“We are bonded. You are my mate now.”

Jacob's explanation was hard to process.

He proceeded, “I'm your second chance mate. We were chosen by the power from above to become mates.”

His hand took mine, and he showed the almost invisible tattoos that were weaved around my arm. They were exquisite and matched his. My eyes lingered on his perfect skin and the muscles that sculpted his arm. His pristine white t-shirt glued to his torso like a second skin. My fingertips brushed the smoothness of his arm and goosebumps emerged.

I blushed and searched his eyes. I pleased him.

“Am I not to your liking?” he asked.

“What?”

“Are you attracted to me?”

I fidgeted in my seat, rather uncomfortable. However, he seemed extremely serious about his question.

I tried to change the subject. “You are cursed. But because you found me, you’re changing from a gargoyle into an angel. We both are. The transformation happened when we touched, and our souls bonded. After you saved me. Now I’m the only one who can break your curse…That’s why my hair is blonde.”

Jacob nodded. His kind eyes gazed longingly into mine. “Do I please you, Camille?”

He wasn't letting that slide. So, I nodded. But a scary thought crossed my mind. “Do I please you?”

His hand covered my left cheek. “You are perfect. You are mine.”

The word 'mine' echoed and filled my soul with joy. My broken heart tingled as if his acceptance had restarted it.

I sucked in a breath, more confused than ever. “We only have thirty days to break your curse. What happens if we don't fall in love?”

“I’ll turn to stone,” he answered matter-of-factly.

I clutched his arm. “Is there a way to prevent that from happening?”

“We can sever the new bond. But...I don't want to. I want to... If you are willing to give me a chance, then, I want us to be one.”

My eyes widened. That was more than my former mate had wanted with me. And now, I had another man, I mean, angel, who wanted to be one with me. And apparently, he was my last chance.

“I'll go to hell if we don't work and you will cease to exist,” I mumbled. With a hint of sarcasm, I added, “What could possibly go wrong?”

“You have nowhere else to go. He's hunting you, but I can protect you.”

My stomach ached from his words. I really needed protection. Hearing him say those words filled me with hope. I was too weak to face Alpha Simon on my own. There was no pack to protect me either. I was on the run, an outcast.

“I can protect you, Camille,” he whispered as he brushed my cheek with his fingertips.

I flinched and avoided his hand. He looked hurt by my action. “I'm sorry. I just don't know you well enough to let you touch me.”

“It's okay.”

Taking a deep breath, I attempted to sound rational about what was happening. “I need to be saved. I'm not going to lie. I-I'm too weak to face him on my own. But, if what you tell me about us being mated is true, then you will need to be patient. And don’t you think that because you’re protecting me you can take liberties with me. You can't.”

Jacob tilted his head as if he was trying to understand what I had said. “Now that we have bonded, your body will evolve even further to become a full angel. Eventually, you will have wings and magical powers.”

I arched an eyebrow at his words. “Will my powers be strong enough to protect me from him?”

“I don't know. But...Camille, I'll protect you. I know that he hurt you and now asking you to trust another man doesn’t come easily. Just know that I don't want anything in return. I would protect you even if you weren't my mate. That's what we do.”

I relaxed my hands. I had no idea I was balling them with so much strength that it hurt when my fingers stretched out.

“It's hard for me to trust people.”

“I understand, and you need to know that I won't hate you. I won't reject you. You just need to give us a chance.”

“What if I don't know how to love anymore? And after thirty days we fail the trial?”

“Then we tried. But that won’t happen.”

He seemed so certain that I forgot how to breathe. Why couldn't he have been my first mate from the start? Why couldn't I have met him before my heart was shredded to pieces and my world stripped away? I could never go back to my pack. To my family. I had been rejected by a powerful and ruthless Alpha. I had disgraced them.

“What's wrong?”

My lips trembled. “There’s nowhere else for me to go.”

“This is your new home. We will see the prince once the night falls. You will meet other angels, and we’ll talk and get to know each other.”

My stomach announced that I was famished. I leaned back in embarrassment.

Jacob smirked, showing his perfectly straight teeth and a tiny dimple at the corner of his mouth. “First, eat. I'll leave so you can bathe and dress in new clothes. Later, I'll show you the house and we can talk some more.”

Straightening up, Jacob went to get the tray of food and placed it on the coffee table.

 

 

I was living in a gigantic mansion with other angels. All the couples seemed happy. The females smiled at me with tenderness and without a shade of jealousy or deceitfulness. They had all been rejected and their new angelic matches treasured them as any mate should.

Jacob had taken me to the balcony with a view over the pool. We were seated across from each other.

“I wasn't pretty, fast, and cold-hearted enough for him. Plus, he has several other females to please him and bear his offspring. His pack is all about strong genes and vicious cruelty towards females. We are objects, not people. The males take whomever they want, even if they belong to someone else.”

His jaw clenched, and his eyes burned with rage the further I explained the place I was running from.

“Were you born in his pack?”

“No. But it didn't matter. No one dares to confront his pack. Once he sniffed me, he made sure that I suffered the consequences of not being perfect enough for him. He hated me from the first minute he saw me.”

“Why?”

“I really don't know. He didn't even try to get to know me.” I looked down, pulling my eyes away from his. “I barely survived. Can we change the subject? I’m not comfortable talking about it.”

“As you wish.”

His voice came out soft, and I examined him again, lingering on his figure. Jacob was taller than my ex-mate. His eyes were sweetly brown, and his face was stunning. They had nothing in common.

“Do angels have parents?”

“Yes, but mine have ascended for more than five years, now. It's just me...and you. We’re a family now. And you? What happened to your family?”

“My parents are ashamed of me. I only have my brother. He was the reason I was able to escape.”

“Have you been to Paris before?”

“Once, when I was little.”

His lips curved into a smile. “I shall show you the city then. Plenty of beautiful things to see.”

As much as his invite warmed my heart, I knew I wasn’t safe. “He’ll send other werewolves to track me down. You killed one of them to protect me. He will want revenge and try to show superiority over the other packs.”

“Let him come. He will learn that not everybody is afraid of him. As for his men, Paris is ruled by a vampire king. Permission will need to be granted to have men in the king’s territory. King Philippe will not violate the truce with us because of an arrogant alpha who attacked us in our territory.”

“I hope you are right.”

I was terrified of what could happen. The Shadow Pack was arrogant enough to start a war with the angels to get me back and make good on their threats.

“Please trust me. I'll protect you. I may not be the prince, but angels and gargoyles stick together, and I'm a good friend of Cedric’s. He's a good ruler. I'll explain to him what is happening, and we’ll keep you safe. Even if you decide you can’t love me and want to break our bond.”

A bubbling sensation overtook my stomach. He wasn't just gorgeous and kind, he was also protective and honorable. It was hard to believe that we had been bonded, and I had a new mate. But, if all that was true, I was glad it was Jacob. Plus, I really needed to feel safe. I needed protection. It had been weeks since the last time I didn't feel scared, rejected, lost, and terribly alone.