Wonderland Ch. 04

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, guys, but my college finals are coming up so I've been writing in between studying. (I know, shame on me, but I positively revel in procrastination...) Chapter Five will be delayed a bit to accommodate this future three week Hell I will be living through, so check my Twitter updates to see when I'll get around to posting again.

I appreciate all the votes, but guys, c'mon, I don't bite. You can leave me comments too. Even if it's something silly and completely irrelevant to the story i.e. like how your Grandmother passed gas during Easter service or whatnot, I'd like to read it.

Anyway, like always, this chapter is a work of fiction and the events, incidents, and characters are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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"Talon, there's something you need to know..."

His rumbling chuckle shook the both of us by its strength, but the action still somehow soothed me. I reminded myself of what had to be done; I had promised that I wouldn't wimp out.

I pulled away and leaned back my head, ignoring the uncomfortable twinge at the base of my skull as I did so. Talon put a claw over my lips.

"We'll speak in the kitchen. Are you hungry?"

Not waiting for my response, Talon led me into the kitchen and picked me up by the waist to set me onto a bar stool at the kitchen island before turning his back to me to scrounge for food in the fridge. The last time anyone had picked me up I had been four feet tall, ten years younger, and sixty pounds lighter. I was reminded in that moment that if this conversation went badly, I could seriously get hurt.

Shaking those thoughts from my head, I steeled myself.

"Fruit?" Talon interrupted me, his back and wings still to me as he held up a bowl of covered fruit for me to look at.

"Sure, Talon." I then hesitated, a chuckle beginning to build up in my chest. Talon turned to me, prepared to ask another question, but stopped when he saw my expression. A smile played on his lips.

"What?" he asked.

Unable to keep it in any longer, I giggled. "You're turning domestic," I chuckled, clamping my hands over my mouth to stop the giggles. I pulled away only when I felt like I could talk to him without laughing. No dice. "I should get you a 'Kiss the cook' apron to wear when I get back from—WHOA!"

I found myself staring up at the ceiling of the kitchen, my laughter replaced by wheezing thanks to Talon's tackle.

Talon lifted up his head from my neck, his dusky grey eyes now charcoal and glinting mischievously. "A Gargoyle female is docile...domestic. Not the male."

I wriggled under his grip, not surprised when he tightened his hold on my wrists or when his tail snapped my ankles together. "Look," I began in my best lecturing voice, "since you've been sleeping, women have gained a bit more respect -- domesticity isn't just for those of us who have uteruses," I told his chest as I flailed beneath him with all my might. Soon I broke out into a sweat and collapsed onto the floor with a huff, meeting his triumphant smile with a scowl. "You're an ass," I snorted.

Talon lowered his head and pressed his nose to my throat. "Occasionally," he murmured, the smile evident in his voice.

I sighed. "Talon, you're being distracting. I'm trying to tell you something."

"What could be worse than telling a warrior he's suited for nothing more than housework?"

I opened my mouth to respond when I felt every muscle in Talon's body tense, and the bond between us blossomed with rage and disbelief.

"What is this smell?" he grumbled, the anger swelling up so quickly from the bond that it took my breath away. "You have another male's scent on you, Tempest," he said, not waiting for my answer.

I swallowed at the dark tone in his voice, breaking out into a sweat again when Talon took an eerily similar stance like when he first tackled me: his wings arched, his tail rose as to strike, and his grip grew so tight that I knew I would have bruises. At least he didn't bring out the dagger...

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," I said slowly, hearing my voice tremble. "I met another Gargoyle today."

Talon lifted his head just enough so his black eyes could look into mine. "And?" he growled.

"He wants to meet you," I answered, my heart fluttering in my chest as his features darkened into pure rage. "He mentioned the Elders did too. His name is Connor...that's all I know."

"How do you know he is a Gargoyle?" Talon demanded, pulling both of us up suddenly, my shoulders still in his grip.

"He s-showed me," I stammered, twisting uncomfortably under his gaze. His black eyes were judging my every movement, as though if I spoke one fib, that'd be the end of me.

Talon suddenly relaxed, letting out a breath. "Tempest, breathe," he murmured, relaxing his hold on me some. I closed my eyes and let out a shaky breath, willing my heart to stop beating so fast.

