Secondhand Garagyre

Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

LAITHOG

Digging deep within the well of my patience, I watch as Paisley takes a sip of the fermented beverage.

She’s stalling.

Whatever it is she has to tell me must be worse than I’ve surmised. I know it’s not good, which is an understatement. Human males beat a defenseless female. Had they been Garagyre , they would have been executed for their transgressions. She reaches forward and sets her glass on the low wooden table in front of the cushion bench we are sitting on. The padded back is surprisingly comfortable to lean against, no wing pinching at all.

Marvelous piece of furniture if you ask me.

Leaning back against the arm rest of the bench she pivots to face me, curling her legs up under her and wrapping her arms around herself, while her creepy little animals snuggle in around her. They can smell the pain, stress, and sadness emanating off her, just as I can. The action makes my hearts pang. She’s holding herself for comfort.

How long has it been since someone has held her?

How long has it been since she’s allowed someone to hold her?

I dare not move.

Not now.

Her voice, when she speaks, is clogged with tears. The pain she feels is obvious. “ Six months ago, my brother Patrick died in a vehicle accident.”

She must notice my confusion because she elaborates before continuing. “ A vehicle is the machine we drove here in. It’s called a pick up, truck, or vehicle.”

At my nod of understanding she carries on.

“ I thought… I thought it was an accident. Everyone did…but a week ago the man that hit my brothers truck told me he did it on purpose. That he targeted Patrick with the intent to kill him and remove him from my life. He told me that if he can’t have me, then no one else will. The bastard propositioned me at Patrick’s funeral and I told him to leave me the fuck alone. That it would be a cold day in hell before I married him, and that is before I knew he murdered Patrick ! I guess he figured he gave me enough time to grieve because he approached me last week. When I denied him a second time he ordered and then watched as his goons beat me until my broken body lay on the ground.”

Her luminescent multicolored eyes are filled with pain. “ I don’t understand, Laithog . I really don’t,” She pauses slightly before finishing with, “ Patrick isn’t just my brother…he’s my twin. That bastard killed the other half of my soul.”

The word “soul” ends in a tortured whisper before she crumples into herself, her tiny body rocking with the force of her sobs. Without thought to the consequences of my actions, I lean forward and scoop her little body up, jostling her wee creatures, and placing her in my lap as my wings envelope us both. To my surprise, she doesn’t recoil from me but latches onto me and the comfort I’m offering, her wee hands clinging to me desperately.

My arms hold her to me as I gently rock her, a soothing purr rumbling in my chest. I don’t say anything as she cries out her sorrow. Eventually , her sobs lessen and her breathing evens out. When she leans her face against my chest, nuzzling her cheek against my hide, my purr swells within me, so much so that my chest is almost rattling with it.

Once I know she’s calmed down some, I begin speaking. “ I , too, know what it is like to have the other half of your soul ripped from you.” I know I have her full attention when her lush body freezes. “ Long ago, when mankind was young. The world was a darker place inhabited by all manners of beings. Good as well as evil. I am a warrior in the Legion of the Light …and so was my mate, Ilayahan .”

Paisley raises her head to look at me. “ You said ‘was,’” and I nod at her whispered words.

“ Yes , my mate is no longer amongst the living.” The words scrape against my throat, though not as abrasive as they once were. This is because of the precious being within my arms.

“ Oh , Laithog . I am so very, truly sorry.”

“ I do not tell you this to earn your pity, or to make you feel sorry for me. Only that, I am one of the few that can understand how you feel. I know of the bonds between twins. Ilayahan has a twin sister. When my mate died, her sister was never the same. The only reason she did not greet the sun is because of her mate.”

“ What …what happened to her?” comes the hesitant question.

“ As I said, Ilayahan and I were both warriors in the Legion of the Light . Truth be told, we were some of the most elite warriors in the entire Legion . Garagyre , my kind, are nocturnal…as were the creatures we hunted. The sun is an enemy to us both.”

I hesitate for a moment, uncertain how she will react to what I am about to tell her, but an elbow nudges me, prodding me to continue.

A low chuckle escapes me at her daringness before sobering.

“ Demons .”