Page 29 of Hidden By the Gargoyle

I glared at him in response this time because he was right. He never had lectured me. Even when I did incredibly stupid things like wandering off into the woods behind Minerva’s house without anything but a book. I’d gotten lost, cold, and scared. It was just after I’d come to live with my aunt, and I’d still been walking around in a fog of grief.

But he’d found me and carried me home, flying above the treetops. Now, Minerva had given me a talking to, right before she’d wrapped me in the tightest hug I’d ever received and burst into tears.

“Tell me,” he repeated again.

I sighed because, even though he said I was stubborn, he was more so. He could be as unyielding as the stone his skin turned into when he changed into full gargoyle form. He wasn’t going to give this up or let it go until I told him the truth.

“A few months ago, I started having dreams. At first, they were short and not very often. Usually about a man sleeping inside a stone. Then, he started to wake up around the time Bethany died.”

Dax nodded. Bethany had passed a little while ago. She owned the local mercantile and was one of my clients. Her great-niece, Cari, now owned the store and was mated to Daniel Ayres, the mayor.

“At first, I thought I was just dreaming. But…” I stopped and took a deep breath. “I started to realize that he wasn’t some crazy figment of my imagination. He’s a real person, er, god.”

“Why didn’t you tell Minerva?” Dax asked.

“This is the part I don’t think you’ll understand. I’m scared she won’t either.”

“Your feelings are your own,” he replied. “I don’t have to understand them to accept them.”

Goddess, this was why I loved Dax. He was wise and compassionate. And accepting.

“I didn’t know who he was until Minerva told me that it was my destiny to wake the blood god. And, when I understood, I kept it to myself because I was embarrassed. It took me over a month to even realize that Talant was a real being, not just a figment of my imagination. And even when I did know what he was, I never thought anything would come of it. My time with him was mine. Something I discovered on my own. I knew that if I told Minerva, she would get excited and want to push me. And I was worried that this connection to Talant, these dreams, were the only magic I would ever possess. I never thought I’d have a reason to tell her about it. She never said anything negative when I didn’t manifest my powers as a teenager. She never seemed to love me any less. But?—”

I stopped talking because my throat was closing up. I cleared it before I continued.

“But I knew she was disappointed that she couldn’t share her knowledge and her skill with magic with me. I didn’t want to disappoint her again.”

“But you know differently now,” Dax pointed out.

“Do I?” I asked. “I still haven’t manifested. Minerva says I’m just blocked, but what if it’s more than that? What if I don’t have the kind of power she thinks I have? What if all I can do is talk to Talant in my dreams?”

“Your aunt has never been wrong in her visions nor has she been disappointed in you,” Dax said, his voice patient. “None of us have. It doesn’t matter if you’re fully human, fully witch, or something in between. We will all love you just the same.”

Though I knew he wasn’t saying he was in love with me but that he cared about me, a thrill still ran through my body.

I couldn’t suppress my shiver and I knew Dax felt it because his hand tightened slightly on my wrist. Awareness fizzled along my nerve endings, settling between my thighs with a throb.

My mouth was suddenly dry, and I licked my lips.

Dax’s gaze moved from my eyes to my mouth and his fingers tensed on my chin. His body moved over mine, shifting a scant inch closer.

Reflexively, my thighs squeezed his waist.

In a blink, Dax had released me and was on his feet next to the bed. As he turned away, I saw the tented front of his pajama pants.

My eyes widened, but Dax didn’t see because he was striding into the bathroom, his back to me. When the door shut behind him, I looked up at the ceiling.

While I might be a virgin, I knew what I’d just seen. Dax had an erection. A rather large one. My heart pounded in my chest and my palms dampened with sweat.

Holy crap. I didn’t know if I was excited or terrified. I might not have had sex with an actual man, but I did have a couple toys. However, none of them were as large as what I’d just seen. Well, I did have one that was close, but not quite.

I blinked rapidly at the ceiling. Did he have an erection because of me? Or just because it was morning?

Damn. I had no answers because I’d never woken up with a man before him. Nor was this something they covered in health class in high school.

There was only one person I could ask, and I needed to talk to her anyway.

I picked up my phone, my thumbs moving rapidly over the screen.

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