Page 20

S plendid. What was I to do now? I couldn’t just sit around waiting for Xaniban. I didn’t even know when he would return. If he would return–

No. No thinking like that. He was coming back. And until he did, I would learn as much about his world as I could.

With newfound determination, I headed for the door, only to get tangled in the bedsheet and trip. Ugh. I had to find something else to wear, unless I wanted to faceplant outside or accidentally flash someone.

What should I wear, then? I looked around in search of something I could work with, and my gaze was drawn to the wall of swords. Hmm . I hoped Samuin would forgive me.

Some ten minutes later, I was on my way to the door in a beach wrap dress fashioned out of cut sheets. Hair tied into a bun atop my head, relieved– always pee before a mission! –and armed, I was ready to explore.

I swung the door open, only to stop short. One more step, and I would smash my face into Samuin’s back.

He turned around and gave me a light bow. “My lady.”

“Hi.” My surprise at seeing him quickly morphed into suspicion. He was clearly stationed at the door; the question was why. To assist me if needed? To guard me from harm? Or to keep me from leaving?

He took in my sword and home-made dress without batting an eye–or wing. “Can I get you anything to eat? Drink? New bedsheets, perhaps?”

I winced. “Sorry about that. I needed a change of clothes to go for a walk. Can I pass, please?”

He remained where he was, blocking my way out. “Forgive me, but your attire is inappropriate.”

I raised a brow at him. I was covered from chest to mid-calf, while women here wore something off the set of a film about ancient Egypt–the porn version. And he called my attire inappropriate? “Will you bring me my old clothes back?”

“Impossible. They have already been destroyed with a disintegration lightning.”

“What!” I pressed my lips into a thin line before unintentionally teaching him a new curse word. Those clothes were the only ones I had!

“My lady can walk wherever she wishes,” Samuin kindly informed me, “with the robe my liege has provided for her.”

I gaped. Xaniban, you son of a… gargoyle! He had Samuin in on his stupid plot to get me into that fishnet. I was sure of it.

I might have looked murderous, because Samuin eyed me cautiously. “My lady?”

“If I’m wearing proper attire ,” I grumbled, “will I be able to go wherever I please?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Will I be able to walk freely, or will you be shadowing me?”

“I shall be your shadow only if you wish it so.” He nodded respectfully.

“No guards?”

“My lady does not need guards where she is perfectly safe.”

I sighed, then went back into the bedchamber and shut the door behind me. Time to face the music, aka embrace the local culture and put diamonds on my nipples.

It took some wiggling around and stretching to tie the laces at my back, but I got into the skimpy outfit.

To my chagrin, I found it quite comfortable.

I could move freely, and the integrated panties ensured I wouldn’t be flashing anyone in the process.

The precious stones actually provided good coverage, and if anyone stared at my chest inappropriately, they risked going blind from how much I sparkled in the sunlight.

I opened the door and stepped outside with as much dignity as I could muster.

Samuin bowed deeply. “My Queen.”

I nearly burst into hysterical laughter. “Okay, uhh… I want to visit the city.”

“I am afraid you cannot do that.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You said I could go wherever.”

“Wherever within the palace walls,” he explained with as much calmness as ever.

Murderous mode: reactivated. “Why the hell can’t I go beyond?”

“For your own safety. My liege has not announced his mating yet, and if you just appear among my brethren in his color, the joy will be uncontrolled. Discipline must be maintained.”

Seriously? I was in danger of overjoyed gargoyles?

I thought Xaniban didn’t want me in the city out of suspicion I would find someone there willing to fly me home.

Or because the king’s opposition might attack me, or take me hostage as a bargaining chip…

Guess his subjects loved him–most of all the women, I bet.

How many had Xaniban slept with? Given their small number, probably all of them? My blood began to boil at the mere thought–

“My Queen?”

I pushed down the sudden fit of jealousy and refocused on the conversation. “Fine, no leaving the palace. What can I do inside?”

“I would suggest visiting the library. The Mate Bond Scroll could be of interest.” To my confused look, Samuin added, “I have heard the stories of how hard it is for some humans to accept the existence of the bond. I was told by my liege you are one of the skeptical females. The scroll can help you believe.”

