Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

KLAUS

W e've fucked up. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen is staring up at me like I'm nothing but a beast, a feral creature she needs to escape from. The scent of her fear still teases my nostrils, and it kills me to know that I'm the one who triggered that reaction in her.

"Klaus," Emmerich murmurs, his voice soothing. "We don't have to bring the healer here."

I can't even look at him. I'm the one screwing this up, and my roost mate, the male who followed me here from our homeland, who trusted me to complete our roost, might end up losing this opportunity because of me.

He will never forgive me if I drive Morgan away.

So I turn my back on them both, leaving him to take care of her until I can calm down and get a hold of my emotions. I've just been dreaming about finding our final roost mate for so long , and now Emmerich is suggesting we bring another man here? Before I've had a chance to claim Morgan and mark her as mine in all the ways?

I stalk out of the room and up to the roof. Maybe the cold air will clear my thoughts—or maybe I'll remain up here all night, guarding our tower from above.

From what threat, I don't know—it's just that my instincts are driving me to make sure that my mates, both of them, are protected. If I can't touch Morgan, I better stay as far away from her as possible while still ensuring her safety.

Cold snowflakes drift from the night sky as I stand on the roof, turning my face up. Morgan had said that the snow would hurt her if she put it on her soft human skin. What a joke the Fates are playing on us. We are some of the roughest creatures in the world, born of stone if the legends of our creation are to be believed, and yet Emmerich and I have been mated to a woman who felt so light in my arms. She'd nearly died from the cold and injured her leg just walking through the forest.

What if I hurt her?

I barely touched her, and I already knew that I couldn't squeeze her too hard, or she'd have bruises all over. One careless move, and I could break her bones—and how were we supposed to mate without touching? And if I bit her…

A flash of heat goes through me as I remember the weeks after I first met Emmerich. We'd taken one sniff at each other and knew . Gargoyles fuck hard enough that humans in the old country made up stories about how we bring on thunder and lightning. The moment I laid eyes on Emmerich, I'd wanted to slam him against a wall and fuck him senseless—and I did. I gave him a mating bite that same day, driving him wild with passion. Then he'd thrown me around, giving as good as he got, and we'd spent days locked together, fucking with abandon.

Now our third mate is a soft, breakable human. I wanted to fuck her while flying with her earlier, but she'd been hurt and cold, and the mere thought of shoving my dick inside her body had me feeling like a monster. What kind of a mate will I be to her if I can't curb those impulses? If I overstep and take things from her she isn't prepared to give?

A door closes in the stairwell below, but I don't turn around. The heavy footsteps tell me it's Emmerich who's drawing closer—of course, it can't be Morgan. She's resting, her ankle too sore to walk.

He stops beside me, staring out into the forest. He's silent for a moment, his hot breaths steaming in the frigid air. Then he puts his arms around my waist, slowly embracing me.

"You found her," he rasps in German. "Thank you."

I let out a low growl. "And look how it's going. She's so scared of me, we'll lose her before we ever really had her."

He pulls back, shaking his head. "We won't. She is curious, and if we play this right, that will change to something more soon." He pats my cheek. "I asked her again if she wanted me to take her to a human doctor, and she refused. She wants to remain here, Klaus. She's human, but she must feel the force of the bond as well."

I lift my gaze, fighting the insidious hope that flares in my chest. "You really think so?"

He grins, his handsome face radiating joy. "Oh, yes. I will fly to Jasper's house now. He will have blankets and food fit for humans."

Before I can stop him, he launches himself off the roof, his broad wings snapping wide as he catches a current of air.

"Emmerich, wait," I call after him, wanting to demand why the hell he'd need to ask our kraken friend for help.

But the wind snatches my voice away, and Emmerich disappears in a flurry of snow, leaving me standing alone on the rooftop.

With our human mate just a flight of steps away, probably waiting for him to return.

" Schei?e ."

I scrub my palms over my face, wiping away the accumulating snowflakes. I have a choice to make. Surely Emmerich told Morgan that he was leaving—that means she'll wait downstairs, right? I could just wait here for Emmerich's return.

But the thought of her hurt and alone won't let me remain here. Cursing under my breath, I stomp down the stairs and into our living quarters, expecting to find Morgan glaring at me, or perhaps cowering in fear.

Instead, our mate is collapsed in the armchair, head leaning back, her mouth parted in sleep. Her glasses have slipped down her nose a little. A twist of longing goes through me, wild and painful, and I can't stop my feet from carrying me closer.

Her blanket has fallen off her shoulders, so I tuck it around her safely. Her injured ankle still rests on the chair, the wrapped snow melting slowly, wetting the hem of her tight leggings. I greedily follow a droplet of water that slides down her pale skin, wishing I could trace it with my tongue.

When she'd removed her outer clothing earlier, she'd revealed her tall, curvy form that had been hidden under layers of waterproof fabric. She'd looked rather shapeless when I'd found her in the snow, but I hadn't cared one bit—I saw her beautiful eyes and scented her, and that had been enough for me.

But to discover that our mate's tits are so full and perfect, to imagine how her strong thighs would wrap around my waist…

I jerk my hand away from her, moving back. I was reaching out almost unconsciously, drawn to her. But when she was awake earlier, she'd looked at me in fear, so I can't touch her now. If she woke and shied away from me, that would be too painful.

So I settle in a crouch beside her, watching over her as she sleeps. The ordeal of trudging through snow with an injured ankle and the fright she got when she saw me must have been too much for her. I don't know how to act with her. If I behave like I normally do, will she get even more frightened and leave? She didn't seem afraid of Emmerich, even though he was his usual self, but he's softer than me. Kinder.

