by Susan Hayes
“I can’t see a fucking thing, and all these hunks of rock look the same to me, anyway. Maybe it’s in that barn?”
“Why would a chick keep a statue in a barn?”
“Why would any chick have this many statues, period? It’s fucking creepy.”
“Did you leave your balls in the car? Man up and keep looking.”
“Fuck that. You already said you checked this place out the other day and couldn’t find the thing. I bet it’s in the barn. Why don’t you check in with the boss man and I’ll take a look-see.”
“Just be quiet about it. The guy here last time was a big son of a bitch. If he’s here, I’d like for him to sleep through our little visit.”
“Now who needs to nut up. We can handle one guy and his little girlfriend. I’m checking out the barn, and then we can get the hell out of here.”
“We go when he says we go. You know that.”
Stone stepped into the shadows and waited. One set of footsteps retreated toward the house while the other set was coming his way. He’d take out the first one inside the barn where there was less chance of the scuffle being overheard. That way he could leave the studio knowing Adina was safe. The moment the door swung open. Stone was on him, clapping his hands over the stranger’s ears to stun him before sending him flying into the nearest wall. There was a meaty thud as his head hit the timbers and then there was only silence.
Primed and ready for battle, Stone grunted in disappointment at the unconscious heap now sprawled on the floor at his feet. The man had gone down without even throwing a punch. If Webb was branching out into criminal endeavors, he was going to have to start hiring a better class of thug. He heaved the man over one shoulder and headed for the door. There was no way he was leaving anyone behind to threaten Adina. He’d secure this one and then go after the others.
Inspired by the two men’s earlier conversation, Stone opted to tie his captive to the most vicious looking statue he could find. The garden hose he found to bind the thug with wouldn’t hold the man for long, but it should keep him out of trouble long enough for the sheriff to arrive. Stone sighed as he checked the knot in the hose one last time. The sheriff’s imminent arrival meant he was on a tight schedule. He had plans for Webb that required the two of them to have a few minutes of uninterrupted time alone. When he was done with him, Webb would never dream of bothering Adina again.
He took to the air to get a better look at where his remaining targets were. It only took a few seconds to spot them. Webb was a slender shape lurking near the oak trees where they’d had their first confrontation. The other man was headed back toward the studio. Stone recognized him as the driver who had been with Webb the other night. Big, heavy, and slow. Stone grinned as he dove down on the unsuspecting thug. Maybe this one would put up a fight. Despite his near silent descent his target sensed something and dropped into a fighting crouch mere seconds before Stone made contact. The two tumbled to the ground in a flurry of fists and cursing.
The fight only lasted a few minutes. It ended the moment his adversary caught sight of Stone’s face and realized he wasn’t fighting a man at all. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in a silent scream. Stone hit him with an uppercut before the scream could become real, and the man faded into unconsciousness still staring at Stone in horror.
“See you in your nightmares.”
Stone was still securing the second thug beside his buddy when he heard voices raised in heated discussion near the front of the house. Angry words were being thrown back and forth, and one of the voices belonged to Adina.
What the hell was she doing out of the studio?
“I’m going to kill her myself,” he muttered and started running to Adina. He shifted back to his human form along the way. He was more than capable of dealing with Webb in this form, and there would be fewer questions to answer later. When he came around the corner, he found his beloved standing between Webb and his vehicle, keeping the man at bay with three feet of sharpened steel. She owns a sword?
“…slimy, lying bastard. What part of no deal didn’t you understand? You can’t come onto another person’s property and take things just because you want them. That’s not how the world works!”
“I was merely attempting to repossess my property. I’ll have you up on charges you crazy harridan! Threatening me with bodily harm. I’ll sue!”
“No, you won’t,” Stone snarled.
“And who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do? The statue doesn’t belong to either of you! It’s mine. Everything the Drummond’s had is mine, now. It’s taken generations to right the wrongs done to my family and I need that statue to end this.”
“You are Pearl Webb’s descendant.” Stone growled, the name leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.
“I—yes. How did you know?” Maxwell stammered, gawking at Stone in confusion.
“You’re not the only one with an interest in the Drummond family history. You have the facts wrong, and I can assure you that the statue you seek does not belong to you.”
“Of course it does. It’s all mine.”
Adina scoffed. “Not all of it. Trust me on that one.”
“Why do you want it so badly, Webb?” Stone demanded.
“My grandfather made me promise to find it. It’s a relic from a bygone era and my grandfather believed it was something special.”
Adina raised her blade slightly. “It’s very special. And you can’t have it.”
“I’ll sue! You have no idea who you are dealing with, young lady!”
Stone grew impatient. There was only one way to end this. “No court of law can give you what you want. This is beyond the laws of men, Maxwell Webb.” He shifted to his gargoyle form, unfurling his wings and roaring into the night sky.
“Beyond the—God! What the hell is that thing?” Webb squawked in terror and took several stumbling steps away from Stone only to be met with the point of Adina’s blade.
“That’s my fiancé. You were talking to him not five seconds ago,” Adina said with a shrug.
