Page 19 of The Gargoyle and the Songbird

Graeme is magnificent, like a statue of the perfect male, come to life.

My mouth is suddenly dry. Shit, he’s so hot. It’s easy to forget that when he’s being an insufferable grump.

The tension in the air is like an invisible barrier that seems to push us together as the enchanted rose petals drift down around us.

Graeme arranges his pillow on the floor and lays down, the corded muscles of his arms flexing as he arranges his makeshift bed. His wings spread out across the floor. I have to literally tear my gaze away. I can hear my pulse thundering in my ears—I hope Graeme can’t hear it, with his tuned-up gargoyle senses.

I’m in so much trouble.

Minx, as if sensing my inner turmoil, jumps up onto the bed and nuzzles against me, purring consolingly. I cuddle her close, forcing my breathing to slow, my mind to clear.

I’m here for Mariah. For my best friend. I can definitely, totally get through this week, and this impossible rooming situation, with my sanity and dignity intact.

I settle back against the pillows, trying to relax, as Minx trots down to the end of the bed and curls up into a tiny ball.

I willnotthink about Graeme’s sculpted chest, or what his wings might feel like, or the insanely deep V on his hips, leading to gods-knows-what he’s packing in those sweatpants…

And that’s when it happens.

A telltale vibration underneath me.

Oh no. No, no, no.

I curse under my breath, kicking at the bed like that will make it stop.Quick, think of something unsexy. The forest. The rain. Rocks.

...Rocks the color of Graeme’s skin. Graeme’s bare skin, his arms that could probably lift me with ease, flip me over and...

The bed starts vibrating harder, the magic pulsing in time with my racing heart.

“Everything okay up there?” Graeme asks from the floor, his voice rough with sleep and possibly a tinge of amusement.

“Fine!” I yelp, sounding strangled. “Everything’s fine!”

Minx chooses that moment to dig her claws into the bed, hissing at the aggressive lovebirds now swooping curiously over our heads.

I have a vivid mental image of her leaping up and tearing into the little puffballs with her teeth.

Feathers and tiny bird bones everywhere. Pure chaos.

...That does it. The vibrations stop.

I let out a shaky exhale and pull the pillow over my head, cocooning myself in darkness.

Four more nights. Four more nights of sharing this space with the most insufferably irresistible male I’ve ever met.

I don’t know if my willpower can take it. But I have to try. For Mariah.

8

GRAEME

Ariot of color and magic assaults my senses as I walk alongside Ecco through Elderberry Falls’s town square. Laughter from diners sitting outside and enjoying the summer breeze mingles with the gentle tinkling of wind chimes. Vibrant storefronts beckon with their enchanted wares.

It’s a stark contrast to the muted tones and utilitarian structures of my clan’s stronghold in the Black Mountains.

“Oh, and there’s the Spellbound Bookshop!” Ecco exclaims, pointing at a quaint storefront with stained glass windows, her other hand briefly landing on my arm. “Mariah and I used to spend hours in there, poring over mysterious old books searching for treasure maps, and giggling at the enchanted romance novels that would read themselves aloud in sultry voices.”

I grunt in response, trying to ignore the way her touch sends a jolt through my system.

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