by A C Warneke
Ferris smirked at his words, “Sweetheart, Ajreis does protect me because he wants to, because we're friends. The other imps have long since abandoned their duties.”
He glared imperiously for a moment and Ferris had the urge to laugh at him but the dragon egg cracked and her attention returned to the golden orb. It was hatching, just as Armand must have known it would! Her eyes flew to his and the dourness was gone from his expression as he looked at her with warmth and a bit of nervousness. “You knew it would be hatching now, didn’t you?”
“I had hoped,” he admitted, running his finger over the hatching golden egg, holding her eyes with his. His eyes were never cold anymore and the warmth made her forget for a little while. He was such a romantic, giving her a dragon to keep her company in the empty years ahead.
Her heart started to pick up speed in her chest and goose bumps covered her flesh in excitement. With sparkling eyes, she looked at Armand once more before returning her attention to the cracks that were rapidly emerging, “What if he looks at you first?”
“I’ll hide,” he said wryly, making her laugh. Moving behind her, he settled his hands on her shoulders, surrounding her with his warmth. His breath was hot against her ear as he talked, “He promised me that he wouldn’t open his eyes until he was sure he would see your eyes first.”
She giggled more, “How on earth do you know any of this?”
Pressing a soft kiss against the side of her neck, he whispered, “It’s part of the gargoyle’s nature to be able to talk telepathically with other supernatural creatures. Some are just more receptive to it than others. Also, hatchling pocket dragons are unique in that they can choose to whom they will listen and once this little guy heard my story he was captivated.”
“You are so weird, Armand,” she grinned, leaning into his embrace as the dragon fought its way out of its shell. A brilliant blue talon poked through and she gasped in delight, the excitement swelling with each moment. She could almost forget that she only had a few days left with Armand.
He slid his hands over her shoulders, sliding them down her arms and then around her waist until he was hugging her. She loved it when he hugged her as they talked. It made her feel protected and cherished, a heady feeling. “How else are we to keep the supernatural world in line? At least back when it had been our job. Whenever any of them tried to get out of line a voice would boom inside their head to knock it off or face the wrath of the mighty Guardians.”
Her heart stuttered in her chest at the sorrow and bitterness in Armand’s voice as he talked about the world he had known that was now gone. Forcing a smile to her lips, she asked, “Did you ever have to back up your threats with action?”
“Occasionally,” he said softly. “If a human got in too deep and begged to be rescued. Too often your kind wanted to be devoured but we tried nonetheless.”
“I bet you were magnificent when you had to fly down and swat some demon on the ass,” she whispered, picturing it in her head: the vengeful Armand swooping from the skies to rescue some hapless human. The gorgeous and furious griffin would terrify the most Hell-bent demon.
He chuckled behind her, “Most supernaturals prefer the night so there were times I wished we were gargoyles at night instead of during the day so I could properly take care of an unruly demon. Of course, they never expected a man to have the kind of strength I have.”
Her legs weakened at the thought of an even more gorgeous and furious Armand showing up. She was pretty sure if she were that hapless human she would have fallen in love the moment he appeared. She bit her lip to keep from asking if he missed it. Of course he did, he told her as much. Slowly releasing her lip, she turned her head and ran her tongue along the skin of his throat, smiling when he jumped at the unexpected gesture. “I’ve always been very impressed with your strength… and lately your stamina.”
He chuckled deep in his chest and she felt it along her spine. Kissing her temple, he smiled, “Pay attention to the dragon, Ferris, he’s almost free.”
The dragon’s little arm was through and Ferris thought she had never seen something so adorable as the scaly little thing waving madly through the air trying to find purchase. Instinctively, she put her finger against its talon, feeling the slight pinch as he grabbed on and pulled. His little snout appeared in the hole and she just about lost it.
Armand put his hand over hers to stop her from peeling the shell away before she realized it was what she wanted to do, murmuring in her ear, “He has to do this on his own.”
