Sorceress Rising (A Gargoyle and Sorceress Tale Book 2) (20 page)

“I don’t suppose
dragons are friendly?”

“Dragons are not
evil like human tales portray. They serve the light, but are not particularly
hospitable or forgiving of those who once served the Battle Goddess, be it
willingly or unwillingly.” Her father nodded at Lillian’s gargoyle form.

“So they’d take
one look at my female gargoyle heritage and what…?”

Her father made
a soft humming sound she’d come to associate with unhappiness. “They would
likely try to purify you in fire. If this body dies, your hamadryad will as
well, freeing your soul.”

“Hmm, yet more
death. Imagine that. Someone needs to give the good guys of the Magic Realm a
new playbook.”

Seeing her
parents’ twin looks of bafflement, Lillian let that line of thought drop. “So
we’re back to the collars. What hidden, dangerous surprises might the collars
carry with them?”

“Once Commander
Gryton knows they are missing, I imagine he will try to track their
whereabouts.”

Her present
location wasn’t a secret. Frowning down at her feet, her tail twitching in
agitation, Lillian turned the massive collar in her hands. It reminded her of
one of those Ancient Egyptian pieces the pharaohs wore.

She was
concerned this General might be able to do more than track his device. “What is
the chance he might be able to control me through this?”

“Less than slim.
This was made for the Lady, don’t forget. You can imagine what she would do to
Commander Gryton if she suspected he did something that would undermine her
authority.”

“She’s not much
for independent thinking among her underlings, I take it?”

“No,” came her
father’s dry reply.

She hadn’t
really thought what her parents were risking to help her. She glanced over at
her younger brother where he was finishing his meal. “If she catches you, she’d
kill you both, and my little brother, too. Probably him first, just to watch
you suffer.”

It wasn’t a
question and her parents didn’t need to answer. It was cold hard fact.

“I’m going to
bring that temple of hers down around her ears and make it her tomb, or die
trying.” Lillian hissed more to herself than anyone in particular.

She pinned her
father with a fierce look. “So how is this going to work?”

Lillian’s father
tilted his head suddenly, taking in the surrounding meadow and scenting the breeze.
He snorted with distaste.

Then Lillian
caught the scent as well. The undeniable stench of Riven, an unholy mix of
death and dark magic.

In another
moment of clarity another piece of the greater puzzle fell into place. “Death
and dark magic. The Lady of Battles dabbled in what was rightfully her twin’s
dominion. She created the Riven, didn’t she?”

“Indirectly,
yes. The Lord of the Underworld would never create something so filled with
mindless hate and destruction. In the past, when Lord Death attended to the
balance, it was always with much deliberation and as much mercy as he could
allow.”

The vision of a
giant chess board overseen by Lord Death wasn’t a comforting one. But better
him in control of that horrifying power than allowing the Lady of Battles to
defeat him and having her gain control of his power.

A stronger waft
of Riven reached her nose. Just what she didn’t need. But fate was doing its
usual thing.

Lillian flexed
her claws. If she had to kill a few Riven before dealing with Gregory, so be
it. The exercise might help her work out some of the fear and frustration
currently churning in her blood.

“No,” her father
ordered, “you will stay here and await Gregory. By now, he will have escaped
the traps we placed to slow him down.”

Her ears flattened
against her mane, and her lips started to peel back in a snarl, protective
instincts rising again.

“Peace. They
weren’t designed to harm, only to slow him. However, if we don’t put some
distance between us, Gregory will do
us
some harm.”

Shadowlight came
bounding up to her. Surprisingly strong, he scooped her up. “I’ll miss you.” He
rumbled rather too loudly in her ear.

“Me, too.”
Lillian countered, not wanting to hurt the young gargoyle’s feelings, but a
touch confused.

River stepped up
and gave her a hug as well, though a much more sedate one. “Dryads pass on
instinct, memories, and life experiences to our offspring. Shadowlight knows
you through my memories, and gargoyles are naturally very clannish and loyal.
He already loves his older sister.”

