“Please, do not be sad,” Xaniban spoke with concern from his chair.“Come, let me comfort you while we wait.”He patted his toned thigh.
I blinked.Did he seriously expect me to sit there?
Before I could give him a piece of my mind, feet appeared through the ceiling.I dashed to his side before the gargoyles coming down could land on me.
Clearly, the ceiling didn’t simply look like a cloud: it was one.A cloud that was both a ceiling and a door.God, this place.
“Sit, my brethren,” Xaniban addressed the newly arrived gargoyles, each of whom had gone down on one knee upon landing.“I should be bowing to your courage and skill in battle, not the other way around.”
I took in the newcomers.All were dressed in brown loincloths and looked impressively built, except for one who was almost twice as big and wide as the rest.He had some trouble fitting in a chair as everyone took their respective seats.
Suddenly, all eyes were on me.I stiffened.I saw only curiosity in their dark gazes, but I would have to be a fool not to feel intimidated as the focus of twelve warriors’ attention.
An arm snaked around my waist.I yelped in surprise as I was tugged back and deposited on its owner’s lap.
“Relax, it’s me,” Xaniban murmured while his tail was replacing his arm around my midsection in a secure hold.“We must all be seated for the dinner to begin.”
This was absurd.He kept manhandling me, and now I was supposed to be his lap girl?I knew that his kind’s attitudes and customs were different than mine, but–
I sighed inwardly.Protesting would do me no good.As muchas I was fuming inside, I had to suck it up.I was in the war room, and not in the gargoyle king’s harem.A small victory that could turn into a big one provided I learned things of importance for my community’s survival.I might not be a complete failure then.
“This is Sue,” Xaniban announced as soon as I relaxed against him.Finally, I had a name.“She’s here to offer her own report on the events of today.”
“Sue was on the battlefield,” a warrior spoke.
I recognized the gargoyle from the stairwell by his distinctively short black hair.Everyone else was digging the long hair style.
Xaniban nodded.“Yes, Fixgor.And not just that: Sue fought our enemy and saved my life.”
Impressed looks were directed my way, followed by flaps of wings and respectful nods at me.
I was astonished.The overconfident king publicly admitted he had needed saving and had been rescued by a woman.And he sounded proud as he said it.As if I weren’t just afemalebrought here to warm his bed.Had I been wrong to assume Gargoyles considered women inferior?
With the reason for my presence in the war room explained, the warriors finally began eating.I expected a toast to the fallen, but the glasses on the table appeared to be filled with water, and the guests simply dug in.Battles and their consequences had to be a regular occurrence for these guys.Just another day at the office.
I turned carefully to Xaniban, since our faces were close enough to brush, and gave him a questioning look.
A knowing smile tugged at his lips.“Help yourself to whichever dish you desire.”
Ha.That would be every single one.The moment he moved us closer to the table so I could reach the food, I started building a mountain in the glass plate provided.Cheeses, salads, cured meat, fruit, freshly-baked bread–you named it, they had it, I tried it.
It was one explosion of tastes after another in my mouth.Maybe it was my diet since apocalypse one, or maybe the food was simply phenomenal, but I couldn’t hold back.Happy little noises escaped my lips after each bite.
I was moaning around a mouthful of cake when I realized all eyes were on me.Smiles played on the warriors’ faces, some more fangy than others due to tooth size differences.I mean, that extra large gargoyle’s canines were so long they couldn’t fit in his mouth.
“Sorry, everyone,” I mumbled.“I haven’t eaten today, apart from several rusks in the morning.And your… homecloud food is delicious.”
Xaniban hummed appreciatively.“No more malnourishment for you.”He rubbed my belly with his large clawed hand.“I will keep you well fed.”
I cleared my throat.I should not be enjoying the warmth of his touch at all, yet when he left his hand there, I did not try to remove it.“Why aren’t you eating?”
I had only now noticed he hadn’t touched the food, while his warriors and I were almost done with dinner.
He flashed me one of his lopsided smiles.“Watching you eat is fulfilling enough.”
My brows shot up.Here I was, gulping down food like a walrus, and Xaniban found that pleasing to the eye?“Don’t be absurd.Eat.”I handed him what remained of my cake.
Instead of taking the piece, he cupped my hand.Then guided it slowly to his lips and ate the dessert off my fingers.The tips of his forked tongue skimmed my fingertips.His eyes remained locked on mine throughout.