“That’s a monster! Get it away from me! What madness is this? Help! I’m being attacked!”
Stone curled his lip into a snarl, baring his fangs as he took a menacing step toward Webb. “Your grandfather was right about one thing. The statue you seek is special. I am the statue, and I am telling you that you will never own me. I belong to Adina, and that can never be changed. If you come back here again, I’ll tear your limbs off while you watch and then strangle you with your own innards. I protect what’s mine, little man. And she is mine.”
Webb quailed in fear and started nodding his head so fast he looked like a possessed puppet jerking on a string. His mouth was open, but no coherent words emerged, only a babble of random sounds and frightened whimpers. He started to sway on his feet, and before Stone could say anything else, the man crumpled to the ground and curled into a ball, still babbling.”
“Well, that was anti-climactic. I didn’t even get to draw blood,” Adina muttered.
“Why are you out here at all? And where in the name of all that’s holy did you get a damned sword? I’m supposed to be the protector in this relationship, remember?
“You were busy dealing with the hired muscle and I didn’t want this guy getting away. Once I called the sheriff, I went back to the house, grabbed Betsy here and went to have a chat with Mr. Webb. And hello, my dad and my brother are both bladesmiths. Did you forget that? I have several nice swords and a few daggers, too.”
“Betsy? Your sword is called Betsy?” Stone ignored his aches and pains as he struggled to follow Adina’s explanation.
“Bloodthirsty Betsy, actually. She was my twelfth birthday present.” Adina hefted the blade and grinned. “Dad was horrified at the name, too.”
A siren wailed in the distance, announcing the arrival of the local law.
“I can’t believe he collapsed like that. I still had a few things I wanted to make clear to Webb. Do you think he can hear me right now?” Web
b was gibbering to himself, so disconnected from what was going on around him that he might as well have been alone.
“I think you made a lasting impression. In fact, I think you may have broken his brain with that transformation. Normal people do not cope well with sudden revelations that monsters and magic are real.”
“His family were always prone to hysterics. At least, the ones I knew. Delicate dispositions and an overdeveloped sense if importance.”
“That sounds about right.” Adina glanced toward the road. “You should probably revert to human form before Theo gets here. You do take a bit of getting used to.”
Stone shifted to his human self, then walked over and took the sword from Adina’s hand. “Later, we’re going to have a little chat about what will happen to you if you go rogue on me again. Then you’re going to show me these swords of yours. I think I’m going to want to borrow one.”
She laughed. “I’ll have Dad or Hal make you one of your own as a wedding present.”
The siren’s wail grew closer. “So, what are we telling the sheriff?”
Adina grinned wickedly. “The absolute truth. We’ll just leave out the bit about you being a gargoyle. Trust me, Theo won’t ask why the three of them are babbling about monsters. He knows better than that.”
“There are definitely perks to living in a town like this one. What do you want to do about Webb?”
“Threaten to charge him with trespassing and anything else we can think of. Not that I think he needs any more incentive to stay away from me. If he ever regains his wits, I doubt he’ll want to come back here. Whatever his grandfather wanted of him, he’ll have to let it go.”
“Good.” Stone wrapped an arm around her waist and tucked her in against his side. “No one threatens what’s mine.”
“I love you, too,” she said as the sheriff pulled in the driveway, bathing them both in the brilliant beams of his headlights.
Stone mustered a friendly smile and waited for the questions to start. It was going to be a long night.
Chapter Nine
It was close to dawn by the time Adina closed and locked the front door and went to rejoin Stone in the kitchen. There had been statements to make, questions to answer, and no small amount of explaining to do, but it was finally over. Now, she had some questions of her own she wanted answered.
She found Stone rinsing out their mugs in the sink. Even with his back to her, she could see by the set of his shoulders that he was as tired as she was. With everything that had happened she hadn’t been able to ask him how he was really doing. Now, she didn’t have to. “I was going to ask how you’re feeling, but I can see the answer for myself. You’re not fully healed yet, are you?”
He set down the mug and turned to face her. “Not completely, no. That spell your cousin cast was as brutal as she warned me it would be.”
“And yet you ordered me to go hide while you dealt with Webb and his men? You should have told me.”
“If I hadn’t been able to protect you, I would have flown us both out of there. I didn’t need to be at my best to handle that bunch. I was in no danger. I was a soldier even before I was…whatever I am now.”
She moved in close and hugged him. “You’re Stone Carver. My fiancé and a badass gargoyle. Are you ready to tell me about who you used to be? Or do you need to rest more, first?”
“All I need is you, and maybe a few hours of sleep in that nice, soft bed of yours. You haven’t been to bed yet, either.”
“I didn’t want to leave you alone last night.”
“I heard what you said to your mom. I’m glad you stayed. It was comforting to know you were nearby. Of course, if you’d been in the house, maybe you’d have slept through our little adventure, so maybe it would have been better if you’d listened to your parents.”
She laughed. “There you go, taking their side again. Is this going to be the way of things from now on?”