Her mother moved
off, allowing Darkness to embrace her. Before he broke away, she asked the one
question that had been bothering her. “Even if Gregory looks at the collar and
doesn’t blast it into next Tuesday and three realms over, what if the siren’s
enchantment prevents him from putting it on? How am I supposed to get it on him
then?” She pointed at the slave collar where her mother had left it. “Its
appearance doesn’t inspire confidence.”

Her father
laughed, surprising her. She’d thought him much too dower and standoffish for
humor. “Then offer him a reward as incentive. You’re the first full blooded
female born to our race. It shouldn’t be too difficult to get him to remain in
one spot long enough to put it on him.”

Alone in the meadow,
Lillian paced around the bejeweled enslavement tools, still hardily uncertain
of her plan, but not knowing what other choice she had. She already despised
their jeweled beauty, that overdone gaudiness which failed to hide their
sinister purpose.

And, Gregory,
when he came back to himself, would he understand and forgive her?

She feared he
might not. But still she’d see her decision through—a few billion lives were in
the balance. She wouldn’t sit by and do nothing, not if there was even the
slimmest chance she could use the collars to shape a more positive outcome.

God, she hated
gambling.

A sudden shift
in the air currents and a tingling of magic against her skin caught her
attention. She pushed away all her unhappy thoughts and prepared for what was
likely inbound.

Unlike the first
two times she’d seen the magical portals earlier today, there was no slow
gathering of power or swirling mists. From this side, the threshold just
appeared fully formed in the air. A second later Gregory hurtled through it.

His gaze locked
on hers, and then it swept away a moment later to scan their surroundings. He
sniffed the air, circling around the meadow’s perimeter as he searched for
signs of danger or other traps.

Gregory
continued to circle, drawing closer with each pass until he was only ten feet
away. He continued to sniff, emitting small huffs of anxiety or anger. The
scents of other gargoyles and the much more distant scent of Riven would be as
easy for him to read as it was for her.

Lillian held her
position next to the wardstone collars for a couple seconds longer, then
decided it would look more natural if she went to him. With a gruff rumble as
greeting, she dropped to all fours and made her way over to him, her wings and
tail held in a natural, relaxed position.

With a slight
flaring of his wings, Gregory studied her with a determined look in his eye.
Gone was the loving, and playful, if overly happy, gargoyle from earlier. In
his place was one of Gregory’s darker aspects—The Gargoyle Protector. Her
Hunting Darkness.

His eyes
narrowed and the powerful muscles in his thighs bunched.

Ah, and it
seemed she was today’s prey.

Lillian leaped
clear as Gregory landed in the place she’d been mere seconds ago. She circled
him, her head tilted to the side, ears canted forward, tail flicking in
challenge, her entire body saying come play if you can keep up. Another mad
dash and a leap and she was crashing into the side of him, her momentum
managing to shift him off his balance enough,  he had to side step. While he
was collecting himself, or more likely just stunned by her behavior, she darted
away, using her gargoyle speed to bolt out of range of any retaliation.

A glance over
her shoulder showed she need not have worried. Gregory was sitting on his
haunches, his wings tucked loosely against his back and his tail flicking
slowly, his expression bemused. While he was still dumbfounded by her actions,
she inched closer to where she’d left the collars in the grass.

“Gregory, I need
you to look at these for me and determine if they are safe.”

He still hadn’t
said one word to her, but Lillian saw a spark of intelligence in his gaze,
buried underneath the many layers of the siren’s enchantment. Now, if she could
only reach that one small part.

Gregory tilted
his head, sniffed and closed the distance between them until only a couple feet
separated them. His gaze strayed to the collars for a moment and then slid back
to land solidly on Lillian.

Sidling up next
to him, she gave his shoulder a playful nip. Gregory’s lightning fast response
caught her by surprise and she found herself on her back, her wings trapped
under her and the heavier bulk of a male in his prime, pinning her to the
ground.

