Rocked by Love (Gargoyles, #4)(73)
More than six hours had passed since the kaffeeklatsch in the living room, and Kylie was really regretting those kichlach. Her stomach had been roiling since twenty minutes into Wynn’s magical workout and showed no imminent signs of stopping. Everyone was waiting downstairs for dinner, and just the thought of food made Kylie close her eyes and swallow hard.
She felt the bed dip as Dag settled on the edge beside her and fought not to groan. Maybe she should have collapsed on the bathroom floor. Sure it was hard, but it didn’t move, and if worse came to worst, she would be a whole lot closer to the toilet. Much less chance of a mess.
“Poor baby,” he murmured. She felt a huge, rough hand settle gently on her forehead, and she had to admit the sensation was soothing. The initial coolness of his skin quickly faded into a comforting heat that made her relax almost against her will. “Did you learn anything useful?”
“You mean aside from the fact that Felicity really hates being called Filly-Willy, Wynn is a secret agent for the Spanish Inquisition, and Ella packs a hell of a magical punch for such a sweet-looking person?” She sighed. “Yeah, I learned that I really might not be cut out for this woman-of-power stuff. If those three chicks downstairs are like the high-powered rifle of magical offense, I’m like a squirt gun. Not a Super Soaker or anything cool, but one of those old-fashioned water pistols that barely get your target wet and yet manage to leak all over your hand every time you pull the trigger.”
She heard—and felt, oy!—Dag chuckle beside her, but she just didn’t have the energy to hit him. All she could manage was to flip him a very small bird. Like the hummingbird of middle fingers, only a lot less energetic. A dead hummingbird.
“Do not worry, little one. I have every confidence that you will prove most adept as a Warden with a bit more training and a little practice. You forget, this is your first real attempt at using magic. Every new skill takes time to learn.”
Forcing her eyelids open, she looked up to eye Dag suspiciously. “That’s a very mature and rational statement from a hunk of rock who came within a flea’s whisker of calling me ‘the little woman’ and ordered me into the kitchen a few hours ago.”
Dag heaved a great sigh and shifted to stretch out on the bed beside her. She noted how carefully he moved to keep the disturbance to her to a minimum. Not that it got him off her shitlist, but she noticed it.
“Yes, I have thought over what I said to you earlier,” he admitted, “and I have come to regret my words.”
“Really? Do tell.”
“I owe you an apology. By attempting to forbid you from attending the conference dinner, I insulted you deeply. I belittled your abilities not only to take care of yourself and defend your own safety, but even your ability to assess a situation and to decide for yourself the inherent risks, the possible rewards, and the weight of one in relation to the value of the other. For this, I am sorry.”
Pushing to her elbows, Kylie looked at him with her skepticism sitting right on the tip of her nose. “Who told you to say all that? Did they make you practice?”
Dag gave a rueful chuckle and tugged her to his side. Carefully. “They did not. It is true that the others did initially point out that my attitude may have offended you. They also let me know that they had learned very quickly from their own mates that human females are both sturdier than they look and fierce in their independence, which I should have recognized on my own. But once I grew calmer, I not only saw the reason for your anger but the justification for it as well. I reacted badly to the idea of sending you into danger, and I allowed my fear to control me.”
She kept her narrowed gaze on him, but felt herself softening. “When did you become so enlightened?”
He grinned and leaned close to kiss her. “When I feared that your anger for me would lead you to keep me from your bed this evening.”
Kylie scoffed. “Typical.” Settling once more onto the mattress, she allowed herself to snuggle against her Guardian’s side. “You know, right after I recovered from Wynn’s school of magical suffering, I was planning to come find you and skin you alive for the way you acted.”
“I know. This is why I came to you and commenced groveling with all due speed.”
“Groveling?” She tilted her head to look at him. “I heard an apology, but I don’t recall any groveling.”
Dag shifted to one elbow and loomed over her, resting his other hand on the mattress beside her head. “Oh, no? Then what is it that you consider to be groveling, little human?”
His smoke-and-stone voice rasped against her like a caress, sending shivers straight through her to pool low in her belly. “Well,” she purred, fighting a smile, “it usually starts on your knees…”
His grin turned wicked as he began to crawl down her body. “If you prefer to see me on my knees, I am happy to oblige you. Just let me get these jeans of yours off, and I can kneel before you and show you how very sorry I am for upsetting you.”
Just as her breathing began to speed up, the loud peal of the doorbell shattered the moment.
“Pizza!” a loud female voice shouted from the stairwell. “Dinner’s here, you guys, so get your stinking clothes back on and get your butts downstairs. If I have to come up there, I’m afraid I’ll be struck blind or something!”
Fil’s footsteps drifted away from the stairs and Dag groaned, collapsing to the mattress beside Kylie. “Can you remind me of the reason why we invited these nuisances into our home?”