I try to smile against his chest, but the memory of Gilda and Carmen’s pain burns my eyes with tears. “What did they mean when they said you have to prove your worth?”
“It means we have to prove to them that we know who they are. In our culture, we do not deserve a female in our bed until we know their heart and mind first. I will prove to Gilda that I know who she is.”
Roar sets me down inside the Residence where the old Priestess waits for me. His wings encircle me for a moment. “You lost much today, Lady Storm. We all did. But there’s much to be gained now that we have new lives.”
He takes flight before I can say anything else. Exhaustion rocks me. I haven’t eaten for a really long time and I need to see Baelen. I need to feel his arms around me, remember what goodness feels like. I stop the Priestess before she can speak. “Where is Baelen Rath? Take me to him, please.”
“As you wish but—”
“Take me to him.”
She takes another look at me and spins on her heel, beckoning me to follow her. “I’ve had rooms made up on the uppermost level for you. That way you are away from everyone else. He wanted to wait for you, but I told him you might be a while.”
The whole place is enormous. I’m sure it could house an entire army as well as the clan leaders and then some. She silently leads me through hallways and up three staircases until we reach a final corridor, stopping in front of a solid oak door.
“This is his room but—”
I reach for the handle, ignoring the warning in her voice. She steps in front of me, pushing my hand away. I stare at her in surprise.
She says, “That is unwise. You may not go to his bed.”
Female gargoyles choose their husbands by going to their chosen mate’s bed. I made the mistake of confusing Cassian by climbing into his bed.
I say, “I know your customs. If I go to his bed, it means that I choose him. Well…I choose him!”
Her response is equally forceful. “No! You are Supreme Incorruptible now. You are a gargoyle now. There are rules you have to follow. You can’t… You aren’t allowed…”
I wait for her to finish the sentence that seems to be tripping her up so much. “Can’t what?”
“Choose an elf.”
What?Rage boils under my skin. I grind my teeth. “You will not tell me who I can love.”
“The Wrathful One is a formidable ally and we owe him our lives but our Queen is a gargoyle. Our Queen must not choose an elf.”
I back away because if I don’t put some space between her and me, I’m going to do something really bad. Like throw her bony ass out the window or burn her to dust like one of Howl’s soaps. I’ve just come back from consoling beautiful females whose hearts and bodies were abused for years and my own heart is sore and painful in my chest. It will kill me to spend tonight apart from Baelen.
I ask one last time, “Will you let me pass?”
She plants herself in front of the door. From inside the room, I hear the faint sound of running water: a shower. If Baelen could hear us, he’d be out here in two seconds.
She says, “No.”
I shake my head. This isn’t happening. She isn’t actually saying this. Tomorrow I’m going to wake up and this will be some sort of mistake or bad dream or they will have all changed their minds and I won’t be Supreme Incorruptible after all. I will not let anyone stand between Baelen and me again. I close my eyes, using the last of my strength to contain my rage. “Where is my room?”
I open my eyes to see her point to the door at the end of the corridor. “There.”
“Right. Good.” I turn on my heel and, instead of walking toward the room she says is mine, I walk away from it. I walk away from her bony frame blocking Baelen’s door. She knows I could blast her and that damn door into shards. But she also knows that I won’t.
Because I’m not Howl.
I won’t use force to take what I want. I will find another way.
I start to run. The heartstones fly behind me. I don’t want to be the gargoyle’s Queen. I don’t want any of this. I just wanted to heal Baelen. And I will be with him, no matter what she says.
I find myself outside the Residence, speeding past the guards, dragging air into my lungs, pumping my arms and legs as hard as I can, running down the hill through the trees, past the pile of dust that used to be Harem Hall, rotating right across the cliffs, racing toward Crimson Court. The guards don’t try to stop me. One look at my face and they turn back to the cliffs and give me privacy.
Most of the bodies are gone, taken by their families to be buried.