Gregory watched
her with something other than the earlier vacant look. No, the heat there was
far from vacant. However, heated look and returning intelligence were not the
same thing. But a little heat might make him more biddable and willing to
listen to her. She really did need him to study the collars.

He sniffed at
her, and then ran the underside of his jaw along her shoulder, up her neck, and
over her muzzle. He did the same strange routine on the other side. Poking
around a bit with his muzzle, he found another spot, the inside of her lower
forearm, and shimmied his muzzle along there as well.

Ah, he was scent
marking.

“You smell the
other gargoyles. They were my father and brother, nothing for you to get
jealous over. They mean me no harm. At the moment, they are dealing with the
Riven to give me the time I need to free you from Tethys.”

A non-conversational
grunt was her only answer. He worked his way lower, rubbing all along her side,
hitting each and every rib, and then over her flat belly before moving back up
the other side, the same path in reverse.

She waited until
he was back up by her collar bone again, then started placing gentle nips and
kisses along his shoulders and throat. Gregory froze in place. Only his tail
continued to sway, the movement somewhat jerking. Then he began to purr.

Scent marking
was one thing. What she was embarking on now was altogether something else, and
far more dangerous. But Lillian saw no other way forward.

“The siren is
trying to claim you from me.”

Gregory stopped
his rumbling purr and narrowed his eyes at her.

“It’s true. She
wants your power, to use you like everyone else wants to use you. I won’t let
either Tethys or the Lady of Battles have you.” She brought her hands up and
clamped them around his forearms, her fingers digging into his biceps. “You’re
mine, and no one else’s.”

His rumbling
purr started up again and he dipped his muzzle down to kiss her shoulder, then
the hollow of her throat. She nearly started purring herself. Who would have
thought that little dip between neck and shoulders could be such an erogenous
zone? She lowered her muzzle to her chest, forcing Gregory to move from his
designated target long enough so she could regain the ability to think.

His scent had
intensified, swamping her senses with his pheromones. Somehow his tail had
found hers where it was trapped under her body and he’d planted one knee
between her thighs. Her jaws parted hoping for more air without the drugging
influence of his pheromones, but it only made it worse, she could taste his
essence. Each lungful of air drew it deeper into her body. She did purr then,
surprising herself.

Another species
characteristic and not just a quirk of Gregory’s.

That little bit
of information seemed to stimulate her brain enough to get it functioning. Her
plan had somehow derailed, rather more quickly than she wanted to admit, and it
was her failing not Gregory’s.

Touching him,
she could feel what he was feeling. His deep love for her was still there, but
what he was feeling at this exact moment was more physical than emotional. And
that fact was a nice icy bucket of water on her own lust. Suddenly, what she
was doing felt very, very wrong, too much like taking advantage of an
emotionally vulnerable person while they were intoxicated out of their mind.

The last tendril
of lust wilted, and Lillian dug her heels in and tried to push out from
underneath Gregory’s greater weight. His arms tightened around her and his
purring changed into a growl. Her heart tripped into a pounding rhythm at the
sound.

Yet because he
was also pressed against her, she could touch his mind and it opened to hers,
his thoughts completely unguarded for the first time.

And so many
things became clear she wanted to cry. Not in fear. Even when he growled, she
knew he wouldn’t hurt her. It was the siren’s command to capture Lillian and
bring her back getting mixed up with Gregory’s more physical instincts. When
she stopped struggling, he immediately relaxed and returned to grooming her.
The scent marking, licking, and gentle nips were all part of gargoyle
courtship.

Needing to know
more about Gregory, she pushed her own body’s reactions to the back of her
mind, ignoring them as much as possible to better focus on what her other half
needed. There was something, just at the very edge of his thoughts, something
buried that he didn’t want to face himself, a dark secret he wanted to remain
hidden.

