Page 77 of Hidden By the Gargoyle

“What?” The question was low and dangerous.

His body seemed to grow, and his eyes turned into pure silver. His hands fisted as he lowered his head to look at me from under his brows.

It was a terrifying stance, one that I’d never seen him take before.

Instinctively, I took a step back. Then, another.

The movement seemed to break through whatever Dax was thinking because his face changed again. He looked horrified.

He spun on his heel and stalked back toward the front door. He leaned his head against the wood and took a deep breath. After a few moments, he faced me again, his face completely blank.

“You should go to bed, Ally.”

I didn’t argue with him. Whatever had just happened in Dax’s head, I wasn’t sure I could deal with it right now. I was tired and weak, my heart hurting and my emotions a wreck. There was no way I could have a calm, reasonable discussion with him right now.

I needed to lick my wounds and calm down.

I turned my back to him and trudged up the stairs to the loft. I went through the motions, getting ready for bed on autopilot. I stripped my clothes off and let them fall on the floor on my side of the bed, slipped on a tank top and shorts, and crawled into the bed. I didn’t worry about washing my face or brushing my teeth. I didn’t have the energy to deal with it.

When my head hit the pillow, that was when the tears came. Goddess, this hurt.

The cabin was completely silent. I couldn’t even hear Dax moving around. I forced my breathing to remain even as tears trickled down my face to soak the pillowcase. I didn’t understand why, but something inside me didn’t want him to know how badly he’d wounded me with his words.

Because he was right. I did want a relationship with him. And after the way he’d been acting the past few days, the seed of hope had bloomed inside me. I thought that maybe I was getting through to him. That he could let himself love me.

But it seemed that I was wrong.

I cried for a long time, but the events of the day finally took their toll on me, and my eyes drifted closed. I didn’t think I would be able to sleep, but I was going to try. Anything to escape this feeling. To forget the words that Dax had thrown at me.

I wasn’t sure how I could face him again, but I knew I wouldn’t have a choice.

Maybe tomorrow I would know what to do.

ChapterSeventeen

I wasn’t sure when the dream started, only that I knew I was dreamwalking when I became aware.

The sky was filled with dark clouds and thunder rolled, echoing off the mountains that surrounded me. Wind tore through my hair as lightning arced across the sky, a web of violet electricity.

Even as the wind howled, there were huge grey figures flying past on black wings. They carried swords, spears, and bows and arrows. In the distance, there was a castle set on the side of the mountain.

My mouth fell open as I stared at the aerial battle above me. They were all gargoyles. Thousands of them. It was a vicious battle, full of blood and screams. Their blades were as black as their wings and the tips of their arrows gleamed like obsidian. Whatever metal or stone their weapons were made of, I’d never seen it before.

Suddenly, the world shifted, and I found myself on the roof of the castle. The battle raged around me, closer than before. There were gargoyles all around me. Some wore red and black. The others were clad in grey and white. They fought fiercely.

I screamed when I saw one of the gargoyles swing his sword in a sharp arc, slicing off the head of his opponent.

My stomach lurched and tried to revolt at the sight of such bloodshed. It was only after I managed to suppress the urge to vomit that I realized how easily the gargoyles were injuring each other. I’d always thought they were nearly invincible in their full form.

It seemed I was wrong.

The world spun again, and I found myself running down a hallway. I was moving faster than I ever had before. It was then I understood that this wasn’t my dream. I was within someone else’s dream.

A gargoyle’s dream.

As I raced down the dark hallway, my heart pounded as fast as my feet. I held a sword in one hand and a broken spear in the other. The wounds on my chest and side burned like fire, but I couldn’t stop. They were counting on me to protect them, and I’d been caught unawares.

I knew there was unrest in the kingdom, but I never expected the war that raged around me.

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