Page 49 of Fallen Angels

I swallow hard. I hadn’t noticed. “It was dark in our room,” I say, looking for an excuse. He doesn’t believe it though—the expression of doubt plaguing his face.

“Anyway,” he starts. “Are you ready to train?”

“Yes,” I answer and then clear my throat. “By the way, your new look suits you,” I say, wanting to make up for the fact that I didn’t notice last night. “You can see more of your face.”

“Thanks,” he says and appears utterly uncomfortable.

The gorgeous gargoyle then takes a few steps closer to me and shoves a dagger in my hand. “We’ll start with a few basics. I’ve seen you fight, and you aren’t too bad, but there’s still a lot you don’t know. Like how not to get killed.”

“Ha. Ha,” I say, even as I appreciate his attempt at humor. It makes the discomfort between us a little less… uncomfortable.

“Alright, hands up,” he demands.

I do as he says, and he rolls his shoulders and hops back and forth from one foot to the other. I watch the way he moves, the way he directs my actions with a firm command he expects me to obey. If my steps falter, he growls and moves my limbs to the location in which they’re supposed to be.

Sweat pours down my face as I breathe heavily. My heart is pounding, and every time Dragan touches me, my breath hitches. Out of all of them, I still feel the closest to him, regardless of the strained relationship between us now. It was Dragan who first championed me, and it was Dragan who first showed me any semblance of kindness. He was the first one who believed in me and saw what I was capable of.

Maybe that’s why it burned so badly when he changed his mind about me. To be so high and then fall so low…

The door opens and Noni runs out with a canteen of water.

“Supper ready,” she says to Dragan. He gives her a feral sneer that I suspect was intended to be a smile. Dragan is sometimes more like a wild animal than a civilized person. It’s probably one of the traits of his I find the most intoxicating.

He is gargoyle—he’s a shadow creature and he’s uncouth at times. He’s not like the others at all and never has been. He’s wild and I don’t imagine that feral part of him will ever change. I hope it doesn’t anyway.

Noni seems to understand he’s trying to smile, even though he appears as intimidating as hell itself. Regardless, she smiles in return. The big gargoyle’s eyes soften as he watches the brownie scurry back into the cottage.

“Can we trade Flumph for Noni?” he asks as he turns to face me with a smile and catches me completely off guard. When he forgets himself and smiles, he’s just so… beautiful.

I’m reminded of the vision I had of him when he’d just been crowned the King of Shadow. It was a time before Variant usurped the throne for himself and before he killed Baron. It was a time when the four of them ruled together and the realms prospered. And now, I remember the way Dragan smiled as he looked over the audience of his people. He was so proud and there was so much love and hope in his eyes.

“You should smile more often,” I say in a soft voice, once he catches me staring at him and I feel embarrassed.

“Give me something to smile about,” he answers, and the frown that takes over his face is deeper than I’ve ever seen it before.

He turns around and hulks back into the cabin, leaving me to myself. I just stand there, doing nothing, thinking nothing, and feeling nothing. I feel bereft, even though I can’t explain why. It was just a smile but as soon as it disappeared, I felt as though I’d lost something truly valuable. Without realizing it, Dragangave me something, just to snatch it away again. I feel left with nothing, deprived. It takes me a few moments to regain my composure.

Dragan affects me in ways no one else ever has and he’s entirely oblivious to it.

***

FLUMPH

Accordin’ ta Noni, Pretty did kinda good out there, fightin’ the gargoyle dickhead, an’ whats not. Or at least he ain’t killed her, soze that’s somethin’.

She takin’ ferever in the bath, though, so I just goes in there and sits on the stool ta keep her company. Ain’t like I haven’t seen her nekked before. It don’t faze me none, not with me bein’ asexual an’ all.

She hums real nice as she wash up. “What’s you smilin’ for?”

“Today was... not a bad day.”

“You seem kinda happy for someone who jist had her an okay day.”

She sigh. “I like it here—in Pyre’s Veil, I guess.”

“Why?”

She shrug. “I just like waking up and not having to reach for a weapon. I feel safe here. If it weren’t for us having to save the Midnight Queen, I wouldn’t mind staying.”

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