Calming a Demon Heart

Into  the  paranormal  world:  A  wounded  heart  is  not  easily
mended, requiring a soothing, patient hand.

Matthew  Beakman’s  life  just  got  turned  upside  down.  His
brother,  Marty,  stumbled  across  something  strange  and
fascinating and amazing! Gargoyles exist! Matthew wants to
know everything about them. First, though, he wants to find
the  gargoyle  that  saved  his  brother’s  life  and  thank  him.
Their  people’s  leader,  Maelgwn,  points  out  a  blood-red,
behemoth  of  a  gargoyle  named  Vane,  then  warns  Matthew
away  from  him.  Never  good  at  following  orders—and
because he can’t help but find himself intrigued by the huge
creature  across  the  room—Matthew  tracks  Vane  down
anyway.  At  first,  he’s  confused  by  the  way  his  body
responds  every  time  Vane  growls  at  him,  until  a
conversation  with  Logan  makes  him  suspect  that  he  and
Vane  are  mates.  Unfortunately,  he  also  learns  Vane  went
through some extreme torture in the hands of humans. How
can  he  convince  the  stubborn  gargoyle that  not  all  humans
are the same?

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This  book  is  a  work  of  fiction.  Names,  characters,  places,
and  incidents  either  are  products  of  the  author’s
imagination  or  are  used  fictitiously.  Any  resemblance  to
actual  events  or  locales  or  persons,  living  or  dead,  is
entirely coincidental.

Calming a Demon Heart

ISBN: 978-1-77111-882-8

Cover art by Scott Carpenter

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part
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Published by eXtasy Books

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Chapter One

atthew Beakman’s jaw sagged open in shock. His heart
tripped in his chest, and the blood roaring through the

veins of his ears made it tough to hear. Gripping the arms of
the chair, he pushed backward into it on reflex as he gaped
at the sight before him.

In his defense, it wasn’t every day that he saw a massive,

six foot six African American turn into…something else. A
gargoyle. A massive winged creature with dark blue skin,
long black hair, bony ridges for brows, an angular jaw with
protruding canines…and the fucking claws!

Holy hell and shit balls!
He’d just managed to pull himself together when the

huge creature, Maelgwn, appeared to grin, showing off
plenty of very, very sharp teeth.

“Oh!” Matthew couldn’t help his gasp.
“So, now you see what we really are,” the other man—

wait, gargoyle—in the room said. This one, Sapian, also a big
male, had his light, brown hair pulled back from his face
with a black band. Sapian curved his bronzed-skin lips into
an amused expression. Also seated on the large sofa across
from them, he stated, “This is why we live in a secluded
compound and any who try to expose us are dealt with.”

“Dealt with how?”
Matthew glanced to the left at his buddy, Logan. At least,

he  wasn’t  going  through  this  debriefing  alone.  He  and  his
friend  had  arrived  hours  before  because  these  guys  had
broken  into  a  hospital  and  transported  Matthew’s  injured

Charlie Richards

brother, Marty, to their complex. Now they were learning
why.

Gargoyles were real and Marty was…well, dating one.

So surreal!
The scars on Logan’s right cheek stretched as he lifted that

brow—one from the base of his ear to the corner of his eye,
then a second from the corner of his mouth and meeting up
near the middle of the first. They etched even deeper due to
the  pinch  of  his  lips.  He’d  always  thought  his  friend
handsome  regardless—what  with  his  broad  shoulders,
heavily  muscled  arms,  and  thickly  built  body.  No  matter
what  the  man  said  when  drunk,  his  freckles,  fair  Irish
complexion,  and  shortly  cropped  red  hair—to  hide  the
curls—did  nothing  to  detract  from  his  appearance.  While
normally  Matthew  thought  Logan’s  green  eyes—usually
filled  with  good  humor—were  his  friend’s  most  amazing
feature, right now, a hardness shown from Logan’s piercing
gaze.

“We prefer to avoid bloodshed,” Maelgwn stated. They’d

learned  that  the  big  blue  gargoyle  was  the  leader,  and  for
good reason. He had a relaxed, yet commanding air, which
made it easy to follow his instructions. The ridges over his
eyes drew together and his eyes narrowed. “However, I will
do  whatever  it  takes  to  keep  my  people  safe.  If  I  think
someone  is  a  danger  to  them,  first  we  confirm,  then  we
capture.”

“You hold people against their will?” Matthew asked,

realization striking.

“When we need to,” Sapian admitted.
“You planning on holding us?” Logan asked in his quiet

blunt fashion.

“We hope it won’t come to that,” Maelgwn replied.

“Many people, and I don’t mean just humans,” he pointed
out, “fear what they don’t understand. Fear breeds
prejudice. Prejudice breeds violence and discrimination.” He

Calming a Demon Heart

shrugged his massive shoulders. “You understand the
problems we could be facing if word of our existence got
out, don’t you?”

Matthew appreciated the creature’s honesty. Now that he

had his senses under control, he realized none of the
gargoyles he’d seen had hurt any of them. In fact, they’d
done everything they could to help his brother…because his
brother was involved with one of their kind.

“My brother,” Matthew murmured. He tapped his leg for

a few seconds as he tried to figure out what he actually
wanted to ask. Finally, he stated simply, “The doc said he’d
be okay.”

Sapian smiled and nodded. “Yes. Marty will be fine.”
“And the guy who shot him?” Matthew pressed. “When

his, uh, boyfriend came bursting in, he said some guy named
Simon had been stopped.”

“I’m sure you mean his mate, Raymond,” Maelgwn

stated. “Yes, Marty is safe. The threat has been neutralized.”

Nodding slowly, Matthew thought about his brother,

Marty. Just last week, Matthew had been so worried about
him. His brother had become reclusive, spending most of his
evenings  at  a  coffee  bar.  When  he’d  confronted  him,  he’d
learned that not only did his brother have a thing for a guy,
but also had become obsessed with him. Matthew had been
uncertain  how  to  respond  at  first,  since  his  brother  had
never  admitted  to  liking  men  before.  He’d  thought  his
brother  was  completely  straight.  Still,  wanting  Marty  to  be
happy, Matthew had encouraged him to go for it.

When Marty admitted that he thought the object of his

infatuation might be something other than human, they’d
done some research together online. Matthew had really just
thought it was fun and games. He’d thought he’d play along
with Marty, all the while thinking his brother had imagined
what he’d seen in the woods that evening last week.

God, was it really less than a week ago?

Charlie Richards

Never in a million years, would he have thought that the

picture of the gargoyle he’d pulled up on the internet would
look so similar to his brother’s boyfriend.

Raymond was a gargoyle, just like these creatures sitting

across from him and Logan. It boggled Matthew’s mind that
Marty was involved with one…happily, happily involved
with him. Matthew had seen the love in his brother’s eyes as
he’d gazed upon Raymond, holding out his hand to the
gargoyle, beckoning the male to his bedside.

Matthew had done the only thing he could. He’d

welcomed Marty’s boyfriend to the family. These creatures,
however, called Marty and Raymond mates. What did that
mean?

Meeting Maelgwn’s dark eyes, Matthew asked, “What’s a

mate?”

Maelgwn smiled, the move reaching his eyes. “Each

paranormal has some kind of soul mate out there, who is
essentially, their other half, someone who completes them. If
we’re lucky enough, we find that special someone. We bond
with them, and spend the rest of our days pleasing him or
her. For Raymond, that’s your brother, Marty.”

Matthew smiled, uncertain how to respond to that. He

nodded slowly, because he didn’t know what else to do.

Logan, evidently, wasn’t quite at a loss for words. “Does

that  mean  Marty  can  never  leave?”  he  asked,  leaning  back
until he lounged on the sofa’s arm cushion. He rested his left
ankle over his right knee and added, “’Cause I gotta tell ya, I
know  he’s  down  for  the  count  for  a  while,  but  he’s  my
business partner. Does relations much better than I do.” He
tapped his scar and smirked. “I’m sure you can understand
that.  You  gonna  let  him  out  of  your  sight  to  keep  working
with me?”

Calming a Demon Heart

Sapian snorted and smirked right back at Logan. “We

already know Raymond’s mate won’t betray us, so as soon
as he’s up and around, he’s free to do as he wishes.”

“And us?” Matthew asked. “Are we free to go?”
“Not at this time,” Sapian stated bluntly.
Logan dropped his leg, leaned forward, and picked up

the coffee carafe. After pouring himself a mug-full, he took a
healthy swallow of the liquid. He hummed appreciatively
and smiled. “So, what do we gotta do to win our freedom?”
he asked bluntly.

Maelgwn actually chuckled. He reached over and

smacked Sapian. “Stop freaking them out.”

“He doesn’t look freaked out,” Sapian commented mildly.
Logan peered at Matthew. “Coffee?”
“Ya know,” Matthew mumbled, amazed at the oddity of

the situation he’d found himself in. “Yeah, I do want some.”

Matthew couldn’t help watching in amusement as Logan

reached out and fixed another cup of coffee, this time adding
a dash of milk and three heaping teaspoonfuls of sugar. He
handed it to Matthew, who took it, sipped the sweetened
bitter brew, and nodded his appreciation.

Pointing at the two gargoyles that were eyeing them both

with interest, Logan grinned at Matthew. “Do you find it
interesting how they discuss us like we’re not even here?”

Unable to help grinning, Matthew nodded. “Indeed. How

do you think they’d react if we did that to them?”

As they glanced around at each other, they all busted up

laughing.  Matthew  just  managed  to  keep  from  spilling  his
cup  of  coffee  as  he  clutched  his  ribs  with  his  other  arm.
Finally,  the  chuckles  died  away,  but  Matthew  still  felt
himself grinning.

“Look,” Matthew stated, a smile still pulling at the

corners of his mouth. “I’m never gonna do anything to hurt
my brother or the people he cares for. You have my word

Charlie Richards

that I won’t reveal your existence to others.” He sighed and
admitted, “As a gay man, I’m pretty damn familiar with
discrimination. I’d never want to see anyone else hurt
because of it.”

Maelgwn grinned broadly. “You’re really not going to be

held against your will. I figure you’ll want to stay close to
your brother while he heals, so if you want to stick around
of your own free will, we’d be happy to have you.” He
peered at Logan next. “Both of you.”

Matthew exchanged a surprised glance with Logan. His

friend shrugged. Returning his focus to the two gargoyles,
Matthew nodded. “I’d appreciate that.”

“Sounds good,” Maelgwn responded. He turned toward

Sapian. “I’ll take them to breakfast if you want to confirm
room assignment.”

Sapian nodded. The gargoyle rose and headed out one of

the study’s doors. Maelgwn rose as well, and Logan and
Matthew followed his lead. As they headed in the opposite
direction, Matthew couldn’t help but let his curiosity get the
best of him. “Uh, breakfast? It’s almost eight o’ clock at
night.”

Maelgwn chuckled as he wrapped his massive black

wings  around  his  shoulders  like  a  cloak.  “Gargoyles  are
stone  during  the  day  and  living  creatures  at  night.  Our
meals  are  backward.”  Maelgwn  clapped  Matthew  on  the
shoulder. “You’ll get used to it.”

“Wait, stone by day? I saw you in the diner,” Matthew

pointed out frowning, a fresh wave of confusion swamping
him.

Maelgwn lifted one brow and swept his gaze over

Matthew again. “Ah, yes. You were sitting with mine and
my enforcer’s mates, Bobby and Cornelius.” He chuckled.
“Our men do like to cause trouble.”

Calming a Demon Heart

Matthew snorted, not understanding that at all. Instead,

he pointed out, “It was just after noon and the sun was
shining. How do you explain that?”

“Once bonding between mates is complete, gargoyles will

go through a process called molt,” Maelgwn told him while
leading the way down the hall. “After molt is complete, we
have the ability to take on a human form during the day
instead of turning to stone.”

“Handy,” Logan quipped.
Matthew silently agreed.
Noise spilled out of an open doorway as a muscular dark

green gargoyle shoved his way through. As the door closed,
the big creature nodded. He swept his gaze over them
curiously, before moving down the hallway.

Maelgwn opened the door and motioned for them to

precede him. Matthew obeyed and stepped into the room.
His brows shot up as he saw over two dozen forms milling
around, some seated at the three long bench tables eating
and laughing. Some looked human, while some were clearly
gargoyles. Many of them glanced their way, but as soon as
Maelgwn stepped into the room behind them, they nodded
and resumed their conversations with those around them.

Matthew realized they were being directed to several

tables laden with food set up near the left wall. As he helped
himself to biscuits and gravy as well as a few slices of bacon,
he tried, discreetly, to take in the myriad of red, yellow,
green, and even purple gargoyles. They came in so many
shapes, sizes, and colors.

When he sat down with his plate, Maelgwn on one side,

Logan on the other, Matthew took his first bite of thick gravy
and fluffy biscuit. The sausage chunks flooded his senses
with flavor, and he hummed his approval.

As he chewed, Matthew peered around the room, taking

in the many differences of the gargoyles around him. Once

Charlie Richards

he’d swallowed, he asked, “So, is Vane around here?
Raymond said he stopped the guy after my brother. I’d like
to thank him.”

Maelgwn paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. After a

second,  he  finished  the  move.  As  he  chewed,  the  big
gargoyle  nodded. Finally,  he  swallowed  and  stated,  “Yeah.
That’s  him  over  there,”  he  stated,  pointing  with  his  fork.
“But  he  doesn’t  care  for  humans  much,  so  I’d  recommend
steering clear of him.”

Matthew followed the gargoyle leader’s indication and

found  his  gaze  riveted  by  a  broad-shouldered,  thick  and
heavily-muscled, blood-red male. He draped his black wings
around  his  shoulders,  as  seemed  to  be  the gargoyle’s  style,
accentuating  their  width.  It  wasn’t  even  the  thick,  black,
lethal-looking horns that jutted from his temples that really
caught Matthew’s attention. It was the fact that the gargoyle
sat alone.

Everyone else gathered in groups of three or more, but

Vane had the area to himself. He focused solely on his
massive steak, and from that distance, Matthew wouldn’t be
surprised if the thick slab of meat weighed in at sixty-four
ounces.

Even with Maelgwn’s warning ringing in his ears,

Matthew  couldn’t  get  the  idea  of  thanking  the  obviously
reclusive gargoyle out of his mind. When Vane finally rose
and  left  the  room  via  a  door  to  his  left,  Matthew  could  no
longer  contain  himself.  Matthew  turned  to  the  gargoyle
leader next to him and asked, “Where’s your john?”

Maelgwn pointed his fork toward a door across the room,

the same one that Vane had just disappeared through. “Take
a right out that door. On your immediate left is a set of
double doors, which will lead into a rec room. Head in there,
then the first door on the left is a half bath.”

Calming a Demon Heart

“Awesome, thanks,” Matthew stated, hurrying to his feet.

Maybe if he moved quickly enough, he could figure out
where the big red muscle-bound hotty had gone. He
mentally rolled his eyes at his thoughts. Damn. Did he really
think the huge bruiser was hot?

Yep.
Matthew reminded himself that he was just going to

thank the gargoyle. Although he tried to keep that thought
lodged firmly in mind, he couldn’t help feeling a fissure of
excitement course down his spine.

Why the fuck is that?
Not really wanting to dwell on that reaction, Matthew

tried not to appear in too big a hurry as he rounded the table
and headed toward the door. He closed the door behind him
while glancing in both directions. Thinking he spotted
movement to his left, he headed that way.

Hustling swiftly down the hallway, Matthew stretched

his stride, using his six foot one inch height to advantage.
Still, he only managed to keep catching a fleeting glance of
red and black each time he rounded a corner.

Finally, after several minutes of pursuit, Matthew saw the

gargoyle he followed disappear through a doorway. At least,
this  time,  he  caught  sight  of  him  enough  to  know  it  really
was  Vane.  The  blood-red  body  and  black  wings  were
unmistakable.  He  paused  outside  the  door,  debating,  but
since it’d been left open several inches, decided to risk it and
headed inside the room.

As Matthew gently pushed the door open further, he

peered around it, trying to differentiate the objects inside the
darkened interior. He could just make out a sofa and a chair,
plus some dark smudges deeper inside that might have been
an archway.

Matthew had about convinced himself to back out of the

room—hell, going in there was more nosey than even he
wanted to admit to being—when a big hand clamped a firm

Charlie Richards

grip on his upper arm. Matthew found himself yanked the
rest of the way inside. While hearing the slam of the door,
Matthew’s front was pressed into the wall. Grunting, he felt
a heavy weight press against his backside while huge hands
grasped his wrists and forced them over his head.

His heart raced in his chest, and he gasped for air.
“Why are you following me, human?”
The low growling voice vibrated through Matthew’s back

and sent tingles through his senses. To Matthew’s shock, his
prick  began  to  thicken.  Knowing  it  was  completely
inappropriate,  he  breathed  slowly  through  his  nose,  trying
to calm his ill-timed erection. It didn’t help. If fact, breathing
in  the  gargoyle’s  heavy  musky  odor  had  Matthew  fighting
back a moan as he went from perking up to hard as steel.

“Well?” The gargoyle rumbled the one word, his grip

tightening almost infinitesimally on his wrists, accentuating
his rising ire.

Matthew knew he needed to find his tongue. Swallowing

hard, he finally managed to gasp out, “To thank you.”

Calming a Demon Heart

Chapter Two

ane glared at the well-muscled neck of the oddly
pleasant smelling human.

Damn it! I did not just think that! I do not like humans…how

they smell or otherwise.

Instead, Vane focused on the male’s unexpected answer.

To thank him? “For what?”

“Saving my brother,” the man replied breathily.
Realizing he probably crushed the much smaller male,

Vane eased his body away from the human. As soon as he
drew away, he discovered he wanted to press his body right
back  against  this  male’s,  except  not  because  he  felt  he
needed  to  subdue  him.  His  dick  actually  started  filling,
thickening  beneath  his  loincloth.  Desire  to  press  his  cock
against this human, to rut and feel pleasure, blindsided him.

Vane scowled, irritated by his body’s ridiculous

responses.

Releasing the stranger’s arms, he gripped the human’s

shoulders and spun him around, thudding his back to the
wall. He peeled his lips away from what he knew were
prominent—and razor sharp—teeth, offering the man a feral
snarl. Bending down a bit, he got right into the human’s face
and demanded, “What’s your name? Who’s your brother?”

The human’s hazel eyes widened slightly, his mouth

hanging  open  just  a  bit  as  he  swept  his  gaze  over  Vane’s
features.  Yeah,  Vane  knew  what  the  human  would  see,  a
face  flat  and  bony  around  the  eyes  like  a  skull,  a  sunken

Charlie Richards

nose, prominent jaw line, and red eyes that almost seemed to
glow. He’d had enough people tell him that, and not all had
been human.

Cornelius—who happened to be a rhino shifter and

mated to Einan, the clutch’s lead enforcer—had given him
the kindest description. He’d called Vane sexy…in a creepy
crypt master way. Hell, he’d take it.

“What?” Vane rumbled. For some reason, he couldn’t

resist leaning closer and scenting the human. “Cat got your
tongue?” Fuck! The guy tilted his head, offering more room.

So fucking sexy.
“I-I’m Matthew. Matthew Beakman,” the human

whispered. “You saved my brother, Marty. Th-That’s—”

“Raymond’s mate,” Vane interrupted gruffly. He couldn’t

help inhaling Matthew’s scent, couldn’t resist slowly sliding
the tip of his nose bone up his neck—less than an inch from
the man’s delicate column of flesh. Gods, why did the human
have to tilt his head, offering more? Vane just resisted the urge
to open his mouth and swipe his tongue up that same skin,
touching, tasting.

Growling, angrier with himself than at Matthew—hell,

the human had had enough balls to not only learn who he
was, but to follow him through multiple corridors—Vane
shoved away from the wall…and the man.

Vane forced his features to remain still and impassive as

he straightened to his full seven foot height. He stepped
back and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Fine. You thanked me, which is unnecessary. I was

following orders. Please leave.”

Seeing the way the human pressed his back against the

wall and gaped up at him, it took Vane a second to realize it
was from surprise and disbelief, and not out of fear. Then,
the human actually had the audacity to sweep his gaze over
him. Vane heated under that look, because it was a very
thorough and very appreciative once, twice over.

Calming a Demon Heart

What the fuck?
Fighting back a sudden shockingly painful erection, Vane

stepped left, yanked the door open, and gestured, blatantly
making his desires clear.

Matthew blinked a couple of times, as if coming out of a

daze. To Vane’s shock, the human held his gaze for several
long seconds before he obeyed. Matthew eased away from
the wall and moved toward the doorway. Halfway through,
he paused and turned to look back at him. He peered at
Vane through thick, dark lashes.

Vane thought the human would say something, then,

Matthew bowed his head and slipped from the room. As
Vane shut the door, quietly spoken words carried to him.

“I really am grateful,” Matthew murmured. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
The words were out before Vane could think better of

them. Shutting the door, Vane wondered what the hell had
just happened. He’d never wanted a human before, but as he
inhaled  the  mingled  scents  permeating  the area  around  his
suite’s  foyer,  he  couldn’t  deny  that  he  wanted  this  one.
Under his loincloth, his rod felt harder and thicker than he’d
ever been before. Resting his hand on the wall, he bowed his
head  and  tried  to  get  a  hold  of  himself.  Except,  then  he
smelled it…something he’d missed before, probably due to
his struggling to control his own responses.

Arousal. Human arousal.
“Holy shit,” Vane hissed, squeezing his eyes tightly shut.

“Matthew…was aroused!” Licking his lips, he tried to wrap
his mind around that. “Aroused by me?”

That had never happened before. Feared, yes. Disgusted,

often. Curious, sometimes. Turned on, never.

Then, what the hell was different? Why was he hard for

this human? Vane had never gotten hard for anyone before.
If he wanted relief, it’d always been alone with his right
hand. It’d just been easier than struggling through finding

Charlie Richards

someone who didn’t mind not only his appearance, but also
his inexperience and how he had to work his cock to get
hard.

Except, I wouldn’t have that problem with Matthew.
Vane palmed his dick through his loincloth. He hissed at

the contact. Leaning against the wall where he’d just had
Matthew, Vane pulled the ties of his loincloth and freed his
dick. He stared down at the bobbing red shaft, then gripped
himself and grunted with pleasure. Taking in a deep breath,
he smelled the lingering scent of the human that’d just been
there.

Groaning, Vane watched a bead of moisture ooze from his

cap. His heart thudded in his chest as he slowly started
stroking. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this
hard, this primed to blow…and it was all because of a
human.

Vane rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

His hips bucked as he fucked his fist, stripping his cock hard
and fast. It’d been a couple of months since he’d bothered
getting himself off, and he couldn’t wait to feel the bliss of
release surge through his system.

