“Maybe I should head to Inverness and figure out my transportation options from there,” she said.
Alec nodded, his expression revealing nothing.
Dusk fell again soon enough, which meant they’d have another night sleeping under the stars. At least the moon loomed brighter, not as blanketed by a mist, and they weren’t smothered in the darkness of the forest.
But, that also made it easier for Kai to see them. She circled around. No signs of him so far. Perhaps, she could start to relax.
“Do you mind if we stop for a minute?” she said. “My feet are getting tired.”
“Sure. We can stop to rest and eat,” Alec said.
They’d eaten berries they’d gathered along the way and had collected nuts in their pockets to sustain them. They sat on the grassy plain under the moon and ate. Hundreds of stars soon flickered overhead, like a tapestry of fireflies dancing across a dark violet night.
“My mother knew all the constellations,” Alec said. “That one is Taurus. She said our clan can trace itself to the guardians of Taurus. And since I was born in May, she called me a Taurus from a Taurus clan, exacerbating the traits.”
“Funny,” Veda replied. “My coven is in the Taurus Mountains.”
“What sign were you born under?”
“What do you think?” She flashed a flirtatious smile.
He studied her. “Tough to tell. I don’t know you well enough yet.”
“Well, it looks like we’ll get to know each other a bit more on the journey to Inverness.”
“Maybe by then, I’ll figure it out.” He winked at her and glanced back up to the stars. “Do you believe there’s anything to them?”
“Yes. My coven studies planetary alignments to guide us. We refer to them to decide when to perform spells, host rituals, and so on.”
Alec sighed. “My mother would have understood that.”
“Tell me more about her,” Veda said.
“She believed in the magic of the stars and planets affecting our destiny, and told me stories as we sat under the stars, like this.” His voice took on a wistful edge as he spoke of her. “My clan mates often came to her to listen to her observations.”
“Is she with your clan?”
He shook his head.
When he didn’t say anything more, she wondered if she should tread further. Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, “Where is she?”
He fiddled with a blade of grass. “She died.”
“Oh.” She shouldn’t have brought it up. The despondent look on his face called to her. She wanted to pull him close and brush the sadness away. “I’m sorry.”
“It was a long time ago. I was ten. After she died, so did all talk in our clan about the stars. But, every time I look up at them, I think of her.” A strangled sound escaped him. He cleared his throat. “And how she was killed.”
“Oh.” She covered her heart. “What happened?”
He fixed his gaze on hers. “It was during the battle on the isle. By a witch.”
Oh damn. Guilt smothered her like a heavy fur blanket although she had nothing to do with his mother’s death.
“You must hate witches now.”
He pulled his gaze from her and stared back at the constellations. “I thought I did.”
When his met hers again, they were filled with sadness and something else. Desperation? A bit of longing? She couldn’t read all the conflicting emotions they seemed to convey.
He leaned toward her and took a lock of her hair, watching it as he ran it through his fingers. “Until I met you.”
Her soft gasp stirred the sudden, palpable silence. When his gaze caught hers, she couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. Her heart pounded in her ears. His eyes drew her in, capturing her in such an intense look. For a moment, it was as though all their walls were down and they could see each other—truly see each other. Her soul felt bare, exposed to him, just as she could somehow sense his.
Blood rushed through her veins with tremulous heat. What the heck was going on? She’d never experienced anything like that before.
His gaze dropped to her lips and her mouth fell open.
“You’re so bonnie, Veda.”
Her spirit soared to the heavens, shooting among the stars on an otherwise calm night. She waited, frozen with anticipation, while her pulse hammered.
“Alec…” She spoke in a husky whisper in between hitched breaths. What was she going to say? Please? Beg him not to pull away this time.
“I’ve been torn with what’s right and what’s wrong,” he said. “Maybe I’m not the best one to judge. All I know is that I’ve wanted to do this for a while, and nothing has ever felt more right.”
He closed the distance between them, brushing his lips against hers. Thousands of sparks danced along her body, like the stars had fallen from above and lit her with a warm, luminescent glow.
As they tentatively explored each other with this kiss, time vanished. It didn’t matter where they were, nor why. All that came through in that moment was that no kiss had ever felt like this. Nothing had ever felt like this.
Alec didn’t want the kiss to end. The taste of her lips was too enticing with the sweetness of the berries still on her tongue. And her scent. It had a vanilla tinge to it that drove his beast wild.
He ran his hand down her back settling at the small of her back as he pulled her close. The press of her body against his seared him with heat. Wild hot need surged through him. An urge to take her right there on the plain consumed him.
As his lips caressed her jawline and over her neck, breathy sounds escaped her that fueled the fire within. He wanted to taste her. Touch her. Claim her.
If witches were the enemy, why did this feel so right? Was it the allure of the forbidden temptation? It could be. But still, didn’t explain the strange sensation of fulfillment that filled him once he had her in his arms.
She pulled away. “We shouldn’t,” she said, her voice raspy. “It will complicate things.”
