“The object, yes. That is obvious. But my intent is not. I do not ask anything of you. I only wish for you to find happiness in whatever way you can. I thought perhaps since I cannotprovidefor you in certain ways, you might want…” His throat grew dry, so he had to begin again. “If such an implement is helpful to you, then I will be glad for it. But if it does not please you, do not feel obligated to accept the gift.”
She set down her needle and put the embroidery frame to one side, pink blooming across pale skin like dawn across the eastern sky. Her lips parted.
Before she could speak, he added, “There is something else I must apologize for.”
Her smooth forehead creased. “What is it?”
“I should have told you this when we married. Daysleep isn’t what you think it is. Gargoyles don’t sleep. We’re frozen, but we’re aware. We see. We hear. We feel.” He held her gaze, and her eyes widened. The color in her cheeks spread as the understanding arrived in stages, each one visible on her face like the turning of a lock mechanism, pins falling into place. “I saw you, Hannalinde. I heard you.”
The lock finished turning. Her mouth opened.
“You heard me,” she repeated. “That morning I lay in your arms.”
“Yes.”
“The things I did. The things I said.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “You should have told me.”
He hung his head. “I know. I’m so sorry. I enjoyed watching you go about your daily tasks, so I postponed it. I thought it harmless. I did not know you had such…urges.”
She covered her face with her hands. “I am utterly mortified.”
He had botched this beyond belief. “I can see that. I’m sorry. And I realize now that the gift was ill-thought. I was so desperate to satisfy you that I got caught up in the moment. I will take it away so you do not have to see it again. I’ll toss it in the burn pit myself.” He certainly wouldn’t be asking another keeper to throw it out. He’d had enough humiliation as it was.
She looked from her hands with teary eyes. “Oh, don’t destroy it. It’s quite a fine carving, isn’t it? I think it must have taken some skill.”
He nodded, a little bewildered at her protest. “You wish to…keep it?”
She bit her lip, as she gave a tentative nod. “It was a gift from my husband, was it not? There is nothing wrong with keeping it as a memento of his regard.”
His breath quickened. Perhaps he hadn’t ruined everything. Perhaps she even…likedit. “Will you use it, do you think?”
“Don’t ask me that,” she said swiftly, her neck mottling.
Chastened, he sat back on his haunches. Once again, his impulsiveness was too much for his human wife. But how could he act otherwise when she elicited such strong feelings in him?
To his surprise, Hanna reached out to cup one side of his face. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know the answer. I still have many fears and old injuries. I don’t know if these will be helped or hurtby your gift. And I am still embarrassed that you saw me act so wantonly.”
“It was beautiful,” he interrupted. “You were beautiful.”
Her lashes quivered against her cheeks, and her smile trembled. “You are very kind to me. Thank you for doing so much to make me happy. And thank you for finally telling me the truth about daysleep.”
“Don’t thank me,” he said automatically. He did not deserve it after behaving so badly toward her.
She leaned forward and kissed his forehead, a searing brand on his skin even though her touch was light. “Yet I am thankful. I’ll be embarrassed for a week, but thankful nonetheless.”
“I will roost in the outer rooms from now on,” he swore, but Hanna shook her head, mouth pressed in a firm line.
“No. It is your chamber as much as mine.”
“With my eyes closed, then.”
Her hands left his cheeks and wandered to his brow, smoothing his hair before combing through it with her fingers, grooming him like a gargoyle mate.
“If you must.”
Chapter 20
Hannalinde
