Page 130 of Heartsong
Speaking of which…
She found him at the front of the house chatting with Gavren. He looked devastating in pressed slacks that hugged his thick thighs and a button-up that molded to his glorious chest. He’d already rolled the sleeves up, revealing his corded forearms.
He knows how I feel about those.
She didn’t know how every day with him just seemed to get better, but it did. Even bad days, when she had a migraine or they disagreed about something. Not everything was sunshine and rainbows, but it wasgood. Every morning she woke up in his arms grateful for him, and every night she fell asleep to the sound of his rumbling purr.
She’d harbored a small worry that being together so much might take some of the shine off their relationship. Frey and Gavren had worked for a whole week to create a metal pendant for Frey to wear, imbuing it with magick that he could use to glamour his appearance. It allowed him to fly without being noticed and walk amongst humans without issue—well, somewhat. People still saw how tall and striking he was, and she didn’t blame anyone for doing a double-take when they saw him.
When Frey had first shown her the pendant and how it worked, swiping his thumb across the flat surface of the circle, she’d been downright floored to see him as a human. His features were the same but…not. His nose was the same shape, his eyes the same color, but he had a softer quality to him, something more distinctly human. Seeing him without fangs and horns and pointed ears had been so weird.
He’d gone all shy in her silence, quietly admitting he worried she’d like him better in this form. She was quick to assure him she preferred his real self. His human guise would take a while to get used to, but at least it meant he could have a more normal life and go out.
Using his glamour, he worked as a security guard at the museum. That meant spending a lot of their time together. Honestly, Anna loved it. There were days they weren’t together that much, which was fine. They’d also found a few new hobbies they enjoyed on their own. But overall, she loved having her man nearby, loved sharing their lunches, even loved commuting on days Carys and Gavren didn’t go in. He just made everything…better.
She knew her presence also made being amongst his kin a little easier on him. The first time he’d gone to the museum, they’d done so after hours, so he could walk through it at his own pace. Anna and Gavren had hung back, allowing the two gargoyles to walk through their kin. They shared words and memories about them, and Frey explained to Carys which guardians were mentally stronger and which were fading.
Using their combined magick, Gavren was formulating a spell that may allow Frey to again connect with his kin. They wanted to find some way to communicate with them, to give them hope and a means to alert that they’d sensed their heartsong.
All in all, every day was different, even if it followed routine. And Anna loved every minute of it with him. With his glamour and her headaches better managed, they had fun exploring SF, checking out different activities, and trying new things. It wasn’t so bad getting out of her comfort zone with him, because he was like a big security blanket—plus, she loved seeing his reaction to things.
He absolutely loved chocolate but hated coffee, was viciously competitive at bumper cars, and amazing at finding the best shells when they beach combed. They’d strolled through the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, and Bodega Bay. They’d gone wine tasting in Napa and hiking in Yosemite.
He even made unenjoyable things bearable. After discussing it, they visited her mom’s new place. Anna was surprised that, after a few months, her mom was still in the same place with the same guy. Wes wasn’t her mom’s usual boyfriend; he dressed for his age, held a steady job with the state, and liked to paddle board on the weekends. Shannon seemed to be doing…well? The afternoon hadn’t exactly been comfortable, but Anna left feeling much better about it than she usually did. She genuinely wished her mom and Wes well, and her mom had mouthedgood jobto her over Frey’s shoulder as he leaned down for a goodbye hug.
On that they could definitely agree.
Frey’s gaze swung toward her the moment she appeared, and his wide, fanged smile made Anna’s heart pitter-patter.
Gavren didn’t seem to mind that Frey stopped talking mid-sentence, and instead threw her a wink as he slipped away.
Frey took her hands in his, holding them up so he could admire her. An appreciative purr rattled in his chest, and his gaze roved over her hungrily.
“You are beautiful,fynghân.”
“So are you,” she said, admiring him right back.
With his pay from the security firm, Frey had modernized. He still wore the things she’d bought him in those first days, claiming they were his favorites. But he cleaned up real nice, too. Tooled silver caps for his horns so they wouldn’t poke anything, and a set of small silver hoops for his pointed ears. Button-ups with slits cut in the back to accommodate his wings. Thin leather belts to emphasize his waist. And more than one new pair of gray sweatpants, just to get her hot and bothered.
The rest he spent on her, even though she insisted he didn’t need to. She’d come to learn two important things—Frey was an avid gift-giver, and she needed to wield her power wisely. She only had to linger over something, show just a passing interest, and it was on her pillow, wrapped with a bow, by the next day.
He’d gone a bit crazy the first few months of getting his paychecks, and between that and what he’d said about his dwelling back in Wales, she’d deduced that Frey was a bit of a hoarder—or at least, a nester. He felt better when he could provide, and that meant gifts and home goods and every cozy blanket he came across. Anna eventually talked him into a joint savings account they could add to.“For our future,”she’d put it, and that resonated with him. Were there still gifts? Of course. But they were also saving up to build something together.
Pulling her close, Frey kissed behind her ear, where he rumbled, “I’m not sure I can stand other males seeing you in this, but I will enjoy their jealousy—but not nearly as much as I will peeling it off you later.”
“Promise?”
“Oh, yes,fynghân,it’s a promise.” He leaned down to claim a kiss, and before Anna knew it, she was balanced on her toes with her arms around his neck and his hands full of her backside.
“We’re gonna be late. It took forever to get reservations,” she managed to moan between kisses.
Frey bestowed one last lingering, devastating kiss before leaning back. He didn’t release his hold though, fondling her peachy rear in the middle of the foyer without shame.
“Just so long as this place isn’t one with tiny food.” He’d been unimpressed with another high-end place they’d tried, where the portions were made for hamsters. They’d ended the night at a pizza place gorging on carby-cheesy goodness.
“Nope, they’ve got proper steaks, I checked the menu.”
Anna went to wipe away the red lipstick transfer on his mouth, but he held her wrist.
