Author's Note: I wanted to thank everyone for their comments. It really gives me the motivation to keep posting! Votes are awesome too. ;-)
Just as a warning for you readers, there is m/m scene in this chapter, although it doesn't go into explicate detail. I will mark the scene with ## at the beginning and end, in case some of you wish to skip it. Another warning: this chapter is fairly long, as I'm introducing new characters and building up the plot.
As always, this work is copyrighted and any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Enjoy!
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The sound of Stone Sour's latest single was what woke me. Grumbling, I turned over into my pillow, trying to tune out Corey Taylor and his lovesick lyrics...and failing. The song continued and after two minutes I decided enough was enough.
I lifted up my arm in preparation for slamming the iHome off and felt my palm collide with something solid, warm...and vibrating?
Opening one eye I found myself staring at a firm, blue chest that was beginning to shake even harder. An unmistakable chuckle, deep and low, began to reach my ears.
"Tempest." The voice sounded amused.
With both eyes wide open, I followed the muscled chest up to a lengthy blue neck, a defined jaw and chin to a wide smile flashing small fangs and pearly white teeth. I stared up into Talon's glittering silver eyes in surprise and removed my hand slowly from his chest, his arms taking me tighter into his grip in a move that sealed my arms at my sides.
"You aren't my alarm clock," I told him in surprise as I began to wake up.
His body and mine were wrapped around one another, and if I wasn't completely hallucinating – again – then that was his tail that bound my legs together, the tip making circles on the back of my right knee.
Talon just smiled and shook his head, lifting up one hand and waving it briskly. My iHome cut off, silencing Corey Taylor for good. "Neat trick," I told him, still unable to move.
Talon made a face at me and I responded in kind, laughing when he stuck out his tongue like a child. Realization struck me and I buried my face in his chest since I couldn't move my arms.
"God my breath must stink!" I laughed, feeling mortified.
Talon chuckled. "Your morning breath is the least of your worries, I think."
I eyed him in confusion and suddenly his wings fanned out with a soft snick, his eyes growing black.
I blinked at his formidable display, a nervous giggle caught in my throat. "I'm not afraid of you," I said quietly, slowly regaining my composure as his tail unwound itself from around my calves.
Talon's eyes never left mine as he rolled me onto my back, following up after me. My breath caught as he rose above me, the morning light emphasizing his muscled frame, and making his hair shine like a dark rainbow. He looked like those ruggedly handsome types you see on the covers of romance novels, except, you know; he had wings, a tail, and was totally blue.
"Why aren't you at the pool house?" I asked him quickly to break the silence, flushing at how that sounded. "I mean, I don't mind you
here
," I said hastily, "I just thought you would be more comfortable..." I trailed off at the indignant look on Talon's face.
"I was bored sitting at the pool house," Talon told me as I felt his tail creep around my right ankle. "And I've been sleeping for the better part of the human existence. I think I've rested enough." We smiled at that and Talon began to rise up, a strand of his hair falling into his eyes as he moved. I tucked back the strand without thinking, my gaze catching the pointed tip of his left ear and the tribal-like sun tattooed on its shell.
Realizing what I had done, I pulled my hand back and attempted normalcy. "Breakfast?" I asked him, meeting his eyes a little hesitantly.
For a second, Talon and I just stared at one another in surprise for completely different reasons, and I could tell he was fighting some sort of internal battle. Either he was really,
really
hungry or I had said something to upset him.
"Talon?" I asked timidly, gingerly resting my hand on his shoulder to draw him back to reality.
"Everything okay in there?" I joked, tapping his temple with the same hand.
Talon blinked and his eyes cleared, sort of. "I'm not sure," he said slowly. "My father did always say he dropped me when I was little. Perhaps now I'm having side effects?"
I caught onto his joke and laughed. "Maybe so," I teased. "I guess old age is catching up with you too."
Talon arched one silvery eyebrow, his mock frown telling me what he thought about the age quip. "Come, stinky breath. You have to be at school in an hour."
I swatted at his torso as he helped me sit up, giving a gasp of indignation. "Like your breath really smells like roses!" I laughed.
Talon suddenly leaned down, pinning me to my headboard with just his dark eyes, all playful pretense gone. "Tell me, Tempest," he murmured darkly, lowering himself farther down until we were chest-to-chest, "what do I smell like to you?"
