Page 16 of Hidden By the Gargoyle

Not that there was a lot of knowledge of their species. They were secretive and, even before they’d nearly become extinct, they rarely allowed other species to live amongst them.

Dax turned from the stove, a spatula in his hand. “Morning. Do you want some coffee?”

“I can get it,” I said, moving around the bar.

“I got it,” Dax replied, holding up his hand toward me. “Just have a seat.”

“Okay. Do you want some help making breakfast?” I offered.

He shook his head and moved to the fridge to pull out a bottle of creamer. As soon as I saw it, I realized that he must have bought it specifically for me since he took his coffee black, and the Italian sweet cream flavor was my favorite.

I gave up and hoisted myself up onto one of the stools on the opposite side of the bar. It was likely for the best. Dax’s kitchen was tiny, and we would likely bump into each other every time we turned around if we were both in there at the same time.

After waking up draped over him like a blanket, a little bit of space might do me some good. Even a lukewarm shower hadn’t done much to calm the burn of my skin where it had pressed against his back.

“Poppy is coming to the resort in an hour or so,” he said. “It’ll take a while for her to learn everything she needs to know.”

I hated hearing that. Not that Poppy was coming, but that he was giving up his job to keep me safe.

“Don’t,” he said, distracting me from my thoughts.

“I didn’t do anything,” I said, watching as he poured creamer into a cup of coffee.

“You feel guilty that I’m going to be taking care of you instead of running the resort.”

Yep, he read my mind.

I shrugged, not meeting his gaze when he brought my coffee over to me. He set it on the counter in front of me and leaned forward slightly.

“Look at me, Ally.”

I met his eyes. They were nearly purple this morning and a little sleepy. As cheesy as it sounded, my heart skipped a beat just looking at him.

“I want to keep you safe. It’s more important than this resort. It’s more important than my job.Youare more important to me than anything else right now.”

Even as his words comforted me, they made my throat feel tight because I knew that he wasn’t saying them out of the same emotions I felt for him. He was saying them out of affection and friendship rather than love.

And it hurt so badly.

“Thank you,” I whispered, hoping that he wouldn’t hear the tears in my voice.

I picked up my coffee cup and looked down as I took a sip. I couldn’t stand to look into his eyes any longer. I was afraid that he would see everything I was thinking and feeling in mine.

“You don’t have to thank me. It’s my honor.”

The pain grew in intensity, piercing my heart until I had to take a deep breath just to steady myself before I actually burst into tears.

As pathetic as it made me, I would have given anything in that moment to hear him say those words and know that he meant them because he loved me the way I loved him.

But he didn’t.

And he never would.

I remained quiet as he finished cooking our breakfast. All my questions about his tattoo forgotten in the face of the pain in my chest.

He made cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon so crispy it was nearly burnt, and toast with orange marmalade. Again, some of my favorite things to eat.

I continued to try and ignore the pain that hammered away at me at his thoughtfulness. I wished that I could have this every day for the rest of my life, just as Talant had joked last night. The idea of having Dax like this on a daily basis for a few decades sounded like bliss.

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