Protected by Stone (A Paranormal Romance Novel)

by Cynthia Brint

  I handed him a mop, ignoring how he wielded it awkwardly. “Yes. I think they will.”

  They didn't start returning until half a week had passed. When they did, it was like a leak had sprung. There were more than before, so many that I was relieved we had enough rooms.

  The slate had been washed. There was no way to deny it. The house would be different, it could never harken back to the time of Tessa.

  But that was fine. I'd learned my way, even if different, could work. Brute labor, determination, and the ability to ask for help.

  Even if it was boring, or practical...

  It was still magic.

  ****

  “Yes, I know,” I sighed. “I'm writing it down right now, I'll talk to Coga later—“

  “I'm only saying,” Junlit said, leaning close over my reception desk, “that I think if people have gotten new rooms, I have the seniority to get a bigger one, too!”

  Turning the thick guest book, I tapped what I'd scribbled down. “I know. See this? It's a note to talk to Coga for you. Though I don't know why you even need a bigger room, you're very...”

  “What?” he huffed, bloating like he'd sucked air into his non-existent chest. “Go on, say it. Small?”

  “You are small. Yeah.” Snapping the book shut, I smiled in the face of his overblown offense. “I will talk to him for you. Okay?”

  The slug flitted down the hall, looking like gold gelatin in the new lights I'd had installed. No room or corner of that house would be left to crawl in darkness anymore. “Honestly,” he mumbled, voice fading with distance. “It was much better when there were only a few of us, I got more pancakes and everything, I...”

  Shaking my head, my lips curled at the edges. I didn't have long to stay smiling. Shifting on the chair, I looked forward at the figure I'd been waiting for. “Qui'nxious,” I said, “I wondered when you would return.”

  The tall revenant didn't move from where he stood. “I never left, Farra Blooms.”

  Just observing, I thought in defeat. It did no good to get mad at him, I'd learned. “Will you be staying here still, even with all the changes?”

  His beak pointed to the ceiling, a sharp finger to motion with. “You've done many things here. I'm not sure the revenants can truly appreciate the plumbing and electricity.”

  “I was just relieved that they stayed out of the plumber's hair while he was working.” The memory of how tense I'd been, expecting the workers to flee the house, made me fidget.

  “It turned out fine, yes?”

  “Yes,” I agreed softly. “So far, everything has worked out very well.”

  “You seem concerned by that, child.”

  Pushing the book around on the desk, I used it to keep my hands busy. Even now, they wanted to reach for a lantern that was not there. “I'm wondering what will happen now. Tessa told me... something. It's been swirling in my head like a gnat.”

  His thin arms were extremely bright blue, moving to touch my fingers where they rested on the guest book. “Will you tell me? Yes?”

  It was hard not to look at him and be reminded of the memory, of him kneeling before my young grandmother in that small room. “She said that she was never good at helping the revenants, you, move on. That she was scared of them leaving her.” On my skin, his tiny fingers twitched. “She told me I could do it, I've done it already. Twice, even,” I added quietly.

  “What is your quandary, Farra Blooms?”

  Lifting my eyes, I studied his shining, tar colored body. “Do I hang on to these people, to everyone, like she did? Or do I help them find their meaning, their memories, so they can move on finally?”

  “You should do what you feel is right. Yes.”

  The breath I took in was sharp. “You tell me what's right. I would say helping them remember, so they can find peace like Vibbs... and like Tessa.” My lids crushed tight, it still made my body ache to think of her. “So, you. You're the one that knows the most about this, even if you won't say why. You told me about the revenants, then told me that you didn't want to move on.”

  He pulled his hands from me, as if I could sear him to ash. “I'm not ready, still, Farra Blooms.”

  “That's what I'm saying,” I whispered. “How do I tell when anyone is ready, when they don't even know who they used to be?”

  Qui'nxious turned away, heading towards one of the halls. “It is not easy to be a caretaker, magic or not. Yes. It is on you to decide if, and when, you will assist the revenants.”