His body tightened, muscles clenching taut. He gritted his teeth, urging himself not to let frustration take over. He’d promised to protect her while he escorted her to safety. Where this safe place was after she traveled from Inverness remained a mystery, but it sure the hell wasn’t sitting out here in the middle of the Highlands.
“You’re right,” he said. “Let’s get another mile or two in before we stop for the night.”
Besides, he shouldn’t be stopping to kiss someone he had no business kissing. If his clan learned what he’d just been doing with a witch, it would lead to outrage. He could practically hear the accusations: How could you do that, Alec? Betray your clan and your mother’s memory? Have you forgotten what happened to your mother?
Was he betraying her memory? His mother had been so gentle. She hadn’t harbored ill feelings toward anyone.
When he resumed walking with Veda, he strove to keep a few feet of separation between them to resist the temptation of drawing closer to her. His hand twitched a couple of times with an urge to reach out and take hold of hers. But, that wouldn’t help matters, it would only confuse them both.
Do your task, get her someplace safe, and get the hell back home.
Right, that was the sound thing to do. Not getting himself wrapped up with someone who’d only be a fleeting part of his life.
And a major cause of contention between him and his clan.
She shrieked. In the next heartbeat, she’d fallen and disappeared. A crack sliced across the ground where she’d vanished.
“Veda!”
Chapter 6
Shit. Veda landed in a crumpled heap on damp earth. The dank air tickled her nostrils. She pulled herself up. Pain stabbed through her twisted ankle, and she abandoned that effort. She glanced around. It had to be some sort of underground cavern. The only light shined from the crevice where she’d fallen in.
Alec peered down through it. “Veda, are you all right?”
It was two or t
hree times her height and not an easy climb. But, it could have been worse. She was lucky.
“Yes. I twisted my ankle, but otherwise, yes.” It hurt bad enough that she wouldn’t be able to walk on it anytime soon. Shit.
How had she ended up down here? Was this a trap? Or one of nature’s many characteristics??
Alec extended a muscular arm. “Can you reach me?”
Not likely. And not without standing up. Damn. She didn’t want to try that again. But, she also didn’t want to camp in an underground cave.
“Hold on.” She dragged herself to a semi standing position by keeping her weight on her uninjured leg. The throbbing in her ankle hurt like hell, but she forced herself to ignore it. She reached her arm toward Alec’s hand. “No, too far.”
Alec shimmied down another inch or two, but it still wasn’t enough. And, his body was leaning into the crevice, a risky move.
“Alec, be careful. You don’t want to fall in.”
“You’re right. I’m going to find something to help get you out of there.”
Terror leapfrogged into her throat. “You’re going to leave me here?” The dank space was too claustrophobic. The walls were too close. And anything could live in here — spiders, insects, snakes…
“I’ll be right back.”
The sooner the better. She had to be brave. “Go ahead. I’ll be all right.”
The only good thing about Alec disappearing from the space above is that it allowed more moonlight in. But, she’d rather have him. She sank back down to the earth. Supporting her weight on one leg was tiring.
And she waited.
Her fate lay in his hands. Damn. Sure, she didn’t have much choice when it came to running away with him. The alternative was awaiting what Kai would have come up with to punish her.
Her stomach churned, bottoming out to the depths of this damn cave. What the heck was she doing? She’d started the journey here in the Highlands with one man, and a sudden shift left her with another one. Was she running from one mistake to another one? Venturing to a new land with Kai hadn’t turned out well. By running off with Alec, was she repeating it?
No, her time with Alec was temporary. In the meantime, she had to be strong.
Being alone was never her thing, but perhaps it was part of growing up. She needed to be able to take care of herself. She always put others needs before her own, and where had that landed her? She grunted. Right now, she was in the bottom of a cave with an injury that would prevent her from walking distances anytime soon. She placed her hand above her ankle and repeated a chant to mute the pain, the same one she’d used on Alec’s wings.
Her main hope of getting out of this precarious situation was with a stranger, a different species who made gargoyles feelings about witches clear.
But, when they’d kissed, his feelings had come through quite differently. She rubbed her fingers over her bottom lip. It was as if they’d connected on some level, despite the differences between their worlds.
The connection had seemed magical.
She dropped her hand and squared her jaw. A kiss meant nothing. It didn’t oblige him to help her. Perhaps he’d come to his senses once he got away from her and moved on.
He might leave you here.
She rolled her shoulders back, stretching through the knotted kinks. Why would he do that? He’d helped her escape.
And probably regretted it since as it’s been problem after problem.
True. Her mouth felt as dry as a cactus leaf. She gulped. He had no obligations to her. She’d freed him from stone. He’d freed her from Kai. They were even.
If Alec left her here, how the hell would she get out? Panic engulfed the fringes of her mind. She forced herself to take deep breaths to stave it off. It wouldn’t help anything. It would just freak her out when she should be coming up with a plan to survive.
