by Linda Mooney
The tip of a human finger stuck out from within the core.
He shoved his partial hand under the water and began to tear away the other talons. The act made crackling sounds, audible above the steady hiss of the shower. As he pulled off the glove-like covering, he almost marveled at the sight of his human hand appearing in its stead. A thin film of something clear but lined with what could have been minute blood vessels covered his skin, protecting it against the chafing the rocky exterior would cause. As he broke through the film, blood droplets, struck by the spray, splattered on him, the wall, and the curtain. Brielle threw up an arm to keep it from hitting her in the face.
He tore away the talons from his other hand as the warm water bathed his newly exposed skin. His human skin. His human, real self. Brielle laughed joyfully and threw the fork into the other smaller basin. Stepping into shower with him, she reached up to his chest and picked at the softened rock.
Garenth slammed his hand on one arm. The stone surface cracked, enabling him to peel it from his body. Pieces of stone made clinking sounds as they fell into the larger basin, the pile growing around their feet.
She gave him another tug, urging him to turn around again. He ducked his head underneath the water, when he felt her pull heavily on one wing. There was a flash of minimal pain, followed by an overwhelming itch. He glanced over his shoulder to see her standing there with the detached wing. She dropped it beside her and grabbed the other wing. Two hard tugs, and it came off his back with a slurping sound. She stared at his back, then glanced up at him and smiled. Tossing the other wing to the side, she proceeded to claw at the remaining façade covering him.
Bracing himself against the wall, he let the water continue to soak the stone helmeting his head and face. That would be the ultimate test, the ultimate reveal. The rest of it was gradually coming off. It was taking some effort, but Brielle’s instincts to let the water soften his exterior had been correct.
He groaned softly as she picked and peeled away the fragments. It was a combination of pain and relief, then nearly unbearable itch followed by more relief. And when the water hit his fresh skin, there was a feeling of cleansing he’d never imagined.
The place looked like a battlefield. Blood covered the walls and curtains. There was so much debris from his shedding that the water was backing up inside the basin. It was now well past their ankles.
Brielle worked over his buttocks, continuing down the back of his legs. Peering downward, he watched as she crouched to clear his calves. She hesitated when she reached his other wound. Moving with greater care, she lifted a section of stone and stared at it. He watch with curiosity at the look of astonishment that came over her face, then she glanced up at him. Instead of reaching for her magic talking stone, as he’d expected her to do, when she stood she held the portion of rock out for him to see and pointed to something protruding from it. He took the portion from her as she grabbed the talking rock.
“No harm. Safe. Rock skin stop harm.” There was more she’d said, but that’s all he could gain. However, it was enough. He understood. Whatever the guard’s strange sword tried to do to him, his rock exterior had stopped it from causing serious damage.
He dropped the portion and straightened, reaching for the water-soaked stone covering his wounded arm. By now the rock had thoroughly absorbed enough to the point where it was almost like moist clay, allowing him to drag away the grittiness. He dug into it with his fingers, when he encountered something hard. Curious, he fished around for it, finally pulling it out and holding it up for Brielle to see. She gave a little cry of surprise and happiness, and plucked it from him.
“Boo-let!” she announced, adding a few more words he didn’t comprehend. “Boo-let!”
He started to reply when he felt his face shift. A look of shock came over her, followed immediately by wonder, then curiosity. She reached up as he clawed at the horrifying visage that covered his eyes and nose, pulling off one of the ears from the side of his head. Garenth opened his mouth again, and the elongated teeth from his lower jaw fell out.
He held his breath and removed the wide, flattened nose. The heavy, browed forehead dangled momentarily, then tumbled into the rising water around his legs, hitting it with a splash. As the mask eroded under the steady stream, he felt a new sensation come over him. It was almost like a rebirth, as if the gods had forgiven him and offered him the gift of life once more.
Shoving his head beneath the spray, he washed the last of the stone fragments from his head and neck, then turned to look at Brielle. He had to see her reaction to his real self.
Her eyes widened, and a warm smile lifted her lips. Slowly, she scanned his body from top to bottom before returning to his face. After a few more heartbeats, she reached up again, touching his head and running her fingertips over the crown. Garenth started as he realized his long locks were gone.
He shoved aside the curtain so he could see his reflection in the shiny shield hanging on the wall. A totally bald face, almost unrecognizable after so many thousands of years, stared back. He’d not only lost the hair on his head, but his eyebrows and eyelashes as well.
Brielle spoke, stepping out of the basin. From her tone and gestures, he could tell she was concerned about the mess they’d made, but she didn’t appear to be upset. She paused and glanced back up at him, her eyes taking in again his new and radically different appearance.
Without her knowledge, without her help, he realized this moment would not have come. Because of her, he was a man again, and not some monstrous effigy. Because of her, he had regained his humanity.
He reached out and snagged her arm, drawing her closer to the basin. He wanted to tell her what this moment meant to him. He wanted to convey his gratitude and his thanks. But more than anything, he wanted…he needed…
Their faces were less than a hand’s breadth apart as he gazed into her golden brown eyes. A silent plea passed between them, and he lowered his head as she lifted her chin.
