Heart Of Stone

by Cynthia Eden

  But he was going to get his hands on Sabrina. She’d turned to another lover. Oh, the hell, no. She couldn’t go to another. Not happening. So he would break his own rule. He would bring Sabrina close again. I can’t let her weaken me, though. I have to play this very, very carefully.

  He jerked his head. “Let’s get this show going.” The guards filed out first. Then Kevin, obviously nervous…and next was Raymond.

  “Not coming, boss?” Raymond asked quietly.

  “I prefer to watch from a distance.” And the limo was nearly a tank, thanks to all the upgrades he’d put on the thing. He intended to stay safe.

  Raymond grunted. The guards from the second vehicle had already appeared. He’d texted them orders moments before. They were to have minimum contact with Sabrina. Bring her to me, immediately. Longer exposure to her would be dangerous to them.

  If they didn’t bring Sabrina to him, then he didn’t really care if any of them lived.

  They were replaceable. Everyone was…but her.

  ***

  She needed a phone. Only Sabrina didn’t think she was going to find one in the closed-down club. Dammit. Her hands slapped against the bar top. Adam might not want help, but she was still going to give the guy help. She was going to pull in Cordelia, and her witchy best friend would find a way to break the curse. There had to be a way.

  If only she had a freaking phone.

  Sabrina spun away from the bar and—

  Footsteps. Rushing toward the club. She could hear them because there were a lot of footsteps. Her body tensed. Adam was on the roof, doing his whole changing into stone routine, but they had company outside, right the hell then.

  Gunfire erupted. A fast blast of bullets that had her ducking for cover. The bullets seemed to have been focused on the front doors—she could even see the bullet holes that had pierced through the wood and then—

  Those doors burst open. Armed men in black ran inside.

  Sabrina jumped behind the bar.

  ***

  Gunshots broke through the night, echoing like thunder. Adam ran to the edge of the roof and glanced down, snarling when he saw the men who were shooting into the front of his nightclub. Bastards who were shooting because they were after Sabrina.

  A long, black limo idled in front of the building. A black SUV waited just behind it. Men were scrambling everywhere.

  Except…one guy just stood there. About ten feet in front of the club. No weapons were in his hands, and his shoulder was bleeding.

  Who the hell are you?

  But as Adam stared at him, the man lifted his hands…and he began to chant.

  Ah, hell. Witch.

  Lightning crackled overhead. The wind picked up speed, seeming to howl as it blew against Adam’s body.

  The men with guns were running into the nightclub. They thought they were going to take Sabrina. The witch thought he’d use his magic to stop Adam.

  They all needed to think the hell again.

  Stone was spreading over his body. The change wasn’t complete, not by any means. He was caught somewhere between a man and a beast, but that wasn’t going to slow him down. Adam just stepped right off that roof. He plummeted down, sinking straight to the ground, sinking…just like stone.

  Men fired at him. One bullet hit the flesh of his arm, grazing over him and truly pissing him off. Another bullet bounced off the stone that had already spread to cover his chest.

  “Oh, shit,” the witch cried out, but then, in the next breath, the guy kept right on chanting. A ring of fire circled the man. As if that would keep him safe.

  Adam grabbed the fool who’d tried to shoot him in the chest. One squeeze of his now stone-covered hand, and the guy’s gun was crunched to dust. Adam threw the human to the side, and the fellow didn’t get up when he hit a light pole.

  “Adam!” Sabrina screamed.

  His head whipped to the right. She was being carried out of the nightclub. Carried—dragged. Three men were pulling her and she was fighting with all of her strength.

  At her cry, one of those humans actually put his gun to her head.

  We aren’t playing this game again.

  Adam roared his fury and the stone surrounded him completely.

  The guards ran with her then, rushing fast and one of the doors to the limo opened.

  Eric appeared. “Bring her to me! Now!”

  Bullets flew toward Adam. They ricocheted off the stone. The witch sent a wave of fire straight to him. Stupid move. Fire didn’t hurt the beast. Adam raced after Sabrina.

