Knights of Stone - Lachlan Read Online Free Page B

tone.
    “ Shite ,” Lachlan muttered.
    The blond male shrieked when propelled through the air, landing on the forest floor near her and Lachlan. The ground amplified the thud from the fall as the fallen foliage and pine needles crumbled under the force. Birds shot out of a nearby tree to seek refuge elsewhere.
    The female was launched next, landing in a heap on the fern below. The dark-haired male attempted to halt in his forward-moving track, but it was too late, and he was thrown back like the others.
    Raina stared at the three humans, now all unconscious and lying in a crumpled pile. “What just happened?”
    “It’s the border of the witches’ territory,” Lachlan said. “It’s a protective shield to keep intruders out.”
    The witches had mentioned that, but she didn’t know where it would be or what it looked like. Wolves respected territorial lines so she’d never attempted to cross into their land.
    She spotted the gun, which the human must have dropped when thrown. She picked it up, not wanting it loose anywhere near her pack. “You knew where the shield was?”
    “I have four younger brothers. Curiosity often overruled sense. When they were told not to cross into other territories, they couldn’t resist the temptation.”
    She glanced at the gun in her hand with a mix of fascination and fury. What was she going to do with it? The barrel was so small. Hard to believe a tiny piece of metal within it could cause such devastating damage, tear lives apart with such a simple movement of a hand. “So they’ve encountered the shield in the past?”
    “Encountered,” he repeated, appearing amused. “That’s one way to put it.”
    “What do you mean?”
    His gaze drifted off and his mouth twisted into a half smile. “I know it knocked one of them on his bloody arse!”
    Lachlan chortled at the memory with a mighty guffaw.
    Raina pictured the enormous gargoyle shifters launched into the air and joined in. The break was a relief amid the high tension.
    If they were alone, she’d ask for the whole story. She glanced at the humans, again. The plan to keep the humans suspicion from arising was clearly compromised. “Now what do we do?”
    The smile vanished from his face, replaced by an expression of deep concentration. “Not exactly sure. But first, let’s get them the hell out of here.”
    She stared at the weapon in her hand. Burying the guns was an option, but if they were found, danger could follow. But thrown deep into the sea, that might work. Let them rust into oblivion where they couldn’t hurt anyone.
    “And get rid of their weapons.”
    Lachlan stilled, not moving a muscle, and closed his eyes, appearing to concentrate.
    “What are you doing?”
    He raised his hand to stop her. “Calling my brothers.”
    Without saying a word aloud? “How?”
    “Shh. I can’t listen to you both talk at once.”
    The sounds of the forests magnified in their silence. She studied his still face, unobserved, wondering what they were saying to each other. Sure, she could communicate to her pack mates when they were in wolf form, but not as humans. Could they communicate both as humans and stone?
    With his eyes shut, he appeared untroubled, without the weight of the island’s problems resting on his hefty shoulders. The sunlight filtered through the trees, casting parts of his body in light and shadow. Where the light touched his black hair, it reflected the brightness, casting a halo-like glow. Caught up in her observations, she lost some of the tension that had lodged in all her major muscle groups. She took in a deep, relaxing breath to release more of the stiffness, but ended up drinking in his intoxicating musk.
    It had to be wrong for him to smell that good. She’d caught the scent of gargoyle on the island before but never in a way like it affected her now. With Lachlan, it was all-encompassing, pulsing with a reminder that he was male and she was female.
    Her eyes dropped to his mouth. Such sinful