3. Sapphire

CHAPTER 3

Sapphire

T urns out, it’s not a giant bat. Turns out it’s a gargoyle. A living, breathing gargoyle. I’ve never seen one up close. My hometown isn’t exactly Gothic, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t heard the stories. The big terrifying creatures made of stone that keep evil at bay and terrorize the dreams of young children.

The rational part of me knows that’s a bunch of minotaur-shit but the child in me that grew up with tales of monsters, shivers at the sight of him.

And he’s most definitely a he. Eight feet of solid rock which yet somehow moves and breathes like a human man. A man that stares at me like I’m his next meal.

Why can’t I move? Why won’t I move?

I know I can’t get very far from a freaking gargoyle, but I can damn well try, if my legs would co-operate.

Hell, screw my legs, my fucking brain won’t work with me either because all I can do is sit next to him and stare back. Stare at the big horns extending over his head that make him appear all the more menacing, at the carved hair that despite the breeze stay perfectly still, the eyes that despite their composition don’t, the lips that look plump and inviting like human lips despite their pale deathly color.

He’s glorious for a monster. I can’t even find it in me to scream. Hell, I’m surprise I remember to breathe.

“Sapphire?” he says after what feels like eternity, his voice rough and gravelly, like the sound of a boulder rolling over.

It’s enough to give me my senses back.

“How do you know my name?” I crawl to the side and away from him as he starts to sit up and wipe the mud off his body.

He stretches to his full height and length, wings flapping behind him as if they’re made of feathers.

He’s a sight to behold, truth be told. And built like a…well, a statue. His pecs are perfectly defined as is his six-pack. His Apollo’s belt makes my mouth water and my eyes wander down to…to…belt and jeans.

What the fuck? Since when do gargoyles wear stone jeans? So not fair for intellectual girlies like me (see: creepy) who love a good…sculpture.

“I’m…you’re my…lucky guess,” he says.

I grimace. That’s a very convincing answer. Not.

“Who…who are you? What do you want from me?”

His expression changes, sinks even, for a brief moment as if he’s been stabbed or hurt in some way.

“I’m Asa of the line of Graywing,” he replies moments later as if nothing happened. “I’m the guardian of Beastly Falls.”

Guardian…

That must mean he’s no threat. Surely. But then again…

“Hi, Asa was it?”

He squints a nod and I couldn’t be more confused or enchanted by him. My mind is telling me I need to run, to put some distance between him and myself, but there’s another part of me, another side of me I’ve never felt before, that wants to run straight into his arms.

“Well, Asa, can I help you?”

“I was coming to help you . I heard you scream for?—”

“Scream? I don’t scream. I was just speaking very very loudly.” Which is a complete and utter lie. I did scream. I screamed my lungs out.

He chuckles with a shake of his head as if he’s heard this joke a million times or something and I glower.

“Apologies. That’s what I meant. I heard you speak very loudly and I came to assist.”

“I don’t need assistance.” I shrug off.

Why am I being like this? Of course I do. I’m fucking stuck in a ditch.

“Oh, is that so? Well, then, in that case, I’ll leave you to it.” He turns and flaps his wings but before he can fly away I force myself to be sensible.

“Wait! I may need a tiny bit of assistance.”

“How tiny are we talking?” Is that a hint of a smirk I detect? And why does it make my chest feel all warm and fuzzy.

“Pickle size, really,” I say.

“Oh. Perfect. I love pickles.”

“Who doesn’t?” I chuckle.

“You don’t.”

Huh? How does he know that?

“Or maybe you do, what do I know?” he adds but something tells me he’s just saying that and he actually knows more than he lets on.

“Anyway, Asa. Will you please give me a hand getting out of this ditch?”

“I can give a wing if you want,” he says.

“Just a hand will suffice. I think.”

“As you wish.” He grins as he offers me his hand and I take it.

It’s not like I imagined. I mean, it’s cold but it’s also smooth, not rough. He feels like marble. If marble could bend and speak. Or fly.

I wonder how the rest of him feels.

My gaze wonders back to his jeans but he catches me staring so I shake my head and focus on the task at hand. Getting out of this mess.

