CURSED (a gargoyle shifter story): A prequel in the Underground Encounters series

by Carlisle, Lisa

  Can you move? Can you shift? Lucan communicated telepathically to his brothers, unable to keep the terror out of his tone.

  No, Danton replied. I think she used a curse.

  What the hell? Mattias exclaimed. We have to stop her! She can’t leave us like this.

  None of them could move.

  Veronique strolled past them with a saccharine smile. “You can spend plenty of time with your precious brothers now.” She ran her long fingers over Lucan’s hardened shoulder.

  He recoiled, but his stone didn’t budge. Release me, witch!

  She didn’t hear his silent demand or didn’t care, and instead headed towards the shadows of the forest. “Game over, Lucan. I won.”

  With a glance back over her shoulder, she sneered. “Who’s laughing now?”

  Danton

  Three months passed while Danton led his brothers in search of a cure to their curse. The eldest, it was his responsibility to care for them. The only solution was when the more powerful gargoyles used their magic to shift the brothers. It was only a temporary reprieve before the stone claimed them once again.

  Lucan’s thirst for vengeance was difficult to suppress. He’d grown consumed with it. During his free moments, he sought Veronique, but she’d protected herself from such retribution, using dark magic that ensured she couldn’t be easily found.

  Danton warned, “You can’t continue to torment yourself like this, Lucan. Our efforts have only brought more pain. We’ll find another way.”

  “We haven’t so far.” Lucan’s voice dropped to an icy tone, one that often came out when they discussed the witch who had cursed them.

  “Have you forgotten what happens when we try to find her?” Mattias grabbed his head with both hands. “I haven’t. It hurts like hell. I’m not eager to have my skull feel like it’s been opened again while a marching band uses my brain matter as instruments.”

  Lucan straightened. “Of course I haven’t forgotten. I’ve experienced it more than anyone.” His expression tightened as he appeared to recall the consequence of previous endeavors.

  Each gargoyle who had attempted to track her had been struck by headaches so intense, they writhed in agony and lay incapacitated for several hours. Their minds became so befuddled that they couldn’t remember why they were out there or who they were looking for. Eventually, the clan leaders had advised against this path as it was far too dangerous.

  To manage their burden, Danton and his brothers often remained outdoors, watching over their gargoyle village from the rooftops. Mattias craved being outdoors and soared in gargoyle form most every night before Veronique interfered. If he couldn’t feel the wind on his wings, at least it could caress his stone.

  One evening, Danton witnessed a man following a woman down the cobblestone path. She attempted to brush him off. The man followed, turning more aggressive in his pursuit.

  “Get away from me!” The lady rushed from him.

  “I’m just trying to talk to you” He pawed at her and pulled her body against his, and then lowered his hands to cup her rear.

  “Leave me alone.” She pushed away and broke into a run.

  Do you see that bastard? Danton asked his brothers.

  Oui, both replied.

  The man caught up to the woman, and tried to kiss her. She struggled against his hold and screamed for help. Danton twitched, yearning to come to the woman’s defense.

  His stone softened. How? No powerful gargoyles were nearby to transform him.

  His body shifted into his winged gargoyle form without any magical intervention. His heartbeat soared. He stared at his hands as he opened and closed them. The wings behind his back weren’t immobile. He beat them at will and glanced over his shoulder. This had to be a dream. It couldn’t be real.

  I shifted on my own, he declared with disbelief to Lucan and Mattias, who were also mounted nearby.

  Me, too. Mattias sounded just as surprised.

  He cloaked himself in magic, which would keep him invisible to humans. Seconds later, his brothers flew over to where Danton stood on the roof.

  Lucan landed with barely a sound. What do you think this means—the curse is broken?

  Hope so. Danton didn’t want to get their hopes up. Let’s talk after we deal with this. He motioned at the aggressor below.

  Danton and his brothers surrounded the man as they landed, pulling him away from the woman. He reeked of cigarettes, alcohol, and bad judgment.

