The crowd pushed her closer, approaching with eager expectation as they waited for the concert to begin. Tonight, the concert was in joy, not controversy; celebrating a new era on the Isle of Stone.
Five torches burst with flames from the outer edges of the stage, casting dancing light and shadows on their gray exteriors. The scent of the smoke reached them.
The fire blazed higher. Did it precipitate the spark that would animate the statues? The onlookers pressed forward. Watching. Waiting.
The flames shot ten feet into the air. Raina moved closer to Lachlan and the heat of the fire caressed her skin. While the onlookers pointed, miniature dancing flames ascended above the stage, like slow motion versions of fireworks humans were so fond of. Only these didn’t burst and burn in seconds the way the man-made ones flared out, they lingered, hovering in the air. The dynamic white lights spun and twirled as they grew and reshaped themselves. Pretty designs moved into position, reshaping to form letters, and then words.
THE KNIGHTS OF STONE WELCOME YOU.
The band’s name blazed in a white-hot glow above the stage. Raina and Eden oohed with the crowd. Then the letters took on fiery colors, appearing to burst into flames. The words shimmered, growing larger before they dimmed, and then faded out. As the flames dissipated, they descended, fading against the black backdrop of night.
A second round of lights blazed in to replace them.
ISLE OF STONE
ISLE OF ONE
MAY WE ALL LIVE TOGETHER IN PEACE!
Eden almost shattered Raina’s ears, cheering with the rest of the audience. Their attention followed the lights as they vanished, redirecting attention back to the stage.
Back to the statues.
Bryce lifted a gray stone hand. Mason inched a clawed foot forward. Gavin raised his head. Calum straightened his bent form. She waited, as breathless as the rest of the crowd, for Lachlan to move. When he twitched his wings, she let out a giant sigh of relief. All stirred with the beginning of the transformation, generating life into their stone forms.
Raina watched with eager anticipation, enraptured as much as the other onlookers. The gargoyles all moved at once, straightening from crouched to upright positions. Their stone appeared to soften and become more pliant while their limbs and torsos elongated. The exaggerated features on their face reshaped to those of men. Their skin tone transformed from gray to the bronzed color of those kissed daily by the sun. Their blue kilts appeared and fell over their muscular thighs. Hair sprouted from where horns retracted. Their wings changed as well, from smooth gray stone to magnificent black feathered ones. When they blinked, their eyes animated with life, assessing the crowd before them. The audience cheered as each gargoyle moved now in human form to the instruments set on the stage.
Barely blinking, she kept her eyes on Lachlan, who strode on his impressive muscular legs over to the bass guitar. Gods, he was breathtaking. The transformation from stone beast to man showed just how much.
“Wow,” Eden said. “I’m starting to see what caught your attention.”
The attraction went beyond the nicely wrapped package, but how could she explain?
She didn’t have to, since Calum stepped up to the microphone.
“On behalf of my brothers, we welcome you all here tonight to celebrate a new future on the Isle of Stone.”
Behind him, Bryce underscored the words by beating the drums.
Calum said, “We’ve proven over the last few days that we work better together than apart.”
Mason launched into a guitar solo, punctuating the victory, as the crowd erupted with cheers.
“We used to play this song about the Knights of Stone protecting the ancient forests, battling against the tree witches.” Only a few witches eked out boos, before he continued. “But no more. My brother Mason and his beloved Kayla have taken a brave step in crossing the boundaries and resolving the misunderstandings between us.” He turned to Mason. “Cheers to you both, mate.” Addressing the crowd again, he added, “We’ve changed the lyrics today to reflect our new understanding, our new victory, our new future!”
The final words ended on a raucous howl as the band members launched into a driving beat. Raina’s mouth fell open as she gawked at Lachlan on stage. His muscles contorted and flexed as he played his bass guitar with an intense expression on his face.
“I’m going to walk around. Check this out from different angles,” Eden said.
Mesmerized by Lachlan’s performance as well as the rest of the band, Raina barely noticed Seth sidle up to her. When his breath ticked her ear, she bristled and every muscle clenched with wariness.
“You’d choose a gargoyle over one of your own kind?” He seethed.
Had he been waiting for Eden to leave so he could approach? He wouldn’t cause a scene here, would he? Not when they’d just reached peace.
“Seth, I didn’t plan this. You know I tried with you. We both did.”
“And it didn’t work,” he spat.
“No, it didn’t.” She fought to keep her voice calm, to keep the encounter from escalating into an argument during what was supposed to be a peaceful celebration. “We can’t force something to happen between us.”
“But you managed with a gargoyle?” Sarcasm dripped from every word.
“It’s different,” she explained. “He’s my mate. I know it.”
Seth snorted, not bothering to hide his skepticism.
She didn’t blame him. A few days ago, she’d never consider being open to a cross-species relationship. Never would she have dreamed of an alternative to her future role as alpha with Seth. Now, ruling with him would be a disastrous choice; leading to a desolate existence devoid of love.
“You’ll know one day, too,” she added gently, “when you find your mate. You must know inside that I’m not the one.”