In his mind, Vane remembered the way Matthew had

tilted  his  head,  giving  him  access  to  his  neck.  The  strong
tendons just begged to be nipped. His balls pulled  flush to
his  body  as  he  imagined  scraping  his  canines  up  the  thick
flesh. Vane imagined taking a bite, seeing if the man tasted
as good as he smelled.

With that image in his mind, Vane growled low in his

throat. His balls pulled just a bit tighter and his dick swelled
in his hand. Ropes of white cream spurted from him as his
orgasm bowled through him.

Vane slowed his hand as aftershocks rolled through him,

his  hips  bucking  spastically.  He  shivered  as  blissful
sensations  coursed  through  his  system.  “Damn,”  he
mumbled.  Pushing  away  from  the  wall,  he  stooped  and

Calming a Demon Heart

picked up his loincloth, then stumbled the few steps needed
to drop onto the closest couch.

Splaying his legs, Vane stared down at his still semi-hard

dick. Normally, after he’d come, he’d soften right up and
he’d certainly never felt this wash of relaxed fatigue. A
niggle of unease disrupted his afterglow as an idea churned
through his sluggish brain.

Could Matthew be my mate?
Vane had never considered the idea of having a mate out

there. Sure, the other gargoyles spoke of it occasionally, but
with his reclusive nature, he’d never thought he’d find one
of his own.

“Shit.” Vane sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “A

human. What the hell am I gonna do with a human?”

Did he even want a human mate? He had a tough time

dealing with the few humans in the clutch that were mated
to others. Humans tended to want to go out, do things,
spending time in restaurants, bars, and clubs. There was no
way in hell Vane would want to go out to any place
crowded with even more humans.

“Damn it,” Vane snarled.
Pushing to his feet, he ignored his still interested prick

and  tied  his  loincloth  back  into  place.  He  stalked  to  the
bathroom,  grabbed  a  towel,  and  returned  to  the  entryway.
Getting  on  his  knees,  Vane  wiped  down  the  tiles,  clearing
away the evidence of his release.

Vane had just decided he’d gotten it all when a hard

knock vibrated the door. Jerking his head up, he snarled,
“What?”

His door opened, and Tobias, the clutch’s second in

command, poked his head inside. The dark green gargoyle
peered around Vane’s space. Then, he lowered his gaze to
Vane, who still remained on his knees. Cocking his head, he
inhaled, then opened his mouth and licked his lips.

Charlie Richards

Vane scowled, knowing the other gargoyle was using his

tongue  to  scent.  A  gargoyle’s  tongue  had  thousands  of
sensory  receptors,  helping  them  differentiate  between  a
myriad  of  scents,  tasting  the  wind  almost.  He’d  heard  it
intensified the enjoyment of a lover.

That thought brought Vane back to Matthew and his still

half-mast dick filled a bit more.

Frustrated with his body’s responses, Vane’s next words

came out with more snarl than intended. “What is it?”

Tobias curled his lip and, as he stepped inside the room,

snapped back, “You’re in a foul mood, Vane. From the scent
in the air, I’d have thought just the opposite.”

Growling low in his throat, Vane glared at Tobias. “Well,

then you’re wrong.”

Crouching, Tobias’ eyes narrowed as he stared at him.

“You ever talk to me like that in public, and I’ll lay you out,”
he warned. “You get me?”

His icy tone sent chills down Vane’s spine. While he

considered himself a powerful gargoyle—what with his size
and  strength—Vane  had  no  desire  to  lead.  He  didn’t  have
the  drive  to  keep  others  in  line  and  he  sure  as  hell  didn’t
want  the  responsibility  of  caring  for  them  that  went  along
with being in charge.

Still, it rankled to have to bow his head to the other

gargoyle. “Yes, Second,” he responded.

Although Vane’s tone remained a bit gruff, Tobias

seemed to accept his acquiescence. “Good. Now, head over
to Gnarly Park. You’re to meet Detective Collin DeSoto. He
needs the details of what happened to Simon, so he can
doctor his report.”

Rising to his feet, Vane nodded. The detective had learned

of gargoyle’s existence several years before when he’d been
bitten by a vampire. Somehow, the vampire’s ability to place
a human in a trance—which they all used to subdue a

Calming a Demon Heart

human and make them forget being bitten—hadn’t worked
on him.

Sapian had been at a restaurant with his mate, Missy,

and—with his heightened hearing—had heard the detective
and vampire struggling. Sapian had sent the vampire on his
way, then brought Collin back to the manor so paranormals
could be explained to him. Now, the gargoyles paid the
detective to assist them with keeping paranormals secret.

“You want me to tell him everything? Or just that Simon

was the one who shot Marty and we stopped him from
being a further threat?”

Vane’s idea of stopping a human attacking one of his

fellow  gargoyle’s  mates  was  straightforward…kill  any
potential  threat.  The  detective  would  probably  have
preferred  Simon  be  caught  and  turned  over  to  authorities.
Vane couldn’t give a shit what the human law enforcement
officer  wanted.  No  cops  had  helped  him  when  he’d  been
chained up and locked in a cage.

“Just the basics,” Tobias confirmed. “After that, the day is

yours.”

Without waiting for a response, the second turned and

strode from Vane’s room, slamming the door behind him.

Vane cringed and sighed, realizing he’d pissed Tobias off

more than the male let on. He really needed to remember to
watch his tone while around the other gargoyle. Tobias had
been one of the males who’d helped Maelgwn free Vane.
Their chieftain had told Vane he’d learned of his capture
through some vampires. Vane’s first action after being freed
had been to chase down and kill the couple who’d held him.

He smirked at that memory. Who said revenge wasn’t

satisfying?

Shaking off his memories, that’d been nearly two decades

ago, Vane tossed the dirty towel into the bathroom as he
headed through his bedroom and to the balcony beyond. He

Charlie Richards

opened the French doors, stepped into the darkness, and
used the bench seat as a step to climb onto the railing.

Vane paused and peered up at the stars. Most days, he

perched right there or up above his window on  the roof to
roost.  He’d  watch  as  the  first  lines  of  pink  streaked  across
the  sky  and  wonder  what  a  sunrise  actually  looked  like.
Vane  had  watched  a  sunrise  on  TV  a  few  times,  just  to
satisfy his curiosity.

If I bond with Matthew, I’ll be able to see it for real.
Sighing, Vane pushed off the balcony and soared into the

air. That was a decision for another time. Now, he needed to
complete his duties.

Vane adjusted the angle of his wings, enjoying the feel of

the  wind  caressing  his  hide.  After  being  locked  away  the
first  twenty-plus  years  of  his  life,  he  considered  it  an
invaluable  freedom  to  be  able  to  soar  through  the  air.  He
skimmed over the treetops, twisting between the taller ones,
making certain it’d be difficult for his form to be made out
by anyone below.

Once he neared the park, Vane slowed. His excellent

night vision allowed him to spot the detective sitting on a
park bench near the edge of the tree line. Heading that way,
Vane kept in the shadows. Finally, close enough to speak to
the human, Vane landed on the branch of a tree about
halfway up.

“Detective,” Vane called, just loud enough to get the

human’s attention.

The man stood and peered in his direction, squinting,

trying to see through the gloom. “Who’s there?”

“Vane. You’ve been expecting me,” he responded

brusquely. “I am the one who killed Simon, so I was given
the task of speaking with you.”

Detective DeSoto walked toward him a few steps. “You a,

uh…a gargoyle?”

Calming a Demon Heart

Vane frowned and glanced around the park, then flicked

out his tongue, scenting the wind. All he could make out
were small animals, dirt, grass, and trees, plus himself and a
very nervous detective. Deciding it was safe, he replied,
“Yes.”

“I want to see who I’m talking to you. Come out of the

trees,” the detective demanded.

“No,” Vane denied. Then, before the human could think

up  any  more  demands—and  in  a  hurry  to  return  to  his
clutch’s  manor—and  not  because  I  want  to  get  back  and  track
down  Matthew—he  started  explaining  what  had  happened
with Simon.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Three

atthew pushed the door to Logan’s truck open, but
before he could step from the vehicle, his friend

grabbed his arm. Turning to look at the man, he lifted one
brow. “Yeah?”

“You sure you’re okay?” Logan swept his gaze over him,

his brows furrowed. “You’ve been a bit…preoccupied ever
since you took off after Big Red.”

His jaw sagging open, Matthew stared at Logan for a

second. Getting his act together, he stated, “You knew?”

Logan scoffed. “Of course, I knew. It ain’t like you to just

give up on an idea because some stranger told you to.” He
smirked. “I bet you didn’t even piss before tracking Vane
down, did you?”

Matthew’s face flushed. He shook his head. “No.”
“So, what’s got your panties in a twist?”
Rolling his eyes, Matthew slid from the truck and

slammed the door closed after him. He started up the walk,
then turned back when he didn’t hear his friend following.
Turning around, he strode to the driver’s side window and
knocked on it. “Get your ass out of that truck and into the
house.”

Logan laughed, the sound muted until he shoved open

the door. Still chuckling, he followed Matthew up the walk.

Even at two in the morning, Matthew didn’t want to risk

saying anything about gargoyles out in the open, so he kept
his mouth shut until they were behind closed doors. He

Calming a Demon Heart

continued down the hall and into the kitchen. “You want a
beer or something?”

“A beer would be great as long as I can sleep in your

spare room,” Logan replied.

Matthew nodded. “Of course,” he replied. Pulling out a

pair  of bottles, he handed one  to Logan. After popping  the
cap, he took a long  chug. Matthew swallowed, then stated,
“After tracking Vane down and thanking him, I did end up
going  to  the  bathroom.”  Picking  at  the  bottle’s  label,  he
muttered the admission, “But it was to jack off, not piss.”

Logan froze, then started to hack, struggling to breathe

around the mouthful of beer that must have gone down the
wrong way. Matthew snickered, watching as Logan put
down his bottle, rounded the counter, and spit beer into the
sink.

Once Logan had managed to get a hold of himself, he

growled a bit and glared at him. “Fucker. You couldn’t have
waited until after I’d swallowed?”

Shrugging, Matthew didn’t bother apologizing. Instead,

he stated, “You asked what was bothering me.” Leaning on
the  counter,  he  stared  hard  at  his  bottle.  “I  don’t  ever
remember  being  that  hard  for  a  guy  when  all  he  did  was
breathe on my neck and pin my arms. I mean—” He paused
and frowned. “I’m not even into bondage. At least, I  never
have been before but—Fuck!”

Matthew straightened and gulped down the rest of his

beer. After grabbing another from the fridge, he headed into
the family room and sank onto his couch. Sighing, he rested
his head on the back and the bottle on his knee, allowing his
eyelids to slide closed.

Instantly, the image of Vane seemed to superimpose itself

on the backs of his eyelids. His cock, once again, thickened at
the memory of being pinned to the wall and having the
massive male pressed along his back.

Charlie Richards

“Damn,” he grumbled, reopening his eyes.
“Maybe he’s your mate.”
Matthew looked toward Logan, his jaw sagging open.

“What?”

Logan groaned as he lowered his heavily muscled body

into an EZ chair. He shifted a bit, sinking into the soft
material. After popping his neck, Logan rested his beer on
his thigh, then settled his right ankle onto his left knee.

Finally, Logan fixed his sharp green-eyed gaze on

Matthew. “You’re obsessing over the gargoyle just like your
brother  obsessed  over  Raymond.  Only  in  your  case,  you
already  know  about  gargoyles,  so  there’s  nothing  keeping
you from approaching him.” His brows drew together at his
words. “Of course, Big Red doesn’t seem to have the rap of
being  a  social  guy,  and  Maelgwn  did  say  something  about
him  not  liking  humans.”  After  a  short  pause,  where  Logan
stared at him and Matthew tried to figure out an appropriate
response to Logan’s statements, Logan asked, “What did he
say to you?”

Staring at the floor, Matthew tried to remember his and

Vane’s interaction objectively, but damn was it hard. All he
wanted to do was revel in the memory of how it had felt to
be pressed against the wall by Vane’s big, hard body.
Sighing, Matthew tipped his head forward and focused on
Logan.

“I followed him into a dark room.” Matthew held up his

hand when he saw Logan’s frown. “Yeah, stupid. I know. I’d
just seen him go in there and the door was slightly open, so I
stepped just inside the door. Anyway,” he continued, “he
grabbed me and pressed me up against the wall and
demanded to know who I was.”

Matthew paused and Logan waved his hand, making a go

on motion.

Calming a Demon Heart

“Well, after I told him who I was and that I wanted to

thank  him,  he  eased  off  and  pretty  much  told  me  you’re
welcome  and  to  get  lost,”  Matthew  admitted,  grimacing  at
the memory. Lifting his hand, he held up one finger. “But for
one minute there, I swear he pressed a hard cock against my
ass.”  He  shivered  at  the  remembered  sensation,  then
mumbled,  “I  tilted  my  head  and  it  almost  seemed  like  he
was gonna start kissing up my neck.”

“So, he’s attracted to you,” Logan stated bluntly.
“Then why did he tell me to leave?” Matthew couldn’t

help  but  let  that  eat  away  at  him.  If  the  big  gargoyle  was
attracted  to  him,  why’d  the  male  allow  him  to  leave?
Matthew  thought  he’d  expressed  his  attraction  pretty
clearly.

Logan swigged his beer, swallowing the last of it. Setting

the empty on an end table, he relaxed his arms on the rests.
“You’re thinking about this too hard, man. From what
Maelgwn said, he’s had some bad experiences with humans.
You need to give him some good ones. See what happens.”

“What are you talking about?”
Smirking, Logan winked, the scars stretching oddly.

“Seduce him. Surely Raymond or someone could give you a
hand.”

“Seduce him?”
Logan laughed, probably at Matthew’s dubious tone.
“Yep,” Logan confirmed. “Since he must have had pain at

the hands of humans, show him that humans can give him
pleasure, too.” He shrugged. “Besides, if it turns out you’re
just hot for the man and it’s not the mate thingy Maelgwn
and Sapian were talking about, I’m sure you’ll still get some
fantastic sex out of it.”

Logan pushed from his seat and grabbed his empty bottle.

“I’m gonna grab a shower, then go to bed. Stop stewing and

Charlie Richards

do something about it.” With that parting shot, Logan strode
from the room.

Matthew sat there and finished his beer. He listened as

the water in the spare bathroom upstairs turned on and tried
to decide if it would really be that easy…or that hard.

Matthew strolled through the gardens at the manor, his

flip-flops slapping the bottoms of his feet with each step. He
took  in  the  carefully  maintained  bushes.  While  he  could
appreciate  the  beauty  of  the  flowers—in  all  the  vibrant
colors  of  the  rainbow—Matthew  could  only  name  a  few  of
them.

Stopping occasionally, he enjoyed the smell of a few of

them.  Finally,  he  reached  an  area  with  a  three-tiered
fountain  in  the  middle.  Four  stone  benches  circled  the
clearing, allowing visitors to enjoy the view of the water or
that  of  the  flowers.  Trellises  and  hedges  surrounded  the
area, giving the appearance of privacy.

He walked around the area and easily spotted the power

cord coming out from between a couple of hedges to attach
to a space heater. Matthew smiled, relief filling him. While
the sun shone brightly, it was still February, which meant it
was nipple-freezing cold. For his plan to work, he needed a
little warmth. The space heater would provide that.

Matthew moved the machine next to a bench and

swiveled the direction so it pointed upward where a person
would sit. Then, he spread the towel he’d been holding out
over the stone bench. He had no desire to scrape up his ass.
Then, after cranking the space heater to high, Matthew took
off his bathrobe, folded the fabric to create a pillow for his
head, and laid it on one end. He kicked off his flip-flops and
lay on his stomach on the towel.

Although Matthew had sun-bathed nude many times

over the years—he found he had a problem with tan lines on

Calming a Demon Heart

his  body—he’d  never done  it  in  the  winter. His  skin  goose
bumped  as  he  adjusted  to  the  chilly  air.  Still,  once  he  got
used  to  it,  with  the  added  heat  from  the  space  heater,  it
wasn’t too bad.

He rested his forearms on the bench on either side of his

head, laid his head on his make-shift pillow, and closed his
eyes. The last forty-eight hours quickly caught up with him.

First, his brother had been shot and he’d spent half a day

in the hospital until Logan had forced him home. Then, he’d
discovered  his  brother  had  been  swiped  from  the  hospital
and  taken  to  the  manor,  where  the  news  that  gargoyles
existed  was  dropped  in  his  lap.  Finally,  he  found  himself
attracted to Big Red—Matthew smiled at Logan’s nickname
for Vane—and now he worked to seduce the large male.

His smile remained as he thought about how it’d be to

have Vane touch and hold him. Those thoughts followed
him into sleep.

The sound of a low rumbling growl pulled Matthew from

his pleasant dream of touching and exploring Vane’s
massive expanse of a chest. Cracking his eyelids open, he
had to blink a few times to focus. Then, the dim lighting of
the lanterns told him that darkness had fallen.

Excellent.
That low rumble came again, and Matthew turned his

head. Without conscious thought, a large smile curved his
lips. Vane towered over him, his red eyes blazing with lust
and some unfathomable emotion.

Mmm, hello sexy.
Sure, the gargoyle scowled and his jaw appeared tightly

clenched,  but  Matthew  took  that  as  a  sign  of  desire  rather
than  actually  being  upset.  Hell,  the  way  Vane’s  gaze
couldn’t  stop  flicking  from  Matthew’s  ass  to  his  face  and
back to his ass again was a dead giveaway.

“Hello, Vane.”

Charlie Richards

Vane’s jaw worked as he fixed his gaze on Matthew’s

face. “Why are you out here naked?”

The snarled question pleased Matthew, although he

managed to keep that pleasure off of his face. Instead, he
allowed his smile to turn into a smirk. He shrugged his
shoulders, liking how the move drew Vane’s attention to his
back, then down the line of his spine to his ass.

“Well, I was sunbathing, but it’s been a long couple of

days and I guess I fell asleep.”

“Sunbathing?” Vane returned his gaze to Matthew’s face.

He flicked out his tongue a bit—oddly similar to a snake—
then licked his lips. “Why are you sunbathing?”

With the way Vane’s brow ridges—hell, Matthew figured

those must be a gargoyle’s eyebrows—drew down, Matthew
guessed the idea must be truly foreign to him. Considering
Vane spent the sunny portion of the day as a stone statue,
that actually made sense.

Taking advantage, Matthew rolled to his side…which

showed off his half-hard—and quickly thickening—cock to
perfection. Damn, he couldn’t seem to stay soft around this
guy. The chilly air caused his penis to flex and twitch,
drawing Vane’s attention.

Matthew licked his lips, deciding to start slowly, so he

answered the gargoyle’s question. “I enjoy a little bronze tint
to my skin. I think it looks good with my eyes.” He’d never
considered  himself  exceptionally  vain,  but  he  did  want  to
look  good.  Working  as  an  electrician,  always  on  the  move,
made it so Matthew didn’t have to frequent a gym. Instead,
he jogged several times a  week. “I  don’t like tan lines,  so I
sunbathe nude.”

Vane licked his lips again, his tongue a bit more slender

than Matthew knew a human would have. Matthew thought
about sucking that slender appendage and more blood
flooded to his groin.

Calming a Demon Heart

“And, this sunbathing? You find it…pleasurable?”
It took Matthew a few seconds to figure out what Vane

actually asked. It seemed the gargoyle wanted to know why
he was turned on. Grinning, Matthew reached down and
placed his forefingers on the base of his erection, giving it a
gentle push so it’d bob some more. “Oh, no, big guy,” he
crooned. “This is all for you. I was dreaming about you and
it turned me on.”

Vane expelled a breath on a gasp. His gaze riveted to

Matthew’s jutting erection. “M-Me?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Matthew hummed.
Allowing his gaze to stray over Vane’s big body, he took

in the male’s wide, dark red shoulders, clearly defined pecs
and abs, and his thickly muscled limbs. Finally, he allowed
his gaze to land on Vane’s loincloth. The fabric tented
obscenely, telling Matthew that he wasn’t the only one
turned on.

Taking a chance, Matthew shifted a bit so he could safely

roll to his back on the narrow bench. He reached out slowly
with his right hand, the hand closest to Vane, and placed his
hand on the male’s thigh, just above his knee.

The muscles tensed under his palm. Gliding his fingers

up a few inches, then down one, then up again, Matthew
slowly worked his way up Vane’s tree-trunk for a thigh.
Softly, he asked, “You know what I did today?”

Vane shook his head mutely, his clawed hands clenching

and unclenching at his sides.

Matthew focused on Vane through his lashes. Swallowing

hard, he reached up that final couple of inches and slowly
started pulling at the ties of Vane’s loincloth. He had to
remind himself not to hold his breath, so he could murmur,
“I took a long hot shower and while I was in there, I jacked
off. Do you know what I was thinking about at the time?”

Charlie Richards

The loincloth fell away, revealing Vane’s straining

erection. Maybe eleven inches of thick, red shaft jutted from
the gargoyle’s hairless groin. Saliva pooled in Matthew’s
mouth as he stared. Unable to look away, he skimmed the
pads of his forefingers around the base of Vane’s impressive
girth, feeling the slightly softer hide there.

Not bothering to wait to see if Vane would answer in

some way—hell, it wasn’t like someone could know what
another was thinking halfway across town—Matthew
whispered, “I fantasized about sucking your dick, Vane.”

Matthew’s own cock jerked and oozed where it lay almost

flat across his abs, hard and aching. Finally, yanking his gaze
away from the beautiful dick not too far from his face,
Matthew licked his lips and peered up at Vane. The
gargoyle’s eyes nearly smoldered with feral lust and need.

On instinct, Matthew skimmed the fingertip of his first

finger up the thick vein of Vane’s dick. “Can I suck you,
Vane? Will you fuck my face and allow me to give you
pleasure?”

Matthew waited with bated breath, hoping the gargoyle

would get over whatever hang-ups he had about humans
and give in, even if just for now. He desperately wanted
Vane to say yes.

Calming a Demon Heart

Chapter Four

ane’s body practically vibrated. He felt goose bumps
rippling across his skin. His cock ached, throbbing so

hard he feared he might burst from the light touch of
Matthew’s fingertips. He swallowed, then forced himself to
unclench his jaw.

Licking his lips, again—Gods above, he enjoyed the scent

of Matthew’s arousal—Vane stared down at the lightly
bronzed fingers touching his rock-hard erection.

Matthew peered up at him through thick, dark lashes, his

expression similar to those he’d seen in some of his porn
videos. The human seemed to be promising pleasure.

“Y-You want to suck my dick?”
The naked human nodded slowly. His tongue slipped out

and he swiped it along his plump bottom lip. “Very much.”

