Page 59 of Hidden By the Gargoyle

The urge to flee gripped me. It was so strong that I took a step back before I could control my reaction. The need to escape was all-consuming.

And when I did, the floor dropped from beneath me and I fell into the pitch black of an abyss.

I couldn’t even draw the breath to scream as my body plummeted straight down. I scrambled with my hands, trying to grab onto something, anything, to break my fall. I didn’t want to hit the bottom. It would kill me.

Suddenly, my descent slowed. There was a light beneath my feet, golden and soft. I willed my body to slow down even more, and, to my utter shock, it did.

The light flickered and I realized it was from a fire or maybe candles. A hole appeared beneath me, and my body floated through it. As soon as I passed through, I realized that I was in Talant’s cave.

But it was clear he wasn’t expecting me. He was sprawled on his back in the center of his circular bed, a fur blanket draped over his hips, but his chest and exposed leg were bare.

I drifted down from the ceiling of the cavern until my feet touched the stone floor. When I landed, his eyes opened, glowing reddish-amber, and he sat up in the bed, one hand out in front of him with a crackling ball of red and gold magic gripped in his fist.

“By the gods, Ally!” he yelled, lowering his hand quickly. “How did you get here?”

I looked around me, completely confused. “I have no idea.”

“I didn’t even feel you approaching!” he snapped, jumping to his feet.

I yelped and turned my back to him when the blanket fell away from his body, showing me that he wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing beneath it.

“Holy shit, Talant! I didnotneed to see that!” I yelled, throwing a hand over my eyes.

“By the hells, woman, if you don’t let me know you’re coming, I can’t make sure I’m clothed!” he yelled back.

“I don’t know how to let you know that I’ll be here!” My voice was pitched higher, almost a screech. “So, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

There was some shuffling behind me but no way in hell was I going to turn around yet.

“You don’t know that you’re communicating with me before you arrive?” he asked.

“No!” I heard footsteps closing in behind me. “You better have some damn clothes on!” I screeched.

Talant was grinning when he walked around me and, yes, he wore a pair of pants that rode too low on his hips, but at least all the important bits were covered. He never wore a shirt anyway, so the sight of his bare chest didn’t bother me.

“Are you always so…prudish?” he asked.

Judging by the heat in my cheeks, my face was glowing like a stop light and probably twice as red.

“You’re like a big brother to me and I don’t need to see my big brother’s dangly bits.”

His grin widened, revealing two dimples. “Dangly bits? Do you mean my?—”

I held up a hand and snapped, “Shut up!”

He outright laughed. “Your visits are always so entertaining. Even more so when you’re uninvited.”

I growled at him. “It’s not funny, Talant. The only reason I’m here is because I was running away from yourbrother.” As I said the final word, I used my fingers for air quotes.

The laughter faded from his face immediately. “What?”

“Your brother, who refuses to give me his name because it will give me power over him, pulled me into his dreams tonight to give me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

Talant’s hand shot out and gripped my bicep. His fingers were so tight that they pinched.

“Talant!”

“Tell me exactly what happened,” he demanded.

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