The Gargoyle Gets His Girl

by Kristen Painter

  Willa rolled her eyes but laughed anyway. “You’re one to talk. When’s the last time you had a date?”

  “I’m married to the market, baby.” But Pandora’s smile faded. “I feel like most of the good men in this town are taken or not my type. Being a witch makes things a little trickier, you know? Probably my standards are too high. I want hot, smart, and owns his own place.”

  “Nick is all those things.”

  “He is. But he’s a little too…rugged for me. I mean, rugged is good. But I don’t need a guy who looks like he could bench press me. And besides, you’ve got him locked up now anyway.”

  “I don’t know about locked up.” She wasn’t sure about all the good men in town being taken, either.

  “Look,” Pandora said as she shifted to tuck one leg under her. “You’re a great judge of character. When you see him, you’ll get a vibe. He’s either going to be past caring what happens between you two, or apologetic and wanting to fix things. I think I already know which one he’s going to be, but see for yourself.”

  “I guess.” Willa took one last bite of eggs.

  Pandora shook her head, a sad light in her eyes. “Time is fleeting, Willa. I thought by now I’d be married and have kids, but…the fates didn’t have that plan for me.”

  Willa put her hand over Pandora’s. Pandora’s high school sweetheart had been killed in a car accident and the witch blamed herself even though everyone close to her knew it wasn’t her fault. Willa hoped she’d realize that, too, and finally give some guy a chance. “It’s never too late, you know.”

  “I know.” But Pandora’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “So give him a chance.”

  Willa’s heart broke for her friend and made her realize she didn’t want Nick to be one more regret in her life. She nodded. “I will.”

  Nick leaned against the wall of Merrow’s office, too tense to sit. This mess with Willa was his fault. He should have said something about who he was. Should have known she wasn’t up to anything shady. Things had gone FUBAR fast. And he needed to make it right.

  Merrow gave him the side-eye. “You going to stand the whole time?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  A loud cry of concern erupted from the reception area. “Willa, you poor dear, I heard all about what happened.”

  Birdie. And apparently, Willa had arrived. Her answers were too quiet for Nick to make out clearly, but she sounded sad to him and that cut, because that sadness was his fault.

  She walked into Merrow’s office a minute later, her gaze flicking from the sheriff to Nick, but the frustration in those aqua depths remained the same. “Sheriff, I know you need my statement, but I’d like to speak privately with Nick first.”

  That surprised him. Actually, he was surprised she was talking to him at all.

  Merrow got up. “Use the office. I have some paperwork to file. Birdie’s lousy at it.” He took his coffee cup and left, shutting the door behind him.

  Willa’s hands twisted. “We need to talk this out.”

  “Agreed,” Nick said. “And I should go first. I’m sorry. I never intended to hurt you. I should have been up front with you right away. Blame it on old instincts and too much training—no.” He shook his head. “Blame it on me for not trusting you to begin with. What happened in the past is ancient history. Let’s leave it like that.”

  “Thank you.” She stared at the ground. “I am sorry about what my people did to your people. I really had no idea.”

  “I know that now. And it wasn’t your fault anyway. It was unfair of me to hold it against you.”

  “I hope you know I would never force someone to do something they didn’t want to.” She glanced at the door. “That’s the whole reason I ran away from home in the first place. The kind of fae I am—”

  “Lapidus.”

  She nodded. “We’re rare. Most fae have enough power to do basic parlor tricks—bend metal, levitate stones, that sort of thing—but always one or the other, never both. My parents figured out pretty quickly that my gifts were much bigger than that and much more complex. I was tested when I was seven—all fae are—and that confirmed I was lapidus.”

  “And that’s when things went south.”

  She nodded, took a seat in one of the two chairs across from the sheriff’s desk and folded her hands in her lap. He sat beside her, but she didn’t look at him. “As soon as I was pronounced lapidus, my life changed instantly. I was taken out of school and put into a special training program. I was forced to leave all my friends behind. I saw my parents only during selected times. It was made very clear to me that my life had one purpose—to serve in the court of the fae king and do his bidding.”

  She laughed bitterly. “I guess the king was a nice enough man, but to me he represented everything that had been taken away from me.”

  “How old were you when you ran?”

  “Fourteen. For the first few years when my parents came to visit, I begged them to get me out, to take me home. They would just smile nervously and tell me things would get better.”

  She took a ragged breath. “Eventually, they stopped smiling and started scolding me. Telling me I was squandering an amazing opportunity. Then the visits just stopped. Not long after I turned thirteen, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I refused to do any of my lessons. I argued with my instructors. Then I stopped talking altogether.

  “They sent my father in to speak to me and he made it very clear that my actions were hurting the rest of them. I didn’t know what that meant until he explained I now had two more siblings.”

  She finally looked up at Nick, her eyes shining and liquid. “The fae court had not only rewarded my parents for having me, they’d paid my parents to have more children in hopes of getting themselves another lapidus, but when I’d started my rebellion, the fae court had punished my parents.”

  Nick’s gut clenched. He wanted to reach out to her. He just wasn’t sure the gesture would be welcome. “Have you met your siblings?”

