by K. F. Breene
“Be magical,” I whispered.
Hearing yet another squeal above us, I shrugged out of my backward shirt and pushed down my pants. I couldn’t change fully dressed. I had to get comfortable in my birthday suit like the other magical people did. The time for modesty was over—I had a couple of lives to save.
“What if I get stuck in rock form?” I asked.
“It’s simple—I need you to save me. You don’t have time to get stuck.”
“Right. O-kay.” I nodded in determination. “No time to get stuck.”
“You’re young for your kind, anyway. You wouldn’t get stuck for long.”
I grinned. Midlife for a human, young for a gargoyle, and I still didn’t give a flying fig what people thought of me. I could live with that.
I just had to make this change so I could live with that.
“But still, don’t get stuck,” I said, standing naked before Austin, noticing he was standing at attention again.
“Sorry about that,” he murmured, his voice deep and thick and a little embarrassed. “You’re beautiful, and I don’t have much control over that part of my body.” He shrugged. “My turn to feel a little awkward—I didn’t mean to look.”
Not like I could complain—I’d been caught looking plenty of times.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, remembering Mr. Tom changing. Remembering Damarion snapping out his wings. Remembering how Ulric looked when he cut through the sky. Remembering what it felt like to soar high above the ground.
A sound like boulders sliding down a hill gave me a thrill of anticipation and a little surge of fear. This wasn’t natural for me. The thought of changing into something other than myself…
“I’m right here, Jacinta,” Austin said, his words wrapping around me comfortingly. “We’re in this together. Let’s grab life by the balls.”
Grab life by the balls.
I could do this.
I’d accepted the magic, I’d accepted the responsibility, Austin was counting on me…
I could do this!
The cage jolted down. That chain wouldn’t hold us much longer.
Energy surged through my suddenly heavy limbs. My skin stretched and a shock of blistering heat boiled my blood. Before I could call out, euphoria took over, drowning me in bliss. A tingle sliced down two spots on my back near where Austin had touched me earlier.
Snap.
I felt the slide of the bars against my wings.
My wings! I had wings!
I opened my eyes to smile, and then stared down in shock at the purplish, luminescent skin covering my body. My fingers ended in sharp black claws, and unlike the guys, I had a pair of breasts with dark, budded nipples that currently had Austin’s undivided attention.
“Hey.”
That word didn’t come out as “hey,” though, it came out as “ha-aye” because a couple of fangs now needed room in my mouth. My pronunciation was better than that of my male counterparts, however, which meant my face and teeth probably (hopefully) didn’t look as gruesome.
Austin looked up almost lazily, his eyes lidded and filled with awe. We might’ve been standing on Ivy House’s front lawn for all the urgency he displayed.
I knew better, though.
My wings folded up with barely a thought, as natural as stepping forward and putting out my arms for Austin, which I also did. He shook himself out of his daze.
“The female of the species is much better looking than the male,” he said with a smile, and wrapped his arms around me, one sliding under my wings and across my back, the other over my shoulder and diagonally down, so he’d have a good grip.
“Go,” I mostly said, feeling drool slide down my chin. I couldn’t grimace with this new face. It probably looked like a permanent grimace anyway, going off the others.
The squeal increased in pitch, the metal giving way. This was it. This was our last chance. We jumped and flew, or we jumped and plummeted to our deaths. It was all up to me.
I nodded and pushed forward, Austin moving with me in perfect synchronicity. He was probably an excellent dancer.
“Time to go, Jess,” he said, his strength coiling around me, his lips near my ear. “I’ll wrap my legs around you once we’re in flight. I’ll hold on. All you have to worry about is flying, okay? Sorry about the erection. First seeing you naked, then the brea… This is all very new to me. Hopefully I’ll get used to it. I’ve never seen a female gargoyle. It’s… You’re…strangely erotic.”
He wasn’t the only one experiencing a first. I’d never heard Austin babble. And I’d never felt this deep, stirring heat burning in my core, so much more intense than anything I’d ever experienced as a Jane.
It would take some getting used to, indeed. Right now, I had to focus on getting us out of here.
