It had been a long time since Dane drove anything besides his government-issued sedan, but for his date with Marley, he decided it was time to pull the Porsche out of storage. He bought the Boxster after he retired from the Marines, but he just as quickly found a storage unit for the sports car when he signed on with the New Atlanta Police Department. It was the only thing of real value he owned. Now that he was part of the Stone Society, his money was increasing faster than he could fathom. Sixx had convinced Dane to invest half his paycheck, and the return was well worth eating peanut butter sandwiches for supper for a few months.

Dane now had a large nest egg as well as enough money to pay cash for whatever house Marley wanted, within reason. He couldn’t see the two of them living in something as grand as the manor Kaya lived in, but he was willing to give his mate whatever she wanted. If it turned out she asked for a huge spread, the money would become a down payment.

He parked the Boxster in Marley’s driveway and adjusted his tie before climbing out of the car. Rubbing his hands down his slacks, he took a deep breath and made his way to the front door. When he first noticed Marley at the coffee shop, he’d found the young woman to be attractive in a girl-next-door way. She was bright and cheerful, but the longer he was around her, the prettier she became. That was the Marley he had become accustomed to. The one with a messy bun or loose ponytail, barely any make-up, wearing her work uniform. When they had gone out before, she had worn jeans and a sweater. Her hair was always in loose waves, but she never made her face up more than she did for work.

The woman who opened the door was a stranger. One who took Dane’s breath. Marley’s hair was done up in an elaborate coiffure, and her face… Gods help him, her eyes were surrounded with a smoky grey and her lashes were seductively long. Her lips were the focal point, red and lush. He couldn’t stop himself from imagining his dick sliding between her lips, the lipstick smearing the edges of her mouth as she sucked his cock. “You are stunning,” he whispered, stepping closer so he could wrap his hands around her waist which was encased in a form-fitting, emerald dress that brought out the green in her hazel eyes.

Marley was wearing heels, so she wasn’t much shorter than Dane, but she still had to look up as he did his best not to ruin all the trouble she’d gone to for their date. He wanted to push her backwards into the house, rip the pins from her hair, and smear the red across her face as he finally plunged deep into her core. His shifter urged him to do just that, but he tamped down the need and placed a soft kiss at the edge of her mouth. “Stunning,” he repeated.

When he leaned back, Marley’s eyes were closed, and she was holding onto his tie with one hand and his shoulder with the other. “Damn, Chief. You know how to leave a girl breathless.”

“I’m just getting started.” Dane took a step back and blatantly raked his gaze from top to bottom and back up again. Marley’s heartbeat kicked up a notch.

“Sweetness, we need to talk before I forget what I have to tell you,” he said right before he pulled her to him not so gently and ravished her mouth. Dane had kissed her several times before but never with the urgency he was then. One hand caressed her nape while the other wrapped around to her lower back, pulling her body tight up against his. There was no way she could miss the erection pressing against her stomach. That became evident when Marley reached between them and boldly encased his thick cock in her hand. His hand on her neck moved around to the front, squeezing with just enough pressure to be exciting instead of scary. The dominance he was showing must have been something she liked, because the moan that vibrated in her throat proved it was true. Dane swallowed the sound before breaking the kiss. His hips were rocking into her hand where she was stroking him through his pants. His head tilted back, and his eyes closed briefly.

Dane grabbed her wrist and repeated, “Sweetness, we need to talk.”

“No, Chief, we really don’t.”

Dane laughed. “There’ll be plenty of time for the good stuff later. Right now, we need to get to know each other better, and I don’t mean in the biblical sense, either.” Dane adjusted his erection behind his zipper before gesturing to the sofa. “You might want to sit for this.” If Dane was smart, he’d toss Marley over his shoulder and take her to bed. The one thing that jarred him from his lust was the need to tell her the truth before they had sex. Dane knew once he had Marley naked underneath him he wouldn’t be able to stop from making her his mate. He couldn’t do that without her permission. Wouldn’t do it. She deserved the truth of who she was going to spend the rest of her life with.

“Fuck, Sweetness. You look like a million dollars all dolled up, and I don’t want to mess up all the trouble you went to for our date. I need to keep some distance between us before I do something like rip that sexy dress off your body and have my way with you.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed,” she muttered.

Dane laughed at the eagerness on Marley’s face. It lit him up on the inside at how badly she wanted him. “That right there does something to me. I probably shouldn’t admit that.” Dane was rambling and pacing. He didn’t know how to start the conversation they needed to have. “Remember when I said there was something I wanted to talk to you about?” When Marley nodded, Dane continued, “What I’m about to tell you is going to be hard to fathom. It was for me, but I had proof, so it didn't take too long to realize it wasn’t just some bullshit story.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ve heard of the Unholy, right? Seen them on TV?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen them.”

