Page 41 of Never Been Gargoyled
I cleaned up the tools and disposed of the empty containers, then retreated to the roof to wait. My body was tired from the night's work, but my mind was too anxious to rest.
What if she didn't like it? She could think I was overstepping or even that the garden was presumptuous rather than romantic.
Dawn arced across the sky, and the front door opened. Dazy stepped out onto the porch, wearing jeans and a loose shirt, her hair pulled back in a messy bun. She looked gorgeous in the morning light. Gorgeous at any time of day or night, actually. Longing made my limbs quake.
She started down the steps, perhaps heading to her car, but stopped. Her gaze had found the new garden.
I held my breath, watching as she walked closer. Her expression was unreadable from this distance, and I found myself leaning forward, straining to see her reaction.
She knelt beside the moonflowers, reaching out to touch one of the leaves with gentle fingers. Straightening, she took in the entire space.
When she looked up toward the roof, I instinctively stepped back into the chimney’s shadow. But not before I saw the smile spreading across her face.
She liked what I'd made for her. The garden would grow and bloom and fill her nights with beauty, and maybe, when she walked among the flowers, she would think of me.
It wasn't much, not in the face of everything else we were dealing with. But it was something. A small piece of joy in an uncertain world.
A gift from a gargoyle to his mate, even if she didn't know that was me.
Relief roared through me so intensely that my knees buckled.
I tumbled off the roof.
Chapter 16
Dazy
Ascrambling noise from the roof made my heart come to a shuddering halt. I caught a glimpse of wings and gray skin before gravity took over and Feydin came tumbling toward the ground.
Arms outstretched, I rushed forward. “Feydin!”
His wings snapped out at the last second, catching the air and slowing his fall. He landed hard but upright in front of me, his suit jacket askew and his hair disheveled.
“Are you okay?” I fluttered around him, pawing at him, checking for injuries.
“I’m alright.” He straightened his tie, though it did nothing to improve his rumpled appearance. “I lost my balance.”
His gorgeous charcoal suit was covered in dirt, and there were leaves stuck in his hair and his lapel.
“You know,” I said, fighting back a smile, “most people change out of their formal wear before doing yard work.”
He looked down at himself, then back at me. “I was inspired.”
“Inspired to garden in a three-piece suit?”
“The inspiration struck suddenly.”
I couldn't hold back my laughter. “You're ridiculous. Do you have any idea how much that suit probably cost?”
“It can be cleaned.” He brushed at a particularly large dirt stain on his sleeve. “Or replaced.”
“Feydin.” I gestured to the beautiful garden bed I suspected he'd created. “Did you do all this?”
His expression grew uncertain, almost vulnerable. “Do you like it?”
The tentative hope in his voice made my pulse surge up into my throat. How could he even doubt it? The space had been transformed from a tangle of weeds into something magical. Even though the plants were small now, I could already imagine how they’d look when they filled out. Night-blooming flowers that would perfume the evening air, creating a sanctuary right outside my front door.
“Like it?” My voice came out watery. “Feydin, it's beautiful. It's the most thoughtful thing anyone's ever done for me.”