“Oh. One second,” I say and turn back to grab my phone and the compass and stuff them into my purse, then I use Asa’s hand for support as I climb out of the ditch and back into the road.

“Thank you, Asa. Now would you be so kind to help me with one other thing?”

I expect him to bite back at me with sarcasm but he looks genuinely interested and invested in my question.

“Will you point me to the nearest accommodation where I can get cleaned up and spend the night?”

He considers me for a moment and bites his lip with his rocky teeth. I swear each move he makes is like a statue changing his pose. It’s almost hard to believe he’s alive.

“That might be a problem,” he says.

“Huh? Why?”

He looks toward the ditch and the woods beyond it before he glances back at me.

“We don’t really have any.”

“You don’t have any, what? Hotels?”

He nods.

“How is that possible? Where do visitors stay?”

“That’s the thing, Sapphie—ire.”

Did he just call me Sapphie? Only my family ever calls me that. Who the hell is this guy?

“We don’t have any visitors. You’re the first.”

It takes me a hot minute to realize what he said and I grimace.

“What do you mean the first? How is that possible?”

“Our town is…well, it’s cursed. Twenty years ago She closed up our borders and hasn’t let anyone in or out since. You’re the first visitor we’ve had in two decades.”

Well, fuck.

Trust me to land myself in the middle of a cursed town.

Wait a minute!

“Did you say it won’t let anyone out?”

“Well, not until now. Maybe…maybe She’s changed her mind?”

“She? Who is she?”

“She. The spirit of the town. She’s alive and She’s punishing us.”

Oh for crying out loud, Sapph. Great job.

“Punishing you, why?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Well, seeing as I have nowhere to stay, I have all the time in the world.”

As if only moments ago I was looking forward to getting as far away from him as possible, now I’m asking to walk with me and tell me a story. Oh, Goddess.

But I’m a witch. I can’t help myself being interested in curses and spiteful spirits. Especially if it means I can’t leave this place.

“It all started with two lovers. One was human, the other a beast…” he starts and we cross the road.

I let him guide me through the streets and take in the sights. The further into the town we get, the more alive it seems. Alive with colors and shapes and history.

“They wanted to be together but their families wouldn’t have it. They drove them apart and turned them against one another. The town grieved for their death, for the senseless loss of life, and then She got angry. She decided to trap us all in here and won’t let us go until we prove to Her love is real.”

“That’s crazy. How can you prove that?”

“We don’t know, but we’ve had a long time to come up with all kinds of theories. Nothing has worked though.”

“How is that fair?” I ask the air around me more than him hoping She will hear me.

“I guess she must have Her reasons. Maybe that’s why you’re here.”

I shake my head. I will not be dragged into this mess. I’ve got enough of my own.

“I’m here for…I’m here to…actually I don’t know why I’m here, but I can tell you for a fact I’m not here to break any curse.”

As I say we come into what must be Main Street. It’s full of humans and monsters of every kind. The atmosphere is vibrant, the people almost cheerful.

There are a couple of food vans in different places and most stores are open and buzzing with patrons.

“I did not see that coming,” I mutter under my breath.

“It’s what happens when half the beasts around here can’t or won’t walk out into the daylight.”

I guess that makes sense. I wonder if things are like that back home but I’ve never really noticed it. We have our fair share of creatures living amongst us, but witches are advised to stay away from them all our lives, are read stories about them before bedtime to ensure we stick to the rules.

If only Mom could see me now.

As we weave through the crowds, it’s impossible not to notice everyone’s heads turning in my direction, ogling at me like I’m the statue and not the guy next to me. Can’t say I blame them though, if they’ve never seen a stranger around these parts.

I wave at a few kids but they go running into the bosoms of their mothers. A few adults wave back though.

“Is there anywhere we can go where I’m not going to be an exhibit?” I ask.

Asa places his hand on the small of my back, his fingers brushing past the hem of my shirt and against my skin, making me shiver with goosebumps for a second and he guides us off to a quieter side street.

“Thank you,” I tell him, breathless.