  “No. I don’t know their names or even if they’re brothers or sisters. I used to imagine them, what they were like. If they looked like me. If they’d like me if we met, but all that did was remind me of everything that had happened.”

  Her eyes focused on something distant. “I had become a golden ticket to my parents. A cash cow, who was, unfortunately for them, refusing to produce any more milk.

  “I knew then no one was going to help me. I poured myself back into my studies, letting those in charge think I’d learned my lesson. We were deep into metal work then, learning the different types and their properties. I enjoyed it, and I was good at it, but not enough to want to stay. As soon as things went lax around me, I ran.”

  Nick understood more than she knew. “Have you seen your parents since?”

  She shook her head. “No. I stayed well under the radar until I was eighteen, but since then, I haven’t taken any great pains to hide myself. They can’t do anything to me now, and the fae court can’t conscript a fae over eighteen into service, so there’s not much to hide from. At least I don’t think there is. Old instincts die hard.”

  He snorted. “Don’t I know it.”

  She smiled weakly. “I guess you do.”

  He took her hand. “I would much rather be on your side than against you.”

  Her smile grew a little. “I feel the same way about you. The miserable thing is, because of this stalker and my inability to make anything to protect myself, I really do need someone’s protection.”

  “I’m really, really good at that, you know.”

  She laughed softly. “So I’m learning.”

  “And I’m technically still bound to you until you’re safe.”

  She squinted at him. “How does that work, exactly?”

  “It’s old magic that’s been built into us. Gargoyles are designed to protect, so when someone makes a request of us and seals that request with an offering of stone, we are bound to that person until
the request is fulfilled.”

  “How do you get unbound to that person?”

  “Either the situation is resolved or they release us.”

  “Well, consider yourself released. I’d rather have you of your own free will.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that. But you should know the Ellinghams want you looked after too.”

  “I’m okay with that. It was part of my deal with them. In a way.” She studied him. “Does that happen a lot? The request thing?”

  “It’s never happened to me.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “It’s the kind of thing you know is possible, but in this day and age…” He shrugged. “People don’t know the old ways like they used to. Rituals like that get forgotten.”

  “By people like me.”

  He leaned in. “By everyone. Except those of us who might actually be affected by them.”

  “You said something about being in the foster system as a kid when we were at dinner.”

  He nodded.

  “How did you come through that knowing so much about who you are?”

  He took a breath. “A lot of effort. And one really good set of foster parents who helped me. They were shifters, too. Avian. Sparrows. Kind, smart people.”

  He smiled at the memory. “We used to go flying together in the early hours of the morning when it was dark and the human world was still asleep.” He laughed softly. “Can you imagine what a strange sight that was? Two house sparrows and a leviathan class gargoyle soaring through the sky like some kind of strange Disney movie. Even as a kid I was enormous in my true form, and they were, well, sparrows.”

  “Are they the reason for the two birds tattooed on your chest?”

  “Yes.” He took a breath. “They helped me learn everything I could about my kind. Warned me about the fae. Wanted to adopt me, but…”

  Memories made it too hard to hold onto the joy of those brief days.

  She squeezed his hand. “What happened?”

  “She got cancer. It went fast. State moved me out. I heard he died a year later. Broken heart, the case worker said. I went into the military as soon as I was old enough, and that was that.”

  “Oh, Nick. I’m so sorry.” Her throat worked up and down like she was trying to swallow a sob. “You must think I’m an idiot to run away from perfectly good parents and a perfectly good life.”

  He looked at her. “Didn’t sound perfectly good from what you told me.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  He shook his head. “You did the right thing. The fae court would have changed you. Might have even turned you into a weapon.”

  She bent her head to one side. “Isn’t that what the military did to you?”

  “No,” he smiled wryly. “I was already a weapon. The military gave me a place to do what I was best at. But you? I’ve seen the work in your shop. You’re an artist.”

  “Thank you.”

  He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “Let me protect you, Willa. Let me do what I’m best at. What I was designed to do.”

  She nodded, her voice almost a whisper. “Okay.”

  “Does that mean you’ll come back and stay with me?”

  She hesitated.

  He pulled away a little. “If things went too fast for you, I totally understand. We can go right back to the getting to know each other phase.”

  “I think we’re past that, but maybe we should slow things down a little.”

  “I’m cool with that.” He shrugged. “Really, I just miss Jasper.”

  She laughed. “You were so good with him.” A soft sigh and she conceded. “I’ll come back.”

  “Good.” A lightness filled him. “I’ll feel better being able to keep an eye on you in case this creep comes around. Where did you go, anyway?”

  “Pandora Williams’. She’s an old friend.”

  He nodded. “My real estate agent.”

  “Funny story, she wanted to introduce me to you after you moved to town, but I wouldn’t let her set me up because of how busy I was.”

  He let out a moan. “You mean Jasper and I could have been hanging out for months already? Sad.”

  She laughed again. “Yeah, well, clearly I don’t always make the best decisions.”

  “You’re doing fine.” He stood. “Ready to give your statement?”

  “Yes. Ready to put all this behind me, too.”

