New Guy tossed me up into the air and banked, heading for the bird.

“Oh shii—” I flapped my arms for some insane reason, caught off guard.

A moment later, coming to my senses, I switched to flapping my wings and quickly climbed in altitude. Turning, I found two gargoyles had stationed themselves between me and the thunderbird, clearly guarding me in case it managed to shake off the stone skin. But the thunderbird flailed, one set of wings wounded, the gargoyles working on the other. In a matter of moments, the bird tucked its wings in and fell like a stone, crashing through the trees and into the ground.

I followed it down, the others allowing me to go first. I stuck my landing, meaning that I hit it wrong, staggered, and then fell flat on my face. The snap of wings announced the arrival of New Guy, who held out a firm but gentle helping hand. Lord only knew what he thought of the illustrious female gargoyle.

Pushing that thought aside, I stepped forward and found a tall, well-muscled man lying on his stomach in his birthday suit, his dark skin glistening with sweat and his head turned to the side. Both arms were tucked under him in a defensive position and his back rose and fell with breath. Not dead.

I changed into my skin, trying not to show how uncomfortable I was being naked in front of a stranger.

“Hey.” I wrapped bands of magic around him to keep him put before edging closer. “Do you die and come back? Should I kill you to win, like the phoenix? I don’t know anything about thunderbirds.”

“All you had to do was kill the phoenix. I wasn’t part of the trial. I left that battle out front to get out of the way. I’m just the other guy.”

I lifted my eyebrows as I felt Austin draw closer. “Oh? But you were just…attacking us.”

“Are you stupid or something?” He tried to reposition and groaned. “You all attacked me first! What am I supposed to do, just take it? The phoenix is more dominant. Like I said, I’m just the other guy. I got the summons. I met her along the way.”

I grimaced as Austin ran into the trees, his fur restored to snowy white, the burned patches gone. He changed into his skin, his gaze devouring every inch of me, making sure I was all right.

“This guy says he’s not part of the trial?” I said to Austin.

Kingsley paced within the trees, still in his tiger form, his eyes on the new gargoyle standing just beside me. Austin didn’t pay him any notice.

“The phoenix was the more dominant of the pair,” he said, turning to look at the downed man now that my safety was accounted for. “Is he bound?”

“Yeah. Should I undo that?” I asked hesitantly.

“What kind of clown show is this?” said the man on the ground.

“She’s new to magic,” Austin said.

“So…we didn’t have to go after him?” I asked hesitantly.

“No…” the man on the ground said, and it sounded more like a long groan. “Why did you call us if you didn’t know what you were doing?”

“I didn’t call you specifically,” I said, kneeling beside him, hunching so most of my body was covered. His face was angled in the opposite direction. “I basically made a list and called whoever fit it.”

“Some list,” he murmured. “Did he say you’re new to magic?”

“Yeah.”

He flinched when I laid my palm on his back, closing my eyes and feeling around his body, like a magical X-ray. Austin stood beside me, probably in case this guy tried to pull a fast one.

“Broken arms, bruised ribs, and your neck hurts,” I said, leaving my hand where it was. “It must hurt to lie on them.”

“It does.”

“O-kay. Well, I can heal you if you’re telling the truth about your role here.”

“I hate my life,” he muttered.

“Go ahead,” Austin said.

I started the process and then stood. I didn’t need to keep touching him for it to work.

“You’re a female gargoyle, aren’t you?” the man asked, still not moving.

“Yeah. Your arms aren’t going to heal properly if you keep lying on them.”

“I don’t want you savages to damage them further.”

“Right, but…right now, you are damaging them further.”

He flopped over onto his back, a leaf stuck to his privates, reminding me of those statues that had fig leaves carved onto them after the fact. His body was perfectly sculpted, his muscles shining with sweat in the moonlight. He had tight black curls, a handsome face with a wide nose, and a scowl meant for me.

“None of this makes sense,” he said, still holding his arms to his chest. “I haven’t heard of a living female gargoyle. Someone would’ve said.”

“Do you want help up?” I asked.

“Not really.”

“I’m new to magic. I’m the heir of Ivy House.”

“So?”

“So she imparts magic to the person of her choice. She chose me. The magic she imparts is that of a female gargoyle. Hence, I am a female gargoyle and am new to magic.”