  “What the hell?” The man struggled against the invisible forces that bound him.

  While he was restrained, the woman ran off to safety. Once she was out of sight, they removed the cloak that shielded them and revealed themselves in gargoyle form—the way they’d been able to do before the curse.

  “The lady said no,” Danton declared.

  The man cried out and tried to maneuver out of their grasp. He stumbled and fell.

  “You do understand what ‘no’ means, don’t you?” Lucan added as he pulled the man back to his feet.

  “If not, we’re happy to give you a lesson.” Mattias grinned. His mischievous look appeared more terrifying on his oversized gargoyle features.

  “Okay, okay. I’m sorry,” the man sputtered. “Who are you?” His eyes widened. “What are you?”

  Danton’s chest filled with lightness as the sense of purpose returned. “Those who watch and protect.”

  “And now that you’ve made yourself known, we’ll be watching you.” Lucan pointed at the man’s chest.

  “Always,” Mattias emphasized with a warning tone.

  “I promise I won’t do it again.” The man lowered his head.

  After they released him, the brothers stared at their bodies, moving their limbs.

  “We’re free.” Lucan beat his wings. “Finally!”

  “I can’t believe it.” Mattias glanced up. “Let’s fly.”

  They soared into the darkening skies with the faintest outlines of stars twinkling through. Mattias entertained them singing a gleeful rendition of “Come Fly with Me.” Danton basked in the kiss of the breeze ruffling his wings.

  They posed questions as to what happened. How had they been released?

  Danton replayed the events leading up to them being able to shift. It happened when we witnessed the woman needing help. I’m guessing our nature to protect overpowered the dark magic.

  It made sense. A gargoyle’s instinct to protect wasn’t just strong, it compelled them to act. To intervene. It drove them.

  They reveled in their freedom to fly at will.

  Until the next day.

  An invisible pull, like gravity on steroids, grabbed Danton.

  “Something’s pulling me down!” Danton flapped his wings faster to stay in flight, but it was futile. His pulse skyrocketed. What was happening?

  The force dragged him to the earth and back into his stone cage.

  The same occurred with his brothers. They fought against it, but the darkness won.

  They weren’t free after all.

  The curse remained.

  And after that brief taste of freedom, it taunted them, crueler than ever.

  * * *

  Over the next few months, Danton’s theory about being able to shift to protect was confirmed. The instances in which they needed to intervene to help others were uncommon, but whenever it occurred, the brothers discovered they had twenty-four hours before being called back to stone.

  He had to lead his brothers in what was best, not only for them to cope, but for the clan. The gargoyles who transformed them did so at a cost—it required tremendous magical energy to overcome dark magic that controlled three large gargoyles. How long could they continue to tax the energy of their fellow gargoyles?

  After they returned from a night flight, he brought his wings in and paced before his brothers. “Something needs to change. We can’t continue to be a drain on our clan.”

  “What do you have in mind?” Mattias drew his wings in.

  “Go to Paris.”


  “Paris?” Lucan snorted. “I thought you were content here with the clan.”

  “Hear me out a second.” Danton raised his hand. “There are more opportunities in the city to protect others from harm. Not only does it reduce the burden on the clan, it will provide more occasions for us to shift and do good.”

  “It’s a good plan.” Lucan fixed a determined stare on Danton. “I have a better one. We find her and force her to remove the curse.”

  It was the mantra his younger brother had repeated so often Danton found it worrisome—especially after the elders had declared it too dangerous.

  He attempted to redirect Lucan’s obsession. “We’ve already discovered that gargoyle magic can overpower the darkness temporarily, so what we need to do is to amplify it.”

  “How would we make that possible?” Mattias’s expression contorted in question.

  “By acquiring that power ourselves,” Danton said. It was something he’d been thinking of for some time and was convinced it was the way.

  “The oath?” Mattias’s mouth fell open.

