Stone Cursed

by Lisa Carlisle

  “Veda!” Alec shouted, but she didn’t appear to hear him. He continued forward. He had to reach them in time.

  Had to!

  Bloodlust rushed through his veins, clouding his vision with a red velvet veil. Pinpointing his focus on destroying the man threatening Veda.

  Her hand trembled. Her expression contorted as if she struggled with a decision.

  The sparks from her hand ceased, and she lowered her hand.

  Oh fuck. Why would she do that? He closed in.

  She took the staff from Kai and bent it. Her arms shook, and a trembling cry escaped her before she snapped through the wood. The crack pierced the air.

  Alec stared with wonder as he closed the distance. No average human could manage that feat.

  “I’m helping you find your way back,” she told Kai. “It’s time for a new start for each of us.”

  Veda turned to throw one piece into the loch. With her back turned, Kai stumbled to his feet and grabbed the other half. She spun toward him as he raised the broken piece. He aimed for her head!

  “No!” Alec lunged at Kai, knocking him off balance.

  The staff crashed with a sickening echo as it skimmed the side of Veda’s head. She crumbled to the grass like a butterfly with the wings torn off.

  Alec howled. He wasn’t quick enough, but at least he’d prevented the full impact of Kai’s staff crushing Veda’s skull. Still, she’d fallen. Was she dead?

  Blood raged in Alec’s veins. His vision fixed on his enemy, narrowing with a crimson sheen. Fury throbbed through him echoing a demand for destruction. Sweet destruction.

  He yanked the broken staff from Kai, Alec’s gargoyle strength overpowering the dark wizard’s hold. Alec raised it overhead and roared as he crashed it down and bludgeoned the dark wizard.

  It only took one blow. One blow to the head the way Kai had attempted to destroy Veda. Alec had crushed his skull. The bloodlust drifted away like tendrils of smoke, leaving clouds of clearer vision through the murky rage.

  Victory should soar through his veins, yet it didn’t come.

  Right. This wasn’t a victory. Not with Veda lying limp before him.

  He rushed over to her and checked her head. No signs of blood. The blow hadn’t broken the skin.

  “Veda.” He touched her cheek. “Please be okay.”

  He glanced at her chest. When her chest rose and fell, he fell over her, uttering strange sounds of relief. She was alive.

  But, would she be all right?

  Hot angry tears pulsed at his eyes and he breathed with a jagged edge. It was all his fault. If he hadn’t been so damn stubborn, trying to decide what was best for them both, she might not have left on her own. That bastard must have been tracking them all along, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike when she was alone.

  “Veda, don’t leave me,” he pleaded. He’d do anything to help her. Anything!

  He bent down and kissed her. Her fragrant vanilla scent flowed through him. That of his mate.

  He’d witnessed a gargoyle re-energize his mate by transferring some of his energy to her. Alec wasn’t sure how, but he damn well was going to give it a go. Putting everything into this kiss, he willed his energy to wake her.

  After he pulled back, he knelt at her side and stroked her hair. He continued to will his magic to go help her. As it flowed from him, his body sagged, weakening. He could lie down on the earth and sleep.

  But no, he had to be strong for them both.

  With the setting sun shimmering on her face, she appeared like a porcelain doll. Beautiful, but immobile. Lifeless.

  Alec searched up at the nebulous sky, begging every celestial body for a chance. He remembered the night they’d stared up and talked about the stars.

  The night they’d made love.

  The night he’d started falling in love with her.

  “Please,” he pleaded. “Please let her live. All I want to do is love her.”

  The gods didn’t answer.

  Alec held her hand as the minutes passed. With his depleted energy, he slipped into a meditative state. His body hardened as it initiated the shift into stone and forced him into a state of darkness where he could no longer sense through the void.

  Chapter 13

  “Alec?”

  Veda’s voice whispered in his dreams. She was calling to him.

  “Alec, can you hear me?”

