During my college years I worked out mostly thanks to Wendy and the rest of our friends dragging me to the gym or to hike with the promise of sitting in a hot tub afterward.
When it came to exercise I was like a very finicky houseplant. I thrived under the best circumstances, which usually meant an air-conditioned gym with all of the amenities, or doing a very short hike with a low incline.
Chasing after a seven-foot gargoyle on a sandy, cold beach was a far cry from that.
Cash put one taloned foot on the bottom step. “I could carry you, if you’d like?”
My legs ached so much that I nearly agreed in spite of myself. But then I remembered the fact that I had only met the gargoyle in front of me yesterday and letting him carry me around was definitely more of a third meeting kind of deal.
With a shake of my head I hurried up the steps in front of him without answering his question.
Nine
“This place is amazing,” Daphne gasped as I led her through the dark front yard.
Most of the animals were in the barn for the night, but Oscar and Saoirse’s entrance had stirred up the goats that usually preferred to sleep outside.
Randy, the biggest goat of the bunch, was angrily stomping his hooves on the wooden ramp that led to the barn as Oscar nosed at the fence.
“Oscar,” I called, distracting the dog from the pissed off goats. The behemoth gladly trotted back to my side, his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth as he happily followed us up the steps to the house.
“I’ve owned this place for nearly twenty years now,” I explained, unlocking the front door and letting her step inside ahead of me.
“It’s gorgeous,” Daphne murmured as she glanced up at the cathedral height ceilings in the foyer. During the day, the large stained-glass window above the door would reflect a rainbow of color on the stairs and seep into the two doorways that were situated on either side of the bannister.
When I bought the place in the nineties it was falling apart. I’d restored every inch of it with my own two hands, creating a sanctuary of sorts for myself.
Hearing the awe in Daphne’s voice as she glanced around the dark space made something in my chest hum with pleasure.
“Kitchen, dining, and sunroom to the left,” I said gruffly, ignoring the sensation. “Livingroom, den, and my library-slash-office to the right. There’s a powder room under the stairs that almost never gets used. Three bedrooms and two baths upstairs.”
Oscar and Saoirse were already settling into their giant beds by the time I finished my quick verbal tour. Both of the hounds were watching us with drowsy eyes and it was clear that they were waiting for us to leave so that they could sleep.
Daphne glanced around, her eyes taking in the space dazedly. The early attitude that she’d been displaying earlier as we walked from her car had disappeared entirely and she seemed unsure of herself again.
Gently I reached out and grabbed the bag she was clutching in a white-knuckled fist. She blinked at me like she’d forgotten I was next to her before she reluctantly let me take the bag.
“Come, little dragonfly, I’ll show you the guest room,” I told her gently. The nickname slipped as easily off my tongue as it had when I’d used it earlier.
I hadn’t expected to find her sleeping in her car when I took the dogs on their nightly walk.
After the gym I’d forced all thoughts of the little human out of my mind as I fed and watered all of the animals and put them away for the night. But when I came upon the old VW Bug being shaken by a bunch of idiots and her scent on the wind, I’d seen red.
The college kids were lucky I didn’t want to scare Daphne. Had it been anywhere else I would have grabbed them by the scruffs of their necks and chucked them into the ocean.
But my ears had heard her terrified gasps and my mind screamed that she was in need of my protection. So I broke my own personal rule to not get involved in other people’s business and stepped in.
The sound of Daphne’s soft footsteps trailed up the stairs after me as I led her to the bigger of the two guest rooms. Both were bare bones, only ever used by Dallan when he was too drunk to go back to his own house or when he needed to whine about his latest fight with Effie.
This room was the better of the two, though, with a comfortable bed and dresser big enough for Daphne’s things.
“There are some towels in the closet and there is a bathroom next door, I know you showered at the gym earlier…” I trailed off, kicking myself inwardly. She probably didn’t want to talk about the fact that she’d been using the showers at the gym because she had nowhere to live.
With a cough to cover my growl of displeasure at the idea, I stepped back through the doorway. “Get some sleep.”
I was just about to close the door when Daphne’s soft voice called my name.
“Cash?”