The fingers touching his shaft slid away. Vane fought

back a growl of disappointment. Fortunately, Matthew
settled his hand on Vane’s hip and tightened his grip.
“Come over here,” he whispered. “Straddle the bench.”

Vane obeyed Matthew’s guiding hands—lean strong

fingers that felt so good on his skin as Matthew urged Vane
to swing a leg over the bench. He straddled Matthew’s
shoulders and peered down at the human’s face, taking in
his expectant, almost feral expression.

By the Gods, Matthew really does want this.
Slowly—following his soon-to-be lover’s guidance—Vane

scooted forward. He moved inch by inch, until his balls

Charlie Richards

dangled  over  Matthew’s  face.  He  could  just  see  the  other
male’s  face  and  what  Vane  could  only  interpret  as  a
mischievous  glint  in  the  human’s  eyes.  No  one  had  ever
looked at him that way.

Vane stiffened. Had he misread the scents? Was Matthew

just playing him?

Then, a warm, wet tongue lapped at the underside of

Vane’s balls. He gasped in surprise, which almost instantly
turned  into  a  grunt  of  pleasure.  The  slide  of  the  slightly
rough  appendage  over  his  sensitive  sack  nearly  had  him
shooting  right  then.  He  gripped  the  base  of  his  dick  and
squeezed tightly, stemming his need to orgasm.

Groaning, Vane shivered. Never had he felt anything so

exquisite as  Matthew’s tongue. He couldn’t ever remember
nearly  shooting  after  just  a  few  seconds.  Then,  Matthew
drew one of his testicles into his mouth, sucking lightly  on
his sensitive sack.

“Holy fuck,” he mumbled, barely holding himself

together as sensations akin to liquid fire radiated from his
testicles up his stalk.

After a second, Matthew moved to his other sack and

gave it the same treatment. Vane’s grip tightened on the base
of his stalk. With his tight hold, he wondered how his dick
managed to get any blood to it at all. Except, his penis had
never been harder and his entire groin tingled. His balls
drew flush to his body.

Matthew released him and Vane groaned at the loss of

stimulus. He growled, fighting his urge to ask for more.

Then, Matthew urged, “Point your cock down, Vane. Let

me suck you.”

As if Vane could resist an offer like that. Tilting his hips,

he planted one hand on the cloth-covered bench, right above
Matthew’s head. With his other hand, he pointed his
erection toward the human’s lips. Matthew immediately

Calming a Demon Heart

opened and flicked out his tongue, licking the beads of
moisture from his cock’s head. After that, Matthew lifted his
head a bit and sucked his cap.

Hot, wet, bliss encased his shaft, better than any hand job

in the shower. Groaning, Vane realized no amount of
squeezing his dick would hold off his orgasm this time. His
balls pulled even tighter to his body and his hips bucked as
he lost himself in pleasure. Spurts of cum shot from his cock
and Vane snarled as he watched his mate suckle his head
and swallow his seed as if it were the best thing on earth.

Oh, fuck! I think of him as my mate already?
With the bliss pinging through his system, Vane decided

to worry about that later. Growling low, he slowed his hips.
He wasn’t certain when he’d started moving them, but
damn was it amazing to see his dark red shaft spearing his
human’s lips, spreading them wide.

Even better, Vane decided, was that Matthew truly

seemed  to  enjoy  suckling  his  sensitive  appendage.  His
human  swiped  his  tongue  over  and  around  his  dick  again
and again, flicking into the slit and massaging the sensitive
skin  beneath  the  cap.  Shuddering,  Vane  spurted  one  last
time before he finally managed to still his movement.

Still, Matthew didn’t release him.
Vane stared down his body, entranced at the way

Matthew held his cock head in his mouth. No one had ever
done that for him before. He could even feel light laps of the
man’s tongue along the underside of his cap, continuing to
stimulate the sensitive bundle of nerves. Finally, finally,
Matthew allowed his shaft to slide from between his lips. He
swiped his tongue out, licking his lips obscenely.

Grinning up at him, showing off even white teeth,

Matthew told him, “You taste delicious, Vane. You gonna let
me do that again?”

Charlie Richards

“Yes.” Vane didn’t even hesitate. Hell, yeah, he wanted to

feel Matthew’s mouth on his penis again. That had been
fucking amazing!

Evidently, that had been the right answer, for Matthew’s

eyes lit up, the hazel seeming to sparkle with excitement.
Matthew brought a hand up and gripped Vane’s cock,
stroking slowly. The spit slicked skin glided easily between
his fingers, and Vane shivered at the feel of someone other
than himself jacking his dick.

“You know what else I did today?”
Vane thought it took an inordinate amount of

concentration for him to whisper one word. “What?” If
Matthew’s next fantasy was anything as amazing as the first
one, Vane felt certain it’d fry his brain…in the best way
possible.

He couldn’t wait.
“After the shower, I was still too keyed up,” Matthew

murmured silkily. “I needed more.”

Swallowing hard, Vane found his tongue. “What did you

need?”

“Something in my ass,” Matthew admitted softly, running

his free hand up Vane’s thigh and across his butt cheek. “I
found my biggest butt plug and fucked myself with it,
imagining it was this huge monster filling me.” He gave
Vane’s member an extra hard squeeze, making it impossible
for him to miss what his human meant.

“I left the plug in me,” Matthew whispered. “Hoping I

could  find  you  tonight  and  convince  you  to  fuck  me.”
Giving  him  an  open,  almost  desperate  look,  he  added,  “I
want  this  in  me  so  bad.  I’m  already  stretched,  big  guy. All
you gotta do is pull the plug out and push this big boy in.”

Pre-cum oozed from Vane’s dick and it took every ounce

of self-control to keep from painting Matthew’s face with his
seed. Damn, what a pretty sight that’d be. Suddenly, he

Calming a Demon Heart

realized he’d love to see what that would look like. He just
knew  Matthew’s  hazel  eyes  would  be  wide  with  pleasure,
his mouth open, straining  to catch a few drops of him. His
pearly  essence  would  look  so  good  streaked  across  his
human’s face.

First, though, Vane had every intension of taking

Matthew up on his offer. “Hell, yeah. On your knees,
human,” he ordered gruffly, even as he swung his leg over
the bench.

When Matthew just gaped up at him, Vane faltered. Had

the man not been serious?

Matthew must have gotten over whatever surprise he’d

felt, for he started scrambling. Quickly, he rolled off the
bench onto his knees. He hissed, grimacing, and grabbed the
fabric he’d been using as his pillow and shoved it under his
knees and lower legs.

Matthew gripped the bench, spread his legs as wide as his

make-shift  cushion  would  allow,  and  lowered  his  chest  to
the towel. With his ass tilted out so invitingly, Vane’s breath
caught  in  his  throat.  He  reached  out  one  hand  and  lightly
scraped  his  black  claws  down  the  knobs  of  the  human’s
spine to the top of his ass crack.

The human shivered under his touch. Vane jerked his

hand away, suddenly feeling something he’d never felt
before—fear that he’d hurt this human. His claws were
sharp, what if—

“Oh, damn. I knew your claws on me would feel

amazing. Do it again,” Matthew all but begged. When Vane
didn’t move right away, Matthew peered over his shoulder
at him and urged, “Please. I want your touch.”

Vane scowled. “But, my claws—”
“Feel good. They tingled. Pull my cheeks apart and skim

your claws there,” Matthew demanded. The human actually
shuddered—at his own words? “P-Please?”

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Once again, Vane saw something in Matthew’s eyes. This

time, Vane spotted desperation. His cock—which had never
softened, even with his nerves—jerked between his legs.

By the Gods, Matthew wants this just as much as I do. He

wants me!

That revelation spurred Vane into action. Growling with

excitement, he gripped one of Matthew’s cheeks in his left
palm, the firm muscle filling his hand just right. He pulled it
sideways a bit. His breath caught in his throat upon getting
his first view of Matthew’s hole. Gulping, Vane shivered.
The plug filling his human’s ass appeared so much smaller
than his own dick. Still, Vane wanted in there, and Matthew
seemed to think it’d be okay.

His mate had asked—begged, really—so with the faintest

of pressure, Vane scraped the claw of his finger gently down
his lover’s cleft. He started at the top of his ass and stroked
down to where the base of the plug filled his opening,
nudging the object.

Matthew just about went wild beneath him, groaning and

gasping. His body shivered a bit, and Vane had to tighten
his grip on his human’s cheek to keep him still. Liking the
man’s reaction, he repeated the move.

Crying out, Matthew threw his head back as his body

bowed. “Oh, fuck! Can’t hold it,” he whined. “Gotta come.”

Vane’s brow ridges shot up. Matthew would come just

from this? Sucking his cock and having Vane fondle his ass?
Fuck that was hot. Hell, yeah, he wanted to see that. As he
scraped his claw down the man’s cleft once more, he ordered
gruffly, “Do it. Come, now, Matt. Let me see it.”

Moaning, his grip white-knuckle tight, Matt obeyed.

Shouting  hoarsely,  his  human’s  body  convulsed.  His  chest
heaved  as  he  groaned  and  panted,  his  body  rocking  as  if
fucking  the  air.  Matt’s  lean  form,  flushed  with  blood  from
arousal  and  bliss,  couldn’t  be  more  beautiful—unless,
maybe, Vane saw his face when he came.

Calming a Demon Heart

“S-Shit,” Matt slurred.
“What?”
“Why the fuck am I still so hard,” Matt mumbled.

“Thinking of you is making me crazy. Need your cock in my
ass. Need to feel you buried deep in me. Don’t know why
you’re driving me nuts.”

Vane figured Matt didn’t even realize he rambled. Still, it

sure gave him a hell of a lot of information in just those few
words. This human felt the pull to mate, to bond. While it
scared the shit out of Vane, the ache in his cock overrode
everything else.

Running his fingers down Matt’s sides, Vane relished

feeling  his  mate’s  smooth  skin.  With  the  way  his  human’s
skin  rippled  and  how  he  trembled,  Vane  felt  powerful,  in
control.  He  reached  for  the  plug  filling  his  human’s  ass.
Gripping  the  base,  he  pulled  it  free  and  set  it  on  the  towel
nearby.

After spitting in his hand and spreading it over his dick,

Vane guided his shaft to Matt’s waiting hole. He pressed his
cock’s head against the hole and immediately shivered at the
way it felt to slide his sensitive glans across the striated
muscles. As Vane pushed forward, he watched Matt’s
opening stretch and open, swallowing his wide flared head.

Pressure, hot and tight, clamped down on him. Vane

moaned, exquisite bliss shooting up his stalk. He felt his
balls pull dangerously tight to his body, and he quickly
gripped the base of his cock to keep from shooting.

“Ah, hell yeah, put it in,” Matt babbled. “Wanna be

speared by your big dick, Vane. Wanna feel you.”

Vane sprawled over Matt’s back, covering him from

shoulder to knee. He lowered his head until his mouth
hovered just behind Matt’s ear and snarled, “You wanna feel
me, Matt? You want my dick plowing your ass?”

Charlie Richards

Matt managed to lift his head and nuzzled his temple

against Vane’s mouth, shocking the crap out of him. “Yeah,
sink into me, gargoyle. Let me feel all of you.”

All of me?
The words shot thought him like a branding iron.

Instincts roared to life. Vane snapped his hips forward,
driving his erection deep inside the human beneath him. At
the same time, Vane took advantage of the angle of his
mate’s neck and sank his sharp teeth into the fleshy part of
his shoulder.

If my mate wants all of me, that’s what he gets!
The intense heat and pressure around his dick caused a

moan of pleasure to escape him around his mouthful of
flesh. Blood flowed over his tongue, tangy, metallic, and oh-
so-sweet. As he swallowed Matt’s life essence, Vane drew
his hips back, pulling his dick out of his lover’s chute, then
drove back into the man’s body.

Matt canted his hips, howling hoarsely, crying out his

obvious  enjoyment  as  Vane  reamed  his  ass.  Once  he  got
started, Vane couldn’t stop. The pleasure of having his dick
surrounded  in  Matt’s  silky  heat,  the  rippling  massage  as
Matt  came  again  from  his  bite,  sent  Vane  careening  out  of
control.

He deepened the bite and Matt shook beneath him, his

howl  suddenly  cutting  off  in  a  silent  scream.  His  lover’s
chute  clamped  down  even  harder,  telling  Vane  that  his
human  had  come  again.  Pleasure  of  an  altogether  different
sort  flooded  Vane  and—as  his  orgasm  bowled  through
him—he slid his teeth free and roared his own bliss.

Vane felt his seed pulse up his dick, sending blissful

waves  crashing  along  his  nerve  endings  with  each  pulse.
Humming,  his  body  shuddering  every  few  seconds,  Vane
licked  his  bite  mark,  sealing  it  with  his  saliva  and  starting
the healing process.

Calming a Demon Heart

At some point, he’d wrapped his arms around Matt’s

torso and curved his much larger body around the human.
He sighed and nuzzled his lover’s neck, relishing just
holding another body, the novel experience creating an odd
buzz in his system.

Vane finally felt his sated cock begin to soften. He

couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this satisfied. Of
course, he couldn’t remember the last time—hell, ever—that
he’d  come  twice  in  so  short  a  time…and  so  hard?  Relaxed
beyond  anything  he  could  remember  feeling  before,  Vane
nuzzled  his  human’s  neck  and  eased  his  hips  back  a  bit,
letting his cock slide from the human’s warm chute.

Gods, I can’t wait to do that again.
When Matt didn’t respond to his nuzzle, Vane lifted his

head  and  peered  down  at  the  human.  Matt’s  eyes  were
closed  and  his  breathing  came  in  long,  even  breaths.  He
appeared  to  be  sleeping,  but  when  Vane  slid  his  hand  up
Matt’s side, using his hold to jostle him gently, he received
no response.

Frowning, Vane moved the hand he’d wrapped around

Matt’s torso, sliding his big hand a bit so he could palm his
lover’s chest. He encouraged his human to shift his weight
back, struggling for a second when Matt remained dead
weight. If his mate hadn’t been breathing, Vane would have
worried he’d killed the male.

Vane’s heart skipped a beat at that thought. When Matt

finally flopped back against Vane’s chest, limp, mumbling
incoherently, Vane worried he’d done just what he hadn’t
wanted to do—hurt the sweet-smelling human.

Panic setting in, Vane swung Matt into his arms. He

grabbed the bathrobe and wrapped it awkwardly around his
lover’s midsection and rolled to his feet. Dipping down, he
grabbed his own loincloth, but skipped putting it on in favor
of rushing through the gardens toward the house.

Charlie Richards

The shiver that worked through Matt didn’t reassure

Vane, even as the way he cuddled into Vane’s chest did.

Reaching the house, Vane glanced at the bank of windows

overhead. He spotted a balcony to the left he recognized as
Einan’s suite—their clutch’s enforcer. Vane spread his
wings, bent his knees, and leaped into the air. It took only a
second to land on the balcony and he rapped loudly on the
sliding glass door.

A few seconds later, the drapes were yanked aside

revealing a very pregnant Cornelius, Einan’s rhino shifter
mate. The normally slender male’s green eyes widened and
he yanked open the door.

“What the hell happened?”
Vane couldn’t help but bristle at the enforcer’s mate’s

tone.  Curling  a  lip,  he  snarled,  “We  fucked.  That’s  it  and
now  he’s  unconscious.  I  need  someone  who  can  tell  me
about  humans.”  Twenty  four  hours  ago,  never  in  a  million
years would he have thought he’d ask for information about
humans. His motto had been—keep the fuck away.

Cornelius frowned, looking totally confused. “You

fucked?” He took a second look at the human in Vane’s
arms. “You fucked and Matthew passed out?” His brows
shot up. “Damn, Vane. You must be good.”

“Huh?” Confusion slammed through Vane.
Snickering, Cornelius smirked. “Look, if your lover passes

out from pleasure, that’s a good thing.” He grinned. “Take
him to your suite and tuck him into bed. Get some food and
when he wakes, feed him.”

Vane glanced between Cornelius to Matt and back again.

His panic slowly ebbed. “Really?”

Nodding, Cornelius grinned. “Oh, yeah. Breakfast in bed

is total bonus points, especially if it’s followed up by lots of
kissing.” He pointed his finger and waved it around. “All
over kissing.”

Calming a Demon Heart

“You’re sure?”
Finally, an understanding expression crossed Cornelius’

face. “Look, if Matthew hasn’t woken in the next hour or so,
holler  at  me,  and  I’ll  get  the  doc.”  He  patted  Vane  on  his
upper  arm,  probably  attempting  to  reassure  with  touch—
Vane knew shifters were often a touchy-feely  lot—as much
as  with  his  words  as  Cornelius  continued,  “However,  with
everything  Matthew  has  been  through  the  last  couple  of
days, I’m not surprised he passed out.”

Cocking his head, Vane mumbled, “Everything he’s been

through?”

“Sure,” Cornelius replied, shrugging. He held up his

hands and ticked off points on his fingers as if making a list.
“His  brother  getting  shot.  His  brother  getting  kidnapped
from  the  hospital.  Finding  out  about  us.”  He  grinned  and
added, “He’s been awful nice and accepting, but it still can’t
be easy to wrap his brain around. Accepting gargoyles and
shifters  is  tough,  but  Matthew  seemed  to  be  really  open.
He’s already welcomed Raymond into the family and he and
Marty  haven’t  even  completed  their  bond  yet.”  Then,
Cornelius  snickered.  “Not  by  choice,  but  Doc  Perseus
advised  them  to  wait  a  few  days  before  Marty  gets
too…energetic.”

Vane’s brow ridges shot up at Cornelius’ suggestive

eyebrow waggle.

Shaking his head, he stepped back, then climbed onto the

balcony. He glanced over his shoulder at the pregnant male.
“You really think it’s just…” He wasn’t certain how to finish
his own thought.

Cornelius smiled and nodded. “Yeah. It’s just fatigue. I

bet Matthew will wake up feeling like a million bucks.”

Nodding, Vane turned away and leaped into the air. He

caught an air current and swooped around to the other side
of the house, up one story, and settled onto his own

Charlie Richards

balcony’s ledge. Maneuvering the handle on the French
doors, he pushed his way inside.

After settling a still mostly unresponsive Matt on the

bed—at least his human mumbled under his breath and
snuggled into the blankets—Vane touched his mate’s cheek
gently. He slid his fingertips down Matt’s neck, fingering the
mark he’d left. His breathing hitched and once again fear
slithered through him.

What if Matt was pissed that Vane had caused him to

pass out? Wrapping his arms around his torso, almost
protectively, Vane turned away and headed from the suite.
He’d follow Cornelius’ advice and pray it’d be enough.

Calming a Demon Heart

Chapter Five

atthew inhaled deeply…and smiled. Damn, what a
nice smell. Turning his head, he nuzzled into the soft

fabric under his head. At first, he thought it was a pillow,
but when he pried his eyelids opened, he realized it was a
blanket.

Pausing, not recognizing the green and blue plaid blanket

he clutched, Matthew turned his head and took in the room
around  him.  He  frowned,  not  familiar  with  the  very  nicely
carved  dark  wood  furniture.  While  the  room  had  a  large
king-sized  bed,  Matthew  lay  on  a  massive  pile  of  blankets
and pillows near a roaring wood-burning fireplace.

With a nightstand, dresser, along with a small table and

two chairs making up the rest of the furniture, the room had
plenty  of  space.  Looking  right,  beyond  the  bed,  he  spotted
several  doors.  One  was  closed,  and  he  guessed  it’d  be  to  a
closet,  since  the  open  doors  revealed  the  bedroom’s  exit
through one and an ensuite through the other. That was one
of the things Matthew really loved about his three-bedroom
two and a half bath house. He had a private bath attached to
his master bedroom.

This, however, was not his home.
Swallowing hard, Matthew shoved to a sitting position,

settling his back against the wall. He struggled to pull up his
last few memories. Images of Vane flashed through his
mind, the feel of his hands on his flesh, the warmth of his

Charlie Richards

skin against Matthew’s, all reminded him of what he’d been
doing before he’d passed out from pleasure.

Damn, what a way to go.
Matthew reached up and carefully felt along his neck. He

shivered when he encountered the tender bumpy flesh. Holy
hell had it been amazing when Vane had sunk his teeth into
his neck…it’d been even better when the gargoyle had
worked the bite, digging in deeper.

Grunting, Matthew dipped his hand under the blanket

covering  his  lower  half.  He  pressed  the  heel  of  his  hand
against  the  base  of  his  erection.  “Holy  shit,”  he  hissed,
amazed  that  just  a  memory  could  cause  such  a  visceral
response.

Pain had never been his thing, and Matthew would have

thought being bitten like that would be a complete and total
turn-off. Instead, he wanted to sign up as Vane’s personal
chew toy.

He sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Too

bad  the  huge  pile  of  blankets  and  pillows  were  completely
permeated  with  Vane’s  unique,  musky  scent.  Moaning,  he
couldn’t  resist  spreading  his  legs  wider  and  wrapping  his
hand more firmly around his erection.

Matthew sighed, the pressure on his dick unbelievably

amazing.

The sharp hiss yanked Matthew from his pleasure. His

hand  froze  on  his  dick.  Suddenly,  he  felt  thankful  that  he
hadn’t  tossed  the  blanket  aside.  Still,  when  he  peered  at
Vane where the huge gargoyle filled the doorway, Matthew
saw  that  the  massive  red  male’s  gaze  had  fixated  on  his
blanket-covered groin.

Although someone watched, it still took a hell of a lot of

self-control to release his grip on his dick. Matthew brought
both his hands to the edge of the blanket where it rested at
his waist. He tried for a smile. “Hey,” he mumbled. “Sorry,
I…uh. Sorry, I conked out on ya there.” Matthew licked his

Calming a Demon Heart

lips and forced a smile. “Guess you’re just that amazing.” He
tried to tease.

Vane didn’t take the bait.
Instead, the massive gargoyle, his red hide accentuated by

the flames in the fireplace, stalked forward and placed the
tray of food he held on the dresser opposite the bed. Once
the food and dishes were safely stowed, he turned and faced
him.

Peering at him, Vane demanded throatily, “Show me.”
Matthew froze. Uncertain what his lover meant—good God

this dude’s my lover, I loved every second of it, and want to feel
him again—he stuttered, “Sh-Show you what?”

Vane’s eyes narrowed, causing his oddly shaped brow

ridges—which looked so much like the top of a skull’s
misshapen eye sockets—to draw down. “I can smell your
arousal, Matt. Are you trying to hide it? Did I do something
wrong before? Something to make you hide your attraction
to me?”

While speaking, Vane stalked closer, ever so slowly. By

the time he finished speaking, he crouched low and rested
the knuckles of one hand on a pillow near Matthew’s calf.

Matthew quickly shook his head. “No,” he responded.

Gathering his courage, he flipped aside the blanket,
revealing his hard and leaking dick. “Just never been caught
jacking off before,” he admitted.

