Carolena watched him. Not understanding. She asked, “Are you angry with me?”
He opened his eyes and looked at her, shaking his head, no, a look of exasperation on his face.
“I thought that was what males liked,” she said, embarrassed that she’d done something to displease him.
He placed his hand on her heart, then tapped her temple.
She looked at him confused.
He did it again, touched her heart, but this time he pointed at himself, then her temple.
Carolena watched him intently, trying to figure out what he wanted to say.
“I don’t understand,” she told him.
Carnage sighed, thinking of how to let her know. “Llllooob’ ‘arnge,” he told her.
She watched him, an inkling of understanding beginning to take shape.
He let go of Carolena, using his huge clawed hands, and made the shape of a heart with his fingers.
Carolena said, “Heart.”
Carnage grinned, nodding his head yes.
Then he pointed at himself and said “’Arnge”
“Oh! ‘Arnge! You! You’re Carnage, ‘Arnge, right?” she sat up excitedly.
Carnage smiled, nodding his head and made the shape of a heart with his hands again. Then he pointed to Carolena, made the shape of a heart and said, “’Arnge.”
She understood. “You want me to love you first. Not just choose you because you’re the best offered in this situation.”
Carnage put his hands down and smiled sadly at her.
She looked at him for a moment longer, then said, “Just like I said the other night, I always dreamed of being adored and loved, not just marrying whomever my father chose for me because he thought they were the best choice.”
Carnage nodded, repeatedly.
She met his eyes again, “Okay. I understand.”
He brought her in close for another kiss that left them both breathless. And when he pulled back from their kiss, she surprised him by running her tongue up one of his fangs, and didn’t that just make him shiver.
He closed his eyes to regain control, his cock now throbbing, and pressed her head to his chest, holding her tightly.
Carolena closed her eyes, smiling smugly, knowing full well the effect she had on her Gargoyle. She wondered how long he could hold out. It was sweet that he wanted her to love him, and she completely understood. But things had changed for her. She’d chosen Carnage because she truly wanted him. Now she just had to convince him that she truly wanted him; that she wasn’t settling. Tomorrow, she’d begin convincing her male that she’d chosen him with her heart, not her head. Or so she thought.
Chapter 15
Carolena woke the next morning alone. Again. She huffed as she threw back the covers and started getting dressed. After she dressed, she went straight to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. Enthrall heard her puttering around the kitchen and came in to greet her.
“Good morning, Carolena. How did you sleep?” Enthrall asked.
“Very well, thank you. I always sleep well with Carnage beside me,” she answered with a tone in her voice.
“Then, why are you irritated?” he asked, trying not to smile.
She turned on him, “Because I wake alone!” she said exasperatedly. “He always sneaks off during the night, so I wake alone. Why?” she asked. “Why does he keep doing this?” she demanded.
Enthrall’s eyes roamed around the kitchen; he turned his head this way and that, considering her question before finally giving in and admitting, “I have no idea. If it were me, you’d have to pry me from your side. I don’t know why he keeps leaving before you wake each morning.”
“Hmpf,” was the only response he got.
Carolena took her coffee and sat at the table. Enthrall went to the bread box and took out what was left of the last loaf he’d made, slicing off a large piece, and placing it on a plate with a big chunk of cheese and leftover piece of dried sausage. He placed the food on the table in front of her, “Have something to eat, Carolena. You’ll feel better after your belly is full.”
She didn’t answer, but broke off a piece of cheese and placed it in her mouth.
“After you finish breakfast, why don’t I show you around Whispers? I’ll introduce you to some more people. We’ll make a morning of it,” Enthrall offered.
“Thank you, Enthrall. I’d appreciate it. But wait, I thought you were going into town again this morning,” she said.
“I went earlier — you slept in this morning,” he answered.
“Oh, well, okay. I’ll hurry then, so we can get started,” Carolena told him.
“No, no rush at all. Whenever you’re done, we’ll go,” Enthrall said.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
An hour later and Carolena found herself the subject of much curiosity. Some people were very kind to her; others were more standoffish. Though most of the standoffish could probably be attributed to the killer glare Enthrall shot at everyone who didn’t automatically greet her with a smile, or Destroy who followed along at a safe distance, determined to be included even if he was not acknowledged.
The children were especially welcoming of her, and when she asked permission of their parents before she spoke to their children, their parents warmed to her as well. She was genuinely interested in these people — they would apparently be her future. She relaxed, smiled easily, and laughed without a care.
Enthrall watched her, amazed that once she let her guard down and let her true self shine through, his people immediately responded. Carolena was a very special woman. She was good, pure, no ulterior motive, and his people saw that.
