Page 34 of Let Go My Gargoyle
He touched her arm. “It may be possible to maintain a relationship with them once we’ve determined the best way to keep you both safe.” Which was a funny thing to say considering he did not expect he would be able to do the same thing.
She was already shaking her head before he even finished the sentence. He threaded his fingers in her hair and cupped her face.
“Sofia, listen to me. Antoinette is going to find Darius, and she is going to punish him in whatever way dragons exact punishment. And when that happens, he will no longer be a threat to you. This contract will be null and void. You will be able to live your life however you choose.”
“It’s way more complicated than that.”
Griffin stared at her. “Do you want him to know?”
“Who?”
“Trennon. Do you want him to know…about you?”
Her eyes widened and her entire body trembled.
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. “I support you in whatever decision you make.”
She shook her head. “I-I can’t. I don’t know.” Pulling away, she wandered out into the living room, wrapping her arms around her waist as she watched the sun slip below the fence line. “You should probably get going.”
He hurried over and stood behind her but did not touch her. “Please don’t shut me out.”
Flinging herself around, she said, “What do you expect me to do? I mean, I appreciate that you didn’t actually leave without saying goodbye this time, but you will. You’ve already said it a hundred times. Once you go talk to Oliver, you’ll be off the case or whatever gargoyles call it. An assignment, that’s the word. Some other gargoyle is going to be in charge of Penelope’s safety. So when you walk out that door, that’s it. I’ll never see you again.Again.”
She blinked rapidly and Griffin suspected her eyes were flooding with tears, but she turned away before he could verify his hunch. And, gods, but he felt like a heel because she was right; he was leaving, and someone else would be assigned to Penelope, and there was a strong chance they would not see each other again.
He was new to Oliver’s brethren, the most prestigious of all gargoyles in the world. He had a lot to prove, and sneaking around trying to maintain a relationship he knew he wasn’t supposed to have in the first place was not exactly the best way to impress his new boss.
Yeah, Argyle was apparently doing it, or had at some point, but Argyle had been with Oliver for a thousand years. He could be forgiven a few transgressions here and there. Griffin had a long way to go before he could make those sorts of choices, and Sofia would have, no doubt, moved on with her life by then.
“I…” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. I should not have… We should not have…”
“Story of my damn life,” she muttered, the bitterness as palpable as a living thing. “Just go.”
He didn’t want to. He wanted to stay, to wrap his arms around her and reassure her that he’d never leave her side. But, ultimately, Sofia and Penelope’s safety came first.
He had to talk to Oliver. He had to make sure they were both protected.
He walked toward the nearest French doors, his sneakers making almost no sound on the hardwood floor. And then he grasped the handle. And paused. Heard her shuddering breath.
Willed himself not to turn around. If she was openly crying, there was no way he’d be able to leave her.
But he had to. For her own sake. For Penelope’s sake.
He put pressure on the brass-plated handle, and the air made a sort of gasping noise as the door freed from its frame. He stepped out onto the porch and gently pulled the door shut behind him.
With a burst of speed born of frustration, he pushed off with his left foot and summoned the magic at the same time.
Sparks chased down his spine as his skin transformed from human flesh to pliable leather that helped wick away moisture when he was flying through clouds or rain. His tailbone elongated, his arms and legs shortened, and wings sprouted from his back. He didn’t even touch the ground as he silently commanded his wings to flap, to catch the wind, to lift him higher and higher, until he was so far up, he could not make out whether Sofia had run out onto the porch to watch him leave.
But he knew. He didn’t need to see, because he couldfeelit.
Chapter Twelve
Okay, yes, Sofia had known that Griffin would leave again, which meant she should not have slept with him. Again.
But she had, and now she had to pay the consequences.
The damage to her heart. And, apparently, to her dragon, who was currently sulking in a remote corner of her mind and refusing to speak to her. Which she ought to appreciate since the beast tended to do so at inopportune times, but honestly, she could use someone to chat with right about now.
