Knights-of-Stone-Bryce (3 page)

He studied her closer, assessing her body language. Eyes, movements, position. Nothing triggered any alerts. He closed his eyes and inhaled to get a better read on her. He detected fear and a hint of desperation. And a very alluring feminine scent with notes of jasmine.

She was telling the truth. He’d bet on it.

“So, assuming you’re not lying to me, why did you follow us here?”

“I told you—I didn’t know what to do. One part of me thought I should hide, but then, if the demons are hunting me, it would only be a matter of time before they found me. Another part had a glimpse of hope when I saw gargoyles. You and another, I assume?”

He waited two steady heartbeats before answering. “One of my brothers.”

She shrugged. “Maybe I thought you could help me.”

His internal antenna tuned in, wary of what she might mean. “Help you how?”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head, conflict raging in her eyes, before she fixed her gaze on him. “I want to destroy the demons for what they’ve taken from me.”

“So you are—” he tried to follow what she was saying. “Looking for help?”

She threw up her hands as if exasperated. “What am I saying? I don’t—don’t even have a plan. They’re dangerous. What they’ve done…” Her voice trailed off and the haunted look returned as she gazed out with a lost expression into the forest’s depths.

Since they’d surged forward, he tried to slow things down. “Let’s start with the present. How do we know you haven’t led them here?”

Her eyes widened, gaze darting around. “I don’t think I did. They would have caught up with me by now, don’t you think?”

Bryce formed a fist and squeezed, considering the likelihood based on what she’d told him. “Perhaps.” On an exhale, he relaxed his hand. “I’m guessing you need a place to stay.”

She snapped her focus back to him. “Aye. See I haven’t even thought that far ahead. I was focused on escape.” A hopeful glint shimmered in her blue-green eyes. “Would you—let me—stay? While I figure out what to do next.”

What a surprising turn of events. He’d only come out here to question the intruder he’d spotted while watching from his stone repose. Instead, he’d found a gargoyle who needed a place to stay. Not what he’d expected.

A sensual scene played out in his mind. One in which he and this female spent the night exploring each other’s bodies under the stars. He gritted his teeth and shoved the fantasy aside.

“I’d have to run this by my brothers.” He loosened his hold. “First, tell me everything. I need to know what happened with your clan.”

“I will,” she conceded. “But please—do you have any food or water you could spare?”

Her look of desperation tugged at him. “When’s the last time you ate?”

She bit her lip. “I-I-uh—can’t remember. Much has happened since then. None of it good.”

Mairi tried to wiggle out of Bryce’s grasp as he led them out of the forest, but it was fruitless; he was too strong. Once she gave up the struggle, he readjusted his hold. Not as much a restraint, but gentler. Something about it seemed intimate, warm and oddly pleasant.

At the forest’s edge, the earth sloped down and the fern gave way to shore vegetation with rocky terrain. He led her to an area with flattened rocks and pieces of driftwood with seaweed clinging onto them. The distinctive scents of the coast pushed away those of the pine forest.

Releasing her arm, he gestured to the rocks. “Have a seat.”

She stepped forward, free to move on her own. An odd sensation. It was the first time she’d been free of his touch since he’d captured her in the sky. This time, she didn’t have any urge to flee.

“Wait here.” He kept his eyes pinned on her as he moved into the woods, disappearing from sight. Had he decided to leave her? Her muscles tightened as a sweep of panic surged through her, as unrelenting as the wave crashing against the rocky shore. Although he’d been her captor she’d been fighting to escape a short while ago, now he symbolized a sliver of hope in her desperate situation.

He emerged from the woods a few moments later, carrying a satchel. She emitted a low sigh of relief. He’d returned.

The sun beamed down on him, drawing her attention to the fine contours of his bronzed chest.

He pulled the items out and named them as he offered them, placing them on the flat rock between them. “Trail mix. Dried fruit. Biscuits. Crisps.”

From what she’d seen of the island from above, there were no markets from where to get this food. “Where did you get these?”

“We bring plenty of food in. And stash them around.” He flashed a boyish grin with even white teeth. “We eat a lot.”

