Knights of Stone - Lachlan (17 page)

“You said you’re in tune with your body and know when you’re fertile. But I don’t know if we could reproduce if we wanted to. Gargoyles were cursed by the tree witches many years ago.”

“Aye, I’ve heard. What led up to the battles. But, it turned out to be one witch. She’s dead, so the curse must be gone.”

He nodded. His parents had mentioned pregnancies in the clan, but they’d moved away. No guarantee the curse didn’t linger on the isle.

No, the witch was dead and gone and the curse had to be as well.

Odd he was even having these thoughts. He’d scoffed at the idea of having children when pressured by his clan, but his mindset had changed in so many ways since meeting Raina. Would he want to start a family with her? Would she want one? “Do you think it’s even possible for us? We’re different species.”

She furrowed her brows and then relaxed them. “Come what may, Lachlan. No need to worry, now. I’m happy just to be with you.”

As was he. The happiest he’d ever been.

For the first time in what felt like eons, Lachlan breathed easily. With Raina cradled against his chest, he didn’t worry about humans or trouble between those who shared the island or even about the gargoyles in the Highlands. Even when he and Raina had discussed how the events unfolded and his near-death experience, her presence comforted him. Safe with her in his arms.

Hours rushed by like minutes as he spent time with her, and he could scarcely go five minutes without touching a part of her. He pulled her close for an intense kiss, cupping her arse and then exploring what was hidden beneath her dress.

“Lachlan, here?” she asked.

They were far too exposed out in the open where anyone could see them. “You’re right.” He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

She laughed with surprise. “Where are you taking me?”

“Back to the cave.”

“Sounds about right,” she said, still hoisted on his shoulder, but making no effort to move. “Since you’re going full on caveman on me.”

“Hush, lassie,” he teased. “Or I’ll find some other ways shut you up.”

With a chortle, she said, “Well, then I better keep talking.”

He smacked her arse playfully and carried her to the cave. When they went inside, he kept his promise. With a slow seduction, he kissed and licked every inch of her until she was unable to speak, only moan. He made love to her from every sweet, tantalizing angle until they were both sated and exhausted. Then he spooned her the way he longed to do the night before, wrapped in her heat, her scent.

He’d found his bliss.

The next morning, he woke hungry for her again. He buried himself deep inside her while she wrapped her legs around him. After he collapsed beside her, covered with a sheen of perspiration, she turned to him.

“You’re insatiable,” she said.

When his breathing slowed, he replied, “I can’t help it. You’re too damn sexy. You bring it out in me.”

“Definitely not a complaint.” She raised her brows. “A bonus for me.” She smiled. “Not only did I find my mate, but he turned out to be quite the sex god.”

Lachlan chortled, but went silent when she pulled herself up and reached for her dress.

“What are you doing?”

“I should get back to my pack,” she said. “But we’ll see each other tonight?”

“Right.” Back to reality. He caressed her cheek. “You need to take care of matters with your pack, and we need to prepare for the celebration.”

She kissed him goodbye. Although, he knew she had to leave at some point, watching her walk away made his chest tighten. He searched for her red dress fluttering through trees long after she was gone.

He’d make sure the show tonight was spectacular, one she’d never forget.

Just like he would never forget last night with her.

Raina forced herself to return to her pack after spending a night with Lachlan. She hesitated to leave him after almost losing him.

And the night they’d had—she shivered with the delicious memory. She didn’t know her body could ever feel so good—no, spectacular.

Many wolves eyed her with curious speculation. She’d chosen a mate not only out of the pack, but of a different species. She was sure they would have shunned her had they not seen Lachlan’s sacrifice first-hand. Her father had likely talked to them while she’d been with Lachlan. Eden prodded her with questions every chance she could, fascinated with the change of events, but Raina had trouble coming up with answers she didn’t have herself.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” she began. “But I do know that he’s the one. My mate.”

“Is it as brilliant as you thought it would be?”

Raina chewed her lip as she tried to find words to describe the feeling of recognizing her mate—and the yearning to be with him. The connection to her mate when they made love pulsed through her. Physical, spiritual—beyond words.

