She studied it at some length and then Lillian felt a breeze kick up, one that had no natural source. Magic flickered along Daryna’s fingers, a barely visible shimmering.
Soon the Sorceress began a chant. It was almost beyond the range of hearing, even for Lillian’s gargoyle-enhanced senses. As the chant grew in volume, the breeze the magic had summoned swirled faster. The slight glow around her fingers expanded, throbbing in sync with both the breeze and the chant.
A chilled power Lillian had come to recognize as Spirit Magic, caressed her skin, raising gooseflesh as it passed. Soon the chill had spread, filling the glade and dropping the temperature by several degrees.
Frost glinted on Gregory’s dark skin, and Lillian winced at how cold he had to be. But then again, he seemed to be enjoying the cold. Gargoyles were odd. Or perhaps it was actually Daryna’s touch he took pleasure in.
Lillian frowned, her stomach souring at the thought. But she stomped on that emotion before it could spiral into something darker. She wasn’t going to be jealous about her new doppelgänger. It wasn’t fair to Gregory to force a divide between them.
Not yet at least. She’d wait until she had something more substantial than just a primal jealousy to go on.
Daryna continued to call power from the Spirit Realm. A vortex of energy now danced around Gregory. It snatched at his hair and clothing. The cross current winds began to moan, high-pitched and eerie. The savage currents picked up bits of grit and gravel from the walkways and tossed them around the glade, pelting anyone in their path.
Protective instincts flared to life within Lillian, stronger this time, and talons erupted from her fingertips. She took a step toward Gregory and the Sorceress just as the chant ended. The sound of the howling wind halted so suddenly Lillian’s ears twitched.
“I would never harm Gregory,” Daryna said, stepping aside, so Lillian had a clear view of her mate.
Gregory was still kneeling, but he was now touching his own throat. Then as a toothy gargoyle grin spread across his face, he summoned his magic freely, without needing consent or command from her.
He seemed completely unharmed by Daryna’s spell work. Grudgingly, Lillian admitted she owed thanks to the other woman for fixing her most grievous error.
“I know you wouldn’t harm Gregory intentionally, but I’ve seen a lot go wrong, too.”
The Sorceress nodded. “I understand. Your trust must be earned.”
“I’m sorry,” Lillian said, “but, yes, it does.”
Again, Daryna merely bobbed her head, that annoyingly stoic look back in place.
Gregory stood and whispered quiet thanks to Daryna. Then he gave her a couple thorough gargoyle kisses before he walked over to Lillian.
She’d never been a fan of the gargoyle way of showing affection, but now that it was directed at another person, Lillian felt her insides twist with another stab of jealousy.
‘Ugh. Get a hold on that green-eyed monster,’ Lillian muttered deep in her own mind. ‘He’s just showing affection to the other half of his soul. Deal. With. It.’
Yah. Right. The pep talk did nothing for her.
Gregory stepped in close to Lillian, blocking her view of her doppelgänger. He nuzzled her hair out of the way and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. His warm breath and scent surrounded her, making it impossible to stay upset at either Gregory or Daryna.
“I will do the spell work to unmake your tattoo,” Gregory said as he tapped a finger against her throat. “Daryna will monitor and protect our little one from the power of the spell and any backlash from the collar.”
The concept of a child was still so new to Lillian that it hadn’t occurred to her that breaking the spell on the collar might be dangerous to the fetus in her womb. The thought of losing that tiny life terrified her. She wanted Gregory’s child.
“I would rather allow my own tattoo to remain in place than risk the life of our child.”
Gregory rested his hands on Lillian’s shoulders and pressed their foreheads together. “As long as I draw breath, I won’t allow harm to come to you or our child.”
His words reassured her. It was true. He wanted this child. Perhaps even more than she did. He’d certainly been waiting longer.
“I trust you.” Lillian glanced at Daryna. “Both of you.”
Daryna and Gregory both bowed in the same old-world style and then began their work. Even before they laid hands on her, Lillian felt their separate powers reach out and wrap around her.
