Page 11 of Cherished By the Gargoyle
Guilt fills me. “I—I didn’t even ask you last night. Was your father terribly hard on you? Gods, Thalric, I’m so sorry I got you into trouble again.”
“It’s alright.”
“No, it isn’t.” I reach out, placing a gentle hand on his muscular arm. “I was selfish. I asked you to break the rules and never thought about what it would cost you. I promise next time—”
“Next time?” His brows shoot up to his forehead. “Are youserious?”
I blink, startled by his intensity and unsure how to respond. “Maybe… yes?”
His tail lashes irritably behind him. “That’s even worse, Aurora.”
I frown. “How is it worse?”
“Why do you constantly insist upon putting yourself in danger? What if something happens?”
“Now, you sound like Fiora.” I roll my eyes. “It’s a quiet village, Thalric. I can take care of myself. Nothing’s going to happen.”
Do you know what it would do to me if something did?” he snaps.
His gaze holds mine, worry easily read in his features. And in the silence, I realize something monumental.
Thalric cares for me. More deeply than I ever dared to imagine. And a new kind of hope unfurls within.
“I’m sorry.” I take his hand, squeezing it gently. “Truly. I’ll… be more mindful in the future.”
It’s not a complete lie, but it’s also not the entire truth. I understand him wanting me to be safe, but I don’t want to live my life constantly afraid that something might happen either.
My words seem to soothe him. Thalric shifts slightly, the sunlight catching on something in his palm. “I brought this for you.”
He holds out a silver necklace, a smooth, polished sapphire pendant hanging from its chain—deep blue streaked with delicate veins of silver, like stardust frozen beneath glass. “Ifound the stone and asked the Fae jeweler to turn it into a necklace.”
I smile. This must be what Cyran handed him at the festival last night while I was talking to Brakkus.
Warmth floods my chest as I take it from him. Thalric has always gifted me stones. My bookcase is lined with smooth river pebbles, glittering crystals, polished agates—all treasures from him, each more precious than the last.
In all my pining for him, I’ve often imagined that each stone he gives me is a silent promise, a romantic declaration he hasn’t yet voiced aloud.
“Thank you.” I gaze at his lovely gift. “It’s beautiful. Will you help me put it on?”
I turn my back to him and hold up my hair as he carefully settles it around my neck. He takes great care to retract his black claws so as not to accidentally scratch my skin as he fastens the clasp.
When I look back at him, a faint smile curves his gorgeous mouth, revealing a hint of his fangs. “I’m glad you like it.”
I think now is a good time to tell him my news. “My Fae guardians told me something wonderful today.”
“What is it?”
“For my twenty-third birthday, they’re taking me to the capital.” I give him a beaming smile. “And you’re coming, too. They agreed your family would join us.”
He grins in return, and I fling myself into his arms, hugging him tightly. “Oh, Thalric, it’s going to be wonderful. I just know it.”
He lifts me off the ground, twirling me once before setting me gently on my feet.
His golden eyes stare deep into mine, and I go still. His strong hands are wrapped around my waist. The warmth of histouch threads through the thin fabric, chasing a shiver down my spine.
Thalric’s wings flare slightly behind him, catching the sunlight. For a heartbeat, the world narrows to just him—the quiet rustle of his wings, the slow, steady rise of his chest, the way his gaze travels over my face like a gentle caress… as though committing it to memory.
“Auri.” His voice is low, rough with something I cannot quite name.