“We could have made it work so we could rule together, Raina.” His tone was less accusatory, but still held a twinge of bitterness.
She glanced at Lachlan, not realizing the song had changed to one with an even faster tempo. He’d spotted her and Seth in the crowd and stared with such intensity, his eyes blazed with aggression. He stopped playing his bass guitar and strode forward, rage radiating with every step.
Fearing he’d spring off the stage to pounce on Seth, she had to take control of the situation. These two alpha males could undermine all the recent progress with one misguided decision. Destroy what they now celebrated!
To calm Lachlan, she mouthed, “It’s okay.”
He continued to stare, but then nodded. His brothers eyed him carefully until he resumed playing.
Altercation avoided, she exhaled. Warm shivers of delight followed, rippling through her with a drumming beat. He cared about her and would always protect her; something she knew in her gut. A wonderful feeling of absolute love encompassed her in a way she would never experience with Seth.
“No, Seth, it would never work. We’d end up not only hurting each other, but the pack.”
“How so?”
“Having two leaders who don’t mesh would be devastating. Morale would sink. It would splinter the ranks.”
“So what does this mean?” Seth’s face contorted with confusion. “You’re leaving the pack?”
She searched Lachlan’s face, again. He continued to watch them with concern. She smiled to reassure him he had nothing to worry about. “I’m hoping we can be more open-minded to other options in the future. But if I must leave, I will.”
His eyes widened. “Pack is everything.”
Shaking her head, she said, “I used to think that. But we need to listen to our own needs, as well. Find our own happiness.”
Seth didn’t seem to be listening. With fury in his eyes, he grasped her wrist. “To be with—a gargoyle?”
She yanked her arm back and glared at him. “Don’t do that.” Lachlan was her home now. Her new pack. Seth needed to accept that.
In the next second, he was down. Lachlan must have flown from
the stage to descend on Seth and now had him pinned to the ground.
“Don’t ever touch her again!” Lachlan warned.
Seth recovered from the surprise and threw a blow at Lachlan’s face, which he deflected. With the next punch, he hit him in the chest, but it hardly affected him.
“Stay away from our pack,” Seth snarled.
“Stop! Both of you!” Raina commanded, but they continued to brawl. Two proud alpha males unwilling to back down.
Those around them spread away from the circle. Lachlan was stronger and took Seth’s punches with scarcely any effect, but Seth was quicker and escaped many of Lachlan’s blows, while he landed more throws.
She had to stop this. Her pack mates were circling, and the gargoyles had dropped their instruments. In seconds, it could emerge into a full-blown battle.
When they broke apart, she launched herself between them and pushed her hands against their chests. “I said, stop!”
Both gargoyle and wolf had feral eyes as they assessed their foe, but they paused with her separating them. “You’re going to undermine everything we’ve achieved, everything we’re celebrating.” She turned to Lachlan, “I told you it was okay. You didn’t need to jump to my defense.”
Lachlan breathed heavily. “You’re right, Raina. I need to protect you. When he grabbed you…” He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have done that.” He squared his shoulders before extending his hand to Seth. “I was wrong.”
Seth glanced at his hand with revulsion. “I’m done with this,” he declared. “I’m out.” He marched away with disgust.
She thought about calling to him, but what he needed now was space. His pride was hurt, and he needed time to lick his wounds.
What did he mean? He was leaving the celebration? Or the pack?
Guilt hit her with a pang. He was her pack mate. Her childhood friend. Whatever the reason, it was her fault he was leaving.
She didn’t want to hurt him, but she couldn’t force herself to be his mate and rule with him. He didn’t understand. She probably wouldn’t have either until she’d met Lachlan. Maybe one day, Seth would come around, when he found the right one for him and realized what a horrible mistake they would have made by trying to be together. She’d have to talk to her father and see if he could bring Seth around, after he had time to cool off.
Raina turned back to see Lachlan in quiet conversation with his brothers. In a few more moments, Gavin returned to the microphone.
“Sorry about the interruption. Just a minor miscommunication.”
Her heartbeat slowed its frantic patter as they launched into another song.
Eden returned to her side. “What happened? I couldn’t see from where I was.”
Raina exchanged a glance with Lachlan, who was now back to playing bass guitar and watching her closely. “Long story. I’ll tell you later.”
The rest of the concert passed quickly as she reflected on what had happened and again became captivated by the Knights of Stone. One musician in particular held her interest, one she was sure would capture her attention for many nights to come.
The brothers ended the concert with a song about a victory in the Highlands. They put down their instruments to raucous cheers, stepped forward, and bowed.
“Thank you for coming,” Gavin said. “Here’s to our new future.” He raised his hand, and the crowds screamed and applauded.
Lachlan winked at her before he soared into the night sky with his brothers. Within moments, their dark forms were invisible among a thousand brilliant stars and a pale, waning moon.
Lachlan found Raina after he left the stage and led her to a quiet spot in the forest.
“The concert was incredible,” Raina said. “The fight….” She raised her hands and dropped them.
“I know, I know,” Lachlan said. “A gargoyle’s protective streak can get out of hand, sometimes—especially, when we think the person we love is in danger.”
