Fate's Roar Read online

  Thrusting hard inside her, Shane had Rachel screaming for him in no time. As much as he needed his release, he waited until she climaxed. He knew he was a good lover, and just because he was especially horny tonight did not mean he was going to ruin it for his partner.

  Shane had never gone back to the same woman for sex. Since this would be the only time he’d be with Rachel, he wanted to make sure it was unforgettable. Call it arrogance, and maybe he had a chip on his shoulder. But he couldn’t deny how much pleasure he got when women squirmed under his touch, screaming for him.

  When Rachel finally shuddered from pure pleasure, he could hold back no longer. Pushing hard into her, he was reaching the edge. When he finally let go, Shane released a moan, enjoying every second of the fall.

  Collapsing on top of her, he slowed his breathing down. Yes, this was just what he needed. After “running” into Samantha, he had been wound up. Now, he felt much calmer…more in control.

  Pushing himself off Rachel, Shane stood back up. He couldn’t help but look her over one last time. She was a beautiful specimen indeed, with her blonde hair messy from their lovemaking, her lips a bit swollen from their kissing, her nipples still erect and calling for him. Even though her legs were closed, he knew exactly how delicious her sweet spot was.

  “You’re leaving?” she asked.

  “Gotta go, baby.” Shane flashed her a smug smile.

  “I’m not gonna see you again, am I?” she asked, her voice sad, but accepting the truth.

  “It was fun. You were fun, but our time is over. Thank you for this amazing night. It was what I needed.”

  “Wow, I feel kinda used,” she mumbled.

  Shane sighed. This was what he didn’t like. He didn’t want any drama after sex. Why did women think it would be more than the physical act? Shane and Rachel didn’t even know one another. All he knew about her was her name and where she lived. And she knew even less about him.

  “Rachel, you know you’re a beautiful woman. You can get any guy, but let’s face it. We both used each other. You wanted me as much as I wanted you. Nothing to be ashamed of. I had a great time, but I gotta go now. I hope you have fantastic life.”

  With that, Shane slid his legs into his jeans, grabbed his shirt, and strolled out of her front door without a backward glance.

  Three

  Once Shane hunted his meal for the night, he landed on top of the Empire State Building. He enjoyed coming up here and watching the nightlife of the Big Apple. Many times, he wondered about human behavior. They had no idea what creatures walked amongst them. Gargoyles had been around for thousands of years, so it always astonished him that humans could be so clueless. But then again, he wasn’t too surprised. Humans tended to be self-absorbed. Ninety-nine percent of them were incapable of looking past what was happening in their own lives.

  Shane sighed, thankful for the millionth time that he was a gargoyle. It still surprised him to this day that Damien was willing to give up his life as a gargoyle for love when he first met Kelsey. Shane couldn’t even fathom that concept.

  As he stared far below him, he knew the nightlife was winding down. It was almost four in the morning, so most humans were probably sleeping. Only the creatures of the night stirred for their last hour of fun.

  He reflected on the events of the night. All in all, he was satisfied. He got to see his niece, spend some time with Samantha—even if it was brief—got laid by a hot chick, and caught a deer for dinner. Yep, it was a good night.

  When another gargoyle landed next to him, Shane had already sensed it was his friend, Rennik. He was one of the few gargoyles who knew Shane liked to hang out up there. As one of his clan members, Shane trusted Rennik with his life.

  “Thought I’d find you up here,” Rennik said. He inhaled deeply and continued, “Dude, I can smell sex on you. You’re gonna get caught one of these days.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, man,” Shane said, annoyed that Rennik was too observant for his own good.

  “Whatever, Shane. I’m trying to look out for you. If The Council finds out, you’re up shit creek, and you know it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “Just keep your mouth shut, and everything will be just fine,” Shane replied.

  “All of the brothers from our clan know, Shane. You don’t think they realize what you’ve been up to? One of these days, somebody might start talking. The females are suspicious as well. Trust me, you don’t wanna piss them off. They might be worse than The Council.” Rennik chuckled at his own joke.

