Her already wide eyes turned saucer-like as she appeared to scream in silent terror. He’d already determined that she was afraid of heights, yet here they were flying dozens of feet in the air, and soon to crash if he couldn’t control the descent.
“Please don’t drop me,” she begged.
“Never.” Why he’d declared that, he wasn’t sure. With how erratic he was flying, releasing her was a definite possibility. But, he couldn’t do it.
He wouldn’t do it.
She risked her life to save him, and he damn well better do his best to keep her safe. He fixed his gaze ahead. The forests beyond the plain would provide concealment from the man, but it might be a lot rougher landing to navigate through the branches.
He gauged the distance and began the descent. The flight was choppy, and twice, he thought his wings would fail. He gritted his teeth and willed them to continue for just a little longer.
She panted against his ear. Her frantic desperation urged him to keep going.
Almost there.
His wings felt as heavy as if still encased in stone. With her additional weight, he labored under the exertion. He lowered them diagonally toward the fringe of the forest. Never had such dark woods appeared as inviting as an oasis.
They almost reached the treetops. He just had to hold on a wee bit longer. He took a steely breath and propelled them forward with a burst of energy pushing his burned wings.
Doing his best to ignore the throbbing agony, he skirted over the outermost leaves and descended. He tried to keep them aloft, but the labored flight had taken too much out of him. They broke through the upper branches but then tumbled the last several feet to the ground.
She yelped as they headed straight for the earth, but he rolled beneath her to cushion her fall. He descended on unsteady feet and she tumbled onto him. He landed on his back. The intense flash of pain of their combined weight on his wounded wings was followed by the wind being crushed from his lungs.
“Oh gods!” she cried and then covered her mouth with both hands. She dropped them and fretted over him. “Are you hurt?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. She helped pull him upright to a sitting position, which relieved the load. He gasped through the pain. After a few agonizing heartbeats, the intensity diminished from sharp stabbing wounds to a throbbing ache.
If he retracted his wings, maybe he wouldn’t feel them. It would aid in healing them as well. He attempted to bring them into his shoulder blades, but hissed as the searing pain rang anew and almost as bad as when they’d been struck by flames. A wave of dizziness swept through him. Several ragged breaths later, it passed.
“My wings have had better nights.” They had to heal. Being unable to fly would be torment for a gargoyle. He grunted. Still better than being imprisoned in stone. “How are you?”
After a few quick nods, she said, “I’m fine. It’s you who was burnt.”
She was kneeling next to him, eyes wide with concern. The blue-green hue reminded him of the waters off the Isle of Stone.
“Do you think you can walk?” she asked. “We’ve traveled a safe distance, but I don’t trust him not to follow us.”
“Aye.” As he pulled himself up, she offered her hand. He accepted it. “I’m Alec. Who is that guy who tried to kill us? And who are you?”
“I’m Veda. And he’s Kai.”
She held onto Alec’s arm as they began their trek deeper into the forest, as if afraid he might collapse. He doubted he would, especially allowing himself to do so in front of her, but he did like the touch of her hand on his bicep. He instinctively tightened it.
What he had to do was think about what to do next. He tried to communicate telepathically with his clan, but it still didn’t go through. “We need to figure out our next move. I can’t fly till my wings heal, so I guess that means we are on foot — unless you have a better plan?”
She shook her head. “No. My only thought right now is to increase the distance between us and him.”
“What were you doing with the cauldron?”
“Creating a potion that would help us detect ley lines.”
“Why?”
“They’re areas of powerful energy. We hoped to increase our magical abilities with it.”
Alec’s pulse quickened. “What kind of magic do you practice?” He braced himself for the answer he suspected.
“White magic. I’m a witch and he’s a wizard. But, Kai has been headed down a darker path lately.”
Witches. Damn it. It was what he’d suspected after seeing the cauldron, but it didn’t make it easier to stomach. His experiences growing up with the tree witches on the Island of Stone was that they were to be avoided at all cost. The gargoyles’ feud with the witches dated back for as long as he could remember.
When he thought of who he’d lost, the familiar lump swelled in his throat. He swallowed.
The fact that he was stuck with a witch now left a sour taste in his mouth.
Yet, she’d saved him. And he’d saved her. That made them even, right? They were better off working together until they found a way out of this predicament, and then they’d go their separate ways.
After he didn’t say anything, she asked, “Why do you ask about our magic?”
“Well, first off, I was locked in stone until not too long ago. And second, something is preventing me from communicating with my clan.”
“What do you mean?”
“We can telecommunicate. Although I’d tried earlier and found I was out of range, I’m now not even able to try to open a mental link. So, I need to know what he’s done.”
“I broke the stone curse with a reversal spell using black salt, but the effects must still be lingering. I’m guessing it will fade with time.”
“Time,” he repeated. “Which is something we might not have.”
“So, what do we do now?”
“We walk away from here until we figure out our next step.” And hope they moved faster than the wizard likely in pursuit.
Veda stepped through the fallen leaves. As they crunched underfoot, she worried she was giving their location away. But, there was only so much she could do to remain silent treading over the twig-covered terrain.
