Page 4 of Enchanted by the Gargoyle (The Crescent Coven #1)

Ezren

H er hand grips my forearm tightly, the yellow static electricity buzzing through my veins like fire and ice, making me want to pull her close to me so I can feel her soft body against my hard stone.

Her eyes are closed so tightly that I can barely see her long, blonde eyelashes.

When she’s like this, I can focus on just looking at her, how her very presence soothes me, and not feel like a creep.

But it’s pretty clear she’s not even aware of what is happening right now; her brain is far away.

My eyes linger on her plump lips, wondering what they might feel like pressed against mine.

Would she recoil? What would my lips feel like to her?

I’m so focused on their color, like the soft red of the fall leaves outside, when I notice that her face has gone from its normal color to pale and ghostlike in seconds.

“Tamsin?” I shake my arm a little, hoping to snap her back into this plane of existence.

“One more second, I think I just about have it.” She murmurs. Her lovely lips are drained of color.

“Tamsin!” I shout, shooting to my feet as she starts to slide sideways off the chair.

She lands in my arms with a soft flump , eyelids fluttering.

I look around to see if there is anyone coming from the parking lot, but it's deserted.

What do I do? Anger flares inside me at the injustice of being trapped here for so long that I never got to know humans enough to ever attempt to revive one.

I lay her flat on the floor and kneel over her, putting my ear to her mouth to see if she’s breathing, and let out a huff of relief when I not only hear her steady breath, but her heartbeat as well.

“Whatcha doing’ there big guy?” Her words are blurred and heavy.

I jump back, embarrassed that I’m so close to her.

“You fainted. I was checking your breathing. I’m not the best to be around in a human medical emergency, unfortunately.

” I look down to see her small body spread underneath me, and I feel like a big, stone freak hovering over her.

Just as I’m about to scoot back and give her some space, her hand floats back to my face.

She strokes my chin, the pad of her thumb tracing my bottom lip.

It’s a good thing I’m a solid piece of granite that sits still most of the day, because the moment her hand touches me, I freeze, unsure of what to do, my eyes darting around.

“Thanks for catching me.” Her voice is low and sweet, like honey.

“Well, I couldn’t very well let you go,” I say.

I hate how strangled my voice sounds, and then the words that just came out of my mouth register in my brain, and I groan internally.

What did I even mean by ‘ I couldn’t let her go?

’ I clear my throat, as it's closing up now, threatening to cut me off from ever speaking to a female ever again. “I mean, uhm, I couldn’t let you fall over. And hit your head. That would be bad. Human skulls are fragile, I’ve learned. ”

Her mouth twists up, the corners twitching. “Right. You couldn’t let my fragile human noggin’ hit the floor. That would indeed be bad.”

Her hand is trailing a hot path down my neck, and it's a wonder that I haven't collapsed on top of her, since my knees have gone weak. A part of me wonders why she hasn't asked me to get up yet.

“How are you feeling now?” I ask anxiously.

“Embarrassed.”

“Oh, well, you shouldn’t be embarrassed.

It’s my understanding that magic uses up a lot of energy from the witch or warlock wielding it, and since you were just out here yesterday, it makes sense.

” Now I sound pompous. I don’t know that much about magic.

I need to stop rambling and get this woman up off my floor before someone sees and thinks I’m trying to squish her to death.

She lets out a small giggle, her hand now dangerously close to the top of my chest. I have very sensitive nipples, and I’m not sure if I want her to keep touching me. Or maybe I do.

“That isn’t why I’m embarrassed.” She pauses, her pupils blown out completely as her hand fits over my heart.

“I’m pretty certain you heard me say that I would be using you for my personal fantasies yesterday, and now here you are, practically lying on top of me, and frankly, it’s only adding to the fantasy situation happening in my head, Ezren. ”

Her words are all muddled in my head because she is right.

I absolutely heard her say that when she left, and I absolutely spent the next several hours zoning out, waiting for the sun to go down, thinking about whether she went home and touched herself, thinking of me.

It was too much to hope that I would ever see her again, and now here she was, in my office, on my floor, with her tiny human fingers circling my nipple.

“Tamsin,” I choke out. “Unless you want me to kiss you until your lips are bruised, I think you should stop playing with my nipple,” I lie.

“Maybe that is exactly what I want.” She whispers, heat evident in her gaze.

