Of Shadow and Stone

by Michelle Muto

  He didn’t need to explain to her that the killings would start again. Probably starting with any loose ends. Like her and Ian. “I see.”

  “You need some time alone to think things over. Certainly, you will have more questions. I would like to tell you that you have all the time in the world to consider my offer, but sadly, you do not. Meanwhile, I am sure you will find the room has everything you need for your stay here.”

  “I said I’d stay for dinner, not the weekend.”

  “As you said, you are already here. Why not stay for a while? Dinner, and then perhaps for a day or two. The choice is yours. You have my word that I will not force you to stay. I only ask that you give this a great deal of thought. Until then . . .”

  “Until then they keep killing people,” she finished.

  Declan nodded. “Their sense of right and wrong is a bit distorted, you see. But you already know that. The killings are not exactly random.”

  But just because the gargoyles were targeting bullies and thieves didn’t mean those people deserved to die. They deserved something, some sort of cosmic bad karma, but not death.

  “Anything else for now?” he asked.

  She shook her head. It was hard to think. While she had doubted Roland, Kate hadn’t detected a single lie during their conversation. It would have been easier if Declan had lied. Even knowing what she did now, she was still drawn to the place. Declan had just offered her a chance to stay for a few days. No more sneaking around hallways. And there was Ian. Maybe he did want the role. Maybe he didn’t. But she had to find out.

  “I will give you some time, then.” Declan stood and headed to the door.

  “Let’s just start with dinner,” Kate told him. “I can’t promise any more than that.”

  She didn’t need to see his face to know he was grinning self-assuredly. “You will find everything you need for dinner in the wardrobe closet. I believe Ian is down in the gardens. First stairway to the left, then through the French doors leading out onto the back lawn,” he said.

  Kate turned toward the door, but Declan was already gone.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Kate

  Kate found her way downstairs. She paused at the French doors. Ian was leaning against a brownstone planter full of sprawling ivy and a colorful variety of late-blooming wildflowers. His arms were crossed against his chest, and he was staring out at the woods.

  When they’d first met, Ian had thought Declan was just putting him on. Now he knew Declan wasn’t. As an author, perhaps Ian was more receptive to all this than she was. And he could write his books from anywhere. Shadow Wood could be one hell of an inspiration.

  She had to make sure this was what he wanted. That was the only reason she was standing here watching him. She couldn’t shove the responsibility on him without assuring herself that he knew what he was getting into. No other reason. Her heart was racing because she was nervous about the gargoyles. She was staring at him because of the upcoming conversation.

  Yeah, keep telling yourself that, she thought.

  She absently smoothed her hair and took a deep breath. Then she opened the doors and stepped outside. The sound of her footsteps against the cobblestone pavers seemed to bring him out of his daydream. He beamed that devilish smile, and she couldn’t resist a smile of her own.

  “Hello, Ian.”

  Don’t stare this time, she told herself. Don’t go all schoolgirl on him again.

  The eager look in his eyes said he’d been expecting her. “Look at you! I stand corrected. You’re clearly not a ghost. Guess you found the keys to the DeLorean, eh?”

  She laughed. “Something like that.”

  “Kate, right? Do I still call you that?”

  He might as well know. “Yep. The real Kate Mercer. In the flesh.”

  His jaw dropped slightly. Then surprise turned to doubt. “Seriously?”

  Kate raised her hand. “Present and accounted for. I could give you my agent’s phone number, or you could ask Declan if you don’t believe me.”

  He blinked a few more times.

  Kate stepped forward. “But for the record, it was kind of nice just being Kate.”

  “Seriously?” he repeated.

  “You’re not going to ask me for an autograph, are you? I mean, it’d feel a little awkward.”

  Ian laughed. “Definitely awkward. And your secret is safe with me. But it’s good to see you. Declan told me—”

  “That I was coming down to talk to you? Does he know everything?”

