Spectrum (Stone Society #14) - Faith Gibson Page 0,28

walking among the humans. Sheila hadn’t raised Stella in church, but Christianity was alive and well in America. If Christians believed in angels and demons, why couldn’t there be Gargoyles? The Unholy weren’t human, and they were real.

“Will you show me your shifter?” Stella believed Zeke was telling the truth, but seeing it for herself would go a long way to letting her know she wasn’t riding the crazy train.

Zeke stood and took a step back. He held out his hands, and claws elongated from his fingertips. Stella couldn’t help but gasp. When she looked up at his face, sharp canines protruded over his lower lip. He withdrew his claws and removed his T-shirt. Stella’s eyes traveled from Zeke’s face down his torso. Her man was ripped. “One, two, three…” Stella counted his abdominal muscles under her breath. Holy cat, he had an eight pack. And those sexy dips at his hips that led to—

“Stella.”

“Huh?”

Zeke’s eyes were hooded, and she curled her fingers into a fist. If he had been close enough, she would have probably licked the man, he was so sexy.

“Stella, Baby.”

“I’ll just get out of your way,” Cyrus said chuckling as he moved to the other side of the room.

Zeke stepped into the middle of the room, and within seconds, a pair of wings were spread behind him.

“Holy Bast! Turn around.” Zeke did as she asked. No wonder the room was so large. The glorious wings spread out behind him. Stella wanted to run her fingers over the rigid edges, but before she could scoot off the sofa, the wings disappeared like magic. There was no sign of an opening on his back, just smooth, tanned skin. “That’s… Holy Bast,” she muttered again. Zeke pulled his shirt back on, and Stella wanted to protest. Since they weren’t alone, she thought it was probably for the best.

“Do all Gargoyles look like you? With the” — Stella twirled her finger in the direction of Zeke’s abs — “muscles and, uh.” She lost her train of thought.

“Yes. Well, the males are muscular, but the females, while fit, don’t necessarily look like they spend hours in the gym. They do have claws and fangs, but they do not get wings or the impenetrable skin. We all are much faster and stronger than humans. Once we transition, we stop aging. I will never look older than I do now. As soon as Cyrus meets his mate, he, too, will stop aging.”

“Gotta say, it sucks that you’re older and look twenty years younger.” Cyrus winked at his brother as he walked back to take a seat.

Stella had so many questions, but she asked the one she couldn’t get out of her head. “You said there is only one mate for you, but what happens when I continue getting older? I’m human, and relatively speaking, will die way before you.”

“Once a mate has accepted the bond, they also stop aging. While it is nearly impossible to kill a male, females are still susceptible to diseases and regular tragedies. Barring those, you will live as long as I do. Our mother, who doesn’t appear older than you, is two hundred forty-six.”

“How will I explain that to my own mother?”

“You won’t. It is imperative you keep our secret. If you wish to remain in California to be around Sheila, my father can provide you with a prosthetic that you wear when around her. It is how he has blended in with the same people in New Atlanta as long as he has. Jonas is the chief of staff at the hospital there and has worn prosthetics to not only hide his age but also his true identity. The world around him knows him as Joseph Mooneyham, when he is, in fact, Jonas Montague.”

Stella knew that name. Hell, everyone knew who Jonas Montague was. “The scientist who cloned the baby?”

“Yes. The baby was my cousin Tessa, who you will no doubt meet in the near future. Jonas is a genius, but he has different ideas of how we interact with full bloods.” Stella listened to Zeke speak of his parents meeting and subsequent escape. He explained how they put most of their children up for adoption, and how that led him to Cyrus. “If he had shared with us how we transition upon meeting our mates, I wouldn’t have spent these last thirty years feeling so adrift. I would have watched over you from afar, then as soon as you were old enough, I would have claimed