Page 16 of A Highland Gargoyle’s Lucky Star (Tales from the Tarot)
Chapter sixteen
Elryk
The ley line at the site of DarkWing Castle remains shrouded in mystery. Few outside of the gargoyle clan have ever set foot near it. A powerful magic barrier keeps out those who are not permitted entrance. Little is known about why the gargoyles were chosen to guard the line, although one might assume their inherently protective nature as a species may have played some part in it. According to gargoyle legend, a Goddess blessed the ley line and their clan, asking them to watch over it for her for eternity. Because the ley line is so powerful, it affects some of the natural world around it. However, few will speak about this impact with outsiders. Even the author of this book, a world-renowned scholar, was unable to get permission to visit the site or learn more hidden details.
—Guardians of the Line: A Hidden History , by Dr. Targan Wildethorne
N asser knocks on the door of his own cabin early the next morning. “Are you two decent in there?” he calls out with obvious mirth in his voice.
Noah, who evidently sleeps like the dead, stays still, curled in a ball and cocooned under the blankets on the bed.
With a sigh, I get up and pull on my kilt, then let Nasser in.
My friend stops in his tracks, barely through the door, and inhales sharply as he glares at me. “Good Goddess, man. It smells like sex in here.”
His astute gaze immediately zeros in on the crustified rug, and he shakes his head. “You owe me a new rug, you bastard.”
“I know. I’ll buy you one.”
Nasser crosses his arms. “That was a quality rug. Real plush, that one.” He rubs his fingers together. “You better be ready to pay up, my friend.”
I smirk and cross my own arms. “Not a problem. It was bloody well worth every penny.”
Nasser snorts and glances over at the bed. “I’ve no doubt it was. I’m glad you didn’t break my fucking bed.”
“You’ve got Noah to thank for that.”
We move over to the small table under a window that looks out onto the forest.
“What did you learn?” I ask him, my tone low but serious.
Nasser’s eyes turn stormy. “They were definitely the ones who hired whoever it was that attacked Noah on the train. It seems they caught wind of him in London when a wild double-decker bus incident happened.” His mouth twitches. “Goddess above, do I ever want to hear that story someday.”
I run a hand down my face. “Noah told me a bit about it, but it’s quite mind-boggling, to be honest.”
“Well, unfortunately, it garnered a lot of unwanted attention from the wrong people at the wrong time. I cannae guarantee there aren’t others who also spotted him and recognized him for what he is—especially so soon after he was newly awakened.” Nasser shakes his head. “Noah was probably glowing like a bloody nuclear reactor to anyone who can detect magic, all while he wandered all over London without a care in the world.”
No doubt there will be others who seek him out in future, but I’ll be there to protect him.
Nasser reaches over and clasps my shoulder, giving it a friendly squeeze. “Keeping him safe in DarkWing Castle is the best thing for him. Even after this threat with the Sluagh passes, we both know there will be others. He’ll never be free from those who would wish to use him for their own gain. His gift is a rare and precious one, but it’s dangerous for him to be out in the world now that it’s been activated.” He shakes his head sadly. “What’s been awakened within him cannae be put back to sleep, my friend.”
“I know, but I do worry that Noah will grow tired of this kind of life, and the isolation of it. Nonetheless, I’m willing to do everything in my power to make him as happy as possible.”
Nasser leans back in his chair with a thoughtful curve to his lips. “I’ve told you before, Elryk. You take a bit too much onto yourself. You’re not responsible for anyone’s happiness but your own, fated mate or no fated mate.”
I start to protest, but he holds up a hand to forestall me. “Let me finish. You can certainly do many things to help Noah in his own quest to find his individual happiness as well as on the path toward happiness you two will have together as mates. These are two different kinds of happiness though.”
I think back on Noah’s dream that he told me about. He has ambitions that have nothing to do with our relationship, and I want to aid him in making them a reality.
“You should think about the same for yourself, Elryk.”
I startle. “What do you mean?”
Nasser’s eyes grow sad. “My friend, you’ve given up too much of yourself to your clan. I know how devoted you are to them, and yes, your position as Barrier Master is unique. In some ways, it carries a similar degree of burden to that of being clan leader. The fundamental safety of everyone at DarkWing Castle rests on your shoulders and on your sole ability to maintain the barrier.” He fixes a sharp gaze on me. “But that’s not all that you are. Surely there are other things you want to do and achieve in this life.”
“But I can’t leave the castle.”
Not for long anyway.
“True, but perhaps you can find something that wouldn’t require you to leave.”
I consider that, especially since Noah talked about how easily he could live in the castle and work on his dream of becoming a children’s book author. To be sure, he can write and draw almost anywhere.
“Human technology has advanced in miraculous ways,” Nasser continues. “So many things can be done with a computer and an internet connection these days. Now that your castle has finally been brought into the twenty-first century and has decent Wi-Fi, you’ve got more access to opportunities too. Hell, you could enroll in an online degree program if you wanted to.”