  “No way.” Lucan spread his arms. “I’m not ready to take a gamble on something as life-changing as the oath. And I doubt I ever will be.”

  “It doesn’t even seem like a viable option,” Mattias added. “We can’t just pick any woman to take the oath. How can we find our elusive mates when we have such limited opportunities to interact with anyone?”

  “I didn’t say it was ideal or even possible at this point,” Danton replied. “But I think it will work.”

  Lucan grunted and shook his head. “A life oath?” His tone turned bitter. “Looks like I’ll have a long, lonely future ahead.”

  Mattias

  Sacré-Cœur, Paris

  Six weeks later

  Mattias searched for threats from his mount on the side of Sacré-Cœur, his favorite perch since they’d arrived in Paris. The stone church atop the hill of Montmartre provided the ideal vantage point. The dazzling lights of the city unrolled before him under twinkling stars. The faint notes of music swam through the bustling streets and reached his ears, from musicians playing accordions for tourists’ tips to rock, jazz, and pop from the bars and clubs.

  Adjusting to city life wasn’t bad, and Mattias enjoyed the liveliness of the nightlife. Down the hill, the red-light district of Pigalle kept them occupied with crime intervention fairly often. Not only did they protect a human, but they earned twenty-four hours of freedom as reward.

  That evening, a thin man wearing a dark jacket caught Mattias’s attention. He walked with a quick pace behind a woman, following close. And closing in.

  Looks like we might have a live one, Mattias communicated to his brothers who were perched at other points of the church. His body itched with anticipation. Soon he would shift to be able to intervene. Man wearing a black jacket following the woman wearing a yellow dress. She’s walking with a small dog.

  I see him. Standing by, Lucan replied.

  As the man passed the woman’s right side, he yanked the purse out of her hand. She screamed and he took off in a sprint, bursting through crowds of people.

  Mattias and his brothers shifted and cloaked themselves. The thief broke through the crowd and onto a less dense street. Good, this worked in their favor as he’d be easier to surround.

  They took to the skies and soared in pursuit. Mattias searched for a concealed area where they could confront the criminal yet remain hidden from plain view. Without witnesses, they could reveal themselves as gargoyles—which should terrify the thief enough to never repeat his crime.

  The man jogged to the back of a commercial area and knelt behind a dumpster.

  Not a smart one, Lucan noted. Almost making it too easy to corner him.

  The thief opened the purse, and tossed out the contents as he searched. After he rose, he stuffed some things into the pocket of his battered flight jacket. He tossed the purse to the concrete, leaving contents scattered about like those from a ship capsized in a storm.

  This should be fun. Mattias descended.

  The stench from the dumpster wrinkled his nose. He and his brothers landed, surrounding the thief. Although they remained invisible to the human eye, the sound of their feet hitting the concrete announced their arrival.

  “Who’s there?” The man turned in a circle.

  As each of the brothers shed the magical cloak that shielded them, the thief’s eyes widened at the appearance of gray, winged, monstrous creatures coming to life before him. A strangled sound ended with a whimper.

  He took two steps backward and bumped into the dumpster. “Mon Dieu.” He made the sign of the cross.

  “Mugging an innocent woman is vile enough, but littering a beautiful city, too?” Lucan glared at the thief and motioned to the discarded purse and its contents near his feet.

  “What do you want?”

  “It’s pretty simple.” Danton stepped forward, spreading his wings wide as he closed in on the thief. “We saw what you did and we’re not happy about it. You don’t have to be smart to figure out how we want you to remedy it. So tell me, what do you think that is?”

  “Re-re-return the purse.” He picked it up off the concrete.

  “For starters.” Danton glared.

  The criminal stuffed the stolen contents from his pockets back into the purse and followed up with what he’d discarded around the dumpster.

  Lucan grabbed the purse.

  Mattias said, “It doesn’t take away her distress, now does it?”

  “You don’t understand. I needed money,” the man pleaded.

