would Christoph be able to carry me now that I had adopted my gollum form, or would I be too heavy and awkward? Unless he knew the terminus mantras, he had no choice. He was stuck with a flightless gollum. Although my initial objective for changing was to give me a fighting chance if I had to defend myself, I actually felt more vulnerable. I might end up putting my own eye out. Of course, being a female, I had other weapons in my arsenal, and I felt no shame in pulling out all the stops.

"The water is beautiful at night," I said as Christoph helped me overcome the obstacles of walking across the sand with three inch toenails. "Do you see the ocean much in your travels?"

"Yes."

"Do you like to fly over the water?"

"Yes."

Hmm. Christoph's one word responses made me suspicious. Five minutes ago, I couldn't shut the guy up. Was he closing himself off? Was he regretting letting me in? I wasn't foolish enough to believe Cecile, or even Willem, had my best interests at heart. According to the gollums, demons were the scourge of the earth, and most of the literature supported this belief. The two species had been enemies since the beginning. Maybe it was best to avoid the subject of demons and play the naive female.

"Can you give me some pointers on how to operate these wings?" I asked as I stretched for the thick ribs that protruded from my back. I was only able to touch them with my claws, so I abandoned my efforts, fearing I might damage them.

Christoph watched my every move. In fact, he hadn't taken his eyes off me since we left the tree line, and his piercing gaze worried me. I knew that gaze. Heath used the same one just before he tackled me to the bed and fucked me senseless. Vincent also used the gaze whenever he lost control. It seemed my hybrid nature brought out the beast in the men in my life. If only I knew how to tame them.

"We can worry about that later," Christoph said, and I noticed his tone had no inflection to it. The friendly demon had vanished, and his shoulders shifted forward subtly, locking into predator mode. When he glanced at the sky, I knew my moment was nearly past, and bolting was not a good option. The heavy wings and my gollum feet were definitely an obstacle I could not overcome. So, I opted for my secret weapon. I puckered my lips and whistled as loud as I could.

"Reese, stop!" Christoph swiftly bridged the gap between us, slapping his clawed hand over my mouth. It all happened so quickly, I found it hard to believe he hadn't gouged me with his nails. My pulse ramped up when I felt his other hand grasping tightly to my wing. "You'll never be accepted by the gollums once they know the truth about you," he said. "Do you really want to go back to them?"

Really? Now, he was using brainwashing techniques? I wasn't even sure I believed Christoph's story about my supposed demon grandfather. Maybe he had lied in the hopes I would follow him more willingly. Slowly, he released my lips, and although my impulse was to whistle again, I spoke first.

"Maybe I won't tell them."

He cocked his head as if he needed to see me from a different angle. "You wouldn't do that, Reese. You already have the pack mentality. Hiding a secret like that would be betraying your clan, like Emile did."

I swallowed and the sensation felt like I'd eaten broken glass with an arsenic chaser. Christoph was right. I could never keep a secret like that from Vincent, and when he found out, he would tell me we could never be mated. There would be no offspring coming from these loins. Was that such a bad thing? I had never been eager for kids, although I would never tell my parents that. In fact, I hadn't even considered kids until I met Vincent.