Vane’s odd brow ridges lifted up, his expression

appearing almost confused. “You would hide your arousal
from your lover? Why?”

Never had he been faced with someone so blunt, so open.

However, faced with the gargoyle’s blatant confusion,
Matthew could hardly do more than tell the truth. “Never
jacked off with someone else before.”

Vane’s eyes definitely narrowed. His countenance took on

a feral expression. “Good,” he snarled. A clawed hand
landed on his thigh, shoving his leg up, which caused the

Charlie Richards

blanket to slide further down his other, still mostly straight
leg. Seconds later, his groin fully revealed, his hard shaft
bobbing before him, Matthew’s breath hitched in his chest as
he watched in wonder as Vane slowly stroked one black
claw up the thick vein running up the underside of his shaft.

Tingles raced through his groin and up his stalk. When

Vane used his claw to move the wrinkled bundle of nerves
just under his cap, Matthew moaned as pre-cum oozed from
his slit.

Leaning closer, Vane pushed Matthew’s dick to one side,

then the other. Seemingly intent on studying Matthew’s
cock, he slid his fingers up and down Matthew’s shaft as he
moved it.

Matthew gritted his teeth. The friction caused his balls to

pull tighter, promising release as orgasm drew closer. “B-
Better stop that,” he managed to say. He’d feel embarrassed
at the whine in his voice, but all he could focus on was
trying to keep control of himself.

Vane finally lifted his gaze to meet Matthew’s eyes as his

fingers stilled. His bony, nose-holes appeared to flutter.
Then, he swept his tongue out and over his thin bottom lip.
“I liked it when you sucked my dick. Will you like it if I do
that to you?”

Shock rolled through Matthew. Had Vane really never

gotten or given a blowjob before this evening? Why the hell
not? Never mind, he decided. Instead, he stated softly, “I’d
love a blowjob, Vane, but if you put your mouth on me, I’m
gonna shoot.”

Growling, Vane grinned, showing off his impressively

sharp teeth, before he lowered his head and nuzzled his
leathery cheek against Matthew’s dick.

Matthew gasped at the sensation of Vane’s hide against

his sensitive shaft. The tender ministrations mixed with the
feel of his hide—like the grain of the finest sandpaper—

Calming a Demon Heart

caused his cock to flex and jerk. Vane turned his head and
mouthed the tight skin of his erection. Matthew shivered at
the warm, wet kisses to his throbbing shaft.

Remembering how much pleasure those teeth had given

him, Matthew wondered how they’d feel scraping along the
thick vein, except… “As much as I loved feeling you bite my
shoulder, no biting my dick.”

Vane’s gaze snapped up, the gargoyle pausing in his

ministrations. “I’d never intentionally hurt you.”

The words were whispered, Vane’s red eyes full of

emotion.

Matthew didn’t doubt his lover’s sincerity for an instant.

Reaching down, he cupped the male’s broad, square jaw. It
was a bit of a stretch, but Matthew managed to get his
thumb far enough to rub first his lover’s lower lip, then a
few of his teeth.

“I know.” He put as much confidence in the few words as

he could.

Vane’s jaw sagged open for just an instant, then he pulled

away from Matthew’s grip, lowered his head, and wrapped
his lips about his cockhead.

Matthew shouted hoarsely at the sudden, sharp suction

surrounding his sensitive glans.

“Vane!”
His lover’s growl shot vibrations down Matthew’s stalk.

His balls pulled tight as the delicious sensations radiated out
from his groin. His orgasm slammed through him, no longer
able to be denied. He couldn’t even manage to warn his
lover, only able to scream unintelligibly.

Vane’s head jerked, but he didn’t pull away. His grip on

Matthew’s thigh tightened as he swallowed. Bliss rolled over
Matthew as his dick shot again and again, his high and tight
balls forcing cum up his stalk in ecstasy-inducing blasts.

Charlie Richards

No sooner had he finished shooting than Vane released

him and reared up over him. He settled his larger body on
top of Matthew’s and reached between them. When
something bumped against his ass cheek, then a blunt object
pressed against his hole, Matthew realized what Vane
sought.

Matthew lifted his free leg and hitched it over Vane’s hip,

giving the male free access to his ass. Vane thrust forward,
burying his thick shaft deeply inside him. The lube and seed
from their earlier bout provided all the slickness they
needed.

Vane grunted and peered down their bodies at where

they joined. “Never imagined sex would feel like this,” he
muttered—almost absently—as he slowly pulled partway
out then pushed back into him.

The male’s words confirmed his lack of experience, but

Matthew could only moan as his lover moved inside him.
When Vane’s wide head slid over his prostate, Matthew’s
body bowed and he roared as fire coursed through his veins.

With the sparks dancing across his nerve endings, it took

Matthew a few seconds to realize Vane had frozen above
him. After swallowing hard, he managed to grit out, “Are
you okay?”

Vane scowled, his already thin lips pulling even more,

revealing the edges of his teeth. “I should be asking you that.
Did I hurt you?”

The realization that he had a hell of a lot to teach his

gargoyle slammed through Matthew, flooding him with
equal parts delight and reservation.

Matthew reached up and cupped his lover’s angular jaws.

Leaning up, he pressed his lips to Vane’s. He kept it a soft
peck, just a fleeting rub, rub of lips, before pulling away. “I’m
just fine,” he assured. “Your dick rubs my prostate just
right.”

Calming a Demon Heart

“Prostate,” Vane mumbled. He nodded once. “Right.

Okay.” Then his brow ridges lowered. “You kissed me.”

By that time, Matthew had managed to calm his racing

pulse. He still desperately wanted Vane to move, to fuck him
senseless. Then, he realized his novice lover needed a little
encouragement and reassurance.

Matthew slid his hands around Vane’s neck, cupped the

thick tendons, and drew his lover’s head down a few inches.
Enjoying the hard hide beneath his palms, he massaged the
gargoyle’s strong neck muscles with his fingertips. Smiling,
Matthew pressed another gentle kiss to the corner of Vane’s
mouth.

“Yes,” Matthew whispered. “I kissed you.” Gliding his

fingers around Vane’s muscled neck, Matthew smiled up at
his gargoyle. “That’s what lovers do.” He tightened his hold
just a bit, then added, “Lovers kiss. They touch.” He slowly
moved one hand down Vane’s chest, fondling his gargoyle’s
hide, exploring his pec muscles. “They explore each other’s
bodies, make each other feel good.”

“You want to explore my body?” Vane seemed

completely confused by that idea. “Why?”

As much as Matthew wanted to get Vane moving, he

realized his lover had a skewed image of himself. He hoped
he’d be able to prove to the gargoyle how handsome and
sexy he found him.

“You’re a sexy gargoyle, Vane,” Matthew crooned. “I’m

gonna convince you of that sooner or later.” He squeezed his
channel, unable to stay still any longer. Moving his hands
back to Vane’s neck, he urged, “Come down here. Let me
explore your mouth while you fuck me.”

For just a second, Vane stared down at him in shock.

Then, with a groan, he finished whatever internal debate he
had and pressed his lips to Matthew’s.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Six

ane didn’t know if he believed Matt. Hell, he’d never
had anyone call him sexy before, but with his aching

cock buried in his human’s silky heat and the heady scents
of arousal and spilled seed surrounding him, Vane could
focus only on the bliss this male brought him.

As Vane pressed his mouth against Matt’s, he slowly

drew his dick partway free of his lover’s body. Pushing back
in, he attempted to take control of the kiss, but quickly found
himself following Matt’s lead.

Matt’s masculine flavors exploded across his tongue as

his human swept his tongue deep into his mouth. Vane
sucked that appendage just as he’d sucked Matt’s dick a few
minutes before. As he drove his shaft deep into the man over
and over, he reveled in the moans his lover fed him.

The constriction on his dick, hot and tight, coupled with

Matthew’s wanton acceptance of him, drove Vane swiftly to
the edge. Growling his pleasure, Vane felt his balls pull tight
to his body. He didn’t even try to stave off his orgasm,
reveling in the bliss of coupling with Matt. Spurting his seed
deep into his mate, Vane slowed his hip’s movement,
enjoying the heady sensations floating through his system.

Finally, Vane broke the kiss and stared down at his lover.

He took in Matt’s flushed face and neck, his kiss-swollen
lips, and the way he panted. Matt shifted under his scrutiny,
and he became aware of his lover’s hard dick rubbing
against his abs.

Calming a Demon Heart

Threading his claws through Matt’s hair with one hand,

he  reached  down  with  his  other  hand  and  wrapped  his
fingers around his lover’s straining dick. Vane slowly jacked
the  hard  flesh,  enjoying  the  smooth  skin  under  his  fingers.
He  watched  in  awe  as  Matt’s  jaw  sagged  open  and  a  low
moan escaped from him.

“You are stunning, Matt,” Vane found himself mumbling.

He scraped his thumb claw gently over his lover’s sensitive
cap on the next upstroke. Matt jerked beneath him, his body
shaking. “Like how you respond to my touch.”

“Please,” Matt hissed.
Smiling, Vane purred, “Please, what?”
Moaning, Matt writhed beneath him. “N-Need to come.”
Vane slid his hand from the man’s thick light-brown hair

and down his neck. He lightly traced the healing bite mark
as he tightened his grip on his mate’s cock and sped up his
stroking. Matt’s eyes widened, his eyes dilating further.

“V-Vane!”
Matt crying his name in pleasure sounded fantastic. Vane

wanted to hear it over and over. Lowering his head, he
licked along his bite mark, so very tempted to sink his teeth
in again, just to cause his lover to orgasm again. He resisted,
barely, since he knew he’d gotten a bit carried away the first
time. At least his saliva aided in healing the mark. When his
softened cock slipped from Matt’s body, Vane eased away
from him.

Matt slid his hands over his shoulders, muttering, “Wow,

you’re gonna kill me with pleasure, big guy.”

Vane frowned. “What? No!”
“Whoa, easy,” Matt rubbed his chest, soothing him. “That

was a joke.”

“Oh.” Still, Vane narrowed his eyes as he stared at Matt.

“That wasn’t funny.” He didn’t like the idea of Matt dying,
not one bit.

Charlie Richards

Matt nodded. “I apologize.” He sighed and stretched.

“Man, I’m wiped. It’s been a long couple of days.”

His lover’s words reminded Vane of Cornelius’ advice.

“Right. Cornelius said to feed you when you woke up, then
we’d have more sex, but your scent distracted me.” He
pushed away and headed toward the dresser and the tray of
food.

“Cornelius said that, huh?”
Vane nodded. Picking up the tray, he headed back to Matt

and settled it on the blankets next to him. “I hope you like
pork chops.”

“Yep, love ’em,” Matt stated. He shifted restlessly, then

asked, “You mind if I use your bathroom first? I’d like to
clean up a little.” He glanced meaningfully at the cum
splattered over his chest, stomach, and groin.

Realizing the seed on his own skin had begun to dry and

itch, Vane nodded. “Good idea. I’ll wash up and reheat our
meal while you shower.”

Matt smiled. “Thanks.”
Vane held out his hand and his human didn’t even

hesitate in taking it. He smiled and helped Matt to his feet.

Matt grinned up at him. “Thanks. You should do that

more often, handsome.”

Freezing, the smile slipped from his lips. Instead, he

scowled. “Huh?”

Shaking his head, Matt chuckled. “And it’s gone. Your

smile.” He reached up and traced Vane’s mouth. “You have
a nice smile. You should do it more often.”

Vane shrugged. “I’m not a social gargoyle. I’ve been alone

most of my life.”

“You haven’t had much of a reason to smile, have you?”

Matt asked softly, his words pegging him with ease.

“No.” Vane didn’t bother lying.

Calming a Demon Heart

Matt continued to explore Vane, touching his oddly

formed face brazenly. “I heard you didn’t have a good
experience with humans,” he murmured.

Vane growled, not pleased that he’d been the object of

gossip…not  that  it  surprised  him.  “I’m  sure  most  would
consider  being  caged,  chained,  and  tortured  a  bad
experience,” he snarled. Knowing his anger was misplaced,
Vane  still  struggled  to  calm  himself.  “Or  maybe  you’re
referring  to  being  put  on  display  as  a  demon  in  a  freak
show? How about that?”

Sliding his hands over his shoulders, Matt gently kneaded

Vane’s tense muscles. “I’m sorry that happened to you. No
one deserves that kind of treatment,” Matt stated, his tone
soft. Smiling tentatively, he continued, “If you allow me to,
I’ll do my best to give you as much pleasure as you can
stand.”

“I—” Vane paused, biting back his initial response that he

didn’t need anyone to do anything for him. He’d enjoyed,
very much enjoyed, the activities they’d shared and Vane
wanted to keep doing them. Uncertain what else to say, he
mumbled, “Let’s get cleaned up.”

Vane wasn’t certain if he felt grateful or disappointed that

Matt didn’t push. Instead, the human nodded and released
his shoulders. He turned and headed toward the bathroom.
Vane followed.

While Vane soaked a wash cloth and wiped himself

down, Matt turned on the shower and stepped under the
spray. He watched as the human lathered up and scrubbed
his body, including his cock, balls, and ass. Desire to join the
male flooded Vane, but he resisted, uncertain of his
reception after snapping at the man earlier.

He’d be the first to admit that he knew nothing about

relationships.

Charlie Richards

Turning away, Vane finished his own quick clean-up,

then headed back to the bedroom. He refastened his
loincloth and grabbed the tray of food. Crossing to the small
kitchenette, he placed one plate of pork chops into the
microwave and pressed the one button, bringing the machine
to life.

Vane thought about calling Maelgwn. His chieftain was

mated to a human. He’d be able to give him advice. Vane
just wasn’t certain he wanted to explain to Matt that they
were mates, yet. What if Matt was attracted to him because
he’d just learned about gargoyles and thought it’d be cool to
get fucked by one for a few days?

Settling his hands on the back of one of the dining room

chairs, he struggled against an urge to crush something. The
very idea that Matt would grow tired of him and move on—
find someone else to fuck him—had Vane seeing red.

There was no way around it. Matt was his mate. Now,

Vane needed to learn how the fuck to have a relationship
with someone else.

A knock on the door pulled him out of his frustrated

musings.

Vane stalked toward the door and yanked it partway

open. “Yes?” he just managed to keep from snapping.

Tobias stood on the other side of the door. Upon hearing

Vane’s tone, the second crossed his arms over his chest and
scowled. “Again in a bad mood.” He shook his head. “It’s
like sex has the opposite effect on you.”

Sneering, Vane stepped back and waved for Tobias to

enter. “What can I help you with?”

Striding into the room, Tobias glanced around. “Marty is

looking for his brother. For some reason, Cornelius seems to
think he’s with you.”

“Yes, Matt’s with me,” Vane confirmed.
Tobias’ green brow ridges raised a bit. “Why?”

Calming a Demon Heart

Before he could think up a response that wasn’t a lie,

since he wasn’t quite ready to share the knowledge that Matt
was his mate, said human strolled into the room wearing
just a towel. The fabric hung low on Matt’s hips, and Vane
found his gaze riveted by all the smooth, lightly bronzed
skin on display.

“Hey, what happened to my bathrobe? Is it—” Matt

gaped for a second, then, while backing away, muttered,
“Uh, sorry. I’ll wait in the other room.”

“Holy shit,” Tobias snarled, lunging toward Matt.
Freezing in his tracks, Matt tensed as Tobias grabbed his

upper arm.

Tobias stared in disbelief at Matt. “What the fuck?”
“Hey, let him go,” Vane roared, latching onto Tobias’

wrist.

Tobias obeyed. He wrenched his wrist free, a low warning

growl rumbling from him.

Vane couldn’t give a shit if he’d offended the second.

Turning his back on the gargoyle, he gently gripped Matt’s
hand and lifted his arm. “Are you okay?” he asked while
inspecting the skin Tobias had touched. His voice came out
gruff, still filled with anger at the second touching his
human.

Matt nodded. “Y-Yeah,” he responded, clearly shaken.
Rounding Vane, Tobias pointed at Matt’s neck and

snapped, “You bit him, Vane. What the fuck are you doing?”

While Matt turned beet red, and not from passion this

time, Vane scowled at the second. “What we do during sex
isn’t your business.”

His gray eyes narrowing, Tobias crossed his arms over his

chest. “It is when you start the bonding process.”

“W-What?” Matt stuttered, confusion etched on his

features.

Charlie Richards

Vane felt the blood drain from his face. He remembered

the  taste  of  his  lover’s  blood,  and  a  memory  from  almost
twenty  years  before  surfaced  in  his  mind.  When  Maelgwn,
Tobias,  and  Einan  had  rescued  him,  the  trio  had  explained
what a gargoyle truly was and the basics of the world they
lived in. That also included mating and bonding.

“Oh, shit.”
Tobias’ eyes narrowed at Vane’s words. “Right. Oh, shit.

Have you discussed bonding with Matthew? Does he even
know what it means to be bonded to a gargoyle?”

“Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here,” Matt snapped.

“What the hell is bonding? How did you trigger it, Vane?
And what does that mean for me?” He pointed his thumb at
his chest, then to Vane’s surprise, added, “What does it
mean for you?”

Vane’s jaw clenched and his mouth felt as dry as a desert.

He swallowed, struggling to get moisture into his mouth, so
he could form words, although, hell if he knew what he’d
even say.

Tobias beat him to the punch. “It means, because Vane

has started the bonding process, you are the only person he
can be intimate with. He will be possessive, domineering,
and overprotective.” With his green lips pressed into a thin
line, the second added, “If you leave him, he will hunt you
down. His instincts will drive him to seek you out.” Waving
his hand between them, he finished, “Even if you decide this
thing between you is just a fling, Matthew, that choice is no
longer an option. You are stuck with each other.”

As Tobias had spoken, Matt’s face had paled more and

more. Vane wished he had the words to make this better, but
he didn’t. His brain seizing, he rubbed a hand over his face
and growled, “Fuck!”

Returning his focus to Matt, he opened his mouth,

intending to apologize. Instead, he snapped his jaw shut

Calming a Demon Heart

upon seeing his lover lift a hand, finger pointing at him, as
he glared at him.

“Stop,” Matt murmured.
“I’m sorry,” Vane pressed.
“I said stop!” Matt all but shouted. “I don’t want to hear

about what a mistake you made or how sorry you are.”
Spinning, Matt stalked toward the door, muttering under his
breath, “Story of my life.” Then, he yanked open the suite
door and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

“No,” Vane whispered. Almost immediately, he started

after the man.

Tobias grabbed his arm, halting his process. “Give him a

few minutes. This is life-altering, for both of you. You need
to figure out why you bit him in the first place.” Giving him
a searching look, he stated, “I’ve never heard of a gargoyle
doing that by mistake.”

Vane sighed and met his second’s concerned expression.

He shrugged, knowing there was no way around the news
getting out now. “Matt is my mate.”

Tobias gave him a small smile, actually looking relieved.

“I’m happy for you,” he stated. After patting him on the
back, he started toward the door, saying over his shoulder,
“I’ll pass the news on to Maelgwn and we’ll do everything
we can to help Matthew come around.”

He paused at the door and turned to peer at him. “I’m

sorry I reacted the way I did. I should have had more faith in
you.”

Vane watched Tobias leave. While he appreciated the

other gargoyle’s apology, he understood why the second
had been ready to go off the deep end. Vane had never
interacted with the humans in the clutch, so to find a nearly
naked one in his suite had probably been quite a shock.

That triggered another realization in Vane. His mate had

just left wearing nothing but a towel. He could be seen by

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dozens of others before getting to…wherever he planned to
go.

Jealous rage slammed through Vane, hot and heavy,

unlike  anything  he’d  felt  before.  No  one  should  see  Matt
with  those  few  clothes  on  but  him!  Vane  roared  and
slammed  his  way  out  of  the  room,  hell-bent  on  finding  his
missing human.

Calming a Demon Heart

Chapter Seven

n hindsight, storming out of Vane’s room with only a
towel wrapped around his hips probably wasn’t

Matthew’s wisest decision. Still, hearing his lover so upset
by them being stuck with each other—not that Matthew
really felt that way about it—really hurt.

So much for Logan’s idea that we’re mates.
Now, though, Matthew needed to find his brother,

because  Marty’s  gargoyle  mate,  Raymond,  had  his  clothes.
The little black gargoyle had gone to so much trouble setting
up  the  garden  for  him.  When  he’d  woken  up  to  find  Vane
standing  over  him,  obviously  enjoying  the  view,  he’d  had
high  hopes.  Add  in  that  he’d  woken  in  Vane’s
bed…nest…whatever, and that the gargoyle had practically
pounced  on  him  as  soon  as  he’d  returned—evidently  from
getting food—had compounded Matthew’s assumption that
Vane desired him also.

Too bad Vane just views me as a convenient body to sate his

lust.

Wracking his brain for where he needed to go, Matthew

found a stairwell and headed down it. He remembered
following Vane from the dining hall the previous night.
From there, Matthew hoped he could find the hospital wing,
where he knew Marty still rested.

Matthew retraced his steps, smiling slightly as he thought

of his brother. To his knowledge, Marty had never really
been in a relationship. While Matthew had lived with a

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boyfriend  for  about  a  year,  before  Logan  had  pulled  him
aside and told him the ugly truth. Danny had been cheating
on  him.  He’d  almost  taken  a  swing  at  the  bigger  man,  but
Marty  had  stopped  him—not  that  the  Irishman  couldn’t
have easily taken the hit, and knowing Logan, he wouldn’t
have even dodged.

He’d never questioned how Marty had known, too. He

knew Logan swung both ways, although he’d only ever
openly dated women. He’d just figured their friend had told
Marty, maybe to ask for advice. Now, he knew better. His
brother had probably been at the gay bar, too.

Pushing his past aside, Matthew realized it didn’t matter.

If he couldn’t bring Vane around to his way of thinking, he’d
end up celibate.

God, it’d suck if Vane only came to me when he was horny.
So, if he couldn’t bring the stubborn gargoyle around

with pleasure, what else could he try? He needed to talk to
Raymond and Cornelius. Maybe they’d have some ideas.
Maybe this time, Einan would be willing to tell him more
about what Vane’s time in captivity had been like. His lover
had spoken of being locked up and tortured. Was that what
held him back?

Uncertainty and frustration filling him, Matthew almost

slammed  into  the  hard  red  body  of  the  gargoyle  coming
around the corner. White-clawed hands settled on his upper
arms, steadying him. “Easy, there, human,” the male urged,
his  voice  a  smooth  baritone.  The  gargoyle  smiled,  a  warm
gleam  in  his  vibrant  violet  eyes…especially  after  he  gave
Matthew  a once  over.  “Where  are  you  headed  to  in  such  a
hurry?”

