Capture the Crown (Gargoyle Queen #1) -Jennifer Estep Page 0,36

difficult to let anyone get close, even to heal you, when you had suffered so much agony at someone else’s hands.

More sympathy flared in my heart, burning as brightly as a fluorestone, but I squashed the feeling. Leonidas might be wounded and vulnerable, but he was still a Morricone, still Maeven’s son, which made him extremely dangerous. I needed to remember how he had hurt me before, not how appealing I found him now.

“Thank you,” he rasped.

“You’re welcome.”

Our gazes met and held. Tension gathered around us, but it wasn’t the uneasy feeling of mistrust. No, this tension was deeper, stronger, and hot enough to warm my cheeks, along with other, more intimate parts of my body.

Leonidas’s gaze traced over my face, and a frown creased his lips. My gaze darted to my own reflection in the mirror. Tangled hair, grimy skin, dirty coveralls. Not exactly an attractive image, despite his earlier assertion.

“I should get cleaned up. There are clothes in the armoire, and food in the kitchen, if you’re hungry.”

He skirted past me, and I pressed myself up against the wall so that he wouldn’t have to touch me. He hesitated at the door, as though he was thinking about backing away from me again. But he must have realized that it was too late to hide his scars, because he stepped out of the bathroom and shuffled over to the armoire, giving me a clear look at the marks.

I shut and locked the door behind him, my hands shaking as I leaned up against the sink. I clutched the cold porcelain until my emotions were under control again.

I also listened, wondering if Leonidas might use this opportunity to slip out of the cottage, but I only heard the soft thud of the armoire door closing, along with the creak-creak of the kitchen cabinets opening. He seemed content to stay here—for now.

I shook off my whirling thoughts, then twisted the knob to run a bath in the claw-foot tub. If only I could wash my troubles away as easily as water swirled down a drain.

But no one could do that, not even a princess like me.

* * *

I took a quick hot bath and donned a fresh gray tunic, along with some black leggings that were hanging on a hook on the bathroom door. I stuffed my feet back into my dirty boots and slid my tearstone dagger into the scabbard on my black leather belt. Then I opened the door and stepped out into the living room.

Leonidas had also donned a gray tunic. He was sitting at the kitchen table with several dishes arranged in front of him, although he hadn’t eaten a single bite yet. Even more surprising was the empty plate he’d set out across from his own.

“I thought you might be hungry too,” he said.

His thoughtfulness surprised me, and I took the chair across from him. “Thank you.”

He nodded, then started piling meats, cheeses, and dried fruit onto his plate. I made a cold gruyère and apricot jam sandwich, just like the one I’d had for lunch. Leonidas watched me wolf it down, an amused smile cracking through his icy expression.

“What’s so funny?” I mumbled.

“I’ve never seen anyone eat a cheese-and-jam sandwich before.”

“Well, it’s delicious. My very own secret, delectable recipe. I could tell you how to make it, but then I’d have to kill you.”

He laughed at the old, familiar joke, and the soft, low sound sent an unwanted shiver skittering down my spine. Still, his laughter broke the tension, and we ate the rest of our meal in quiet, companionable silence. When we finished, I dumped the dirty dishes in the sink, while he returned the leftover food to the cabinets and the metal chiller in the corner.

It had stopped storming, although the rain continued, drumming on the roof. The sun had set only a few minutes ago, but the landscape was already dark, so I closed all the curtains.

I reached out with my magic, and Grimley’s warm, drowsy presence filled my mind. The gargoyle must still be in that cave with Lyra. I reached out again, this time searching for Topacia. I only got a flicker of feeling off her, but she too seemed warm and safe.

Even though it was barely after six o’clock, I was exhausted. Dark circles ringed Leonidas’s eyes, and he wobbled on his feet again.

“Go to bed.” I gestured toward the open door that led to the bedroom in the back of the cottage. “I’ll build a fire and