Breathing fast, still scared out of my mind, I heard the loud crack before I felt the jolt. Out of time, I dove out through the door and hoped for a miracle.
Gravity reached up and grabbed hold of us. Austin wrapped his legs around my hips, his size and weight seeming too much. Too big. I wouldn’t be able to lift him off the ground, how could I possibly fly with him?
I was still thinking as a human woman. Ivy House had made me magical. It had made me stronger. I could lift him in my human form, I was sure of it. And I could lift him with these wings. I had to.
We dropped through the air like a stone.
“Grab life by the balls,” I tried to say. It came out a jumbled mess.
The spikes rushed toward us.
Now or never, I snapped out my wings. Lines of bright pink-purple wove through my deep purple, luminescent wings. As the wind billowed them, a shimmery glow and streaks of light swirled through the air.
“Good God, Jacinta, this form is magnificent.”
I tried to smile, stretching my lips across those big fangs. Spit dribbled down my chin.
I really needed to get a handle on that.
We jetted forward toward the cave wall. I angled up, the maneuver surprisingly natural, and pumped my wings, gaining altitude. Not climbing so much as cutting diagonally upward toward the wall. I pumped harder, feeling the strain, still going forward. Nearly at the—
We slammed into the rock. Austin grunted. I tried to shove us off with my hands and feet, wings still pumping, but Austin’s body was still bigger than mine, even in this form, and I just succeeded in scratching his back against the rock.
“Sor-reee.”
Breathing hard, fear clawing at me, I closed my eyes and envisioned watching the other gargoyles soar through the sky. I watched their wings in my mind’s eye, taking in the way they rolled and dipped, angled and flapped.
I turned a little to the side, shoved off with all my might, and tried again.
“Oops,” I heard over the din.
The hairy creature stood just beyond the shadowy area, looking up at us.
“You must’ve been honest about Ivy House.” His smile showed a lot of teeth. “I can’t wait for those flowers. Oh, this makes me so happy. I am willing to overlook…whatever it is you are doing with that man. Seems complicated.”
I flapped my wings, trying to counter Austin’s weight and go straight up in the air. Except for some intense wobbling, I managed, but my stamina was wearing thin. I needed a lot more practice with these things, preferably without the extra weight.
“Well, as you can clearly see, I didn’t wrap my ankle.” The hairy creature shook his head. “I’d better go do that.” He turned and walked back toward the shadowy area, disappearing.
He would deserve those flowers.
I turned in the air, which was surprisingly difficult, and beat my wings harder, climbing. My breath came in ragged pants. Higher still, I tilted forward, Austin’s weight now propelling us toward the opening. I couldn’t wait to get to those shadowy forms, waiting just beyond that shimmering barrier.
But how were we going to get through it?
Fatigue pulling at me, keeping us in the air harder wi
th each beat of my wings, I managed to stop us next to that barrier, it having no ledge or lip to stand on, now trying to rip and tear at it with my magic. Trying to counteract it, or think it away. Whatever it was, though, it refused to respond to my attempts to dispel it.
“Just go through,” Austin said, his voice hard with grim determination. “Go through. We’ll survive.”
We didn’t have much choice. I was losing altitude.
Summoning a last bit of strength, clamping my teeth shut, I did as he said and dove forward. Fire ignited my body, starting with my head. It plunged into my blood and seared flesh and bone. Pain such that I’d never known washed over me, through me, became me, until all I was saw black.
27
I came to slowly at first, and then all at once. I snapped my eyes open, remembering the pain of plunging through that magical barrier.
Oh Lord, did I remember the pain.
A head loomed over me.
“Hah!” I struck out, my fist connecting with a face and my magic following it up.
A tall, gangly body flew backward, curving through the air and landing facedown on my red Persian rug. We were in my bedroom.
“Yes, miss, good point.” Mr. Tom pushed himself to standing. “I should’ve announced myself after the ordeal you’ve had. I can appreciate you being a little jumpy.”
