Alec struggled to stay in flight, but his wings were too damaged. They’d already been sluggish to maneuver with the lingering effect of the stone curse, and the scorching burns exacerbated the aftermath of the spell. The simmering burn increased with an intensity that not even the cool night air relieved.

He’d managed to evade the full hit directed at his torso when the man had brandished his staff and aimed lightning-like bolts of fire, but the ripple of searing heat grasping him signaled Alec hadn’t fully escaped.

The burns that had scorched them echoed with a throbbing pain he couldn’t ignore. He pushed through it to flap his wings through the night air, carrying them both far away from the man trying to kill them.

Alec glanced down at the ground ahead. Hopefully, they were far enough from the madman who would strike fire at them like a hunter shot at defenseless prey.

“We’ll have to land,” he told the woman who clung to him.

She’d wrapped herself around his body as if he were the only thing anchoring her to a chance of living. Which, in this case, he kind of was.

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.

“Kai’s pursuit for magic was relentless. He was obsessed. His interest in me was more of a material possession than that of partners. But, it was too late. I’d chosen to go with him and had to make the best of it. Until—”

He guessed he knew what followed. “—Until he cursed me into stone and you saved me.”

She pursed her lips. “Yes. He’d gone too far. It was time to take a stand even if it cost me.”

“You’re brave.” And so bonnie.

She laughed. “Or foolish.”

“Do you think you relocated to the wrong place?”

“No,” she replied. “I was eager to discover new places. I like it here.”

“Then what is it?”

“I moved with the wrong person.” She motioned at the dense woodland that surrounded them. “I’m not sure where I’m going to go now.”

He could invite her to the clan with him for now, at least, until she figured out where she wanted to go.

What was he—mad? They would never go for that. She was a witch. And witches were not to be trusted. Let alone be offered shelter and hospitality.

But, if the wizard came after her…

“You know him probably better than anyone. Do you think he’s looking for you?”

She chewed her lip. “That’s a good question. One I honestly don’t know the answer to. I don’t think he cares that much for me that he’d track me across the land. But, if he considers it a matter of revenge, well, then I’d sleep with one eye open.”

“I’ll take you wherever you decide to go.”

She tilted her head. “You’re going to protect me?”

He didn’t want to frighten her with the threats out there. He’d fought demons—the sluagh—in the Highlands not too long ago. She couldn’t wander lost and alone. It wasn’t right.

“I’ll guard you.”

She smiled in a way that seemed intimate, a secret one shared between two lovers.

He cleared his throat. “After all, that’s the gargoyle way. We are designed to protect.”

 

As the day stretched on, and the distance between them and Kai likely increased, Veda stopped glancing behind her every few minutes. They gathered handfuls of edible plants and nuts en route to provide more energy for their trek.

But, as the canopy of trees thickened overhead, it became more difficult to navigate through the forest. The diminished light without the moon’s glow created a new type of apprehension, which had nothing to do with Kai. Shadows of limbs and leaves swayed with sinister slowness on the ground. Her eyes darted at every sound of the night forest—the hum of insects, the skitter of a small animal through the brush.

How could she believe they were safe in the woods when she couldn’t even see what surrounded them? Although she’d grown up in the mountains and was well acquainted to navigating through wooded terrain, this one was unknown. And unknown territory was difficult to traverse. Some sounds of animals in the forest were unidentifiable, adding to her unease.

Veda tripped over a tree root.

“Whoa.” Alec grabbed her by the upper arms and steadied her. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” How could she not be with a sturdy gargoyle shifter protecting her? Perhaps she should ease up a bit before her nerves swallowed her whole. “It’s getting more difficult to see the path with the sun setting.”

Alec glanced up through the foliage above where the moonlight merely dappled through at this evening hour. “You’re right. My vision might be more acute. We’re used to making our way through the dark. In fact, we generally prefer it.”

“You’re nocturnal. Like a cat.”

“A cat? Of all the creatures who live by night, you bring up a cat?”

“What’s wrong with that? You sound insulted. I like cats.”

“I am a bit. You’re talking about a four-legged animal. I’m a gargoyle shifter. We’re hardly a comparable species.”

“All right. Sorry.” She nudged his arm. “I had no idea you were so touchy.”

He glanced over at her and his face spread into a grin. “You’re teasing me.”

“I am.” She smiled back. “No need to take ourselves too seriously, right?”

He shook his head. “No need to disparage ourselves either. I’m proud to be a gargoyle, one of the defenders of the earth.”

She laughed. “You don’t have to be so uptight about it. Witches are healers. And many of us favor a cat as our familiar.”

“A familiar? What on earth is that?”

