Chapter 13 – Ender
ENDER
Ikeep picturing the gargoyle touching Celaeno, and I feel absolutely enraged. Isn’t it enough that the chances of us ever having a female of our own is pretty much zero? Now these newly awakened gargoyles immediately start hounding in on her.
It’s stupid that I’m mad. But I am.
And what’s worse? Then he tried to fucking kill her.
My hands bunch into fists. I’m not an idiot. I know why we were sent here. But it doesn’t matter. If Celaeno had been a second too slow, she’d be gone forever. Her life snuffed out like a candle forever. No more of her shy smiles. No more of her stories that keep me fascinated.
No more laughter.
Because as much as Grey is making these idiot “baby gargoyles” all kinds of promises about the sanctuary, it isn’t like that at all.
It’s a place with only three females around our ages.
These females choose the males they want with each pregnancy, and the rest of us are left alone, wishing for even a ghost of a chance at love.
Celaeno can’t be our chance at love. She can’t be our female.
But for a little while, I can pretend. There’s nothing wrong with pretending that when I touch her she could be mine. There’s nothing wrong with thinking that sparkle in her eyes is because of us. Right?
“You like her.” One of the newly awakened gargoyles looks at me.
His long hair is dark and tangled, hanging over his face. His eyes are strange, such a pale blue they’re almost white.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
He cocks his head. “You like the monster. I can see it in your eyes. I can see that you see her as yours.”
I smirk at him unkindly. “You don’t know anything, baby gargoyle.”
He prickles at the insult and takes a step toward me.
Grey’s conversation dies with the man before him.
“They’re going to head to the sanctuary now,” Grey tells me, his every word measured.
I look back at the baby gargoyle and dare him to keep talking. Dare him to keep walking towards me and see how much a lifetime of fighting has sharpened my skills.
His mouth draws into a thin line, and he takes another step closer.
The blond-haired gargoyle places a hand on his shoulder. “We will not waste energy fighting against our own kind. We head toward this place—the one where we will be given monsters to kill and women to fuck.”
My gaze slides to Grey, but his expression gives nothing away.
“And what of the female gargoyle?” the blond asks.
The gargoyle shrugs and looks to Grey. “She has not woken in our past few battles. Perhaps she has gone too deeply into her slumber and can no longer be reached.”
“We can’t just abandon her!”
Grey speaks before the strange gargoyle can. “We will let our leaders know. They can purchase this property and keep her safe.”
A long minute passes, and then the blond relaxes. “You say this sanctuary has women for fucking and monsters for killing?”
His companion laughs and pets our shoulder. “We should go before all the good females are gone.”
“Good bye, Draven, Kage, and Soren. We’ll see you soon, when we’re done with this mission.”
The dark-haired one clasps his arm. “Thank you, Brother.”
We watch them leave, saying nothing. I don’t care what Grey had to say to get them to leave. I don’t want them anywhere near Celaeno.
“Think they’ll be mad when they get there?”
Grey shrugs. “We’re all mad.”
I hesitate. “They could have killed her.”
“I know.”
“You shouldn’t have told them what she was.”
He turns to me with anger in his eyes. “And what? Let them take her into the woods and fuck her like animals?”
“Like you want to do to her?”
He grabs the front of my shirt and hauls me closer.
I keep my hands curled into fists.
“Just because that’s what you want doesn’t mean that’s what I want.” He releases me, but I don’t move away from him.
“Do me a favor, oh perfect leader, lie to me all you want, but don’t waste your time lying to yourself.” Turning, I start back toward the manor.
“None of it matters, Ender. We have a mission. And there’s only one way it’ll end.”
I keep walking. Not just because I want to escape him, but because I want to escape the truth.