Chapter 84

Mari saw Remy's throat work as he swallowed hard, but he nodded. She thought she detected the sheen of tears in his eyes, though they might have been in her own. "I love you, Marina Bell - soon to be Rocher. Give me your hand."
Still laying beneath her, his semi-hard cock still inside her, he shifted. The extra fullness was not perfectly comfortable, but it didn't hurt and she merely adjusted her legs to accommodate his added girth. She continued to gaze down into his beloved eyes.
"I'm guessing you've already read up on what to expect." He grinned at her as he reached out with his other hand and pulled a silk scarf from the nightstand drawer. She smiled back at the memory of what they'd used those scarves for just the night before.
"Of course. Occupational hazard of being a librarian. I read. I know we have to share our blood at the same time as we make love. Then in the morning, I'll change."
"The first transformation is never easy."
She could tell he was worried, but she shook her head. "It may be easier for me since I'm already a shifter. But I'm ready. No matter how much it hurts, it will be worth it in the end."
"Okay then." Remy used his fangs to nip a small hole in the palm of his right hand. Then he kissed the palm of her left and nipped it as well, until a small dot of blood welled up in the center. Then he laid their palms flat against each other, and tied their wrists together with the scarf. He used his left hand and his teeth to complete the knot.
Mari was unexpectedly aroused by the intimacy of the moment. She felt fresh wetness coating her pussy lips and thighs as she moved on his rejuvenated erection. Their fingers laced together as their blood mingled and she rode him to a slow but explosive mutual climax.
After she drooped into a limp puddle on his chest, Remy untied their hands and pressed a kiss to the bloody spot on her palm.
"Sleep now, if you can," he urged. "It will be easier in the morning if you're a bit more rested."
She sighed and curled up on his chest. "I love you, Remy. Thank you."
Remy laid awake the rest of the night, just watching Mari sleep. After everything they'd been through, surely he wouldn't lose her now, would he? He'd hoped she wouldn't demand transformation, but he hadn't been able to deny her the right to become a full member of his clan. He just hoped he hadn't been responsible for her death. One thing he knew - if she didn't make it, then neither would he. He simply couldn't imagine going on without her.
As the first golden rays of dawn filtered in through the window, Remy felt his body begin the daily transformation. Mari woke with a moan as her own body began to shift and pop. She tried to hide it but he could sense her pain as her bones, muscles and skin broke and reformed. She held his hand throughout though and met his gaze. When it was over, she stood before him, gasping for breath, and Remy let out his own. He had no idea how long he'd been holding it.
"You're beautiful Mari." She was still mostly human in shape, but with a seal-like pelt over her torso and limbs. Her face was a bit more pointed and she had whiskers - three on each side - extending from her nose. The hand in his boasted thin membranes of webbing between the fingers.
"I don't have wings," she cried as she craned her neck to see her back in the full-length mirror on the closet door. "Damn!"
He chuckled. "I can carry you if you want to fly," he promised.
"I can't move my feet!"
"You're entering stoneshape," he reminded her. He helped her to sit on the broad padded window seat. "Your body needs to recover. You'll be able to see and hear, and I promise, I'll stay right here beside you until you change back." He squatted in front of her and gazed into her eyes as her body began to petrify. "The hard part is over, my love. This is just a little rest."
The next evening they waited in the grand audience chamber of the Matriarch's mansion, holding hands like a pair of teenage sweethearts. When they approached the dais, Mari stiffened her spine to hide her nerves. This was it, the final test of her acceptance into the clan. They'd have a normal wedding later, but the elders' blessing now was the real seal of approval on their union.
"I hear congratulations are in order," Lady Genevieve, the leader of the clan, smiled warmly at both of them. She was in her firebird gargoyle shape, bold and impressive. Her husband and consort, Lord Etienne sat beside her, his minotaur visage as steely and unreadable as ever. On her other side was the elderly seer, Lady Helene, in an oddly Goth pink and black dress, her gray hair sticking out in all directions. Mari couldn't resist a grin and a wink at the wacky old lady.
"Oui, madame." Remy's voice was filled with pride and love. "I'd like to present our newest gargoyle. My mate, Marina."
"Even if you had not converted, you were already one of us, Marina. You risked your life to restore the cup. For that alone you have the clan's eternal gratitude."
"Thank you, madame. I can't tell you how much it means to me to have found a home here with the clan."
"Good girl!" Lady Helene beamed down from the dais. "Stone and sea. It's a good combination. 'Bout time you sorted it out."
"She can still shift to her seal form, as well as to her new gargoyle shape," Remy told the elders. "And my ladies, my lord - she is aquamarine. Surely that's a good sign for the clan." He'd told her about that when she recovered - her stoneshape was solid aquamarine, which was apparently a very rare and special thing among the gargoyle population.
Helene nodded. "Of course. Adding more strong shifter genes to the blood lines - it will be part of the salvation of our race. You weren't the first, my girl, and you won't be the last. Plus your children will be very strong - very powerful."
"Just not very soon, I hope," Remy joked, but there was an underlying tension to his words. He wasn't ready to be a father yet.
Mari smiled. That was fine. She wanted him to herself for a while too. Children could come later. Now that they were both gargoyles, they'd have many, many years together.
"In time, my boy. All in good time," Helene assured him.
"Thank you, Remy, for bringing home the cup," Lady Genevieve interjected. "And for bringing Mari home to us as well. You're quite the hero. We're very proud of you."
As they left the chamber hand in hand, Mari let the tears that had built up run down her cheeks. As soon as they were alone on the darkened sidewalk outside the mansion, Remy turned to take her in his arms.
"Is anything wrong, cherie?" He wiped away her tears with his fingertip.
She shook her head. "No. I'm just so proud of you - and so in love."
"I'm nothing without you, my love." He leaned down and dropped a tender kiss on her lips. "But together - we're stone and sea - the perfect combination."

End Part 5