Lenna felt the tips of her rounded, boringly human ears heat at the implication of Merrick’s statement. “Gargoyles, fae, and humans can reproduce together?”
Merrick chuckled wickedly, “Oh yes, they can. Though sometimes they fuck just for the sake of fucking.” Lenna flicked her eyes up, taking in the bar scene through her lashes. Her blush deepened as she noticed there was indeed a female gargoyle lip locked with a fae male, as if they were the only two beings in the world, completely ignoring the rest of the tavern’s patrons around them.
An abrupt turn towards the homes ripped Lenna’s eyes from the bar to a dully painted yellow house in the middle of its row. Merrick turned his head, looking up and down the street. They stepped up to the door, the lock softly clicking open. Lenna glanced over to Merrick, whose face was set in a hard line. He quickly pushed open the door, ushering Lenna inside and into a dark and cramped living room.
A roaring fire burned in the stone fireplace, a small lumpy brown couch and two wooden chairs squeezed haphazardly into the sitting area. A threadbare green rug, coupled with the worn-looking furniture, showed evidence of years and years of use. But Lenna’s attention was solely focused on the tall fae male standing by the fire, staring at them with an intensity burning as hot as the coals behind him.
Chapter ten
Merrick
“Lenna,meetLaurent,”Merricksaid quietly, closing the door behind him until the lock caught and clicked, the protection magic Laurent crafted snapping around the home once more.
Laurent bowed his head in greeting as Lenna sized him up, her honey-gold eyes widening and narrowing as she assessed the fae in front of her. Laurent’s skin was the richest shade of black, and his chiseled features, broad shoulders, and shaved head made his already powerful presence even more so. Emerald green eyes tracked Lenna’s every breath, near glowing in the dimly lit room. Small silver studs traveled up his lobes–up to the sharp points of his ears. Slightly taller than Merrick, Laurent stood impossibly still, the fabric of his purple robe not even sounding a whisper. Merrick watched as Laurent, in turn, appraised the short, curvy, red-headed Oracle, her pale cheeks flushed pink, with amusement. Merrick held his breath as he waited for Lenna to break the silence.
And to Merrick’s chagrin, Lenna strode up to the fae, stuck out her hand, and declared, “Merrick was right, you seemmuchmore refined than him.” Laurent’s solemn face broke into a bright grin as he grasped her hand in his.
“Oh dear, that’s because I am,” Laurent chucked, shaking her hand once before looking over the top of her head to Merrick. “How much have you told her?”
“Just enough. She knows she’s the Oracle, and that the last Oracle died–”
“Absolutely not enough information.” Lenna cut him off with a wave of her hand, turning pleading eyes up to Laurent. Merrick felt irritation begin creeping back in, but Laurent shot him a sharp look, telling him to stand down. “Can you please tell me what’s going on? The full story–since Merrick is still deciding if he can trust me. Even though he uprooted my entire life and threw me into a portal to get here.” Lenna seemed to reconsider her stance as she added, “Merrickdidtell me about the god’s magical gifts, and the differences between gargoyles and fae, though. So, he’s got that going for him.”
Laurent gave Lenna a warm smile, and Merrick realized Lenna was trying to play them against each other. Trying to get as much information as possible–not knowing they had been battle hardened and court managed together since they were both in their twenties. Laurent fiddled with the gold ring on his finger, and Merrick touched the sibling ring on his own hand.
“Have you told her of the Oracle’s circumstances of death?”Laurent spoke into Merrick’s mind, his smooth voice a relief in itself. They’d made it, where Laurent’s magic and the protection wards around the house meant the difference in winning or losing any fight that came for the Oracle.
Getting the Oracle here safely. At least he hadn’t fucked that up.
“I told her he was murdered–not by whom or why it wasimportant.”Merrick responded dully.
The rings, a gift from a lifetime ago, allowed them to speak directly to the other’s mind. As long as both wearers touched the golden band, they could speak silently without alerting any nearby ears. Excellent for long distances, and for private conversations while navigating the intricacies of court life.
Lenna looked from one to the other but confusion at the silence was the only expression on her face. Turning his eyes back to her, Laurent cleared his throat.
“This is a long story. Can I get you a drink? Something to eat? You must be half starved.” Laurent didn’t wait for an answer, striding past Merrick and Lenna with his purple robes snapping around his ankles, disappearing into the connected kitchen and returning a moment later with a bowl of stew and a glass of water.
“Oh–thank you,” Lenna said, taken aback by the swift delivery of food. She took the bowl offered, looking around the living room nervously. Laurent gestured over to the wooden chairs.
“Why don’t you sit and eat. Merrick and I will do our best to tell you everything we know.”
Merrick hid his smirk at seeing Laurent in his element, always processing information, always two steps ahead mentally of whomever he had to survey. All those years working closely with the late King of Irridessen had created a silver-tongued mercenary. Laurent was adept in a fight, but even more deadly utilized as a spy.
Laurent turned towards the fire, his hands clasped behind his back, and stared into the depth of the glowing embers before he began.
“The reason you are here, my dear Lenna, is because this is the safest place for you,” Laurent began, speaking directly to the fire. Behind him, Lenna chewed her first bite of stew slowly, never taking her eyes off the back of Laurent’s closely shaved head. “We’ve warded the doors fromany outside ears–fae or otherwise. We are taking every precaution as we navigate these new waters, so to speak. You see… This whole conflict started a year ago, and we are finally poised to begin fighting back now that we have you. We need your help as the newly activated Oracle.”
Laurent began his story with the flair that Merrick had grown accustomed to from nine decades of listening to Laurent’s tales.
“Well, this alltrulystarted twohundredyears ago, when the Fae King of the Opal Kingdom found his mate–the Gargoyle Queen of the Obsidian Kingdom.”
Realizing that Laurent was goingallthe way back to the beginning, Merrick got up to get his own dinner from the dusty kitchen. Laurent had a knack for dramatic story-weaving, and in all the years of Merrick knowing him, Laurent never made a long story short–preferring to make a long story…even longer.
“Mate?” Lenna questioned, looking from Laurent’s back to Merrick, as he plopped onto the worn couch with his meal. Merrick dug in, shoving food in his mouth as fast as possible to avoid speaking.
“You didn’t tell her about mates?” Laurent demanded, turning, and fixing a twinkling stare at Merrick.
“I didn’t have a chance,” Merrick growled, mouth full of food. He waved his fork in the air, gesturing towards Lenna. “She had a full-blown breakdown just talking about our lifespan.”
