The Tower’s shadow stretched as long as a clock hand, marking the late evening hour. She took a servants’ ladder up the center of the tower, lungs burning when she reached Brandt’s tier. The key he’d given her worked in the door. The chambers stood empty, polished pieces of armor arranged on the table, ready for his deployment.
His balcony roost was vacant, but she found him in his nesting chamber. Her fingers skimmed his stone features, warm as though they’d been in the sun.
When dusk finally settled fully, the cracking sound of stone crumbling to flesh startled her even though she expected the transformation. He rose from his crouch on the edge of his nest, and the mate bond blazed back to life, filling her with his eager confidence. His eyes found hers immediately.
He pulled her close, burying his face in her hair to draw a deep breath. “What’s wrong? You smell like blood.”
“They took it.” The words tumbled out. “The lord and this strange doctor. But I don’t think he’s really the king’s physician. Betje thinks they could use my blood to See, or worse—”
“Slow down, little rabbit.” His hands framed her face. “Start from the beginning.”
She took a deep breath and explained quickly what had happened, and Brandt’s expression darkened. “You should have never left my nest. You would have been safer if you’d stayed.”
“Betje says they might be able to use me as a spy. They might be looking at your face right now!” Horror set in that she had exposed him so thoughtlessly. She squeezed her lids shut, a sob ripping out of her chest. “I should go! I never should have come here. Everything is such a mess.”
He pinched her chin between his fingers and tipped it up, kissing her forehead between her eyes until she opened them. “I hope theyarelooking. I hope they’re listening when I say that if any of them wrong you or use you, they will pay for it dearly. We know their names. If they trouble you, you can tell the Nadir, and he’ll take care of it. Now you must let me take care of you.”
He stretched out her arm, untying the bloody bandage. He frowned at the marks that still oozed blood. Carefully, he bent his head and licked across them. It was the same eerie, hot-cold sensation as when he’d licked the mating bite, except this time,she could see the bleeding cease and the edges of her skin begin to knit together.
“See? All will be well.”
Still, she couldn’t shake the dread. “I can’t tell anyone. Lord Wilkin said…well, he didn’t say what he’d do if we told. But he made it clear he would retaliate against us. I don’t want to hurt anyone, though.” She wrung her hands.
“Gargoyles are immune to magic, little human,” he reminded her in a fond tone. He cradled her, stroking her hair as he kissed her again and again. “They can’t touch us in the Tower.”
From below came the bright sound of a horn. Brandt stilled, and she realized what it was. The muster call. He was leavingnow.
“Don’t go.” The plea broke from her. “Something terrible is going to happen. I just know it.”
“I must.” Genuine regret colored his voice. “All our safety depends on it. But I’ll return, Idabel. Six moons or a little more, that’s all.”
“I’ll miss you every day.”
Another horn blast, more urgent. She followed him into the main chamber, where he buckled on pieces of armor and strapped on his weapons. “Stay here in our nest. If you have trouble, my mother will help you in any way she is able.”
He kissed her fiercely, the mate bond flaring so bright that she gasped.
Then he was gone, launching from the balcony into the darkening night. In the moonlight, she watched the Sixth Watch take formation like a flock of migrating birds, dozens of gargoyles readying for the long flight south. Through the bond, she felt Brandt’s focus sharpen, his thoughts turning to war even as a thread of longing for her remained.
“So.” Ghantal’s voice came from behind her. “You’re the human who seduced my son. We have much to discuss.”
Idabel turned to face her mother-in-law, spine straight despite her trembling knees. Six moons suddenly seemed like an eternity.
Interlude
It wasn’t six moons.
It was six years.
Chapter 16
Idabel
Six Years Later
The candle in the lantern was nothing but a puddle of cool wax, and moth dust glittered across the wooden table like fallen stars. Idabel sighed, brushing the iridescent powder into a small glass vial before leaning over the narrow bed tucked against the wall of their shared bedroom.
“Wake up, Loïc.” She smoothed dark hair that matched her own back from her son’s forehead. “Time for school.”
