By the rising scent of deadly magic filling her glade, Lillian could only conclude that Gryton had no interest in capturing Gregory. And Gregory’s snarls told Lillian that her beloved had no interest in leaving this enemy alive.
Another portal flared brightly and Daryna walked out of it into the battle-scarred glade. Magic burned all along her body, and she stood and took aim at the two dragging Shadowlight back to the Magic Realm.
The first wave slammed into a shield and scattered in twenty different directions. Daryna didn’t stop and continued forward undaunted, tossing another wave of magic at the enemy. The two enemy soldiers scrambled the rest of the way to the portal and were through it before Lillian could cry out.
Daryna screamed in rage, but the other portal was already closing in upon itself, its magic shimmering less brightly as the portal diminished in size. She darted forward but was already too late.
With a hiss of anger, she turned to where Gryton and Gregory still fought. She raised her arms, palms toward the two combatants.
Gryton’s survival instincts must have been truly impressive for he broke away from Gregory and lunged behind one of the standing stones that circled the hamadryad. A moment after he vanished behind the stone, Lillian again felt a disturbance in the magic around her. There was also the thick, fiery essence she’d come to associate with a spike of Gryton’s power.
But it was already fading. And that’s when she realized Gryton had vanished from her senses.
Gregory stomped around behind the standing stone, but his thunderous expression told Lillian what she already knew. Gryton was gone. Escaped.
Tin Man had more lives than a freaking cat.
One day she was going to do her best to chew through all nine of them. But not today. Today they had to go after Shadowlight. Lillian just had to stand up first. If her body would cooperate. Unfortunately, she was also losing the war against the darkness creeping up the edges of her vision. Her sight narrowed down further, and the glade faded.
Chapter 24
Anna came awake with a jerk as a bright light shone in her eyes. A field medic was kneeling next to her. She shoved him away, and her entire body screamed in pain as she rolled to her feet, but something, some need, drove her to alertness.
“Easy,” the medic said. She ignored him.
There had been a battle.
Whitethorn and Goswin had turned on them.
Gryton.
Fucking Tin Man had attacked them again.
Shadowlight. She scanned the area, looking first to the hamadryad and then to where Daryna and Gregory stood over Lillian.
Anna glanced around to where the other medics were attending to more survivors.
Panic rising within her, she scanned the entire area again, but still no Shadowlight. And a gargoyle was a bit hard to miss.
“Where is he?”
The medic grabbed her arm. “You took a beating. You probably have a concussion. Possibly internal bleeding.”
“Get your hands off me, or you will be the one with internal bleeding.”
Anna recognized one of the scientists approaching. She snarled, showing fangs. “Tell me what happened to Shadowlight?”
“We don’t know,” Doctor Fleming said.
Instinctively, Anna reached out for that blood-link she shared with Shadowlight. Normally there would be a tingle, or stronger tug, which would lead her to him.
But this time there was nothing. Just a void.
Oh, God. No.
Please, no. Not the kid.
He couldn’t be dead.
Major Resnick entered the clearing leading another squad of soldiers. But Anna stormed past him. He was just arriving and wouldn’t have the answers she needed. Instead, she headed directly towards Gregory and Daryna where they knelt next to Lillian.
Anna skidded to a halt beside them, her throat threatening to seal itself as grief welled up within her.
“Where is Shadowlight,” she asked for the third time.
Three sets of eyes glanced up at her. Lillian was crying.
Oh, God. “Is he dead?”
White raged mixed with grief in her mind. If that bright, loveable goof had been snuffed out of the universe, she would…kill everything. Exterminate every last one of the Battle Bitch’s godless henchmen. She’d start with Commander Gryton. She’d find a way.
Gregory didn’t answer with words, but he shook his head.
Anna felt like the earth had just shifted under her feet. He wasn’t dead? Oh, thank god.
If Shadowlight had been hurt, she’d see that he had all the care he needed to heal. She’d raid the town’s library to find enough books to occupy him every damned hour of the day if he wanted her to read to him.
