Alec searched for Veda as he flew over the hills and plains. He continued in the direction she’d headed from when she’d left the clan.

For miles, he scanned for a splash of color in the rolling emerald fields. Nothing. Where the hell was she?

Lightning crashed in the silver mist ahead. Odd. With the sun descending in such vibrant colors beyond that misty curtain, it didn’t appear as if a storm approached. And he generally sensed one before it happened. It would start with a tremor in his wings, which would then tingle his muscles. It triggered an instinct to find shelter.

Yet, none came this time.

Curiosity spurred him to investigate the source of that lightning. He soared toward it.

More sparks flashed from below. Even stranger. Why would it originate from below?

When Alec approached, his mouth dropped. It was Veda.

She was fighting Kai, and her power was magnificent. An aura of silvery-white sparkled around her, contrasting with her dark hair which rippled in the air around her as if whipped by a gust of wind. The lightning flowed straight from her hands, countering that which flowed from Kai’s staff. The energy flowed from her without a vessel.

He raced toward them on a downward trajectory, a burst of adrenaline powering his wings to beat at their quickest pace.

Her power pushed Kai back. She pressed on, holding her hand aloft. His eyes were stark with terror as he shrank to the ground.

Still, he held his staff before him like a shield in a last ditch effort to save himself. Her eyes burned with determination, as if fueled with the fire that drove her to victory.

“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.