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Pet. That's what he called her. What if he'd always meant it literally and never cared for her at all? Zori's stomach clenched, and she stopped eating. This was all too much…
"Look at me, Zoria," Vladik said, the command in his tone cutting through her spiraling panic. "You're going to be fine. Your grandmother is still alive and waiting for you to come home. You have people that aren't Maxim. You're not alone."
Zori pressed her hand to her chest. "I'm always alone, Vladik."
"Not anymore, puppy. I'm going to be watching over you until you're ready to believe all of this for yourself." Vladik smiled gently at her. "I can be patient until you learn the truth. As I said before, you are worth waiting for, Zoria."
8
Zori was eating her desert, trying to absorb everything that Vladik had told her when her phone buzzed.
Nina: I came to give you your nighttime medicine, and you aren't here. I'll give you twenty minutes before I have to raise the alarm.
"Shit. I have to go, or they are going to be onto me," she said, rising to her feet.
"You're not walking back alone at this hour," Vladik replied, grabbing their coats. He passed the old woman a handful of notes and kissed her cheek on their way out.
"Come again soon, Iron Heart," she said with a wink.
"Why does she call you that?" Zori asked once they were outside.
Vladik shrugged. "It's a nickname from home."
"Is she…"
"She's a follower of Morana, but no, not a swan wife." Vladik straightened the collar of her jacket. "Are you warm enough?"
Zori nodded. "I'm fine. Let's get moving, or I'll never be able to come out again."
Vladik grinned. "We can't have that."
"I still haven't decided if you're a total nut job or not," she said.
"And you still haven't run away. That says a lot about you."
"Probably bad things, like how I've a terrible taste in men," Zori replied.
"But an excellent taste in gargoyles." Vladik took her hand and kissed it, sending a thrill straight through her. It answered her question about their chemistry. Nothing he'd told her that night had changed it.
Hand in hand they started walking back towards the tower, Zori following Vladik because he knew the streets better than her.
"It's okay to think what you need to right now, Zori, including if I'm crazy. If I was in your position, I'd want some more evidence too," he said.
Vladik didn't seem concerned that she was struggling to believe it all. He wasn't judging her or demanding anything of her. She didn't know why he made her feel so safe. Was it a gargoyle thing? At least she knew that part of the story was definitely true.
When the back of the tower came into view, Zori paused on the sidewalk. There were guards standing at the staff smoking area and at the other service doors.
"Shitttt, I think I'm going to have no choice but to get busted," she said, looking at them. They were smoking and looked like they weren't going to be leaving any time soon. She only had five minutes left to get back to the penthouse. Nina was understanding of her escapades, but she wouldn't risk her job over it.
"I can get you to the penthouse balcony," Vladik said, seeing her predicament.
"What? You mean, fly?" she squeaked. She hadn't been back on the balcony since her mother had jumped, but shereallydidn't want to be caught again.
"Yes, puppy. We are going to fly." Vladik stepped back into the shadows and heat rolled off him before he shifted back into a gargoyle.
"Holy shit," Zori whispered. She stepped closer so she could study the large wings coming from his back, the dark blue-black hue of his stone skin, the long tail that curled behind him. With his long black hair blowing in the cold breeze, he was a work of art.
"Trust me, puppy. I won't drop you," he said, his voice a growly version of his human one. He held out his hands to her. They were tipped with claws that had her swallowing hard.