“I know,” she admitted softly, remembering the story of the butterfly that is helped from its cocoon, how it fails to survive because it lacks the strength. Her hand trembled beneath his as she watched the little guy continue to struggle, knowing that helping him would only hurt him. “What’s his name?”
“He hasn’t told me,” he told her softly, his focus on the dragon in her hands, his hands softly stroking hers. “He plans on sharing it with you first.”
Ferris tilted her head to the side in confusion, “Do dragons talk?”
His low laugh moved through her body, “Only to those that listen.”
She opened her mouth to ask him what the heck he meant by that but the dragon had broken through and its jewel-bright sapphire blue eyes met hers and she felt herself falling into them. Warmth wrapped around her, invading all of her cells, as the dragon imprinted on her. He showed her the world where he came from, an amazing world that was brilliant and completely alien, with dragons of all sizes and types flying through the air, walking on the ground, sleeping in the caves. She saw the jeweled treasures they kept, the strong bonds they shared with their families and she knew that she was immeasurably blessed because she was the first human to have a dragon bond.
I will fly with you, Dragon-Maiden, a low, velvety-rough voice whispered through her soul. When you are ready we shall travel.
“What’s your name?” she asked out loud.
Frayzilahr, he breathed. But you may call me Fray, Dragon-Maiden Ferris.
“You know my name,” she gasped.
He chuckled softly, the sound flowing over her and filling her with such joy it was almost painful. Of course. Armand was very forthcoming.
The dragon blinked and the connection was broken. When she looked, he was sleeping, a teeny, tiny golden dragon oblivious of the world around him. Blinking back tears of her own, she turned to face Armand, “Thank you.”
Chapter 8
The Battle is Lost
Armand quietly closed the bedroom door behind him, letting Ferris sleep in her bed for a few hours. The poor girl was exhausted and had refused to sleep until pure finally exhaustion claimed her. Resting his forehead against the door, he closed his eyes and wondered how he could have been so stupid, so selfish, as to choose sixty years frozen in stone rather than a gargoyle's lifetime with the wondrous, generous Ferris. She would have made a fantastic gargoyle… until she realized how much she gave up to be with him.
He still believed he did the right thing because she was too young to truly know what she wanted, what she needed. She deserved the opportunity to go out and experience life beyond the castle walls, something she would have missed out upon if he had given her his nights. She was also a child of the sun and if she became a gargoyle she would have to give up the daylight and become a creature of the night. Somehow, he couldn't picture Ferris thriving beneath the moon and he knew that in time she would resent him, resent being a gargoyle.
Heaving a sigh, he pressed his palm against the door, as if he could touch her through the wood. How was he going to survive without her warmth to chase away the cold? How could he condemn her to darkness? It terrified him how much he needed her. She terrified him, with her smiles and laughter and her unconditional love. A shudder worked its way through his body; he did the right thing by letting her go before he truly had her.
Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind, spun around and slammed against the wall, his head bouncing off the plaster. His first instinct was
to smash his fist into his attacker's face but he stopped himself when he saw the fury blazing in Rhys's brown eyes. His brother's fingers curled into the material of Armand's shirt as Rhys held him in place. "What the fuck have you done?"
Armand was taken aback by the rage in Rhys's expression, his words. His younger brother was one of the most easy-going people he had ever known so to see his blistering anger was really quite amazing. Bringing his arms up to break his brother's hold on his shirt, Armand wiped all expression from his face before he answered, "It's none of your business."
"This is not what I expected to find when we got back from the Caribbean," Rhys growled, his eyes flashing with loathing. "Jenna is freaking out because her daughter has been in love with you since she was nineteen and yet you gave your nights to another woman?"
"Sixteen, Rhys," Armand smiled cruelly.
Rhys cocked his head to the side and blinked once in confusion. "Sixteen?"
