“You’ve no reason tae be afraid,” he said with a swallow of the divine beef. If there was one thing that could be said of his kind, it was that they loved their food. And with good cause. They burned caloric energy three times as fast as humans did and therefore had to replenish just as quickly. Next to their freedom, food was the thing most Gargoyles coveted at any given moment. Freedom and food. In that order.

“Y-you killed my refrigerator. I-I’d say that gives me reason.”

Damn, he thought as he looked at the damaged piece of equipment. He swallowed the last of his steak and reached to maneuver the wobbly door. It shut, but not with any certainty that protected the food within it … what little there was of it. She barely had a bite in there, he realized as he immediately found himself looking for more food to satisfy his appetite. Then again, as tiny as she was, she probably didn’t eat all that much.

He turned back to her. “I’m truly sorry for that, I am. I wasn’t in my right mind. Where am I? What is this place?” Then he moved and a blinding, fiery pain came over him, nearly bringing him to his knees. If not for the counter near him he would have fallen straight to the floor with the sudden unexpectedness of it. And quick as that, like the dart of a bee to a flower, she was off the counter and working herself under one of his arms as though to hold him upright. It made him chuckle in spite of the wave of pain. Did she think a wee thing such as herself could help a man of his size by doing that?

“You’re injured,” she said with haste and, he had to admit, obviousness.

“I can see that,” he said dryly. He didn’t bother to ask her what had happened. He knew well enough. He had broken free of that devil’s prison with the help of another brave lass …

Ahnvil shoved away any thoughts of that escape and the woman who had made it possible. He would access his feelings about it later. Right now he had someone else’s feelings to consider. “Come, get away,” he said, shoving her away from him and looking around at the windows hastily as if his pursuers were right beyond the glass. They might well be, and then he would have brought hell down on this innocent woman and maybe she too would end up … dead.

“Stop it,” she said, stubbornly dodging his efforts to put her aside. She was up against his uninjured side quick as a flash. “You need to lie down and rest. You’re going to be here awhile,” she said, nodding toward the storm outside. “So you may as well relax and take the time to rest. If you’ll let me get you to bed I’ll make you another steak,” she tempted him.

And damn it, he really wanted another steak. He was still famished and, he argued with himself, he couldn’t afford to be weakened by hunger. She had a point about the storm. Between that and the fact that it was daylight beyond the storm, it was very unlikely he had been followed. But that didn’t change the fact that time was running very short for him. Dangerously short. He didn’t have the time to spend on eating and convalescing.

But that storm … that would hold him back. Especially wounded as he was.

“How long?” he asked, nodding toward the windows as well. “When can you expect a lull?”

“I don’t know. Not for at least twenty-four hours, I promise you that much. These storms are fierce and long here. It could last as long as two or three days. And then after that it will take a good deal of time before the plows can come through and allow us the ability to go anywhere. So you need to face the fact that you’re stuck here for a while. May as well rest, heal, and,” she made sure to add, “eat.”

Her logic and her lures were inescapable. With a nod of assent he let her help him down the hall to a bedroom and a freshly made up bed. By the time they got there, he felt as weak as a newborn lamb and his legs were shaking with the effort of remaining upright. As they traveled she told him the story of how she had found him and what kind of state he was in. Fever. Likely infection. Wounded. All of which he could easily take care of … if not for the dangerous time constraint looming over his head. It was best to remain as he was, remain human and helpless, than it was to change to his stone self, a state where he would heal far more rapidly. But he had to play it safe. After three days away from his touchstone, he had to play it safe.

She had him tucked in in a flash, her speed and strength pretty impressive. She pressed some pills on him and followed them up with water so fast that he had them swallowed and gone before he could even think about arguing with her. Then she gave him a pat on the hand.

“Now if you think you can manage to stay here this time, I’ll go make you another steak. I’ll make you some sides as well if you can wait.”

He seriously debated that for a moment. Then he said, “Make me two steaks and all the trimmings you can manage.” Then he thought to add, “Please.”

Her eyes went wide. “That will be three steaks!” she said with no little shock and even a touch of being impressed.

“Your point?” he countered, a hard look daring her to argue. He wanted that steak and wasn’t in the mood to fight about it. But that look meant that he would … if necessary.

“All right then,” she said, backing up carefully as if she were afraid to startle him. That was when he realized what a gruff ass he was being, and a sheepish sensation washed over him. It must have telegraphed to his expression because she hesitated.

“I’m sorry. I’m just very hungry,” he said, all of his regret lacing the words. She had done so much for him, and he was being an ingrate.

“It’s okay.” Considering his feverish state, she wanted to offer him something lighter to eat, but she didn’t have the nerve to do so. “I’ll be right back with your food. Please can you try to stay in bed this time?”

“This time?” he echoed, lying back on his pillows and starting to look seriously worse for wear. He had done a lot these past fifteen minutes and it was clear it was more than his body could handle.

“You keep coming out of bed. Last time it was to eat and the two before that it was to …” she trailed off, realizing he probably had no memory of the times before and if she was reading this slightly more civilized version of himself right, he was going to be mighty embarrassed by what he’d done. Maybe. She still wasn’t sure what he was made of.

“It was tae what?” he demanded to know, sitting back up and narrowing those golden-amber eyes on her.