Their lips met, and for the first time in eons he was filled with joy.
Chapter 26
Wish
She almost wasn’t able to believe her eyes. The real man who was Garenth bin Al-Emin stood staring at her, astonished as much as she was by this miraculous transformation.
She couldn’t help herself as she scanned his newly revealed body. His legs below his knees were still encased in the softened stone, but it wouldn’t take any effort to remove the last of it.
More fascinating was his lack of hair. Not on his head or face. Not on his arms or chest, or anywhere else on his body, she realized as she surreptitiously glanced down at his groin.
What was more miraculous than what was happening was the fact that the bullets hadn’t penetrated his body. There were no marks or wounds anywhere on him. His rock façade had acted like a bulletproof shield, absorbing and encasing the deadly projectiles. The blood she’d seen when she’d tended his wounds had come from the blood-enriched membrane that had buffered his body from the rough stone. The pain he’d suffered was no different than the deep bruising and discomfort any military man or police officer endured when they were shot and the bullets struck their flak jackets.
He shuffled his feet. Water splashed inside the bathtub. She glanced down at the mess filling and floating in the tub. “My landlord’s going to be pissed if any of this stops up the drainage system. We need to get out so I can clean this up.”
She stepped out of the tub and onto the bath mat. Dirty brown water poured from her jeans. All this time she’d believed his outer countenance was solid rock. When, in reality, it had been more like hardened clay, or some sort of water-soluble rock-like substance.
She looked up again at him. She couldn’t get over the difference. He had a strong face, with a slightly beak-like nose that gave him an austere appearance. Even more striking was the fact that the heavily-muscled arms and legs she’d seen when he’d been a gargoyle had been real extensions of his own muscles. What did Irmine say he’d been? A gen
eral in the pharaoh’s army? She believed it. The man was chiseled.
She wasn’t expecting him to reach out and grab her by the arm. For a moment she thought he needed help getting out of the tub, and she moved toward him to give him aid. Instead, he stopped her, their faces mere inches apart.
His dark brown eyes searched hers. The expression in them was unreadable, but she got the impression he wanted to thank her. He was overwhelmed by what had just happened, and he wanted to let her know how grateful he was.
And then, incredibly, she knew she didn’t want his gratitude as much as she wanted him to kiss her. She wanted to feel those rock-hard muscles enfold her, surround her, and hold her. But she couldn’t ask him to do it. Neither could she make the first move. He had to be the one to instigate it.
If only he would.
His face dipped closer to hers, and suddenly she knew she was about to get her wish. She closed her eyes and waited, hoping she’d read him correctly.
His mouth was gentle when it touched her hers, but quickly became demanding. His hands grasped her arms and drew her closer. If not for the side of the tub being between them, she knew he would have embraced her. Instead, his lips claimed her, moving forcefully but not enough to hurt her. At some point he cupped the back of her head and delved deeper, using his tongue to gently prod past her teeth until she opened up completely to him.
She let herself become lost in his kiss. This was not a passionate moment, although she’d have no problem if it was. Yet, it was tantalizing, almost promising at what could be, what might be.
Her knees went weak with the sensations that overwhelmed her. She was vaguely aware of the water that bounced off his body and sprayed across the bathroom, soaking her even more than she already was. She had no recollection of grasping his wrists until he unexpectedly pulled away, ending the kiss. She blinked at him, still dazed by the contact.
“Brielle?” In that one word, the simple question was unavoidable. He was asking permission to go further. To take this moment to the next step. God, what she wouldn’t give to let him, but now was not the time.
Clearing her throat, she disengaged herself and slowly pulled away from him even when her brain was screaming for her not to. It was almost painful to distance herself. Worse, when she looked into his eyes, she could see his disappointment and sadness.
She fumbled blindly for the cell phone sitting on the vanity. Her fingers brushed the case, knocking it into the sink. Her hands were shaking when she finally retrieved it and clicked the app.
“You need to rest. You’re not well. You need to regain your strength.” As the phone interpreted her remarks, she hurried into the kitchen to grab a trash bag. By the time she returned to the bathroom, he was washing the remaining mud clinging to his feet.
She handed him a blanket she’d grabbed from her bedroom closet. “Dry off and wrap yourself in this.”
He moved aside as she knelt by the tub and proceeded to fill the trash bag with the debris. She was aware of him watching her, but at some point he left and went back into the bedroom.
Most of what she gathered fit into the bag, the only exceptions being the wings. No matter how hard she tried to break them or fold them, the huge appendages remained rigid. Sighing, she set them aside and finished clearing out the tub. When she was done with that, she stood and tied up the bag.
“I’m taking this downstairs to be burned. I’ll be right back.”
Garenth gave a nod from where he was in bed, sitting up against the headboard.
Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she hoisted the wings underneath one arm and left the apartment. If someone inquired about the oddities, she planned to tell them it was an old Halloween costume, and leave it at that. Fortunately, she didn’t pass anyone on her way down to where the incinerator was located. As the mechanism was already in use, she dumped everything on the concrete floor, next to two more bags of garbage, and returned upstairs.
