Page 10 of Stone Cold

“I love her,” was all I said, because it was how I felt. I had never wanted or wished for something more in my lifetime than I did last night. I wished for a real chance at a life with her. He stopped his pacing and looked at me as if I had two heads, possibly three.

“You love her?” His face went from confusion to rage in 0.2 seconds flat, “You don’t know the meaning of the word! I have loved her for eighteen years! My wife and I raised her to be fierce and strong, you have to be worthy of her to get to say that youlove her!” Spit flew from his mouth as he got right in my face, fury and murderous rage poured from every pore of his.

“I love your daughter, sir,” I stayed calm and maintained eye contact as I delivered the blow again. He reared his head back, momentarily thrown, so I took that as my opening.

“I love how studious she is. She studies and goes over everything she learned that day twice. Once by herself, and once with me. She has me quiz her on things that she didn’t think she might need to know. She is a very fast learner. She only needs to go over things a few times before she knows them like the back of her hand.”

He was definitely looking at me like I had sprouted another head, but I continued, charging full steam ahead.

“Her smile, and her laugh, blow me away every time I hear them. Her laugh sounds like music. The sweetest melody I’ve ever heard in my unknown number of years. And her smile can light up a room, every room she walks into is brighter because of her. A portrait should be commissioned to capture the light her smile gives, but I fear even then, it will fail to fully capture her true beauty. She has pulled me in from day one,when you dropped her off. A shift in the universe happened, and I felt it. It hit me like a physical blow.”

He held his hand up, like he was done hearing me speak even though I had just scratched the surface, the tip of the iceberg, of things I loved about Annette.

“I know my daughter. You don’t have to convince me how amazing she is. I have known this since before she came into this world. She came out screaming, yelling, demanding everyone love her with those big eyes, and magnetic personality. It’s impossible for someone to not like her. Trust me. I know how wonderful she is.” He looked at me, the hard look in his eyes had eased just a tiny bit. He took a deep breath, and when he looked at me again, his eyes were glassy.

“One day. One day you’ll know what I speak of. One day you’ll know what it’s like to hold a tiny version of her, of the woman you think hung the stars in the sky…and know you’d do everything you possibly can to keep her safe and innocent for as long as possible, protecting her from all of the pain and hurt in the world. And when that day comes, I will be there to check onmy babyfirst. Because I loved her first.” He turned to walk away before throwing over his shoulder, “If you need your wings. All you have to do is think about what makes your heart beat.”

And then his wings came out, massive, gold and reflecting the sun's light off of them, casting a million tiny suns out all over the apothecary. He stepped out the window and was gone. I started down the stairs, ready to step out into the light and practice trying to get my wings to come forth.

Nine

Burchard’s POV

The sun was starting to set as I finished my attempts at getting my wings to come. It only took a handful of hours, but it finally happened after two, and I was able to fly again after four hours of practice. They were every bit as big as His Majesty’s, but mine were pitch black like the night I came from. I practiced flying around a little more, before flying back up to the second floor of the apothecary. There was a change of clothes sitting there waiting for me on the altar, along with a note written in large, looping letters.

“She is my princess, and so tonight, you shall be her prince.”

I smiled, tucking my wings away. I held up the clothing to see if it would be close to something that would fit my large frame, and noticed there were cuts for my wings already in the clothing.

How he knew, I will never know.

I gently shook my head as I slipped the clothing on. It was a set of trousers and a shirt that one would wear while practicing swordsmanship. I looked at the mask on the altar, slipping it on. Looking in the mirror again, I noticed that the mask covered half my face. I smiled and figured it wouldn’t hurt, a little mystery for her when I met her at the bon fire soon. At least until she recognized me, until she got used to my new physical form. I wasn’t going to lie to myself and say I wasn’t worried, but I was also confident that she would love me regardless.

Once I was dressed, the clothes seeming familiar as something Master used to wear, the sun was almost completelydown. I looked down at myself, felt confident, but I wanted to check myself in the mirror once more before I flew to just outside of the bon fire. I secured my mask, allowed my wings to come out and took one more look in the mirror. My hair was long and black, matching my wings and eyes. The mask, silver and shining, accentuated the shine of star dust in my eyes. I had tied my hair back with more of the leather that His Majesty used to try the crystal around my neck. Satisfied, I took off. I was rehearsing in my mind how I would approach Annette, the things I would tell her, how I would get her to believe it was really me. As I was getting close to the party, I felt it.

Something was wrong.

Something was wrong, and practically yanked me in another direction. I closed my eyes, trying to focus on the sounds, the feeling, before I could pinpoint what it was. I was flying at break neck speed through the trees, trying to focus on anything that might lead me to my Nettie. I could feel the unadulterated terror that coursed through her. I smelt the fear oozing off of her, and the fact I could smell it wasthe onlyreason I was thankful for it. I followed it a few miles until I heard it. Like a whisper in my mind, but I could tell. It was them.

My stone brothers. They were guiding me, telling me where I needed to go, where I needed to already be to protect my mate, my pair. The other half of me. The person I so desperately wished to have a full, real life with just last night.

The western wall.

Hurry.

Five on one.

My wings pushed harder, taking me towards where she was undoubtedly surrounded. A low, deep, primal growl erupted from my chest. I flew as fast as I could to the western wall. I tried to keep my thoughts from turning murderous, but the moment I saw her, soaking wet, barefoot, and terrified, a feral, threateninggrowl burst from my chest, silencing the forest and surrounding area for a few beats. There wasn’t a single sound from a living being to be heard. The only audible sound was the faint roar of the fire, the place we should have been enjoying our evening, not here. Not ready to fight for her life.

Everything around us was frozen in fear at the murderous rage coming from me, except her.

Annette’s eyes searched for where the growl had come from, ready to defend herself against another. Her head swiveled around until she locked on my eyes through the mask. She looked slightly confused, but sensing I wasn’t a threat, she seemed to be more relieved than anything. Her clothing was torn, practically hanging off of her body. I dropped down, between them and her, unwilling to get them any closer, unwilling to allow them to do something more to her.

I ripped the mask off and tossed it aside. I reached a hand back, reaching, searching, for her. When her hand touched mine, I began to feel myself growing. When I chanced a glance down at my other hand, there were marble claws where my human hand had been just minutes ago. I smirked back at the wolves surrounding us.

I took a large step back so she was pressed against me, right between my wings. I knew she would know what to do. I squeezed her hand in mine before letting go, my other hand morphing into the sharp marble claws, ready for action. No one moved for what felt like forever, but was most likely only half a minute.

I locked eyes with the one in front of me and it was like the air had charged with something dangerous, something deadly. And then, right at the fever pitch of the silence, they moved. I moved in tandem, always keeping Annette protected by my wings. I grabbed one wolf by the scruff on his neck as he lunged. Once I felt Annette’s arms link around my neck, I tookhim up about twenty feet before kicking him away and letting him fall. I moved Annette somewhere safe, then I dove back in. Before that wolf landed, the other four were on me, running after me, snapping at my wings and feet. I laughed maniacally as they chased me. I slammed into one before he could take a bite out of my wings, shoving him into the solid stone wall. I ducked under another, coming out on the other side of the wolf, confusing it, before using all of my weight to shove it into the wall also. I had taken three of the five out already, thinking I was ahead, but it wasn’t until I noticed one broke off and began to double back, that I had miscalculated. I took the lone wolf that was following me and shook him, losing him just inside the trees, before doubling back myself and rushing to her.