“I promise to only take their side when they’re out of earshot. Do you want to sleep, or would you like to learn what I remember?”
“I want to know all of it, Stone. Watching you go through that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. The only thing that made it bearable was knowing that when it was over, you’d finally be free. You are free, aren’t you? I mean, do you feel any different?”
“I remember everything. And yes, I feel different. I cannot explain it, but something’s changed. I believe your cousin was successful.”
She laid a hand on his chest, over his heart. “Is my name still here?”
His shirt vanished beneath her fingers, revealing that the elegant script was still in place. “You’ll be part of me forever, sweetling.”
“Maybe I should get your name tattooed over my heart so we match. I guess that’s my first question, too. Now that you know your real name, who do you want to be, Stone, or William?”
“You told me that I’d always be Stone to you and I agree. William Drummond died a very long time ago.”
“Wait. What did you say your name was? But how—explain!” she said, stunned by what he’d just told her.
“My name was William Drummond, and I was my first master’s bastard son. He gave me his name and recognized me when I came of age. He even saw to my education and training. I would have never inherited anything, but I was a member of his household and a man of means.”
“So he did this to his own son? Why?” Adina demanded. She couldn’t imagine how anyone would do that to their own child.
“I was out hawking with several of my half-brothers, and there was an accident. Simon, the youngest, grew bored and strayed from the rest of us. We didn’t notice until we heard his horse screaming in distress. The boy had found a wasp nest and was prodding it with a stick. They swarmed, stinging the horse and sending into a panic. Simon was thrown and struck his head. He died the next day. Simon’s mother blamed me for his death, and eventually, she turned them all against me. She’d always resented my presence and thought to have me turned out. Instead, my father did this to me as punishment. I’d failed to save one Drummond, and so he made me into this so I would be compelled to protect his descendants for all time.”
“That’s horrible! And then he took your memory so you’d never know any of this. Your father was a total bastard.”
Stone chuckled. “I love that you are incensed over something that happened centuries ago.”
“And I don’t understand why you’re not bellowing in a fury and breaking things right now. Granted, I’m grateful you’re not busting up my furniture, but how are you so calm?”
“I’m not really calm. To be honest, I’m still trying to figure out what the hell I’m feeling. It’s going to take me a while to work through it all. I lost so much, and then to have it all dumped back in my head at once after all this time…”
She hugged him hard. “So you might break things later?”
“Maybe. But I doubt it. I’d rather be building a life than tearing things apart. I’ve waited a long time to be free. Long enough to know when to let things go, and to cherish what I have in the here and now.” He paused, then grinned down at her before reciting a familiar quotation. “Anger, fear, aggression, the dark side of the force are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.”
“Really? You’re going to quote Yoda again, now? What am I going to do with you, Stone?”
“I’m hoping you’re going to take me to bed and let me make love to you before we both get some much-needed sleep.”
“Quit quoting the short, green, swamp puppet, and you’ll have a better chance of getting me into bed. Couldn’t you at least quote Han Solo? He was hot!”
“God, I love you,” he declared and kissed her.
Within seconds, her entire body was humming with pleasure. Her clit throbbed with sudden need and she rubbed her hardening nipples against the bare skin of his chest. His mouth claimed hers as his arms pulled her close and held her against the hard planes of his body.
&
nbsp; She closed her eyes and kissed him back, letting go of everything else. There’d be time to talk later. Time to ask all her questions and help him come to terms with his past. They were going to have a lifetime together.
“Can I take you to bed now, or do you want to talk more?” he whispered between heated kisses, his hands already busy undoing the clasp of her jeans.
“No more talking. I’m all yours.”
“You were mine from the moment you freed me, sweetling.”
She nipped his lower lip. “As I recall it, I claimed you first.”
“You did at that.”
He cut off any chance for her to reply with a savage kiss, his tongue slipping past her lips to tangle with hers as he lifted her off her feet and carried her out of the kitchen. He covered the length of the house in seconds and set her down in the center of her bed before breaking their kiss to tear at her clothes with an eagerness that left her breathless and trembling with need.
It wasn’t easy to undress while lying down but they managed. The moment her jeans were off Stone wished the rest of his clothes away. He wedged a knee between her thighs and covered her body with his as he kissed her again. The hairs on his chest rasped against her tender nipples, making her moan as the sensation sent sparks of desire shooting straight to her clit.
“Love me,” she whispered.
“Always.”
He began kissing his way down her body, nuzzling and nibbling a path to her aching breasts. His mouth closed over one tight nub and he sucked hard, drawing her deep into the scalding heat of his mouth. When she arched off the bed in silent encouragement, he took her other nipple between his fingers and began to tug and tease it until she was moaning with pleasure. His touch was rougher than usual, adding the faintest edge to his caresses that only increased her arousal.
Adina lifted her head to watch her lover at work. His black hair fell around his face and the muscles in his arms stood out as he held himself suspended over her. He was the most amazing, beautiful, powerful man she’d ever seen, and he was all hers. She buried her fingers in his hair and tugged to gain his attention.