Page 15 of Never Been Gargoyled (Harmony Glen #4)

Feydin

T he flight back to the estate passed in tense silence. Dazy held tight to me, her body rigid against my chest. I could sense her anxiety radiating outward, mixing with my own anger at Rebecca Hartwell's dismissive attitude.

I landed on the back lawn and set Dazy down, holding her arms until she was steady. She stepped back, smoothing her dress, but I caught the way her hands trembled.

“I’m going to find out everything I can about Rebecca’s finances, her business dealings, anything that might help our case,” I said.

Dazy nodded and made a small sound that might have been agreement. But when I looked closer, her eyes were glassy, and her lower lip was quivering.

She was going to cry.

Panic shot through me. What did monsters do when humans cried? Helga had rarely shown much emotion, and I'd certainly never dealt with a weeping female before.

Without thinking too much about it, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her against my chest. She felt so small and fragile in my embrace, and the way she immediately melted into me, clinging to my jacket, made my heart ache.

“It will work out,” I said, my voice gruff. “I promise.”

She pulled back to look at me, hope bright in her eyes. “Do you really believe that?”

The trust in her voice undid me. She was looking to me for reassurance, for strength. I wanted to be everything she needed, but the truth was I had no idea if we could win against Rebecca's claim.

“Yes,” I said anyway because she needed to hear it. “I believe we have a chance.”

“That’s enough. I won’t give up.” Her smile was watery but genuine. “Thank you for everything.”

She headed inside, and I watched until the rear door closed behind her before taking to the sky again. Before I pulled out my phone, I needed to move, needed to burn off the rage that was building in my chest.

I flew over Harmony Glen, circling higher and higher until the buildings below looked like toys. The wind rushed past my wings, but it did nothing to cool the fury coursing through my veins.

Rebecca Hartwell thought she could come to this pretty town and take everything from Dazy. Thought she could dismiss my mate as if she were nothing more than an inconvenience to be bought off .

My mate.

The thought stopped me cold. I'd been thinking of Dazy that way for days now, but this was the first time I'd admitted it so bluntly to myself. She was my fated mate, whether she knew it or not. And gargoyles protected their mates with everything they had.

I banked left, following Harmony River that wound through the countryside and emerged into the lake. The familiar landscape below reminded me of flying with my brother when we were younglings. Before everything went wrong between us.

Gavrel would know what to do. He'd always been the smarter one, the one who thought three steps ahead while I charged in headfirst. If anyone could find a legal angle to help Dazy, it would be him.

But we hadn't spoken in two years. Not since our last argument, when harsh words had been thrown like weapons and pride had kept us both from backing down. I'd been too stubborn to reach out since then, and apparently, so had he.

Maybe it was time to swallow that pride. For Dazy's sake, if not for my own.

Landing on the shore of the lake, I pulled out my phone and scrolled to his contact. My finger remained over the call button for a long moment before I shoved it back in my pocket.

Not yet. I'd try to handle this myself first. If I failed, then I'd consider begging my brother for help.

I flew back toward the estate, anger still simmering beneath my skin. By the time I landed on the roof, the sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple.

From my perch, I could see the road that led to the estate. A car drove past, slowing as the driver craned their neck to look at the property. Probably curious about the old manor house, but I glared at them anyway until they sped up and disappeared around the bend.

Let them look. Let them all look. I was here. I was protecting her. And I wasn't going anywhere.

Below me, lights shone through the windows of the house. Dazy was making dinner or maybe reading one of those romance novels she seemed to love. The thought of her alone in the big house, worrying about losing everything, made my chest ache.

I wanted to go to her. Wanted to wrap her in my arms again and tell her everything would be fine. But what could I offer her beyond empty promises?

The answer came to me as I stared down at the overgrown gardens below. I could offer her beauty. I could create something that would make her smile, even in the middle of all this uncertainty.

I spread my wings and dropped down to the front lawn, landing on the circular drive. The area across from the main entrance was a tangle of weeds and overgrown shrubs, but I could see the potential beneath the mess.

A flower garden. Something that would bloom at night, when she might be too anxious to sleep. Something that would remind her that beautiful things could grow even in difficult soil.

I flew to the garden center, grateful they were still open. The elderly human woman behind the counter didn't even blink to see a gargoyle shopping.

“Looking for anything special?” she asked as I browsed the rows of plants.

“Night-blooming flowers,” I said. “Something fragrant.”

Her face lit up. “Oh, you want moonflowers. And we just got in some night-blooming jasmine. Beautiful scents, both of them, though we have others as well, including queen of the night and night phlox. Someone special you're planting for?”

“You could say that. She’s…” I didn’t say anything more than that.

With a nod and a wink, she showed me the plants, then helped me load flats of seedlings into my cart, along with bags of soil and mulch. “She's lucky to have someone who thinks about what would make her happy.”

If only it were that simple.

It took three trips to fly everything back to the estate, and I tucked everything around the side of the building, being as quiet as possible. The lights were still on downstairs, but I couldn't see Dazy through the windows. Probably for the best. I wanted this to be a surprise.

Working by moonlight felt natural. Gargoyles were creatures of the night, after all. I cleared the weeds first, pulling up invasive vines and cutting back overgrown shrubs until I had a clear space to work with.

Then came the real job. Digging, planting, arranging, mulching. I'd watched Dazy in the garden enough to understand the basics, but this was different. This wasn't about clearing away the old to make room for the new. This was about creating something lovely from nothing.

The moonflowers went in first, their heart-shaped leaves already reaching toward the darkness.

They would open at sunset, unfurling white trumpets that would glow in the moonlight.

The jasmine came next, its dark green foliage providing a backdrop for the star-shaped flowers that would fill the air with perfume.

I filled in around the plants with hostas and other assorted plants I’d purchased, trying to make everything look aesthetically pleasing and easy to maintain.

I worked steadily through the night, losing myself in the rhythm of planting and hauling and watering.

By the time I’d finished, my hands were dirty, and my wings were coated in grime, but I didn't care.

This was how a gargoyle courted his mate.

By providing for her, by creating something pretty for her to enjoy.

As the sky began to lighten in the east, I’d transformed the neglected space into a magical oasis. The plants were small now, but they would grow. In a few weeks, maybe a month, this corner of the garden would be a fragrant place Dazy could enjoy at night.

I cleaned up the tools and disposed of the empty containers, then retreated to the roof to wait. My body was tired from the night's work, but my mind was too anxious to rest.

What if she didn't like it? She could think I was overstepping or even that the garden was presumptuous rather than romantic .

Dawn arced across the sky, and the front door opened. Dazy stepped out onto the porch, wearing jeans and a loose shirt, her hair pulled back in a messy bun. She looked gorgeous in the morning light. Gorgeous at any time of day or night, actually. Longing made my limbs quake.

She started down the steps, perhaps heading to her car, but stopped. Her gaze had found the new garden.

I held my breath, watching as she walked closer. Her expression was unreadable from this distance, and I found myself leaning forward, straining to see her reaction.

She knelt beside the moonflowers, reaching out to touch one of the leaves with gentle fingers. Straightening, she took in the entire space.

When she looked up toward the roof, I instinctively stepped back into the chimney’s shadow. But not before I saw the smile spreading across her face.

She liked what I'd made for her. The garden would grow and bloom and fill her nights with beauty, and maybe, when she walked among the flowers, she would think of me.

It wasn't much, not in the face of everything else we were dealing with. But it was something. A small piece of joy in an uncertain world.

A gift from a gargoyle to his mate, even if she didn't know that was me.

Relief roared through me so intensely that my knees buckled.

I tumbled off the roof.