“Sorry.” I palmed my head, at the dull ache there. Weak morning sunlight filtered in through the window. The skin on my arms looked a little waxy. Although my skin had returned to its normal color, it was now devoid of moles, freckles, and blemishes.
“Not at all. It is quite all right. I should have been prepared for a quick punch from a sleeping woman. How are you feeling?”
He approached my bed again, somewhat hesitantly.
“Okay. A headache, but—”
“Ah. Yes. I have something here for that.” From my nightstand, he picked up a clear bottle of purple pills. “These are still in beta phase—apparently that’s what they call something experimental—but I have been assured they are very safe and quick acting.”
“No, that’s”—I pushed his hand away, bending my face the other way—“okay. I’ll just grab some Advil.”
“Advil is for blockheaded Janes who want to live with pain. No, no, try the magical variety.” He pushed the bottle at me again. “Just one, mind. There is no telling what might happen if you take more.”
I sat up and put out my arm to further avoid that bottle. As soon as my head stopped swimming, I reached for my magical connection with Austin—I felt him at once, his presence strong and sturdy. He wasn’t dead, thank God.
“How’s Austin?” I asked.
“Right as rain. He took one of the pills.”
“He did?”
“Well…” Mr. Tom lowered the bottle a little. “He took one and threw it while giving me a threat, but…”
“Is he really right as rain, then?”
Clearly seeing that he wouldn’t get his way, he pursed his lips and deposited the bottle back on the nightstand.
“He is, yes. Already out and searching for those mages who grabbed you. I’ve never seen him so worked up. He is taking the situation very personally, which is not good news for them. Too late now, eh? I’m forever glad he is on our side.”
“He healed and everything?”
“Mostly. He has an amazing capacity for pain. I am, quite frankly, shocked. He stayed awake all the way home, asking for status updates on you. He didn’t change form until he reached Ivy House soil and Ivy House started healing you both.”
I let out a breath. “Amazing capacity for pain, yes. I couldn’t handle it. It was…”
Mr. Tom nodded solemnly.
I tried to run my fingers through my tangled hair before giving up. “All my failures with flying, and he put his life in my hands because he had faith I’d figure it out in time to save us both.”
“He’s a remarkable leader. He brings out the best in his people. And look! You flew!” Mr. Tom beamed, his scowl morphing into a proud smile that would have scared children. “When Ulric saw you, he stepped forward in such a rush that he burned his face on that barrier. Everything about your gargoyle form is perfect. It is a thing of strength and beauty, and you carried someone as muscle-laden as Austin Steele with those tiny little wings! Oh, what a treat to watch. Horrifying, and you surely shaved decades off my life span, but majestic.”
“Right, right.” I swung my feet over the edge of the bed and reached for my phone. “How long have I been out?”
“Two days. You had a lot of healing to do.”
“How long has Austin been on the hunt?”
“He’s been working on it for almost a day. As I said, he has a pretty incredible tolerance for pain. Last I heard, he was only finding dead ends. Those mages are advanced in their magic, and he doesn’t have a starting point because Damarion and his gargoyles couldn’t find the lower entrance to that cave. Once you were freed, they came back here with you.”
Damarion and his gargoyles.
They were supposed to be my gargoyles.
That problem would have to wait.
I sent a quick text off to Austin: Where are you?
To Mr. Tom I said, “I know a creature who can help us find the entrance.” I headed for the closest, my skin feeling strangely crackly.
“Oh, that basajaun? No, I’m afraid that is out of the question. Austin Steele tracked him down, but the creature wouldn’t tell him anything. He tried to subdue the basajaun, and Damarion tried to dominate it, but neither succeeded. Austin Steele worried he would kill the creature if it led to an altercation, and Damarion pulled back, which leads me to believe he feared he’d be bested. You have to be careful with basajaunak. They have large extended families and hold grudges. They are like a hairy, stinky mob. Kill one of them and their whole unit shows up and tries to claim vengeance. We don’t need that kind of heat.”
I shook my head, pulling on some jeans and a shirt. I clearly hadn’t appreciated the full extent of Austin’s prowess before. Handling that kind of pain not once, but twice, shrugging it off, and getting back out there to secure his home was… It was almost larger than life. It was unbelievable.
