“I like sleepovers,” Henri announced.
Griffin did too.
“It’s fine,” Sofia said. “I’m not even sure we’ll be here that long.”
“You’re welcome for however long you feel it’s necessary,” Antoinette assured her. “And you too, Griffin. I know gargoyles can simply turn into their stone form and sleep pretty much anywhere, but the offer stands for you too.”
He nodded once and murmured his appreciation for her generosity.
“Okay,” Antoinette said with a clap of her hands. “Kids, why don’t you come with Ketu and I. We’ll go check out that swing set while Sofia and Griffin get settled.”
Well, hot damn. Were things going Griffin’s way for once? He couldn’t have set up this little scenario better if he’d been actually trying.
Chapter Ten
Sofia’s dragon approved of being left alone with Griffin. The damn beast was becoming increasingly louder in her head, making demands such as, take off all his clothes and lick every inch of his body.
Apparently her dragon was a hussy.
She placed the bags on the dresser.
“How are you holding up?” Griffin asked from behind her.
She shrugged and didn’t bother pretending she didn’t know what he was talking about. “It was a shock.” She glanced at his reflection in the mirror over the dresser. “Did you realize that was the first time I’ve ever seen him?”
“Yes. If it helps, you obviously favor your mother.”
She snorted. “Thanks.” Then she lowered her gaze. “You don’t have to stay. We’ll be fine here.”
“I believe Penelope will be, at least until I make other arrangements, but I am not so sure about you.”
“Out of the two of us, you’re more worried about me?” She arched her brows. Was he serious?
“Yes.”
That was it? No explanation? No reasoning why he’d think a grown woman—a dragon—needed more protection than a four- year-old child?
“I’m not helpless. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time now.”
“How long?”
She glanced up at him, but his face did not register anything beyond basic curiosity. Sighing, she said, “You know I can’t tell you much at all.”
“Does this contract forbid you from talking about your own past?”
“My past is the reason for the contract in the first place.”
“Because he did not want to share his inheritance.”
She winced. Yes, that was part of it.
Griffin brushed a lock of hair off her shoulder. “I only want to help you, Sofia. I’ve already sworn to you that I will not reveal your secrets. Gargoyles are a highly stuffy and proper lot; I can assure you that when I give you my word, it is as good as—or more binding, even—than that contract you signed.”
She chuckled at his description of himself. He didn’t look particularly stuffy or proper. He looked…
Delicious, her dragon whispered.
Would you stop?
Nope.
“Your dragon talking to you again?” Griffin asked.
Sofia forced a weak chuckle.
“What can I do to make you feel more relaxed?” he asked.
Her dragon started listing the ways. None of them involved she and Griffin wearing clothing.
She turned away from the temptation. “Why did you sleep with me the night you left Penelope with me? Why didn’t you just drop her on my doorstep and disappear?”
“I wasn’t quite anticipating the conversation going in this direction.”
She waited.
He sighed. “I was being selfish. Story of my life, actually. I’m really amazingly good at reacting before thinking. Which, for the record, is not normal for a gargoyle.”
“Why do you think you aren’t normal?”
The air crackled with unspoken emotions. They whispered around the room like fog. Even her dragon simmered down as the silence lengthened, and she finally turned back to face him.
He stared for a long time at the French doors that led out onto the second-story wraparound deck. “I wasn’t raised as a gargoyle,” he finally said.
“What do you mean?”
He lifted both hands, palms up. “I was abandoned as a child. I was about the age Penelope is now. I have vague memories of my mother, so shadowy that I’m not even sure if they are real or pictures I’ve formed in my head based on what I’ve been told.”
“Why did she abandon you? Where was your father?”
“I’ve never told anyone this story before.”
She reached out and laced her fingers with his. “Please tell me. I want to know. I want to understand you.”
He lowered his arms but did not release her hands. His gaze on her face was so intense that her breath caught in her throat. “You understand me better than anyone else in my life ever has.”
“Tell me,” she whispered.
“My mother is human. I presume she did not know my father was a gargoyle. I’ve never met him. I have no idea who he is or if he is in this country or Canada or somewhere else entirely. Before you judge, you should know that it is not typical for gargoyles to engage in long-term relationships. Especially with a human. It is very likely that she was a fling, and he had no idea she was pregnant when he left.”
“I’m not judging.”
“Since I didn’t realize I was anything other than human, when my magic started to manifest, I did not understand what was going on. When I asked my mother about it, she panicked. She was convinced I’d been possessed by the devil. She took me to a church and left me there.”
“That’s terrible.”
He nodded, his gaze dropping to their clasped hands. “The church ran an orphanage, and it wasn’t a bad place, actually. Except I still didn’t have an answer to the magic coursing through my veins, and it was getting harder and harder to suppress it. As I’m sure you know, not using our magic is not really an option. Sooner or later, it’s going to show itself. It’s the nature