  A tremor rippled over his stone wings. It was the sun, bathing him in energy. Morning had come.

  His stone eyes focused. A beauty with dark hair kneeled before him.

  Veda! Awake.

  He wanted to burst from stone and take her into his arms. Did he even have enough energy to do so?

  He initiated the shift to human form, holding his breath. When the cells animated with life, he cried out with relief.

  As soon as his limbs could move, he reached his arm out to her. “Veda. You’re all right.” He touched her cheek. Her shoulder. Her arm.

  “I am.” She let out a sigh. “I was a fool.”

  “Why?”

  “It was my fault I got hit. I thought I could get him to turn back to the light.”

  “Because you’re a good person.”

  She shook her head. “Believing the best in people is one of my faults. It’s burned me too many times.”

  She thought her goodness was a fault? “It’s one of your best attributes,” he countered. “And one of the many reasons I love you.”

  She blinked and tilted her head. “Love? You love me?”

  Alec’s pulse spiked as revealed himself to her. “With a certainty in my soul.”

  Her eyes sparkled with wonder and hope. “I love you, Alec.”

  Never had four words affected him so. A stream of vivid happiness rushing into his soul. He took her in his arms and enclosed her in them. Never had the world seemed so right before.

  “How are you even here?” she asked. “Did you look for me?”

  “Aye.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I was wrong to try to make any decision for you. I came to see what you wanted. And if I could be any part of your life, I’d happily follow to where you lead.”

  “Oh, Alec.”

  “All that matters is that I’m with you.”

  She peered at him. “We seem to find all sorts of trouble together.”

  “And we manage to find a way out of it—together.” He winked at her.

  “Together, yes.” She reached up and caressed his cheek. “I’d left out of anger at your clan but regretted leaving soon after. Because I want to be with you.”

  He hollered and swooped down to give her another kiss.

  After he pulled away, she said, “Can you help me sit up?”

  He aided settling her in an upright position. “Whatever you need. Wherever you want to go. I’ll go with you.”

  Her eyes sparkled with a knowing glint. “There’s one place in particular I’m curious to visit.”

  “Where?”

  Her mouth spread with a saucy smile. “I don’t know how to get there, but you do. And you’ll need to fly us there since we cross an ocean.”

  He smiled as an image formed in his mind. “I have an inkling I know where you mean. And yes, it’s the perfect place for us to start our lives together.”

  Epilogue

  Veda carried an armful of herbs as she returned to her new home, a cabin on the Isle of Stone. Alec rested under the sun in his stone form in front of it, restoring his energy. He shifted to human form when she approached. She marveled at the transformation from a mobile stone to chiseled man. Damn, she was lucky.

  “Hello, my bonnie lass. How was your walk?” He stepped over to her and greeted her with a kiss.

  A tingling of heat started where his lips touched hers and shimmied down to her toes, the way it always did when he was near. Only Alec had that effect on her.

  “Terrific,” she replied.

  “It looks like you have your arms full.” He motioned at he
r bounty.

  She glanced at the various greenery in her arms, a bunch of basil, mint, lavender, oregano, rosemary, and chives. She sniffed at the fragrant bounty of aromas. “You weren’t kidding about the tree witches working magic in their gardens.”

  It had already been three weeks since they’d arrived on the island. Although, the five gargoyle brothers who lived here were surprised to see Alec, they welcomed him back and offered him one of the cabins that had been left behind by the Calder clan. Alec and Veda had chosen the farthest one for privacy. They’d been fixing up their cabin, which needed a thorough cleaning and some minor repairs to be hospitable.

  He laughed. “Aye. I’d always admired their gardens from afar. Whenever we soared to or from the island, their gardens sparkled with a mystical sheen that displayed their magnificent bounty.”

  “Bounty is right. They gave me far more than I need.” Veda smiled when she pictured what else grew in the coven’s magical lands. “One of the cats is pregnant. Maybe we can take care of one of the kittens?”

