Page 12 of Fated to the Gargoyle
Sheinhaled. “Thefood smells delicious.”
“IorderedGreekfood from one of my favorite restaurants.SinceIwasn’t sure what you like,Iordered a variety of options.”
Shesmiled. “IloveGreekfood.Thatsounds perfect.”
Afterpouring us each a glass of red wine,Ipulled the dishes out from the oven and carried them over, placing them in between the plates set on the table.
Sheglanced out the window. “Whata great view.”
Mont-Royalsprawled out in the distance, andIhad to agree.Butas she took a sip of the ruby wine, which left a sheen on her lips, the view of her was far more captivating.Tokeep from staring and making her uncomfortable,Itook a large sip from my glass, savoring its velvety texture with notes of cherry and oak.
Aswe ate our meal, starting with aGreeksalad heaping with feta, crisp cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, and fresh, warm pita bread and creamy tzatziki, our conversation focused on that.Mygaze kept being drawn to her face as she savored each bite.Whenshe moaned after the first bite of moussaka with its flavorful layers of eggplant, tomatoes, spiced ground lamb, and béchamel sauce, a heady bolt of heat shot right throughmy veins.Shecaught my eye, and our gazes locked for several potent seconds.Heatedtension pulsed between us.Itold myself to break eye contact and avoid coming on too strong, but it was like dragging my gaze through concrete sludge.
Finally,Imanaged to snap back into control of my body and put words one after another into a sentence. “Ihope your day here wasn’t too boring.”
“Notat all,” she said. “Ihad breakfast withAnyaandHugo, thenAnyaandIspent a couple of hours catching up.Afterlunch,Iwandered around and read for a while.Anyahas plenty of books here, and she gave me some on magic she thoughtI’dlike.Ican’t believe what she was able to do with the grimoire.Youheard about that, right?”
Ihad indeed.Anyahad found a spell and usedAdelaide’smirror to reflect magic back toCalix.Whenhe’d tried to attack her andHugowith fire, she’d reflected it back onCalixand it had increased the potency, essentially destroying him with his own magic.
“Yes.Incredible.Yourfamily must be gifted with magic.”
Shegrunted. “Iknow nothing.Imight as well have lived in a cave until now.”Shetook another sip of wine. “Anyway, all that reading and learning about magic must have tired me out.Ifell asleep and had the most bizarre dreams.”
“Aboutwhat?”
Sheshrugged. “Ican’t remember exactly now.Relatedto whatI’dread, for sure.Magic, spells, and so on.Iwoke up so groggy and confused.Ihad to take a long shower to snap out of the daze and get ready for dinner.”
AlthoughIwas intrigued by the magic and spells she shared, the image of her naked in the shower not far from my room shot right through my veins, and my cock twitched.
“Howabout you?”Shetook a sip of wine and glanced at me over the rim of her wineglass.Wasthat a spark of interest?
Whatwould her eyes look like when she was in the grip of desire?Withher glasses removed and gazing at me with fervent anticipation.Me—solely me.Icouldn’t picture her with anyone else without a sharp slice of pain sliding through my gut.Onlyme.
WhywouldIeven dare to have such a pointless fantasy?I’dseen that look of horror etched on her face yesterday.She’dlooked at me as ifI’dstepped out of a nightmare.Shewas here strictly soIcould protect her.She’dlikely only agreed to join me for dinner to be polite.Ishouldn’t entertain foolish schoolboy fantasies.Iwas the commander in this region and couldn’t afford to be distracted.Toomany depended upon me.
Tryingto snap back into a mode more appropriate for a leader,Ireplied, “Justdoing the usual with ensuring the city’s safe.”
“Andis it?”Sheleaned forward. “Anysigns of—them?”
Demons.Thathad to be what she was worried about.Ihad to assure her she was safe.
“You’resafe here,Eloise.”Igazed into her eyes—eyes that searched mine. “Ipromise you.”
ELOISE
Afterdinner,Dumontwalked me to my room.Fora commanderof an imposing group of hulky gargoyles, he could be surprisingly sweet and had a chivalrous side, such as pulling out my chair at dinner.WhatIhadn’t admitted to him was how muchI’dbeen thinking about him since yesterday.
Whatwould it be like if…
Aswe walked slowly down the hallway,Iasked questions about the building.Ididn’t want to go back to my room yet.Notonly wasInot ready for sleep, but after all that’d happened,Ididn’t want to be alone.I’dbeen alone for so long and always running, running, running.
AndI’denjoyed talking withDumontso much thatIdidn’t want the night to end so soon.
Itipped my head. “Willyou show me your favorite areas?”
Hismouth twitched, slowly spreading into a smile. “That’seasy.Theroof.”
“Theroof,”Irepeated with arched brows. “Whatmakes it so special?”