Gregory stood in front. His thumbs pressed gently against her throat, caressing the tattoo with chilling power. Behind her, Daryna knelt and reached around her to curve her fingers along Lillian’s abdomen. Warmth seeped into her body, emanating from Daryna’s touch. It cocooned Lillian’s unborn child in layers of protective magic.
“There,” Daryna said. “Our little one is safe.”
Gregory huffed an affirmative and unleashed a torrent of energy. Threads of power flowed across her skin; the cold more intense now that she was its focus. The tattoo around her neck flared with a heated warning, dragging a gasp of surprise from Lillian. The spell branded into her skin shifted and heaved like a living thing.
Her fingers flexed and tension raced up her back. Her breathing came in short, choppy pants.
The urge to shift into her gargoyle form clawed at her mind, but she didn’t know what that would do to the spell Gregory wove, so she fought the need.
“Shhh,” Gregory whispered, bowing his muzzle close to her ear a moment before he began a chant that sounded similar to the one Daryna had used on him.
Then, just like earlier, he ended his chant and a strange wash of power from the Spirit Realm flowed from his hands into her body, taking with it the constraining band of power that had been circling her throat. There was a secondary shift of power and then she felt free, like a weight was lifting from around her neck. Instinctively she reached for her throat and fingered the skin. It felt whole. Clean and unblemished by the tainted collars.
She blinked and stared into Gregory’s eyes for a moment. “Thank you.”
Then she turned to face the Sorceress who was already stepping away. “And thank you as well. I am in your debt.”
Daryna shook her head. “You owe me nothing. Besides, that seems somewhat self-serving.”
“Still, thank you for protecting my child while Gregory freed me from the collar.”
“I will always protect our child and our mate.”
Chapter 6
Gregory hung back and watched Lillian and Daryna. Even though they’d left the maze behind for the gravel paths of the garden, a chill still followed them. Regrettably, this iciness had nothing to do with the magic they’d summoned for the spell work.
The sensation creeping up his spine was caused by another situation entirely, and he even had a word for it—rivalry.
Gregory had the distinct impression he was the bone of contention between these two formidable females. Daryna was all ancient confidence and superiority, which wasn’t helping. Lillian, on the other hand, was doing what she could to adapt to the situation without starting a verbal or physical fight. But she was distancing herself from him.
And that was not something Gregory liked. At all.
All three of them needed to work together as one unified being. But Lillian was raised human, Daryna was set in her ways, and he simply wanted fate to find someone else to toy with for a while.
If a compromise was to be found—and one damn well better be found, there was no way he was choosing between his mate and the Sorceress—than it was going to be up to him to locate the solution.
“What would you like to see next?” Lillian asked Daryna, her voice colder than magic from the Spirit Realm.
“You as a gargoyle. I must admit, I’m curious. I’ve seen what you look like in Gregory’s memories, but I want to see you with my own eyes. Then I’d like to go hunting with you both before work demands all our attentions elsewhere.”
Lillian’s hand droppe
d to her belly. “I’ve meant to ask, but are we all confident that shape-shifting won’t harm the little one?”
Daryna tilted her head and studied Lillian—giving her a look that said she didn’t quite believe she’d been asked such a foolish question.
“Not helping,” Gregory muttered into Daryna’s mind. “Are you intentionally aggravating Lillian?”
Daryna arched an eyebrow at him but directed her answer at Lillian. “Have I not said that I would never do anything to harm our child?” Daryna made a vague gesture at the tree line in the distance. “Besides, a hunt will be good exercise. You’ll want to stay in peak physical form for the health of the little one.”
Lillian’s eyes narrowed dangerously at Daryna’s tone.
Gregory stepped between them. “We might not get another chance for days. Gran says the military is badgering her. They want us to work with them more closely. I also need to get back to forging more ward-spelled weapons. And we have an army to raise. A hunt sounds good when compared to all that.”
“Fine,” Lillian growled.
