“And find my succubus!”
Wiping sweat from his brow, Mike squinted up at the setting sun. He and Tink had made quick work of installing the new decking on the front porch, establishing a rhythm where Tink would lay one plank and set it with a single screw, and then Mike would put in the next three while Tink measured, cut, and set the next board. Luckily the day had been relatively cool, but Mike’s shoulders were sore from working for the last three hours, and he was thirsty.
He stood and walked inside to refill his water bottle, then sucked greedily at the cool fluid while wondering if he should start making dinner. He had defrosted some burger meat, which would go perfect on the little gas grill he had purchased and put out back near the fountain. Burgers would be quick enough, he decided while strolling out the back to preheat the grill. Tink would hardly even notice his absence—the little goblin was a workhorse and would soldier on without him.
Naia floated lazily in her fountain, watching tiny birds land in the upper basin to bathe. A stray duck had taken up residence too, swimming quiet circles around the nymph and quacking softly to her. Several small animals made daily pilgrimages to the fountain. Mike’s presence didn’t seem to bother them in the least, and on more than one occasion, he had heard Naia singing to them. She was like a storybook princess, and Mike wondered if someday a prince would come and steal her away from him.
“How is it going out front?” Naia asked. Unable to go anywhere but the fountain and the enchanted tub in the master bathroom, she relied on Mike for news about the house.
“Good. Tink will probably finish in the next hour without me.” Mike knelt beneath the grill and turned on the gas. “Once the porch is done, we can get the trellis in and work on replacing those bushes.”
“Sounds like you’ve been working hard.” The nymph vanished beneath the water and reappeared moments later, the fabric of her dress clinging to her breasts. “Maybe you should take a break?”
Mike chuckled. “I suppose I might be up for some rest and relaxation. I warn you though, I stink.” He clicked the starter on the grill, and it roared to life.
Naia laughed, a sound like tiny bells. “Maybe I don’t mind how you smell?”
“I think you’re about to find out.” Walking toward the fountain, Mike lifted his shirt over his head, temporarily losing sight of where he was going. Without warning, two powerful hands grabbed him around the waist and yanked him straight up in the air. When he cried out in alarm, Naia laughed in response. The flight was brief and tumultuous, and moments later he was gently set down on a hard surface.
“What the fuck?” After pulling his shirt back down, he realized that he was now on the roof of the house between two turrets. This portion of the roof was very slightly sloped and appeared to be reinforced with metal.
“I didn’t mean to startle you.” A powerful tail wrapped around his waist, turning him in place.
He stared into Abella’s dark eyes.
“Naia was supposed to lure you out into the open for me, but I didn’t expect you to start stripping down already.”
“Lure me out into the open?” Mike asked. Looking down off the roof, he could see part of the fountain and most of the garden around it. The old iron gate that separated the backyard from the forest was the only part of the wall around the property that wasn’t made of stone. “Why?”
“I’ve been watching you all day. Seeing you work. Watching you sweat.” The powerful creature before him looked at her hands, her fingers weaving together and apart. “Naia told me I needed to be more forward with you, but it’s been so hard to get you alone since last week.”
Mike knew exactly what she was talking about. Ever since the incident with Sarah, Cecilia or Tink was always by his side as a precaution. Abella’s body was made of stone, which meant she couldn’t come inside the house without potentially damaging the floor. He glanced across the roof, spotting that Abella’s usual perches had been reinforced with steel beams that had been painted to match the wood.
“Get me alone for what?” He held back a grin, watching the gargoyle for a response.
Her stony skin darkened, a color that traveled down her neck and across her upper chest. When her wings were folded in, she appeared to be wearing a soft gray cloak, but recently he could tell that she had adjusted her wings to reveal more of her cleavage.
“I watch you all the time, from above. And sometimes it makes me think of that time we, you know…,” Abella said shyly, then forced a smile. “And I was hoping we could maybe do that again.”
“Go to the greenhouse?”
“No.” Abella shook her head. “I want to have those…feelings again.”
The first time Mike had met Abella, she had rescued him from the Mandragora plant, which had hungrily dragged him into the greenhouse. The interior of the greenhouse was like a separate world, and the two of them had become stranded on a cliffside with an approaching storm. Her life force had been drained by the Mandragora, and she had suggested a sexual coupling to transfer enough energy to her, allowing her to fly away to safety.
“I see.” Mike reached out to push a strand of jet-black hair across her forehead. It felt stiff like hay but yielded. “It seems like that was forever ago.” Even though it had only been last week, he had been nearly killed on three separate occasions since. Each time, Abella had been there for him, and perhaps he wasn’t spending nearly as much time with her as he should be.
“Yes,” Abella agreed. “Things have been
