2. Kaia

As soon as my head sinks below the water, it turns viciously cold. I lift myself up out of the water, gasping for air as the icy water claws at my skin. When I open my eyes, though, I realize I am not in my bathtub. I am actually in a very large, very gray, very masculine man’s arms.

I scream and flail, pushing against his solid-as-fucking-stone body. There’s an annoyed grunt and then a splash as I fall back into the icy water. My breath is stolen from me all over again. I come up coughing and spluttering.

“Where’d you come from?” a deep voice asks. He almost sounds annoyed. Like I’m the one in the wrong here.

What the fuck is happening?

“Where did you come from?” I practically scream. And then I remember I’m naked. “I’m naked. Oh, my god. I’m naked!”

He chuckles, making me peer at him through my curtain of wet hair. And you know what is impossible to miss? His huge dick hanging heavily between his thighs. Oh, my sweet baby Jesus. Against my own will, my thighs clench.

“You’re naked!” I throw my hand over my eyes before realizing that does not help my own situation. So instead, I use my hands and arms to cover my own body as best as I can. “Why are you naked?”

“Taking a bath,” he says matter-of-factly.

“In my tub?” I cry out before realizing how stupid that sounds.

“I do not see a tub anywhere,” he says, an eyebrow raised. “This is a lake.”

For the first time, I fully take in my surroundings. We are indeed in a lake. Unfortunately for me, we are in a shallow part, which leaves everything from my mid-thigh up exposed to the elements and wandering eyes. The lake is a dark blue, causing the autumn-colored leaves on the trees to reflect off it like a mirror. There’s a sandy beach in front of us with a small trail winding into the woods. The lazy waves lap at my thighs while my brain tries to understand what the hell just happened.

“It’s cold,” I say dumbly.

“It’s autumn,” he deadpans. “It’s going to be a bit chilly.”

I whip my head around to scowl at him and realize he is not a man at all. Every inch of his skin is gray, and it just highlights the corded muscle beneath it. There’s a smattering of salt-and-pepper hair over his chest, arms, and stomach. The hair on his head is the same but appears darker since it’s wet from his bath. Even his thick beard has beautiful streaks of silver through it. And his eyes, sweet lord, his eyes. They’re a dark blue, almost navy. I’ve never seen anyone with eyes like that, and even though he looks a bit perturbed that I interrupted his bath, there’s a hint of amusement behind them.

“Get a good look?” he asks when I finish staring him down. I can feel the blush of embarrassment wash over me.

“What the fuck has happened?”

“You have quite the mouth on you.” He turns toward the shore and walks lazily through the waves.

Don’t look at his ass, Kaia. Do not ? —

I looked. It’s beautiful. That’s an ass a girl can grab hold of. But what’s even more shocking is that there’s a tail back there. A bona fide tail . It’s the same color as the rest of him and swings slowly as he walks, skimming over the water.

Again , what the fuck.

“Are you coming?” Caught red-handed, I know my toes are even blushing at this point as he smiles over his shoulder. “That is, unless you prefer the view from where you are.”

Not wanting to seem like a creep, I follow him. Anything to get me out of this freezing lake. I still can’t grasp what’s happening. I was in my bathtub not even five minutes ago. My skin, even through the sting of the cold, can still feel the hot water. I can still smell the salts and vanilla, the maple of the candle under the soft glow of the warming lamp. I went underwater, and now, somehow, I’m… Where the fuck am I? In the forest somewhere, obviously. I glance behind me and see snow-tipped mountains. In the middle of a forest that’s in the middle of a mountain range. Got it. Makes perfect sense.

The second my toes touch dry sand, my friend here throws an oversized item of clothing at me. I throw it over my head, eager to cover myself up. It’s brown, and the fabric is anything but soft. Might as well be from a large sack of potatoes because even on my curvy frame, it swamps me. Although, if it’s his, it makes sense. He’s easily almost seven feet tall and thicker than a Snicker.

“Where’d you come from?”

“Seattle,” I answer, hoping for any kind of recognition in his navy gaze. Fuck, it’s cold. I’m shaking like a leaf in the wind.

“Seattle?” He struggles to pronounce it. “I have never heard of it. How did you end up in my lake?”

“You’ve never heard of Seattle?” My voice betrays my shock. “Seriously? Seattle, Washington? One of the most populous cities in the United States.”

“United States?” His thick eyebrows draw together.

“Oh, my god. Where the fuck am I?”

“Stone Valley.”

“Stone Valley. Okay, that’s a start.” I wrap my arms around my shivering body and look around again, trying to find any clue as to what happened to me. Am I hallucinating? Maybe I fell down the stairs at my apartment and I’m in a coma. That would explain why this man is so damn handsome, albeit a monster. Leave it up to my coma brain to make up a monster I’d want to fuck.

“Could be worse, I guess,” I mutter under my breath. “Could be Goldilocks surrounded by bears.”

“Goldilocks?” I look over at him and watch as he slides on a pair of loose cotton pants. They tie up like shoelaces and do very little to hide the monster cock he’s packing underneath them.

“Yeah. Gold, blonde,” I say, pointing at my hair. “Locks, hair. Goldilocks.”

“Okay, Goldilocks. Whatever you say.”

“That’s not my name. I was just?—”

“My name is Thoren. You can call me Thor, if you like.”

“No. No, I will not be calling you Thor. Are you the God of Lightning or something?”

He looks at me like I’ve lost my ever-loving mind. “No, Goldilocks. I am not this God of Lightning you speak of. My name is just Thor.”

“I’ll call you Thoren. My name is Kaia.” I take a few steps toward him and hold out my hand for him to shake. His callused hand slips over mine before squeezing it gently. A little spark of warmth jolts through me as our skin touches. I pull my hand back quickly. “So, clearly, I’m not from here,” I say with a forced laugh.

He grunts.

“Can I ask… Um, could I possibly ask… what you are?”

His tail whips back and forth like an excited dog. Oh, my god, Kaia. You did not just compare this man to a dog. His eyes narrow on me like he’s trying to figure out if I’m being genuine or if I’m just being an asshole. I guess whatever he sees there convinces him I really am just that clueless.

“I’m a gargoyle.”

Hah. Okay. What?

“And you?” he asks, pushing me through the shock of that little confession. “Are you some type of witch?” It only takes one step for him to close the rest of the distance between us. I freeze, wondering what he’s planning to do. Is he going to kill me? Can he kill me if I’m in a coma?

But then he does something worse. He fucking sniffs me.

“You’re not a witch,” he murmurs. “You don’t smell like one anyway. Are you a shifter of some sort?”

“Sorry, what now?” I laugh awkwardly and take a step back. He’s so much taller than me that I was right at eye level with his sculpted chest and tightened nipples. Even after being in the lake, I could discern a masculine scent that wrapped too tightly around my senses. I do not need to be thinking about fucking this gargoyle.

“What are you?” he asks, his voice darkening a bit as he sniffs me again. God, he looks like he wants to eat me. Is that a thing? Do gargoyles eat people? Oh, fuck. “You smell delicious.”

Well, that goes straight to my clit. My very neglected pussy is betraying me right now.

“I’m human,” I tell him, taking another step back. God, does this guy not understand personal space? “Human from Earth.”

“Kaia the human. Kaia from Seattle.” There he goes butchering the pronunciation of Seattle again. “Kaia…” His voice trails off, going all deep and growly, sending shivers straight down to my timbers.

Oh, I am so fucked.