Page 74 of Stitched Up in You
A chuckle escapes me, and I find myself giggling, my face turning red as I laugh. Great big snorts start to peel from me, as he looks on frowning, and it just sends me into a bigger fit of laughter until my tummy is aching from it. Surprise, elation, and wonderment swirl in my chest. “How is this possible?” I ask, curious as the unicorn tosses its mane and shakes out its satiny tail, walking away from us as if he finds us uninteresting.
I grab at Frank’s arm tightly, suddenly a bit woozy and glance around for somewhere to sit when I notice something out of the corner of my eye, and my jaw drops again.
An animal walks toward us, his eagle-shaped head cocked, its body resembling a lion’s but with huge, tawny-colored wings jutting from its sides.
“After I discovered Brom, who is cursed and can't leave the area, I bought the land and the whole valley surrounding it. That’s where part of the village sits and several of the homes in the region. I outfitted the area to have a monitoring systemso everyone within the walls is safe and secure, essentially kept here in secret,” he states.
“Hang on a second, rewind. So, that’s a griffin,” I say, pointing at the half-eagle, half-lion smashup, “and there was no way I was ever going to escape here.” My mind whirring with possibilities of his confession.
“No, you were never going to be able to leave. There's no way out of the entire compound even if you made it to the edge of the property. As you saw when we first got here, it has several feet of concrete walls keeping the humans segregated from the village,” he says.
I nod my head and pull my hand from his, needing a moment to collect myself. “Okay, and what about these two?” I ask him, crossing my arms over my chest and waiting for him to tell me the rest.
“Perseus and Pegasus here come and go as they please. They have magical ways of leaving undetected but are attracted to the stable when the flowers are in bloom,” he explains.
I back away from Frank when the griffin comes closer and chirps loudly.
“Didn't bring any snacks this time,” Frank says, reaching out to touch Pegasus’s gigantic beak. The griffin just squawks again and nips at Frank's fingers before turning away.
“So, you bought this place to protect the animals in it, and the unicorn?” I ask him, my heart puddling onto the floor.
“I did. It was more out of necessity than want. Brom draws too much attention, especially when he’s in a mood. But Brom and I are alike in that we don’t like very many people,” he says with a sardonic raise of his brow.
I snort. He could be talking about a completely different animal, because that’s not the Brom I know. “He was about to roll over and let me pet him that day.”
“You’re the exception to every rule,” Frank murmurs under his breath.
A sudden warmth radiates across my face and neck, along with the heavy desire to kiss him.
“We’ll head back to the house, there's more to see if you want,” he says, before I can react on my impulse and throw myself at him.
“What more could there be?” I bite my lip, as little thrills of anticipation and excitement begin to course through my veins.
He laces our hands together like he doesn’t want to stop touching me, and I smile up at him as we start back toward the exit, leaving the griffin and unicorn alone.
“When are you going to tell me what you are?” I ask once we reach the doors.
“Has anyone ever told you, you have no patience?” he asks.
I laugh and launch myself at him unexpectedly, happy when he opens his big arms and catches me. My lips caress his and we meet in a wet, hot slide, sending licks of electricity pulsing inside me as he angles my mouth for a deeper kiss. I come up for air and hug myself to him, trailing kisses along the side of his wide jaw to his ear. “Yeah, all the time. It’s one of my better qualities. You wouldn’t want me to be boring, would you? Now come on, where are we going next?” I say, pulling back and liking the soft look on his expression.
Best day ever.
A fire breathing horse, a freaking griffin, and a unicorn. This place is beyond magical, and I’ve seriously hit the fantasy motherload.
FRANK STEIN
After we arrive back at the mansion, I lead Bernadette through the front door and move to close it behind her as she looks around expectedly.
“This way,” I tell her, taking her hand in mine, liking the way her skin feels against mine. Her touch is like a mild sedative, and while she’s touching me, I feel somewhat like my old self before my power went berserk.
We walk through the foyer and under the grand chandelier, heading toward the hidden secret wall underneath the large staircase. I keep her hand in mine and press my opposite palm to it, noting her reaction as her gaze brightens with excitement as the stone wall slides away.
“There’s secret passageways?” she half squeals.
“Just this one,” I laugh uncharacteristically, and guide her down the stone steps to my underground quarters.
The automatic lights come on the further we go, illuminating the room.