  But Eric had her. Eric had pulled her close against him and the bastard had put a knife to her throat.

  Adam knocked out the other guards—the idiots who were firing at him. He left them all in an unconscious pile at his feet. All but two—the witch…and a guy who seemed to be trying to protect the witch. Wait, I know him. Raymond, that had been his name. He was the bastard who’d almost shot Sabrina on that hospital rooftop.

  Time to end those two bastards. After he was finished with them, then he’d rip Eric apart. Mission accomplished.

  “Stop!” Eric shouted. “Stop or I will kill her.”

  The gargoyle focused on him. “No, you won’t.” His voice was heavier than the thunder. Eric was obsessed. He needed Sabrina. Adam didn’t think for even a moment that the guy would kill her.

  But…

  Blood trickled down Sabrina’s throat.

  I will make you bleed, human. I will rip you apart and you will be begging for your own death before I am done with you.

  The witch shouted, “Take the beast! Take him far away! Wind blow wide and wind blow hard…take the beast!”

  As those words filled the air, the wind seemed to close around Adam, tightening like a noose but blowing with the force of a tornado. He was lifted up and a howling filled his ears. Adam fought to break free, his wings flapping furiously, but the wind was too strong. It was taking him up. Taking him away.

  Fuck this shit. “Sabrina!” Adam roared.

  He couldn’t get out of the wind. The witch was smiling up at him, looking satisfied and damn relieved as he blinked from behind his glasses.

  “The wind has you, beast! It won’t let you go!”

  Was that the way the spell worked? The wind was keeping the beast prisoner? If that was the case…

  Then I just have to stop being a beast.

  The stone hardened. Inside that stone prison, Adam began to pound with his fists. He’d fight until he became a man again. He’d get out of that witch’s trap. And then he would kill.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The witch cried out, “Holy shit! That worked! It actually worked!”

  Sabrina glared at him.

  “Get in the car,” Eric snapped. “All of you—now.”

  Then he was dragging Sabrina into the back of the limo. Her neck was bleeding, she could feel the blood dripping down onto her shirt. Eric was practically humming with pleasure. Raymond wasn’t meeting her gaze and the witch was bleeding more than she was. But he was crowing with pride and pleasure, too.

  “I took down a gargoyle!” the witch bragged as he hopped inside. The door slammed behind him and the driver took off moments later. “Did you all see that shit? I am amazing.”

  “You didn’t take him down.” They’d left the injured and unconscious men. And the dead ones. She knew there were some dead back there. Knowing Eric, he’d have a crew appear immediately and clean up the mess. But he’d better hurry. That particular area of town wasn’t deserted…someone would have reported all the gun shots. The cops had to arrive soon.

  Provided they aren’t on Eric’s payroll, too.

  “I did so take that gargoyle down.” The witch straightened and smirked at her. “Or, I guess, I took him up and—”

  “You just pissed him off. He’ll come after me again. And if you get in his way a second time, he’ll kill you.”

  The witch stopped smirking. His face paled a bit and she saw his fear.

  It was her
turn to smile.

  “You control him.” Eric’s voice. Quiet. Angry. He did that—when he was at his angriest, he got quiet. When she’d first met him, she’d thought that was a sign of his control. That he could keep himself in check. Too late, she’d realized that the quieter he became, the weaker his control actually was. His whispers came just when he was at his most dangerous. “You have the stone, don’t you?”

  “The binding stone,” the witch added. “Magic, magic, magic!”

  “First…who the fuck are you?” She glared at the witch. She wanted a name. She also wanted him to talk to her more. The better for me to control you. Because she’d work this guy over in no time…

  He licked his lips. “K-Kevin…” His eyes seemed to glaze a bit as he stared at her and—

  Raymond punched him in the face. “Don’t get caught by her, man! It’s a trick.”

  Poor Raymond. Did he even realize she’d caught him before? And I will again. She was actually disappointed her power hadn’t made more of an impression on him. She’d been so sure he would turn on Eric. Her mistake.

  Again.

