Knights of Stone: Mason (Highland Gargoyles Book 1)

by Lisa Carlisle

  Agree. Although he shared the skepticism of the plan to work with the others, it was their only chance to save the island. But this is what we must do.

  For Mason?

  Mason had started this mess. No, Lachlan was being too harsh on him, the second youngest of the five gargoyle brothers. Just because Mason had fallen for a tree witch didn’t mean the wolf attack was his fault. The wolves were responsible—they couldn’t even control their pack. And the young ones—no willpower at all. They’d lost all self-control from something as natural as moonlight. Pathetic.

  In fact, Mason and the witch Kayla had opened the lines of communication between the different groups on the isle with their illicit affair, which had been critical. Better the island’s natives work together than let humans intervene and make things worse.

  For all of us, Lachlan answered. If we want to have a future on the Isle of Stone.

  He inhaled to clear his harried mind, taking in the fragrance of wildflowers and heather as he gazed over the rolling slopes of the moors. The land exuded a sense of tranquility and hope under the soft light of the morning sun. The peace between the Isle of Stone’s natives, however, had lasted only minutes before the cacophony began with ceaseless bickering. Agreeing to work together might have been a mistake.

  Not that he had much of an alternative.

  When Matilda stopped to take a breath during her speech, Lachlan seized the moment to interrupt her. “We all know of the injustices done to each of us, which led to the division of the island. Time to move beyond the past and address the current situation.”

  “Part of what led to the schism is poor communication,” Ian added. “By meeting together to discuss the future of the island, we can avoid making the same mistakes our predecessors did.”

  “Predecessors!” Matilda said. “It was only twenty-five years ago. I was there and remember it well.”

  “My apologies,” Ian said, bending forward. “With your experience, you’ll be valuable in ensuring we don’t make those same errors in judgment.”

  Lachlan had been a young gargoyle during the battles, but he remembered fragments with vivid recall. Battles with magic and bloodshed. Countless deaths. A senseless tragedy.

  The sound of movement through the tall grasses made him turn. A female ran toward them, dark hair blowing behind her like the mane of a wild filly. Her red dress blazed like a siren, but he didn’t notice the pattern until she’d slowed her pace—similar to the one on Ian’s kilt.

  “What the—” Bryce said at his side, adopting a defensive stance.

  “It’s all right,” Ian said. “She’s my daughter.”

  Lachlan didn’t recognize her, but that wasn’t a surprise. The wolves had kept to their territory on the isle for over two decades. Around what he’d guess her age to be as he scanned her nubile body with soft, supple curves.

  A wolf shifter. With storm blue eyes like the ocean at dusk.

  And the daughter of the alpha wolf.

  Damn.

  “Sorry, I’m late,” she said through quickened breaths, drawing his attention to her parted lips.

  She dropped her hands to her knees as she panted from the run, and her hair fell forward in tempting disarray. Her movement offered him a glimpse of her cleavage, breasts rising and falling with each deep breath.

  “I was held up by—” She glanced at her father before adding, “pack matters.”

  “You haven’t missed much,” Ian replied before addressing the crowd. “This is Raina. Second-in-command in our pack.” He then introduced the others to his daughter.

  Lachlan widened his stance and narrowed his eyes at Ian. “You introduced your beta last night.” That wolf shifter’s pride had bordered on arrogance; nothing like his alpha, Ian.

  “Aye,” Ian acknowledged. “Seth and Raina share duties.”

  The tree witches exchanged glances. Claire, the younger of the two, whispered, “Inconsistency.”

  Raina assessed him through inquisitive eyes, making Lachlan forget what he was about to say.

  Straightening to his full height, he forged ahead. “We all need to be in human form when they come.”

  Claire snorted. “Some of us are always in human form.”

  Lachlan addressed his brother: Here they go again.

  But now we have a bonnie lass to improve the view. Bryce glanced at Raina.

  Lachlan’s stomach hardened. An odd reaction. He and his brothers often pointed out fine lassies at their concerts.

  Ignoring Bryce’s comment, he replied, We can’t let the squabbles deter us. The only way to restore the magical veil is if we work together.

  I’ll follow your lead, Bryce said.

  “No need for snipe,” Ian said to the witch. “What Lachlan said is true—for most of us. When the humans come—I agree they most likely will—they’ll look for evidence of wolf attacks.”

  “How should we explain what happened?” Raina asked her father.

  Matilda interrupted. “Aye, how are we going to cover up your attack?”

  Lachlan agreed with the witch, though he kept his accusation to himself so as not to impede progress. What was done couldn’t be undone and pointing fingers didn’t change that.

  He had no doubt humans would investigate reports of wolves attacking people at a concert. If government officials discovered supes, they’d likely capture them to study in some lab.

  The gargoyles knew their unconventional rock concerts shows wouldn’t last forever; something was bound to happen. It seemed to end all too soon, though.

  Too bad; it had been fun while it lasted. Not only did they have the opportunity to perform as their true selves for the first time, they’d seduced many bonnie lassies during those months.

  “No, we can’t hide what happened,” Ian agreed. “Too many witnesses. But we can say we’ve taken care of the problem.”