“Love,” she repeated. “So you’re saying you did it out of love to protect me?”
“Aye, what other reason would I have?”
She shook her head as she gave him a scolding glance, which broke with a breathtaking smile. “You make it hard to admonish you when you say things like that.”
He winked. “You make other parts of me hard.”
“Lachlan!” she said with mock astonishment. “You’re always thinking of sex, aren’t you?”
He nodded and pulled her into his arms. “Around you, aye.”
She laughed, a magical sound.
An unwelcome image of Seth intruded his private thoughts. “What did that wanker want with you anyway?”
Raina tightened in his arms, making him wish he hadn’t brought it up. “However much you dislike Seth, you need to remember I grew up with him. He’s my pack mate, almost like a brother.”
“I understand,” he admitted with reluctance.
“He’s a good wolf shifter,” she continued. “Loyal to the pack. Maybe too loyal.”
Her guilt in hurting him was evident in her tone. Was she avoiding his question? Or trying to convince him to lose the antagonism? “What did he want?”
She exhaled before she replied. “To know if I was leaving the pack to be with you.”
He couldn’t ruin her status with her pack. “Are they making you leave?”
“No.” She raised her chin. “But if I must, I must.”
Her resolute declaration awed him. “For me?”
“Aye, Lachlan.” Her eyes expressed earnestness. “I want to be with you. However, or wherever we can.”
Elation spread in his chest at her words. He picked her up so her feet no longer touched the ground and spun her around. “Wherever you want to go, we’ll go. Whatever you want to live in, I’ll build it.”
“We’ll figure that out,” she said. “A lot has happened with us in a short time, and we still have much to learn about each other. No need to rush any decisions.” She took his hands. “I’m not going anywhere.”
He squeezed them. “Not without me, you aren’t. I want to take you to all the lands you want to see. Watch over you so you can run free wherever you want.”
She bestowed him with a loving smile. “I don’t want to go anywhere just yet. Just want to be with you.” After a heartbeat, she said, “The show really was spectacular. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Pride swelled in him. Playing for an adoring audience always invigorated them, but Raina’s praise reached a higher level.
“We wanted to make it special.”
The Knights of Stone knew how to put on a show. To start it off right, the audience had to clamor with anticipation, as ready and as on edge as if anticipating sex. The buildup was foreplay. The gargoyles gave them the slightest movement to increase the excitement, like flickering a finger or moving a foot. Lachlan and his brothers did their usual tricks tonight, but knowing the natives wouldn’t be as easy to win over, they worked on more impressive tactics.
One easy addition was shifting with their kilts. When the brothers played for humans, a stagehand would dress their stone forms with kilts, part of building up the anticipation. Since Raina removed her dress when she shifted to wolf form, wolf shifters didn’t appear to share the ability to hide their clothing. Lachlan included that element to impress the wolves, mostly Raina. Maybe he’d be able to teach her one day.
Maybe not; he enjoyed watching her change.
The light show had been more difficult to pull off so Mason had enlisted Kayla’s help. Judging by the volume of cheers, the crowd had loved it.
“It was special all right,” Raina agreed.
Lachlan had wanted to blow her mind in every way. Not only was it her first concert, it was her first time seeing him as his alternate persona. The way she gazed at him with adoration, he deemed his attempt a success.
“I’m glad you think so. You’re the only one in the audience who truly matters.”
Her smile was radiant. “Is that so?”
He pulled her close so her lips were only inches below his. “Aye.”
The din of the distant crowd grew louder; a reminder they should return to the celebration.
“Good,” she said. “You can be my date for the feast.”
He stole a quick kiss on her neck, nuzzling in her sweet-smelling hair. “You’re the only feast I want, right now.” He licked the sensitive flesh, never getting enough of the taste of her.
She moaned softly before pulling back and playfully swatting his arm. “That will have to wait. We have to go over there; it would be insulting if we skipped it. Aren’t you curious to see what it’s like where the witches live?”
He’d been curious for as long as he could remember; having peeked at their homes built in the trees as he flew overhead. Now, he didn’t care. “I’d rather find out about this wolf’s treasures.” He traced his fingers from her neck down over one breast.
She moaned with pleasure, but said, “Later, rock star.” She stroked one of his biceps. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Every cell in his body sparked to life. “I thought we’d try someplace a little more comfortable. Maybe test out the beds in the cabins. Find one we like.”
An adorable, dark flush rose in her cheeks. “Ooh, that sounds tempting. But I do have to admit, I have fond memories in the cave.”
As did he.
He was looking forward to spending another night with her, but had to consider the implications. “What about your pack? Will they mind you staying with me again?”
Her eyes burned bright, reminding him of the feisty woman who bounded into the moors the first time he’d seen her.
“I’m my own woman, Lachlan. Even if I’m part of a pack. It took me a while to understand that, but now I do.”
“Good. Because I have big plans for us tonight. Had all day to think about the things I want to do with your luscious body.” His gaze raked over her, while he imagined some. “I should tell you something about what happens after I play.”
Knights of Stone - Lachlan Page 14