Sin (The Stone Society Book 8) Read online

  He knew she owned the bar? They’d never discussed it. It was public record if anyone wanted to look. Or maybe he had asked one of the other employees. “Fine. I’m fine, just not used to wearing heels.” That wasn’t a lie. She wore comfortable shoes on a daily basis. She hadn’t dressed up in over a year.

  He was still holding her close, gazing into her eyes. At her mouth. His tongue eased out and slid over his full, lower lip, enticing her to want a taste. She unconsciously licked her own lips, and Blake took it as an invitation to kiss her. His lips brushed hers softly. Sensuously. Rocky wanted more. She was on fire, and she needed this man to ease her suffering. Her brain was telling her to stop, but her body was begging her to strip down and let him take her right there.

  “Take me home,” she begged. Blake didn’t hesitate to give her what she wanted. As soon as the door closed and the car was back on the road, Rocky was in Blake’s lap, kissing him with everything she had. It wasn’t late. At least she didn’t think it was, but when he walked her up the back stairs to her apartment over the bar, there were no cars in the parking lot. It took her fevered hands several tries to get the key in the lock. When she had the door opened, Blake crowded her inside, slamming the door behind them.

  Rocky’s body was drenched in sweat, her stomach roiling. She barely made it to the bathroom before she dropped to her knees, her head spinning. After everything in her stomach was emptied, she flushed the toilet and pulled herself up to the sink, washing her mouth out. Rocky stumbled back into her bedroom looking for Blake. She was so embarrassed. She had climbed his body like a dog in heat but had thrown up before he could even get her clothes off. It was then that Rocky noticed her clothes were already off. She grabbed her robe and pulled it on. “Blake?”

  When she found he wasn’t waiting in her bedroom, she padded into the small kitchen-living room combo. Everything was dark. The clock on the microwave showed it was almost six in the morning. Rocky sat down on the sofa, trying to gain her bearings. Hadn’t she and Blake just come home from dinner with her begging him for sex? The last thing she remembered was coming through the door. “Shit. Shit, shit, shit!” Rocky stood quickly, her head spinning. She waited until the dizziness subsided and looked around. She found a note on the table.

  Raquel,

  Thank you for the most wonderful evening I’ve had in a long time. I hope you feel better in the morning. I will call and check on you then.

  Until next time,

  Yours… B

  The note made her feel a little better. She must have gotten sick, and like a gentleman, Blake left her alone instead of taking advantage of her. Maybe she could trust him after all.

  Chapter One

  Present Day

  2048

  Sin gripped the sword with both hands and swung it as hard as he could at Banyan, but the tall blond easily knocked it away. When he’d woken up early, Sin had been itching for a fight. He couldn’t put his finger on what had him on edge, but something was eating at him. Something that had him wanting to hunt the Unholy in the light of day so he could release his pent-up frustrations while getting a workout in.

  “Damn, you need to get laid.”

  Sin glared at Banyan, trying to gauge if the Goyle was baiting him or if he was serious.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re trying to take my head. Good thing you’re not really focused,” Banyan told him in his soft yet strong voice.

  If Gargoyles could sweat, Sin would be drenched. The two of them had been going at it for hours, and Banyan looked like he had been sitting on a lounge chair sipping a cocktail. Bastard. Sin dropped the tip of his sword and held up his free hand in surrender. “Fuck it. I’m done.”

  Banyan took the sword from Sinclair and stored it along with his own in the building where the weapons were kept. When he returned, he tossed Sin a bottle of water and a towel. “Wanna talk about it?”

  Sin downed the whole bottle and wiped his mouth with the towel. “You ever get in one of those moods where you want to rip someone’s head off? Anyone’s will do, but you don’t know why?”

  “Sure. We all have those days. Most of the time I know who it is I’d like to throttle, though.”

  Sin caught Banyan’s grin. “Urijah still busting your chops at every turn?”

  Banyan’s grin turned into a full-on smile. “He’s trying, but I’ve known the asshole long enough that I’ve learned how to ignore him. So, no idea what has you on edge?”

  Sin sighed. “I have a feeling I do, but I do not want to put voice to it. It would make me sound like a prick.”