“He’s hurt, isn’t he? Where did they take him? Back to base?” He must have been bad off to leave her behind, Anna thought as another cold tendril of fear wormed its way into her heart.
Coming to her feet, Lillian stood on shaking legs, but still towered above Anna in gargoyle form. Gregory stayed on all fours, offering his back for his mate to lean upon.
Lillian ignored Gregory and reached out for Anna, dragging her into a hug. Surprised to find herself in a fierce and unexpected hug, Anna just patted the gargoyle’s back awkwardly.
“They took Shadowlight. They took my little brother, and I couldn’t stop them.” Lillian drew in a ragged breath and continued, “Gregory and Daryna won’t go after him. They won’t let me go after him, either.”
The other woman broke into great body-shaking sobs.
Gregory stood and wrapped her in his arms. Even Daryna came forward to place a comforting arm around her shoulders.
“We can’t just leave him to become the Battle Goddess’s slave,” Lillian whispered between sobs.
“Of course, we’re not leaving Shadowlight in enemy hands. We’ll launch a counter assault and get him back,” Anna swung her attention back towards Resnick. She waved him over. “Resnick is here. He’ll inform the others that Shadowlight has been taken. We’ll get him back.”
Anna wasn’t sure if her words were meant to comfort herself or Lillian.
“Gregory and Daryna won’t allow anyone else to go after him, either.” The accusation was clear in her voice.
The demigods wouldn’t allow anyone to go?
Well, fuck that.
“We won’t leave Shadowlight to the Battle Goddess’s mercy. We can’t. We can’t risk him sharing everything we’ve done here. Even if they do not want to risk themselves or others, we still must send a team to rescue Shadowlight.”
Daryna stepped away from Lillian to study Anna instead. “It’s not as easy as you make it sound. Anyone who attempts to invade the Battle Goddess’s territory would be found out and incarcerated. When we move on her, we must be ready to strike a blow she won’t recover from.”
“What are you saying?” Although, Anna thought she knew what the Sorceress was telling her.
Falling silent, Daryna paced a half circle around Anna. “We are simply not ready to go after Shadowlight. Your fellow humans are not ready for a full-scale war to land in their backyard, either.”
“So, you will do nothing?” Anna heard her own voice climb an octave. She couldn’t lose her shit over this. Shadowlight needed her calm, composed, and focused on his rescue.
“We will not be doing nothing,” Daryna said as she continued to pat Lillian’s back. “We will be readying for battle. And I promise you. When we are ready to strike a devastating blow, we will find Shadowlight and free him from the Battle Goddess’s traps.”
But Shadowlight might not have the time. Anna couldn’t imagine the Battle Goddess sitting back and waiting for Shadowlight to reveal what he knew. He would be tortured for information.
“Daryna is correct,” Gregory said. “We can’t risk open war with the Battle Goddess yet. She might very well win. And we don’t dare appear in the Lady of Battles’ domain until after we have an army ready and eager to destroy hers. We must approach Shadowlight�
�s rescue with caution.”
“But I can’t sit back and allow any number of horrors to be performed upon the kid.”
Gregory’s voice softened. “We will go after Shadowlight. But as much as my every instinct is screaming to go after him now, we need a plan, as well as an idea of what traps we may be up against. If we have any hope of rescuing Shadowlight, we will need to know what to expect and get in and out quickly without being discovered.”
Anna felt a tiny bit of hope. It wasn’t that Gregory was abandoning Shadowlight, he just needed a sound plan.
Worry and guilt still churned within her, but she managed to calm some of the rage. Although the need to beat the shit out of something was still strong.
She would get Shadowlight back.
Gregory nudged Lillian gently, trying to coax her into climbing onto his back. When she refused, Gregory continued his earlier line of thought. “I might not know exactly what the Battle Goddess has been up to, but I know someone who does. Tomorrow I will hunt down Gryton, drag him back here, and carve out every piece of information we need.”
