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

thought it would hide my scent. Not thinking, just acting to survive.” She choked up as she cried out. “My parents. My clan—I lay there for hours. Covered in their blood, long cooled. Hiding amid their dismembered corpses.” She shuddered and took a deep breath. “When I finally crawled out, I bolted from there. Flew until my wings beat so heavy, I thought I’d fall. Then I washed the blood off in a loch and hid in the forests of the Highlands.”
    When she stopped, Bryce blinked in slow motion, overcome by the hell she’d endured. Through her terror, she’d been resourceful, which may well have saved her life. “I’m so sorry.”
    He didn’t know if she heard him as she appeared lost. “It wasn’t until the next day that I worked up enough resolve to go back and take care of their bodies. By then, the creatures had burned many of the homes, leaving them charred skeletons.”
    She was still lost in her memory, reliving the horror. All because of him and his demanding questions. Oof. What an arse. His chest tightened.
    “I lit a funeral pyre at dawn and sat there while their remains burned, hoping the demons wouldn’t return during the day, but fearful every second that they would. The scent of my clan’s burning bodies—I’ll never forget. When the embers died out, I flew from there and haven’t returned. I spent the next day trekking deeper into the forests. Then I spotted you and your brother. At first, I thought you were the demons coming to find me. But then, I recognized your forms and flight patterns and thought you might be gargoyles. So I followed you. And here we are.” She pulled her eyes to his, spreading her arms wide.
    Her story made sense. He was such a knob for thinking she was a spy. “I can’t imagine what you went through. What you did saved your life. I’m sure your family and clan would be proud of your courage.”
    Her eyebrows darted up. “That wasn’t courage—that was fear.”
    “It was doing the best you could in the absolute worst situation. And it worked.”
    The haunted glint floated back into her eyes like a ghost that refused to pass on. “No. They all died. I didn’t save any of them. Not even one.”
    What could he say to that, to brush away some of her pain? “You were lucky to survive. You couldn’t have saved anyone. That was a well-planned attack. Now, your clan lives on in you.”
    Her gaze dropped to the pebbles at her feet. “Alone.” Her voice came out lower. “A part of me wishes I’d died with them. Then I wouldn’t have to suffer with this.” She motioned over her heart.
    What torment lived in there, he couldn’t imagine. “No, Mairi.” He took her shoulders and tried to snap her from spiraling down, drowning in survival guilt. “You must carry on. If not for you, for them.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “By carrying on. Living on. One of your clan still survives.”
    She shook her head, eyes flickering with fear. “How long am I going to last? With them still out there. And just me.”
    “You’re here, now. Far from any danger.”
    She nodded as if assuring herself it was true.
    Bryce studied her demeanor, trying to get a read on her emotions. All he discerned was her conflict. “What do you need, Mairi?”
    For several moments, she didn’t move or reply. When she glanced up, her haunted eyes shined with determination. “To destroy them. Every. Last. One.”
    Vengeance. Not that he blamed her. He’d want the same thing if something like that had happened to him.
    “Can they be killed?” Her story was working its way under his skin. He squared his shoulders. “You’re not even sure what they are.”
    “I’ll find a way.” The green of her irises intensified, burning brighter with a simmering rage. A gargoyle consumed with vengeance.
    “Alone? You can’t. You wouldn’t stand a chance.”
    Her countenance grim with determination, she fixed her eyes on him. “Will you help me?”
    Fuck. He’d set himself up for that one. He