I think Bram laughs though I can’t be sure because the wind whisks away any sound. I can’t even focus properly to check his aura. Bastard. He did this on purpose.
I can’t speak. I can’t fight for fear of falling. I can’t do anything as we wing our way through the air. The hopelessness of the situation closes around my throat, making me want to hurt him. It’s everything I can do to stay still.
We seem to fly forever. Misery, along with the cold, sears its way to my very bones. I’m certain I’ll never be warm again. I’ve endured torture sessions less agonizing than this experience.
When Bram gathers me close, I forget myself enough to just be grateful for a little extra warmth. At least until his voice sounds in my ear. “Brace yourself.”
I don’t get a chance to ask him what I’m bracing myself for. The bastard pulls his wings together, and then we’re diving toward the ground at mind-bending speed. Still, I don’t scream. I didn’t think I’d go out like this, crushed in a million pieces, but I suppose they are worse ways to die.
I can’t open my eyes, and even if I could manage, I wouldn’t be able to see past the tears caused by the wind. I barely notice that our horrifying dive has turned into something slightly more controlled when the angle of our bodies changes. We’re still moving too fast, but I think we’re parallel to the ground again.
Bram backwings, and my stomach tries to keep moving in the previous direction. If I whimper, the sound is lost. Or at least I hope it is. He lands almost gracefully, and then—finally—we’re no longer moving.
“You can open your eyes now.” His body shifts as he walks, and even if my pride hates it, the reality is that if he sets me down now, I’ll collapse in a pathetic heap. “We’ll have to get you more appropriate clothing for the next time. I forgot how fragile humans are. So sensitive to temperature.”
“I am never doing that again.” I already have a disadvantage on the ground against monsters. I may have inherited the ability to see auras like the rest of the Jaegers, but the rest of me is human. I wasn’t born with superior strength or stamina. Everything I have, I had to fight for. When it comes to battle, I will always be outclassed. It’s why I fight dirty. At least in the human realm, technology can give me an edge and make up for my lack of physicality. Here, that’s not an option.
I fight against my body’s instinctive desire to curl in on itself. Opening my eyes is the first step. It proves to be a mistake, because Bram’s face is so close to mine. He really is a handsome fucker. His features look a little like someone hacked them out of a mountain, rough and almost unfinished in some ways. It’s more appealing than I’ll ever admit. His jaw looks strong enough to take a punch and then some, more likely to break the attacker’s hand than to yield.
And his skin . . .
Without thinking, I reach up and touch his jaw. He’s warm, yes, but his skin doesn’t feel like skin. It feels like stone. Smooth and movable, but stone nonetheless. Getting through it with any kind of blade would be impossible. It would take some kind of crushing weapon, like a mace or a hammer. Even then, the strength required? Impossible for me.
Not that I plan on killing this gargoyle.
I signed a contract, after all. Plus, he might’ve just scared the shit out of me, but he hasn’t actually hurt me or anyone else to the best of my knowledge. If I go around killing monsters simply because they’re monsters, then I’m no better than my ancestors. But I am a Jaeger. I can’t help the way my brain works.
Maybe that’s why I ask the question simmering in the front of my mind. “Can you burn?”
He eyes me. His eyes aren’t blue or gray or any color I’ve ever seen. They look almost violet in the current light. Or whatever the nearly white shade of purple would be called. I’m no artist.
I might be embarrassed to be staring so intently if he wasn’t doing the exact same thing. He studies my face as if he’s never seen a human before. Maybe he hasn’t. They don’t seem that common in this realm.
Or maybe he’s horrified that I just asked him if he burns.
“No,” he finally says. He’s already on the move, carrying me across what I realize is a roof. It’s made of stone and looks like the newer version of some of the castles I’ve seen in Europe. I try to crane my head to see over the half wall thing that keeps folks without wings from walking right off the edge.
“I can walk.”
“You’re saying that out of pride. If I put you down, you’re going to buckle like a newborn babe. It will waste both our time.”
He’s not wrong, but that doesn’t stop me from resenting him for speaking it out loud. My body has finally started to realize that we’re not going to freeze to death, and little tremors work through my muscles, making me twitch uncontrollably. I’m pathetically grateful for the warmth of Bram’s body.
I resent that gratitude, too.
He takes me through an archway nearly identical to the one we used to leave the bargainer demons’ castle. Except this one doesn’t actually have a door attached. He walks down what feels like an endless number of stairs, and I can’t help noticing that the stairs curve around a circular shaft that’s plenty deep for me to fall to my death. Obviously, those with wings prefer not to use the staircase.
Again, I am grateful Bram isn’t flying us to our destination within the castle. Again, I resent that feeling of gratitude. I don’t know this gargoyle, and I don’t plan to stick around for long enough to change that. Each time I appreciate him is just another sticky string making it more challenging to slip out without warning.
We go down what I think translates to two more levels and into a wide, high hallway. There are a handful of arches on either side, and I get a glimpse into the rooms as we pass. They seem normal enough, at least by human standards.
What the fuck am I thinking?
I’m not in the human realm. If I keep comparing everything I find here to that, I’m no better than some prejudiced asshole. I might not be here to learn about these people or live with them in any true way, but that doesn’t mean I have to be a dick about it.
Besides, it will be easier to escape the castle if people aren’t watching me closely because I keep insulting everything about them. Which means I should probably stop touching this man and asking him leading questions about his vulnerabilities. I have no intention of fighting him, setting him on fire, or committing any other kind of violence. Not unless I have to.
He finally sets me down carefully in front of the door at the end of the hallway. His big hands linger on my hips, and for the life of me, I can’t tell if it’s because he likes touching me, or if he really does think I might collapse. It doesn’t matter, because neither of those things is going to happen. I take a small step back, and Bram releases me instantly.
It’s probably the first step in an intricate dance he intends to conduct. Maybe even a seduction. That’s too damned bad. Even if he is big and handsome and incredibly warm. I take another step back, mostly for my peace of mind. The air of the hallway is significantly more temperate than outside, but it’s hardly balmy. Now that he’s no longer touching me, I can’t help shivering in cold.
He motions at the door behind me. “Your room is through there. There are some clothes available, but I’ll have others made after we get your measurements. Dinner is in an hour.” He pauses, as if realizing how brusque he sounds. “I would appreciate it if you would eat with me.”