ELISE HAD BEEN SEARCHING for Marguerite since she woke and found the note. She must’ve run out during the night. After searching the nearby streets, she returned to the hotel, knowing that Lucan would arrive soon. She paced the hotel lobby, maneuvering around visitors and their bulky luggage.

She bit her fingernails, a terrible habit, but not one she would try to tame at the moment.

Lucan steered her outside the hotel. The brightness of the sun beamed down on her like a spotlight as she shielded her eyes with her hand.

“What do you mean she ran away?” he demanded. “When?”

“While I was sleeping. She left a note and said she was leaving. She didn’t say where she was going.”

He heaved his chest out with an exhale. “At least that means she wasn’t taken. Why do you think she left?”

Elise glanced around. The wharf extended out to where a lighthouse perched and dozens of boats dotted the harbor. Marguerite likely didn’t head in that direction without access to one of the vessels, so she must have headed inland.

“She was upset when we returned last night. I told her it was natural to have mixed feelings about meeting you, and that she should try to have an open mind today.”

When she turned to face him, his expression had hardened with a grim look.

“Shit. It’s my fault, isn’t it?” he said. “I made things worse.”

“No, it’s—well, everything. This is a difficult time in a girl’s life and it’s been exacerbated with all the changes—not only with her parents, but with her body as well.”

Lucan ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t have any idea about preteen girls.”

Confusion marred his features and she yearned to ease his distress. “I know this is difficult for you as well, but I’m glad you came to meet her. It means a lot to Marguerite—even if it doesn’t seem that way right now.” She put her hand on her heart. “It means a lot to me, too.”

Lucan scanned her with a look that left her breathless. His gaze pinned her a little too long and a little too deeply.

“You care about her a great deal,” he said.

She ran a hand over her arm and rubbed it. “I do. Veronique wasn’t very maternal, so I took on that role.”

“Thank you, Elise. I appreciate you taking care of my daughter.”

His gratitude warmed her. Her family had never expressed any gratitude for what she did. She’d practically been invisible.

She avoided glancing up at him to avoid him probing her with those eyes again. “I’ve been searching for her through these neighborhoods.” She motioned at the roads with brick buildings leading away from the harbor. I’m guessing she just wants space, but I don’t like her being out there alone.”

“Right,” he agreed. “We have to look for her.”

“Together?” She pulled her gaze to his face.

“Together.”

When their eyes met, it was just like that unexpected sizzle from last night. Her body froze while she heated from the inside out. The sparks that passed between them had seared her with that strange sense of connection.

He was a womanizer. That’s what Veronique told her, justifying her reaction of cursing him. Elise had to remember that.

Lucan broke eye contact and cleared his throat. “It makes more sense for us to search for her together.” His voice came out louder and gruffer. “I don’t know much about her, and you do. But, I do know the area well. And we could take to the air.”

She whipped her head back and glanced up. “The air?” she repeated.

“Naturally. The best way to find her is by searching from an aerial view. I’ll use gargoyle magic to cloak us from humans.” 

She blinked a few times. “We’re going to—fly?”

Yes,” he replied matter-of-factly as if it was an everyday occurrence.

For him, maybe. But for her, she preferred the sturdiness of the ground beneath her feet.

“I’m going to tell my brothers what’s going on,” he said.

He turned away on the sidewalk and stood motionless, like a statue. She glanced at his profile. His nose was straight and chin strong, the hard lines and curves gave him a rugged appeal.

With his statue-like stillness, she guessed he was communicating telepathically. She didn’t have that ability nor did any witch in her coven, but, she wouldn’t be surprised if some of the more powerful ones were able to do so.

He faced her and asked, “Do you have a picture of her?”

She shook her head. “No. I didn’t think to bring one.”

If she was like the humans around here snapping selfies on every block, she would have had several on her phone. But, there was no need for her to have a phone like that. Technology was magic for humans, just like divination, potions and spells were for a witch. But, there were times an electronic gadget would have come in handy, like that moment.

“Danton and Mattias will search for her, but a description of a girl with dark hair wandering through the streets of Salem is bound to lead to false positives. Do you know what she was wearing?”

“She typically wears jeans and a t-shirt.”

Lucan groaned. He muttered, “Like every other teenager around here.”

“Come on.” He took her hand and led her to a concealed area beneath some trees.

The warmth of his hand provided security.

“Don’t be frightened,” he said.

“Don’t be afraid of what?”

“When I shift.” He turned from her and undressed.

She gaped as he bared himself before her, gaze traveling down the impressive muscles in his back and down to his rear. She scolded herself to look away, but when his skin took on a gray pallor, she watched, transfixed. His body contorted to a bulkier shape while gray wings emerged from his shoulder blades and stretched out with a wingspan that doubled his size.

He stuffed his clothes into a satchel. When he faced her again, his features were distorted, yet still recognizable as his.

She stepped back, mouth agape.

“Elise, it’s still me. You have to trust me.” His voice sounded deeper and gravelly.

She continued to stare. Although she knew he was a gargoyle, she’d never seen one shift. To see a breathtakingly attractive man shift into this distorted, monstrous state was too fantastic to be real.

“It’s me, Lucan. We need to find Marguerite.”

Hearing her niece’s name snapped Elise out of her spell. Marguerite had gargoyle blood. She couldn’t recoil if Marguerite ever shifted to this form.

Elise pulled a sweater out of her handbag and wrapped it around herself. Having never flown before, she had no clue as to how to dress. At least she was mostly covered with her jeans, boots, and long-sleeve shirt, and sweater.

She took a bold step toward the gargoyle. “I’m ready.”

Lucan stepped behind her and wrapped massive gray arms around her. Massive arms that reminded her he was a protector. That’s what gargoyles were known as—the protectors of the earth.

When he pressed her body back against his solid form, she gasped.

“It’s okay,” he said. “I won’t let you go.”

That wasn’t what she was afraid of. The heat of his hard body against hers shot strange sensations through her body—sensual ones. Every place their bodies touched singed her with awareness. What was wrong with her? It was terribly confusing and wrong on so many levels.

Elise tried to ignore how his intimate hold affected her as they ascended. She avoided looking down. But, what the heck? How would she find Marguerite by searching the skies? She hadn’t shown any indications that she could fly.

After a quick pep talk to convince herself that Marguerite was safe, she glanced down. The shoreline appeared like a jagged puzzle piece. The dozens of white boats were like stars in a midnight blue sky, and pockets of green divided the clusters of buildings.

“We’ll start at the hotel and circle outward,” he said.

As she grew more accustomed to flight, she noted how the breeze caressed her skin and flowed through her hair. On some level, she felt like an angel soaring over the earth. But there was nothing angelic about the way her body responded to his, even in this form that resembled a beast more than man.

It was ridiculous. It didn’t make sense. He was the last being on earth she should be attracted to. And she especially shouldn’t be harboring such thoughts when their focus was on finding Marguerite.

Yet, if she was honest with herself, there was something there simmering beneath the surface. And she sensed that he felt it, too. From each time their eyes would meet to the inexplicable vibrant heat between them.

Oh, she shooed it off. Perhaps it was merely a forbidden attraction that called to them both.

Well, she’d deal with that thought at a different time. The goal at hand was to find Marguerite. And the best way to do that was in the arms of the shifter who held her—even if she enjoyed it more than she should.