Chapter 23

"So what will happen now?" She lay limp and sated on his chest while he unbound their wrists and pressed a kiss against the cut that was already closing on her hand. Goddess she loved this man. She could feel the magic pulsing through her body and she was excited about what was to come.
"Now we wait. When the sun rises, we both transform. The first time can be - difficult. I'm sorry, mon coeur. I'd spare you that if I could." He sounded so worried, she couldn't help trying to tease him out of it.
"Well, they say the first time is always painful," she joked. "Then what?"
"Then your body will try to recover, by sending you into the stone state. You will be conscious, aware of your surroundings, but unable to move or speak. You will remain a statue until your body recovers."
She kissed his neck. "Okay. So when I transform, will I look like you?"
He shook his head. "We each have our own unique shape. There is no way of knowing what form the magic will choose for you."
"Will I be gray?"
"I have no idea, my love. We shall have to wait and see."
They didn't have to wait very long. When the first rays of dawn began to peek through the blinds, Damien stood and helped Katie to her feet. He gathered her close in his arms and stood near the window, his face buried in her hair.
"Don't worry so much," she told him, as she felt something like a thousand needles begin to penetrate her skin. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I love you." He held her tightly as her body began to change.
It hurt. He hadn't been kidding about that. Katie clung to Damien's arms as she felt every bone and muscle in her body shift and pop. She tried to keep silent, but she couldn't stifle a cry when she felt something burst from the skin of her back. When the racking agony finally stopped, she panted, trying to catch her breath. Without Damien's strength, she would have fallen.
"You are beautiful, cherie!" His awed whisper soothed the worst of her fears. Slowly she allowed him to help her pivot toward her full-length mirror. When she saw what she'd become, it was all she could do not to laugh.
"Catwoman." The word sounded strange coming from lips that were now feline in shape. She still looked like a woman from the neck down, except for the fine dusting of auburn fur that now covered her skin. Since Damien was stroking it with a look of intense desire, she decided that fur was okay. Her ears were pointed and furry, poking just above her normal mane of red hair which hadn't changed a bit. But her face was an almost Hollywood-style blend of human and cat. She tried to smile and was glad to see it worked.
"You have wings and a tail, just like me." Damien turned her to the side so she could see. Sure enough, she had a pair of dainty pointed wings in what looked like grass-green leather. The tail was feline though, twitching and furry and red. She laughed, then felt herself stagger. Her feet were suddenly leaden. She was unable to move.
"Shh. You are entering stoneshape now so that your body can recover. I will be right here with you, my love. Do not be afraid." He feathered tiny kisses on her cheeks. His tail wrapped around her legs to stroke hers. "Here."
He sat her in the chair by the window as the paralysis crept up her legs to her hips. She leaned forward, her tail draped over her lap, her hands on her knees. Damien continued to touch and stroke and soothe.
"I love you, Kathleen Calhoun, soon to be St. Pierre. Right now you need to rest. In time, you will adapt and think nothing of this. If you can sleep, the time will pass more quickly. It is something we all learn to do sooner or later. Meanwhile, I will be right here by your side until you can move again."
She felt the stone creep up her neck toward her face. She looked at him and smiled one last smile. "I love you." She barely got the words out before her lips refused to move. Even after she was completely frozen, she felt the touch of his hand on her hair, his tail on her ankles. He spoke to her and assured her that all would be well. Then amazingly, Katie slept.

Damien stared at his petrified mate. He hadn't expected to be able to tell when she fell asleep, but apparently the link between them was strong enough that even though he couldn't hear her thoughts, he could sense her mood and state of being. She'd been a little afraid, but not much and the depth of her love and faith overwhelmed him.
That hadn't been his only surprise. Katie's feline gargoyle form was beautiful. He couldn't wait to make love to those lithe, faintly furry limbs and feel that adorable tail intertwine with his own. He was glad she had wings, too. Hopefully they could fly together. But what had shocked him to his core was that her stoneshape wasn't marble as he'd expected, or granite like his own, but the same red and green of the stones that made up her necklace.
Garnets.
Katie was a garnet gargoyle. And gemstone gargoyles were very, very rare. In fact, the only one he knew was the current matriarch of his tribe. Katie hadn't been kidding when she'd said they were made for each other. Clearly she'd been born to be a leader among his people.
Another oddity was that her necklace hadn't changed with her. The golden chain that hung to graze her lap still gleamed and the gems on the clasp between her breasts and the two ends of the chain still sparkled independently of the stone that made up her body. That was odd. Usually only powerful magic items withstood the transformation. Her heirloom must be an important object indeed.
After she fell asleep, he called the mayor and explained that neither Katie nor Damien would be in today, or indeed for the next several days. He desperately needed to take her home to meet his clan. They needed the hope that she would bring when she showed them what she was. And the priestess could marry them in spirit if not by law. Once the gods had blessed their union, they could take their time working out the legal details of an international marriage.
The mayor was not pleased about their absence, but was happy to hear that Damien had decided to remain in Philadelphia. He agreed to the time off and wished the couple well. Damien made a couple more calls then stretched out on the bed with his laptop to wait for Katie's recovery.