Anna growled softly, but the Lady of Battles didn’t seem concerned. She merely turned and vanished through the darkened archway behind the landing.
The sound of the Battle Goddess’ chains hadn’t even faded entirely before more guards arrived, hauling ass down the opposite set of stairs.
Eyes narrowing, Anna decided if anyone threatened her Rasoren again, she would kill them, test or no.
She was so focused on the squad of approaching enemy, she wasn’t expecting the weight of Shadowlight’s restraining hand on her shoulder. “Anna, you need to calm yourself.”
The touch of his mind startled her out of her murderous, predatory state.
Blinking, she shook her head. “What the fuck just happened?”
Shadowlight rubbed at his muzzle, looking somewhere guilty. “You shifted to gargoyle form and lost your mind for a little while. Gryton told me to order you to stop before someone got killed.”
“Eh?”
“I commanded you.” He glanced sidelong at her. “I’m sorry.”
Anna huffed. “Well, don’t be. It’s better than us both landing back in the dungeon. Shit, I can’t believe I’m a gargoyle.”
Events were still a little blurry, but the weight of wings dragging on her back was solid proof of her new gargoyle body. She touched her face and nearly went cross-eyed staring at her muzzle.
Wings? Check. Muzzle? Check.
She half turned to get a look at her wings. As she did, something dragged on the floor and bumped against her legs.
She spun in a circle to get a better look at it. “Holy fuck, I’ve got a tail.” But of course, she did.
Tail? Check.
Horns?
Reaching up she slammed her hand into one and then was more careful at exploring the other. Yep. Horns.
“You have gargoyle ears, too,” Shadowlight said and touched one. She flicked them back and forth trying to evade the kid’s ticklish touch.
“Hey, stop that.” He did and then moved to her two horns. All the while his expression said he was delighted by the changes.
“You’re nearly full-grown.” He moved to her wings next, stretching them out and comparing them to his. His were bigger, but overall, so was he, so it made sense his wings would be larger. Anna tried not to feel competitive about it.
“It was as I expected,” Captain Taryin said, having returned from wherever she’d vanished to when Anna had first taken on gargoyle form.
Had the blood witch been present when Anna was going berserk, she would have been her primary target.
“Your own insecurities were holding you back from your new potential,” Taryin continued, not knowing she was in danger of still becoming a target. “All you needed was the proper incentive.”
Gryton stepped between them and looked Anna up and down. She realized she’d shredded her tunic and pants. Plus, there was a draft on her hind end where she now had a brand-new tail. At least the tunic’s long top covered the necessary bits. Anna would look into getting the magic, shapeshifting clothing the gargoyles wore as soon as she could talk with Lanya.
Unconcerned by Anna’s wardrobe malfunction, Gryton continued his conversation with the blood witch. “You are correct. I’ll remember this while planning her future training.”
Gryton’s squirrely little mind was already proposing ways to use Anna’s new gargoyle strength and subsequent instincts against her.
Great.
Shadowlight sat and leaned against her. Anna was reminded of another time she’d seen the kid do this to another gargoyle. That time it had been Gregory.
The kid might not even realize it, but he was looking for a protector. She just wished Gregory was here because Anna knew she was nowhere near good enough to protect the kid from all the enemies here.
“Anna needs rest,” Shadowlight barked out.
“No doubt she does,” Gryton agreed. “Shifting for the first time is wearying. Go. Take the rest of the night off. I’ll adjust Anna’s future training to include her new form. In the meantime, I’ll have a meal sent to your chambers.”
Anna barely listened, too distracted by the feel of her new wings being tugged on. She would’ve slapped the hands away except it was Shadowlight examining them again.
He seemed to be exercising them. Physiotherapy for wings?
“You don’t want your wings to get a chill. You worked up a sweat and the muscles aren’t used to work yet. If you don’t cool them down slowly, they’ll cramp.” He released his hold on her wing and stepped back.
Well, he’d know what he was talking about. She gave them a few experimental stretches and could feel what he was referring too, so she beat her wings slowly every minute or so. Now that the show was over, the other captains were leaving.
Dismissed, she and Shadowlight started away but didn’t get more than twenty feet before the blood witch called out. “The hybrid might need rest, but the gargoyle is perfectly capable of attending his lessons.”
“Nope.” Anna spun around. Facing Commander Gryton, she stared him down.
She didn’t know which way the silent battle of wills would go until he opened his mouth and broke the silence with a profoundly male chuckle.
“As the Kyrsu commands.”
The blood witch appeared furious, but swallowed her complaints and stormed away.
Anna and Shadowlight continued up the steps, eager to escape under the archway and into the hall before Gryton changed his mind.
Chapter Twenty-Three
By the time they made it halfway back to their chambers, Anna was shaking from the effects of adrenaline and her shift to gargoyle form. She walked on two legs because that was still more natural and presently, she wasn’t sure if she could coordinate four limbs at once.
Shadowlight paced alongside her on all fours, his tail flicking with concern. Every few steps he would gaze up at her. The small wrinkles around his eyes also confirmed his worry.
