Celeste Carter’s life was finally starting to fall into place. She could afford a place of her own, go entire days without wondering if she made a mistake in ending things with her ex, and put back a little money into her savings. Things were going well. That is, until her coworker sabotaged her work and got her fired for spurning his advances. Now, her apartment is unaffordable, and she has nowhere to go once the rent comes due. When things seem dire, she realizes she doesn’t have to do any of this—not working at a job she hates, not forgoing the things she loves because she’s exhausted from work. She could be done.
Garris has been in this city for over a century, and he’s always been ignored—until her. The pretty human that comes to his roof in the evenings and talks at him has him feeling a connection to something other than his brethren for the first time in millennia. But when that pretty human is standing on the ledge of his roof, looking like she’s about to end her life, he can’t let that happen. Breaking the strict rule of not letting humans know gargoyles exist, he throws off his stone and snatches her from the edge.
The two of them form a friendship during Celeste’s remaining time in that building. But as the clock counts down, neither wants to say goodbye. Having found a place to stay and some part-time work cleaning a cathedral, Celeste invites Garris to come with her. Not wanting to be without her, Garris readily agrees, promising to live on the cathedral roof.
As a relationship blossoms between the two, Celeste finds that Garris isn’t the only person who has taken an interest in her. The priest who invited her into his rectory and gave her work seems to have his own ideas about Celeste’s place in his life. Will Celeste be able to get her life in enough order to get out of her situation before the priest takes things too far? Will Garris, who spends his days in stone, be able to be there when his mate is threatened?
Tropes: can only be together once the sun sets, he saves her life…twice, unhinged priest, uses tail as a restraint, found family group of friends, banging on a house of worship, sensitive horns and wings, gargoyle x human
Available: Kindle – Kindle Unlimited – Paperback
Content Warnings
Religion- I take a lot of liberties with angel and demon lore. The priest in this story is a villain who uses religion as a justification for his actions. The FMC has some pretty negative views on religion. The FMC and MMC have sex frequently on the roof of the cathedral.
Violence- There is discussion of an event in the past where a character’s mate had taken an axe to his chest over and over. The priest is killed in the end by the MMC, who crushes his head before dropping him from the roof of the cathedral. There is a puddle of blood where the priest landed that the FMC sees.
Mental Health- The priest in this story has delusions of the FMC being promised to him by God. He keeps a journal and goes to great lengths in the pursuit of breaking her down to his will, including poisoning her, piling work on her to keep her exhausted, and tightening the reins when he feels she is stepping out of line. He’s obsessive and stalks her. The FMC gets fired from her job in the beginning of the story. She becomes depressed over the state of her life and decides to end it. As she is about to jump from the roof of her apartment building, the MMC saves her and pulls her back from the edge.
Family Estrangement- When the FMC was eighteen, she walked away from her family to attend art school rather than do what they wanted her to. Fourteen years later, she still hasn’t spoken to them.
Sexual Assault/Harassment- At the beginning of the story, the FMC is staying late with the leader of her group at work. He comes onto her, touching her inappropriately and promising to help her up the ladder if she has sex with him. When she declines, he pushes until she threatens to go to the police and the press. Later in the story, she comes home drunk, and the priest she is staying with uses her state of inebriation to grope and kiss her. When she calls him out on it the next day, he tries to gaslight her into believing she was giving him the wrong message. She clarifies her boundaries. Later on, he forcefully bathes her after she gets vomit all over the front of her, stripping her and washing her hair. He guides her to his bed, where he puts her, naked and under a blanket. In the night, he holds her arm over his chest.
Sabotage- When the FMC rebuffs the advances of her coworker, he frames her for actions she didn’t commit, and she ends up losing her job over it.
Explicit Sex & Monsterfucking- The MMC is a gargoyle, and though his body is humanoid, he has wings, horns, and a tail.
Shonna Preston 