She glanced behind them every several dozen feet. Kai was unpredictable. She’d long since stopped knowing what he would do next. Whenever she thought she caught movement behind the tree trunks, she was mistaken. The sound of birds ruffling the leaves often made her gasp and squeeze Alec’s arm.
“Will you stop doing that?” He paused and turned to her.
“Doing what?”
“Making those strangled sounds. You’re going to give me whiplash as I turn at every gasp.”
She bit her bottom lip. “Sorry. I’m nervous.”
He glanced at her mouth. She released her lip and drew in a breath. Her pulse quickened. This time, it had nothing to do with Kai.
Alec pulled his gaze up to hers. “My hearing and sense of smell are quite acute. I should be able to sense him if he’s coming.”
She nodded as her eyes traveled over his bronzed torso. How odd that Veda’s fate was now tied with that of a gargoyle shifter. He towered a foot over her and every dip and curve of his torso and biceps announced his rock-hard strength. Alec could probably break Kai’s tall, thin frame like a twig. But, Kai could wield magic, and it had been turning darker and more powerful lately, as witnessed by the stone curse.
“Does that make you feel any better knowing I should sense him approach?” he asked.
She snapped her head away, aware she was staring at his chest. “Yes, it does, actually.” She resumed walking, hoping the darkness masked the heat warming her cheeks.
He stepped into pace beside her. “Is there anything else I can do to help you be less skittish, and notifying every creature in the area that we’re coming through?” He gave her a sidelong glance with a ghost of a smile.
“I’m not usually this jumpy,” she said. “It’s just — him
.”
“You’re not alone. You have me.”
She glanced at him. If there was anyone she wanted on her side, it would be someone like him—a powerful gargoyle shifter. “True.”
He squared his jaw. “I may not be in top form right now, but I’ll heal soon enough.”
Ah, he had to be in pain. The image of fire dancing over his beautiful black wings flashed before her. Would she ever forget that acrid scent of burning flesh? Or, the icy terror that clenched around her when she feared they’d plunge to the earth?
“Let me see your wings,” she said.
When he stopped, she circled around to examine them from all angles. The singed scent lingered. Much of his black wings were scorched. Worse was the torn, pink exposed flesh beneath.
Kai. If he could attack a shifter who was carrying her to safety, he clearly felt no sense of loss with her life.
“You’ll heal quicker than a human, right?” she asked.
“Aye. Unless whatever magic he hurled at me causes permanent damage.”
She bit her lip as she assessed the magical imprint. “I believe it’s just a fire spell. He shot it out quickly as a reaction to us fleeing, so he didn’t have much time to debate magical options.” With a weak grin, she added, “Better than that stone curse, right?”
He grunted. “Aye.”
“That was a more difficult spell. He’d never done it before.”
She shook her head, horrified at herself for trusting a man who had gone to such lengths to hurt another. If he’d managed to harden Alec’s wings to stone while they were airborne, nothing would have prevented them from crashing to the earth. A tremor of fear curled around her spine. She breathed through it. Reliving what might have happened wouldn’t help the situation. What would was figuring a way out of this mess.
She scanned their surroundings. The forests were full of bountiful growth, but she didn’t spot any that would help her create a healing salve. “I’ll keep an eye out as we walk for some herbs to help speed up your recovery.”
Alec exhaled with a loud whoosh. “That would be greatly appreciated. It hurts like a bastard. Unlike other injuries, it intensifies with time, rather than relieving the pain.”
And he’d acquired these injuries by saving her. She had to do something to alleviate his suffering. “Would you let me try something that might help?”
“Like what?” He eyed her with wariness.
She spread her thumb and forefinger an inch apart. “Just a little spell to mute the intensity.”
He stared at her like she was an untamed animal he’d stumbled upon, and he was unsure of how to react.
“I’m trying to help you,” she clarified. “Not hurt you.”
“It’s—well—my clan—we haven’t gotten along well with witches in the past.”
She tilted her head. “Why?”
“Long story.”
She glanced behind them. “We can’t sit around and talk about that now. Do you want me to try to help you, or not?” Her voice snapped with the annoyance of a branch breaking, and why not? She’d had nothing to do with his clan’s issues with witches from another coven.
He studied her as if assessing whether to believe her. “Aye. Please do so.”
She offered a sweet smile to soften her snappiness. After stepping behind him, she raised her hands before the most marred sections of his wings and repeated a healing chant.
His hunched shoulders relaxed. “Oh, that feels so much better. I might even try to retract my wings again.”
“Any particular reason why?”
“It will help them heal.”
He sucked in a breath, wincing as if preparing for pain. He hissed as his wings shrank and disappeared into his back. After a few more seconds passed, not even the tips of the black wings were visible.
Veda raised her hand where they’d been, hovering an inch above his skin. “Remarkable,” she whispered.
Alec fixed his gaze on the trail ahead. “We’d better keep moving.”
After she fell into place beside him, he said, “I’m still not able to communicate with my clan.”
She scrunched her face as she glanced over at him. “Did you just try?”