“Beyond what I ever imagined.”

One shifter was notably absent—Seth. Her father said Seth had left, saying he needed some time alone.

She joined a small group her father organized to hunt enough meat for the evening’s festivities. Being active would keep her from thinking about Lachlan.

As they prowled through the forests, she tracked the scent of a rabbit. Her singular focus kept her preoccupied for a short time. She’d cornered a meaty rabbit hiding in deeper grass at the forest edge. With the hunt concluded, her wolf’s inner longing took precedence—yearning to be close to her mate.

The seconds crept by until evening fell, and it was finally time to return to the amphitheater—only this time, she returned with her pack.

Eden grabbed her arm and squealed. “This is going to be bloody brilliant!”

In her sheltered world on the island, they’d never been to a rock concert—not even during visits to the mainland. Raina had listened to the gargoyles’ music when they’d played for the humans, but it was muffled from afar. She’d been out hunting during the incident at their last concert and had seen the wounded wolves back in wolf territory.

From the moment she’d arrived to watch the show tonight, she realized the setting promised something spectacular. The five brothers stood motionless, perched in stone form on the stage as sculptures. She identified each one from their instruments or who she’d seen in stone form. The fiery setting sun and massive bonfire behind them cast them as silhouettes—dark, winged angels tasked to protect all. The last time she’d witnessed them in this position, she’d feared Lachlan was dead. Her heart pounded at the memory. Then she exhaled. She knew better; living beings existed in this stone form.

The crowd pushed her closer, approaching with eager expectation as they waited for the concert to begin. Tonight, the concert was in joy, not controversy; celebrating a new era on the Isle of Stone.

Five torches burst with flames from the outer edges of the stage, casting dancing light and shadows on their gray exteriors. The scent of the smoke reached them.

The fire blazed higher. Did it precipitate the spark that would animate the statues? The onlookers pressed forward. Watching. Waiting.

The flames shot ten feet into the air. Raina moved closer to Lachlan and the heat of the fire caressed her skin. While the onlookers pointed, miniature dancing flames ascended above the stage, like slow motion versions of fireworks humans were so fond of. Only these didn’t burst and burn in seconds the way the man-made ones flared out, they lingered, hovering in the air. The dynamic white lights spun and twirled as they grew and reshaped themselves. Pretty designs moved into position, reshaping to form letters, and then words.

THE KNIGHTS OF STONE WELCOME YOU.

The band’s name blazed in a white-hot glow above the stage. Raina and Eden oohed with the crowd. Then the letters took on fiery colors, appearing to burst into flames. The words shimmered, growing larger before they dimmed, and then faded out. As the flames dissipated, they descended, fading against the black backdrop of night.

A second round of lights blazed in to replace them.

ISLE OF STONE

ISLE OF ONE

MAY WE ALL LIVE TOGETHER IN PEACE!

Eden almost shattered Raina’s ears, cheering with the rest of the audience. Their attention followed the lights as they vanished, redirecting attention back to the stage.

Back to the statues.

Bryce lifted a gray stone hand. Mason inched a clawed foot forward. Gavin raised his head. Calum straightened his bent form. She waited, as breathless as the rest of the crowd, for Lachlan to move. When he twitched his wings, she let out a giant sigh of relief. All stirred with the beginning of the transformation, generating life into their stone forms.

Raina watched with eager anticipation, enraptured as much as the other onlookers. The gargoyles all moved at once, straightening from crouched to upright positions. Their stone appeared to soften and become more pliant while their limbs and torsos elongated. The exaggerated features on their face reshaped to those of men. Their skin tone transformed from gray to the bronzed color of those kissed daily by the sun. Their blue kilts appeared and fell over their muscular thighs. Hair sprouted from where horns retracted. Their wings changed as well, from smooth gray stone to magnificent black feathered ones. When they blinked, their eyes animated with life, assessing the crowd before them. The audience cheered as each gargoyle moved now in human form to the instruments set on the stage.

