Stone Guardian (4 page)

They set down on the top of the highest tower, the landing so skilled only the slightest bounce let her know they were on solid ground.

She was in shock, she had to be. It was the only explanation for why she was not crying or cursing her luck, the creature, her father, card games, and anything else that led her to leave her apartment. The calmness infusing her now felt unnatural, ready to shatter with the first application of force.

Still, she’d take whatever advantage she could get right now. Maybe the calm would hold, at least long enough to discover why she had been taken.

Be reasonable. Friendly. The first rule of negotiation Dad taught her was to find out what the other person wanted and figure out the way you could convince them you’d be able to supply it. That, and always be realistic about what was going on.

Well, here were the ugly facts. She had no mad-ninja-skillz to rely on and her family didn’t know where she was.
She
didn’t know where she was. The only way she was leaving was if this creature allowed it.

The creature was looking down at her and made no move to put her down. Should she look at him? Would he take that as aggression? During the flight she hadn’t looked at him and instead kept her gaze fixed on the hollow at the base of his throat. His neck was thick and led into heavily muscled shoulders, and his body gave off enough heat he might be able to be substitute for the furnace of a small home. She hadn’t gotten cold as they flew.

There was no other option. She needed to try to communicate, and communication couldn’t happen if she didn’t look at him.

She muttered a quick prayer in case any gods were wandering around. None appeared, so what choice but to get on with this?
Steady on girl
. One deep breath, two, and then her gaze met his.

Midnight black eyes under a prominent brow bone. The planes of his face were nothing but hard angles, his chin a square slab. It was as if he had been chiseled out of stone, his face displaying none of the roundness of flesh.

He was studying her as much as she was studying him. He didn’t have any eyebrows, but his brow bone came together to form a little furrow between his eyes.

He seemed approachable, no negative emotion on his face she could detect. No time like the present to find out her fate. “Why have you brought me here?”

Those eyebrows drew even closer together at her question. Did her words confuse him? Unless she had been hallucinating he had spoken English to her.

Before he made any sign that he would answer she heard movement behind her, the same
thwup
that had marked his landing. She turned her head to see a good dozen creatures like him, every single gaze locked on her like she was wearing a homing beacon.

Calm, I need you to hang on. Don’t leave me now.

A female pushed away from the others and walked until inches from Larissa, one clawed hand coming to rest on her hip. Her features were a fraction softer than the male’s, her body the stuff of comic books – outrageous curves framed with sleek muscle. About her she had an aura Larissa recognized from every cop she had ever met. It was confidence and authority mixed with a good dose of
don’t fuck with me
.

This female would never be pathetic enough to lie in an alleyway screaming or freeze in terror. Larissa’s eyes flicked away.

“Terak, what is this?” asked the female, in the offhand way that meant to signify you really weren’t interested in the answer.

Terak, huh? Always good to know your kidnapper’s name.

Larissa’s attention went back to the female, but as she met those eyes her throat tightened. Her earlier tone was a lie, because the female creature in front of her looked as though she were debating on how many strips of flesh she could she cut from Larissa with those claws.

What had she done to earn this ire? None of the others displayed hostility.

Earlier she hadn’t wanted to be taken for an impromptu flying trip but her kidnapper wouldn’t let her out of his grasp. Now when she had a psycho female in front of her and really didn’t want leave the relative safety of his arms, of course Terak chose to put her down. His wings folded in, settling over his shoulders like the fall of a cape.

“What should we do with her?” the female creature continued. “Shall I take her to the dungeon?”

A dungeon? Whips and chains and iron maidens dungeon? That was what was planned for her? Bile rose in her throat when Terak answered from behind her, “No Valry, she is not a prisoner.”

Valry was not happy with that answer if the further flattening of her already non-existent lips was any indication. Nope, nope, no matter what, Larissa was not going to ever be alone with this female.

Valry’s anger radiated off her in waves while the other Clan members showed only curiosity. The mood was not censorious but Terak hated that he had no answers to give. They might be uncertain on what happened to bring about this unprecedented incident, but their confusion could not match his own.

He had turned from his fight with the zombies to see his little human in the grasp of the female Guild member. He knew the Guild would not harm her, but they would take her somewhere he could not follow. A haze settled over his vision.

Once she was in his arms instinct took over. He brought her to where none would dare touch her without permission.

She took a step back to put distance between herself and Valry, a move that illustrated his little human was no fool and could read situations. She came close enough that her hair brushed across his wings. His eyes slid over her form. Small but constant tremors were shaking her frame, and his chest went concave.

She was unused to battle, and not only had she faced zombies this night but had been taken from her home against her will. Fear, tension, and fatigue were riding her hard.

And instead of sheltering her, he placed her in front of his people with no explanation, making her unsure if her fight was over.

Though he knew his Clan – Valry – was studying his every move, he could not let her suffer any further. He picked her up, hearing her small gasp from his unexpected movement. His mouth to her ear, his words meant for her alone, he said, “You are safe here, little human. I vow it. None will harm you.”

He pulled back enough to study her eyes. The cornflower blue absorbed him, drowning out the knowledge of his Clan standing feet away or the words of the Oracle which had brought them together. All these months watching her, the one question he could not answer was the color of her eyes.

Terak thought he had imagined every shade possible, but he had been wrong. This shade of blue – soft and warm, the color pure throughout – he had not conceived of, but now that he beheld them he could think of no more perfect color for her.

The rustling of wings brought his attention back to his people. Valry’s hands were clenched into tight fists. He would have to deal with her later, but for now his first responsibility lay in providing for the woman in his arms.

His gaze on his Clan, Terak said, “This woman is guest, not enemy.” Ignoring the questioning eyes of his people, he continued, “Are all patrols back?”