  Raina shot her father a skeptical look. “And how will we do that?”

  Ian was on to something. Lachlan stepped forward and said, “Say we’ve destroyed all the wolves.”

  Bryce caught on to where they were going with this line of thinking. “Blame the attack on a few wild wolves that made it to the island. Say we shot them with bow and arrow.”

  “And threw the bodies out to sea,” Raina added.

  At last, they were making progress. Coming up with ideas of how to fix things instead of casting blame on each other. Lachlan nodded to acknowledge her idea. The humans might buy it. If so, the locals might have more time to fix the problem with the veil.

  As if reading Lachlan’s mind, Raina asked. “Wouldn’t it be easier if we just repaired the veil as soon as possible? They’d never find the Isle of Stone to even question us.”

  True. The gargoyle clan, wolf pack, and tree witches had worked together decades ago to generate the veil for privacy, shielding the island from humans and their technology. Since the division of the island after the great battle, each group had kept to their territories, letting the veil disintegrate. Enough so that humans had recently discovered the Isle of Stone.

  As the eldest gargoyle remaining on the isle, Lachlan shouldered the responsibility of helping to restore the veil. He had no idea as to what type of magic to use, let alone if he was capable of creating it. But he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit his lack of knowledge to the wolves and witches.

  Especially in front of an attractive female, even if she was a wolf.

  He skirted around his uncertainty. “Aye, that’s one of the things we need to discuss. What do we each need to do to restore the veil?”

  “Each species contributed a magical component in the past.” Matilda narrowed her eyes. “You do know it, don’t you? I mean, you are rather young to lead a clan.”

  Bryce shot him a quick, worried look, which he covered up by looking elsewhere. Then he communicated silently. I don’t. Do you?

  No, Lachlan admitted. We need to figure it out. And fast.

  Agree. It’s the only way.

  “Of cours
e we know our magic.” Lachlan stood straighter and used a confident tone to belie his lack of knowledge. “It takes time to conjure enough to cover an entire island.”

  What are you going to do? Go to the clan? Bryce asked. After humans had discovered the island a few months ago, their gargoyle clan had returned to their ancestral home in the Scottish Highlands. Lachlan had taken on the role of alpha in their small group of five brothers who remained.

  Och, no. No way was Lachlan going to swallow his pride to beg them for magic they should have left him with anyway. Not after all the grief the other gargoyles had given them about their band, their concerts—an endless broken record. Plus, admitting he and his brothers needed help undermined any respect for their new clan, however small it might be at this point. As well as weakening confidence in Lachlan’s ability to serve as alpha.

  He would have to figure it out himself. He considered their abilities. Gargoyles could shift from stone to man to a creature in between. They could communicate telepathically. They could shield themselves in flight, making themselves invisible. Yet nothing came to mind about how to shield an island. His ribs tightened. He tried to concentrate despite the mounting frustration. I’ll think of something.

  “As does our magic,” Matilda replied. “We need two more days to prepare.”

  Lachlan resisted an audible exhale of relief. “Two days should be enough time for us.”

  Two days? Bryce said. You think we can figure this out in two days?

  We have to, Lachlan replied, not sure how they’d pull it off in such a short period of time.

  “Let’s meet here, two days from now, at sundown,” Ian said. “In the meantime, what are we going to do about the ferries with humans coming to the island? You’ve drawn quite a crowd with those spectacles.”

  “I’ve already taken care of it with the ferry operators,” Lachlan replied. “Said our shows are canceled for a fortnight as we go on a European tour.”

  An ocean breeze rolled his way, making the purple heather and high grasses sway. A female scent followed, with a hint of berries and wild herbs and a distinct wolf aroma. His body heated from the core, spreading out like a rising brush fire.

  The beast inside reared to lunge forward and wrap itself in Raina’s scent while he took her on the forest floor.

  Lachlan stiffened, halting the overwhelming drive to raise his hand and touch her skin. What was with his odd reaction? He’d never found anything appealing about a wolf, before. Yet, something about this one elicited this surprising response.

  Raina tilted her head, studying him with a curious expression that did nothing to alleviate the tightness in his groin. “The humans won’t come to explore the island, then?”

  He cleared his throat and refocused on the situation at hand. “Not likely. Some might—by boat. But the ferries won’t bring them. Part of their whole package was a concert. There’s nothing else on this island that would draw tourists.”

  “I’ve heard the witches have exceptional gardens,” Raina added, nodding in their direction.

  The witches nodded, agreeing to that, clearly proud of their landscaping efforts.

  “The humans haven’t discovered that,” he replied. “They stayed over in our territory to watch our show.”

  “We were quite the experience,” Bryce added with a grin. “Ensuring nobody would want to wander elsewhere.”

  Let’s not get them started up again about the concerts, Lachlan told him.

  “All right,” Ian said. “So the problem with tourists is likely small. But we’ll still have to watch for humans coming to investigate the attacks. We may need another two days before we can restore the veil. If it works,” he added with a note of skepticism.

  Lachlan nodded at Ian. “My brothers and I will patrol from the skies.” His gaze traveled to Raina and lingered longer than it should.

