Born of Stone by Missy Jane

body to him as if afraid she would try to get away, and she almost did laugh again because nothing was farther from her mind. Why would she try to run away from paradise? That was exactly what she’d found here in—of all places—a Master’s bedroom. The unreality of it all nearly blinded her to the pleasure. But then he pulled her nipple between his lips and grabbed her attention.
    “Oh…”
    He moved his body over hers and she let her legs fall open to accommodate him. That easily, she was his. Had she really feared this man just yesterday? Not even a full day had passed and she was trusting him with her body again.
    A hard knock on his door, followed by the knob being jiggled, broke into her thoughts. She pulled her hands from him when he slowly sat up.
    “What?” he hollered.
    A muffled voice sounded from the other side of the door but she couldn’t understand a single word. Orestes didn’t seem to have that problem. He growled low in his throat and moved off the bed. He grabbed the blankets and pulled them to her neck before placing a swift kiss on her mouth.
    “Sorry, my sweet, but I must see to this. Remain covered.”
    He waited for her to nod before he grabbed his clothes off the floor and pulled them on quickly. Then he unlocked the door and opened it wide. Three of his brothers stood in the hallway.
    “Come in,” he said, but it was anything but welcoming.
    Kephas, Goran and Dunstan strode into the room and looked around. Their gazes found Astrid almost immediately and she fought the urge to jump from the bed. Orestes stood between her and his brothers with his hands on his hips, but he was also in the way of the door.
    “What is it?” he asked. “What has happened?”
    Kephas shrugged his massive shoulders and matched Orestes’s stance. “An attack on the village of Angor, right at the border. Right now, it appears to be a mix of creatures, including human men.”
    “They’re still fighting?” Orestes asked.
    “No,” Dunstan replied. “But they were spotted as they rode away. Two of the Kevan were in a neighboring village and heard the warning bell ring. They saw the destruction and followed a trail to the border.”
    “Who was supposed to be guarding that area?”
    The brothers looked at each other uncertainly, as if none wanted to voice the name. Astrid remained mute. She couldn’t imagine any of the Masters disregarding his duty to the kingdom.
    Finally Goran spoke up. “It was Nel’s responsibility to patrol that area of the border these past few days. He had checked in on schedule but now there is no sign of him.”
    “Nel…”
    Astrid watched Orestes’s frown fade into an expression of concern. She tried to remember Nel. It was rare for her to look up into the faces of any of the Masters so she didn’t always note the differences between them. That had never been the case with Orestes. He had fascinated her from the first time she had seen him. But thinking back on Nel now, she realized he resembled Orestes more than the others. Though they considered themselves brothers, as did everyone in the kingdom, the men weren’t joined by blood. They had no mother, no father, no kin in the way of humans.
    The Gargoyle Masters were the creations of the King’s wizards and no one but the King, the wizards, and the Masters themselves knew exactly how they had come into being. It had been many years before Astrid’s birth but she’d heard whispers. After a series of horribly violent battles in the borderlands, the King called his wizards together. They remained locked up in the castle battle-room for many days and nights, and when they emerged, the Gargoyles emerged with them, fully grown.
    Now she looked from one face to another and knew somehow Nel and Orestes were more connected than the others. Kephas placed a hand on Orestes’s shoulder.
    “I’ve already sent Petros and Haldor in your stead, brother. Take your ease with your woman and we’ll keep you updated.”
    His woman? His