Matthew glanced around, finding himself alone in the

hallway with the clearly friendly male. “Uh, to the hospital
wing to visit my brother,” he quickly responded. “Marty,”
he clarified.

Calming a Demon Heart

“Ah, you must be Matthew then,” the gargoyle stated,

grinning. “I met Logan earlier. He’s in the dining hall
wooing Geoffrey.” Holding out a hand, he stated, “I’m Kort.
Allow me to escort you to the infirmary.”

Matthew took his hand and shook, nodding. “Okay.” He

wasn’t certain whom the gargoyle referenced, but he didn’t
want to disturb his buddy if he didn’t have to. “I’d
appreciate that.”

Wrapping his hand around Matthew’s shoulders, Kort

started  him  down  the  hallway.  His  thumb  landed  on  the
edge  of  the  bite  mark  left  by  Vane  and  Matthew  flinched.
Kort peered around his head so he could see his far shoulder
and  there  was  no  mistaking  the  lift  in  his  brow  ridges.
Suddenly,  Matthew  wished  he  had  a  second  towel  so  he
could cover his shoulders, too. Hell, he should have at least
taken the time to find his bathrobe.

Kort leaned his head down and lightly sniffed his neck,

making no effort to hide what he did. He stopped, his grip
on Matthew’s shoulder tightening just enough to bring him
to a stop, too. “Holy fucking hell. What has Vane done?”

Matthew’s eyes widened in shock. “How the hell…”
“His scent is all over you,” Kort snapped, glaring. “What

the hell was he even doing with you?”

Pulling away, he flinched as the gargoyle’s claws scraped

lightly over his skin as he jerked out of his hold. “Why—”

An ear-splitting roar echoed down the corridor. Almost

before Matthew could register Vane’s presence, the massive
darker red gargoyle slammed into Kort. He drove the other
gargoyle into the wall. Kort’s head bounced against the
corner of a picture frame, and the gargoyle sagged.

Vane immediately released Kort and the gargoyle

crumpled to the floor. At the same time a number of others
flooded through a pair of doors that Matthew quickly
realized must lead to the dining hall. Matthew tightened his

Charlie Richards

grip on his towel and stumbled back a couple of steps as he
took in the shocked, concerned, and even angry expressions
on the mixed group of gargoyles, humans, and…others.

After snarling over his shoulder at the crowd, Vane

turned and stalked to Matthew. Vane wrapped his arms,
followed by his wings, around him. Lowering his head, he
hissed into Matthew’s ear, “You are my mate. I forgot biting
started the bonding process. Do not run from me again.”

The more Vane spoke, the more growls rumbled through

his chest. The vibrations sent tingles across Matthew’s torso
where he was pressed against the gargoyle. The leathery
wings scraping across his back caused goose bumps to break
out over his skin, which felt interestingly pleasant.

Matthew lifted the hand not holding his towel and placed

it on Vane’s chest. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask
Vane why he’d been so upset before if they were mates.

“Vane, release Matthew,” Maelgwn ordered.
Curling his lip, Vane snarled, “No. Matt is mine.”
Maelgwn’s eyes narrowed, his dark blue brow ridges

drawing his features into a displeased expression. “Vane,
that wasn’t a request.” His voice deepened, expressing his
dwindling patience.

Vane’s arms and wings tightened. “Mine,” he insisted.
Matthew peered up at Vane and shock rocked through

him as he realized Vane no longer seemed completely
capable of coherent thought. His red eyes had taken on a
vacant look, his pupils blown wide. Vane had retreated into
himself, into some place inside his mind.

Oh, God. What must he have lived through?
“Sapian, Einan, help me,” Maelgwn ordered, starting

forward. “Tobias,” he called over his shoulder. “Get over
here. We’ve got a situation with Vane.”

As Maelgwn drew closer, he was quickly flanked by

Einan, a steel gray gargoyle Matthew had met before. A dark

Calming a Demon Heart

gold hided gargoyle came forward also, and Matthew
recognized Sapian.

“Wait, wait!” Matthew called, wriggling a bit in Vane’s

grip. If he could just get the other gargoyles’ attention, he
could call them off…maybe.

Unfortunately, his attempts seemed to aggravate Vane

further. “You’re mine,” he snarled, tightening his hold.
“Mine.”

“Yeah, I’m yours,” Matthew whispered, rubbing Vane’s

chest. “I’m yours.”

For a second, Vane’s gaze cleared and he stared down at

Matthew, amazement filling his expression. Then, Einan
grabbed Vane’s shoulder, saying, “Come on, buddy. Let
Matthew go for now.”

Just that quick, Vane’s expression clouded over again.

Roaring, he opened his wing, snapping it back at the other
gargoyle.  The  blow  from  his  leathery  appendage  knocked
Einan  backward  several  steps.  Sapian  jumped  forward  and
grabbed  Vane’s  wing,  pulling  and  keeping  him  from
wrapping his wing back around Matthew.

Vane roared and released Matthew with that side’s arm.

He slammed his fist into Sapian, backhanding the smaller
gargoyle. Sapian’s head snapped back, but he didn’t release
his hold.

While Vane struggled to free himself from Sapian,

Maelgwn grabbed Vane’s other wrist in one huge clawed
hand. He rested his other hand on Matthew’s upper arm and
pulled him free of Vane’s grip.

Screaming in outrage, his features contorted in some

remembered  pain,  Vane  returned  his  focus  to  Matthew,
reaching  for  him.  Einan  jumped  into  the  fray  and  replaced
Maelgwn’s  grip,  stopping  Vane’s  advance.  The  gargoyle
chieftain pulled Matthew, putting a few feet between them.

“No, stop!” Matthew called, reaching out toward Vane.

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Vane hunched forward, then reared up, almost dislodging

his holders.

“Hold him,” Maelgwn ordered, thrusting Matthew

toward Tobias.

The second obeyed on instinct, his eyes wide in shock as

he took in the scene.

Maelgwn leaped forward, helping the clutch’s enforcers

subdue a wildly struggling Vane. They forced the big red
gargoyle to his knees.

Turning to Tobias, Matthew grabbed the wrist of the arm

that held him and shook it. Once he had the green gargoyle’s
attention, he pleaded, “Please. We need to stop them. He’s
my mate. You said yourself that he’ll become overprotective.
It was just a misunderstanding!”

Tobias swept his gaze over the group again. “Damn it.”

Returning his focus to Matthew, he snapped, “Stay away
until you’re called for. I’ll try to get this mess straightened
out.”

Matthew nodded. When Tobias released him, it took

every ounce of self-control he had to stay still and not run to
his still howling and struggling lover. Tobias jogged to
Maelgwn’s side. Instead, of helping hold Vane down, he
knelt down, rested his hand on the chieftain’s shoulder, and
murmured softly into his ear.

Maelgwn’s jaw sagged open and he glanced back at

Matthew. His gaze swept over Matthew’s torso, stopping to
rest on the healing bite mark on his shoulder. Matthew tried
not to shift restlessly under the lead gargoyle’s scrutiny.

“Son of a bitch,” Maelgwn muttered. He looked up at

Tobias, then down at Vane. “Why the hell didn’t you just say
so?”

While Maelgwn and the enforcers were distracted by

Tobias and his information, Vane took advantage. With a
noise more yowl than roar, Vane leaped to his feet, shoving

Calming a Demon Heart

off his captors. He swung a fist at Maelgwn, connecting with
his jaw. The chieftain stumbled backward, and might have
landed on his ass if Tobias hadn’t been there to steady him.

The wing-bash and backhand to the enforcers sent the

pair sprawling. Vane’s blazing red eyes riveted on Matthew
and he lunged toward him. Matthew stood his ground,
praying he wasn’t reading his disoriented gargoyle wrong.

Vane tackled him to the floor. Instead of crushing him

beneath his much greater bulk, Vane twisted so they landed
on  the  gargoyle’s  back.  He  wrapped  his  arms  around
Matthew,  holding  him  as  if  he  were  a  treasure  against  his
chest  with  arms  and  wings.  Rolling  to  his  feet,  Vane  kept
moving, darting down one hallway, then another.

Matthew quickly became disoriented. He couldn’t see real

well in the position Vane carried him, tucked up and held
like some damsel in distress. He could just peek over the
tops of Vane’s wings. Vane lowered his shoulder and shoved
into something which Matthew quickly realized was a door.

Darkness swallowed them, cool evening air swirling

around  them.  Matthew  remained  reasonably  warm  until
Vane  spread  his  wings  and  leaped  into  the  air.  Taking
advantage  of  the  change  in  position,  Matthew  sat  up  a  bit
and twisted his torso so he could wrap his arms around his
lover’s neck. Glancing around, Matthew took in the view as
Vane  flew  through  the  air.  He  couldn’t  help  but  wish  they
were doing this under different circumstances. The view of
the gardens from above was stunning.

Then, Vane landed on a balcony railing and used a chair

to step down, stopping before a door. He reached out and
pushed open the French doors and strode through. Closing
them, he blocked out the cool evening air.

Vane stopped next to a roaring fire, then lowered him

onto a nest of blankets. Matthew finally recognized his
surroundings...Vane’s rather barren suite of rooms. This

Charlie Richards

time, Vane didn’t leave him alone on the pillows. He settled
in next to him, cuddling around him, his arms and wings
acting as blankets. Then, he started to emit a low noise, the
sound vibrating through both their bodies.

Matthew found himself relaxing, his body lying flush to

the bigger male. He managed to slip his right arm under the
gargoyle’s neck, allowing him to urge Vane closer. The
bigger male didn’t fight him, instead, curling over his torso
and resting his forehead against the top of Matthew’s head.

Lifting his other hand, Matthew caressed Vane’s

shoulder.  He  stroked  his  hand  over  his  firm,  leathery  flesh
and up his neck. He took a moment to cup Vane’s skull and
massage  his  lover’s  neck  tendons.  Matthew  smiled  upon
feeling  the  odd  sensations  Vane  made  increase,  getting
louder.

He turned his head and nuzzled against the gargoyle’s

chin. “You’re okay, handsome Vane,” he soothed. “So sweet,
looking out for my welfare. Keeping me safe.” He stroked
his hand up the back of Vane’s skull, massaging some more.
He reached his gargoyle’s horns, but decided he couldn’t
stop there.

Gently, he stroked over the one nearest his fingertips,

rubbing slowly up the horn to the point. Once he reached
the sharp end, he rubbed around and around the point for a
few seconds, liking the way Vane mewled, actually mewled,
and shivered against him. Just as slowly, Matthew worked
his way back down the horn to the base.

Vane sighed, his breathing heavy against Matthew’s hair.

Nuzzling closer, his arms tightening, Vane slid his hands up
and down Matthew’s back, over his sides, his torso, even
over his ass and thighs. Anywhere the gargoyle could reach.

Matthew would have been turned on, but he realized

what the male was doing…checking for injuries. Swallowing
hard, forcing down the lump in his throat, he assured, “I’m

Calming a Demon Heart

fine. I’m safe. You kept me safe.” Even as he whispered the
words, he forced the tears from his eyes.

He didn’t know how long they repeated the same actions

or how much time passed. All he knew was Vane kept his
arms snug around him…until finally…

“You don’t deserve to put up with me.”
Acting on instinct, Matthew cupped his lover’s neck and

forced Vane’s head back just enough to look him in the eye.
Smiling, he flexed his fingers as he looked into his lover’s
clear—if heart-stricken eyes—and stated, “What is it your
people say? Fate doesn’t make mistakes.”

Matthew brought their heads together, pressing his lips to

Vane’s before drawing away and smiling. “You’re stuck
with me, gargoyle. Deal with it.”

Vane tucked his face against Matthew’s neck again,

seeming to just breathe in his scent.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Eight

ane felt his heart rate slow, his senses calm, and his
tense muscles relax. Breathing deeply, he enjoyed the

heady  scent  of  his  mate  as  he  nuzzled  Matt’s  hair,  his
temple.  Sighing,  Vane  flexed  his  arm  muscles,  pleased  to
find  his  human  in  his  embrace,  before  relaxing  again.
Slowly,  he  took  his  time  opening  his  eyelids  and  peering
around.

He frowned. When had he returned to his nest of

blankets?

“Hey,” Matt murmured. He slid his hand around Vane’s

neck, cupping his nape. He leaned close and pressed a quick
kiss to Vane’s lips. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” he replied. Seeing the concern in Matt’s gaze,

Vane asked, “Why?”

Matt licked his lips as he roved his gaze over Vane’s face.

Finally, he told him, “You became pretty upset earlier. I
just—” He shrugged. “I just wanted to be sure you were
okay now.”

“Upset,” Vane repeated absently. He rolled onto his back,

taking his mate with him, causing his lover to sprawl on top
of him. Taking a minute to think back, tension stole through
him,  again.  Kort  had  been  touching  his  mate.  Matt  had
appeared  uncomfortable  and  when  he’d  gotten  closer,  he’d
scented unease on  his human. He’d  slammed Kort into the
wall. “I lost my temper with Kort,” he admitted. Threading
his  fingers  into  Matt’s  thick,  shaggy  hair,  he  searched  his

Calming a Demon Heart

lover’s expression as he assured, “I’d never hurt you like
that. I could scent your unease. I had to stop him from
touching you.”

Nodding, Matt smiled a bit. “I know, Vane. I know you

wouldn’t  hurt  me.”  He  gently  traced  his  fingertips  over
Vane’s  brow  ridges  and  down  the  jutting  line  of  his  jaw.
After fingering his lips for a few seconds, Matt leaned down
and  pressed  a  soft  kiss  there,  then  asked,  “What  do  you
remember after that?”

Vane cocked his head, struggling to pull up the memories.

Fear surged through him as images flashed through his
mind. Hands grabbing him, taking away his friend, forcing
him to the floor so the chains could be clasped around arms,
legs, and neck… Vane scrambled, trying to break free.

“Easy, easy now, Vane. No one will hurt you. You’re

safe.”

The voice sounded as if it came from a tunnel. It sounded

so nice, so sweet, and Vane desperately wanted to believe it.
He froze, listening to the soft crooning, the kind tone filling
him with reassurances he’d never felt before.

“Come on, Vane. Lift your head. Open your eyes.”
Slowly, Vane took stock of himself. He felt hands on his

shoulders and neck and face, but they stroked and caressed,
soothing instead of causing pain. The scent of wood fire
mixed with a musky male pleased his senses.

Opening his eyes and lifting his head, he didn’t see a dirty

stone  cave  with  bars  on  two  sides.  Instead,  he  saw  a
comfortable  room,  sparsely  decorated  with  wood
furnishings.  He  had  his  back  pressed  against  a  wall  but  he
sat on a mass of blankets surrounded by pillows instead of a
hard stone floor.

While the man leaning over him was human, his light

brown hair hung in waves around a face full of compassion
and his hazel eyes held affection and concern. He knew this

Charlie Richards

man, this place, and he blinked, struggling to figure out
what the hell was going on.

Vane frowned as it all came back, being rescued, learning

what he truly was—a gargoyle—and that there were many
others out there just like him. He lived in a comfortable
manor and enjoyed working on a computer. Focusing on the
human, Vane took in the man touching him.

My mate.
“Matt, what happened? What’s going on?”
Matt smiled a bit. “Glad you’re back with me, Vane.” He

continued to touch him, exploring his face, shoulders, and
chest. “I think you had a flashback. I think being held down
by others triggered it.”

“A flashback? Held down? What are you talking about?”

What the hell had just happened?

Resting on his knees before him, that damned towel still

around his waist with his thigh sticking out the edge, Vane
wasn’t sure if he even cared. All that pale flesh called for
him to touch. Unable to resist, he settled one clawed hand on
Matt’s thigh, rubbing the firm flesh.

Matt placed his own hand on Vane’s, then said, “There

was  a  misunderstanding  downstairs,  after  you  slammed
Kort into the wall. Maelgwn and a couple of other gargoyles
pulled  you  away  from  me.  They  tackled  you.”  Matt
squeezed  his  hand.  “I  could  see  it  in  your  eyes,  Vane.  You
weren’t really with us anymore.”

Vane frowned. He struggled to remember what Matt told

him. He vaguely recalled getting tackled, then breaking free
and carrying his mate away from his attackers, taking him to
safety. Still, when he thought back, he also saw other images,
of humans with stun guns, electric cattle prods, and thick
chains. He couldn’t stop the groan from escaping him.

“Easy,” Matt murmured. “Easy.”
“There was a lynx shifter. I tried to protect him.” Vane

closed his eyes and tipped his head back against the wall. “I

Calming a Demon Heart

couldn’t. They took him,” he whispered, fighting tears. “I
don’t know where they took him.” Guilt flooded him. How
could he have forgotten his friend?

Matt’s eyes widened. “W-What?”
Vane stared at his clearly shocked mate. “I’d already been

captive  almost  fifteen  years  when  they  tossed  him  into  the
cage with me. I was hungry and since they thought I was a
demon,  they  probably  thought  I’d  eat  him.”  Scoffing,  his
tone turned bitter as he added, “I’m sure they didn’t expect
to  see  us  become  friends.”  This  time,  he  couldn’t  stop  the
single tear from tracking down his face.

“We made plans to escape, but Larson, he was the

husband  and  ran  the  freak  show,  he  somehow  found  out
about  it.  He  sold  Roland—that  was  his  name—the  day
before  we’d  planned  to  get  away.”  Swallowing  hard,  Vane
muttered,  “Gods,  the  beating  I  took  that  day.  I  ended  up
with scars.” He shook his head. “It’s not easy to leave scars
on a gargoyle.”

“I’m so sorry.”
His mate’s softly spoken words and petting hands

brought Vane back to his current surroundings. “What kind
of a friend does that make me? To forget my only friend
while in that place? To be free for over nineteen years and
never once think of him?”

Matt squeezed Vane’s hand where it rested on his thigh.

“You went through a very traumatic experience, Vane. Your
mind blocked it out.”

Vane nodded once. “I remember now, though.” He sank

his free hand into Matt’s hair and cupped his skull. He
leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Matt’s.
“Why is that?”

“I’m not sure,” Matt replied softly. “Maybe having me

pulled from your arms triggered it. Was it similar to the way
Roland was taken from you?”

Charlie Richards

Sighing, Vane nodded, his forehead rolling against Matt’s.

“Yeah. Yeah, it was.” Lifting his head, he loosened his grip
and put some distance between them. “You shouldn’t be
with me. I can’t take care of the people I love.”

Once again, Matt’s eyes widened for just a second, then

they  narrowed.  Vane  realized  what  he’d  just  said.  Love.
Love?  How  the  hell  could  he  love  his  mate  already?  Fear
spiked through him. He couldn’t care for his friend, hadn’t
even  remembered  him,  how  the  hell  could  he  care  for  his
mate?

Vane needed to find Roland, prove he was good

enough…that he could keep safe those that he cared about.

“I’ve got to go,” Vane mumbled, pushing Matt back

gently but firmly. “I need—” He grasped for an explanation.
“I need to explain all this to Maelgwn.” He swiftly rolled off
the side of the nest of blankets and gained his feet. Panic
flooding him, Vane just managed to keep from running out
of the room.

“Wait,” Matt called.
Vane stopped and peered over his shoulder at Matt. His

instincts  at  war,  he  found  himself  returning  to  his  lover.
Unable  to  leave  his  mate  so  confused,  Vane  admitted,  “I
need  some  time  to  process  this.  I  need—”  He  paused  and
shook his head. “I need to find Roland, save him.” Cupping
Matt’s  jaw  in  one  hand,  he  leaned  down  and  pressed  a
gentle butterfly kiss to Matt’s lips. “I’ll send someone to get
you, so you won’t get lost finding your room.”

This time when Vane headed to his door, he ignored

Matt’s cry of wait, I can help you and kept going. Folding his
wings around his shoulders, he clenched and unclenched his
fists as he headed down the hallway.

His first stop was Raymond’s office.
Being newly mated, Raymond spent the first several

hours with his human in the infirmary. Once Marty fell

Calming a Demon Heart

asleep,  he’d  head  to  his  office  and  relieve  the  gargoyle
monitoring  security  to  take  his  shift.  Since  the  small
gargoyle’s mate had been injured, Vane knew it was possible
Raymond  was  at  the  infirmary,  but  he’d  check  the  office
first.

Vane knocked on the door and relief filled him when

Raymond called for him to enter. Opening the door, he
poked his head in and stated, “I had to leave Matt in my
suite. Will you see that he’s escorted to his chambers?”

Raymond stood, a frown creasing his brows. “I thought I

heard that he was your mate. That’s what’s going around the
clutch, anyway.”

“He is.”
“Then his chambers are your chambers,” Raymond

stated, crossing his arms over his lean chest.

Vane curled his lip and growled. “Just go see him, then. I

have work to do.”

Whirling away, he slammed the door shut and headed

down the hallway to another door. He turned the handle
and strode into the large room. This space was also set up as
an office, but was devoted strictly to computer systems a few
of the gargoyles used for hacking. He’d actually become
quite adept at gathering information online, since he didn’t
care for interaction much.

As the computer booted up, Vane’s thoughts turned to

Matt, his lover and mate, alone in his room. Maybe he
should have explained more, heard out his offer to help. He
didn’t want his human to think he didn’t want to be with
him, because nothing could be further from the truth.

Vane’s stomach clenched at the idea of Matt not waiting

for  him.  He’d  help  Roland,  then  he’d  figure  out  how  to
explain  to  his  mate.  Logging  in,  Vane  decided  to  ask
Maelgwn  and  Einan  for  advice…right  after  he  fulfilled  his
promise to Roland.

Charlie Richards

Lost in the world of cyberspace, Vane pulled every record

he could find on the family that had held him captive for the
first twenty-four years of his life, the Goldmans, husband
Larson and wife Mary Beth. Damn, it had been fantastic to
tear out Larson’s throat, watch the light fade from his eyes.
Then, when Mary Beth had attempted to blast him with a
shotgun, he’d flown high into the air and dive-bombed her,
snapping her neck.

Vane was so wrapped up in searching for details of the

past that his first inclination that he was no longer alone was
when  the  scent  of  his  mate  brushed  across  his  senses.
Slowly,  he  lifted  his  head  from  the  screen  and  found  Matt
sitting in a chair along the right wall on the other side of the
desk.  Maelgwn  sat  in  a  second  chair,  while  Einan,  Sapian,
and Tobias leaned against the far wall, the door, and an end
table, respectively.

“Matt,” Vane whispered. With the human in the room, his

body nearly twitched with the desire to reach over the desk
and haul his human into his lap. Unfortunately, the scowl on
his  lover’s  face  dissuaded  him  from  that  plan.  In  fact,  the
other  males  in  the  room  didn’t  look  too  happy,  either.
Somehow,  he  needed  to  make  them  understand.  “I  might
have found him.”

Okay, maybe not the best thing to blurt out, but that was

the only thing he could think to say.

