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“I appreciate it, but we don’t have much time. The gargoyle comes to life at sunrise, and you need to be in place to stab it just as it comes alive if you want to defeat it.”
He sighed. “Girl, no one will defeat me. Now you sure you know where you’re going? Aren’t the haunted ruins this way? Or are you into kinky shit? Because I’m up for it.”
“Just zip it and keep moving. This is the right place.” I picked up my pace, and his footfalls closed in after me.
You sure you can trust him?
“Not really.” But at the edge of the woods surrounding the ruins, he seized my wrist and wrenched me backward. I gasped and pivoted on the balls of my feet as he shoved me up against a tree, his body so close, I inhaled his gross perspiration. Shadows concealed his face… all except his teeth from his open mouth grin. He revolted me.
“Don’t think I forgot your promise. No gargoyle and you’re mine for the day.”
Liar. That was never the arrangement.
“Sorry to disappoint, but you may want to look to your right.”
And the moment he did, the shift in his posture switching from proud and stiff to slacking. In the distance stood the stone tower. Moonlight lit up the gargoyle crouched on the roof.
Dustin didn’t say a word, but I slid under his arm and rushed into the open area. “Are you satisfied now?”
He pointed to the tower, teasing me with his glare. “You want me to assassinate a statue?”
“Don’t be a dumbass. He comes to life once the sun rises. Now let’s get moving.”
“Something’s wrong with you, right? I heard Gage say you weren’t fully there, but this is crazy shit.”
I twisted around as he tapped the side of his head. “He said that?”Asshole.Now I didn’t feel so guilty for slipping out of the club without sayinggoodbye. Back in the club, Gage had jumped in to stop a fight between two men. It could have been over anything, like money owed, someone had stepped on someone else’s foot, or someone had said the wrong thing. Fights at Brawl happened most nights between spectators.
Next time we see him, jab Gage with your dagger.
“Shut up with the stabbing.” I glanced up at Dustin, who smirked, as if I were proving his point.
He laughed loudly and explosively, like a sprung leak in the pipes in my tower. His mocking tone raked claws down my back, but whatever. He wasn’t the first person to laugh at me, nor would he likely be the last. “So how do we reach this gargoyle?” he asked.
While normally, I let people drown in their own sarcasm and took too much satisfaction when I proved them wrong, I didn’t have the liberty with Dumballs here. “Listen, we’re climbing up the wall to defeat a monster, and you need to get your head focused. The moment he awakens, he’ll try to crush your skull in a heartbeat. So be ready.”
“Ahem. So are we going inside the tower? Is that where you live?”
I exhaled loudly. “Are you listening to me? You’ll have seconds before the gargoyle comes to life, its stone exterior will morph into smaller stones, so you must slam the blade into a gap between the rocks just above his heart. That will kill it. Okay?”
Dustin studied the tower with big goofy eyes, and I grabbed his arm, forcing him into a walk.
“Now there’s really just one rule you must know. If you don’t kill the gargoyle in time and it comes after you, run. Don’t stop to fight or try to protect me. Just run for your life. Understood?”
“Why would you live out here? It’s creepy as shit. What kind of sex games are you into ’cause I want some of that.”
“Listen to me,” I snapped. “Kill this gargoyle, and I’ll tell you about my entire life story. Sound good?” Doubt flooded me. If he couldn’t concentrate, would he react fast enough when the sun climbed over the horizon? Maybe I was mistaken. I should’ve spent more time explaining the situation to him back at fight club. Make him understand this wasn’t a game or me leading him to a sexy dungeon for playtime.
“Deal. Plus, you’ll show me your tits.”
I didn’t warrant that with a response, and clenched my jawline. By the time we reached the tower, Dustin still smirked and eyed me as if he were about to be fed ambrosia. I curled my hand into a ball, tempted to smack it into his face.
“Follow my lead,” I said. “There are grooves in the wall for your fingers and toes.”
I scaled the wall as I did most mornings. Halfway up, the familiar prickling danced down my arms. “The sun’s almost here,” I called out. “Hurry.”
Behind me, Dustin climbed, and despite his size, he moved with swiftness. At the window, I spotted Gingernuts watching me with intrigue. He hissed at Dustin.
The roof had only a gentle slant going upward to a pointed tip in the center. I lifted myself up, gripping the gutter, and pushed one leg up alongside my hands and then the other. I crawled forward and stood up. Dustin followed suit.