“I know the truth about where the Unholy originated. I… My brother…” Dane shook his head. “No, I’ll just say it. Marley, there are beings other than the Unholy that humans don’t know anything about. Good beings. Well, mostly good. Some are bad, just like there are bad humans.”

“Beings?”

“Yes. They’re… When humans were put on earth, the gods created Gargoyles to protect the humans. They walk among us without anyone being the wiser, because they appear human. You’ve met plenty of them in your everyday life; you just didn’t know it.” Dane paused, not sure if he should admit the truth. What if she thought he was crazy? Hell, he sounded crazy.

“Dane, just tell me,” Marley urged when Dane stood looking off at nothing for too long.

“It might be easier for me to show you. That way you know I’m not bullshitting.” Dane removed his suit coat and laid it across the arm of the sofa. He then removed his tie and dress shirt, placing them on top of the coat.

Marley whistled low. “Damn, Chief. You sure we can’t have dessert first?” she asked, eyeing his bare chest.

“I’m sure,” he said, letting his fangs drop. Next, he extended a claw and tapped at one of the sharp canines, keeping his eyes on his mate the whole time. Marley’s eyes widened, but she didn’t jump up and run. He retracted both before saying, “Now, for the grand finale…” Dane let his leathery wings unfurl behind him. He felt Marley’s gasp in his chest, so he tucked his wings back in but didn’t give her time to run. “I am a half-blood Gargoyle. My father is a full-blood, while my mother is human.” Dane redressed while he explained a brief history of the Gargoyles and who the Stone Society was. When he paused to gauge Marley’s reaction, it was anything but what he expected. Her face was flushed, and her body was putting off the kind of signals which had his beast revving for them to claim her.

Dane ignored his body’s need to touch her. He remained standing, and continued talking. “Frey Hartley, the owner of the gym? He’s a Gargoyle. Rafael Stone, the architect, is our King. My old boss, Kaya Kane, is Rafael’s mate and now Queen. Jasper’s a Goyle, and Trevor’s his mate. I could name off a bunch more, but you’ll find out who they are soon enough.”

“Trevor, as in my Trevor?”

“I’m not sure I like you calling him yours, but yes. That Trevor.” Trevor had befriended Marley as soon as he found out she was Dane’s mate. It didn’t hurt he loved getting lattes from her before his shift at the morgue.

Dane held his breath waiting for his mate to respond. Finally, Marley stood and closed the distance between them. Breathily, she wrapped her arms around Dane’s neck. “Fuck me and call me Selina Kyle. I have my very own Batman.”

“This doesn’t freak you out?” Dane asked, placing his hands on Marley’s hips. His cock was pushing against his pants again, but that was no surprise. He stayed in a constant state of arousal when close to her. When she pressed up against him? It was all he could do to keep his wits about him.

“Are you kidding me right now? That is the sexiest freaking thing you could have told me, Chief. Granted, the claws are a little creepy, because they could do some major damage if you got excited while… Never mind.”

Dane didn’t let her comment go. The way her breathing had kicked up a notch let Dane know Marley wanted his touch. “While what, Sweetness?” He lowered one hand between her legs, pulling her dress up her thighs so he could stroke over her panties. “While I touch you in ways I’ve only dreamed about?” Marley’s eyes closed, and her chest rose and fell with each quick intake of breath. “Or are you worried I might accidentally scrape your tender flesh with my fangs?” Dane raked his sharp canines along the pulse at her neck, itching to sink into the soft flesh and taste her blood.

“Dane,” Marley whimpered. “Oh, god, Dane…” She pushed her pussy against his hand, and Dane slipped his fingers between her panties and skin until he was dipping inside her slick piece of heaven. Marley grabbed hold of his biceps, digging her fingers in, so he tightened his grip around her waist to keep her upright. Dane worked his fingers in and out, brushing over the spot that drove women crazy. He didn’t want to think about the number of random women he’d hooked up with over the years, but his experience allowed him to please his mate. By the gasps and moans he was eliciting from her, he knew he was doing everything right in bringing her to orgasm.

“Dane, please…” He didn’t know what she was asking for, but he knew he couldn’t risk giving her anything more than a quick orgasm before they finished their conversation. He pumped his fingers faster, reaching as deep as he could with her standing, and he brushed against her clit with his thumb. He couldn’t wait to get his face between her legs and taste the heaven he knew he’d find there. “Dane, I’m coming,” Marley husked as she bit her bottom lip and held her breath. Her inner walls tightened around his fingers as she rode the climax. When she was boneless in his arms, he pulled his hand out of her panties and licked his fingers clean.

Marley’s eyes fluttered open, and she let out a soft laugh.

