Page 6 of The Gargoyle's Gift
“I amsickof people telling me I wouldn’t understand.” Her nostrils flared, and she flicked a hand out, grabbing a fistful of jewelry. “I understand well-disguised thievery just fine. What I don’t understand is what you’re doing, as a stone kin general, risking your neck to go into a human city in order to do… what? A good deed? Atone for your own criminal acts?”
“I’m not a general,” I snapped, the edge of my words sharp. The glass dome around my lamp shook, rattling against the metal base. I forced gentleness into my tone. “Not anymore.”
Lovette flinched, the barest twitch of her long lashes. Regret washed in, followed by more frustration that she was throwing me into several emotions I had no desire to be feeling, especially with no ale to hand.
“Is that what this is about?” she asked, stepping closer to me, her floral and citrus scent too soft for my self-loathing. “Some kind of twisted revenge for being removed from your post?”
“No.”
When I offered no further explanation, she huffed and reached for a ledger. She flipped through the one atop the stack, stern face falling in stages as she took in the depth of Caster’s corruption. My gut shifted again, recalling how many times I’d witnessed a woman begging for more time, only to sacrifice a precious piece of lace or a family gem to the money lender’s greed. Men, already overworked and clearly exhausted and hungry, promising to pay double just to eke out a bit more time. And I’d just stood there. Watched. Been generally menacing as though Caster had any right to demand whatever he wanted.
I’d collected on collateral myself or assigned one of the others to do it for me. The same men I told in no uncertain terms theywould never return to that job tonight. It was no wonder they were confused, I’d recruited, trained, and managed them, only to literally burn it all down. I’d been the muscle, cleaning up the mess when someone didn’t hold up their end of the deal. I’d done what I’d been assigned to do, because the council had placed me at that post, and Ialwaysdid my job. Even when it made me into a man I didn’t recognize. One that was, in so many ways, just as awful as Caster.
Sometimes worse.
I growled again, the internal torture I’d put myself through for weeks finally breaching the bounds of my body. I rubbed at the place my arm had been reattached, a cold prickling pain shooting through the skin. It was never fully quiet in those areas; the unusual sword that had severed my limbs having left me with a lingering awareness of every nerve there. Sometimes it was worse than others though, and right now it was particularly irritating. I needed a drink.
Lovette stepped back. “What will happen now? What will these families do? Who will they turn to when they are so desperate to survive they have to seek the kind of help he offered?”
I chuffed. “There will no doubt be three men ready to fill the void by morning. Caster might have been the worst of them, the one with the majority of the business because he held most of the power, but there are always bad men ready to step up to be the next false savior for people in impossible circumstances.” I would know, better than anyone.
She frowned again. “That’s beyond depressing, but I’m sure you’re not wrong.” She reached out a hand. I looked up at her, surprised. “Let me see. You’re worrying at it again.” Her tone was so gentle, so soft, that it broke something inside me. All the anger leached away, replaced by a raw throb. It made the ache in my limbs seem imaginary by comparison.
“It’s fine,” I grumbled.
Lovette tutted her tongue as she grabbed my arm up and probed the healed joint with her warm fingertips. “There’s nothing wrong with it—nothing obvious, anyway,” she muttered, leaning her head down to inspect my arm closer. I got a face full of her golden hair, the clean floral scent filling my nose. I pinched my eyes closed, unsure how to compartmentalize how her proximity made me feel. She always smelled good enough to eat this close up, but never failed to give me indigestion. “But that cursed blade did something…” She shook her head. “Does it still ache like it did? Is that why you fuss over it so much?”
“It’s fine,” I groused, snatching my arm back. “I don't fuss.” Truth was, the only time I could forget about it completely was when she touched me. It wasn’t that it stopped tingling, that sensation was always there, but my concern about it vanished.
Everything in my head went quiet when Lovette Aurichal's skin was on mine. All the noise I constantly fought to get through the day simply disappeared. Sure, my chest felt like it was in a vice and my heart burned like a hot coal, but my head was quiet. It was addictive and wholly wrong. The last time I visited the infirmary and leaned into her body, when I was off-balance and bold enough to put my arms around her, I realized what was happening. It was a blessing I was as drunk as I had been when I figured out why I was seeking out the help of the little golden-haired healer. I was certainly not intentionally getting hurt, but I was absolutely going to her so I could have a moment of peace inside my own head.
I fueled myself for days on sour ale and the self-loathing that revelation provided. The two of us were not meant to be friends. So why did she have to be so kind? Why did she have to draw me to her like a moth to a flame, my heart squeezed hot and tight behind my ribs all the while?
“If you say so.” She narrowed her eyes at me, scowling back instead of being cowed like anyone else might have been. I appreciated that she didn’t bow to my harsh edges, though it would be far more useful than her stubbornness at times. “I should get back. I’m going to be exhausted tomorrow.”
Sharp anxiety crept in. “Are you going to tell anyone about this?” I gestured to the ledgers.
Lovette straightened herself, chin high and proud as she took the few steps across the floor to the door. “Why, is it a secret?”
I shrugged, trying to remain nonchalant about the whole situation. “I doubt anyone will care that criminal was dispatched. Even if it wasn’t officially sanctioned. Though others might have different plans than I do for such wealth.”
“Then I don’t see why anyone would need to know… right now.”
I stiffly got to my feet and met her at the door. “I’m sure we can agree there’s no reason for you to keep an eye on me in the meetinghouse anymore or follow me when I leave the conclave. I assume you’ve gotten your fill of adventure?”
She smirked. “Sure.” Her hand patted my shoulder gently, in a placating way, like I was a child. Me, a creature at least three times her age.
Then she was gone.
I stared after her for several long moments, wondering how I’d ended up here after all my thoughtful planning for how this night should go and what exactly I was supposed to do to move forward from here.
Chapter 4
Lovette
Itold myself it was sheer boredom that finally drove me down the path toward the hut Gaius had claimed several days later, though annoyance was certainly a factor too. Imogen chasing me out of the forge with threats of injury for getting in her way while she was trying to work was just an unfortunate, semi-related event.
As I approached the door, my throat suddenly felt tight, and I started to sweat. I wasn’t afraid of Gaius, though he did by nature have a commanding presence. That fancy voice trick he’d managed in the city had cemented his power in my mind. He was taller than me by a head and a half in his human form, and twice that when he shifted, but I was short by stone kin standards. His dark hair and piercing blue eyes leant a certain roguish look, but it was the constant scowl and dark facial hair that really sold it.
