Stone Maiden

by Tina Gerow

  Heat rushed through Ariel’s body again, and he hardened inside her. She started to give in, but then remembered Kefira would be waiting for them downstairs. “Rain check,” she said, pushing him upward. “Before you erode all my willpower.”

  Logan laughed and rolled off her. “As long as I know I affect you as much as you do me, I’ll take the rain check and count the minutes.”

  Ariel leaned over the side of the bed, found her teddy and began to untangle it.

  “So, what did you want to talk about?” Logan asked, lying on his side, his head cradled in his wide palm.

  Ariel had to pull her mind back to the topic at hand. He looked too damned tasty lying there with nothing but a thin sheet between them. “Why don’t you tell me about the prophecy?” At Logan’s guarded look, she said, “I know Alonna was here last night. The only reason she would show so much interest in you would be because you were involved in a prophecy.”

  Logan seemed to deliberate for a few moments, and then a wide smile and an expression of relief washed across his face. “Okay, but she told me to tell you and no one else.”

  “I understand. It’s dangerous when too many people know about a prophecy. My sisters all know you’re probably involved in one—all the signs are there. But I won’t share the actual prophecy with them if Alonna thinks we shouldn’t.”

  Logan nodded. “I don’t remember it word for word. But it had to do with the son of my blood and the daughter of my destiny. If I raise the son, I got the impression it was a good thing. But if I raise the daughter, then evil would prevail.”

  Ariel’s heart compressed at the thought of Logan having a daughter or a son. That would mean he’d have to sleep with someone else. She’d worked for God for too many years to think She’d leave her in the dark if she was a key player in a prophecy of this magnitude. “Can you remember the actual wording? Sometimes that’s very important,” Ariel pressed.

  Logan’s brow furrowed in thought. “There was something about if I cease to exist before my fated time, the son would avenge me with rivers of dark blood, and the heavens will shine on him.”

  Ariel let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Well, that’s good.” At Logan’s confused expression, she continued. “That means if the side of evil tries to bump you off early to avoid the whole prophecy, the son will avenge you and good wins.”

  Logan sat up, his eyes dark. “But it also means if they bump me off before I make this son, then the whole prophecy is null and void, right?”

  Ariel remained silent. What could she say? If this weren’t Logan she was talking to, she’d tell him to get busy on making the son in question. But the thought of the large callused hands caressing another woman made her blood run cold.

  “So, on that cheery note, why don’t we both get dressed and see what Kefira wants.” Logan swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood.

  Ariel’s breath caught in her throat. He was truly magnificent. All tan skin, blond hair and muscle. Her worry over the last few minutes vanished in a wash of female hormones. She thought about giving his body the same thorough treatment he’d given hers and sighed. Focus, Ariel.

  She looked up to find Logan grinning at her.

  “See something you like, darlin’?” he asked, deliberately using the nickname he’d used on her in the office that first day.

  Ariel’s cheeks heated, but she forced herself to meet his gaze squarely. “Yes, I was admiring your new tattoos.”

  Logan’s puzzled expression lasted a few seconds before he followed the line of her gaze down to his thigh where two perfect lavender lip prints replaced the bite marks from last night. “Damn!” he swore. “Are they permanent?”

  He looked so scandalized that Ariel had to laugh. “Yes, but before you get mad at Alonna, you need to know she doesn’t bestow healing lightly. You could have died from the succubus poison.”

  Logan moved over to the mirror on the back of his bedroom door to take a closer look at the new permanent decorations. “But they’re so damned girly,” he protested. He turned to look at Ariel. “Wait, now I remember. The wound was smoking and oozing…,” he trailed off as the full memory of the evening hit him. “That was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my whole life.”

  Tears stung the backs of her eyes. “I know, I was so scared we wouldn’t be able to save you.” She stared hard at the floor and tried to blink back the watery signs of weakness.

  Logan crouched in front of her, put a finger under her chin and lifted her face to meet his gaze. “There’s no need for tears. I’m a lot harder to get rid of than all that.”