  Her gaze slid over Kevin’s aura. Not much good there. This guy was after power—magic. He was low on the witch totem pole. “Half-human,” she murmured. So his spells probably only worked half the time. No wonder he’d been so jazzed about his wind bit. He wanted more magic. He wanted to be as strong as the others in his coven. But if he got power…

  You won’t use it well. You’ll destroy. She saw him very, very clearly.

  Her attention shifted back to Raymond. His aura…it had changed a bit since she last saw him. The colors—

  Eric’s fingers curled around her wrist and he squeezed her so hard she thought he might shatter the bones. “Where is the stone?”

  She didn’t let even a whimper of pain escape her. “What stone?”

  Eric’s voice dropped to that whisper. “The stone you use to control the gargoyle. Don’t waste my time. I know all about your freak protector.”

  “So, for the record,” she bared her teeth at him, “he’s my lover. And he has a name. It’s Adam. Don’t call him a freak again.”

  His nostrils flared. “Where is the stone?”

  “Fuck off.”

  Eric twisted her wrist, hard, and the bones…snapped. Nausea rolled through her. Pain. Disgust. “Do you think you’re the first who went so dark on me?” She laughed—at him and herself. “You aren’t. You’re just my latest mistake. But I got rid of those mistakes.” She leaned toward him. “And I’ll get rid of you.”

  What could have been fear appeared—then vanished—in his gaze. “When did you meet the new lover?”

  Her smile grew as she ignored the pain. She just needed to buy herself a bit more time. She was sure that Adam would be appearing any moment. He wasn’t going to let her vanish on him. I trust him. “I met him when I disappeared from your life. I guess you could say that when I vanished from your world, I dropped into his.”

  He blinked. “Lie. I know you were held captive. You didn’t choose to leave me.”

  Not that first time, I didn’t. But after that, once I saw what you really were? Hells to the yes! “Adam was one of my guards in that prison. How do you think I got away from that place?”

  Eric’s expression became absolutely blank.

  At that same moment, something hard and heavy landed on the top of the car. The limo shuddered, then swerved.

  She looked up and saw claws cutting into the top of the limo. “That will be my ride. This has been fun…” Not even close.

  The top of the limo was being peeled back. Metal groaned and screeched.

  “But I’ve really got to go—” Sabrina’s words ended in a gasp because it wasn’t Adam who was reaching down to grab her. It was Leo.

  Eric jerked a gun out of his jacket and started firing.

  Leo snarled. His hand wrapped around her broken wrist and he yanked her up. Even as he lifted her, Leo sent a blast of fire right back into the car.

  His wings flapped against the air and he shot into the night. Leo held her tightly against him. Sabrina looked back down and saw the limo swerve off the road as smoke and fire poured from the rear. The vehicle lost control, and it flipped—once, twice, three times…

  “Did I just save the day for you, Sabrina?” Leo murmured.

  She had a death grip on his shoulders.

  “Because if I did…” His voice was grim. “That means you’re gonna owe me.”

  Damn him. Her eyes squeezed shut. “Adam.”

  “I have no clue where your gargoyle lover is, sweets.” His chest vibrated a bit as he laughed. “But don’t worry. Something tells me that he’ll be coming to find you, very, very soon.”

  ***

  Eric shoved open the back door of the limo. Blisters covered his hands and he was choking on smoke.

  “Help me!”

  He glanced back. The witch had gotten trapped in the twisted metal that resulted from the wreck. Raymond was fighting the flames and trying to get his step-brother out. Huh. How about that…maybe Raymond did care about the man, after all.

  “Witches burn too fast,” Raymond yelled. “Eric, help us!”

  The driver had escaped the wreckage, too. He ran up to Eric. “Boss, you okay?”

  No, he was fucking burned. But…

  “I’m far, far better than okay.” In fact, everything in his life was about to be perfect. He just had to get back to his estate. Back to the safety that waited for him.

  He glanced up at the sky. Sabrina was long gone. Sabrina and whoever the hell that had been who’d taken her away. Eric had barely gotten a glimpse of the man. He’d just seen him long enough to realize…not Adam Cross.

