Leaning over me, Headmaster gripped the old wooden headboard tightly.
"Who is Devereaux?" she demanded.
How could I respond? Should I tell her he was a mysterious, handsome stranger? A maybe-royal? The man I was infatuated with? There were so many ways I could describe him but they would never be enough to capture his essence.
"He's... a man I met," I said.
Her face twisted. "So you admit it. You whored yourself out for him."
I was too tired to do this. "No, I didn't."
"You think you can behave this way while living under my roof? While interacting with the children in my care?"
That irritated me. Not once had Headmaster shown the children any affection. Me and Pascal were the ones who cared for them, nurtured them. We were the closest thing they had to parents. Headmaster never lifted a finger to comfort any child in the orphanage, not even for something as small as a bumped knee or a splinter.
I had nothing to say. I was exhausted and in pain, and this useless interrogation was draining me. I just looked at Headmaster listlessly.
But that only angered her. She pushed off the headboard with a furious grunt.
"You think you're smart, don't you? We'll see about that."
She slammed the door on the way out, sending awful shockwaves through the floor that aggravated my pounding headache.
I closed my eyes and imagined myself in the only place I felt safe—Devereaux's arms.
12
Devereaux
Waitingall day long was hard enough, but waiting after sunset was even worse.
Every minute that passed further chipped away at my excitement. Florian was not here yet. The sun had set an hour ago, but I kept raising my head to check the skyline, making sure that it truly was after dark and that I was not simply getting ahead of myself. But the sky was darkening and stars twinkled at the far end of the horizon.
With the sun's disappearance, I was returned to my human form. I paced along the cobblestones as my mind ran wild with anxious energy. Yesterday had been so wonderful. Florian arrived during daylight and stayed long enough for me to enjoy his presence in this form.
Why did he not come tonight? Had I done something wrong?
The tension writhed in my chest like a physical mass. Since I could not reach into my ribs and tear it out, the only cure was seeing Florian again.
The idea made me stop pacing and look down at my body. For the first time, I wondered if Icouldreach into my ribs. The concept of physical pain never occurred to me until those humans threw rocks at my gargoyle eyes. I always imagined myself invincible, at least as a gargoyle. Perhaps my eyes were a sore spot. But what about the rest of my flesh? Was it as delicate as a living, breathing human's skin?
As an experiment, I pinched my forearm. The sudden jolt of pain made me wince. That confirmed my suspicion. So I could feel pain like this after all.
An experiment…
I frowned as I recalled my conversation with Argon. That was what he had called me — an experiment. I still did not know what to think of it. Should I have felt offended? Betrayed? Truthfully, neither of those were emotions I felt upon learning the truth. If what Argon said was true, I did not even exist prior to his intervention. He brought me into this world. Perhaps more than anything, I should feel grateful towards him. And in a way, I did. Without his hand, I would never have met Florian, and that was the most depressing fate I could imagine. I abhorred the thought.
What was Florian doing right now? I wished I knew. Was he safe and happy? Was he sad and in danger? I had no way of knowing and that filled me with frustration. All I craved was constant presence at his side.
As I fell into my nightly routine of stalking the castle grounds, I found myself near the front gate. I stopped and looked at it. Two guards were posted there. They resembled gargoyles too, so stoic and unmoving they were. I wondered if they were Argon's creations as well, or just two humans who took their jobs very seriously.
I had never spoken to any of the guards except on the first night I met Florian when I asked them to open the gate for him. Did they know anything about me? Were they working for Argon, or someone else? The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. How dare they contain me here when Florian was out there beyond my grasp? Why had I simply not demanded they open the gate and let me through?
My blood burned with determination as I stormed towards the front gate. The guards did not react to my approach. Their faces were masked by steel armor, so I could not read their expressions.
The gate was shut.
"Excuse me," I said. "I would like to get through."
