Bonnie and Clyde were the first to greet me when I arrived at the Valentino compound. Admittedly, I'd been nervous about the welcome I would receive from the Valentinos, and I was reassured by the chorus of high pitched whimpers as Vincent's dogs jumped on my legs despite his commands to stay down.
"Clearly, these two don't think you're a threat," he said as he lured them into the kitchen with the promise of treats. "We should have used them as our guide. Dogs are keen to sense danger."
I sat on the floor as the dogs devoured their snacks, letting them lick me with bacon-scented breath. "When I was six, my dog saved me from getting hit by a car. She barked and alerted me just in time."
Vincent stilled and closed his eyes as he blanched. He looked as if I told him I had actually died. "I am very glad she did."
A moment later, Colin walked through the door and smiled down at me. "Hey, Reese. You're home. Looks like the dogs are happy to see you."
I thought about the word home and how easily it rolled off Colin's tongue. The place was definitely starting to feel like home. "Maybe they thought I'd been eaten by a demon." I shrugged when both Colin and Vincent offered me incredulous stares. "I need to figure out what to do with my apartment... and Mr. Pearlman."
"Do you have to do something about Mr. Pearlman?" Colin asked, bending down to acknowledge the dogs as they greeted him with wagging tails.
"Yes. He's old and needy, and he can't afford a caretaker. I've already saved his life once. What if he had another heart attack and died because I wasn't there to help him?"
"Reese, you can't save everyone," Colin said. "You just said he was old. He's lived a full life."
I grimaced at him. "Spoken by someone whose job is to protect the citizens of New York City, or is that just a cover so you can come off looking heroic?"
Colin looked taken aback but he recovered smoothly. "I don't get any credit for what I do. My heroics are only appreciated by my family."
"That's right, Colin. Keep telling yourself that," Vincent said as he reached for my hand and helped me off the floor. "We'll work something out regarding Mr. Pearlman."
Vincent graced me with a reassuring smile and a chaste kiss just before a slender, well-dressed man walked out of his bedroom with Vincent's clothes draped over his shoulder. The man's eyebrows rose when he saw me, and I mimicked his gesture. Awkward didn't begin to cover the moment. Vincent cleared his throat as he introduced the man.
"Reese, you haven't met Bates. He visits twice a week to make sure the Valentino bachelors don't embarrass ourselves with our narcissistic lifestyle."
Bates still hadn't lowered his eyebrows even as he reached out a meticulously manicured hand to greet me, and that's when I realized his eyebrows had been plucked to give him a perpetually surprised expression. Based on his high-collared shirt and flawlessly groomed blond hair, I hadn't expected him to be the housekeeper.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Reese. I heard Vincent found himself a steady girl. Now I know who these belong to." Bates pulled the clothes off his shoulder and extracted my blue lace underwear, waving them in the air. Geez, how inappropriate. Colin laughed and I was convinced my face had gone scarlet.
"Oh, dear. I hope I haven't overstepped my bounds," Bates said, although I could tell he was enjoying the joke as much as Colin. "These are yours, I assume. I was going to throw them into the wash with Vincent's clothes."
All I could manage was a strangled version of, "Um..."
"Bates takes his job seriously," Vincent interrupted, speaking through tight lips. "And if he wants to keep it, he will refrain from making assumptions."
Bates turned his eyebrows on Vincent. "Oh, Vincent. You're such a tease. I'll take my leave, or we'll be here forever waiting for you to find your sense of humor." He tossed the clothes over his shoulder, and the sleeve of Vincent's shirt narrowly missed hitting Vincent in the head.
Colin still wore an obnoxious grin as he shrugged at Bates' retreating back. "So, Vincent. What's the story with Rafael? I heard you and he talked this morning and he issued you a formal challenge for Reese."
"That's correct."
"And you didn't think to tell me?" Colin said, his grin fading behind pursed lips.
"Or me?" I chimed in as my stomach did a back flip off the couch.
Vincent calmly waved off our inquiries as if we had no reason to be upset. "I've been occupied and haven't had a chance to make an announcement."
"Did Rafael choose a time and location?" Colin asked as he and Vincent walked to the couch to discuss their plans. No one seemed to notice me standing in a mute stupor under the foyer light. Apparently, I was on my own to contemplate the ramifications of the challenge. The situation involved me as much as it did Vincent.
