Page 94 of Hidden By the Gargoyle

“Congratulations on your mating,” Talant said.

When Dax still didn’t take his hand, he chuckled and lowered it. “I’m not going to challenge you for your mate, Daxys. She is a friend and my Anointed. That is all.”

When Dax still stared at him in silence, I moved closer to him and nudged him with an elbow. He glanced over at me.

“Be nice,” I hissed softly.

It was Dax’s turn to sigh. Then, he held out his hand to Talant, who took it immediately.

“Thank you for protecting her,” Talant said. “She has told me so much about you. All of it good.”

Dax grunted as he released Talant’s hand but said nothing else.

I rolled my eyes and came forward, giving Talant a quick hug. Dax growled behind me, but I nudged him with my elbow again when I stepped away from the blood god.

“Chill out,” I whispered. “He’s more like a big brother than anything else. An annoying big brother at that.”

Talant chuckled again and moved to stand next to my aunt. My eyes narrowed when I realized my aunt stiffened slightly at his nearness. She didn’t look uncomfortable, exactly, but there was a tension between them that made my magic stir.

“Are you ready to explain what an Anointed is?” Minerva asked.

I stared at Talant. “You haven’t told her?”

He shook his head, once again smirking, and I knew from that alone that he was trying to drive her nuts. It was funny. In a little over twenty-four hours, he’d figured out exactly how to get under her skin.

“Then, let’s sit down so you can tell us all now that we’re together,” she said, her tone saying that she was done waiting.

Minerva sat in her usual chair, flashing a glare at Talant when he perched a hip on the arm and rested his hand on the back, basically looming over her. He merely winked at her.

Goddess, was heflirtingwith her?

“Please, enlighten us,” Minerva invited him.

Dax and I took a seat on the couch. He put his arm across the back of the sofa and wound a lock of my hair around his finger. I leaned into him, noting the way my aunt’s eyes lingered on his hand in my hair. She smiled slightly when she saw it.

I was still getting used to the fact that Dax wanted to touch me all the time. He held my hand, or sat close enough that our thighs touched, or he kept an arm around me. At night, he clutched my body against his like a human-sized teddy bear.

After how he kept me at arms’ length for so long, it was taking some adjustment. I loved it, but it was definitely not what I was used to from him.

“An Anointed is a witch with the potential to become a god,” Talant began. “But they have to make sacrifices to achieve it. Some choose to sacrifice those around them, not with blood sacrifice, but they sacrifice the love, respect, and good relationships they have with those closest to them in order to increase their power.”

Minerva made a sound of distress but didn’t interrupt.

Talant laid a gentle hand on her shoulder as he continued. “Some sacrifice of themselves. Their time, their magic. They give of themselves so much that the magic rewards them. Though most Anointed aren’t of this ilk, there have been a few who have earned their godhood through their good deeds.” He smiled at Minerva and then at me. “I have a feeling your niece is this type of Anointed.”

“What if I don’t want godhood?” I asked.

Dax’s hand stilled in my hair. In fact, his entire body went still. I wasn’t even sure he was breathing.

“Then, you won’t have it,” Talant answered.

“You should consider it, Ally,” Dax said, shocking me.

My head twisted around as I gaped at him. “Seriously?”

He took my hand in his free one, the hand in my hair moving to my shoulder. “Ally, gargoyles live a very, very long time. We are practically immortal. Your magic and my mating mark will give you some longevity, but nothing like my lifespan.”

I opened my mouth to disagree, but I closed it again, still speechless from surprise.

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