  “You’re jealous.” It wasn’t a question. Banyan cocked his head to the side, narrowed his eyes, and continued, “I’ve heard tell of you marrying humans because you like the interaction, yet it’s been close to a century since you last took a wife. Now, all your brothers as well as your cousins have found their mates, and you’re still alone. Plus, I can’t imagine it was easy having Rafael and Kaya in your home.”

  “Who the fuck are you? Dr. Freud?” Sin groused, but in truth, Banyan was spot-on.

  “Someone who’s sat on the sidelines for centuries watching and waiting for their own mate to step up to the plate.”

  “Yet you are so calm.”

  “Like I said, I’ve had centuries of hiding my feelings. Of putting on my game face when inside I’m dying.”

  Sin had a new appreciation for the Goyle, even if he did like his sports references. Sin hadn’t spent much time around Banyan since the male relocated from New Orleans, but what he’d seen he liked. “Speaking of games, have you and Urijah come to any type of truce? I would rather not have to ask you to leave town when you only arrived a short while ago.”

  Banyan blanched but quickly recovered. “We have. He will be solely responsible for forging new weapons, and I will continue to lead training. On the days he is scheduled to spar, I will make myself scarce.”

  “And you are okay with that arrangement?” Sin knew Banyan better than he did Urijah, but Rafael had brought Uri to the West Coast. Even though Rafe was his brother, Sin wouldn’t go against his King’s wishes no matter how close they were.

  “I am. While I love working in the armory, I’m Goyle enough to step back and let Uri have his day. Besides, it gives me more time to do other things.” Banyan didn’t elaborate as to what those other things were, and Sin let it go. They walked together toward their vehicles. Sin had driven his Lamborghini, and Banyan had shown up on a silver Harley Street Glide. Sin was one of the few Clan members who didn’t ride a motorcycle. Not that he didn’t enjoy them, because he did. He preferred the smooth ride of his sleek, high-end sports car more.

  “If you need me to spar, or for any other type of recreation to take your mind off things, I’m here,” Banyan offered.

  Sin wasn’t about to touch the other type. It wasn’t that he was opposed to sex with another male. Over the five centuries he’d been alive, Sinclair had enjoyed sex with males on occasion. Sometimes he needed to let loose, and with a Goyle, he didn’t have to worry about hurting them. No, this was about not wanting to get in the middle of whatever this thing was with Banyan and Urijah. He wasn’t even sure sex was what Banyan had been suggesting. Still…

  “I appreciate the offer. For now, I am going to let the horses loose,” he said, gesturing to his car. It was still early, and maybe a ride up the California coastline would do him good.

  Banyan grinned. “I understand that. I’ll catch you later.” He slung a long leg over the seat of his bike and started it up.

  Between the sports car and the Harley, the sounds of purring motors filled the air. Sin drank it in before throwing his car in gear and heading out. He cranked the stereo, letting the sounds of Cyanide Sweetness wash over him. Sin liked hard rock, but knowing one of their own offspring was belting out the lyrics made it even better. They had been lucky where Sixx’s son was concerned. If it wasn’t for his mate, Simone, they might not have found the half-blood in time. Fuck! Even Desi had found hi
s mate, and the kid was only twenty-three. Sin was almost six hundred, and he felt as though he was destined to live out the rest of his days either fucking random people or marrying humans only to watch them eventually die.

  Maybe Banyan hadn’t been offering himself up for sex, but now that the seed had been planted, it was exactly what Sinclair wanted to get his mind off not having a mate. Vivian, the curvy redhead Finley brought around several times, had hinted at having a friend who was into playing. Sin turned the volume down and hit the button on the steering wheel to dial the phone. When the robotic voice asked for instructions, Sin said, “Call Finley.”

  A sleepy voice answered on the third ring. “Sin? You okay?”

  “No. I need you to bring Vivian and her friend over.”

  “Now?” Finley whispered.

  “Is now not a good time? I could meet you at your place,” Sin offered. Having Gargoyle hearing allowed him to eavesdrop.

