Page 30 of Mated to the Gargoyle
“I’mfine,”Iassured him with a smile. “Justa little sore.”
Whenhe frowned,Iattempted to change the subject. “Haveyou been here all night?”
Heturned his focus to the window. “Ilooked outside every so often.”
Thatreminder of the potential dangerIwas in, the entire reason whyIwas here, dragged me out of the remaining fringes of sleep.
AsIcrawled out of bed, my bare skin reminded me thatIdidn’t have anything on.Althoughhe’d seen every inch of my body last night and appeared to like it, the light of day was more unforgiving.Insecuritiesrose, soIattempted to cover my ass somewhat with the clothesIgrabbed from the floor.Irushed into the bathroom, whereIgot dressed and freshened up.
WhenIglanced in the mirror, my cheeks were slightly pink, my eyes brighter than usual.Asmile tugged at my lips.Lastnight had been wonderful for me, breaking me out of that shell of myselfI’dbeen hiding inside since the bitter end withChad.
Realitythen sped in like a racecar on an open roadway.Itwas only one night.Itdidn’t change anything in the scheme of things.JustbecauseIhad a magical night with a being who wasn’t human didn’t meanIwas special.WhatHugohad said to me last night was simply said in the heat of passion.Iwas only here temporarily.Ifthere was truly a threat, the gargoyles would take care of it.Ifanything,Iwas here as a nuisance, another matter for them to deal with.JustlikeI’dbeen considered by my foster family.Nothingof value, more like a burden.Oncethe danger was gone,I’dgo back to my world, being unimportant and invisible until someone needed something from me.
Iheaved in a deep breath and attempted to shake myself out of that mindset.Staringmyself in the eyes,Iwhispered, “Enjoyit while you can.”
WhenIcame out of the bathroom, the scent of brewing coffee stirred my thirst.Hugohad pulled on a pair of black shorts and was staring out the window.
Mygaze raked over his massive silhouette outlined before the city, horns pointing skyward, reminding me that he was anything but human.
“Everythingokay?”Iasked him.
Heturned to me and grinned, one so devilish that it sent tingles all the way to my toes. “Everything’sperfect.”Aftera couple of seconds, he asked, “Hungry?”
Withthe way his gazed raked down my body, it was clear he was considering me for the menu.Althoughheat curled down in my core,Ididn’t thinkIcould handle being with him again so soon.
“Sure,Icould eat.”
“Sit.”Hemotioned to the small round table with two chairs. “Thecoffee will be ready soon.I’llmake us some breakfast.”
Ashe prepared delicious smelling omelets with sauteed mushrooms, spinach, and bacon, questions churned in my head.Oncehe scooped the omelets onto plates, he sat across from me at the table.Withhis immense size, he loomed large, even while sitting down.Whilewe ate, we spoke about light observations about the food, his place, and the neighborhood, untilIfinally summoned the courage to bring up what was on my mind.
“Hugo,Ineed to ask you something.”
“Goahead,” he said and then ate a large scoop of eggs.
“Iknow this is awkward, butIhave to know.”Ipursed my lips before continuing. “Whenyou called me your mate last night, was that just a gargoyle thing?Aterm of affection, maybe?”
Hugofroze.Heslowly finished chewing, swallowed, put his fork down, and straightened in his chair. “No.”Warinessedged his tone.
Ibit my lower lip and then asked, “Somethingsaid in the heat of the moment?”Ishrugged sheepishly.
Hislips quirked with chagrin. “Thathappened indeed, sinceIdidn’t mean to overwhelm you.”Heplaced his hands on his lap. “Butthat doesn’t mean it wasn’t the truth.”
Mypalms heated, my pulse jolted faster asIbraced myself for more. “Meaning?”
Hetook a deep breath and exhaled. “Idon’t want to keep things from you.”
Myheart pounded with anticipation asIwaited for what he might reveal.
Afterseveral seconds, he fixed an earnest gaze on me. “ThereasonIsaid that is because—”Heswallowed. “It’strue.Youare the one for me.Mymate.”
Ohmy.Iblinked a few times. “Mate?”Irepeated.
“Yes.”Hesearched my eyes and then nodded slowly.
Oneheartbeat pounded harder than the next. “Asin whatI’veread in shapeshifter romances?”
Hislips twitched, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. “Possibly.Howdo they explain it in your books?”Hecocked his head as he stared at me.