"She was sixteen when she fell in love with me and twenty-one when she had sex with me." Armand couldn't stop the words from spewing from his mouth because a dark part of his soul wanted his monkey brother to punish him. Ignoring the painful thudding of his racing heart, he sneered, "But what does that have to do with anything?"
Rhys glanced at the door next to him, at Ferris's bedroom door, and without warning, threw a punch that connected with Armand's jaw. The back of Armand's head slammed against the wall once again. In a low, seething voice, Rhys snarled, "You're fucking Ferris?"
Armand's eyes narrowed to two dangerous slits, "It's none of your business, Rhys."
"She's Jenna's daughter!"
"Keep it down," Armand hissed, not wanting to wake Ferris up. Grabbing Rhys's arm, he pulled his brother a little further away from the door and spoke in a hard whisper, "Don't pretend to be offended, Rhys, because if you think about it for two seconds you know that you all wanted me to fall in love with her, to give her my nights. But you're not the ones who would have to pay the price – that would be her. I only did what I had to do to give her a chance to be normal, to have a normal life, something none of you ever bothered to try."
"You'll break her heart," Rhys said in a thankfully softer voice.
He shrugged dispassionately, hoping his brother never saw how much he was bleeding inside. "She's young, she'll survive."
"You selfish fuck," Rhys sneered in resentment. Pushing his hands against Armand's chest, he took a step back in disgust, "You don't deserve her."
"I know," Armand said softly, honestly, as he rubbed his aching heart. Trying to get his emotions under control, hating this weakness, he turned his head and looked down the hall. He didn't see the expensive art on the walls, the vases filled with vibrant flowers, the many doors. He only saw a bleak and empty future without Ferris.
"My gods," Rhys breathed. "You love her. You… love her. Why…."
Armand's head whipped around and he saw Rhys's thunderstruck expression. Lowering his voice, he growled, "Drop it, Rhys. When I wake up you can rip me a new one but for now… for now just drop it."
Rhys staggered a step backwards, his mouth hanging open and making him look like a suffocating fish. The door creaked open and suddenly Ferris was there was a sleepy smile on her face, "Rhys, you and Jenna are home."
Dumbly, Rhys nodded his head, rapidly looking back and forth between Armand and Ferris in bewilderment. Without hesitation, Ferris slid her hand into Armand's and rested her head against his shoulder, "Don’t look so shocked, Rhys. Surely Melanie told you we were together."
"She only told us that Armand gave up his nights to the wrong woman," Rhys stammered, falling back another step, bumping into the wall on the other side of the hallway. Scrubbing his hands through his dark auburn hair, he shook his head in speechlessness. "Your mother…."
Ferris kissed Armand's shoulder before she murmured, "Don't say anything, not yet."
"Ferris," Rhys rasped, his eyes silently pleading with her. "Don't ask that of me."
"It's only for another night," she said with a smile that trembled on her lips. "Everyone will know about us soon enough so there's no point in worrying Jenna before you two complete the ritual." She laughed, the sound slightly hysterical, "You don't know what would happen if you guys fail to complete it. You might become frozen forever because Jenna can't die."
"Ferris," Rhys repeated, obviously having difficulty forming any other coherent thought.
"And be sure to keep everyone away from the roof tonight," she requested. Tugging on Armand's hand, Ferris turned her back on Rhys and went back into her bedroom. Armand's skin burned with emotion as he stared down at this amazing woman and with one last glance at Rhys, he followed his soul back to bed.
Ferris tried desperately to be brave but it was nearly impossible as the hours turned to minutes. She didn’t want Armand’s last memories of her to be one of splotchy skin and blood-shot eyes and so she smiled a little brighter and laughed a little harder to disguise the fact that she was dying inside. Not even Fray’s magical laughter made her feel any better. Of course, he was still an infant and so very young. She imagined in a few years, perhaps after she was gone, he would have the power to make the saddest person smile.