  “Go back to sleep. It’s just Sin,” Fin said to whoever was in bed with him. By the sound of things, Finley got out of bed and closed the door behind him. A few seconds later, he was back. “The fucking sun’s not even up, Sinclair. How about I come around tonight? You know, when normal Goyles are awake?”

  Sin let out a deep sigh and ran a hand down his face. “Yeah, whatever.” Frustrated, he disconnected the call. He didn’t want to go home. There was nothing there for him except a lot of alcohol and his garden. The sanctuary hadn’t offered any peace earlier. It was why he’d called on Banyan. Now, he was even more restless, and driving around aimlessly had lost its appeal. For about five seconds, Sin considered calling Banyan and asking what exactly he had in mind earlier, but he thought of Urijah. Nope. Still not getting between the two of them. Sin had enough headaches. Deciding he needed to expound some more energy, Sin turned the car towards the gym.

  Like Frey’s gym back in New Atlanta, The Iron Bar was open twenty-four hours a day. Unlike Lion Hart Dojo, where several styles of martial arts as well as boxing were taught, the gym Sinclair had purchased several years ago was geared toward body-builders. There were a few cardio machines scattered throughout the large building, but for the most part, weight machines filled the space. When he bought the failing business, Sin remodeled it to fit the needs of the Gargoyles with a private area where they could work out unhindered by human eyes.

  The special punching bags that filled the room were the ones Julian had designed to withstand their extra strength. Malakai Palamo had worked there for a while, but he missed the martial arts sparring and had moved to New Atlanta to help out Frey. Sin employed all Gargoyles so he didn’t have to worry about any humans walking in on him while he was pounding away at the bag. He parked the Lambo in his reserved spot and headed inside. Thane Sommers, who had recently relocated from New Orleans, was manning the desk. Thane had been instrumental in helping to rescue Desi a few weeks back when he’d been kidnapped by Alistair’s goons.

  Whenever Sinclair thought of his uncle, his blood boiled. If it were up to him, he’d fly across the ocean to Greece and take the bastard out once and for all. Alistair had been targeting the mates of the Stone Society for months now, and Sin was tired of it. But it wasn’t his call to make. Rafael was biding his time, getting the Society ready for war by training instead of meeting the Goyle head-on.

  “Sin, you’re here awfully early. Everything okay?”

  “Couldn’t sleep. Thought I would get a little workout in before too many people show up.”

  “Let me know if you need anything.”

  Sin clapped the Goyle on the shoulder and strode toward the back of the building, doing his best to keep his mind off the “anything” offer. As with Banyan, Sin was trying to keep his libido in check. The urge to fuck was growing stronger by the minute, and he was pretty sure Thane only went for females.

  Sin didn’t bother stopping by the office. He had males he trusted in place to run the gym. Since he was already dressed properly from sparring with Banyan, he headed straight to the private room and got down to punching and kicking. After a couple of hours of his mind refusing to close down, Sin gave up and hit the shower. As did most of the Clan in the area, Sin kept several changes of clothes in the private locker room. Whenever they hunted the Unholy, the Goyles often got bloody and needed a place they could wash up and change. It was rare they had the opportunity to fully phase when they were tracking the monsters. Maybe that was part of Sin’s problem – he needed to let the beast loose.

  Sin’s home was located on property that backed up to the Angeles Forest, and when the moon was new, it was the perfect time to take to the skies. He had to fly low, but he was able to let his shifter come out to play. It had been over three weeks since he’d done more than allow his wings to unfurl and longer still since he’d taken anyone to his bed. The beast within was eerily quiet. When his shifter stopped chattering incessantly in his ear, that’s when Sin knew something had to change.

  After showering, Sin made his way toward the front of the gym. As he reached the counter, Thane was having a conversation with a human male. He was almost as tall as Sin’s six-three, and he was built, so he already worked out somewhere. Something about the man was off, at least to Sin’s senses. His smell was masked deeply by that of a woman, and it called to Sin. He studied the human as he and Thane spoke about membership fees. Sin’s shifter came to life. Get closer. I want to smell him.