“I’ll be fine once I get back to my room and sit for a bit,” Anna told him, nearly tripping over the words. Speaking now that she had a muzzle was freaking strange, but she could still talk, so that was a plus. Her voice even sounded similar. Maybe a touch deeper.
“I’ll share power with you once we’re there,” he said, sounding far too adult and decisive.
Anna knew gargoyles could strengthen and heal each other by sharing power, but a part of her didn’t want his help. Obviously, he was growing stronger and his power was changing, Anna thought sourly as she looked down at her new gargoyle body. It wasn’t just his power that was changing.
In the last few days, she had noted he was more forthright and prone to making decisions for them. He still sought her opinion, but he was forming his own now too. Which would be fine under normal circumstances, but she was now worried something darker was going on. He’d ordered her to stop during the fight and she’d been forced to obey. No, not forced. She’d wanted to obey with every fiber of her being.
They were changing faster than even Gryton had thought they would.
That was bad. So, very fucking bad.
Yep, drawing on more of his power wasn’t going to be beneficial.
“I’ll be fine,” Anna told him. “Promise. I just need time to get used to the new me.”
He made a grumpy little sound but didn’t contradict her. “I’ll send a servant to fetch you something to eat and drink if the news of your change hasn’t already reached them.”
“Fine.” She wasn’t going to deny food because she was already starting to feel hungry.
They reached their assigned chambers and Anna made straight for a large chair. Shadowlight grabbed her arm before she could throw herself down. “Careful of your wings.”
Crap. The last thing she needed was a trip to the doctors, or menders as they called them here. Anna unfurled her wings and fought for balance as their weight screwed up her center of gravity. With an annoyed huff, she eyed the chair again. “I’ve seen you and Gregory rest on your wings from time to time with
out coming to harm.”
“Yours are new, and though large enough to carry your weight in the air, aren’t fully grown yet. The bones, joints, and tissues will be soft and prone to damage.” Shadowlight poked and prodded at her joints as he spoke.
“Hey, that hurts!” Anna twisted out of his reach.
“Don’t be a baby. Just sit on benches and sleep belly down for a few days,” he advised with a shrug. Then he continued their conversation using their mental link. “We’ll have a much better chance at escaping now that you are fully gargoyle.”
Anna didn’t disagree. “I’ll have to learn to fly first. Something better than that drunken sailor flopping.”
“I’m sure Sorac will add that to our lessons tomorrow. He’s been talking about starting aerial combat in the last two lessons.”
That surprised Anna. She never got a chance to hear everything Sorac discussed with Shadowlight because she was too busy fighting her own opponent and not getting impaled by the business end of a sword.
“Flight lessons. Can’t wait.” Anna settled on a bench facing away from the fire. The heat felt good on her aching wing joints. When Shadowlight turned away to find a servant and see about food, Anna took the time to gaze at her new body, a strange plateau of rippling muscles and onyx skin.
At first, she’d been too full of adrenaline and the compulsion to protect, and hadn’t noticed the signals her body was sending. Her wings weren’t the only thing bitching. Her feet hurt like hell. Glancing down, she saw the busted laces and the split seams. So much for her favorite boots. Prying them off, she stared at her feet and wiggled her talon-tipped toes.
“Ouch.”
“What’s wrong?” Shadowlight raced over to her side.
“I now know what an elephant would feel like wearing stilettos.”
Shadowlight gave her his best ‘humans are strange’ look. But before he could say anything, Lanya entered the chamber carrying a basket of fresh linens. Her gaze landed on Shadowlight and showed surprise at seeing him during the time when he was normally training. Then her eyes slid past him and spotted Anna.
“Oh! My lady, you must be exhausted. Let me just put these down.” Her voice increased in volume as she hurried into the other room. “I’ll have the children fetch food and drink for you while I draw you a bath. The heat will help relax your muscles.”
“Thank you,” Anna said and slumped down on the bench, using her arms as a pillow. The older woman was already bustling away.
Anna must have dosed for a bit because next she knew, Lanya had returned with her son and daughter in tow. They carried large trays of food.
While her children were moving a small table closer to the bench, their mother eyed Anna’s shredded tunic. “I see I will have to adjust your wardrobe as well. Hmmm…Give me an hour. By the time you’ve eaten and soaked, I’ll have something new for you to wear.”
Anna just nodded. Presently she was happy to lay on the bench and absorb the fire’s heat. Shadowlight settled on the floor between her and the fireplace.
“I promise I won’t fall off the bench and roll into the coals.”
“You should eat before you fall asleep.”
“Nah. Chewing is too much work. I’ll just nap for a bit first.”
Shadowlight snorted with humor and lavished her with several sloppy gargoyle kisses. He refused to stop.
“Ugh. Gross! Stop.” But it worked. She was now sitting up and Lanya shoved a bowl of what smelled like homemade soup into her hands. Anna didn’t use to be a soup fan — but she found herself happy to eat whatever was put in front of her these days.
She perked up more when she smelled the warm, buttery breadsticks.
“I’m not even going to ask what magic you performed to pull this together this time of night.”
“I told my son to tell Cook that if she didn’t have something to feed a hungry new gargoyle, said gargoyle might come and eat her.”
