Etched In Stone

by Susan Hayes

  Adina made a small noise of dismay and leaned into his side, wrapping one arm around his waist.

  “Let’s start with the big one. If we do this, you won’t be immortal anymore.”

  Stone wanted to cheer. “That’s not bad news. That’s fantastic. How long will I have?”

  Anneke looked slightly surprised at his reaction. “That’s another thing. I can’t completely break the spell. If I undid it, I’d undo you in the process. So we found a work-around. I’m going to alter the spell so that your life is bound to Adina’s. I mean, it could be anyone’s, but I thought you’d want it to be her, seeing as how you’re her destiny and all that.”

  “No!” Adina cried.

  “No?” Her rejection hurt more than any pain Stone had ever experienced.

  “No, I don’t want you to die if I die. What if something happens to me? You deserve a long life, Stone. You’ve waited long enough to have it. This doesn’t seem fair.”

  He turned to face Adina, cupping her face in his hands, so she had to look at him. “I would rather have one day with you than live a thousand empty years, sweetling. This is what I want. You are what I want.”

  “But…” she trailed off and raised her hand to cover his.

  “I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my days with you. When your time here is over, I want to follow you into whatever adventures come next. You’re not leaving me behind, Adina. Not ever.”

  “Wow. Where do I get me one like him, cousin? If you don’t say yes right now I’m going to assume you’ve lost your damn mind.”

  Adina’s lips quirked into a slight smile. “Then I guess I better say yes. I love you, too, Stone. I just hope you don’t regret this someday.”

  “Never,” he murmured and kissed her until Anneke had to clear her throat to remind them they weren’t alone.

  “So, that’s a yes on the life binding thing. It means you’ll age at the same rate Adina does. That’s the only big physical change. You’ll still be able to shift forms and use the other gifts the spell gives you. Flight, acute senses, and that nifty accelerated healing thing you can do.”

  Adina’s brow furrowed. “What accelerated healing thing?”

  He chuckled. “Surprise. Not fun when the shoe is on the other foot, is it? I can rapidly heal from any injury if I revert to my granite form for a few hours. It’s how I get by without sleep or eating, too.”

  “And it’s a good thing you heal fast. I fear you’re going to need it,” Anneke said, drawing his attention back to the matter at hand.

  “More bad news?”

  Anneke touched the pages of the book in front of her. “This is one of the nastiest spells I’ve ever come across. The last time you experienced it, they took your memory of what was done to you. This time…it’s going to hurt, Stone. And when it’s done, you’re going to remember all of it.”

  “It’ll be worth it to be free to live a real life,” he said.

  “And that leads me to the last bit of news. I can’t be certain, but I suspect that when we rework the spell, you’re going to remember who you were before this was done to you. In a sense, I’m going to finish what your first master started. I’m going to complete the merge between your two halves and make you one complete being. No more gaps or limitations. When it’s done, you’re going to be disoriented and probably have an epic hangover. I think it would be smart to assume that once the spell is cast, you’re going to need some time in your granite form to recover.”

  “Is this dangerous, Anneke? If something goes wrong, what could happen?” Adina asked, her voice heavy with worry.

  “If I didn’t think it was safe, I wouldn’t do it. But you know that magic like this…it comes with a price. In this case, the price will be pain, both physical and emotional. There’s no other way.”

  “When can you do it?” Stone asked.

  “We’ve already been assembling the things I’ll need. I could be ready by tomorrow night. I’d like to have my mother there, and your family too, if they’re willing to come, Adina. They could lend me their energy, which would make this easier.”

  Adina nodded. “I’ll ask them. I’m sure they’ll want to be there. They know how important this is and how much Stone matters to me.”

  “I’d be honored to have them there,” Stone murmured to Adina.

  She looked up at him and smiled. “Of course they’ll be there. You’re family.”