Malek, his second-in-command, came forward. “All but two.”

“Which patrols?”

“Over the Vampire stronghold.”

Terak nodded. “We will speak of it later,” he said. With no further words of explanation and the human held tight in his arms, he turned to descend the stairway which led into the tower.

Everything was grey – walls, stairs, ceilings. Maybe the creatures kept it that way so they could camouflage themselves if something attacked them here. If it wasn’t for his hair and the black pants he wore, the creature holding her would have disappeared into his surroundings.

The creature took her through the tower and into the body of the castle. After a lot of stairs, twists, and turns with nothing to look at but miles of utilitarian grey stone, they came to a room that held the biggest collection of books Larissa had ever seen.

The room was two, maybe three stories tall, and from floor to ceiling were nothing but shelves lined with books. Rich splashes of blue, burgundy, brown and green delighted her color starved eyes. Several couches in a muted tan fabric and a large fireplace in the middle of the back wall were the only other decorations in the room.

The creature set her on her feet again. She stepped back a few paces, gauging his reaction as she moved away.

He did not try to keep her near and let her roam as she wished. With the speed of the night’s events, Larissa hadn’t had the chance to study him. She took advantage of their quiet interlude to do so now.

His wings appeared leathery, and though they were currently draped over his shoulders, she remembered the full wingspan well enough that she was sure it equaled his nearly seven feet in height. He had a tail, the tip of which currently rested beside his booted foot. He was thick with muscle, every part of his body defined. His arms seemed the size of support beams, his legs thick as oaks, and his clawed hands looked as if he could encircle her waist in them.

Outside of the wings, tail, and claws that tipped his fingers, his features overall were almost human, just a little
more
. A little sharper, a little harder, a little bigger.

And almost…
beautiful
, in a rough-hewn, alien way.

He called her a guest and hadn’t yet tried to harm her. She owed him an acknowledgement of what he had done for her. “Thank you for saving my life.”

His eyes widened in surprise at her words, as if gratitude was the last thing he ever expected to receive. He inclined his head a fraction. “You are welcome,” he said in those deep tones that relaxed her almost against her will.

“You’re name is Terak?”

“Yes.”

“I assume from your conversation-” Larissa waved her hand toward the ceiling, “-with the others, you are the leader here?”

“I am.”

“So can you tell me what you are?”

His head tilted as he studied her. “You do not know?”

“I’m a human who lives in the human-only city. I know elves have pointy ears and dwarves are easy to trip over. Too much beyond that, I’m at a loss.”

The question unsettled him, if the way he broke her gaze and stared into the blazing fire was anything to go by. “I am a gargoyle,” he said at last, tension in the rigid set of his shoulders.

There was a time when Larissa had wanted to learn about the other races, before she realized why her father carried such tension at the mention of any creature that had appeared since the Great Collision and set aside any curiosity in favor of pleasing her father. She only knew the big ones – dwarves, elves, werewolves… vampires. Still, for the first time since she was little, Larissa wished she had snuck some books and spent a little more time learning about the new races. His tension had not abated, so he must be expecting a negative reaction. She could understand why. Gargoyles were a fearsome race if tonight was anything to go by. What human wouldn’t be terrified of them?

“What were you doing in the city?”
And why didn’t the wards keep you out?
she mentally added.

His body relaxed, maybe because she didn’t react to the gargoyle reveal screaming or something. He turned to face her fully. “My Clan is… friendless… in this world. We rely only on ourselves for survival. To that end, we patrol all areas to keep aware of the happenings of this world, even those places that are forbidden to us.”

It made sense. She could see Dad doing the exact same thing under similar circumstances. The whole “friendless” business though, not a good omen. Was it because they feared other races, or other races feared them? From tonight’s goings-on, she was a firm follower of the second camp. Still didn’t explain the wards, but she wasn’t stupid enough to bring that up to him. That was a question purely for when she was safe back at home.

“So why did you save me? Why did you bring me here?” The next question stuck in her throat. Swallowing a few times to work saliva in her mouth, she formed the question she dreaded asking. “Am I going to be allowed to go home?”

Her voice cracked on the last syllable. Terak made a brief move toward her before seeming to reconsider and hold himself still. “You will be returned home. I swear it.”

Damn tears. She didn’t want them to fall, not now, not when she wasn’t sure she could stop them once they started. Larissa scrubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. “Please take me home then.”

“Not yet. We have much to discuss.”

“Discuss what?” Her voice rose several decibels. Larissa stopped for a moment, taking several deep breaths. He said he was going to take her home, that didn’t mean she was home yet. Best to remember that. “Sorry. I don’t understand what we need to talk about. I thank you for saving me, but what else is there?”

Terak made a motion to one of the couches, an order to sit disguised as polite concern. Larissa obeyed.

He opened his mouth, then hesitated. “May I know your name?”

“Oh.” Surprise at his words lit through her, the normalcy of the question releasing some of the tension pitted in her stomach. “Larissa. Larissa Miller.”

“Larissa,” he said, and she wanted to close her eyes and listen to him repeat those three syllables on an endless loop. “Why were you attacked by the zombies?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

There wasn’t any disbelief in his voice – none that she could detect, anyway – but there was still something in the spacing of the words that made it clear he didn’t fully believe her. “No, I don’t know. It was probably some random occurrence, though they shouldn’t have been able to get into the city.”
Like you
was mentally added, but once again, self-preservation kept her from speaking those words aloud.

“It wasn’t a random occurrence.” His voice carried absolute conviction.

“And how would you know?”

Once again that small hesitation before he spoke. “In the past, my Clan has had dealings with Necromancers.”

Zombies meant…