  Ariel’s eyes chose that moment to betray her and overflow. Full, hot tears made a wet path down her cheeks. The full impact of the realization that she would never be able to make this man hers hit her. The prophecies were decreed by God. Ariel knew better than to hope this one wouldn’t come true in some fashion. She tried to turn away, to hide, but Logan gripped her chin.

  “Don’t ever be ashamed of how you feel, Ariel.” He leaned in to kiss her salty lips. “It took me a long time to find you, I don’t want to lose you either.”

  Ariel’s emotions swirled. She told Kefira she wasn’t in love with Logan. But did she mean that? Or was she just trying to shield her heart? She wasn’t sure, but she now knew she couldn’t let this go too far, or this time she’d be crushed even worse than when James betrayed her. She squared her shoulders and returned Logan’s steady gaze. “I’ll admit, I was really worried. But Logan, I’m not sure exactly what we have between us. We’ve only known each other a short time. Can’t we just enjoy what we have right now?”

  Logan silenced her with another kiss. “I know you’ve been hurt, I saw the pain in your eyes when James walked into my office that first day. But I’ve been unknowingly waiting for you my whole life. I’m willing to wait until you get comfortable with the idea.”

  She pulled back away from Logan and crossed her arms over her chest. “What idea am I supposed to be getting comfortable with?” she demanded, hating that she sounded defensive.

  Logan reached forward, rubbed his stubbled jaw against her neck and chuckled when she shivered against him. “Whatever idea you’d like to—as long as it involves the two of us spending lots of time together.”

  Ariel pushed him away and put up every emotional barrier she had. “I think we’re great together—in bed. There’s no use romanticizing it. I think you’re attributing more to this than there might be because of the situation.”

  She saw hurt flicker in Logan’s gaze, quickly replaced by a nonchalant stare. “No problem, sweetheart. Whatever you want.”

  Ariel felt like a heel as Logan began pulling on his jeans and shirt. Just like that, all the closeness and the intimacy evaporated. She sighed and pulled on her teddy. “I’ll go get dressed and meet you downstairs in ten minutes. Do you think we can be civil about this? After all, we’ve made no promises between us.”

  Logan turned to face her, his blue-grey eyes hard as steel. “Absolutely, darlin’. After all, we just barely met.”

  The verbal knife slid deep. She’d brought this on herself. If distance was what she wanted, it looked like he was going to give it to her. She just hoped she wasn’t already too far-gone, but she feared her heart was already his.

  Chapter Seven

  Ariel stood outside the stables waiting for Kefira and Logan. Deda had contacted her while she was getting dressed to say the danger had passed, but Logan needed to see what she’d found. Ariel knew it was cowardly, but she asked Kefira to wait for Logan. Anything to delay having to face him for a few more minutes.

  Whatever Odeda found took precedence over her own wounded heart. She figured if she said it enough times, she might actually start to believe it.

  Ariel closed her eyes, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I can do this. I’ve faced death millions of times, so why is the thought of hurting Logan to save myself pain so much worse?

  She heard the scuff of boots,
and turned to see Logan and Kefira walking toward her.

  Kefira looked first at Ariel and then at Logan before speaking. “I’ll just go and make sure Jeb’s got the horses saddled for us.”

  “Traitor!” Ariel yelled into her sister’s mind and grimaced when all she heard back was laughter.

  “Ariel.” Logan tipped his cowboy hat to her in an oddly mocking manner. “So, where are we off to?”

  Before she could answer, Kefira and Jeb walked around the corner leading three horses behind them.

  “Don’t worry, Jeb,” Kefira said archly. “Ariel can ride a horse even better than me.” Kefira had embarrassed Jeb earlier in the day by riding a horse he’d deemed unbreakable to all the ranch hands. Kefira had won $200 and the respect of all the men—except for Jeb.

  Jeb scowled in response and then handed the reins of a large chestnut gelding to Ariel. “Scout can be a bit frisky, so be careful with him.”

  Ariel ignored Jeb’s obvious displeasure and slipped into the saddle. “I’m sure I’ll be fine, Jeb. But thanks for worrying about me.” It seems Jeb still hadn’t forgiven her for the scene in the office. Some men just couldn’t handle a strong woman.

