so were replaced by backless seats to ensure there was plenty of room for wings and tails. Thankfully, the table was built for about twenty people, leaving plenty of room for wings to spread. Indeed it was so big that you could barely hear people at the opposite end of it. Gustave told her that it had rarely been used by the Professor. It was an antique he acquired for his collection.
Brom and Grey were missing from the dinner, eschewing dining like humans. They had been allowed to hunt under Luc’s watch earlier and were probably devouring raw deer mate at that moment. The two males were loud and outspoken, and generally disagreeable – they were very much typical male gargoyles. Lief and Tristan had deigned to join them, and Tristan was already thoughtfully munching on a portion of onion rings. The two of them were quieter than their other new clan members, but Annis thought them to be sharper. Tristan was not as big or as strong as the larger clan males, but he was clever. He admitted to her that he had been the chief tactician of his clan. Her clan never had such a position – her chief would never have admitted that a gargoyle lower in dominance was better at battle plans than he. Tristan must be canny to have cleaved a position like that for himself.
Drago was naked, making Brenda giggle. Ric howled and covered Brenda’s eyes while Luc snarled at the huge male to cover up. Drago shrugged and fetched a loincloth.
Twenty-Six bounced into the room. “Oh, thank god – real food! Come to mama.” She swiped a hotdog and inhaled it in two bites. “Oh, how I’ve missed you.”
Luc frowned at her; Gracchus rolled his eyes – although that might have been at the hamburger that he did not seem to be enjoying, and Drago grunted. Annis caught Chris chuckling, and it struck her how human Twenty-Six really was.
Rescued from a lab, they did not know exactly how she had been created. She was the twenty-sixth lab experiment – created from gargoyles and something else. Given her looks, she must have some human in her. Twenty-Six was the palest gargoyle Annis had ever seen. Her peach-colored skin was nearly the same as Chris or Brenda’s, and her face was smoother and rounder than any other gargoyle, more like a human. Annis’ features were pointed, but Twenty-Six was softer and undoubtedly much more attractive to a human. Dress Twenty-Six up in a long coat, gloves and brush her wavy hair over her ears and small horn nubs, and she would probably pass for human. She could probably go out in the world – go out in Chris’ world.
The meat in Annis’ mouth turned bitter. She swallowed it, and it lazily traveled down into her stomach, sitting there like a leaden weight.
Annis had known jealousy. Had she not spent her whole life jealous of the normal females in the clan? Envious that she could not be one? But she had never felt it so acutely and violently for one of her clan. The unfairness hit her like a war-hammer, and she wasn’t sure how to deal with it. Or what to make of the fact that it stemmed from her feelings about Chris.
By now Twenty-Six was already teasing Gracchus about TV shows she had already watched, and he was growling at her not to ruin the endings for him. Kylie was engaged in a conversation with Bea and Gustave while Lief listened with interest as they spoke about their plans for waking the other gargoyles. Tristan was eating all the onion rings he could find. Ingrede and Cai were chatting and perhaps even flirting – if gargoyles could flirt – while they tried to feed Wolfe. Or rather while they tried to stop Wolfe from eating everything in sight – cheeseburgers and cheese fries were apparently a big hit with the youngling. Luc was arguing about something with Ric while Brenda listened and teased her mate intermittently. Drago continued to glower in his own private world.
Annis stared at her clenched fists in her
Brom and Grey were missing from the dinner, eschewing dining like humans. They had been allowed to hunt under Luc’s watch earlier and were probably devouring raw deer mate at that moment. The two males were loud and outspoken, and generally disagreeable – they were very much typical male gargoyles. Lief and Tristan had deigned to join them, and Tristan was already thoughtfully munching on a portion of onion rings. The two of them were quieter than their other new clan members, but Annis thought them to be sharper. Tristan was not as big or as strong as the larger clan males, but he was clever. He admitted to her that he had been the chief tactician of his clan. Her clan never had such a position – her chief would never have admitted that a gargoyle lower in dominance was better at battle plans than he. Tristan must be canny to have cleaved a position like that for himself.
Drago was naked, making Brenda giggle. Ric howled and covered Brenda’s eyes while Luc snarled at the huge male to cover up. Drago shrugged and fetched a loincloth.
Twenty-Six bounced into the room. “Oh, thank god – real food! Come to mama.” She swiped a hotdog and inhaled it in two bites. “Oh, how I’ve missed you.”
Luc frowned at her; Gracchus rolled his eyes – although that might have been at the hamburger that he did not seem to be enjoying, and Drago grunted. Annis caught Chris chuckling, and it struck her how human Twenty-Six really was.
Rescued from a lab, they did not know exactly how she had been created. She was the twenty-sixth lab experiment – created from gargoyles and something else. Given her looks, she must have some human in her. Twenty-Six was the palest gargoyle Annis had ever seen. Her peach-colored skin was nearly the same as Chris or Brenda’s, and her face was smoother and rounder than any other gargoyle, more like a human. Annis’ features were pointed, but Twenty-Six was softer and undoubtedly much more attractive to a human. Dress Twenty-Six up in a long coat, gloves and brush her wavy hair over her ears and small horn nubs, and she would probably pass for human. She could probably go out in the world – go out in Chris’ world.
The meat in Annis’ mouth turned bitter. She swallowed it, and it lazily traveled down into her stomach, sitting there like a leaden weight.
Annis had known jealousy. Had she not spent her whole life jealous of the normal females in the clan? Envious that she could not be one? But she had never felt it so acutely and violently for one of her clan. The unfairness hit her like a war-hammer, and she wasn’t sure how to deal with it. Or what to make of the fact that it stemmed from her feelings about Chris.
By now Twenty-Six was already teasing Gracchus about TV shows she had already watched, and he was growling at her not to ruin the endings for him. Kylie was engaged in a conversation with Bea and Gustave while Lief listened with interest as they spoke about their plans for waking the other gargoyles. Tristan was eating all the onion rings he could find. Ingrede and Cai were chatting and perhaps even flirting – if gargoyles could flirt – while they tried to feed Wolfe. Or rather while they tried to stop Wolfe from eating everything in sight – cheeseburgers and cheese fries were apparently a big hit with the youngling. Luc was arguing about something with Ric while Brenda listened and teased her mate intermittently. Drago continued to glower in his own private world.
Annis stared at her clenched fists in her
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