  Shane rolled his eyes. “I’m not worried about it. Nobody has any proof anyway. Besides, you, of all people, are the biggest rule breaker. I should know.” Shane could trust Rennik. They’d been best buddies since childhood. Rennik was a full gargoyle and closer to his age than Damien. The two of them had gotten themselves in plenty of mischief over the years.

  Rennik laughed, throwing his head back. “Hell, if I could turn into a human, I’d probably be joining you.”

  “I doubt it. You had to go and commit yourself to your mate. Now, I gotta find my own entertainment,” Shane complained. He had to admit, he missed Rennik like crazy. But ever since he took Aisha as his lifetime mate, Rennik wasn’t available as much.

  “You’re blaming me for your behavior?” Rennik asked incredulously.

  “You bet I am!” Shane laughed.

  “You’re unbelievable, my friend.” Rennik couldn’t help but smile. “Besides, what’s up with you and Camille? Everybody’s expecting you to claim her as your mate—including her.”

  “Camille and I have an understanding. It’s all good.”

  Rennik laughed. “That’s where you’re wrong, buddy. It’s not all good. Camille and her family expect you both to become lifetime mates.”

  “I’ve explained to her that I’m nowhere near ready for that. I can’t help it if she chooses not to listen.” Shane was becoming irritated and suddenly feeling claustrophobic. He hated having to explain himself to anybody, especially a female.

  “I know you’ve been hanging out with human females quite a bit lately, but do I really need to remind you how gargoyle females can be? You don’t want to create enemies there, believe me…especially with Camille and her family.” Rennik seemed genuinely concerned for his friend.

  “I hear you, man, but I can’t be clearer than I’ve been. I’m not going to settle down any time soon—if ever. That’s not me. If people still choose to try to change me, that’s on them. Camille believes whatever we have between us will eventually make me realize that she’s the one for me. She’s fooling herself.” Shane had already realized the situation was getting out of hand lately. Maybe it was time to break everything off with her completely and be done with it.

  Rennik raised his eyebrows, his eyes wide. “Not sure how that’s going to go. Good luck with that one, my man. I’m here for you if you need anything. You crashing at the headquarters for the day?”

  The headquarters was a large building in the city, owned by gargoyles. Most gargoyles in the area ended up there during the day while they turned into a stone statue. Some gargoyles, like Damien, often crashed on top of various buildings. After marrying Kelsey, Damien just remained at their house where they’d built a special room for him to stay in during the day. Many times, Shane also crashed there with him. Today was not the day, though. He was in no mood to deal with their lectures.

  “That was the plan. I think we should probably start heading over there,” Shane answered.

  “Let’s go. Maybe we can hang with the rest of the boys before the sun rises. I’ll race you,” Rennik said, spreading his large wings and leaping into the sky.

  Shane dove after him, not at all surprised with Rennik’s challenge. After all, when they were much younger, the two used to race home almost every night before the sun rose, pushing the limits.

  Four

  Although Shane had seen Samantha practically every night, there had been no opportunities to approach her since
the night when Tim had made his moves on her. He was glad that Tim hadn’t tried anything more with her since then. Tim had also apologized to Samantha for his irrational behavior, but Shane still didn’t trust him.

  Samantha was graduating tomorrow, and her mom was throwing a party afterward. Knowing it was impossible to make it to the graduation ceremony since he would still be in his statue form, he was relieved that he’d be able to attend the party later with Damien. Just thinking about seeing her where he could actually converse with her had his heart racing. Not only was he excited, but he was nervous as hell. Shane hated the power Samantha had over him. Never had he felt more vulnerable in his life, and frankly, it scared him.

  After contemplating all week what he’d wear for the event—again, completely unusual for him—he settled for black dress pants, black button-down shirt, and a silver tie. He wasn’t particularly a tie type of guy, but since it was a more formal event, he’d clean himself up and do the right thing. For her.