  “Hold up, please,” I said quickly. It took my self control to not run around the desk and stop him in his tracks. “I have one more thing to ask, before you vanish for who knows how long.”

  His profile was like a crane in shadow. “Go on, Farra Blooms. Ask.”

  “I know you were... were there with her, that day,” I mumbled. “She asked you not to talk about it, fine. But do you know why, if Tessa's magic, her revenant, has left this place, how it could still be standing as it is?”

  He didn't shift an inch, but I thought he was considering his answer before he spoke. “What she did, splitting herself, was special, yes. It was dangerous, but special. I can't say, but I believe the shell left behind has nothing to do with Tessa herself.”

  “What? Then who?”

  Qui'nxious began to walk away, each step letting him linger. “Her dog wanted to protect her. Perhaps these walls of stone are just a result of that desire. It's interesting, Farra Blooms,” he said, not once looking back. “Interesting that you are always protected by stone.”

  Protected by stone. He's talking about more than this house, I realized quickly.

  There were no more words to share. He vanished into the hall, blue hands waving at his sides like cloth.

  Cloth... wait...

  Why would I think about blue cloth?

  For a long while, I stared after where he'd retreated. I couldn't shake the sensation that I knew who he was. Who the revenant who'd been so kind to me, so affectionate to Tessa, truly was.

  In my mind, I couldn't wipe away the photograph. The three of them, together in the snow with their brand new blue mittens and scarves.

  I wonder if Tessa ever realized.

  ****

  Actual winter was on the world. Walking through the light snow into Barrow Village lacked the familiar joy I would have felt in the past.

  The trauma from the magical blizzard would take a long time to shake.

  Trudging across the shoveled walkways, I caught someone staring at me. I didn't recognize them, but I'd grown used to the stares.

  Lifting my head, I spotted an older man. Go on, I thought in private defeat, Ogle me like I'm the devil come calling.

  The stranger blinked... and then he tipped his hat with a smile. It made me freeze in my tracks.

  Had someone just smiled at me? In Barrow Village? The phenomenon continued as I walked, villagers catching my eye and casting friendly, knowing smiles.

  I was disturbed, more than ready to knock Dirk's door down. Just seeing him when he cracked the door for me was a relief. “Farra!” he laughed, “come in, come in. It's freezing out here.”

  “I know,” I said, kicking ice off on his front step. Inside, his house was warm enough that I undid my jacket right away.

  He motioned for me to come upstairs, the place smelling minty and strong. “What is all this?” I asked, spotting the tiny paper bags dangling from the rafters.

  Tugging one down, he tossed it to me. “Just a special tea for the village, lot of colds cropping up. This is good for the sinuses.”

  Sniffing the satchel, I held it away with a groan. “Wow. Strong.”

  “I'll make you something else,” he assured me, pouring water from a kettle he'd had sitting on the stove.

  Setting the tea bag on the table, I peeked out one of his windows. The buildings below all wore hats of white snow. “Speaking of everyone in town, they were acting... weird when they saw me.”

  Dirk set a steaming mug in front of my clenched fing
ers. Sipping from his own, he dropped into the chair across from me. “Weird how?”

  “Smiling,” I muttered, shifting on my seat. He began chuckling, hiding his mouth behind his mug. “What, what's funny?”

  “Oh, Farra. Are smiles so weird?”

  “From people who used to glare at me, yes!”

  He placed the cup down, thumbs rubbing on the rim. “They're much more welcoming. How could they not be, after what you did for them?”

  I stared down into my tea, my reflection muted in the green liquid. “How could they know I did anything?”

  “The people here aren't unaware of who you are,” he said gently.

  “I'm just me,” I said, forcing a hollow laugh. “A stranger to them, still.”

  He cocked his head, considering me. “Maybe, but they're quick, aware of the world. They knew the snow wasn't normal, and when we all fled, they were frightened of what it meant.” His eyes closed briefly. “The day the blizzard stopped, the sun returning, I knew you had been the one to stop it. It's obvious they suspect the same, and they're grateful. Good people, Farra, just superstitious.”

