Heart Of Stone

by Cynthia Eden

  “No…choice…”

  They’d flown so fast. They’d blasted right through the city, but now he was lowering his body and they seemed to be heading toward a big, massive house. One that sat behind a heavy stone fence.

  Oh, no. “Why don’t you have a choice, Adam?”

  He took them through the roof. A hole had been made in that roof, and Adam just flew them right through it.

  “Adam?”

  “Eric has…stone.”

  Her heart stopped. Impossible. No way…

  Adam had reached his destination. He’d landed in the middle of a study—one covered with dust and debris, probably courtesy of the gaping hole in the roof. And in that room, standing beside the desk, with a smug smile on his face…was Eric.

  A very much alive, very much unhurt Eric.

  “That was awesome,” Eric announced. He looked at his watch. “You were back in ten minutes. I am definitely impressed.”

  Adam still held Sabrina in his arms.

  “Let her go. Just drop her right on the floor. Now,” Eric barked.

  Adam let her go. Sabrina fell right on her ass.

  Eric tossed the stone in his right hand. Tossed it up into the air and them immediately caught it.

  Sabrina couldn’t breathe.

  Eric sauntered toward her. “When I was looking for you…you won’t believe what little item I found in the Everglades…”

  Adam’s stone.

  And Adam’s grating voice whispered through her mind once more. No…choice.

  Tears pricked her eyes. Adam was a prisoner again. Because he’d been trying to help her, he’d wound up in another monster’s hands.

  Eric stared down at her. “We are going to have so much fun.”

  She jumped to her feet. Her fists flew toward him.

  “Stop her!” Eric bellowed. “Stop her from attacking!”

  Immediately, Adam’s arms—those arms made of stone—locked around her body and he pulled her back against him. He held her tightly, so that she could barely move.

  “Isn’t that amazing?” Eric asked her. He opened his hand and stared at the stone. “He has to do every single thing that I say. I mean, when the witch started telling me how a gargoyle was controlled by a stone…and then I remembered this interesting little piece that I’d picked up while I was looking for you in the Everglades…I thought, no way, right? I mean, what are the odds that would happen? Fate can’t really be that kind to me.”

  “Fate isn’t kind,” she whispered. Not even to the ones she loves. She can’t be.

  “No.” Eric rolled back his shoulders. “I don’t guess Fate is kind. At least, not to you, is she?”

  She had to get that stone from him. She’d get it, and then she’d smash the damn thing into a million pieces.

  “Can I control him when he’s in human form, too?” Eric asked her.

  Sabrina had no clue, but she feared the answer would be yes. She just glared at Eric.

  Eric sighed. “Let’s try this again…Adam!” He roared. “Do I control you in human form, too?”

  “Yes,” the gargoyle snapped.

  Eric smiled. “Perfect. Because you don’t really bleed when you’re a gargoyle, do you? And I think it would only be fitting…that you bleed and you suffer.”

  “No,” Sabrina cried out. “Eric, don’t do this!”

  He came toward her. His left hand lifted and smoothed over her face. “When you’re gone from my life, I feel empty. I thought it would work…just always knowing where you were. Just always being able to find you, instantly. I thought I could live that way. But then you went…and you started fucking this freak.”

  She flinched. “I didn’t—”

  “Adam!”

  Her eyes closed.

  “Adam, did you fuck my Sabrina?”

  “Yes…”

  The stone arms were so hard around her. She could almost picture Adam in her mind. A man, trapped inside that stone. Fighting so fiercely against the magic that compelled him.

  Her eyes opened.

  “You just lied to me, Sabrina.” Eric shook his head. “I’ll have to hurt you for that. See, if this is going to work, if I’m going to let you come back to me, we must have honesty between us.”

  If I’m going to let you come back to me.

  Her eyes narrowed. “Eric, it’s not me you want to hurt.” She pulled up her power. Channeled it as much as she could. He’d been careful not to get close to her…to hurt her from a distance. To hurt others.

  He’d made a mistake.

