Page 23 of Stone Sentinels

“Then let’s hope Cambion isn’t foolish enough to endanger The Veil.”

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BARON

Jadyrar Sea

“Fucking idiot!!” I roar my anger to the crashing waves of the phantom ocean before us. Pyre has spoken few words since Cambion backstabbed us. Yes,backstabbedus. That’s how I see it. Cambion chose Theren over us, after everything the Unseelie King has done to him and to us. Even Aima seems sick of his shit.

Anger flows through my veins like shards of jagged glass as I walk along the citrine sands of the beach. The Jadyrar Sea sweeps to the shore—white, milky liquid that reflects iridescent rainbows on the surface. “How could he do this to us? After all his bitching and complaining! We followed him, fighting by his side against Anona and her fucking pricks! We saved his ass more times than we should have!”

“Your anger is disturbing the ethers,” Pyre answers, his tone level.

“Fuck the ethers!”

Pyre cocks his head to the side. “That doesn’t sound like the words of a future Guardian of The Veil. Tread carefully, Baron. Your ability to steady yourself and ground your control is paramount to your future responsibilities. Never. Lose. Control.”

“Like you did when your lover’s mirror was taken by Cambion?” I wince as soon as the words leave my mouth. Pyre doesn’t deserve my anger; he doesn’t deserve any of this. “I’m sorry. And... I hope you don’t condemn the rest of us for Cambion’s actions. I can’t speak for the others, but you know I’m loyal to you, as a friend and as your ally.”

“I know the honor you hold within you, Baron. And I do not believe Cambion betrayed us.” He grows quiet, pensive. Then he faces me again and nods. “He made a reckless decision and didn’t care what the consequences of his actions might be, but he did it for the same reasons we do anything.”

“Which means what?”

“We want answers and Cambion attempts to find them. He’s doing what he thinks is right.”

“People doing whatever they want without considering anyone else is exactly what got us into this situation in the first fucking place,” I argue.

“Which means what?” he throws my words back at me with a slight smile.

“If Variant or Theren were being manipulated before the war, they should have come to us! They should have been real men and confronted us instead of scheming behind our backs.”

Pyre’s face splits in two as that familiar lopsided grin appears. “Were you not an assassin that hid in the shadows and used poisons and daggers to kill your targets?” I toss my head back and laugh. The description isn’t exactly accurate, but it’s good to see Pyre isn’t sulking anymore. He walks over to the sea and dips his hand in the water; the substance slithers away from his palm as he digs into the sand and retrieves a large diamond.

“There are treasures and secrets all over this world, Baron. If one is brave enough to face its dangers, they may find themselves heavily rewarded.”

“And those who seek to take instead of becoming worthy?”

“They don’t survive long and end up becoming part of the world they sought to claim for themselves. Life is a cycle of unending occurrences that are sure to repeat themselves. The instability of the balance now is a perfect example.” Pyre drops the diamond into my hand and casts a portal to return us to the cottage. He heads inside as I stand beside the circle where Aima tosses Eilish to the ground. For a moment, I think I see the angel marks on Eilish’s back writhe, but I must be mistaken. She jumps to her feet and meets Aima head on.

The movement of her lithe body is very graceful; she shows improvement each day. I feel myself swelling in my breeches as she tosses her hair out of her face and smiles at me over her shoulder. When she catches the look on my face, her eyes flood with black. I smell her hunger as if it were the scent of a campfire on the wind. I glance at the dark tendrils of hair that appear all over her head and I realize she’s leaning more and more toward the darkness. This isn’t good. Eilish needs to maintain her own internal balance. Fuck fucking Cambion to hell!

Eilish dodges Aima’s next attack and the latter drops her weapons, saying they’ve practiced enough for the day. They’re both panting and dirt stains their clothing and skin. Eilish nods and the two offer each other words of encouragement.

Aima disappears into the cottage as Eilish turns to face me. She smiles broadly and then runs right toward me. I catch her and whip her around, holding her in the air as I do so. When I set her down, she pushes me to the ground and then crawls on top of me. The scent of her need becomes even stronger.

I arch against her and she dips low to slide her tongue into my mouth. I nip her with my fangs. In unison, we moan, Eilish grinding her core against me. I reach down to slide my hand into her leggings and she gasps against my mouth. I feel her fingers wrap around my wrist as she eases my fingers toward the dripping center of her passion. I thrust my fingers inside her and she clenches around me.

“I want inside you now,” I groan against her.

She scrambles to unbuckle my belt and push open the buttons of my trousers. When her hand wraps around my length, stars dance behind my eyes. I lift her with one hand and force her leggings down with the other. She settles over me once more and slowly sinks down the rigid girth of my dick. I clench my eyes shut as I focus on the feel of her slick and tight passage.

“Fuck me,” I whisper.

She stills above me and I open my eyes at the same time that I sense the presence of another.

Dragan hovers in the shadows, watching us with the gaze of a predator, and I feel Eilish shiver. She stares at her gargoyle lover as I push into the succulent flesh between her thighs.

“Show off for him,” I whisper.

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