Knights-of-Stone-Bryce Read Online Free Page A

human was torn to pieces. Whoever attacked him had drained him of much of his blood. The local police were stumped during their investigation. They knew of us from previous generations who told them we watched and guarded the area, but we’d never interacted. No reason to—until the murder. So a few of them sought us out.” She paused to glance into his eyes. “This is all under cover, you understand? Most humans don’t know of our existence, these days.”
    “I’m well aware.” Shifters revealing themselves to humans was always a gamble.
    “We couldn’t determine the cause of deaths—nor determine who was responsible,” Mairi continued. “But we had to try to track the murderers down. So a half dozen of us went to search for them each night, rotating through shifts. The scents we picked up were unfamiliar, but not human, which made them all the more dangerous. And one evening, we spotted an attack.”
    When she paused, Bryce asked, “Were you there?”
    “No. But I heard about it from my clan mates.”
    Bryce stayed quiet, waiting for her to continue. After a pause, she did.
    “They caught these beings surrounding an older man on the outskirts of the village. They’d torn his arms off and were drinking his blood. By the time the gargoyles reached him, the old man had bled out. A fight ensued. My clan mates against these—things. Dark wings. Bird-like creatures. None of us had ever encountered a dangerous creature of this kind. We guessed they were demons. They flew off, but returned two nights later, and launched an attack on our clan. They were utterly devious. We had many eyes out on watch, and yet these beings managed to slip through undetected. How?” She shook her head.
    “Some type of dark magic?” Bryce offered.
    “It had to be.” She ran her fingers through pebbles at her feet, creating a deep groove before they fell back into place.
    Her countenance turned troubled. Although many questions formed, he waited for her to compose herself. Seconds passed.
    “They had the advantage with the surprise of the attack,” she declared. “They’d planned it well. Luring one or two away from the others at a time. Attacking two on one. Picking off gargoyles one by one, destroying them by any means possible. Dismembering. Beheading.” Her voice caught in her throat, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
    Although one part of him had remained suspicious of her, a stranger intruding in his territory, his reservations lessened with each passing minute. With her grief evident and terror almost palpable, her intense emotions threatened to capture and swallow him whole.
    He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I made you relive that.”
    “It’s—it’s…” She opened her eyes and raised her hand. “It’s all right. It felt good to get it out. I never told anyone. I’m the only one left.”
    More questions popped up, but the torment on her face silenced him. He couldn’t put her through any more pain. “You survived.”
    She blinked several times through tear-filled eyes, which made the green glisten like emeralds. “I escaped.”
    “How?”
    “The demons that held me. They took turns taunting me, saying I was a toy they were going to play with before they crushed it. I was nothing but a disposable object. When they were distracted, I slipped away. Flew faster than I ever had, fearing for my life. I saw the remains of my clan mates below.”
    She fought to keep her tone level, but her voice caught at times. What she couldn’t hide was the stark terror in her eyes. Her torment tugged at him.
    “From behind me, the demons shouted at each other when they’d realized I’d escaped. Telling each other to catch me. If I continued to fly, they would catch up with me in no time. They’d track my scent. Instead, I ducked beneath the tree cover and backtracked through the forest. To where they’d least expect. I returned to our village. I hid amid the corpses. Can’t remember why, my mind was a mess. Maybe I