The Complete Gargoyle and Sorceress Boxset (Books 1-9)

by Lisa Blackwood

  Lillian reached up and cupped his face, her thumb stroking along his cheek. “He’s a gargoyle. I already know what he would want—to fight. I’m sure my mother and brother will agree when we ask them.”

  He nodded, but his mind was focused on the feel of his Sorceress’s fingers stroking his skin. Reaching down, he grabbed her hand and placed a kiss upon her knuckles.

  “Then in the morning, we will go find your mother and brother, and we will heal your father enough to ask him if he wishes to risk being fully awakened.”

  “I would like that.”

  Chapter 31

  Obsidian

  HE STOMPED UP THE STAIRS with no actual heading in mind. Realizing as much, he huffed in annoyance. Obsidian supposed his room would do. His lonely room, which separated him from his Kyrsu by a stout wall.

  But he wanted solitude, didn’t he? He wanted a place where he could rest and recover. A place to hide more like it. His lips pulled back from his teeth in a bitter grimace.

  While the arrival of the dryad had been a distraction and allowed him to pretend for a time that he was still a worthy leader of the Legion, once the meeting was over, he was again faced with his earlier failures.

  It hadn’t helped that the Avatars had released him with the order to go rest and recover from getting drained by the Null. In their defense, they likely hadn’t meant for it to sound like a parent shooing off an overtired cub, but he couldn’t help but make the comparison. Because he had acted just like the old Shadowlight at Gryton’s first taunt about Anna.

  He wasn’t sure which was worse. Humiliating himself in front of Anna or Thayn.

  The longer he thought about it, he decided it was worse to embarrass himself in front of Anna. He’d worked so hard to be worthy of her.

  “Oh, stop your stewing.”

  Anna’s voice chased him up the stairs and his wings quivered with tension.

  “I’m not stewing,” he said in a surly tone. But really all he wanted was to turn to her and beg her forgiveness for being so foolish. But also, for not beating Gryton soundly like she’d asked. But he wouldn’t show any greater weakness than he already had. Anna deserved a strong Rasoren, one capable of being her partner and her equal.

  Back when they were still trapped in the Battle Goddess’s kingdom, he’d known Gryton had shown an interest in Anna. But now, as an adult, Obsidian was only beginning to realize to what lengths she would have gone to protect his younger self.

  Even with the trauma Anna had suffered at the hands of other males, she would have placed herself in Gryton’s bed if she thought it was the only way to protect Shadowlight. It hadn’t come to that, but that didn’t lessen the stress she must have suffered.

  While there was nothing Obsidian could do to change anything from that time, he very much wanted to put Gryton in his place and show Anna that her Rasoren could protect her now.

  But he’d failed miserably.

  “Sulking isn’t pretty, my Rasoren.” Anna’s voice was tinted with humor.

  In the next moment, he knew why as she grabbed his tail and gave it a firm tug. “Wait up for your poor Kyrsu. I’m still in human form, and my legs are shorter than yours, if you hadn’t noticed.”

  She gave his tail another tug, and he stopped outside her room.

  “Come in. I want to talk.”

  Obsidian gently tugged his tail out of her grasp. “I should go and rest. We can talk in the morning.”

  Anna chuckled. “You will sleep in my room tonight. No way am I leaving your side after what the Null did to you. I felt our link vanish for a moment. It was the most terrifying thing I’ve felt in a while.”

  He glanced at her for the first time. “I’m fine. The Null only drains a fae. She doesn’t cause permanent damage.”

  “That we’ve been told. Get in here. You’re sleeping with me tonight. I’ll accept no argument.”

  What must be blatant astonishment on his face made her laugh. And as much as his pride was still stinging from earlier, and her laugh just now didn’t improve his mood, this was what he’d desperately wanted but had been too much of a coward to admit, even to himself.

  Anna’s expression softened. “We’re linked. I felt your loneliness.”