  “Oh my.” Alec laughed. “I better say yes now. Or else, I have a feeling I’ll enter the cabin one day and find a new furry roommate.”

  Veda laughed. It wasn’t a bad idea.

  Kayla, a vivacious tree witch who lived in the center of the isle with a gargoyle brother, had introduced Veda to her coven. Although, they were wary of an outsider, they’d soon warmed up to her. After hearing her journey to the Highlands gone wrong, and how she’d fallen for lies from a wizard gone dark, many of the witches listened with a sympathetic ear. Veda clearly wasn’t the first woman to make a mistake by picking the wrong man.

  “Have you seen anyone this morning?” she asked. “It seems quiet over here.”

  Four gargoyle brothers came and went with their mates, which included a wolf shifter, pegasus shifter, a gargoyle, and Kayla. Only one remained unattached, the middle brother, Gavin. He swore it would always remain that way. Since the brothers often flew to the mainland to play in cities as their band, the Knights of Stone, Alec and Veda often had the area to themselves.

  “No.” Alec smiled. “Which means we have plenty of privacy.” He wiggled his brows. “Might as well make the best of it, don’t you think?”

  “Maybe.” She glanced away with a flirtatious smile and then caught his eye again.

  He pulled her into his arms and gave her an earnest look. “Are you happy here, Veda?”

  She gazed into the honey-hued eyes of the gargoyle shifter she’d fallen in love with. “I am.”

  “Good. Because that’s all I want. To make you happy.”

  She glanced at their surroundings. The isle was even more beautiful than Alec had described it. Mystical. Sparkling with sunlight that pierced through even the mistiest of days. She loved being able to explore from the shore to the forests, from the moors to the tree witches’ gardens. Although he’d disclosed the tragic history here, the inhabitants had restored peace, and there was a sense of community now. Having such a diverse group on this island convinced her she wouldn’t feel an urge to rush away any time soon.

  Besides, why would she with everything she wanted right before her?

  “You make me incredibly happy, Alec.” She wrapped her hand around his neck and ran her hands through his short hair. “When I left the coven, I never would have imagined living such a dream with the man I love.”

  Alec smiled on hearing Veda say she loved him. It warmed him each time.

  “And you? Are you happy?” She spread her arms wide. “Is this where your heart takes you?”

  “It used to be.” He stepped closer and caressed her cheek. “My heart has found a new place to call home. Wherever you are.”

  She gave him an enigmatic smile. “Are you saying you’d venture out with me? Explore new lands? I know how you crave the comforts and security of home.”

  He laughed. “True. But, after being with you, I’m learning to be more flexible.

  “Well, don’t worry. I’m not in a rush to go exploring anywhere. I’ve had enough adventure to keep me still for a while.”

  So had he. When Alec had arrived here, Lachlan, the alpha of the small gargoyle clan, had warned him that the island’s politics had changed a great deal. The gargoyles, tree witches, and wolf shifters had come up with agreements during the peace talks. The island was no longer divided with stark boundaries forbidding others to cross. It had taken some time for Alec to roam freely and not stare in shock on seeing a tree witch or wolf shifter in what had been gargoyle territory. But, it made sense. The divisions had been long outdated.

  “Besides, I like being surrounded by the ocean. The sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs is soothing. It’s quite a change from the mountains.”

  He furrowed his brows. “But, it was your home. Do you miss it?”

  “The mountains were beautiful, but could also be rugged and treacherous.” Veda tilted her head. “I left because it was time for me to move on.”

  His heartbeat quickened. “Do you think you’ll ever go back?”

  “I’d go back for a visit, but not to stay.” She arched a brow. “And, hopefully, I won’t be going there alone.”

  He smiled. “I’m happy to be your travel companion.”

  “Good. One day we’ll go visit it. After all, doesn’t it seem a natural fit that a Taurus visits the Taurus Mountains?”

  “Of course.” She’d teased him about being a stubborn Taurus often. “By the way, I think I’ve figured out your sign.”