The little dragon spent most of his time asleep, acclimating to the human world. At least that is what he told her. She had the feeling that he was giving her time with Armand since she had so little time left. Everyone was keeping their distance, including Raphe who looked at Ferris with sympathy in his violet eyes.
Shortly after leaving Rhys standing in the hallway, Ferris and Armand went up to the roof. She spent the night in his embrace, watching the city come to life as the sun set. Few words were spoken but every moment was etched into her heart in case she failed to find a way to live forever and be there when Armand awoke. The only option she knew was possible was the Medusa-wizard blood concoction and if she drank that there was a very real possibility that she would die. She knew that her odds of surviving were better than the average human because both her mother and her aunt had survived the toxic cocktail. Unfortunately, she didn't have the blood mixture.
Even if she had the cocktail, though, the wizard wasn't around to give her the proper dosage. If she took too little it wouldn't work and if she took too much she would die a horrible, violent death and the difference between the two was so slight as to be practically non-existent.
Knowing that her mom and aunt had survived the ingestion of the poisonous concoction of wizard blood and Medusa’s blood made it difficult to dismiss the option out of hand, if only she could find the potion. Of course, a part of her mom and aunt had died when they drank the mixture. It was what allowed Vaughn to return to his living state when he had been frozen.
“What are you thinking?” Armand’s low voice wrapped itself around her, warming her from within. He brushed his lips against the back of her head, pressing light kisses against her hair.
Tilting her head back and to the side, resting her forehead against his throat, she smiled, “About how nice it was of the family to give us this time together.”
She felt his smile more than saw it, “I'm sure Rhys promised them that you would answer all of their questions once the sun came up.”
“That sounds like Rhys,” she teased, her heart trembling erratically in her chest. "I wonder how long he will be able to keep it from Jenna. You know he can't keep a secret from her to save his life."
He chuckled softly but didn't say anything, pressing a warm kiss against her temple and breathing in her scent.
"Jenna's probably going to freak out that I'm no longer a virgin and that I gave it up to you," she continued, hearing her words catch in her throat as she tried to keep the tears at bay.
"Hopefully she won't give you too hard of a time," he murmured. "You are an adult, after all."
They fell into silence again, time pressing down on them until Ferris was sure she was suffocating. She wanted to hear his voice, she needed to hear it. If he didn’t talk to her she was going to go mad
and start screaming. Clearing her throat, she asked, “So, what are you thinking about?”
He was silent for a long time and she could feel his throat work as he swallowed convulsively. “I am just thinking that the wait is much more tolerable when I am with the woman I love.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to speak but the words choked her so she nodded instead. His arms tightened around her and his voice came out rough, “I was also thinking that the night is going by too fast and I don’t want to let you go.”
The sob she had been holding in broke free and she let loose a low, painful moan. He hugged her closer, “Shh, it’s alright.”
If she could she would have laughed at those words. Twisting around in his arms, she straddled his lap and rested her arms on his shoulders, holding his green gaze, “I promise I will see you one more time, Armand. No matter how long she lives I will live just a little bit longer.”
His eyes glistened but he didn’t let the tears fall even as his grip on her hips tightened, “Don’t talk about such things, Ferris.”
She pushed her fingers through the thick black hair on the side of his head and framed his face, her eyes burning with resolution, “Will you still love me when my skin is paper thin and I have more wrinkles than freckles, Armand? Will you love me just a little longer when life has exhausted me and I am old and frail?”
“I will always love you,” he rasped, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her to him. He unwrapped one of his arms and slid his hand beneath her shirt, cupping her breast in his broad palm. Shivers slid down her spine and a breath caught in her throat at the electricity of his touch. It never would have gotten old. “You could be a hundred and two with your breasts sagging to your waist and I would love you.”
She smiled despite the breaking of her heart. “They’re doing amazing things with plastic surgery these days. Maybe my breasts will still be perky even as the rest of me is falling apart.”
