While Scorched Earth finishes baking, I thought I'd serve a sweet taste of what I'm working on now. Welcome back to the Iron & Hemlock universe!
Gargoyle
Girl
Gargoyle Girl
Copyright ©
2014 by Autumn Dawn
***
Gargoyle Girl
Sometimes a heart of stone is a good thing.
Super-duper book blurb here.
Chapter 1
“I’ve heard good things about this house.” The
old woman’s bones creaked as she maneuvered her navy taffeta skirts up the
stone steps. Her face was weathered, but her black eyes were sharp and her
white hair was in a neat bun. The old dame knew her business, knew the right
impression to make. She’d survived the French Purge, saving one precious child
from the butchers. They’d fled to England to make a new life, and she would do
all in her power to see the girl found a new clan.
Cachet nodded and absently wished
she could adjust her wings. Carefully folded against her back, they itched with
tension. At least the humans couldn’t see through the glamour; she didn’t want
the night to end in flames and pitchforks.
She was only forty-six, and the
invitation to the party at Lord Griffin’s house had made her swoop with
excitement. Not only was it the most glamorous thing that had ever happened to
her, but the house was rumored to be a hotbed of magical activity. What better
place to find other gargoyles?
Lord and Lady Griffin welcomed
their guests in the front foyer. A former playboy, Lord Griffin looked
resplendent in his black tailcoat. His tawny hair appeared as if he’d raced to
the party on a horse and leapt off moments ago. With his hooked nose and
slightly pointed chin, he seemed predatory, and he studied Cachet with brown
eyes that glinted gold.
Lady Griffin was elegant in a boat
neck burgundy gown with a front skirt gathered and pleated to reveal the
ruffled black underskirt. Her black hair was pinned up and decorated with an
unusual fascinator. The silver griffin had golden topaz for eyes and was accented
with several brown feathers traced with gold.
Her blue eyes lit with pleasure
when she saw Cachet. “My dear, welcome!” Her smile widened as her gaze swept
Cachet’s form. “You will be very
popular with the young men.” She kissed Cachet’s cheeks in and warmly welcomed
Cachet’s grandmother. “Mrs. Black, I’ve so looked forward to meeting you in
person. Our house welcomes you.”
Mrs. Black smiled with pleasure.
“I’m excited to further our acquaintance, my lady.” She ushered Cachet into the
party, surveying the gathering crowd, and settled stiffly on a couch. “Ah, I
could sit here for a hundred years,” she said wearily. Under the glamour, her
true skin had become very stiff, with an ashy cast that had been worsening over
the last few months. She wouldn’t be able to rise without assistance.
“Not yet, Grandma,” Cachet said
softly, attempting to smile. Even with the glamour, her face was too strong,
her eyes too big for conventional human beauty. Her ebony hair and tan human
skin was unfashionable, and her filed talons had to be disguised as French
manicured nails, a somewhat racy choice for an English miss.
She was used to being a wallflower
at these gatherings, her family considered odd. She sighed and glanced
longingly across the room at a dark window, wishing she could escape the
overwhelming noise and smells of beeswax, perfume and perspiring human. Grandma
hadn’t flown in years, so Cachet did the hunting. She could be out there now,
snagging a fat rabbit, surrounded by the scent of pine and earth.
She straightened as a body blocked
her view. She looked up and gasped. Another gargoyle!
Handsome, his wings hooked over
his chest like a cloak. He had a strong, deeply boned ebony face with large
dark eyes and white hair that fell past his shoulders in in a silky mane.
She froze, suddenly shy, and went
gargoyle still to avoid detection. Her heart raced, and she fought the frantic
urge to see if her hair was smooth and her wings arranged to their best
advantage. Did he like short girls? She was unbecomingly petite for a gargoyle…
That was when she noticed that he
was gazing at her grandmother with surprise and concern. He stopped before the
couch and bowed politely. “May I help you, elder? Are you alone?”
Mrs. Black sniffed, scenting the
air with her old nose. She paused, arrested, and exhaled with great relief.
“Take care of her. Make her happy,” she murmured.
Startled, he finally seemed to
notice Cachet. His eyes widened in surprise, his gaze slowly sweeping her form.
She snapped out of her daze, trembling
with excitement as her grandmother introduced her. “This is my granddaughter,
Cachet Black. You may call me Mrs. Black. And you are?”
The gargoyle bowed politely. “My
name is Rook. My brothers are here somewhere; there are four of us at Griffin
House.”
Four! Four male gargoyles! Cachet
wanted to dance with joy. She had four potential mates to choose from…if they
liked her. She bit her lip. “May I meet them?” she asked shyly.
“Of course.” Rook glanced at the
Mrs. Black for permission and held out his hand. “We might see them better from
the dance floor.”
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