Promised

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Io crossed the threshold into Blackstone Manor, the estate no longer a ghost of its former self. It had been painstakingly restored by his lover, and once again bestowed a place of honor in the city; which was a shame because of its previous rundown state would have been perfect for the Halloween party Io wanted to throw. Some skillful decorating might still lend an eerie enough vibe, he considered, eyeing the space and putting together a plan as he stalked toward the kitchen. He set his bags on the island counter, every surface in the room shiny and clean, magazine-photoshoot sparkling.

He was about to dig out his goodies when the man of his dreams entered the room.

Cinder, some years older than Io, seemed to be enamored with the paperwork in his hands. The sight of such intense focus made Io a touch jealous, remembering how it felt when Cinder cast that same gaze in his direction. He chewed his bottom lip, waiting to be noticed by the man who owned him heart and soul. What started off as a promising relationship, the stuff they wrote books about, had fizzled over the last two months.

And Io blamed himself, of course.

For starters, he was the one who found the deed to the mansion, gifting it to Cinder as a birthday present. It was what got the ball rolling, brought his fantasies into reality and oh, how he enjoyed the nights they never left Cinder’s attic bedroom. All the touching and kissing and moments of whispered passion. Just thinking about it now made him shiver. But then the renovations began to consume all of Cinder’s free time, their playful antics falling by the wayside.

There was also the minor issue of how he obtained the deed and the ruckus that caused. Io broke the rules contacting a Guardian and waking the dead. In most gargoyle families it was grounds for immediate banishment, being thrown out of the family and forever ignored. But Cinder refused to make that move, deciding instead to keep Io with him, bedding him. The council meeting that ensued wound up going less than stellar thanks to the clan’s at-the-time deranged beta, and though the council members saw fit to let Cinder retain his alpha position and keep Io close, there were still a number of problems, minor, that needed to be dealt with.

One night bled into another, the weeks flying by in a flash, and now it was October, the crisp touch of autumn in the air. And Io wanted to grab the delectable man standing in front of him, drag Cinder upstairs, and have some wild times.

But Cinder was clearly preoccupied.

Io’s heart ached.

So he dug into one of the bags, the plastic rustling, and pulled out a package of his favorite chocolate bars. He made quick work of the seal, popping the delicious goodness into his mouth, closing his eyes as he savored the flavor. There were other things he used to do with chocolate, a fun little treat that used to create a bit of a sticky mess, especially when mixed with whipped cream.

“What, pray tell, are you doing?”

Cinder’s rich baritone tugged him back into reality. The paperwork lay on the counter, temporarily put aside, those dark eyes Io loved to tumble into studying him for the first time that night. Taking in the fit of Cinder’s red t-shirt and the five-o-clock shadow the alpha sported Io felt a pulse of heat rush through his body, a fluttering in the pit of his stomach. Was it so wrong of him that he wanted to be touched? To be kissed and licked, tasted and enjoyed?

“Io?”

He swallowed down the remains of his morsel. “Hm?”

“Do I even want to know why you were moaning a minute ago?”

Heat crept into his cheeks. Never mind the fact that Cinder had seen, caressed every square inch of his naked form, knowing the hunk desired him always brought forth a smidgen of bashfulness. There were still times, moments in the dark of night when he was alone, which was a lot lately, that he wondered over the fact of Cinder picking him. All his life Io had been a bumbling fool, the kind of guy with his heart in the right place, yet things never quite working out the way he wished or hoped. It also didn’t help that Ran’imy, a former beta, went out of her way to make his life a living hell.

Wait, scratch that, she wasn’t going out of her way, she enjoyed it, practically made it her mission to torment him.

So he certainly never expected Cinder to give him much consideration.

Sometimes it was awesome to be wrong.

“Why did I moan?” he echoed the question, staring at Cinder and imagining the older man without clothes. The heat in his cheeks deepened. What exactly did he say, that he’d been dreaming about their bedroom adventures? Desiring a little skin on skin fun?

Before he could get out an answer, though, Cinder pulled down the side of a bag, gazing at the contents. “This bag is full of candy.” He checked the other two. “They’re all full of candy. Suffering from a sweet craving or just stocking up?”