Maelgwn leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms

over his chest. “Found who?”

“Roland?” Matt guessed. The corners of his lips pinched a

bit as his jaw clenched.

Vane wasn’t great at reading facial expressions, especially

on a human, but even he could tell Matt was upset about
something. Carefully eyeing his mate, he nodded. “Right.
Maybe.”

Calming a Demon Heart

“Who’s Roland?” Tobias pressed.
“A lynx shifter,” Matt actually growled.
Vane wasn’t the only one who looked surprised. An acrid

scent filled the area…one Vane wasn’t certain of.

“Damn, Vane,” Einan rumbled. “What the hell did you

do?”

Frowning, Vane glanced around the room at the other

male’s  faces.  While  Matt’s  jaw  clenched  and  unclenched,
Maelgwn  shook  his  head  and  Tobias  sighed  and  lifted  a
brow,  silently  questioning.  Not  understanding,  he  looked
toward Matt and it finally clicked.

“You’re angry with me,” Vane murmured.
Matt worked his jaw for a couple of seconds, then jerked a

nod. “Little bit.”

“But, why?”
“Well, let’s recap,” Matt snapped, his eyes narrowing.

“When I  first thanked you for saving my brother, you sent
me  away.  Then  after  we  fucked  and  you  claimed  my  ass,
you  regretted  it.”  Rising  from  his  seat,  Matt  pointed  his
finger  at  him.  “And  don’t  try  to  deny  it.  There’s  only  one
way to interpret oh shit and fuck!”

Resting his hands on the desk and leaning close, Matt

continued hotly, “Then, the second you remember your little
lynx friend, and while I can appreciate you wanting to find
and  help  him,  you  send  me  away  again.  No  explanation
except  you  need  to  go  talk  to  Maelgwn,  which  I  find  now
was  a  blatant  lie,  and  you’ll  have  a  friend  find  a  room  for
me.” Scoffing, Matt straightened and shook his head. “I get
that I’m human and don’t really know how this mate thing
is  supposed  to  work,”  he  stated,  waving  a  hand  between
them,  “but  something  tells  me  ditching  me  with  someone
else ain’t it.”

Licking his lips, Vane glanced around the room again, but

the other four gargoyles pointedly stared away from him.

Charlie Richards

No help there. Okay, what could he say to smooth this over?
“Matt,” he started, struggling to choose his words. “You’re
my mate. Freeing Roland isn’t going to change that.”

“And sending me away?” Matt asked gruffly.
“I-I want you to be safe,” Vane explained. “I can’t go save

my friend if I don’t know you’re safe.” He reached out and
rested his hand as close to Matt’s fingers as possible. “I
didn’t lie. I did send Raymond to find you a safe place and
as soon as I found information on Roland, I was going to see
Maelgwn.” He glanced toward his chieftain, who now
watched him impassively. “I need to know you’re safe while
I’m away.”

“I see,” Matt muttered. He nodded slowly, then reached

down and patted Vane’s hand. “When you decide you’re
ready to commit, to actually think of me as an equal in a
relationship, look me up.” Matt’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“I’ll be waiting.”

Watching Matt turn and head toward the door, Vane

opened his mouth. Except, just as he started to call his lover
back, Vane’s voice stuck in his throat. This was what he
wanted, right? For his lover to be safe? Then why did
watching Matt disappear out the door feel so wrong?

Sighing, Vane rubbed a hand over his skull. “I’ve made a

mistake, haven’t I?”

“I don’t even have a mate and I know the answer to that,”

Tobias stated dryly. He crossed his arms over his chest and
shook his head. “You don’t let anything come between you
and your mate.”

“But, Roland and I promised each other,” Vane stated.

“We  promised  we’d  always  come  for  each  other  if  we
escaped, and then I went and forgot about him.” Pain ripped
through him anew at  his failure. “I  need to find him. How
can  I  be  a  man  of  my  word  with  my  mate  if  I’ve  already
broken  my  word  to  my  friend?  Hell,  without  Matt,  I

Calming a Demon Heart

wouldn’t even have remembered Roland.” Grimacing, Vane
remembered the last time he’d seen the skinny lynx shifter.
“Being kept in captivity…” His voice trailed off as he
shuddered.

Sighing, Maelgwn leaned back in his chair. “Okay, one

thing at a time. Tell us about Roland, then we’ll help you
with your mate.”

Vane rested his elbows on the desk and placed his head in

his hands. Rubbing his face for a second, he tried to clear his
mind. Damn, he’d fucked everything up but good. Hoping
his mating with Matt wasn’t ruined beyond repair and
praying his fellow gargoyles could really help him fix things,
he nodded. “Okay, yeah.”

He turned around his laptop and showed him the few bits

of information he’d found.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Nine

ow are you holding up?”
Matthew glanced over at Logan, scowling. “I’m tired,

sore, and ready to not hold this piece of sheetrock over my
head any longer,” he snarled. “Get that fucking nail gun
moving.”

Logan chuckled low in his throat, but did as instructed.

Once  the  sheet  was  firmly  affixed  to  the  ceiling,  Matthew
stepped  off  the  step-ladder  and  rotated  his  arms.  A  groan
ripped  from  his  throat  as  his  muscles  screamed  in  protest.
It’d taken the two of them three and a half hours, but they’d
finally dry-walled the home’s entire ceiling.

Wayne and Newman—a couple of Logan’s day laborers—

were following behind them, taping and spackling the
seams. Next would be sanding and then painting. Matthew
groaned mentally at the idea of rolling the walls for days on
end.

“I tell ya,” he grumbled, going from stretching his arms

and shoulders to his back and waist. “I can’t wait for Marty
to be back doing his own damn job.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Matthew spotted Logan—still

holding the gun—standing quietly, watching him. He turned
to face his friend. “What?”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
Matthew did know it, but that didn’t change the fact that

he still didn’t know how to answer the real question. His
gargoyle had claimed him in front of his clutch, then sent

“H

Calming a Demon Heart

him away so he could complete a rescue mission. While, in
his head, Matthew knew it was the right thing to do, that
didn’t stop his heart from aching that, after only one evening
together, Vane had no trouble walking away from him.

Sighing, Matthew lifted a hand and opened his mouth,

then lowered that same hand, closed his mouth, and shook
his head. Shrugging, he finally answered, “As well as can be
expected.  There  are  times  I’m  so  sure  I  see  him.”  He
grimaced and met Logan’s green-eyed gaze. “You know, out
of  the  corner  of  my  eye?  But  every  time  I  turn,  he’s  not
there.” Sitting on the three-rung step-stool he’d been using,
Matthew  rubbed  his  hands  over  his  face.  “I  jack  off  half  a
dozen  times  a  day,”  he  admitted.  “But  never  feel  relieved.
My skin feels too tight for my body. I  crave him. It’s  not a
good feeling.”

Frowning up at Logan, Matthew stated, “What I don’t

understand is, if me, the human, feels like this, what is he
enduring so he can go help his friend?”

Sitting on an overturned paint bucket a few feet away

from him, Logan reached into a small iceberg cooler and
pulled out a pair of sodas. He handed one to Matthew, then
cracked his own. Once he’d downed a swig, he sighed.

Matthew waited, watching. He recognized the expression

on  Logan’s  face.  The  other  man  was  bouncing  his  words
around inside of his head, deciding how to respond. Finally,
Logan  locked  his  piercing  gaze  on  Matthew.  “I  speak  from
experience  when  I  say  that  being  locked  in  a  cage  sucks.
Hell,  you  know  I  was  locked  up  for  six  months.”  He
shrugged.  “I’m  sorry,  buddy,  but  if  it  were  me.  I’d  do  the
same  thing.”  He  smiled  to  soften  the  words,  adding,  “I
figure, you’ve got two choices.”

“Two choices?” Matthew took a sip of his own soda and

straightened.

Charlie Richards

“Yep,” Logan confirmed. He pointed at Matthew’s

shoulder. “You’ve accepted him, so walking away is out.
That leaves you with two.”

On reflex, Matthew reached up and felt for the bite mark

hidden under his shirt. Just the light caress caused his blood
to head south. Jerking his hand down, he folded his hands
between his knees and asked, “Yeah? What’s that?”

Logan held up one finger. “You sit at home and stew,

waiting for your lover to return from his mission.”

Matthew’s eyes narrowed. Yeah, he knew that was what

he’d been doing and it really sucked. “Or?”

Snorting, Logan stated, “Go help him.”
“One, he didn’t ask me, and two, I have no idea where he

is,” Matthew countered, irritation flooding him anew.

“Please,” Logan drew the word out, crushing the soda can

and tossing it into a scrap bucket. “Stop sulking and have
Marty and Raymond help you track him down.”

“What about work?” Matthew had no idea why he was

fighting this. Going after the frustrating gargoyle had
popped into his head more than once.

Logan waved away his concern. “I can hire a few temp

guys.” He smirked and stared around the room at the newly
sheet-rocked walls. “Hell, any yahoo can hold up a piece of
drywall, so I can nail it down,” he teased.

Matthew drained his own soda, then threw the empty can

at Logan. “Ha, ha.”

Standing, Logan offered a hand to Matthew. “We’re done

here today. Go home. Get cleaned up. Find Raymond.”

Taking Logan’s offered hand, Matthew allowed his friend

to pull him to his feet. Excitement filled him for the first time
in days. After Logan released his hand, Matthew gripped the
other man’s shoulders. Leaning in, he pressed a quick kiss to
his friend’s scarred cheek. “Thank you.”

Calming a Demon Heart

Logan’s brows shot up. A faint trace of color stained his

cheeks, then he backed up a step, breaking Matthew’s hold
as he lifted a hand between them. “Yeah, yeah. Get out of
here.”

Matthew didn’t need to be told twice. He walked outside

into the gathering gloom and used his gloves to beat his
clothes, trying to remove some of the dust. After a few
seconds, he shook his head, thinking fuck it, and climbed into
his truck.

Bypassing his home, urgency riding him, Matthew

headed  straight  out  of  town  and  drove  to  the  manor.  He
parked  and  shoved  out  of  his  truck,  jogging  up  the  walk.
The  door  swung  open  before  he  reached  it,  but  Matthew
didn’t see anyone until he’d stepped through the doorway.

Kort stood just inside the doorway, leaning against a hall

table. “Hello, Matthew,” the gargoyle greeted. He swept a
concerned look over him. “How are you holding up?”

Scowling, Matthew strode passed him while growling,

“I’m tired of that question. Where is he?”

Falling into step beside him, Kort didn’t even pretend not

to understand. “Vane isn’t here. I’m not entirely certain
where he is,” he admitted.

Stopping, Matthew turned toward the red gargoyle.

“What?”

Kort crooked a finger, then led the way down first one

hall then another. “I hear through the grapevine that Vane
found several possible leads,” he explained. “I know he
went to Vernal, Utah, but if he doesn’t find his friend there,
there are several options where he could be heading.”

“Can you communicate with him?”
Shaking his head, Kort replied, “He’s with Tobias, Sapian,

and Greg. The second calls the chieftain a couple of times an
evening to give updates, but to my knowledge, Vane doesn’t
carry a cell phone.”

Charlie Richards

“I’m glad he’s not alone,” Matthew murmured. He

couldn’t imagine his lover trying to rescue his friend alone.
What if he had another panic attack?

“He’s in good hands,” Kort assured.
“I want to know where he might have to go next.”
Kort chuckled. “I figured you’d turn up asking about that,

especially after he pounded me into the wall,” he stated
ruefully, lifting a hand to rub the back of his head.

Matthew peered at the male he followed, grimacing.

“Sorry about that.”

Shrugging, Kort replied, “Not your fault. Just a

misunderstanding.” Turning to look at Matthew, he grinned,
showing off plenty of teeth. “These things happen when
dealing with aggressive, possessive males.” Tilting his head
to the right and turning the corner, Kort urged, “Come on.”

Matthew rolled his eyes while lengthening his stride. Like

I’m not already following. “Good thing I’m tall,” he mumbled.
If he didn’t stand about six foot one, he’d have to be jogging
to keep up with the taller male.

Laughing, Kort just shrugged and led the way up a

stairwell.

Matthew didn’t mind in the least. They arrived in a

hallway that he recognized. Relief filled him when he
realized they were headed to Raymond’s chambers, and by
default—once Marty sold his house—his brother’s suite, as
well.

Kort knocked. The door opened.
His jaw sagging open, Matthew took in the shaved-head,

African  American  male  that  opened  the  door.  Standing
maybe  five  foot  eight,  the  black  skin  around  his  eyes
crinkled as he grinned up at them, showing off white teeth.
He  wore  a  loincloth,  like  the  gargoyles,  showing  off  a
slender, twink-like body.

Calming a Demon Heart

“Hey, Matthew. We wondered how long it’d take you to

show up.”

Judging by the sound of the guy’s voice and the amused

smirk on his thin, dark lips, Matthew realized that this was
Raymond. “Wow,” he whispered, unable to help himself.

Raymond grinned wider. “Not bad, huh?” he asked as he

beckoned them to enter.

“Wow, you look, uh—” Matthew couldn’t help but stare

as he walked a few steps forward into the chamber.

“Stop staring at my man, little brother.”
Marty’s growled words snapped Matthew out of his

stupor. He spun around and grinned upon seeing Marty half
sitting on the arm of a sofa. His brother smirked at him, his
blue eyes twinkling.

“Marty!” Matthew cried, pleased to see his brother up

and around, although his pallor and the bulky bandage
covering his shoulder gave away his still weakened
condition.

Crossing to his brother, Matthew hugged him lightly,

mostly on his good side. He cupped Marty’s jaw and kissed
his brother’s cheek. Smiling, he murmured, “It’s good to see
you  up  and  around.”  Stepping  away,  he  glanced  back  to
look  at  Raymond  again.  This  time  it  was  his  turn  to  tease.
“And,  apparently  well  enough  for  some  extracurricular
activity.”

Chuckling, Marty slapped the back of his hand against

Matthew’s stomach. “Can you blame me? He’s fucking
sexy.”

Returning his focus to Marty, Matthew smiled. “I’m

happy for you.”

“Thanks.” Marty sobered, giving him a knowing look.

“So, you’re here to track down your own mate. Got your
hands full with that one, huh?”

Sighing, Matthew grimaced. “So it would seem.”

Charlie Richards

Raymond crossed the room and picked up his laptop.

Matthew backed a few steps, allowing him closer to Marty,
so he could settle onto the sofa. Crossing to a nearby chair,
Matthew sat and rested his elbows on his thighs as he leaned
forward. “Okay, so where’s he going?”

Sparing him a glance, Raymand replied, “He used the

complex’s computers to do his searches, and for safety
reasons they auto delete history whenever someone logs off.
However,” he grinned as he glanced around at everyone, “I
have a backdoor to the system and managed to recreate
what he looked at. The guy’s good. He managed to hack into
a bank website,” he muttered, shaking his head.

Matthew paled. “He isn’t going to get into trouble, is he?”
“No, I verified that he wasn’t tracked,” Raymond assured.

“Anyway, he’s found curiosity shows with animals in
Vernal, which is where he’s at right now, plus Mobile,
Alabama, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Rexburg, Idaho.”

“How’d he figure that out?” Matthew asked, curious.
Raymond shrugged. “Not sure, really. Maybe he

recognized names or something?”

“So, how are we supposed to find out where he’s headed

next?” Matthew glanced around the group. “Any ideas?”

Grinning widely, Raymond stated, “Don’t worry. I

bugged Maelgwn’s phone years ago, and I can get
transcripts for any call that comes through the land line. If he
uses either option, we’ll know.”

Kort lifted a hand. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but…why

did you bug our chieftain’s phone?”

Raymond had the decency to appear sheepish. “I was

going  through  a  phase  where  I  thought  everything  was  a
conspiracy.  I  got  really  paranoid.  Suffice  it  to  say,”  he
finished,  waving  his  hand,  “I  bugged  his  phone  and  then
didn’t know how to tell him…so it’s still there.”

Calming a Demon Heart

Matthew straightened in his seat. “He’s had the same

phone for that long?”

Glaring at him, Raymond mumbled, “So maybe it was

only a couple of years ago.”

Marty barked out a laugh and rubbed his mate’s

shoulder. Slowly, he slipped off the sofa arm to settle next to
Raymond. “I love you anyway,” he crooned into Raymond’s
ear. Marty’s mate turned his head and beamed at him, his
expression saying that Marty’s love was returned fully.

When they started to make out, Matthew turned in his

seat and focused on Kort. “So,” he muttered, leaning toward
him. “Can you explain to me everything about mating? I got
a  couple  of  highlights  when  Maelgwn  sat  me  and  Logan
down  last  week,  but  I  could  use  the  details.”  He  glanced
toward  the  still  kissing  pair  and  then  away—hell,  he  sure
didn’t  care  to  watch  his  brother  make  out,  even  if  he  was
happy for him.

Kort moved closer. With his white wings wrapped

around his shoulders, he eased to the chair opposite
Matthew. “Sure. What do you want to know?”

“Well, Maelgwn said after a gargoyle completes a bond,

you  all  go  through  a,  uh…”  Matthew  paused,  blanking  on
the  term  the  gargoyle  leader  had  used.  He  waved  a  hand
toward  Raymond.  “Whatever  happens  to  make  you  look
human.”

“Molt,” Kort supplied.
“Right,” Matthew quickly replied, snapping his fingers.

“Molt.”

Kort nodded. “That’s right.”
“So, how do we complete our bond?”
Lifting a light red brow ridge, Kort tilted his head. “Vane

didn’t tell you?”

Matthew shrugged, fighting back a flush. “We, uh,

well…Vane isn’t the most forthcoming with information.”

Charlie Richards

Thinking back on their time, there sure hadn’t been a hell of
a lot of talking going on…by either one of them. Matthew
made a note that they’d have to work on that.

Kort’s chuckles drew Matthew’s attention. Scowling,

Matthew lifted his hand and flipped the gargoyle off.

Waving his hand, Kort shook his head. “Afraid not. As

hot as you are, I value my hide a little too much.”

Rolling his eyes, Matthew growled, “Just tell me what I

need to know. How the hell is bonding completed?”

“Fucking,” Kort replied, smirking. “He bites you, drinks

your blood, and spills in you. Then, you turn around and do
the same to him.”

Matthew struggled to keep a straight face. Damn, this guy

was blunt. Wait… “I have to fuck him and drink his blood?”

Kort gave him a single slow nod.
Sighing, his stomach rolling, he grimaced. “Okay,” he

mumbled.

The sound of a laptop clattering drew both men’s

attention. Matthew’s brows shot up on seeing Raymond
straddling Marty’s lap and his brother’s hands cupping the
smaller male’s ass.

Standing, he again stated, “Okay.” He turned his back on

the oblivious couple and stared at Kort. “Have they set up
you all’s breakfast yet? I haven’t had supper.”

Kort cleared his throat, adjusted the bulge at his groin

which indicated he had been enjoying the show, and rose.
“Sure.”

Matthew was happy his brother felt so much

better...really. Since Marty was obviously making up for lost
time, he figured it’d be wise to give his brother his privacy.
Besides, he wanted to be ready to move as soon as Raymond
discovered where Vane was.

Clapping him on the shoulder, Kort urged him toward

the door. “Let’s go. We’ll find your mate soon enough.” He

Calming a Demon Heart

glanced over his shoulder one more time, then practically
pushed him through the doorway and shut the door behind
him.

Surprised at Kort’s sudden apparent urgency, Matthew

peered over his shoulder at the man. “Uh, you all right?”

“Yep,” Kort replied. “Just haven’t gotten laid in several

weeks  and  seeing  them  was  turning  me  on.  If  Raymond
scented  my  desire,  he’d  be  pissed.”  He  grimaced,  then
mumbled,  “Raymond  might  be  little,  but  never
underestimate a jealous gargoyle.”

“Got it.”
“So, you’re gonna enjoy the perks of being mated to a

gargoyle, Matt,” Kort said, switching gears with ease.

It left Matthew struggling to catch up. “Yeah?”
“Yep.” Kort winked. “Increased strength will sure come

in handy working with drywall.”

Matthew’s jaw sagged open. “How’d you know I—”
Kort laughed, cutting him off. “I can smell it on you.

You’ll get a better sense of smell, too, so ease off the
cologne.”

“I don’t use cologne,” Matthew replied immediately,

shocked by this news.

“Well, whoever you’ve been around does.”
“Logan wear’s cologne. I gave him a hug earlier.”
“There ya go then.”

Charlie Richards

Chapter Ten

o, Vane. It won’t work. There are too many of them,”
Sapian stated for the third time.

The enforcer spoke way too calmly for Vane’s liking, and

he growled low in his throat, not having liked hearing it the
first two times. “He’s there,” he snarled. “Roland is there. I
scented him. I have to get him out.”

“And we will,” Tobias replied, “but not tonight. We need

to send for more people.” The big green gargoyle leaned
forward in his seat and reminded him, “They have a dozen
guards. Guards with guns. Tough our hide may be, but the
right caliber bullet does penetrate.” He scowled. “You want
to make it back to that sexy mate of yours, don’t you?”

It was a low blow, and hit the mark. Vane curled his lip at

the second and hissed. “He’s mine. Stop looking at him.” He
missed Matt more than he thought possible. When he’d left
his mate to look for Roland, he’d thought he was doing the
right thing. Now, he knew he’d totally fucked up.

After three days, Vane had finally broken down and

called Matthew, but it’d gone straight to voicemail. Even
hearing his lover’s voice on a recording had sent a pang of
longing so strong through him that he’d doubled over right
where he’d stood underneath the trees.

He hadn’t left a message.
The next night, Vane had called again. When he got

voicemail again, he’d left a message. Words he never
imagined himself speaking to anyone poured unbidden

“N

Calming a Demon Heart

from his mouth as he expressed how sorry he was for
leaving Matt, how wrong he knew he was, and how he
planned to make it up to Matt when next he saw him.

The next evening, he’d found a message on his phone

from Matt…five softly spoken words. “I’ll hold you to that.”

He’d listened to the message over a dozen times already.
A green, clawed hand landed on his knee, squeezing

lightly. “Have you spoken to him?”

Vane jerked his head up, surprised to the see the

compassion in Tobias’ eyes. The second wasn’t known for
his empathy. He nodded, then shook his head. “We’ve
exchanged messages.”

“It’s a start,” Greg stated. The already mated gargoyle

gave him an encouraging smile, then winked. “He’s your
mate. Kissing and making up is the best part of fighting.”

Vane sure as hell hoped the wiry, redhead was correct.
Tobias patted his leg, then pulled his hand away. He

stood. “I’m going to give Maelgwn a call…give him a
report.” He pointed at Sapian. “Head out and get us some
chow for tonight and tomorrow.”

