Tempted by the Gargoyle (a gargoyle shifter romance): Boston Stone Sentries by Lisa Carlisle

Author:Lisa Carlisle [Carlisle, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lisa Carlisle
Published: 2016-10-16T18:30:00+00:00

* * * * *

Roman landed on the rooftop where Larissa stood gaping at him. Her eyes widened as he shifted back to his clothed human form.

“Tell me what the fuck I just saw,” she demanded.

He inhaled and exhaled with a low whoosh. No denying what she’d seen. She’d poke at any holes in an excuse until his explanation unraveled. Better to be truthful. “You saw me shift to my other form.”

“What—how?” She pushed his chest with clear frustration. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He raised a hand. “Look how you reacted when I said you were a witch. Imagine how you’d have reacted if I’d told you what I am.”

“What you are—damn good question.” She planted her hands on her hips. “What the hell are you?”

“No need to shout. I will tell you. I’m a gargoyle.”

She blinked. “Oh, yes, naturally.” She flipped a hand. “We have plenty of those flying around the city.”

“I’m telling you the truth and you’re not even taking it seriously.”

“Seriously? I’ve never been more serious in my life.” She paced before him, arms rising and falling as she spoke. “I’m a cop, and I’ve seen a lot of shit go down and some freaky-ass things. But I’ve never—never—seen anyone change from one form to another and fly off a building!”

“You’re yelling again. You need to calm down.”

“You need to calm down!”

For several seconds, they eyed each other without speaking. The sound of her quickened breaths seemed louder in the break.

He broke the silence. “Why is this so difficult for you to understand?”

“Because—because.” She stopped pacing and dropped her head into her hands. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“Only because you’re not familiar with us.”

Her eyes darted as she struggled to take in his explanation. “Okay. What is a gargoyle?”

“A type of shapeshifter.”

Putting her hand on her face, she drummed with her fingers. “Meaning you can change forms?”

“Yes, we can shift at will from one form to another.”

She threw her arm out to the side, gesturing at the city before them. “And one of those forms can be mounted on a building.”

“Sure.”

Resuming pacing, she raised her hands to her temples. “You say it like it’s completely reasonable!”

“It is—to me.”

“So you can become…like a statue on a building?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“To watch.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Watch for what?”

“Danger. Mostly to humans. We’re here to protect them.”

A shadow passed over her face, and her features froze. “Were you here during the bombings?”

Her soft tone struck a chord in him. He replied in a gentler voice. “Not enough of us. I came after the attacks.”

“Where were you?” Her voice edged on a tremble. A vast difference from the anger that had radiated from her moments before.

“New York.”

She nodded while shifting her gaze off into the distance. Possibly into her past. She’d been there. She had to have been.

“Many of us on the East Coast had pooled in New York and D.C. after 9/11. The bombings at the marathon showed us we needed to spread our coverage. I was given command of the Boston region.”

Her eyes

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