"Monsters. Yes," I finished. "I have realized something, Argon. I do not care about that anymore."
Argon's scaly purple hand was trembling. "How?"
I suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for him. Since Argon was my creator, I always assumed he knew more than me. But there was something I had that Argon did not. I had a human who loved me.
I rubbed my thumb over the back of Florian's hand and felt him return the gesture.
"Even if I am a monster, Florian accepted me," I said. "And that is all I can ask for."
Argon's yellow gaze slowly moved over me, then Florian. I could not tell what he was thinking. Was he happy that his creation found love? Was he disappointed that he did not have the same blessing?
That line of thought twisted my stomach with sympathy for Argon. He must have been terribly lonely.
"I see," Argon murmured. He let out a soft laugh, then raised his head. The deliberate movement made his hood slide back and reveal his face.
Just as I suspected, he was not a human. Only his upright posture was in the realm of humanity. He had the head of a dragon and purple scales covered every inch of his visible skin.
His appearance did not startle me, but I looked down at Florian, wishing to see his reaction. Argon did the same with a preemptive grimace, expecting Florian to reject him.
But Florian did no such thing. Instead, he offered Argon a smile.
"Oh," Florian said. "Your scales shimmer the same way Devereaux's eyes do."
Argon let out another small, incredulous laugh. "That's all you have to say after seeing my real face?"
"I told you Florian has a kind heart," I said to Argon. "He accepts me. Why would he not accept you as well?"
A flash of wistfulness crossed Argon's yellow eyes. Ever since I met him, this was the only time he looked truly hopeful.
"Okay. We don't have much time," he said, his demeanor changing. "If you want to catch up with Pascal, you have to hurry. Midnight can carry you both. According to the bill of sale, they're heading to the neighboring city to the west. If they're rushing—and with their illicit cargo, I suspect they are—they could be there by dawn."
The word jolted me. I had completely forgotten about the sun. I shot a glance at the sky, and to my chagrin, saw that the deep blue darkness had softened into milky shades of purple. Soon orange and pink would light up the sky, replacing the night completely.
"I do not have that much time. If I turn back into a gargoyle, I will be useless." I turned to Florian, my heart beating desperately. "Florian, do you truly love me?"
"Yes, of course!" he said without a single moment of hesitation.
"Then you must kiss me now before the sun rises. That is the only way to break my curse. Then I can be human forever."
His eyes wavered as he hesitated. Was he uncomfortable kissing me?
Or did he not want me to be human?
"But I do not wish to force you into any situation," I said. "If you do not want to, then—"
Florian cut me off. Pushing down on his cane with both hands, he stood on the tips of his toes to reach my face, then pressed his lips against mine. They were so soft and warm I could have disappeared into them forever. I wrapped my arms around his lower back, both to keep him steady and to hold him as close as possible. His body felt like it belonged here, connected to mine. Burning happiness surged through me like wildfire. This was perfect.
That strange feeling from before surged towards the surface of my skin, like I was brushing my hand above a marble slab. It was not unpleasant but it was distracting. Could it not have waited until after I was done kissing Florian?
I ignored it and focused on the feeling of Florian's sweet mouth. After all, if this was my fated mate's kiss that was supposed to break my curse, perhaps the sensations were symptoms of that. I was changing into my true form—I would no longer be a motionless stone gargoyle, but a human forever, day and night!
It was not until Argon let out a soft gasp from behind us that I realized I was undergoing a visible change, whatever it was. I wondered if the sapphires of my eyes were changing into real human eyes.
Florian kept kissing me throughout it all. The feeling of his soft breath against my face was so sweet. If it were not for the time-sensitive situation, I would have loved to stay like this with him for hours.
When Florian finally pulled away, he was breathless—and yet, I was not. Strange. In my human form, I needed to breathe just like a real human did.
As I gazed at Florian's pink-cheeked face, his eyes widened. "Oh, Devereaux..."