  Her words hit him with all the force of a sledgehammer driving into his chest. Family. After centuries of being an outsider, he had a family and a woman who loved him. It was an incredible feeling. One he’d never expected to experience. “Thank you.”

  “You keep saying that, but I haven’t done anything. Not really.”

  He gathered her into his arms. “What do you mean, you haven’t done anything? You’ve saved me.”

  “Oh, well. Yeah. I guess I did, didn’t I?” She was smiling as she stood on her toes to meet his kiss. “In that case, you’re very welcome.”

  Eventually, he let her go, and they made their way to the main store again. On the walk back to the car Stone found himself grinning, the light in his heart rivaling the glory of the sun overhead. He was going to be free. Adina would be the last master he ever had. He’d never have to live his life in the shadows again. He would be free to walk in the sunshine, and he planned on taking every step of his new life with Adina at his side.

  Chapter Eight

  Adina’s stomach was doing backflips as she counted down the minutes until the ceremony started. They’d decided to use her studio for tonight’s event, and so she and Stone had spent the afternoon clearing away her various projects and opening up the workspace. Stone had even taken the time to put away all her tools, which were now hanging in neat rows in their assigned spaces. It was the first time since she’d moved onto the property that everything was in its proper place.

  Her parents and Hal were together, talking quietly amongst themselves while Anneke and her mother were going over the spell yet again. They muttered softly as they discussed pronunciation and pacing. The sound would almost be soothing if it weren’t for the fact that Adina was too agitated for anything to calm her at the moment. The only thing that would make her feel better was getting this whole thing over with. Stone wasn’t in any better shape. He was prowling the perimeter of the studio yet again. He hadn’t stopped moving since they’d gotten out of bed this morning.

  “Adina,” he called her name and suddenly changed direction, coming straight across the floor to stand in front of her.

  “Yes?”

  “Before I do this. There’s something I need to say.”

  He dropped to one knee, and her shock at his actions was only slightly lessened by her amusement that even kneeling, he was almost as tall as she was.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, her heart hammering against her ribs.

  “No way,” Hal muttered. “I’m getting a gargoyle for a brother-in-law?”

  “Not if you don’t shut up and let him ask her first,” Nadira hissed, elbowing her son in the side.

  Stone grinned. “I think your brother figured it out before you did, sweetling. I’ve already spoken to your father, and he’s given me his blessing. So, Adina Diggersby, would you do me the honor of marrying me?”

  Adina tried to speak, but all she managed was a strangled squeak. When the words wouldn’t come, she nodded in silent agreement.

  “It’s not official until you say it out loud,” Hal called out, earning himself another well-aimed elbow from their mother.

  “Halberd Elias Diggersby, you hush! I’ve waited a long time for this moment.”

  Adina finally managed to find her voice. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you!”

  “Thank you,” Stone said and reached for her left hand. A moment later he pulled something from his shirt pocket, and she felt the slide of warm metal glide over her ring finger.

  “When did—how did you manage to find a ring?” she asked as she lifted her hand to s
tare at the ring she now wore. It was a slender band of hammered silver, simple but beautiful nevertheless.

  Hal snickered. “You’re cute, sis, but you’re not too bright—ow! Mom quit hitting me.”

  “Your father’s skill isn’t limited to weapons, sweetling. Once I asked his permission, he offered to make a ring for me to give you. Do you like it?”

  “I think it’s perfect,” Adina said as tears welled up in her eyes.

  Stone stood up and kissed her, and for once she didn’t care who was watching. She threw her arms around him and held on tight. His mouth slanted over hers, claiming her with a fiery passion that left no doubt of his need for her. “I love you, and I’m never leaving you. Remember that.”

  “Damn right, you’re not leaving me. We’re going to be married.” She kissed him and then burst out laughing. “Which means my last name is going to be Carver. How appropriate.”

  He laughed too, then kissed her one last time before letting her go.

  “It’s time,” Anneke said.