Barely blinking, she kept her eyes on Lachlan, who strode on his impressive muscular legs over to the bass guitar. Gods, he was breathtaking. The transformation from stone beast to man showed just how much.

“Wow,” Eden said. “I’m starting to see what caught your attention.”

The attraction went beyond the nicely wrapped package, but how could she explain?

She didn’t have to, since Calum stepped up to the microphone.

“On behalf of my brothers, we welcome you all here tonight to celebrate a new future on the Isle of Stone.”

Behind him, Bryce underscored the words by beating the drums.

Calum said, “We’ve proven over the last few days that we work better together than apart.”

Mason launched into a guitar solo, punctuating the victory, as the crowd erupted with cheers.

“We used to play this song about the Knights of Stone protecting the ancient forests, battling against the tree witches.” Only a few witches eked out boos, before he continued. “But no more. My brother Mason and his beloved Kayla have taken a brave step in crossing the boundaries and resolving the misunderstandings between us.” He turned to Mason. “Cheers to you both, mate.” Addressing the crowd again, he added, “We’ve changed the lyrics today to reflect our new understanding, our new victory, our new future!”

The final words ended on a raucous howl as the band members launched into a driving beat. Raina’s mouth fell open as she gawked at Lachlan on stage. His muscles contorted and flexed as he played his bass guitar with an intense expression on his face.

“I’m going to walk around. Check this out from different angles,” Eden said.

Mesmerized by Lachlan’s performance as well as the rest of the band, Raina barely noticed Seth sidle up to her. When his breath ticked her ear, she bristled and every muscle clenched with wariness.

“You’d choose a gargoyle over one of your own kind?” He seethed.

Had he been waiting for Eden to leave so he could approach? He wouldn’t cause a scene here, would he? Not when they’d just reached peace.

“Seth, I didn’t plan this. You know I tried with you. We both did.”

“And it didn’t work,” he spat.

“No, it didn’t.” She fought to keep her voice calm, to keep the encounter from escalating into an argument during what was supposed to be a peaceful celebration. “We can’t force something to happen between us.”

“But you managed with a gargoyle?” Sarcasm dripped from every word.

“It’s different,” she explained. “He’s my mate. I know it.”

Seth snorted, not bothering to hide his skepticism.

She didn’t blame him. A few days ago, she’d never consider being open to a cross-species relationship. Never would she have dreamed of an alternative to her future role as alpha with Seth. Now, ruling with him would be a disastrous choice; leading to a desolate existence devoid of love.

“You’ll know one day, too,” she added gently, “when you find your mate. You must know inside that I’m not the one.”

“We could have made it work so we could rule together, Raina.” His tone was less accusatory, but still held a twinge of bitterness.

She glanced at Lachlan, not realizing the song had changed to one with an even faster tempo. He’d spotted her and Seth in the crowd and stared with such intensity, his eyes blazed with aggression. He stopped playing his bass guitar and strode forward, rage radiating with every step.

Fearing he’d spring off the stage to pounce on Seth, she had to take control of the situation. These two alpha males could undermine all the recent progress with one misguided decision. Destroy what they now celebrated!

To calm Lachlan, she mouthed, “It’s okay.”

He continued to stare, but then nodded. His brothers eyed him carefully until he resumed playing.

Altercation avoided, she exhaled. Warm shivers of delight followed, rippling through her with a drumming beat. He cared about her and would always protect her; something she knew in her gut. A wonderful feeling of absolute love encompassed her in a way she would never experience with Seth.

“No, Seth, it would never work. We’d end up not only hurting each other, but the pack.”

“How so?”

“Having two leaders who don’t mesh would be devastating. Morale would sink. It would splinter the ranks.”

“So what does this mean?” Seth’s face contorted with confusion. “You’re
leaving
the pack?”

She searched Lachlan’s face, again. He continued to watch them with concern. She smiled to reassure him he had nothing to worry about. “I’m hoping we can be more open-minded to other options in the future. But if I must leave, I will.”

His eyes widened. “Pack is everything.”