She stirs in her sleep, her head lolling to the side. I glare at her for a moment, then shuffle closer.Her neck will hurt if she stays in this position for too long. Even I know that, and I'm a gargoyle, not a weak human.

Not weak .

My mind corrects me immediately, some instinct admonishing me fiercely. Morgan isn't a weakling, despite her softness and the injury she sustained. I spied on her through the branches, circling overhead when I noticed a shape moving through the forest, and saw how bravely she fought to keep herself from freezing.

All right, she's not weak, but that doesn't mean I want to just leave her like this if I can help it. If I don't, she'll be in even more pain, and that's not something I can allow.

Careful not to prick her with my claws, I cup her face with my hand and gently support her head.

Morgan sighs, her warm breath fanning over my skin. I shiver, barely holding back a groan. She's so damn close, so warm, and I can't have her. My cock has been half hard since the moment I scented her, but humans are different than gargoyles. If she was one of us, she'd be just as insatiable, hungry for her mates. But with her, we have to move slowly, carefully. I will have to talk to Emmerich and make him aware of this. He's too eager, and I don't want him to scare her off.

My mate shifts in the armchair, and with that small movement, her leg slips off the chair. It thumps to the floor before I can catch it, and Morgan wakes with a yelp of pain, her pretty face scrunched up in a grimace.

"Ow!" She pulls her foot in, still sleepy, bumping it against the seat of the armchair. "Ow, shit, that hurts."

Her groan of pain sends fury through me. I would hack the armchair to pieces and burn them all if it helped her, but I shove the impulse down and take her hand instead.

"Slow down," I grumble at her, "and rest your foot back on the chair. You're hurting yourself."

She blinks at me as if she only just realized I was there. When she pushes her glasses up her nose, I recognize it as a nervous gesture, but then she does as she's told, slowly relaxing again. "How long was I out?"

I check the old clock standing on the mantelpiece. "Not long. Emmerich left less than an hour ago. You should go back to sleep. Rest will help you."

Morgan rolls her shoulders. "I don't think I could. Now that I've had my nap, I feel pretty good."

She seems rested, that's true. Her coffee-brown eyes are brighter than before, a keen intelligence shining through as she studies me, then casts her gaze around the room. I do the same, surveying the space with a critical eye. There's no clutter, which I dislike, but the room is sparsely furnished, the large couch, the wide bookcase, and the wardrobe some of the only items in sight.

"Where do you sleep?" she asks suddenly. "I just realized there's no bed here. Are there more rooms in the tower?"

The thought of Morgan in a bed is dangerous, especially since I just decided we needed to take things slowly. My cock doesn't care about that, though. It swells in my pants, throbbing with an insistent heartbeat. I shift a little so I'm hidden by the armchair and clear my throat.

"The bathroom is downstairs," I tell her. "And some storage space. Lots of empty rooms we haven't renovated yet. But this is our main living area."

"Oh." Morgan's eyebrows draw down. "So where do you sleep?"

I grin at her, because that's such a human thing to ask. "We crouch. Like so."

I shuffle back, find a comfortable crouching position, and settle my wings against my back. Then I put my fists on the floor for balance and close my eyes, showing Morgan how we sleep. I couldn't rest now if I tried—I slept for a full twenty-four hours after our last watch assignment two days ago, so I don't need it, and besides, I'm too worked up over Morgan being here.

"Wow!" Morgan's voice sounds closer suddenly. "You look exactly like a statue."

When I open my eyes, she's staring right at me, her face inches from mine. She's reaching out a hand, but when she sees me watching her, she jerks back.

"You can touch me," I rumble. "I don't mind at all."

Her eyes go wide, but she slowly brings her hand to my horn and strokes gently, running her fingers from base to tip. I bite back a groan. Our horns aren't as sensitive as Krampuses', and I barely feel her touch, but the fact that my mate has her hands on me, is touching me freely, is incredible. Emmerich will be so jealous when he returns.

The thought has me grinning. Morgan sucks in a breath and twitches, and I curse myself for a fool, immediately closing my lips.

She touched me, and I showed her my fangs. She probably thought I was about to bite her hand.

"No, do it again," she says softly, her gaze on my mouth.

I blink. "What?"

Her gaze jerks up, and a pretty flush of color spreads over her cheeks. "I liked your smile." She pulls her hand back and tucks her curly hair behind her ear. "It was the first time I saw you do it, and I just wanted to see it again. Never mind. I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

She's babbling, embarrassed, and it's adorable, so I grin again, relief coursing through me.

She's not afraid .

My nose confirms the realization. Morgan doesn't smell scared at all. Her scent remains soft and spicy.

She stops talking and returns my smile. For the first time since I heard her shuffling in the forest, I feel hopeful. She's responding to me as a mate should, relaxing more and more. So maybe I haven't fucked everything up, after all.

Morgan settles back into the armchair after a moment and inspects her ankle. "That salve helped. It's pretty incredible. It still hurts, but I think the swelling has gone down a little, don't you?"

I hand her the pot of the ointment Emmerich found for her. "Put more on. You'll be good as new tomorrow."

She spreads the rich-smelling salve on her skin, then uses the still-cool tea towel to wrap her ankle tight. Then she looks up at me and asks, "Can you show me the bathroom, please?"

I straighten without thinking. "Of course. I'll carry you."

Morgan sucks in a breath, her eyes flaring wide. And I realize my hard cock is staring her right in the face.