  He’d resisted her the time she found the jewelry in his safe—those horrible trophies he’d taken from his victims. But if she pushed hard enough, maybe she’d be able to get to him. Maybe.

  I have to try.

  “It’s not me you want to hurt,” she said again, “it’s—”

  “Don’t let her talk, Adam.”

  Her mouth was immediately covered by stone.

  “You’re going to hurt her for me, Adam.”

  No. No!

  “And then you’re going to hurt yourself.” Eric’s gaze slowly slid from Adam…back to Sabrina. “You’ll see everything that happens. And you will never, ever want to betray me again.”

  ***

  He’d tied Sabrina up.

  Adam stared at the ropes that bound Sabrina. She was sitting in a chair, the thick ropes around her body, a gag in her mouth, and her eyes were on him.

  Such beautiful eyes.

  Eric had forced Adam to tie her up. He’d gotten Adam to transform back into the body of a man, and then the sonofabitch had ordered him to bind Sabrina.

  She’d been crying.

  And he’d been fucking helpless.

  He was a prisoner again. So was she. Now he was just fucking standing in front of her while those tears slid down her cheeks. Her eyes were on his, but Sabrina didn’t stare at Adam as if he were a monster.

  He wished that she would. He wished that she would stare at him with hate or fury or something other than that stark sorrow.

  “Adam…” Eric was to the left of him. Fucking bastard. The binding stone was cradled in his hand. “Adam, I want you to pick up the knife that’s on the table near the wall. Then I want you to come back to this exact spot. Stand in front of Sabrina with the knife.”

  Fuck. No! But Adam’s legs started moving. He lurched toward that table. He couldn’t stop the movement. He couldn’t control himself no matter how hard he tried.

  Sabrina couldn’t talk. She couldn’t try to influence Eric. She could only sit there and watch as Adam grabbed the knife. The blade was long and sharp, and Adam wondered if Eric had used that weapon on some of his victims.

  His fingers fisted around the handle and then he was dragging his feet back toward Sabrina. Adam kept going, kept staring at her until he was standing right in front of her again.

  “Wonderful.” Eric’s breath was heaving out. “Put the blade to her cheek.”

  Adam’s heart was about to burst right out of his chest. He didn’t want to hurt Sabrina. Not her. Never her.

  She was special. So special to him. He’d wanted to free her from this bastard who got off on hurting women. He’d wanted to…

  I wanted to be with her.

  The knife lifted. And Adam put the blade to her cheek.

  Another tear slid from Sabrina’s eyes. She still didn’t look at him as if he were a monster. Why the hell not? Why wasn’t she staring at him in horror?

  She…

  Nodded.

  Her gaze had softened. He gazed into her eyes and saw the sorrow, but he saw trust, too. Fucking trust? Was the woman insane? She couldn’t trust him—he had no control. He was a puppet on a string. He was—

  “If I told you to slice her face, you’d do it, wouldn’t you?” Eric asked.

  Adam just stared at Sabrina. In her eyes, dammit, he saw everything that could have been. Everything he could have possessed.

  I’m so sorry.

  Meredith had made him stare into the
eyes of his best friend, too. And then she’d given the order that they had to battle until death. They’d both been in human form. There had been so much blood.

  “Answer the freaking question!” Eric yelled. Adam’s head turned toward him. Spittle flew from Eric’s mouth as he shouted, “Tell me…if I told you to slice her face, would you do it?”

  Adam’s jaws had clamped together. His body was shaking. Sweat covered him. “Y-yes…” That voice wasn’t his. It wasn’t his.

  I can’t hurt her. I need to turn the knife on myself. On Eric. Not her. Never her.

  She’s…

  Everything.

  My everything.

  I can’t hurt her.

  Eric laughed. “Did you hear that, Sabrina? Your new lover wouldn’t even hesitate if I told him to carve up your perfect face. He’d do it in a heartbeat.”

  Can’t. Hurt. Her.

  “Get the hell away from her,” Eric ordered.

  Adam stumbled back.