  Blowing on the steam, I eyed him thoughtfully. “They think I saved their town. I guess it'll be nice to have people not running from me anymore.”

  “You know,” he said, “back when Tessa's mom was around, most accepted what went on at that house. People went to her for help, to contact dead loved ones... all sorts of things. They came from miles around. It was lucrative work, my dad would say to me.”

  Sipping the tea, searching for warmth, I blinked at him. “It changed with Tessa, it all changed when she transformed that house.”

  Dirk nodded once, mouth crinkling as he wandered down an old memory. It reminded me of why I had come to see him.

  Digging into my pocket, I touched the hard squares for comfort. “I brought something for you, though now I'm wondering if it was insensitive.”

  I had his attention, his head inching forward. “What, something for me?”

  The back of my neck was hot as I spread the photos on the table. He knew what they were instantly, each picture a happy reminder of a time in the past. Memories of a young boy, and the smiling woman he always loved.

  He touched them as if they would melt, sliding them closer. The way his mouth twisted, forehead a staircase of wrinkles, I regretted what I'd done. “Sorry, this was stupid of me. I thought you might like them, but...”

  “Thanks.” The word was a struggle to say, the work of a man holding back tears. “Thank you so much, Farra. I—I always wondered what happened to these.”

  “You're not upset?”

  Smiling slowly, he flipped over the picture of himself and Tessa at the lake. I already knew what the back inscription said. “Not at all. These were good times, the best times. I could never feel anything but happy to remember these.”

  I swore I saw wetness on his cheeks, but he was fast to rub it away. “I should get going,” I said, standing quietly. Anything else felt like it would break the moment.

  Dirk never took his eyes off of those photos, not even as he waved farewell. He was lost in the world of his past, of warm summers and a laughter that I now knew sounded like bells.

  Epilogue

  The greenish sunlight was in my eyes, inclining me to be lazy on the grass. I'd been digging and weeding for an hour, hardly much work, but...

  His shadow fell over me, blocking out the light. Grault always had a way of sneaking up on me. I caught the flash in his eyes, wondered if my lack of surprise had disappointed him. “Farra,” he said, lowering himself beside me. “What are you doing?”

  My fingers were under my head, serving as a pillow. Otherwise, I would have reached for him right then. “Nothing, I'm doing nothing.”

  “Why would you do nothing?”

  I felt my smile crook sideways. “I just felt like it. I used to do this all the time, did you know? Just lie around, doing nothing.”

  Grault stretched on his side, head propped up on one elbow. With his free fingers, he traced a line down the exposed slice of my stomach. “Did you like it?”

  “No,” I admitted, “not really. I just never knew what else to do with myself.” I didn't even know what I wanted. Just to survive, I guess. Rolling my eyes down, I watched his fingers trailing over my skin. I didn't have anything to lose, then. I thought I had no one, nothing.

  And now I have...

  Leaning over, I brushed my lips on his chin. It got him to lean over me, returning the kiss on my smiling mouth. “What was that for?” he chuckled. “You had the oddest look on your face.”

  Sitting up, I pushed him over, rolling onto his chest. My hair fell into his face, filtered sunlight dancing across his forehead. “I was only thinking that there are things I'd much rather do these days. Things other than nothing.”

  “Are you worried about our guests walking in on us?” he whispered, already peeling my shirt upwards.

  I was digging at the buttons of his coat, knowing I'd find his hard torso beneath. “Not if we're fast.”

  “I don't want to be fast,” he said, teeth grazing on my shoulder.

  My eyes fluttered, palms gliding under him to feel his back on the bed of grass. “Then, if we're quiet.”

  “I don't want to be quiet, either.” Tasting my jaw, my ear, he called forth a soft whimper from me.

  Not fast, not quiet, he always wants it his way. Our bodies pressed together, my weight on him fully as I straddled his hips. Luckily, it's my way too.

  Our clothes decorated the garden, my gasps as musical as the running stream. When I sat up over him, giving him an eyeful of my naked body, he had the grace to moan.