Not this again. Still, the library sounded like the perfect place to learn more about Gargoyles and other beings that went bump in the night. I just had to make sure my curiosity didn’t get the best of me. I had to be out of the library and back into my wrap dress before Xaniban’s return.

“Lead the way, Samuin.”

“It would be my honor.”

Once I left the heavy sword and stifling boots behind on his advice, Samuin led me down a wide, brightly-lit corridor. The cloudy floor was warm under my bare feet. Tapestries of famous sites around the globe decorated the walls. I wished I could stop and take in each one.

“Is the library close?” I wasn’t sure how big the palace was. Being flown around tended to leave a person with a distorted perception of space.

Samuin slowed his pace so I could keep up with his long stride. “It is under the central tower of the palace.”

“Which is located…?”

“It is on another level of the palace. Under normal circumstances, I would fly you there.”

I blinked. “These are not normal circumstances?”

Samuin shook his head. “Unless it is to protect you from danger, I cannot touch you. Any scent other than your mate’s on your skin, and my liege will be overcome by deadly rage.”

I snorted.

He gave me a look somehow more serious than his usual one.

“You’re not joking, are you?”

“Any male risks death by my liege’s claws and fangs, should he lay a finger on you. The mate bond demands it, it is instinctive.”

“Does it work the other way around?” Not that I was starting to believe in the bond’s existence, I was just… asking for a friend.

“Of course. Although a human female’s sense of smell is not strong enough, I have read that even the suspicion of her mate having been touched by another is enough to cause a fit of rage.”

My stride faltered. “Jealousy, you mean?”

“My Queen has already felt what I speak of. That is good. It is one of the many manifestations of the bond.”

“No, I–” I shook my head to myself. It was impossible to lie to a gargoyle. “Jealousy is natural,” I reminded both him and myself. “It doesn’t prove the existence of a magical connection.”

Did the corners of his lips twitch? “It matters not. I still cannot fly you to the library.”

We turned left into another wide corridor, this one with a taxidermy collection displayed in glass cases along the walls.

My stride faltered yet again. I was thrown off by the first sight here that I didn’t like. “What are these? Hunting trophies of gargoyle kings?”

“Animals from the ground that have since gone extinct or are about to. A memory of them has to be preserved. These specimens were found dead. Their lives were not cut short by my brethren.”

“Thank you for clarifying that.” The look on my face upon entering this place must have conveyed how appalled I was.

I tried to keep walking without getting distracted by the sight of a dodo next to a sabre-toothed cat. Some preservation magic had to be at play here. Just how far back did this collection–and Gargoyles–go?

“Samuin, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Why are you so invested in the ground? I get that you have to go there to find mates. But, you didn’t need to stuff a Tasmanian tiger to get in a woman’s pants.”

To my surprise, Samuin’s lips tipped up. A second smile from the most serious gargoyle in 24 hours? I was a certified comedian.

“These creatures are here not because of the Gods-imposed search for our mates. The ground may not be my kind’s home, but it has sustained the missing pieces of our souls one reincarnation after another. We owe it a debt we can never repay.”

Excitement surged through me. That sounded promising. “Is this why you fight against the flesh eaters now? Because they’re the greatest threat to the ground?”

“The flesh eaters’ king started the war centuries ago when he purposefully began spreading the curse of his blood. He has overstepped before but never on a scale this big. We must finish our ancestors’ fight and eliminate him. Once and for all.”

We exited the corridor with the natural history museum vibe and headed toward an imposing wooden staircase. Its spiral stairs left enough space for those with wings to fly around it while ensuring wingless visitors could climb comfortably.

Samuin took flight as I went up the stairs, but he flapped his massive wings at a speed that kept him airborne at my level. I immediately took advantage of his decision to keep me company on the way up.

“Will you do something about the other threats to the ground?” I asked. “If the zombie king is defeated and his creations die out, will you try to eliminate what remains of the vamps, for instance?”

“It is up to my liege to decide what options there are for our homecloud. Then my brethren will choose one.”