  For a moment, Adina was tempted to run back into his arms, but she knew she couldn’t. This was his choice. His chance to have a real life and she wouldn’t stand in his way no matter how afraid she was. His words from yesterday came back to her and she dashed away her tears and offered him a smile as she stepped backward, leaving him alone in the middle of the room. He’d told her he’d rather have one day with her than a thousand empty years.

  “Come back to me,” she whispered.

  “Always,” he said and then turned to face Anneke. “What do I do?”

  “Kneel. Everyone else, join hands and come stand behind me,” Anneke directed, her voice carrying more authority than Adina had ever heard from her.

  Anneke placed several items into a blackened bowl, doused them in oil and set them on fire. As an acrid scent filled the air, she raised her hands and began to chant. Soon the air around them was crackling with energy. Adina stood between her parents, each of them holding tight to one of her hands as they lent their positive thoughts and support to Anneke. It could have been a few minutes or an hour that they stood together, but finally, something began to happen.

  A nimbus of shadow gathered around Stone’s body, deepening slowly until he was almost impossible to see. Energy danced and flickered inside the shadows. At first, they were only red and gold sparks, but the energy continued to build until it appeared as though Stone was caught in the center of a lightning storm. A crimson bolt flared, and for a second she could see him clearly, but then the bolt slammed into his chest, and he arched in pain.

  She would have run to him, but her parents held fast to her hands, holding her back. A wind started to blow inside the studio, swirling and howling as the miniature storm raged all around Stone. She saw him struck by several more of the terrible bolts as Anneke’s voice rose above the din. For a long, terrible time it was nothing but noise and light and fury, and then, suddenly, it stopped. The storm vanished, the wind died, and Anneke’s final word echoed around the now silent space.

  “It’s done,” Anneke said and nodded to Adina. “Go to him.”

  He was still on his knees, shoulders slumped, head bowed, and his hands on his thighs.

  She raced to his side and dropped to her knees. “Stone?”

  He lifted his head, and her heart ached as she spotted the blood flowing from his nose and the pallor of his skin.

  “I know my name. My name…was William.”

  “William’s a good name, but to me, you’ll always be Stone. Are you okay? That was hard to watch.” she said, stroking his cheek with a trembling hand.

  He chuckled softly and took several slow breaths before speaking. “It wasn’t much fun for me, either, but I’ll be okay. Need to rest now. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about the man I was.”

  “I’d like that. I want to hear it all.” She leaned in and kissed him, ignoring the blood that was smeared across his lips. “You came back to me, just like you promised.”

  He kissed her back. “Always.”

  She moved back with reluctance, not wanting to be parted from him but knowing he needed to heal. He shifted to his gargoyle form with a soft groan of pain and settled himself into the same pose he’d been in when she’d first seen him. Crouched low, with his clawed hands resting on his knees, and his wings folded over his back. The next change happened slowly and she watched, fascinated as the living being in front of her transformed into a cold and lifeless piece of sculpture.

  “Stone’s not the only one who needs some rest, ladybug. Why don’t we walk you to the house and get you settled before we go?” her mother said.

  “I’m not leaving him.”

  Her father came to stand beside her, his hand on her shoulder. “He’ll be like this until morning. You can come back then and—

  Adina cut off her father’s suggestion with a negating wave of her hand. “No. I’m staying here. He’s still aware, even like this. I want him to know he’s not alone.”

  “Then I’m bringing you some blankets. You can rest on the couch and wait for him to wake up,” her mother said.

  “I should stay right here.”

  “Adina Diggersby, don’t argue with your mother. You can see him just fine from over there, and I’m not going until you agree to be sensible. You say he can see and hear you right now? So he knows you’re planning on spending the night on the floor? What do you think he’d have to say about that if he were able to speak?”

  Damn it. Her mom had a point.

  “He wouldn’t be happy,” Adina conceded.

  Nadira snorted with amusement. “Exactly. So, up you get. He’s supposed to be resting, not spending his energy worrying about you while you worry about him.”

