Lapidary

Devton landed next to me, moments after the phone call ended, which suggested he had been in the area. I couldn’t help but gawk at his magnificent wings, and judging from his grin, he knew it.

“I was promised an adventure,” he said by way of greeting.

“Uh…” I hadn’t had anything specific in mind. Devton was the one who was great with adventurous ideas, like surfing. I had to think on my feet. What did everyone like? Food. Everyone liked eating. “Let’s start by getting ice cream and seeing where it goes from there?”

Devton extended his muscular, tattooed arm, and I looped mine into his. We fit like puzzle pieces.

“What are you thinking about that’s making you smile?” he asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I was certainly not going to tell him I was thinking that we’d be a good match. What if he didn’t want that?

We headed north until we reached Rimetide, and Devton kept his wings out all the way, but knew me well enough not to ask if I’d like to fly to the ice cream shop. We walked next to the water and passed several touristy shops selling souvenirs and food. Devton’s wing brushed against my shoulder, and I couldn’t stop myself from touching it. I ran my fingers from the hooked top to the side, and found it leathery to the touch. Devton observed me but didn’t object to my touching.

We stopped when we reached an ice cream shop overlooking Center Canal, close to Heaven’s Window. The shop was filled with customers and had several small tables and chairs. Instead of sitting down, we went to the counter, where many different flavors of ice cream were displayed in a glass case.

“I’d like two scoops of chocolate in a cup, please,” I said.

Devton shot me a judging look.

“What?”

“You can’t eat ice cream out of a cup! It tastes better in a cone,” he said.

I laughed. “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

“I’d like two scoops of lime, in a sugar cone,” Devton said.

“That’s the worst flavor!” I told him.

“That can’t be, as I have excellent taste.”

I grinned at him. “You have excellent taste in women. That doesn’t mean you also have excellent taste in ice cream.”

He looked me up and down with a dangerous glint in his eye, but he didn’t argue. I was glad when the waitress gave me my ice cream, to cool me down. Dev took his and pulled several coins from his pocket.

“No, I invited you,” I said. “I’ll pay.”

Before he could object, I paid the waitress with one of Bellevue’s gold coins. The waitress’s eyes widened, and she took the money, before digging for change.

“Keep the change,” I said, making her jaw drop. It was about time I used these coins – I had so many they were filling my bedside cabinet. I turned to leave.

Devton followed me and asked gently, “Do you need a new job?”

I didn’t need a job because I had Bellevue’s gold. I was sure he had his suspicions about the coin I had just used to pay. Anyway, I couldn’t sit at home all day doing nothing, I’d go crazy – or crazier. I would find something, but I didn’t want to work for Devton anymore. Our relationship had changed, and I would hate to work for someone if I constantly fantasized about them.

“I’ll find something,” I said.

“I can help,” he offered.

I smiled. “That’s kind, but I don’t want to work for you anymore.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Was I that bad of a boss? I know I didn’t always come to aid you and—”

“No!” I laughed. “I just feel too much for you to work for you.”

He halted and studied me with serious eyes. “What do you feel for me?”

I felt as if I had crossed that fine line between lust and love. In the beginning, I had been drawn to him sexually, and had found him intriguing and mysterious. But now I sometimes felt nervous, my stomach did too many flips, and I thought about him too often. I might just have fallen in love – but I couldn’t say that. Maybe because I was cautious of being in a relationship again after Ryker.

“I feel connected to you,” I said.

I could’ve sworn his shoulders slumped a bit. “Oh.”

Devton brought his ice cream to his lips, and I couldn’t help but nudge his hand. His ice cream bumped against his mouth, nose, and chin.

“Hey!” he cried.

I laughed and took a step back. “I told you that cups are better than cones.”

“Come here and say that.”

I tried to run, but he grabbed my arm, pulled me closer, then planted a wet, sloppy ice cream kiss on my cheek.

“Devton!” I squealed.

“Just embrace it.” He kissed the other cheek.

“Ah!” I cried, and he let me go.

He licked his lips and used his finger to get the excess ice cream off his face. I stepped closer and touched his sharp jaw line. His blue eyes found mine, and I stood on my toes to give him a sensual kiss on his cold lips. I pulled away first, and he tried to pull me back, but I sidestepped from him.

“Get back here,” he growled.

“No!” I began running, giggling like a schoolgirl all the way. I dropped my cup, with its last bit of ice cream, into the trash can then turned as Devton reached for me. I managed to avoid him. He was taking it easy on me, playing a game, because, if he really wanted to, he’d already have me in his clutches. To avoid him, I turned a sharp right, into the door leading into a tower. I took the steps two at a time and reached the top, panting. Devton came up the stairs after me and blocked the doorway so that I couldn’t escape.