Io smiled. “Planning a party.”

“A party?” Cinder c****d an eyebrow.

“For Halloween.”

“Io…”

Here it came, the lecture about how the last night of October was one of the most important, a busy night for gargoyles everywhere. Both species. The Guardians would be tending to the wandering souls intent on visiting the living, some of them seeking to stir havoc. The Masonry gargoyles, much like Io, would be keeping watch on abandoned buildings around the country, they were deemed important to maintaining the balance between worlds. Spooky derelict structures became extra popular on the night of tricks or treats, teens using them for crazy celebrations, bringing with them the risk of fires and in the worst possible twists of fate, waking the Shadow People.

Just the thought of the black masses made Io shiver.

Nobody knew what they were or exactly where they came from, though speculation weighed heavily on them being unhappy souls from purgatory. Not that it really mattered, all anyone needed to remember was that they were dangerous.

Still…

Io fiddled with the candy wrapper, avoiding eye contact. “I would really like to have the party, Cinder, please.”

A moment of silence passed before Cinder spoke. “I can tell this is important to you, but there’s something else, too. What’s on your mind?”

Io shifted his gaze to the paperwork. He shook his head. “You’re busy.” He began to gather his bags.

“I am never too busy for you, love.”

In the blink of an eye, Cinder was at his side, gathering him in a warm embrace. Io had heard the term going all squishy inside and now understood what it meant. Just being touched by Cinder made him melt, softening to the pleasantly familiar curves of his lover. Being this close, however, only made his yearning for intimacy harder to ignore. Io sucked in his bottom lip, trying to focus on something other than the feel of Cinder’s hands on the small of his back, the way their pelvic bones nestled together. How was he supposed to ignore the urge to tear off Cinder’s clothes?

Io squirmed in an attempt to get free, however, it made matters worse, even earning him a moan from Cinder.

“You shouldn’t do that,” his lover whispered.

“Oh?” It came out a choked sob.

Cinder claimed Io’s lips with his own, a tingle passing through Io and stirring heated coals in the young omega’s gut. He wanted Cinder’s hands to explore other areas, to caress him the way only a lover knew how. Would it be weakness to plead, to get down on his knees, and beg? Of course, if he did that he would do a little bit more than begging. The temperature in the room spiked, Io’s heart racing faster than the lead of the Indianapolis 500.

With no signs from Cinder that things would progress beyond the toe curling kiss, Io opted to do some exploring of his own. Io trailed his fingers slowly, teasingly down Cinder’s spine, a hand firmly cupping one of Cinder’s butt cheeks. Taught and wonderful. He ground his pelvis against Cinder’s, thirsting for all the touching and tasting that came with their bedroom games; which didn’t always take place in the bedroom. Effortlessly, he slipped his hand around Cinder’s hips, wiggling it in-between them and brushing it longingly against the pleasing bulge he found waiting there.

He wanted to strip Cinder bare, caress flesh with more than just his fingers, give ‘way to every desire and passion that had been building up inside of him. Hoping to move his plan forward, he fussed with the belt on Cinder’s pants, getting it undone and reaching beyond the hem. His touch brought forth a moan that slowly turned into a growl; which sent a thrill rushing over Io. Cinder nipped at his neck.

Finally, Io thought, finally they were going to break their dry spell and he was going to get laid. He couldn’t have been more excited.

Only to have the moment bitterly ruined by the trilling of the cell phone Cinder had discarded on the counter. For a heartbeat he thought Cinder was going to ignore it, but was proved miserably wrong when Cinder gently but assertively pried himself free. Finding himself suddenly cold, feeling discarded, Io watched through the shimmer of unshed tears as Cinder snatched up the ringing device, spied the number on the screen, and quickly exited the room, not answering until he was out of earshot.

Io sucked in his bottom lip to keep it from trembling. What sort of call could have been more important than a little loving? Dejected, Io gathered up his bags of candy, sweet treats meant for a party, and now they probably wouldn’t even make it through the night as he drowned his sorrows in their chocolaty goodness. What could he have possibly done to drive away the one who seemed to crave him so much just months prior?

Where had the love gone?