Why was Rafael even interested in me? He hardly knew me. Was I just a pawn in a rivalry between him and Vincent? Surely, Rafael couldn't match Vincent's strength. He was smaller than Vincent in height and width. Of course, size didn't always matter. Rafael might be an excellent fighter, and his smaller stature could allow him to dodge Vincent's assaults. What if Vincent lost? Would I be forced to date someone I had no interest in? This whole challenge business was ridiculous, really. Battling for a woman's hand went out with the knights of the round table and chivalry.
Wren and Griffin walked in the door in the middle of my internal monologue, and Wren quickly swept me into her arms.
"I'm so glad you're back with us, Reese. I knew you didn't have malice in your heart, and you have brought Vincent such comfort."
"I kept telling everyone you would never betray us," Griffin put in as she bent down to slip Bonnie and Clyde each a rawhide bone. "And I'm an excellent judge of character."
"Thanks. Both of you," I said. "I'm glad to be back."
Wren's forehead wrinkled as she stepped back to study me. "What's wrong? You look anxious."
I glanced over at Vincent and Colin, who were speaking covertly on the couch. "Rafael issued a formal challenge to Vincent."
"Is that so?" Wren pursed her lips as she joined me in staring at her sons. Apparently, she didn't appreciate being left out of the loop either. "Well, Rafael is a troubled young gollum. He has been brooding ever since Adele refused him and chose to mate with William." Wren offered a reassuring pat on my shoulder. "Don't worry about the challenge. Vincent is a powerful gollum with thirteen years' experience over Rafael. And if Rafael does manage to draw first blood, you have the right to refuse his offer to mate with you."
My stomach had still not recovered from that backflip, and Wren's pep talk did little to comfort me. Rafael's motives struck me as ill-conceived and reckless, but what did I know. I was still learning the ways of gollums.
Bates returned to the living room carrying a bucket and a toilet brush. His sleeves were rolled up, but he looked like he was dressed to attend the opera.
"Hi Bates!" Griffin acknowledged him enthusiastically, and he bent forward to let her kiss his cheek.
"Hello Griffin. How's my favorite gollum?"
I nearly choked when I heard their exchange, but I managed to cover it with a subtle clearing of my throat. So, Bates was privy to their alternate lifestyle, eh? Is that how he got away with his haughty attitude? He could blackmail the Valentinos if they fired him. Of course, each one of the Valentinos could drop him where he stood if he went too far. It was probably a fair trade.
"How is Gerald?" Griffin asked. "When are you two joining us for dinner again? I just love his Irishman impersonation."
"Gerald has been busy with the production, but closing night is a week from tomorrow, so he'll be free until they start rehearsing for the new play."
Bates glared at me when he caught me staring at them, and I quickly blinked, pretending to be interested in Clyde as he gnawed on his rawhide at my feet. I couldn't help feeling like he didn't care for me. Bates, not Clyde.
When Bates announced he had finished for the day, Griffin and Wren escorted him out, and I wandered into Vincent's bedroom to sprawl across his bed. The comforter had been smoothed carefully over the mattress, and a new set of shams covered the throw pillows where they rested in perfect symmetry against the headboard. I felt wicked yanking a pillow from its position and tucking it under my head.
When I woke up, Vincent's arm was draped across my waist and his ankle snaked around my leg. His soft respirations told me he had joined me in a nap, and based on the lack of light in the room, I knew it was evening. A few minutes before eight by my internal clock. I took advantage of Vincent's proximity and brushed my fingers through his hair. I loved touching him, the solid contour of his jaw, the firm ridges of his torso, the powerful muscle between his legs. A masterpiece of flesh and bone.
"Please, don't worry about the challenge," Vincent said, his voice whispering low and sensual in the dark. "I have no intention of losing." I felt the bed bow as he rolled onto his side and slipped his hand behind my head to pull me in for a kiss. Mmm, how I adored his lips. "Are you up for a transformation lesson? I will rest a lot easier when I know you can defend yourself."
"Err, right here? Right now?"
"Not here. On the balcony. It might help you to focus better. Gollums are more at ease when they have a means of taking flight."
"You know I'm not fond of heights."
"You'll get over that."
Vincent slid off the bed, pulling me to my feet, and I slipped on my baby doll shoes before letting him lead me outside. My toes seemed to be the only parts of my body that ever got cold. I figured it was a gollum thing.
"Are gollums more acclimatized to the cold?" I asked as we walked to the balcony wall to take in the city lights.
"Yes. We thrive in the cold. There aren't many gollums living in the tropics." After a few moments of thoughtful observation, Vincent took me to task. "Are you ready to recite the mantras?"
