Page 9 of Stone Sentinels (Shadow Guardians #6)
DRAGAN
The Veil
I don’t know if Cambion will return. Pyre appears more concerned with what may or may not come back through the portal with the stupid elf and works diligently with Revenant to scour The Veil in search of any signs of stowaways. The rest of us continue our training, taking it in shifts to check on the Midnight Queen’s fragile state. One would think she’s been poisoned, with the way she convulses. If not for Revenant being so busy with Pyre lately, I would have suspected him of attempting to kill Morrigan. The vampire is known for his aptitude in crafting poisons…
I sit here in the dusty dredges of the library, sorting through rough translations and scarcely deciphered portions of the prophecy book, but none of the prophecies refer to any of us. Beneath the scattered piles of papers are even more books that tell the tale of the gargoyles and how we came to be. My kind originated in the mortal realm, of all places. We were merely statues once, watching over mankind and frightening away evil with our terrifying appearance. If not for an unnamed witch, we would never have known life. This unnamed witch casted a spell to awaken a gargoyle in the midst of a great battle and the rest is history.
I turn yet another page in the book filled with my own lore and frown down at a drawing of what was once my kind. The drawing is not unlike the stone figures we become when we’re exposed to the daylight for too long.
I clear my throat to read a passage aloud, “The gargoyle soared across the sky and saved the witch and her coven from being killed. As repayment for his protection, she cast a spell into the very stone itself and vowed that any gargoyle forged from the earth would live in peace, so long as the night reigned over the sun.”
And then it was Morrigan, the Midnight Queen of the Realms, who gave me and my kind purpose on the day we restored the balance.
The door creaks open and I look up at Kolvar, who leans on the table. “ I’ve given this prophecy of yours a bit of thought,” he says. “Maiden is to Shield as prick is to rose . I think it means Aima and I are forever destined to save one another from peril.”
“With what’s happened to the two of you, I believe that is a valid observation.” The grumbling tone of my voice isn’t meant with any malice. I simply grow weary of poring over these texts while the others walk through the past and spar in the clearing. “Where are your men you keep telling us about, Kolvar?”
“That worthless bunch of fuckin’ madmen are most likely pillagin’ Variant’s camps. Then, they’ll rest their bones in the Desolate Borders near the sand dunes. Our clans travel constantly, and rarely ever see civilization unless we aim to make trade. We’re... different than other satyrs.”
“You love your drink.”
“Yes.”
“You love your women.”
“Yes.”
“You’re not so different, then?”
“We may love our drink and our fair share of women, but that ain’t enough to distract us from the glory of meetin’ a warrior’s death on the battlefield,” the satyr explains with a smile. “We follow the roar of the fight, offering our numbers and skill to those willin’ to pay a price.”
“What glory is there in battle?” I know my words sound bitter and weary, but they are. I have no passion in my heart for war, only the burning desire to find answers and right the wrongs we’ve all made. I don’t want this fight to become another battle that claims the lives of millions. Never before have I had thoughts like these—maybe reading about my ancestors is having an effect on me. “War is not a solution; it’s a distraction from the true conflict. Watch by day, protect by night. Only we can defeat darkness with darkness .”
“What is that?”
“The gargoyles’ oath,” I answer. “At least it was, a long time ago.” I sigh as I think about the issues we still face. “I wish that fucker Cambion would have brought me with him. The two of us could have defeated Theren quietly. But, instead here I am... sulking in the pages of forgotten lore.”
“If the elf endangers this world, Pyre won’t spare his life.” Kolvar meets my gaze and holds it steady.
“I don’t know that Cambion deserves death,” I start.
Kolvar shakes his head. “It’s Pyre’s duty, Dragan. We can’t stop him from protectin’ what belongs to him. Even if you still regard Cambion as a friend, you must stay your hand and let the fates decide his punishment.”
“Then let’s hope Cambion isn’t foolish enough to endanger The Veil.”
***
BARON
Jadyrar Sea
“Fucking idiot!!” I roar my anger to the crashing waves of the phantom ocean before us. Pyre has spoken few words since Cambion backstabbed us. Yes, backstabbed us. That’s how I see it. Cambion chose Theren over us, after everything the Unseelie King has done to him and to us. Even Aima seems sick of his shit.
Anger flows through my veins like shards of jagged glass as I walk along the citrine sands of the beach. The Jadyrar Sea sweeps to the shore—white, milky liquid that reflects iridescent rainbows on the surface. “How could he do this to us? After all his bitching and complaining! We followed him, fighting by his side against Anona and her fucking pricks! We saved his ass more times than we should have!”
“Your anger is disturbing the ethers,” Pyre answers, his tone level.
“Fuck the ethers!”
Pyre cocks his head to the side. “That doesn’t sound like the words of a future Guardian of The Veil. Tread carefully, Baron. Your ability to steady yourself and ground your control is paramount to your future responsibilities. Never. Lose. Control.”
“Like you did when your lover’s mirror was taken by Cambion?” I wince as soon as the words leave my mouth. Pyre doesn’t deserve my anger; he doesn’t deserve any of this. “I’m sorry. And... I hope you don’t condemn the rest of us for Cambion’s actions. I can’t speak for the others, but you know I’m loyal to you, as a friend and as your ally.”