“Aye. And I can’t connect with anyone. But, as soon as I can, they can help us.”
For how long? Earlier that day, she’d never guessed that she would break from Kai and end up on the run with a gargoyle shifter. And now, she had no idea what she was going to do next.
After they’d walked an hour, Alec spotted a drinking hole. Stepping out of the covered forest would be a risk, making them vulnerable. But, thirst was another factor.
“Let’s head over there for a drink.”
They hadn’t found food, but water was critical. He kept his senses on alert as they exited the forest to head to the water source. He cupped his hands and drank.
She followed and sipped at the water. “Ah, this tastes so good.”
Her lips were wet and shiny. Perfect lips with a healthy shade of pink and plumpness.
Why was he bothering to notice what her lips looked like? She was a witch. Someone he’d ended up with for a brief journey while they untangled a mess.
After their thirst was quenched, he said, “We should head back into the woods. More cover that way.”
Not that he’d spotted any sign of that dark wizard. Maybe he wasn’t going to bother to come after them. Alec wouldn’t let down his guard, though. Not when he was protecting them both.
They’d spent much of the time trekking in silence with the occasional remark on their surroundings. Something had bothered him the longer they walked together—why would someone like her be with an arse?
When it poked at his mind like a bothersome flea, he finally asked, “How did you end up with someone like him?”
“What do you mean ‘like him’?”
Alec suppressed a groan, but spat, “He’s a jerk.”
She tilted her head and shrugged. “It’s complicated.”
Which meant she wasn’t going to tell him. “When people say that, I usually see that it’s not. It often comes down to a simple choice.”
Veda skewered him with a look. “It’s easy to judge as an observer.”
“True.” He’d give her that. It wasn’t the first time that he’d believed the best course for someone based on the facts, which made far less sense when it came to the person’s feelings. Not that he’d claim to understand that. He relied on facts and instinct. Emotions were sketchy, not to be trusted. They could lead a person down a thorny path.
“But, there’s also the age difference,” Alec pointed out. “He looks much older than you.”
“I’m 24. He’s 33. It’s not that mind blowing.”
Alec resisted groaning. He was even older, at 35. “He seems older. Probably the evil aging him.”
With his gruff, snappish tone, he sounded more like an envious lover. And why the hell was he even comparing their ages? It didn’t matter. This journey would be short-lived. He’d escort her to safety somewhere and then be on his way.
“What I mean,” he began again in a measured tone, “is that you seem kind. And he seemed like a—” Words that sprang to mind included arsehole, knob, fuckwit. “He doesn’t seem to deserve you.”
A hint of a smile edged her lips up. “Thank you.” She let out a soft sigh.
It was like the whisper of a bird’s song as it fluttered its wings in Alec’s chest. Something airy and light that lifted him.
“He didn’t start out that way.” Veda’s tone turned melancholic. “Well, he was always ambitious, I suppose, but it was understandable.”
He furrowed his brows. “Meaning?”
“He had a difficult life. His father beat him when he was young, and then Kai ran away. Our coven took him in, but he was different. Dark, thin, and pale, and never one to back down—he was a magnet for attracting trouble. The boys in the coven beat on him. Kai grew isolated, focusing on magic. And then when he was twenty-five, he learned
his father died. And as much as he hated him, it crushed him. It was his last close living relative. After his father’s death, he turned even deeper into developing his magical abilities. It was his outlet and his passion. He was skilled with it and created many spells, many greatly impressive.”
Alec raised his brows. “Like turning people to stone?” He resisted shuddering at the desperate feeling he’d experienced locked in that prison.
She let out an audible breath. “This is odd to explain. But, he believes he is a descendant of Medusa and thinks he’s gifted with magical skills—both light and dark.”
His brows knitted together. “He must be mad to think that. Medusa’s story is a myth.”
She shrugged. “We all have our gods. Who’s to say which is real and which is a myth. Where we lived in the valley of the mountains, many believed in the legends of the old gods. They’re not myths to them. Some consider it family history.”
Alec scowled. His clan believed in many things others might call legends. But, still, a story in which a woman’s hair was turned to snakes, and she turned those who looked at her to stone, couldn’t be real. “How did you end up coming to Scotland with him?”
“I had a soft spot for him. I mean, he was alone in the world. He’d been bullied, abused, laughed at. Yet, he was so talented. I looked up to him. He was older, misunderstood. Maybe I could be the one to reach him. I’d be his first true friend. After he had an argument with others in the coven, he decided to leave. He asked me to come with him to the Highlands, describing it as a place brimming with magic. He told me stories about ley lines and how we could tap into them to enhance our abilities. After spending my entire life in the mountains, I was ripe for adventure. Perhaps I was a fool, but I went with him.”
Jealousy sliced his jugular. It was unexpected, throwing him off kilter. “How long ago was that?”
“Only a few weeks. But, soon after we arrived, the doubts followed. We’d camped where we thought two lines crossed. Rather than feeling the magic energize me, I felt drained. Despondent. Dejected. I wondered if I’d made a mistake.”
Alec grunted in agreement. Any arrangement with that bloody wizard would be.
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