  “Not everything. Care for a stroll through the gardens?” Ian motioned toward the winding pathway before them. “They keep part of the paths lit at night. Well, at least those closest to the castle. It’s quite . . . charming.”

  He’d meant to say something else, Kate could tell. She nodded and tucked her hair behind her ears. Romantic? She pushed the thought aside.

  Stay on course, Kate, she told herself. She was enjoying his company too much. Before she knew it, she’d be sucked into all this even more than she was now. She’d do the right thing, then go home.

  But what if he didn’t want to be the sentinel? What then?

  “So how much do you know?” Kate asked.

  He sighed long and low. “You mean the whole sentinel thing? Declan filled me in last night and said he hoped to talk to you about it, too. You’re here—so apparently you’ve talked. All I know is that one of us is supposed to take the job. You’re the first pick.”

  “And if we don’t?” Kate asked.

  Ian rubbed the back of his neck. “I think it means a lot of people die until they find someone else. I’m not sure.”

  “And we just walk out of all this untouched?” Kate asked.

  Ian let out a soft snort. “No. We don’t. How could we? At the very least, he’ll have Von Hiller wipe our minds or something before sending us back to our lives. I really don’t know what would happen. Maybe we’ll have this gap in our memory. Or maybe we’ll feel like something is missing.” His eyes met hers. “And that would be a tragedy.”

  It would be tragic, Kate thought. She would miss knowing about the castle. She’d miss this. But the gargoyles! Taking the job was an enormous responsibility. “Are you afraid?”

  He shook his head. “No. Not anymore. I was at first, though. Are you?”

  “A little,” she admitted. “So what do we do?”

  We? As in together, a team? Working it out meant spending more time with him than she’d planned.

  “We do whatever we can. We can’t unleash those things on the world. Not every action should be punishable by death. What kind of morality is that?”

  Oh, Ian, she thought. You don’t really want to know what their sense of morality is. Not at all.

  He was waiting for a response. God, he was handsome. And nice. And he had morals. He had a sense of humor. Okay. She’d stay. But just a day or two.

  She had planned to steer clear of him. Then it was a quick talk. Now she was talking teamwork. Admit it. She liked him.

  “Are you thinking of taking on the job as sentinel?” she finally asked. Maybe this would be easier than she thought. He was here, after all, and Declan had originally thought of Ian first. Besides, none of this scared him.

  “I don’t know. I suppose if you’re not, I’d consider it.”

  He was going to let her decide? Crap. They’d picked her, not him. Could she really push this on him and run off? She needed to be sure he was cut out for this first.

  “Maybe I can help,” she said.

  “Help?”

  “Maybe I can stick around. I’ve been wanting to get away for a little while. A day or two. We’ll work this out.”

  We. Teamwork. Kate sighed. She would not get emotionally involved, even the tiniest amount. As Declan said, it was business—of sorts. She was not interested in Ian.

  Uh-huh. Right.

  Ian smiled warmly at her. “Not sure what we can do about it, but I’d love some company and some extra writing inspiration.”r />
  Doomed. She was doomed.

  And completely lost in those eyes and the sound of his voice. She had to stop thinking about him and start thinking about how to get out of all this. Maybe how to get Ian out of it as well, because . . . well . . . because.

  Because she was crushing on him. Big time. Because she’d really like to figure out a way for both of them to leave here, memories intact.

  Kate sighed. “I don’t know why Declan can’t just stop them. Turn them off. Destroy them.”

  “He can’t,” Ian said. “From what he’s told me, the gargoyles are his penance. His price to pay.”

  Kate hadn’t heard this part. “For what?”

  “Stepping on God’s toes. Intervening with creations outside his boundaries.”

  “God’s toes? Whoa! I don’t follow.”

