She walked away. “While I appreciate your help and your skills, and while I do... enjoy... your... umm, kisses, we need to get Toby back as soon as possible.”
He laughed at her back. “Enjoy them, huh? Good to know.”
She mumbled. “No shit, sherlock.”
“Sherlock Holmes was a great man.”
“Oh, great, so bionic hearing is another demon trait? Or just a learned ability from being a rock for so long?”
His laughter echoed in her ears as he took the lead. He led her straight to the clearing where Toby sat next to the creek.
Tori sat next to him as she texted the all clear. “Whatcha doing?”
He scoffed and tossed a rock into the water. “Fishing. I was hungry, so I’m catching dinner.”
“Always the wise guy, hmm? Care to tell me why you ran away?”
Instead of the normal cocky bravado, Toby burst into tears. She started to put her arm around him, but Malik motioned to her to stop. He sat next to the crying boy.
Malik tossed another rock in the water. “Why are you crying?”
Toby hiccupped. “I hate people.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“You do?”
“Yep. Life is unfair, people treat me like crap, I’m sick of it.”
Toby wore a guarded expression. “You a shrink?”
“Nope. Worse. I’m a demon.”
“That’s okay. Shrinks are the worst.”
Tori stifled a giggle. A demon is perfectly normal for a seven-year-old, but shrinks are evil. Gotta love kids.
“One thing I’ve learned in all my demon years is that people are always going to suck. Family, friends, strangers—all suck at one time or another, or all the time. You have to be responsible for you and not give a damn what others are doing.”
Toby wiped his tears. “What do you mean?”
Malik shrugged. “Well, like running away. The other kid pissed you off, so you ran away. Why? Did it help you gain anything? Nah. Did it make you feel better? I highly doubt it. And I promise you, Robbie doesn’t care. He just sits there in his little group and gossips about the little bitch that ran away.”
Language, Mr. Gargoyle. I should really tell him to watch his mouth, but he actually seems to be getting through.
Toby sat quiet for a minute. “Then what should I have done when he told me I was a little bitch?”
“Me, personally? I would have knocked him on his ass.”
“Malik! Don’t be giving him ideas.”
He winked at Toby. “But, since we’re talking about you, I would have just told him to suck it if he was jealous. And then gone on to art class and created something I enjoyed making. Something that made you happy.”
“Sounds lame.”
“It is what it is. The moral of the story is that you control you, Toby. Unfortunately, and yes, I’ve had to learn the hard way, you can’t control anyone except you. If Robbie wants to be an ass and pick on people, that’s something lacking in his character. But I believe you have the ability to be happy if you just allow yourself to be.”
Toby jumped up and threw his arms around Malik’s neck and buried his face in his shoulder. He did the same to Tori. “I’m sorry, Ms. Tori. I’ll try to do what he says.”
Her heart swelled. “Just don’t run away, Toby.”
They walked him back to class before Tori drove them home. She opened the refrigerator. “If nothing else, he won’t forget your advice.”
Malik sat at the small kitchen island. “Always look for a silver lining, no matter how slight it may be.”
“You were fantastic with Toby.”
“I’ve always loved kids.”
She walked around and took his face in her hands. “Thank you. And just so you know, I’m going to miss you in this form. You’re turning out to be a pretty great guy.”
“Shh. Don’t reveal my secret.” He wrapped his hands around her waist. “I’m going to miss it, too. But don’t forget that you’re the one with the power to keep me like this.”
As if I could ever forget that.
She kissed him, slowly. Deep. He moaned and pulled her closer, their tongues dancing. He stood and picked her up, never breaking contact, and carried her to her bed.
“I want to make love to you, my lady.”
She undid the first button on her shirt in invitation. “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
She shut off her brain as he slowly undressed her, taking ample time to taste and caress her skin. By the time they lay naked, her breath came in pants from want. From need. When he entered her, the stars in her world perfectly aligned with his, and they explored the heavens together.
Chapter Twelve
Malik stood on the back porch with a mug of coffee in his hand. Tori pulled her long hair back into a simple ponytail and adjusted her yoga pants. He hadn’t told her where they were going, just that she needed to dress light.
She slid the glass door open and smiled when he turned to her. She could see love in his eyes and knew she reflected the same thing back.
You’re getting distracted.
What about Felicia?
He kissed her softly and all thoughts fled. “Good morning, again.”
“It’s closer to afternoon.”
“We had a long night.”
Her cheeks heated up. It had indeed been a very pleasurable night. She watched as Sonhos circled overhead, his caws breaking the silence.
“What are we doing?”
He took her hands. “That’s up to you.”
She took in his serious expression. “Sounds ominous.”
He pulled a key from his pocket. “Remember that treasure hunt? We need to go before the next full moon, just in case.”
“In case you go back into being a gargoyle?”
“Precisely. You’re the only one who can help me retrieve what is rightfully mine.” He kissed her fingers. “Ours. Even if I go back to my stone, I want you to have my box.”
“What’s in this box?”
“My life’s treasures.”
He held up his hand. “To get to it, you must remove this ring. I need use of my full powers to get us where we need to go.”
She stared at him, her hands at her sides. “Malik, if I take that off, you’ll have no reason not to kill my sister.”
He cupped her face. “My darling, Victorianna, I could do so with or without the ring. My love for you is all that is protecting her, not some trinket on my finger.”
“What if you leave and never come back?”
“I’ll put it back on when we return if that makes you feel better.” He kissed her in such a way she drowned a thousand times. “But I could never leave you. I lost you once; I won’t lose a minute now.”
“Why is this box so important?”
He sat on the step. “In my times, it was the man’s responsibility to support his family. I understand that times have changed, but I see your bills on the counter. I see how you pay for everything. I merely want to pull my weight, so to speak.”
“I have to pay those with or without you.”
He grabbed her hand. “You’ll never be without me. Even if I return to the immortal stone, my presence will always be a part of you. I simply want to make your life easier; give you more choices.” He tilted her face up. “Allow you the ability to adopt Toby and give him a real home.”