  Eric bent and pressed a kiss to Sabrina’s cheek. “I wouldn’t let that happen. Not to your face. You’re too perfect. See…that’s why I never go after you with my knife, Sabrina. I can’t kill you. Sure, I might bruise you a bit. I might scare you sometimes, but deep down, we both know the truth, don’t we? I’d never kill you. I’d never scar you.” He pointed to Adam. “He would. You can’t trust him. He’ll hurt you. He’ll destroy you if given the chance.”

  Sabrina shook her head.

  But Eric wasn’t looking at her any longer. He’d turned to stare at Adam. “I think you need to learn a lesson.”

  Adam had learned plenty of lessons during the very long course of his life. Lessons about loss and pain. Lessons about hell and torture.

  But…he hadn’t learned about love.

  Not until Sabrina.

  Fuck.

  “I want you to stab yourself, Adam.” Eric’s gaze swept over his chest. “Take that knife and stab yourself in the chest.”

  Sabrina was frantically shaking her head. Her eyes were wide—and now, finally, horrified.

  Adam lifted the knife. The blade sank into his chest.

  Sabrina twisted at the bonds that held her. She was jerking and heaving in the chair.

  “Do it again,” Eric murmured.

  Adam sank the knife into his chest.

  Sabrina was making a desperate, keening sound behind the gag.

  Eric bent next to her once more. “He matters to you.”

  Adam could feel the blood soaking his shirt. Eric had given him the shirt—the shirt and the jeans had been thrown at Adam after he’d transformed.

  There’s a lot of blood, but it’s not as bad as it looks. He’d been careful with the stabs. He’d made sure not to hit anything vital. Eric, if you wanted me incapacitated, you should have chosen your words more carefully.

  “He matters,” Eric snapped again. “I can see it on your face, Sabrina.”

  Adam could see it, too. And…

  She matters to me. More than anyone else.

  The knife clattered to the floor.

  Adam blinked, shocked that he’d managed to let go of that weapon.

  Eric immediately spun around. “Pick it up!” he bellowed.

  Adam picked up the knife. His blood dripped onto the floor. He wanted to shove that knife into Eric’s throat, but Eric still held the fucking stone.

  “Do you heal?” Eric demanded as he closed in on Adam. They stood toe to toe. “Or will you die as a human?”

  “I only heal…if I transform.” That was why his best friend had died in that bloody fight. Meredith hadn’t allowed him to transform. Because she was trying to show me that I was helpless.

  Eric’s eyes narrowed. Then he looked back at Sabrina. She was still struggling against her bonds. “We’re alike.”

  Sabrina ignored him.

  “Did you hear me, love?” Eric pushed. “You and I…we’re alike. I can get a man to kill himself just with one whispered order. That’s the same thing you did, isn’t it, Sabrina?”

  She stilled. Her gaze lifted to Eric’s face.

  He inclined his head toward her. “You talk in your sleep.”

  She blinked.

  “I know about the lover you had to kill. Some general or something, right? I think the name you called out in your sleep was Akin. ‘Akin, I’m sorry!’ He was mad with power and you—you still feel guilty because you had to tell him to take his own life. You gave an order and he complied.” His hand rubbed over his heart. “I keep trying to figure out how your magic works.” Now he was muttering. “Is it in your voice? Your eyes? Or is it just something in you?”

  She slowly shook her head.

  “Doesn’t matter.” Eric stood right next to Sabrina’s chair. “I’m going to give an order now. And another lover will take his life before your eyes. I’d thought I might keep Adam around but…I don’t like the way you look at him. You weren’t supposed to ever love another, Sabrina.”

  She doesn’t love me.

  Does she?

  A loud bang sounded on the door. Adam had known someone was approaching the room, he’d heard the quick thud of approaching footsteps, but Eric gave a quick jump. “Not now!”

  But the bang came again. “Boss! It’s Raymond! He’s here and says that he has to talk to you. He’s got information you need about Sabrina.”

  Eric glanced down at Sabrina. “I have her.” His fingers fluttered over her cheek. “I thought the tracker I injected into your body would keep me secure enough. I’d always know where you were, but I’ve discovered…I really can’t stand the thought of you being out there, fucking someone else. Loving someone else. So I’ll have to keep you close from now on. Just have to make sure you don’t get the chance to give me any orders…not like you did to that unfortunate Akin.”

