Chapter 102

"Mistress?" Marc had never thought of that word in respect to Aldara. His lover, yes. His girlfriend, maybe. Possibly even more. But mistress? It sounded so seedy, he didn't know whether to be more offended by the word or by the fact that she was rejecting him. His stomach cramped at the thought.
Rejecting him? No fucking way.
"Aldara, you can't really mean that. I find it hard to believe that what happened between us in the last two days was just sex for you. If you'd been the kind of woman who didn't need emotional involvement, you wouldn't have been a virgin when I met you."
"Of course not." Her skin flushed a vivid rosy hue but she kept her shoulders square and stared him down. "But neither of us went into it planning on a long-term relationship. Think about it, Marc. If one of your friends found some stranger washed up on the shore and just two days later brought her home as his fuck-toy, what would your impression be of that woman?"
She had a valid point but she was starting to seriously piss him off. "Stop calling yourself names. We're both adults. We're attracted to each other. Maybe even more." He couldn't believe he'd said that out loud. "And my family and friends aren't stupid. They're going to notice the sexual tension between us, whether we're still involved or not."
"Marc, please..." She lifted one hand in supplication and her clear gray eyes were dark with emotion, glossy with unshed tears. "I've thought about this a lot. And I just can't do it. If you have any respect for me at all you'll agree to put this behind us. You've asked me to stay in Quebec and I don't know if that's a good idea but I think I might just because it would be really nice to start my new life in a place where I know some other nonhumans. But I can't do it if everyone is laughing at me behind their hands."
"Fine," he sighed. At least she was thinking about staying. He could work with that. Once she got to know his people, she'd get over this crazy idea that there was nothing between them. "I understand the word 'no', and I can respect it. But I'm still sticking to you like glue until we're sure you're not in danger."
She nodded, staring down at the carpet. "Thank you. I don't think I'm in any danger but I do feel safer with you watching my back."
Her back, her front - he'd be watching every damn inch of her. But all he did was nod crisply and turn away. "I'm going to take a shower. Pack up your things and then we'll make lunch."
Lunch. Maybe by the time he got clean his stomach would have settled enough for him to eat.
Aldara managed to keep from crumbling during lunch. She could have handled it if he'd seemed angry but behind his calm acceptance of her decision, she glimpsed something that looked a whole lot like hurt. And hurting him made her feel lower than the tiny sand crabs she'd seen scuttling along the beach last night. After their meal, she methodically helped him clean and close the house up. She appreciated him cutting his holiday short for her sake. Even if she didn't want to go to Quebec as his lover, she'd feel much better knowing someone. One thing she was absolutely certain of was that Marc was an honorable man and that he'd do his best to make sure both she and the crown were safe.
"There's our ride." His words broke into the well of bleakness she'd been caught up in as she switched a load of sheets from the washer to the dryer. Sure enough, the sound of an airplane engine reached her ears just a second later. She forced down the butterflies that seemed to be slam dancing in her stomach and finished the task.
After she started the machine, she straightened and nodded. "Great."
"Aldara - " He paused, shook his head then turned toward the door. "Never mind."
She followed him out as far as the wooden deck that circled the house and watched him as he loped down the hillside toward the dock, which was in a small cove on the ocean side of the island. He wore nothing but a pair of running shorts with a hole cut out for his tail, which bounced behind him along with his wings. Last night after their soak in the hot tub, they'd flown together over that same slope. It had been such a treat to swoop and soar with him. She hadn't since Geraint's cancer had weakened him too much to fly and that had been nearly a year earlier. Even then it hadn't been nearly the sensual experience that flying with Marc had been.
Before he quite reached the dock, the plane had landed in the water and taxied to the dock, which had clearly been built to accommodate it. She'd expected something small, but this was more of a corporate jet, only with pontoons. A door in the side opened and someone tossed Marc a mooring line. Once he guided the plane up to the dock, he tied it off and stepped back so the occupants could debark.
Several tall figures began to emerge from the plane. The first was another gargoyle, carrying a gym bag over his shoulder. He was a pale gray color with long silver-white hair and big batlike wings. Though a little shorter than Marc, he was also somewhat wider in the shoulders - which would have been frightening if he hadn't also worn a big grin and wrapped Marc in a friendly, one-armed hug. Following him came a man who looked human, though he had to be nearly seven feet tall. He had long hair that matched his black motorcycle leathers and mirrored sunglasses.
"What the hell are you doing here?" She heard Marc bellow as he thumped the biker on the shoulder. "Shouldn't you be home with your wife?"
The black-haired man shrugged and said something Aldara couldn't hear then stepped up onto the shore as two more men emerged, closing the plane door behind them. Both were human in appearance but the silver-haired one looked so much like Marc that Aldara was sure he was Lord Etienne while the other man was just - scary.
In his human form, he was as tall as Marc in his gargoyle shape and almost as massively built. Even through his tailored shirt and trousers he radiated pure masculine power. His dark brown hair was cropped short and his face was craggy. He looked up at Aldara and even though she couldn't see his eyes from this distance, she shuddered at the intensity of his regard. Then he too clapped Marc on the shoulder and they all started up the hill.
Marc and the other man in gargoyle form scampered up the hillside while the three in human form followed nearly as swiftly. Aldara stood ramrod stiff beside the steps, waiting. As they approached, the gray gargoyle shouldered Marc aside and bounded up the last few steps to hold out a hand to Aldara. His wide, engaging grin eased some of her fears. At least they weren't all aligned against her.