Page 20 of Moist!
chapter nine
I have no idea how long I sleep. By the time I'm staring at the ceiling, a peace has filled me.
I'm sure the food helped and the fact they left me alone.
My dreams were filled with snippets from the past— my past—and the memories filled the spaces in my mind.
My subconscious needed to catch up to reality.
Now all that's left is to face the three gargoyles who have been part of all my lives for centuries. Easier said than done. The moistness from the air has seeped into my skin, making me feel icky. I need a damn shower to wash away the last couple days and recenter myself.
I wonder if my family has noticed I'm missing yet.
In my past lives, I either didn't have anyone or they were supportive.
They didn't see anything wrong with hooking up with three gargoyles.
Some of them even searched for them so we could meet.
That was a long time ago, though. From what I saw, I've never had a family who didn't care about me. Until now.
“Hazel?” Ronan's voice floats past the covering and I sigh.
“Yeah?”
“We've got your stuff, and I can show you the hot springs if you want to bathe.”
I scramble off the bed and launch through the doorway. He grins as he catches me around the waist. A second later he sobers and drops his hands.
“Sorry, habit.”
I clear my throat as he leads me to the parts of the cave system I haven't seen yet. “It's okay. I, uh, learned a lot when I was sleeping. Which feels weird and now I don't really know how to act.”
He nods as we make our way into a fairly modern kitchen. I force my feet to keep moving instead of exploring the space.
“Have I always been a chef?” I whisper. I may have gotten the basics of my past lives and our relationships, but the details were fuzzy.
“You always like cooking. Chefs weren't a thing in most of your past, and even then, it wasn't something a woman could do. History didn't do you any favors, which is part of the reason we kept moving. The uninhabited places in the world have shrunk.”
“You were trying to hide from me, weren't you?” I murmur.
He winces. “After living for hundreds of years and watching you die over and over again? Yeah. It was hard. We thought you'd find…more if we weren't there to hold you back.”
My feet stumble and his wing wraps around me, surprisingly gentle as he steadies me.
Just being close to him does something to me.
Is this what home feels like? Serenity? Contentment?
It's as if I'm right where I belong. When he tries to pull away, I cling to his arm and he sighs, his muscles relaxing under my touch.
He clears his throatas we enter a warm, moist cave. Humidity sits heavy in the air and steam curls above the small pools. I didn't think I'd find an underground grotto while on a ski vacation. Then again, I didn't expect to be down here with gargoyles. Ones I'm destined to be with.
“So, if I stay here, I'm going to die? Like, sooner rather than later?” I ask as we stop by one of the pools.
“Maybe not. At least, we hope not. For several lifetimes, we tried to prevent it.
Which only made things worse so we gave up pretty quickly on that.
We aren't trying to trick you, little bird.” He glances over his shoulder.
Without even looking, I know the others are hovering by the entrance.
Whether or not they're eavesdropping, I don't know.
“I don't think you are. I'm just trying to wrap my head around it all now. Is it weird I have, like, layers of emotions that are mine, but not mine? I don't know how to explain it. Like, I'm supposed to—” I swallow hard and rub my forehead.
“Love us,” he whispers. “Yes. I mean, it's normal. They'll even out. Your emotions, that is. You don't have to fall for us. Fate doesn't work like that.”
“Except it kind of does. The feeling won't just go away if I get out of here. I'll spend the rest of my life searching and yearning for this right here.”
He nods, his wings curling the slightest bit at the tips. “What does it feel like?”
A small smile lifts the corner of my lips. “Home.”