“You have a crapload of power.”

“I just got a bunch of it tonight.”

He rolled his eyes to the sky. “I’ve never been very lucky. Now what?”

I looked at Austin. “They have to stay in Ivy House, right? There are no hotels close by with vacancies?”

He nodded slowly. “The danger should be squared away.”

Ivy House magic was back online, I could feel it. She’d make sure they stayed in line while they were in residence.

As one, we both realized the piece we’d forgotten.

There was a new gargoyle on the scene, and his compliance wasn’t connected to the phoenix. I hoped he wouldn’t pose as many problems for Austin as the last alpha gargoyle.

Twenty-Four

The next day, midafternoon, Austin pulled out of his garage. He and Kingsley were heading to Ivy House for a strategy meeting. They had just under a month before the mage’s visit. The territory was still in chaos, but Jess had gained three important advantages the previous night.

“I don’t get you, Austin.” Kingsley clicked his seatbelt into place. He shook his head, looking out of the window, allowing himself freedom of expression, since Austin was family. “You left her alone overnight, sleeping and vulnerable, with three powerful strangers. You could’ve returned to Ivy House after you took care of the shifters who’d snuck into town.”

“You don’t understand. When she’s in that house, she’s safe.”

“But they were in there with her. A door is an easy thing to get through. You’ve been away from pack life for too long. You need to protect your own.”

Austin tightened his fingers on the steering wheel. “I can’t protect her like Ivy House can. It’s a magical Fort Knox, Kingsley. You have no idea.”

Kingsley pulled the seatbelt away, holding it out so it didn’t press into him. “Maybe so, but you’re holding back. I’m not trying to tell you your business, but…Jess is nothing like Destiny. Nothing like her. Destiny twisted your head all around. On purpose. She saw potential, young and dumb potential, and she manipulated you. But you’ve come a long way since then, even before you left the pack. Giving in and officially committing to Miss Ivy House isn’t going to turn you into the guy you once were. Nothing will, at this point.”

“Destiny did nothing more than highlight what I’m capable of. Who I am.”

“Your bullheadedness in the face of opposition, your ability to cut out everything but winning, your unbridled determination to claim dominance… Those are all highly prized qualities in a shifter. She just coaxed them out before you had the ability to control them.”

Austin shook his head. “I think time has glossed over what went down.”

“It wasn’t time that gave me a new perspective,” Kingsley said. “She moved on to another pack, picked out another young alpha, and finally got her way.”

That was news to Austin. Although he had heard she’d moved on, he’d never asked for details.

“The next guy was strong and fierce, but he couldn’t see his way through the rage she’d wound up in him,” Kingsley said. “Strong of body but not of mind. He killed the pack alpha and replaced her. Killed the beta, too, giving that role to Destiny. Then the kid killed his own father for trying to do right by the pack and take him down. Killed his nephew for getting in the way. He ran that pack into the ground. The alpha of one of the neighboring packs, who’d tried to help but wasn’t strong enough, contacted me five years or so ago, and I traveled there to take him down. I tried to help his people pick up the pieces, but they were in poverty by then. Those who could afford to get out had already left. I accepted any willing shifters into my pack and paid for the rest to be reunited with family or head out on their own. It was not a pretty sight. Destiny had long since left.”

Austin wound the Jeep through the hillside, dense trees shutting out his view of what lay beyond. “How can you be sure she’s the one who drove him to it? Maybe she just has a type. I would’ve run the pack into the ground, too.”

“The shifters in that pack said otherwise.” Kingsley paused for a moment. “And you’re wrong. You wouldn’t have driven the pack into the ground. You were ready to take over when you left. Half of the pack was calling for you to replace me.”

Austin pulled into an outlet and stopped. Here it came.

He looked straight ahead, waiting, bracing himself.

Kingsley watched him for a long time before speaking.

“You left my pack in pieces when you walked away,” he finally said.

Austin nodded. “Yes, I did. I apologize for that. I have apologized for that. But I told you that I would leave when the pack’s allegiance shifted, and I meant it. You’re the best alpha I’ve ever known, Kingsley.”

“I’ve thought about this for years. No other alpha of your stature would’ve left. It must have torn you apart to go, knowing what it would do to the pack.”