  Shane had decided to crash at Damien’s house. Lucky for him, Kelsey would have his clothes ironed and ready for him when he awakened. Although he was used to turning into a statue with daybreak, he prepared himself for the long day. As usual, the last thought before the sun rose was of Samantha.

  As soon his eyes opened, Shane jumped up. He stretched his body as he watched Damien starting to wake up as well.

  “Where are my kids?” Damien mumbled. It was obvious he still was half-asleep as he stood up and yawned, cracking his knuckles.

  “Your kids and your wife are at Sammy’s graduation party. Remember?” Shane answered.

  “Ahh, yes. Little Sammy is all grown up.” Damien rubbed his eyes and smiled to himself.

  “I’m jumping in the shower, Damien,” Shane said, wanting nothing more than to quickly head to the party.

  “Alright, man. I still have to figure out what I’m gonna wear. I bet Kelsey already pulled out my clothes, though. Wait, maybe we should hunt before you jump in that shower,” Damien suggested.

  Shane stopped, frowning. “Hunt? Damien, we’re already late as it is. We didn’t even make it to her graduation ceremony. This isn’t going to look good at all!”

  “Since when did you care if something doesn’t look good, Shane? I’m hungry. I say we catch something first. It won’t take long, especially with the two of us.”

  “I’m not gonna be even later. We can eat human food for the night. I swear, sometimes I feel like I gotta act like the more responsible brother around here,” Shane mumbled, shaking his head. He slammed the bathroom door shut as he took on his human form to shower.

  Within half an hour, both brothers were dressed and ready. While Shane wore all black with a silver tie, Damien had gray dress pants, gray button-down shirt, a black tie, and a black jacket.

  “You clean up good, little brother. Why are you spending extra time on your hair? You never get ready like this,” Damien teased.

  “How do you know what I do? Maybe I do get ready every time I go to human events,” Shane answered, fixing his tie.

  “Shane, I could count on one hand how many times you’ve worn a tie.”

  “Would you get off my back? I can’t go there with jeans on, can I? If so, I’d be happy to change, believe me. But, I know Kelsey would kick my ass if I showed up looking like my usual bum self.”

  Damien laughed. “You got me there. You don’t want to cross that little wife of mine.” Damien grabbed his wallet from the countertop. “We’ll need to take Uber. I know it’s inconvenient since we’d be much faster just flying there, but our clothes are nicely ironed. I don’t want them ruined. And I know you don’t want to mess up that hair of yours you’ve spent the last fifteen minutes on. Hope you’re not trying to pick anybody up there, Shane. It’s a family event.”

  “You must have a real low opinion of me if that’s what you think, Damien.”

  Damien used his phone for the Uber service. “On the contrary, I think very highly of you, my little bro. Because of you, Kelsey and I are alive today. But, I also know you—maybe more than you know yourself. There’s no way you’d be putting in this extra effort unless you’re up to something.”

  “As usual, Damien, you’re overanalyzing. Are you ready to go now?” Shane headed to the front door.

  After checking his phone, Damien said, “Okay, looks like an Uber driver is five minutes away from here. Let’s go.”

  “It’s scary how domesticated you’ve become, brother. Using Uber and shit.” Shane chuckled under his breath, satisfied he got one back on his brother. Damien was right, though. Nobody knew Shane better than him. The fact that Shane had been on edge while they were getting ready probably added to Damien’s suspicion.

  Five

  Samantha’s mom, Sofia, was throwing the graduation party at her house. She had invited close friends and family to celebrate. By the time Damien and Shane reached the party, it looked like they were the last to arrive.

  When they heard the rock and roll music, Shane remembered they had a live band in the backyard. Knowing the guests were probably in the back, the two brothers headed straight there.

  Ryan and Tori spotted them immediately. Shane knew it was probably due to their heightened gargoyle senses.

  “Daddy! Uncle Shane!” Ryan reached them first.

  Damien hugged his son. “Hey, big guy!”

  Tori was there within seconds, wrapping her arms around Shane. “I miss you, Uncle Shane!”