  Ian shrugged. “He’s a god, of sorts. Just not the God. From what I gleaned, there’s God, the Devil, and then there’s Declan. Declan sort of overstepped his role. In his defense, his intentions were good—to protect mankind from itself, from the worst that we do to each other. Except that he’s the Lord of the Netherworld. Not humankind. Now it’s up to him to control the gargoyles until the end of time.”

  Yeah, Declan had skimmed over that detail in their talk. “Then why would God allow mortals to help him?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. It’s not like we can ask, is it? My guess is that not all the deities have been invited to this particular party.”

  They passed a planting of bright purple flowers resembling a cross between an iris and a pitcher plant. One of the flowers was closed tight, its base engorged with a small bird, the animal’s shape visible through the plant’s semi-opaque tubular leaves. Kate grimaced.

  Ian had noticed it, too. “All this sounds and looks like something right out of my imagination, doesn’t it?”

  “If so, you’ve got a messed up imagination. But that’s what all the girls like about you, right?”

  Ian laughed. “Yeah, but this is all really happening, and it’s just you and me left to save the world.”

  “You had to put it that way.” She gave him a playful nudge, but inside Kate felt the weight of that world on her. At least it wasn’t her burden to bear alone.

  “Shadow Wood is such a strange place, isn’t it?” Ian said. “Full of strange creatures, full of mystery.”

  “It really is like something out of the movies. Or your books,” she added.

  “Have you read them? Any of them?” he asked.

  Kate felt heat rise in her cheeks. “Sorry. I’ve sort of been too busy to read much lately.”

  “Of course,” he said. “You’ve been filming the last of the movies?”

  “Yeah. Hey, I’ve been meaning to thank you,” Kate said, “for not treating me like some . . .” Like what? Royalty? Kate never liked it when fans went to pieces over her. People weren’t themselves when they were around celebrities, and that made it hard to be herself, too.

  “Movie star?” he asked. “That’s your job. Not who you are.”

  She smiled at him gratefully. If they were going to figure this out together, at least he had a good head on his shoulders. Not just a cute one.

  It occurred to her what she was contemplating . . . helping him and, by extension, Declan. She still needed to tell him about Roland. Ian’s mention of weird characters seemed like the perfect lead-in.

  “There was this weird guy I met today.”

  “Personality of a warthog by chance?” Ian asked.

  “You could say that. His name is Roland.”

  “I don’t think he likes me much. But then, I get the impression he doesn’t like anyone much.”

  “Roland said something to me. About how the last sentinel came to a really bad end.” She couldn’t manage to say that he’d been eaten.

  “Sucks to have been the last sentinel.”

  “You don’t seem surprised.”

  “I’m not really. We should ask about that.”

  Kate nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah. We should.”

  “I think we’re the only nonsupernatural beings here,” Ian said.

  “You’ve met other guests?”

  “A few. And I’ve seen a lot of others. Shadow Wood is a sanctuary.”

  “So I’ve heard. Creepy.”

  “Very.”

  “What do we do next?” Kate asked.

  “We’ll be careful. We don’t want to end up like the last guy.”

  She hadn’t realized they’d walked back to where they’d started. They were now facing each other. They were standing close. Maybe a little too close.

  Her gaze briefly focused on his lips. “We’ll be careful,” she repeated.

  “Then let’s eat some dinner, find out what else there is to know about all this, and come up with a plan. Together. You and I.” He extended a hand, and Kate took it, feeling her pulse pick up a little.

  “Partners,” he hastily amended.

  “Partners,” Kate replied, feeling as awkward as he clearly did. This wasn’t like working with a gorgeous costar. It ran deeper than that. Ian made her feel as if everything would be all right.

  Quit staring at him, she told herself. Damn it! She was doing it again.

  “I guess I should go get ready for dinner, then,” Kate said.

  Ian released her hand. “Yeah, me, too.”

  Without another word, they walked back into the castle together. No matter how Kate tried to convince herself that she felt nothing for Ian beyond this partnership of theirs, she knew that was a lie. Just as much of a lie as the one about not getting involved with Declan and his bloodthirsty gargoyles.

