Page 87 of Hidden By the Gargoyle

Dax’s arm tightened around me, pulling me back until my shoulders crashed into his abdomen.

“If she wants to come home after we talk, I will bring her,” Dax agreed.

Talant studied him and the ruby fire in his eyes banked. “Very well.” He looked at me, his eyes the color of aged gold. “I will see you soon, little witch.”

I nodded, still frozen at the idea of being forced to go anywhere with Dax after the things that had happened last night and this morning.

“So, we missed everything?” Garrett asked, interrupting the interlude.

“Yep,” Minerva said. “But it’s probably for the best.” She paused. “Wait, didn’t you see Leona on your way in.”

Garrett and Daniel exchanged a glance and then they both shook their heads.

“She was here?” Daniel asked.

Minerva nodded. “You should send someone to check on her mate—” She paused at the sound Talant made deep in his chest. “Her former mate. Talant broke their mate bond and I’m worried what it might have done to him.”

“He should have no ill effects,” Talant murmured.

“Still, just in case,” my aunt argued.

Talant’s eyes came to mine, and he sighed as though my aunt was already exhausting him. I merely shrugged. I’d warned him what Minerva was like and he still wanted to meet her. I wasn’t going to sayI told you so, but I wasn’t going to step in to save him either.

“I’ll take care of it,” Garrett said. “I need to see if she went home, anyway. She has some explaining to do. And crimes to answer for.” His voice was little more than a snarl.

“I can go,” Daniel insisted.

They began to argue in whispers. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but Dax’s arm grew even tighter around me.

“I need to go home and sleep,” Minerva murmured, interrupting the hushed conversation drifting between Daniel and Garrett. She lifted a hand to me. “See you tomorrow, sweet girl. Not too early, though. I’m not kidding about needing the twelve hours of sleep,” she said.

Talant didn’t wait for my response, he turned, a portal of red and gold magic shimmering into sight behind him. He glanced down at my aunt and said, “Think of home.”

Then, he stepped through the portal, and they vanished from sight.

“Dax, we should—” Garrett began, coming toward us.

Dax took a step back, dragging my body with him. “Stay back,” he growled.

Garrett froze, his eyes flicking between Dax and me. Slowly, he raised his hands and took three steps back. “I’m not a threat, brother. I’m mated, remember?”

Dax growled again, a wordless vibration. “Don’t care. Get out of my way.”

It was Daniel’s turn to try to reason with him. “Dax?—”

“Tomorrow,” Dax rumbled, his voice so deep that the rocks around us seemed to vibrate.

He didn’t wait for their response. He scooped me up, clutching me to his chest, and took to the air, swooping past them into a long, rough stone hallway. The sun hurt my eyes when we burst out of the cave, and I gaped at how high up we were. I didn’t even know there was a cave here.

The mountains in Texas weren’t as tall or rugged as the Rockies or green like the Appalachians. They were more like big hills, but they were still beautiful.

Dax soared through the air, rising higher as he wove through the mountains. I shivered at the chill in the wind this far above the ground.

He cradled me closer, as though he wanted to share his body heat with me.

We flew in complete silence for about ten minutes, before Dax began to descent, spiraling down near the peak of another mountain.

I didn’t see the ledge leading into the cave until we were right above it and Dax was dropping down to land.

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