  Shane snatched her up and held her up above his head. “Let me take a good look at this gorgeous girl! Are you the beautiful princess from the long lost world? With that pretty pink dress, the matching shoes, and a bow in your hair, I think you just might be. Where have you been my whole life?”

  Tori giggled because Shane always played make-believe games with her. She then reached for her dad, who was holding his arms out to her.

  “How’s my nephew doing?” Shane asked. “How’s football and basketball? Are you kicking everybody’s butts out there?” Shane ruffled up Ryan’s dark hair.

  “Dad says I gotta hold back.” Ryan rolled his eyes, making Shane laugh.

  “Your dad is right,” Shane finally said. “I’ll make a deal with you. How about you and I go to a park one night and do a little one on one. Don’t hold back. I want you to show me what you really got. Deal?”

  Ryan’s eyes lit up. “Deal! Get ready to have your butt kicked.”

  Shane flung his head back and laughed when he heard his nephew throw his words back at him. Little Ryan definitely had his uncle’s attitude. Before he could reply, Kelsey and Sofia approached them. Kelsey melted into her husband’s arms, giving him a kiss.

  “Hey, you,” she said breathlessly.

  “Hey, yourself,” Damien answered, lifting her chin for another kiss.

  Shane watched the interaction, happy that his brother was able to find his soul mate. The two of them still acted like they were newlyweds. Rolling his eyes at them, he said, “Okay, you two. We’re at a respectable party. Behave!”

  Everybody laughed at his comment. Sofia grabbed their arms and said, “Come on, you must eat. It sucks that you guys have to work so late.”

  As Sofia was leading them to the food table, Shane already had sensed where Samantha was. He grabbed some beer as he checked out the scene. There seemed to be around fifty guests there, and from the looks of it, people were already getting drunk. Although he had avoided looking her way, his gaze soon found her.

  Wearing a champagne-colored, sequin mini-dress, her brown hair flowed down her back in loose curls. Shane held his breath, willing his heart to slow down at the sight of her. She caught his eye, and he couldn’t help but flash her a smile and lift his beer toward her.

  For a brief second, Samantha glanced away from him, but just as quickly, she threw him a wide smile and headed his way. She reached for Damien first, and he pulled her into his arms. Kissing her on the cheek, Damien said, “I’m in denial of how grown-up you are. Congratulations, little Sammy.”


  “Thanks, Damien. Yeah, I guess I can’t run from life any longer. Now that I’ve graduated, it means I gotta go find a real job. Oh, and thanks for the graduation gift. Kelsey gave it to me earlier. I love the diamond earrings and of course, the framed picture of me and my dad she gave me…” Samantha’s voice began to quiver, and she stopped mid-sentence to avoid breaking down in front of them.

  Damien squeezed her hand and said, “Believe me, your father was there during your graduation. He would want to watch his little girl get that diploma.”

  Samantha nodded and turned her attention to Shane. “Hey! Thanks for coming.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it,” Shane replied. “Oh, here’s your graduation gift.” He pulled out a small box from the pocket of his pants.

  Surprised, she shook her head. “You didn’t need to get me anything.”

  “I know.” Shane smiled. “I wanted to. Besides, I know you just turned twenty-one, so it’s kind of a birthday gift as well.”

  Tentatively, Samantha opened the beautiful gold box. She gasped when she saw the unique bracelet. “Shane! This is just gorgeous! Where did you get such a rare piece of jewelry?”

  The bracelet was weaved with black and brown leather. Right in the center was an oval-shaped ruby, surrounded by other precious and rare stones. Depending on the way the bracelet was tilted, the center jewel would look almost black from certain angles or bright red from others.

  “Oh, I’ve got my ways,” Shane teased, his eyes sparkling. “Do you want me to put it on for you?”

  “Sure,” Samantha said quietly, holding out her arm.

  Taking the bracelet out of the box, Shane placed it around her wrist, fastening the clasp. He held her hand a bit longer than necessary because he was having difficulty letting go just yet.