12. Granite

CHAPTER 12

Granite

S creaming echoes in my head. Screams and tears clog my throat and I draw in a deep breath, Angela's scent still in the air around me.

I drag that air in and there's something darker here. A scent that I remember well.

I can barely see through the veil of the stone shield that I wear. But I see enough. Menen.

Her smiling, triumphant face as she comes up to me. I want to cringe back when her hand slips out and caresses my granite shell.

"I told you, Granite. That one is not good enough for you. Nobody else will ever be good enough for you. Just me. I'm your mate," she hisses, the sibilant tone of her voice grating on my ears. I've spent so long out in that darkness waiting for an opportunity to make my way back here, back into your arms. Now I've got that chance. And this time, I'm going to make sure that we're together forever." Her smile is cold and frightening and fear clutches my heart when I can't see Angela anywhere.

"I'm yours, Granite Zephyr. Now and forever. She won't cause us anymore trouble."

I struggle to pull myself out of my prison and back to my love, my mate.

Especially when Menen touches me again and I can smell Angela's scent on her. That's not right. She should never be allowed near Angela.

This is all wrong.

Help me, Granite! I need you!

Her sweet voice. It's all around me. All that I can see and hear. It's all her. I need her.

I need my mate. And nothing. Not even this bitch of a witch is ever going to keep me from getting to my mate when she needs me.

With a roar that shakes the walls of the room, I crack open the shell that I'm encased in, I rip it open and my fingers grasp the air. I pull one arm across and shred the stone covering on me, finally gasping as my body and head emerge from the silent tomb.

"Where is my mate?" I roar, leaping towards Menen, my big fingers stretching for her throat.

She backpedals, horror twisting her features. "What are you doing? You can't be free! You're mine! I own you!" She turns to run but I catch her and haul her backwards and into the nearest wall.

"I want my mate, witch! I will have her now or I swear to all that's holy, I will kill you with my bare hands right this second," I snarl.

Her sneer almost makes me lose my head. "If you do that, you'll never find your little princess."

"I don't need you. It would make it easier, I agree. But one way or another, I will find Angela and then come hell or high water, I will marry her and have children with her. Because she's mine. We're fated. Nothing and no one can stand between two fated mates." I stalk up to her. "And if you try, you better make damn sure that I'm dead, witch. Because otherwise, you will be by the time I'm done with you. And I'll make it as fucking painful as possible. Just because."

"You're being ridiculous," she huffs and backs away with a flourish of her hand. Green fire streaks out and licks at my bare skin. "Stay back, Granite! I will hurt you if your manners don't improve."

A bright flash of white lights up the corner of the room and Menen screams as another witch saunters through the breach.

"Well, hello, Menen. You're not supposed to be on this plane. I can only assume that you are, as per usual, bothering poor Granite. Leave the male alone. He's not yours and you know it. We all know it and we've known it for ages."

"She did something with my mate," I snap as my fist twitches, itching to hammer the woman. I don't generally hit women but this one has been pushing my buttons for what feels like forever and I'm done with it.

"Yes, I see the trail of magic. Don't worry. I'll bring her back to you, Granite. As soon as I take out the trash."

I wince as blue fire flares into life all around us and then latches onto the screaming, writhing figure that is Menen.

She lifts and gently floats over to the other woman. They eye each other and it's obvious they know each other well. "You've pushed things too far this time, Menen. The tribunal will decide what to do to you but if I had my choice, I'd permanently excommunicate you."

And with a twist of a slim wrist, she waves her hand and with a shriek, Menen disappears, her features elongated and twisted until she finally vaporizes.

"Is she…gone?"

The other woman nods. "She is. She won't be back this time. She's too much of a risk to have around any of our magical beings. The witch tribunal will make short work of her."

My soul shrieks. "What about Angela? Where is she?"

The witch moves closer and her palm touches me gently on the shoulder. "Go find her and bring her home. Her and the child."

Before I can even blink at her stunning words, a portal opens up and draws me in. It feels like my body is stretching and reshaping itself as time and space collide in whirling rays of iridescent light around me.

"Find her and tell her you love her this time, gargoyle. I will warn you. This is your last shot."

And with those prophetic words, I'm dumped into a fairly large, wide-open space. Darkness envelops everything around me. My soul cries out for Angela and finally, a soft voice calls, "Granite? Is that you?"

"Yes, my mate. Where are you?" I twist and turn but I can't see her and fear fills me. "Where are you? Tell me where you are?"

"I don't know!" She wails and I can hear her fear. "I can't see anything! It's all just empty black space."

I remember the witch's words. "Angela, my mate. I love you. I loved you from the first second I heard your voice on the phone. You have to come back to me, my love. You're the only thing in this world that I can't live without. Come home with me and make me the happiest gargoyle on this plane or any other."

Ahead of me, the air shifts and twists, sparkling lights forming and then transforming into the shape of my mate.

"Angela!" I roar and race at her, pulling her into my arms, her tears soaking into my skin and washing away the last doubts that we'd ever be together again. I lift her tear-soaked face to mine and smile. "I love you so much. We're going to live long, happy lives together and we're going to have so many little gargoyles that we're gonna need an even bigger castle!"

She smiles through shimmering tears and it's a balm to my soul to see the smile that I never thought I'd see again. The scent of her awakens that beast inside me that never seems to sleep around her.

"I love you too, Granite. I am your mate and you are mine. I want to be with you for the rest of our lives and have many more gargoyles to play with this little one."

Her hand touches her belly and I draw in a grunted breath. I can scent something that I never thought I'd see in my lifetime since most of it was cursed and living encased in stone.

"You're…we're having a baby," I breathe out and she smiles, nodding at me.

My heart swells and I bend down to lift her up into my arms and cradle her to my chest. My heart races and then it feels as if our hearts synch, matching each other beat for beat, fluttering in perfect rhythm. I bend down and kiss her and it feels like the whole world falls away.

It takes me a second to realize that the portal opened around us and we're now on solid ground back on earth but when I do, I laugh and hold my angel tight.

"We're going to get married as soon as possible. I don't want to wait even one more second to have you with me, have you taking my last name." I twirl her round and round and she screeches.

"I'm gonna throw up if you don't stop that!"

I stop slowly and gaze down into her perfect features, the emerald eyes that captivate me and I lift her hair to my nose, breathing in her scent all the way to my bones and soul.

"I cannot wait to have you living here with me and raising our children," I whisper.

Her eyes soften, darkening. "I think that that sounds like a perfect future. I would love to make it come true."

I lean down and take her lips with mine, my fingers tangling in the soft, springy curls of golden fire that fall down her back.

And I know with every fiber of my being that I will never be lonely, never be trapped and I will always have this woman by my side for the rest of our days.

I broke the curse and now heaven is my future. My reward for living through hell for all these years.

You can't run or hide from your fate. And who would want to when you could be as happy as me?