Anna’s muzzle twisted into a gargoyle smirk. “Whatever works.”
Shadowlight, always ready to eat, sat next to her and took another of the bowls.
After the first bowl of soup and three breadsticks, she started to feel human again. Well, maybe not human. She flexed her wings and craned her neck to behold the full effect.
“So freaking weird.” And they were, but the more she shifted and flexed them, the more a part of her they became. The wings and tail really drove home the fact she wasn’t human anymore.
She reached up to touch the horns. “Things have ventured into the land of the bizarre.”
“I imagine you will grow accustomed to all the changes in a few days. When I emerged from my mother’s hamadryad, I was uncoordinated for the first hour but was soon able to fly with my father. Your instincts will guide you.”
“Not sure if I’ll ever grow accustomed to this.” Anna thumped her tail against the bench a few times. “But if these changes will help us escape, I’ll gladly embrace my new gargoyle nature.”
After they finished their meal, Anna went for a long soak. Eventually, Lanya returned with towels and ordered her off to bed.
Anna dragged her ass off to bed and then tossed herself face first onto the covers and arranged her wings over herself.
“At least they’re good for something,” Anna muttered to the servant before drifting off to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Her own stomach growling woke Anna. What the hell, didn’t I just feed the beast? Grunting she tossed back her blanket and looked around. Wait?
Anna touched her back and then glanced down her body. Oh, thank God. The entire ‘turning into a gargoyle’ episode was just a dream. Sighing, she dropped her head back against her pillow, only then realizing she was naked under the blanket. She never slept naked.
The hell?
But a knock at her door heralded Lanya’s entrance. Her arms were full of another black and burgundy garment. Formal dinner wear, then, not comfortable training tunics. Ugh.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Er…” Anna lifted the blanket and arched an eyebrow.
“When I came in to check on you, I found you’d returned to your human form sometime while you were sleeping,” the servant explained. “You didn’t wake when I covered you with a blanket, so I left you to sleep off yesterday’s trauma.”
Anna frowned, realizing how out of it she must have been. Normally she slept lightly. Her frown deepened as she reached for Shadowlight’s mind. She calmed a moment later when she got a sleepy mental grunt from him.
Good. He wasn’t presently in danger.
“No need to worry,” Lanya said, “The gargoyle child is fine. I told him and Commander Gryton you needed to be left alone to rest.”
Anna gave herself a little shake and a mental command to wake up. “Gryton visited while I was asleep?”
“Yes, but Shadowlight wouldn’t let him take more than three steps in from the hall and I told the Commander that I would be glad to relay any message.”
And that’s why Anna never slept in the nude. It was tempting fate. “What did Tin Man want?”
The servant winced at the nickname. “Commander Gryton will be having last meal with you and Shadowlight here in your chambers.”
“Lucky us.”
“Here’s a dress you can wear tonight since you shifted back to human form.” The servant laid the clothing out on the end of the bed. “While you were sleeping, I also spoke with the seamstresses and the metalsmiths. By tomorrow, the seamstresses will have some ward-spelled clothing that will shapeshift with you, and within a few days, the metalsmiths will have new armor made to fit your gargoyle form.”
Anna hadn’t even thought about the next time she’d have to shift to gargoyle. Hopefully, it wouldn’t require further dramatics. “Thanks.”
“Of course,” Lanya said and started to brush invisible dust from the dress.
The whole idea of having a body servant was just downright weird, so Anna shooed her away and dressed. This was a simple,
elegant dress. No slits up to the thigh with matching daggers.
When she emerged from her room, it was to see Brannon being scolded by his mother. “Why isn’t Shadowlight ready yet? Commander Gryton will be here any moment.”
The gargoyle in question was just emerging from his own room, stretching and loosening muscles like he’d fallen back asleep after Anna had woke him earlier with her mental touch.
“Hey,” she said. He dropped to all fours and padded over to her. When he bumped his muzzle under her hand looking for a scratch, she obliged. “Sounds like we are getting an unwanted visitor.”
Shadowlight growled under his breath and Anna tapped the side of his muzzle.
“Behave. We don’t need trouble with Gryton.”
A flash of fang expressed what Shadowlight thought of that.
“I’m serious. Go let Brannon get you ready for dinner.” Or breakfast or whatever damn meal of the day it is, she thought to herself. Stupid nocturnal cycle.
Shortly after Shadowlight disappeared into the bathroom, a small army of servants arrived carrying covered dishes. Lanya oversaw the placement of everything and then ordered the servants away again. Then she roamed around the room, lighting more candles as she went.
When she was done, the room had a romantic candlelight dinner vibe going for it. Fuck. There was even a spray of flowers for a centerpiece. Double fuck.
She was probably reading more into it than there was though. After all, there were three table settings, so it wasn’t like it was a romantic dinner with just her and Tin Man.
The door opened again. This time Lanya’s husband entered. He held the door open and Gryton swept in.
He wasn’t dressed in his customary armor. This time he was bare-chested, his glowing tattoo on full display, drawing the eye to his battle-hardened form. Dark leather pants molded to his powerful thighs and calves.
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