Wild animals could wander in—they likely already lived in here. Scorpions. Snakes. Spiders.
Ah, not spiders. She hated them. The repellent creatures with far too many legs could skitter from a crack in the cave wall and crawl over her foot. And creep up her leg. If it was poisonous, it could bite her. Its poison would seep into her bloodstream, leaving her writhing in agony as she succumbed to its bite.
She could die in here.
Her breath quickened, and her skin turned clammy. The walls were too constricting.
She had to get out of there.
She touched the earth wall. It was damp, and her fingers left an impression in it. Would it be able to support her weight if she attempted to climb out?
Or, bury her in an earthen avalanche?
The looseness of the dirt wall didn’t give her hope that it was sturdy enough—especially after she’d just fallen through a hole from above. Climbing was probably not the best choice.
But, if Alec didn’t return, it might be the only one.
“Fuck,” Alec said. “Fuck.”
He had to get her out of that hole. When he’d looked in, it was too damn deep for him to reach her, so he needed to find something that would.
He powered over the sodden earth with giant strides. Where the hell was a fallen branch when he needed one? They’d been surrounded by them in the forest, but nothing out here in the open.
Damn, that was the only option he could think of—heading back into the woods. He hated leaving Veda for any longer than necessary.
He ran toward the forest. As soon as he stepped into the woods, he searched for a suitable branch. Where the hell was one? They were supposed to be everywhere. But, no, all the ones he spotted would be of no use. The ones nearby were too spindly or thick as logs and not suitable for the job. He needed one that would be sturdy enough to support her weight so that he could pull her out of the crag.
“You are a fucking twat,” he cursed himself.
It was true since it was his bloody fault that she’d fallen in there. If he’d listened to what his body longed to do and had just taken her goddamn hand, she likely wouldn’t have been near the loose earth. Or, at least he might have been able to hold on to her to prevent her from falling.
“Oh, look at you putting on the brakes by trying to do right by your clan. Now look at the sodden mess you’ve gotten the both of you in?”
Shite, shite, shite.
“Ah, but what if you were walking that way and fell in as well? Then you’d both be stuck.”
Why was he berating himself like a madman?
No point in kicking himself over what was done. That wouldn’t change what had happened. It was time to act, not think.
He searched through fallen branches, trying to find one that might help in the situation. The rustling of leaves and disruption of the forest bed sent insects scattering. A nearby chipmunk scurried into a hole.
A picture of her expression when she’d stared up from the hole flashed before him. She appeared terrified. And why wouldn’t she be? He’d left her there alone while he tried to find a way out of their sodden predicament. And anything could be down there with her.
Including threats.
Besides that, she was now injured. How the hell would she be able to walk now?
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!
This had happened because he’d been thinking about his damn clan’s reaction. But, maybe they were wrong. She wasn’t evil, even if she was a witch. And he was attracted to her. No way he could lie about that. Not in the way he was drawn to her. Not in the way he longed to kiss her. Again.
And yet he kept her at arm’s length. “You bloody fool!”
He lifted a branch that appeared as if it might do the job. He bent it to test its sturdiness. It might work. Satisfied it was the best option, he rushed back to Veda.
“Veda, I’m back,” he shouted as he headed toward the crack in the earth.
“Alec!” Her voice sounded her relief.
“I have a branch. I’m going to lower it down to you.”
“Okay.”
He kneeled at the edge and peered in. When he made o
ut her silhouette in the darkness, he exhaled and covered his pounding heart.
“Watch out for it. I’m dropping it now.” He let the branch down slowly, not wanting to jab her with it. “Let me know when you’ve got it.”
After he let it down several more feet, he felt it pull as she took hold of the branch.
“I have it.”
“Hold on. I’m going to pull you up.”
He hauled her weight off the ground. “I’ve got you.”
The ground beneath his knees shifted. “Whoa!”
“What is it?” she called.
The soil was giving way.
“I’m falling.”
When she released the branch, he let go of it and grasped at the earth. His nails slid through the loosened dirt and he clung on with an unsteady grip while his feet dangled into empty space below.
His muscles clenched, rigid with tension.
Don’t let go.
The dirt sifted between his fingers. He was fucked.
“Watch out!”
Alec plummeted, following her into the darkness below.
Chapter 7
“Oh gods, Alec!” Veda had rolled out of the way just in time when he dropped into the hole. Then came regret. Shouldn’t she have been braver and at least tried to cushion his fall?
She glanced at the massive gargoyle shifter who dwarfed her petite frame. Yeah, right. She would have been squashed as sure as if a boulder landed on her.
He pulled himself to sit. “Damn it. Some help I was.”
She touched his bicep. It was as rock-hard as it looked. “Did you get hurt?”
“No.” He glanced at her leg. “How’s your ankle?”
“It only hurts when I move it.”
“Then don’t move it.” He smirked.
“Oh, thank you, wise one,” she retorted with a pointed look.
He grimaced. “Not so wise considering how my attempt to get you out of here went.”
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