“Where to now?” he teased.

I would have answered him, but the three stone gargoyles were distracting me. They were built facing inward, watching whoever climbed the tower. If they were to turn around, the one would overlook Center Canal, the other the mouth of Ocelos, and the other Reverie Stadium.

“They were built after Duras Foreswift opened the rift,” Dev explained. “They are meant to protect the tower – of course, they were built before everyone realized that there are now four other spots in Vesea where the veil is thin.”

“They’re not much protection,” I said.

“Rumor has it that they will come alive if the White Crystal returns to Heaven’s Window.”

The idea of the stone gargoyles coming alive was unnerving. They had sharp claws, teeth, and wings, and were certainly not the kind of creatures anyone would want to mess with. But the idea of stone coming to life just didn’t sit right with me. “Really?”

He nodded. I had never known Devton to be a liar, so I took him at his word. I gazed at the beautiful city of Vesea, so lively below us. I, however, only looked in the distance instead of straight down.

“I almost expected a rift to open,” Devton mumbled.

“Why?”

“Because you’re here,” he said. “Portals always open when you’re around.”

I considered that for a bit and wondered if it was a clue as to who truly possessed the White Crystal. Bellevue didn’t have it and wasn’t using it to open rifts to terrorize me. Who else could have the thing? Not a single person came to mind.

“Their names are Gargles, Gecko, and Fangs,” Dev continued, evidently referring to the gargoyles.

“Not very scary names,” I replied.

“But then again, there is not much that scares you,” he said.

I smiled and looked down because, of course, he would think me fearless. After all, I had challenged him and a wraith when we had just met. I had killed a daimon and called him to help me clean up. I had gotten into a brawl with Barattiel, a powerful archangel.

As I gazed down at my feet, I realized we were standing on a graffiti piece. Devton had told me he had a piece on Heaven’s Window, and I instantly knew this was it. It was the face of a man, with short blond hair and a beard. Something told me that his beard hid a sharp jaw line, like Dev’s. He looked only a few years older than us, but something told me he was much older.

“It’s your father,” I said.

Devton nodded in confirmation.

“You painted him.” Devton had told me he had done a lot of graffiti when he was younger. I assumed this was because he liked the adrenalin rush or because he liked to see how many rules he could break.

He nodded again. I stepped aside so that I could properly observe his artwork. He had done a good job adding detail and texture to the picture. His father’s eyes looked so real, shiny like glass, hiding many secrets. His lips were pink and round, but something told me he had a sharp tongue.

“When did you paint him?”

“After he passed,” Devton said. “I wanted to remember him the way he was, the way he looked. We stood there”—Devton pointed to a spot on Rimetide, next to Center Canal—“when Duras jumped.”

“You saw him and the stone fall?” I realized.

“Yes,” Devton said. “And then the tsunami hit. My father told me to fly and leave him – for he didn’t have wings. He gave me the unicorn’s horn in case I got splashed. It would have protected me from the salt, but not the impact of the water. So, I flew and watched my father…”

Die. It was clearly too painful for Devton to finish the sentence. I touched his arm and squeezed it. “I’m so sorry.”

Dev was three years older than me, and The Shaking had taken place 22 years ago. I did the math and realized he had only been six when he had watched his father die. My throat tightened, and I suddenly had the urge to hug him. The emotional damage he had suffered as a child was something that would never fully heal, like my heart would never fully heal after losing Ryker.

Devton opened his wings and stepped past the gargoyles, off the edge of the tower. Instinctively, I reached to grab him and pull him back but missed. He cocked his head as he hovered in place. Then he extended his hand, “Let’s fly.”

He wanted me to trust him and to know that I was safe with him. But I couldn’t. I had taken minor steps to overcome my phobia – jumping off the prison wall and having him carry me across the ocean. But I had only done that when the situation had demanded it. The idea of flying, of feeling the wind in my hair, terrified me because there was always the chance of falling. I could fall. I could splatter. Like Ryker…

I shook my head and turned toward the stairs. Now I took them one at a time, and when I reached the bottom, Devton was waiting for me.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said.

“It’s not your fault,” I said. “After Ryker… I just… I can’t.”

He nodded, and together we made our way to my cottage. We didn’t speak much, and I realized I had ruined the night. I wanted to invite him inside, but he kissed me on the cheek and left. Would he come back, or had he finally accepted me for who I was?

I am who I am – I was crazy, unstable, and terrified of heights. I didn’t think I’d ever change.