  “Let me know if I'm too rough,” I said to him, reaching back to feel his hard length. He said nothing, and I knew it was a silly request.

  Grault had flesh far stronger than human, how could I ever hurt him?

  I wanted him in me, yet I also wanted to enjoy the feeling of simply sliding my warmth over his pulsing body.

  “Farra,” he hissed, hands coiling onto my hips. “Since when are you the sort to tease?”

  I kissed his nose, hovering over him a mere inch. “I thought you said you didn't want it to be fast?”

  His mouth was quick, burying on my own. He needed little strength to guide me down, digging into the round flesh of my rear. With nowhere to go, I heard my wicked cry as he entered me.

  The sun was warm on my back, but our heat was fiercer. In that place where we'd shared our first kiss, we made love like it was the last time we ever could.

  I didn't like that thought, I buried it under his guttural panting.

  We were in tune, moving together to the sound of our hearts. It reminded me that he had a heart, and amazed me that in everything that had happened, in all my wonder about what Grault was, I never considered he might not have one.

  I kissed his eyelids, white lashes tickling my tender lips. His growl, how he flexed as he neared his climax, called the image of his gargoyle body forth. It didn't scare me, it only served to drive me higher. He wouldn't harm me, but he needed me, all of me.

  “I love you,” I cried out, hiding my face in his shoulder.

  He held my cheeks, forcing me up so he could stare into my eyes. There was no escape from him, from the emotion burning on every hard feature. “I love you too, Farra. I love you more than anything. I never want to lose you.”

  Time flowed by as we relaxed there, inhaling in each others sweet scent. Grault brushed the muscles of my back, I toyed with the curve of his ear.

  “That was much better than nothing,” I said against his temple. He pulled back, managing to look surprised, but that just made me laugh.

  Rolling off of him, I spread out in the grass, letting the green-sun kiss my body. “Being in love is funny,” I said to myself.

  “Is it?” He sprawled next to me, placing his head on my chest. His arm embraced my stomach, protective.

  Idly, I ran my finger tips over that arm. “It makes everything
feel different. It made me... brave, I guess.”

  “No,” he said quietly against me, “you were always brave.”

  I wouldn't argue, but I didn't believe it. I'd been so terrified of small spaces, but surely it had been my love for him, for everyone, that had sent me into that awful place.

  Closing my eyes, I pushed his hand against my belly. Thinking about that night, about Tessa and the sylph, had made me remember something else. “I know so little about you, and what you are. Is that strange?”

  He flashed me a fond smile. “You'll have all the time you need to ask me about it. I personally think you know all the important bits, now.”

  Turning enough so I could glimpse him from the corner of my eye, I hesitated. “Grault, how long do gargoyles live?”

  “What? Why?”

  “I'm just curious, you said I could ask you anything.”

  He sat up, staring at me with unbridled distress. “No, I think it's about more than that.”

  I couldn't control my sad smile. “You must have thought about it, too. You're destined to outlive me, aren't you?”

  His neck went tight as an elastic.

  “I'm right. You're ancient, but you look so young. You said she brought you back from being a statue... you had a life before her.” Tessa's kind smile and golden glow entered my head. “She didn't make it past her fifties,” I said. “Maybe my family is just destined to die young.”

  “Stop,” he growled, and I knew he was right. It was a dark path to go down. “What happened to her was different.”

  Looking up, I stared at the green glass above us. It looked too much like the lake water for my liking. “I know. But you have thought about it?”

  Grault's silence was stifling, his mouth a perfect scowl. “I—yes. Of course I have. I've outlived Tessa, and Gina, and now I realize I am faced with it again. But, Farra,” he pleaded, reaching to hold my hand. “To go down this line of thought is to find no joy, no future.”

  No future. Gingerly, I spread my palm on my stomach. Maybe that's not entirely true. Could I already be—if what Noaginath told Tessa was true, about sylph fertility, I could have a baby inside of me right now. It's been a month since that first time we...