“I shouldn’t be gone long,” Rhodack assured her as they made their way to the rooftop.

She knew he was going hunting with his gargoyles. She was excited to watch them take off for the hunt. She had yet to see him in his gargoyle form and couldn’t wait to see it.

The elevator opened, and they stepped out. Murmurs and growls sounded from the gargoyles on the roof. Their power brimmed in the air.

“Don’t worry about me,” she murmured.

His hand tightened on hers, and he glanced back at her. “Don’t leave the protection of the lair.” He stopped and turned toward her.

She felt the eyes of his gargoyles on them. She smiled, moved toward him, then cupped his cheek in her hand.

“I wouldn’t think of it,” she said.

Doubt swirled in his eyes but slowly disappeared as she stared into his eyes. He studied her before turning away from her. Something in her eyes must have made him believe her.

She held back a smirk, knowing she wasn’t just going to sit still and hide while he went after the thing that had tried to snatch her.

No.

She had plans, and that included going to her apartment. She was sure her roommate and friend was frantic, looking for her. It wasn’t like them to go days without speaking. She didn’t know how she was going to explain her disappearance to Chelsey.

“Gargoyles,” he said.

Silence filled the air, and their attention turned to their leader. He let her hand go as an intense power hit her. She took a small step back and watched his gargoyle come forward. Her breath caught in her throat with the appearance of leathery wings on his back.

The human Rhodack slowly disappeared, and his gargoyle fully emerged. His body seemed to increase in size as his beast came alive. He turned to face her, and she still sensed Rhodack there in his eyes, but before her stood one powerful gargoyle. His smooth skin was dark slate in color. Ridges highlighted his abdominal muscles. She moved forward, taking in his other side.

She reached out a hand, and his powers radiated from him. Her fingertips met the smoothness of his skin. It was thick, and she knew it was impenetrable. His intense eyes homed in on her, and she soaked up his new appearance.

He was a warrior.

A protector.

She pitied the being that he would be hunting. She knew it wouldn’t have a chance against Rhodack.

“Go get him,” she murmured, stepping back.

“We hunt,” he stated.

Growls echoed through the air, and gargoyles dove off the side of the building. She watched him run to the edge and dive off. The air was filled with the winged warriors taking off into the sky.

Her gaze followed Rhodack as he flew away. She walked to the edge and waited for them to disappear from sight. She’d assured him she wouldn’t leave, but there was no way she’d be keeping that promise.

“You’re going to leave, aren’t you?” a voice sounded behind her.

She turned sharply and found a female standing there. Her eyes narrowed on Rina. Hatred burned from them as she measured Rina up.

“You must be Avalena,” Rina stated, unafraid.

The woman was the complete opposite of Rina. Everything that was light on Rina was dark on the other female. Without the fierce scowl on her face, she might be pretty, but right now her eyes were staring daggers at Rina.

“Rhodack has spoken of me?” Avalena raised her eyebrow. She shifted her body, placing her hand on her hip.

Rina wasn’t impressed at all by her. This was the head female in Rhodack’s harem, and Rina knew the woman was threatened by Rina.

“Nope. Not a word.” Rina released a slight chuckle as the emotions crossed Avalena’s face.

“He’s mine, elf,” the woman sneered.

“Really?” It was Rina’s turn to cock an eyebrow. She wasn’t afraid of Avalena at all. She knew she’d learned to protect herself as a child. Memories of her training came to mind, and if need be, her instincts would kick in. She wiggled her fingers, a familiar tingling sensation at the tips. “Funny you should say that. You’ve been with him for how many years and yet you’re only the head of his harem?”

“It is an honor to belong to the clan leader’s harem. You wouldn’t understand our way of life, growing up pretending to be human,” Avalena spat.

Someone had been talking about her. She filed that information away for later.

“Pretending to be human?”

“As part of the harem, you will answer to me. I run it.”

Avalena moved to stand in front of Rina, who didn’t back down. She met the gargoyle’s cold eyes and held back her laugh. Little did the woman know, Rhodack didn’t have any intention of adding Rina to the harem. If he had his way, they’d mate, putting Rina as his equal.

She wasn’t going to let this female intimidate her. Rina was far more powerful than this gargoyle could ever imagine.

“This elf doesn’t belong to harems of no man. I don’t care what it does for you,” Rina said. “I’m royalty, gargoyle, and I can assure you that Rhodack doesn’t want me in his stable.”

Done with the conversation, she turned to move from the female, but Avalena grabbed her arm.

“I’m not done talking to you,” she bit out.

“Oh, but you are,” Rina snapped.

She pushed her powers out at Avalena, sending her body flying back through the air and crashing on the ground. The wind whipped around her while her powers surged in her body. Her hair swirled as she stalked toward where Avalena lay, coughing and sputtering on the ground.