  Feeling even more foolish than he had earlier, he looked down at his talon-tip toes as if they were fascinating.

  “I miss sharing a room. I miss sleeping with your arms wrapped around me, holding me close.”

  He glanced up in surprise. Looking at her, seeing the love in her eyes, he understood for the first time how fortunate he was.

  “My Anna.” He stepped into her and wrapped his arms and wings around her. “The Divine Ones couldn’t have bonded me to a more perfect soul.”

  Anna snorted with humor, and then pressed a kiss to the skin over his heart. As far as showings of affection went, it was relatively small and innocent, but it meant the world to him. He nuzzled her collar bone and purred his happiness as the last of the tension flowed out of her body. His turbulent emotions soon calmed.

  “Come on,” Anna said as she stepped away from him. “We should make a place to bed down for the night. There’s no way we’re both going to fit on that narrow bed, and dawn will be here before we know it.”

  While Anna raided the closet for more bedding, he stripped the bed and arranged the blankets and the two pillows on the floor. He gave the pillows an extra fluff, but if he knew Anna at all, he’d likely be her pillow, which suited him just fine.

  Soon Anna returned with more blankets to make their nest softer and then after disappearing down the hall for what seemed far too long, she returned smelling of soap and damp skin and only wearing a towel.

  “Figured I should shower instead of inflicting sweaty-smelling human on you all night.”

  He gave himself an inquisitive sniff.

  Anna grinned. “Don’t worry, you smell good. You always smell good. I don’t know what it is about gargoyle physiology, but if someone could figure out how to bottle that scent, they’d make a fortune within a month. I almost shifted to gargoyle form for that very reason but didn’t think we could fit two gargoyles into the space between the bed and the wall.”

  He would have made it work. He was happy to have Anna sleep next to him in whatever form she wanted. Their new link made it a craving he didn’t want to fight.

  Watching as she dug around in a drawer, he noted she pulled out a long shirt made of some soft material and what she called panties.

  He found himself much more interested in human attire than he’d been as a child.

  “Mind turning around?” She called over her shoulder.

  He did as she asked, but it wasn’t until he was facing the mirror that he realized her miscalculation. But she dropped the towel just as he was going to speak, and he suddenly found his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.

  Unable to stop himself, he watched her shimmy into the simple undergarment, fascinated by the flex of her muscles as her firm backside was covered by the blue panties.

  She turned then to grab the top from where she’d tossed it, drawing his gaze back to her, and he could look his fill at her other curves. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen her. Gargoyles were communal bathers mostly, and she’d bathed with him before, but those times he’d always been careful to keep his gaze averted so he wouldn’t embarrass himself with a sudden and savage bout of arousal.

  But this time he’d been too weak-willed by the temptation the mirror represented to look away. His body slipped his control, responding eagerly to the sight of hers.

  He flushed with shame and glanced down, then swiftly hooked one pillow with his tail. Hastily he positioned it to hide the evidence of his weakness and hoped his stance looked casual enough.

  Glancing back up into the mirror, his gaze locked on Anna’s eyes.

  “Busted.” She stood with her arms crossed and one eyebrow arched.

  “Anna, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

  “Relax.” She walked closer and hal
ted directly in front of him. “I think we both knew this was going to happen from time to time.”

  “It shouldn’t have. You’re not in heat. I shouldn’t have been so weak.”

  She snorted again. “You might be a gargoyle with impressive discipline, but you’re also a young, healthy male. I doubt you’re the first to have a similar... problem among your classmates.”

  “Yes, but with your...” He fell silent, not wanting to talk about it and bring up painful memories.

  “With my history?” She reached up and cupped his face. “You shared in all those horrific memories. You know what it’s like. You didn’t turn away from me because of my... damage.”

  “You’re not damaged,” he soothed. “I’ll never turn my back on you. But I also don’t want you to feel trapped or fearful of me. Ever.”