Talon drew me up off the floor and set me on the stool again, though he didn't move away. "Show me," he said quietly.

I opened my eyes and stared up at him in confusion. "Huh?" I asked intelligently.

Talon gently ran a claw down the center of my throat. "Think about the moment he revealed himself to you." He leaned forward, pulling apart his lips to expose the sharp points of his fangs.

"Talon!" I squeaked, pressing my hands against his chest to stop him. "I-I don't think..."

"Trust me, Tempest," he said gently, stroking the back of my head. The rage between our bond had definitely quieted now, but I could still feel the undercurrent of the dark emotions as Talon stroked my head, waiting patiently for me to relax.

Inhaling deeply, I nodded, closing my eyes and tilting back my head for him. Talon chuckled and muttered something that sounded a lot like "Docile" under his breath. My breath caught in my throat when Talon tugged aside my shirt, his claws gently scraping my skin with the gesture. I bit down on my bottom lip in concentration, forcing myself to focus on Connor's face during Mr. Dean's class and not Talon's teasing nibbles he placed along my neck as he waited for me to fully submit.

"Trust me," Talon repeated in a soft whisper against my skin before slowly his fangs pricked my neck and with the softest tug, pierced the flesh. The sting at first had me gritting my teeth, but as the Gargoyle sifted through my blood for memories, the sting was soon forgotten.

My head swam as Talon drank from me, and soon it was only by his arms that I remained upright. The unfamiliar tensing in my lower body grew the longer he embraced me, until finally, I was so deep in the tide I couldn't escape. With a sharp cry, everything went out of focus, including the day's events, and Talon's fangs released me with a deep rumble that had the windows shaking.

Clasping Talon around the neck tightly, another wave rolled through me and the world around me exploded in white light and I passed out.

"Tempest?"

A soft brush over my cheek sent a pleasant shiver down my spine, my toes curling at the touch. Lazily I opened my eyes, stretching out my stiff limbs before settling back against—

I blinked in surprise and looked up over my shoulder. "Talon?" I demanded.

Talon nodded, a small smile crossing his lips. "Do you feel alright?"

Hell, I felt great! I wish I could wake up every day like this. I told him that much and he chuckled before stroking my face with the backs of his fingers. I smiled at how comforting that was and closed my eyes as for once I felt safe, cherished, and--

That's when it hit me like a battering ram. I felt it. Him--Talon. Under my skin, his presence stirred and played tag with my own. My eyes flew open with a gasp of horror, and I turned to him slowly.

His smile grew as my eyes widened.

"What the hell-?!"

"We probably need to have a talk," he said slowly, looking sheepish. That was a first for him.

"Talon." I said in the calmest voice I could muster, "What-" But before I could get out the question, something else broke through my sleep-addled brain.

Glancing down, I started, ripping the bedcovers from underneath me and pulling them over my bare-as-the-day-I-was-born body. "TALON!" I screeched.

Talon gave me a wry smile. "You can speak first, I don't mind."

The rant I had been summoning fell short as I did a double take of Talon without meaning to. Talon's braids were undone, the long black strands shimmering with those dark rainbow colors that defied logic. In the shaded light of my bedroom, Talon looked like a reclining Vishnu, his dark wings and tail only adding to his...

To his what? that small devious voice in the back of my head wanted to know.

His attractiveness.

As realization grew, so did the telltale blush that spread from my face to my toes. Talon had to know what I felt, if his part of the bond felt anything like mine did. He had to know that right now, he looked...beautiful. Talon stirred on the sheets, giving rise, quite literally, to a new detail.

"Talon...why are we naked?" I asked the wall above his head, trying to stage that question as politely as I could and failing miserably.

"You smelled like the other male and I didn't like it." I looked down at him and blinked. "Your clothes reeked and I undressed you from them," he clarified slowly. "Does that offend you?"

I twitched in response, refusing to rise to the bait, which only served to make him smirk. "How long was I...out?" I asked instead.

"Thirty minutes."

"Talon..."

"If it makes you feel any better, I only just joined you," Talon offered, knowing damn well that it didn't make any bit of difference.

"Talon," I started slowly, "you're nearly naked all the time," I reasoned. "I'm not. Couldn't you have just thrown a bucket of cold water on me or something?"

Talon pretended to think about it. "No," he said matter-of-factly. "It would be counterproductive."

