Page 71 of Charming Her Monsters

“Just thinking.” I smile, hoping I’m doing it right. I’m so out of practice with human expressions and nuances.

“Do you feel like sharing?” she asks gently.

“I shouldn’t have interrupted your lesson. I just don’t enjoy hearing you being hurt.”

“Uh, yeah, Jade…” Calder appears shy and unsure of himself. “I could have warned you, and I feel badly that I didn’t.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but you both can stop treating me with kid gloves. I need to know all of this, and I’m sure there will be a few bumps and bruises as I learn about my powers. I’m a grown-ass woman, and I’ll let you know when I’ve had too much.”

“I wasn’t trying to make you feel less than the powerful witch you surely will become,” I hurry to apologize. “I just… I feel protective of you. If that makes you uncomfortable, I will stay away.”

Jade grabs my hand, and I freeze… At least, my hand is unmovable stone. Apparently, I’m not completely beyond my psychological block.

Her eyes widen, and then an almost imperceptible frown pulls at her beautiful lips. “I don’t want you to go anywhere. I like that you are protective of me, but I’m asking for you to realize I might get hurt as I learn.”

“I don’t like it.”

Jade strokes my hand. “I know, my giant sweetie.”

She returns to finishing her meal, and Calder and I do the same.

He gives me a helpless grin when Jade isn’t looking, and I return it. She has cracked open his chest too. Soon, she will have all our hearts at her mercy.

“What’s next in my training?” Jade asks, then smirks. “Or are you just planning to zap my brain over and over?”

“Your magic seems to be coming in,” I say. “You may want to meditate and become familiar with how it feels inside you.”

“It feels a bit like I’m high on sugar or adrenaline. Or I shocked myself with an electrical outlet. My whole body sort of feels like it’s buzzing.” Jade holds out her hands and stares at them. “Is that how your magic feels?”

“We don’t have a lot of active magic like you will have,” Calder explains. “I have some magical ability, but it has mostly to do with mental shields, my rebirth process, sensing impending death, and… nevermind.” His cheeks turn pink, and he picks at his food.

Jade glances over at me. She’s curious, but doesn’t push the obviously flustered phoenix. I believe I know what he avoided mentioning, and I don’t blame him for omitting it. However, I find it interesting that he came so close to disclosing his intimate secret.

I divert attention to myself. “As you witnessed the other day, I can camouflage my presence, essentially becoming invisible.”

“Hold up. Did you ever do that inside my house? I had felt like someone was watching me. But I suppose that feeling could have been from Floofer…”

“I didn’t watch you from inside your house. But I stood guard outside of your home the day Rob came by and almost killed you.” I remember the first time she truly caught my interest. “You kept looking in my direction when you would peek out of the window. I thought you might have been able to see me.”

“I felt you. Were you over on the side of the blue house with the pink oleander bush?”

“I was.” Though my delight quickly falters as I remember the rest of what happened. “I wasn’t able to protect you. I believed you had let Rob in on your own volition. I should have known better.”

“From what you told me, Osen let Rob into my house without a fight. Besides, you didn’t know me then. You barely do now, so I don’t blame you.”

I don’t like the reminder that I barely know Jade. I believe I know the most important part—how she makes me feel. She is also giving and forgiving, how smart, funny, and thoughtful. There’s no doubt in me she is a good person.

Now that I’m coming to know her, I see how beautiful she is on the outside, but her inner beauty is what’s awakened my attraction.

I must finally show her my true gargoyle form so I will know if she can endure to even hold my hand again. I dare not hope for her to ever kiss me or to mate.

If all she wishes to give me is an occasional hug. I will have to be okay with her decision. I don’t believe I can live without her in my life in some way—however that may be. Her comfort and happiness comes before all else. Even before my makeshift pack, but I feel in my bones sheismy pack, so fortunately, there is no conflict.

Perhaps with her human sensibilities, she might never understand the depth at which I will love and adore her. I have perceived that she doesn’t quite comprehend how deeply Maxum and Arran feel already. Their feelings and commitment to her will only solidify and grow.

“May I ask what else you can do?” Jade eyes me. “You mentioned sensing the danger of an innocent. And I know you can turn to stone. But can you explain how that is possible?”

My heart dances in my chest that she is interested in what I am. “Our people are said to have first come from huge magical stones. Fae mages found us over a thousand years ago and carved our forms from the blocks. They claimed they could sense there were souls ready to be born from the earth. They just removed the excess material to reveal who we were. The first of us were even larger than I am, and the elves taught the first of us to come alive, to move and then to fight and protect. They taught us to shape our magic, and we were able to mimic the softness of humanoid flesh. Over time, we became more Elven-like in our natures. Or what you might say… we became more humanlike. We began to eat food and have emotions. It was then that our own people began carving the rest of us into existence. I am one of the last born from the living stones, made by my own people.”

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