“Can Xan–the king choose on his own? At least, in times of war?” I was all for democracy but wasn’t blind to its flaws. The majority didn’t always make the best decisions.

Samuin’s tail curled as he flew beside me.

“My Queen speaks of the unthinkable. That is treason to the homecloud. I have studied that on the ground, a leader could go so far, but here this would never happen. If my liege decides on his own to go to war with a new enemy, no warriors will follow him. How will he win his war? A king is nothing without his people.”

Yeah, if only humans had learned that lesson over the centuries. “But even for today’s battle, where I think the king got approval from the Army…”

“Yes?”

“He still relies on volunteers only.” I slowed down my pace to be able to talk without running out of breath. “Isn’t that counterproductive?”

“Every single warrior is free to decide which battle to join. He needs to personally believe in the cause to fight to the death for it.”

Meaning that the chances of the Gargoyles fighting for humans beyond their ancient war with zombies, were slim. So much for my hope that the tide of the apocalypses could be turned. Things could never go back to normal.

I stopped abruptly stairs away from the last landing as a previous concern of mine resurfaced. “How many warriors volunteered for today’s attack?”

Samuin’s tail twitched. “Nothing can stop my liege from returning to you.”

“Fuck.” I gripped the wooden railing, fear freezing my limbs at his evasive answer. Xaniban had replied to the same question in a similar fashion. “They’ll be outnumbered, won’t they?”

I’d been so stupid, refusing to consider his death as a possibility.

How could I think of Xaniban as unbeatable when I had seen him almost dying a day ago?

Just a day ago! He could regenerate, yes, but not as quickly as vampires could.

He was far from invincible in battle, and today he might be facing more monsters than ever.

He might be dead already. And here I was, thinking about getting changed so as to rob him of the satisfaction of seeing me in his color. I had thought I wouldn’t be able to stand the smug smile he would give me then, but… what if I never saw that smile again?

Sadness, as sharp as a blade, cut into me.

“My Queen?”

Samuin flew closer, and the air moved by his wings made my eyes burn. I reached up, and my fingers came out wet. “What the…” I hadn’t realized I was crying.

“Do you feel unwell?” Samuin asked with palpable concern in his tone, tail restless. “Drained of energy?”

“No.” I quickly wiped the unexpected tears away, but my voice still came out shaky. “Why?”

He pulled away, body visibly relaxing. “One can sense the death of one’s mate. Even when the mate bond is still raw.”

“Raw, as in new?”

“To some extent. But it is not so much about its newness as it is about its consummation.”

“And that means what exactly?”

He flapped his wings to stay hovering at my eye level.

“The initial need of newly reunited mates to be one, just like their souls were once one, is so potent that most mates do not leave their bed for days after the mating. Once their soul and body settle with the knowledge that they will not be parted again, the mate bond is no longer raw.”

“Um… I think I get it now,” I mumbled, feeling awkward all of a sudden. The idea of spending days in bed with Xaniban sounded so appealing that I could imagine locking the bedchamber door myself. With both of us inside.

“My Queen will better understand everything she is feeling once she reads the Mate Bond Scroll . I have learned the basics from there, and my friends’ stories added very little to what you can read in it.”

I guess that was his polite way of saying I should stop with the endless info-drilling. With me no longer in need of a guard, he surely had better things to do than answer questions about the meaning of consummation .

“Sorry for keeping you, Samuin,” I told him, quickly climbing the last remaining stairs to the landing. “Just get me to the library and go do your thing.”

He landed next to me and started walking down the only corridor available, a single wooden door at its end.

“Your company is most welcome,” he assured me as he reached for the lever handle. “Once my liege returns victorious, I will certainly be deprived of the refreshing conversations you so generously offer me.”

I scoffed. “I enjoy your company, too, and no unfounded jealousy by a certain king will change that. I’d like us to be friends.”

He paused with the door half-open. “My Queen.” His voice wavered, and he gave me the deepest bow ever.

I smiled and gave a clumsy curtsy, which had the corners of his lips twitching.

I meant what I said. The question was, would I stay here long enough to make friends?