  “Oh?” She raised her brows.

  “Pisces.”

  One corner of her mouth curled into an enigmatic smile. “What makes you say that?”

  “You’re a dreamer. And selfless. You’re always willing to help others and not thinking about receiving anything in return. You see the best in people.”

  “Oh, Alec.” She covered her heart. “What’s the downside? There’s always a downside.”

  “Well, you can be drawn in different directions, making it difficult to make decisions.”

  “I might be slightly guilty of that.” She laughed. “But, I’m ready to settle here for a while. An island where gargoyles and witches have found a way to live together. It’s the perfect place for us to start. An older witch once told me about this French saying—vous tombez bien.”

  “What does that mean?” Alec asked.

  “You’ve fallen well.”

  “Ah, I agree. Incredibly well.”

  “And what do I need to go searching for when I’ve found what’s been missing?” Her smile turned dazzling, melting his heart.

  “I hope you’re referring to a gargoyle shifter.” He raised his chin and turned to show his profile.

  “One who is as stubborn as stone and as difficult to yield.”

  “Haven’t you noticed I’m learning to be more fluid.” He waved his hand in an echo of the ocean before them. “Like the sea.”

  She laughed. “I don’t think you could ever flow that much. Not that I want you to change anything. I kind of like you the way you are. Even if it means stubborn,” she paused to trace her fingers from his chest downward, “and hard.”

  He instinctively pushed his chest out, responding to her touch. “I kind of like you the way you are, too. My romantic dreamer. As long as some of those dreams include me.”

  “Many of them do. And, some of them can be quite explicit.” She flashed a naughty smile and nodded at their cabin. “You did point out that we have all this privacy right now. It would be a shame to waste this opportunity.”

  Alec scooped Veda into his arms. “That’s something I’m never doing when it comes to you. Wasting any opportunity to tell you I love you.” He lowered his head to give her a heated kiss. “And the best way I know how is to show you.”

  Dear Reader,

  Thanks for joining me on an escape to the Scottish Highlands in Stone Cursed. Now that you’ve met some of the gargoyle shifters in the Highland Gargoyles series, you might want to visit where it all started on the Is
le of Stone.

  A tree witch, Kayla, trespasses into gargoyle territory, curious about the lively sounding concerts. The guitarist, Mason, captivates her, and she returns night after night.

  But, for how long? Witches and gargoyles are sworn enemies.

  One risk changes it all.

  Start your journey to the Isle of Stone in Knights of Stone: Mason today!

  READ NOW!

  *

  Thanks for reading!

  Lisa Carlisle

  *

  P.S. I love reviews. :D

  *

  Sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss any new releases! You’ll also hear about specials and free reads:

  http://www.lisacarlislebooks.com

  Zodiac Shifters

  Thank you for reading this Zodiac Shifters romance.

  *

  A shifter’s mate is in the stars…

  Welcome to Zodiac Shifters, a collection of books with an astrological spin on love. From Aries to Virgo… discover all-new tales of paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

  Zodiac Shifters features New York Times, USA Today, and other bestselling authors. Each month expect new releases based upon the twelve astrology signs.

  Happily Ever After… it’s our promise to you.

  *

  Learn more at http://zodiacshifters.com/

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you, as always, to my team of awesomeness—from my amazing editor, critique partners, beta readers, ARC readers, and street team. I greatly appreciate all you do as part of the publication process. You’re the best!

  And thank you to my supportive family. Maybe one day, I’ll actually be able to sit still for two hours to watch a movie with you. :D

  Knights Of Stone: Mason

  Few have dared to cross the boundaries.

  Until now…

  With a quarter century of burning hatred between the inhabitants of the Isle of Stone, Kayla knows it’s forbidden to cross boundaries. But that doesn’t keep her from being sorely tempted.

  Drawn to discover the secrets beyond the tree witches’ forest, Kayla is intrigued by the talk of unconventional rock concerts in gargoyle territory.