His words floor me, and I realize with sudden startling clarity that he’s right. I’ve spent far too long not allowing myself to want anything. To only focus on my duty and responsibility. I just assumed there would be nothing else, and no one else, for me. But now I have a fated mate, and suddenly it’s like blinders I didn’t know I had on have been taken off. A whole new vista of possibilities is coming into view.
I swallow thickly. “You’re right. I’ll think on it.”
Nasser nods approvingly and winks. “Please do. Remember, the happier you can make yourself, the happier you can be with your mate.”
Well, if that isn’t motivation enough to kick me in the arse about making some changes in my life, I don’t know what is.
“We need to get back to the castle,” I finally say with a sigh.
“Aye,” Nasser agrees. “My tentacles are tingling with low-grade warning signals. The danger from the west grows ever closer. I suspect it’ll be here any day now.”
I don’t even want to contemplate it, but I know I must. Noah’s still so newly attuned to his powers that I hate placing such a huge burden on him so fast and so soon, but we don’t have a choice.
“Don’t underestimate your mate, Elryk. Noah’s tough. Far tougher than he looks, and I suspect he can be downright fierce and relentlessly determined when it comes to those he cares about.”
I glance over at Noah’s sleeping form and can’t hold back a smile.
“Och, wipe that lovesick grin off your face in front of me. You’re just rubbing it in now, aren’t you?” Nasser teases good-naturedly.
“I truly hope your mate will appear soon, my friend. You’ve waited far too long and deserve to find them.”
Nasser’s expression shutters and he gazes out the window, his eyes distant. “I’ll admit, before you two came to visit me, I was thinking about leaving the area and abandoning my duty.”
I freeze in shock at his words, and he chuckles.
“Hard to imagine, eh? But young Noah was right. I’m awfully damn lonely here. There’s a part of me that feels like it cannae keep going if I dinnae find my mate soon.”
This time I reach over and clasp his shoulder. “Don’t give up. Please wait a little longer, my friend. The Oracle’s visions are never wrong, and I believe that your mate will be among those who’ll appear to us soon.”
Nasser’s answering smile is wistful. “Let’s hope so. But for now, you need to wake up your mate and hie yourselves home. It’s time for him to start helping you reinforce the barrier before the Sluagh arrive.”
“Will you be all right here on your own? Should I send some of my men as reinforcements?”
He waves a hand dismissively. “I’m fine on my own. Besides, I suspect the main horde will attack you at the castle’s node first. If they come for me, I’ll know the barrier has fallen.”
His words send a chill down my spine, but I can’t dispute his reasoning. The pressing sense of urgency within me grows and I wake up Noah—after three tries anyway.
He’s charmingly adorable when he first wakes up, bleary-eyed and with his hair mussed. He blinks at me a few times before giving me a sappy, sweet smile. “Good morning, sexy.” He yawns. “It’s early. We should sleep some more. Get back into bed with me.”
Nasser clears his throat loudly across the room, and Noah peeks around me. “Oh, whoops. Hi, Nasser. How’s it going?”
“Not as good as it is with you two, evidently.”
Noah gives a throaty laugh. “Sorry about the rug, by the way.”
Nasser shrugs. “Dinnae worry about it. Elryk’s going to buy me an even nicer and more expensive one.”
I scowl at him, but he just grins unrepentantly.
“We need to get going,” I tell Noah. “Time’s running out, and now that you know how to tap a ley line node, we need you to try and do it back at the castle so that I can start working on reinforcing the barrier before the Sluagh appear.”
“You’re right. We’ve got to be ready and keep everyone safe,” Noah says.
Because I’d hung his wet clothes by the woodstove before we went to sleep, they’re all warm and dry now, so I hustle him off to the tiny bathroom to get dressed, at the same time shielding his naked body from Nasser’s view—much to both men’s amusement.
In short order, we’re ready to leave, and I get out the harness again.
Noah groans. “Not the BDSM Baby Bjorn again! And in broad daylight where anyone can see me.”
“It’s the fastest way back to the castle, my love.”
He lets out a long, put-upon sigh. “Fine, but you owe me for this.”
“You name it, sweetheart.”
“Hmm. I like the sound of that. Let me think on it and I’ll get back to you.”
He strides over and gives a very surprised Nasser a quick hug and a high five. “I’m glad we’re tentacle bros now. Thank you so much for all your help. When all this shit with the Sluagh is over, we’ll come back for a visit. Or maybe you can come to DarkWing Castle?”
Nasser smiles indulgently at my mate. “I’d like that very much.”
We say our goodbyes and when we’re outside, I get Noah strapped into the harness. Once he’s secure, we quickly take off.
We’re running on only a few hours of sleep, but I feel somehow more settled in my relationship with Noah after everything that happened last night.
Already, we’re making plans for the future, and he’s prepared to commit to staying at DarkWing Castle with me.
I can only hope that our confrontation with the Sluagh goes in our favor.
Surely the Goddess wouldn’t bring us together and show us the promise of a future full of mutual love and happiness only to tear it all away…
Right?