3. Kaia

“Come, I will take you back to my home.” He bends over, wrapping one arm around my back before trying to lift me back up into his arms.

I squeal and dart out of the way. “No, thank you!” I call out as I scurry away, walking toward the path that seems to be the only way away from the beach. “I know how to walk.”

“I gathered that from watching you walk out of the lake.” Grumpy gargoyle. “I was going to offer to carry you because it’s a long walk back to my house, and it would be much faster if I carried you. You have tiny legs.”

I’m also barefoot. And that is not a nicely paved pathway.

“Fine,” I cave, walking slowly back toward him. “But there are ground rules because you are a stranger, and my mother taught me all about stranger danger.”

“Rules.”

“Yes, rules.” I tick them off on my fingers. “I’m naked, so no touching.”

“But I have to touch you to pick you up.” He runs his hands through his hair in frustration. “Are all humans this frustrating?”

“I’m going to ignore that, seeing as you’re my only option at this point. You can touch me to pick me up, but no funny business.”

“No funny business.”

“No more sniffing.”

“You smell so tempting, though, Goldilocks.” His full lips twitch just a bit on one side, like he’s fighting every little emotion that’s storming behind those eyes.

“Would you like it if I sniffed you?” I counter.

“You may sniff me.” He closes the distance between us quickly.

I place a hand on his chest, stopping him from getting any closer. His skin is warm despite the cold water, and his muscles feel like a brick wall under my palm. Or maybe the more accurate way to describe him is stone. He feels like sunbathed stone against my hand. I resist the pull to run my fingers through the swath of chest hair or down over the ridges and valleys of his abdomen.

“I don’t need to sniff you, but thanks.”

He shrugs and then bends down, picking me up in one swift motion. It’s so fast and he’s so tall that I’m a little worried I’ll get vertigo. Is the air thinner up here? My arms wrap around his neck and hold on like a vise grip. I’m terrified he’ll drop me. Would I survive the fall? Break a leg?

And then massive wings, big enough to block out the damn sun, erupt from his back and tower above us into the sky. They pop and crack as they stretch out from his body. Black veins run through the thin membrane like the roots of a tree.

“No!” It starts out as a command, but as he takes flight, it turns into an embarrassingly loud scream. Now I know for sure I will not survive a drop from this height. I scramble in his arms, trying to cling to him even harder than before. My legs wrap around his waist, and my arms wrap so tightly around his neck that my fingernails dig into my own forearms.

“Too late.” His deep chuckle makes my whole body vibrate. “I will not drop you, Goldilocks. There is no need to strangle me.”

“This isn’t real,” I whisper into the wind. “Wake up, Kaia. Wake up !” My fingernails are probably drawing blood I’m squeezing so hard. Which in itself feels weird as fuck. Am I safe with him? With a gargoyle? Because all of ten minutes ago, I didn’t know they existed, and I definitely didn’t know other worlds existed.

That has to be what happened, right? If we rule out death and a coma, the next logical answer is I have been transported through some sort of portal into a gargoyle’s arms. Truth be told, it could’ve been worse. I could’ve been thrown into the middle of a war or into the middle of an ocean filled with dinosaurs. Instead, I got a rock-hard gargoyle with a massive cock.

Speaking of said cock, it’s right beneath me. Seeing as I was thrown into this world wearing the same thing I was wearing in my own world — i.e., nothing — my bits are exposed to the elements. Especially since I’m now straddling him out of fear instead of letting him carry me bridal style. And, my god, that thing he has between his legs is so large it could probably reach me as we fly…

Nope. Don’t go there, Kaia. You are not going to fuck the gargoyle. I have far more important things to worry about than getting laid. Like figuring out how I got here and how I can get back home.

I chance opening one eye, just enough to peek through, and my stomach drops at how high we are. The well-established forest below us is little more than a speck at this point. I could touch the damn clouds.

“Why did we have to go so high?” I shout over the whistling wind.

