Page 54 of Hated By the Gargoyle

“I don’t ever want to see you again, Carlota.”

“But… but you can’t just–”

“I know you want your pictures, and I’m going to give them to you. Not because you deserve them, but because I worked hard on taking these and my work deserves to be seen. Don’t worry.” I slid the memory stick in her direction, and she snatched it up with greedy fingers. “But this is where I say goodbye. Don’t call me again. Don’t ask me for favors. Because I’m over you, Carlota. I’m done.”

I wondered then if she would say something to me at that, but she never really got a chance.

Like deja vu, my gaze lifted, and there he was.

A monstrous statue looming over Carlota. A statue riddled with cracks and scars, broken horns and torn wings, two different colored eyes, and an angry expression that made my chest pinch. Not with fear.

But want.

Need.

I hadn’t seen him since that day he’d been taken away by the Kings of Hell. I didn’t ask about him whenever I spoke to Dolores and Mia, and they never brought him up. A part of me had been afraid for his fate. Afraid that they would kill him for what had happened between us instead of helping him heal, and I hadn’t been sure my heart could handle it. So I kept my worries and curiosity to myself and let it keep me up at night.

But here he was.

Alive.

Whole.

I’d fantasized about what we would say to each other if we saw each other again. In all our time apart, I’d contemplated what I wanted and what I deserved, what I wanted from him and life in general.

Words caught in my throat, and old ugly fears rose up to rear their head. In all my imaginings, we had been alone. But Carlota was here, and a voice told me that now that she was in front of him again, he would steal her away. It was her who he wanted, after all.

I silenced that voice and waited with bated breath…

Carlota noticed his shadow cast over her and slowly turned. She screamed and Qanek’s wings twitched at the sound. He huffed a breath and looked down at her…

I waited.

He glared and grumbled, “Shut up.”

Carlota sputtered and squealed when he grabbed the back of her chair and shoved the whole thing away with her on top. She toppled to the side and fell on the ground, but he made no move to help her stand. Neither did I.

For a moment, we found each other, our gazes colliding and holding. It felt like time stretched on until Qanek finally spoke.

“Hello, feral creature.”

A tear slipped from my eye.

Then Qanek stepped close to me, dropping to his knees. Even kneeling, his horn reached my height. His face was level with mine, and he wedged himself between my legs. I welcomed the discomfort his breadth brought.

Qanek bowed his head over my stomach and his hands grasped for me. He smelled like I remembered, and I ran my hands through his hair.

“Nothing I say will ever excuse the harm I have caused you,” he rumbled, his voice low and dark. “But I am here because I have learned from my mistakes. I have suffered at the hands of Lord Kane, and I have been lost in my own mind. In my darkest thoughts, I could see how I have wronged you. And I repented. I–” He swallowed thickly. “I have learned from my masters for many months how to control my ire. I have learned from my brothers and their wives what it means to be a husband. Their husband school has taught me many things and Ii–”

“Husband school?” My brows shot up. “You went to husband school?”

Qanek nodded slowly. “Mia and Dolores taught me many things. They taught me how to speak and care for humans and to understand your sayings and emotions. I now know that Jesus Christ is not a man you long for, but a deity you call upon when in distress.”

“Right.” Because that’s what it was.

“My brothers have taught me to not give in to anger. To channel it into something new. And you may not believe that I have learned to master it in so short a time. You may never forgive my slights against you. You may have lost your belief in me entirely, but I am here spread at your feet, wife, and I miss you. You are not the wife I wanted, but you are the one fate knew I needed. And I grew to want you. I grew to love you, and I loved you before I even understood the concept of the word. Do not misunderstand, I am still angry. I am still full of hatred for so many things in this world, but I know with certainty that you are the one I want for now and forever. So I came to find you, wife, with the hope that you will forgive me for what I did.”

The tears flowed freely, and I sniffled, steeling my spine. “You hurt me,” I accused.