Page 39 of Taken for Granite
He noticed her gaze and his hand briefly obscured his dick. “I don’t normally camouflage this part. Fear not,” he said, gracing her with that smirk again.
Cocky gargoyle.
“How are you doing this?” She circled around. Other than the tail, his backside looked one hundred percent human.
“It is an innate ability. Some Khargals are able to shift our form as a disguise.”
“It’s really good. What about—” She waved a hand at her head.
“Some parts of me remain immutable, so I wear hats.”
“A hat?”
“Humans wear a lot of hats.” Then he frowned. “Or they used to. And the tail wraps around my leg. It is tolerable in trousers,” he said, anticipating her next question. “I already explained my cock.”
“That’s an immutable part of you,” she said.
“I suspect it is for most males.”
Juniper rolled her eyes. Such a typical guy response. “We can get you a ballcap. What about your wings? Aren’t they immutable?” She thought his wings would be pretty darn immutable.
With a mock yawn, he stretched his arms over his head and his wings unfurled.
“Oh wow,” she breathed.
Tas grinned with pride. “They collapse and are stored in a flap on my shoulder blades.”
She blinked, barely able to process the words he used. She held out a hand to touch his mended wing but waited for him to give a nod of permission. The leathery membrane felt as it had the night before, perhaps healthier and more robust. “But your skin,” she finally said.
“Pigment is the easiest thing to shift.” He frowned. “Do you not like this visage?”
Juniper stopped her examination of his wings and grabbed his chin. Dutifully he turned to face her. She held his gaze. His amethyst eyes stared at her with such intensity, as if he wanted to be attractive to her.
“I likeyou,” she said. “This is different, but still you. Do you like it?”
He rolled a shoulder and flexed his neck. “I will grow accustomed to it.”
“But do you like it?”
The light in his eyes flared. “I have not been myself for so long, I am unsure.”
That settled the matter in her mind. “Well, then you should be what feels comfortable.”
With a growl, he crouched and planted on hand on the floor. His skin darkened slowly, like drops of ink spreading in water. Wings stretched, taking up nearly the breadth of the living room. His hands flexed and Juniper nearly missed the moment when his form rippled and then doubled in size. Suddenly, his thick thigh was all she could focus on as it grew.
Tas stood to his full height, looking every gorgeous inch a gargoyle—her gargoyle. His bright purple eyes shot through with silver stared down at her, challenging her to be frightened or turn away.
She couldn’t. He was wondrous.
“Oh, wow,” she said, repeating herself.
He examined the room. “I see the interior design is questionable in the entire abode.”
“You don’t like Little Old Lady?”
He raised a brow.
Juniper grinned. “It’s not so bad. You get used to it after a while.”