  “And I never will. I know I’m safe with you, my Rasoren.” She stretched up and rested one hand on his shoulder. “That knowledge likely makes me act a little selfish. I know I can enjoy small intimacies with you that I couldn’t with another male. I want you to enjoy them, too. I know it will be a long time before either of us is ready to take that final step. But I don’t want you to ignore your own needs in some misguided assumption you’re protecting me.”

  The hand not on his shoulder moved down his chest, her caressing fingers drifting lower and lower as they ran along his tensed abdominal muscles. His breath escaped in a hiss when she cupped him through his loincloth. “I could help you so you can sleep more comfortably.”

  The temptation to accept what she was offering was powerful. Yet there was something more, something she was trying to hide from herself.

  He captured her hand, curling his fingers around hers, and then he gently dislodged it and brought her hand up to his muzzle where he kissed her palm. “As much as I would enjoy that, the tension in your arm and the cold sweat along your sides tells me you aren’t ready for that yet. I care for you too much to ruin this between us.”

  Anna glanced down, breaking eye contact and exhaling loudly. “I’m sorry. I thought I could handle this, but I’m still a mess.”

  “You’re not a mess. You are brave and resilient. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have survived everything that you’ve suffered. In time you will be ready. We both will be ready. And it will be a most magnificent joining.”

  “Thank you for your patience and understanding.” She stretched up on her toes and pressed a kiss to the side of his muzzle. “I’ll try not to make this any harder for you than it need be.”

  Obsidian reached up and touched where her lips had so recently brushed against his skin in a kiss. His first kiss.

  “You kissed me.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “That is worth far more to me than any trivial ache I might suffer.”

  “You’re such a romantic.” She rolled her eyes. “And if I blush any harder, I will combust.”

  Her words made him laugh, and just like that the tension between them vanished. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers. “I love you, my Kyrsu.”

  “Love you, too.” She straightened and cleared her throat. “Now go deal with that,” she waved her hand in the general direction of his nether regions without glancing down. “Or that’s all I will think about all night, and I’m pretty damned sure it won’t be fear I’m experiencing when I do.”

  Obsidian snorted with laughter. “I’ll go take a cold shower.”

  But as he was walking from the room, he was thinking about how much he liked the idea that the state of his body distracted her. He liked the idea that she wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else.

  It felt more than a little deviant, and he liked it.

  Chapter 32

  The Magic Realm

  Bervicta

  THE SOFT RATTLE OF chains announced the Battle Goddess’s approach. Bervicta shifted, her newly healed wing tremored slightly. It would take another moon cycle until she built up the muscle again to what it was before the incident where the Avatars had rescued Gryton. For now, she was limited to short, unpleasant flights. Despite that weakness, she’d rather have been winging her way up the side of a mountain instead of facing the Battle Goddess.

  But she had to convey everything she’d learned from Vaspara without seeming like she was the succubus’s ally. If she failed, the draklings would die, and Sorac would rage until he was dead and had taken a chunk of the fortress with him. Then Vaspara would be killed since she’d no longer be needed to control the firedrake. Bervicta wasn’t willing to wager on her own chance of survival after that.

  The rattling of chains grew louder, and then the Lady of Battles appeared at the top landing where she overlooked the great hall spreading out below them.

  Bervicta bowed, head bent in silent supplication as she stared at her own ghostly reflection on the highly polished stairs.

  “Rise, my captain. What news do you have to report about my new draklings?”

  The pride in the Battle Goddess’s tone was a good sign. She needed the demigoddess to desire the little ones’ survival more than her need for revenge.

  “My Goddess, I have discovered something concerning. The hatchlings wouldn’t take any of the food I offered. Nothing I gave them interested them, so I went to Vaspara and asked for aid. Before you strike, know I didn’t have a choice. The draklings would have died, your dreams of a winged battalion dying with them.”

  “Go on,” the Battle Goddess urged, her voice outwardly calm, but Bervicta had known the goddess long enough to sense the tension flowing below the surface.

