staring into the powerful green gaze of a sorcerer. Reverently, she reached up and brushed her fingers over his lips as tears pooled in her eyes at the sheer beauty of him. “Armand.”
His energy swirled inside of her, bringing her to the edge of the abyss and then throwing her in. Everything shattered but Armand was there w ith her, and they were drowning, they were soaring. And then there was nothing. She had entered Nirvana.
Armand stared up at the night sky wishing he could see the stars through all of the light pollution of the city. His heart still pounded madly in his chest as he tried to figure out what the hell had just happened, how this mere slip of a girl made him feel things he had no right to feel. He squeezed her as she laid curled up against his side in perfect trust.
She made him want to give up his nights and that alone made her dangerous.
She was too young, too inexperienced of the world, to truly want to bind her life to his. Since the veil had been lifted humans no longer needed to be protected from the world of the supernatural. She should no longer be experiencing the discrimination that she had experienced in her youth. The world was hers for the taking . What could she possibly want with a gargoyle that no longer knew his place? Fuck, he was a Guardian with nothing left to guard.
He had tried to do the best thing for her and scare her away but she was too damn stubborn for her own good. She did not run away in fear or hatred. Instead she had turned the tables on him and he had succumbed to her sweetness and passion. Recriminations ate away at what was left of his soul and he knew that he had to let her go . He had to save her from herself. Even if it meant carving out his own heart, or what was left of it, he had to set her free.
Kissing the top of her head, breathing in the sweet scent that was uniquely Ferris, he chuckled softly to himself as an old memory flashed in his head. She had been fifteen or sixteen and he had found her moping in the kitchen shortly after the sun had gone down. Grabbing the ice cream from the freezer, he sat it down in front of her and handed her a spoon, keeping one for himself. “What’s the matter, Ferris? Did one of your classmates try to spread rumors about you again?”
“No, nothing like that,” she had uttered, shaking her head, her eyes wide and bewildered as she looked up at him, as if he had all of the answers. “It’s just, well… we were studying Romeo and Juliet today and I was really looking forward to it. I mean, it’s one of my favorite plays. But it turns out that it’s a tragedy .”
He had to bite his lip to keep from smiling. Gently, he put his hand over hers and murmured, “It is a tragedy.”
“But it’s not,” she insisted, staring at him with wounded, blue-green eyes.
“It is.” He felt his lips trying to curl into a smile but he didn’t succumb. Yet.
“Then you’ve obviously never seen it performed by a bunch of pixies,” she had grumbled. “ Romeo and Juliet is a slapstick comedy of missed chances, miscommunications and outrageous deaths, especially when Miran and Jinx get going. I swear I have never laughed so hard than when Jinx as the idiot Romeo killed himself over some girl he had known for a few hours until Miran out-deathed Jinx. Her death throes are so elaborate and hilarious and they can go forever. The whole production was so absurd and they were gracious enough to perform it for me all of the time when I was younger and each time it became even more outlandish.”
No longer able to contain his amusement, Armand had chuckled at the vehemence in her voice, the abject disbelief that one of the most tragic plays could be anything other than comedy. He could easily imagine the pixies turning it into a farce and he had discovered that it was something he would very much enjoy.
Armand sighed as he returned to the present. The supernatural world had screwed up her life and he hadn’t been able to
His energy swirled inside of her, bringing her to the edge of the abyss and then throwing her in. Everything shattered but Armand was there w ith her, and they were drowning, they were soaring. And then there was nothing. She had entered Nirvana.
Armand stared up at the night sky wishing he could see the stars through all of the light pollution of the city. His heart still pounded madly in his chest as he tried to figure out what the hell had just happened, how this mere slip of a girl made him feel things he had no right to feel. He squeezed her as she laid curled up against his side in perfect trust.
She made him want to give up his nights and that alone made her dangerous.
She was too young, too inexperienced of the world, to truly want to bind her life to his. Since the veil had been lifted humans no longer needed to be protected from the world of the supernatural. She should no longer be experiencing the discrimination that she had experienced in her youth. The world was hers for the taking . What could she possibly want with a gargoyle that no longer knew his place? Fuck, he was a Guardian with nothing left to guard.
He had tried to do the best thing for her and scare her away but she was too damn stubborn for her own good. She did not run away in fear or hatred. Instead she had turned the tables on him and he had succumbed to her sweetness and passion. Recriminations ate away at what was left of his soul and he knew that he had to let her go . He had to save her from herself. Even if it meant carving out his own heart, or what was left of it, he had to set her free.
Kissing the top of her head, breathing in the sweet scent that was uniquely Ferris, he chuckled softly to himself as an old memory flashed in his head. She had been fifteen or sixteen and he had found her moping in the kitchen shortly after the sun had gone down. Grabbing the ice cream from the freezer, he sat it down in front of her and handed her a spoon, keeping one for himself. “What’s the matter, Ferris? Did one of your classmates try to spread rumors about you again?”
“No, nothing like that,” she had uttered, shaking her head, her eyes wide and bewildered as she looked up at him, as if he had all of the answers. “It’s just, well… we were studying Romeo and Juliet today and I was really looking forward to it. I mean, it’s one of my favorite plays. But it turns out that it’s a tragedy .”
He had to bite his lip to keep from smiling. Gently, he put his hand over hers and murmured, “It is a tragedy.”
“But it’s not,” she insisted, staring at him with wounded, blue-green eyes.
“It is.” He felt his lips trying to curl into a smile but he didn’t succumb. Yet.
“Then you’ve obviously never seen it performed by a bunch of pixies,” she had grumbled. “ Romeo and Juliet is a slapstick comedy of missed chances, miscommunications and outrageous deaths, especially when Miran and Jinx get going. I swear I have never laughed so hard than when Jinx as the idiot Romeo killed himself over some girl he had known for a few hours until Miran out-deathed Jinx. Her death throes are so elaborate and hilarious and they can go forever. The whole production was so absurd and they were gracious enough to perform it for me all of the time when I was younger and each time it became even more outlandish.”
No longer able to contain his amusement, Armand had chuckled at the vehemence in her voice, the abject disbelief that one of the most tragic plays could be anything other than comedy. He could easily imagine the pixies turning it into a farce and he had discovered that it was something he would very much enjoy.
Armand sighed as he returned to the present. The supernatural world had screwed up her life and he hadn’t been able to
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