“That was loud,” I whispered.

“I can’t hear the others through that magical barrier. If there’s another barrier of some sort down below, I doubt anyone will hear anything,” he said, swinging his legs over the lip of the cage and slowly lowering himself.

“That hairy creature said he couldn’t let me down because of the noise.” I touched a healed part on his pec, his skin almost waxy in appearance.

He covered my hand with his and his eyes softened. “He was probably just saying that to save his skin. Those mages would kill someone for less, I have no doubt. Nice fashion. That a new trend?”

I looked down at my backward shirt. “I was leaving room for my wings.”

“Gotcha. About that, how’s it coming?”

“Do you see any wings?”

“It’s going well, then, got it.” His chest rose and fell with a deep breath, and he looked down at the spikes below. “Your healing magic works incredibly quickly. Or maybe it just feels that way because you’re numbing the pain.”

“How are we going to get out of here, Austin? I don’t know that you can jump down there without hitting those spikes, and even if you didn’t, you’d probably go splat.”

“I can’t, no. That’s out of the question.” His gaze roamed my face. “I’m waiting on my knight in shining armor to save me. That’s you, by the way. I figured you needed a damsel to live out your true potential.”

I lowered my brow, my stare definitely hostile and probably unhinged. “This isn’t a time to joke. I couldn’t even get that lock to open, and my wings won’t come. I’m dead in the water. I’m basically just waiting for the bad guys to save me at this point.”

He spread his arms. “And then I came along and ruined your plans.” His expression sobered. “I apologize. Whatever you’re doing with your magic is making me feel like I’ve taken a happy pill. Listen, Jess, your days of being rescued are over. You have the ability to save yourself—and me. There’s a reason Ivy House chose you above the Havercamps and everyone else. Mr. Tom, Niamh, and Edgar—they all know Ivy House chose correctly. I know Ivy House chose correctly. All that’s left is for you to believe it. I need you, Jacinta. I need you to fly me out of here, because I am positive they will kill me when they find me with you. I’ll make it incredibly hard for them, but there’s not much I can do stuck up here in human form. They’ll take me out. I’ve put my fate in your hands. I’ve put my life in your hands.”

“But why?” I groaned out, dread overcoming me.

“Because I know you can do it,” he said softly. “I believe in you.”

I shook my head. “Even if my wings come out, they’re going to be smaller and weaker than the guys’.”

“They’ll be big enough and strong enough to carry me in human form. I don’t weigh that much. Mostly.”

I blew out a slow breath, searching his eyes for a hint of doubt or nervousness, but all I found was unwavering support and conviction.

A soft metallic squeal interrupted my teeth grinding. My heart racing, I looked down at the shadowy area, wondering if someone was coming for us. Best-case scenario would be the hairy creature, but who knew what he would do with an intruder.

The cage jolted, dropping an inch.

Austin grabbed my shoulders out of impulse, looking up. Niamh and the others pushed closer to the barrier, something clearly sparking their worry.

“What was that?” I asked quietly, the cage shaking and my voice shaking with it.

“I might’ve put that chain under too much stress.” Not letting go of my arms, he bent backward, looking down at the spikes below. When he glanced back up at me, any signs of mirth had completely dried up. “We’re out of time. You can do this, Jacinta. Remember what I said? Grab life by the balls? Well, this time, grab your magic by the balls. You control it, not the other way around. Think about what you want, and do it.”

The soft squealing preceded another jolt, dropping us a little further. The link connected to the cage was clearly pulling free. I didn’t have to see it to know that. When it released, down we’d go.

It wasn’t just Austin’s life in my hands—it was both of ours. No one would come to save us.

I had to play hero, or die trying.

26

“Jumping out isn’t going to work.” I licked my lips, my mind running a mile a minute. “I almost died falling from that cliff and nothing happened.” I turned my back to him. “Brush my… Brush your fingers right next to my shoulder blades. Maybe it’ll help if I can feel the spot where the wings are supposed to be.”

Another squeal from the chain made me flinch.

The soft brush of Austin’s fingertips sent a ripple of heat through me, but the spot wasn’t connecting. Something about it felt wrong.