Destroy, who had followed for a while, grew impatient as the morning wore on. Gradually he joined Carolena and Enthrall as the three of them took a leisurely tour of Whispers and met any inhabitants that wanted to come out to greet them. One of their last stops was near a lone home actually built on stilts, standing over the water. Two children were playing in a circle drawn in the dirt about 20 feet from the water’s edge. Carolena did as she had earlier. Before interacting with the kids, she asked their parents if she could speak with them. Their mother, Serafina, readily agreed. Their father, Simon, said nothing as he stood back watching her suspiciously, but neither did he attempt to stop her when she approached the kids and knelt down in the dirt to see what they were doing. Eagerly, they showed her what kept them so busy. They each had pieces of shell and sea glass. They were busily trying to assemble a “dirt” castle, using the pieces of shell and sea glass to decorate it. She asked if she could play, and they each generously took several of their precious decorations and placed them in front of her. The little boy, who was probably about 7 or 8, stood and with his bare foot erased the circle on the side that was nearest Carolena. He dropped down to his knees and used a small stick to redraw the edge of the circle, larger with room for Carolena to have her own space to build. She was startled, and her breath drew in sharply when he stretched to draw the circle nearer her, and she saw flaps of flesh on his neck just below his ear. When he turned to complete the circle on the other side, she saw that he had the same flaps of flesh on the opposite side of his neck as well. Her eyes flew up to Enthrall’s, but instead she caught the eyes of their father. He smirked at her reaction and stepped closer as though to protect his children from her scorn. She dropped her eyes back to the children and composed herself, and even had a smile ready for the child when he looked up to tell her, “There, now the circle’s big enough for all three of us to play.”
“Thank you. It’s very nice of you to let me play with you,” she told him.
“You’re welcome. It gets boring just playing with Serena,” he told her.
“Serena?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he pointed a dirty finger at the little girl, “my sister. I’m Seth.”
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Seth,” Carolena said.
A small female voice cleared and when she turned, Serena, a little girl of about 5, was wait
ing for acknowledgment as well.
“And, Serena, what a beautiful name you have,” Carolena complimented.
“Thank you. My mom and dad picked it,” Serena said, going right back to carefully arranging piles of dirt and using her hands, a stick, even a cup to shape them before pressing the colored shells and glass into their sides.
Carolena sat on her bottom, no regard for her clothing at all, and dug her hands into the dirt. She was vaguely aware of Enthrall and the kids’ parents visiting, but was truly enjoying herself and did not pay the adults much attention. Some time later, she sat back, as did Seth and Serena, satisfied with their creation. It was quite a large pile of dirt, accented here and there with twigs and small pieces of wood that Destroy had wandered here and there and brought back to them. He’d used a small piece of fabric torn from his own shirt to tie to one of the straighter twigs and fashion a flag of sorts for them to stick into the top of their “dirt castle.” Carolena had noticed that Serena, also, had the flaps of skin in her neck just as Seth did. She said nothing, though. It didn’t matter to her; they were just kids, regardless of their species. When they were completely done with their creation, she took another twig and wrote, “Castle SS” on the tallest tower they’d managed to get to remain intact.
Seth looked at it for a moment before asking, “What’s that?”
“It’s letters, they spell the name of your castle,” Carolena answered.
“Oh,” he said. He reached out and ran his finger over the shapes she’d made in the dirt. “What’s its name?”
“It says, ‘Castle SS,’” Carolena said. “S for Seth and S for Serena. So, Castle SS,” Carolena explained.
“This one looks like a snake,” Seth said. “It’s kinda squiggly.”
“Yes, it does, kind of. Those are the S’s.”
The children watched curiously as she wrote more shapes into the dirt.
“What’s that?” Serena asked excitedly, crawling over to see what Carolena was doing.
“That’s your name, Serena. See? S, E, R, E, N, A, Serena,” Carolena said, smiling.
“What’s mine look like?” Seth asked her as he also moved closer.
Carolena leaned closer to Seth and wrote his name in the dirt as well.
“There you go, S, E, T, H, Seth. That’s your name,” she said.
Each child jumped up and hurriedly searched for sticks; then, they sat down near their own names and began trying to copy the shapes she’d made in the dirt.
Carolena applauded their efforts and encouraged them until they got it right. “You should keep practicing until you get it perfect,” she told them. “You’re doing a great job!” she said, smiling.
“Can you show us more?” Seth asked.
“Well, yes, sure I can. If your mom and dad don’t mind,” Carolena said, pausing to look up at their parents who were speaking with Enthrall.
Their father looked up sharply and said, “I don’t think they…”
But their mother cut him off, “Yes!” she said firmly. “You can show them any letters you want to show them. I don’t know my letters,” she turned to look at their father who stood, jaws clenched, watching his wife defy his wishes, “neither one of us does. And they can’t go to schools — for one they’re too far. And,” she paused before continuing, “they’re not like the other kids in school. Even the kids here don’t play with ‘em. So they haven’t had much chance to learn things like letters and numbers.” She rushed to assure Carolena and play up her children, “They’re smart. Really smart, they just don’t have anybody that can teach them,” she finished.
Carolena looked back and forth from Serena to Seth, their faces hopeful, waiting for her answer to their mother. “I’m not a teacher, but I can read and write. One of the few things my father gave me was an excellent education. I’d be happy to teach them whatever I know. If it’s alright with you, of course,” Carolena told their mother.