  “Yes, mom.” Adina found herself obeying her mother though she did pause to kiss Stone’s cheek before standing.

  “You can stay here. We’ll grab some blankets and bring them out. He’s going to be fine, ladybug, and so are you.” Her mom kissed her cheek, then herded her dad and brother toward the house. Anneke and her mother stayed behind to gather up their things and to say good night. Adina hugged them both, grateful beyond words for what Anneke had done.

  Within ten minutes Adina was settled on her couch with enough pillows and blankets to be comfortable and still have enough left over to build a sizeable blanket fort. Her mother had even made her a mug of chamomile tea before she’d left. Curled up and comfortable, she lay quietly and watched the unmoving form of her fiancé. They hadn’t even had time to celebrate their engagement yet. She was still coming to grips with the events of the day. So much had happened. Hell, the past week had been the strangest, most wonderful time of her life. It was like she’d fallen into a fairytale complete with a cursed hero, magic, and true love. The only thing missing was a villain. She snickered to herself. The only person she could think of that fit that description was the overly dapper and rather obnoxious Maxwell Webb. He hadn’t even tried to call or email her today. He must have finally given up and gone home empty handed.

  Stone was adrift in a place somewhere between wakefulness and true sleep when something intruded on his awareness. Someone was nearby, sneaking around Adina’s home. He came awake in an instant and focused all his senses on the presence coming nearer. The crunch of a heavy foot on the gravel path came first. Then a faint cough muffled behind a hand. More than one person was out there, and none of them had good intentions.

  With all his focus on the interlopers, it took Stone a moment to remember that he wasn’t alone in the studio. Adina had stayed with him. He shed his granite form and rose to his feet, scanning the dimly lit interior until he spotted her. She was asleep on the couch, cocooned in blankets and unaware of the danger coming their way. He had to warn her. Moving silently, he crossed the studio and crouched down beside her sleeping form.

  “Adina, wake up. We have company,” he whispered.

  She stirred almost instantly, her eyes flying open to stare at him with joy. “Stone?”

  “I’
m here. But we’ve got a problem. Someone’s creeping around outside. I need you to get somewhere safe, sweetling.”

  “You woke me up to tell me to hide while you go kick some intruder’s ass? Think again,” she whispered back as her brow furrowed.

  “My job is to protect you, remember? We don’t have time for this discussion right now. Is there somewhere you can get out of sight at least?”

  She still didn’t look at all pleased, but she eventually nodded. “The loft. I’ll head up to the loft, but boy, you’re going to get yelled at later. You should have told me you were awake and feeling better.”

  He briefly considered telling her he’d only come to because of the threat outside and that he wasn’t one hundred percent yet, but decided against it. She’d never leave him if she knew he was still feeling the effects of the magic that had torn through him a few hours ago. Anneke was right, it had hurt like hell, and he still needed time to assimilate the memories of who he’d been and what had been done to him.

  The men outside weren’t going to give him that time.

  “Go. Stay out of sight. I’ll be back once I’ve dealt with our uninvited guests.”

  She nodded and sat up. “I bet it’s that idiot, Maxwell. I had hoped he’d given up. I guess not. I’ll call the sheriff and let him know we’ve got trespassers.”

  “I suspect you’re correct about it being our friend, Mr. Webb. I’ll deal with them, and your sheriff can take them away.” He stole a quick kiss before standing and helping her to her feet.

  Adina headed for a ladder he’d never noticed before. It was mounted to the far wall and made of the same rough wood as the rest of the barn, making it hard to see. Perfect. She’d be safe up there.

  The moment she reached the top of the ladder Stone headed for the door. There were two men roaming the gravel pathways between the studio and the house. He’d deal with them first. There was another man somewhere near the front of the house, and judging by the faint hint of bergamot and cloves in the air, that man was Maxwell Webb.

  “Do you see the statue we’re looking for?” One of the men whispered to the other one.