Chapter 12

Ihave the strangest dreams and when I wake the next morning, I still haven't decided if what I saw was real…or if I am actually crazy.

Carver treats me like I am, he wants me to think that my mother's death pushed me over the edge and into oblivion…but has it?

Stretching and staring at the ceiling above my bed, I realise that I'm finally starting to feel like me again. Like an actual person, with thoughts and feelings, and not a grieving waif, drowning in sorrows.

Does it still hurt?

Like a hole in the head.

But do I want to stay here and wallow in it? Let the stickiness of death tar my skin and keep me trapped inside my own mind?

No.

But first things first, I need to see just how much of my sanity I've lost inside these walls.

Once the groundskeeper leaves, with my medication tucked in my nightgown sleeve, I get up and bury the pills in the soil of my plant pot. Taking one of the waxy leaves between my fingers, I feel a smidge of remorse at the small brown marks starting to appear.

Making my way to the bathroom, I open the window, and find myself faced with the same gargoyle as before.

Same as before? Of course he was the same as before. He was a stone statue. Not a living thing that moved, right?

I lift my hand to my braided hair. Tilting my head to one side, I stare at his long smooth horns, the same ones that had been tangled in my hair the night before.

That was real. Not imagined. I know it, deep down in my core.

Leaning over the window ledge, I narrow my eyes. But nothing changes. No flicker of movement. No stirring.

I pretend to walk away, then turn back quickly.

Still nothing.

Biting down on my bottom lip, I think back to how its big, broad body had been pressed against mine. How its dick had been prodding me through my underwear, desperate for me.

My cheeks heat.

If I have gone crazy, what does it say about me that I've invented a horny stone monster who wants to pin me down and fuck me?

With that thought, I decided to throw caution to the wind. Hooking my fingers beneath the hem of my nightie, I lift it, and flash my breasts at the stone gargoyle on the ledge opposite my window.

Surely if he was real, and he wanted me…this would be like handing myself to him on a silver platter.

I wait.

The cool morning air makes my nipples peak into hard pink buds, and moves across my exposed skin like a tender caress.

But still nothing.

Feeling oddly disgruntled, I flip off the statue before turning and brushing my teeth. Once I've washed up, I get dressed in a pale pink dress that ties in thin straps at my shoulders and falls just below my knees. The fitted top cinches my narrow waist in before the skirt puffs out over my hips. It's not as conservative as some of the other dresses and it's perfect for what already feels like a warm day. I opt not to wear a bra, I haven't been wearing one for ages so why start now? And there aren't any shoes in my room, so I leave my feet bare for now.

As I wander down the corridors, continuing the exploration I started the other day, I'm oddly at ease. Monsters don't exist. I'm delusional with grief.

These are the sad facts of my life right now, but being upset by it isn't going to change anything.

Once I reach the kitchen, I make myself a simple breakfast and some fruit tea before turning the radio on.

They're talking about the missing woman again. Apparently they think it may have been linked to a spate of other disappearances over the last ten years but they're struggling to link them together other than some vague similarities in their appearances.

Would anyone besides Carver notice if I was missing? Is there anyone left who thinks of me outside of this haunted estate?

Probably not.

After breakfast, I find myself in the solarium again. This time, I'm armed with a pair of gardening gloves, black bags and a strange sort of determination as I push open the doors that lead to the garden. I spend the majority of the morning working on removing all the dead plants.

After lunch, I decide to wander in the gardens, making sure to keep inside the boundary walls this time. I may be hallucinating and hovering on the edge of oblivion, but that doesn't mean there aren't dangerous creatures in the woods.

I find a cosy corner, tucked away in one of the courtyards and stumble upon another gargoyle statue, this one is larger than the perverted one outside my bathroom. Huge in fact. It rests on a pedestal of sorts, towering over me with its wings half spread, creating pockets of shade over the overgrown plants beneath. The monstrous creature doesn't have a tail, but it does have an impressive set of horns with rough ridges all the way up that curl backwards. Its face is more serious than the others, but I'm not afraid.

The carved monster looks like it's overseeing what used to be a herb garden given the hints of mint and rosemary that blend with something more earthy on the warm afternoon breeze.

Like with the others, I can't seem to resist moving my fingers over its intricately carved plinth. I drag my fingers over the stone until they feel raw, as if it's some sort of magic lamp and the gargoyle will magically spring to life.

Nothing.

With a huff, I grab hold of one of his slightly spread wings and pull myself up onto its back, almost losing my footing as I climb up onto its pedestal.