  That wouldn’t change Mattias’s mind. He’d dealt with one thief after another. The story was always the same.

  “That doesn’t justify hurting somebody else.” Mattias beat his wings as he approached the thief.

  The man shrieked and turned, stumbling as he broke into a run. Before he made it two steps, Mattias grabbed him and carried him into the air. The man struggled to escape Mattias’s grasp. He shouted for help.

  “Quiet,” Mattias warned. “Or, I’ll silence you. Unfortunately for you, it involves a very long fall, which is probably fatal. If not, it will hurt like hell.”

  The man glanced down and gasped. He covered his eyes and stopped squirming. “I’ll do anything,” he pleaded. “Anything you want.”

  “Find a better way to make a living.”

  “Okay, okay. I promise.”

  “If you don’t, we’ll know. We are always watching.”

  Lucan soared beside them and echoed, “Always.”

  Mattias descended in the park near where the mugging had taken place and landed amid the coverage of trees.

  After his brothers landed, Lucan handed the thief the purse. “Go. Return it to her.”

  The man glanced over at the pedestrians. The woman spoke to a police officer, visibly upset.

  “But he’ll arrest me.”

  “You knew that risk when you stole it,” Mattias warned. “Once I release you, you will no longer be able to see us. But we will still be here.”

  “Watching.” Lucan narrowed his eyes.

  “And waiting,” Danton added.

  The man’s eyes widened with wonder. “What are you?”

  “Guardians,” Danton replied. “We protect the innocent from predators like you. And if you harm anyone again, we will not be as lenient.”

  The man trudged over to the woman with his head lowered. He glanced over his shoulder at where he’d last seen the brothers. He scanned the area and bit his lip as if contemplating whether he should bolt in a bid to escape.

  “What do you think? Is he a runner?” Lucan crossed his arms.

  Many were foolish enough to try to get away.

  “No, I don’t think so.” Mattias tracked the thief’s moments. “He’s too scared. He shook so badly in my arms, I almost thought I’d drop him.”

  The man continued his trek to the woman and kept his head low as he handed her the purse. She beat him with it.
/>   Well-deserved.

  The police cuffed the thief and led him away.

  What would happen after that point, Mattias couldn’t predict. Some would repeat the same crime, only to be faced with a return visit by the brothers. It was as if they doubted it had happened the first time, and thought they could get away with it.

  “Just another day on watch,” Mattias remarked. “And now, over twenty-three hours of freedom.”

  “Go without me,” Lucan said. “I know you’re sick of hearing this, but I can’t let it go. I need to go find her.”

  Mattias’s eyes widened. “What? You can’t.” Since Lucan hadn’t spoken of his destructive quest as often since they moved to Paris, Mattias thought he might finally abandon it.

  “Lucan, no. It doesn’t work.” Danton’s surprised reply was tinged with concern. “It only brings you pain.”

  Mattias exchanged a worried glance with Danton.

  “Besides, we’ve found a way to manage for now,” Mattias pointed out. Paris provided plenty of distractions and opportunities to shift. “You can’t continue to torment yourself.”

  “I can never give this up,” Lucan seethed. “How can I when this is all my fault?” He rubbed his temples and paced as if trying to force the guilt to recede. “I don’t care how it tortures me. One day, I will find her.”

  Lucan

  As Lucan had promised, he’d never stop looking for Veronique. What she’d done was unforgivable. She had to pay.

  Even if it cost him his sanity.

  Or his life.

  Danton and Mattias encouraged Lucan to pursue other options for a cure. They dragged him to numerous magical practitioners throughout France when they had their freedom, while he yearned to scour shore to shore to find the witch. She’d made it almost impossible with her dark magic.

  It wasn’t until they met a sorceress named Morwena in a pub on the Parisian outskirts that they finally found some insight.

  As they sat around a wooden table in the dimly lit space, the salt-and-pepper haired sorceress studied them from aged, pale-blue eyes.