Serafina’s face split into a huge smile, “Really? Oh, thank you. That would mean ever so much to me. And I’ll find a way to pay you for your services.”
The kids were whooping and hollering, jumping around all excited.
Carolena laughed as she tried to speak over them, “Don’t you dare! I do not want payment of any type. I’d be honored for you to allow me to teach them a little.”
“Why would you do that?!” Simon snapped at her. “Why would you want to teach my kids anything? And for no money,” he asked.
Carolena was speechless — she didn’t understand why he was so against her teaching his kids. She stammered as she searched for the right words, “Because, they’re kids. They’re excited about learning. Why would I not?” she countered.
“They ain’t just kids,” Simon told her.
Carolena regarded the kids sitting with her in the dirt, now subdued and looking intently at their names where they’d been scribbled as they tried to duplicate her letters. “Yes,” she said powerfully as she climbed to her feet, “Yes, they are. They are kids just like any other,” she proclaimed as she took a few steps toward their father. “They’re sweet, and funny, and kind. They’re mischievous, and loving, and adventurous, and they want to learn. Why would you keep them from learning?” she demanded.
“They ain’t human. They don’t need human ways,” he said flatly.
Carolena stood for a moment, not sure how to proceed, then she realized that he was prejudiced against humans. Maybe he’d been treated poorly as a child. Maybe he just hated humans.
“Mr. Simon, I don’t honestly care what species they are. They’re kids. When I look at them, when I speak to them; that’s what I see — kids. If you have a problem with me because I’m human, that’s one thing. But it has nothing to do with the fact that your children are indeed children. I know how to read and write. I love kids, ALL kids. And yours want to learn.”
Carolena turned to Serafina, “I don’t have a clear plan in mind, but I’d like to teach them. If you decide that it works for you, please let me know, and we’ll work something out.”
“I will, Carolena. Thank you,” Serafina said as she shot dagger looks at her husband.
Carolena walked over to where Enthrall stood watching, allowing her to handle this on her own. He wanted his people to respect her, and she’d have to stand on her own two feet for that to happen.
“Are you ready?” Carolena asked him.
“I am.” He turned to Simon and Serafina, “Thank you for visiting with us today. It has been a most interesting experience.”
As Carolena and Enthrall walked away, back toward the north of the community where his home stood, she realized that Destroy was not with them. She turned around to find him squatting down near where she’d written the children’s names, tracing his own finger over the letters she’d written.
“Goyle!” she shouted over her shoulder.
“What?!” He yelled back.
“We’re leaving. Are you coming or not?” she asked without turning around.
He grinned, he liked that she was no longer afraid of him, “I’m coming.”
As soon as they were out of earshot of the family, Carolena asked, “What are the marks on their necks, Enthrall?”
He smiled, surprised that she’d been able to wait as long as she had to ask, “They are called the Loire. The flaps of skin on their necks are gills. They are able to exist both in and out of the water. They’re the only Loire that we have here. There are many legends surrounding them; no one knows for sure exactly what they are and aren’t capable of, but they came here asking for sanctuary, and I gave it. They’ve been no trouble at all. They follow the rules and are always polite.”
“Why does Simon have a problem with me teaching the kids?” Carolena asked.
“Simon has a problem with most people, regardless of who they are. He’s intensely private, but he’s a good husband and a good father. And, Carolena, make no mistake about it — he’s a predator. Their species is predatory, though they mainly exist in the water. They
can be dangerous on land as well.”
“Maybe people have been mean to him. Maybe he wants to protect his family from whatever he’s suffered.”
Enthrall stopped walking and turned to face her, smiling, “Do you always try to find the good in everyone?”
She smiled back, “Most of the time.”
They started walking again, “Could be, Carolena, I’ve never asked what he suffered through. If he wants me to know, he’ll tell me. All I need to know is the kind of person he is now and that he wants the best for his kids and his wife.”
Carolena raised her eyebrows at him, and he answered without her having to ask, “Yes, he does want the best for them. A place for them to grow up and be able to be themselves. Where they’re safe from any type of danger because they are different. He may not trust you personally, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want the best for his kids.”
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
Two days later Enthrall was proven right when Simon appeared in Enthrall’s yard while they were having breakfast. Enthrall went out to greet him, “’Morning, Simon. How are you today?”
Simon stood with his kids, one on each side, holding their hands. “Good morning, Enthrall. I was hoping that maybe I could speak with Ms. Carolena.”
“You realize she’s under my protection. She is a member of our community now,” Enthrall said calmly.
“Yes, I do. And I know that her male is Carnage, too. Nobody wants him riled up.”
“Okay, then. Just a moment, I’ll call her for you,” Enthrall said.
Carolena had been listening, standing just inside the front door. Enthrall opened the door and came in, “Carolena, Simon wants to talk to you. Is that alright?” Enthrall asked.
“Of course. Do you think he’s going to allow me to teach the kids?” she asked, hope in her eyes.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Enthrall answered.
Carolena stepped out onto the porch and smiled at the kids, but addressed their father. “Hello, Simon. Can I help you?”
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