15. Angie

15

ANGIE

" I 'm really sorry," Tuvid said for the hundredth time.

How could I truly complain? I was as lost in our kiss as him. If I was flying, I would've plunged into the ocean just like he did. We'd wrangled our way to the shore, not an easy task for a winged gargoyle because he couldn't tuck them against his spine with the current tugging him this way and that. Then we stood on the shore while he flapped his wings to dry them.

People kept stopping and either pointing and whispering or came over to ask if we were alright.

"How do you fly in the rain if you can't fly when your wings are wet?" I asked after the last group left us.

"Very quickly." He held out his arms. "I promise I won't get distracted again."

"We could walk."

"It would take us hours. The store closes at six."

"I need rice to dry my phone."

He pulled his own and held it up. "We need to get you a waterproof case. "

"We need to avoid the ocean when you fly."

"But the water's gorgeous in the moonlight." He tilted his phone screen. "It's a little after five. They have rice at the store too."

"I'll fly with you as long as you promise no more distractions," I warned.

"Angie, you distract me solely by existing."

"That's both a wonderful and bad thing to say when we're about to take flight again."

"Which is it? Wonderful or bad?"

My lips quivered, and I gave way and smiled. I was dripping but it was a warm day. "Flying might dry us off."

"I believe it will."

I stepped back into his arms, and he took off again, this time remaining above the beach while people continued to gawk and point as we flew overhead.

"I'm taking this route because I can fly lower," he said. "If I fly over the city, I'll have to take us higher to avoid power lines."

"Have you ever been hit by lightning?" And why was I thinking of something like that? Maybe because I'd relaxed in his arms and was actually gaping at the sea stretching toward the horizon, a cruise ship passing far offshore, and the pretty homes built along the boardwalk. It was gorgeous from up here.

"I don't fly when it's raining. Then, I walk."

"I would too."

Eventually, he landed in front of the gargoyle store aptly named, Gargoyle Goods, and we went inside. I paused, taking in the long rows of shelves holding all sorts of things and the counter across the back where two gargoyles worked.

"Tuvid," a male gargoyle called out, rounding the counter and striding down the wide aisle. "Nice to see you." He braced Tuvid's upper arms for a moment and grinned before his gaze slid to me, his smile remaining true. "And who might this be?"

"Angie? This is my Uncle Grimwald. He's my mother's brother. Uncle Grimwald? This is Angie Granger, my intended mate. She owns Beastly Beer Co."

"Ah! I heard she was amazing," he shouted. He leaped toward me and wrapped his arms around me, lifting me off the ground. When he spun, the tips of his wings knocked things off the shelves. "Congratulations!"

I couldn't stop smiling. He was nice. Tuvid was extra nice despite dipping us into the ocean. And my clothing was nearly dry. My hair looked . . . well, hopefully someone here had a comb.

Uncle Grimwald lowered me to my feet. "What can I do for you two, or did you stop by just to show her off to me? Lithia?" He waved to the female gargoyle still working behind the counter, and she lifted her head, peering in our direction. "Come meet Tuvid's intended mate."

Lithia snarled. Her wings snapped out as she leaped over the counter. She raced down the aisle.

I backed into the door.

She slammed into Tuvid, knocking him off his feet and onto the wooden floorboards. They rolled and when they came to a rest, she sat on his hips, her thighs spread around his body .

"How dare you?" she shouted, smacking his chest with her tail.

"Lithia." Tuvid lifted her off his body gently and set her to the side, rising to glower down at her. "What are you doing?"

She crossed her arms on her chest and glared. "You're supposed to mate with me."

"There's no mark. You know that." He held out his hand, showing her the new tattoo on the back of his hand. "Besides, we've never been anything but friends."

Her glare shot to me. "You won't be able to hold onto him." She scrambled to her feet, towering over me. "Gargoyles have voracious appetites and there's no way a puny thing like you will ever satisfy him."

I eased around to put Tuvid between us. "It's nice to meet you, too, Lithia."

With a growl, she stalked back down the aisle, hopping over the counter and storming through a door along the back wall, slamming it closed behind her.

"Is there anything you should tell me?" I asked Tuvid in a thready voice.

Tuvid took my hand, squeezing it. "Nothing. We never even dated."

I nodded. "Let's get my tail, that rice, a comb, and leave."

"A tail? You've come to the right place" Grimwald tipped sideways to peer at my ass. "I'd say a medium will do, wouldn't you, Tuvid?"

"Tails come in different sizes?" I asked.

"Why wouldn't they?" Grimwald asked, urging us to the far-right wall and bins holding belt devices with mounted, fairly accurate replicas of gargoyle tails. "What color would you like?"

"Red," I said. "If you've got it."

Tuvid grinned and squeezed my hand.

"One red tail coming right up." Grimwald held up a tail that looked a lot like Tuvid's, only smaller. "This should do nicely."

