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“That has yet to be proven,” Nica hissed.
“Nica,” Braz warned, but Nica ignored him.
Kasper sighed in what I thought was exasperation. “I only wanted to check on him and you all as well. You’ve been hovering around him all day, so I was concerned and thought I might be able to answer any questions you have.”
When no one said anything, I asked him, “Why isn’t he changing back?” Nica tensed, so I patted his belly without tearing my eyes away from the Resistance leader. It only helped calm my tiger a hair, but I’d take it, so I kept patting him as we waited.
Kasper didn’t answer right away, only stared at Weylyn for long, tense moments. Finally, he said, “His stone form has been locked away from him for far too long. You know better than others that things were taken from him. He needs some time to become and feel whole again. He’ll be okay.”
A little of my own tension drained out of me. “Thank you.”
He inclined his head and turned to leave, but Nica burst out, “Can he see us? Hear, feel, smell?”
Kasper smiled over his shoulder, met Nica’s eyes, and said, “Yes. He’s probably slept off and on, but he can still see and hear you if he’s awake.”
I said, “Thanks,” and the gargoyle gave a wave before walking away.
Nica wrapped his arms around me from behind, kissing my hair, and I leaned back into him. Once Kasper was out of sight, Nica turned us to face Wey again.
Braz walked over and asked, “You alright?”
I nodded, and Braz looked at Nica in question, making me smile. Of course my sweet half-orc was worried about his friend—his best friend, if Nica had anything to say about it. I felt Nica nod as well.
Florin said, “I’m going to take Braz to the mess. His stomach is making sounds loud enough to rumble the ground.”
Braz rolled his eyes but laughed, and I chuckled, saying, “Sounds good.”
“We’ll bring you back dinner.” Florin gave my hand a small squeeze.
“Thank you,” I sent him a grin.
Before Braz could move away, I tugged on his sleeve until he leaned down to peck my lips. I was still resting in Nica’s arms, so I was unsure whether Braz would be uncomfortable, but he lingered on my lips for a moment, so I knew he was alright. I would’ve liked to offer a kiss to Florin, too, but I wasn’t sure it was welcome with the others so close, so instead, I sent him a small smile that he returned.
“See you soon, angel,” Braz whispered before walking off with Florin.
Resting into Nica further, I sighed, and my tiger kissed my hair, saying, “It’ll be okay.”
I nodded because ithadto be okay.
The sun was setting behind our gargoyle. Pinks and oranges and purples streaked across the sky above the surrounding forest, adding to the beauty in front of us. Just as the last of the light hit his stone skin, something in the air seemed to change. I straightened up, and not a minute later, Weylyn moved his arm.
I gasped, reaching blindly for Nica’s hand. He was right there, squeezing my hand as hard as I squeezed his. The stone statue shifted again, and I watched in amazement as his skin began to lighten, turning from a dark black to a light gray, thinning out like skin instead of rock.
And then Weylyn stood before us, the gorgeous sky behind him as he opened up huge wings on his back.Huge, beautiful black wings. Two of them. Goddess, he had back his wings.
I gasped in surprise before I ran for him, practically tumbling into his chest. Wey laughed, hugged me back, then rested our foreheads together, whispering, “Hi, precious.”
“Wey.”
His huge black wings flapped behind him, and I leaned back to examine them with a smile. They reminded me of bat wings, veiny and thick, shiny and strong. At Natas House, even when Wey had one wing, I hadn’t been allowed to examine it up close, only ever seeing them in the distance on training days when he was allowed to shift or on the nights he was poisoned in our cell. They were thicker than I remembered, and I had the urge to touch them. Though, I kept my hands to myself, unsure whether the touch would be welcome.
Wey tugged his wings forward, cocooning me inside them as he pulled me in for a kiss. Closing my eyes, I kissed him back with a vengeance. I knew it had only been one day, but I’d missed him, and I’d been worried.
When we broke the kiss, I turned my head to stare at his wings again and whispered, “Can I touch them?”
He nodded. “Yes. They’re sensitive, but touch can be pleasant.”
With a grin, I turned and ran soft fingers along one. I was right, they were like bat wings, and for some reason, I wanted to run my fingers over every single inch of them.