"Ready as I'll ever be."
Taking in a deep breath, I recited the mantras while Vincent watched me like a hawk, and I sailed through the first two stages easily. When the third stage hit, I reached out to clench Vincent's shirt between my fingers as I fought the desire to climax. At the same time, the pain started up in my jaw, and I redirected my focus there. This time, I actually felt my fangs growing in, triggering a desire to bit down on something to alleviate the ache, but any unpleasantness was offset by the tingling between my legs.
I was feeling pretty proud of myself for overcoming the desire to climax until something altogether different happened. My limbs began to twinge, and the sensation of pins and needles shot down my arms and legs. I grunted loudly and fell forward, taking Vincent with me as my fingernails tore through the front of his shirt. He grabbed me by the wrists and held me at arm's length to avoid being shredded by what were now three inch claws extending past my fingertips.
"Holy crap." I looked down at my feet in time to watch a set of wicked talons puncture the fabric of my baby doll shoes. These suckers would put Mr. Pearlman's toenails to shame.
"I should have anticipated that," Vincent said as he inspected my thick, yellow toenails. "It looks like I owe you a new pair of shoes."
"And I owe you a new shirt," I said as I pointed at the rips I'd torn into his V-neck.
"Don't worry about it. I've got plenty of spares. How did that feel? Did you experience much pain?"
The chaos in my body had gradually subsided, and I rested my head against Vincent's chest, hoping the worst was over.
"The pain was pretty severe right before my nails grew in. It felt like pins and needles digging into my bones. I'm glad it stopped there. I was definitely praying for relief."
Vincent stroked my hair as he held me. "It sounds like you're tolerating the transition well. I was worried it would be more difficult because of your advanced age."
I craned my neck to look at him. "Excuse me? Twenty-five is not advanced."
"It is when you should have started your training twenty years ago." He pressed a kiss to my lips but didn't linger. "Now that we've gone this far, do you want to try it again? You shouldn't experience as much pain."
Boy, this guy was relentless. "Can I sit down a minute. I need to... transcend the situation."
Vincent walked me to a chaise and sat me down, looming over me as he waited. I had come to recognize this behavior in him. It was in his nature to loom, and the sooner I embraced it the better. I surveyed my new nails, which were not attractive by any stretch of the imagination, and I swiped my tongue across my teeth to confirm that my fangs had returned. What would be next? Wings? How would it feel to have something grow out of my back? I remembered the night Vincent transformed in front of me. Despite my attraction to his gollum form, watching the change had been traumatizing. Was it different for females? I had not seen Amelia in her gollum form, or any female, for that matter. Was I ready to continue without any frame of reference?
"What will it be like for me when I completely transform?" I asked him. "Will I get taller, like you? Will my muscles bulge out? Do females grow as huge as males?"
Vincent maintained his stoic presence over me, but his expression softened. "When a gollum transforms, he or she grows the same in height as they do in mass. For males it's about three inches. It's half that for females. The wings make up the bulk of the growth, having to accommodate and serve a full grown gollum. Would it help if you witnessed a female make the change?"
I shrugged and nodded simultaneously. The movement made me dizzy. "Maybe."
Vincent pulled out his phone and scrolled across the screen before putting it to his ear. "Amelia. Are you and Griffin busy? I'm in the middle of transformation training with Reese. I was hoping you two could give her a demo. Thanks." He pocketed his cell in one graceful move. "Done."
Griffin looked more excited than a kid on Christmas day when she and Amelia arrived. Both girls were wearing black bikinis, which I didn't question despite the cold bite in the air.
"Oh, Reese. Look at you. You're nearly there." Griffin made this proclamation as she clapped her hands excitedly. "And, your fangs! They're beautiful."
"Thanks, Griffin." I stood from the chaise, and as I attempted to balance on my new talons, Amelia pulled me in for a hug.
"Welcome home, Reese. I'm sorry I haven't been over to see you. I've been on the phone all day doing Vincent's bidding." She smirked at Vincent, and he responded with a What's your point? eyebrow lift.
Without any preamble, Amelia and Griffin proceeded with their transformation, and I watched with rapt fascination as they made the change with almost no grimacing. In fact, Griffin seemed to be enjoying herself far too much, and I couldn't help speculating what the cause might be. When they were in full gollum form, Griffin let me feel her wings.
"They're a lot stiffer than I thought they would be," I said as I stroked the taut leathery membrane. Each section was stretched between veiny ribs, reminding me of bat wings.
