Page 21 of Heartsong
Heart in her throat, Anna jumped away from the stove and ran into the living room.
Frey stood where a statue had once been, thick black hair whipping about his head as he looked frantically around the room.
When those gray eyes caught her, they held.
“You’re awake!” she gasped.
A forlorn sound, like a groan and a growl all in one, emanated from his throat. Then he was stalking toward her, all burning eyes and arching wings.
Anna could only watch him come, stunned by the fearsome sight he made. She didn’t know whether to be terrified or awed. Didn’t matter—in a moment, he caught her in his arms, crushing her to his chest and wrapping his arms and wings around her, cocooning them in velvety darkness.
Too shocked to do anything else, Anna let herself be hugged tight to his hard body, cheek squished into his pectoral. The claws of one hand fisted in the material of her shirt while the other bore into her hair to hold her still.
Pulled to her tiptoes, Frey took most of her weight, holding her up as a purr rumbled from his chest and throat. With her ear mashed into his pec, Anna heard the wild cadence of his racing heart. And held so tightly, she felt how he trembled, ever so slightly.
With a light tug on her hair, Frey drew her head back.
Anna held her breath as, with the utmost gentleness, he touched his forehead to hers, careful of his horns.
“My Anna,” he whispered, “cân fy nghalon. Fy nghariad.”
Swallowing the inexplicable tears welling along her lashes, Anna dared to touch the tense line of his jaw.
“Are you okay?”
A shuddering breath rushed out of him, puffing against her lips.
“I didn’t realize…I never imagined I would return to stone. I thought the curse was broken.”
When he leaned back, a chill rushed in where their skin had touched—but then his big hands cupped her face, as if he needed to hold onto her with both hands. It forced her to keep that gray gaze of his, sunken now with a deep despair that tugged at her heart.
She probably should have been terrified, having this huge gargoyle pressed to her from knee to chest, those wicked claws precariously close to her eyes. But even in the face of his devastation, his touch was achingly gentle, and Anna didn’t feel the same trepidation as last night.
Perhaps the shock had worn off.
Perhaps, like always, life had decided to throw her another curveball and she just had to stand at bat.
And…perhaps she was desperately lonely herself.
“You don’t normally turn to stone in the day? Or at least sleep?”
His lips pulled thin around his sharp fangs, and the sight of them did finally spark a hint of trepidation, though she made herself stare at them until her stomach untwisted. “No, never. My kind were made by humans; we follow the daylight like them and take our rest at night. It is the curse. It is not fully broken.” He spat the words, nose wrinkling like Captain’s did when he spotted the rival tabby one building over.
“Hey.” Anna gripped his wrists, her fingers not quite meeting. Under her gentle but firm hold, she felt how he trembled. “It’s going to be okay. You’re awake now. That’s something.”
Her mantra may not have been the most inspirational, butthat’s somethinghad gotten her through more than one rock bottom. There was always something to be grateful for, always a silver lining to find. It could be exhausting trying to find anything positive, but the alternative was to buckle, even break.
She’d seen her fair share of broken people—broken hearts unable to empathize, broken minds unable to communicate, broken souls unable to do anything but harm. Anna had promised herself a long time ago that life wouldn’t break her.
Drawing another long breath into his great chest, Frey seemed to steady. Somehow, he became bigger, sturdier. His shoulders squared just a little, his wings arched just a little higher. And something about that pleased Anna.
“Thank you,” he murmured a moment before drawing her into another crushing embrace.
Anna had never been a hugger, nor one for a lot of physical contact—but maybe that was because it hadn’t been given much before. She liked the solid weight of his arms, the unrelenting warmth of his chest. She just stopped herself from sighing in pleasure.
Okay, this medieval gargoyle was a good hugger. No need to get sentimental over it.
It was another long moment before Frey finally released her, though his hands stayed on her shoulders. He smiled down at her, some of that confidence from the night before returning.