  “I spoke with Vaspara to learn about the care of draklings. She told me they will only feed on kills provided by their parents. Worse, they also feed on their parents’ magic. She claimed without her and Sorac to oversee their care and feeding, the draklings would die.” Bervicta paused and then just forged on. “I tested the truth of Vaspara’s words before I brought the news to you.”

  The Lady of Battles narrowed her eyes as she leaned down to spear Bervicta with a hard look. “And what did you learn?”

  “What Vaspara told me proved true. The draklings immediately devoured everything that came from her hand. I also witnessed her feeding them her magic. It sated them, for now, but she fears her power alone won’t be enough to keep them strong, that they’ll need Sorac’s fire magic as well since they’re already accustomed to it.” Bervicta paused and picked her next words with care. “While I suspect Vaspara and Sorac very capable of a second betrayal if they think it will save the young, I didn’t detect any lie in what she told me.”

  “I shall be the judge of that.”

  “Of course.” Bervicta bowed again. “If I see any decline in the draklings, I’ll notify you at once.”

  “Good. Is there anything else you learned?”

  Bervicta straightened from her bow. “I have another concern that I can’t in good conscience keep quiet.”

  The Battle Goddess arched a brow. “Go on.”

  “If Vaspara’s power isn’t enough to keep the draklings alive, Sorac will go insane at their deaths. He’ll rage. Unafraid of death, Sorac may even overcome the spells Taryin has placed on him. He could wreak great havoc in the time it takes the other captains to rally and kill him. Worse, he is still so closely tied to his battalion. They may join him.”

  Bervicta paused and cautiously eyed the Battle Goddess, but no deadly lance of magic pierced her breast, so she continued. “I believe Vaspara’s soldiers are just as loyal to her. I fear they don’t see Sorac and Vaspara’s defections as unjust. Both were sent on a suicide mission because they angered you in their questioning of Taryin’s methods.”

  “You speak what no others would. I don’t know if that makes you brave or foolish, Harpy.”

  “It makes me loyal to you. I have no ambition to see you overthrown by your brother. If you fall, so do we all. I’m not so foolish to think his Gargoyle Legion will take prisoners. It would be in your best interest to continue to allow Sorac and Vaspara to live
even after the draklings are weaned.”

  “You speak treason.”

  “I speak the truth. And Sorac and Vaspara aren’t the only captains uncomfortable with the witch’s methods.”

  “What other captains! Tell me.”

  “All of us. All of our seconds in command and so on down the line. Everyone wonders if they will be the next to be sacrificed to feed Taryin’s spells.”

  The Lady of Battles scoffed. “Taryin knows her place. She won’t act unless it is on my behest.”

  “And yet she summoned a djinn from the Spirit Realm.”

  “Tread carefully, Harpy.”

  “I know Taryin is needed. Even more so now after the defection of River and Stalks the Darkness and then the loss of Anna, Shadowlight, and Gryton. But there is a way to prevent further losses.” Or Divine Ones forbid, a civil war.

  The Battle Goddess’s rage nearly vibrated in the air, she was so livid. But her tone was icy cold when she spoke. “I understand your reasoning.” She tilted her head and glowered at Bervicta. “I assume you have a plan that will prevent a rebellion and just happens to save your two friends.”

  Bervicta bowed again. There was no escaping her relationship with either Vaspara or Sorac. “My Goddess, I am loyal. However, I understand that I must now prove my loyalty. And I will. Both Sorac and Vaspara were my mentors. I know them. I know how they think. I truly believe their loyalty can be forced as long as we treat the draklings well. After all, where else can a firedrake and a succubus go where the light won’t hunt them down? They only defected because Sorac feared Taryin would use his brood to fuel her spells.”

  “Vaspara told you this?”

  “She didn’t have to tell me. It was all over her face. She loves the firedrake and his little ones. She acted to protect them. You can use that to your advantage.”