It was the first time he’d smiled. It did something to her. Affecting a part of her deep within.

He handed her a steel bottle. “Fresh water. We have a source here.” He motioned to the food. “Help yourself.”

She unscrewed the cap and gulped. Never had water tasted so refreshing. When it quenched her parched throat, she eyed the food. She hadn’t realized how ravenous she was until she spotted it. So focused on survival, other basic needs had been pushed aside. She poured a handful of trail mix into her hand and devoured it, nothing lady-like about it.

He eyed her with concern. “Guess you haven’t eaten in a while. I’ll get you more food.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Wait, I don’t even know your name.

“Bryce.”

“Thank you—Bryce.” The name rolled off her tongue with a delightful sound.
Bryce.
It conveyed strength. Masculinity.

She guzzled down more water, emptying her bottle. He offered his, and she took smaller sips this time.

“You’re not eating?”

“I’m fine, and you need it more than I do.” He motioned to what remained. “Please.”

While she sated her hunger, her taut muscles relaxed. He’d given her food and water and no longer treated her like a captive, a spy. After she filled her empty belly with some nourishment, his earlier words returned. He wanted her to tell her story, yet all she’d done was wolf down the food as fast as she could manage.

“You wanted to talk?”

He’d been leaning back on his forearms, watching her, but then straightened. “I want to know more about what happened with your clan.” Squinting his eyes, he added, “But I’m also curious about you.”

What did he mean by that? Her skin felt taut. She became aware how she was alone with an eye-catching male who was half-naked. Muscular legs with fine hair extended from under his blue kilt. Her gaze traveled up, over the impressive contours of his sun-kissed chest. His hair now showed more red under the rising morning sun that bathed them in a warm glow. The stubble on his face was a shade darker. Rough or smooth? An urge to touch it rose, which she stuffed away. After all she’d been through recently, the last thing she should care about was an attraction to the opposite sex, yet her body instinctively responded to him on some level.

“There’s nothing to know. Except what I already told you.”

“Come now, Mairi.”

It was the first time he’d said her name. Such a pleasant sound.

“What’s your story?” he persisted.

She pursed her lips. How much should she tell him? Trusting anyone after what she’d been through would be a difficult feat.

Still, he was a gargoyle shifter and the closest thing to an ally, at this point. He might offer her shelter here—if his brothers agreed. Before they’d agree to give her refuge on this island, they had to know she wasn’t a threat herself. That started with him.

While assessing what to reveal, she glanced into his amber eyes. The feral glint was gone, replaced by curiosity and a hint of concern. Nothing to fear. In fact, his intense gaze had quite a different effect this time, spreading a warm sensation over her skin.

He was her best chance at survival. Something in her gut told her to take a chance. She inhaled to fortify herself and began her story.

“We lived close to the north coast, near Durness.”

Bryce scanned Mairi’s demeanor as she stared at an unfixed point in the woods. The desperate struggle to escape appeared to have diminished. What had made her change her mind and stop trying to flee? Maybe she no longer saw him as a threat, but as someone who could help her. Which he’d decide after hearing her tale.

“We lived in peace for many years,” she said, “but a vicious murder in a nearby village set the humans on edge.”

“What happened?”

“The human was torn to pieces. Whoever attacked him had drained him of much of his blood. The local police were stumped during their investigation. They knew of us from previous generations who told them we watched and guarded the area, but we’d never interacted. No reason to—until the murder. So a few of them sought us out.” She paused to glance into his eyes. “This is all under cover, you understand? Most humans don’t know of our existence, these days.”

“I’m well aware.” Shifters revealing themselves to humans was always a gamble.

“We couldn’t determine the cause of deaths—nor determine who was responsible,” Mairi continued. “But we had to try to track the murderers down. So a half dozen of us went to search for them each night, rotating through shifts. The scents we picked up were unfamiliar, but not human, which made them all the more dangerous. And one evening, we spotted an attack.”

When she paused, Bryce asked, “Were you there?”

“No. But I heard about it from my clan mates.”

