Page 50 of Heartsong
Anna swallowed hard.Like springing to life?
“No, nothing. I’m so sorry, I should’ve known better.”
Sweat slicked down her back, and a wave of nausea washed down her body from throat to gut as Gavin stood on, cold gaze assessing.
“I see the new security measures work!” June called from across the gallery.
Gavin turned and gestured for Anna to follow him as he stalked toward June. She hurried dutifully behind, grateful to be away from the new statue. Anna made herself small and forgettable just in the periphery of Gavin’s sight as he and June spoke.
“Dr. Parkhurst. That the needed security wasn’t in place to begin with is a grave oversight on my part. I apologize again.”
June shrugged, holding up a finger and waving it vaguely to indicate the room. That her hand shook gave away her nerves. “It’s nice to know the new system works so well. I’m just sorry the thieves got here first.”
Gavin nodded slowly. “A mistake that will not happen again.” Anna didn’t know how he managed to wrap a vow and a threat all into one, but she bit on her cheek to keep from shuddering at his words.
With one last look between them, his gaze lingering over Anna, Gavin bid them goodnight and headed back to his office.
Anna and June stood there silently, motionless, until he disappeared.
She was the first one to move, blowing out a breath to defuse the tension. “Damn, he’s scary sometimes.”
“Definitely from an aristocratic background.”
They exchanged a bit more nervous banter before June resumed work and Anna left her to it, though she stayed far away from the other statues this time.
It was full dark by the time June completed what she wanted to for the evening, and Anna led her back to the front to finish up for the day. The darkness reminded her; Frey came to life at night, when she’d first touched him and now. Maybe the new statue hadn’t woken because it hadn’t been night.
But when she checked her phone’s weather app, Anna realized the sun had gone down about two minutes before she touched the statue.
It should have worked.
Except that it hadn’t.
Frey was the only one she’d awoken, and she didn’t dare try on another.
15
“And then the lights came on, justBAM, blinding white light. No alarms, which is strange. I mean, I’m grateful, I’m sure that would’ve meant an immediate migraine, but most alarms have this horrible, shrill sound that repeats. And then Gavin was suddenly there and—” Anna grimaced, and Frey was grateful she took the moment to draw a breath during her frenzied explanation of the day’s events.
With every word, Frey’s concern only grew. His Anna had endangered herself and possibly drawn the ire of one of her employers.
And even worse, she’d been touching other guardians. Othermales. To see if she could awaken them, too.
Because she doesn’t believe me.
That truth sat like bad meat in his belly, sour and roiling. He’d known her reticence, of course. She’d made her uncertainty abundantly clear. Yet, Frey hadn’t truly accepted that she disbelieved so very much. That she would try toprovehe was wrong.
His heart ached with the knowledge, and he listened to the rest of her account with solemnity. His Anna became quite animated when telling a story, barely pausing for breath, hands flying as she emphasized certain words or points. Normally he enjoyed watching her speak, drawn in by the flutter of her hands and movement of her lips, but it was difficult to move past the troubling things she said—and his own intense jealousy.
Anna washisheartsong. His female to care for.
He wasn’t at all surprised to hear that the male she’d touched hadn’t awoken. Anna offered a tentative theory that it was the wrong time of day, but Frey knew better.
It was best the guardian hadn’t awoken, for Frey didn’t know what he’d do to another male touched by his mate—his soft, pretty,unclaimedmate.
That’s not true. I’d have beaten him to a pulp.
Guardians were covetous of their mates, and likely the newly awoken male would’ve understood. Not the ideal way to wake from centuries of stone sleep.
