Page 60 of Never Been Gargoyled
This had to be Feydin's work. He'd been missing for hours while I made dinner, and now I knew why.
My throat closed off with emotion. He'd done this for me. Spent his time creating a space where I could nurture seedlings and watch things grow, even if everything else fell apart.
I needed to thank him.
The gatekeeper's cottage sat at the edge of theproperty, a much smaller version of the main house, though with the same stone construction. I could see warm light glowing through the windows.
I knocked on the wooden door and waited. No answer.
“Feydin?” I called out. “It's me.”
Still nothing.
Maybe he was in the shower and couldn't hear me. Or maybe he was asleep already. The man had worked incredibly hard today, both on legal research and apparently on greenhouse restoration.
I'd thank him in the morning.
Back in the main house, I climbed the stairs to my bedroom, but as I reached the landing, I heard sounds from above. Footsteps on the roof, moving slowly.
Feydin was up there.
I remembered him carrying me up there that morning, what felt like a lifetime ago. I’d sat securely in his arms, looking out over Harmony Glen. A perfect time spent with the male I…
Alright, the male I was falling in love with. There was nothing wrong with that. He was special, and he seemed to like me. Human-monster relationships were a common thing here in Harmony Glen.
My bedroom had a large window that opened onto a section of roof that looked relatively flat and safe. If I was careful, I could climb out and see if he was up there.
The window opened easily, and I stuck my head out to assess the situation. The moon shone on the roof sloping gently near my window, highlighting the wideslate tiles. And there, about twenty feet away, I could see Feydin's shadow.
I climbed through the window carefully, testing each step before putting my full weight down. The slate felt cool under my bare feet, but solid enough.
“Feydin?” I called when I saw him sitting on the top, staring toward town. He almost looked sad. Lonely. And the thought of him feeling that way pretty much ripped my heart out.
He turned, and even in the dim light, I could see his surprise. “What are you doing up here?”
“Looking for you.” I made my way across the roof tiles toward him. “I saw the greenhouse.”
“Ah.” He watched me approach with that intense focus of his. “Do you like it?”
“Like it?” I settled beside him on the wide, mostly flat section of roof. “I love it. It's perfect. But why did you do all that work?”
“I wanted you to have a place to grow things. Even if?—”
I knew what he wasn't saying. Even if I lost the estate.
“Thank you. It means everything to me.”
We sat together for a while, looking out over the moonlit grounds. From up here, I could see the gardens we'd been working on, the greenhouse glowing softly below, and the lights of Harmony Glen twinkling in the valley.
“It's beautiful,” I said.
“Yes, it is.”
When I looked over at him, he was watching me instead of the view. That intense stare made my pulse surge and my cheeks overheat.
“You're not looking at the scenery,” I pointed out.
“I'm looking at the most beautiful thing up here.”
