Stone Guardian (10 page)

She dropped the paper towel in the woman’s lap. “Do something like that again, I will stuff it down your throat and sit back while you choke on it.”

The attendant sputtered.

Ember held up a hand. “No explanation necessary, all you have to do is listen. That man through those curtains is mine, and I don’t share. Consider this a friendly warning.” She returned the way she came, slamming the bathroom door closed as she went by.

Timur glanced up at her as she dropped into her seat. “You are hot when you’re jealous.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she replied blithely.

“If you say so, but telling her that you were going to kill her made my dick hard.”

Ember burst out laughing. “You’re a mess.”

“We’ll see who the
mess
is when I get you alone again.” He winked.

Chapter Nine

Timur slid the key card in the mechanism, turning the handle when he heard the snick releasing the lock. The room was pitch-black. He wasn’t a dragon who could change his vision to infrared, but he wasn’t without his own gifts. He looked around the room and the shadows started to separate. Furniture took on an eerie gray color while empty spaces remained darker. Ember’s moaning drew his attention to the bed. She tossed and turned, swinging her arms out at some unseen enemy.

He crossed the room and sat on the edge of the mattress. She kicked and the thin sheet covering her billowed as her foot connected with his ass. Timur grabbed it and massaged her instep with his thumb while calling her name. Ember turned, lifting her face in the direction of his voice but her eyes remained closed. He narrowed his and leaned over her torso. Her mouth opened but no sound escaped her and she squeezed her eyes tight.

Timur gripped her shoulders. “Ember!” her head bobbled as he shook her.

She groaned. “Seriously, stop shaking me.”

He settled her on the mattress and pressed his cheek to her forehead. “What the hell is going on? I think you were fighting in your sleep.”

Ember opened her eyes. “I’ve been having some nightmares. I’ve always had them, but lately they come with more frequency, every night now for the last few days.” She reached behind her and pulled her hair from against her neck.

He watched the tresses spread over the pillow. “You should have said something.”

“Like what?” She arched a brow. “Everyone has bad dreams, babe.”

Timur grunted. “I’ve made contact. We have a meeting with the She-Va Coven in an hour.”

“Did you replace my gun?” She scooted up to rest her back against the headboard.

“Bringing a gun when we meet them will only piss them off, and there will be plenty of that going around when they see me. Human weapons have no effect on a true witch. You can only fight magic with magic.”

“Why would they have a problem with you?”

He rolled his head on his neck. “The reason gargoyles exist is because of a curse a sorceress placed on an ancestor of mine.”

“Ooo. Juicy.”

“Yeah, you would think so. Basically it’s not reversible, at the onset of puberty the spell kicks in and we spend the rest of our lives navigating the night.”

Her lips turned down. “That’s kinda sad.”

“I never got the whole story. I’m sure there is more to it and some of the history has been lost in the telling. It happened a couple hundred years before I was born.”

A mischievous light brightened her eyes. “How old are you, Timur?”

“Old enough to rock your world.”

“Then why aren’t there more gargoyles flying around?”

“It’s not like we are flying monkeys from Oz. There weren’t many of us to begin with. When the adults figured out what was happening my people basically stopped having children so they wouldn’t put their offspring through the stigma of the curse. Personally, I think I was an accident.” He shrugged. “During one of our many skirmishes with a coven a lot of my species were destroyed in a flurry of daytime strikes.”

“That’s horrible!”

“That’s war and I don’t care who you are, every species has a sadistic streak. I met Kirill when both our peoples were being slaughtered and we became each other’s support, family. I’m not sure if there are any more gargoyles left. I could be the last one.”

She cupped his cheek. “I won’t believe that. After this quest or whatever the hell you’re on we can go to Europe and start looking for others like you.”

“It’s okay
amant
, I came to terms with my—uniqueness—some time ago.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Get dressed before I find a way to avoid this appointment all together and place the blame on you.”

* * * *

The big wooden doors were thrown open, and Ember hesitated to walk into the dilapidated barn. Huge gaping holes peppered the crumbling structure. Tall weeds swayed around the foundation while invasive vines claimed the walls. A rusty hook swung on a pulley above the entrance. A hooded woman appeared from the bowels of the building, holding a torch high.

Ember crossed her arms and rested her butt against the car. She stared at the woman, then the torch, and finally returned her gaze to the barn. Walking into a building that was basically a fire waiting to happen did not instill feelings of safety. A strong breeze flowed over the area and she watched as the torch’s flame licked up into the air.

Timur dipped his head and whispered, “It’s an intimidation tactic. Treat them like any other predatory animal and never reveal your fear to a witch.” He traced the tip of his tongue on the shell of her ear. “Plus, I’m impervious to fire created from magic. There’s not much they can do to me and I will protect you.” He straightened, tugged at her hand to tangle his finger with hers, and pulled her along.

The shrouded figure turned without waiting and started walking ahead of them. The rancid scent of moldy hay and horse shit curdled her stomach as she clutched Timur’s hand and followed. She glanced at his profile and resisted the urge to caress his jaw. A muscle ticked in his cheek and he’d left his hair unbound, making him look almost savage in the half-light. Ember threw her shoulders back and straightened. She would follow his lead.

Their escort tossed her cloak over her shoulders and glanced at them briefly. Ember met her gaze and the woman shook her head before leaning forward to peer at her closer. The guide pressed her lips together and looked down, grabbing an iron ring on a trap door. The metal hinges shrieked as she swung it up and disappeared down into the hole.