I watched as his lips pulled into a smile that looked almost predatory. Those same lips came perilously close to mine and I shot a glance up at him, wanting to know why he was toying with me like this, but unable to voice the words. In that moment, one of his hands lowered to cup the back of my neck, arching me back so my chin brushed his. Talon then held me to him just the way he had when we had been airborne, though this time I wasn't afraid of the hungry look in his eyes.
I craved it.
Talon lowered his dark lips to mine, catching my bottom lip in his. I felt the bottom row of his teeth gently scrape along my skin before he sucked the swell into his mouth, a grumble escaping his lips when I put my arms around his neck to bring him closer.
I was lowered back down to the mattress again, suddenly no longer caring that my mother was sleeping a floor below us or that I had a seven-foot Gargoyle completely enveloping me in his arms. The touch of his skin against mine was extraordinary – I haven't ever been held like this, and after so many years of craving body heat I couldn't stop myself from giving up to Talon. I felt like I deserved it, and my body agreed with me.
Talon felt the change in my body and abandoned nibbling on my bottom lip to take my mouth as his alone.
My eyes fluttered closed as Talon gave me our first kiss that belied the possessive way he held me to him. He was gentle, but demanding, wanting me to return the touch. Before he could pull away from me, I was taking his full lips back, my nails catching a bit of his shoulder when Talon's claws poked a little roughly into my skin, snagging on my t-shirt. The grip only grew tighter when I opened my mouth to his, allowing his tongue to dip inside. Vaguely I wondered if his tongue was blue like the rest of him.
Talon's tongue withdrew a few seconds later, giving me the chance to breathe. I gasped against his lips, my limbs shaking from clinging to Talon for so long. Muscles I wasn't used to keeping rigid screamed in protest and Talon smiled against my mouth when my arms flopped onto the bed.
"You smell like sunshine," I told him, lazily meeting his eyes. The corner of Talon's mouth pulled up a bit.
"Sunshine?" he repeated slowly, nodding a little as he thought that over.
I nodded back. "Sunshine and the forest. It's...clean. But you taste like morning breath," I teased.
Talon laughed and pressed a quick kiss to my forehead. "I have to get you out of this bed," he chuckled huskily. "Or I might continue making use of that pretty mouth of yours." He rubbed his thumb over my bottom lip, his talon very lightly scraping my top one. I flushed at that, understanding what he meant, and his responding wicked grin sent shivers of pleasure down my spine.
While I was no stranger to pleasure – I mean, girls need release too – I wasn't used to having a guy elicit the shivers. It was even stranger because "the guy" was a seven foot Gargoyle.
Talon seemed to know where my thoughts were headed and his wicked grin faded into a polite smile, his eyes guarded and now back to the usual dusky gray. "If my touch is unpleasant to you, I won't continue doing so," he offered solemnly, the edges of his eyes tightening. "I do not want you to feel like you must reciprocate in fear that I will hurt you if you refuse to respond."
I shook my head quickly, trying to find the words to dispel his train of thought. "Talon, I like when you touch me," I said lamely, internally kicking myself at how unintelligent I sounded. I eyed the clock. "If I had more time, we could talk about this, but I need to get ready for school."
I caught his hands when he went to pull away. "Just promise me you aren't doing this because you feel like you have to." At his confused look I continued on. "I don't want you to think that since you're hiding out at the pool house you are indebted in any way to me. I want to keep you safe, I don't expect you to give yourself in return." By the time I was finished, my cheeks were burning, and I couldn't help but think I had made this really nice wakeup call turn into an undeniably uncomfortable one.
Talon, though, seemed to be deep in thought and took his sweet time responding. "I'm giving myself to you on my own free will. While I should point out I gave you little option on whether to hide me or not, I will have to say if I didn't want to stay here, I would've been gone long before you or your mother woke." Talon smiled and gently pinched my chin between two knuckles. "We will talk more when you return from school. Now, do you still eat Pop-Tarts?"
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I joined Talon in the kitchen after racing through my morning routine, taking the Pop-Tart from him, mumbling thanks around a bite. Talon made me another after I finished off the first, pulling off an end to taste. Seconds later he gagged, flashing his fangs and a pink tongue. Well that answers that question. "That's
inedible