"Has Vincent never transformed in front of you?" Griffin asked.
"Yes, but I was afraid to touch his wings. I wasn't sure how he would react."
"It depends on the gollum. Some are very protective of their wings." Griffin grinned at Vincent, and he responded with a shrug that neither confirmed nor denied whether he was one of those protective gollums.
"Would you like to see us fly, Reese?" Amelia asked. "Griffin and I have this little aeronautic ballet we like to perform."
"I would love it."
I caught Vincent rolling his eyes as I slipped my shoulder under his arm. "Don't tell me you've never engaged in aeronautics," I said.
"I'm afraid it has been a long time since I've flown for pleasure, but I have a feeling that will change once you're flying by my side."
He offered his reply as he pressed a kiss to my head, and I glanced up at him, bracing against another bout of dizziness, but my attention was quickly redirected to Amelia and Griffin as they climbed onto the balcony wall, preparing for flight. Each girl took up a position on either side of the eagle-shaped gargoyle, and a moment later they were diving off the railing into the black night.
I gasped as I watched them disappear, dragging Vincent's arm across my body protectively and making no attempt to lean over the side to look for them. A second later, the pair swooped upward in unison, their talons pointed and their hands clasped at their chests as if in prayer. Amelia reached out to Griffin and swung the young gargoyle over her head, sending Griffin tumbling sideways.
I stood rooted to the spot with my mouth hanging open as the girls performed their acrobatic duet over the bustling streets of Manhattan. I'd been privy to plenty of amazing acts in my life. I'd seen Cirque du Soleil four times, but I could not come up with a single instance where I was held in such awe, and when they returned to the balcony, I was breathless.
"That was absolutely brilliant," I said, stumbling across the tile in my new gollum feet to meet them. "I don't think I'll ever be comfortable enough to do somersaults in midair though. I have a fear of heights."
Griffin laughed. "You'll get over that."
"That's what I hear," I said as I grinned at Vincent.
"Thank you for the demonstration," Vincent said in his no-nonsense voice.
"Can we stay while you train?" Griffin asked. "I really want to see you sprout wings for the first time, Reese."
My cheeks suddenly went cold and clammy, which must have been obvious because Amelia tugged on Griffin's arm. "I don't think that would be appropriate, Griffin. I'm sure Reese doesn't want an audience. This is her personal journey. Remember what it was like for you?"
Griffin's lower lip protruded in a pout. "Not really. I was five years old."
"Well, you remember enough to know how vulnerable it makes you," Amelia said.
That appeared to be the end of it, and both girls wished me good luck as they said their goodnights. When they had disappeared into the apartment, Vincent swiftly drew me into his arms, although I wasn't sure what prompted the affectionate gesture.
"You don't have to continue your practice if you don't want to," he said over my head. "I sense your apprehension, and I don't want to push you too far."
"I want to be able to protect myself, but I'm scared as hell about growing wings. I keep imagining them ripping my back open and bleeding to death."
Vincent's face pinched as he scowled down at me. "Reese. Did you see Amelia or Griffin writhing in pain? There is no ripping of skin. The transformation is experienced internally, intangibly. One minute you're human, and a moment later you're not. You're so close. I'd really like to see how close."
I bit down on my lip in a nervous gesture and immediately regretted it. These fangs were damn sharp. "Fine, once more. Then I'm done for the night."
Vincent nodded and released me from his smothering grip, stepping back to give me space. As soon as I started the mantras, I immediately regretted it. I didn't want wings to sprout from my back, intangible or otherwise. The thought scared me shitless, but it was too late, and I tackled each sensation with grim determination, letting the experience take me where I needed to go. The pain took hold about ten seconds in, gripping my entire body rather than just my limbs, a mixture of pressure and pain, like a pair of arms had me locked in a bear hug. Vincent's smothering grip came to mind.
I stumbled backward and reached out for the chaise as I lost my balance, and Vincent rushed forward, stopping my fall with his strong arms and scooping me into them. He carried me into the apartment, making a beeline for his bathroom. A moment later, the bracing chill of water had me drenched from head to talon, which seemed to be Vincent's cure-all for everything. When I finally regained some self-control, I spoke as I nuzzled his neck.
"You don't have to bring me into the shower to make me wet."
My comment had Vincent gracing me with a rare, heart-stopping smile. "Oh, but Miss Kentwell, you look so delicious when you're wet."
PLAYLIST SONG: Learning To Fly by Pink Floyd