Knights of Stone - Lachlan (8 page)

Kayla’s laugh was contagious, and Raina joined in, as she accepted the bottle.

“Thank you, Kayla. This helps us a great deal.” She returned the bottle to the sac and said, “I’ll come see you again. Good luck to you and Mason.”

While she sauntered out the moors, in no hurry to leave, she stole another glance behind her and caught Lachlan staring. The smolder in his gaze ignited a reaction even at a distance, making her want to linger. She swallowed and smoothed down her dress before forcing herself to turn away and continue to wolf territory.

Lachlan couldn’t keep from staring at Raina, but when she turned and caught him, he froze. She watched him through those curious eyes, and, in that prolonged moment, his insides blazed. The sensation flowed like lava coursing through his blood—an inferno that had nothing to do with the exertion of hauling logs under a midsummer sun. What her gaze did to him, leaving him unable to focus on anything but her. She finally broke eye contact and continued through the tall grass. He exhaled audibly, not realizing he’d even held his breath.

Bryce nudged him. “First, Mason goes for a tree witch, and now you’re drooling over a wolf shifter as if you haven’t eaten a meal in weeks.”

Lachlan clamped down the excitement that brewed within and snapped back to the moment. They’d all been moving logs, and he stood still, his distraction noticeable to all. Warmth spread up to his cheeks. He was caught doing exactly what Bryce had just accused him of. She must have thought him a goon to gape at her like that. Covering up his lack of finesse, he replied, “Funny, Bryce. She’s a wolf shifter. And she’s one of their leaders. I need to keep an eye on her.” Affecting a tone of superiority, he added, “Remember the bloodshed in our territory?”

“Of course, I do. A proper
fankle
.”

“No need to assume I’m thinking with my cock because she’s female.”

Bryce laughed. “Isn’t that what you think with whenever you see a female?”

“That sounds more like Gavin than me.” Although Lachlan had spent many nights chasing after the lassies, Gavin lived for it like it was a sport, as passionate as Scots were for the Highland Games.

Gavin grinned in agreement. “Aren’t you two already married?” he teased Lachlan. “I heard you declared that to the humans.”

“Funny,” Lachlan replied with a beleaguered eye roll. “You know why I said that. To show the humans we’re like them, living normal human lives.”

Gavin glanced in Raina’s direction. She’d almost disappeared from site behind the slight descent of land. “Even though I’m not into lasses who can sprout fur and walk on four legs, she has a fine arse.” He cupped one hand in front of him and made a smacking motion with the other.

Lachlan had the sudden urge to toss the log he was hauling over at Gavin.

He shook his head, trying to shake away the cobwebs of jealousy. A wolf shifter was off limits. No matter what she looked like. Or how her eyes caressed his skin like a warm summer rain.

Off. Limits.

Besides, he had enough obstacles to deal with right now without adding a lassie to the mix.

“All right, all right, let’s get back to what we were discussing,” Lachlan snapped. “Our magic.” They’d been brainstorming ideas since they’d returned from the Highlands—when he wasn’t thinking of Raina and kissing her satin-soft lips again.

“Anyone come up with anything since this morning?”

Nobody had. Terrific.

They’d come out for a break to haul logs and work off some of their earlier frustration. Their talks that morning weren’t productive.

“We’ll have to experiment,” Bryce said.

He was optimistic for such dismal progress so far.

Lachlan dropped the log onto a pile with others. “Experiment? With magic? That can be a dangerous game to play since we don’t know all the rules.”

“I don’t see what other choice we have.”

Lachlan jutted out his chin. Neither did he.

“Wait,” Mason said. “I have an idea.”

They all turned to face him.

“We’ve been thinking the witches would be the best source of helping us with magic.”

“Right,” Gavin said. “And you said Kayla is trying to extract information without raising suspicion.”

“But what about the wolves?” Mason said.

“What about them?” Bryce asked.

“Wolves are shifters, like we are. Our magic may be similar.”

Lachlan studied him. “Go on.”

“Maybe we can ask them how they do it.”

Lachlan bolted upright. “You’re idealistic since you found a tree witch who is open-minded. The wolves won’t share their magic with us.”

