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He inclined his head. "Yes, mistress."
And then, just when she thought he couldn't get an hotter, he knelt on the floor in those tight leather pants and swept up all the camera components without a word of complaint. She'd never seen anything so sexy in her life.
"Where is your midden heap?"
Midden? Wasn't that what archaeologists dug up? She was sure she'd heard Alethia use the word once or twice. It was where...oh.
"Tip it in the bin, there," Tacey pointed.
He carefully brushed out every last bit of rubbish, then returned the dustpan and brush to their spot under the counter, before climbing the stairs to Rory.
Tacey couldn't help but watch every step he took in those tight leather pants, hugging that firm arse that looked positively lickable.
If Wystan hadn't been a monster, Tacey could have sworn she was in love. As it was, she was more than a little in lust.
But she didn't have time to indulge that sort of passion right now. She had to save all her passion for her baking, or there wouldn't be any breakfast when the café opened, and that would never do.
EIGHTEEN
When Tacey took the last tray of muffins out of the oven and replaced it with one filled with carefully shaped cookies, the sun was almost rising. She probably had just enough time to take breakfast up to Rory and Wystan before the first batch of cookies were done, so she picked out a selection of her best muffins, added an extra chocolate one for Rory who wouldn't eat anything else, arranged them carefully in a basket with plates and serviettes, and headed upstairs.
She set the basket down on the table and eyed the blinds. Sunlight was already peeking around the edges. Time to turn the lights off, and let sunlight in. She marched over to the window, yanked the blind cord and began tying it to the cleat.
"No, Mummy, NO!" Rory screamed.
Tacey turned. "What is it? Is the muffin too hot?" She was sure she'd grabbed one of the cooled ones, but it might have still been warm in the middle...
"No! You're hurting Mr Monster!" she wailed as she tugged the quilt off Octavia's bed and tried to drag it across the floor to where Wystan was standing.
"He's fine, Rory. Aren't you, Wystan?"
No response. Wystan didn't even move. Like he was a statue or something. Or a...gargoyle...
Tacey marched up to him, then hesitated. She swallowed, then poked him in the shoulder. Hard. He didn't move at all. Hell, his hard body didn't give in the slightest, even as she pushed harder. Like he really was nothing but a stone statue.
Rory flapped the quilt at his legs. "Help me, Mummy! The sun hurts him. We need to cover him up!"
It took Tacey a moment to realise Rory was trying to toss the quilt over his head, only she couldn't reach up high enough. Tacey grabbed one edge and dragged the black, star-printed fabric over the statue.
Rory dropped to her knees on the floor and tugged the quilt down so it covered his feet. When she was satisfied, she raced over to the window and pulled down the blind.
Darkness descended on the room again. But it wasn't dark enough for Tacey to miss movement beneath the quilt.
Or Wystan's muffled voice, saying, "Thank you, Miss Rory and Mistress Tacey," before he pulled the quilt off, and bundled it into his arms.
Tacey folded her arms across her chest. "Sunlight hurts you, hmm? Don't you think you should have mentioned something like that, when you were promising to protect my daughter?" Men. Bloody useless, the lot of them. Even the winged ones.
Wystan hung his head. "It's not so much a weakness as a gargoyle thing. In direct sunlight, gargoyles turn to stone. As you saw." He coughed. "If I'd had more than a moment's warning, I might have been able to take shelter within the walls, where the light could not reach me. If Miss Rory was in danger, I could have pulled her inside the walls with me."
Rory's eyes widened. "You can walk through walls?"
"You are not dragging my daughter through walls. Not now, not ever. Do I make myself clear?" Shit, what if he tried to do it and she got stuck? Rory could die, or be horribly hurt. Tacey suppressed a shudder.
Wystan frowned. "But Mistress Tacey..."
"No walking through walls with my daughter. Or you can walk through all the walls by yourself until you're out of my café, and never come back." Because what use was a protector who couldn't come out in daylight? She knew this had been a mistake.
"Yes, Mistress Tacey." The words came out through gritted teeth, and she half expected him to storm out, but he stayed where he was. His only movement was to turn his attention back to Rory, who'd gone back to her colouring in on the floor.