“No problem. If only I could do more. Unfortunately people will be curious wherever you go.”

“I understand. I just wish there was a place I could shower and get changed. I’m sure half the reason they were staring was my state.”

“Your state is lovely, Sapphie—ire.”

There it is again. That sense of familiarity in his voice, his tone.

Who is this man?

“I just need a bed and hot water and I’ll be fine. Is that too much to ask for?”

“Oh wait a minute,” he stops in his tracks and I stand opposite him.

“What?”

“There might be somewhere you can stay. I don’t know if she’s up for visitors but…I remember before the curse she used to have plenty.”

I practically drop to my knees to beg him to take me there but I stop short from going down in front of him. I don’t need my line of sight to align with his crotch. Who knows what I might do. Out of pure curiosity of course.

He laughs and once again places his hand to the small of my back. It makes my body feel alive. It’s the only thing I can think about that I don’t even notice how we get there, not that it would matter. Everything in this town is foreign.

But then we come to a stop and I blink away any sinful thoughts to look at the building ahead.

It’s a large, imposing Victorian style building made of white wooden siding and red details all over. A sign in the front yard reads Red’s Bed & Breakfast.

“I thought you said there were no hotels in town.” I slap his chest with the back of my hand. Big mistake. It fucking stings. How could I forget he’s made of stone?

“There used to be. But with the curse and all they all went out of business.”

“Details. No one says no to business,” I say and rub my hands together before I walk up to the porch and ring the bell.

It echoes through the whole house, or at least, it seems like it, before the door opens and a beast appears.

“Yes, dear?” it says.

I blink, breathe and compose myself before I speak.

It’s not a beast. Just a werewolf. In a plaid red nightgown and a matching nightcap.

“Hi! You must be Red!”

“I am. You can call me Esme,” the wolf replies as Asa steps up behind me and thankfully takes over.

“A visitor?” Esme exclaims after he explains to her who I am. “Unbelievable.”

“Indeed it is. And I’m sure the townspeople will be busy trying to understand what it means soon enough. But, you see, Esme, Sapphire has nowhere to sleep and since?—”

“Oh, of course, dear. She can stay here. That’s what I’m here for after all, isn’t it? Now bear with me, dear, I need to dust a room for you. I used to clean them all regularly but with the years going by and my back pain I let things go a little.”

“Oh please, don’t worry about it. As long as I can have a hot shower I’ll be fine to sleep in cobwebs.”

“Never! What kind of host do you think I am?”

I chuckle as she ushers me in but Asa doesn’t follow. Which shouldn’t bother me but it does. Why?

“Are you not coming in, dear?”

“I…” he starts. “It’ll be sunrise soon. I…I need to go.”

“I understand. Thank you for bringing darling Sapphire to me. Don’t worry. She’s in good hands.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Red. I know she is.”

Why does it look like there’s sadness in his eyes when he says that? Who is this guy?

“I’ll see you tomorrow night, Sapphie—ire.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be staying another night.” Even as I say it I feel sad about it. But it is what it is. I don’t belong here. I’m just passing by, looking for my Book of Shadows. That’s it.

“Oh…okay. In that case…” he reaches out, offering me his hand and I stand there staring at it because I know if I touch him I’ll lose my senses again. “It was a real pleasure to meet you.”

Before I can reciprocate or decide if I want to shake his hand, he pulls it back, turns around and flies up into the night sky, leaving me behind to feel like a bitch, even though I’ve done nothing wrong.

“Did you say you’ll leave tomorrow, dear?” Esme says behind me.

“Oh. Yeah, that’s the plan.”

“Hmmm,” she purses her lips to the side. “I don’t think you can, dear. If She lets you through, she must have a reason. I don’t think you can leave until you find out what that reason is.”

No. I’m not staying in a cursed town with a gargoyle that makes me weak at the knees with every look, let alone every touch.

I don’t have the time for that. No time for these kinds of shenanigans. My family’s legacy is on the line. They’re relying on me to deliver.

So with all that in mind, I turn to Esme and look her straight in her yellow eyes.

“Well, watch me.”