Brynna (Stone Society) - Faith Gibson Page 0,4

to the crown while she was nothing more than a female. Even if she’d been a male, she would have been nothing other than Banyan’s sibling since he was the oldest. Her parents had tried to shield them both. Banyan by sending him to live with Gautum, and her by raising her to be a genteel female who would make a good mate to a strong Gargoyle. Only after a while, Brynna had other ideas. With her being sheltered in the monstrosity of a home, she never had a real opportunity of finding a mate. Her parents rarely entertained, and the few times they had, her mate hadn’t been in attendance. So Brynna set out in search of her mate many years ago.

It had been scary and eye-opening, traveling the world alone, but it taught Brynna a lot about herself. She had many adventures along the way, but it wasn’t until she went to New Atlanta with her brother and Uri that she finally found what she’d been looking for all along – Travis McKenzie.

Travis was an amazing human. Standing only a couple inches taller than her, the handsome human had light brown hair and the most amazing green eyes. He wasn’t built like the other males in her life, but most humans weren’t unless they spent countless hours in a gym. Brynna was okay with that. She didn’t need him to be chiseled. She just needed him to love her. Giving him time to mourn his girlfriend was taking a toll, but when they finally became mates – because they would become mates – it would be everything she’d ever wanted.

“Bryn?” Travis touched her arm, getting her attention.

“Huh?” She had been lost in her thoughts and didn’t notice him calling out to her.

“I asked if you were okay.”

“Oh. Yeah. You know me. Just over here daydreaming.” Brynna turned so they were facing one another and placed her hands on his shoulders. Travis never shied from her touch. Either he was too nice to back away, or he didn’t mind it. Travis set his hands on her hips and smiled. It was the first time he had touched her in such a way, and her beast crowed. Feeling as though they were turning a corner in their relationship, Brynna leaned in. With less than an inch between their lips, Banyan called out to them, and Travis jerked back. Great timing, B.

Banyan and Uri had wandered off through the woods, but now they were back and ready to leave and head to town. When Banyan caught Brynna scowling at him, he asked, “What?”

Brynna shook her head and walked silently back to the car. Travis was subdued on the ride, and Brynna was sure she had lost the perfect opportunity to move things forward. Banyan tried to talk to her when they arrived at the house, but she waved him off. “Travis, let me give you the tour. I’d love your opinion on whether or not the manor can be transformed into something other than what it is.”

“Uh, yeah. Okay.” Travis gestured for Brynna to lead the way, and she hooked her arm around his as she showed him every room in the house. It took a while, as large as the manor was, and Brynna was not rushing to return to the kitchen where the others were lounging and drinking coffee. She wanted as much alone time with her mate as she could get. The bedrooms were self-explanatory, so it was the larger rooms where she lingered, offering her own ideas of what they could be used for in a commercial setting. Travis listened patiently while Brynna rambled.

When the tour was complete, they ended up in the kitchen anyway, and Travis took a seat. Brynna wanted something stronger than coffee, but she poured Travis a cup and fixed it the way he liked before pouring her own.

Marcie snarled her nose and pointed. “The lot of ya know how to ruin a good cup of joe.” Brynna laughed at her friend. Marcie, like other Norwegians, drank her coffee black and strong.

“After looking around, Travis thinks a bed and breakfast won’t work,” Brynna announced to the others. Travis had nixed that idea after seeing the first three rooms. Brynna sat down at the table next to him and stuck her bottom lip out. He grinned that shy smile he reserved for her, and she returned it. “I get what you’re saying, but what the hell are we going to do with this three-story