Page 10 of The Gargoyle's Captive

“Then you’re playing a losing game.” She sighs. “If I’m stuck here for seven years, I don’t want to be in a contentious relationship with you. It sounds exhausting for both of us, and I don’t think you want that any more than I do.”

She’s not being honest with me. And she’s not exactly lying, but her emotions are more muted than they have been since I met her, which means she’s working hard to control them. It’s not from fear. Out of all the emotions, fear is the one most challenging to mask. It’s too instinctive.

“I agree,” I say slowly. “You found your way down here well enough. Were you exploring?” I already know the answer, and I’m not certain if I’d rather her have cowered in her room until I came to retrieve her or not. I don’t want her to fear me, but there’s something dangerous about this woman. If she’s a threat...

What will I do if she is? Run.

I take a large drink of wine. “Be careful on the stairs. A fall from a high floor will kill you.”

“As I said before, I’m not afraid of heights and I’ve got excellent balance. I’ll be fine.”

“Right. Good.” I sit back and swirl my wine in my glass. It’s tempting to tell her that I doubt her intentions, but I can’t help doubtingmyinstincts. I’ll be the first to admit that my opinions of humans are shaded by past events. It could be that I’m looking for trouble where there is none.

It could be, but I don’t think so. I highly doubt Grace is here with good intentions. I won’t know for sure until she acts, but I can keep a close eye on her.

I force a smile and allow her to believe the lie that I trust her. “I know this isn’t easy for you. It isn’t easy for me, either. There’s plenty of time, Grace. We’ll get to know each other slowly.” It’s a lie. There’s a clock ticking down in my head. I don’t believe the curse is real. That’s nonsense. But enough bad things have happened that it’s hard not to feel that I’m next. I won’t breathe well until the line of succession is secured. Maybe not even then.

Dinner wraps up quickly after that. I escort Grace back to her room, and I don’t miss the way she seems to be memorizing the trip. It’s almost a relief that the hallways are empty and echoing—at least there’s no one there to witness the growing awkwardness between us. I want to believe her memorization is so she can find her way through the halls while she lives here, but there’s a quiet intent to her energy that speaks of slyness. It worms away from me every time I try to focus on it.

“Good night, Grace. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Yes. See you in the morning.” Guilt colors her emotions, and she shoots a quick look out the window. Looking for an escape route?

There’s no violence in her right now, which leads me to only one possible conclusion. She’s not here to attack anyone. She also has no intention of honoring her part of the bargain.

No, that can’t be right.

Azazel gave her a chance to back out earlier. She didn’t take him up on it. Why would she agree to this if she planned on fleeing the first chance she got?

Because I’m less of an obstacle than the bargainer demon.

Shame coats me, so thick I can barely breathe past it. I’m used to not being enough for my people, more or less, but this damned human doesn’t know me.

She signed the contract, same as I did. She gave her word, same as I did. And yet she’s not even going to wait twenty-four hours before she breaks it. I have no intention of forcing her into anything. I was going to give her the benefit of the doubt and conduct a slow seduction. I intended to get to know her and potentially craft a real relationship.

She had dinner with me toplacateme. To make me think that we had a potentially real connection.

She lied.

As I ascend to the roof and crouch there, waiting for her to make her move, resolve solidifies inside me. If she doesn’t intend to keep her word, then I won’t either. I won’t force her. I didn’t lie when I said I have no desire or intention to do so.

But there is a lot of ground between a sweet seduction and force. It makes me a little sick to think of, but even that feeling falls away as full darkness descends and I catch the movement of Grace slipping out of the castle below.

She really thinks so little of me that she didn’t even attempt to cover up her escape. There was no waiting for the deepest night to fall. She’s not even moving particularly sneakily.

Anger blooms inside me, and I welcome it with open arms. It’s so much easier to be angry than to drown in the damned shame that never leaves.

I take to the sky, using the cover of clouds to hide my movement. No matter how capable she is, she’s on unfamiliar territory in the dark. There are many dangers in the lands around the castle, and I might be so furious I can barely breathe, but that doesn’t mean I want her harmed.

She’s prey and doesn’t even know it.

She slips past the guard post with its spells that keep the area safe. I descend until I’m almost skimming the treetops, following the gray of her worry as she picks her way through the forest. Barely ten minutes have passed before a muffled curse sounds. Exactly as I expected. I find a spot and drop to the ground in front of her.

Grace hangs aloft, her entire body stuck to a massive web. She’s taken the time to change out of her dress into a pair of leggings and a long tunic that puts her lean body on full display. She curses harder when she sees me, struggles more violently. All it does is entangle her further.

Overhead, something scurries along the web.

“The more you fight the web, the greater their frenzy when they reach you.” I’m so angry, I hardly sound like myself. I approached this deal in good faith; Grace never intended to uphold her side of things.

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