Gregory felt the betraying wilt of his ears as they drooped to half-mast.
Lillian’s expression softened slightly, and she rolled her eyes at him. “I could use the exercise of a good hunt. We can walk to the tree line and then I’ll shift. No use giving the scientists anymore of an eyeful than they already had.” Her expression turned troubled. “It’s bad enough that Anna’s been voluntold to be their guinea pig, but I still can’t believe everyone is just cool with Shadowlight volunteering for study.”
While Lillian’s muttered comment inched back over toward more angry and annoyed, Gregory felt a spark of humor at that particular situation. The young gargoyle loved attention, asking questions, and generally getting underfoot.
“The scientists will get more than they bargained for with Shadowlight and Anna. Besides, Whitethorn and Greenborrow are watching over those two cubs.”
“Anna will be thrilled you called her a cub. She’s older than me by a couple years.”
Gregory huffed again. “You’re all cubs in need of training. And I think I need to master the skill of time travel to find enough hours to rub together to complete all my tasks.”
Bending down, Gregory nuzzled Lillian’s hair when she continued to look sour. “But those are worries for later. Come, hunt with me.”
The hard glint in Lillian’s eyes softened further, and she nodded. But a moment later her expression hardened again when she looked from Gregory to Daryna and back again.
“Do you mind if we bring Shadowlight along for the hunt. He’s just lost his father, and with River in a coma, he’s alone for the first time in his life. He’s putting on a brave face, but he’s hurting inside. Anyone can see that.”
Gregory dropped to all fours and bumped his head under Lillian’s hand. Her fingers dutifully rubbed along his muzzle and then up into his mane.
“Of course, we’ll bring him along,” he said between blissful scratches. “He’s ours to protect as well.”
Daryna nodded. “I agree. Shadowlight is welcome to come, but you forget he is not alone. The cub has his Kyrsu to act as his family now.”
Gregory huffed in surprise. He knew Anna and Shadowlight’s fates were linked. He could sense that from the moment he’d laid eyes on the human soldier. But a human Kyrsu?
“And what in God’s name is a Kyrsu?” Lillian asked with narrowed eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Kyrsu is the word for ‘second’ in the gargoyle language. It’s also the title of the second in command of the gargoyle legion,” Daryna explained.
“That clears everything right up. Thanks.” Lillian glowered at Gregory. “When were you going to tell me this bit of news?”
“I’ve shared very little about my gargoyle brothers, not because I wish to keep things from you, but because of lack of time,” Gregory said, bumping his muzzle under Lillian’s hand a second time. When she resumed her scratches, he continued his tale. “You know that unlike me, the other gargoyles were created to serve Lord Death. While I am their leader when we are born into the world as Avatars, the rest of the time the gargoyle legion is led by others.”
“They hold the fort for you while you’re away.”
Gregory nodded. “Yes. They take command from Lord Death directly while we are with the Divine Ones in the Spirit Realm.”
“So, there’s always someone to keep an eye on the Battle Goddess even if it’s not us,” Lillian finished for him.
“Exactly so.” He nuzzled Lillian gently, pressing his muzzle against her belly, breathing deeply of her scent mixed with that of their child. His heart filled with joy, and he was distracted until Lillian’s fingers caressed his horns.
“Anna and Shadowlight…. you were saying.” She prodded him back to the tale.
“Hundreds of centuries can go by while we dwell in the Spirit Realm. In our absence, the gargoyles are led by a Rasoren. Its translation means roughly ‘prime leader’ and Kyrsu is ‘second one.’ Since I first met Shadowlight, I’ve speculated that the Battle Goddess was trying to create her own Rasoren and Kyrsu to lead her armies.”
“Yes. You mentioned their titles. But we’ve squashed the Battle Goddess’s plan in that regard, surely?”
“Yes. But that doesn’t change Shadowlight’s future potential. He was bred to be a strong and cunning leader—one the Battle Goddess intended to use to crush her brother’s army. We have diverted the cub’s fate. But now he will grow up to lead Death’s armies instead. By a strange twist of fate, Shadowlight has already chosen his second in command.”