“Those two guys can’t even be in the same room without going for each other’s throats,” I said. “Clearly that…what was it? The hairy creature?”
“The basajaun. He came in when you were flying. Hairy, stinky, wild, prone to hold grudges…”
“Right, that creature. Well, clearly he’s cut from the same mold as Austin and Damarion. That, or the guys came on too strong, posturing and acting like macho idiots, and he wasn’t having it. I’ve got something he wants, though.”
“Really?” Mr. Tom followed me from the room. “What’s that?”
“Magical flowers.”
“I’m not following…”
My phone chimed, and I glanced at the screen.
Austin: At the bar. Organizing sentries throughout town. You okay?
My first destination was the kitchen to retrieve a huge glass of water. Maybe two.
I answered Austin. My skin is waxy, but I’m good. Going to go find that hairy creature. I don’t think it’ll attack me. It let me escape. We have an accord.
In the kitchen, I filled a glass, drank it, and then slugged back a few more.
“The thing is…” I wiped my mouth and headed for the back door. “He didn’t seem to know much about the mages. I got the feeling that he’d always had the guard job, hadn’t actually done it forever, and was doing it because that was his expected role. It didn’t seem like he’d asked any questions of them. He might not know anything about them.”
“When did you talk to it?” Mr. Tom followed me outside. Edgar stood on Niamh’s porch, his hand up to knock. He turned our way when he saw us.
I quickly filled Mr. Tom in as I walked across the street to Edgar. A pulse of magic sang through my bones, and I felt doors open within Ivy House. A high-pitched scream made me look back.
&n
bsp; Lights flickered in the windows. Smoke curled from one of the chimneys on the right side.
“What’s…”
My speech dried up as the front door swung open and Ulric came running out of the house, followed quickly by Damarion, both of them wide-eyed and in a state of undress. From around the side of the house ran Cedric, holding up his britches as though he’d received the summons midway through getting dressed and hadn’t paused to finish. Another body blasted from a second-story window, fell to the front lawn, turned the harried dive into a roll, and bounded up. Jasper, the gargoyle I hadn’t talked to much. I really needed to make more time to get to know everyone. That was certainly part of the reason why they were Damarion’s gargoyles.
Another pulse cut through me, Ivy House calling those in town, obviously summoning them to meet me. That was probably why she’d sent Damarion and crew racing outside. She wasn’t one for patience, clearly. I’d woken up, and it was time to take down our enemies.
“What’s the matter?” Damarion said as he reached me, grabbing for my shoulders. I evaded and turned, catching Niamh opening her front door. A bright pink nightshirt hugged her torso and ended just below her upper thighs.
“This job requires pants, usually,” Mr. Tom said.
“What in bejaysus are ye at this early in the mornin’?” Niamh hollered, scaring Edgar off her porch.
It was a good point—I hadn’t thought to check the time.
Six in the morning. Did Mr. Tom ever sleep, or had he figured out how to sleep standing up, hovering over me?
“I’m feeling great, thanks,” I said dryly, trying to hide my grimace.
My phone vibrated in my hand. Text from Austin: Tell Ivy House to back off. I’m almost done. Meet you there.
“Well, I can see yer feeling fine. Yer walking around and rarin’ to go. That means you need to rattle everyone awake, does it?”
“Clearly the idea of working offends you, but did you forget there is still a job to be done?” Mr. Tom sniffed in disdain.
Niamh’s eyes shot fire as she zeroed in on him. Edgar backed away a little more.
“Okay, enough.” I held up my hands to forestall whatever zinger was sure to come. “Stop. Sorry, I didn’t realize the time. I just woke up. We still have mages at large, though, and they know their stuff. I escaped them once. I doubt whatever they rig up next will be as easy to get out of. Spoiler alert, last time wasn’t easy at all. It hurt quite a lot, actually. Clearly they won’t be dumb enough to come for me on Ivy House property, so I will be putting myself out there, trusting Austin and Damarion to have my back.”