Chapter 27 Huge Dick
Huge Dick
I watched Saxan fly up with Tisvali in his arms until they disappeared from view over the trees. My concern for Deidre from earlier tonight was back. Please, let her be okay.
“Prince Karim, please excuse my retreat,” said the King, “but I must take my mate off the ground. Her safety is my priority, in case the perimeter has been breached.”
Karim looked at me. “I understand.”
Our gazes held, and I saw my concern mirrored in his eyes. Were we in danger?
“Xan, we are not retreating because of me,” Sue said firmly. “If it comes to a fight, I’m armed and fully capable of defending myself.”
“I know, little blessing.” There was pride in his voice as he addressed my friend. Turning to us, he continued with command. “Prince Karim, my guards will remain on the ground to protect you and your mate, until the matter is cleared. I will hover within a call’s reach, to return if needed.”
Karim nodded while Sue opened her mouth to protest.
A yelp was all she managed, because her gargoyle picked her up in a flash and leaped up.
Several flaps of those big wings of his in quick succession, and they were high in the sky before I could so much as wave Sue goodbye.
I heard a distant, “You jerk!” from my friend, and then they became impossible to spot in the night sky.
Heavy silence fell. Karim and the gargoyles strained to hear any news, while I gave in to panic-induced scenarios.
Why were Tisvali and Saxan taking so long?
Had Deidre and her partner disappeared without a trace?
Was there a gruesome discovery that the searchers would rather share in person?
Or were they overcome by monsters pouring into the forest through the eastern border at this very moment?
Karim stiffened beside me, shoulders snapping rigid, expression turning sharp.
“What’s happening?”
“Found.” He still had his eyes closed, listening intently to whatever signals his superhearing detected.
They’d found Deidre! “Alive or…”
Before I could make myself finish that thought, Karim’s whole body loosened, and the tightness in his jaw gave way to a relieved smile. “Alive.” Opening his eyes, he met my gaze. “She’s safe and well.”
The subsequent burst of wing flaps and excited cheers around us let me know the missing gargoyle had been found, too.
I could finally breathe with ease. Everything was going to be all right.
We didn’t have to wait long for Deidre and Tisvali, because they arrived by air. Now that I knew everyone was safe, I could finally appreciate the sight of Mr. Too Muscular for His Own Elvish Good being carried like a bride on her wedding day by Mr. Heavy Logs Are No Biggie.
“Deidre, report,” Karim demanded while the gargoyle carrying her was trying to land in front of us. His wing span was much bigger than Saxan’s, meaning some creative maneuvering was necessary to keep those bat wings off our heads. “Why didn’t you respond to my calls? Is that blood yours?”
I gasped. Now that her partner had finally landed, I had a clear view of Deidre’s dress. Which was spattered with blood all over. Yet, her exposed skin didn’t have a single red drop on it. If you didn’t count her bloody clothing and the messiest braid I’d ever seen, she looked okay.
Instead of replying to Karim, she patted her partner’s impressive chest. “You can put me down now, tiger.”
His response was a deep growl. Was he angry at her touch, the nickname, or her demand? Whatever the reason, he lowered her feet to the ground with the utmost of care.
“Deidre.”
“Nah, Karim, the blood is not mine.”
“She’s fine.” Tisvali confirmed, standing next to Deidre now that his means of air transportation had rejoined the other gargoyles. He sounded and looked equally amused. “They both are fine.”
That made me take a better look at her gargoyle partner.
It turned out it wasn’t just his wing span that was bigger than Saxan’s.
The whole of him was bigger than each of his kind present.
I couldn’t be sure with his dark-blue complexion, but it seemed he didn’t have blood on his skin, only on his loincloth and sword handle.
“There were blood-cursed, a small infiltration team,” Deidre piped up.
Karim’s eyes narrowed. “Why didn’t you call for backup? We knew nothing of this!”
“I wanted to.” She shrugged before turning to look at the gargoyle behind her. “Ris said we could handle eight blood-cursed on our own. And we did. Cool, right?” Judging by the look on Karim’s face, it definitely was not cool. “Our hunters can clean up; the corpses are by the lake.”
“Threat was eliminated,” Ris’ rumble surpassed King Xaniban’s. “Investigation is needed. A coordinated infiltration attempt.”
Karim nodded at the clipped report. “Rest assured we will look into this. Thank you for keeping Deidre safe.”
The giant gargoyle flapped his wings, sending dry pine needles swirling off the ground. “It was an honor.” Moving past Deidre to join his fellow warriors, he added, “A blessing.”
Was I imagining things, or did the tips of Deidre’s ears twitch?
I took a closer look at her while Karim was sending the gargoyles off with a short message for their King. I expected Deidre to be glad that her unwanted guard duty was over, but she looked conflicted.
“Are you all right?”
“Absolutely!” If she’d purposefully opted for a fake cheerful tone, she nailed it. “Why?”
“Um, nothing.” The fight with the vampires, combined with working alongside a gargoyle, must have shaken her up. That had to be it. And here I was, reminding her of the experience with my questions. “By the way, you’ve got some pine needles and tree bark in your hair.”
“Ah, thanks.” She quickly ran her fingers through her loose braid and fished out a piece of blue alga.
“Did you fight those vamps in the lake?”
Deidre threw away the alga as if it were a hot potato. “Don’t be silly. I washed the blood off in the lake, that’s all I did in there.”
Right. Could she have phrased that any more suspiciously?
As her gaze followed the take-off of our last remaining guests, I informed her, “They’ll return in about a week for a trade exchange. Maybe these same gargoyles.”
Her eyes lit up. “Possible, ain’t it?”
“I hope not.” Tisvali startled both of us by appearing on Deidre’s other side. “Your partner was obviously a dick, Lake Lady. I saw it myself. A huge dick.”
She poked him in the shoulder. “Idiot.”
He grinned contentedly.
I found myself smiling, too. Everything had ended well tonight.
Karim returned to stand beside me at that moment, our time as hostages finally over. “Come, my flower. Let us go home.”
I followed him without hesitation. A day ago, returning underground had sounded like a prison sentence to me. After tonight’s events, there was no doubt in my heart. By Karim’s side was where I wanted to be.