  Oh, now you want to talk. Sin did not move closer, and his shifter vibrated. Would you fucking stop it? I’m not getting closer so we can sniff him. Maybe the man had recently rolled out of bed with a woman. He inhaled deeply from where he was. Big mistake. Sin became light-headed. He tossed a hand up to Thane, not wanting to interrupt, and hurried out the door for fresh air. Godsdamn, that was weird.

  The beast rumbled deep inside, but Sin ignored it. Maybe Banyan was right and Sin needed to get laid. Hopefully, Finley would bring the females over sooner rather than later, and he could slake at least some of his need.

  Rocky rolled over and looked at the clock. Six a.m. was too damn early for her to be awake, but her dreams wouldn’t leave her alone. She’d rather get up after three hours of sleep than to revisit the face in her nightmares. Too bad she had to see his face in her waking hours, too. Staring at the ceiling, Rocky scratched at the spot on her arm that would always haunt her, even if it wasn’t bruised and begging for a needle. Rocky was at another low point in her life, but this time she’d come up with a solution that wouldn’t have her dancing for money. “I’m so sorry, Uncle Ray.” The tears began to fall as Rocky thought of putting the bar up for sale, but she would rather sell her uncle’s legacy than sell her soul to the devil. Again.

  As she wiped the tears from her eyes, Rocky’s phone pinged with a text message. She rolled over and grabbed it off the nightstand. Sighing, Rocky punched in her pin and read the text from her best friend.

  Got a hottie who wants to play tonight.

  Rocky had seen the hotties Vivian hung around, and the girl could definitely pick them. The one named Finley was nothing less than a god. He was well over six feet, and his coloring was unlike anything Rocky had ever seen before. His hair was reddish brown, and his eyes were emerald green, yet his skin was tan. He had a perpetual smile on his extremely handsome face. If he wanted to play, Rocky wouldn’t say no. Well, any day but today. She had too much to get done. The first thing she had to do was go see Joel Warren. She hadn’t seen her uncle’s partner and lawyer much over the last three years, but she wanted to get his help in putting the bar up for sale. It was going to take a lot of guts for Rocky to be honest with the man, but she owed him that much.

  First, she responded to the friend who’d helped her get clean. You know I love me some hotties, but today’s a no-go. Raincheck?

  Definitely. This is one man you’re gonna fall for. Guaranteed.

  Not if Rocky had anything to say about it. She’d fallen for one man, and he’d nearly killed her. It was because of him she had to sell the only thing in her l
ife that meant something. The only link she had left to the man who had loved her. Besides, even if Rocky fell for someone, she was no longer worthy to have a good man. She had nothing to offer anyone other than an abused body.

  Give him a blowjob for me. Rocky didn’t have to give Viv instructions on how to please a man. Having been a prostitute for a couple of years when she ran away from home at the age of seventeen, the girl knew her way around a dick. And a pussy. Viv was an equal opportunity pleaser. Ever since Vivian had taken care of Rocky and saw her through the worst days of her life, the two had been the best of friends. Rocky owed her life to the busty redhead, so when she wanted Rocky to join in her late-night trysts, Rocky couldn’t say no. Since she was never going to let herself get involved with any one man ever again, she had nothing against having a little fun in the sack as long as she could walk away sober at the end of the night, and Viv made sure she walked away.

  She tossed her phone on the bed, padded to the kitchen, and started the coffee pot. While she waited for it to brew, she lit a cigarette and rummaged through her mail, sorting it between bills and junk. A shiny postcard caught her eye. A free week’s membership at the local gym. Rocky didn’t have the money for what came after the free trial, but she would love to start getting back in shape. Dancing had kept her thin body lithe, even if she’d been strung out. Now, she was just skinny. She tucked the postcard into her purse and decided to check it out before she dropped in to see Mr. Warren.

  Rocky pulled back the curtain and peeked out the back window that overlooked the parking lot behind the bar. On the other side of the lot was a small park where Rocky used to like to sit and enjoy the sunshine. When more and more families began showing up, it hurt her heart too much to watch them. Growing up, Rocky had dreams of becoming a nurse and having a family of her own – the perfect husband, two kids, and a dog. Her husband was going to be tall. So tall she had to lean back to see his handsome face. They were going to have a boy and a girl, both of whom took after their father, because Rocky wasn’t anything special to look at.