Like a moth drawn to a flame I bend my head down, her juicy lips mere millimeters from mine, when my brain screams at me what the fuck Ezren, she literally just passed out!

Rearing back to sit on my heels, I take a few deep breaths.

She thinks I know what I’m doing, that I know how this mating ritual is supposed to go.

Her gaze, her body, is begging for me to take this further, and I’m a boat unmoored. A clueless dolt.

“I would love nothing more than to kiss you, but you’re not well, Tamsin, and I can’t be that monster that loses control.

I don’t even know what I’m doing. There’s gotta be someone I can call to come give you a ride.

I don’t think you should drive,” I say, as I wring my hands, and then finally stand up.

I back up a step or two just to be safe, to bring some control to myself.

Beryl pops out from under the desk, rubbing her fluffy body on the table leg. “Meowr?” She snags a claw experimentally on my jeans before starting to climb up my body like a billy goat.

“Oh, uh, okay, be careful there, kitty cat.” I steal a look at Tamsin, still on the floor, because I don’t know if this is normal cat behavior. Beryl is perched on my thigh, looking around from her new vantage point with interest.

Tamsin looks bemusedly at us from the floor before sitting up on her elbows, and then rolling up to sit crisscrossed on the floor, her back leaning against the wall. She heaves a sigh.

“You’re right, Ezren. Sorry. I feel like being honest with you.” She pauses, staring off into the opposite wall. “I have been feeling off lately, and I haven't told anyone. I don’t want the fuss, and I don’t know why my magic is making me weak.”

Her candor is comforting, and I feel my shoulders relax.

“I’m sorry that is happening. It must be scary.

But I’m glad you were honest with me. I don’t do well with double-speak; it's confusing, and I get flustered,” I pause.

“For the record, I was going to kiss you.” And attempt to do other things. Poorly.

She smirks. “I know. But it wouldn’t have been right, like you said. Anyway, I can call my friend Sybil to come get me.” Tamsin snorts out a laugh, tugging her phone out of her bag.

“What?”

“When she sees you, she is going to never let me hear the end of it.” She’s tapping on the screen, pulling up a picture of a black haired witch with intense eyes.

“What do you mean?” I look down at myself. Are my clothes wrong? I always struggle with things fitting; it’s impossible. Or maybe it’s my office, it’s still too messy.

She must see the panicked look on my face. “Oh, no, no, no. Nothing bad, Ezren. All good things.” She takes a deep breath. “She is going to make fun of me because she will realize why I am attracted to you.”

My brain short-circuits, and I don’t know what to say. I gesture to myself, “To me? You’re attracted to me?” She played with your nipples, you fool!

She laughs as she stands, still wobbly on her feet. I rush over to offer my arm, which she takes, standing so close to me, her warmth is seeping into my cold stone body.

“Yes, you!” She bats playfully at me, and I catch her hand in mine.

“But, why?” I want to press my lips into the meaty part of her small palm, to capture that warmth. But, I shouldn’t.

“Let’s talk about that tomorrow.” Her smile lights me up, and I want to see her smile like that every single day.

“Tomorrow?” Is there going to be a tomorrow where I get to see her again? I need to make sure that she means it.

“Yes, tomorrow. Come by my shop, and then we can walk around the town, and I’ll give you a little tour of everything you’ve missed out on. I fixed your little binding spell, for now.”

We hear a rap on the office door, breaking us apart.

“Oh. My. Goddess!” It’s the black haired witch, and her jaw is wide open. “Hot damn, Tamsin!”

How did she get here so fast? Tamsin doesn’t bat an eye when she sees her, so it must be a witch thing.

Tamsin rolls her eyes and whispers to me. “I’ll see you tomorrow, around ten, okay?” She reaches up and pulls Beryl off my shoulder. “Come on, Beryl!”

“Hi, I’m Sybil, so lovely to meet you!” Sybil extends her hand out, and I’m about to take it before Tamsin hooks her arm into Sybil's, guiding her toward the door. I hear Tamsin hiss, “Behave yourself!”

Sybil just gives her a wide, tight smile, whispering back, “I always behave myself!”

She turns to me. “Thanks for taking such good care of her. See you around!”

The door shuts behind them, leaving me alone, but thrilled for tomorrow when I get to see Tamsin and the town. But, mostly excited about spending most of the day with Tamsin.

With a start, I realize she wants me to come during the day. Does that mean she fixed my turning to stone?