I arched my eyebrow at him and he smirked, a single fang flashing. "Tempest, you are untouched, but not a fool. Don't you realize what that bond means, for the both of us?"

He patted the space beside him and I shook my head. "We can talk like this," I replied, hoping it was just my overactive imagination that my voice sounded shaky.

Talon flashed his fangs and in a heartbeat I was rolled beneath him on the bed, only the flimsy bed sheet in between his warm body and mine. I swallowed hard.

"When I bit you the first time, it was just so I could understand how much the world had changed. But after that first taste of you, when you started to crave me and the bite...that changed everything, Tempest. You gave me a part of yourself that day. Willingly." Talon's eyes lowered to my neck, where the backs of his fingers gently rubbed over my still-tender bite. "Downstairs I decided to return that." He lifted his eyes to meet mine.

"So, if I wasn't really yours earlier, then why did you get upset that Connor hugged me?" I asked, unable to keep my mouth shut.

Talon lifted his hand and gently ran his fingers through my curls. "You don't understand...you were mine, the moment you ran from me in the castle. That mark is known by our kind to keep others away."

I blinked. "So...you gave me a Gargoyle's version of a hickey, and expected an eighteen-year-old male to back off?"

Talon chuckled and rested his forehead against mine. "He knew better," he said quietly, his voice taking on a slight edge. "He just chose to ignore the warning."

I tilted my head a little, thinking over that. "He must be desperate to get under your skin. Maybe he thought it would anger you enough to want to find him?"

Talon rose up on his arms, showing off his muscled chest and torso and—

"Whoa," I muttered.

Talon began to laugh above me, the noise filling up the room. "You're distracting me," Talon chuckled. He glanced down at the large throbbing tool in between his thighs before meeting my gaze again, his irises now a liquid silver. "It'll fit, don't worry."

"Talon!" I exclaimed, swatting his arm as embarrassment flooded my face.

Talon lowered his body again, not leaving a single inch of my skin uncovered. The look in his eyes was far from gentle as he looked over my face. "Tempest, you're my mate," he grumbled.

I blinked and turned away from the large hand that went to run through my hair. "Wait. Is that the real reason why I'm naked?" Talon paused, but the heat in his eyes did not dissipate. Oh my God. "Talon...is 'mate' a euphemism for 'sex'?" I demanded.

That cooled the heated gaze he gave me almost instantly. "It's more than that, Tempest," he said wearily, sounding tired.

"Is it?" I demanded, sounding borderline hysterical. "Well that's good to know because for a second there, I thought you just wanted to rut because you're—"

"Tempest, shut up," Talon interrupted with a sharp growl, his irises darkening to black.

A soft sting in my chest that came from his side of the bond calmed my hysterics almost instantly. I was being stupid, and I was hurting his feelings, as well as my own. Closing my eyes, I took a breath. "Talon, I'm sorry."

He chuckled, his lips brushing over my ear. "You're worried," he guessed. "Tempest, being my mate is so much more than just sex, it's..." He laughed quietly. "It's everything," he whispered. I opened my eyes and looked up into his face to see his eyes were distant, lost in thought.

"You're all I have," he said quietly. "Having a mate means I'm not alone."

I shook my head slowly as I processed that. "Talon," I sighed in resignation. "What if Connor takes you to a whole pack or flock or whatever of Gargoyles?" He looked at me in confusion. "If you take me as your mate, you'd be selling yourself short," I explained, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. I knew I was right. Even though I'd never laid eyes on a female Gargoyle, I knew that anything they could offer had to be twice more than what I could.

Talon frowned a little. "Tempest, I don't think you understand. I didn't choose you to be my mate because of lack of options, which is what you're implying. I chose you because you chose me." He smiled at my confusion now. "I've been with others," he said hesitantly. I rolled my eyes but said nothing. "But what we have is different from that. Everything is different with you, mostly because you gave your spirit to me." Talon shook his head slowly. "That alone changes everything."

I bit down on my bottom lip a little. "Maybe it does change things," I admitted. "But it doesn't change the fact that you want to be with me because you're alone. If mating is as important to you as it sounds, shouldn't you want to be with me because...you love me?"