  “If it’s urgent, why aren’t we taking the jeeps?” Logan asked.

  “Sorry, boss,” said Jeb. “The boys took both into town for supplies. It will have to be horses or one of the street vehicles.”

  Logan shook his head. “No, don’t worry about it, Jeb. The horses are fine.” Logan mounted his own dark bay thoroughbred, Ransom, and turned to Ariel expectantly.

  “Kefira, I need you at the gate, can Ariel spare you?” Ariel heard Dara say inside her head.

  “It’s freaking Grand Central Station around here,” she muttered. And now she would be alone with Logan on the ride out to Odeda. She stifled a sigh. “Kefira, go ahead and see what Dara needs. If she can’t handle it, it must be big. Keep me informed.”

  Ariel tuned out before Dara could elaborate on the front gate issue. She had enough problems to deal with, and she had faith her sisters would handle anything that came up.

  Kefira winked at Jeb and jogged back toward the house, leaving the stable master scowling after her. Kefira never resisted taunting someone who begged for it.

  Ariel studied Logan. He looked like a man born to sit in a saddle, just a handsome extension of the beautiful, sleek horse. She had a sudden mental flash of how his hard naked body felt against her own, and heat flooded her cheeks.

  “Ariel?” He sidled his horse closer to hers. “Is there a problem?” he asked with a knowing smirk.

  She swallowed hard and tried to turn her thoughts to more G-rated subjects. She’d pushed him away this morning and insisted all she wanted was sex, now she’d have to live with the results. “Fine,” she croaked out, her throat dry as sand. “We should get going. Odeda’s waiting.” She flicked Scout’s reins and he surged forward.

  Ariel clamped her thighs around the horse and let him set their pace. She pushed everything from her mind except the Texas greenery which rushed by them. She enjoyed the sting of the wind on her face and the adrenaline high of a good, hard ride across the countryside.

  It had been almost eighty years since she last rode a horse, but she could never forget how. It had been too much a part of her life for centuries.

  She heard Ransom and Logan close behind her and knew they would overtake her in seconds. Ransom was a sleek horse, built for speed, while Scout, a little stockier, had some cow horse somewhere along his family tree.

  But that didn’t stop Ariel or Scout from giving Logan and Ransom a race. Competition was a great motivator, and besides, as long as they raced, they couldn’t have any more strained conversations or smug innuendo.

  Scout slowed as they came up over a small ridge and Ariel saw Odeda. Deda’s horse, tethered to a nearby tree, strained against his reins, shying as far away from the grisly scene as his reins would allow him. Odeda knelt in the closely cropped grass, looking at four obviously dead cows.

  The hair on Ariel’s nape ruffled, and icy pinpricks marched up her spine. This site reeked of evil.

  Terrific. And I wondered how today could get better.

  Ransom tried to buck and shy away from the spot, but Logan reined him in. “My God, what happened here?” Shock and outrage warred in his voice.

  Ariel nodded at Logan’s reaction. Nothing like this had happened on the ranch before or he wouldn’t have been so surprised. Not that she doubted his honesty, but sometimes people left things out, and Ariel needed all the information if they were going to protect him.

  Without turning toward them, Odeda said, “That’s what we’re going to find out. You may want to tie the horses over with mine. They can sense the evil, and it’s making them skittish.”

  After tethering Scout, Ariel swung down out of the saddle and walked toward Odeda. “Deda?” she asked, when her sister still didn’t turn toward her. Ariel stepped around into Odeda’s line of sight and only then saw the deep furrows sliced down her sister’s breast and stomach. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were injured?”

  Odeda snorted. “It’s not like I’m dying. I just need to heal.”

  James rushed to the two women, his eyes round with disbelief. “Oh my God! We need to get her to a hospital or call Dara.”

  Ariel helped Odeda stretch out on the grass-covered ground. “There’s no need. She can heal these wounds on her own.”

  “What did this?” Ariel asked.

  Odeda rolled her eyes skyward. “What’s left of it is dead. Now if you don’t mind, I really need to heal.”

