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“Oh, fuck yes!” I bellowed.
Dustin climbed to his feet, dusting off his hands as if this were an everyday occurrence, smirking and giving me a knowing nod.
Warmth exploded through me. I pushed aside locks of hair to see properly before I ran closer, studying the monster who’d tortured me for years, kept me prisoner. Now, it lay there, making a hissing sound as if deflating. Part of me refused to believe it was dead. So many years had passed and nothing had ever made a difference. Until Dustin had destroyed it. I couldn’t stop the smile spreading across my face. The leap of joy pumping through my veins that this was really happening.
“Girl, I owe you an apology.” Dustin tipped his head toward me. “You spoke the truth this whole time, and I mocked you.”
I couldn’t find my words at first because I’d dreamt of his moment for so long. Reality refused to settle in, and I tapped the gargoyle with the toe of my boot. No reaction. Was this finally it? I was free?
Happiness flowed through me, radiating me with warmth as I basked under a summer sun.
“Whoop!” I stuffed my knife back on my belt. So many thoughts whirred through my head, all the things I could do now that I was free. “I’ll travel to every realm, sleep during the night, visit my friend Bee.” But first I had to go to Gage, tell him the truth about everything. No more lies. And we’d date again as I’d always dreamed, and I’d sleep over at his place.
Dustin wiped his hands down his shirt, his chin high with proudness. “Wasn’t as difficult as I thought.”
“You did it. Oh shit, I’m free.” I jumped into his arms and hugged him, then pulled free.
His hoarse laughter rang in my ear. “You had doubts?”
“Maybe a few.” I broke away, bathing beneath the morning’s rays, and stared up at the tower, where Gingernuts looked down on us. Was this real? This whole time I’d remained imprisoned when I should have searched for ancient texts before.
Who gives a fuck? You’re free.
Beside me, tiny flakes of rock floated away from the gargoyle’s body. He was disintegrating! Dust floated up on the breeze as his body diminished, one inch at a time.
Is it coming back to life?
I stumbled backward and glanced up at Dustin. “What’s going—?” But my voice fell flat.
He was staggering around as if drunk, his skin gleaming with sweat.
“Dustin, what are you doing?” Coldness swirled in my chest, and my brain froze.
He looked at me, his eyes wild and fear warping his expression into a painful scowl. His golden skin had sunk in tone to something lifeless, and it terrified me. A panicked ache pressed against my chest.
“Something’s wrong with me,” he muttered.
I reached out for him, but his eyes rolled back into his head and his legs buckled. He hit the ground with his knees and fell face-first.
My stomach dropped, and I darted to his side. With both hands, I shoved my weight against his shoulder to push him over onto his back. “Dustin, speak. Please.” My voice wavered, and an unstoppable snowball of fear slithered to the pit of my gut. “What’s going on?” My heart beat harder and faster.
He lay there, unmoving, his eyes closed.
He’s dead.
My skin seemed two sizes too small for my body. It strangled me. “Get up. Dustin!” I never wanted him to die, even if he was a disgusting bastard. He was meant to destroy the gargoyle and walk away with my gold coins.
When an electric hum leaped over my skin, I gasped and backed away.Magic. My attention swung between Dustin and the gargoyle, whose head was the last thing to evaporate into fine dust.
Dustin screamed and his chest arched upward as he convulsed.
I shuddered and paced back and forth, breaths racing.
Was this part of the spell? A precaution in case the creature was ever killed? The pages I’d read said nothing about such a consequence…Fuck…The torn pages. “Oh, hell!”
Right before my eyes, Dustin’s body stretched and elongated, his clothes ripping and shredding off him. His skin rippled and transformed from a tanned color to that of granite.
I cried out and recoiled, tears blurring my vision. I wracked with raw sobs, trembling, my insides swelling with dread. The spell was being transferred to him. How the hell did I undo the hex? I paced in a circle, unsure how to save him.