I gently rested my hand on Talon's face and watched as he turned his head into the caress. "You amaze me, little one," he chuckled, shaking his head slowly as his eyes wandered over my face.

I snorted. "I think I'm the most non-amazing human you'll ever meet."

Talon grinned and gently kissed my forehead before pulling back. "You do realize that becoming my mate is forever." I nodded. It sounded like marriage, and marriage to me was forever. "Forever with a Gargoyle," he reminded me.

I sighed in mock-exasperation. "Talon, we've been over this. You're a Gargoyle, yes. And blue. You have wings, a tail, and wicked sharp claws. I have eyes, you know, and I can see these things for myself." I went on, ignoring the warning look he was giving me. "You also have instrumental features that define you as a man." I gave a pointed look south and watched as he fought a smile. "I know you. In here," I poked his chest. "And here," I poked his forehead. "You're thoughts aren't any different than anyone else's. Sorry, but that makes you normal, Talon, and besides." I trailed my fingertip down from his forehead to his lips, watching them part under my touch. "You know how I feel about your wings and your tail," I finished as I traced over the swells.

"You aren't looking at either one of those things," Talon teased in a husky murmur.

I met his eyes and gave him a small smile. "No, I'm not."

"So our mating doesn't bother you?" Talon clarified as he slowly lowered himself back down again.

"It'll only bother me if it's not what you want and you do it anyway," I said honestly. "Or you do it for the wrong reasons."

Talon eyed me seriously. "I expect the same of you, Tempest. Don't agree to this unless you want to be with me."

I moved my hand from his lips to the back of his neck, drawing him down. "Do I look like I want to be with anyone else?" I asked coyly.

Talon smiled broadly, his grey eyes twinkling. "I knew you weren't a fool."

"Just untouched," I joked as I thread my fingers through his hair.

Talon smirked and slanted his lips over mine, the kiss telling me what he did not.

Not for long.

Talon lifted his head to confirm Tempest was sleeping before he slowly slipped from her embrace and stood. Dressing quickly, he moved to one of her windows that overlooked the forest and cracked open the frame, breathing in fresh air that allowed him to think. The room slowly began to fill with the smell of pine and wet leaves, taking the musky scents of their combined out into the open air. The cool breeze cleared Talon's thoughts and cooled down the ever-present hunger for Tempest that circulated within him.

Just as he went to shut the windows, a tempting smell of frying meat greeted him, coming from the direction of the forest.

He eyed Tempest's sleeping form before turning his eyes to the forest again. It was dark now, he would be safe. He could get back before Tempest awoke, he was sure.

Gently he eased himself out of the small space, thanking the Gods that his mate's father had not placed a screen over the window. With one final tug, Talon was free. He shut the windows quietly and after double-checking his route, he escaped towards the forest.

After a few minutes of circling above the forest he lazily landed a good mile from the location of the frying boar, sniffing the air to gauge intruders or unwanted humans. The scents that reached his nose were not pleasant, but he could sense they were Gargoyle. Years of training as a warrior came back to him, and Talon was on alert and his senses reacted at an all-time high.

Taking his time, he approached the camp, ears pricked for sounds above his head and below the soles of his feet. After five minutes of walking, he saw fire flickering through the trees and heard the sound of human conversation. Warily he unfurled his wings and took flight, using the tree canopy as a cover. Talon landed silently a handful of yards from the fire, surprise filtering through him.

There were six of them, four males and two females. One male was a Drul, Talon was certain, and the other five were Gargoyles, the smell of their polluted blood almost nauseating. None of them were of his bloodline, but he hadn't expected there to be.

Deciding to make his presence known, Talon dropped from the trees and approached, not surprised when only after he cleared his throat that they heard him. One side effect of poor breeding was the dulling of the natural senses. Judging by the sincere fright on the six faces, they hadn't been aware of him even though he had sat just thirty feet above their heads.

Now that Talon was closer, he could get a better look at his brethren.

The two females were of a mixed line, one much less polluted than the other: the blue-haired girl was definitely an Aar'an. The silver-haired girl was part Aar'an and part Quan, an interesting combination. The three males varied in their pure blood as well, but to as what clan they called their own, he had no clue.

"Which one of you is named Connor?" Talon asked quietly, meeting each pair of eyes without fear, not like had any reason to be frightened of the Gargoyles gathered around the fire.