  I am so sick of these paranormals.

  “Help!” Kevin screamed.

  Eric turned away. He pulled out his phone. A little melted, but still working. He dialed quickly. “I need a car…”

  “Help!”

  Eric kept walking. “Track my phone. Get out here, now.” He glanced back. “Raymond, that whole car is about to blow. Get your ass out—or die with your brother.”

  The driver swore and rushed farther away from the car.

  “Don’t leave me!” Kevin screamed.

  Eric paused. Fear and pain…poor Kevin was absolutely terrified. Death by fire—one hell of a way to go.

  “I’ve got a car close by, sir,” a crisp voice said in Eric’s ear. “Should be there within five minutes.”

  Five minutes. Eric hunched his shoulders. Would the gargoyle appear in that time? “I need it faster…” Because he didn’t intend to die. He had plans. So many plans.

  “Help me!” Now Kevin was begging.

  And the flames were spreading.

  ***

  Adam hit the ground as a man. He was pretty sure he broke both legs. And some ribs. But he rolled over and ignored that pain. He looked into the sky. The freaking cyclone that had surrounded him before had dissipated as soon as he’d become a man. Would it come back when he transformed again?

  No, the witch is long gone. If the witch isn’t here, I’m betting it can’t manifest again.

  Maybe it was a dumb bet but…

  Adam called forth the gargoyle. He needed to heal and as soon as the beast took over, he would heal. He’d heal and he’d hunt. And he would find Sabrina.

  The stone spread. “Sabrina!” The roar of her name echoed back to him.

  ***

  “Put me down,” Sabrina whispered into Leo’s ear. “Right the hell now, or I swear, I will cut your heart out.”

  He laughed. “With what? You don’t even have claws.”

  She shoved the tip of a knife into his chest. Not deep enough to reach his cold-as-ice heart, but far enough to prove she meant business. “You think I left that limo without a little souvenir?”

  Another laugh. “I forgot how much I enjoy you.”

  But then he opened his hands and he let her fall. Sabrina sucked in a desperate breath as she tumbled down and d
own and—

  She fell into water. A gleaming pool that was lit with dozens of lights. She kicked to the surface and kept a tight grip on her knife. As she swam to the side of that pool, Leo appeared.

  “Roof-top pool,” he murmured as he knelt near the edge of said pool. “Very convenient, don’t you think?”

  Sabrina growled at him and then she hauled herself out of the pool. She flopped on the side, sucking in a few deep breaths and choking up some water.

  “You did say to let you go. I just followed your orders.”

  She swiped out with the knife.

  “Careful! You almost cut me!”

  Her eyes were closed. If they’d been open, she was sure that she would have cut him. “Leave me the hell alone.”

  “I will…right after you repay me for saving your ass. I mean, I didn’t see the gargoyle swooping in to the rescue. The hero? That was me.”

  “You are so fucking modest.”

  “I try.”

  She cracked open her eyes. “I didn’t ask you to save me.”

  He brushed the wet hair away from her cheek. “I know…that rather pisses me off.” His jaw had hardened. His wings were gone. He looked like a man. A normal, handsome man with dark hair and a faint beard covering his jaw. He was even in normal clothes—dry clothes. “When you were in trouble, you went to my brother.”

  “Where is Luke? I could use him right about now.” She felt like a drowned rat. If Luke shows up, I’ll find out if he has the stone. If he does have it…

  “You aren’t the first person I’ve let down.”

  Now she pushed up to get a better view of him. Her broken wrist ached, but she ignored the pain.

  “You think I don’t know that you hate me?” This time, Leo’s laughter was bitter. “Get in line. A very, long line.”

  “Did you know I was being held in Simon Lorne’s prison?”

  He shook his head.

  She wanted to believe him. But he had so many secrets.

  “We were friends once, weren’t we?” He was still crouched at her side. “Or at least, I thought we were close to being friends.”

  “We were,” she allowed, “until you decided I was one of those pesky bad things that you couldn’t have in your world.” That had hurt.