exploring every aspect of the man, of his sensuality and magnetism.
With a happy grin, she changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top and pulled her hair up into a ponytail, eager to begin work on an entire series of paintings, all featuring Armand in both of his forms: as a man and as a gargoyle. She had an epic painting already formed in her mind: that of Armand standing watch over the city, his nearly naked flesh gleaming in the moonlight. His gargoyle form would be standing guard over him, the majestic griffin frozen in marble.
She had always loved her studio, especially during the day, but after her nights with Armand it had become even more special to her. There was a skylight in the ceiling that flooded the room with sunshine, giving her the natural light that she craved. She planned on enjoying it while she could because once she accepted Armand’s gift she would no longer be able to enjoy the sunshine with human eyes.
It was worth it in order to spend eternity with Armand.
The door to her studio opened and she smiled, wondering what Jenna forgot. Her mom always said goodbye every time she left, even if she had done so only an hour earlier. Turning around, her world shattered and came crashing down around her feet. Armand stood there, beneath a beam of sunlight, a grim expression on his human face as he stared at her in defiance and regret. Horror filled her soul as her legs gave out and she crumbled to the floor, unwilling to comprehend what she was seeing with her very own eyes.
He was by her side in an instant, wrapping her in his strong arms, comforting her even as he was killing her. “ Shh, don’t be upset, Ferris.”
“How could you?” she choked out, the future she had been dreaming about turning to dust in an instant. Betrayal clawed at her gut and she wanted to rage and scream and wail.
“I wanted you to stop looking at me as if I hung the goddamned moon and stars,” he said solemnly, stroking his long, elegant fingers through her hair, holding her head against his heart. “I’m not for you, Ferris. You must know that.”
“How can you say that?” she cried. “I’ve loved you all of my life ! I’ve been in love with you since I was sixteen.”
“You’re a child,” he murmured softly. “You have your whole life in front of you. How can you even begin to think that a life with me, a life as a gargoyle, is what you want when it is all you have ever known?”
“So you took the choice away from me,” she seethed, teetering between despair and fury. Wrenching her head around, she glared up at him, “She’s never going to accept your gift.”
“I know,” he bit out, resignation in his voice. “I never expected her to . It’s why I left her behind.”
Morbid curiosity made her ask, “Who is she?”
He shook his head, “It doesn’t matter because I’ll never see her again.”
“Who. Is. She?” she ground out.
He stared at her, his green eyes moving over her face, absorbing her features. Finally, he relented and rasped, “A woman who needed a bit of luck. She had lost her husband and child during the Rapture and she agreed to the terms I offered.”
“You don’t even know her name, do you?” she asked.
“It's not important,” he stubbornly told her, his jaw clenching in ragged determination. “I needed someone I could never love so I could give you a chance to find your true love.”
She swung her arm and slapped him across the face, for the betrayal, for taking away her choice before it was even offered. “I love you , Armand. You were supposed to give your nights to me and we would have been gargoyles together.”
He stared at her for a long moment, his lips pressed together in a thin line, a muscle ticking in his jaw, his pulse pounding in his throat. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the effort, “It would have destroyed me had you refused my gift.”
She laughed mournfully as tears slipped heedlessly down her cheeks. Gently covering the
With a happy grin, she changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top and pulled her hair up into a ponytail, eager to begin work on an entire series of paintings, all featuring Armand in both of his forms: as a man and as a gargoyle. She had an epic painting already formed in her mind: that of Armand standing watch over the city, his nearly naked flesh gleaming in the moonlight. His gargoyle form would be standing guard over him, the majestic griffin frozen in marble.
She had always loved her studio, especially during the day, but after her nights with Armand it had become even more special to her. There was a skylight in the ceiling that flooded the room with sunshine, giving her the natural light that she craved. She planned on enjoying it while she could because once she accepted Armand’s gift she would no longer be able to enjoy the sunshine with human eyes.
It was worth it in order to spend eternity with Armand.
The door to her studio opened and she smiled, wondering what Jenna forgot. Her mom always said goodbye every time she left, even if she had done so only an hour earlier. Turning around, her world shattered and came crashing down around her feet. Armand stood there, beneath a beam of sunlight, a grim expression on his human face as he stared at her in defiance and regret. Horror filled her soul as her legs gave out and she crumbled to the floor, unwilling to comprehend what she was seeing with her very own eyes.
He was by her side in an instant, wrapping her in his strong arms, comforting her even as he was killing her. “ Shh, don’t be upset, Ferris.”
“How could you?” she choked out, the future she had been dreaming about turning to dust in an instant. Betrayal clawed at her gut and she wanted to rage and scream and wail.
“I wanted you to stop looking at me as if I hung the goddamned moon and stars,” he said solemnly, stroking his long, elegant fingers through her hair, holding her head against his heart. “I’m not for you, Ferris. You must know that.”
“How can you say that?” she cried. “I’ve loved you all of my life ! I’ve been in love with you since I was sixteen.”
“You’re a child,” he murmured softly. “You have your whole life in front of you. How can you even begin to think that a life with me, a life as a gargoyle, is what you want when it is all you have ever known?”
“So you took the choice away from me,” she seethed, teetering between despair and fury. Wrenching her head around, she glared up at him, “She’s never going to accept your gift.”
“I know,” he bit out, resignation in his voice. “I never expected her to . It’s why I left her behind.”
Morbid curiosity made her ask, “Who is she?”
He shook his head, “It doesn’t matter because I’ll never see her again.”
“Who. Is. She?” she ground out.
He stared at her, his green eyes moving over her face, absorbing her features. Finally, he relented and rasped, “A woman who needed a bit of luck. She had lost her husband and child during the Rapture and she agreed to the terms I offered.”
“You don’t even know her name, do you?” she asked.
“It's not important,” he stubbornly told her, his jaw clenching in ragged determination. “I needed someone I could never love so I could give you a chance to find your true love.”
She swung her arm and slapped him across the face, for the betrayal, for taking away her choice before it was even offered. “I love you , Armand. You were supposed to give your nights to me and we would have been gargoyles together.”
He stared at her for a long moment, his lips pressed together in a thin line, a muscle ticking in his jaw, his pulse pounding in his throat. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the effort, “It would have destroyed me had you refused my gift.”
She laughed mournfully as tears slipped heedlessly down her cheeks. Gently covering the
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