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  USA Today Bestselling author Lisa Carlisle loves stories with dark, brooding heroes and spirited heroines. She is thrilled to be a multi-published author since she’s wanted to write since the sixth grade. Her travels and many jobs have provided her with inspiration for novels, such as deploying to Okinawa, Japan, backpacking alone around Europe, or working as a waitress in Paris. Her love of books inspired her to own a small independent book store for a couple of years. Lisa now lives in New England with her husband, children, two kittens, and many fish.

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  ALSO BY LISA CARLISLE

  Chateau Seductions, a Paranormal Erotic Romance Series

  Darkness Rising

  Antoine Chevalier harbors a secret. Born a gargoyle shifter, he wants nothing more than to cultivate his art. His hard work pays off the night he completes his greatest sculpture. But the excitement of his accomplishment doesn’t last.

  He’s drawn the eye of the wrong group—a clan of vampires. Antoine wakes into darkness, changed. Shattered. His dream of becoming a renowned sculptor is destroyed.

  One question remains—how will he ever survive an eternity of darkness alone?

  Darkness Rising is part 0.5 of the Chateau Seductions series by USA Today Bestselling author Lisa Carlisle. Readers have requested more on the dark and mysterious Antoine. In this short story, Antoine tells his tale, which continues in the series with Dark Velvet. Dark Velvet is written from Savannah’s perspective as a newcomer to an art colony who is intrigued by the proprietor.

  Dark Velvet

  Grad student Savannah Evans is thrilled to be accepted as a resident to a prestigious art colony. Where else would she be able to focus on her craft of writing poetry in a setting like that of the medieval-styled castle? The remote New England island is a respite from her hectic city life. When she meets her benefactor, a mysterious French sculptor, her expectations for carefree days writing near the ocean are distracted by unprofessional fantasies about her sponsor.

  Antoine Chevalier built Les Beaux Arts on DeRoche Island to bring purpose back to an existence that has lost meaning. He’s wandered the earth for decades and finds solace in returning to art. When Savannah applies for a residency, something about her words touches him. After her arrival, a physical attraction grows between them, which he struggles against. She deserves more than someone of his kind.

  Antoine proposes they become lovers during her stay. But the situation turns complicated when Savannah discovers his secret. She had suspicions about his identity, but finds the truth overwhelming. Consumed by her desire for Antoine and faced with a tough decision, she is blind to the danger that has arrived at DeRoche Island.

  “Dark Velvet has a dark eroticism that makes you want to be Savannah. It is a book that is a good, quick and darkly thrilling read.” ~ Books and Beyond Fifty Shades

  “…insanely hot chemistry between the female protagonist Savannah & vampire Antoine. Their intensity starts off right away and you’re not a chapter in before it takes off like a rocket!” ~ Paranormal Romance Junkies

  Excerpt

  Savannah’s fingers traced the cool marble of the god’s muscular back and then the definition in his arm as he drew an arrow to shoot. She pictured Antoine bent over the sculpture, brows furrowed in concentration, losing sense of time as he polished each portion to perfection.

  “Do you like this?” A deep voice whispering in her ear startled her.

  She jumped at the sound of his voice, bumping back into his hard chest, an
d he caught her upper arms to steady her. Only one man in the castle spoke in that smooth French accent—the sculptor himself.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Antoine.” She fumbled taking a half step forward, away from him. “I shouldn’t have touched it.”

  “No, don’t apologize.” He let go of her arms, but his warm breath tickled her ear.

  He took her hand, caressing her palm, which sent tingles up her arm. Her bottom lip quivered as he brought her fingers to rest again on the marble piece. She thanked the gods he remained behind her so he couldn’t witness her nervous reaction, and she bit her lip to halt the tremors. This was not the way for a young protégée to behave in front of her benefactor. He owned the castle, created the art colony here where she was attending on a poetry scholarship—she shouldn’t go gaga simply from his touch. Which was exactly what she was doing.

  “It pleases me that you appreciate my work.” Leading her fingers down the figure’s chiseled chest, he leaned in closer and added, “I liked watching you admire it.”

  His voice alone sent flames rippling through her. Every nerve in her being lit with awareness in reaction to him. In the months since they’d met, they’d never been alone in such proximity. Weeks of heated looks from afar had inflamed her desire so the slightest touch became intimate, strengthening her need for more.

  Sounds of approaching voices indicated this evening’s performance in the chateau would soon begin. Several of the musicians in the art colony had collaborated on orchestral pieces they wanted to play in front of an audience for the first time. As fellow artists in residence, they sought the support of fellow residents.

  Antoine kissed her hand like a suitor in a bygone era. “I hope you enjoy the concert, Savannah.”

  Her lips parted, opening and closing like a fish while she thought of what to say. When she mustered up the courage to turn and face him, he had already left the room, filling her with both relief and disappointment. Unaware she’d been holding her breath, she exhaled deeply.

  Several times over the course of the evening, Savannah caught Antoine’s dark eyes watching her. Her emotions roiled in confusion while the performers played Barber’s Adagio for Strings. The way he held her gaze without blinking made her squirm in the burgundy armchair. The rising tension and resolution from the violin and cello underscored her tumultuous emotions.