Page 25 of The Gargoyle's Grace
“Well, it smells lovely.”
I dished us up and served her, scrounging up a bottle of wine from one of the cabinets.
“It’s delicious.” She beamed at me, her hair wild around her face as she tasted it.
“That’s a high compliment,” I preened, unable to disguise my pride in having pulled off the meal as well as having impressed her.
We ate in silence for a while, sharing warm glances across the table. We’d fallen into that strange zone again, that awkward place between how we existed in the daylight and how we behaved in bed.
“Eat up,” I encouraged. “You’ll need your energy.”
Her eyebrows went up in question, but she did as instructed.
A short time later, with plates cleaned and the fire well stoked, I invited her outside to look at the abundance of stars in the sky.
“It’s so dark out here. And quiet.” She rubbed her arms, the evening chill abrupt after the warmth of the cabin. “Can you show me where we are in relation to the city?” she asked.
I held her hand in mine, pointing with her finger at her landmarks.
“This is d’Arcan,” I turned her to the side, back the way we’d come. “That is the city center,” I adjusted her a bit to the left. “Over there is the Dread Forest and the main road through the mountains to the granite valley.”
“What’s around us here?”
I shook my head. “A whole lot of nothing.”
“So the chances of me running into someone in the trees…?”
My pulse thudded heavily in my veins. “Zero.”
A mischievous smile spread across Grace’s mouth as she turned around, gauging her best route through the trees, her skirt already fisted in her hands.
“If you run, Little Rabbit, I will chase.”
“I’d be terribly disappointed if you didn’t.” She darted forward, stealing a quick kiss before dashing past me into the trees.
I was hard already but forced myself to count to ten before following after her.
The sound of her breaking branches and stomping through the soft underbrush guided me as I took a few steps into the trees to get my bearings before truly giving chase. While I focused on breathing and counting, I loosened the lacings on my clothing.
Closing my eyes, I let my stone skin slip over me. My wings tucked in tight, but still a solid presence at my back, I breathed in and listened to the way her movement echoed through the quiet night. Her sweet honey scent lingered on one of the nearest trees, as though she’d pressed a hand to it in passing.
“Run, Little Rabbit,” I grumbled, blood pumping hot in my veins as I gave over to the parts of me that wanted to become nothing more than a predator. She would be the sweetest prey I’d ever pursued, I was sure of it.
I moved faster, scenting her on the greenery. I found a hair over a branch, a droplet of blood on a thorny vine. Every crackle and snap propelled me in her direction. It was pure frustration at the idea of her becoming injured and the musical sound of her laughter that kept me mostly myself, even with the need to hunt riding my senses.
She was doing a terrible job keeping quiet or confusing her trail. We’d have to have some proper lessons so she could improve her skills, then we could both enjoy this game all the more.
I moved faster, my wings buffeting the wind in a way that allowed me to glide. I was sure she had gone down the path that had broken through the trees thanks to her smell and the silence of all wildlife giving her away. She’d gone quiet, but I felt her essence as I traveled down the trail at full speed. As the flat dirt gave way to a shallow hill, I skidded to a stop, sniffing around me.
A newer-growth sapling had taken the brunt of my stop and was now bent at the middle. I took a moment to repair the damage I’d caused while opening my senses to the area around me.
She was gone.
The clever little kitchen witch had doubled back on me.
With a broad grin and blood pumping through my veins burning hot with desire, I charged back the way I came, careful to watch for any sign of her passing through. Threads from her skirt and a clear foot imprint gave away the spot where she’d tried to leap over some low bushes, though they were barely a thought for me to hurdle.
I was satisfied with a surprised squeak as she burst from a crouch behind a small rock outcropping as I approached. “Clever, Little Rabbit,” I said, her eyes glossy and her smile wide as I crowded her into the trunk of a tree. “But not fast enough.”
