Page 32 of A Highland Gargoyle's Lucky Star
“Can I help you wash any of these dishes?” I ask. Because my parents raised me right.
He takes my plate from me and waves a hand. “Get on with ye. Elryk’s going to give you a tour of the castle, so you’d best be on your way.”
“I know. I’m so excited!” With a grin, I whip my head in Elryk’s direction, my eyes no doubt sparkling with excitement. “Can we go now? I’ve never toured a castle before.”
Braewyn chuckles. “By the Goddess, you’re just the cutest thing, aren’t you?”
To my surprise, Elryk stalks over to me and grabs hold of my arm, gently but firmly. “I’ll show you around now.”
He drags me away from Braewyn, who starts laughing like a loon.
“What was that all about?” I ask.
Elryk mumbles something to himself, but all I catch is, “Cheeky bastard.”
That makes me smile. From what I’ve seen, they’re total opposites, but I kind of understand how that could work in a friendship.
To my utter delight, Elryk still has hold of my arm as he shows me around the castle, and I’m getting even more intense this-gargoyle-is-my-personal-electric-blanket vibes from him. I just want to curl up in his lap and cuddle him. I’d like to do some NC-17-rated things in his lap too, but no need to frighten the man off just yet.
My de facto tour guide appears to forget that he’s holding on to my arm and doesn’t let go the whole time. Because I’m smart, and not going to give up this wonderful experience, I don’t say a peep and just beam the entire way.
The castle is utterly amazing. All around me, I can see the history of its medieval origins in the weathered stone, and I marvel at the fact that it’s still standing today so many centuries later. Much of the interior has been updated for more modern convenience, but on the ground floor, I discover there are a number of formal rooms that hold on to more of their historical roots.
When we get to what Elryk calls the Great Hall, my mind is blown.
The space is so enormous it could rival a famous church cathedral, and the ceiling is at least several stories high. Tall but narrow arched windows line one wall, some with stained-glass accents. Old tapestries line the same wall between the windows and when I get closer to peer at some of them, I figure they’re just about as old as the castle itself. In contrast to the human tapestries I’ve seen in museums before, these depict a history of the gargoyles—and, most likely, this particular clan—spanning many centuries.
I can’t help but be filled with wonder as I try to take it all in.
A huge fireplace on the wall opposite the windows stands taller than me. It looks like a cavern that I could easily camp inside. Long wooden tables with benches are set out in vertical lines and at the far end of the room is a dais with several ornate chairs. For some of the clan leaders or their version of royalty, perhaps?
Do gargoyles have a monarchy?
I try to remember back to my school days, but we were taught a fairly limited history of Otherkind, and almost always only in relation to humanity. Since I’d been attending a primarily human school, that part of the curriculum tended to get short shrift.
Note to self: read up on gargoyle history and culture.
I come to a halt in the middle of the Great Hall and look up at Elryk’s chiseled profile. Before I met him, I never would have thought I had a thing for gargoyles. Unlike some people I know, I’ve never been an Otherkind chaser. When I was younger, I hung out with some guys who liked to brag about their sexual exploits with different Otherkind. The way they were just targeting those who are different for the thrill of it was horrifying to me and I quickly ditched those creeps.
But for some reason, I can’t stop thinking about Elryk.
Sure, his best friend is certainly attractive as well, and a hell of a lot of fun, but there’s just something about Elryk that I can’t help but be drawn to.
He did save my life, after all. So it might be a bit of hero worship coupled with intense sexual attraction.
Speaking of saving my life…
“Hey, so I know this is all coming a little bit late, partly because I was hungry and nursing a hangover and really super freaking excited to be in a genuine castle for the first time in my life, but how exactly did I end up here and what the hell is going on? I mean, how did you find me in my hour of need anyway?”
I blurt that out in one long cascade of word vomit and Elryk arches a dark eyebrow at me. “Everything will be explained tonight at the meeting with our clan leader.”
I pout. “In other words, you can’t tell me anything.”
I don’t bother to hide that I’m a little put out by this.
He considers me for a moment. “The Oracle of our clan, a powerful seer, had a divination foretelling that you would be coming to us, but that danger followed you. So I set out in search of you last night and found you just in the nick of time.” He cocks his head. “The Goddess was clearly looking out for you at that moment. You’re very lucky.”
I can’t hold back a laugh. “Ha! I’ve never been lucky before now. I guess that tarot card reading I had was right. Maybe I’m exiting a karmic cycle and starting a new life phase?” I muse.