“Worth a go, though. Especially, since we don’t have many other options.”

“And since you’re chummy with
your wife,
” Gavin ribbed, “Why not start with her?”

“Chummy isn’t the word I’d use,” Lachlan stared at the pattern in the bark of the log he carried. “We barely know each other.”

Gavin raised an eyebrow. “Are you more acquainted with any other wolves?”

The only other ones he’d had any sort of conversations with were Ian and Seth. Lachlan scowled at him. “No.” In a lower tone, he added, “I’ll talk to her.”

His brothers howled and hooted, as they continued to rib him.

“I bet you will!”

“You’ll find lots of things to talk about.” Gavin ran his hands over his body with exaggerated sensual movements.

Calum jumped into the play action, rubbing Gavin’s back. “
Och
, Lachlan, you’re so big,” he said in a woman’s voice.

“And so hard for you, lassie,” Gavin added in a deeper voice. He turned and humped Calum’s leg while Bryce howled with laughter.

Lachlan tried not to join in, but cracked a smile. “You’re all pure mental!”

“You’re better off catching her now.” Bryce wiped the tears of amusement from his eyes and nodded across the moors. “Before she returns to wolf territory.”

Searching for her through the shades of green and purple, he found nothing. “
Shite
, you’re right.”

He dropped the log he’d been carting and sprinted after her, trying to ignore his brother’s whistles and catcalls.

Lachlan’s pulse spiked at the prospect of seeing Raina again. His mission dampened the excitement. He’d already had to swallow his pride to ask the gargoyles for assistance, and they’d turned him down flat. He had no desire to face that sort of rejection, again, especially one coming from Raina’s full, pink lips.

As he slowed to a jog across the moors, he debated how to approach her. Asking her directly was out of the question. Maybe he could sneak around it and coax her into giving him information.

A long shot. Yet, no other options came to mind. He’d have to wing it.

When he spotted her red plaid dress through the dark foliage of the forest, the tightness in his chest alleviated. Good, he wasn’t too late to catch her.

He slowed to a more casual pace. “Hi, Raina.”

She stopped and spun around, squinting at him with surprise. “Lachlan?”

Hearing her say his name in a silky rasp knocked him off his game. He resisted moaning aloud. Gods, she was striking.

Too bad she was a wolf shifter. If she was a human who lived off the island, he could have seduced her by now. Buried himself between her legs as many times as it took to get her out of his system. She’d be long forgotten, simply another diversion for the night. But she was local, which complicated matters—and piqued his interest all the more.

Forbidden.

Maybe that was it. Gargoyles and wolf shifters hadn’t interacted in decades after too much blood had been shed. And for good reason.

Then maybe you shouldn’t have kissed her, you wanker.

Lachlan pushed aside the past to focus on the present problem. He breached the remaining distance between them with confident strides so as not to undermine his spur of the moment plan. “Thought you’d at least say hello when you came to get the potion.” He flashed her his most dazzling smile, the one that many fine lasses at his concerts couldn’t resist.

She furrowed her brows with a quizzical expression. “You seemed busy. Didn’t want to disturb.”

“Just helping out my brother.”

“Mason, right?” Her countenance turned more relaxed. “Kayla told me you’re helping them with their house.”

At least, Raina was talking to him. He wasn’t sure she would after he’d opened his big mouth yesterday. With a casual wave, he said, “It’s nothing.”

She tilted her head in question, which had the oddest effect on him, leaving his thoughts as scrambled as eggs. “So you’re okay with him living with a tree witch?”

“I wasn’t crazy about the idea,” he admitted. “But it could be worse.”

“How so?”

“He could have left the isle with her. Or moved in with a human.”

“Aye. At least, he’s still here.”

She continued watching him with a steady, unreadable gaze. The longer the eye contact, the more it affected him. Even his cock twitched in reaction to her powerful feminine sensuality.

“So,” he began while attempting to suppress his arousal. He needed to steer the conversation to the magic he needed. “The past few days have been quite mad, haven’t they?”

“Indeed.”

“Thanks for going along with the ruse with the humans yesterday.”
Don’t say anything about the kiss. Not one word.

“Of course. It was best for our pack,” she replied. “Any sign of the humans?”

