Page 38 of A Highland Gargoyle's Lucky Star
“What happened to…” Noah gulps and his face pales. “…his wings?”
Somehow I knew he was going to ask me about that. After all, the grotesque sight is hard to miss.
I close my eyes and shudder. “It’s a punishment many of our kind consider worse than death. His wings have effectively been torn to shreds by the clipping process so that he may never fly the skies again and will forever be marked as an outsider among his kind—a dìobarach.”
Noah’s complexion turns ashen. “That sounds like some kind of medieval torture.”
“In many respects, it is. But it’s also a punishment that fits the crime. Sorwyn must now live a life of atonement. He’s been assigned to our medical wing in the castle to assist in caring for the sick and the injured among our people as penance.”
Noah frowns and his eyes glisten with a hint of tears. “He looks so sad and lonely. And he’s awfully thin compared to most of you.”
I swallow back the lump in my throat. It pains me every day to see my cousin, now a former shadow of himself.
“His punishment is recent. No doubt he’s still recovering from the physical and mental trauma of it all, along with the horrifying knowledge of what his actions wrought. A tribunal determined that death would be too easy a punishment for his actions. Instead, Sorwyn will be forced to live a difficult life to make amends for the pain and suffering he caused others.”
“Does no one eat with him or talk to him?” Noah asks, concern still written all over his face.
My mate is tenderhearted and kind. It warms my heart in spite of the sorrow I feel.
I look down at my lap. “Sorwyn is undergoing a period of shunning from the rest of the clan.”
“What, like the Amish do?”
“I suppose it would be something similar to that, but part of his punishment is to feel the weight of his betrayal to his clan, his kin, and his species. He must endure this period of isolation if he wishes to show the sincerity of his desire to make amends.”
“How long will this shunning last?”
“A year,” I tell him. “And in that respect, our clan leader was generous with him. In the past, other dìobarach who committed similar crimes often faced ostracization for life.”
Noah shakes his head. “But a year without communication and contact with others? That can’t be good for anyone’s mental health.”
“Perhaps not, but it is the way of our clan.”
His expression turns contrite. “Sorry. I shouldn’t be judging you and your culture. I just find this all a little hard to understand.” He shakes his head. “But then again, the human justice system is also inherently flawed and far from humane a lot of the time. I can’t exactly be casting stones.” He looks at Sorwyn one more time and then turns back to me, biting his lip nervously. “I know you all are shunning him, and I respect that, but would it be okay if I talk to him a little?”
I immediately frown. Why is Noah so interested in my cousin? My tail flicks with irritation.
“Why do you want to talk to him?”
Noah shrugs. “I just kind of feel bad for the guy. He looks like he’s lonely and in pain. I’ve always been a sucker for trying to help the underdog.”
“Are you… interested in him… romantically?” I grit out between clenched teeth.
Noah’s mouth slowly falls open as he stares at me in shock. “What? How did you come up with that idea?”
I growl. “You’re asking me a lot about him.”
Noah’s mouth closes slowly and his lips curve up into a knowing smirk. “Oh. My. Freaking. God. Are you…jealous?”
I stiffen.
Fucking hell. I am, but I’m not going to tell him that.
I grunt. “You can talk to him at some point. But not right now.
He reaches out slowly, giving me time to move away if I want to, and rests his hand on my forearm, where he proceeds to pet it in a tantalizing manner that’s both soothing and arousing.
“My sweet, sexy Goliath come to life, the only gargoyle I’m interested in is you.” He licks his bottom lip and focuses on me with hooded eyes.