Bryce stayed quiet, waiting for her to continue. After a pause, she did.

“They caught these beings surrounding an older man on the outskirts of the village. They’d torn his arms off and were drinking his blood. By the time the gargoyles reached him, the old man had bled out. A fight ensued. My clan mates against these—things. Dark wings. Bird-like creatures. None of us had ever encountered a dangerous creature of this kind. We guessed they were demons. They flew off, but returned two nights later, and launched an attack on our clan. They were utterly devious. We had many eyes out on watch, and yet these beings managed to slip through undetected. How?” She shook her head.

“Some type of dark magic?” Bryce offered.

“It had to be.” She ran her fingers through pebbles at her feet, creating a deep groove before they fell back into place.

Her countenance turned troubled. Although many questions formed, he waited for her to compose herself. Seconds passed.

“They had the advantage with the surprise of the attack,” she declared. “They’d planned it well. Luring one or two away from the others at a time. Attacking two on one. Picking off gargoyles one by one, destroying them by any means possible. Dismembering. Beheading.” Her voice caught in her throat, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

Although one part of him had remained suspicious of her, a stranger intruding in his territory, his reservations lessened with each passing minute. With her grief evident and terror almost palpable, her intense emotions threatened to capture and swallow him whole.

He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I made you relive that.”

“It’s—it’s…” She opened her eyes and raised her hand. “It’s all right. It felt good to get it out. I never told anyone. I’m the only one left.”

More questions popped up, but the torment on her face silenced him. He couldn’t put her through any more pain. “You survived.”

She blinked several times through tear-filled eyes, which made the green glisten like emeralds. “I escaped.”

“How?”

“The demons that held me. They took turns taunting me, saying I was a toy they were going to play with before they crushed it. I was nothing but a disposable object. When they were distracted, I slipped away. Flew faster than I ever had, fearing for my life. I saw the remains of my clan mates below.”

She fought to keep her tone level, but her voice caught at times. What she couldn’t hide was the stark terror in her eyes. Her torment tugged at him.

“From behind me, the demons shouted at each other when they’d realized I’d escaped. Telling each other to catch me. If I continued to fly, they would catch up with me in no time. They’d track my scent. Instead, I ducked beneath the tree cover and backtracked through the forest. To where they’d least expect. I returned to our village. I hid amid the corpses. Can’t remember why, my mind was a mess. Maybe I thought it would hide my scent. Not thinking, just acting to survive.” She choked up as she cried out. “My parents. My clan—I lay there for hours. Covered in their blood, long cooled. Hiding amid their dismembered corpses.” She shuddered and took a deep breath. “When I finally crawled out, I bolted from there. Flew until my wings beat so heavy, I thought I’d fall. Then I washed the blood off in a loch and hid in the forests of the Highlands.”

When she stopped, Bryce blinked in slow motion, overcome by the hell she’d endured. Through her terror, she’d been resourceful, which may well have saved her life. “I’m so sorry.”

He didn’t know if she heard him as she appeared lost. “It wasn’t until the next day that I worked up enough resolve to go back and take care of their bodies. By then, the creatures had burned many of the homes, leaving them charred skeletons.”

She was still lost in her memory, reliving the horror. All because of him and his demanding questions. Oof. What an arse. His chest tightened.

“I lit a funeral pyre at dawn and sat there while their remains burned, hoping the demons wouldn’t return during the day, but fearful every second that they would. The scent of my clan’s burning bodies—I’ll never forget. When the embers died out, I flew from there and haven’t returned. I spent the next day trekking deeper into the forests. Then I spotted you and your brother. At first, I thought you were the demons coming to find me. But then, I recognized your forms and flight patterns and thought you might be gargoyles. So I followed you. And here we are.” She pulled her eyes to his, spreading her arms wide.

Her story made sense. He was such a knob for thinking she was a spy. “I can’t imagine what you went through. What you did saved your life. I’m sure your family and clan would be proud of your courage.”

Her eyebrows darted up. “That wasn’t courage—that was fear.”

“It was doing the best you could in the absolute worst situation. And it worked.”