Page 28 of Loved By the Gargoyle

We had long said our farewells to her family and had found ourselves walking along the darkening streets of the city. Many stopped to gawk at my towering frame and when I flashed them a smile with my fangs, they ran away screaming.

“Humans are very fragile and fearful creatures,” I hummed.

Mia laughed, holding her fist over her mouth to muffle the sound. “Some are,” she agreed.

There was a beat of silence. “Will you visit my home with me?” I asked again.

She peered up at me, and my insides twisted into many knots. Nerves, I knew, were what they were called. After all this acceptance on her part, she still made me feel so unbalanced, as though I were standing upon a precipice and waiting for a drop with broken wings.

“Of course.” Her voice was casual. “I would love that.”

My heart danced within my chest. I picked her up, and she cried out, throwing her arms around my neck from the surprise.

“R-right now?”

“If I have your consent, wife.”

“Yes.”

“Then hold me tightly,” I warned. “This is going to be different.”

Before I could elaborate or explain what it felt like to fly and crawl through the pockets of dimensions to reach the Underworld, I was lifting. My wings gave a powerful push and we were off. Air and clouds spun around us, and Mia’s scream was swallowed by the sound of rushing winds. Before she could take her next breath, I pushed through the fabric of dimensions, fighting with the claws of my feet to get through to the other side.

We burst through to be met with scorching sunlight and the spray of water and sand.

Mia cried out in surprise, and I gentled my hold upon my wife as I slowly lowered us to the sand. For a moment, after her eyes opened, and she took in the sights before her, my wife seemed in complete awe at what she was witnessing.

I did not blame her.

The Underworld was a place of torture and pain, of sorrow and lament. It brought out fears and the darkest of secrets.

But it could be this, too.

An oasis.

And it was.

It stretched for miles and miles, an endless desert and a river of crystal water. Palm trees dotted along the edge where sand met water. Within its depths, friendly demons splashed to freshen their skin.

My own skin already felt the effects of the fiery sunlight. It cracked like stone, becoming even more ashen.

Slowly, Mia’s feet touched the ground and her hands flew to her mouth. “Xavir!” she exclaimed. “This is beautiful!”

My heart swelled with pride. “You are happy?”

“This is your home?”

“A part of it.” My hands touched her shoulders. “But I would not wander far from this place. The Underworld can be treacherous, and demons tricksters. They will not harm you now that you bear my scent and mark. You are my wife, my mate, and they fear me and my wrath. They would not harm you, but I would not like to take any chances.”

She nodded, eyes still on the water.

“However, I would like to show you something else…”

“You mean, there’s more?”

Slowly, I steered her away from the water to turn.

“My brother Nazzar mentioned that humans required a home. A place to fill with their favorite things. They do not sleep in caves or on rocks. You require comfort.”