Page 27 of Hidden By the Gargoyle

There was a teasing edge to his voice, so I knew he wasn’t offended, but I explained myself anyway.

“I’m living in your house while you’re protecting me. I should help out while I’m here, not be a burden.”

“You’re not a burden,” he rumbled. “And we’ve already discussed this.”

I lifted my eyes from where I’d been fiddling with the silverware. He was staring at me. Now that his eyes weren’t hidden behind his glasses, I saw the intensity in them. He didn’t look angry exactly, but neither did his expression contain the patience it typically did.

“I know, but I’m also not used to being idle. I need things to do, or I’ll sit and stew on the fact that I can’t go anywhere or be alone for goddess knows how long. So, how about we take turns making dinner and breakfast?”

“Okay,” he agreed, turning back to the stove.

I smiled a little because that was Dax. He seemed to understand me better than anyone else. Sometimes even better than Minerva did.

For the first time since my aunt informed me that I’d be staying with Dax for an undetermined amount of time, I felt lighter. The weight of the guilt I’d felt at the idea of inconveniencing Dax, Minerva, and everyone else lessened.

ChapterSeven

The next morning, I woke up feeling just as warm and cozy as I had the day before.

I knew before I opened my eyes that I’d moved in my sleep again and I was cuddled up to Dax.

Except this time, he was on his back. My head was on his shoulder and my leg was thrown across his thick thigh so that I basically straddled his leg. I was pressed to him from head to toe. Well, my toes, not his, because he was so tall that I couldn’t reach his feet with mine.

I’d been almost shocked last night when Dax got ready for bed and climbed right in without us having to discuss it or argue.

I also dreamed about Talant again. I told him that my aunt was trying to help me access my power and how she said I was blocked. He’d practiced with me for a little while, helping me feel my magic and hold it.

When we first started, it felt as though I was trying to grasp grains of sand. By the time we were done, it was more like thick slime. I could feel it and touch it, even hold small amounts of it, but it would eventually slide out of my grip.

Still, it was an improvement from my practice with Minerva.

And my brain didn’t hurt the way it had earlier. I only felt tired.

When Talant told me that we were done, I’d started to argue but he’d just waved a hand and sent me away, saying, “I’ll see you tomorrow night. You need rest.”

He sounded just like my aunt.

And just like my aunt, I hadn’t told him what Sommerton said about his brother.

Goddess, I hated lying, yet here I was keeping secrets from everyone. That was the problem with lies. Even by omission. If you had one, then another followed shortly after to hide the first. Then another. And another. Until you were buried beneath the weight of them all.

My sleep was dreamless after I left Talant until I woke up plastered to Dax’s body.

I took stock of my position and tried to figure out how to move away without waking him. I also realized that he had one arm wrapped around my back, his hand resting against my ribs, and his other palm rested against the leg I’d thrown over him. My shorts had ridden up during the night and his hand against my bare thigh felt like a brand.

As soon as I started to inch away, his hold on me tightened.

“What were you dreaming about last night?” he asked, his deep voice even more gravelly than usual.

I could feel it vibrate throughout my entire body since I was pressed against him. I suppressed a shiver. Then, my brain focused on his question and my heart started to race. I knew he could probably feel it, maybe even hear it.

“I don’t remember. Why? Did I move around a lot or something?”

He didn’t buy it. I knew it before he even spoke.

“Who’s Talant?”

Just when I thought my heart couldn’t pound any faster, it went from racing to approaching Mach 1.

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