Anna arched her brow. How was he going to capture Tin Man? That bastard was slipperier than shit and disappeared faster than fog in the summer. So far, he’d proven impossible to catch.
“This is the second time we’ve managed to get a chunk of him.” Gregory held up a piece of battered and bloodstained armor. “With this, I have enough of his blood and magic to create a spell to track him. He will not be able to hide from me this time. His armor is a physical manifestation of his power. It’s a part of him.”
“I’ll help,” Anna said as that intense need to protect Shadowlight reared up within her again.
“No. Not this time. I’ll not risk losing another cub to Gryton’s tricks.”
“I’m not a cub.”
“You are not even a quarter-century old.” Gregory huffed. “A cub.”
Her teeth creaked as she ground them together. Who wasn’t a child compared to this immortal demigod’s age? Anna tried another tactic. “I’m older than Lillian—”
He cut her off. “Lillian isn’t going either. Daryna will stay behind to guard you both while I hunt down Gryton.” There was a long stretch of silence as he eyed his sorceress. “Daryna will remain to guard you this time. No matter what.”
Anna was somewhat surprised to hear the harsh tone directed at Daryna.
Huh? So, the male half of the demigod pairing could and would get pissed off at his female half.
If Anna wasn’t so worried about Shadowlight, she might have investigated that more.
“How long do you need to track down Gryton?”
“A few hours. But I must look over Lillian to make sure she and our child are both well. And the humans will want to be brought up to date.” Gregory glanced at the darkening sky. “I’ll start the hunt at dawn after I’ve had a chance to make sure Lillian is fully healed.”
“I’m fine,” the other woman piped up, “we can start the hunt now.”
“No,” Gregory said in a deep rumble as he wrapped Lillian in the protective shelter of his wings. “I felt your pain and desperation during the battle with Gryton. You need healing.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m a gargoyle. My body is already healing.”
Daryna laid a hand over Lillian’s abdomen. “He’s worried about our child.”
That got Lillian’s attention. Her tail stopped flicking and her wings wrapped around herself as if that would help protect her unborn child.
Anna wasn’t the maternal type. Didn’t want kids. And yet she still felt a strong, soul-deep sympathy for the poor woman.
Out loud, Anna added, “Let Gregory take care of you. Then he won’t be distracted when he goes to hunt down Gryton. I’ll get Resnick up to speed with the situation.”
Because, by God, if Anna wasn’t given a job, she was going to lose her shit. She couldn’t help it. The need to rescue the kid was almost overwhelming.
“Thank you,” Lillian said.
Gregory and Daryna supported Lillian between them as they walked from the maze.
Anna was left with a very unhappy looking Resnick. He stopped before her, frowned down at her, and then took in the scene. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy to see you alive. But what the hell happened? I’m getting conflicting reports. Start talking.”
Anna stood at attention. “Yes, sir.”
At least telling him everything she knew gave her a purpose.
Chapter 25
Lillian allowed Daryna and Gregory to help her back to the cottage. Once there, Gregory simply pulled her into his arms and carried her up to their rooms. No small feat since she was still in her gargoyle form and was as tall as him, if not quite as heavily muscled.
Daryna kept pace with them and Lillian’s battered body drunk in the healing power of the Mother’s Sorceress. At the moment, she couldn’t summon a speck of anger or distrust for Daryna. She was just happy to have help since it might be the difference between life and death for her unborn child.
Once they entered the master bedroom, Gregory carried her to the bed and sat down with her. He kept her in his lap, his wings and arms circling her protectively.
“Is our child all right?” Lillian directed the question at both Daryna and Gregory, not caring who answered.
Daryna dropped down in front of Lillian and gripped her wrists. Taking a pulse? Weaving more magic?
“Our little one is strong,” she said as she glanced between Lillian and Gregory. “All is well. Although, sleep will certainly be beneficial.” Again, Daryna paused. “Are you sure you don’t wish to know our child’s gender?”
