Gargoyles Don't Rock: An Urban Fantasy Romantic Comedy (Singsong City Book 2) by Juliann Whicker

Author:Juliann Whicker [Whicker, Juliann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-04-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Twelve

“Do you object to clothing that flatters the wearer?” my dad asked, holding a teacup and studying me like I was a puzzle to unravel. At least it wasn’t a lecherous thing. I’d brought my board, like my mom had instructed, and it was leaning against the chair, next to the stack of clothes that I’d brought to return to him on the floor of the elaborate tea parlor.

“I object to being told what to wear, who to be, and what to do. I accept the gift of free tuition, but you don’t control my life, and after the transformation process, I don’t think we’ll need to meet for these little tea parties, either.” I gestured at the untouched cup of dark sludgy tea in front of me on the delicate table.

He sipped from his cup, then set it down without the slightest sound. He’d probably been drinking sludgy tea for years. “The tea is a potion I mixed to help you with your transformation process. If you do not drink it in a certain time frame, it will lose its potency and I’ll have to prepare another batch. If you do not drink the tea, you will gradually begin the process of turning to stone, but it won’t be gargoyle flesh, just silent stone, and then you’ll die.” He smiled politely.

He could say that and smile? Something was seriously wrong with him. I glared down at the cup. “How can I trust you?”

“Percival Marigold is your betrothed. I would be very foolish to harm someone so firmly connected to that family. I will do my best to protect you and keep you from harm, but I hardly expect you to trust me at this point. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you.”

I was not as firmly connected to the Marigolds as he thought. Still, I raised the cup and threw it back. I’d expected it to be bad based on its looks, but that was nothing compared to the taste and slimy texture that coated my mouth and immediately engaged my gag reflex.

I sat there, panting with my mouth open, trying not to throw up, while he took another sip of his while watching me with that same expression, like I was a puzzle he would piece together until eventually he had the whole picture.

I almost heaved it all back up, but somehow I swallowed it back down. Once it hit my stomach, it wasn’t much better. Holy vile, revolting, awfulness! I was supposed to do this every day? I would die.

He smiled and sipped his tea. “As for the clothing, gargoyles tend to be meticulous in their presentation, stemming from their other nature’s hideousness.”

I wrinkled my nose at him. “They’re ashamed of their beautiful gargoyle selves? That’s sad.”

He raised a brow. “Not a matter of shame, but of secrecy. The beauty hides the beast from prying eyes. Gargoyles have always been secretive, created to be the silent, invisible protector of innocents.”

This was the perfect opening. I fiddled with my teacup.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.