Page 51 of Grotesque Love

“Why has this always fascinated you?”

The corner of my mouth tugs up into a small smile. “We have watched over the manor for hundreds of years.” I chop up an onion. “We’ve seen countless people come into this world, and leave it when they die.”

Lifting the chopping board, I drop the onions into the pan and add a dash of garlic and black pepper before drizzling oil. Then I light the stove, and give everything a quick stir with a wooden spoon.

“They have had riches, been on the verge of destitution. Come from different places, different religions and different classes. And yet…” I cut the carrots into chunks. “Yet nothing seems to bring people together and give them comfort, joy, happiness like a meal with those they love.”

Mal arches his brow, but I just smile again. “I want to bring the people I love together, just like a good meal does.”

He frowns, focusing back on his tail as it wraps around his wrist, the tip digging into his palm.

Scoffing, he doesn’t meet my gaze. “Well, it looks like you’ll have everything you want soon enough. Sax looks very cosy with Ari. She also seemed to like you well enough last night.”

He’s always been like this, so full of himself that the second he takes a knock, it’s like everything falls away. I hate seeing him in this self-doubt, self-pity spiral. I need his smart mouth and razor sharp barbs.

“And what about you?” I tilt my head as I add my carrots to the pan.

While I wait for the onions and carrots to soften, I peel potatoes, chop them and add them to the mix. The smells filling the kitchen are earthy and fresh in a way that makes this space feel like the kitchen of a happy home…instead of a barely used room in an evil, twisted manor house.

“What about me? I’m just in the way. I–I froze. I couldn’t help her.”

“Malachite…” I say softly.

“Don’t pity me,” he whispers roughly, his voice thick with emotion.

“I don’t pity you,” I reply, reaching out to touch his shoulder lightly. “I care about you.”

His shoulders tense at my touch, but he doesn’t pull away. “I never asked you to,” he mutters, dropping his gaze to the floor. He looks almost like a petulant child at this moment.

“That’s not how it works.” I chuckle. “I love you, no matter how much you hate me. We’re family.”

“I don’t–I don’t hate you, Jas,” Mal admits in a low voice, his expression vulnerable.

“You don’t need to lie to spare my feelings.” My heart aches with his admission. “You rarely let me touch you. You don’t like it when I’m near you. I’m not completely clueless.”

“Fuck. That’s not…it’s not…” Malachite trails off, his brow furrowed in frustration as he struggles to find the right words.

I wait, showing him patience and understanding. The gargoyle clearly has something he wants to get off his chest, and I need to channel Sax’s wisdom and let Mal come to me.

“You’re younger than us. Smaller. Softer, somehow,” heeventually continues, his tone tinged with a mix of admiration and concern.

“I don’t want to hurt you, or Ari,” Malachite confesses, his voice wavering with a hint of desperation. “I’m going to ruin you both. Break you. And I can’t…”

In a surge of determination, my hand shoots out, grabbing the back of his neck with a firm grip, mimicking the gesture I’ve observed Sax do countless times. With a fierce intensity in my eyes, I pull his face down to mine.

“You can not break me,” I declare defiantly, pleased that my voice echoes with a strength and confidence I don’t usually possess. “I’m a magical being made from stone. Do your worst.”

As the tension between us simmers, Malachite’s gaze softens, his eyes meeting mine with a depth of emotion that speaks volumes. One he rarely allows me to see.

Without a word, Malachite closes the distance between us, his hand reaching up to gently cup my cheek. The touch of his skin against mine sends shivers down my spine, igniting a fire within me that I can’t deny.

I’ve wanted this for so long, have loved Mal for so long, but he’s always kept such a distance between us. He only allows Sax to touch him because he craves contact, and there’s been no one else around to fuck for decades. Besides, he needs our big Daddy grotesque to put him in his place every now and then. He doesn’t need or want anything from me.Or so I thought.

A mewling sound falls from my lips, causing Mal to smirk a little, but it’s not unkind. Leaning in slowly, our breaths mingle in the space between us, charged with an undeniable electricity. And then, our lips meet in a soft, tentative kiss, sending waves of warmth coursing through my entire being.

I purr.

I didn’t expect Mal to be so gentle with me, and while my heart feels full to bursting at him finally accepting me, I’m a little offended that he’sstilltreating me differently to Sax.

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