Gargoyle (Woodland Creek)(37)

Black brows quirked. “Why?”

I shook my head. “It was something the wizard said.” I wiggled the book at him. “I want you to have it.”

A gradual blink. “Are you sure?”

“I have faith you’ll do what is right. I trust you. I kept it safe and now you can.” And I did. He was a good man—for a shifter.

“Okay.” He lifted the book from my hands, his green gaze on my blue eyes. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I coughed in the uncomfortable quiet and quickly glanced down at the book and pointed at the page. “Do you see anything that might help us?”

“I’ve looked at it twenty times—”

“Just look again.” More finger pointing. “Do you see anything?”

His brows furrowed, but he peered down to the page.

I saw when his gaze sharpened, the slight narrowing of his lovely eyes. He tilted his head forward, muttering, “There’s a smudge. It wasn’t here before.” He ran the pad of his right thumb on the edge of the sheet. I couldn’t see the ‘smudge’ he was referring to, but his eyes scowled at whatever he viewed. “Holy f*ck…”

“What?” I asked instantly, staring where he was and seeing not a damn thing.

His head gradually turned in slow increments. Until his eyes landed on Mandy. His lips thinned as he asked quietly, “Where’s Vince?”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“Vince. Where is he?”

“Why?”

He snapped the book shut. “Because your boyfriend has finally lost his damn mind.”



Stone arms held me in the dead of night. The wind rushed hard, beating the back of my head. My face was pressed against Isaac’s stone throat as he flew through the air toward Running Deer State Forest. To the crossing ley-lines. His family flew behind him in a solid front against a wizard gone rogue, even Mandy in her heartbroken state of mind.

I kept my arms wrapped around his neck tight, my bag crushed between us. I occasionally gripped one of his small horns on his forehead, as I would turn to see if we were getting close. Mandy’s boyfriend had officially gone off the rails. She had suspected it, been worried about it, but hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. And, now, we were dealing with an insane, powerful wizard, thanks to him feeding off of the ley-lines.

As we landed, I kept my grunt from the impact at bay. Isaac had agreed to let me go with him, but only if I kept silent until we found Vince. He hadn’t wanted me to leave the protection of his house, but I explained the wizard had stated he and I were going to take down the night.

I hoped that meant darkness because I sure as hell couldn’t twirl a finger and make night turn into day. I blinked as Isaac set me on my feet. I would have to ask him if there was a wizard actually powerful enough to do that. It would be good information to have for the future.

But I flinched as we started walking, the Stone family in full Gargoyle form. I gripped the strap of my red bag, heavy with the ancient book weighing it down, and waved a hand in front of my face as instant sweat began to bead my brow. The night was cool, so this wasn’t usual, the heat I felt radiating from the right…not the left where they were headed.

I waved a hand at Isaac, keeping my mouth shut.

His green, glowing gaze swung in my direction.

I lifted my hand and pointed to the right.

His ghastly head tilted in unspoken question.

So I rolled my eyes and pointed the way he was going. And shook my head.

Then I pointed to the right. And nodded my head.

I was playing a freaking kids game with a Gargoyle in a forest at midnight.

Yes, my life had flipped on its head when I had taken a nosedive from the clock tower.

When his family didn’t instantly do as I said, I turned on my heel and marched in the right direction. My lips twitched when Isaac was quickly by my side, walking so close our arms brushed. Smartly, his family followed along.

The farther we walked, the hotter I became.

Sweat drenched the back of my shirt, making me wish I hadn’t worn my light jacket. I watched where I stepped, careful not to snap any fallen twigs. The dried leaves couldn’t be missed, those crunching under my tennis shoes. Though the Gargoyles didn’t seem to have any problems with it, their footfalls silent—a true predator.

I peered down at my hands and crinkled my nose in pain. Blisters were popping up on my flesh. I placed a stopping hand on Isaac’s solid arm, catching his attention. With his gaze on me, I pointed at the clear evidence we were headed in the right direction…and that I couldn’t go any further without the risk of crying out in agony.

Isaac’s stone nostrils cracked as he inhaled sharply, staring at my hands. His attention snapped up to me, and he jerked a clawed finger back the way we had come. He even bared his gruesome teeth at me.

He wasn’t exactly pleased I hadn’t told him about the pain I was in.

I peered once more to where we were going…and then nodded my head. I quickly turned and started a light jog away from the heat radiating in the air. My lungs were constricting, the very oxygen I breathed choking me, but I didn’t stop. It wouldn’t get better until I was away from the wrongness coating the night.

When I could breathe easily and the blisters magically disappeared from my skin, I sat down on the grass on a hill and peered down to where the Stone family had gone to save the day.