Avalena widened her eyes and looked up at Rina. “Stay away from me. Next time, I won’t be as nice.”

Rina turned away and took a few steps. She envisioned her destination and vanished into thin air.

Rina took in her home that she shared with Chelsey. A soft light glowing in the living room let her know someone was home. She went up the stairs and paused at the door.

She didn’t know how she was going to explain everything to her best friend. They’d been best friends for a while, and Rina wanted to ensure Chelsey knew that she was fine. She glanced down at her dress and sighed.

She gripped the handle and realized she didn’t have her keys, but that wouldn’t keep her from entering the room. Using her abilities, she unlocked the door and entered her home. Sounds of the television filled the air, and she walked farther inside.

She made her way to the living room, finding Chelsey curled up in the oversized chair. Her head whipped around to Rina as she stopped by the edge of the couch.

“Oh my—” Chelsey scrambled from the couch. Shock lined her face, and she looked Rina up and down as Rina stood gazing at her.

Rina smiled at her friend’s astonished face. “Chelsey, I have so much to explain—”

“Your Grace,” Chelsey murmured, kneeling before Rina.

Rina’s mouth flew open, and she stared at her best friend kneeling before her. No words would come forward, so she cleared her throat.

“Get up, Chelsey. Is that even your name?”

Chelsey’s eyes met Rina’s, and she stood. Anger filled Rina’s chest, and she continued to gawp at the person who was her best friend.

“I’m so sorry, Larina,” Chelsey said.

Rina was further stunned by the use of her elven name. Who was this woman in front of her? She’d expected to have to explain everything to Chelsey, but apparently she wouldn’t have to.

“But to answer your question, yes, Chelsey is my real name.”

“So I take it you didn’t even call the police to report me missing?” Rina couldn’t keep the sarcasm from entering her voice.

“No. Solana updated me on where you were. At first I freaked out, but then when your mom—Solana—told me where you were, I didn’t.”

“So you’ve known this entire time who I am and didn’t say anything?”

“It was forbidden,” Chelsey cried out with tears in her eyes. “I was sworn to secrecy. Believe me, I didn’t want to lie to you this whole time.”

“Are you even really my friend, or was that a façade?” Rina tucked her hair behind her ear.

She had to know: was her entire life fake? She’d forgiven Solana, but she had to know this, too: was her relationship with Chelsey entirely made up? She’d loved her friend as a sister and knew her heart would break if their friendship had been entirely one-sided.

“Of course I’m your friend. Everything between us was real. Solana belongs to my coven and asked me to help her. She needed a way to keep an eye on you without seeming to be the overbearing mother. When we first met, it may have been staged, but everything after our meeting was real.” Chelsey rushed to Rina and enfolded her in her arms.

Rina wrapped her arms around her friend and gripped her close. She squeezed her tight, and her eyes filled with tears.

“I’m so sorry for doubting you,” Rina sniffed and broke away from Chelsey.

“I get it. I really do. It was so hard not spilling the beans to you,” Chelsey said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “It just broke my heart when you’d get your migraines. I felt helpless.”

“So, a witch, huh?” Rina murmured as she looked at her friend. Now that she really looked at her, she could see it in Chelsey.

“Yes, not a powerful one like Solana.” Chelsey nodded. “I’m really sorry, Rina. I never meant to hurt you.”

Rina smiled and brushed her tears away. She motioned to her friend to the couch so they could talk. Before she knew it, two hours and a bottle and a half of wine later, they were all smiles. Chelsey had explained everything to her. How she’d protected Rina all of these years and had reported everything to Solana.

Rina had decided to put her initial anger to the side, knowing that everything about her on Earth was to protect her. She smiled at her friend as she set her glass on the coffee table.

“I can’t stay much longer. Rhodack will return to the gargoyle lair soon. I promised him I wouldn’t leave.” She chuckled. During their talk, Rina had caught Chelsey up on everything that had happened since the night Vikuth had saved her.

“You were never one that followed directions well.” Chelsey giggled. “You and a gargoyle? They’re such intense creatures.”

“When you meet him, you’ll understand.” Rina smiled, thinking of Rhodack. She remembered her initial reaction to him and chuckled. Now that her eyes were officially open, she wanted him even more than she had before.

Her gut was telling her they were meant for each other, but she didn’t know how that was going to work out if he was a protector of this realm and she was to rule Faery.

The hairs on her neck rose to attention as a warning went off in the back of her mind. Her smile slipped from her face, and she stood and moved to the front window.

Rina held up her hand and flicked it, using her powers to turn the lights off in the room. “Not a word,” she whispered. She sensed Chelsey’s fear from where she stood.

Rina gently pushed the curtain to the side slightly, just enough for her to take a peek out into the yard. She released a soft curse. The misted energy hovered in the yard.

It had found her.