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Chapter 14
After a night of no sleep, I slouched on the window with Gingernuts in my lap, staring out into the morning blue skies. The heavens had no right to gleam with such beauty when my life had come to an abrupt stop. All my escape attempts had failed, and this whole time I’d foolishly held on to false hope. Now my future lay scattered in a thousand pieces. What was the use of continuing to fight if I always ended up farther behind than I’d been when I’d started?
What about Gage, Reed, and Kahlo? Had they been caught at the mansion? Were they now slaves, wearing those fucking magic rings around their necks? I trembled, picturing them beaten into submission like the panthers had been. And what could I do? Fuck all! Sit here and cry. This was why I’d kept my distance from people and never gotten close—because I wore bad luck like skin and it never failed to fuck me up.
Gingernuts meowed, and I scratched his head. “Sorry, I don’t think I’ll be able to give you my hair anymore.” He stared at me with wide eyes, as if he understood my words, and purred.
“It’s just the two of us now.” My throat tightened. “Like before.”
And me.
“Yep, me, my cat, and my second personality. Talk about messed up.”
Last night’s events kept leaping through my mind. Faye, the witch with the purple eyes, was a nasty piece of work. Of course if anyone I knew was involved in the abuse of shifters and kidnaping them, she’d be at its heart. She’d aided the creepy man in the cloak, but why were they stealing shifters? Those panthers had behaved so obediently and loyally after donning the electric choker. Even the eagle shifter who’d carried me home had worn one. Were they creating a group of personal servants or warriors?
A whistle came from the woods, and I scanned the area below. An owl?
Two figures emerged from within the trees and stepped into the clearing beneath the sunlight. My heart shivered. Reed stood alongside Gage. Neither of them appeared injured, but where was Kahlo? My stomach dropped at the thought of him captured.
My thoughts flew to the gargoyle, and dread rocked through me. It would tear them apart. I jumped to my feet, nudging Gingernuts off my lap, and he protested with a meow. “Don’t come here!” I called out. “Leave. Now!”
A shadow fell over the window as the stone guardian sailed overhead, its wings tucked against its body as it dove toward the newcomers.
My heart banged against my ribcage.
“Run! Get the hell out of there!” I hugged myself, unable to peel my gaze from Reed hauling Gage back into the forest.
I swallowed hard, watching the gargoyle take a tight turn away from their position. He swept across the field and circled the tower. A long exhale gushed past my lips. I paced back and forth, my mind a buzz.
What about Kahlo? I could never forgive myself if he was harmed. Grief sat on my chest like a boulder, squeezing me from the inside out. The corners of my eyes stung, and I wiped away the tears.
Would the men now realize coming near me was impossible?
I plonked down on the window’s edge and hugged my bent legs.
When a figure burst upward from within the canopy of trees in the distance, I dropped my feet to the floor. “What the hell?”
Huge wings glistened and twinkled like jewels beneath the sunlight in shades of fiery reds and oranges, supported by a normal-sized body.
“Gage!”
The gargoyle thundered after him.
I cried out. “Gage, get out of here!”
But he flew upward, beating his wings, with the monster pursuing him. My stomach locked up at the sight of him risking his life.
Below in the field, I caught more movement. Reed rushed toward me and scaled the tower. Gage was the distraction.
By the time the lion shifter reached the window, my insides grew tighter than my pants when I ate too much. Without a word, Reed rushed over my hair scattered across the floor and hauled me into an embrace. He squished me between his strong arms, and I floated on his musky scents. He kissed the top of my head, my nose, and lips. “You’re safe. We thought we’d lost you.”
“Where’s Kahlo? Why are you here?” I glanced outside to find Gage circling the air with the gargoyle on his tail. How long before exhaustion took him?
“Kahlo’s safe.” Reed’s arms wound around me like vines. “We heard your screams, but we couldn’t see you behind the barrier. We waited all night and when no one left the property, we panicked.”
“They took me into an underground tunnel and I passed out until we reached the woods closer to my tower.”
“Yes, Kahlo insisted tunnels existed under Darkwoods and maybe there was an entrance under the house, so Reed and I have been searching for you all night, and we figured we’d try the tower.” His words softened and his mouth fell to mine, kissing me with such intensity, I sensed his trembling. I kissed him back, harder and desperate to merge with him and never resurface.