  A fist pounded on the door again and then a voice called out, “He says he knows how her power works!”

  Eric smiled. “Then I guess Raymond is still useful.” He pressed a kiss to Sabrina’s cheek. “I’ll be right back.” He turned for the door.

  Adam still held the knife.

  Eric paused. He smiled at Sabrina. “One more thing…while I’m gone…” Now he looked at Adam. “You fucking keep stabbing yourself. Bleed out and die right in front of her. I think that will help to teach Sabrina a lesson, too, right?”

  And then he was gone.

  Adam lifted the knife and the blade cut into him again.

  His eyes were on Sabrina. She was frantically shaking her head. Jerking and twisting in the chair.

  He lifted the knife.

  I’m so sorry, love. I didn’t want this—

  The blade sank into him again.

  Chapter Sixteen

  No. No! Adam was bleeding. He was dying right in front of her eyes.

  Sabrina twisted against the ropes. They were cutting deeply into her skin. She was bleeding and hurting and she didn’t care. All that mattered was getting to Adam. All that mattered was helping him.

  Saving him.

  She rocked forward and backward in the chair.

  The knife went into him again. She’d lost count of the number of times that blade had pierced his skin.

  No, Adam! No!

  The chair crashed to the floor. Her face hit the floor. The wooden chair legs smashed at the impact and the chair’s back snapped. The ropes were suddenly loose around her. She shoved them out of her way and ripped the gag out of her mouth.

  “Adam, stop!”

  He was still staring at her. He’d been staring at her the whole time he’d been stabbing himself.

  She ran to him and tried to yank the knife out his grip, but he wouldn’t let go.

  “I…can’t…” Each word from him was a rasp. “Have…no…choice…”

  “Yes, you do. We have a choice. Together, me and you. And I am not going to watch you kill yourself, do you hear me?”

  “S-sorry…”

  “No!” She pressed her mouth to his. She kissed him—frantic, desperate, deep.
She had to break through to him. “You listen to me!” she whispered—begged—against his lips. “You hear me…you are more than this. You are strong and you are brave and you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you, and I am not going to let you die. Do you hear me? You aren’t going to die! You’re going to fight!”

  But he wouldn’t let go of the knife.

  She kissed him again. His blood soaked her clothes. “Fight!” she cried against his mouth.

  His body was hard. Not as warm as it usually was. She could have sworn he was already colder, as if death were reaching out to him.

  And then…

  They fell.

  Adam tumbled down on top of her and when they hit the floor, the knife fell from his hand, clattering away. His weight pinned Sabrina and she pushed him over, heaving him off her body. The front of his shirt was completely covered in blood. He was too pale.

  Because he was dying.

  She put her hands on either side of his face. “Transform.”

  His eyelids were closing.

  “Transform, right the hell now. You become the beast, and you’ll live. You transform right now.”

  His eyelids flickered. His gaze…so dark…met hers.

  “Transform.” She was still begging. “I need you, Adam. I need you to stay here with me.”

  His hand lifted. He touched her cheek. “Did you…mean it?”

  “Mean what?” Dammit, he had to transform!

  “Love…me?”

  Sabrina nodded, then she realized, no, that wasn’t good enough. She wanted him to have the words. “I meant it. I love you, Adam.” She leaned in closer to him. “And I am not letting you die.”

  Eric had the stone. Adam had to do whatever the possessor of that stone ordered.

  Then I’ll get the fucking stone. I’ll make Adam transform. I’ll make him live.

  “Fight,” she ordered him flatly. “Fight and live, do you hear me? I’m getting that stone. Then we’re getting out of here.” After she took care of Eric.

  She kissed Adam once more. He was dying. She could watch him die or she could fight to save him.

  Sabrina flew to her feet. She ran for the door. Eric had been so sure of his power over Adam. And he’d been so sure she couldn’t get out of the ropes. So he’d made a terrible mistake.

  He hadn’t locked her in.