Page 21 of The Gargoyle and the Songbird

“I’ll just be a few minutes!” Ecco promises before rushing in to join her friend.

I take up my post by the door, alert for any threats. But the area is blessedly quiet, a reprieve from the town’s ceaseless stimulation. I close my eyes, trying to center myself with a familiar stoneheart meditation.

Instead of cold, steadying calm, my mind fills with images of Ecco.

Her smile as she pulled me into the cafe.

The brush of her fingers against my palm.

The way the sun sets her hair ablaze, like blue fire...

My eyes snap open with a low curse. Gods above, what is wrong with me? I’m acting like some infatuated child. I need to focus on keeping Ecco safe—and nothing else.

I breathe deeply, focusing on the solid stone beneath my feet, the comforting weight of my vows. I am a Grigori, a shield against all threats. I will be the immovable boulder, not the flighty leaf tossed on the winds of feeling.

No matter how tempting the alternative may be.

The minutes drag by with agonizing slowness as I wrestle my unruly thoughts into submission. When I finally rise, I’m more like myself—cold, certain, untouchable as the mountain stone.

But I realize that it’s been too long. Ecco should be done by now.

I stride into the shop, ready to collect my charge and be done with this errand. The front room is empty, no sign of Ecco or Mariah amidst the racks of gowns.

Unease prickles along my nape. I scan the space, senses straining. No hint of danger, no disturbance in the air.

And yet...

“Ms. Waverly?” I call out, my voice tighter than I’d like. “Ms. Waverly, are you back here?”

Silence. The kind that is heavy, expectant. Like the held breath before a scream.

I’m moving before I realize it, my long strides eating up the plush carpet. I burst into the dressing area, my blood singing with the familiar rush of impending violence, already envisioning the worst—an empty room, signs of a struggle, the viscous shine of blood?—

I pull open the doors to the dressing stalls, each one empty, the worry ratcheting inside of me.

And then I freeze, every muscle locked in stunned paralysis.

There, in the stall I’ve just opened, standing amid a pool of shimmering fabric, is Ecco. Wearing nothing but a few scraps of pink lace lingerie and a startled expression.

For a moment, I can’t breathe. Can’t think. Can only stare, drinking in the miles of creamy skin, the generous curves that the lace barely conceals.

It’s a sucker punch of lust, a bolt of pure, undiluted desire that rocks me to my core.

Ecco’s lingerie is startlingly risque, the intricate lace doing little to hide the dusky rose of her nipples, the tantalizingshadow at the apex of her thighs. It’s a far cry from the sweet, almost innocent image she projects, and the unexpected contrast only fuels the inferno raging in my blood.

We stare at each other, the air between us thick with tension, with words unspoken. And then, as if in slow motion, I watch as Ecco’s surprise melts into something else entirely.

Her eyes darken, a sultry invitation gilding the violet depths. She shifts her stance, her hip cocking in a deliberate tease that draws my gaze like a lodestone. And when she wets her lips, a quick dart of pink that makes me ache to chase the motion with my own tongue, I nearly come undone.

“When you’re done gawking,” she says, her voice a husky purr that resonates in the base of my spine, “I’d like to get dressed. Thanks.”

The words are a bucket of ice water, a harsh reminder of my place, my duty. I wrench my gaze away, shame and self-disgust a bitter flavor in my mouth.

“My apologies,” I rasp, the words scraping like gravel. “I was… concerned for your safety.”

It’s a flimsy excuse, given how long I’ve been staring, and from the quirk of Ecco’s brow, she knows it too. But mercifully, she doesn’t press, just gives a little hum of acknowledgment that somehow manages to convey both amusement and reproach.

“I’ll just...wait up front,” I mutter, already turning on my heel. Her gaze is heated on my back as I retreat, a physical weight that makes my skin tingle and my shoulders tense.

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