  While Nick went to get the sheriff, Willa did a few cleansing breaths to rid herself of the uncomfortable feelings her bad memories had dredged up. Sharing everything with Nick like that had definitely made her feel better, she just hoped they could move past it. They were both coming into this relationship with a lot of baggage.

  And baggage was something she liked to avoid.

  Sheriff Merrow walked in with Nick behind him. Both men sat, Nick beside her and the sheriff at his desk.

  He pulled out a recording device and set it on the desk between them. “I hope you don’t mind. It’s easier if I record these things and then have Birdie transcribe them.”

  She waved a hand. “No, it’s fine.”

  “All right.” He switched the device on. “Tell me everything you know about the man you believe to be stalking you.”

  She took a breath. “His name is Martin Burnside. He lives in Coulder, Arkansas. He’s a troll, specifically a rock troll from what I’ve been able to gather. He contacted me through my shop’s website. He wanted a ring to bring him a second true love. His first wife died, and after a period of mourning, he decided he’d been alone long enough.”

  Sheriff Merrow nodded. “You agreed to make him this ring?”

  “I did. Explained how much it would cost and what I’d need from him. He paid and supplied me with the item necessary. All done through emails and regular mail. After his payment went through, I ordered the materials and made the ring.”

  She frowned. “Unfortunately, in the course of making it, I cut myself. I thought I cleaned the ring up, but I now believe that a trace of my blood was left behind and it corrupted the magic used to finish the ring. I think my blood is why he became fixated on me. Why he thinks I’m the only woman for him now.”

  She sighed. “At one point, I thought it was all over. He emailed to say he was sorry and that he wouldn’t contact me again, but it wasn’t twenty-four hours later that the emails started up again. I think what probably happened was he took the ring off. As soon as he put it back on, the feelings about me returned.”

  “You have copies of those emails?” the sheriff asked.

  She nodded. “I’ve saved them all. It was harmless stuff, or so I thought. Love poems, links to love song videos, stuff like that.”

  “Nothing actionable,” Sheriff Merrow said. “But not necessarily harmless.”

  “Then he sent me flowers. I almost came to see you then, but sending flowers isn’t a crime.”

  “No, it’s not,” the sheriff agreed. “Were they from Marigold’s?”

  “Yes. They were pretty, but I ended up tossing them out the next morning.”

  Sheriff Merrow wrote something down. “I’ll confirm with her that Burnside sent them.”

  “When was this?” Nick asked.

  She looked at Nick. “That was the first night I went to the fountain. I just wanted Burnside to leave me alone. I didn’t wish him any ill will, but I didn’t know the extent to which he’d take things.”

  Nick made a gruff noise. “And now we know he’s in town.”

  Sheriff Merrow nodded. “We haven’t turned up a Martin Burnside staying anywhere within town limits, so he’s most likely using an assumed name. Which just makes me think he is our guy. If he’s harmless, why not use his real name?” He looked at Willa. “You’re at Nick’s, right?”

  She shot Nick a look. “Yes.”

  The sheriff tapped the recorder off. “Willa, it’s not a secret that the Ellinghams want you protected. Besides the fact that they consider you a very important member of the community, they don’t
want any harm to come to you.”

  “Or the town’s reputation,” Willa added. “After Delaney Ellingham’s abduction and Ivy being poisoned, I’m sure they don’t want any more bad press.”

  “It’s not just that, Willa. Nocturne Falls is supposed to be a haven for our kind. If supernaturals can’t feel safe here, then the town isn’t working the way it’s supposed to.”

  She nodded. “I get it. And I’m okay with it.”

  “Good, because until this situation is resolved, Nick has been assigned as your personal protection duty.”

  “I know.”

  The sheriff’s brows knit together. “You understand I’m talking round the clock protection.”

  “Sure, I—wait, Nick’s not going to lose his job at the fountain over this, is he?”

  Sheriff Merrow snorted. “Hardly. If anything, I’d say he’s gotten a promotion. I’m sure he prefers spending time with you over sitting on the fountain stage entertaining the late-night crowd.”

  Willa laughed. “I wouldn’t say he was exactly entertaining the late-night crowd. He didn’t say a single word.”

  “Hey,” Nick said. “I can be entertaining.”

  “One on one,” Willa mumbled.

  Nick snorted.

  The sheriff pulled a face. “About this ring. Is there a way to…break the magic you put into it?”

  She sighed. “I don’t know. I’ve never had to do that before. But I did talk to Pandora Williams about it, and she said she’d research it.”

  “Good. You find out anything, you let me know. In the meantime, we’ll keep looking for Burnside.” He glanced at Nick. “Keep her safe.”

  “Will do,” Nick said.

  The sheriff stood. “Burnside’s prints haven’t come back yet, but once we have the proof he was the one who broke into your apartment, I’ll put out a bulletin. We’ll get him picked up.”

  Willa stayed seated. “You mean if you find him.”

  “He’s a rock troll. He won’t stay hidden long.” Sheriff Merrow lifted a finger. “That reminds me, we think there’s a good chance he’ll come to the shop.”

  “I can’t afford to close it. Not with the crowd in town for Red, White and Boo. I can’t afford to let the brownies run it by themselves either. They’ll give everything away.”