She knew Gregory
was packing a lot of blame and guilt about everything that had gone wrong in
this lifetime, but the magnitude of that guilt became clear when his thoughts
flowed over hers. He felt responsible. He was the protector and it was his duty
to protect his Sorceress from all dangers. But he’d failed so many times
recently. And now even his body betrayed him, craving an unwholesome
relationship. He was unworthy of her.

“Oh, Gregory,”
she kissed his jaw, then rubbed her muzzle against his. “You are worthy. You
are the most brave, noble, and kind person I know. No matter what you crave, I
am your other half, and I exist to fill that need.”

She opened her
heart and mind, offering up all she was to him.

And he took what
she offered, absorbing her love and acceptance into his soul. Slowly his
emotional turmoil abated, and his purring increased in volume. The delicious
vibrations traveled over her skin, even her breastbone reverberated gently to
the rhythm of his deep croon.

Now was the
moment. It had to be now or she’d lose her nerve.

“Beloved,” she
called softly, pushing away her doubts and reservations for what she was about
to do, “I want you to belong only to me.”

“I have ever
been yours,” he growled softly against her ear, his voice raw with emotion. “No
one else’s, not even those few times when I gave my seed to another to beget a
child so we might have the raising of it.”

Hating herself a
little bit more she said, “That once was true, but it’s not entirely accurate
anymore, is it?”

Gregory whined
softly, his ears flicking and then flattening to his mane as if they wanted to
vanish, to hide. He buried his muzzle in her hair and pressed harder against
her.

“The siren holds
some influence over you.” She ran her fingers through his mane, soothing,
caressing and then tugging gently when he wouldn’t face her or her words. “You
can’t hide the truth from me.”

“Her magic
infiltrated my defenses while I was weak. She said she’d make you whole, make
us one. Once she had you, she promised that she’d convince you to possess me,
hold me so closely to your heart and soul that it would be like we were one
again. I would be complete.” Gregory shuddered in her arms. “I so very much
wanted it to be true, even as another part knew it to be wrong. I tried to
fight it in the beginning. But she didn’t want to harm you, she wanted to make
you whole.”

“Easy.” Lillian
caressed him, whispering soothing words. “I know. She promised me the same
thing.”

As he poured his
heart out to her, she held out hope he was returning to himself, that he might
be able to break the siren’s hold without the collars.

“Tethys’s spell
grows stronger by the hour as she takes strength from the other Fae. I can feel
her tendrils tightening around my heart and mind.”

Now that
didn’t sound good.

“If she had only
tried to order me to do something to harm you, my magic would have tagged her
as a threat and destroyed her while she was still weak enough. But she knows
what we are, what we mean to each other and had the wisdom to order me to
protect you.”

Lillian
tightened her hold on Gregory. “It’s okay. I have a plan to free you from her
influence. I have two magical artifacts I want you to look at. I’m told they
will protect the wearers from outside magic—I just don’t know if I can trust the
source. I’m rather hoping you might know better by looking at them. Because if
they are safe to use and we can manage to activate them, we will be immune to
Tethys’ magic and able to neutralize the threat. Gran told me a siren’s
enchantments die with her.”

“That is true.”

“While my plan
will free you from the siren, there is something I will be asking for in turn.
And I fear it will be a heavy price.”

He braced
himself on one arm, so his upper body lifted away. His gaze sought hers, and
twin pools of shining dark anguish looked down upon her. “Anything. I would pay
anything to solely belong to you again.”

“The price is
high. Give yourself to me and I will take your freedom and claim you as mine
and mine alone. I must own you heart and soul….though I hope it will only need
to be for a little while.”

Gregory
shuddered above her as he gasped into her mane, “All those things have been
yours for a hundred millennia, all you ever had to do was claim them. Take them
now, I offer them freely.”

Her heart
pounding with dread and shame, she took up a collar from where it rested in the
grass. It was the one intended for her own neck, she saw, its workmanship of a
more delicate nature. Fear sparked through her mind, but she forced her hands
to snap the collar around her own neck. It was heavier than she’d expected, and
cold, so cold. Only slowly did it began to warm to her body.