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 fo
rest 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.
Chapter 5
Alec glanced at Veda after she’d fallen asleep. She appeared even younger as she slept. And she appeared at peace. Her dark hair flowed down her back and over her arm where she rested her head. Her chest rose and fell in a rhythmic manner. With her eyes closed, he missed being able to glance into them.
He would watch over her, just as he promised. The instinct to protect her grew stronger as she was in such a vulnerable state.
Her pale lips were parted. So tempting.
Before she’d gone to sleep, there was a moment in which Alec thought he would kiss her. Then reason stepped in. He couldn’t kiss her. She was a witch. He couldn’t betray his clan that way.
Especially his mother.
Alec had been a kid during the great war on the Isle of Stone. Although he’d heard that witches were to blame, as he’d grown, he’d discovered such stark attributions of who was right and wrong weren’t as he’d been led to believe. He wouldn’t state that everyone in his clan was “good”—they were as flawed as anyone. So, how could all witches be evil?
But, what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t abandon her out here leaving her alone while a dark wizard likely stalked her.
Right, if he looked at it that way, he wasn’t betraying his clan since he was protecting someone from darkness. And she didn’t seem evil at all. How could she when she’d risked her life to free him?
How long would he debate right from wrong? As the forest darkened, he let it whisper him under its spell to rest.
In the early morning, sunlight dappled through the foliage above warming his stone. He tried to communicate with his clan once again, but nothing happened. Alarming. He hoped it was what Veda had thought with the dark magic still lingering. If so, there was nothing he could do about it for now but wait.
He spent the next few hours basking in the sun’s warmth as it restored his energy. The rest might have aided in his wings healing. He braced himself for pain before he shifted to human form and then unfurled his wings. The second they emerged from his shoulder blades, he winced with a hiss.
No, they still weren’t ready. He retracted them. It was best that he didn’t attempt to use them while they healed. When he’d left the clan for a night flight over the ocean, he hadn’t anticipated any situations like this.
Veda stirred. Her eyelids fluttered and then opened. She glanced around with a confused expression, but then her eyes caught his. Locking his gaze on her again, his breath caught. Something about her affected him. How, he wasn’t sure, but strange sensations raced through his body. His heart danced in a quicker rhythmic beat as a low simmering heat filled him. Strange. It was like how the sun had just energized him as it warmed his stone, but this time it was brighter and spread deeper.
She blinked, breaking their stare. “Oh, right. I wondered where I was.” With a small grin, she added, “it’s all coming back to me now.”
“Aye. We should probably start moving.” The implication didn’t have to be mentioned—just in case he’s looking for us.
She pulled herself up to her feet. “I’m awake. Ready when you are.”
They continued their journey through the forest.
“How did you sleep, um, rest?” She asked.
“Not bad. I checked on my wings. There still damaged. I was hoping they’d be in better shape this morning. We could move much quicker if I could fly us, but they’re not ready yet.”
She frowned. “I’m so sorry. I feel responsible since you are helping me.”
“Don’t blame yourself for it. I’m the one that made the decision, and he’s the one who attacked.”
She pursed her lips and tapped them. “So then, what do we do today?”
That was a good question. “Right now, we keep moving. We’ll figure out a plan as we go.”
Yet, that was a problem. What kind of plan could he come up with to help her? With his wings damaged and communication with his clan still ineffective, his abilities as a gargoyle were limited. For now, they would have to walk on foot.
After they walked a mile, hunger rumbled in his stomach. Not knowing where their next meal would come from exacerbated it.
“Are you hungry?” he asked her.
“Yes. I’ve been keeping an eye out for anything edible.”
“And we should find another water source. Getting dehydrated will not help us move any quicker. There’s a freshwater stream in that direction.” He pointed ahead.
Twenty minutes later, Alec spotted the stream where they cupped water in their hands and drank. Damn, he wished he had some sort of canteen on him.
After they continued, she pointed at a bush. “Here are some berries.” She picked one and held it up to her face for a close examination. “Blaeberries. These are safe to eat.”
They ate a few handfuls each. The succulent juice left a ruby hue and bright shine to her lips. So kissable…
He snapped his gaze from staring and resumed walking.
Once they fell into a comfortable pace, she asked, “If you don’t live on the island anymore, where do you live?”
“Inland. South of here. I’d wager it would take a day or two to walk it.”
“What were you doing when you found us?”
He took a deep breath and let out a measured exhale. “I was out for a flight. Searching, I guess.”
“Searching? For what?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know why I said that. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular.”
She eyed him with a keen look. “There must be something behind it.”
He glanced at the trees ahead. “Aye, I suppose. I often head to the ocean.”
“Well, there’s something.”
“Perhaps. My clan didn’t leave the island until last year. We moved here to the Highlands where our ancestors lived. Only it hasn’t felt right to me. It hasn’t felt like home if that makes sense.”
“Sure, it does. It isn’t your home. Not for long, at least.”
“Right. I grew up on the water. Whenever I have time to myself, I fly up to the coast to be near it again. It might sound silly because my home should be wherever my clan is. But, something is missing.”
“Of course. All your interactions, your knowledge, your memories were formed on the isle.”
He peered at her with wonder. How did someone whom he just met seem to get it? “True.”
“Why did you leave it?”
“My clan decided to move. So, I had to go with them.”
Her brows furrowed with question. “Why? You’re a grown man. Shouldn’t you be able to go where you please?”
He assessed her. What was she talking about? “My clan l
eft,” he repeated more slowly.
“I understand that.” She pursed her lips. “What I’m seeing is that you don’t seem happy with that decision.”
He rolled his shoulders back as if shaking off the discomfort. “I’m not exactly. But, it wasn’t up to me. I’m not alpha.”
“Do you need to live with your clan?”
“Of course. I was born with them. Naturally, I’d die with them.”
“Sure.” She shrugged. “If that’s how you want to live your life.”
Her tone indicated she didn’t agree with his explanation. “What do you mean?”
“I was born in the mountains, I grew up in the coven.” She motioned with one arm. “I’m not there now.”
“And look at how well that’s ended up for you so far.” His tone sounded harsher than he’d intended. But, her observations were creeping under his skin, questioning his decision. He didn’t like it.
“Ouch.” She mouthed with an exaggerated O.
“Sorry, you’re right. I didn’t mean to be an arse.”
They were talking in circles. He had to refocus on the task at hand, not his jumbled thoughts.
“I can escort you where you’d like to go, but then I must return to my clan.”
She pursed her lips and turned away. “I understand.”
A tightness churned in his gut. Something about leaving her didn’t sit right.
Although they traveled many miles on foot that day, it didn’t appear like they had a destination. Veda’s goal was to get as far from Kai as she could. Maybe that meant leaving the Highlands, and then she’d lose Alec as her guard. But, he was more than that, a companion who made the hours pass more quickly as they killed the time with observations about their surroundings and revelations about their lives.
As the time passed, she considered her options. “Although I’d hate to leave Scotland, I need to think about what’s my best move. I can’t stay here knowing Kai might come after me.”
Alec’s face fell as if he was disappointed with her decision. A glimmer sparked inside her. Would he actually want her to stay?
No, she was being foolish. Why have crazy fantasies of traveling with one man while recovering from a mistake from another? She’d just be asking for more trouble. What was best was going back home. Sure, it would admit she’d failed in her journey, but what other choice did she have? Trekking on her own here in the Highlands? That was a preferable option, even with all the uncertainties.
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