“I figured you would want to be out of eyesight, seeing as you’re naked underneath that tunic.” His voice rumbles through me, making my nipples tighten under the stiff fabric. “I live on the outskirts of town. I’m going to start dropping now. Hold on, human.”

I couldn’t hold on any tighter if I tried. My stomach whooshes through my butt as he begins the descent back down to land. As we do, I catch glimpses through squinted eyes of a small town, bustling with life between the orange and red trees that line the streets. The sun is starting to set, which means the shops and homes below us are glowing yellow from the warm light inside. It’s cute and looks oddly human from up here.

Judging by Thoren’s reaction earlier, there aren’t any humans here. So is everyone down there a gargoyle? Or is it a mix? He thought I was maybe a witch or a shifter. I wonder what other kind of monsters I’m going to end up meeting on this little adventure I find myself on.

He skims over the trees as we leave the town behind us and then drops suddenly as a small cabin of sorts comes into view. His feet hit hard on the ground, causing my teeth to clack together.

“Not so great with the landing, are you, big fella?”

I wiggle my way out of his arms and drop several more feet to be back on my own. God, it feels good to feel the grass between my toes again. Flying is not for the faint of heart, and I’m hoping we can skip it from now on. Surely we can find some clothes and a pair of shoes.

“I am great at flying,” he protests. “Your tiny body isn’t used to it.”

I roll my eyes and take in my surroundings. His house is a log cabin, and everything about it is huge. The doorway is probably two of me high, and the entire front of the house is massive panes of glass to take in the surroundings of the forest.

“Town’s that way,” he says, gesturing toward another dirt trail, though this one is more established, used more often. “You saw it if you opened your eyes earlier. Everything will be closing down now, but we’ll get you some stuff in the morning.”

“Sorry?” My head whips toward him. “Morning?”

He looks at the sky and then back at me. “Sun go down.” He pronounces the words slowly, acting like I’m an idiot. “Shops close. Sleep, then go in the morning.”

“I’m not a fucking cavewoman!” I practically screech as I throw my arms out in frustration. “I know what you said; I just don’t understand why you brought me here instead of a hotel. An inn? Whatever you call them in this make-believe world.”

“Make-believe?” There goes that eyebrow again, arching up toward his hairline. “I assure you, Goldilocks, this is not make-believe.”

“Would you stop calling me that?” I can feel the anger and terror crawling up my throat. God, please don’t cry, Kaia. “My name is Kaia. And I’m sorry if you think I’m an idiot, but I was just taking a bath and somehow ended up in your arms! This isn’t even my planet , I don’t think! Like where the fuck even am I?”

The tears start. I shouldn’t be surprised. I’m an easy crier, and this has shaken me right down to my core. Maybe earlier in the lake, I was in shock, and that’s why it’s all coming out now. Maybe if I had stayed at the lake, I could find my way home. I should’ve tried to look around, gather information. I should’ve tried to go under a few times; maybe that would’ve sent me back.

He sighs, and the amused yet grumpy look on his face eases, and he takes a few steps over to me before throwing a heavy arm around my shoulders. His warmth is nice. I’m still wet from my bath in the lake, and the wind up there was freezing. It’s not until he pulls me fully against his warm body that I realize I’m shivering. Scratch that, I’m violently shaking.

Is this what going into shock feels like?

“Your lips are blue, Kaia. Come inside with me. I promise I will not harm you. Gargoyles are protectors, and I will make sure you are safe.” His arms tighten just a little. “There is a fire inside. Let’s warm up.”

I finally look up at him, trying to gauge if I can trust him. He tries to smile down at me, but it just looks a little scary, honestly. I didn’t notice before, but he has small horns jutting out of his forehead, just where it meets his hairline. And when his lips part, sharp fangs come into view, making me shiver for a completely different reason.

Betrayed again by my horny thoughts.

“Well, my options are low, as you can see,” I say with a shrug. “Lead on, big guy.”