Wrapping my arms around its neck, I adjust until I'm seated almost like I'm getting a piggyback ride, my skirt ruched up over my knees, my skin rubbing against the cold, hard stone.

"Your vantage point is beautiful," I whisper, looking out across the garden. It would have been charming once upon a time, but now, overgrown with wild flowers, and pockets of vines creating shadowy groves – it's magical. Bursts of colour and the hum of insects under the hot summer sun make me close my eyes and tilt my face up towards the bright light.

I bask for a moment or two before I realise that I've been absently stroking the gargoyles horns, my fingers moving over the weather worn ridges.

"If you were real, would you like this?" I ponder, before shifting myself up higher and adjusting my grip. The friction over my body makes me exhale shakily. What the heck was that?

What? My mind is clear and so my body is suddenly horny and desperate? Desperate enough that I find myself rubbing against a statue?

No. That's…crazy.

Placing my hands on the gargoyles shoulders, I push higher, enjoying the drag against my pussy this time. Before I register what I'm doing, I lean in and run my tongue up the horn closest to me. My sexual experience is incredibly limited, and yet here I am getting myself off on a hunk of rock while licking its horns.

I throw my head back and surprise myself by laughing.

My little dove was playing with fire earlier when she exposed herself to me. If our little curse hadn't kept me bound, I would have launched myself at her and had my way until she was screaming my name over. But the bonds are most powerful in the hours following sunrise, and so I'd stayed, trapped inside my stone form.

Luckily, I'd been able to move to another perch where I could continue to watch her, although it had drained me, almost to the point of exhaustion. The stone beneath me felt cold and unyielding, a stark contrast to the heat coursing through my veins at the mere thought of her.

As the sun begins to dip in the sky, casting long shadows across the landscape, I stretch against the bindings. Pushing and testing the bonds until they throb, yearning to break free and claim what is rightfully mine.

I need her. I need to be inside her.

Mine.

The very thought drives me wild with desire, igniting a primal urge that cannot be quenched until she belongs to me in every sense of the word.

I know she spent the afternoon with Sax, I could practically hear him purring like a cat where I caught glimpses of them together in the garden. Snatches of the conversation she had with him carried on the breeze and I tried to swallow back the bitter jealousy I felt, but it was no use. Being half feral means I'm rarely in control of my emotions these days, and she is the balm I need. She is mine.

The instant the bonds loosen, it's a weight off my chest, and without a second thought, I race to her room. As I'm part running, part flying down the corridor, Sax slams into me from the side.

"We agreed to wait!" he growls, arms coming around my middle to try and pin me to him.

I kick out before throwing us against the wall until his grip loosens. "No! You told me to wait. Then you let her dry hump you all afternoon!"

I thrash around like a fish out of water, fighting for every last ounce of freedom. He had a taste of her, and got to touch her all afternoon. The jealousy burning under my stone skin surprises me, but I'm too feral with need to calmly acknowledge it.

"Malachite! Stop it." He bites down on my neck, sinking his fangs in until I roar.

"Get off me, Saxon. She is mine. I will have her."

Despite Sax"s attempts to restrain me, the burning desire within me refuses to be quenched. She is mine, and nothing will stand in my way of claiming her.

A small cough comes from up ahead, breaking the tension that hangs thick in the air between me and Sax.

"Um…Sax? Mal?"

Jas.

I bet he's on Sax's side like usual. How could he possibly understand what I'm going through? He has no idea?—

"What. The. Fuck?" a soft feminine voice whispers, but it may well have been a shout.

My heart leaps into my throat at the sound of her voice, a melodic tone that sends shivers down my spine despite the circumstances. I struggle against Sax's grip, my entire being yearning to reach out to her, to hold her close and never let go.

Mine.

"We have company…" Jas says quietly, stating the fucking obvious, yet carrying the weight of the world in his tone. Or maybe that's just how I feel, like this moment is monumental.

Sax loosens his grip on me, but he doesn't let go. His gaze remains fixed on Ari, his expression unreadable yet tinged with a hint of concern.

"So I am certifiable. Good to know, I guess." Ari tilts her head, her blue eyes wide as she lifts a hand and taps her bottom lip anxiously with her pointer finger. Her voice cuts through the tension like a knife, and for a moment, I find myself lost in the depths of her gaze. Despite the chaos swirling around us, there's a sense of calm in her presence, a grounding force that steadies my racing heart. I glance at Sax, his expression hardening with resolve, I know that the battle is far from over. We may have company, but he's not about to let me get away with this. And it looks like we have more pressing issues to deal with.

"So what now?"