Page 32 of Cherished By the Gargoyle
“Thalric!” Aurora’s voice cracks with terror. “You’re hurt—”
“Hold on,” I rasp, forcing my wings to keep flapping. Each stroke is torture, my muscles aching as I rush through the woods.
I push through the agony. I cannot stop. I won’t stop. Not until she’s safe.
I force my wings to keep beating, but they are slow to respond. Night stretches around us as pain drains my energy, darkening the edges of my vision.
Up ahead, I notice a clearing as I struggle to remain conscious. Panic fills me as the ground races toward us with dizzying speed. Futilely, I try to flap my wings, but they won’t respond.
Despite my attempts to aim toward it, I miss the clearing entirely. Curling my body protectively around Aurora, we crash through the trees. I twist onto my back at the last second, slamming into the ground, shielding her from the impact as we crash to the earth.
Darkness begins to close in swiftly, pulling at the edges of my consciousness.
Aurora touches my face, her warm brown eyes staring down at me in concern. “Thalric, please. You must stay awake.”
I want so much to speak. To reassure her that I will heal, but I don’t even have the strength to respond. Her warm scent of honeysuckle and lavender fills my nose, comforting and familiar.
“Thalric, please.” Tears escape her lashes and drip onto my skin. “Don’t leave me.”
My fingers twitch, desperate to touch her, but I cannot move or even speak.
Unable to fight its pull, my head tips back, and I close my eyes. As consciousness fades, one truth pulses through me, fierce and unyielding: I will always protect her. No matter the cost.
CHAPTER 18
AURORA
My heart thunders as I press a trembling hand to Thalric’s chest, feeling the faint, uneven rise of each shallow breath as dark blood seeps from his torso and his left shoulder where an arrow is embedded deep in his flesh.
“Thalric.” I blink back tears as I stare down at his unconscious form. “Wake up. Please, you need to open your eyes.”
A faint groan leaves his lips, and his eyelids flutter open, his gaze unfocused for a moment before his golden eyes find mine.
Carefully, I assess his shoulder. “I have to remove the arrow.”
He gives me a small nod. “The tip must be silver,” he rasps, and dread coils in my gut. Silver is poisonous to gargoyles. “If it doesn’t come out, you’ll have to dig it out.”
Bile rises in my throat at the mere thought, but I force it back down. Thalric needs me, and I won’t fail him now.
“Okay,” I whisper, steeling myself, my heart racing wildly. “I can do this.”
Bracing myself, I position one hand on his upper arm and wrap the other around the arrow shaft, swallowing hard. “On three,” I murmur, and he nods. “One…two—”
I yank hard.
An agonized roar rips from his throat as the entire arrow comes out, his pained cry echoing through the forest before his entire body goes limp beneath my hands.
Blood seeps steadily from the wound. I tear a few strips from my ruined dress, pressing them firmly against his injuries to stop the bleeding. Once I’ve done that, I scan the forest floor, searching forelmsalve. Maribel told me it can be mashed into a paste and pressed onto a wound to not only stem the bleeding but also to promote healing and prevent infection.
I spot some growing next to the neighboring tree. Plucking a handful of the small green leaves, I mash them between my palms until they form a thick paste and then carefully press it directly onto Thalric’s wounds, securing the makeshift bandages tightly back in place.
Drawing in a shuddering breath, I scan our surroundings. Moonlight casts eerie shadows all around us, the towering trees standing like dark sentinels. We’re too exposed, too vulnerable. Anything could find us here.
Desperation claws at me as I try to move Thalric, but he’s too heavy. Frustration burns in my chest, fear and helplessness tangled tightly together. I may not be able to move him, but I can still protect him.
An idea takes root as I gaze at the fallen branches littering the ground all around us. Quickly, I gather the wood and snap off several lower branches from nearby trees.
I tear several more strips from my ruined skirts, tying them firmly over the branches to form a frame, layering pine boughs atop to create a makeshift lean-to shelter to hopefully make usless visible to any enemies or predators, while also keeping out some of the wind and the weather.
