Page 108 of Facade

Shared secrets—a lifeline thrown to me in my beautiful imprisonment.

The harsh reality always pulled me back, cleaving me in half, knowing I couldn’t call off the wedding—could never truly be with him.

Every moment with Aiden grew increasingly unbearable as Ryker dominated my thoughts. My heart ached with an unspoken longing I dared not voice, for fear of my mother’s life. Ryker and I never discussed my situation with Aiden, but I knew he was aware of what kind of male Aiden was.

When I showed up to our session with a purple, finger-shaped bruise on my arm where Aiden had grabbed me, Ryker looked murderous. He asked if I was okay, his voice a mixture of concern and restrained fury.

After a warning look from Aniah, he forced it aside, and we trained as usual.

Though I remember him sparring with Malachai, showing me different offensive hand-to-hand combat techniques, his movements were furious and unrelenting as he advanced on Malachai, anger simmering beneath his sharp eyes. Malachai had taken every hit, every kick, as if he understood Ryker’s wrath stemmed from more than the bruises on my skin.

Every movement was a silent promise that there was more to us than circumstance allowed.

Before I knew it, the dreadful year had passed. My freedom would truly be over.

No more training sessions.

No more Ryker.

What we'd been doing was dangerous enough while I was engaged. Married and matched to Aiden… I couldn’t risk it. I wouldn’t risk him.

We were supposed to celebrate the blooming moonflowers the night before my matching ceremony and marriage. I snuck off on my own during the day to our usual meeting spot just outside the castle, and I waited. The overwhelming need to tell Ryker how I felt made me feel like I was about to burst. He needed to know that if I could call off the wedding, I would. Two hours passed. Ryker never showed.

Disappointment mixed with paranoia at his absence as I readied myself for the festivities. Had we been found out? Could he be in a cell below? Or maybe he was done with me now that I was getting matched? The uneasiness stole the light from my eyes and twisted my stomach into a knot.

Then something unexpected happened that night as I prepared for the festival, alone in my room. Something I couldn’t tell a soul. As I shifted forms to paint the customary symbols of peace and longevity on my body, my Gargoyle color had changed.

The gray was completely gone, replaced by a color I'd never seen before—and instinct screamed that something was wrong.

30

Evanee

My raven hair blended with my night-hued body, which was covered in little star-like flecks that shone bright and proud.

Panic took root in my stomach as I changed back to my human form instantly and threw on a robe. Aiden knocked on my door, and I made the excuse of feeling sick; thank the moon he'd only yelled his irritation and moved on instead of barging in as he had on several occasions.

I’d never seen another Gargoyle with these colors. The only place I’d even read about unique colorings was in the old leather tomes in the armory. But Gargoyle coloring didn’t change just from reading. It changed after the proper steps in a matching ceremony.

I knew that my color setting in would put both mine and my mother’s lives in danger. Yes, technically, I could still marry Aiden. But it would be an embarrassment for him. For the crown. I knew without a doubt they'd assume I’d slept with someone, and the punishment would be death.

I had to leave.

Tonight.

I needed to get my mother first, though. I knew she'd be at our estate, pulling together last-minute preparations for the big event tomorrow night. So I quickly threw on flying leathers, and as I cracked open my door, the hallway was empty, no sign of my guards.

I ran.

Keeping to the shadows, I kept an eye on the celebrations. Aiden took to the skies, surrounded by fawning, unmatched females whose gray forms complemented the clear night. Shifting wasn’t an option for me with so many eyes.

I moved quickly toward the city below, hoping to reach my family’s estate before I was seen. As the full moon hit me, my skin rippled, my Gargoyle wanting to come out and show off her new colors. I blanched as I held out my arm in front of me, shifting just my clawed hand, and stared at the new, mesmerizing color. A noise startled me out of my trance, and I quickly shifted my hand back.

Gargoyles and humans both cheered far across the meadow as music played. My steps hastened. But as I came across the pond that sits between the castle and the vibrant city below, a figure walked toward me, making me falter.

Recognition sparked, heat instantly spreading to my belly.

Ryker approached from an adjacent path that led to the mountains. He froze upon seeing me. We stared at each other briefly and intensely before we started at a slow stride toward one another.