Page 23 of The Stones for It
A lamia.
My heart squeezed at the reminder of Rattle, but this fae was the total opposite of his sun-soaked colouring, with midnight scales, so dark they were almost black. They coated her long tail, coiled around a thick branch that bowed under her weight.
I cleared my throat, ignoring the heat pooling in my cheeks.
“Hiya!” I gave her an awkward, upside-down wave. “Mind helping a lass out?”
I could hear Vrath crashing through the foliage below, and a quick glance showed him clawing his way up the tree supporting the lamia.
Her forked tongue darted out and thin nostrils flared as I swayed towards her again.
She wrinkled her flat nose. “Beneath the bloody gargoyle and burnt kitsune, you smell like dirty ground lamia.”
“Yes! I’m a heartmate to one of your kind,” I rushed out, ignoring her apparent distaste for my mates and raising my hands in a placating gesture.
The throbbing in my skull intensified, and I clung to the hope that I could convince her not to attack, if not actually help me. My abs protested as I curled as high as I could, trying to snag the winding vine without losing sight of the disgusted fae.
“Lies!” She peeled her lips back, baring elongated fangs, and my stomach lurched as I swung away. “The Gargoyle King comes for you.”
My stomach dropped for a completely different reason. “K-king?!”
Her branch dipped as she leaned out and took a swipe at me.
I reared up, unsheathing my knife and slashing at her grasping hand.
But she wasn’t reaching for me.
Her claw sliced the vine holding me aloft, fraying the bright strands.
And then, I fell.
Chapter ten
Kelsea
The lamia’s fanged grin loomed above as I plummeted through the canopy.
Wind rushed too loud in my ears and my stomach swooped.
“Kelsea!” A masculine roar pierced my terror as I tumbled past a blur of vines, mixing with the tornado of my hair.
Vrath clung to the side of a tree like a bat, tracking my fall with glowing eyes.
I hurtled past, and he leapt.
Time slowed as he dived towards me, wings tucked and hands outstretched.
We collided, and all the remaining air knocked from my lungs as he wrapped me in his arms. Grey replaced the colourful blur as his wings followed. He rolled us midair until he was beneath me.
Determined eyes locked onto mine for an unending moment.
Another impact rattled me as we hit the ground, Vrath taking the brunt of it. I bounced in the cage of his strength, slamming against his chest. We slid sideways and whacked into the base of a tree.
He grunted but didn’t let go.
I heaved in a stilted lungful, black spots swimming at the edge of my vision. My head pounded and my bones ached, but I was alive.
“Nessie’s tits,” I wheezed.