Ember walked over to the hole and studied the roughhewn walls that looked like someone had carved the rock out with a spoon. The wooden ladder appeared to have been strung together with twine. Goosebumps rose up along her arms. The whole situation felt wrong and she started to back up.

Timur held fast to her hand. “I can take you back to the car.”

She read the concern in his eyes and inhaled. “The vibe is off, something doesn’t feel right.”

“Then you will stay here. I won’t take you into a dangerous situation,” he spoke through clenched teeth.

Ember thought about her initial promise. She would watch his back, and if that meant following him into a dank hole in the ground, so be it. “No, if you’re climbing down there then so am I.”

He studied her face and cupped her cheek before positioning himself on the first rung of the rickety ladder. “Count to five then come down behind me.”

“We’re vulnerable.”

“No we’re not, count to five, starting now.” He started his descent.

She watched him as the top of his head sunk into the shadows and she mimicked his movements. Her calves brushed his arms as she followed him down.

“
Amant
, has anyone ever told you that you have a sweet ass?”

“Shut up and focus.”

“Stop worrying, no one will come near you tonight. I swear.” He kept his voice low.

“Says you, but if something happens to you I will kill a mofo to get us out of here,” she whispered back.

“Great Goddess, stop talking like that. I told you it turns me on.”

She could hear the smile in his voice and shook her head. “Be quiet already.”

He wrapped his hands around her waist and helped her off the last rung, pulling her flat against him. She slid down his body and felt his erection. “See
amant,
now I must think of horrific things to counter what you’ve done to me.”

Ember tipped her chin toward the waiting figure. “That’s easy. Imagine that old hag naked.”

He shuddered. “Mission accomplished.” Timur laced his fingers between hers and kept his body between her and their guide. He tugged her behind him as they continued to walk.

The tunnel’s walls were etched with characters that seemed to glow, and it opened up into a large cave. More symbols were carved into the floor and it was polished to a reflective smoothness. Large fire pits sat in the four corners of the chamber and remarkably didn’t overheat the room. Ember counted thirteen women and one little girl. The child sat with her back to the farthest wall and her legs tucked under her body. Dressed in a simple cotton shift, she couldn’t have been more than five or six years old. Deep brown locks of big spiral curls hid some of her features. Ember moved to the side of Timur and angled her head to get a better look at the kid that the other women in the room were blatantly ignoring. Instead, they spread out in a semicircle to flank her and Timur. The tension tightened along her spine.

A figure stepped forward and pushed the hood from her head. “We honored your request, monster, in memory of Manx the Supreme, and you dare to bring another witch into our midst without warning.”

Ember snapped her head round looking for anyone else that may have entered the room while she’d been distracted by the child.

Timur sighed. “Fucking great, here they go talking in circles,” he murmured before raising his voice. “My mate accompanied me, she’s no sorceress.”

“You lie…her aura crackles with electricity, a powerful elemental no doubt. Tell us, cursed one, why did you bring her?” The woman stepped back and blended into the group behind her.

Ember studied the woman but spoke to Timur. “This is straight bullshit. These bitches—excuse me, witches—are looking for a reason to have nothing to do with you.”

“You dare to defend the beast, why?” someone called out.

“Did you not hear him? We are mated. Of course I would protect him.” She briefly glanced his way. “That’s like a sorta commitment, right?”

He snickered. “More like marriage in human-speak.”

She did a double take, ignoring the coven. “Seriously! You didn’t say anything about wedded damn bliss during your little speech last night.”

Timur cleared his throat. “Can we not talk about this now?”

Another woman broke away from her friends and looked at them. “Elemental, you mated with a gargoyle?” She cocked her head.

Ember rounded on the sorceress. “This is between the two of us, so step the hell out of our business and I am no one’s damn witch.”

“She’s a temperamental thing, unschooled but powerful. Call back your energy, young witch,” another person stated.

“It’s to be expected. It doesn’t bode well to raise the ire of an elemental. When you do you get terrible storms for extended periods of time. I bet the wind has picked up above us,” someone else added.

Ember raised her hand, palm up, to quiet everyone. “Look, let’s conclude whatever business you have with my man here.” She swung her index finger between Timur and the coven then stopped, pointing at Timur. “You …you!”

He wore a silly grin. “Damn, the make-up sex is going to be awesome.” Inhaling deeply he turned to face the witches. “Manx the Supreme left directives for his heir, his daughter Synda. She has mated with a dragon who, at our now deceased Dragonrex’s request, will replace him and be known as Kirill the Supreme. However, before any of this can transpire we need to follow the clues Manx left regarding the
Y Ddraig Goch
. It is Kirill’s belief that you may hold a part of the treasure in your possession.”

The women talked among themselves for some time before the original speaker responded. “We have no part of the treasure. He left a key with us when the colonies were still in infancy. Many of our sisters died during the witch trials to protect it. However, it was lost to the Babel Coven a little over two years ago. Over time they began a slow descent into the dark arts. For some reason they desired the key and attacked us to get it.”

Timur scratched his head. “Hmmm, I thank you for your time,” he nodded.

“Wait. We do have something, though.” She twisted and called to the child. “Elspeth, come here please.”

The little girl rose and skipped to the group with the soles of her white patent leather shoes squeaking on the floor.

The sorceress continued. “This is Elspeth. Her mother, Beth, was our crone, the head of this coven. When we came under attack Beth did her best to hold the Babel witches at bay while we escaped.” She hung her head. “We didn’t notice that Elspeth had toddled back into the building seeking her mother. When the fire started Beth gave her life to keep the key and save her child.” She flipped Elspeth’s palm over. “The heat of the fire branded the runes on the key into Elspeth’s hand before it was snatched away.”