“Sorry you had to come all this way.” She took a step back, and the invisible hold she’d had on Austin released, allowing him to stand. She took his hand. “But it’s pretty clear we can’t be friends.” She turned to go, but stopped. “Oh, and I saw your fear when you looked at Austin Steele earlier. The only reason he didn’t tear you apart was out of respect for me. Next time, he can do as he pleases. Trust me, you’d rather deal with me.”

As she turned, Kinsella fell from the sky, landing on the chair and crashing to the ground.

“That sounded like it hurt,” she said, holding Austin’s hand on the way out. Her people stood and followed without a word.

Outside, Kingsley lifted his eyebrows.

“Make sure they leave without destroying anything,” Austin told him.

“Sebastian—stop laughing—you stay too.” Jess looked behind her. “Make sure none of ours get hurt.”

“What about us?” Niamh called as Austin pulled the door open for Jess.

“We should go.” Cyra pushed her glasses farther up her nose with her pointer finger. “That man’s ego was very fragile. Jessie made him feel small—rightly so—and he will seek revenge. He seemed clueless. It would be best to surprise him with our—all of our—talents.”

“She has a valid point,” Austin said. Then he waited for Jess’s response, making sure Cyra saw that Jess had the final word in this crew. If there’d been a question on leadership, he’d just helped Cyra answer it.

“They have a lot of people, though,” she said, and concern bled through the link. “They have a lot of mages and who knows what else. Kingsley’s people are outnumbered.”

Austin huffed out a laugh. “But not even close to outmatched. We have a lot of shifters in the woods. He’ll be fine.”

She shrugged. “Okay, then. Let’s go back to Ivy House. I’m starving. I would’ve liked to try the food there. It’s a nice restaurant.”

“We’ll come back when the company is better.” He closed the door, and Sebastian appeared five feet away, putting an empty vial into his pocket.

“Any intelligent mage would pack it in and head out after that scene inside,” Sebastian said. “She gave him a show of her true power, and a smart mage would know when he was beaten. This mage is a moron, and Cyra is right: he has a fragile ego and will not think kindly on Jessie’s”—he shook with laughter, having a hard time getting the words out—“response.” He laughed harder and wiped his eyes. “Her response was so brazen it was comical. Mages and power players are usually subtle and sly to their enemy’s faces and then cunning and lethal behind their backs. Jessie just made him look like a chump!” He held his stomach and guffawed. “In front of all his people!”

“Is there a point?” Austin asked.

“Yes, sorry.” Sebastian wiped his eyes again. “Sorry! Yes. The point is…” He straightened up. “The point is that this mage will want to get even. You haven’t seen the last of him. If—when—they engage, make sure your shifters make your response a spectacle. The more brutal, the better. Most mages I know think like he does. Even I had no idea of your power. Of your types of power. To best protect Miss Ironheart, you should make a display my kind will think twice about before deciding to engage.”

Thirty-One

“What an absolute…” I huffed out a breath, trying to think of a swear big enough for Kinsella, and pushed back in my seat as Austin hit the gas and the car lurched forward. “Drive fast. I’m still really angry about the things that mage said about you. Lap dog…” My jaw ached from clenching it so hard. “He was clearly afraid of you. Who was he trying to fool? He was spitting in my eye, that’s what he was doing.”

Lust filtered through the link. Delight. Austin was responding to my possessiveness. He probably thought it was funny, like Sebastian did, but my God, when that idiot mage was so dismissive of Austin, it had set something off in me that I couldn’t hope to control. It was like a tidal wave of black rage had wiped out all my logical thinking and ability to reason. All I’d wanted to do was kill. If Sebastian hadn’t talked me around, I would’ve. It had been a very close call.

I looked at my incredibly handsome boyfriend in his slick suit, the red dash lights highlighting his cheekbones and shapely lips. Maybe it was time to ask the guys about mating as a female gargoyle. Ulric would know the scoop, and if he didn’t, he’d find out. I needed to know what was coming my way. This thing between Austin and me might blow over in a couple of days maybe, but…

I stopped that thought even as my heart surged, expanding until it filled my whole chest. My whole being. No one had ever supported me like Austin did. He’d always bent over backwards to accommodate me, to change his life to make mine easier, and he’d ignored that awful man’s slights tonight so I could keep the meeting peaceful if I wanted to. At one point, he would’ve even allowed that disgusting human being to wave him away from the table like he had that woman. Austin would’ve endured the treatment…for me.