“I know the honor you hold within you, Baron. And I do not believe Cambion betrayed us.” He grows quiet, pensive. Then he faces me again and nods. “He made a reckless decision and didn’t care what the consequences of his actions might be, but he did it for the same reasons we do anything.”
“Which means what?”
“We want answers and Cambion attempts to find them. He’s doing what he thinks is right.”
“People doing whatever they want without considering anyone else is exactly what got us into this situation in the first fucking place,” I argue.
“Which means what?” he throws my words back at me with a slight smile.
“If Variant or Theren were being manipulated before the war, they should have come to us! They should have been real men and confronted us instead of scheming behind our backs.”
Pyre’s face splits in two as that familiar lopsided grin appears. “Were you not an assassin that hid in the shadows and used poisons and daggers to kill your targets?” I toss my head back and laugh. The description isn’t exactly accurate, but it’s good to see Pyre isn’t sulking anymore. He walks over to the sea and dips his hand in the water; the substance slithers away from his palm as he digs into the sand and retrieves a large diamond.
“There are treasures and secrets all over this world, Baron. If one is brave enough to face its dangers, they may find themselves heavily rewarded.”
“And those who seek to take instead of becoming worthy?”
“They don’t survive long and end up becoming part of the world they sought to claim for themselves. Life is a cycle of unending occurrences that are sure to repeat themselves. The instability of the balance now is a perfect example.” Pyre drops the diamond into my hand and casts a portal to return us to the cottage. He heads inside as I stand beside the circle where Aima tosses Eilish to the ground. For a moment, I think I see the angel marks on Eilish’s back writhe, but I must be mistaken. She jumps to her feet and meets Aima head on.
The movement of her lithe body is very graceful; she shows improvement each day. I feel myself swelling in my breeches as she tosses her hair out of her face and smiles at me over her shoulder. When she catches the look on my face, her eyes flood with black. I smell her hunger as if it were the scent of a campfire on the wind. I glance at the dark tendrils of hair that appear all over her head and I realize she’s leaning more and more toward the darkness. This isn’t good. Eilish needs to maintain her own internal balance. Fuck fucking Cambion to hell!
Eilish dodges Aima’s next attack and the latter drops her weapons, saying they’ve practiced enough for the day. They’re both panting and dirt stains their clothing and skin. Eilish nods and the two offer each other words of encouragement.
Aima disappears into the cottage as Eilish turns to face me. She smiles broadly and then runs right toward me. I catch her and whip her around, holding her in the air as I do so. When I set her down, she pushes me to the ground and then crawls on top of me. The scent of her need becomes even stronger.
I arch against her and she dips low to slide her tongue into my mouth. I nip her with my fangs. In unison, we moan, Eilish grinding her core against me. I reach down to slide my hand into her leggings and she gasps against my mouth. I feel her fingers wrap around my wrist as she eases my fingers toward the dripping center of her passion. I thrust my fingers inside her and she clenches around me.
“I want inside you now,” I groan against her.
She scrambles to unbuckle my belt and push open the buttons of my trousers. When her hand wraps around my length, stars dance behind my eyes. I lift her with one hand and force her leggings down with the other. She settles over me once more and slowly sinks down the rigid girth of my dick. I clench my eyes shut as I focus on the feel of her slick and tight passage.
“Fuck me,” I whisper.
She stills above me and I open my eyes at the same time that I sense the presence of another.
Dragan hovers in the shadows, watching us with the gaze of a predator, and I feel Eilish shiver. She stares at her gargoyle lover as I push into the succulent flesh between her thighs.
“Show off for him,” I whisper.
Her eyes don’t leave him. She’s nervous, I can tell. But he watches her with emotion that isn’t fully jealousy.
He comes closer. I’m not sure if it’s anger that burns in his eyes or desire. Maybe a mix of both. He fists his hands into her hair and yanks her head back before claiming her mouth in a kiss as he grips her breasts roughly. She moans and I feel her release almost as powerfully as if it were my own.
Something...happens then... Eilish acts as some sort of conduit between us, cycling power through our being, and I feel Dragan’s yearning for her. The gargoyle pulls away from the kiss and stares into her eyes.
My gaze locks onto them with rampant fascination.
“Do it again, Eilish,” Dragan growls. “I want to see you…”
She begins to ride me at a feverish pace and I thrust up into her, forcing her over the edge as she obeys Dragan’s softly spoken command. That coil of her magic blooms within my chest, and it only grows stronger as he and I whisper, “Beautiful,” in perfect unison.
Dragan releases her and opens the fly of his trousers with the speed of a shooting star. The splash of his seed against her lips triggers my own climax as she drinks him in like a starved creature before a feast. My back arches off the ground and I drench her heat in the evidence of my pleasure. Raw, gasping breaths explode from between my lips.
Dragan disappears into the shadows as Eilish collapses on top of me. I have the strange suspicion that the three of us needed that comfort in the absence of our companion.
Cambion must return.
As much as it pains me to believe it, we can’t complete our mission without him.