Page 14 of The Gargoyle's Gift
I spun, finding Lovette ready to battle with her dagger, stubbornness and bravery pulled down around her like a shield, and a look in her eyes of sheer determination. She was not trained for this kind of battle, and there were several of them for her to face at once. And the blasted womanstillhadn’t shifted into her stone skin.
I had only a moment to decide whether I would fight them all, then chase down the councilmen or take Lovette and retreat. The slow ache under my ribs that I couldn’t shake, the heartburn, the anger—I’d never uttered out loud what I suspected the cause was, but there was no doubting it now. And because of that, there really was no choice to be made at all.
It had to be her. It wouldalwaysbe her.
I rushed toward the edge of the roof, slashing and shoving as many bodies out of my way as I could. I threw myself at Lovette once I was within range, my wings flared out as wide as they would go, making myself a shield around her. If I’d gauged it right, I could grab her up against me and get us to safety before they got close enough to take a single throw with their spears. If I was wrong, I could hope that the guards had terrible aim but not much more. I’d suffered plenty of injuries by that kind of weapon before, and while not pleasant, it was something I could easily survive. Especially with her there to help me.
Lovette’s eyes widened as she saw me barreling toward her, no doubt as fearsome as the angry men with spears and swords and pikes. I hit her with enough force to make us both lose our breath, but my wings held true.
“Tuck in your wings,” I ordered, and she readily did so, her body soft against my chest, her arms lashed around my torso in a fierce grip, her legs twined with mine.
Once I was able to catch the wind, I flew us back through the city without pause. I didn’t turn around to see the men shouting behind us, nor did I give any thought to humans who might spot us flying low through the streets. For a moment, I considered stopping at d’Arcan but just as quickly discarded the idea. I didn’t want to deal with any questions right now, and both Magnus and the demons in residence there would certainly have some for me.
My chest felt like it was on fire, my heart thudding with undue urgency even now that we were out of immediate danger. It didn’t feel like anger, though there was certainly plenty of that to go around.
“Months I’ve been preparing for tonight, and you lost me both of my targets! Why are you always places you should not be? Are you injured? Why did you refuse to shift into your stone skin? It would have protected you!”
“I’m sorry,” she said, voice unusually soft. Her subdued mood worried me far more than if she’d been yelling back at me. The way she stared at me made me feel naked somehow, exposed.
When the conclave finally loomed close, I took us directly to my hut, preparing myself for whatever hellfire was about to rain down upon me while simultaneously trying to head it off with my own the moment the door was closed behind us.
Chapter 8
Lovette
Igasped, pulse galloping in my ears as I turned to stare at him, hand clutching at the fabric of my tunic over my twisted up, aching heart.
I’d killed those guards. I was ready to take down as many of the others as I could, too, and I barely recognized myself because of it. My parents had trained me just the same as my siblings, though I’d been excused from fighting lessons at a certain point because of my aptitude for healing. But somehow, I retained plenty of muscle memory when it came to my blade.
Oddly, the fact that I’d killed three people wasn’t the most concerning thing at the moment. When Gaius swept me up into his arms, my chest had flared hot, like I’d swallowed one of the bright-white embers in Imogen’s forge furnace—the ones that looked pretty but held enough heat to liquify metal. My ribs squeezed tight, choking off my breath and making me feel panicky, like the powerful organ that kept me upright and mobile might not beat normally ever again. Like I might be dying.
His ranting was a muted din in my ears, competing against the throb of my heart and the white noise of blood rushing in my ears. “What were you thinking, Lovette? Every time I thinkyou understand how dangerous things are, you prove me wrong! Following me tonight was beyond reckless, it was?—”
“You’rewelcome,” I snarled, my messy emotions boiling over. “Those guards were as much a threat to you as to me. I certainly didn’t take their lives forfun.”
“I could have taken care of it! I would happily have taken a few rogue stabs to complete my mission. But you… you shouldn't have been there! I would never ask you to kill for me?—”
“You didn’t ask. I just did what I needed to. Besides?—”
“You’re not meant for killing at all, or any part of that life! You’re far too good for it. My hands are already irredeemably filthy, Little Dove, it should fall to me. Especially because I’m—” He cut himself off with a low swear, running a hand roughly through his long hair.
My heartbeat thudded in my ears. “You’re what, Gaius?”
The man was having a battle with himself, pacing several stilted steps back and forth as his fingers tugged on his hair. His words were muted, but heated. I caught several mumblednot’sandcan’t’s.Don’t deserveandimpossibleboth came up at least once.
“You’re what, Gaius?” I repeated, throat tight in frustration.
“Fuck it all anyway.” He limped forward in two long strides, palms holding either side of my face as he crashed his mouth to mine. An ownerless groan tangled in the breath between us.
His warm lips moved against mine, everything inside me going still as I fell into the moment. My eyes closed reflexively, and as he swept along my lips with his tongue, I disappeared into a glowing warm ball of sensation. Nothing felt real. My chest was molten, my ribs barely contained the beats of my heart as it surged, reaching for him. It all suddenly made a terrible kind of sense, and my insides twisted up in shock. This wasGaius, andhe was kissing me, and I was composed of nothing more than starlight and need and?—
Abruptly, he broke the kiss. Out of surprised reflex, I raised my arm and slapped his cheek with a firmcrack. I was stunned with the revelation I’d had and angry he’d left me hanging on that horrible precipice of desire, especially after shouting at me.
I probably should have been angry he kissed me at all, but that was the least bothersome part of it all.
Gaius scrubbed a hand across his face, eyes wide. “Lovette, I?—”
“You’re my mate.” The declaration landed between us, heavy with meaning. It stopped him in his tracks. His throat worked as he considered more words. He swallowed, but said nothing further. Azure eyes wide, he regarded me with equal parts fear and frustration.