“What’s so funny?” he asked as he enjoyed the taste of her.

“Not laughing because it’s funny. Laughing because it’s all so crazy. But a happy crazy, if that makes sense. What would make me even happier is if you took me to my bedroom so I can return the favor.”

Dane’s cock jumped at the idea, but he knew if she ever wrapped those luscious lips around him, he’d haul her to her back and fuck the shit out of her. That would lead to biting, and that would lead to mating. “We need to talk first, Sweetness.”

“You keep saying that, but talking’s overrated. What else is there you could possibly need to tell me?”

Dane loved when Marley pouted. It was the cutest thing he’d ever seen. His girl wanted him, and that made him deliriously happy. Dane remained standing, because if he sat down, they would end up touching, and he needed to be able to explain the mate bond before they had sex. “Lots, actually. I need you to know the whole truth. This is full disclosure on my part. There can be no secrets between us going forward.” Marley flinched, and Dane tucked her reaction away until later. Right now, he had to fill her in on everything he had yet to tell her. “There’s more to being a Gargoyle than I’ve told you. Even more to being a half-blood. What I didn’t explain before is Gargoyles have one mate for life. You are my mate, but you have the choice of whether or not you want that. Look at it like a marriage with no possibility of divorce.”

“How do you know I’m your mate?” she asked.

“Because whenever I’m near you, I lose all rationality. I want to touch you constantly. I don’t want anyone else near you. Jealousy is too mild a word for what I feel when other men are close to you. You actually set off my initial transition. I thought it was—” Dane barely caught himself before he slipped and admitted he thought Katherine Fox was his mate. “I thought I had the flu. When I went to the doctor, it wasn’t long after that I phased for the first time and became this.” He gestured down his body.

“So if I’m your mate, why were you flirting with that reporter?”

Against his better judgement, Dane sat down and grabbed Marley’s hands. “I only met Katherine to discuss business. I’ll admit I was attracted to her, but I was also attracted to you. And now? Now there’s no one else who even catches my eye. You are the only woman I see. You’re the only woman I will see for the rest of my life, however long that is. If you decide you want a life with me, you will always look as young as you do now. It’s possible our children will become part Gargoyle as well.”

Marley looked away at the mention of children. “What’s wrong? Do you not want this? Us?”

“No, I…” Marley stood and walked over to the window even though she couldn’t see out of it with the blinds closed. “What made you come clean with the truth tonight?”

“I’ve bided my time making sure circumstances were right. I needed to be sure you were no longer in danger. The King of the Greeks had been targeting mates of the Clan. So much so there was a battle between some of our Clan and those in Greece. It’s a long story, but the feud started a long time ago. Rafael’s uncle was an asshole for lack of a better description. His sister, Rafael’s mother, mated with an Italian, and Alistair didn’t like his sister going outside their Greek heritage. It wasn’t like she had a choice. Gargoyles have one mate, and hers happened to be an Italian.

“Not only that, but Alistair had my father turned away from his Clan because he mated with a human. I, along with several of my siblings, was put up for adoption to keep us safe. I know this is all a lot to take in. If it’s too soon, or if you don’t want a life tied down to someone like me, now’s the time to let me know. I understand being mated to a cop will be difficult. There will be lots of canceled plans, late nights, random calls in the middle of the night, things like that. If you aren’t sure, we can continue dating and getting to know one another. I can visit you each morning for my latte, and we can talk on the phone at night. If you know you don’t want what I’m offering, we can part as friends, and I’ll leave you alone.” It would absolutely destroy Dane, but he wouldn’t push himself on someone who didn’t want him.

“You said mated to, not married to. We wouldn’t get married?”

“If you decide you want to be with me, we will absolutely get married. I think Marley Abbott has a nice ring to it,” Dane said.

“Do you want kids?” Marley asked without looking at him.

“I do, but if you don’t, that’s not a deal breaker.” Something about children was bothering Marley. From their talks before, Marley had mentioned her niece. Now that he thought about it, her voice always wavered whenever she talked about the little girl.

“Marley, can you not have children? Is that what’s troubling you?”

“No, I can… It’s just… Full disclosure, right?”

“Right. Nothing you tell me will make me feel any differently toward you.”

Marley wrapped her arms around her waist, her shoulders drooping as she bowed her head and closed her eyes. The sadness coming from his mate hit Dane square in the chest, and before he realized it, he had gone to her, pulling her back to his chest and wrapping her in his arms. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do,” she whispered. “You need to know the kind of person I am, Dane. Once I tell you the truth, you might not want to be tied down to me for the rest of your life.”

“Then tell me, Sweetness. I can handle it.”

Marley took a deep breath and admitted, “I have a child.”

Maybe Dane had spoken too soon. His mate had a child. With another man. He was going to kill someone.