“Please be informed that only water is allowed in the library,” he added.“No drinks or food.Your lunch will be served in the dining garden, to which I will personally escort you.”
Dining garden?That sounded promising.“Thank you, Samuin.”
One wing flap later for a polite goodbye, I was left alone with what I hoped would be useful reads.
I dug into the history scrolls first.It turned out the late Queen Mother had been talented as well as gifted with a great sense of humor.The huge gargoyle warriors in the middle of what was described as the first war among their kind had a crying emoji for a face.Decades later, a ripped warrior with a broadsword was staring at a woman in a crinoline dress, his eyes two big stars.In the next drawing, these two were standing together in regal clothing, expressions dopey and tiny hearts floating around their heads.
I burst into giggles.The Queen Mother had been a genius.Why translate tedious historical texts when you could simply turn the key moments into comics and make most of them hilarious?I hadn’t laughed like this in a long time.
Around an hour later, I rolled up the last history scroll feeling lighter but not much better informed.I now knew that Gargoyles had battled lots of creatures–including dragons and what looked like Bigfoot–but the drawings and the occasional short descriptions didn’t tell me why those conflicts had occurred in the first place.Why did the different kinds of intelligent monsters do what they did?Zombie 007 and the vampires following him wanted world domination, but what about the werewolves, Elves, and whatever else was out there?
All in all, Gargoyles’ history wasn’t much different than ours.There had been kings and queens, conflicts with neighboring homeclouds and with creatures threatening lives on the ground, days of prosperity, days of hunger that no regeneration could save Gargoyles from, years with high mortality among humans andchildren on the homecloud…
All the babies were born with slightly extended human lifespans, wings, and tails.The gargoyle genes prevailed over the human ones.
I placed a hand on my belly.What if my one night with Xaniban had gotten me pregnant?What if I was carrying his child, and he didn’t come back?
I tried to distract myself from that dreadful thought with the scrolls on culture, but it was no use.Then my eyes drifted to one of the scrolls Samuin had recommended.It wouldn’t hurt to take a quick peek inside, would it?
By the time Samuin came to pick me up for lunch, I had examined the erogenous zones scroll extensively enough to write a scientific report on it.Though, I wasn’t sure some of the positions depicted in theKama Sutrasection were physically possible.I mean…wow.
As I followed Samuin to the dining garden downstairs, he informed me that there was no news of Xaniban, but that it was still early for the warriors to return.I could only hope the Chamberlain’s reassurance wasn’t just that–reassurance.
The dining garden turned out to be a room transitioning into a garden; all the pieces of furniture in here had plants growing on them.Think chair legs covered in vines, table legs wrapped in delicate stems with red blossoms here and there, and grapes hanging from the vine on the high ceiling.Light was seeping through it, bright enough to give me the outdoor feel.Stunning.
A plate overflowing with rabbit meat and roasted potatoes awaited me.There was a bowl of salad, a selection of cheeses, and dessert as well.I asked Samuin to have lunch with me, but he had already eaten so he just kept me company.Instead of inundating him with questions this time, I told him what he wanted to know about the ground.Mostly about wooing a woman, to “ensure my studies are up to date, my Queen.”
“Will you return to your reading?”Samuin asked while I was inhaling the cake with sweet lemons and oranges.
“I’m not sure.”I didn’t have much left to read in the culture scrolls, but I also didn’t feel like a touristy stroll through this museum-worthy palace would distract me from my worry over Xaniban.What could I do to occupy my mind?
“If I go back to the library, will you let me know as soon as the scouts see the king returning?”
“Immediately.Your presence outside upon my liege’s return will be much needed by both of you.”
There it was again, the same thing Xaniban had hinted at before leaving.Everyone except me seemed to know how I would react if–whenhe came back.
I heaved a sigh.Enough avoiding theMate Bond Scroll.It was time I found some answers anddispelled any doubts I had about the mate bond being just lore.
– 22 –
Side Effects
Did I say reading the scroll would give me peace of mind?Scratch that.I was now more uncertain than ever about whether the mate bond was made-up or not.
TheMate Bond Scrollbasically consisted of long lists of the mate bond’s effects in specific scenarios.And the list of effects under the subheadingSigns of Bond’s Appearancecame pretty close to the euphoria and happiness I had experienced in bed with Xaniban.Maybe that was because female bodies didn’t react so differently to a mind-shattering orgasm, or five.But since I’d never come so many times in a row, there was nothing I could compare last night’s fireworks with to draw a plausible conclusion.
Then there were the feelings listed underShort-Term Separation: When Bond Is New.It was as if someone had writtendown everything I felt today.Increasing worry?Check.Inability to concentrate?Check.Overconsuming thoughts about mate?Check.Lack of interest in favorite activities?Check.Then again, I hadn’t experienced “loss of appetite, anger fits, uncontrollable crying, and mood swings.”
I honestly didn’t know what to think.If this was a myth created to prevent Gargoyles’ extinction by convincing them cross-species relationships rocked, kudos to whoever had made it so realistic.If the mate bond did exist, then… I could only hope that myanimarwould return.Because the listed effects of a mate’s death were horrifying.
Several hours later, I no longer cared about mate bonds and scrolls.Nothing could distract me from the fact that Xaniban was not back yet.Not a tropical bath with a view of the sunset.Not an exploration of the palace with a plate of cheese in hand.Nothing.
When night fell and there was still no news on Operation Kill Zombie 007, I put a mental check mark next to “loss of appetite” and “mood swings”.
“My Queen should eat something,” Samuin said at the bedchamber’s door.
“No, I can’t.My stomach is twisted in knots.”I closed the door on him and walked back into the room.
