Myths and Gargoyles by Jamie Hawke (interesting books to read in english txt) 📕

part of my power lay in the realm of seduction—of bending the will of others to get what I want—but wasn’t sure. You proved in part that it’s true, but also that you are strong-willed.”

“Isn’t it possible that I simply thought you were attractive and…” Even as the words came out, I knew that was only half of it. Considering what we’d been through, me making a move like this really didn’t make a lot of sense unless I factored in some sort of attraction spell like she was talking about. “Damn, so you’re like… some sort of succubus.”

“No.” She sat up, taking my hands and holding them while staring into my eyes. “I’m no demon, I promise you that.”

“A gargoyle can’t be both?”

“I don’t know, but I can tell you what I am or am not, and I’m definitely no demon, especially not one that would suck your life or whatever via sex.”

“Only one way to find out.” I winked, squeezing her hands.

She frowned. “I might have to see if there’s a way to dim the effects of my powers.”

I laughed, hearing myself. “Yes, that might be smart.”

“That, or get it out of the way to cut the tension.” She stood and started for the door. “But first, we need to figure out a game plan, and probably see about teaching you some more spells. We need to be ready in case they find a way around those wards.”

“But you said they couldn’t.”

“What do I know?” She laughed and held the door for me this time. “I can’t even remember how I got here. Better to be prepared, though, in case.”

76

“Your ex was looking for something, right?” Ebrill started as we worked our way back to the room where my aunt had died. “Did she give any indication of what that might be?”

“She mentioned something, more than once. The word, what was it. Hona? Something like that.”

Ebrill glanced over and frowned. “Liahona?”

“That’s it!” I couldn’t help but notice the worry in her eyes. “You remember?”

“Something about protecting that thing,” Ebrill said. “Nothing more.”

We entered the room and froze.

“She was here when we left… right?” I stared at the spot where my aunt’s body had been. It was now an empty spot on the floor, the shape of her body outlined by the debris surrounding it. “I’m not going crazy. I’m not.”

“As far as I know, both are true.”

“Bodies don’t get up and walk away. Not in reality…” My eyes met hers, a nervous chuckle following. “Then again, in my reality magic doesn’t exist and statues certainly don’t come to life.”

“I was more than a statue, before I was a statue.”

I frowned. “And that helps?”

“Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. But, what do we know?”

Racking my brain, I shrugged, feeling hopeless. “This was my aunt’s house. She apparently knew some magic and passed some of it to me. Or, the ability to learn more, maybe?”

“And if this was her house, we have to assume that she knew something about me,” Ebrill added.

“Why?”

“Because Kordelia and I were statues on her roof.” She began looking among the fallen objects. “That has to mean something. Maybe we can find a clue as to why.”

“Now that you mention it, your style doesn’t exactly fit her taste. Knowing that she was into magic, and that you came to life, she must have brought you in from somewhere else.”

“The odd part of that being that she never brought me to life,” Ebrill replied.

“Maybe she did, but your memory resets each time?”

Ebrill considered this, pausing in her search, but then shook her head. “I wouldn’t know if that were the case, but I don’t think so. Bits of memories are returning, and none relate to anything in this time period. Nothing with the woman whose corpse we saw here on the way down.”

“Bringing us back to the question of where the hell her body went.” Something she had said caught my interest, though. “Wait, time period?”

“Yes. I see men and women in a very different style of dress, riding horses and carrying swords.”

“Actually, that’s fascinating. You’re describing what could be a medieval time, maybe, which kind of checks out with your armor… what little you have.”

She turned my way, eyebrow arched. “You don’t think it’s enough?”

I gulped, eyes moving along her hips. “From the perspective of a young man such as myself, it’s the perfect amount.”

That earned me a laugh. She returned to her search but paused only a moment later, shaking her head.

“This isn’t the place,” she said, heading for the door.

“It has to be. She used a spell to get back here, she—”

“No, this is the room that led to the roof, and maybe was supposed to be a safety room of sorts, but it wasn’t where she would have kept her darkest, most secret treasures.”

“And you have an idea where she might?”

“I… know where I would, if I were her.”

Or so she thought. We moved along the various passages for what felt like hours, her running a hand along walls. She stopped to listen to the house at times, and then muttered curses. I didn’t mind initially, considering what a view I had. While I felt bad for staring so much at first, this lady was so beautiful it almost felt like a crime not to. She was focused on finding answers, but my mind was more interested in the distraction from all of this that burying my face between her breasts would be.

As we were passing my room, I remembered the stains her fingers had left on my shirt and said, “Just a sec.”

“A what?”

“One moment.” I stepped in, went to my suitcase and found a new shirt. I quickly took off the old one, then noticed her looking at me to the extent that now I felt like the eye candy.

“Not bad, my lord.”

“Why do you call me that?”

She grinned as I put my shirt on, and said, “For the fun of it. You’re clearly not a lord, no offense, but