Page 27 of Stolen By the Gargoyle
Friend.
The word did not sound correct. It felt too small and did not accurately encompass just what I felt for her. Rejection sat on my forked tongue, but I swallowed it back, opting for a face of displeasure instead.
Her sister and companions flicked their gazes back and forth between Dolores and I, open mouthed.
“Well, let’s eat, shall we?” Dolores clapped her hands together. “I’mstarving.”
Discomfort sprang to my gut at her proclamation. This time, Dolores quickly patted my chest.
“Just another expression,” she clarified.
“You humans and your expressions are confounding.” She flashed me a dazzling smile, the kind that had drawn me to her in the first place. The kind that made me believe goodness truly existed.
“So…” She turned back to the others. “How about hot chocolate?”
“So, is nobody gonnaaddress the elephant in the room?” My sister leaned forward on her elbows, scrunching her face in a pointed manner that gestured in Nazzar’s direction.
I blew a breath over the rim of my own mug, and my eyes followed the direction of their stares. Nazzar sat a few tables from ours, his massive body folded into a dainty chair that creaked under his weight. His entire body was rigid, bulging arms crossed over his massive, bare chest. The wings at his back were pulled taut, and his tail was firm in his lap.
After he’d tasted the hot chocolate, he’d decided to sit back and give us privacy to chat. Although, I suspected he sat a bit away so he could glare at anyone who stared at me for too long. As it was, the entire time over breakfast, he’d glared at Alejandro sitting next to me as if he was personally offended by his presence.
I recalled back to the way Nazzar had growled the moment Alejandro’s lips touched my cheek. The sound couldn’t have been anything but jealousy, possessiveness, and it did nothing but endear me to him even more.
Who was I to tell him that Alejandro was gay and had no interest in me whatsoever? I’d tell him about the customary kiss on the cheek greeting later, though.
For now, I found a bit of humor in the way he shifted in the small seat that he barely fit on.
He was… trying. Trying so hard to fit into my world.
“Right, that…”
“You’ve been gone for days, Dolores,” my sister said. There was a tone of accusation in the words that made me sit my mug down.
I knew I was going to have to explain, I just hadn’t expected the moment to come so soon.
“I know, Yesenia.” My palms met my cheeks, feeling the warmth of embarrassment burning them up.
Yesenia was older than me, and my best friend. I valued her wisdom and advice and always went to her when I had problems. Being the oldest, she always felt more like a mom than a sister, but somehow toed the line of both simultaneously. I wanted to talk about what happened to me, but I was afraid of what she’d think.
“Dolores.” She touched my elbow in comfort. “You can tell me anything.”
I lowered my hands, gripping my mug tightly. “Well, it’s kind of a long story…”
And I told it, not bothering to leave out a single detail. Not even the raunchy bits. I was comfortable enough with myself that I didn’t mind her or her friends knowing what I’d done or what he’d done to me. We’d all traded stories over the years,though they’d always been sexcapades with other humans, maybe the occasional werewolf. Not gargoyles.
They listened with rapt attention, gasping and reaching for me when I detailed the more dangerous things that happened. They leaned closer when I whispered about all the things Nazzar had done for me and let out soft sighs when I told them all the things he’d said, hoping he couldn’t hear from a few tables over.
Once I finished, my sister sat back. “Wow.” She tucked a box braid behind her ear, gaze going back to Nazzar, who was glaring at a passing group of guys. “Shit, that’s crazy. Juan and Andres are going to flip.”
My eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell them. They’ll try to kill him.”
My brothers were overprotective sometimes.
Yesenia waved my fears away. “I won’t say anything. But wow. So, what are you going to do?”
I blinked. “What do you mean?”
Her friend, Carmen, rolled her eyes. “Don’t act dumb, girl. She means about that hunky gargoyle guy.”
