“Can you fly?” She asks, coming closer still and examining my wings.
“I can. Although I’m not as good at it as Drake. My friends tease me that I don’t so much fly as fall with style.” Finally, thecorners of her lips tick upward. “But I can fly—from the ground, I mean.”
“That must be the most amazing feeling. Soaring through the air. I always wished I could fly.”
“I can take you for a ride if you want. If you trust me.”
“When?”
“Whenever you’d like.”
She nods and bites her plump bottom lip. “Can we do that now?”
“We can. But that will mean I’ll have to hold you close. Will you be okay with that?”
“I think so.”
I reach my hand out to her and wait for her to take it. When she does, she looks down at my talon-like fingers. I pull her closer to me and look into her soft caramel eyes. I brush my thumb against her cheek, careful to keep my nail away from her skin. She brushes my brown hair away from my eyes.
“For what it’s worth, I still think you’re incredibly handsome, fangs and all.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m falling in love with you.”
Chapter 22
Camilla
“Hold on tight.” Stone turns his head and yells to me. I can barely hear him through the sound of his wings flapping as we climb into the sky.
Stone glides through the air with me straddling his back. His spade pointed tail arches over me like a metal bar, anchoring my chest forward against his back. This is the first time I’ve tried riding on his back, instead of in his arms, cradled against his chest.
The cool night air swooshes through my curls and blows them behind me. My hair is going to be a tangled mess by the time I get home. I don’t care; it makes me feel free. I close my eyes and rest my cheek against Stone’s back, trusting him completely to keep me safe. The cool surface feels good against my skin, even if it’s a little rough.
Although dependent on Stone for my safety, flying with him makes me feel unattached and carefree. I never thought it would be possible to untether myself from everything holding me back. My past. My insecurities. My parents.
“I love flying with you.”
I know he heard me because the point of his tail tickles the back of my neck for a moment, before acting as a restraining bar once again. I missed this the last two nights. It’s been three weeks since I found out that Stone is a gargoyle. Threeweeks since the first time Stone offered to fly me through the air, but the last two nights, storms, complete with lightning and tornadoes, have kept us grounded.
We made good use of our downtime working on the store. The kitchen is ready, the walls are painted, the lighting has been changed, and the new floor has set. Even though Stone works on it by himself up until this point, it’s coming together quickly.
Tonight, the moon and stars light the sky. If we weren’t up so high, the clouds would hide the other winged creatures flying, but even with the heightened visibility, no one is close enough for me to get a good look. I guess the soggy weather had them feeling cooped up and needing to stretch their wings. That’s how I felt, and I don’t even have wings.
Stone climbs higher before slowly descending to land on his feet. We land on a rooftop, and he bends at the waist so that I can climb off his back.