She peered over at him. “I thought you knew about witches. You claimed not to get along with them.”

“Right. When I grew up on the isle, we kept our distance from the coven. They lived on the other side of it. They build their homes in the trees, connecting them with rope bridges. I don’t know what they did over there. They were a strange lot.”

“It doesn’t sound that peculiar to me. In fact, it sounds like quite a nice place to live.”

He shot her a skeptical look.

“Witches can be as different from each other as people. Perhaps they live in trees because they like to be near the sky or live in nature. Who knows? My coven lived in a mountain valley with a nearby lakes and bounded by forests. The land is fertile and bountiful. And full of all kinds of animals. We have several animals that live among us. I had a cat.”

“Let me guess — a black one.”

“Nooo. She was mostly white with some gray. She loved to sit on me.”

“Is she back there?”

Veda swallowed the irritation that tickled her throat. “No. She died last year.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yes, well.” Her voice came out with a strangled sound. She cleared her throat. “Thank you. It was tough. But, it is what nature intended. Their lifespans aren’t as long as ours. We know this, and yet it’s impossible not to grieve when it actually happens.”

Distracted by her grief of losing her familiar, she didn’t see the root. She tripped and teetered. Alec caught one of her arms, but she’d already fallen too far forward for him to prevent gravity from taking over. She tumbled onto a bed of leaves in an ungraceful position with her dress hiked up to her thigh.

Alec offered her a hand. He glanced at her exposed skin, and she tingled with heat, turning flushed.

After he helped her up, he said, “Maybe we should rest for the night. It will be safer to continue our journey come sunlight.”

She glanced around. Tree after tree after tree. “Where are we going to rest?”

“Find a soft spot that will provide some cushion from the hard-packed soil.” He pointed beneath a small grove of trees with green undergrowth that blanketed the rougher surroundings. “Perhaps there.”

She headed over to it and shrugged. “Sure.” It would be okay for one night.

When she turned, she caught his gaze and found herself trapped in his stare. A sudden awareness of how they’d be spending the night together spread through her with the fluttering sensation of butterfly wings. How intimate for someone she’d just met.

“Are you going to be staying here with me?” She tried to keep her tone light, but the tremble in her voice betrayed her.

“I’ll be near you, but not in this form.” His voice lowered an octave.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll shift to stone form. It allows me to rest while still being aware of what’s going on around me. It’s how a gargoyle can stay on watch at all times, if necessary.”

Although, she knew he was a gargoyle, and had already seen him locked in stone, his magical abilities fascinated her. She could perform magic, but what he could do was incredible—shifting from stone to man, unfurling his wings from his back, communicating telepathically with other shifters. What other fascinating secrets did he have?

“Will you be sleeping?”

“Somewhat. It’s like a meditative state. We generally restore our energy in stone under the sunlight.”

“You’ll be able to see if Kai is catching up to us?”

“Aye. So, you can rest easy.” He stepped over to her and touched her upper arm, a gentle gesture that sent hot tingles along her skin.

“I’ll be right here watching over you,” he added.

She glanced up at him. Gods, he was enormous. Tall and wide, built to protect. His massive frame promised to shield her, and that was even without his wings extended. Warmth from his body touched her skin.

His gaze dropped from her eyes to her lips, and then it flickered with desire.

Still, his lips were close. If she leaned up and reached around his neck for balance, she could kiss them.

He broke the connection and turned to the side. “I’ll—uh—be right over here.” He took a few steps away from her.

“Oh, uh. Okay.” Her skin instantly cooled without him near her. She sat on the soft forest bedding and pulled her knees up to her chest.

His body seemed to vibrate. He dropped to his hands and knees as his frame contorted. It grayed and appeared to harden. And his features—they grew larger, more distorted.

In the next blink, Alec no longer stared at her from those honey-brown eyes. Hard stone ones replaced them on a crouched stone body of a gargoyle with wings and horns.

Veda stared, searching from any sign of life. None.

She glanced at their forest surroundings once again. When confident that Kai wasn’t watching them from behind some tree, she exhaled. He wouldn’t bother to trek through the woods for her in the dark, would he? Knowing him, he’d return to the cottage to sleep and resume the search by daylight.

The sounds of the forest still terrified her, but soon, the fear passed. The gentle chirp of crickets and the breeze rustling through the leaves lulled her.

Besides, he was watching over her in that form.

She lay on her side and faced him, resting her head on her hand. “Good night, Alec.”

Silence.

He was on watch.

Could he even hear her in stone form? This shifter who’d turned her world on end was as mysterious as a book of spells in an ancient language. As she eyed the immobile statue who watched over her, an urge bloomed to discover more of his secrets.