By the time she walked into the bedroom to check on her roommate, she discovered him slumped over sideways, sound asleep. She debated for a moment whether or not to continue cleaning the bathroom, but blew it off. She was tired, and the cleanup could wait. She’d also take her shower in the morning, fearing that any noise she made might wake him up. Garenth may not appear to be physically harmed, but divesting him of his outer shell had to have taken a toll on him, as evidenced by his current state of unconsciousness.
Instead, she opted to strip out of her wet and bloodstained clothes, dumping them in the hamper, and snuck a clean sleep shirt from her bureau drawer.
Leaving the bedroom door ajar, she plugged her phone into the wall charger in the kitchen and went back to the comfy old sofa to get some well-deserved rest.
Chapter 27
Dream
She dreamed that at some point during the night, Garenth came into the living room and stood there for a long time watching her sleep. He never made an overt move toward her, but seemed content to just observe her. After a while he finally went back into the bedroom, pulling the door to rather than leave it open as she’d done earlier.
Brielle opened her eyes to see the moon brightly shining through the window that faced the street. That one window was the main reason why she’d begged to move into this apartment after the last owner vacated it. The apartment she’d had previously was smaller, but not by much. However, the only window in the entire unit was in the bedroom, opening onto the fire escape. Although the rent on this apartment was slightly higher, it had a few more square feet, plus it had two windows. The second one was in the living area and overlooked the street where the apartment building was located. Just for her mental health’s sake, she’d needed this window.
She had the sofa positioned in the living room to where she could sit or lie on it and just stare out at the weather. There had been many days when she’d watch it rain or snow. Sometimes it would be so cold outside that ice crystals formed on the panes. Those were her favorite moments.
Tonight the skies were clear. The moon was an orb of nearly pure white. Its light bathed the living room in a beautifully bright light.
She sat up. Something had awakened her, although she was unsure what. She wasn’t thirsty, and she didn’t need to use the toilet. It couldn’t be because of her phone. It was set to night mode so alerts wouldn’t disturb her.
She ran her hands through her hair and got to her feet. She no longer felt exhausted. I might as well check on Garenth to see how he’s doing.
She turned to go into the bedroom when a chill went through her, and she stopped. The bedroom door was pulled to. Not closed, but neither was it open the way she’d left it. She then realized she hadn’t dreamed of him coming to watch her sleep. He had been there, but he hadn’t done or said anything to awaken her.
Curious, she entered the bedroom to find him no longer slouched against the headboard. He was lying on his side, his face and chest in shadow as the moonlight streamed behind him. She remained in the doorway and tried to hear him breathing when something twinkled where the pillows were propped.
He was awake. How long he’d been lying there, resting but not asleep, she couldn’t tell. But she knew now that once he’d left the living room and returned to the bedroom, he hadn’t laid down to rest.
He was waiting for her. She didn’t know how she knew, but she was certain that was why he was still awake.
She was at an impasse. Should she go up to him and see if there was anything bothering him? Or anything he needed? Or would it be better to return to the sofa?
Wait. I couldn’t ask him anything anyway. Not without the phone.
She turned to retrieve the cell, her mind made up, when a deep voice whispered in the semi-darkness.
“Brielle.”
It was soft. Beckoning. In that one word she thought she heard an undercurrent of loneliness, and it drew her toward the bed.
“Garenth?”
He arose from the mattress, his movements almost liquid. His naked body was a pale ghost a
s he made no sound. One moment he was lying under the covers, and the next he was standing beside her.
She peered up into his dark eyes that were locked on hers. His hands remained by his side. He was as still and silent as the stone artifact he’d once been. Only his breathing betrayed him, his breaths coming faster as the seconds ticked by.
He was waiting for her, and he would continue waiting. He would not do anything unless she initiated it. Unless she showed she was willing to accept it.
After today, she knew they may never have this chance again. There was tonight, and she’d be damned if she’d let it slip through her fingers.
She stepped toward him and lifted her arms. Taking his face between her hands, she drew his head down for another one of those mind-numbing kisses, barely aware of the fact that his arms were encircling her. He pulled her tightly against him as his mouth lowered onto hers.
She could barely breathe, much less think as his kiss engulfed her senses. He may no longer be covered in stone, but his body was rock hard. Evidence of his growing passion nudged her abdomen, and her body went rigid from the sudden heat that infused her. She gasped and jerked away from his mouth to stare up at his amused gaze.
His arms moved, lifting her oversized t-shirt over her head. The chill in the room made her shiver as he dropped it to the floor and wrapped his arms around her again. Or so she thought. Instead, he lifted her into the air and swiveled around to lay her on the bed that was still warm. As he climbed back under the covers, she hastily removed her panties, tossing them behind her.
He approached her like an on-coming storm, his body engulfing hers as it blotted out the moonlight behind him. Dipping his head to the curve of her neck, he kissed the juncture, running his tongue erotically over her skin as his hands roamed over her breasts and ribs.
Enthralled by his hairlessness, Brielle let her fingers trace the muscles in his smooth chest until she found his nipples. They were small yet noticeably taut, and she lightly pinched them. Garenth gasped in reaction, then chuckled. He said something she didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter. She got the gist of it when he slid a hand between her thighs.