  For the first time in a long while, Kate felt as if she was in over her head. And truthfully? She liked it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Ian

  This time, it wasn’t a trick of sunlight streaming through the windows onto the staircase that caught Ian’s attention. It was the silvery beams of moonlight illuminating Kate’s face and shining on her dark hair that made him catch his breath.

  He watched in stunned silence as she smiled at him and descended the stairs. She’d tucked her hair up, and loosely curled strands framed her face. The basic string of pearls at her neck gave her skin a velvety glow that made him want to gently stroke the flesh above her collarbone. Not that he’d want to stop there.

  He couldn’t help being drawn to her. Then again, he bet a great deal of the male population on the planet probably felt the same way. She was famous and beautiful. But Ian thought that was just for starters. He was equally drawn to her self-assuredness, her wit, her charm. He’d never met anyone so full of life. Kate made him feel full of life.

  “Like it?” Kate asked, twirling around once for him when she reached the foyer.

  She wore an elegant black dress, simple in design with a scoop neck that revealed a hint of cleavage. The dress flowed over her hips, with a slit along one side. He loved the way the dress curved down beneath her shoulders, into the small of her back and almost to her waist.

  “I see your closet worked like mine,” he said. “Open it, and everything inside is perfect.”

  “I could get used to this kind of magic,” she said. “Best part? No shopping! I really hate shopping.”

  She wasn’t the only one who could get used to this. Ian shook his head and, without thinking, said, “You’re the magic. Truly stunning. The dress isn’t too bad, either.”

  She smiled again and blushed slightly.

  She traced a hand over the lapel of his suit. “You’re rather dashing yourself.”

  Ian wasn’t into fancy dinners, but seeing Kate all dressed up made him glad the black suit had been the only choice of clothing that had appeared in his closet. He extended his arm, and Kate took it.

  “Are you ready for this?” he asked.

  She smiled nervously. “Ready.”

  Ian took a deep breath and tried to look more distinguished as they walked arm in arm toward the dining room.

  Th
e tinkling of glass and the chatter of conversation filled the dining hall. The room was lit with the delicate glow of candelabras and a gently burning fire in the hearth. Fine linens adorned every table along with those things he’d once been told were table runners.

  Music played softly in the background.

  All eyes were on them as they entered. Some people made no attempt to hide their stares while others were slightly more discreet. Ian wondered how many of them knew why he and Kate were here. A few of the other guests eyed them appreciatively, and Ian hoped it was because they made an attractive couple, not an appetizing one. He glanced at Kate, whose slightly raised chin and confident walk didn’t quite hide the nervousness he detected.

  The rest of the room faded away as they walked past the other guests. Was she really on his arm? Had he ever felt this at ease with a woman he was attracted to? What did it mean when Kate could make him so comfortable in a place like this?

  It’s why he’d told her he’d think about taking on the job as sentinel himself. Kate was driven, independent. She deserved to live a full, happy life. Somewhere else. He could write anywhere.

  The only problem was that the gargoyles had picked her. Not him. How could he convince Declan and the gargoyles otherwise? Part of him was happy that Kate had decided to stay for a while. The other part thought it was best if she weren’t here. Right now, though, he couldn’t be happier that she’d stayed. He’d told her they’d think of something together. Together. The partnership he’d proposed was more about the time he’d be able to spend with her than anything else.

  As they approached their table, both Declan and Von Hiller rose to their feet. Ian held Kate’s chair for her as the two men nodded and greeted them before sitting again.

  A waiter arrived and poured water into their goblets and filled their glasses with wine. The table had been set for six. Frowning, Ian wondered if Roland would join them again. This time Ian would ignore him. They were here to listen to what else Declan had to say, yet all he could think of was Kate, how much he wanted to be out in the gardens again with her. He wanted to know all about her. He wanted to know the real Kate Mercer.