Alec stood on one of the towers of the castle and peered out. The endless rolling hills of the Highlands had once seemed exciting, an emerald canvas with pockets of blue jewels to explore. Yet, several months after relocating here with his gargoyle clan, the call of the ocean beckoned him.

He opened a mental communication link with his father. It’s my night off. I’m headed out for a flight over the ocean.

His shifts rotated between guarding the castle remains where the Calder Clan lived or patrolling the area by air for signs of danger.

Again? His father replied. You might as well be a sea bird with all the time you spend there.

Alec ignored the admonition in his father’s comment. I’ll be back by sunrise. Alec ended their mental connection.

He cloaked himself in gargoyle magic, so he could fly the skies undetected by human eyes. He unfurled his wings behind him. With a leap off the edge of the stone, he was airborne. His wings took over from there, flapping through the night sky and carrying him north over the Highlands. The air cooled him with its soothing whisper. Only flight could provide this solace, when he could soar toward the stars and leave his troubles on the earth for a brief period.

Although thousands of stars twinkled overhead, the effect was muted by a fine mist that clouded them as well as the waning moon. Visibility was more difficult, even with a gargoyle’s superior night vision. No artificial lights from human cities or villages illuminated the darkness as their clan’s location was far from where any humans lived. The remote location offered privacy, yet at a cost.

They were in the middle of nowhere.

At least, that was how it had seemed to him. The crumble of rock in which they’d made their home seemed more of a relic of the past rather than a home for their future.

Perhaps it was foolish to dwell on a done decision. When the Calder Clan had lived on the Isle of Stone, Alec was as eager as the other gargoyles to relocate to their ancestral home in the Highlands. Humans had discovered the island. It was only a matter of time before they ruined it.

Yet, Alec asked himself a question more often in recent weeks—had he made a mistake?

He missed living on the island. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocky cliffs lulled him to rest after he shifted to stone and restored his energy under the sunlight.

But, he had to snap out of it. His future was with his clan here. It was time to quit moping and adapt.

He ventured north past mountainous peaks wreathed by mist, a lone loch, and fog-covered forests to head to the Scottish coastline. An odd green light flickered in the distance. Was it the Northern Lights? He approached it. No. It originated from the earth not the skies, and it glowed with an unnatural hue.

Alec’s gargoyle instincts flared. Whatever this was had to be investigated. It hadn’t been long since the gargoyles had battled the sluagh, demons that had massacred almost an entire clan of gargoyle shifters. If this light signaled malevolent activity, he had to warn his clan.

He attempted to open a communication link with his father. Nothing. Alec tried again with other members of his clan.

Bugger. No luck. He must have flown out of range. He’d have to investigate on his own.

Alec slowed his trajectory as he approached and searched for cover. Nothing would shield him near the source of the light, but the nearby forest would have to do. He dipped low and circled in, taking cover in the boughs of a tree.

A small cabin was situated hundreds of feet from the tree line. A tall, thin man wearing a black hooded robe and holding a staff stood with a petite woman with dark hair and a forest green cape in front of an enormous black cauldron with the strange mist.

They had to be witches.

He scowled at the discovery. Whatever magic they attempted to practice couldn’t be good. Even at his distance, he could smell the distasteful odor, one that reminded him of burning flesh and foul rot. His nostrils curled.

“Kai, are you sure about this?” The woman’s voice had a hint of an Eastern European accent, and spoke with an edge of uncertainty. “Something seems off.”

“Of course, I’m sure. This one isn’t enough. We need to find a stronger crossing.” The man’s accent was thicker, his tone heavy, almost a growl.

She raised her hand and dropped it. “I sense darkness. I feel it draining me.” Her voice wavered.

“You fear the dark end of the spectrum too much.” The man paced before the bubbling cauldron. “It’s the only way we can tap into our full potential.”

“No,” she said. “You can’t. Our coven practices in the light.”

“We’ve left the coven, Veda,” he snapped. “Whatever rules they preached don’t apply to us here. We carve our new path forward, embracing all that the world has to offer.”

“I did not agree to that when I left with you.” Her voice hardened. “This was not what we had planned.” She raised her index finger.

He cocked his head and sneered as he eyed her. “Careful, my sweet. I’d hate to think you’re opposing me like the others.” The warning edge in his voice was as sharp as an icicle.

She took a step back. “I’m not. And nobody in the coven has either. Just because someone doesn’t agree with you doesn’t make it an all or nothing relationship. That’s what people do—they disagree and compromise.”

“Veda.” He laughed without mirth. “You’re so young. So naive.” He raised his hand and turned his head. “Wait, what is that?”

Alec’s muscles turned taut. Shite. Could they see through the magic that cloaked him?

The man narrowed his eyes at the woods. He pointed his staff as he strode forward. “Reveal yourself!”

Alec struggled to extract himself from the branches of the tree. He had to get out of here. Nobody in his clan knew where he was, and the man’s tone promised punishment. As soon as Alec found room to extend his wings, he hurled himself into the night, headed far from there.

“A gargoyle shifter,” the man’s voice twinkled with amusement. “Brilliant.”

What was so funny about that? Alec didn’t turn to look. Escape was paramount. He’d return with his clan, armed, to investigate. After only two flaps of his wings, a tingling spread over them. Hot shivers shot through his body, which then cooled and hardened.

And hardened even more.

He couldn’t flap them any longer. They were frozen.

His ribs tightened like a vice, squeezing his lungs. His heartbeat rammed up to rocket speed, slamming his blood through his veins.

But, then the flow slowed like a slow-moving stream, tightened his muscles. He flailed his arms in a desperate attempt to stay aloft but failed. His limbs hardened.

To rock.

Fuck.

His face was the last to freeze, right as he’d started to plummet. He was locked in stone.

The grassy grounds rushed to greet him as he crashed to the earth.