“Right,” Sapian confirmed.
The other enforcer stood and headed toward the door.

Before he could reach it, a hard pounding sounded through
the room. Everyone’s focus turned to the door. Tobias
moved first. “Vane, with me. Sapian, Greg, see who it is and
get rid of them.”

Vane pushed to his feet and followed the second into the

bathroom. They left the door cracked open, allowing them to
listen. At first, no sound reached Vane’s ears. Then, to his
surprise, he heard Sapian chuckle and say, “I’ll get him.”

Seconds later, Sapian pushed open the door and stated,

“Vane, you have a call waiting in your room.”

“In my room?” Vane frowned. “From who?”

Charlie Richards

Sapian grinned. “Someone you’ll want to talk to,” he

assured.

Vane scowled. He smelled something off about Sapian’s

scent, but couldn’t place what it was. It wasn’t as if he was
lying so much as withholding information. Suddenly, the
gargoyle’s wording clicked. “Matt?”

Nodding, Sapian motioned toward the door. “He’s

waiting.”

That scented true.
“Coast’s clear,” Greg called from the doorway.
Vane wrapped his wings around himself and grabbed the

hat off the desk as he passed it. Plopping it on his head,
Vane strode to the door. After a quick check of the area and
seeing no one around, he quickly moved to his own room
one door down.

Excitement built inside him at the prospect of hearing

Matt’s voice, of actually talking to him. He even thought he
scented his mate, but knew that must just be because his
anticipation was so high. Slipping the key into the lock, he
turned the knob and pushed his way into the room.

Vane stopped just inside the door, trying to make sense of

what his senses told him. No lights were on, but that didn’t
surprise  him.  He  and  Greg,  who  he  shared  the  room  with,
hadn’t left any lit. Still, Vane didn’t understand why Matt’s
smell hung heavy in the air, mixed with several others from
their clutch, including Einan, Cornelius, and Leroy, a human
nurse  they’d  kidnapped  from  the  hospital  with  Marty.  The
twink  of  a  male  had  ended  up  helping  them  forge  release
paperwork.  Between  Leroy  and  Detective  DeSoto,  they’d
covered  up  Marty’s  move  to  their  manor  and  how  bad
Marty’s injuries actually were.

The shadows seemed to move in the far corner, and a

light flicked on, illuminating the room. Vane blinked, then
his eyes widened.

Calming a Demon Heart

“Matt,” he whispered.
Sitting on the near side of the bed, Matt’s back rested

against the headboard. He stretched his legs out in front of
him, crossed at the ankles. He wore a bathrobe that gapped
at the front, revealing his hard torso. Matt moved his hand
from the lamp, back to his lap, folding his hands.

His hazel eyes appeared to glitter in the lamp’s light.

“Hello, Vane.”

Vane rushed forward, dropping to his knees on the floor

near  Matt’s  hip.  “Matt,  my  mate,”  he  cried.  He  rested  his
hands  on  the  mattress  near  his  lover  and  clenched  his  jaw,
wanting  to  touch  so  badly.  Unfortunately,  Matt’s  cool
expression  didn’t  exactly  encourage  contact.  “I—I—”  He
realized he had no idea what to say.

Lifting his left hand, Matt cupped Vane’s skull, gripping

the prominent tendons of his neck in a loose hold. Matt held
his gaze for several seconds, as if searching for something in
his expression. Finally, Matt’s hand flexed and released a
few times, massaging him, as he softly stated, “I had every
intention of being so pissed off at you for ditching me the
way you did that I was gonna spend the next hour lecturing
you on how proper relationships work.”

“I’m so sorry,” Vane stated. “You’re right. I should never

have left you. I deserve any lecture you want to give.”

Matt actually smiled a bit. “That’s true, but I do

understand why you did it.” He brought his other hand
around to cup Vane’s jaw, tracing his lips with his thumb. “I
just wish you would have asked for my help. That’s what
partners do. They help each other, stand beside each other.”

Vane grimaced. “I’ve never involved someone in my

problems before. I didn’t want to burden you.”

Humming, Matt released him. Immediately, Vane missed

the contact. Matt bent his legs and rolled to his knees. He

Charlie Richards

patted the bed. “Take off your loincloth and get up here,
Vane. It’s time I claim your ass.”

Feeling his brow ridges shoot up, Vane slowly rose to his

feet. While his fingers went to the ties of his loincloth, he
struggled to process Matt’s sudden command. He hesitated.
“Y-You’re gonna claim me?”

Matt snorted, pulling a tube of lube from his robe’s

pocket. Then, he took off the garment and laid it across the
foot of the bed, revealing a thick erection that jutted from his
groin. “That’s right, Vane.” His grin took on a feral
appearance, his eyes narrowing as he swept his gaze up and
down Vane’s body. Gripping his dick, he jacked himself
slowly. “You claimed me. Now it’s my turn,” he stated.

Pointing at the bed again, Matt’s expression sobered.

“This is a partnership, Vane. A give and take. It’s time to
complete our bond,” he urged, extending his hand, palm-up.

Vane took in his mate, kneeling on the bed. The offer in

his expression remained clear. Take my hand and allow me to
claim you, so you never have to be alone again. Vane shivered as
the idea slithered through his mind, flooding his body with
desire and…hope.

Slowly, Vane reached out and took Matt’s hand.
Matt beamed at him, his smile brightening his eyes. He

squeezed Vane’s hand as he urged him onto the bed. Once
kneeling opposite him, Matt released his hand and skimmed
his fingers up his arm, then across his chest. His second
hand lifted and settled on his opposite pec.

Leaning forward, Matt placed a feather light kiss to

Vane’s mouth, brushing softly from side to side. Tingles
spread from his lips, down his neck, making his nipples
bead. His cock thickened and ached in his loincloth and he
quickly yanked the ties of his covering, freeing his erection.
He tossed the fabric aside.

Calming a Demon Heart

Vane settled one hand on his lover’s naked waist,

massaging the firm flesh of his human’s hip. Cupping Matt’s
nape and jaw with one hand, Vane pressed his thumb into
the corner of his human’s mouth. He tried to press forward,
to deepen the kiss, wanting, once again to experience his
lover’s exquisite taste.

It felt so good to touch Matt again, to hold him…but his

mate pulled back, applying gentle pressure to his chest.

Blinking, trying to get his thoughts in order, Vane lifted

his head and murmured, “Huh?”

Matt smiled. He slid his hands up over Vane’s shoulders

to his neck, wrapping his arms around him. Suddenly, Matt
lunged forward, crashing his body into Vane’s. He lost his
balance and tumbled backward, sprawling on the bed. With
his legs splayed, he felt an equally hard shaft pressing
against his own as he found himself with an armful of Matt.

Smiling, Matt peered down at him and purred, “Hey,”

just as he began rocking his hips, putting pressure and
friction along Vane’s cock.

Vane gasped and bucked back, rutting up into his human.

Heat coiled in his belly as his groin tightened, his balls
rolling in their sacks. Tightening his grip on Matt’s hip, Vane
bucked up, grinding against his lover.

“Easy, Vane,” Matt crooned. He unwound his arms and

massaged the tendons of his neck. “Just relax for me. We’re
not in any hurry.”

Forcing his eyelids open—Vane wasn’t entirely certain

when he’d closed them—he peered up at his lover. Matt
smiled down at him, telling Vane that he hadn’t done
anything wrong.

Matt must have read the confusion in Vane’s eyes, for he

leaned down and gently sipped at his lips, first his lower,
then his upper. Lifting his head again, Matt smiled at him.

Charlie Richards

“We always seem to be in such a rush,” he whispered. “Let
me enjoy you.”

Vane forced himself to loosen his grip. He petted the skin

he’d clutched so tightly, enjoying the way it goose-bumped
and rippled under his touch. Swallowing, struggling to find
his voice, Vane asked roughly, “What did you have in
mind?”

“I’ll show you,” Matt promised.
Planting his hands on either side of Vane’s torso, Matt

levered up. Once resting  on his knees,  he placed his hands
on  Vane’s  chest.  He  traced  his  fingertips  over  Vane’s  pecs,
then  pinched  his  nubs,  making  them  harden  into  sharp
points.  Pleasant  tingles  spread  over  his  chest  and  warmed
his belly as he enjoyed his mate’s attentions.

Vane had never had someone run their fingers over his

hide, exploring and feeling him, just because they wanted to
touch  every  inch  of  his  flesh.  Vane  reveled  in  the  look  of
wonder on Matt’s face, his expression almost as pleasurable
as  the  light  swipes  of  his  fingertips,  the  massage  of  his
palms, and the scrapes of his nails. The nerve endings of his
skin  danced  at  the  treatment,  sending  his  arousal  soaring
higher.

Enjoying Matt’s touch was well worth the wait to ease the

ache in his jutting shaft.

Finally, Matt reached the crux of Vane’s thighs. He delved

his  thumbs  into  his  crease  and  petted  the  sensitive  skin
around  the  base  of  his  shaft.  Vane  found  he  couldn’t  keep
still.  His  hips  twitched  restlessly  and  his  hands  flexed.  He
fought  the  urge  to  grab  his  lover,  roll  him  under  him,  and
rut them both to completion.

Matt chuckled softly, eyeing him knowingly. Releasing

his hips, his mate grabbed Vane’s wrists in a gentle hold. He
tensed, but Matt didn’t fight him, just waited for him to relax
again. Finally, Vane found himself able to follow Matt’s

Calming a Demon Heart

urgings and lift his arms over his head. His lover guided his
hands to the headboard.

“Slide them under the edge there,” he urged. “That way,

you won’t tear the sheets and any scratches in the wood
won’t be too noticeable.” He winked, softening his chiding.

To Vane, it felt an awful lot like being chained up, and he

felt his erection flag. He swallowed hard, fixing his gaze on
his lover as Matt leaned to the side of the bed and opened
the nightstand drawer. He pulled out a single red rose and
held it up for Vane to see.

Smiling, Matt murmured, “I know Valentine’s Day is still

a couple of days out, but I wanted to get you a rose
anyway.”

The tension that had begun to fill Vane almost instantly

vanished. He smiled, flattered that his lover would want to
do something so sweet for him. “I’ve never gotten flowers
before,” he admitted.

Matt glanced sheepishly at it. “I know red is supposed to

mean love, and I’ll be honest that even though I want to
build a relationship with you, I don’t know about love, yet.”
He shrugged. “I know I miss you when you’re not with me. I
know I think about you constantly. I always look forward to
the next time I can see you. And I know it pissed me the hell
off when you wouldn’t let me help you.”

With one hand planted on the bed beside Vane’s head,

Matt leaned over him and gently traced his lips with the soft
petals. Vane shivered from the light contact just as much as
the intense look filling his mate’s hazel eyes.

“I guess that could definitely be love, right?” Matt

whispered.

Vane’s heart thudded hard in his chest. While he knew

gargoyles grew to love their fated mate quickly, he hadn’t
held much hope that Matt would come to care for him like

Charlie Richards

that, especially after he’d pushed him away, time and time
again.

“Our mating will get easier,” Vane vowed. “I’ll prove I’m

worthy of your love.”

Matt shook his head, even as he chuckled. “Ah, now you

listen to me, my dear gargoyle. You are already worthy of
my love.” Matt leaned closer, his lips hovering beside Vane’s
ear. The soft puff of his mate’s breath as he spoke sent
shivers dancing across Vane’s skin.

“You’re mine, gargoyle, and I am yours,” Matt stated.

“We’re gonna figure out this damn relationship and build a
life together. Got it?”

Vane’s eyes widened. His breathing sped up. “Yes, my

mate.” Nothing had ever sounded so good.

“Excellent.” Matt smirked. “Now, before either of us gets

too maudlin. Lie back and relax, while I see how sensitive
this sexy hide of yours is.”

No longer tense or fearful of having his arms held in place

over his head, even if by his own direction, Vane grinned up
at Matt. In fact, he suddenly felt eager to see what his human
would do. Holding his lover’s gaze, Vane stated, “Do your
worst.”

Matt chuckled softly in his ear. “Oh, no, lover. I’m gonna

do my best.”

The softly purred words sent shivers down Vane’s spine

and he could hardly wait.

Calming a Demon Heart

Chapter Eleven

owering his head further, Matthew nuzzled his
gargoyle’s neck. He didn’t know if he’d ever get used to

the feel of Vane’s leathery hide as opposed to regular skin.
Actually, Matthew hoped the awe of feeling the huge
gargoyle’s natural mottled red skin never faded.

Matthew used the hand on Vane’s neck to get his lover to

tilt his neck, giving him more access to the thick tendons. He
nipped the muscles, using more force than he’d ever dream
of using on a human.

Vane grunted and shuddered beneath him. Matthew saw

the muscles in Vane’s arms strain as he tightened his grip on
the headboard. Just to see that reaction again, Matthew bit
his lover’s neck again.

“Fuck, Matt,” Vane groaned. “Never thought that’d feel

good.”

It suddenly hit Matthew that that spot was about where

Vane had bitten him on his own neck. He’d loved it when
Vane had bitten him, the harder the better. He didn’t have
canines like shifters or gargoyles, but he could bite. Opening
his jaws a little wider, Matthew took a little better position,
and clamped down on Vane…hard.

After a few seconds of applied pressure, Matthew felt the

thick  hide  give.  Blood  seeped  slowly  around  his  teeth,
hitting  his  senses  with  an  oddly  sweet  and  tangy,  metallic
flavor. He nearly yanked his mouth away, but then he heard
Vane  moan.  His  lover’s  body  bowed  beneath  him,  his  hips

Charlie Richards

rocking, searching for friction. Matthew moved his knee up,
pressing his thigh into his gargoyle’s balls.

Vane roared.
Warm fluid soaked Matthew’s upper thigh and groin.

Several  hot  streams  even  nailed  Matthew’s  own  throbbing
cock and he shuddered, just managing to fight back his own
need  to  come.  Breathing  heavily,  he  carefully  pulled  his
teeth free. He stared at the bloody mark on his lover’s neck
for a few seconds as he licked his lips. After glancing at his
gargoyle’s  blissed-out  expression,  Matthew  leaned  down
and  licked  at  the  wound,  lapping  up  the  slowly  oozing
blood.

Grunting, Vane shivered. He released the headboard and

wrapped his arms around Matthew’s torso, petting his back
in slow, languid strokes. “Holy shit, Matt. Never thought
you’d be willing to do that.” Vane turned his head and
pressed a kiss to his temple.

Matthew lifted his head, happy to see the bleeding had

stopped.  From  the  information  he’d  received  from  Kort  a
few days before, he knew gargoyles healed quickly and the
wound  hadn’t  been  deep,  but  as  the  saying  went—seeing
was  believing.  Finally,  Matthew  looked  at  Vane.  “Why?
What do you mean? I knew I needed to drink your blood to
complete our bond, so how else would I do it?”

Vane nuzzled his temple, sighing. “I’ve heard most

paranormals will cut themselves somewhere, giving their
mate access to their blood.”

Pride flooding him, Matthew smiled. He held his lover’s

gaze as he stated, “I wouldn’t have missed that little display
for anything. Now—” He slowly rutted against Vane’s
ridged abs. “It’s time to explore that sexy ass of yours.”

Matthew watched Vane’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he

swallowed hard. He didn’t need to be a gargoyle to scent the

Calming a Demon Heart

male’s nervousness. Leaning down, Matthew ghosted a kiss
over his lover’s mouth, rubbing once, twice.

Murmuring against his lover’s thin lips, Matthew

encouraged, “Don’t worry, my gargoyle. I told you I’d
please you. I’ll make certain you’re good and ready. Begging
me, even.”

Vane didn’t look convinced, and Matthew knew actions

spoke louder than words. He pulled his gargoyle’s lower lip
into his mouth and sucked lightly for a second. When Vane’s
arms  tightened  around  him,  Matthew  slanted  over  his
lover’s  mouth.  He  thrust  his  tongue  in  deep,  sweeping
around  Vane’s  mouth,  mimicking  what  he  planned  to  do
shortly to his lover’s ass.

Tasting Vane, holding him close, touching him, wrapped

in his embrace, Matthew felt contentment war with the lust
coursing through his system. Nothing felt better than being
held by his lover. Then, he felt Vane wrap his wings around
them both, holding him close and the kiss deepened.
Matthew writhed against his lover as they ate at each other’s
mouths, the feral kiss all teeth and tongues.

When breathing became paramount, Matthew jerked his

head up a bit. He gasped for breath. Sparks danced along his
spine in the wake of the light scratching of Vane’s claws,
centering in the base of his spine. His cock throbbed where it
was trapped between their bodies.

Matthew groaned and pressed his forehead against

Vane’s sternum. With more self-control than he thought  he
had  left,  he  managed  to  still  his  hips.  “Stop,”  he  pleaded.
“Want  your  ass.  Want  to  show  you  the  pleasure—”  He
shivered.

“Easy,” Vane purred as his touch became soothing.
Breathing deeply, Matthew slowly managed to get his

heart-rate under control. “Damn,” he muttered. “The things
you do to me.” Matthew loved and hated how swiftly his

Charlie Richards

gargoyle  set  his  blood  to  boiling.  He  looked  forward  to
nights  of  marathon  sex  as  well  as  long,  slow,  nearly-
torturous  love-making.  There  were  so  many  things  he
wanted  to  experience  with  this  gargoyle.  First,  though,  he
had to get his shit together and finish claiming his man.

With his goal firmly in mind, Matthew eased away from

his lover and back up onto his knees. “For your first time,
it’s easier if you lay on your stomach, but I’ll let you decide.”

For a few seconds, Vane stared up at him. With his

expression  relaxed  and  sated,  Matthew  had  a  hard  time
deciding  what  his lover was thinking.  Vane finally  nodded
once.  “I  trust  you,”  he  whispered  as  he  pulled  up  his  legs,
rolled over onto his stomach, and stretched back out again.

Matthew’s confusion at Vane’s words disappeared as

soon as he got a look at his gargoyle’s back. Scars, thin white
trails criss-crossed his hide, starting between where his
wings connected with his shoulder blades all the way down
to his ass.

Biting back a curse, Matthew swallowed hard. Someone

had taken a whip or switch, or something to his gargoyle’s
back—hell, on more than one occasion. It occurred to
Matthew, that the only time he’d seen Vane allow someone
at his back was when he was trying to protect him.

“Oh, my sexy gargoyle,” he crooned. “So much sadness in

your past.” Matthew met Vane’s look as he peered over his
shoulder at him, and he smiled. “Allow me to bring you
some joy.”

Vane smiled up at him, he deep red eyes serene. “You

already have.”

Wanting to lift the mood, Matthew slowly crawled over

his  lover  to  lie  across  the  man,  carefully  gauging  Vane’s
reaction  as  he  moved.  When  all  he  noted  was  a  bit  of
tightness  in  his  shoulders,  he  lowered  his  groin  and  rutted
his swollen erection along the valley of Vane’s ass.

Calming a Demon Heart

“How about I bring a little bliss your way, then?”
Grinning back, Vane teased, “Didn’t you do that, too?”
Barking a laugh, Matthew leaned down and bit his lover’s

ear. He heard Vane hiss, but it was a pleased sound, not one
of pain, telling him his gargoyle enjoyed it. Sucking the lobe
into his mouth, Matthew massaged the flesh, teasing it with
his tongue to take away the sting. Next, he pressed a series
of kisses across his lover’s jaw to the corner of his mouth,
then down his neck.

Matthew lifted his head and placed his hands on Vane’s

shoulders, tracing the broad expanse of bone and muscle. He
gently kneaded and massaged, squeezing and pushing,
encouraging his lover to relax. Relief filled Matthew when
the muscles under his palms smoothed.

Working his way down Vane’s back with his mouth,

Matthew  alternated  between  sucking  and  nipping  the  nobs
of  his  spine  and  licking  and  kissing  the  pale  thin  lines  on
either side of it. With his hands, he stroked over where his
lover’s wings met his shoulder-blades, then up and along the
thick  ligaments  that  made  up  the  top  of  his  wing.  Vane
shivered  under  his  touch,  goose-bumps  breaking  out  over
his sides. He shifted restlessly below him.

Matthew smiled at his lover’s responses. He especially

liked  how  when  he  caressed  Vane’s  leathery  wings,  his
gargoyle’s  wings  twitched  and  he  started  shifting  his  hips.
Matthew  lifted  his  head  just  a  bit—and  making  certain  he
blew  warm  air  over  the  wet  flesh  as  he  spoke—he
whispered, “Like how that feels, gargoyle?”

“Y-Yeah,” Vane stuttered, gasping. “N-Never had

anyone—”

Vane ended on a grunt, as that was when Matthew

swiped his tongue along the sensitive skin at the top of his
crease. Matthew grinned, enjoying not only the way Vane
tasted—musky and earthy—but also the way his gargoyle’s

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100

hips moved restlessly. It let him know that the male was
once again becoming aroused.

Matthew skimmed his hands over Vane’s hips and

gripped  the  sides  of  his  ass.  Pulling  the  cheeks  apart,  he
revealed the gargoyle’s valley. He wasted no time sliding his
tongue  deeper.  He  inhaled  his  lover’s  masculine  scent,  the
smell  causing  his  own  cock  to  bob  between  his  legs.
Anticipation built in Matthew, and he struggled not to rush
as he nipped and licked the sensitive flesh revealed to him.

Finally, finally, he reached the star of muscle where he

desperately wanted to sink his aching  shaft. He swiped his
tongue  over  Vane’s  hole,  massaging  and  relaxing  the
entrance,  soaking  it  in  spit.  Sliding  his  hands  back  to  his
lover’s hips, with gentle urgings, he helped his gargoyle gain
his knees.

Once Matthew heard Vane’s grunts of pleasure, he

stiffened his tongue and pressed it into his lover’s hole. Vane
stilled in his grip, but Matthew didn’t stop, wanting to get
his lover used to the feeling of something moving inside
him. He slid his tongue out, then pressed back in again.

As Matthew worked him, he reached blindly for the lube.

Finding it, he popped the cap, then pulled his face away so
he could drizzle some first on Vane’s wet hole, then on the
fingers of his right hand.

While Vane hadn’t become tense, he still remained less

responsive than Matthew wanted. Time to give him that
promised bliss. “Relax,” Matthew urged. “You’ll like this.”

Matthew replaced his tongue with his forefinger, sinking

the  slicked-up  digit  into  Vane’s  hole.  He  felt  around  and
quickly  zeroed  in  on  what  he  wanted…Vane’s  prostate.
Massaging  his  gargoyle’s  gland,  Matthew  finally  got  the
reaction he wanted.

“Fuck!” Vane swore as he arched his back and searched

for more contact.