“None yet. We’re taking turns patrolling the skies.”

She bit her lip as her gaze drifted off, deep in thought. He’d been trying to avoid looking at her lips for good reason, and now that she’d gotten his attention there, it sent a new surge of blood right between his legs, the last place that needed his focus. He altered his stance to adjust to the tightness.

Time to get back on track. “Kayla mentioned their part is moving along as expected. They still need more time for it to reach its maximum potency. I’m guessing it must be some type of potion.” He tried to keep his voice as neutral as asking about the weather so as not to arise suspicion. “How’s it coming along with your pack’s magic?”

“Fine,” she replied.

That didn’t reveal much. “What kind are you working on?”

Her brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Potion? Or a spell?”

Her curious eyes fixed on him, sending his imagination fueling with possibilities of what they’d look like when she made love. Would they darken with desire, framed by those sweeping eyelashes?

“Why do you want to know?”

“Just curious,” he replied in a nonchalant tone. “Aren’t you? We all have our special magic, that combined, will change the fate of our island.”

“Aye, I suppose,” she said. “But I’m also not about to reveal any pack secrets. What are you working on?”

Bloody hell. She’d turned the questioning around on him without revealing one damn thing. “Ladies first.”

“Oh no, no, no.” She wagged a finger. “I’m not giving up one iota of information unless you share.”

Lachlan groaned inside. She was so damn determined. He pictured bending her over his lap and smacking her lush behind to get her to bend her strong will just an inch. “Are you always so stubborn?”

“Can’t be a pushover in my position, now can I? I have pack mates to protect. Surely, as alpha of your clan, you’d understand that.”

“I do,” he agreed, now curious about her position in the pack. “So if you’re a beta, does that mean you’ll one day be alpha?”

His mind swirled with the implications. He led the gargoyles; she’d lead the wolves—if they managed to restore the veil. What had been separate worlds for as long as he could remember. What had it been like before the battle—did the different kinds interact? He’d been a kid, and so much was a blur. What stood out most were the battles.

Her mouth twitched, indicating he hit a sensitive topic. “Sort of.”

“Sort of how?”

“I’d rule with someone else.”

Curiosity spiked even higher. “Who?” A pendulum pounding out seconds in his chest chanted the answer, which he refused to believe.

She glanced to an unfixed point in between the trees. For a prolonged moment, the only sounds were that of the forest—the gentle breeze ruffling the leaves and the muffled sound of distant insects. At last, she spoke. “Seth.”

Daggers shot into him from every angle when she confirmed what he’d feared. Or that’s how acute the pain seemed to sear through him when she mentioned Seth’s name. A most unexpected reaction. She couldn’t be with that arrogant bugger, could she? “Are you together?”

“No,” she replied with a sudden shake of her head. Just when he thought he could exhale, she added. “Not yet.”

He breathed to slow his racing heart. “Yet?”

“It’s expected we’ll rule together, one day. As mates.”

“Mates?” What was wrong with him, repeating her like a parrot? Only the single word came out through a strangled voice. He cleared his throat and began again. “You’ll mate—with
him
?” Shock and distaste were clear from his tone.

Her demeanor contorted, etched with some sort of conflict. “Why am I telling you any of this? It’s none of your business.” She raised her chin in a regal manner fitting for the queen of her pack.

“I’m not trying to pry,” he said. “But you—and, and—him?” He tried to keep emotion out of his voice this time, but still failed.

“Aye.”

Despite what he perceived as her attempt to appear stoic, her inner battle flickered in her eyes.

“Why do you care?” she pointed out.

“I—uh.” When had he ever been at a loss of words this way? “I can’t picture you with him.”

“You don’t even know me.” She exhaled, seeming to deflate. “It’s what I’m expected to do.”

“What is?” Why did this bother him so much? She was right, why should he care?

“Find my mate and rule with him and have lots of strong wolf pups to continue the pack.”

The bitter note in her tone tore at him.

“Is that what you want to do?”

She raised her chin and fixed her stare his way. “Why are you asking me all these questions?”

“I don’t know.” His honest answer surprised him. “I guess I’m curious.” What a stupid reply. He doubted she’d reveal another word.