Page 33 of The Gargoyle and the Songbird

Something magical is going on, that’s undeniable—and I don’t like that I don’t know who’s behind it.

Behind me, Ecco starts to stir, the sheets rustling as she stretches languidly. “Mmm… good morning,” she calls, her voice still husky with sleep. “Did you enjoy the view?”

I stiffen, caught off guard by her question.Surely she doesn’t mean...?

But when I turn to face her, the knowing glint in her violet eyes tells me she knows exactly what kind of view I was enjoying. Shit.

I clear my throat, trying to ignore the way my cock twitches at the sleepy, sensual look on her face.

“We have a problem,” I say gruffly, nodding towards the window. “You need to see this.”

Ecco frowns as she slips out of bed and pads over to join me at the window. I try not to notice the way her nightgown clings to her curves, the tantalizing glimpse of cleavage as she leans forward to get a better look.

“The snow is still there?!” she asks incredulously, her breath fogging the glass. “But it’s the middle of the summer! How is this possible?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, my stomach twisting with unease. “But I think it’s going to make our job a lot harder.”

Ecco turns to me, worry etched into her features. “You mean protecting me from the stalker?”

I nod grimly. “If we’re snowed in, it limits our options, our mobility. Makes us sitting ducks.” I pause. “We should get dressed. We need to assess the situation and figure out our next move.”

Ecco nods, a flicker of fear darting through her eyes before she masks it with her usual bravado. “Aye aye, Captain,” she quips, firing off a mock salute before turning to rummage through her suitcase.

I fight the urge to roll my eyes, but can’t hold back a small smile.

After Ecco finishes getting ready,we step out into the hallway. I’m not about to leave her alone in the hotel room; not now, with so many unknowable variables.

The air in the hall is charged with a strange energy, a palpable sense of wrongness that sets my teeth on edge. The magic crackles against my skin, ancient and powerful and completely out of control.

We make our way downstairs, and the agitation level in the inn ratchets higher with each step. Wedding guests are clustered in small groups, their faces tight with worry as they murmur amongst themselves.

Mariah’s at the front desk, manning the phones. She throws us a distracted wave when she sees us approaching.

“Do you need any help?” Ecco asks, glancing around the crowded lobby. “What’s going on?”

Mariah shakes her head. “No, the staff and I have everything handled. But you should know…we’ve got a serious problem on our hands.”

She quickly fills us in on the situation: Velda, the resident weather witch, has fallen mysteriously ill, her magic gone haywire and unleashing a massive blizzard on the town. Townspeople have been trying to dig out, but the snow keeps coming faster than they can plow it.

With the roads completely impassable, Elderberry Falls is effectively cut off from the outside world.

I curse under my breath, my mind already racing through the implications. Being trapped here indefinitely is bad enough, but with Ecco’s stalker still at large, it’s a potential disaster waiting to happen.

I glance over at Ecco, seeing my own concerns mirrored in her face.

“So we’re stuck here?” Ecco asks Mariah. “For how long?”

Mariah shakes her head. “No idea, until whenever Velda recovers her powers. Could be days, could be weeks.”

Days orweeksstuck on Ecco’s bedroom floor, trying to ignore the ever-growing urge to rip her clothes off and see just what that vibrating bed feels like when it’s at work.

And Ecco’s stalker could be anyone—a guest, a staff member, someone she thinks she knows. They clearly have access to some kind of teleportation magic, given how quickly they can appear and disappear. Even if they aren’t in the inn with us right now, the snow may not be a blocker to them the same way it is to the rest of us.

This is going to be horrible.

13

ECCO

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