The feeling swelled until I could barely stand it. Until I had to reach out and touch him, placing my hand on his thigh, the urge to straddle his lap overwhelming.

“Thank you,” I said softly. “For everything.”

He sped onto the highway before covering my hand with his. “I’m at your service.”

This wasn’t going to blow over. Maybe some would call this a rebound—the divorce had only gone down a year ago—but it felt like I’d finally found my home. Finally found the person who both grounded me and lifted me up. There weren’t one in a million guys like Austin Steele, and having met his brother, I knew he came from a family of good, solid people. This wasn’t an act. Why keep looking when I’d found someone who was perfect for me?

I let my head fall back against the headrest and looked out the window, taking a deep breath.

“I really like you,” I whispered.

“I really like you too,” he replied, just as quietly, his words almost inaudible over the roar of the engine. “I’ve always really liked you, since the first moment you walked into my bar.”

I felt the warmth of his thigh through my palm, and I increased the sensitivity of the link so he could feel the aching for him in my core. He sucked in a breath, and I smiled.

“Ironheart,” I said. “Do the people of this town think I’m a jerk, or something?” I asked as he slowed for a turn. “Why else would they give me a name like that? Iron is worse than a heart of stone.”

Austin chuckled. “I think the iron alludes to your strength. It’s one of the hardest metals on earth, and it’s been a go-to metal for tool and weapons makers throughout the ages. It’s also one of the components in steel. I think the whole town knows the pack wouldn’t exist without you. They know that I do all this for you. To protect you.”

I wiped a tear away. “Stop being so sweet. It’s ruining my makeup.”

He smiled and squeezed my hand. “Heart refers to your generous heart. Your empathy. Your mercy. You always think of the safety of those around you. Everyone in this town knows they can count on you clearing them out and keeping them safe whenever anything dangerous happens in a crowded place. You are strong and your heart is pure. Ironheart.”

“Wow.” I didn’t know what else to say. That was incredibly touching. It was better than any name I could have chosen for myself.

“Haven’t you ever wondered why Ryan sits near you?”

I frowned at his mention of Sasquatch, but I had to admit, yes I did. He got so much abuse from Niamh, and he couldn’t stand me. Yet he always seemed to sit near us.

“He isn’t much of a shifter, but he knows how to survive,” Austin said. “He chooses the safest place in the bar. When you’re there, it is near you.”

Now I really didn’t know what to say.

“Kingsley told me that I’d leveled up with you.” He slowed as he approached Ivy House. “I agree with him.”

“I think you guys have that backwards.”

“Agree to disagree. Do you mind if I stay tonight? I’d take you to my house, but under the circumstances, I think Ivy House is safer.”

“You never have to ask. The answer is always yes.”

“You say that now. Wait until I piss you off.” He turned off the car and got out. He opened my door a moment later and reached down to help me out.

“I don’t think it’s me you have to worry about when it comes to that.” I stepped close, pressing my body firmly against his. “It’s pissing off Ivy House that you should be wary of.”

“Until you get rid of those dolls, I’d have to agree.” He leaned down and met my lips with his, his kiss deep and sensual. He shut the car door before swooping me up into his arms and holding me to his chest. “It was hot when you defended my honor.” He started walking to the house. “No wonder Kingsley never checks Earnessa when she violently reacts to other women flirting with him.”

“Shifters are nuts.”

“Apparently so are female gargoyles.”

“Did you hear what that guy said about Elliot Graves? He confirmed what Sebastian said. He’s a has-been.”

“Yes. In all of this, it has become increasingly apparent how ignorant we are of the larger world of magic. You’re not to blame, obviously, but the rest of us have practically been hibernating from the rest of the world. My brother has not been subtle in his disapproval. When this is over, we’ll need to remedy that.”

“But why is Elliot so obsessed with me and Ivy House?”

“A comeback, maybe? Wanting to use your magic to be relevant again? It’s clear he’s still being heavily watched. He might not be a player right now, but he’s not obscure.”

Ivy House opened the front door for us. Once inside, Austin didn’t set me down. He carried me up the stairs and into my bedroom, closing the door with a sweep of his foot. He gently lowered me to the ground and sucked in my bottom lip, his hands on my hips and then my breasts.