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101

Grinning, Matthew gave him what he sought. As he

finger-fucked  his  lover,  he  leaned  over  his  back  and
murmured,  “Oh,  yes,  Vane.  That  is  the  idea.”  He  slid  a
second  finger  in  beside  the  first,  continuing  to  peg  the
gargoyle’s  gland  each  time.  “Soon,  this  is  gonna  be  my
dick,” he stated gruffly.

At that idea, Matthew’s own need caused his control to

slip, and he rutted his dick between Vane’s thighs. His balls
pulled tight and he quickly reached down with his free hand
and squeezed the base of his prick.

Sighing, Matthew knew he had to speed things up just a

bit.

Matthew slid in a third finger. When Vane grunted, he

reached under his lover and gripped the gargoyle’s thick
shaft. The hard flesh jerked in his grip and his lover once
again started rocking, thrusting his dick through Matthew’s
grip only to rock back on Matthew’s fingers.

Matthew allowed Vane to pleasure himself for a few

seconds. Hell, he could hardly deny himself a few seconds to
view the sexy sight of his gargoyle reveling in the pleasure
he gave him. Soon, Matthew’s own ever-tightening balls
reminded him of where his dick needed to be before he
unloaded.

“You ready for me?” he asked, too turned on to care that

he sounded as if he begged.

Damn, it’s supposed to be the other way around.
“Hell, yeah,” Vane snarled. “Do it, mate. Fuck me now.”

Okay, demanding works.
Matthew slid his fingers from Vane’s chute. Wrapping his

slick fingers around his own shaft, he gave it one tug, then
two, slicking himself up, then he guided his cock head to his
lover’s hole. When his sensitive glans pressed against his
lover’s stretched opening, a shiver of excitement coursed
through him.

“Now,” he whispered, and thrust.

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102

Groaning gutturally, Matthew shivered as the body

beneath him gave way and he sank into the hot, slick hole.
Pressure clamped down on his shaft, and he willed himself
to still his hips.

Except, then, he heard Vane’s growled words of hell, yeah,

give it to me, mate and all bets were off. Matthew’s strained
control snapped. He rocked, forward and back, sinking
deeper and deeper into the intense heat of his lover’s body.

His balls pulled tight and—too long denied—Matthew

knew  he’d  come  embarrassingly  fast.  Wanting  his  mate  to
join  him,  he  wrapped  his  arms  around  his  lover  and  once
again found Vane’s cock with his right hand. His fingers had
just  enough  lube  that  he  could  strip  his  gargoyle’s  dick
without fear of friction.

Matthew jacked his hips, adjusting his angle so he pegged

his lover’s gland with each thrust. Vane shuddered beneath
him, grunting and rocking, matching Matthew’s aggression
as  their  skin  slapped  together.  His  balls  tightened  that  last
little bit and he could hold off no longer. Matthew unloaded
in  his  gargoyle’s  ass,  coating  his  lover’s  rectum  with  his
seed.  Thrusting  through  his  orgasm,  he  slid  his  shaft
through  his  cum,  reveling  in  the  increased  warmth  and
slickness.

Wanting his lover to come with him, Matthew lowered

his  head  and  bit  into  Vane’s  flesh,  just  below  his  shoulder
blade.  Vane  snarled  and  bucked,  his  cock  jerking  in
Matthew’s  grip.  Seconds  later,  the  gargoyle’s  cock  pulsed,
his  body  shuddered,  and  his  chute  clamped  down  on
Matthew’s dick.

Matthew jerked his head up, just remembering to

unclamp his jaw, and cried out hoarsely as his balls forced
one more spurt from him. Exhausted and flying high on
endorphins, he collapsed onto his lover’s back.

Vane slumped onto the bed with a groan.

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103

Humming, Matthew mumbled, “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Vane turned his head and shifted his hips a bit.

“Except, I’m in the wet spot.”

Chuckling, Matthew pressed his hands into the side of the

bed and pushed, flopping sideways. This time, Vane’s grunt
seemed to be caused by Matthew’s softened prick sliding
from his ass. Matthew encouraged his lover to roll with him,
until Vane lay on his back. Matthew repositioned himself,
lying half on top of his lover.

“I’ll clean us up in a few minutes,” he promised. “I need

to hold you for a bit first. Missed you so much.”

He hadn’t meant to say that last part, but when Vane

leaned  up  and  kissed  his  head,  then  said,  “I  missed  you,
too,”  Matthew  didn’t  regret  it.  Vane  wrapped  his  arms
around  Matthew  and  snuggled  him  close.  “What  are  you
doing  here?  It’s—”  He  rotated  his  neck  and  peered  at  the
clock on the nightstand, “almost five in the morning.”

Matthew smiled. “Do you have any idea how long it takes

to drive from Salt Lake City airport to here? It was the only
last minute redeye we could make.” His smile faded. “No
more leaving after fights. We talk things out, okay?”

Vane cupped Matthew’s jaw and pressed a sweet kiss to

his lips.

“Promise.”
Smiling, Matthew settled his head back on Vane’s chest.

Content in his gargoyle’s arms, the flight and drive, followed
by the amazing sex, quickly caught up with him. Sleep
claimed him.

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104

Chapter Twelve

ane stared at the entrance to the curiosity show. “I’m
not sure I can do this.”

He, Matthew, and Einan stood outside the gates to the

curiosity show that he knew held Roland, as well as a couple
of other shifters. He didn’t know if the owners knew what
their cages actually contained, but he did know he needed to
get them out. Except, now that he stood outside their gates
in human form, fear paralyzed him.

That morning, Vane had gone through molt—which,

surprisingly, hadn’t been as painful as he’d thought it’d be.
Of course, when he considered the torture he’d endured as a
hatchling, the pain of changing into his human form for the
first time had been mild.

Now, according to the mirror—and Matt’s comments—

Vane appeared to be a six foot six, deeply bronzed skinned
Native  American.  His  black  horns  even  turned  into  a  thick
head  of  shoulder-blade  length,  black  hair.  While  Matt  said
he  had  broader  shoulders  and  more  muscle  than  a  classic
Native  American,  if  anyone  ever  said  anything,  he  could
explain  he  enjoyed  body  building…which  probably
wouldn’t  be  questioned  considering  his  thick  arm  and  leg
muscles.

Vane sure as hell hoped they wouldn’t end up in trouble

with Tobias when the second woke from roost, but
Cornelius and Matt had convinced him this could work.
From what Vane had heard, Cornelius had had to do some

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105

fast talking to convince Einan to escort them out here. Then,
the heavily pregnant rhino shifter had been pissed as hell
when he’d learned he couldn’t join them at the show, but on
that point, Einan wouldn’t budge.

Vane had found out that morning that Leroy Wilde had

joined Matthew and Cornelius on their adventure to track
them down. The human nurse would prove useful once they
rescued the shifters.

First, however, Vane needed to get his shit together and

get in there. Tugging on his arm yanked Vane out of his
panic-induced stupor, and he followed Matt behind their
rented SUV. His mate cupped his jaws and met his gaze.

Vane took strength from Matt’s calm, soothing tone as he

listened to his mate say, “You can do this, handsome. I
understand why this would be difficult, but you’re strong.
Just remember, you’re not alone.”

“I’m not alone,” Vane mumbled.
Matt smiled. “That’s right. We’re here, and we’re gonna

help your friend.”

Nodding, Vane grimaced. “I’m okay. I can do this.” He’d

do this for his mate, for himself, and for Roland. He needed
Matt to know he could rely on him, and it was time for him
to  fulfill  his  promise.  Straightening,  Vane  lowered  the
sunglasses  from  his  forehead,  placing  them  over  his  eyes,
and  stated,  “I’m  ready.”  Hell,  all  he  had  to  do  was  stand
there  and  look  intimidating  since  he  and  Einan  were
supposed to be Matt’s bodyguards.

Matt glanced around, then leaned up and pecked a kiss to

his lips. Smiling, he murmured, “I believe in you.”

Vane’s system flooded with warmth and he stared in

shock for several seconds. Matt pulling away drew him out
of his shock. “I love you,” Vane blurted.

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106

Grinning back at him, Matt nodded. “I know, and I you.”

He winked. “You think I’d follow just any guy across several
states?”

Before Vane could think up a response to that, Matt

turned and headed around the vehicle. Einan slapped him
on the shoulder and said, “Let’s go, Romeo. Showtime.”

Vane nodded. Straightening his shoulders, he followed

his  lover  and  his  fellow  enforcer  through  the  gates.  He
glanced  at  the  people  milling  through  the  area,  doing  his
best  to  ignore  the  signs  for  what  shows  were  inside  each
enclosure.

Matt walked up to one of the security guards. In Vane’s

opinion, the human had a little more girth than one would
expect from someone expected to run after mischief makers.

With a smile that didn’t meet his eyes, Matt addressed the

guard. “I’m looking for Bud Wallice.” He pointed at the
walkie-talkie attached to the man’s belt. “Tell him that
Mister Prentiss is here to see him about the twenty-four foot
boa.”

The guard actually blanched at the mention of the record

breaking  snake  that  Vane  had  found  listed  for  sale.  It  was
how  he’d  located  this  possibility  to  begin  with.  Then,  last
night,  he  and  Tobias  had  managed  to  slip  into  the  park.
They’d discovered not only Roland, but that the boa was a
shifter,  along  with  several  others,  including  an  albino
alligator.

“Yeah, right. Okay, sir,” the guard replied, reaching for

his walkie-talkie. Lifting it to his mouth, he mumbled, “I
gotta tell you. I’ll be happy to see the snake gone.” Pressing
the button, he spoke into the device, “Ryker. Walter, here.
Come back.”

“What is it, Walter?” A bored male voice sounded

through the device. Evidently, this guy wasn’t as formal as
the front guard.

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107

“I have Mister Prentiss here near the two headed llama

exhibit. He’s asking about the snake for sale. Is Mister
Wallice available?”

“I’ll get him and meet you at the boa’s aquarium. Escort

them there.”

“Yes, sir,” the guard, Walter, said into the device. He

returned his focus to their trio. “This way.”

“Don’t like snakes? Or don’t like this one?” Matt asked,

keeping his tone mildly interested, yet still cool.

Walter shrugged, looking for all the world like he was

attempting to hide a shudder. “Just don’t like anything that
could swallow me whole,” he finally responded.

The guard’s scent screamed lie. Judging by the slight lift

of  Matt’s  brow  before  his  mate  could  control  his  features,
Vane  guessed  his  lover  felt  the  same  way.  He  wondered  if
Walter  had  seen  something  that  made  him  guess  that  the
snake was more than just a snake.

Once again, Vane fell into step behind Matt. Einan

flanked his mate’s other side. After several minutes, they
reached a large, shed-style structure that looked very similar
to every other building that made up the exhibit area.

Walter waved at the pimple-faced, skinny teen manning

the ticket stand. “Don’t let any other people in until we come
out, Rudy,” Walter ordered. “Mister Wallice should be here
in a few minutes.”

Rudy immediately straightened at his post and nodded.

“Yes, sir.”

Matt followed Walter, and Vane forced himself to follow

his mate.

Vane entered the darkened interior and immediately had

to  make  a  right  turn.  After  ten  paces,  he  made  a  left  turn,
which  opened  into  the  main  exhibit  space.  A  dirty  velvet
rope—which  had  probably  been  red  at  one  time—was
attached to the wall on the left. It stretched toward the back,

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108

then cut left. Vane knew the set-up was designed to create a
walkway, keeping the patrons moving along the outside of
the enclosure, allowing them to see the exhibit from all sides
before exiting near where they’d entered at the front.

Even though a massive aquarium filled the space in the

middle,  Vane  shivered.  He  could  imagine,  all  too  well,  the
space  his  friend  would  be  kept  in…a  barred,  twelve-by-
twelve  foot  cage.  No  privacy,  a  space  hosed  out  once  a
week—maybe,  and  put  on  display  for  people  to  stare  and
jeer at.

Giving himself a mental shake, Vane refocused on his

surroundings. Inside the massive aquarium, the green and
brown boa constrictor stirred. Lifting his head, the snake
flicked out his tongue, attempting to scent them through the
glass.

Seconds later, Bud Wallice arrived, and Vane found

himself forced to stand impassively. He listened as Matt
made arrangements to pick up the snake that evening. He
even confirmed that a number of Bud’s people would be on
hand to aid in moving the massive serpent from his normal
cage—a much larger space in the reptile holding building—
to a large box truck, which Matt would provide.

By the time they walked out of there, a deal made, Vane

knew the shifter was stressed. Hell, the boa had curled into a
tight ball under a large tree trunk. Knowing the shifter still
watched, Vane did the one thing he could and—trusting
from the snake’s actions that he could read lips—he
mouthed, patience, brother.

“You ready for this?”
“Yep,” Vane replied, answering Einan as he peered

through the window. He watched the large box vehicle pull
up close. “Let’s get this snake loaded.”

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109

After Einan parked the SUV, Vane stepped out, then held

the door open for Matt. Once his mate had exited, he shut
the door and dropped into flanking position. Bud was
waiting at the back gates along with Walter and Ryker.

“Hello, Mister Wallice,” Matt greeted coolly. “Everything

is in order?”

Damn, but did his mate look fine acting the aloof business

man. The charcoal gray suit certainly didn’t detract from his
lean form at all. Einan elbowed him, refocusing Vane’s
attention.

“Of course. The snake is just as you left it,” Bud told

them, with a watery smile. “We thought it best to only move
it once this evening. Less taxing on the workers since it takes
so many of them.”

Vane just bet. He hoped the shifter had enough strength

for the commotion he needed the shifter to cause. When he’d
been held prisoner, he’d been kept malnourished, especially
after the owners realized just how strong he’d become.

The group made their way back to the building they’d

entered earlier that day, the darkness of night made
shadows between buildings deep. When they arrived, Matt
frowned. “You agreed to have eight men on hand to assist. I
only see four.”

“Well, Dozer has been so relaxed today,” Bud

immediately hedged. “I didn’t think the extra people would
be necessary.”

Matt’s eyes narrowed, a decidedly dangerous glint

entering his eyes. “Mister Wallice, I  paid for the snake  and
the services necessary to move him with the least amount of
stress.  More  men  means  more  hands  to  hold  him  up  and
keep  him  straight.  That  means  less  stress  on  the  boa’s
muscles.” Matt’s voice lowered, taking on a hard, cold edge.
“If  you  wish  to  sell  this  snake  tonight,  call  your  men  in.

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110

Otherwise, I walk. I will not arrive at my destination
tomorrow and find a sick animal. Do I make myself clear?”

Bud held up his hands, his smile decidedly slimy. “Okay,

Mister Prentiss. My mistake.” He glared at Walter, as if this
were his mistake. “Call in the guys on the south side. Hurry
up, now.”

“Yes, sir,” Walter immediately responded, grabbing his

walkie-talkie and making the call.

They waited. Matt made his displeasure known with his

scowl and narrowed eyes. He pulled out his cell phone and
spoke into it, telling the driver of the van to pull through the
gate and gave rather impressive directions to this booth.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Bud called, closing the distance.

“You can’t just bring a truck in—”

Vane stepped forward. He put himself partway between

Bud and Matt, crossing his arms over his wide chest and
glaring at the human.

Bud’s gaze flicked from his bulging muscles to Matt and

back again.

Matt slowly lifted a brow. “You are holding up my time-

table, Mister Wallice. Bringing my van here to the cage will
keep me from being too far behind.” Tipping his chin up, he
asked, “Surely you cannot object to that.”

After swallowing hard, Bud jerked a nod. “Yeah, I guess.”

He  turned  away  and  slapped  Walter  on  the  shoulder…a
little  too  hard,  considering  the  way  the  guard  stumbled
forward  a  step.  “Head  to  the  east  end  and  tell  the  men  to
start making rounds.”

Vane surreptitiously watched the man go, all the while

wishing  he  could  pick  up  his  phone  and  warn  Tobias.  The
second  was  somewhere  in  the  complex  with  Sapian  and
Greg. They were the ones who were supposed to capitalize
on this distraction and free the shifters. Hopefully,  because

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111

they were paranormals, too, they’d be willing to come along
quietly.

Watching some human guard—whose name he hadn’t

caught—open  the  top  of  the  aquarium,  Vane  struggled  to
keep  his  irritation  in  check.  He  gritted  his  teeth  as  he
watched a second guard lower a stick with a hook into the
aquarium  and  shove  aside  the  log  under  which  the  shifter
had been curled up.

“Be careful,” Matt snapped, obviously taking the same

offense Vane did upon seeing the snake slither and wriggle
off the hook.

“Get ready to catch him,” the first guy commanded just as

he got the hook under the thickest part of the big snake and
lifted. “Fuck, I always forget how heavy he is.”

The second guard immediately grabbed the end of the

pole and used his weight to lever the huge snake out of the
tank. Vane exchanged a look with Einan and quickly
stepped forward to grab the serpent just behind the head.

“Easy, snake,” he muttered, although he was uncertain if

the shifter would respond.

Fortunately, he did.
It took twelve men to carry the snake to Matt’s

satisfaction. Vane fought back his amusement as he listened
to his mate yell and holler at them, telling them to be careful,
not  to  squeeze  too  hard,  and  to  hurry  up.  As  they  all  filed
into  the  van,  Vane  lowered  to  one  knee  and  continued  to
hold  the  shifter’s  head  as  the  rest  of  the  carriers  laid  the
beast  down  in  coils  over  and  around  several  large  tree
branches bolted into the sides of the space.

Once everyone was out of earshot, Vane smiled at the

beast. “You’re safe now, shifter,” he assured. “Stay put and
we’ll get you to safety. You have my word.”

The snake flicked out his tongue, then cocked his head.

The shifter gave a slight nod.

Charlie Richards

112

Vane nodded. “Good. I’ll see you again shortly.”
After releasing the massive snake’s head, Vane backed

from the vehicle, making it appear as though he were wary.
He winked, then turned and hustled out.

“Let’s move!” Matt yelled. He handed Bud Wallice an

envelope and snagged what Vane assumed was a bill of sale.

Vane quickly moved to catch up as his mate strode

toward  the  car  parked  next  to  the  van.  He  got  there  just
before Matt and opened the vehicle’s back door for him, then
climbed  in  after  him.  As  he  pulled  the  car’s  door  closed,
Vane noted the van had already begun moving. Einan once
again  climbed  into  the  driver’s  seat  and  started  them
following.

“I saw the look on your face,” Matt murmured.
Vane turned toward his lover, his brows shooting

skyward. “What? When?”

Matt took his hand and squeezed before setting it on his

thigh. He smiled. “When we walked into that pathetic
excuse for a shed earlier today.” He shook his head,
grimacing. “God, I’d wished I’d brought my bottle of Purell.
Disgusting.” He squeezed Vane’s hand. “You were in a place
like that, weren’t you?”

Vane stared at his lover, his mate, his everything.

Nodding slowly, Vane confirmed Matt’s words. “Yes, I was
kept in a barred cage that fit inside those ropes.” He
wrapped his left arm around Matt’s shoulders and pulled
him close, then settled his right hand on Matt’s thigh. “The
best I can figure is that some little boy found my egg while
out exploring in some caves. The child had thought it a cool
rock and brought it home.”

Scoffing, Vane shrugged. “When I hatched, the boy’s

parents  thought  I’d  be  a  great  money-making  opportunity.
They  sold  me  to  some  guy  who  owned  a  shady  curiosity
freak show.” He  struggled to keep the bitterness out of his

Calming a Demon Heart

113

tone, but didn’t think he’d managed it since Matt squeezed
the hand on his thigh. “I was sold a few times,” he admitted.
“But always ended up in a place like that.” He waved a hand
toward the back window, indicating where they’d come
from.

Matt squeezed his hand again, gaining attention. “Well,

today, you took at least one shifter away from all of that.”

Vane opened his mouth, intending to say only one shifter

mattered,  but  he  snapped  his  mouth  shut  just  as  quickly.
That  wasn’t  true.  That  boa  they’d  rescued  was  just  as
important  as  Roland.  Maybe  not  as  abused  as  his  friend
might  have  been,  but  still  important.  Every  life  was
important.

Before Vane could come up with a suitable response, the

warble of Matt’s cell phone broke the silence. His mate
answered, but the volume was turned down too low to hear.
Vane found himself waiting with bated breath, wondering
what the hell was being said. His mate nodded, then mmm-
hmmmed, then let out a relieved sigh.

That has to be good, right?
Matt put his phone away and grinned. “Tobias got your

friend out. He and three other shifters will be waiting back
at the manor.”

Vane’s brows shot up. “The manor?”
“Yes,” Matt confirmed. “Nurse Leroy decided they were

all too badly treated to travel, so he put them to sleep. In
seventy-two hours, they’ll all wake up in their own rooms,
complete with all they can eat buffets and plenty of luxury.”

A sound between a laugh and a sob escaped Vane. Damn,

his chieftain was good.

Matt leaned close and pressed a soft kiss to Vane’s lips.
Wrapping his arms around his lover, Vane pulled him

close and deepened the kiss. He sank his tongue in deep,
sweeping it around his mate’s mouth and reveling in his
mate’s wonderful taste.

Charlie Richards

114

“Hey! Knock it off!” Einan hollered from the driver’s seat.

“Not all of us have our mate sitting on our lap!”

Vane respected his enforcer’s request and drew the kiss to

an end. He sipped at Matt’s lips a few times before lowering
his head and nuzzling his mate’s neck. “Thank you for
helping.”

“You’re welcome, my gargoyle,” Matt replied. He cupped

Vane’s jaw and tilted his head a bit, urging Vane to meet his
gaze. “What do you say we hustle back to the manor so we
can welcome them home? Huh?”

“Yeah,” Vane whispered, cuddling close.
Grinning, Matt rapped on the window and shouted,

“Take Vane home, jeeves!”

He received a disgruntled sounding, “Yeah, yeah.”
Vane cupped his lover’s jaw and urged his mate to look at

him. “Our home,” he insisted. “We’re going to our home.”

A huge grin split his mate’s features. “Yeah,” he crooned.

“Our home.”

Capturing Matt’s lips again, Vane thrust deep. This time,

he ignored Einan’s disgruntled shouts in favor of tasting his
mate.

About the Author

Charlie started writing fantasy when she was eight, and after
stumbling onto her first erotic romance at age nineteen, she
realized  her  true  calling.  She  now  focuses  on  writing  gay
erotic  romance,  normally  of  the  paranormal  variety,  with
heroes  of  all  kinds.  With  the  help  and  support  of  her
husband,  Charlie  finally  fulfilled  one  of  her  life-long
goals…move to acreage with her horses. You can often find
her  curled  up  with  her  laptop  and  a  cup  of  tea  or  glass  of
wine, creating her next adventure. Charlie enjoys exploring
the  mountains  of  her  new  Oregon  home  on  horseback,  4-
wheeler, or motorcycle.

She can be reached at ch.richards2010@yahoo.com
Or visit her at www.charlie-richards.com

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