"Should I try it on?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Won't need to. The belt will adjust to fit almost any waist size."

"How many women have mated with gargoyles?" I asked.

"You'll be the third, and we're mighty proud of that fact. Gargoyles are superior to men, as you've probably already discovered." He wiggled his thick brow ridge.

"Yes, I'm sure they are." Please don't talk about sex. Please don't talk about sex.

"Tuvid takes after all the males in the family," he added, his chest puffing with pride.

"Uncle Grimwald," Tuvid warned, tugging me backward. "We have to go. I'll stop by and pay you for the tail tomorrow."

"Don't forget these." Grimwald handed me a bag of rice, a comb, and the tail.

"Thanks." Tuvid wrenched open the front door and hustled me outside.

We walked down the paved path to the sidewalk and turned right.

I worked the snarls from my hair and secured it with a band at my nape. I ripped open the top of the bag and tucked my phone down in the rice. Hopefully, it would dry and still work.

"What was Grimwald going to tell me?" I asked.

"He was going to discuss my cock."

"How can he know what your cock looks like?"

"If we'd remained inside, he was going to bring out pictures ."

"Pictures?" I asked, not quite understanding where he was going with this.

"Of all the cocks in the family."

"What?"

"Adult pictures only, of course. Phones are a fairly new phenomenon for us, but older males in the gargoyle community picked up the tech fast. They used to do drawings of every cock in the family. Now they just take pictures."

I stopped on the sidewalk, studying his face that remained much too serious for this conversation. "You're joking, right?"

He took my hand and shook his head. "I wish I was."

Male gargoyles show off family cocks to impress women? What would I discover next?

I soon found out when we reached his parent's place.

When we walked up the path leading to a pretty cape style home with an addition on the right side and painted bright pink, the front door burst open, and his mom sprung out. Her wings spread, and she soared over to land in front of us, wrapping me in a big hug.

"Daughter. Daughter!" she crooned in my ear. "Call me Krunesta, love."

"I'll be happy to." I grinned .

She beamed at us both. "Please, come inside. I've put together a light snack and a few guests have stopped by to witness your tail tying ceremony." Taking my hand, she tugged me up the path and inside the front door with Tuvid trailing behind us. We went right into a big room with a two-story ceiling.

"Surprise," someone called out.

I gaped at what had to be eighty gargoyles mingling inside the enormous living room, their wings fluttering before settling on their spines and the left wall covered with pictures of Tuvid at various stages of his life.

"You've got an entire wall," I whispered, eager to go look at them. What had he looked like as a baby, as a toddler?

A banner had been strung across the right wall with A Match Made in Stone – ‘Till Tails Do Us Part streaming in gleaming silver letters across it.

"Yeah," he said. "My mother loves taking pictures."

On cue, she lifted her phone, pointing it our way. "Smile!" It flashed, and I blinked at the spots in front of my eyes.

"Come in, come in," Krunesta said, lowering her phone and coming over to urge me into the room with a palm on my spine. "Everyone," Her voice echoed in the room. "This is Angela."

"It's Angie," I said with a cracking smile. "I was named Angie."

"Oh, yes, of course. I'm sorry. I'm horrible with names. Anyway, I'm sure everyone will introduce themselves as you move about the room." She gave me a sweet hug that made up for misnaming me. "We're so happy you're joining our family."

"Thank you." I smiled at everyone in the room.

"Have a canapé." She lifted a platter off a nearby table and thrust it toward me. "I made them myself from ground granite dust I have imported from Italy. They're absolutely delicious. I'm sure you'll agree."

"Granite dust?" I asked politely, taking one. What was this going to do to my teeth and intestines?

"Carrara dust, to be specific," she said with a fang-filled smile. "I think the lighter granites have more flavor, don't you?"

"Oh, definitely." I lifted it her way as if I was making a toast.

Krunesta turned to offer the canapés to a gargoyle couple on her other side.

Tuvid scooped the canapé from my hand before I could take a bite, popping it into his own mouth and chewing. After swallowing, he whispered by my ear. "You don't need to eat granite dust to impress my mom, though I appreciate your willingness to do it."

"She's sweet," I said, equally low. "I don't want to disappoint her."

"See? You're not only gorgeous, but you're also a nice person." He flashed me a fang-filled grin that made my knees melt. "Hold this." He handed me his drink.

Then he backed away from me. His wings slowly spread out around him and, surprisingly, everyone in the room backed against the wall and started clapping in a steady rhythm.

Tuvid stomped his feet along with the claps. Gargoyles around us added a chant in a language I couldn't understand.

With his wings outspread and fluttering, he swayed his hips and pranced completely around me to the chanting of his family and friends before coming to a stop in front of me.

When I grinned, so did he. His wings swept back and forth, almost knocking one of his baby pictures off the wall, and he spun in a circle, going faster and faster while I ducked to avoid being swept off my feet by the swoop of his wings.