17. Graeme

17

GRAEME

T he 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. Their expressions darken with each detail, the pieces falling into place like tumblers in a lock.

"Definitely sounds like enchantment at work. We'll need to dust for prints, check for any magical signatures," the pixie officer muses, her quicksilver eyes scanning the room.

The troll nods, reaching into his pocket. "In the meantime, we have something for you."

He extends a small device, sleek and black, thrumming with latent energy. A beacon, he explains, to be activated the moment the stalker resurfaces.

"Hit this button, and we'll be on them faster than a hellhound on a scent," he promises, the words as solemn as any oath. "You protect your girl, gargoyle. Leave catching the perp to us."

I accept the beacon with a curt nod, the weight of it heavy in my palm.

Ecco presses closer, her warmth seeping through the chill of my stone skin. I meet the officers' gazes, a silent vow passing between us. A vow to keep her safe, to bring this twisted soul to justice.

As the police depart, their assurances of swift action ringing in our ears, I tuck Ecco further into the shelter of my body, wrapping a wing around her protectively again.

I will keep her safe. Even if it means shattering every rule, every teaching of my clan. Even if it means unleashing the full, terrifying power of what I am.

For her, I would move mountains.

The walk back to the Moonflower Inn seems like an eternity compressed into a few short blocks. My jaw is clenched so tightly it hurts. I scan our surroundings, my eyes piercing the lengthening shadows with hawklike intensity, searching for any hint of a threat.

Beside me, Ecco moves with a fluid grace, her steps light and quick. But the tension in her shoulders, the tightness around her eyes, betrays the fear she's trying so hard to conceal.

Internally, I seethe. I'm angry at myself, for not being faster, stronger, more vigilant. For failing her, even for a moment.

And angry at her , too.

At her stubbornness, her insistence on putting herself in harm's way for the sake of a silly children's choir. Hadn't I told her this was too much of a risk? Does she not understand the danger?

But even as the thought crosses my mind, I know the answer. She's not used to this, to living a life restricted by fear and caution.

To her, I'm an inconvenience, a shadow looming over her bright, vibrant world.

The knowledge stings, a barb lodged beneath my skin.

As we enter our shared suite, the whimsical enchantments—fragrant rose petals drifting fresh from the ceiling each time we walk through the door, the crackling, romantic fire in the hearth—only serve to heighten my agitation.

The jarring contrast between the room's amorous atmosphere and the tension building between us is almost laughable.

I slam the door shut, the sound reverberating through the room like a gunshot.

Ecco whirls on me, her eyes flashing with indignation. "Gods, what is wrong with you? Don't tell me you're seriously mad at me right now?"

The accusation in her tone raises my hackles. I take a step forward, my body looming over hers, my voice a low, dangerous growl.

"Yes, Ecco, I am mad! Do you understand now why I was so worried about this choir practice? Why I've been working so hard to try to keep you safe?"

My words hang in the air between us, heavy with all the things I'm not saying. The depth of my fear for her, the desperation clawing at my throat.

She has to understand.

She has to see how much she means to me.

But Ecco's chin juts out defiantly, her hands planted on her hips.

"So what, you expect me to just live my life in constant fear? To hide away and let this stalker control my every move? I'm not like you, Graeme," she continues, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm not afraid of made-up boogeymen. I refuse to let fear dictate my choices."

The words cut deep, a knife twisting in my gut.

Made-up boogeymen? Is that what she thinks of my clan's sacred duty? Of the centuries we've spent guarding the Black Mountains pass, holding back the tide of darkness that threatens to engulf our world?

I clench my fists, my frustration mounting. "Despite what you might think of me and my family, it should be obvious that this danger isn't made up, Ecco! Your stalker is real, and they're a genuine threat to your safety. Why can't you see that?"

My patience snaps, and I can hear the command in my voice, knowing how angry it'll make Ecco but powerless to hold in the words.

"You have no sense of self-preservation, you maddening woman," I bark. "From now on, you are not leaving this room, not until the stalker is caught."

I half-expect her to argue, to rail against my high-handedness. But instead, something flashes in her eyes, a heat that has nothing to do with anger.

She steps forward, her body brushing against mine, and tilts her chin up defiantly. "Oh yeah? Make me."

The challenge in her words, the invitation in her eyes, is my undoing.

My hand tangles in her hair as I haul her against me and claim her mouth in a bruising kiss.