The Gargoyle and the Songbird: A Cozy Monster Romance (Elderberry Falls Book 2) by Crane Cora

Author:Crane, Cora
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-09-20T00:00:00+00:00

17

GRAEME

The figure whirls in a swirl of shadow and bolts for the door. It moves with a speed I’ve never seen before from any magical creature, form blurring as it slips out of the room and melts into the hall’s lengthening shadows.

I lock eyes with Ecco, my breath catching at the raw terror reflected there. Her face is pale as snow, eyes wide as saucers.

The truth hangs heavy between us—the threat is here. In Elderberry Falls.

In the very room that was filled with children just minutes ago.

Pure protective instinct rips through me, and I free my wings. A growl rumbles up from my chest as I pull Ecco against my side, shielding her with the bulk of my body and wrapping a wing around her. Her hair tickles my jaw, smelling of vanilla and jasmine and the ocean spray.

I tamp down the surge of arousal, focusing on the threat.

“Call the police. Now,” I order, my voice steady and commanding despite my hammering heart.

Ecco nods, fumbling for her phone with trembling hands. She presses herself into my side as she dials.

My mind races, assessing weak points, escape routes, ways to keep Ecco safe. I compartmentalize the fear, the fury, the tangled knot of unnamed emotions.

I have a job to do.

Phone tucked against her ear, Ecco lets me lead her by the hand toward where the stalker fled—the only door from this room that leads out to the front of the building. Overturned chairs and scattered sheet music litter our path, evidence of the intruder’s haste.

As we near the spot where it stood, my senses sharpen to pinpoints. Nostrils flaring, I scent the air, parsing unfamiliar notes amidst the choir room’s cacophony of aromas.

There: faint but unmistakable. Something sweet, almost cloying. And beneath it, a scent that turns my nostrils, like something burning or melting.

I curl my free hand into a fist, jaw clenching until my stone teeth grind. The stalker escaped, but they left a trail.

And I will hunt them to the ends of the earth before I let them touch a hair on Ecco’s head.

When the Elderberry Falls police arrive, Ecco relaxes against me. The officers cut striking figures: one a hulking troll, the other a lithe pixie who floats above the room. They couldn’t look more different but their faces are both etched with the same grim purpose.

Ecco’s hand tightens in mine, and I remember her recounting her previous encounter with human police. Their dismissal, their lack of understanding, clearly shook her.

But these officers, used to sinister magical threats, grasp the gravity of the situation immediately.

“Ma’am, can you walk us through what happened?” the troll officer asks as the pixie flies around the room, making notes on a pad.

Ecco nods, her words spilling out in a trembling rush as she describes spotting the stalker.

I chime in, my voice tight as a bowstring. “They were here, in this room. They left behind a unique smell…” I describe it as best I can.

The officers exchange meaningful glances, a silent communication born of years of partnership.

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