He sensed Lillian piecing together bits of what he’d just revealed.
Lillian laughed. “Anna is ‘second one’ to Shadowlight’s ‘prime leader,’ isn’t she?”
“Mother Bear might be a more apt name,” Daryna said dryly.
Gregory nodded agreement. “A standard prime and his second are often father and son, brothers, or sometimes just long-standing friends. But all are formidable warriors. Only the strongest of mind and body are granted the rule of the gargoyles.”
Again, Lillian’s expression darkened. “At least Shadowlight is safe from what the Battle Goddess would have turned him into.”
Daryna shook her head. “You forget. Having rescued Shadowlight doesn’t change what he is, what he will grow into. Fate still has plans for those two cubs that even I cannot see. Seeing the future is not a gift the Divine Ones granted their Avatars.”
Lillian grunted, apparently not happy about Daryna’s words, but not denying them either.
“Even if fate has a dark path for Shadowlight to follow,” the Sorceress continued, “Anna, as his second, will be there every step of the way.”
Lillian just shook her head. “I don’t want to be the poor soul who has to tell Anna her fate is no longer her own.”
“I imagine the human already senses that or will discover that fact soon enough.” A small mysterious smile graced Daryna’s lips for a moment before vanishing.
Gregory wondered at the cause and decided he’d speak more on this topic when he had a chance to get Daryna alone. “The cub’s fate will not unfold for years to come. In the meantime, I shall start his training. I’ll even start with today’s hunt. It will do him good.”
For the first time, both Lillian and Daryna agreed on something. Together, hidden by his shadow magic, they sought out the youngest gargoyle.
Chapter 7
Merciful light. It looked like the seemingly endless, dreary, useless meeting was finally going to be over. Shadowlight’s ears perked up. As he listened from his lair under what Gran called a conference table, he heard the humans gathering together their reports and the scraping of chairs as the officers stood.
Earlier he’d squeezed in between Gran and Anna’s chairs and crawled under the table for a nap. To keep from getting kicked in the head or some other body part, he’d curled into a ball, practically sitting on Anna and Gran’s feet.
It was the
sound of chairs sliding back that had woken him. Yawning, he shifted and stretched.
He’d been too wound up from the aftermath of the battle with Commander Gryton to sleep and had settled for following Anna around most of the night. His shadow magic hid him from sight and only Gran, and perhaps Major Resnick knew he was presently under the table.
Resnick was observant for a human and had noted when Anna had shifted her chair enough to allow him under the large table.
“It’s settled then, for now,” Resnick was saying, “I’ll stop by the labs and tell them that they will have a few volunteers coming in shortly.”
From Shadowlight’s understanding, the scientists had wanted a female and male from each Fae species to study. Gran had—to steal a phrase from Anna—shot that down. Only volunteers would go to the scientists, and even then, there would be other Fae present to make sure no samples ever left the lab.
He supposed it was wise. Blood had power in more than just the Magic Realm. And Gran had muttered something about cloning and immortality.
Shadowlight knew what immortality meant, but he didn’t know the word cloning, and none of his father’s memories helped either. Hmmm. He’d ask Anna later.
Other conversations drifted around the room, but he focused on Resnick’s whispered aside to Gran. “But there will be volunteers?”
He’d made it a question, but Shadowlight sensed it was more of a statement.
“Of course,” Gran said with a chuckle. “We can’t have your scientists turning poor Anna into a pincushion and draining all her blood, now can we?”
They wished to drain Anna’s blood?
Shadowlight growled threateningly as he hauled himself out from underneath the table.
When he was free, he shoved Anna’s chair behind him and stood guard, his muscles bunching in preparation to lunge and his tail flicking with battle readiness.
“Damn it, kid!” Anna hissed under her breath and added a sharp ‘Shadowlight behave’ for the benefit of the other humans in the room. She grabbed his shoulder, her short talons digging in painfully.
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