Page 35 of Let Go My Gargoyle
Although what would she say? If she told her tale to anyone, they’d think she was a fool, and they’d be right. Sleeping with Griffin the first time could be forgiven. She had no idea that he’d slip away without saying goodbye, that he’d leave a three-month-old infant behind for her to raise. This time, however, she’d been fully aware of what she was getting into, and she’d made the choice anyway.
Best not to share her story with anyone. Keep it locked inside, as she had most things, for her entire life.
She sniffled and swiped at wetness on her cheek. Guess her tear ducts hadn’t gotten the memo.
A noise that sounded like someone heading down the stairs caused her to quickly wipe away any trace of sadness and turn around with a fake, bright smile plastered onto her lips. Antoinette and then Ketu came into view, and Antoinette studied her face, concern etched on her own, and Sofia wished not for the first time that the woman she’d once considered a friend had not become reeve. If she were still a bartender at Mitch’s, Sofia might have been willing to open up to her, to tell her the truth, or at least as much as she could.
But now she couldn’t. With Trennon living here and Antoinette actively trying to track Darius, there was far too much at risk. Like Sofia’s own life.
And her mother’s.
At least she didn’t need to worry about Darius doing anything to Penelope. When he’d shown up at the playground, she’d deliberately avoided summoning Penelope until she was certain he was gone. Yes, if he had been watching her, he knew Penelope was in her life, but hopefully he didn’t realize what the child meant to her. Or what the child was.
She doubted Darius knew much of anything at all about Daughters of Light, but he could find out easily enough by simply asking around. The first witch he came across would fill him in. And then he’d know just how valuable Penelope was, and he’d most certainly use that to his advantage.
Griffin’s replacement couldn’t get here fast enough.
She wasn’t necessarily worried that Darius would show up here, literally, in this house. Antoinette seemed perfectly capable of taking the man down if he dared; not to mention, there were guards and other dragons around all the time.
Sofia had seen the man do some pretty dirty stuff. Like break another dragon’s fingers because the guy had acted interested in some woman who probably meant nothing at all to Darius, yet Darius had demanded the guy apologize—to him. The apology hadn’t been up to his standards. And there had been the girl he’d gotten pregnant and then refused to acknowledge that the child was his—instead, with calculated determination, he had gotten the baby mama addicted to dragon’s blood.
Still, as horrible as those and the countless other cruelties he’d handed out were, they were a far cry from breaking into the reeve’s private residence. That would take planning and organizing, not bullying and physical pain.
She and Penelope were safe here.
“You okay?” Antoinette asked, closing the distance between them and placing her hand on Sofia’s arm.
Sofia nodded and waved at the French doors. “Griffin went to speak to his boss.”
“Ah.” That word sounded far too knowing for Sofia’s taste, but she did not ask Antoinette to expand.
“Where are the kids?” Sofia asked.
“In Henri’s room. They are both going to need baths soon. They’ve been playing non-stop all afternoon, and they got pretty sweaty.”
Sofia nodded. “Good. That means they’ll sleep well.”
“Henri asked if Penelope could sleep in his room tonight. I know you said you wanted her with you, but I’m putting it out there anyway. She’ll be as safe in there as she is with you. We have dragons who guard the perimeter of the yard all day and night. Plus, his room doesn’t have access outside, like yours does.”
Her dragon perked up for the first time since Griffin said goodbye.Maybe they’re fated mates, the beast whispered.
Sofia shook her head.Penelope isn’t a dragon.
Does that really matter?
Did it? Honestly, Sofia had rarely given thought to the idea of finding her own fated mate. She’d shunned her own kind as much as possible, other than when she was working at Mitch’s, and she knew better than to believe she’d find her mate in a bar. She’d been hit on plenty of times, but those guys weren’t looking for forever. They only wanted a few hours between the sheets. And she’d learned her lesson after sleeping with Griffin.
Well, to some extent, anyway.
“I’ll make dinner,” Ketu said from where he stood in front of the open refrigerator door, examining the contents, “if you two want to get their baths going.”
Antoinette arched her brows, but Sofia shrugged and followed the other woman up the stairs. “This all feels way too domestic for someone who is reeve,” she commented.
Antoinette chuckled. “The responsibilities of being reeve make me appreciate all this so-called mundane stuff. It’s nice to do tasks that are straightforward. Every decision I make as reeve has to be weighed against a dozen different scenarios and theories and potential outcomes. Not to mention, what will the colony think? Will they like this decision? And of course, there is never a consensus, so then I have to decide whether it’s worth pissing off X number of dragons each time. It’s definitely not a fun job.”
“Why do you do it? I mean, why did you take it on in the first place?”
“Well, at the time, Trennon was incapacitated, Darius was a drug dealer, and from the brief interlude you had with Delilah, could you imagine her running a dragon colony?”
