Page 70 of Facade

“How do you know so much about them? About everything?” The Gargoyles fascinated me the most—and something in my chest tightened at the admission. I hated that they were gone now.

“I studied and spent time in different places. As I said before, as captain, I need to know all of the histories."

“Where did you grow up?”

“Malachai and I both grew up far away from here.”

“Will you tell me what you are?”

He paused a moment, chewing on his lip, before saying, “You don’t want to know.” Then pushed forward.

I ground my teeth. Why wouldn’t he just tell me what he was? What did it matter? Odds were, I wouldn’t even see him after he handed me over to the King. Hell, I’ll probably have a permanent spot in the dungeons or something worse.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Malachai’s golden glare. I jogged to catch up to Aiden.

“Is Malachai always like that? Or is it me? I get the feeling he’s not my biggest fan.”

Aiden smiled tightly. “Malachai can be intense. But I assure you that if he had a problem with you, you’d know. He just…. lost something long ago. Ever since, he’s been closed off.”

I wondered about the brooding male behind us. It was hard to picture him as anything but a serious warrior. But maybe he had a family he lost. Like me in a way. It made me look at him in a different light. Kind of.

We came to a stop, and my jaw dropped at the serene beauty before us. Massive trees stood tall and proud, with snow delicately blanketing the top. Thick vines looped across one another, connecting them all, cascading down to the white forest floor. Aiden pulled the dense curtain of vines aside, revealing a small, steaming body of water, barely big enough for two people in the center of the trees.

“We’ll be nearby if you need us.” He winked, eyes raking over my body. Blood rushed to my cheeks, and I knew Aiden noticed his affect on me. My gaze flicked toward Malachai, where he’d stopped some distance away.

“All of this flirtation, and you don’t even know if I have a male in my life. You didn’t bother asking,” I spoke lowly, with as much confidence as I could muster.

Aiden dropped the vines, shielding us both inside, stepping so close that I had to crane my neck to look at him.

“And do you have a male?” His voice changed—a challenge.

I reveled in it.

“Maybe,” I said, breathlessly. His mouth curved, fangs grazing his lower lip. He leaned closer. The scent of him filled my nostrils, making my stomach flutter. Close enough that with one small movement, we would collide—

“Doubtful,” he murmured, his lips a hair’s breadth from mine. “I can see the hunger in your eyes when you look at me. I could feel it on the beach.” His gaze dropped, just for a heartbeat, before lifting again—dark, intent. “If Malachai hadn’t interrupted, you would’ve gotten exactly what you were asking for.”

Heat coiled low in my body, sharp and insistent, my pulse betraying me as it thundered in my ears. I stood perfectly still, not trusting myself to move—not trusting what I might do.

“Aiden.” Malachai’s voice cut through the vines. Indifferent on the surface—but the warning beneath it was unmistakable. “We don’t have all day.”

Aiden straightened, his face falling, the moment snapping like a cord pulled too tight. I used the distraction to duck away; my legs trembled as adrenaline and need rushed through me.

I dared a glance over my shoulder. Both males were gone, swallowed by the wall of vines, leaving me completely alone.

A shaky breath brushed past my lips.

I slipped out of my clothes and laid them on a rock, as I did countless times at the river.

Goosebumps covered my exposed flesh as the icy air assaulted me and my bare feet touched the snow. One foot after the other into the water, and I was already sighing. It was deliciously hot as I lowered into the welcomed heat.

At the river, I always had sounds all around me. The water rushing, birds singing—here, it was silent. Eerily so. I listened for hushed conversations between Malachai and Aiden, but not even that sound carried past the vines. Nothing. Like the vines and surrounding trees created a private little oasis in the middle of a tundra.

I sank beneath the surface, shuddering as I continued to thaw, the heat sinking into my back in a gratifying way. My lungs burned as I tried to stay under longer, but I lost the battle and popped back into the frozen world surrounding me.

“Hello again.”

My eyes snapped open, locking onto the enrapturing gaze that plagued my thoughts and dreams.