  “Go ahead, I’ll watch over you,” Ariel said to her sister. White, cold stone began to flow over Deda’s body until her sister resembled a lovely reclining statue.

  She noticed the rapt fascination with which Logan watched. “The furrows are still there,” he said.

  “She has to turn to stone first and then heal. Give her a few minutes.” As if triggered by her words, the furrows began to fill in and smooth out before her eyes.

  She heard Logan’s boots scuff against the grass on the ground next to her. “What does it feel like?” he asked in a curious whisper.

  “Which part? The turning to stone, or the healing?” Ariel noticed Odeda’s body begin the transformation back to flesh, so she glanced up at Logan.

  “Both.”

  “Turning to stone is a cold like no other, your mind is in tact and functioning, but your body is immobile and vulnerable. As for the healing…” She searched for the right word to convey the sensation she’d experienced numerous times throughout her life. “Well, it burns and tickles at the same time.”

  Odeda sat upright and touched a hand to her ruined leather jacket. “Damn! I just bought this.”

  Ariel stood and extended a hand to help her sister up. “Nice to see your priorities are in order. Logan will buy you a new one, he’s paying us well for this job.” She shot Logan a smirk over her shoulder.

  “A purchase I’ll be happy to subsidize,” he said and then turned his attention toward the cows for the first time since they’d arrived.

  The three of them stood staring down at the grisly scene. The four bloated heifers lay on their sides, arranged in a circle, hooves out. The pattern reminded Ariel of a giant bovine pincushion. Each black and white cow had their throat ripped out, and dried blood smeared on their sides, proclaiming ‘no new seed’ in ancient Hebrew. “Seems a bit redundant, don’t you think?” Ariel asked.

  “Especially since they’ve had all their sex organs mutilated,” added Odeda.

  Logan’s brows furrowed and he looked back and forth between the two women. “Why, what does it say?” he said, indicating the side of the closest cow.

  “It says ‘no new seed’ in ancient Hebrew,” supplied Odeda. “Someone isn’t being too subtle, and they also have no imagination. But I’d hazard a guess they want to make sure you aren’t using your male equipment for its intended purpose.” Deda pointedly stared at Logan’s crotch, a smug smi
le playing across her features.

  Logan shot an accusing glance at Ariel.

  “She didn’t tell me the prophecy, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the obvious signs they’ve been leaving.” Odeda glared at Logan, daring him to call her a liar.

  “Deda, you’re not helping,” Ariel warned when she noticed Logan’s mouth firm into a thin line.

  Odeda flashed her dazzling smile and shrugged. “Sorry, I have a great sense of the ironic.”

  “You have a great sense of something,” added Ariel under her breath.

  Logan walked around the circle and knelt to examine the scene. “So, why did they disfigure the udders?” “They aren’t exactly sex organs.” He looked up at the two women. “I mean, if he was trying to get a message across to me, why not mutilate my prize bull?”

  Ariel shrugged. “The bull is closer to the house. I’ll bet these were easier to get to without alerting any of us.” The only thing that gave off this much evil and liked to disfigure genitalia was a rokurokubi. “Damn.”

  “If you’re thinking ‘kubis did this, you’re right,” said Odeda. “When I broke its neck it disintegrated, but the other two escaped. I can ask Gabriel if there’s been an increase in population, but I haven’t seen any of them in a few hundred years.”

  Logan stood and faced the women. “What’s a kubi?”

  “A rokurokubi is a Japanese goblin. Another creation of the dark one.” Ariel circled around to stand next to him and knelt to examine the shredded udder. “See these teeth marks here?” She pointed to a set of five imprinted teeth, which looked like a little oval of marks left behind on someone’s sandwich after they’d taken a bite.

  Logan leaned down to examine the spot she pointed to. “Wait, those look human.” He looked at Ariel, disbelief plain on his face.

  “Exactly,” broke in Odeda. “The ‘kubi can pass for human, and do whenever possible. Some of them even take human spouses and hide what they are. They drink blood and eat people, but will settle for animals if they are trying to remain undetected. Sort of like politicians with better table manners.”