“Smaller wings, yes, but I’m still a female gargoyle…” I clenched my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut when the cage jolted down. Austin’s touch didn’t speed up, nor did it become harder. He didn’t show the fear he must be feeling…

Incredulity roared through me when I checked on him through our magical connection.

I turned around with wide eyes, finding his beautiful cobalt gaze completely open, and completely trusting. He wasn’t afraid at all. Not even a little bit. He wasn’t nervous or wary. He believed, with everything in him, that I could do this. He was just waiting for it to happen. I felt the strength of his conviction like I felt my own terror.

Something unfurled within me. Tears came to my eyes, and this time it wasn’t frustration. This time I didn’t even know what it was.

A thought occurred to me, like a lightning bolt crashing down.

“I don’t just sprout wings, I change form. I’m a female gargoyle. I’m not human anymore, I’m a creature, like Mr. Tom and Damarion. I’m not human, I’m magical…”

Excitement and awe bubbled through me.

Austin nodded, a little smile tickling his lips. “So then, be magical,” he said softly.

“Be magical,” I whispered.

Hearing yet another squeal above us, I shrugged out of my backward shirt and pushed down my pants. I couldn’t change fully dressed. I had to get comfortable in my birthday suit like the other magical people did. The time for modesty was over—I had a couple of lives to save.

“What if I get stuck in rock form?” I asked.

“It’s simple—I need you to save me. You don’t have time to get stuck.”

“Right. O-kay.” I nodded in determination. “No time to get stuck.”

“You’re young for your kind, anyway. You wouldn’t get stuck for long.”

I grinned. Midlife for a human, young for a gargoyle, and I still didn’t give a flying fig what people thought of me. I could live with that.

I just had to make this change so I could live with that.

“But still, don’t get stuck,” I said, standing naked before Austin, noticing he was standing at attention again.

“Sorry about that,” he murmured, his voice deep and thick and a little embarrassed. “You’re beautiful, and I don’t have much control over that part of my body.” He shrugged. “My turn to feel a little awkward—I didn’t mean to look.”

Not like I could complain—I’d been caught looking plenty of times.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, remembering Mr. Tom changing. Remembering Damarion snapping out his wings. Remembering how Ulric looked when he cut through the sky. Remembering what it felt like to soar high above the ground.

A sound like boulders sliding down a hill gave me a thrill of anticipation and a little surge of fear. This wasn’t natural for me. The thought of changing into something other than myself…

“I’m right here, Jacinta,” Austin said, his words wrapping around me comfortingly. “We’re in this together. Let’s grab life by the balls.”

Grab life by the balls.

I could do this.

I’d accepted the magic, I’d accepted the responsibility, Austin was counting on me…

I could do this!

The cage jolted down. That chain wouldn’t hold us much longer.

Energy surged through my suddenly heavy limbs. My skin stretched and a shock of blistering heat boiled my blood. Before I could call out, euphoria took over, drowning me in bliss. A tingle sliced down two spots on my back near where Austin had touched me earlier.

Snap.

I felt the slide of the bars against my wings.

My wings! I had wings!

I opened my eyes to smile, and then stared down in shock at the purplish, luminescent skin covering my body. My fingers ended in sharp black claws, and unlike the guys, I had a pair of breasts with dark, budded nipples that currently had Austin’s undivided attention.

“Hey.”

That word didn’t come out as “hey,” though, it came out as “ha-aye” because a couple of fangs now needed room in my mouth. My pronunciation was better than that of my male counterparts, however, which meant my face and teeth probably (hopefully) didn’t look as gruesome.

Austin looked up almost lazily, his eyes lidded and filled with awe. We might’ve been standing on Ivy House’s front lawn for all the urgency he displayed.

I knew better, though.

My wings folded up with barely a thought, as natural as stepping forward and putting out my arms for Austin, which I also did. He shook himself out of his daze.

“The female of the species is much better looking than the male,” he said with a smile, and wrapped his arms around me, one sliding under my wings and across my back, the other over my shoulder and diagonally down, so he’d have a good grip.

“Go,” I mostly said, feeling drool slide down my chin. I couldn’t grimace with this new face. It probably looked like a permanent grimace anyway, going off the others.

The squeal increased in pitch, the metal giving way. This was it. This was our last chance. We jumped and flew, or we jumped and plummeted to our deaths. It was all up to me.