“You can tell already?”
“Yes. Gargoyle offspring develop much faster than humans.”
“I…” Lillian began but paused and let her hands drop to her stomach. She wanted this baby to be a surprise. But more importantly, she didn’t want to associate this new life with darkness or unhappiness. Now, with Shadowlight captured, it was far from a joyous time.
But what did Gregory want?”
Lillian turned just enough so she could look up at him. “Do you wish to know?”
His muzzle dipped down to nuzzle her hair and lower still to caress her cheek. “No. I believe there should still be some mysteries in the universe.”
Lillian pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Good. A surprise it shall be.”
She looked back to find Daryna’s gaze turned inward, vague and far away.
“Are you well?” She asked the other woman just to see what kind of answer she’d get. “Drawing on power is damaging to you, isn’t it?”
“I am well, but now that you are healed, you should get some rest. Gregory will stay with you while I go and meet with Vivian, Greenborrow, and the other Fae Council members. We need to find out and reverse whatever Gryton did to Whitethorn and Goswin.
Lillian nodded. The sooner the two Fae were freed from whatever spell had enslaved their minds, the better. What other powers did Gryton possess that they had yet to discover? She hadn’t known Gryton had the ability to control another’s mind.
“Very well,” Daryna said. “I shall go. But when I return, I had better find you both fast asleep.”
“Yes, my Sorceress,” Gregory said in a respectful tone, but there was a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Daryna stood, gave Lillian one more probe with her magic, and then made her way towards the door.
After she was gone, Lillian reached out and wrapped Gregory’s arms even more firmly around her body.
“I want a shower, but I also just want to be held,” she admitted.
“I don’t see why we can’t do both,” Gregory said as he nuzzled her hair again. “Although there is no way two gargoyles will fit in the shower. Do you feel up to shapeshifting back to your dryad form?”
Lillian sighed, not wanting to dredge up the strength required to shapeshift, but the thought of being clean swayed her into summoning her magic. After a few swift, mostly painless moments, her body morphe
d back into her smaller dryad form.
Gregory continued to nuzzle her hair and showered affection upon her, every so often his tongue would come out for a quick caress.
He soon stood up. With Lillian held easily in his arms, he started to walk towards the bathroom. His long strides quickly covered half the distance. Lillian wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up to brush her lips against his.
“Thank you for existing,” Lillian whispered.
“Always. And we will get Shadowlight back.”
Chapter 26
The forest’s night creatures were out, predators hunting on silent wings and stealthy paws. Her claws flexed and her fangs lengthened. Anna might have considered herself another predator if she had something to hunt.
But she was impotent without a target. She’d never felt so helpless.
She’d left HQ far behind and slipped silently into the surrounding woods with no one the wiser. For all Major Resnick knew, she had gone to get some much-needed rest. Which had been her original idea, but she couldn’t sleep, couldn’t even think about sleep while Shadowlight was still a prisoner.
She wanted to snarl at the night, at the many injustices of the world, but most especially at a cold-hearted demigoddess. Someone needed to eradicate the Battle Goddess.
That Gregory was willing to attempt a rescue was some relief. But not enough. She wanted to go with him and see Shadowlight freed. That might ease the tiniest portion of her guilt for failing the cub so terribly.
Unfortunately, Gregory’s rescue mission hinged on catching Gryton and forcing him to cooperate. Catching Gryton might take days. Trusting him to help? Well, that would be never.
Which was why Anna found herself haunting the shadowy forest. She was too restless to sleep and perhaps too dangerous to her fellow humans to remain among them. Rational she was not.
A twig snapped to her left and the sounds of footsteps that hadn’t been there a moment before reached her sensitive ears. When she focused on the direction of the sound, she could perceive a faint heartbeat and less than a minute later the familiar scent of Lillian or Daryna reached her nose. She wasn’t sure which woman approached. Their scents were identical.
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